"La Jolla's most serious tasting menu: Elijah Arizmendi, who held a Michelin star as chef de cuisine at L'abeille, cooks a French-Japanese sequence three floors above Girard Avenue."
Lucien opened on the third floor of La Plaza La Jolla and put a serious tasting-menu room on Girard Avenue. It is led by chef Elijah Arizmendi, who cooked in New York kitchens and was chef de cuisine at L'abeille when it earned its first Michelin star, before returning home to San Diego.
The restaurant is listed in the Michelin Guide and reads as a destination table rather than a neighbourhood spot. For the wider field see the San Diego dining guide.
The cooking sets French technique against Japanese restraint across a seasonal tasting menu: crisp-skinned ocean tilefish with petite fennel and pomegranate, and poussin stuffed with chicken mousse and truffle are among the courses that recur. Produce drives the sequence, which rotates with the season rather than holding a fixed card.
See more of the city's fine-dining tables in the San Diego guide.
The room sits three storeys above Girard Avenue, a measured, low-key space built around the tasting-menu service rather than a buzzy bar scene. It suits a couple at a quiet table or a small celebration far better than a large group, and seats are limited. The restaurant runs Tuesday to Saturday evenings only, so plan the booking ahead.
The format is a set progression, so the kitchen leads: expect the crisp-skinned tilefish and the truffle-stuffed poussin among the courses. The Chef's Seasonal Tasting Menu runs 260 dollars per person, with a wine pairing offered alongside. For other options, see the fine-dining picks across San Diego.
Lucien suits a proposal or an anniversary: a quiet, tasting-menu room above La Jolla where the evening is paced for two. See more proposal tables and the San Diego dining guide.
Not for a large group, a quick bite or a budget evening: Lucien is a small tasting-menu room at 260 dollars a head, paced slowly across many courses, not a place to drop in or feed a crowd.
Lucien is led by chef Elijah Arizmendi, who cooked in New York kitchens and was chef de cuisine at L'abeille when it earned its first Michelin star before returning to San Diego. At Lucien he cooks a French-Japanese tasting menu, listed in the Michelin Guide, on the third floor of La Plaza La Jolla. The menu is seasonal and rotates with the produce.
Lucien is on the third floor of La Plaza La Jolla, at 7863 Girard Avenue, Suite 308, in La Jolla, San Diego. It is a small, measured tasting-menu room rather than a street-level restaurant with a bar scene. Service runs Tuesday to Saturday evenings only and seats are limited, so it is worth booking well ahead of a visit.
Lucien serves a Chef's Seasonal Tasting Menu at 260 dollars per person, with an optional wine pairing alongside. The menu is a set progression that rotates with the season, built around French technique and Japanese restraint. Recurring courses include crisp-skinned ocean tilefish with fennel and pomegranate and poussin stuffed with chicken mousse and truffle.
Yes. Lucien is listed in the Michelin Guide, and chef Elijah Arizmendi previously held a Michelin star as chef de cuisine at L'abeille before opening in La Jolla. The restaurant is a set tasting-menu room rather than an a-la-carte spot, so the experience is paced across many courses and best suited to a quiet, special evening rather than a casual drop-in.
Via luciensd.com - La Jolla
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