Page 148 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL SUMMER 2024 LIMA

lauded in the Michelin guide. My pre-trip
menu research led me to my first night’s
dinner at The Flying Pig.
The Pig has inspired many a rave re‐
view since opening in 2011, and owners
Aaron and Roddy Browning are credited
with sparking O’Side’s culinary ambitions.
The menu was full of tempting Southern
dishes—pork chop with succotash and grits,
short rib with black-eyed peas. The Pork
Belly with sweet habanero jam caught my
eye when I first perused the online menu,
and it did not disappoint. Settled at a table
in the bar, I ordered a South O brewery’s
IPA and politely accepted a menu, knowing
I’d already decided. And what a dish it was,
with the meat crisp on the outside and
smooth and tender within. A savory corn
cake soaked up the juices, blending with
the habanero jam. Each bite was a delight
and the Pig felt comfortable and friendly,
like a neighborhood haunt.
All my wanderings involved food and
drink. My pre-trip restaurant list included
several tempting options. Dija Mar, a small
Balinese-inspired restaurant lauded by
Michelin, was at the top of the list, but I
couldn’t get a reservation. I prefer to have
my main meal midday, and found many of
the places I’d listed were only open at
night. But I did not go hungry. I mostly
snacked my way around town, ending each
morning’s pier walk by taking coffee and a
pastry back to my room for breakfast. The
first day I hit up the Pannikin, the newest
branch of a decades-old San Diego busi‐
ness. Back in the 90s, I had an office above
the company’s original coffee roasting
plant and shop in downtown San Diego.
This Pannikin smelled almost as good and
the coffee was as hearty as remembered—
and the almond croissant was tasty as
well.
One lunchtime I walked the pier a sec‐
ond time to check out the fish and chips at
Brine Box. With only two tables and a few

148 WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE SUMMER 2024