PARKER HOUSE ROLLS
HERB & WOOD
Another restaurant in the region makes the
list with rolls so addictive they had to be left
off the menu. Created by Herb & Wood
Executive Pastry Chef Adrian Mendoza, the
milk and honey rolls are baked fresh, then
brushed with a tantalizing herb honey butter
(featuring an aromatic mix of chives, parsley,
oregano and rosemary) and topped off with
flakey sea salt. They come out of the oven
warm and ready to be slathered with even
more butter, then pulled apart for sharing at
the table either as an appetizer or with your
meal. (2210 Kettner Blvd.; 619-955-8495;
herbandwood.com)
DRUGSTORE HAMBURGER
A.R. VALENTIEN
A favorite of local chefs, the traditional
Drugstore Hamburger can be found on the
menu for The Grill at Torrey Pines—located
at The Lodge at Torrey Pines—but can also
be cooked up by request at the resort’s sig-
nature restaurant, A.R. Valentien, where the
popular burger is missing from the official
lineup. Starting with a beef patty made of
Niman Ranch ground chuck, classic toppings
are added: house-made mayonnaise, cheese,
shredded lettuce, chopped onion, sliced
tomato and pickles. The key is steaming the
sesame seed bun in the meat juices—a trick
that Executive Chef Jeff Jackson recalls from
a lunch counter he often visited as a child in
Oklahoma. (11480 N. Torrey Pines Rd., La
Jolla; 858-777-6635; lodgetorreypines.com)
Clockwise
DIRTY WINGS
WEST COAST TAVERN
At The Observatory North Park, an iconic
theater building, you’ll find the popular West
Coast Tavern—but what you won’t find is
the eatery’s top-secret Dirty Wings on the
menu. Covered in a combination of five-
spice, sweet-and-spicy and traditional buffalo
sauces, the creation was actually concocted by
some of the tavern’s regular customers. But
if you ask for this secret wing dish by name,
chef Abe Botello will happily oblige, and
make your wings dirty—just like the locals
prefer at this establishment in the heart of
North Park. (2895 University Ave.; 619-295-
1688; westcoasttavern.com) n
from top:
Dirty Wings
at West
Coast
Tavern;
Cali Taco
at Puesto;
In-N-Haute
burger at
Juniper
& Ivy;
Parker
House Rolls
at Herb
& Wood
15