International Smoke, a restaurant brand based in the Bay Area, recently opened in San Diego inside One Paseo Carmel Valley. The restaurant is a collaboration between Michelin Star Chef Michael Mina and cookbook author and television host Ayesha Curry.
The restaurant focuses on wood-fired and smoke-infused dishes ranging from classic American bbq to globally inspired dishes.
Ayesha’s Fresh Baked Cornbread
This was one of the highlights of our meal. I enjoy cornbread and over the years I’ve had many variations. When our server recommended their signature cornbread to us, I had my doubts about how amazing it could possibly be. But this cornbread really was the best cornbread I’ve tasted.
Each cornbread comes out like an oversized muffin. It’s slightly crispy around the edges and wonderfully soft and moist on the inside. It’s served with a Thai red curry butter that adds a creamy sweetness to the cornbread. I must recreate these cornbread muffins for Thanksgiving.
Shaking Beef
This is cooked tableside which is a fun touch. The dish uses wagyu beef, so the meat was incredibly tender and flavorful.
Smoked St. Louis Pork Ribs
American Barbecue | Vietnamese Lemongrass | Korean Sesame Gochujang
They offer three different finishes for the ribs. I couldn’t decide on just one and luckily they have a combo rack where you can try all three. It was fun trying them all but it left us a little too full to try more of the menu. My favorite was the lemongrass. Mr. K’s favorite was the American barbecue.
Rip Tip Mac & Cheese
I loved how creamy the mac & cheese was but the sweet sauce of the rib tips threw me off. I though it was a little too sweet and overwhelmed the dish.
Truffle Whipped Potatoes
The creamy, buttery, fluffy whipped potatoes had a lot of truffle flavor in every bite. We quite enjoyed this dish as well.
Overall, we had a good first visit to International Smoke and look forward to revisiting to try some more dishes, like their steak.
Menu:
International Smoke (inside One Paseo)
3387 Del Mar Heights Road
Suite 0100
San Diego, CA 92130
Fellow San Diegan… Just found your blog & everything looks delicious! Can’t wait to try some of your keto-friendly recipes!
yay! Happy you found my blog!
We didn’t have much luck with their ribs 🙁 Yours looked really fresh and yummy. This is really a beautiful restaurant!
That’s too bad your ribs didn’t turn out well.