{"id":36128,"date":"2025-11-03T17:23:10","date_gmt":"2025-11-03T17:23:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/36128\/"},"modified":"2025-11-03T17:23:10","modified_gmt":"2025-11-03T17:23:10","slug":"witherby-the-ucsd-guardian","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/36128\/","title":{"rendered":"Witherby \u2013 The UCSD Guardian"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tucked within the heart of San Diego\u2019s Gaslamp Quarter is Witherby, a newly-opened eatery and cocktail bar specializing in modern and playful twists on classic dishes. The charming spot offers a sophisticated dining experience and an escape from Gaslamp\u2019s rowdy scenes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Residing within The Beau Hotel \u2014 originally constructed in 1886 as the Leland Hotel \u2014 Witherby offers guests a chance to step back in time for a unique and luxurious fine dining journey among Victorian-era architecture and a menu inspired by diners from long ago.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Witherby takes great care in curating its drinks, offering a medley of timeless classics and custom blends.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The tart and sweet Mai Oh Mai sported a base of Lyre\u2019s non-alcoholic dark cane liquor, a drizzle of orgeat, and splashes of fruity elements like lemon and pineapple, topped with an orange peel spiral.<\/p>\n

\"\"Photo by Camelia Tzadok<\/a><\/p>\n

The Dry Spritz was filled with a blend of Lyre\u2019s non-alcoholic Italian Spritz and Pathfinder non-alcoholic Hemp and Root. It\u2019s finished with soda water and a dash of lemon, making for a crisp and refreshing sip.<\/p>\n

Along with its expansive drink menu, Witherby offers a well-curated, albeit short, dining menu that rotates per season and emphasizes quality ingredients. Witherby\u2019s appetizers are intended to be shared, reminding us of Spanish tapas and perfect for groups seeking to whet their appetite.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Spanish octopus consists of two grilled tentacles paired with a dab of Calabrian chimichurri, a lively sauce highlighting its fiery Calabrian chili peppers and accented with hints of acidity. Slivers of paper-thin scallion and mini nuggets of Cajun popcorn were sprinkled throughout. The tender octopus playfully contrasted with the sharp popcorn pieces in an unexpected textural pairing gone right.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Speaking of successful pairings, Witherby\u2019s beef cheek appetizer beats any potential one-hit wonder allegations. Atop a base of housemade hummus lay buttery layers of beef cheek waiting to be scooped up by warm and fluffy naan. The delicate meat melted into the citrusy and slightly nutty hummus, while the crisped chickpeas added a depth of texture and the curry oil another layer of rich indulgence.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The time and care placed into the creation of Witherby\u2019s dishes are evident in each texture-rich bite of the appetizers, which placed our bar high for the entrees. We ordered two dishes: Witherby\u2019s New York strip and pork shank.<\/p>\n

\"\"Photo by Camelia Tzadok<\/a><\/p>\n

The New York strip was sliced into thick slabs, shimmering with a pinkish hue \u2014 thanks to a perfect medium cook. This USDA Prime steak was tattooed with ribbons of fat, every morsel oozing with savoriness. Lathered over the entire steak, the zesty Calabrian chimichurri made a much-anticipated reappearance and cut through all the richness of the meat. A bundle of saut\u00e9ed broccolini twigs and a mound of lightly roasted fingerling potatoes accompanied the star of the show.<\/p>\n

Our other entree, the pork shank \u2014 a personal favorite of executive chef Robin James \u2014 had a surprise standout: its side of crispy mushrooms. The umami-packed bundles were perfectly crispy and rich, but the pork shank still came out on top. With its light sherry jus bath, microgreen garnish, and smoky fall-off-the-bone meat, the dish perfectly melds luxury with heartiness. \"\"<\/p>\n

Witherby offers a pocket-sized dessert menu to wind down the night. During October, pumpkin dominated the theme. We ordered the panna cotta, a silky custard infused with earthy notes of pumpkin, which sat atop a freshly baked gingersnap cookie. A massive dollop of toasted meringue crowned the custard, which boasted an amber shade. Decadence and dessert are undoubtedly intertwined at Witherby.<\/p>\n

After our meal, we had the opportunity to speak with James, the architect of Witherby\u2019s menu. He told us how he pulled his inspiration from the building\u2019s storied history.<\/p>\n

Inspired by the oak bar that guests sat at in the 1880s, James designs his menu by reimagining the dishes those guests were eating and adding a contemporary twist \u2014 such as mingling the Cajun popcorn with octopus.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI just like to be a little playful,\u201d James said. \u201cLife\u2019s too serious, and when you come to eat, I think it should be fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Photo by Camelia Tzadok<\/a><\/p>\n

While the 19th century may seem ages away, stepping foot into Witherby will transport you back in time for classic dishes while unwinding in its modern and inviting dining room.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Note: Witherby\u2019s staff was very accommodating to one of our writer\u2019s dairy allergies. The buttermilk polenta was served on the side of the Spanish octopus and the pork shank, and the potatoes pav\u00e9 from the prime NY steak were swapped for wonderful roasted potatoes. In place of the flan, the staff was even so kind as to bring out a bowl of fresh fruit for dessert. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tucked within the heart of San Diego\u2019s Gaslamp Quarter is Witherby, a newly-opened eatery and cocktail bar specializing…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":36129,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[25450,25451,74,76,75],"class_list":{"0":"post-36128","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-diego","8":"tag-local-restaurants","9":"tag-restaurant-review","10":"tag-san-diego","11":"tag-san-diego-headlines","12":"tag-san-diego-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36128","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36128"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36128\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36129"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36128"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36128"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}