San Diego: Steak & Seafood wanted...

[kai-m]

Hi,

we will be in the San Diego area in september, visiting family in Spring Valley.

The family members we are visiting are not really into food, so I want to ask you guys:

What we are looking for is

1. a real good steakhouse

2. a good seafood restaurant (since San Diego is by the sea...)

Both are things that you do not really get in sufficient quality in germany...

(We are not looking for "upscale fine dining" places, but nice restaurant with nice settings and maybe even a "view" or something...)

Thanks

Greetings from germany

kai

[kalypso]

What we are looking for is

1. a real good steakhouse

2. a good seafood restaurant (since San Diego is by the sea...)

Both are things that you do not really get in sufficient quality in germany...

(We are not looking for "upscale fine dining" places, but nice restaurant with nice settings and maybe even a "view" or something...)

←

For steaks you've got lots of options, in no particular order

1) Donovan's

2) The Palm

3) Dobson's

4) Ruth Chris's

5) Bully's East (which is probably better for prime rib, but the steaks are good)

6) Flemings

7) Island Prime

8) Morton's

9) The Turf Supper Club (in Golden Hills, crowd trends young, good cocktails)

10) The Strip Club (cook your own)

Almost every restaurant in San Diego has a steak on their menu, usually a flat iron steak, and by and large, they're cooked fairly well.

As for seafood,

1) Oceanaire - downtown and probably the best fish house in town right now. Not on the water but terrific oyster bar

2) Point Loma seafood, very casual, best for lunch

3) Blue Water Grill on India, also probably best for lunch

4) El Pescador in La Jolla

5) King's Fish House

6) The Fish Market (one of the few on the water) bottom floor

7) Top of the Market -top floor of The Fish Market

8) Red Sails, Shelter Island

9) Red Marlin, hotel dining, but surprisingly good

10) Baleen, also resort dining but is right on Mission Bay

11) McCormick & Schmicks, downtown

12) Tin Fish, also downtown by the convention center

And finally, La Mesa is very close to where you'll be staying in Spring Valley. Anthony's Fish Grotto in La Mesa is one of the oldest fish restos in San Diego. It used to be ALOT better than it is now. It's not on the water, but with some judicious ordering you can get a decent meal at a reasonable cost. There are 3 Anthony's left in SD, the one in La Mesa is the best of the lot, steer clear of the one directly on the harbor.

If you want dining with views the two absolute best bets are Peohe's in Coronado or Island Prime/C Level Lounge on Harbor Island. All have spectacular views of the city and the bay, but unfortunately the food doesn't match the views. That said, the food is also not awful or horrible and it is possible to have more than an adequate meal at any of the 3 restaurants.

C Level Lounge is in the same building as Island Prime and is probably better for drinks and appetizers on their patio. SD has great weather in September and drinks on the patio at C Level would probably be quite pleasant. Island Prime is an upscale steakhouse that some in SD think is overpriced for what you get. Peohe's is inconsistent, I've had some excellent meals there as well as some real clunkers. Brunch is best and they actually do seafood reasonably well.

Enjoy your visit, you'll have many choices in your preferred categories.

[kai-m]

Wow, thank you! That is a lot of choice, indeed...(we have only, like, 3-4 nights to dine out)

To narrow it down a little bit: where would you go, personally?

[kalypso]

Wow, thank you! That is a lot of choice, indeed...(we have only, like, 3-4 nights to dine out)

To narrow it down a little bit: where would you go, personally?

←

If I were going out for red meat, I'd choose either Bully's East or Cafe Chole, but be forewarned, Bully's isn't everyone's cup of tea. It's dark, clubby and a little tattered around the edges. it is, however, priced below the mainstream steakhouses. Cafe Chole does a really nice steak frites. A lot of people like The Turf club plus it's affordable.

For seafood, I'd probably choose either Oceanaire or King's Fish House if I was going medium to upscale and Blue Water Grill for casual.

[Carlsbad]

If I could only go one place in the area, I would head to La Jolla and go to the Ocean Terrace at the top of George's. Pick a nice day and go for an early dinner or for lunch. You'll get very good, interesting SoCal food, a nice wine selection and a terrific view. You can walk around the cove area before or after. Don't forget your sunglasses.

[lemniscate]

I enjoyed the meal (STEAK!!) and atmosphere at The Butcher Shop. The Butcher Shop website. . It is located away from the tourist areas.

[Swicks]

Red Tractons in Del Mar is another good one, similar to Bullys. I also like Rainwaters on Kettner in downtown San Diego.

while good, i think the chain steakhouses are mostly forgettable. The only one I have ever had a really good experience at was Flemings in downtown San Diego.

I will second Oceanaire. Definately high end but really good. I also like Blue Point in the gaslamp.

Edited July 8, 2008 by Swicks (log)

[Octaveman]

I've eatin at George's on 5th and at Greystone both located in the Gaslamp district downtown. Both my wife and I thought the meals were very good. The Buffalo Tenderlon at Greystone was awesome. These are all upscale places but if you wanted to try a family joint that IMHO has tasty steaks I'd suggest going to Pinnacle Peak. I don't care what anyone says, I really like their steaks...cooked on an open flame with mesquite charcoal...mmmmm tasty. Granted the quality of beef is not top notch but it's hard to find a 22 ounce T-Bone for $19. Or the Trail Boss which is "darn near 2 lbs" for $23.

Donovan's...eh. Could've been better overall. My steak was good but my wife had scallops that were dry and overcooked. Had to send them back.

Ruth Chris...had a bad experience so I will not recommend.

For fish, I've eatin at Kings in Mission Valley several times and felt the fish was very good. Anthony's in La Mesa is decent as Kalypso suggested. More family oriented than upscale though. The Fish Market downtown by the bay (Seaport Village) is nice too.

I'm hungry now.

[hzrt8w]

Out of Kalypso's list, I have been to only a couple of them.

I really like The Fish Market next to the Seaport Village. Here are some pictures from my last visit earlier this year:

We ate on the top floor, "Top of the Market" and sat at the patio. It was a little hot but the view was quite nice. As you can see, there were some jet skiiers roaming around when we ate there (lunch).

The view is of the San Diego Harbor. At the distance is the North Island Naval Base. Sometimes you might be able to see an aircraft carrier anchored there (as we did). There are usually plenty of sail boats passing by. If you want the "ocean view", you would need to go to the restaurants at Pacific Beach, La Jolla or Del Mar.

Their menu changes daily.

We had 1/2 dozen oyster shooters.

A sampler plate of smoked salmon/albacore, cheese, capers, bread. The pesto sauce is excellent.

Crab Cioppino. Very nice. I think this was the best value. About US$25. There were plenty of shellfish and fish and shrimp and crab in the pot.

I can't remember what the heck I had that day. I think it was shark. It was good.

Our souvenir: their bib.

Edited July 22, 2008 by hzrt8w (log)

[kalypso]

Great photos!! The bay is so photogenic isn't it.

[hzrt8w]

Great photos!!  The bay is so photogenic isn't it.

←

Thank you. And yes, the sight of San Diego Harbor is just breath-taking.

And... for budget travelers... some 500 yards away there is a food court in Seaport Village. Have some Greek roast chicken and sit on one of the benches outside. Same close-up view of the harbor. For less than US$10. And that's for two!

Edited July 23, 2008 by hzrt8w (log)