Eat This Now: San Diego’s 30 Essential Dishes BY DARLENE HORN | NOVEMBER 21, 2016 Credit: Trust Restaurant

As the days grow shorter with the season, there's one thing you can always turn to: comfort food. This fall and winter, we're profiling 30 essential dishes to seek out in San Diego. It was a difficult job, but we narrowed down the list to our absolute favorites, including soul-warming roasted sweet potatoes drenched in cream, spicy steak sandwiches and vegetarian chili. Read on for all the delicious details.

Butternut queso fundido at Bar by Red Door It's not all cocktails at the new Bar by Red Door in Mission Hills. Along with libations incorporating herbs from owner Trish Watlington's garden, there are also carefully crafted bites by executive chef Miguel Valdez. You'll do no better this season than his butternut queso fundido — a creamy concoction featuring spiced butternut squash, Brie, cranberries, walnuts and caramelized onions, served bubbling hot with housemade focaccia.

741 Washington St.; 619-295-6000

Smashbrown biscuit at True North Tavern What's not to love about the biscuit trend sweeping San Diego? For the best example, go to North Park’s True North Tavern, where they’re making an art of buttermilk biscuits and using them whenever they can, like in the impressive Smashdown biscuit. The unwieldy handheld includes a thick, housemade potato patty, fried egg, cheddar cheese and bacon. Despite the breakfast ingredients, you’ll only find this dish on the lunch and dinner menus.

3815 30th Ave.; 619-291-3815

Black truffle xiao long bao at East Facing & Bar You’ll never look at Chinese dumplings the same way again after visiting this new Kearny Mesa shop, where multicolored dumpling skins get savory fillings. The most stunning of them is tinted by black squid ink to dramatic effect. Pinch off a bit of the skin to slurp the truffle-flavored inside, then gobble up the knob of seasoned pork that fills the rest of the dumpling.

4647 Convoy St.; 858-277-1277

Short ribs at Pacific Standard Coastal Kitchen Top Chef alum Giselle Wellman delves deep into comfort food at her new Little Italy digs. You can't go wrong with fresh-baked brioche or Maryland-style crab cakes, but we recommend ordering the always satisfying braised short ribs. She braises the meat for six hours before serving it layered with Parmesan-rosemary polenta and Swiss chard.

2137 Pacific Hwy; 619-819-0090

"Not Sweet Potato Pie" at Jsix Executive chef Anthony Sinsay updates his grandmother's comforting dish for the restaurant's East Village crowd. In his version, shards of feuilletine coat roasted red garnet yams, which are served surrounded by smoked vanilla milk.

616 J St.; 619-531-8744

Smoked ahi empanadas at Barrel Room The ahi tostadas at Rancho Bernardo's Barrel Room have not gone missing; they've just morphed into ahi empanadas for the season. Smoked fish is bound with smoked mozzarella, then enveloped in masa dough and fried until flaky. It's served with crumbled cotija cheese, pickled onions and chipotle sauce.

16765 Bernardo Center Dr.; 858-673-7512

Steak sandwich at Carnitas’ Snack Shack Based on the restaurant's name, you’d think it was pork city here. Wrong. Sure, there's plenty of bacon and carnitas at the mini chain, with locations in North Park and Embarcadero, but you'll also find an awesome steak sandwich. With ingredients like thick, jalepeño-studded Texas toast, pepper-jack cheese and pickled serrano peppers layered with tender rib eye, this is one spicy number.

2632 University Ave.; 619-294-7675 1004 N. Harbor Dr.

Connecticut lobster roll at Lobster West With two locations (Encinitas and Coronado), there’s really no reason not to visit Lobster West for authentic East Coast–style lobster rolls. In fall and winter, order the Connecticut-style roll, a handheld that features warm lobster drenched in butter.

765 South Coast Highway 101, Encinitas; 760-634-7684 1033 B Ave., Coronado; 619-675-0002

Rain drop cake at VaniTea Cafe The most recent dessert trend to come to the region is the translucent rain drop cake. Served with brown sugar and soybean flour, the wriggly dessert isn’t really a cake at all, since its main ingredients are agar — a substance from seaweed similar to gelatin — and mineral water. Nonetheless, this cool, Instagram-worthy dessert is trending, and you’ll need to head to Chula Vista to try it.

525 Telegraph Canyon Road, Chula Vista; 619-421-2622

Chicken confit at Tidal New executive chef Danilo J. Tangalin is shaking things up at Tidal by Mission Bay, and menu items like the chicken confit are signs of things to come. For the chicken dish, Tangalin pairs slow-braised chicken with king trumpet mushrooms and truffled mashed edamame, then tops it with a -pickled egg.

1404 Vacation Road; 858-490-6363

Sausage at Quad Alehouse If you're looking for beer in the Downtown area, Quad Alehouse should be your go- to place. While there, don't miss its selection of housemade sausages, specifically the smoked andouille. Made every few days with coarse ground pork and seasoned with garlic and pepper, the sausage can be served naked or in a soft roll.

868 5th Ave.; 619-239-3339

Smokin' chili bowl at Cafe Gratitude In anticipation of the cooler days ahead, Little Italy's Cafe Gratitude updated its menu with new seasonal dishes, and the one that vegans will appreciate is the chili. Served with your choice of probiotic sprouted brown rice, quinoa or a combo of the two, the chili's mix of smoked red bean and tempeh comes topped with cashew sour cream, crumbled jalapeño biscuit, avocado and a spicy pickle.

1980 Kettner Blvd.; 619-736-5077

Buckeye ice cream at Handel's Even when San Diego gets a wee bit chilly, it's not too cold for ice cream, and Handel's Homemade Ice Cream in Encinitas meets all those cravings with tried-and- true favorites, as well as seasonal specials. Go for a scoop of the Buckeye ice cream — a towering portion loaded with mini chocolate-coated peanut butter candies that hearkens to its Ohio namesake.

90 N. Coast Hwy. 101 #101, Encinitas; 760-230-6948

Mary's fried chicken and waffle at Encontro Chef Jason Hotchkiss' take on fried chicken and waffle is nothing like the classic combo you've tasted before. Between the Belgian-style waffle with smoked cheese and bacon baked right into the batter and the simply fried half chicken sided by a sauce of Tabasco, butter and Vermont syrup, it's a dangerously spicy-sweet combo.

3001 University Ave.; 619-291-1220

Seasonal white fish at The Hake Kitchen & Bar The Hake recently underwent a remodel to include expanded ocean views, updated decor and new menu items. Despite the changes, the restaurant has kept signature raw items like the seasonal white fish at the forefront of its new offerings. For the dish, the kitchen melds cilantro chutney, peanut salad and chioggia beets with the fish — ingredients that highlight the freshness of the fish along with a little crunch.

1250 Prospect St. B10, La Jolla; 858-454-1637

Oxtail at Rakiraki Ramen & Tsukemen Rakiraki's selection of slurpable dishes all do the job when the craving for ramen strikes, but if you're looking to mix up the routine, order the one served with oxtail. There are only a few servings available every evening, and the two-bowl dish comes with super deluxe Hakata tonkotsu, extra-thick , green onions, bamboo shoots, crisp and sesame seeds.

4646 Convoy St. #102-A; 858-573-2400

Honey bourbon pie at Pop Pie Co. Newish Pop Pie Co. in University Heights is upping its game by offering honey bourbon pies this season. Similar to regular pecan pies, these individual-sized desserts get an added infusion of flavor with splashes of bourbon in the filling.

4404 Park Blvd.; 619-501-4440

Cookie Monster bread pudding at Black Market Bakery Black Market Bakery in North Park bakes up a variety of cookies, cakes and other sweets, and the one item that combines the best things on the menu is the Cookie Monster bread pudding. With cookie dough leftovers and a bit of brioche bread mixed into the base, the bakery pulls off a sweet bread pudding that’s different with every bite.

4686 30th St.; 619-641-0081

Oeufs gratinés at Addison Grand Del Mar's Addison is celebrating white truffle season in a most delicious way: by pairing the famed ingredient with humble counterparts like egg, cheese, brown butter and leeks. You'll find it featured on chef William Bradley's carefully curated menu.

5200 Grand Del Mar Way; 858-314-1900

Warm chocolate cake at Wood Ranch BBQ & Grill Come for the BBQ, stay for the flourless cake at this Mission Valley restaurant. The decadent made-to-order dessert uses Guittard chocolate and comes with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and candied pecans. Scoop up a little bit of everything for a warm, cold, creamy and crunchy bite.

7510 Hazard Center Dr. #215; 619-764-4411

Carrot cake at Trust Chef Brad Wise is up to his old culinary tricks again, and while new seasonal dishes like wood-grilled cauliflower and fall salad have us drooling, it's this gorgeous carrot cake that steals the show. Featuring goat cheese, cream cheese ice cream and a mixed nut medley, the dessert retains many of the familiar components of the classic, but in a delicious new way.

3752 Park Blvd.; 619-795-6901

Butternut squash and apple mostarda cappellacci at Bottega Americano New things are happening at Bottega Americano, and you'll notice it on the seasonal menu, which includes a dish combining butternut squash with apples. The changes are courtesy of principal culinary director Giuseppe Ciuffa and new chef de cuisine Jeremy Oursland. This dish also includes black truffle butter, crisped sage, Parmigiano and winter greens.

1195 Island Ave.; 619-255-7800

Triton fries at SuperNatural Sandwiches Seafood sandwiches are the big star at this Miramar-based eatery, and they all come served with the shop's freshly fried shrimp chips and housemade togarashi. If you're in a French fry state of mind, chef Craig Jimenez offers up a newish dish using fresh- cut potatoes as the base, topped with shrimp, lobster and baby scallops, plus a drizzle of cheese, Thai chile aïoli and cilantro sauce.

7094 Miramar Road #122; 858-831-7835

Coconut cake at Solace and the Moonlight Lounge Take your taste buds on a tropical adventure with this coconut cake. Baked by chef Matt Gordon himself, this layer cake is topped with sugared macadamia nuts, and there's lots of fluffy cream cheese frosting and rum caramel sauce drizzled on top.

25 East E St., Encinitas; 760-753-2433

Beef stroganoff at Pushkin Russian Restaurant Downtown's elegant Russian restaurant pays respect to its country's famous author with tasty European fare. Diners can order traditional dishes like borscht and chicken kiev, as well as a not-so-traditional beef stroganoff. Rich stewed beef is simmered until tender, but instead of wide noodles, you'll get toothsome buckwheat pearls to help sop up the stew.

750 6th Ave.; 619-496-1908

Shame on Brie burger at Notorious Burgers With nearly a dozen burgers on its roster, Notorious Burgers' Shame on Brie stands out from the rest thanks to its delicious French influences. At the Carlsbad restaurant, a 100 percent beef chuck patty comes topped with crisp prosciutto, slabs of creamy Brie, apricot jam, baby arugula and a drizzle of truffle oil.

6955 Camino Real #107, Carlsbad; 760-431-2929

Boar stew with polenta at Buona Forchetta This South Park restaurant draws people from near and far with its Neapolitan-style pizza, but instead of diving right into the main attraction, give the polenta-topped wild boar stew a try. The dense polenta complements the rich, meaty stock, laden with crushed tomatoes.

3001 Beech St.; 619-381-4844

Lobster bisque at Ponsaty's Rancho Santa Fe's elegant fine-dining establishment offers plenty of head- turning dishes, but the one you'll find at almost every table is the lobster bisque. Each steaming bowl is made to order and comes topped with flaked puff pastry that you'll have to eat through to get to the rich, creamy broth underneath.

6106 Paseo Delicias, Rancho Bernardo; 858-771-1871

Hush puppies at Beerfish This Kensington fish house knows a thing or two about fresh seafood, but sides like the hush puppies are just as good. The crisp exterior gives way to a soft and savory crumb. Bonus: It comes with Tabasco aïoli for some serious heat.

2933 Adams Ave.; 619-363-2337

Housemade porchetta at Larry's Deli This new Downtown deli lineup of sandwiches hits the mark when you're craving handhelds packed with rib eye, tuna and more. This fall, go for the belly- busting porchetta, one of the eatery's best sellers. Roasted in house, the thick pork slices come housed in a soft hoagie roll with provolone, simple slaw, jalapeño slices and jalapeño mayo.

323 7th Ave.; 619-795-7100