Archive for the 'San Diego - Latin' Category
The Prado
by Chris Faust
THE PRADO
1549 El Prado (Balboa Park), San Diego, CA 92103
(619) 557-9441
The Prado Restaurant is located in the ‘House of Hospitality’ in Balboa Park. Balboa Park is the site of the 1935 Worlds Exposition. The 1400 acre park and its spectacular Spanish Colonial Architecture houses 14 museums, 4 theaters, and the world famous San Diego Zoo. The family can spend the whole day at the park with its many cultural and entertainment venues. And when it comes time to eat just look for the House of Hospitality and there you will find The Prado Restaurant. This fabulously appointed restaurant was named Best New Restaurant 2000 by San Diego Magazine and received the Gold Medallion Award for Best New Restaurant 2000. The cuisine is Latin Italian fusion. High on my list of dishes created by Executive Chef Jeff Thurston are the beef and chicken empanadas fried in a pastry shell with avocado-serrano chile salsa, chipolte cream, corn and black bean jicama slaw or the saffron streamed Manila clams in a garlic, tomato and herb broth. After a cool drink and appetizer in the bar you can make your way to the patio overlooking the park’s 11-acre Japanese Friendship Gardens. There you can satisfy your culinary urge with a honey-chipotle marinated rib eye steak served with caramelized onions and a blue cheese quesidilla in a toasted cumin seed bordelaise sauce. The Prado has a cooking and wine school and is a great place for weddings and special events.