Sbicca

San Diego Restaurant Week Fall 2011

Restaurant 4: $15 Lunch at Sbicca

I dined with a friend who had NOT eaten anywhere for SDRW yet (poor guy). I love having company for food. Restaurant 1 was by myself and I only got to try one dish. Very sad!

The bread appetizers were standard with a nice tomato based dipping sauce, which I thought similar to Cicciotti's but more saucy than chunky.

Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho - with charred jalapeño crème fraiche

The gazpacho was very blended instead of chunky, which was a "first" for both of us. When tasting the cold soup, I thought of beets and carrots that my mom blended for her body purifying liquid diet. Honestly, I was not a fan back then and today didn't change anything! Interesting enough, the jalapeno cream definitely made the soup better but my spice tolerance gave up after a bite or two.

Mixed Organic Greens - shaved fennel, cucumber, radish, red onion, pecorino romano, blood orange vinaigrette

This salad was average. Nothing much else to say.

Roasted N.Y. Strip Steak Sandwich - horseradish aioli, blue cheese, arugula, pickles red onion, heirloom tomato

I kept thinking it was a burger so when I took my first bite, I was disappointed. I couldn't really taste the meat much but boy was the blue cheese prominent. I was more impressed with the homemade potato chips than anything else on the plate. They reminded me of the tornado potatos we had at the Del Mar Food Truck event earlier this year. I couldn't help myself to that salted goodness.

Grilled Chili Lime Salmon - with toasted orzo and fall vegetable salad

I loved this dish. The orzo itself had a great flavor and the vegetables were bite-size and at the perfect firmness. The salmon was on the rare side in the middle and as long as it is fresh, this is the way to go! Although for those who are not sushi-friendly, you may want to ask for it well done or order something else!

See that rare meat on the salmon? This dish was one of my favorites of the week!

I would definitely be interested in coming back to this restaurant to try a few other dishes, especially if the other fish were as good as this one. Maybe I'd also ask for some potato chips on the side too. ;)