Dining Out in San Diego – March 13, 2015

Mission Valley’s brewery-restaurant, Gordon Biersch, has refreshed its menu with a renewed focus on creative chef-driven items that appeal to modern tastes. Among the new additions: a frisée salad dressed in a warm bacon vinaigrette and topped with tomatoes, bacon, Brie, sautéed crimini mushrooms and a fried egg;

Gordon Biersch 1web — Jumbo shrimp in a Woodford Reserve bourbon glaze (Courtesy Gordon Biersch)

a series of entrees made with a Woodford Reserve bourbon glaze and served with brown rice pilaf, quinoa and kale; and a pizza smothered in white herb sauce and topped with Gruyere cheese, crispy pancetta, caramelized onions, roma tomatoes and chives.
5010 Mission Center Road, 619-688-1120. —Jeremy Ogul

Selina Khan says of her new Pakistani-Indian restaurant in Hillcrest: “It’s a campaign for real curry, the way we make it at home in Pakistan.” Since opening House of Khan in early February in the space formerly occupied by Mama Testa, the full-service restaurant has been serving lunch and dinner Tuesday through Sunday. The big sellers so far are kabob rolls and chicken curry plates. “Everything’s made in-house,” assures Khan, who started the business several years ago as a pop-up eatery in the College Area. In her new space, she’s installed industrial lighting and artwork from the subcontinent. 1417 University Ave., 760-580-9024. —Frank Sabatini, Jr.

Mess Royaleweb — Mess Royale will import its bagels from Montreal-based St. Viateur. (Courtesy Flickr user bokchoi-snowpea via Creative Commons)

San Diegans can soon add “Canadian” to their list of ethnic dining options when Mess Royale Poutine & Bagels opens in Hillcrest in late March (and hopefully no later). The much-anticipated eatery, conceived by an entrepreneur from northeast Canada, will offer poutine made in classic French-Canadian style, which translates to cheese curds and light-brown gravy lopped onto a pile of French fries. Fancier versions using lobster and grilled chicken will be available as well, along with sandwiches made with bagels shipped in from the St. Viateur bakery of Montreal. 142 University Ave. —F.S.

The recently opened tasting room in North Park by Rip Current Brewing now offers salads, sandwiches, pizzas and small plates from Sublime, a local vendor that operates the property’s kitchen. In addition, the San Marcos-based brewer has just re-introduced its lauded double IPA, Red Flag. The tasting room will officially hold its grand opening sometime in March and plans to add five more handles to the dozen-plus lineup. 4101 30th St., 619-793-4777. —F.S.

Fairweatherweb — The Singapore sling at Fairweather (Courtesy H2 Public Relations)

While two-thirds of the country recovers from a brutal winter, cocktail wizard Anthony Schmidt has rolled out a new menu of “drinks-from-sunny-places” at Fairweather, the rooftop bar overlooking the gates of Petco Park. Among the newcomers Schmidt resurrected and revised from old cocktail journals is the “tropical itch,” a Hawaiian bourbon-rum concoction with fresh pineapple that reportedly became the first cocktail served with a paper umbrella. Others include classic Caribbean piña coladas, Trader Vic mai tais and pre-World War I Singapore slings. 795 J St., 619-255-6507. —F.S.

Juniper and Ivyweb — Chef Richard Blais leads the kitchen at Juniper & Ivy. (Photo by Tim King)

The powerhouse culinary team at Juniper & Ivy, which includes celebrity chef Richard Blais of Top Chef All-Stars, has introduced a multi-course “Left Coast” tasting menu available to eight guests only at 6 p.m. every Thursday. The intimate meals feature locally sourced ingredients, with each weekly menu created on the whims of the chefs. The cost is $95 per person or $155 if opting for various alcohol pairings. 2228 Kettner Blvd., 619-269-9036. —F.S.