San Diego Metropolitan - Dining

The cutest, hippest, most happening addition to Downtown this year is most certainly The Lime. This fabulously designed two-story space is a new bright spot on Fifth Avenue, and I’m not just talkin’ about Lime’s awesome signage or the bright red, orange and green interior wall color.

The seductive nighttime glow of a thick, cracked-glass bar top along with a dazzling yellow, green, blue, and red backlit back bar, which showcases more than 70 fine tequilas, creates a very sexy atmosphere.

Lime and its sister restaurant, The Grape, a wine bar just a few doors down, are owned and operated by Maria Viscuso, an energetic, 30-something woman with a big beautiful smile. (She also is the little sister of Michael Viscuso who operates On Broadway, E Street Alley, Red Circle and Deco.)

The menu is designed for plate sharing — my favorite thing — as there are many more “small plate” offerings than entrées. And sharing is a very good thing especially when the menu reads like a romance novel — full of enticing adjectives and interesting ingredients. This combination makes for a thrilling cover-to-cover read followed by some hard decisions, since almost every dish sounds wonderful. Don’t worry, the fare is just as tasty as its menu description promises.

Executive Chef Kathleen Jones, who spent some time in the Prado and Red Circle kitchens before opening Lime, beautifully executes this fun, casual, yet substantial menu.

If you’re a black bean soup fan (as I certainly am), I wholeheartedly recommend Lime’s “Blackbean Soup” ($6.50), a rendition finished with a squirt of chipotle cream and served with housemade tortilla chips. Even though this is a vegetarian dish, its slightly spicy, but mostly smoky (from a combination of cumin and coriander) broth has a rich, deep flavor.

For anyone who has ever tried to make these things at home, exceptional is the least I would say about the homemade “Corn Tamales” ($9.50). They are filled with a trio of Mexican cheeses and served with a tangy pico de gallo. These melt-in-your-mouth creamy, corny tamales rival those that made L.A.’s Border Grill so famous.

Eight excellent quesadillas are available, and so it’s just a matter of personal taste when selecting among “Bacon, Red Onion and Cheddar,” “Shredded Beef,” “Smoked Salmon” and the “Spicy Rubbed Chicken.” I tend to favor the “Asian Duck Quesadilla” ($10.50). It’s accompanied by a spicy kimchee style coleslaw, served with an outrageous plum wine sauce and topped with an avocado relish (which is pretty much guacamole in a fancy dress).

The “Marinated Portabella Mushroom Crispy Tacos” ($8.50) are a nice change of pace. The rich, earthy mushroom is marinated in a sweet balsamic vinaigrette, grilled and served in a housemade crispy taco shell (nothing like the one your mom used) with pepper jack cheese. It’s a great combination.

Two of the “Soft Tacos” cry out to be eaten: the “Barbacoa Beef” and the “Thick Sliced Bacon,” comprised of slabby, smoky bacon, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, longhorn cheese and a wicked chipotle cream.

The “Large Plates” list has half a dozen entrée-sized dishes, which include three fajita combinations (chicken, beef or portabella mushroom) as well as a couple of large salads, both of which I ordered for the table for “tapa-style” sharing as well. The “Ancho Steak Salad” ($13.50) is a particular standout. Thinly sliced, spicy, marinated tenderloin steak tops fresh, crispy wedges of romaine with sliced tomato, blue cheese dressing and fresh cilantro.

Several housemade desserts are available nightly, but whatever else you eat, make sure you save room for the “Warm Chocolate Bundt Cake,” served with vanilla ice cream, caramel and chocolate sauce. It’s (as everybody said a couple of years ago) “the bomb.”

One more thing to know is that Lime has a Happy Hour that qualifies as one of those rare finds you usually only hear about from the locals. Every weeknight from 5 to 7 p.m. specialty margaritas and plenty of appetizers are half price.