The food gods must be looking after me. Two weeks in a row I’ve encountered amazing meals at incredible restaurants that had previously escaped my radar. The first was Villa Saverios in Tijuana, written up in last week’s column. Then came Arterra Restaurant & Bar housed in the new San Diego Marriott Del Mar Hotel.

Arterra’s sleek, sexy interior is a refreshing contrast to the hotel’s generic façade, which melds inconspicuously into this vapid sector along the east side of Interstate 5. Yet lofty windows dressed in sheers and heavy drapery provide a stately welcome to the dining room, which is set off with curvy lines, smart upholstery and an inviting bar that includes a sushi station. Classic-romantic or modern-chic, the spacious atmosphere is anything you want it to be.

The food and wine offerings here are nothing short of sensational. Chef de Cuisine Carl Schroeder offers gourmands a menu stamped with novelty and distinction. The kitchen cadre is further illuminated by James Foran, a highly seasoned pastry chef from the GLBT community who has been written up in Chocolatier Magazine and other national publications. If these two guys ever find themselves in the same competition for plate presentation, the judges would have to award them a gold medal sawed in half.

My dinner companion, a true wine aesthete, went gaga over Arterra’s other obvious strongpoint, an award-winning wine list that embodies a wide-ranging assortment of labels from some of the best American producers – Peter Michael Chardonnays, Williams-Selyem Pinot Noirs and Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley’s Bryant Family. General Manager Nick Burns remains largely responsible for developing the list, which points to his trusty connections to many boutique vintners throughout California.

A trio of dazzling appetizers got us rolling. The Crispy Baby Abalone Salad provided a wondrous mix of elements to honor the fish, such as Nicoise olives, braised artichokes and lightly marinated potatoes. Fresh ingredients plucked from local purveyors also reigned in on the Point Reyes Blue Cheese Soufflé, served with organic squash and arugula. But it was my companion’s Seared Hudson Valley Foie Gras that defied the norm with its enchanting caramelized honey-lavender syrup and Chino Farm figs.

The entrée menu is brief and refined – a telling clue to the beautifully rendered dishes Schroeder bangs out. The grilled Prime Rib Eye Steak, for example, featured a homey accompaniment of sweet corn grits mingled with a forest mushroom sauté and mildly intense cabernet sauce. A deep-fried onion ring and spirally thread of bacon capped off the meat. Quite delectable.

We also drooled over a generous slab of hard-to-find Mero. The fluffy white fish mated nicely with the watercress and cilantro strewn on top, although the tangerine-chili glaze paired more easily with the accompanying crab spring rolls when they met on the plate.

Other main courses include Kurobuta Pork, Duck Breast and Leg Confit, Seared Day Boat Scallops and a Vegetable Sampler that includes spinach-stuffed pasta. Every dish leaving the kitchen is primped to a handsome finish.

Dessert turned into another main event, which reflects Foran’s history as the former executive pastry chef at Picasso at the Belagio Hotel in Las Vegas and at The Westgate Hotel in San Diego. His eye-catching signature Chocolate Tasting is a must. It features miniature servings of warm ganache cake, dark-and-white mousse, bittersweet sorbet and a malted milk shake – all spaced apart on a shiny white plate like handcrafted chessboard pieces.

Foran also puts together marvelous artisan cheese samplers with a choice of three or five robust curds – with or without a flight of aged Ports. We went for the gusto and could have used a couple of rooms with cushy beds afterwards to lazily digest. His current dessert menu also features such masterpieces as Hot Lemon Soufflé Tart, Valrhona Chocolate Mousse Gateau and Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta.

Arterra offers a first-class, gay-friendly dining experience that shouldn’t be ignored just because it’s housed in a hotel. In fact, the restaurant’s tucked-away location provides the perfect antidote to all the butt-bumping, hip-knocking chaos that comes with dining along the beaten track. The distinguished food and service amounted to a meal outing that I don’t expect will be topped anytime soon.

— Got a food scoop? Send it to fsabatini@san.rr.com