Vaga Is Claudette Zepeda's Love Letter to San Diego

"At Vaga, the cliffside Encinitas restaurant located inside Alila Marea Beach, founding chef Claudette Zepeda writes a love letter to her hometown, San Diego. Deeply personal dishes like birria clams, Baja caesar, hoja santa griddled cheese, and perfectly balanced crudos spotlight ingredients and traditions drawn from the surrounding landscape and her growing collection of culinary influences. It's the flagship restaurant of the relatively new Alila Marea Beach Resort, dramatically perched above the Pacific Ocean. The food plays with the culinary influences that converge in San Diego, sourcing pink plates and bowls from local potter Mike Totah of The Wheel Stoneware. The tasting menu features wines from BIPOC makers, including several Mexican wines. Zepeda's favorite dish includes sweet seared scallops paired with celery root purée, chili crisp, and a fresh and punchy 2020 Bruma Chardonnay Valle de San Vicente, Mexico." - Maria Yagoda