Fleurette opened December 10 in San Diego’s La Jolla area. It’s the second restaurant from Travis Swikard, the chef behind Callie, a popular Mediterranean restaurant in the city’s East Village that opened in 2021.
Swikard is known for his signature “cuisine du soleil” (cuisine of the sun), which showcases light and bright flavors popular along the French Mediterranean. He developed this style working under Daniel Boulud in New York City, including at the restaurant Boulud Sud, which championed this type of cooking.
“The French-Italian Riviera reflects how I like to cook, with an emphasis on seasonality, restraint, and strong sourcing,” Swikard said. “When I traveled through places like Nice and Provence, the region consistently reminded me of my hometown, San Diego. The similar climate, coastal lifestyle, and shared focus on local, seasonal ingredients felt natural and familiar, and that connection became the foundation of Fleurette’s cuisine.”
The bouillabaisse is a chef favorite, reinterpreted with Southern California ingredients.
He explained that the connection extends beyond the plate. The large Provençal-inspired garden behind the restaurant was designed by Swikard’s father, a landscape architect. It’s planted with Meyer lemon and kumquat trees, rosemary, lavender, and other herbs and citruses that are harvested and used throughout the menu.
Inside, the 120-seat space was designed by Studio UNLTD, who used natural materials and sculptural forms to merge Fleurette’s coastal surroundings with the seaside setting of the South of France. The main dining room has a lighting installation that evokes the motion of waves, and the glass-enclosed 24-seat patio is reminiscent of a greenhouse.
Fleurette’s menu features starters like gougères with 24-month aged Prosciutto di Parma, chilled lobster aïoli with vegetables and herbs, and mussels with confit potato, tomato, and garlic persillade butter.
Pastas are made in-house and include dishes like egg yolk fettuccine with caviar and Meyer lemon butter, and garganelli with 24-hour braised beef shank ragu.
Fresh pastas and risottos are a cornerstone of the menu, like this risotto al pistou.
Main courses include a Provençal lamb duo, olive oil-poached trout, and a bouillabaisse featuring local fish and spiny lobster.
“Our bouillabaisse is a cornerstone of the menu,” Swikard said. “It’s a classic, reimagined for Southern California with a lighter, brighter approach, shaped by close relationships with local fishermen and a focus on clarity and freshness of flavor. The dish reflects both tradition and restraint.”
The lobster aïoli is another of Swikard’s favorites, and a dish that captures the restaurant’s point of view by letting the quality of the product shine. He’s also proud of the handmade pastas and vegetable-driven dishes.
“The goal is for guests to feel the care in the cooking without the food feeling intimidating or overly formal,” Swikard said.
The bar is led by James Roe and follows the cuisine, with cocktails inspired by San Diego and the Riviera. And the restaurant’s sommelier, Tracy Latimer, has curated a list of predominantly Old World and California wines.
Fleurette is open for dinner Tuesday to Sunday until 10 p.m., and the bar stays open until 11 p.m. In the new year, the restaurant will unveil its event spaces, which can accommodate gatherings of eight to 150 guests.
