San Diego's French Restaurant Revolution

A La Francaise, The Farmhouse Cafe, Blue Boheme and La Vache

Aug 24, 2008

San Diego has only recently emerged as a foodie destination. A new slew of French restaurateurs and restaurants is changing the face of flavor in the beach town.

San Diego is renowned as the U.S. home of Rubio's, the fish taco chain. There's nothing wrong with a great fish taco, but some visitors to San Diego have wondered if this town so blessed with sea and sand would ever crave anything beyond surfer food. And while a few classic traditional restaurants like the Marine Room have held their own in luxury enclaves like La Jolla, the rest of the city has been considered a little slow to embrace the opportunity of becoming a food destination.

That's all changing with the sudden eruption of new French restaurants in the past two years, rising from minimalls and the husks of older restaurants like irises in spring. A trio of them inhabits Adams Avenue, stretching from the University Heights neighborhood to Kensington.

A La Francaise

Reborn in the Normal Heights area after being redeveloped out of Mission Hills, this popular breakfast and lunch spot offers crepes filled with Chicken Tarragon and one of the best standard cups of coffee in San Diego. Parking is on the street; the outdoor tables are tempting but the angle of the sun and the temperature make them less appetizing. Expect to spend 25-30 per couple.

The Farmhouse Cafe

Also in the Normal Heights area of San Diego, this tiny restaurant can be spotted by the line out the door. Their chicken liver mousse - a meltingly smooth, buttery pate - is irresistible for pate fans. . Expect to pay 50-70 per couple.

Bleu Boheme

Chef Phillipe Beltran has brought France to the lightly London-themed area of Kensington, filling up the space left by the indifferent Green Tomato. Something about that corner must attract colorful names for San Diego restaurants. The dark romantic-yet-rural-industrial decor in the bar area draws in an older, monied crowd. Like mussels? When they're in season, they are inescapable here, served in a variety of ways. But skip the curiously insipid chocolate mousse and other desserts - it's the one flaw in this splendid souffle. Expect to pay $75-90 and up per couple.

La Vache

The sole long-term survivor in this group, La Vache has been a fixture in the popular Hillcrest area for twenty years. It offers casual French dining with prix-fixe menus available and special food and drink offers in the late afternoon. Expect to pay $60-80 per couple.

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