Jamul Casino to Relaunch Casual Dining Concept | Eater San Diego

"After serving as a beer garden for the past three years, I learned that Loft 94 at Jamul Casino will relaunch in October with a refreshed casual-dining concept: an Asian-inspired menu crafted by executive chef Keoni Simmons, whose team includes sous chef Anthony Mejia and demi chef Abel Gutierrez. I found the new menu will include ramen, poke, pho and a live-action yakitori grill, with many dishes featuring locally sourced produce such as Mexican blue shrimp and bigeye tuna from Tommy Gomes at Catalina Offshore and beef short rib, pork belly, and skirt steaks from Central Meat & Provision in Barrio Logan. The revamped bar and cocktail program, designed by resident mixologist Nick Hirsch, leans into strong visual presentations — a deconstructed Old Fashioned topped with torched meringue, a clarified sake Cosmopolitan with a color-changing cranberry bitters lollipop stir stick, the Colada Mon’ (coconut rum, dark chocolate liqueur, and Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur) which previews the Sunday Special menu, and the Iced Emerald, a gin and Lillet Blanc split-base served in a large-format ice sphere cracked tableside and garnished with micro lemon mint and a matcha cream–covered vanilla wafer — alongside a rotating line of San Diego craft beers (and one Japanese addition) and sake served in glowing glass decanters. While the sweeping hillside views remain outside, the interior will receive a mini-design refresh with a warmer industrial feel, pops of red, natural wood elements, communal tables with fresh herb centerpieces. A VIP event is planned the week of October 10 for the third-anniversary celebration, with the official opening slated for Wednesday, October 16." - Keri Bridgwater