Fleurette

On our list of the best special-occasion restaurants in San Diego.

Chef Travis Swikard, who trained under Daniel Boulud before running Boulud's kitchens as culinary director, opened this La Jolla Commons restaurant serving what he calls cuisine du soleil, French cooking lightened by Southern California's produce and climate. The dining room sits behind yellow doors at the base of a LEED-Platinum glass tower, a deliberate contrast the design plays up. Dishes include beef tartare with anchovy sauce, olive-oil-poached steelhead trout, and a bouillabaisse built around local rockfish and spiny lobster. Swikard's sister restaurant, Callie, holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand elsewhere in the city.