by Frank Sabatini Jr.

—[ top five restaurants ]—

Altitude Sky Bar
660 K St. • 619-446-6034
When hunger strikes on the 22nd floor of the San Diego Marriott Gaslamp Quarter Hotel, visitors simply reach for a courtesy phone and order through room service. Multi-colored lights, cushy ottomans and a bullseye view of Petco Park set the groove for noshing on artisan flatbreads, pot stickers and sweet lobster quesadillas. The venue is geared expressly toward late-afternoon and evening crowds.

Clay’s La Jolla
7955 La Jolla Shores Dr.
858-551-3620
Clay’s coconut shrimp and “ahi tuna towers” are no less eye popping than the breathtaking view you’ll find from this stylish sky perch, located on the 11th floor of Hotel La Jolla. The residential hills to the south slope dramatically upward from La Jolla Cove, giving visitors a sweeping perspective of land and sea. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, chef-owner Clay Bordan delivers intricate flavors and artful presentations based on seasonal ingredients. The restaurant also features a handsome lounge and sushi bar, from which live jazz sweetens the ambience Wednesdays through Sundays.

Bertrand at Mr. A’s
2550 Fifth Ave. 619-239-1377
European-inspired cuisine is ornamented with urban views of downtown, uptown, Point Loma and the bay from this elegant 12th floor dining room that once enforced a strict dress code. While those days are gone, it isn’t unusual to see visitors don their best threads enroute to The Old Globe or in celebration of romantic anniversaries. The king salmon Wellington is a must.

Ocean Terrace at George’s California Modern Restaurant
1250 Prospect St. • 858-454-4244
There isn’t a bad seat in the house at Ocean Terrace, which occupies the third level of George’s California Modern Restaurant. With 35 tables looking out to La Jolla Shores, the mood is decidedly more laid back compared to its sister operation downstairs. Fresh ocean breezes washing over the open-air deck seductively nudge diners into a bistro menu featuring Asian chicken wings, Mediterranean seafood stew, fresh butter-bathed mussels and a host of other gourmet delights that jive to the luxury of rooftop dining.

Ocean View Room at Jack’s La Jolla
7863 Girard Ave., La Jolla • 858-456-8111
Jack’s La Jolla is a culinary, three-story multiplex with dining rooms on every floor. Ascend to its summit and you can gaze over the neighborhood’s low commercial structures and ogle the ocean several blocks away, provided you’re lucky enough to snag a pillowed booth in front. Masterfully created sushi mingles with top-grade steaks and seafood in melodic fashion when the house pianist takes to the keyboard each night.

—[ frank’s fave ]—
Introduced by a French chef two decades ago, the mussel bisque at Dobson’s arrives tightly sealed at the top with a dome of egg-washed puff pastry baked until golden brown. As it’s placed under your nose, a waitperson pokes a hole through the top and pours in about a shot’s worth of Harvey’s Bristol Cream, adding a delightful boozy essence to the savory yellowish broth housing chopped mussels at the bottom. The result is nirvana.

Dobson’s
956 Broadway Circle, Downtown
619-231-6771