Down on the bay near the convention center, Vela, at the new Hilton San Diego Bayfront, conveys serenity in a warm and contemporary room with views of the bay and the docks of the Port’s Tenth Avenue Terminal.  Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, you just might see a Dole freighter unloading its cargo or the lights of Coronado while you dine.  The bar doesn’t have the view, but on a quiet Monday, Buzz was able to enjoy a taste pour ($5) of Barth sparkling wine from Germany along with an appetizer of butternut squash tortellini in sage butter (the pasta needed a minute or two more in the water) and a rich wild mushroom risotto ($18). Vela is a place where you can have a quiet meal and watch the world go by.  Best yet is their Vela Society for locals that includes complimentary valet parking while dining, seasonal discounts for large parties and much more–and membership is free.

Had a chance to try the new Hane Sushi on Fifth Avenue at Olive Street.  The room exudes simplicity…some may say they wish for something more on the blank wall behind the sushi chefs with only a floral arrangement at which to gaze.  Buzz loves the lack of visual candy and the contemporary design. There is a separate small bar area, and the sleek sushi bar doesn’t allow the diner to see the fish as most places do.  Sushi Ota devotees may find a favorite chef or two working here as Hane’s owners are part of the Ota clan.  If you’re in the mood, special sushi and sashimi dishes and a good selection of cold sakes go beyond standard fare found at other places…but don’t expect bargain prices for creativity, quality, freshness and gracious service. 2760 Fifth Ave., Bankers Hill, (619) 260-1411.

Blind Lady Ale House in Normal Heights seems to be a hit with the neighborhood, especially on a recent Sunday night.  The menu reflects simple pizzas, roughly 12 inches cut into six pieces.  It’s very casual; you order from a choice of 20 beers on tap in one line and pizzas in another line where you get a number so the pizza can be brought to you.  Plates, napkins and utensils are in the middle of the room and it’s up to you to set your table.  Pizzas are European in style with thin crusts and a lighter hand with toppings–though one with butternut squash and shitake mushrooms needed more zip. House-made sausage, chorizo and Fra Mani salami are main ingredients for three different pizzas, and vegan alternatives are available including one for pesto. Pizza prices range from $7 for marinara to $14 for the chorizo with chiles and fontina.  3416 Adams Ave., (619) 255-2491.  Dinner only from 5pm, closed Monday.

Buzz loves unusual restaurant locations particularly places with views beyond four walls and food that makes the trip worthwhile. Whether it’s the ocean, mountains or sky-high city/bay panorama, San Diego’s varied terrain affords many dining choices. These are a few of my favorites.

BY THE SEA: You might think of the Hotel Del Coronado as a spot reserved only for vacationers, but think again. It’s a place with many choices depending on your mood. There’s Eno, the wine bar under the direction of the very knowledgeable Ted Glennon. The Del sits almost on the sand of the Pacific so you can sit outside, sip a glass, flight or bottle of wine, nibble on cheese, charcouterie or chocolate paired (if you wish) to the wine and watch the sunset or stargaze. Glennon offers Saturday “Eno-Versity” classes with winemakers for $35: Sake on August 16; German wines on August 23 and Rosés on September 6. Open from 4pm. For information 619-522-8546.

Finish your wine, take a short walk on the promenade and head down to 1500 Ocean where Chef Brian Sinnott does wonders with homemade featherlight papparadelle in sauces that change with the season, including the current ethereal one with morels, pea tendrils and pancetta in a light mushroom butter fondue. September 17 features a special lobster and sparkling wine dinner and November 12, a four-course celebration of truffles, both are $135 per person. Dinner from 5:30pm. Reservations: 619-522-8490.

Further up the coast in Del Mar, Sbicca invited a few media to celebrate their tenth anniversary with a dinner held in their upstairs wine room. The restaurant sits a few blocks from the ocean so the view of the ocean with the rooftops is a bit like being in a quaint, coastal Mediterranean restaurant–relaxed. There’s a lovely outdoor patio just off that wine room with the same textural view.

A block away is , Epazote that sits on the hill in the shopping complex at 15th and Camino del Mar. The views from their Ocean Terrace room (all glass) take in the rooftops and a large expanse of the ocean. Executive chef Justin Hoehn adds his touches to the menu with lemon linquinini wild arugula pesto and veggies, Niman Ranch pork osso bucco with gnocchi and lots more. Happy hour runs daily from 3 to 7pm.

THE MOUNTAINS: Cavaillon, is up the 56 and off Camino del Sur, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Nowhere is now somewhere if you live in Santa Luz or that neck of the woods…or if you travel between the 15 and the 5. And now chef/owner Philippe Verpriand has a lovely small plate summer menu. A recent media event there featured wines from Paris Drigger (a distributor) and tasting plates of such things as really good pommes frites with truffle oil and Parmesan (yes, everyone does the dish; not everyone does it well), mushroom ravioli, steak salad and more. The venue allows you to watch the sunset from the hills rather than the ocean and a relaxing atmosphere pervades the patio dining area. Along with the food and location, the service is top-notch. If I lived in that corridor of Rancho Santa Fe, Escondido and Carmel Valley, it would be on my favorites list. Prices range from $4.50 to $14 and the menu is available Sunday to Thursday from 5pm to 7pm. For information: 858-433-0483.

SKY HIGH:

Watch the planes, have a drink, lunch or dinner, Bertrand at Mister A’s has the spectacular city, bay and airport view…Though I haven’t been there for awhile, the vista hasn’t changed! For reservations: 619-239-1377.

A wonderful new restaurant named Roseville opened last week in the Point Loma community known as Roseville–one of the first areas settled by Louis Rose in the mid 1800′s. It’s the first restaurant for George Riffle, long known in this town from his stints managing the original Laurel Restaurant & Bar to opening Blanca in Solana Beach and Ivy Hotel in the Gaslamp.

He and his wife Wendy took the space next to the Point Loma-Shelter Island Drug store at Rosecrans and Canon that, in the 1960′s, was the gourmet market called Jurgensens. After the market closed, Italian restaurants came and vacated. Now Roseville brings to the area French-Mediterranean brasserie food and an eclectic wine list. The transformed space features booths, banquettes, a beer and wine bar and open kitchen–a lively room with a comfortable decibel level.

Executive chef Amy DiBiase, a graduate in culinary arts and food service management at Rhode Island’s Johnson & Wales University, gives a talented hand to the kitchen. She worked with Riffle and under then executive chef Jason Shaeffer at Laurel to eventually become top toque. When Laurel sold, she moved to Baleen at Paradise Point resort and now Roseville. Pastry chef Heather Fangon rounds out the original Laurel team with desserts that wow, now at Roseville.

And the food? It’s terrific. The Buzz disclaimer: I know the Riffles, DiBiase and Fangon, and have followed them since their days at Laurel many years ago.

Of the recent meals I have eaten with friends (and yes, I paid), the classic duck confit with shell beans (currently cranberry beans) comes with crisp skin and well-seasoned beans cooked with smoky bacon. Or, try the lighter flat iron steak, sliced and served on bed of cherry tomatoes with French feta cheese and light vinaigrette. Start with Carlsbad mussels steamed with flavorful fresh fennel and finished with a fresh herb salsa…and use a piece of Con Pane’s bread to sop up the juices. A deliciously zippy spring salad brings all fresh fava beans, corn kernels and blanched artichoke hearts mixed with an addictive grainy mustard dressing. Lamb, scallops, halibut, veal cheeks, daily specials and sides of frites, asparagus and other seasonal vegetables round out the menu. Ethereal desserts include a lemon chiffon parfait, a dark chocolate pot au crème and more. Service still has a few minor bumps, but the polish is nearly there-small things to be expected in a restaurant open not even a week. Prices range from $6 to $30. Roseville, (website soon) 1125 Rosecrans in the Village of Point Loma, 619-450-6800 for reservations. Dinner from 5:30pm, Closed Sunday