点评:Would give this restaurant 6 stars if I could. One of the best meals we've had in years. It was like dining at a Michelin restaurant in a European city (which, as everyone who lives in San Diego knows, is quite hard to find in San Diego, even at the pricier restaurants with top reviews). We are big-time foodies, one of us with San Francisco roots, and have been lucky enough to dine out in the major cities in the U.S. and abroad). Our standards are high, and very few restaurants in San Diego knock our socks off. This one did.
I don't even know where to start. There were 4 of us and we're still talking about it the next day. We shared all our dishes, so we were able to try a total of 12 menu items (between the starters, entrees and dessert), and there were also 2 "amuse-bouche". Every single thing we put in our mouth was delicious. They clearly use the freshest and highest quality ingredients. Each dish was prepared with tremendous skill, passion and creativity.
What we loved most is this chef obviously knows exactly what he is doing and lets the food speak for itself instead of trying too hard and covering up the natural flavors with too much pomp and circumstance. One of the things we've noticed with top restaurants (even with some of the Michelin star restaurants) is they try so hard to be "different" and "ultra-creative" that they opt for form over substance, and flavor suffers. Not here.
It felt like the entire focus at this restaurant is on flavor and making each dish utterly delicious and memorable. What we experienced was one dish after another containing a delicate and creative mix of ingredients that allowed the natural flavors to compliment and showcase each other. The presentation of each plate was gorgeous too, without sacrificing taste.
Another way it felt like a top European restaurant was the level of service. The large service staff worked seamlessly in tandem, anticipated our every need, were knowledgeable about the menu, made excellent recommendations, and without fail each and every one of them (even the people clearing our plates and refilling our glasses) were warm and friendly and very attentive. You can tell when the staff is invested in the restaurant and cares about your dining experience just as much as the chef. (Our server named Mike was friendly, engaging and highly professional. Every tip he gave us throughout the ordering was right on target, and he felt like an old friend by the time we finished the meal.)
Other pluses: The restaurant is elegant and well-designed, with very comfortable chairs, thoughtful table placement, and well-planned acoustics such that noise didn't carry. Even the person at our table who has trouble hearing had no difficultly hearing everyone throughout the dinner -- and this was on a Friday night when the restaurant was packed. Also, the portions were large (so large that they kindly gave us to-go boxes and we're excited to have the leftovers for lunch today.)
All of us give this restaurant our unreserved highest recommendation. It's worth every penny. A night and a meal we will never forget.
翻译:如果可以的话我会给这家餐厅 6 星。我们多年来吃过的最好的饭菜之一。这就像在欧洲城市的米其林餐厅用餐(住在圣地亚哥的每个人都知道,在圣地亚哥很难找到米其林餐厅,即使是在评价最高的价格较高的餐厅也是如此)。我们是顶级美食家,我们中的一员都来自旧金山,并且很幸运能够在美国和国外的主要城市外出就餐。我们的标准很高,圣地亚哥很少有餐厅能让我们满意。这个做到了。
我什至不知道从哪里开始。我们有 4 个人,第二天我们还在谈论这件事。我们分享了所有的菜肴,所以我们总共可以尝试 12 道菜单项(开胃菜、主菜和甜点之间),还有 2 道“开胃小菜”。我们放进嘴里的每一样东西都很美味。他们显然使用最新鲜和最优质的原料。每道菜都是用精湛的技巧、热情和创造力来准备的。
我们最喜欢的是,这位厨师显然清楚地知道他在做什么,让食物自己说话,而不是太过努力,用太多的排场和环境掩盖自然风味。我们在顶级餐厅(甚至一些米其林星级餐厅)中注意到的一件事是,他们非常努力地“与众不同”和“超有创意”,以至于他们选择形式而不是实质,而味道受到影响。不在这里。
感觉这家餐厅的全部重点都是味道,让每道菜都非常美味和令人难忘。我们体验到的是一道又一道菜肴,其中包含精致而富有创意的配料组合,使天然风味相互补充和展示。每道菜的摆盘也很华丽,但又不失品味。
让人感觉像是一家顶级欧洲餐厅的另一个方面是服务水平。大量的服务人员无缝地协同工作,预见到我们的每一个需求,对菜单了如指掌,提出了极好的建议,而且他们中的每一位(甚至是清理我们的盘子和给我们倒酒的人)都热情友好,而且毫无疑问。非常细心。您可以看出员工对餐厅的投入程度和厨师一样关心您的用餐体验。 (我们的服务员叫迈克,他很友好,很有魅力,而且非常专业。在整个点餐过程中,他给我们的每一个建议都恰到好处,当我们吃完饭时,他感觉自己就像一个老朋友了。)
其他优点:餐厅优雅且设计精良,椅子非常舒适,餐桌布置周到,音响效果精心设计,不会产生噪音。即使是我们餐桌上有听力障碍的人,在整个晚餐过程中也能毫无困难地听到每个人的声音——而且这是在周五晚上,餐厅挤满了人。而且,份量很大(太大了,他们好心地给了我们外带盒,我们很高兴今天能吃剩菜当午餐。)
我们所有人都毫无保留地给予这家餐厅最高的推荐。每一分钱都是值得的。我们永远不会忘记的一个夜晚和一顿饭。