Maybe it’s the red-velvet curtains that dramatically drape from floor to the 30-foot ceiling, or the stained concrete floor. It could be the techno-pop music played so generously downstairs that it makes my ribs tickle. In any case, Olé Madrid is just plain cool. It’s located in the heart of the Gaslamp Quarter and it’s filled with a lot of very hip, great-looking people who are talking, smoking (on the patio) and drinking big glasses of sangria. Having never considered myself particularly cool or especially hip, I had precluded Olé Madrid from my list of local food haunts. Well, it was only me who lost out ... the food's great.

    Our waiter, John, sporting a goatee, suggested a few of his favorites on the tapas (appetizer) list. We let him order for us and I must say that you can rarely go wrong letting your server choose for you. He sees everything daily and knows which items get the raves. John placed our order and then brought us each a pint of the house-made sangria. Sangria is Spanish table wine mixed with fruit juices and garnished with fresh fruit. It was very good and complemented the food perfectly, but I have to say that I did have a bit of a headache the next day, and I only had one. Honest.

    Along with our drinks he also brought us a basket of fresh, thinly sliced bread, and half of each slice was dipped in a tomato-vinegar marinade. I loved it and gobbled my entire basket right up. John thoughtfully brought us another, and this time he gave us a monkey dish (restaurant lingo for small bowl) of the tomato sauce on the side.

    We started with an order of the pollo al ajillo, sauteed chicken in a roasted-garlic sauce ($7.25). The flavor of the chicken was nice and I soaked up every drop of the garlic sauce with my bread. I only wished that the chicken was boneless. Next was gambas al ajillo, shrimp sauteed with red peppers and garlic ($8.25). Good thing we like garlic. This is a nice dish, but four shrimp in a wine sauce seemed a little skimpy for the price. John outdid himself by bringing us yet another tapa, calamares andaluza, fried baby calamari ($7.25). It was very lightly breaded, not greasy in the least, and had my favorite of all favorites — garlic-mayonnaise riding shotgun.

    We then shared one of the house specialties, the paella marinara, which is a big dish of slow-cooked seafood with saffron, tomato sauce and rice ($15.95). It was loaded with salmon, mussels, calamari and shrimp. The paellas, and there are three to choose from, take about 25 minutes to cook. I would have waited an hour. It was wonderful.

—By Terryl Gavre

A sumptuous Humphrey's meal is plenty reward
for a stroll through the La Jolla Radisson

The waiter serves succulent salmon for me and aromatic lamb chops for my husband. We watch the twinkling, eclectic, high-rise skyline of the La Jolla Town Center area and sip a glass of Hess Select chardonnay. Life is good, but we wonder, do we really want to spread the word that there remains an excellent but undiscovered restaurant in La Jolla?

    Not really. We like the quiet elegance of the dining room and the attention of a wait-staff that’s not overworked. What if this place becomes too popular and we can’t get reservations? But hey, as restaurant reviewers, that’s the risk we take.

Chef Tim Wilson,who develops the imaginative menu at humphrey's in La Jolla, is ready to take the risk as well. He gets plenty of repeat visitors, but he concedes that be-ing situated in a hotel deters some diners.

    "Some people don’t like to have to walk through a hotel to get to a restaurant," Wilson admits.

    People also once thought of hotel dining as convenient but mundane. That perception is changing. San Diego diners go to the Westgate, the Meridien and dozens of other hotels for special events. Humphrey's at the La Jolla Radisson should be added to their list. Here's what we found.

    Wilson's wine list is made up entirely of California wines (with the exception of two French champagnes), and it includes some favorites. The R.H. Phillips Esperto 1995 is a superb sauvignon blanc. The house wine, Wente, is adequate, but pass it up. The quality of your wine should be on a par with the food.

    Wilson's menu comes in two parts. The left side of the menu lists items that remain the same, month in and month out. These are the basics — pasta, fish, chicken and beef. The right side of the menu is of Wilson's own creation — and he is imaginative.

    I ordered the Christmas salmon, perfectly grilled, moist salmon topped with a light, fresh, tangy cranberry sauce. On the side was a mix of crisp vegetables and wild rice. Pairing it with cranberry sauce was a marvelous idea, one that Wilson may have hit upon early last January when he looked in his refrigerator and saw an odd assortment of holiday leftovers, including the sauce. And if it works, why not?

    My dining partner sampled the cactus chops, which required a lot more than post-season leftovers for inspiration. Wilson marinated the New Zealand lamb in olive oil and garlic, charbroiled the meat and served it with cactus pear curry sauce, blue and yellow corn jalapeno cornbread, garnished with baby yellow squash and topped with orange caramelized onion. The aroma was heavenly and it tasted just as good.

    The dinner specials range from $16.95 to $19.95; the cactus chops were $19.95. All entrees come with a loaf of chunky brown bread and a choice of soup or salad. Most of Humphrey's desserts are made fresh on the premises, and the creamy Gran Marnier cheesecake is irresistible.

—By Janet Lowe & Austin Lynas

Fountain Cafe offers a
pleasant outdoor dining
experience, despite
the weather outside

Despite the cold weather outside, lunch goers at the Fountain Cafe were enjoying a pleasant outdoor dining experience inside the warm and comfortable Red Lion Inn in Mission Valley. The restaurant's design promotes an airy and open atmosphere. Four crem-color columns frame a beautiful, cascading fountain in the center of the restaurant, above which is a skylight.

    The decor is casually elegant, with wicker chairs and booths accented in a palette of creme, teal and peach, creating a delicious setting for an enjoyable meal. Acoustics are excellent in the high-ceilinged room, allowing for nice conversation, business or otherwise. And the menu offers an assortment of appetizers, soups, salads, sandwiches and pastas; dishes prepared with an interesting flair and not-so-common combinations of yummy-sounding ingredients.

    The Fountain Cafe's quesadilla makes an outstanding starter. It features tortilla triangles stuffed with marinated chicken breast, onions and cheese, grilled to perfection and accompanied by a spicy guacamole. We agreed that this flavorful appetizer, which was not at all greasy, was one of the best we'd ever enjoyed. Other starters include golden-fried calamari, three-cheese bread and stuffed red chili poppers.

    Another winner is the tomato-basil soup. Although a bit light on the basil, this savory soup is delicious. Perfectly spiced, it resembles a smooth marinara sauce, great for dipping bread or crackers.

    The entrees came next, and by the time they were served, we were already starting to feel full from the generous portions. The Caesar salad was beautifully presented as are all of the Fountain Cafe's menu items with grilled chicken breast slices, Parmesan cheese and croutons atop romaine greens. Although satisfying, the salad dressing is not a "classic Caesar," so connoisseurs beware.

    The spinach salad was excellent. A fresh mound of spinach was decorated with mushroom slices, red onion and bay shrimp. The mango-chutney dressing was sweet and tasty, but a bit thick; we requested the Oriental dressing normally served with the Chinese chicken salad and found it to be a wonderful match. It’s all a matter of taste.

    The focaccia sandwich is served open-faced with grilled chicken breast slices, mozzarella cheese, grilled eggplant and roasted red peppers. This combination of flavors, although delicious, would be even better served warm.

    Other sandwiches on the menu are ham and Brie cheese on olive bread, a south-of-the-border chicken sandwich, and a yellowfin tuna sandwich. Pasta dishes include salmon and asparagus fettuccini and grilled-chicken penne.

    Desserts, too, are tempting. Why not try a palate-pleasing piece of carrot cake, chocolate decadence cake, key lime pie or New York-style cheesecake to top off your meal?

    Prices at the Fountain Cafe are very reasonable, with lunch-time entrees in the $6-to-$8 range. And with the perfect setting for warm or cold days, the Fountain Cafe is a good bet for your next lunch out no matter what the weather forecast might be.

- by Melissa Jacobs