Topless

I was startled the other day by the new look at the Sculpture Court Cafe adjoining the San Diego Museum of Art and its sculpture garden. It’s been my favorite place to eat in Balboa Park since it was the Waters Cafe, and when Guiseppe Ciuffa took over the operation last summer, that only made me like it more.  Ciuffa, who was born outside of Rome, also is the chef at the Museum Cafe at the Museum of Contemporary Art in La Jolla, and he owns a catering company than I’ve used for San Diego Insider Tours.  The fare at the cafe in the park is fresh and beautifully delivered. (Among some of the more interesting items on the menu: a yummy Tuscan cannellini bean and black cabbage soup, a cured salumi board, roasted portobello pizza, and an “ultimate” grilled cheese sandwich made from San Daniele prosciutto, mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil pesto on sourdough bread.) Prices are reasonable, you can always get in, and it’s usually pleasant to gaze out  the sculpture collection from the protected space of the covered courtyard.

Except… the cloth roof is missing at the moment.  That gives the courtyard a whole different (sunnier and more open) look. The change was unintentional, I learned when I asked the fellow manning the front desk at the entrance. Apparently those savage rainstorms the week before last dealt a fatal blow to the fabric and it had to be taken down. But the roofless state created insurance problems of some sort, I was told, so for the moment, the cafe is serving only food prepared offsite.

Happily, the attendant assured me the new material should be installed within the next two to three weeks — at which point the kitchen will return to normal operations.  That’s a relief to anyone looking for an idyllic spot to rest and refuel in the park.

The courtyard, pre-tempest

The current topless state