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You picked these three eateries as the top newcomers

OPENING A NEW RESTAURANT in San Diego is no easy task. Opening a successful new eatery is even more daunting. Market Restaurant + Bar, Blanca and Modus——all dinner-only establishments ——were voted the three Best New Restaurants in our annual readers’ poll. Here’s a closer look at their enticing edibles and the vision of the passionate proprietors.

Market Restaurant + Bar

Terryl Gavre, owner of downtown’s Café 222, calls each establishment she’s opened “a whole new adventure full of surprises.” Her latest restaurant, Market Restaurant + Bar in Del Mar, was no exception.

“It would have been a great show for Extreme Makeover,” says Gavre of the three-day complete remodel of Black Horse Grill in October 2006. When track season started the day after escrow closed, Gavre and her partner, chef Carl Schroeder, formerly of Arterra Restaurant, didn’t immediately have time to change the name and design concept. Tables, booths and chairs were all built off-site, and Gavre and Schroeder pulled allnighters to make sure everything came together.

“It was pretty thrilling when it all fit,” says Gavre.

She and Schroeder had spent a lot of time searching for a location to showcase Schroeder’s inventive California cuisine in an upscale, casual atmosphere, finally finding it in the rolling hills of Del Mar. Located a mile from Chino Farms—a haven Schroeder visits every day for fresh inspiration and ingredients—it’s a place where clients can expect a contemporary setting and creative, quality food.

“We have a freestanding restaurant feel that not a lot of restaurants in San Diego have anymore; it feels like a getaway,” says Schroeder. “We’re kind of a neighborhood spot and a destination spot. We don’t exclude anyone with our atmosphere or our prices.”

Though Gavre and Schroeder are longtime friends, it wasn’t until they teamed up to open Market that Gavre realized how dedicated and hardworking her chef/business partner really is. “He cares about every single detail,” says Gavre. “He’s always pushing forward. At first it was hard for me to get used to, but now it’s very contagious.”

This driven duo has stayed optimistic despite some bumps along the way, including the night they had 80 more people than their 100-person maximum (Schroeder had to announce to the dining room that they didn’t have any more food). And there was the time the ventilation broke in the kitchen on one of the hottest days of the year.

“When do people start dying? [The temperature] was right below that,” jokes Schroeder. “The cooks just crawled out of there completely soaked.”

But Gavre and Schroeder can take the heat. And their perseverance—Gavre’s motto for Schroeder is “no rest”—is what they believe is a recipe for success.

Blanca

According to chef Wade Hageman and general manager/sommelier Zubin Desai, the secret to Blanca’s success is big-city style in a small-city setting. It appears North County residents, as well as racetrack out-of-towners, wanted a fine-dining restaurant with the look and feel of New York City or San Francisco—without the bumper-to-bumper traffic, of course.

Designed by Akar Studios of Santa Monica, this former Solana Beach bicycle shop is now an airy, decadent dining room and lounge, crisp and more skyscraper than sand.

Hageman, who previously served as executive chef at Aqua Restaurant in Las Vegas, learned the importance of evolving with the seasons by working with name chefs like Wolfgang Puck and Mark Miller. Although he utilizes some French techniques, his style of cooking is very modern and very California.

Desai, who came from downtown’s University Club, had worked on the East Coast and was ready to head back in search of cooler cuisine until he found Blanca.

“This is the kind of stuff I wanted,” says Desai. “I’ve got it right here.”

Without previous professional experience in North County, one of the early challenges for the pair was feeling their way around this new locale. They had no idea what the clientele would look like—except that they would want good food and expect great service.

“You don’t have an idea of the dynamics of the people,” says Desai. “You have to adapt and adjust to this market and its demands.” They’ve ended up drawing from across the board—locals, travelers from Tijuana, Los Angeles and beyond, and a young, affluent lounge crowd looking to expand their horizons and learn about fine dining.

Being in a strip mall without an ocean view has its disadvantages, but the location has proven beneficial for locals weary of downtown traffic and parking hassles.

“They are here for the food, not the view,” says Hageman.

Desai and Hageman believe Blanca’s appeal comes from a complete package: commitment to quality, freshness of ingredients and servers who work as a team. Some details are almost subliminal, like alignment and spotless glasses. Desai personally checks these using a laser-equipped level and an attentive eye.

Always trying to be two steps ahead of what others are doing, Desai and Hageman plan to expand their tasting menu to include high-end sakes and beer, and provide a cigar lounge. But it still comes down to making their clients happy.

“The biggest compliment we can get is ‘We’ll see you again,’ ” says Desai.

Modus Supper Club & Lounge

Modus is fine dining with a swanky side—sophisticated European cuisine set in a hip, clubby atmosphere. It draws both young and old, the serious and the seriously trendy. But fitting into this unconventional niche was one of the first obstacles partners Scotty Johnson, his wife, Ariana, chef Nathan Coulon and his wife, Kayo, had to overcome after opening in Bankers Hill in April 2006.

“What are we? A restaurant? A bar that serves food? A nightclub?” says Coulon. “We’ve tried to incorporate all of those things and make everybody happy.”

He originally imagined catering to a dinner crowd—many of them customers at the Belgian Lion, the restaurant his grandparents, Arlene and Don Coulon, owned for 25 years. Growing up in the formal environment of this Ocean Beach eatery, Coulon wasn’t used to serving the twentysomethings who swarm into Modus for drinks and socializing.

“It’s a nice mixture of everybody,” says Coulon. “Everyone gets along.”

With a location independent of dense areas such as Hillcrest, Little Italy and the Gaslamp Quarter, Modus is a place where the regulars are the neighbors, not tourists. Although the club is a bit off the beaten path, Coulon points out the plus side to their not-so-glamorous locale.

“We have parking—that’s number one,” he says.

His dedication to using fresh, local ingredients is something he inherited from the Coulon clan. This was the advice ingrained in him, especially from his grandfather and mother, Michele, who runs Michele Coulon Dessertier in La Jolla:

“Use the best ingredients,” says Coulon. “Don’t compromise your quality, even if you don’t make any money.”

He believes Modus has attracted attention because it’s comfortable, personal and serves good food. “It’s all about local, seasonal food—nothing too complicated or revolutionary—just good food and good drinks,” he says.

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