Wood-Fired Pizza--It all started with Wolfgang Puck, that crafty Austrian chef who dazzled Hollywood diners at Spago and went on to build a dynasty of California cuisine. By now, everyone is familiar with the building block of that empire; you can even get it in the frozen-food section. We're talking about pizza, of course. Not the marinara-and-pepperoni variety found in other pizza meccas like New York and Chicago--for a whole generation of Californians, pizza will always mean barbecued chicken, tomato-basil, or goat cheese and sun-dried tomato. Gourmet pizzas appear to have overtaken the traditional variety in popularity, and kitchens all over San Diego stoke their wood-fired ovens to keep up with the demand.
Most of the Italian restaurants in this chapter feature at least a handful of individual-size pizzas. Always tops in San Diego polls is Sammy's California Woodfired Pizza at 770 Fourth Ave., at F Street, in the Gaslamp Quarter (tel. 619/230-8888); 1620 Camino de la Reina in Mission Valley (tel. 619/298-8222); 702 Pearl St., at Draper Street, La Jolla (tel. 858/456-8018); and 12925 El Camino Real, at Del Mar Heights Road, Del Mar (tel. 858/259-6600). Often crowded, Sammy's serves creations like duck sausage, potato garlic, or Jamaican jerk shrimp atop 10-inch rounds. It also excels at enormous salads, making it easy to share a meal and save a bundle.
A similar menu is available at Pizza Nova, a similarly stylish mini-chain with a similarly vibrant atmosphere. Despite being alike, each chain thrives by covering the neighborhoods the other doesn't. You'll find Pizza Nova at 3955 Fifth Ave., north of University Avenue in Hillcrest (tel. 619/296-6682); 5120 N. Harbor Dr., west of Nimitz Boulevard in Point Loma (tel. 619/226-0268); and 8650 Genesee Ave., at Nobel Drive in La Jolla's Golden Triangle (tel. 858/458-9525).
Baja Fish Tacos--One of San Diego's culinary ironies is that, although the city is conscious of its Hispanic roots--not to mention within visual range of the Mexican border--it's hard to find anything other than gringo-ized combo plates in most local Mexican restaurants.
Perhaps the most authentic recipes are those found inside humble Rubio's Baja Grill. Actually, it's not so humble anymore, since proprietor Ralph Rubio began branching out into every corner of Southern California with his enormously successful yet deceptively simple fare; you can now find Rubio's throughout California and the Southwest, and even edging out hot dogs in the stands at San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium. But, back in 1983, it was an achievement for local surfer Rubio to open a tiny walk-up taco stand on busy Mission Bay Drive. After years of scarfing down cheap beers and fish tacos in the Mexican fishing village of San Felipe, Rubio secured the "secret" recipe for this quintessentially Baja treat: batter-dipped, deep-fried fish filets folded in corn tortillas and garnished with shredded cabbage, salsa, and tangy crema sauce. You'll find them dispensed from thatched-roof shacks along Baja's beach roads, and in the past decade they've taken this side of the border by storm. Rubio's has since expanded its menu to include other Mexican specialties, all accented by the distinctively Baja flavors of fresh lime and tangy cilantro. And unlike your average McDrive-through, at Rubio's you can wash it all down with an icy-cold beer.
Because many of the two-dozen-or-so newer locations have a homogenous fast-food look to them, it's fun to stop by the original stand, at 4504 E. Mission Bay Dr., at Bunker Hill Street (tel. 858/272-2801), if you're in the neighborhood.
Picnic Fare--San Diego's benign climate lends itself to dining alfresco. An excellent spot to pick up sandwiches is The Cheese Shop, a gourmet deli with locations downtown at 627 4th Ave. (tel. 619/232-2303) and in La Jolla Shores at 2165 Avenida de la Playa (tel. 858/459-3921). Other places to buy picnic fare include Girard Gourmet, 7837 Girard Ave., La Jolla (tel. 858/454-3321); Boudin Sourdough Bakery and Cafe (tel. 619/234-1849) and the Farmer's Market, both in Horton Plaza; and Old Town Liquor and Deli, 2304 San Diego Ave. (tel. 619/291-4888).
Another spot that's very popular is Point Loma Seafoods, on the water's edge in front of the Municipal Sportfishing Pier, at 2805 Emerson near Scott Street, south of Rosecrans and west of Harbor Drive (tel. 619/223-1109). There's a fish market here, and you can pick up seafood sandwiches, fresh sushi, and salads to go. If you decide to make your own sandwiches, the best bread in the county comes from Bread & Cie., 350 University Ave., Hillcrest (tel. 619/683-9322), and Primavera Pastry Caffe, 956 Orange Ave., Coronado (tel. 619/435-4191).
