We were excited to dine at this restaurant, reading from the review and stuff. We arrived and the host showed us to our table. We went through the food and the wine menu, wait at least 10 minutes, no body says hi or anything. We did not even see our server at all. None of the workers offer us water or anything. It seemed like we weren’t there. Too bad, we just walk out and told the host that we were so dissatisfied. She just said«I apologize«and that’s it. For this type of restaurant I expect good service from the get go. So, no… I don’t recommend this establishment at all.
Neil B.
Évaluation du lieu : 3 San Diego, CA
The food on our table: Crab Ravioli Egg papardelle with butter(For our kid) Spanish octopus carnitas Ceviche Burger w/animal style fries The yodel The good: * we made a reservation through opentable and we’re seated immediately * lots of Unilocal reviews with pictures so we had an idea of what to order * really awesome food server. She was really nice and came to check on us OFTEN. * they were very accommodating to our kids. Not that we were very picky but kids like plain food and flavored lemonades, which they were able to do. * the small plates are probably better than the larger plates. It allows you to have a little variety. The bad: * just a lot of hype. Not really with the place, but with the clientele. It’s like these people think they’re at Nobu in LA. with TMZ lurking outside. But good for J&A. They should capitalize on that image. The yupps feel accomplished and the restaurant makes their $$$. Richard Blaise even made a few appearances, but only to a select few tables. So that in itself added to the elitist attitude because it left me wondering, «Ohh…I wonder who those people are? I should try to discretely take their picture in case they are somebody.» No not really I just judged them like they wanted. The Miscellaneous: * Bathrooms are interesting because of the communal sink area. It’s common for men to zip up their pants while walking to the sink, at least with them men I’m around. So here I am zipping up my pants walking towards a woman waiting for her man friend. Lets just say with the right background music it could have been interpreted differently. Bow chicka wow wow. * The food was good. There really weren’t any flavors that I’ve never experienced before so I don’t have this, «OMG you have to try the hard boiled eggs !» reaction. I guess my favorite dish was the spanish octopus and only because if you closed your eyes you would think you were eating sausage. Oh and do I love a good sausage in my mouth ! Alright, but seriously. Am I rushing to go back and bring my parents? Not really. Would I go again if I had friends from out of town and saw it in the Southwest inflight magazine? Yeah, probably.
Anh H.
Évaluation du lieu : 5 Burbank, CA
My friend decided to surprise me with a birthday dinner at Juniper & Ivy which I had been dying to go to. We were not disappointed. SERVICE — My friend had informed them that it was my birthday when he made the reservation so when we checked in, the hostess wished me a happy b day and sat us immediately. The server took our drink order and wished me a happy b day as well. Such a small personal touch that really makes a difference. Our server was attentive all night without being too overbearing. We didn’t feel rushed but never felt ignored. DRINKS — I had an Old Pal(ok…maybe 3) which was delicious. My friend couldn’t decide so the server suggested the bartender made him a custom cocktail. My friend asked for something vodka based and got a cucumber and ginger drink which was AMAZING. Really hope it makes it to the regular menu. FOOD — We opted for sharing several of the small dishes: — Deviled Eggs: I can see why the meringue-like egg white is off putting for some but I really enjoyed these — Carne Cruda Asada — Good. I especially like the quail egg — Ricotta Gnocchi — The smoked pork belly broth is amazing. I wish I could just have a bowl of that with everything — Halibut Ceviche — Our FAVORITE dish. So refreshing and clean. Why is fish skin chicharrones not served everywhere?! — Chicken liver — The only dish I didn’t like and I usually love liver and paté. I think because it was so sweet for a dish that I expected to be savory — Canadian Bacon — Basically just slices of ham. Not bad but nothing special. DESSERT — We ordered the yodel which was very good. They also brought a slice of the strawberry dessert with a candle and again wished me a happy birthday. My friend and I loved this restaurant and really appreciated the small touches they provided to make my night feel special. We’ll definitely be coming back.
Greshka P.
Évaluation du lieu : 4 Boca Raton, FL
Savanna M. said this was the one restaurant she needed to go to while in San Diego. She extended the invitation to us … I hadn’t done any research but, this girl knows food and good places so, I immediately said yes! So thankful we went. Juniper & Ivy is very nice inside. Casual but still has a romantic, intimate vibe, with dim lights, dark wood, booth tables, and the little cute patio/outside seating. I so want to go again and sip wine on that patio. Anyway, very unlike us, we went light on the drinks this time. We only ordered 1 each and lasted us all night. Not because they were not good, but because we had a pub crawl right after.(drink responsibly) :p I ordered the Kick Back — Pisco drink with Raspeberry cuaracao, lemon and framboise. I was a little afraid the framboise would be too sweet but this drink has a nice tartness to it. It comes with a floating raspberry, that absorbs the flavors of the drink and tastes really good at the end. The Pineapple Expression is a Tequila based drink and was equally delicious, and refreshing. Since we wanted to try as many dishes as we could, we decided to order«family» style for the four of us and share. Decided on some small plates and two entrees. These were as follow: Crudo Asado — this plate still confuses me… how can it be raw and roasted at the same time? Regardless I do not like tartar at all but this one is amazing! . Porcini — outstanding garlic sauce. We could have spread it on almost everything. Deviled Eggs — they add a fun twist to these… The egg whites are prepared like meringue, and the yolk is the same as regular deviled eggs. So you have the sweet and salty combination, with a little crunch. Still not sure how I feel about this one but fun to try something new. Sea Urchin — looked more like a soup. Not how I’m used to seeing it served but I enjoyed it. Foie Gras Cookies — definitely one of my favorite dishes of the night. I would have gotten second order of these if it wasn’t because we still more food coming. Ricotta Gnocchi — It was cooked perfectly but flavor was not memorable. Chicken Liver — another favorite. Don’t think about it, just order it. And make sure to eat the cherries. Duck Breast — So tender, and flavorful. Loved that it comes with vegetables, adding a little bit of freshness to the table. Pork Chops — surprisingly great! I’m usually afraid of ordering this thinking it will be dry, not this one! And the Sauce on top is incredible. Oh, and before I forget… you know how sometimes people don’t eat the complimentary bread, to not get full or because their counting calories… forget that here and try their biscuits. Believe me, you will not regret it, in fact, you might just ask for more. Overall a great experience, and a place I would visit again if I ever find myself in San Diego.
R Chase A.
Évaluation du lieu : 5 Salt Lake City, UT
This is everything I look for in a restaurant. Food: Awesome. Try their hidden menu burger and animal fries. All the apps were great as well. It’s a large menu but you can’t go wrong. Ambiance: Is amazing. New, clean, open. The bar sits at the entrance and looks over the entire restaurant which is down below. Placed in little Italy a cool part of town right off gas lamp. Service: Also great. Summary: If you are looking for a trendy restaurant this is your place. Cocktails, food ambiance is all great. One of the best places we ate all week.
Ronnie S.
Évaluation du lieu : 3 Escondido, CA
This place has been advertised. The hype made me think this was going to be superb. Unfortunately, it didn’t live up to the hype. The atmosphere was great and it was ritzy but the food just didn’t meet the standard. I even picked out what was suggested to me from the servers. Food wise: just ok. The appetizers were just ok. Ambience: it was amazing. Great place to get dressed up and go to dinner at. Service: great service. Price: a bit expensive. For the quality of the food, I can’t say it’s a great value but I think the price is because of the ambience.
Tim J.
Évaluation du lieu : 2 San Diego, CA
I’m disappointed. I was really looking forward to trying this restaurant, as I’m fascinated by molecular gastronomy. While the service and hospitality deserve 5-stars, and the food looks incredible, it seems that the most important quality – taste – has taken a backseat. It’s obvious that Richard Blais isn’t afraid to experiment. But if the experiment does not improve the taste, then it’s not a success. For example, I was excited to try the much talked-about reinterpretation of deviled eggs. Yes, the styrofoam textured egg whites is unexpected, but traditional egg whites would have tasted better. The styrofoam textured egg whites had an odd aftertaste, and the texture clashed with the egg yolk(the addition of mustard caviar, however, did complement the egg yolk). The deviled eggs, however, did demonstrate Blais’s boldness; it’s almost as if Blais himself, instead of the food, took center stage. Dish after dish, we were disappointed(exception: the carrot appetizer was great, but it was also the most traditionally prepared). And we even arrived at the beginning of dinner service with a reservation when the restaurant was mostly empty, so it wasn’t like the kitchen was slammed. But gee willikers, was the décor breathtaking! We sat in front of the open kitchen so we can watch the chefs in action, and the stools we sat on appeared to be buttery smooth ostrich leather. The plate and glass ware were also beautiful, and I was seriously jonesing for their silverware. Visually, everything about Juniper & Ivy blew me away. Too bad about the food. Do not judge a book by its cover!
Ian A.
Évaluation du lieu : 4 Brooklyn, NY
5 stars for service and décor, 3.5 stars for food. First off, the space and staff are both top notch. It is such a beautiful restaurant, and the people who work there are knowledgeable and friendly. It makes for a special dining experience. As for the food, there were some and misses, but nothing really blew me away. As I expected based upon Richard Blais’s persona, the food was whimsical and showed a lot of technique. but it also lacked depth of flavor, nuance, and in some cases execution for it to be really great. I went to Ink in LA and Juniper & Ivy in the same weekend. Voltaggio and Blais are two of the biggest names to come out of top chef, but in terms of food, Ink is light years ahead of Juniper & Ivy in terms of execution and flavor. That said, J & I was a nice restaurant and one I would definitely visit again when I am back in San Diego.
Rich B.
Évaluation du lieu : 3 Tempe, AZ
Basis for my starred ratings(which skews heavily to the food or drink): 1 star: Never again. 2 stars: Poor food, poor experience, extraordinary measures in order for me to come back. 3 stars: Average, nothing really special, nothing particularly bad. 4 stars: Very good, would definitely return. 5 stars: A favorite, one of the best. Actually, 3.5 stars, showing 3 for reasons I’ll mention later. Comparing this to the best Contemporary American we’ve had, and all the smart casual fine dining out there, we were a little disappointed. Especially considering this place has been voted Best Restaurant in SD for two years running. Chef Blais uses a molecular gastronomy approach here(and advertises it on his Youtube video regarding his restaurant), but I gotta say this is more molecular gastronomy light. Especially in comparison to places like e by Jose Andres and El Ideas in Chicago or Alinea. Now, you’ll say that the price point is different from those places, and I agree, but if you’re going use to molecular gastronomy, it should either surprise or make the food experience better. My wife and I would argue that it did not here. In fact, his best dishes were those using fresh ingredients closest to their original form. The single best dish we had the was the stone crab meat toast. They didn’t fiddle with it too much, it was just loads of excellent stone crab meat. Fresh, a little briny, delicious. Also good were the snap peas — a little blistered and sprinkled with cotija cheese. Also quite good, with good crunch, using great snap peas. We figured the oysters would be excellent. We were underwhelmed. Almost no liquor was left in the oyster, so it lacked brininess. The horseradish cocktail pearls looked cool, but added little horseradish flavor, which was almost fine, considering their was no brininess to counterbalance. My wife and I shared the duck which was also underwhelming, It was ever so slightly over-cooked with some accompaniments that overpowered the duck. Final critique. My wife ordered a glass of rose. She was halfway through before she noticed tartrate crystals on the bottom of her glass. So, we know they didn’t decant the wine and we most likely got the last pour out of the bottle. Giving them the benefit of the doubt, I hope they didn’t see the crystals and pour it for her anyway. But, my wife left the last bit of wine in her glass because, you know, the crystals crunch. So there’s a lack of attention there. Thus showing 3 stars. On a positive note, the Yodel is their version of a Ho-Ho. It is quite good. Not particularly elegant when it comes to a dessert, but tasty and a little bit decadent. Can’t give it 4 stars quite yet, certainly not 5 when this place wasn’t even the best meal we had in SD(that would be Kettner Exchange), but hoping to improve the score on a return visit.
The Enlightened Chef S.
Évaluation du lieu : 5 San Diego, CA
Had an absolutely amazing experience with the Juniper & Ivy team this past week. I am an executive chef at a small boutique hotel in San Diego, I came in for a business dinner with my AGM. When we made the reservation I put a little bit about what we were meeting there for, and the team absolutely took that to heart. So this review is coming to you partially as a chef and someone in the industry, but mostly as just someone who enjoys great food atmosphere and service. Rosen and Blaise have this place totally dialed-in with service and food. I’ve never had such an amazing experience anywhere in the world, and I am originally from New York where some of the best restaurants in the world are. Typically with some of the celebrity chef restaurants, especially in the San Diego area, they promise a lot and have a lot of hype, but barely deliver what the check asks for. With Juniper & Ivy, I felt like it was worth every penny. The food was exactly as it should be. Fresh with a new Spin and unique cooking techniques, fresh local ingredients, from Specialty Produce which is a company I have been doing business with since being a chef out here the last five years.(Amazing Company). Chef Blaise and the team he has running the kitchen, handle his product and put it out perfectly. And from what I can tell looking around the restaurant and from my amazing kitchen tour. They have no problem doing this night after night day after day flawlessly. I was impressed as a patron, but even more so impressed as a chef. Love the open kitchen and the way these guys work. Definitely want to give a special thank you to the GM Dan Pena who came over to our table right before dessert, and brought us to the kitchen for a tour of all the awesome tools and new projects they are working on for their new summer and fall menu. Definitely a geeky Chef thing, but I definitely enjoyed it, the only thing that would kicked it up was if Chef Blaise was there… I think I might have missed him by one day. Our server, Marcello, was absolutely amazing. Could not have been a better addition to our J & I experience. My AGM is from a fine dining background and she was even impressed and very pleased with the service. The team went to the length of even sending us a few amuse courses from the chef for us to try, and a nice East Coast Nod, me being from NY, Chef’s take on a yodel was our Amuse dessert. Epic! Wine= that is something I enjoy but I do not have a huge background in, but my AGM knows as much if not more than some Sommeliers. She was excited and chosen some amazing bottles/pairings for the night. Absolutely one of the best nights of dining in my life, but especially since moving out here to San Diego. I will definitely be back when they switch the menu for the summer. Looking forward to what they have come up with. (my terrible cell phone pictures do not do the food Justice)
Scott M.
Évaluation du lieu : 5 Manhattan, NY
One word: LOVE When in San Diego for a wedding, this was the bride and groom’s #1 favorite restaurant. However, they recommended making a reservation in advance. I was stag for the night, so I gave them a call and they were able to seat me at the bar(thanks, Miranda). I was seated at the overlooking the dessert preparation area, where Ashley and Adrian were super friendly and made me feel like a part of their team. Parking wasn’t easy. Prepare yourself to be price gauged at a private lot, or drive around for hours trying to find a space. The food itself was fantastic. The biscuit was amazing. The baja yellowtail was superb. The brisket wasn’t up to par. SAVEROOMFORDESSERT! Specifically, the yodel, which was droolworthy and ranks in the top 5 of desserts I’ve ever eaten.
Ysera L.
Évaluation du lieu : 5 San Diego, CA
Oh Juniper, I utterly love you more than I could say :)) It’s my third or fourth time here. This time is difference because we didn’t make our reservation several days or weeks before. It’s a «sudden eager» that made me wanna go to Juniper. And they only have 10:00 pm table, which was late but fine. The parking was difficult for us, since we forgot to take any cash with us. Therefore we were late for twenty minutes. However, the two beautiful ladies in front desk still welcomed us with their kind smile, which was good! The menu was almost a new one from the last time’s. I saw many new dishes, which was so exciting lol. We’ve ordered the classic appetizer: oyster; Bbq carrot; delivered eggs; lamb rib; the fish I forgot the name; steak in the small plate menu; shrimp pasta; and three cups of lemon drop! Plus, we got dessert. The oyster was much smaller than the last time’s. Maybe because of the late time. But the taste was exactly the same, awesome! How could they cook such delicious carrots??? I’m not a fan of carrot but now I’m really a fan of their Bbq carrot! Try it! My boyfriend loves the lamb rib. He said it was the best that he ever had. It was! My love were the fish, the pasta, and the steak. I feel that it was not just foods, but the chef’s soul! I was really touched by their food! Certainly gonna be back again! I have recently watched a Japanese TV series called«Dinner», Juniper reminded me of that and I’m really happy that we got such a nice restaurant in San diego! Love you Juniper!
Toryanni E.
Évaluation du lieu : 5 Apache Junction, AZ
This was everything I hoped and dreamed it could be. The food was amazing and exactly perfect portions, the kind where you’re full and are left just wanting one more bite. The service was amazing compared to what we get here in Phoenix. Our server literally knew everything about the menu and everything we asked about liquour selections. I’m not going to lie I totally went there because I’ve been following Richard Blais since he was a cheftestant on Top Chef the first time, I just couldn’t resist going because the intense amount of passion he obviously has for food. The flavors and presentation of everything I ate were exacted with a lot of precision and it was easily one of the best meals I’ve ever ate in my life. I do recommend doing the valet parking and definitely make a reservation.
Savanna M.
Évaluation du lieu : 4 Fort Lauderdale, FL
Absolutely fabulous, and this coming from a girl who spent more time scanning the whole restaurant for a glimpse of Richard Blais instead of really focusing on the food lol. Our server probably shouldn’t have told me he was in earlier that night lol. We arrived right on time for our 7pm reservations and we’re seated immediately. I hadn’t done a whole lot of research beforehand in terms of ambiance, but this was definitely above my expectations. Exposed ceilings, rustic furniture, still with class, and I had a great view of those going up the ladder into the exposed wine storage attic area! Even the bathrooms were great! Our central booth had us sitting up high with a great view! We went a little lighter than normal on our drinking and only tried 2 of the cocktails, but both the Kickback and the Pineapple Express(hope those names are right) were awesome! I’d highly consider just coming here to sit at the bar, enjoy a cocktail and a small plate(or 6 lol). What did we eat? Well a little bit of everything(hopefully I’m not missing out on anything below!)…not leaving any room for dessert! **Cheddar Biscuits — a complimentary starter. You know those delicious biscuits at a casual seafood place? These are better! **Deviled Eggs — the server insisted we try these. These are weird, almost too weird for me lol, but extremely unique and it’s great to see how Blais has evolved! **Foie Gras Cookies — seriously yum! A must get item! **Carne Crudo Asado Toast — this was our first item out! Very, very good! **Uni — a different take on uni served in a «strawberry gazpacho». Not my favorite, though truth be told I’m always 50⁄50 on uni, but definitely another unique dish! **Porcini Arancini — another yum! That garlic hollandaise sauce should be on everything! **Ricotta Gnocchi — good, but not outstanding. I think the others liked it more than me. **Chicken Liver — a delicious surprise! Perhaps one of the best chicken liver pâté style dishes I’ve ever had! **Duck Breast — a damn good duck, and that bahn mi egg roll on the side was perfection! **Pork Chop — another surprise for me. I never order pork chops and this was heaven! The fattiness of the meat meant it wasn’t dry, the sauce on top was finger licking good… get this dish! Anyways, long story short… yes you should eat here! I was impressed with our final bill(not outrageous probably due to our lack of alcohol lol). Definitely a spot that will impress!
Nikk G.
Évaluation du lieu : 4 Los Angeles, CA
Fantastic setting and crowd. Little Italy really seems to be kicking ass these days with great restaurants and new age bars. Juniper & Ivy seem to be no different. They seem to adorn this block with great food and libations and was a wonder stop on my day of micro-hopping with one of my buddys. Must try the honeycomb and ricotta with a Root drink served neat.
Ramon L.
Évaluation du lieu : 4 Chicago, IL
I was looking for the hottest restaurant in San Diego and Juniper & Ivy kept popping up, so I brought my girlfriend for her birthday. I actually didn’t know a Top Chef contestant opened the place and my girlfriend loves Top Chef. Go me! Anyways, the place was a perfect place for a nice birthday dinner. The restaurant was pretty big and unique with multiple different areas – I wished I had walked around just to see the different parts. Service was great as expected. The seating was spacious and not at all crammed like some other very popular restaurants I’ve visited before. There were so many things I wanted to try on the menu(this is actually the case for almost all restaurants I go to, I just want to eat) and it was nice to have another person there so we could try a variety. Here are the things we tried: — Foie gras cookies: What are those you may ask? I am still asking the question. But these things were delectable with the fig jam. — Cheddar and chive biscuits: These were complementary and spectacular. I am not sure if they would’ve gave us another plate of them, but I’m still hating myself for not even trying. Ugh, so good. — Pork belly toast: My favorite dish. The peas were a great touch. I love peas. — Pizza insulata: Pretty good. Nothing too special for me. This was the one dish I would rather have tried something else. — Chorizo and octopus pasta: This dish was so good, too. Come to think of it… was this my favorite dish?! Perfect pasta, on point octopus. — SD key lime: I’m not the biggest fan of key lime pie, but my girlfriend really liked it. — Complimentary birthday: It was some crumbler and it was great. Awesome experience. I loved it, my girlfriend loved it. Juniper & Ivy, you hot for a reason.
Nicole O.
Évaluation du lieu : 5 San Diego, CA
I love eating and watching television, so naturally I am an avid Top Chef viewer and Juniper and ivy has been on my radar for some time. Luckily for me, I had my birthday dinner at Juniper and Ivy! Although valet is available, street parking was surprisingly easy to find, so there was no delay to the start of a modern dinner. I loved the layout of the space — very spacious, and open just enough to see the meals of our neighboring diners, but not to hear their conversations. Additionally, the restaurant maintains clean lines and welcoming décor. The beginning of our meal was definitely my favorite part — i’m a self-proclaimed cookie monster, but who could even dream of foie gras cookies? With a side of fig jam, those cookies were good enough for me, but a tiny plate of biscuits were dropped off next and they were soft, buttery, and satisfying. I can imagine mindlessly eating those foie gras cookies and biscuits at all times of the day. We decided to order several small plates to share. I recommend sharing because we were quite full at the end of the meal and we were able to try different flavors. Apparently my pork belly toast was served on urban timber — didn’t know that was a thing; the bed of peas tricked me into believing i was being healthy. Pizza insalata was very light; good for arugula lovers. The chorizo and octopus pasta was probably my favorite main dish — the pasta had a nice bite, but was a touch too salty for my taste, the proteins however were well cooked. For the end of the meal, we had SD key lime pie. This came with pie cubes and tequila ice cream. To top it all off, i was presented with a birthday dessert! Thanks J&I
James N.
Évaluation du lieu : 3 San Francisco, CA
The main dinner highlight of our six-stop SD food trek! We were all pretty excited for this, but it was letdown. The place was pretty crowded and we had to even wait half an hour to get seated, but this review will only reflect the food experiences. It was funny that the table next to us was facilitated to leave the restaurant, i.e., the waiter offered them all free glasses of champagne. For the late seating, we were given complimentary deviled eggs and snap peas. Deviled eggs: most of the table didn’t enjoy this, but I quite liked it. The egg white meringue reminded us of the styrofoam we used in our high school projects. The texture of it contrasted really well against the yolk mousse. The mustard caviar seeds provided the nice shear through the strong yolk mousse. Snap peas: my favorite of the night. I could probably keep on munching on these. These were well-seasoned. Octopus steam buns: if you see these on the menu, just don’t get it. I almost wanted to warn the table next to us to not get it while they were finalizing their selections. This is a pretty lackluster small plate. There’s barely any octopus… maybe a few pieces, but they were room temperature and nothing was really done to them to bring out the flavor. The steam buns were absolutely the worst I’ve ever had. Hard as a rock… you might as well take out the«steamed» description. They had the consistency of being made the morning of and just left out. Really disappointing as most average places at least get this part right. It’s 50% of the dish! Baja yellowtail: enjoyed this, but it’s nothing out of the ordinary. This was one of the better plates. Ahi tuna: pretty standard fare, but the pepper and salt seasoning was overdone on some pieces. –___– The waiter didn’t bring us our second plate of cheddar chive biscuits.
Jeremy S.
Évaluation du lieu : 5 Carlsbad, CA
Juniper and Ivy is a very nicely done restaurant with fantastic service and an extremely lively atmosphere. This is one of those places that when you get here you literally want to try everything on the menu as the waiters keep passing by with fantastic item after fantastic item. Nearly everything that I have tried here has been awesome, from the fantastic cocktails to the sea urchin all the way to the wild boar ragu which is amazing delicious. A big shoutout to the biscuit with foie gras butter, mmmmmmm. The servers were all very attentive and literally catered to your every need. Overall, Juniper and Ivy is a fantastic dining establishment and likely one of the best in San Diego. Pros– Service Location Entrees Appetizers Cocktail menu Bartenders Desserts Promptness of food Functional seating layout Friendly valet Lively atmosphere Overall ambiance Cons– Self parking sucks
Jodi M.
Évaluation du lieu : 3 Long Beach, CA
Service supurb. Food came out quick… Timed to perfection i dont know why but i expected more. Food was good, clean but it felt«safe». I expected more whimsical foodie type of experience being this is Richards house. Foods we had: –started off with the oysters. Was a bit fishy which was surprising i expected a cleaner flavor from the oysters. lots of acid And cool presentation which was nice… –beet carpaccio good but beets were a bit over cooked. Bit mushy… I prefer them more firm if roasted. –asparagus black garlic. Visually very strange to eat. Even though asparagus was cooked and lights were dim… perfectly slightly crunchy and charred though which saved this dish. –pork belly squid… Good sauce. Flavors seemed sort of off with the pork stuffing –yellowtail raw plate tosada. Delish. Fresh yellowtail like my dad just caught this fish. In kona hawaii. Probably the best dish of the night besides desert. –duck confit toast. Was ok… Texture was a bit on the mushy side. Heavy… A bit oily. We would not order again. –chocolate mouse desert(for my bday) seriously the best thing we ate all night. My hubby who hates chocolate ate almost the whole freekin thing! It was the best of texture, sweet vs acid and creamy and chunky with the toffee almond chunks. Delish! Would we come back. I dont think so. Why? We ate at searsucker the night before. That in your face bold flavors is more of what our palates are looking for. If we hadn’t had searsucker to compare to this. It may have been a 4 star night. Fyi. 25.00 corckage fee. Very nice professional service. Not too loud where we sat at peak dining hours on a sat night. Make reservations! Next door their sister restaurant the crack shack… Looked cra cra. Thats on the list for lunch tomorrow.