Welcome to my first edition of Savvy Eatz where I’ll be featuring recipes and places to eat and drink. In my former life of owning a lifestyle PR & Media Relations agency, most of my clients were Los Angeles based restaurants. Prior to that I was a dining & entertainment editor for an LA newspaper group. Food and dining are in my blood. After many years of writing and publicizing food and dining, I just wanted to enjoy it quietly for awhile.
I miss featuring cool spots and recipes, so here we go!
My fiancé asked me what I wanted to do for my birthday and I said, “Have dinner at Cloak and Petal.” I’ve been drooling over their Instagram account @cloakandpetal this year and have been dying to dine at this San Diego restaurant. Cloak & Petal transports you to an artistic journey of an abandoned Tokyo subway decorated with the hippest artwork. This San Diego resto in Little Italy has you covered with “grammable” spots to shoot from the interior to the food. Talk about Insta eye candy.
Preferably I like to have dinner on the earlier side so my fiancé made reservations for 6:30 PM. Perfect timing to capture photos during magic hour before it got dark. Walking up to Cloak & Petal, my attention was immediately drawn to the huge (faux) cherry blossom trees branching out from the bar which sits in the middle of the restaurant.
The walls are adorned with the coolest artwork, some I’d love to have in my home. If I were you, I’d swing around the restaurant first to look at all the art and take in the hip decor.
I specifically wanted to come for two things – get a photo next to the cherry blossom trees and try this one roll they’ve been posting on their Instagram feed (see below).
Here’s the kicker. When I showed the roll to our server, she said that was a featured item and no longer available. I was devastated! I told her it’s my birthday and I came specifically for that roll. She asked the kitchen if they could make it and they did! Happy birthday to me.
If you want to nosh on edamame get the garlic version with sake lemon butter, it’s hyper addicting. I basically hoarded this dish. My fiancé felt it had a little too much sauce on it but that was my favorite part. We also shared oysters on the half shell, a 1/2 dozen topped with ponzu, radish and scallions, exceptional and different. The hamachi jalapeño drizzled with ponzu, yuzu (slightly spicy) and cilantro sauce was like butter. A must have.
The least favorite dish (we both agreed) was the crab & cheese coroque. Not much flavor compared to the other dishes. But the piece de resistance was the featured roll no longer on the menu the chef made for me. I wish they would keep this on the menu. I’d be back at least once a month for it.
It would’ve been nice if we had a few more people at dinner to try more dishes. We filled up pretty quickly with what we ordered. I also needed to save room for my birthday cake at home, so no dessert either. BUT this gives me another reason to go back again. And I will. Have you been to Cloak & Petal? If so, what are your favorite plates?
P.S. are you part of my #SavvySquad? In the next week I’ll be sending out a freebie that won’t be available anywhere except the email you’ll receive. Signup in the box below or in the pop-up box. Thanks for stopping by! xx, Maria
