Top Shelf: The Lotus Cocktail at Fifth & Rose

If you missed this spring’s super bloom, you can still revel in the spirit of the season with The Lotus, a crisp floral cocktail at Fifth & Rose inside the Pendry Hotel. Served on the rocks in a globe glass and topped with a colorful pansy, the verdant drink looks more like a fairy-tale potion than an after-work libation. It features a bouquet of arugula, St-Germain, Chartreuse, and Hendrick’s exclusive Orbium gin.

The Pendry is one of the few places in San Diego to sample the limited-edition gin from the Scottish distiller, which is brewed with lotus blossoms instead of the usual juniper berries—you won’t find it at your neighborhood liquor store, as just a few bars in the country even made the cut for distribution. “Other bars have it, but we are the only bar [in San Diego] that has a cocktail with it,” says Juliea Lannen, Pendry San Diego’s beverage director. “It’s invitation-only to put a cocktail on your list with the gin.”

Lannen says gin is about to have its moment, and you can expect to see it making its mark on cocktail menus this summer. “Looking at the history of traditional cocktails, gin is a fundamental spirit and it’s exciting to see it on the uprise.” The Lotus is available through the end of June. Cheers!

Fifth & Rose 550 J Street, Downtown

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On June 4, San Diego gets a new force in Vietnamese food. Michelin-awarded, James Beard “Tastemaker” Michael Bao Huynh heads up Sovereign Kitchen + Bar, a concept from Asian restaurateur Alex Thao (Rama, Lucky Liu’s). Sovereign takes over the marquee corner spot at 5th and Island Streets in the Gaslamp (formerly Royal Thai). It’ll be the first and only Vietnamese restaurant in Downtown (outside of pho noodle joints), located right next to the incoming $100 million Pendry Hotel.

Huynh grew up in Saigon and learned to cook at the side of his mother. The family fled Vietnam by boat in 1982 and were rescued from open waters by the USS Midway, now stationed in San Diego. Once landed in New York, he changed his name to Michael (in homage to Michael Jackson), and eventually opened a series of restaurants in New York—OBAO, Baoguette, Bao 111, Mai House, Bia, Pho Sure, etc.—becoming one of the city’s top names in Vietnamese food.

New York Magazine once named Huynh the city’s “Best New Chef,” and Michelin twice gave him a Bib Award for OBAO. In 2013, he returned to Vietnam and coached the nation’s team for the 2014 Asia Pacific Bocuse d’Or.

Thao and Huynh also operate the to-go concept next door called Food Shop (already open), which serves banh mis, pho, etc. Sovereign’s menu will include rolls (crispy fried crab, grilled pork meatball, etc.), salads (spicy grilled hangar steak), meats and poultry (wok-seared garlic beef bo luc lac, stir-fried lemongrass, crispy pork belly, coconut-curry chicken, etc.), noodles (pho, mi quang, bbq pork vermicelli, etc.) and rice options (crab-and-lobster fried rice, roasted duck fried rice, etc.)

It’s scheduled to open to the public June 4. For now, please enjoy the first known photos in the universe of Sovereign Kitchen + Bar. If the art looks familiar, it’s the same intense gal that graced the walls at the recently shuttered Gang Kitchen.

FIRST LOOK: Sovereign Kitchen

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