San Diego Metropolitan - Downtown Dining

California restaurants fall in and out of fashion almost as fast as Cher’s wardrobe. Yet some are exceptions: Deborah Scott’s Kemo Sabe restaurant is in its seventh year in Hillcrest. Bolstered by restaurateur and co-owner David Cohn, along with a very dedicated and loyal staff, Kemophiles can look forward to Scott’s Pacific Rim cuisine for many years to come.

Scott fans also can look forward to something else this New Year. They can give her latest venture, Indigo Grill, a try. If the name sounds slightly familiar, it’s because Scott and a silent partner opened a tiny restaurant also called Indigo Grill back in 1994. Coincidentally, it was located on India Street, just a block away from its new home. Scott stayed about a year and the place closed soon after, but not before acquiring quite a local following. Two of those regulars (along with me) were David and Lesly Cohn, who, at the time, had opened Corvette Diner, the first of their “little restaurant empire.”

The three had a conversation, and the rest is history, with Kemo opening in 1995. Since Scott is as industrious as Cohn is ambitious, the team soon got itchy feet and began looking for a new project. After some research, they decided that perhaps an Indigo Grill “revisited” might not be a bad idea.

Well, Indigo Grill is back. It’s not only back, it’s bigger and badder than ever before.

The corner restaurant space is divided into two sides, guests seated on the left are on the “Arctic” side and those on the right are in the “Mezzo-American side.” The two sides are divided by crackly crude glass dividers representing the “breaking into of the ice age.” Designer JLorene Gage, along with assistance from Scott, worked to create an atmosphere that would stand up to the downright bold cuisine of this “new” Indigo Grill.

The heart of this well-themed space is its Woodstone oven. Purchased in the Pacific Northwest, this beauty puts out everything from Scott’s “Parmesan Buttons” and “Indian Fry Bread” to her “Alderwood Salmon on a Plank.”

The cuisine, described as “Native,” is a fusion of Oaxacan, Northwest Indian and regional. The menu is as entertaining to read as it is to eat. Dishes like “Boo Boo and Mikey’s Corn Pudding” and “Russ’s Ribs” pay tribute to Scott’s friends and loyal guests.

Chef Scott cooks with her heart and soul — a minimalist she is not. Dishes are served on oversized, handmade platters or pottery, many of which were custom-made by a tribe in Mexico. The presentations are “Kemo Sabe-style,” layered, stacked and heavily garnished. Scott takes Hippen masse, a batter made from egg whites and flour, to design primitive figures which are then baked on a sheet and constructed “totem pole style” on plates.

Well-trained servers carry plates to tables one at a time, walking with no less care than if carrying a four-tiered wedding cake. A brief yet tantalizing verbal description is delivered along with each dish.

The dinner menu is divided into two sections: Beginnings and Sunset Offerings. I had difficulty deciding what to order as the menu is well written and the descriptions are deadly. The “Vera Cruz Tamale” ($11) kicked off the evening and raised my expectations another notch or two. A beautiful little lady from Mexico City named Veronica hand makes these bundles of love daily. The tamales are made with fresh-roasted corn and huitlecoche, a fungus which grows on corn in Southern Mexico and resembles the truffle with its earthy and musty flavor. They are served with broken Mexican shrimp in a sauce of honey-roasted whole garlic, lemon, white wine and butter. The dish is garnished with fresh cilantro, dried quajillo rajas, and crème fraîche.

“Oven Roasted Clams” ($12) are roasted and then served in copper crocks called cazuelas. The crock is opened at the table to reveal the mollusks (including a few mussels) in a bath of steaming hot broth flavored with chipotle, yellow and red bell peppers and cream. The accompanying chards of parmesan-scallion flatbread are a good vehicle for soaking up that wonderful broth.

Have you ever experienced the heartbreak of fabulous appetizers only to be let down by the entrées? No fear of that at Indigo where entrées lift you to another level of gustatory bliss. Don’t pass up the “Alderwood Plank Salmon” ($20), a fleshy hunk of Pacific salmon roasted on a chunk of alderwood in the Woodstone oven. It is served on a wedge of horseradish flatbread with squid-ink pasta and smoked Oaxacan cheese. An accompanying spicy, yet cooling, cucumber “moleto” salad is a nice contrast.

Those with the hankering for meat will not be disappointed. The “Wild Blueberry Lacquered Venison Chop” ($26) comes out perfectly cooked and accompanied by a clay crock of roasted fennel potatoes with leeks and a salad of mixed greens lightly tossed in a roasted orange and pasilla chile dressing.

“Dessertier” Sharon Bristol’s after-dinner dishes are hearty and well crafted. I fell in love with both desserts I sampled (or should I say devoured). The “Native American Bread Pudding” ($6.50) is chock-full of dates, figs, dried cranberries and apples. It is served with a light caramel sauce and a viscous blueberry “wojabi” jam. The “Rustic Seasonal Tart” ($8.50), which featured roasted plums the night I dined, is oven-roasted and served with cardamom ice cream. The flavor was bright and clear and made a great companion to the cardamom ice cream.

Although Scott eventually plans to divide her time equally between the two restaurants, for now she’s an Indigo Girl and can be found performing nightly at the grill.