If I had a big house and budget to hire an interior designer, I’d call upon San Diego son Bob Puccini and say, “Do for me what you’ve done for Jsix.”

The restaurant, which opened in April inside the new Hotel Solamar, plays up to the rapid renaissance occurring around Petco Park and gives downtown denizens a brainful of colors, textures and flavors.

An open kitchen with stainless steel accents and an illuminated bar bisect the ultra-stylish dining room, which, depending on where you sit, shows off everything from stone walls and metal grillwork to lofty sheer curtains in rust, copper and navy hues. Five sharp rows of red Moroccan fez caps perched on a back wall add a curious twist to the eclectic motif, while clusters of flower-shaped plaster relief casts along the ceilings strike whimsical contrasts.

Settling into a high-back booth upholstered in heavy fabric, our convivial waitress brought sense to the menu, a litany of cuisine authored by renowned chef Deborah Schneider that reflects 2,000 miles of coastline from Washington State to the tip of Baja. Choosing a starting point required wine and time.

My companion’s Grilled Moroccan Lamb Skewers ($3.75 apiece) were heavily piqued by a peppery spice that we thoroughly enjoyed, despite its puissance for overwhelming the subtle flavor of the meat. The saucy Ensenada Cocktel served in a deep glass offered fresh and predictable flavors, a cross between ceviche and gazpacho stocked with shrimp, scallops and calamari. Another starter, the Clay Pot Shrimp Sauté, acts also as a good bread dipper; the tender shrimp come submerged in salted oil infused with hot peppers, garlic and paprika.

The chef’s signature soup is a sensational puree of white corn and roasted poblano chilies. It’s immediately sweet, then immediately spicy, and shouldn’t be overlooked. As for the Baby Spinach and Arugula Salad adorned with strawberries and Serrano ham, we could have withstood a smidgen less of the basil-balsamic dressing.

An entirely different preparation of lamb from the entrée category caught my companion’s eye as he sipped from a glass of generously flavorful red wine from Baja (Santo Tomas Barbera 2001). In this case the domestic meat offered soothing flavors of mint, star anise and fig. And kudos to Chef Schneider for constructing an accompanying risotto that was joyfully creamy rather than dense and pasty.

My Angus Short Ribs were a carnivore’s dream come true – thick hunks of meat flavored by sturdy bones and extended braising in soy and red wine. Sporting both a homey and gourmet essence, the dish seems deliberately tailored for winning the hearts of suburban baseball fans who bumble in, as well as city hipsters with, dare I say, more cultured palates. Even the garlic mashed potatoes on the plate, which I’ve grown deathly bored of in other restaurants, boasted a buttery, old-fashioned consistency.

Yet the restaurant, with all its bright nouveau trappings that Puccini conjured up partly from Balboa Park’s Spanish-Moorish architecture, essentially reaches out to a mixed market with a friendly, young-blood staff in place, and an atmosphere that allows you to dine comfortably whether you’re dressed in Wrangler or Armani. (Though if you can’t break out of shorts and flip-flops, then it’s best to hit the outdoor Jbar on the fourth floor for drinks and appetizers.)

The dinner menu, too, appeals to either crowd, with familiar items such as Steamed Clams, Double-Cut Onion Rings and Lemon-Garlic Chicken mixed in with trend-setting dishes like Garlic-Herb Hoop Cheese with Grappa, Tangerine Sautéed Shrimp and Angus Filet with ancho-cherry sauce.

The wine list, still a work in progress, sticks largely to California, with France represented on the Champagne list. And much to our delight, all desserts are made in-house. The Caramel Soaked Pound Cake was outstanding, as was the oh-so fluffy Chocolate Fudge Layer Cake. Both paired nicely with a sweet, juicy Muscat dessert wine.

Jsix is alluring and delicious, and offers more interior design ideas than any television show you’ll see on HGTV.