Juniper and Ivy

2228 Kettner Blvd

San Diego, CA 92101

United States

https://www.juniperandivy.com

I've always been a fan of Richard Blais and cant even count how many times I've watched this appearances on Food network. When we finally booked our San Diego trip we know we had to come here and try this spot out.sing the freshest, most seasonal ingredients.

I've always been a fan of Richard Blais and cant even count how many times i've watched this appearances on Food network. When we finally booked our San Diego trip we know we had to come here and try this spot out.

The menu is separated into 3 main categories, small bites, small plate and mains. We opted to pick a little of everything in order to sample as much of the food as possible. We were so lost as to what to order but our waitress was extremely helpful in letting us know what they were famous for and the most popular dishes.

Corn Dog: Cheddar & Jalapeno Sausage / Honey Mustard

Peanut Macaron : Chicken Liver Mousse / Concord Grape Jelly

Spicy Tuna Handroll: Yuzu / Sesame Leaf / Wasabi

This was a play on a fusion of sushi and taco. Sesame leaf acts as the taco shell and is eaten like you would a normal taco. Tuna was fresh and flavorful, avocado added a touch of creaminess while the puffed rice provided a nice finishing crunch to the bite.

Carne Cruda Asada : Quail Egg / Cotija / Jalapeno

This is definitely a sharing plate, sourdough toast topped with Carne Asada then topped with a sunny side up quail egg. A very well balanced dish, nice fresh creamy flavor and texture. However I personally found the bread a tad too thick causing the balance of bread to topping ratio to be a bit off.

Bone Marrow : Tuna Belly Tartare / Sourdough

This was simply amazing. Richness of the bone marrow paired with the tuna belly was rich on rich. I would have preferred several smaller slices of baguette instead of the two pieces of bread. With just the two pieces of bread, it was a bit cumbersome and in the end had more bone marrow left without any bread. Balance of flavor.. A++

Spot Prawns : Corn, Old Bay Butter and Lemon

This dish was delicious but had a tiny bit of execution issues.. I get the concept and pairing of ingredients and was overall a delightful dish. However I believe a little restraint should have been considered with the addition of corn. There was just too much corn that it ended up over powering the natural sweetness and char of the spot prawns. After removing excess corn, the balance of corn and prawns balanced out and I believe it tasted like what its original intent was. The addition of fresh squeezed lemon helped cut the richness of the Old Bay Butter.

Oysters and Pearls : Charred Salsa Mignonette / Jalapeno Pearls

If you've seen Richard Blais on the Food Network you'll know his obsession with the use of liquid nitrogen. These oysters are brought to your table and then liquid nitrogen is poured around the oysters instantly chilling them and providing an entertaining smoke show. This is quite the table side show with smoke billowing out of the dish and a slow reveal of the oysters as the liquid nitrogen dissipates.

Oysters were properly shucked... a big bet peeve with oysters is poor shucking and mouthful of shells. Charred Salsa Mignonette provide a nice touch of acid as well as a slight hint of smokiness from the char. As the pearls (jalapeno) thawed from the liquid nitrogen, it slowly melted into a very light and delicate sauce pairing very well with the oyster and salsa. If your an oyster lover than this is the dish for you. Refined, delicate, great concept and presentation.