Colby D.
Yelp
Let me start with what they did right: the ambiance was really fun, but I'd describe it more like a lounge than a restaurant. Mood lighting, loud dance music, color coordination, modern furniture. It looks very nice, and is definitely a place to "see and be seen" in Gaslamp.
The drinks were awesome. They looked beautiful and were perfectly balanced--even the mocktail I got. I wouldn't change a thing about the drinks we ordered, but I do suggest adding more mocktails to the menu.
Now...for the rest: we came last night for San Diego Restaurant Week (January 2025). They had what I would consider to be a generally decent deal for three courses at $45 per person, and after cross-referencing the normal dinner menu prices, we felt it was definitely a deal for these items. The deal, in combination with the atmosphere and the drinks, made us super excited for this dining experience.
As always for SDRW, we split all dishes. The first course came out, and although they seemed different in portion sizes from the normal menu offerings, they still looked appetizing. They weren't quite as flavorful as I had hoped, but not "bad" by any means. Overall we thought this course was fine, but were looking forward to the next course.
This is where the dinner took a turn. The second course dishes looked a bit lacking, both having the same mashed potatoes and broccolini as their side, and not arranged in the most appetizing configuration. Both the salmon and filet mignon were covered in sauce, and we realized why after our first bites.
Although the filet mignon was cooked to my preference internally (medium rare), it was not seared on the exterior. So the meat was kinda mushy throughout, and lacked that crunchy layer that I crave in a good steak. It did remind me of a Sunday roast you'd find in an English pub, but that's not what I was looking for in a Latin American restaurant. The salmon was overcooked and thus dry, and the sauce it was doused in was too acidic. The mashed potatoes and broccolini were the same for both items--the mashed potatoes tasted like they came from a box (gritty) and the broccolini was either starting to go bad or maybe it was undercooked (stringy; very difficult to eat). Neither of us finished these dishes.
During this course, the battery for the light at our table died, and we sat in the dark for around 10 minutes before our server noticed and asked if we wanted a new light. He was busy and we didn't think it was that big of a deal to not have light directly over our food, but I think it does speak to the service overall. He then asked how our food was and I said "it's okay," and my partner had a bit of a disappointed look on his face. The server walked away as we took our final bites of this course, then we noticed he didn't attempt to make the experience better in any way for the rest of the dinner.
He came back to ask if we were done with our plates several minutes later, then cleared our empty drink glasses without asking if we'd like anything else. He brought out the third course soon after, and we could tell that these items had been plated and left to sit for a while, because the whipped cream had become watery on both. We also noticed that both desserts looked different than what they typically look like, and I would argue that they appeared to have been store-bought.
The cheesecake did have a citrus taste to it, so maybe this was just a different way of serving their usual cheesecake. We didn't feel certain that it had been store-bought, but we didn't feel wowed by the flavor and we thought it was weird that it looked different than usual.
The hazelnut mousse, however, seemed completely different than what was advertised. Not only did it look different than every other picture posted of their hazelnut mousse, but this item was mostly chocolate cake, and not mousse. This item definitely tasted store-bought, so much so that it would be impressive if they actually perfected the taste of a dessert that is mass-produced.
We couldn't figure out if this is the food they give customers who seem like they aren't totally enjoying themselves, or if they were just trying to cut corners to save some money during restaurant week, but in either case, that's not how to create repeat customers. I don't particularly like feeling like someone is trying to take advantage of me, and I felt that way last night.
Our server must have picked up on this, because he seemed almost nervous as he came by to check if we were done with our third course. We were by no means rude, but we definitely were done with the third course as well without having finished the items. He took these plates away and immediately brought us the check. It was clear that he just wanted us to get out of the restaurant...whether that was out of pity for us or annoyance that we weren't enjoying ourselves, I'm not sure.
Maybe after some time I would return just for drinks, but it's kinda hard to look past the experience as a whole.
