Jay K.
Yelp
Have you ever noticed that the best restaurants in and around San Diego are in hotels?
Is it because local San Diegan appetites and restaurants disproportionately trend towards greasy cheeseburgers, effortless poké, bulging burritos, and now "toast" of all kinds, leaving confused visitors without many off-premises options for grown-up dining? Or is it because Jay K. is being grumpy about our local dining scene on Yelp again? I'll let you decide.
Regardless, Veladora is one of the finest options for dinner in America's finest city. It is part of the Rancho Valencia Resort and Spa, one of two restaurants on the property. Its woodsy interior design includes massive wrought iron chandeliers hung from open-beam ceilings and a rustic fireplace. Large windows provide a glimpse into the resort, its impeccably landscaped grounds, and its lavish courtyard.
Veladora's chef is Jarrod Moiles, a Massachusetts native who previously helmed the kitchen at the "Met Bar and Grill," a Boston-area restaurant that I intensely dislike. In fact, in one of my first Yelp reviews many years ago, I raged about the Met representing themselves as a restaurant serving high-end steaks with an in-house butcher shop yet offering sirloin and skirt steak as their only chops. Although I don't know the extent of Moiles' involvement in those shenanigans (he may have moved on by the time I got to the Met), I have been on alert for similar chicanery at Veladora, and I'm happy to report that I have found none.
For lack of a better term, I would describe the cuisine at Veladora as "coastal ranch," a style more common in Santa Barbara than San Diego. The food is creative and colorful, though comes up short of the 'avant garde' experimental nourishment one may expect from a Forbes 4-star restaurant on a "Relais & Châteaux" property. Despite the posh environs of the resort, Veladora has attempted to stamp any and all pretention out of this restaurant. For example, there are no dégustation menus here, their absence philosophical, not because anyone didn't think to create them.
If I had any general quibble with the food, it'd be the overuse of bright herbs as garnishment, often visually suffocating the actual food. A prime example occurs in the "Wood Grilled Scallops" dish, where the slick, black squid ink spaghettini can barely be seen in the dish under the layers of fresh microgreens and pea tendrils. This is a minor transgression, not a deal-breaker, as the flavors of each dish were well-balanced, and preparation was nearly flawless. Here, the scallops themselves were beautifully browned, bearing a buttery crust, about as good as you'll get scallop-wise on the west coast.
The "63 Degree Farm Egg" is more of an asparagus dish than an egg dish, featuring also golden brown cracklins made of duck skin. The asparagus, sweetened and caramelized with a layer of honey until crispy, is sheathed in a rich, smooth velouté and topped with a soft-poached egg possessing a remarkable, unctuous texture and a custard-like yolk. Veladora's kitchen is capable of glorious things without making much of a fuss over it.
Veladora is not cheap, but great dinners in San Diego hardly ever are. The "Brandt Beef Tartare" dish, a tartare of nicely-marbled beef accented with a briny but punchy caper aioli, was a first-rate plate of food, and perhaps the most egregiously priced item I ordered at $27. I also paid $17 for a negroni that, in fairness, I requested be made with St. George Terroir Gin -- but $17 is still a lot to pay for a glass of gin, even good gin.
Excellent service was provided by my knowledgeable waiter, Rich H., who perfectly coursed out and paced the various dishes ordered without needing to be micromanaged. Rich is a true pro who knows the subtext behind every word printed on the menu and makes a great effort at connecting with diners to customize and evolve the meal and beverages as needed.
The verdict? Veladora is a rare San Diego restaurant that has been deservedly added to my Yelp "6 Stars" collection. I encourage anyone to dine here, but especially local San Diegans who are willing to take a short drive north for a satisfying respite from our pedestrian dining scene.
Food/Décor/Service: 4.6/4.5/4.7
