Best of 2001: Best Fusion Cuisine, City

Parallel 33
741 W. Washington Street,
Mission Hills
619-260-0033

The energetic Amiko Gubbins is a master of this genre. Her own background is a fusion of America and Japan, and the cosmopolitan food her mother cooked reflected the cuisines of both cultures -- and many others besides. Today she blends foods found around the world at the geographic latitude of Parallel 33 (where San Diego is located, along with Marrakech, Shiraz, Delhi, Kathmandu, Shanghai, Kyushu...). Her signature dishes include a Chilean sea bass marinated in a complex syrup based on sake lees, served with an orange-lychee-white-wine sauce, and an ahi poke appetizer with Asian pear and mango and a spicy wasabi dressing.