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Punch Drunk! The punch bowl at Craft & Commerce

Rise and Shine!

by Gillian Flynn | Riviera San Diego magazine | February 13, 2012

The Brunch Scene in San Diego is officially sizzling. First on the must-hit list: Craft & Commerce (craft-commerce.com). Little Italy’s ivy-covered gastropub is doling out fried chicken & waffles and jalapeno-glazed lamb sausage, and the breakfast sandwich is getting an update, stuffed with a fried egg and fondue. (Farewell, hangover!) Forget the quinoa—C & C offers a full entree of bacon. On the drink list: share a Champagne punch bowl, a 38-ounce mimosa-like blend with concoctions of your choice. Just don't expect a Bloody Mary, as owner/social engineer Arsalun Tafazoli loathes vodka and has a strict ban at all of his eateries. Yawn.

Next, it’s off to the Gaslamp where Searsucker (searsucker.com) is updating the classics. Think lobster and chorizo scrambles, biscuits & gravy, and the ubiquitous shrimp & grits topped off with bacon and an egg. To sip? The man-mosa is made with bourbon, blackberry and Champagne. Even manlier is the macho man—a Slim Jim chipotle Bloody Mary.

Just down the block, Quality Social (qualitysocial.com), the self-proclaimed luxury dive bar, has rolled out a completely new menu—and the brunch is so not an after thought. Quality Social is all about quality ingredients. The pork shoulder chilaquiles is made with Niman Ranch and the BLT Benedict is made with confit pork belly, local greens, poached free-range egg and tomato hollandaise. To sip? QS has the king of all Bloody Marys made with housemade horseradish and housemade hot sauce, garnished with—wait for it—a charcuterie skewer with cheese and olives.