Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/288975
102 / the tasting panel / april 2014 102 / the tasting panel / april 2014 S an Diego's Glass Door seems to exist in two different worlds. For the tourist staying in the Porto Vista Hotel where the res- taurant calls home, it's an easygoing joint whose fourth floor perch offers a killer view of the San Diego waterfront. For locals dialed into the oodles of foodie goodness found in the surrounding area's Little Italy district, it's a sleek venue whose bird's-eye view of the twinkling post-sunset downtown skyline make it a chic destina- tion for special occasions or to simply get your drink on. "The crowd that stays in the hotel is completely different from the one that comes in just for the restaurant," explains Robert Conaway, Glass Door's Food & Beverage Director. "When the sun starts to go down, our customer base shifts to one that is much more food savvy." If the menu is any indication, it would appear that Conaway knows the yin and yang of his audience well. While the menu here is sprinkled with accessible items designed to please the traveling soul in search of basic grub, a healthy chunk of it is devoted to more forward-thinking fare, including a seasonally rotating lineup of culinary themes from around the globe. "We've built menus that emphasized the cuisine of the Southern Mediterranean, France, India and Southeast Asia, and we're going to be highlighting North Africa in a few weeks," Conaway says. "We feel we're filling a niche that may not be filled elsewhere." The progressive, worldly nature of the restaurant's food pairs perfectly with Conaway's vision of the wine list he's created—a carefully crafted global inventory whose construction favors rising stars over current darlings. "We try to make sure the wines that we serve are not the 'front and center' wines that everyone is familiar with," he states. "We prefer to work really close with our vendors to see which wines are on the horizon and are ready to be put on people's radars." Yet for all of Glass Door's worldliness, Conaway says its ultimate mission is to ensure his local customers are in for the epicurean journey. "At the end of the day, we just want to make the kind of food that San Diego likes." Seeing Through to Success by Rich Manning / photos by Leigh Castelli GLASS DOOR EXPLORES THE WORLD WITHOUT LEAVING SAN DIEGO TP0414_102-132.indd 102 3/21/14 2:52 PM