Hawthorn's Restaurant   

2895 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92104
619-295-1688
www.hawthornsrestaurant.com

Directions   Email   Send to Cell  

Located on the street-front lobby level of the meticulously restored Stephen and Mary Birch North Park Theater, Hawthorn's is a refreshing stray from its original Bankers Hill incarnation, Fifth & Hawthorn. Large glass windows below the marquee replaced the theater's front doors, nicely framing the restaurant's stunning interior of exposed brick walls accented with hues of purple and mild green. High ceilings and walls adorned with theatrical photographs and decades-old cornices are conversational masterpieces. The space is seamlessly separated into three distinct areas, two dining rooms and a swank bar/lounge, each wrought with both contemporary and historic design elements. Simple starters like shrimp cocktail and crab-salmon cakes share menu space with more "theatrical" selections like the Theater Wings (chicken wing lollipops) and the steamed Carlsbad mussels in chardonnay, butter and creme fraiche. For dinner, the chipotle barbecued pork chop on a bed of Tuscan-style white beans stands out, as does the Chateaubriand, grilled beef tenderloin medallions with mushroom and foie gras tamales in a red wine-tarragon cream sauce.