Ankimo at Sushi Tadokoro. | Candice Woo This month’s highlights include a standout sandwich, commendable ceviche, and magical mushrooms In this monthly column, your Eater San Diego editor and contributors will share standout dishes and drinks we’ve come across on our frequent dining expeditions. Have you come across a can’t-miss bite or sip? Send a rec to [email protected]. Ankimo at Sushi Tadokoro Despite unfortunately losing its Michelin star in the latest guide, rest assured that this Old Town sushi bar is still one of the best places in San Diego to enjoy pristine fish and impeccably prepared nigiri. It’s also a rare spot to indulge in an omakase lunch, which is offered four days a week and includes homemade desserts like coffee panna cotta and hojicha ice cream from chef Takeaki Tadokoro’s wife. Whatever you do, add on a dish of ankimo, or monkfish liver, which Tadokoro skillfully cleans and marinates with sake before steaming it into a lusciously textured terrine that’ll leave you saying, “foie gras who?”. 2244 San Diego Avenue. — Candice Woo, editor Candice Woo A plate of whole squab. Squab at Taste of Hong Kong Though it’s usually featured as a course in Chinese banquets, squab should be ordered more often when it’s this tasty. Among the best of the Convoy Street restaurant’s Cantonese barbecue dishes, the small birds (served whole from head to tail) have the ideal dark meat-to-skin ratio. First simmered in a flavorful braising liquid and then fried quickly until the skin is lacquered and crisp, the squab is paired with simple seasonings of lemon and fragrant five-spice salt. Eating them is a bit fiddly but thoroughly enjoyable, finger-licking-good experience. 4428 Convoy Street. — Candice Woo, editor Kelly Bone Mushroom kofta at Serea Coastal Cuisine. Mushroom Kofta at Serea Coastal Cuisine The Hotel del Coronado’s signature seafood restaurant is also serving up some of San Diego’s finest vegetable dishes. Chef de cuisine Francisco Castellon’s captivating vegan options include crispy eggplant with za’atar cashew purée and wood-roasted cauliflower with crispy chickpeas over romesco but the standout is his mushroom kofta. Plump, well-seasoned, meaty mushroom balls are fried until crisp, drizzled with velvety tahini, and sprinkled with pine nuts, juicy pomegranate seeds, and delicate micro herbs. Use the accompanying housemade grilled sourdough flatbread to bundle the kofta and sauce into one delectable bite. 1500 Orange Avenue. — Kelly Bone, contributor Candice Woo The Firenze. The Firenze at Lucca Italian Sandwich Shop Tucked into a kiosk at the back of a downtown business plaza, this walk-up Italian spot mainly feeds area workers so it’s only open on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. But if you’re in the area, it’s a friendly place to grab a cup of coffee and a well-assembled sandwich that’s an earnest, though modest, approximation of those found in the famous sandwich shops of Florence. Built on a foundation of focaccia, baked off-site and warmed until the crust gets slightly crisped, the appropriately named Firenze combines my favorite Italian cold cut —mortadella — with milky stracciatella cheese, basil pesto, sliced pistachios, and fresh arugula. 600 B Street. — Candice Woo, editor. Helen I. Hwang Ceviche at Ponyboy Fisherman’s Catch Ceviche at Ponyboy Sitting poolside at Point Loma’s boutique-y Pearl Hotel while enjoying a September sunset was the perfect perch to enjoy a refreshing plate of ceviche, which on this day showcased tuna picked up from nearby Tunaville Market. Ponyboy’s Danny Romero (Addison, Two Ducks), who conceived the new hotspot with brother Dante and cocktail guru Ian Ward, glows up the sliced fish with avocado aioli and a centerpiece that’s a true showstopper. A nod to the nostalgic Jell-O molds of yesteryear, the ring of jiggly jelly made with cilantro, garlic, and charred shallots-infused Clamato lent a deeper complexity to the marinated seafood. 1410 Rosecrans Street. — Helen I Hwang, contributor.