Cantina   

When what everyone else in the world of fusion cuisine is doing works well, the best way to succeed is to take their ideas and one-up them. Enter Cantina, a posh, cafe-style eatery specializing in Latin-Asian fusion. The coconut-crusted French toast is an item with the flavor and beauty to make the restaurant a breakfast superstar. Chef/owner Isabel Cruz treats vegetarians well; tofu is sauteed in a soy and ginger mix, resulting in a tangy, slightly sweet glaze. You get your choice of having many of the dishes vegetarian or with meat. A Cantina favorite is the Buddha Bowl, which combines noodles and veggies in a miso-based broth with coconut milk that will warm your stomach and soul. Dinner steps it up, with roasted chicken and wonderful seafood dishes that go marvelously with a glass of wine. A triumph of Pacific Beach distinctiveness, Cantina is one of a kind, and fitting for a town known for having its own pace and style. Style is in anything but short supply, with a continuation of the fusion precedent in its ultra-hip decor and Chinese dragon images being central to the flavor of the interior. An imported Indonesian carved wood pagoda frames the bar for a stunning impact.