Perhaps it is those curvy, illuminated niches carved into the dining room’s smooth-plaster walls, with one wall warmly accented by a row of Sonoran cacti.
Or maybe it’s the army of strikingly attractive wait staff dressed in suspender-strap aprons serving meals constructed with architectural panache.
It could be the dishes, many of which reveal flavor combinations you’ve never encountered before.
Whatever the reasons, Origen makes you feel as though you’ve left San Diego for some chic, faraway restaurant better found in Spain or Italy, or Mexico City, to be more precise.
Everything about it—the lighting, the stylishly dressed patrons, the dynamic employees, the drinks, and the food are easy on the eyes and thrilling to the palate.
Origen’s cosmopolitan concept is sincere because its young founders, Sebastian Berho and Franco Mestre, have ancestral and social ties to Mexico City. They’ve been exposed to cultures from coastal, desert, and sophisticated communities throughout Mexico.
Their cuisine reflects that mosaic, thanks also in part to head chef Tomas Fernandaz, who previously headed up kitchens in Guadalajara, Mexico City, and areas of Spain.
Origen’s modest facade. (Photo by Frank Sabatini Jr.)“This is the best restaurant in San Diego right now,” effused the friend who led our party of five to Origen for dinner on a weekend night. She and hubby had already visited a few times prior, so we entrusted them to do the ordering.
We started with cocktails such as margaritas using pineapple, serrano chili, and cilantro, and an Aqua Santa fusing tequila with tomatillo, epazote, and lime that dazzled our tongues. The “mezcalini” elegantly combines smoky mezcal with fresh fruit juices, hibiscus, and chile de arbol. Capped with creamy froth, it tasted as pretty as it looked.
From the wine list, I fell madly in love with a smooth, well-structured malbec from Argentina’s Mendoza region.
On a return visit, when perched at the bar, I savored a pleasant blue-corn ale called Maiz Azul, which a friend in our group from my first visit had passed around for everyone to try. The beer is both earthy and semi-sweet with an expected aftertaste of tortilla chips.
Salmon ceviche with hibiscus-raspberry sauce. (Photo by Frank Sabatini Jr.)Among the procession of dishes that landed our table was a stunning salmon ceviche that gets doused tableside with raspberry-hibiscus leche sauce. Tucked within the tangle of fresh salmon are apple slices, tomato bits, slivered onions, and cilantro.
Yes, the combined ingredients are ambitious and complex. Yet the flavors were enchantingly cohesive.
Ditto for everything else we tried.
Origen’s avant-garde take on tortilla soup is called “sopa azteca estilo.” It uses braised short rib (not chicken) in a base of tomatoes and chilies thickened by sour cream and avocado. The bonuses are dreamy “chochoyotas,” which translate to masa dumplings that suck in a fair amount of the broth.
Good luck finding this soup outside of central Mexico.
Another fine use of beef appeared in a dish called “tiradito de res.”
The chef sears thin strips of the meat before punching them up with black lime and blistered chilies. Served with warm, fresh tortillas, it’s one of those dishes that requires restraint when sharing with a group, especially given that it is priced at the higher end of the spectrum at $32.
The most expensive dish on the menu is the catch of the day (often sea bass) for $42.
Sea bass with herbs and mashed potatoes. (Photo by Frank Sabatini Jr.)The plate features four chunks of the tender fish topped with bright-green herbs resembling chimichurri. They’re interspersed with plops of the best mashed potatoes that have ever passed your lips. This is yet another dish you’ll want all for yourself.
By the end of our long-paced supper of beautiful shareables, we first-timers agreed unanimously that Origen is a class act full of welcoming energy and comforting aesthetics, despite a rather bland exterior.
The restaurant is open for dinner only starting at 5 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. It is located at 3831 Park Boulevard on the border of Hillcrest and North Park.
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