Emmett T.
Yelp
ZENTRL is the relaunch of the onsite bar and restaurant at THE LOT La Jolla which is an upscale movie theater. There was a Yelp event held here earlier this year in which the kitchen rolled out several of their dishes for a group of Elites to sample. The setting is fantastic with an outdoor patio that can hold at least 100 diners with an even more spacious indoor dining room and bar area. It's a perfect venue for large scale functions like for some of the events of the La Jolla Concours D'Elegance.
I sat at a long hightop table across from the bar which had multiple flat screens hanging from above that were tuned into various athletic competitions. The food menu was made up of fare that you would find at a mid-level to higher end eatery. Shareables, soups, salads, flatbreads, entrees, and desserts were the categories. My selections were the Buttermilk Fried Calamari and the California Cabernet Braised Beef Short Rib.
The pieces of deep fried squid were mixed with Piquillo peppers, lemon, and parmesan. A cup of spicy mayo was provided for dipping. The crunch of the batter was alright. The dip added a good amount of heat to the squid. The entree was an item that I had tasted during the Yelp event. A hunk of soft rib meat was placed on a bed of mashed Yukon gold potatoes with baby carrots, The braised jus kept the dish succulent. The beef was a tad saltier than I preferred though.
The service from the bartender was fantastic. He only had two customers to tend to at the bar so it allowed him to check up on me frequently. The prices were on par for this caliber of restaurant in the village of La Jolla. ZENTRL is open from breakfast to dinner. With numerous brunch options within blocks of THE LOT, this might be a hidden gem that won't have a long wait for a table.