This is the start to an evolving list of favorite places in the city where we live.
Balboa Park
Restaurants
Panama 66 - Encompasses the sculpture garden of the San Diego Museum of Art which has some awsome permanent exhibits (including a large Henry Moore). The beer list and cocktail menu are great. A good place for high end burgers and tastey fries and salads. There is a strong music program with jazz performances from groups sometimes playing outside and inside the auditorium next to the bar.
Artifact — Built into the lobby of the Mingei Museum, where the building itself (the restaurant included) is part of the beauty on show. Check out the music scroll on the ceiling, and order some of the great cocktails and sharing plates. The outdoor seating is fun, framed by one of the best architectural fences I’ve seen. Upstairs, two balconies look out over the Balboa Park plaza — you could happily spend all day watching the world go by. The staircase has a spectacular glass chandelier by Pacific Northwest artist Dale Chihuly that’s worth the price of admission.
More recommendations coming ... eventually.