In the past few weeks Buzz has been to a couple of press events.  What this means is that new restaurants and their public relations firms invite press for a menu sampling and a glimpse of the place.  Sometimes, as happened last night at Solare Ristorante & Lounge, it’s a fun, crowded bar with the kitchen sending out small plates, the chefs working the room and the public relations people meeting and greeting the invitees. Other times, as was the case with Red Marlin it is a seated dinner.  And no, press doesn’t pay at these events.  So, here’s the quick Buzz on both places. 

Locals in Point Loma can now dine at Solare Ristorante & Lounge, a top-notch northern Italian restaurant with a great vibe in a comfortable setting, slightly off the beaten track in the NTC Historic area at the corner of Historic Decatur and Roosevelt.  That means a nice alternative to Old Venice and the other red sauce and pizza standbys.  The lively and inviting room, designed by owner and co-executive chef Stefano Ceresoli, includes terrace seating that overlooks the Promenade. Ceresoli and his wife Roberta also own Caffe Bella Italia in Pacific Beach.

The food reflects Stefano’s Milan roots co-executive chef Mark Pelliccia’s more than fifteen years cooking experience in Italy and Europe (he owns a house in Italy with a small vineyard).  Think butter instead of olive oil, a Slow Food appreciation, homemade pastas, desserts and food that is approachable and well presented. Among the small plates we tasted: a smooth carrot timbale, a Colorado lamb chop and a feather light croquette of cod. 

Open for lunch only until April 14 when they begin dinner service as well.  In the meantime, from April 1 to 13, they will have two tasting menus available:  A four course ($50) or six course dinner ($69) with wines that will be available from 5pm to 11pm, reservations are necessary at 619-270-9670.  The lounge is open and tapas can be ordered there. 

Want to watch the sunset with views of Mission Bay without the mess of beach sand?  Then follow Quivira Road (to the right around the newly renovated Hyatt Regency Mission Bay) where it dead-ends into a parking lot and where you can enter Red Marlin that is part of the hotel.  Large picture windows surround the room with seating that allows for views of the marina and at night the lights of Mission Bay.  The top of the slightly tiered room has a large chef’s table (where the 16 of us were seated) and where the view is of the wine wall and the the sunset or the marina.  There’s a terrace and an indoor-outdoor bar that looks towards the hotel pool area. 

And the food?  Chef de cuisine Danny Bannister comes to the kitchen with an education from the French Culinary Institute in New York and local experience at Laurel, Pamplemousse and 3rd Corner.  Our meal included seared ahi and a slaw flavored with a ponzu vinaigrette and spicy aioli; smoked salt and chli dusted scallop with a fava bean edamame puree and sweet chili sauce, and a grilled filet with five-spiced sweet potato mash.  Wines were paired for the courses, but unfortunately the menu forgot the vintages.  Bannister uses good local ingredients including breads from Con Pane, but I wished for a more assertive hand in his food.  Would I have chosen to have a puree and a mash in the same meal, likely not and in particular the fava bean one needed a seasoning jolt, even with the scallop’s nearly oversalted edge.   The service was gracious and attentive.

Hotel cooking can be difficult for a chef with good ideas–most of the time the chef has to find a middle ground to satisfy his or her creativity yet cater to guests who may not be familiar with food beyond steak.  Would I go back to Red Marlin?  Absolutely, and I hope Chef Bannister finds his stride as he settles in.  It’s a great place for locals.  Reservations:  619-221-4868.

Buzz continues around Wolfgang Puck’s venture at the La Jolla Playhouse due to open about mid-June in a spot next to the Mandell Weiss Forum and across from the Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre.

According to Puck’s bio on the company website, this restaurant will be part of his Wolfgang Puck Catering company that provides exclusive, premium dining and catering to venues around the country including the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Nokia Theatre Dallas, St. Louis Art Museum and LA’s Pacific Design Center’s Red Seven restaurant.

A recent story in The Wall Street Journal addressed in depth the popularity of tasting menus paired with wines.  The paper’s wine writers, Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher dined anonymously at four of New York’s top restaurants (Le Bernardin, Jean George, Per Se and Daniel) to report on tasting menus and their pairings with wine.  The results were startling.  Not only did the writers have day-0ld, sometimes uninspired and pre-chosen pairings, the cost was over the top at $280 for two at Le Bernardin (separate from the the $180 per person for the food tasting menu).  Per Se and Daniel came out the best of the bunch, for service, wines and food pairings. While San Diego isn’t quite as pricey, tasting menus can be found at some of our top restaurants.  How good are they?

What do you think about tasting menus?  Are they worth ordering or are they passé ?  Do you order the wines suggested or do you order by the glass or bottle?  Does the service feel rushed because you’re ordering a set menu? Well, Buzz would like to hear from you.  Let’s see how San Diego’s chefs and sommeliers show their stuff.