A Pick-Six
When You Win Big, These Are The Places To Show
by Terryl Gavre photography by Vincent Knakal

It’s that time of year again, the Del Mar track season has officially begun. I can’t think of a better way to spend the proceeds from a good day at the track than on dinner afterwards. C’mon, it’s all about entertainment anyway, isn’t it? Here are some of my favorite places to blow my winnings before and after a hard day at the track.

Americana
1454 Camino Del Mar
A great place to go in the morning to get things started. An egg dish, Casey’s Call, comes highly recommended. Two poached eggs with fresh spinach and goat cheese are served over thick-sliced toasted Tuscan bread and accompanied by rosemary new potatoes. The New York Steak and Eggs is a great choice for those who want to beef up before a day of handicapping, and for those who might later partake in a bite at The Clubhouse Terrace, the smoked Nova salmon with all the fixin’s and a bagel may just do the trick to tide you over. Grab your Racing Form and your buddies and settle in at one of Americana’s street-side tables. Order one of their terrific Bloody Marys and have your pre-post time get together on one of the most scenic corners in Del Mar.

Red Tracton’s
550 Via De La Valle
This restaurant pays homage to the racetrack, no doubt about it. The walls are adorned with paintings of famous horses, photographs of winners’ circles from days gone by, and the etched glass windows that separate the sometimes rowdy bar from the dining room are patterned with horses. Black leather booths, banquettes with white-clothed tables, and old time candles set the stage for this quintessential place for either picking the ponies (they show races continually on closed-circuit television) or celebrating a long-shot that came in 40-1. I’ve said it before and I still stand by it: that darn chopped tomato salad is not to be missed — ripe tomatoes, red onion, and roasted red bell peppers are uniformly diced and tossed with capers, anchovies, bleu cheese crumbles, and a wicked vinaigrette. Tracton’s serves aged prime beef and prime rib in slabs so big I’ve seen Junior Seau forced to take some home in a doggy bag. Steaks, seafood, chops, and nightly specials like Mustard Crusted Catfish with beans and rice or fried chicken with all the trimmings keep this ageless eatery with a full reservation book any time of year.

Arterra
11966 El Camino Real
You might want to save this restaurant for a night when you’ve hit the trifecta or pick-six — it’s pricier than most, but worth every penny. Regarded as one of San Diego’s hottest dining spots, Arterra Restaurant, which opened just under two years ago, has also found a place in the national culinary spotlight. The menu changes nightly reflecting the results of executive chef Carl Schroeder’s daily excursions to the internationally acclaimed Chino Farm and other area specialty growers where the chef finds inspiration for his dinner service. The starters list offers an appealing variety of small dishes and salads. The Chino Farm Beet and Arugula Salad, Valdivia Farms Early Harvest Tomato Soup, and the Seared Yellowfin Tuna are all spectacular choices. While I constantly crave Schroeder’s presentation of Braised Short Ribs with Grits and Cabernet Sauce (featured in Art Culinaire) with its bold, big flavors, the chef shows he has a soft touch when it comes to seafood. His Pancetta Wrapped King Salmon with Porcini Mushroom Croquettes and Truffle Jus is smoky in flavor and just begs for a nice Pinot. Arterra is an especially good choice for opening day when you’re all gussied up.

Pacifica Del Mar
1555 Camino Del Mar
Okay, I admit it. I like to go to the bar at Pacifica. I know that somehow dates me, or brings low-slung leather pants to mind, but it is a fun place to see and be seen for after-track festivities. Before you worry about me, I have to be home most nights by nine to get the kids into bed, so I’m not getting into any trouble at Pacifica, just joshing around with some friends and partaking in some good old fashioned people-watching. If you want to dine, Pacifica is famous for its sugar crusted barbequed salmon over horseradish mashed potatoes and I unreservedly recommend it. The bar menu has a hunky list of tempting appetizers as well, so do indulge.

Prime 10 Steakhouse
3702 Via de la Valle
About a mile east of the race track on Villa de la Valle, and only a furlong or so from the polo fields, are two of my favorite places to meet friends after the races. The menu at Prime 10, which features (unsurprisingly) steaks, also offers a large seafood selection as well as entrees like braised beef short ribs and grilled free-range chicken. Prime 10 is famous for its happy hour when all of the appetizers are half-price in the bar. That keeps the seats warm for those of us wandering in after seven, hoping to hunker-down for a long evening of live music and dining.
If you only go for one reason, let it be the pan-seared scallops on the starter menu. Hunky, fleshy sweet sea scallops are seared and served perched on housemade shredded potato pancakes. They are topped with a sun-dried tomato and basil hollandaise. Don’t miss them.

Scalini Restaurant
3790 Via De La Valle
Next door at Scalini, the bar fills up quickly. Winners and losers come together for an evening of wild “horse tale” telling and gather around the piano bar for a sing-a-long with the piano man. Executive chef Brant Beauchamp, who used to work at the highly regarded French Laundry in Napa, offers some great dining options for in the bar, Scalini’s recently renovated dining room, or out on the terrace overlooking the polo fields.