San Diego Restaurant Week: Spotlight on Soleil @ K

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San Diego Restaurant Week enables local fine food enthusiasts to finally try the top San Diego restaurants they've been dreaming of.

Twice a year, every year, San Diego Restaurant Week features 130 of the city's best restaurants and invites guests to enjoy a three-course dinner for $30-$40 a person, depending on the restaurant. Now in its fourth year, San Diego Restaurant Week 2008 is the largest and most successful dining event in San Diego. Restaurant Week runs from January 27 - February 1, 2008 - and no event tickets are required.

Discover Soleil @ K - a top participating restaurant in San Diego Restaurant Week.

If it weren't for the vibrant glow of the yellow, red, and white vertical sign pressed into the side of the Gaslamp Marriott Hotel and its rampantly rave-worthy reputation, you just might miss it. Tucked neatly into the back corner of East Village at 6th and K, Conde Nast Traveler's Exclusive Hot List has put their thumb on the spot where contemporary meets classic and casual elegance is redefined in a boldly fresh new style of dining: Soleil @ K.

French for "sun," the restaurant is aptly named. During the busy afternoon hours of the Gaslamp's week day, the entrance to Soleil - which shares its particular block of K with the northwest corner of PETCO Park - is often found heavily splashed with sunlight. At night, moreover, the large street-side windows at the base of the Marriott stand softly illuminated, a beacon in a typically dark and dense portion of downtown.

The entrance is a transformation in itself. Suspended between the flat lines of steel and cement outside to the marble elegance of the Marriott's alternate and intimate lobby, Soleil simmers in wait. Tiered frosted glass lights hang from the ceiling where clear plexiglass ceiling fans push mellow beats throughout the minimalist design of the dining room, its red and deep yellow accents playing off dark wood and cool light. The ever-experienced waitstaff, dressed in all black, glide between the red half-moon leather booths that line the back wall, and the tables-for-two that hug the windows looking out onto K. The hum of the room resonates at a comfortable frequency, making it nearly impossible to believe there is a hotel lobby anywhere nearby.

Perhaps the most remarkable characteristic of the room, however, is the dining tables that spread out, long and lean, from the center. A proponent of "meal time as it should be," Soleil encourages patrons to mingle amongst themselves at long, communal tables, each party separated by a centerpiece and their own menagerie of breads, wines, and bottled water.

Serving delicious California fare with the freshest of ingredients, Soleil carries their eclectic design over into innovative cuisine. Their signature Artisan cheese plate is comprised of a wide variety of tastes and textures spanning five cheeses, including the restaurant's special, the Bermuda Triangle. Paired with ciabatta crackers, organic honeycomb, and a delectable fig jam, each cheese is designed to mellow the palate for the meal ahead.

While the Chef's homemade soup flavor rotates seasonally, the creamy roasted red pepper soup of Restaurant Week is beyond brilliant. Topped with microbasil and served warm, the smooth texture emits an almost smoky flavor that is rich and smooth going down.

Unique salads abound with the summer melon salad and baby spoonleaf spinach Salad, tossed with candied pecans, mandarin oranges, jicama, and a blue cheese citrus vinaigrette. The caesar salad presents an enticing spin on a classic favorite, including two halves of soft-boiled eggs to flank the pile of twisted anchovies perched in the middle. Served in a crescent bowl with a parmesan flatbread crostini, the flavor is anything but predictable. Light on the palate and cleansing to the taste, the egg yolk frosts the caesar dressing for a more placid flavor.

The beet salad, however, is anything but bland. Rich in flavor, texture and hue, a thick strip of goat cheese, parfait, and frisee is topped carefully with a layer of sharp red beets and mild gold beets. The salad's top layer is sprinkled with candied grapefruit shavings, giving each bite a round and forward flavor with a sweet, lasting kick.

While the menu boasts a diverse assortment of chicken, fish, and steak dishes, it is the free range jadori chicken that tops Restaurant Week's main course menu. Beautifully braised in a sweet mustard and honey reduction and served with the skin on, the dish comes bordered by tenderly steamed asparagus, diced apple smoked bacon, and a smoked cheddar spinach and chive polenta.

The Alaskan halibut is a lighter dish; settled into a pool of heirloom tomato water and light oil, the fish is, simply put, mild. Sliced tomatoes and green beans float around the fillet, the meat topped with an intense tapenade that creates an entirely new meal out of its original subtlety.

Finally, Soleil guarantees their steak is nothing like you've ever tried. The star ranch grass fed ribeye, cooked to a tender melting point, is infused and topped with a phenomenal blue cheese butter, making it a dish, not just any ordinary steak. Paired perfectly with sautéed morel mushrooms, ramano green beans, and creamy marble potatoes, the meat is served in a rich red wine sauce, adding a level of earthy complexity and fullness to its incredible tenderness.

Lean back in order to make room for Restaurant Week's most sought after dessert, the densely delicious chocolate baby cake, lined with raspberry sauce and fresh blackberries. And be sure to ask for two straws when trying out the wait staff's personal favorite - the caramel cream soda float - a sweet kickback to younger flavors with an updated edge of sophistication.

While dishes may leave you with a new definition of satisfaction, the Soleil @ K experience isn't truly complete until you peruse the bill beside a balloon of blue cotton candy - just another delicious thrill that sets Soleil @ K a step above the rest.

Still hungry? Discover JRDN and Blanca, additional participating restaurants in San Diego Restaurant Week.

Visit San Diego Restaurant Week for more event and menu details.