Cusp Dining & Drinks Elevate your consumption in La Jolla

The spanking new sister restaurant to the Hotel Palomar's Saltbox, Cusp sits atop the 11th floor of the freshly revamped Hotel La Jolla (coincidentally, a baller place to get a room if you're spanking someone new).

There's an open kitchen surrounded by a massive stone bar, and artistic accents like metal, leaf-shaped light fixtures, but you'll really want to be gazing through floor-to-ceiling windows offering insane views of La Jolla Shores, all whilst smashing cocktails that the barman (formerly of Chicago's Sable!) has designed around “coastal Mediterranean” cuisine engineered by a chef previously at LA's Delphine. Shared plates play on low-brow classics (like Bagel Bites-esque Pepperoni Rolls with roasted garlic, oven-dried tomato, roasted garlic, mozz, and a spicy tomato dipping sauce), or just go straight-up insanely tasty, like the crispy pork belly glazed with fiery/sweet honey-Sriracha, and a slew of flatbreads made with dough fermented for three days -- so yeah, they've got flatbreads fo' days. Heartier fare includes proteins like cast iron-roasted hanger steak with charred rapini, cipollini onion, romesco, and crushed marbled potatoes, or pan-roasted/-jus'd Jidori Chicken on a bed of organic polenta, upon hearing which Louie Anderson exclaimed "wait, why am I sleeping on this stupid, non-edible mattress?".

And as for that well-tailored 'tail menu, the first half sticks to lighter libations like the served-tall Wish You Were Here (Old Overholt rye, Aperol, pineapple syrup), while the “Now That We're Familiar...” section stocks beefier numbers like the mezcal/ crème de Framboise/ mint Amigo Favorito, though checking into this hotel together might ruin your amigo-ship.