Grant Grill (downtown):

Went to Grant Grille last week before a concert.  They were busy with opera patrons but still were pros at getting us in and out without feeling rushed.

Grant Grill is a classy f***ing joint. This is why it is my favorite restaurant.  We dressed pretty casually, next to folks in tuxedos and floor-length gowns. We were treated the same. Great service. Super bread.  Fantabulous Jeff Josenhans cocktail (got holiday in Cambodai - cognac, lime, jasmine infusion), with him wandering the dining room playing manager so I could emote to him in person about how delish it was.  We shared the big delicious salad.  I got the albacore pastrami (minus the speck ham) - had forgotten I had ordered it before. Was delish. I would only replace the onions that are the only vegetable on the plate - who really wants to eat a plate of onions - would rather have something healthier and more substantial.  CH liked his meat (can't remember what he got).

We didn't order dessert, but they brought us four tiny, perfect mini-chocolate cookies with our check.

Again, Ricardo Heredia and Alchemy still reign as my #1 place to get your culinary mind blown. But Grant Grill is indeed a classy f***ing joint, that joins a friendly unpretentious elegance with great food and RIDICULOUSLY tasty cocktails. (I am completely sober now so am waxing at the memory of how good it was, not still under the influence.....)

MY NEW FAVORITE SD RESTAURANT: Grant Grill Review (Downtown)

Am still enjoying my Jeff Josenhans buzz.

Up until today, my fave SD restaurants were:
1. Searsucker = exciting atmosphere + exciting food
2. Alchemy = super-exciting food + relaxed neighborhood atmosphere (favorite chef in city = Ricardo Heredia)
3. Charisma = super-chill atmosphere, reasonable prices and delectable modern Italian cuisine

Well, after a revisit to Grant Grill, they're all getting knocked down a rank:

GRANT GRILL, I LOVE YOU!

Where do we start?

1. Jeff Josenhans = the city's absolute best mixologist. His flavor combos sound strange....they're fantastic!

2 yrs ago, I had a Horton House, a kind of alcoholic chocolate egg cream.

Tonight, I got the bitter betty = fresh muddled blood oranges + gin + vermouth. Don't like gin, don't like vermouth.....The drink was FANTASTIC. So aromatic and herbal, just like the waitress promised.


2. Swanky but luxe atmosphere. Grant Grill has a swingin' bar on Th - Sat. nights, with live music = very atmospheric. But the restaurant part is very fine dining and luxe-y, and quiet. So you have the atmosphere of the hot jazz, and a quiet, fancy atmosphere. LOVE IT!

3. Service is fantastic. Natalie, our server, was super knowledeable, and did not steer me wrong. She very enthusiastically explained more about the 3 cocktails I was considering, and answered every question in a way that left the choice to me, but left me better informed. I had a fantastic meal, with her help.

4. Oh yeah: the food! Would I say that Chris Kurth is a better chef than Ricardo Heredia? Probably not. Ain't got nothin' but love for Ricardo Heredia. BUT there are so many high notes on this menu. First, just like last time, LOVE LOVE LOVE the signature house foccacia. Crazy savory and yummy. Second, my beet plate (not really a salad but a stylish presentation of beets) was yummy, flavorful and light. And Cute Husband's farmer's market salad was delightful - in both of our minds! Third, he really liked his steak, and his creamed corn was yummy. My thai style sea bass (in a light broth, with mushrooms and a bit of sweet potato puree) was very light and tasty - I wouldn't return there just for this dish, and if the restaurant didn't have all of the other things (Jeff Josenhans' cocktails, swanky atmosphere, fab service), this dish wouldn't call me back at all. But it was "nice," and didn't drag the meal (or my buzz!) down.

Finally, the dessert. Rachel King and Jack Fisher: not to worry, you're not getting knocked off as my fave pastry chefs anytime soon! There was nothing legendary or pioneering about my dessert (a lemony mascarpone semolina cake with berry compote and vanilla ice cream). However, it happened to be VERY GOOD, not too big, very perfect. I am not a huge blueberry fan (or a huge lemon one, for that matter), but I scarfed up the perfectly prepared berry compote, which was humble but fantastic. The semolina cake was very nice, and the vanilla ice cream was super well-made and tasty.

Chris Kurth also sends out a little dark chocolate cookie with the bill, on the principle that you should finish your meal with a taste of dark chocolate. It wasn't the greatest little choc. thing I ever ate in my life, but it was a nice touch.

Oh! And I forgot my wine. Natalie helped me decide on a glass of viognier ($11) to pair with my sea bass. It was a generous pour and super delish.

On a M-W night, Searsucker is still probably more swinging and exciting.

And if I'm judging on food alone, I'll still take Alchemy food.

And on price/value/reliable deliciousness, I'd still eat my last meal on earth at Charisma.

But for a package of nutso-creative-delicious cocktails + fab service + swanky fun atmosphere + great food, Grant Grill has rocketed to the top of my list!

(Tonight we used a gift certificate - thanks, Mom! But they also offer restaurant.com certificates too. They're more expensive than any of my other #1-4, so it helps!)

Salazar's (Downtown/East Village): Too disappointing!

We took ST to the Festival of Sail today downtown. Tons of fun - and pirates! We decided to get Mexican food on the way home. I suggested Lucha Libre: last time we went, ST raced out into traffic, so CH wasn't ready to try it again. He suggested El Indio (but sometimes the lines are long and ST would get impatient). So I thought of Salazar's at 15th and Market. MuseumGirl and I had a great meal there 2 yrs ago after getting a rec. from a friend. They have their own parking lot. It seemed a good idea to try again.

Oh no! First of all, one poor woman was working as the only waitress, the only busgirl and the cashier. Emptied tables full of rotting food sat around through our whole meal. It took *forever* for any of our food to come. ST had a major tantrum (I don't blame him given how long it took, but it wasn't fun). I was kicking myself for suggesting the place at all, though I have to admit that when the food came it was pretty good (I got a fish burrito with fish sauteed in ranchero sauce, with some very tasty pinto beans and rice and fresh avocado slices). ST's guac was bland but just right for him.

But leaving all the dishes out forever was just disgusting and made me wonder about the cleanliness of my food. Waiting that long with Super-Toddler is just not going to happen again either. Oh well! It's rare I make a really bad call. Too bad for me!

Pizza Patrol: Ciro's (Downtown/Gaslamp) Review + Viva Pops

Pizza! Foodgirl's family likes pizza. And we do have quite a few respectable NY pizza places in SD (and by respectable I mean they'll rival our fave places in NY/NJ). Readers of this blog know that our favorite are Bongiorno's Miramar and Sicilian Thing.

We also are known to happily get a slice at Bongiorno's Solana Beach. Carmine's in Oceanside is worth returning to; Bronx in Hillcrest is fine but not worth driving to from chez us; and we'd eat at Basic Urban downtown if it were more kid-friendly and had slices. Blue Ribbon is also super-yummy though not NY style. And Regents Pizzeria is not really authentic but it is tasty.

And we did not like Luigi's the one time we tried it: the Ca.-style white pizza was yummy, but the basic cheese slice was a tomato sauce abomination.

Today we hit Ciro's downtown for the first time. Verdict: not super-authentic, but definitely pretty yummy. The tomato sauce was a little sweet for me, and the sicilian pizza was too spongy to have any credibility East of the Mississippi (though it was tasty in a roll-with-cheese kind of way). However, the crust on the thin-crust pizza was perfect, and I loved my white slice. Would happily return when we are downtown.

In fact, it made for a perfect day with Super-Toddler, who had filled up his reward chart from sleeping all night long several weeks in a row. We took Amtrak to downtown and met CH there (the times between return trains were not convenient today so we made it a one-way trip). CH drove us to Ciro's; then we went to the train museum; then we hit Viva Pops. (hehehe - any day is a great day for Viva Pops - but especially a hot day!!).

I tried, at long last, the famed Salted Caramel. I enjoyed it but it wasn't the best pop I've had there, and I wouldn't get it again. ST branched out, with the experience of the cooks confab making him realize it's fun to experiment with flavors instead of always getting the same thing. He got "Strawberry Lemonade" instead of just strawberry. Then we were still hot and still hungry. So I got a blood orange, which we had enjoyed in mini size at the CC party - but which I found too tart to eat in a whole portion. He got another Strawberry Lemonade. I'm still considering the Mango Chili and the Avocado Lime for next visit.

Good eatin' today with ST!

Grant Grill (downtown)

Report on my birthday dinner this week at Grant Grill: AWESOME! NOT REMOTELY DISAPPOINTING! (last year at Roseville and George's in the past turned out to be less than ideal birthday choices - I hate choosing a "top" place for my birthday and then it doesn't live up to the hype).

ATMOSPHERE: Super-classy without being stuffy. Love the room - wood panels but comfy cream colored booths - glimpse of the street outside so it feels buzzy and urban. Thurs. nights there is live jazz in the bar. When we got there at 7:15 the bar was packed but we were the first patrons in the dining room, lots of privacy.

SERVICE: Terrific! Loved the waiter - took very good care of us. Promised me that if I didn't like my cocktail (was hesitating about what to order), he'd whisk it away and let me make another choice. Let me taste two different dessert wines too. He was very enthusiastic about the chef - told us just the right amount about his philosophy but not too much lecturing.

COCKTAIL: Awesome! Horton House = a kind of liquored egg cream. Chocolatey, cognacy, delectable....

BREAD: They take loving care in their daily baked bread, and it's like nowhere else in town. Totally flavor-rich, yeasty focaccia with herbs and EVOO, baked to order....served with butter and smoked salt. Definitely a signature of the restaurant.

APP: Loved my beet salad, scarfed it up. The Sweetie (he gets not to be the Dad on date nights) had a delicious farmer's green salad (thought it was too heavily dressed for me, but perfect for him - but I loved the dressing and the delicious roasted veggies with it)

ENTREE: The Sweetie loved his steak; I ate some of his potatoes au gratin (not his thing). My local California sea bass was lukewarm at first; they took it away and brought it back not hot but at least warm. Flavors were delicious - cubed sauteed sweet potatoes, grapefruit (they're doing a citrus theme this time of year across the menu), olives, lime keffir broth. Yum!

DESSERT: The only disappointing part of the meal. Chocolate pain perdu was pretty dry. But they brought a complimentary piece of chocolate hazelnut brittle>

BONSUES: It's pricey but restaurant.com can at least save you $23 if you get a $25 certif. for $2 on sale. Plus Sue Palmer (of SP and her Red Hot Orchestra) happened to be one of the patrons in the bar, and the band made her and her trombone player get up and do a song. Had to get out of my seat and go watch them - that was some red hot jazz right there!

DOWNSIDE: Felt totally overstuffed after, not like at Jai. Food sat in my stomach a bit all night. The Sweetie didn't have this problem....But the experience was an absolute 9.5 out of 10 - just perfect for a special birthday out, and a whole lot better than other places.

Yeah - this time my research paid off and the place was better than expected!!!!

Next on our list....Bite....stay tuned, dear readers!