With a Seasonal Menu and Stunning Courtyard Setting, This San Diego Restaurant Is Sure to Sweep You Off Your Feet
In the heart of Hillcrest, on the ground floor of the Eitol Towers luxury apartments, you’ll find San Diego’s only urban oasis to marvel and dine at. insideOUT is situated in a lush atrium, where you feel like you’ve stepped outside the city walls. During the month of October, guests will have an opportunity to experience the restaurant’s modified interior with their “Enchanted Oasis” theme decorations. Chanel your inner Alice in Wonderland and fall down the rabbit hole at the sight of giant mushrooms, neon flowers and larger-than-life butterflies. Look a little closer and you’ll find a flowing waterfall that feeds into a pond, which is fully decked out with faux lily pads and whimsical life size pink flamingos. At night, the open-air courtyard comes to life with colorful mood lighting, making this Hillcrest haunt a sexy yet refined destination for a night out.
“All of your senses will feel stimulated,” says Matthew Ramon, owner of insideOUT and Urban MO’s and longtime San Diego restaurateur. insideOUT is the brainchild of Ramon and Executive Chef Johnny Duran, who has worked at a number of renowned San Diego restaurants and is now making a name for himself. “We wanted to create a space for the community to be able to unwind with good food and drink,” says Ramon. “We didn’t want a bar scene that was too loud or a restaurant with mediocre food. It was important to us that we deliver quality without compromise.” With the goal of creating an elevated, high-quality restaurant, insideOUT was born.
The menu offers a fun, fresh take on California- and Mediterranean-inspired cuisine. “We take guests on a unique journey they never thought they’d be on with our food” says Chef Duran. “We’re known for our wild pairings, and we make it a point to use lots of different textures and flavors to really take you on that journey.” And unique pairings are exactly what you’ll get—insideOUT’s Panzanella salad is a Tuscan dish with juicy heirloom tomatoes, julienne red onions, Persian cucumbers, buttered croutons, mirrored in a basil buttermilk aioli and a dollop of arugula mint pesto. It’s a combination that surprisingly works. For more innovative culinary creations, try the grilled double cut pork chop, prepared with nectarine and smoky almond brown butter, goat cheese, watercress, pickled red onion and sweet potatoes. “We have something on the menu for everyone,” guarantees Duran. “You should order depending on how bold you’re feeling, but know that our dishes are elevated but never pretentious.” Their signature dish, the Australian hot stone steak, is an 8-ounce aged Angus filet mignon, served rare on the hot stone for you to cook to your own liking.
@localemag Only in October you can visit this enchanted oasis at insideOUT a wonderful restaurant in the #hillcrest neighborhood of #sandiego #sdfoodie #sddateideas #sddatenights #localemagazine #sdfoodies #northpark #southpark #bankershill ♬ Pure Imagination – Kathleen
The desserts may be simple, but much like the rest of your meal, they won’t leave you feeling bogged down and heavy. You can’t go wrong with a slice of good old fashioned Black Forest cake or their lemon blueberry cheesecake, made with fresh lemon curd. If you make it in time for happy hour (Tuesday-Friday, 4-6 p.m.), you can score cocktails for just $8, such as the Freaky Tiki, made with Mt. Gay Barrel rum, Bacardi coconut rum, Passoa Passion Fruit Liqueur, sweet n’ sour, pineapple, orgeat and Kraken rum.
insideOUT is also open for brunch on weekends (would be a crime if they weren’t!), so bring your friends and loved ones and order a pitcher of Pamplemousse Rosé for the table. Their Monte Cristo is the perfect marriage between sweet and savory flavors, made with thick country ham, Swiss cheese and smoked turkey sandwiched between artisan levain bread, dipped in French toast batter and dusted with powdered sugar and raspberry preserves.
No matter when you decide to pay a visit, a trip to insideOUT is guaranteed to be an elevated experience that’ll tantalize your taste buds and ignite your senses. Future experiences to expect (and are sure to impress) include their Winter Wonderland Oasis that will be available throughout December.
insideOUT
1642 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92103
619.888.8623
@insideoutsd
