The Madison — San Diego, USA
San Diego-based outfit Archisects has transformed a 1920s stucco-box of a building, most recently a nightclub in the city’s University Heights, into a lively, head-turning Mediterranean restaurant. While the facade blends in with the neighbourhood’s Victorian storefronts and Californian bungalows, the interior of the long domed room takes its cues from Japanese and Norwegian mores.
Which is to say: expansive swathes of cedar and Douglas fir that are offset by in-laid geometric wall panels, alcoved banquettes painted an intense blue, a white-stringed web installation created by Archisects, and soft lighting by way of chandeliers and retro fixtures by Schoolhouse Electric and Jonathan Adler.
In the kitchen, the northern Italian executive chef Mario Cassineri refreshes traditional Mediterranean recipes with southern Californian ingredients, sending out crowd-pleasers like a roasted baby beet salad spiked with asparagus, lentils and warm burrata; salmon skewers; and, of all things, a macaroni and cheese, here re-engineered with thinly sliced potato, crab and crispy onion rings.
The best seat in the house is the patio table near the hostess stand which features a sight-line of the bar, the length of the cedar arch and, all the way through the bougainvillea arbor at the back patio, a glimpse of the Southern Californian night sky.
INFORMATION
ADDRESS
4622 Park Boulevard
San Diego, CA 92116
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Daven Wu is the Singapore Editor at Wallpaper*. A former corporate lawyer, he has been covering Singapore and the neighbouring South-East Asian region since 1999, writing extensively about architecture, design, and travel for both the magazine and website. He is also the City Editor for the Phaidon Wallpaper* City Guide to Singapore.
-
Fernando Jorge’s fluid diamond earrings show his curve appeal
Discover Brazilian jewellery designer Fernando Jorge's snake-like silhouettes and graphic shapes
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Abreham Brioschi debuts Ethiopia-inspired rugs for Nodus
Abreham Brioschi teams up with luxury rug experts Nodus to translate visions from his heritage into a tactile reality
By Ifeoluwa Adedeji Published
-
Five compact DAB radios that combine broadcast content with visual brio
The latest DAB radios – countertop and bedside broadcast companions – for those who like their devices to be standalone and visually simple
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Enjoy camp escapism at Hotel Bardo Savannah
Hotel Bardo Savannah is a sophisticated resort inspired by the grand tradition of the early 20th-century salon
By Sallie Lewis Published
-
Dario Restaurant brings a pink punk edge to Minneapolis’ North Loop
Minneapolis’ Dario Restaurant dishes up homemade pasta in quirky interiors designed by Wittkamper Studio
By Carole Dixon Published
-
Get groovy at The Pinky Ring, Las Vegas, a 1970s cocktail lounge shaking up the city
The Pinky Ring is a Las Vegas cocktail and live music venue designed by Yabu Pushelberg for Bruno Mars
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Inside the lavish, members-only Core Club New York
Core Club opens a new flagship in New York, boasting top-tier hospitality and entertainment, and a terrace with panoramic Manhattan views
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
Warren Street Hotel is a colourful marvel in downtown Tribeca
The Warren Street Hotel boasts a distinct blue façade and eclectic interiors by Kit Kemp Design Studio
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
San Sabino offers mellow Italian-American dining in New York
San Sabino debuts in New York’s West Village, helmed by Angie Rito and Scott Tacinelli, with interiors by GRT Architects
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
Fried chicken fever? Coqodaq knows how to do it
Devoted disciples of Korean fried chicken can worship at Manhattan’s Coqodaq, designed by the Rockwell Group
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
Enjoy lakeside dining at the Village Supper Club in Wisconsin
DMAC Architecture and Interiors has transformed the 55-year-old Village Supper Club beside Delavan Lake
By Sofia de la Cruz Published