Restaurant File: San Diego's Top Alfresco Dining and Hip Lounges

Go to this new La Jolla hotspot for its chic atmosphere and great al fresco dining patio, as well as for its dedication to simple—and simply delicious—fresh and seasonal cuisine. Family-style dining is encouraged, all part of the owner and chef's philosophy that food is best enjoyed when shared. Impressively, the kitchen staff produces many ingredients and products in-house, from baking bread and smoking and curing meat to turning out a range of cheese, ice cream and sorbet. "Whisknaladle offers patrons a down to earth experience in what is an otherwise extravagant scene," says one of the private concierges at theOne, a new, member's-only concierge service focused on San Diego and Baja, Mexico, and helmed by plugged-in concierges from some of the city's top hotels. "Whisknladle's passion for gastronomy can be seen with their homemade specialties all made from ingredients that come from local farms that share Whisknladle's vision of quality and preservation. When not manning the kitchen, owner Arturo provides patrons with endless recommendations," he says. Another fan is local private Chef Tina Washburn, founder of Urban Cuisine catering. "The restaurant is cooking up quite a scene with its late night dining, unheard-of happy hour specials, and a sprawling patio that packs in the locals," she says. "Visualize crowded Manhattan bar meets relaxed La Jolla sidewalk dining. Chef/Partner Ryan carefully prepares each dish with compassion and sensibility using house techniques to cure, age, smoke, meddle, infuse and pickle to then brilliantly execute fine sharable dishes like Chorizo & Date Fritters with Tomato Sauce. And equally as pleasing are their signature cocktails like their Champagne & Lavender Martini!"

"Hands down the best place for sushi in San Diego!," says Kelli Djulus. "All of my Japanese friends swear by this traditional restaurant and please, do not let its humble location fool you." She's not kidding! Once you've found this tiny and obscure spot, tucked away behind a stripmall, you'll be rewarded with melt-in-your-mouth freshly caught and expertly prepared seafood. Go for whatever is the special catch of the day.

"Not to be missed is the ultra-cool new kid on the block, Restaurant at the Pearl, a new boutique hotel in Point Loma," says Tina Washburn, a local private chef and caterer. "Reminiscent of a Mid-Century MOD Pasadena home, the Pearl hotel is relaxed and swank with a unique and crafty menu. A smashingly adorable young chef, Trey Hartinger, serves up Eclectic-Californian fare during such special nights as Three-Fixe Mondays (three courses for $25), Taco-Rita Tuesdays (two gourmet tacos and a margarita for $10), and Wednesdays' 'Dive-In-Theatre," when guests wine and dine around—or take a dip in—the large outdoor pool, while watching a choice flick on the Pearl's ginormous outdoor movie screen." How fun! NB: The bamboo tree-bedecked bar and lounge on the outdoor pool terrace is also a happening place for drinks, with cocktails served until midnight. Book ahead if you want a private dinner for six to eight people in one of the tented, poolside cabanas.

If you live on Coronado island, or are staying in one the resorts there, or if you're there to check out some of it's great shops, make time for a light breakfast of fresh pastries and coffee or a lunch break at Tartine, overlooking the San Diego Bay. "This delightful, European style cafe is the perfect spot for a casual, quick yet delicious breakfast, cafe au lait or an afternoon treat," says Kelli Djulus. "Sit inside and linger or enjoy a table outside and people watch." Don't miss their pastries made by expert chefs, some of whom trained at Johnson and Wales in the U.S. and L'Ecole Le Cordon Blue in Paris. The dinner menu is tempting too.

Dining at a nightclub is usually ill-advised, but not so here, so put on your party clothes and come hungry!  (And boys should note that no sneakers or ripped denim is allowed). "Stingaree in downtown San Diego is a high-style ultra-club that has somehow mastered the art of dancing and dining all under one roof," says private chef Tina Washburn of this three-year-old, MASSIVE, glitzy, state-of-the-art nightlife and dining complex in a converted warehouse. "Executive Chef Antonio Friscia delivers impeccable cuisine using ingredients from local farms. Enjoy steak frites or Sicilian shrimp and crab cakes while listening to thumping house music, and then sit back and watch the sexy scene roll in. When you're ready to get down, just steps away are several sexy lounges and rooftop bars where the DJ music is turned up and the crowd starts moving." Stingaree features an indoor waterfall, bottle-service (seemingly ubiquitous at clubs these days), and three stories with lots of nooks and cranny booths for group dining and private parties; for the ultimate party venue, book the tricked-out Penthouse, a private lounge which has its own bar and accommodates up to 50 guests, who, if bored with one another, can look out the "voyeuristic" window and check out the action down on the dancefloor, where a diverse crowd of revelers mostly in their 20s and 30s mix and mingle. For cocktails, especially at sunset, head up to the outdoor Rooftop Oasis, another see-and-be-seen-spot with a fire pit, lounge beds, and private cabanas for intimate gatherings. A bit tacky, and certainly not good for the environment, is Stingaree's signature orange Hummer limo, which can be hired for bachelorette or bachelor parties, or any other big night out with friends when you don't want to worry about a designated driver. NB: the restaurant closes at 11 p.m. and the club closes at 2 a.m.