Every year, I head out to San Diego to visit one of my best friends. Typically it’s in fall, but this year I was able to combine it with a bit of work and experiece the city in spring. One of the highlights – in addition to quality girl time – is checking out what’s new on the food scene. (There’s always something.) I’ve been a fan of the food hall at Liberty Station since it opened in 2016, but this time I was lucky enough to dine at nearby (as in, across the street) El Jardín.

Top Chef Mexico and Top Chef contestant Claudette Zepeda-Wilkins, the executive chef, is doing really creative and fun things with the menus, which change frequently and pay homage to various inspirations from around Mexico. I love the little notes on the menu that indicate which area each dish comes from, such as Tijuana (Cardini in the Garden, a riff on Caesar salad); Aztecs, pre-Hispanic (house guacamole); and – my favorite – “every abuelitas [sic] house in MX” (Fideo Seco, noodles with chiles, crema, queso fresco and cilantro).

The atmosphere is equally impressive and very casual. There’s an outdoor patio with a fire pit (blankets are also available for those “chilly” San Diego nights) and a smaller inside dining room. The showpiece is definitely the green wall along the back, filled with various greenery and occasionally dotted with a splash of floral red. There are also some pretty cool decorated cattle skulls along one of the side walls. Across the room, guests can see into the open kitchen.

The specialty cocktail list is as intriguing as the main menus, and drinks are dubbed with kicky names like Telenovela Passion (mezcal with ginger, passion fruit and lime), Pineapple Tears (blanco tequila, lime, serrano chile, pineapple juice and herb jalapeño oil) and the Prickley Paloma (above left), which is what I got: blanco tequila, grapefruit and lime juices, prickley pear syrup and soda.

For food, I started out with the Citrus Crudo (above right) because I love raw tuna. This small dish combined it with sliced red onions, a wedge of avocado, citrus slices and a drizzle of white ponzu – really light and delicious.

Next it was on to the main course: pozole. There were two variations on the menu when I visited, “rojo” with braised pork and adobo and “verde” with a tomatillo broth and red snapper. I chose the latter (above right) and couldn’t have been happier. The heirloom corn had a nice bite to it, and the broth was rich and tangy. The capper was one of my most beloved Mexican desserts, churros with dulce de leche (aka Zapopan Nights on the menu)(above left). Crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside, the doughy treats needed just a little plunk in the caramel sauce to be perfect.