Silver Fork Awards: By Stephen Silverman

31st Annual Silver Fork Awards

Our crafty critic names his top restaurant picks, and delivers justice with his observations of local trends

WE WATCHED THE AVENGERS DOMINATE the summer box office. And July is the month that brings San Diego the superhero dominated Comic-Con. So this year, we chose superchefs — all from restaurants that have never won before — to be bearers of the mighty Silver Fork. Also included here: A list of former Silver Fork winners that continue to wow. These best restaurant picks are mostly about food. The restaurant experience is a combination of food, setting, service and value. But the food is first, and it has to be really good to garner a Silver Fork. 

First, though, observations from the last 12 months of eating out: 

WORDS, WORDS, WORDS

Among the most oft-repeated words of the last year were “farm-to-table,” “sustainable,” “organic,” “fresh,” “free-range,” “local,” “green” and variations thereof. There’s been an increasing emphasis on “gluten-free” and “vegan,” to say nothing of the continuing rein of “comfort food” and the adjective “real,” as in mashed potatoes and lemonade. Few foods are “fried” anymore, just “sautéed.” 

PRICE POINTS

One of the first local proponents of the under-$20 menu was Cucina Urbana. Its pricing policy hit San Diego like a kiss to the taste buds and wallet. Then, we started to see local menus mimic the under-$20 concept. No more. Menu prices have been rising so rapidly we didn’t even get to experience a price creep phase. Dinner entrées in the $25-$35 range are now commonplace. 

TAILOR MADE

The chef Brian Malarkey/entrepreneur James Brenan restaurant spree has been like Reality TV. They had a concept, went at it like gangbusters and made slips and corrections. Malarkey was once in the kitchen fulltime at Searsucker. He left to concentrate on the openings of Burlap, Gingham, Gabardine and most recently, Herringbone. That Malarkey was no longer in the kitchen was telling, and quality declined at Searsucker and Burlap. But Chad White was installed as chef when Gabardine opened, and other retrofit have been made at all the Malarkey/Brenan enterprises. As Martha Stewart used to say, “It’s a good thing.” 

SAVVY 

The most-clever restaurateur in San Diego is Arsalun Tafazoli. He’s behind Neighborhood, Noble Experiment, Craft & Commerce and Underbelly — all of which are edgy, pioneering and successful eating and drinking establishments. The guy has a great eye for design, insists on quality in both food and setting, and turns out food that ranges from merely good to simply sensational. 

PIGGED OUT

Years ago, chocolate cake with bits of bacon at the Riviera Supper Club was intriguing and new. Today it’s here piggy, there piggy, everywhere piggy-piggy. Difficult as it is to believe, bacon does not actually go with everything. Let’s stop before there’s a serious outbreak of swine fatigue. 

ERAS END 

Restaurants and food businesses regularly shutter; two closings bear mention. The Sausage King occupied a spot in Mission Hills for 40 years. It was a dead ringer for a 1940s noir movie set. Extraordinary sausages were made in-house. When owner/sausage-maker Fred Spenner passed away, the shop closed for good … El Bizcocho at the Rancho Bernardo Inn shuts down in August. Its impressive run started in the 1960s, and it was often lauded as the best in the county. It’s been just over a decade since servers got informal (a shift from tuxedos to suits), and gentlemen patrons were no longer required to wear coats and ties. The once-elegant room has been looking a little weary. Plans call for a $2 million remodel, with a new concept and name. 

The 2012 Silver Fork Award Winners

BLUEPRINT CAFÉ, Barrio Logan

CARNITAS’ SNACK SHACK, North Park

DAVONTI ENOTECA, Little Italy

EDDIE V’S PRIME SEAFOOD, La Jolla

FLAVOR DEL MAR, Del Mar

FLYING PIG PUB & KITCHEN, Oceanside

HODAD’S, Downtown

MISION 19, Tijuana

SALTBOX DINING AND DRINKING, Downtown

SOLACE AND THE MOONLIGHT LOUNGE, Encinitas

SUBLIME ALEHOUSE, San Marcos

TABLE 926, Pacific Beach

THE SHORES, La Jolla

UNDERBELLY, Little Italy

NEWLY-MINTED SILVER FORK WINNERS

These restaurants, all getting their first Fork, represent where San Diego is and it is going. They reinforce the notion we’re in good hands. 

Blueprint Café — Flying well below the radar, this breakfast/lunch/happy-hour spot in Barrio Logan offers generous and high-quality new American cuisine. It’s where foodies gather for great soups, impressive hamburgers and ingenious daily specials. It’s also where the influence of owner/chef Gayle Covner can be experienced throughout. 

Carnitas’ Snack Shack — OK, it’s a little ultra-casual from the outside, but order at the window and go around to the back patio where the food will be brought to you. The carnitas torta represents heaven-on-a-bun. The fries, while not the crispiest in town, still rank among the best. Half the menu changes every day, so there are always new marvels to digest. 

Davanti Enoteca — One of the newest kids on one of the hottest restaurant blocks in San Diego, Davanti is reviving the notion that there’s good and genuinely inventive Italian food in Little Italy. Try the truffle egg toast with fontina and the Ligurian-style baked focaccia, for sure.

Eddie V’s — Waltzing into La Jolla’s vacant Chart House location, Eddie V’s underwent a top-notch remodel and created a splashy coastal eatery with expense-account looks and exceptional food. The upstairs dining room, with or without the clear vinyl walls, is a dead ringer for an exotic James Bond movie set.

Flavor — A certain sector of the Del Mar population lusts after good-looking, hip and bodacious restaurants with great views and inventive food. With Flavor, the longing is satisfied as much by the coastal views as by a menu that offers grilled Hamachi and duck confit. 

Flying Pig — Oh, that each of us had a pig like this in our neighborhood. This lusty and luscious ultra-casual eatery feels like a roadhouse but serves food that’s soothing, inspired and ceaselessly satiating. From mac-n-cheese to molasses-braised pork belly with collards, it’s a terrific gustatory experience.

Hodad’s Downtown — Though Hodad’s in Ocean Beach has been around for decades, this new downtown outpost has a personality all its own. The menu is pretty much limited to hamburgers, fries, and onion rings — all of which are worth waiting for in the frequently long and inevitably colorful line.   

Mision 19 — Charting new territory for Baja cuisine, this groundbreaking restaurant in Tijuana provides an original take on ethnic gastronomy, regionally available foods and elegant sensibilities. Chef Javier Plascencia is considered the new wunderkind who’s going to entice San Diegans across the border once again. 

Saltbox — Tucked away on the second floor of downtown’s Palomar Hotel, Saltbox executive chef Simon Dolinky does classic and quirky food with great skill. His sensibility is playful, but don’t be fooled by the lobster corn dogs or the chicharrones; Dolinky takes food very seriously, easily proven by the oxtail jam and lamb tamales.

Solace and the Moonlight Lounge — Restless owner/chef Matt Gordon of North Park’s remarkable Urban Solace can’t help but reinvent himself, this time in Encinitas, with new food and a stylish, beachy setting that’s very much in the vein of comfort. The upstairs lounge offers not only food, but both beer and wine on tap.   

Sublime Ale House — It’s all about oozy, family-oriented, beer-centric, über-comforting, generously portioned, nothing-fancy, theoretically regular food that’s unusually good. There are almost 50 beers on tap and the signature Sublime Pizza combines chicken, mushrooms, bacon, cheddar cheese, truffle oil and enough béchamel sauce to double the weight of the dish. 

Table 926 — Local boy and inventive chef Matt Richmond creates culinary excitement in the back of a Pacific Beach parking lot. His new restaurant erupts with wonderful fare characterized by imaginative cooking, quality ingredients and notable value. The menu changes based on what’s fresh and seasonal, but the braised lamb shoulder ragu is almost always available. Get it served over faro for a delicious pairing. 

The Shores — Chef Amy DiBiase took over this venerable hotel breakfast/lunch/dinner room and transformed it from a place with a great view to a dining destination. The simplicity and directness of the cooking is remarkable because what’s highlighted is the taste of the basic ingredient and not the seasonings, sauces or other embellishments.

Underbelly — When an inspired mind is at work, Underbelly is the result. It’s tiny, contemporary, ramen-based and blissful. An emphasis on quality is evident in every dish and every bit of décor. Try the seven-radish salad with the tuna crostini, followed by the charred spicy kimchee ramen with an add-on of beef brisket. 

[1-page for this list; 1-2 photos—maybe the Katherine Humphus (BO-beau) fork shot from last year]

Hed= (STILL-STERLING) SILVER FORKS  

Here are some of San Diego’s best and most enduring and endearing restaurants… 

Addison — Set in the Grand Del Mar Resort, it’s the best restaurant in San Diego, period. For finesse, attention to detail and sheer elegance, Addison remains unsurpassed. Chef William Bradley continues maturing and continues his personal quest for dining room perfection. 

BO-beau —The Cohn Restaurant Group, known for ingenious décor and market insight, hit the sweet spot with this cozy bistro featuring the remarkable talents of chef Katherine Humphus. After more than a year, folks still rave about her Brussels sprouts.

Extraordinary Desserts — Karen Krasne built an empire based on her ravishing-looking and extraordinary-tasting desserts. Now those glorious delights, along with food and wine, are available at her Little Italy restaurant. It’s downtown’s most distinctive pleasure dome. 

George’s California Modern — The combined intelligence of restaurateur George Hauer and chef Trey Foshee produce magic. Foshee’s sensitivity to ingredients and profound inquisitiveness coaxes grace and flavor from even the most humble morsel. 

JSix — Hotel restaurant (Solamar) that it may be, JSix has grown radiant under the direction of chef Christian Graves. His careful and affectionate handling of produce and poultry and seafood and meats is exceptional. 

Marine Room — Chefs Bernard Guillas and Ron Oliver take a magnificent beachfront setting and compete by providing virtuoso food groupings, emphatic flavors and dramatic good looks. The thrashing surf beyond the windows is matched splash-for-splash by every course at dinner. 

Nine-Ten — What’s consistently remarkable about Nine-Ten is the singular talent of chef Jason Knibb. Here’s a man who understands food, clientele, presentation and the art of surprise. Not only is his “Mercy-of-the-Chef” tasting menu consistently delicious, he makes the most labor-intensive dishes appear unfussy.

Pizzeria Bruno Napoletano — There’s neither slick nor shtick here, just some of the best artisanal pizza in town. Everything is homemade, and the crust, somewhere between thick and thin, is addictive. Don’t go looking for high décor; just expect low-tech, astonishing pizza. 

Sushi Ota — In San Diego, there’s only one Maker, Decider and Arbiter of classic and extremely fresh sushi. That would be Ota-san, the strong-willed owner and operator of Sushi Ota, the man literally behind the sushi bar and the one to whom diners willingly say “omakase,” which means I’ll leave it to you. 

Tender Greens — It’s cafeteria style and part of a chain, but neither circumstance keeps Tender Greens from serving distinguished and maybe even noble food: it’s startlingly delicious, righteously handled and beautifully prepared.