Indigo Grill - San Diego's Gem in Little Italy

For Girls Weekend in San Diego, the girls and I went to Indigo Grill, mostly because one of us knew the owner (always nice when you have a connection). While this place was Mexican-inspired, it also touted inspirations from the entire Pacific Southwest and Pacific shore. What we ended up getting was Mexican-based food, with fresh seafood and some fusion elements to some of the dishes.

The starter was one dish, big enough for four people to share. They called it "Pipian Crusted Brie", which consisted of brie which was been baked in sesame seeds and a variety of other crumbs, accompanied by sides of jalapeno jelly, honey roasted garlic, grilled nopales, mole negro, and scallion flatbread. I love this type of tray because it ends up being a mix-and-match feast, where everybody gets exactly what they like. Plus, who DOESN'T like a plate with a piece of roasted garlic?? Even the presentation worked, with a flatbread that appeared to have the name of the restaurant seared into the cake, sticking out as if to shout its presence from the rooftops!

Even between four girls, we ended up splitting two entrees, one bone-in rib eye and one special of the night--scallops seared on a brick of sea salt with sides of various greens cooked in a bacon dressing. (Because let's face it--bacon makes everything better!) I didn't try the rib eye, since it was a Friday during Lent, but the scallops were delicious. The sea salt brick was the cooking surface for the scallops themselves, making it both hot and delicious. Most of the girls thought it was too salty, but I thought it was just right, allowing the salt to bring out the fishiness and tartness of the scallops.

All in all a pretty good find, every good prices for HUGE portions, and a relatively casual spot for San Diego's Little Italy.

Indigo Grill
1536 India St., San Diego, CA - (619) 234.6802
http://www.cohnrestaurants.com/restaurants/indigogrill/