Steph C.
Yelp
Beeside Balcony is a lovely restaurant in the busy part of La Jolla, with an attractive interior and a great balcony space with a splendid view. I went last Friday with my husband, our two kids, and my in-laws, and we had a pleasant dinner to kick off a family weekend in town.
I was able to make an online reservation for 5:30 on a Friday just a day in advance. Even better, we got an amazing table, overlooking downtown La Jolla, a big green park, and the ocean. We got a high chair for the baby and a full chair for the three-year-old, and incredibly, both children behaved themselves throughout the entire meal. The easy, vibrant atmosphere must have helped. They had nothing to upset them and plenty to observe. Service was excellent. We were well taken care of and enjoyed a peaceful dinner.
We had a round of cocktails to start, and these were very welcome after the long drive from L.A. I had the Sensory Overload, a bright, refreshing drink made with Real del Valle blanco tequila, calamansi citrus, ginger syrup, yuzu, and buzz button (apparently a flower). My husband's Lavender Bee's Knees was great too, summery and purple, with butterfly pea flower-infused gin, lemon, and lavender honey. We had a bottle of barolo to go with our food, and this was also quite nice.
The food was pretty delicious. We started with a Bee's Board, which came with a spread of salami, artichoke hummus, hipiti, caramelized shallots, cucumber, olives, old grain mustard, gorgonzola, Humboldt Fog, toasted pita, and homegrown honey. We got extra pita and our three-year-old went to town on it, largely ignoring the big plate of butter parmesan pasta we ordered off the kid's menu. The octopus ceviche was another tasty starter, a light, flavorful mix of octopus, pineapple, red onion, lemon juice, and jalapeño, served with tortilla chips.
My husband I shared the seared Chilean sea bass and the peppercorn filet mignon for our entrées, and both were excellent. The fish was firm and buttery, on a bed of confit fennel and grape tomatoes with lemongrass beurre blanc, black tobiko, and crispy leeks. The 8 oz. filet was tender and juicy, cooked medium rare as requested. It came with a peppery au poivre sauce and rosemary fries.
The kids were doing so well, we decided to push our luck with dessert, especially once I saw that there were churros on the menu. Our three-year-old loves churros and ate like 15 inches of cinnamon sugar-dusted deep-fried dough all on his own. I tried a bite too and yea, the churros were really good, served with caramel, whipped cream, and berries. The adults shared a lemon tart and a crème brûlée, and both were solid. The tart came with a tangy lemon curd filling in an almond shortbread crust, finished with raspberry sauce and berries. The crème brûlée had a lush, creamy vanilla custard and a thick, glassy caramelized top, and also came with berries.
We had a great time at Beeside Balcony. I'd go back in a heartbeat if I lived in the area, with or without the kids.