Included in the $16 million renovation of the former, kicked-out Pickwick Hotel in downtown’s “West End” is the intoxicatingly charming Currant American Brasserie, a gastronomic cornerstone to what is now the chic Sofia Hotel. Studded with the classic architectural details of an upscale Paris-meets-Manhattan brasserie (checkered tile flooring, twinkling chandeliers and stately arched columns), the bill of fare is no less enticing, and in some ways, it defies the copycat mold afflicting many a menu.

Chef Jonathan Pflueger takes a daring highroad by leaving out such hackneyed dinner items as seared ahi tuna, dolled-up mac and cheese, Kobe beef sliders, whole-leaf Caesar salad, et al. His newfangled bistro approach instead includes duck leg confit accompanied by French du puy lentils, buttermilk fried frog legs with lemon risotto and a soufflé omelet sporting crescenza cheese, asparagus and sun-dried tomatoes. The dining standard is elevated also by a rather succinct, but sophisticated wine list compiled by the restaurant’s sommelier, with bottles starting as low as $14 for Cano Sur pinot noir.

“For the Table” is a clever menu category geared for nibblers as they mull over appetizer and entrée choices with their initial drinks at hand. There’s Marcona – almonds with sea salt, popcorn with truffle peelings, olives sprinkled with herbs or addicting fried chickpeas dusted with Spanish paprika, which we doused in lime before rendering the little dish barren. Even the Antipodes bottled water from New Zealand signals an uncompromising road to quality, providing a remarkably clean, super-refreshing palate wash with every gulp.

Pflueger’s jazzy ability to harmonize various proteins with fresh seasonal components became obvious in a novel appetizer involving a waffle imbued with scallions and sweet white corn that is stacked with glistening house-smoked salmon and lively micro greens. Drizzled lightly with buttermilk dressing, the combined flavors were stunning. Ditto for the tuna tar tare we tried. The red cubes of chilled fish were coated judiciously in whole grain mustard and a hint of Tabasco. Alongside was bright tasting arugula and snappy olive tapenade, both serving more as flavor facilitators than garnishes.

“These beets are rocking my world,” said my companion as we journeyed through an heirloom beet salad served over a well-constructed pastry tart containing goat and crecenza cheeses with braised leeks melted in. Pflueger tosses the diced heirlooms in champagne vinegar, shallots and pickling spices to give them an effervescent spirit.

Visiting during the tail end of our recent heat wave, we passed on the tempting, fat-laden sweetbread club layered with foie gras mousse, bacon, red onion and sherry jam, as well as caramelized onion soup with beef short ribs. But a hypocritical decision it was – given the fact that we proceeded to pork and steak entrées before placing an advance dessert order for a wickedly rich Meyer lemon soufflé.

My companion’s chipotle-infused pork chop was gloriously thick, matching in girth some of the double-cut chops I’ve eaten at other restaurants. The smoky, peppery flavor of the chipotle carried to the center of the meat, which was cooked to a perfect “medium” as requested. Tuscan-style white beans on the plate tasted as though they were accidentally salted twice, as did the wilted spinach and thyme fries we ordered as á la Carte sides.

Easy to engulf was a juicy bone-in New York shell steak (a.k.a. strip steak) boasting fresh-off-the-grill flavor. The wide, tender cut was anointed in a light tomato confit and bordelaise sauce balancing red wine, butter and bone marrow – an archetypal French compliment to red meat.

But where were those tart little currants you might ask, having landed in a restaurant named after them? They presently appear only in a Tuscan bread salad paired with roasted chicken. But gaze into the stylish bar area and behold them creeping up a few columns in hand-painted form.

Pflueger’s entrée list is seasonal and focused and plays well to a classy ambience that spares you the snootiness associated with restaurants and bar lounges of this high caliber. Having worked previously at Montage Resort and Spa in Laguna Beach and New York’s Russian Tea Room, Pflueger’s presence on San Diego’s urban dining scene is sure to win the hearts of downtown denizens fed up with the noisy dins and slapdash meal service of the nearby Gaslamp District.