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Your Monthly Guide to the Gastronomic Good Life

Suit Yourself
Brian Malarkey and James Brennan are looking beyond the tourists and conventioneers with this month’s debut of Searsucker, a restaurant they say the downtown “neighborhood” of San Diego calls for. Indeed, Searsucker has all the makings of a Gaslamp hub for locals; the gregarious, seafood-savvy Chef Malarkey (of Oceanaire and Top Chef fame) is serving up his New American Classic cuisine small plates-style to encourage sharing, lounging and laughter, San Diego-style. An homage to Malarkey’s favorite Del Mar Racetrack suit, Searsucker sings a lighthearted tune with multiple dining spaces to leisurely enjoy rich, comforting dishes like braised beef cheeks, as well as light, fresh interpretations of Pacific-reared delicacies like abalone and swordfish. To satiate a voyeuristic appetite, Malarkey and team will be on display in Searsucker’s open kitchen, while guests can chill after dinner around the 30-person square bar, enjoying live music.

611 Fifth Avenue, Gaslamp Quarter 619.233.7327 | searsucker.com

Weird is Good
Jay Porter has always done things his way, and he’s at it again with … a “gastro cantina?” To translate, the Linkery’s spin-off restaurant, El Take it Easy, pays the same respects to farm-driven, handcrafted foods, but in a much looser atmosphere. The low-lit den boasts a funky menu of pickled chicken heads, octopus tostadas and rabbit taquitos, to name a few species. With flecks of south of the border-inspired flavors, El Take It Easy defines a style of SoCal fusion that celebrates the bounties of our shared lands, as observed by Executive Chef Max Bonacci and Consulting Chef Jair Téllez (owner of Laja in the Valle de Guadalupe, and chef/partner of Merotoro in Mexico City). Crafty cuisine and cerveza cocktails are served nightly until 1 a.m. within the repurposed space; the magnificent exposed-wooden dome ceiling, zigzagged concrete bar, obnoxious gold lamé vinyl seating and obligatory dangling ham leg ornament make El Take It Easy the pioneering restaurant in the Keep San Diego Weird movement.

3926 30th Street, North Park | eltakeiteasy.com

Ambitious New Hillcrest Hang
If you were willing to battle the Gaslamp circus for a taste of Confidential Bar + Loft’s fashionable menu, get ready for yet another Top Chef-famed local’s first sole restaurant endeavor with Rich Sweeney’s uptown haunt R Gang Eatery. After parting from his downtown kitchen digs more than a year ago, Sweeney patiently waited in the wings for just the right location to serve “contemporary retro-American fare” in a more dining-focused atmosphere; namely, the iconic Busalacchi’s space on Fifth Avenue. True to Chef Sweeney’s K.I.S.S. simplicity mantra, American staple-foods are served straightforward from 5 p.m. until midnight within the renovated, open space that flows from dining room to porch. Steak Diane, Smoked Gouda and Sopressata Mac ‘n’ Cheese, plus a twist of Chipped Beef on Toast are examples of the non-conventional, yet simultaneously familiar dishes guests can expect to enjoy.

3683 Fifth Avenue, Hillcrest | rgangeatery.com