![\"Pumpkin](\"https:\/\/missionvalleynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/webDonut-and-cider1.jpg\")
<\/a>Now, after endearing herself to television audiences as a confident competitor, she serves as executive chef of Pacific Standard Coastal Kitchen, the modern, spacious restaurant incorporated into Hilton\u2019s new Homewood Suites and Garden Inn Bayside Hotel.<\/p>\n
The dual property marks the spot where one of the city\u2019s most distinctive art deco structures stood when it was an eye-catching pink palace that housed Top\u2019s Nightclub in the 1940s, and then later Fat City, China Camp and a Denny\u2019s. Sadly, much of its character was demolished and replaced by a white, generic build-out that recently garnered an \u201conion\u201d rather than an \u201corchid\u201d award by the San Diego Architectural Society.<\/p>\n But blooms are found across Wellman\u2019s menu. Her fabulous baked brioche accompanied by house-made ricotta, for example, shouldn\u2019t be ignored. Like warm croissants straight out of the oven, every flaky morsel melted in our mouths as we effortlessly polished off the entire six-piece serving.<\/p>\n Her meaty Maryland-style lump crab cakes draped in fennel-carrot slaw and spicy remoulade are yet another winning prelude leading to a concise list of entrees that rely largely on California-sourced ingredients.<\/p>\n Or as a shrimp starter, she perches the peeled crustaceans on toast with a sweet Latin-inspired sauce of tomatoes, bell peppers and onions (sofrito). We welcomed the thin slices of red Fresno chilies that also surfaced, but couldn\u2019t really detect the lemon confit and Old Bay Seasoning mentioned in the menu description.<\/p>\n While sipping on fresh lemonade and a shamelessly boozy \u201cdock & tai\u201d cocktail made with Bacardi Rum, absinthe, pistachio orgeat and lots of fresh mint, we proceeded to a mountain of red endive and watercress. It\u2019s the house salad strewn with dried cherries and Roquefort crumbles, both of which maintained their sweet and tangy flavors amid neutral hazelnut vinaigrette.<\/p>\n We visited on the cusp of a seasonal menu change, although most of what we ordered will stay as Wellman prepares to introduce by mid-November chicken liver mousse, house-made sausage and whole grilled fish. The fate of other dishes such as wild mushroom risotto, fish and chips, and scallops with applewood bacon and potato-leek chowder remained in the air.<\/p>\n In addition, the green-lentil cassoulet my companion ordered could soon transform into a traditional French-style recipe using white beans. Although I wouldn\u2019t complain if it doesn\u2019t, because the lentils worked superbly in offering substantial texture and flavor, especially mantled beneath braised rainbow carrots, pickled onions and a dollop of the sofrito.<\/p>\n In today\u2019s never-ending monsoon of overrated burgers, Pacific Standard\u2019s girthy creation of sirloin and ground chuck excels because of its retained juices and aged cheddar on top. Add to the scheme cipollini onion jam, Frenso chilies and garlic aioli, and you end up with a flavor outcome that isn\u2019t necessarily as innovative as it is balanced and perky. Definitely one of the best I\u2019ve had in a while.<\/p>\n The dessert my companion ordered fit the season: a donut with pumpkin pie filling in the middle and cranberry icing on top. It was surrounded by pecan crumbles and served with a mini glass mug of apple cider. I chose a Valrhona chocolate bar speckled with peanut butter crunchies and sea salt, and dotted with toasted meringue. Both confections were thoughtfully conceived and made in-house.<\/p>\n Unlike most hotel restaurants, which require traversing lobbies and hallways to get to them, you enter this from the street or from a central courtyard designed with inviting furniture and elegant fire features. With a large bar that was fairly busy on our weekday visit, the atmosphere holds equal appeal for hotel guests and locals alike.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a>