Jonathan C.
Yelp
I wanted magic. I got microwave.
Family flew in from the East Coast to celebrate a double graduation. One college, one high school. Proud moment, big energy, and a perfect excuse to book a table at what I thought was a San Diego gem.
We ordered five apps and a spread of entrées, including the pappardelle ragu, beef wellington, lobster ravioli, and the surf and turf special.
The appetizers were fine. Not inedible. Just sad. We chalked it up to a busy Saturday night and kept smiling.
The mains? Worse. The pappardelle was salty and soupy, with a Chef Boyardee vibe, which is fine if paired with a Capri Sun and not a $20 cocktail. The Wellington looked deflated, literally - like it had been stepped on. The risotto was gummy. The steak, ordered medium rare, arrived gray and overcooked all the way through. Like leather. Like well beyond well done. We debated sending it back. I wanted to just let it go, but my family pushed. I gave in. It took twenty minutes just to flag down our server. To his credit, he agreed that the steak looked nothing like medium rare. He took the plate away. That would be the last we saw of it. No replacement came.
They took a third off that dish. We didn't argue. We just wanted to leave.
What stings most is that I really wanted to love this place. I had been excited. I had read the reviews. We had made the reservation weeks in advance and even planned our orders ahead of time. We arrived full of anticipation and left full of disappointment.
Maybe we caught a bad night. But for $500, bad nights shouldn't be on the menu.
Not coming back.