At Vantage Pointe, we like to say we can measure life in steps, not miles.
That's certainly true of the local restaurant scene. You don't need to get in a car to enjoy a great meal. All it requires is a leisurely attitude and some comfortable shoes.
Let's start out with some local favorites in the East Village. Café Chloe on 9th and G is a cozy Parisian-style bistro run by chef Katie Grebow where you can find luscious mussels grenobloise with brown butter, capers, lemon, and croutons with a supporting side of frites. Or, you could enjoy dungeness crab cake tartine with aioli & fennel slaw. Brunch could be a savory brie & herb omelette with grilled boudin blanc sausage or perhaps bistro salad with pancetta, poached egg and brioche croutons.
Nearby, of course, is Cowboy Star, over on 10th between G and Market, which turns Gene Autry style into something hip and contemporary. Chef/partner Victor Jimenez, transforms meats like beef, bison, and venison into sensational dishes. You'll also find flavorful Berkshire pork porterhouse, jidori chicken breast, sweet seared sea scallops, and one of the best hamburgers in town. You can also bring home the beef -- Cowboy Star has a little butcher shop next to the restaurant with both grass- and corn-fed aged beef, as well as poultry and game.
If you want to be in the thick of things downtown, the Gaslamp has a wealth of culinary options. Forget the pricey valet parking at Quarter Kitchen at the Ivy. You can easily stroll over to 6th and F from Vantage Pointe and enjoy chef Nathan Coulon's masterful cooking. At dinner, start with the roasted beet and avocado salad, then indulge in the QK signature caviar tacos. The butter-poached Maine lobster is so sweet and succulent you'll want to order it all over again once you've finished it. Or you may prefer the seared East Coast scallops with saffron ginger beurre blanc.
Just down the street on 6th and J is, well JSix, where chef Christian Graves presides over a creative kitchen with an emphasis on fresh, local ingredients. In fact, Graves is so focused on this approach he's launching a "Chef's Experience," in which customers can sign up for a Sunday morning/afternoon "play date." You'll meet at the restaurant and travel together to the Hillcrest Farmers Market to select ingredients with Graves that you can then help him prepare back at the restaurant in dishes you'll indulge in together. More involvement than you really want? Then, settle in for a lovely meal, starting with house-cured meats like red-wine cured Bresola or fennel-cured pork loin. Move on to a duck confit salad and then perhaps pan-seared butterfish or a grilled Niman Ranch Flat Iron Steak.
Over time, we'll explore other must-try restaurants in the area. In the meantime, we would love to hear what some of your favorites are. Please feel free to leave a comment below so we can all discover some great local eats together.
Cool!