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Just in time for warmer weather and hopefully sunnier days, a new rooftop hangout has emerged on the pool deck of Gaslamp hotel Kimpton Alma San Diego. Called Leave of Absence, the all-outdoor bar and restaurant joins the Café at Hotel Alma and the Desmond as the third space at the property to be led by acclaimed chef-restaurateur Jason Neroni.
Besides owning the Rose, a Venice Beach icon, Neroni is very serious about pizza. In addition to serving wood-fired pizzas at the Rose, he’s a partner at a pizzeria in New York City and is gearing up to open Best Bet, a pizza-focused restaurant, in LA’s Culver City.
So you can safely bet that the wood-fired oven at Leave of Absence will be baking up primo pizzas and flatbreads, from a white pizza topped with ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, and pecorino to a squash blossom flatbread with fennel sausage, cheese, and pickled chilies. Neroni’s menu also includes patatas bravas with garlic aioli and almond romesco, Greek salad, a smash brisket burger with smoked cheddar, and a mezze plate with various dips like hummus and yogurt with pomegranate molasses.
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The rooftop’s stone oven will also be used to cook up chicken shawarma meatballs and baked rigatoni bolognese as well as weekend brunchtime dishes ranging from a frittata with local vegetables to baked eggs with French Bayonne ham, gruyere, and black truffle béchamel.
Cocktails pull inspiration from far-flung destinations: the Taiji combines sparkling yuzu gin and ginger shochu tea while the Belo mixes cachaça with falernum, pineapple, and coconut.
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The hotel group’s “Off the Record” live music series will be making a stop here next month on Thursday, May 4 with a concert from the Aces, an all-female band, and ticket proceeds going to its non-profit community partners.
Other events are planned throughout the summer, from more live music and DJ sets to water aerobics and poolside yoga and Pilates classes.
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