Kitchen 1540

1540 Camino Del Mar

Del Mar, CA 92104

Phone 858-793-6460

www.kitchen1540.com

Kitchen 1540 is what the San Diego food scene has been waiting for, an innovative restaurant and chef who have a passion for food. Chef Paul McCabe is doing exactly that showcasing his love for cooking and quality ingredients. The menu is well rounded with something that everyone can enjoy. Two personal favorites of mine on the regular dinner menu are the Scottish Salmon served with preserved lemon spaetzle, sweet & sour pomegraranate sauce and a fennel salad. Also the stone seared foie gras where Chef Paul’s whimsical nature comes into play putting blood orange pop rocks(yes, the candy) on the stone. You can hear them popping as the dish comes to the table.

On my most recent visit I had chef Paul prepare an off menu tasting. He put together twelve impressive courses that had many stand out components that caught my attention right away (popcorn puree, olive oil powder, BBQ consommé, nitro beets) The menu itself had my name printed a top a little personal touch that Chef Paul likes to add. The food overall was very impressive hamachi and pork cracklings, scallop chicken skin crouquant and popcorn puree. The absolute stand out of the night was the pork belly in a BBQ consommé. It could have been at any three star Michelin restaurant, it was that good. The pork belly had a nice crisp skin and the warm fat just melted in your mouth. Combined with the consommé and you have a refined play on baby back ribs. The only draw back of the night was the portion size of each dish. I was with three other diners and we went through three baskets of bread and ordered an additional foie dish before dessert. Also the dessert was very uninspired it did not match the creativeness that chef Paul put forth with the savory courses. Even with these minor drawbacks Kitchen 1540 is well ahead of its competition. This is a restaurant that we foodies in San Diego and especially North County will certainly appreciate.