Dining Review: Paseo

San Diego wasn’t always as vast and interconnected as it is today, leading many to spend most of their time in their own neighborhoods, frequenting their surrounding restaurants, pizza parlors, steakhouses, seafood spots, bistros, cafés, and diners. They were dependable places with predictable menus stocked with familiar dishes available across the county, and in most cases the country. Lilies didn’t need gilding. Diners simply wanted quality versions of traditional offerings with good service at a reasonable price. And when one found a place they could count on, they frequented it, in turn helping ensure it would be there for them for years to come.

The above is not lost on Jennifer Fields, a loyal Rancho Santa Fe Bistro regular who took over the village fixture from longtime owner Mozy Jahanguiri last November. After getting the keys, Fields oversaw a rapid, $800,000 overhaul of the space to its current identity, Paseo. The interior of the historic building is refurnished and lit by a combination of glass chandeliers and rattan light fixtures, and its open-air patio sports new banquettes and a perimeter of twinkle-lit greenery. Still to come is a bakery and market, construction of which is underway next door. It’s a full-scale update, but in no way an upheaval of what Fields and many others loved about the Bistro.

Paseo’s menu still includes a variety of dishes which were available in the eatery’s previous iteration. That mostly Mediterranean bill of fare harkens back to the previously celebrated days of yore. Appetizers are simple: baked brie, Pernod-spiked baked escargot, meatballs in marinara, lamb lollipops, and a garlicky shrimp sauté. The most exotic starter is a crispy-edged flatbread going beyond the traditional Margherita trilogy to include (gasp) mushrooms.

Moving on to mains, a whopping seven meal-sized salads — Cobb, beet, Greek, Caesar, and more — can be customized to include one’s protein of choice (steak, chicken, salmon, shrimp). Italian influence abounds with penne in spicy vodka cream sauce, mushroom risotto, shrimp scampi, and chicken served Milanese- or piccata-style with a sauce of lemon, white wine, and capers. Dover sole and Norwegian salmon are dressed similarly, while a rich, spicy peppercorn sauce accompanies a New York steak or pork chop (each 14 ounces) as well as a quartet of lamb chops served with airy, cloud-like mashed potatoes. Steak frites and a Black Angus cheeseburger sporting throwback thousand island dressing are also available.

Paseo’s enjoyably old-fashioned nature is further cemented by servers who take the time to assess guests and meet them where they are, providing warm conversation and helpful recommendations for those looking for either, and space for parties who are doing just fine on their own. No matter the approach, attentiveness is a hallmark of a staff that knows how to monitor water glasses and bread baskets (complimentary bread service, oh how I’ve missed thee) without intrusive hovering.

At Paseo, there’s no reinvention of the wheel, no need to stay in lockstep with (or even pay attention to) trends, no artisanal anything. The revamped restaurant is a reliable mainstay thrust back into the spotlight care of a new owner who understands and honors what she and the Ranch appreciate about the longstanding local eatery. The business and the community it calls home are all the better for her stewardship. 858.756.1221, paseorsf.com

Service: 4
Timeliness: 4
Ambience: 4.5
Culinary Innovation: 3
Food Quality: 4
Wine List: 4
Value: 4