I checked the reviews and wasn't sure what to expect from this place. I'm a big fan of Venissimo, the cheese shop next door, but had never eaten here. The 2 for 1 entree coupon was too good to pass up though and I'm glad I finally gave it a shot. Went with a friend of mine and will be back again soon. I feel like a cheapskate using a coupon on a date but eh...
Food-
Ahi Stack: tasty appetizer, the mango and salsa-type layer really go well with the Tuna. Not big, but reasonable appetizer portion.
Black and Blue Pizza: Amazingly good pizza. I was wowed. Rich and salty but that's kinda what you're going for when you order a pizza with blue cheese, steak, and whatever else was on there that I can't remember now. Anyway, great pizza.
Del Mar burger: Juicy rich burger. Avo, bacon, mushrooms, and onions on top of flavorful meat. The fries are great too. Luxus 101 (on the 101 in Encinitas) has what I thought of as the best burgers, don't know if this beats them but I'd sure enjoy doing further research.
Drinks-
I saw a lot of fancy martinis, but I got a bottle of wine. There is a 'member's' program and as much as I don't feel like sharing my info to sing up for another card the deals you get on the wine convinced me. I had the Leal Carnaval and it was something like 20 dollars off. Price was 65 and went to 45 i believe. And that is on top of the free entree. Which brings me to price.
Price-
I think the prices are why this place gets a bad rap form some people. It's a beautiful restaurant, with a nice crowd (was there on a Friday night), but it's not really a fancy fine dining experience. You don't get the fine dining all-over-you service but you could end up paying near fine dining prices. With the coupons and the wine discounts It's really reasonable. You sure could spend a lot of money if you were inclined. So dunno, seems fine to me but then again we only had a pizza and a burger.
Service-
We had a friendly, helpful waiter who had quick answers to all my questions.
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