Chic Contemporary Bistro and Wine Bar Lands in La Jolla | Eater San Diego

"A stylishly casual restaurant that reflects the chef’s Italian roots and his 25 years of cooking in San Diego, Candor opens Wednesday, July 10 in La Jolla as a homecoming for Giuseppe Ciuffa, the maestro behind Giuseppe Restaurants & Fine Catering who originally opened the Come On In! Cafe in the Torrey Pines Road complex in 1998. Raised on a farm outside of Rome, Ciuffa emphasizes seasonal ingredients and frequently changing menus influenced by La Jolla’s Sunday farmers market; debut dishes include hot and crispy tomato bread with roasted garlic and cold pressed olive oil, a stone fruit salad with marcona almonds, goat cheese, and rose vinaigrette, vegetarian tagliatelle with squash, cauliflower, corn, asparagus, parmesan, pea tendrils, and green garlic pesto, and a fisherman stew in a saffron tomato broth. The 1,200-square-foot, 55-seat space—remodeled with Ocio Design Group—spreads across a patio, dining room, and a wine bar that looks into an open kitchen, is open every day for lunch and dinner, and runs a daily happy hour spotlighting a half-pound Brandt beef burger and a beer for $15 plus specials on wine and other bites; weekend brunch features favorites from Caroline’s, including Ciuffa’s signature cornmeal pancakes and tuna melt. Sommelier Sandro Mezzetti curated a wine list with over 50 bottle selections and a large array by the glass, with future wine dinners planned on the communal patio, and the restaurant will accept online orders with curbside pick-up and meal delivery." - Candice Woo