Why is Travis Swikard perfect to kick off My Town, our new series asking eminent food and wine personalities to share their favorite local hangouts? Because he has the classic arc of growing up in the place, going out to see the world, learning and having adventures, then returning home to create restaurants that combine his worldly talents and knowledge of local produce for the audience he grew up with. His San Diego restaurant, Callie, is a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence winner, and his new Fleurette, in La Jolla, will likely be too.
(Wine Spectator’s Grand Tour tasting comes to San Diego this weekend, on April 25. Get your tickets now!)
Swikard started in the industry young, then went to culinary school and on to fine dining establishments in England and the U.S. Perhaps most meaningful was the time he spent working with Daniel Boulud and Gavin Kaysen (who both hold multiple Wine Spectator restaurant awards), portraits of whom have pride of place at Fleurette. He eventually became executive chef at Boulud Sud; he lifted from that restaurant’s Mediterranean focus when he opened Callie.
Keep reading for Swikard’s favorite spots in San Diego, from a hotel with an “insane” wine list to his go-to local surf shop.
Did the wine and food scene in San Diego change while you were away?
Definitely. And the wine culture here is still growing, which is really awesome. It’s funny because when I moved here all the restaurateurs said people don’t drink good wines. Everyone had basically the same wine list of stuff that you could buy at [the supermarket] Vons. When I opened Callie, I don’t know why, but I listened to them. Then Daniel [Boulud] came, and he’s like, “Your wine list sucks. If you want to make money, you gotta spend money.”
So I did. And believe me, there are people here in San Diego who drink those big Burgundies and Champagnes, who seek them out. That was one of the smartest decisions I made.
What are some of your favorite restaurants with good lists?
The Pony Room at the Rancho Valencia Hotel, which is by far my favorite hotel in San Diego. They have a huge variety, great vintages and a great half-bottle list, which I love. Their wine list is fucking insane. They have so many old vintages on there that they didn’t increase the price on year-over-year based on actual value. I love finding a good deal and great variety at the same time. They’re probably the most extensive list outside of [Grand Award winner] Addison.
There’s a place called the Rose in South Park—co-owners Chelsea Coleman and Rae Gurn have the Rose and also a place called Mabel’s Gone Fishing, which is a cool Spanish-style tapas place. They have an awesome little wine list, and then the Rose is their wineshop that’s also a small restaurant. A lot of industry people go to those places.
You have relationships with local producers, including fishermen. What are some other restaurants that do?
Mine are probably the biggest ones, but Herb & Wood and Herb & Sea come to mind. They have a young chef named Aidan Owens who’s really interested in that stuff. And Tara Monsod from Animae in Brian Malarkey’s restaurant group. She’s very in touch with the local seafood.
Oh, and the Fishery in Pacific Beach. The chef there used to work for me at Callie. They’re attached to the family business, so they’re a fish warehouse, and then in front of it is a seafood stand and then the restaurant. They do a really good job of connecting with local purveyors and the husband and wife are super passionate about wine, so they have an awesome wine program.
OK, I have to ask: tacos?
There are a million places you can go and get al pastor tacos in San Diego. But there’s a place called Mesa Agrícola that for me is the pinnacle of San Diego. It’s a husband-and-wife team, and the wife is an amazing farmer. We use her produce. The husband is from Tijuana. What makes it different is that they use sustainably, responsibly sourced ingredients. And it’s all guisados—braised meats and vegetables—different things every day, and then you have a Mexican grandma back there rolling tortillas and pressing them fresh to order. Even as a chef, you’re like, “Man, there’s so much love and attention to detail that goes into this.”
There’s also a great Asian food scene in San Diego …
Yeah, so much. I love Sushi Tadokoro for lunch. He [Takeaki Tadokoro] had a Michelin star, then lost it, but he never changed who he was. I love going there and getting a chirashi bowl or omakase for lunch on a Tuesday. If I can ever get off on a Tuesday, I’m going there for lunch.
Kingfisher too—I love that family. They care about the same things we care about and have a great wine list. They serve a local wine made by a husband-and-wife team that we have by the glass at Callie called Lost Ranch. I love their wine and their story and how they farm. That’s a really awesome local wine.
Are any of the old-school or touristy places worth recommending?
We recently went to [Best of Award of Excellence winner] Mister A’s. I hadn’t been there since I was in high school probably. There’s new ownership there, and they renovated. It’s such a cool space. We ate dinner in the dining room, and it’s the best view over the harbor. It kind of looks like you’re in Saint-Tropez. That and the wine list is amazing and it’s just like, “Dude, it can’t get better than this.” I would go back there, and I’m pretty picky about places that I go to.
And places you don’t recommend to tourists?
There’s a place called El Pescador in La Jolla that’s a beautiful fish market. They serve food there, and my go-to order is a calamari torta with grilled jalapeños and avocado. I’ve been ordering the same thing since I was like 10 years old, and we’d be at the beach and my parents would take us there.
It’s funny because the owner and I are close friends now; he’s a regular at both of my restaurants. And it’s just kind of fun and nostalgic to actually be friends with him now all these years later. He says, “Why do you always order that?” and I’m like, “That’s just what I’ve been ordering for like my whole life.”
It’s across the street from Mitch’s Surf Shop, which is my favorite locals-only surf shop. I’ve been going to that same shop forever and Mitch is in there like every day … unless he’s surfing.
