Restaurant Review: Juniper & Ivy

Our first stop in San Diego was to Juniper & Ivy in the Little Italy neighborhood. It came recommended by many people and I saw it on almost all of the top San Diego restaurant lists. There were a few misses, but generally it was a cool spot with a trendy vibe. The space was huge and they had a lot of different table options - would be great for big groups or a date. I liked how the menu changes slightly daily because they only use fresh and seasonal ingredients. Our waiter was also great. He was super helpful and friendly and made the meal really enjoyable for us.

The menu is pretty extensive which made it really hard to pick what to get! We ended up with a combination of snacks, raw, pasta, toast and small plates instead of an official entree. 

Also, they brought out a delicious amuse bouche to start- a cheesy mini biscuit that really set the tone for the meal.

Amuse bouche - cheesy biscuit

First out was the carne cruda asada toast. I loved that they had individual quail eggs per piece. The meat was tender, but probably could have used a little more flavor. There was cotija cheese and jalapeno that helped add a punch and of course the egg. The bread pieces were a nice size and had a soft center with a crispy crust.

Carne cruda asada toast

Next up was the raw "baja yellowtail." The fish was generously portioned atop a crispy tostada with "shark sauce" (unknown spicy creamy sauce) drizzled on. There was also fresh cilantro, but obviously I picked that off. The fish was super fresh and overall this dish had a great blend of flavors and textures.

Baja yellowtail

The next dish was one of our favorites - the short rib arancini with a dashi aoili sauce. The four balls were extra crispy, but not greasy, and the dashi sauce was incredibly savory. I think this sauce really made the dish stand out.

Short rib arancini

The next dish was very tasty - just not what we had expected. It was the buttermilk biscuit with foie gras butter. The biscuit was delicious, just not the flaky consistency you would normally experience. It was actually super fluffy, so it felt more cake-like and I would have even considered it for dessert. We had a choice to add the foie gras butter, which was a no-brainer, and it really rounded it out by adding salty and savory flavors.

Buttermilk biscuit with foie gras butter

The next dish was duck breast with bolted cauliflower, yuzu syrup, aioli, and dates. The cauliflower was very buttery, but unique as I've never had it bolted before (basically means that it flowered prematurely). The duck was cooked beautifully, but I felt like it was missing something with the flavor. The dates were gooey and sweet and the dots of yuzu syrup were amazing and both really complimented the meat. The aioli sauce was also very flavorful and there was a scoop of yummy crispy quinoa. I think all of these elements saved the dish overall.

Duck with bolted cauliflower

Last up was the squid ink linguine topped with uni (sea urchin). The linguine was delicious and cooked well, and it was coated with garlic bread crumbs which added a wonderful texture.  Usually I get excited by uni, but rarely do I have it as one big piece (versus being mixed into something) and I found the flavor to be quite strong. Once I cut it up and ate only a small piece at a time with each forkful did I find it to be an enjoyable element of the dish. The Calabrian chilies made it pretty spicy, so this was helpful in balancing out the punch from the uni.

Squid ink linguine with uni

I would definitely recommend this spot for anyone visiting because it has a fun atmosphere, great service, and so many options on the menu. We may not have 100% loved everything we got, but I would most certainly go back and try a whole other slew of dishes that had caught my eye.