12 San Diego Uptown News | December 10–23, 2010


DINING


By David Nelson SDUN Food Critic


WINEBAR & CAFE


Wet Stone Wine Bar 1927 Fourth Ave. (619) 255-2856 | Wetstonewinebar.com


Jones Warner Brothers’ cartoons: He moves so fast that the eye struggles to keep him in focus.


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Executive chef Christian Gomez infuses his dishes with Panamanian and Filipino flavors. (Michael Pawlenty/SDUN)


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His business card lists him as “executive chef/proprietor” of Wet Stone Wine Bar, an interest- ing arrangement of words that testifies to Gomez’ priorities. He values food — and wine, of course — above position, and the way he works makes it clear that owning a popular, and quite trendy little boite between downtown and Bankers Hill has not gone to his head. When the inviting, intimate space is jammed to the ceiling, as was the case for me one recent Tuesday evening, Gomez moved among the tables in a blur, his short pony tail bobbing under the dark fedora.


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create the menu, I’m the executive chef, I do a little of everything,” explained Gomez as he delivered a couple of glasses of a full-bodied red. He seemed not slightly fazed by juggling so many duties, and the service always proceeded at a smooth, steady pace, neither rushed nor slow. As looks go, the restaurant’s ensemble would sweep like a torrent of Beaujolais through cafes in Oberkampf and other trendy-artsy neighborhoods in Paris, creating le new look of 2001. Wet Stone’s location on Fourth Avenue between Grape and Fir streets may seem off the beaten track (Market Street, several blocks away is the only other culinary redoubt on this stretch of Fourth). The place is no secret, though, evidenced by how packed it was on a Tuesday, which most establish- ments rate as the slowest night of the week. Measured by the volume of conversations, Wet Stone sounded like the most popular place in town. High tables center a cozy room that on this occasion primarily hosted groups engaged in vivacious communication: In other words, it’s a scene, and if fun could be mea- sured by decibels, Wet Stone would fly off the scale. Recorded jazz plays behind it all, and perhaps the conga drum in the corner adds another dimension on occasion. The look is so good. Red lights supplement candlelight to create a twilight in which everybody looks good. Thought obviously was in- vested in the décor, which includes greenery and gray walls that sup- port broad mirrors and a collection of analog-patterned paintings. Plus, the tables and chairs were excep- tionally comfortable.


The wine list complements the cool chic by boasting “big glasses”


see Wine, page 13


hristian Gomez reminds me a bit of the Tasmanian Devil from the old Chuck


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