juniper & ivy

wow, wow, wow!!!. i'm so glad richard blais decided to open a restaurant in san diego!!! this place is the bomb. from the moment you step in the front door you know you are somewhere special. beautiful, creative, upbeat urban decor - fun, friendly staff - incredibly creative cocktails and amenuthat is so interesting and complex. i went with a group of girlfriends - we shared several dishes and bottles of wine and while the plates were small and pricey - everything was delicious, seasoned to perfection with flavors that totally pop - like nothing i've ever tasted. i recommend the carne cruda asada (raw seasoned chopped sirloin/filet? jalapeno, etc., on grilled toast with raw quail eggs) and the lamb pappardella with fresh peas and mint. yummy!!! (oh, the fluffy buttermilk biscuit is awesome too)

best food i have ever eaten at a restaurant

the atmosphere is upscale but still comfortable and casual. cocktails were unique and sooo tasty! the food changes frequently on themenubut everything we had was so delicious! it was so difficult to order because there wasn't one thing on themenui didn't want to try!

we were really excited to be able to get a reservation at juniper and ivy, the restaurant of top chef alum richard blais where executive chef anthony wells creates a very creativemenuthat would for sure excite the culinary curious...unless vegetarian. i wish restaurants were keeping theirmenuonline up to date because jodi was excited to try their pasta with truffle, but unfortunately it was not there, theirmenuchanging on a regular basis and the waiter did not really come back with options besides what was there written. so i left glad i got to try that place; jodi was less enthusiastic than i was...here is what we had:i did not feel like having a cocktail as we came back from a visit at the san diego distillery and i had enough whisky. so i ended up trying their house made apple juice that was pretty good and flavorful.

fantastic meal!!! the duck corn dog was sooooo good! another highlight was the beef tongue. but the best was probably the lamb noodles. i also had the biscuit with foie gra butter which was good (some people at my table really loved it). this place is great with a group so you can share and try a little bit of everything. to be honest everything was so good there, i would totally go back since themenuchanges daily.

definitely a san diego! themenuis always changing and always to die for! modern creative and delicious. i’ll be back every time we are in town!

i was super excited to come here and when i did the hostesses were so rude as soon as we walked in the door. second, they gave us the smallest table they could find, which of course, i wasn't going to sit in. the hostess did nothing to change it until a really nice server approached us and saved the night. the food here is very unique and with so many flavors at once, which can be a bit overwhelming. i had about 5 things to share from the wholemenuand let me say that my favorite was a potato dish with chorizo and the bbq carrots. the restaurant is really nice and comfy and good food, but i definitely expect better service next time.

offmenuburger!, just do it. order it animal style. other items of note the carne toast - the quail eggs are what makes this dish. porcini mushrooms are a must. also loved the smoked ribs and the lab carpaccio.

my friend alyssa (who used to write for this blog!) recently came back to san diego to visit with her husband, j, and her two adorable little ones. she made plans to go to juniper & ivy and invited me along! i’ve been interested in trying out juniper & ivy for so long and was glad to get the chance to hang out with my best good friend and to eat tasty delicious things. juniper and ivy is one of chef richard blais’ restaurants, in case you have no idea (though i bet you do). i’ve never watched top chef (i know, that’s probably weird for a food blogger, but oh well) but i know there was a lot of excitement around the opening of this restaurant. the restaurant has a fun, open space and an open kitchen if you’d like to have a show with your meal. we had kiddies with us so we sat in a little corner. we got there quite early (about 5:30pm) and beat the crowds that evening.  instead of fancy white napkins, you get a kitchen towel. i wanted to steal it and take it home with me.  [ juniper & ivymenu] i poured over themenutrying to figure out what it was that i wanted to order. minion had been here a few months ago and told me about a disappointing dish he tried, which was a pork chop. i scolded him and told him to not order pork chops in the future. most restaurants can’t seem to get pork chops right!  there were no pork chops on themenuthis evening. themenuchanges so often though that