AAA Four Diamond rating awarded to 10 San Diego restaurants

San Diego Business Journal, Dec 10, 2007 by Connie Lewis

When it comes to restaurants with Five Diamond Awards by AAA, San Diego County is like Bob Hope at the Oscars--the top honors went to somebody else.

Of the six eateries in the state to get the full collection in 2008, however, only one was in Southern California, the Belvedere in the Peninsula Beverly Hills Hotel was so honored, and for the 13th time no less.

Meanwhile, 10 of the county's eateries got Four Diamond plaques recently, including: Vivace at the Four Seasons Resort Aviara, A.R. Valentien at the Lodge at Torrey Pines, George's at the Cove and the Sky Room at the La Valencia Hotel, all in La Jolla; El Bizcocho at the Rancho Bernardo Inn; Mille Fleurs in Rancho Santa Fe; Baci's, Bertrand's at Mister A's, the Grant Grill at the US Grant Hotel and Molly's at the San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina, all in San Diego.

Taste is obviously subjective among restaurant raters.

Take the Zagat Survey of America's Top Restaurants for 2007 the latest available--for instance. Out--of 30 possible points for food, none in the country received a score higher than 29 and none locally were accorded more than 27.

OK, maybe that jibes with the diamonds.

But the Sky Room, Bertrand's at Mister A's, the Grant Grill (which may not have been open in the renovated US Grant when the survey teams were tying their napkins around their necks) and Molly's didn't even get honorable mention in the gilt-edged Zagat pocket edition.

Yet Zagat gave 27 points to Arterra in the San Diego Marriott Del Mar: Sushi Ota in Mission Bay: Pamplemousse Grille in Solana Beach: and the Wine Sellar & Brasserie in Mira Mesa--none of which were on AAA's Four Diamond list.

I can't shed a light on the discrepancies.

AAA's rating program, according to its recent press release announcing the winners, "is the only hotel and restaurant review system in the nation that uses specially trained full-time field representatives."

"The Auto Club's own staff reviews establishments in Southern California without prior notification using objective and detailed rating procedures," it continues.

Zagat, in acknowledging all the help it gets from its 123,000 friends, said the reviews published in the guide "are based on public opinion surveys with numerical ratings reflecting the average scores given by all survey participants who voted on each establishment and text based on direct quotes."

Zagat, unlike AAA, rates establishments on food, decor, service and cost.

I'm too downwardly mobile to be a food critic.

Coming someday: The first ever edition of "Connie's Survey of Neighborhood Watering Holes in San Diego," as reviewed by the author herself and some of her derelict friends who will want to remain anonymous.

Here's a teaser.

The Jewel Box, a little bar on 16th Street downtown gets a Four Sand Dollar rating--the topmost--for over pours.

"No wonder everybody here is schnockered," my friend observed.

"I should have gotten a Coke side and then I'd have two drinks for the price of one." I wasn't complaining, because cheap is what you want in a neighborhood hangout.

I'd ordered a Cuba Libra there on my way home from Petco Park after watching a simulcast of the Padres washing out of the playoffs, and the bartender immediately handed me a rum and coke with lime.

That doesn't happen often. I usually have to tell them what's in the drink. So the Jewel Box gets a bonus of Four Sand Dollars for no questions asked. (While there may be deficiencies in some areas, joints can win bonus points for such things as that, or more importantly, having Hank Williams or J.E Morgan's "Is That All There Is?" on the jukebox.

In the category of atmosphere, I'd give the Jewel Box another Four Sand Dollars, which in a way is awarding something it obviously didn't do--consult with an interior decorator. But the bathroom was clean and stocked with toilet paper.

Send tourism and hospitality news to Connie Lewis via e-mail: clewis@sdbj. com. She may also be reached by phone at (858) 277-6359.