A Lot of Eating to Do in San Diego

The Lot

2620 Truxtun Road

San Diego, CA 92106

People often ask me when we will visit San Diego for restaurant reviews. If you click on the interactive dining map link at the top left of this page, you'll see that it's a valid question. In the fifteen-plus years I've been writing this blog, I've only reviewed one restaurant in our nation's eighth-most populous city, which is just an hour and a half away from Orange County. It's a bit embarrassing. 

I know I would love San Diego's restaurant scene. They have all my favorites: California burritos, fish tacos, carne asada fries, excellent Italian food, breakfast burritos, and plenty of great burger options. That just scratches the surface, and I can't explain why we haven't visited America's Finest City to explore their culinary offerings. I can only promise that we will correct this oversight. Let's start with this review now. 

Like my other San Diego restaurant review, we met up with Katie's cousins in the area. After far too much back and forth via text messages, the difficult Yvette finally agreed to a restaurant I suggested. Although she initially said any restaurant would be fine, she began to impose parameters on my suggestions: the place needed to accept reservations, she changed the area where we had to eat, and then the number of people changed. I really feel for her husband Steve, who has the patience of a saint to put up with her. 

We finally settled on The Lot, located at Liberty Station. This former naval training center has been transformed into a commercial development featuring retail shops, hotels, art galleries, and restaurants. Liberty Public Market has been on my list of places to try since it opened nine years ago, but a food hall isn't suitable for dining with a party of eight. 

Honestly, the rest of Liberty Station's restaurant options did not really impress me. They have some chains we have back home, like Slater's 50/50, Oggi's, Luna Grill, and Tender Greens, and other establishments didn't seem like they would suit a group of eight with different tastes. The Lot took our reservation for eight people at 6:30 on a Friday night without any issues, and surprisingly, the rest of our group arrived right on time. 

The Lot combines a movie theater, bar, and full-service restaurant. They have four locations, including this one, with another at Fashion Island in Newport Beach. From what I understand, they rebranded all their restaurants late last year. They are now known as Zentrl Kitchen and Bar, a California-Asian fusion restaurant with a Mexican twist. I’m unsure if the food we tried is still available at their restaurant, but the menu we ordered from is available at the movie theater, so it all may come from the same kitchen. I've rambled longer than one of Yvette's lengthy stories, so let's check out the food. 

We were excited to meet Gabi's new man, Brennan, and he could not have been nicer when I shoved my phone in front of him to take a picture before his first bite of the Fried Chicken Sandwich ($23) he ordered. The menu states that this sandwich was dressed with cilantro mango coleslaw and roasted habanero BBQ sauce, all in a brioche bun. Since I had just met Brennan, it may have been too much too soon if I had asked him for a bite. He had no complaints I could hear, but he was primarily focused on Gabi as it should be. 

Yvette was very proud to show off her Tuna Poke Bowl ($23) and we were all excited when it got to the table as well, because that would mean that she would be busy eating it, and it would give one of the other seven of us a chance to speak. This good-looking bowl came with a big mound of sticky rice in the center, then cubed tuna, cucumbers, sliced avocado, seaweed salad, and cherry tomatoes surrounding the rice. This did not seem like it would be served at a movie theater. The poke was dressed well and the ingredients were all very fresh. Two thumbs up from Yvette. 

I'm unsure who got these Ahi Poke Nachos ($23), as I hurried around the table snapping pictures before eating my meal. A bed of wonton chips was topped with yellowfin tuna, green onions, avocado, pickled red onions, and furikake seasoning then drizzled with a cilantro sriracha aioli. This looked good in the picture, but upon closer inspection, they appeared stingy with the amount of tuna on here. I zoomed in and could only see twelve small pieces, unless they hid underneath the wonton chips. The tuna poke bowl might be the better value, as they cost the same.  

The night's least impressive-looking item was The Lot Chicken Tenders ($20). These came five to an order and were served with french fries. They were straight from the freezer but were good sized and served their purpose. The fries were okay, but could have been crisper. 

Katie is always a wildcard regarding what she will order when we are out to eat. I've been with her for 16 years, and this might be the first time I've seen her get a Chopped Turkey Cobb ($22). This take on a Cobb salad had just what you'd expect: blue cheese crumbles, avocado, cubed turkey, crumbled bacon, hard-boiled egg, cucumber, lettuce mix, and a champagne vinaigrette to tie everything together. This was also supposed to have tomatoes, but Katie opted to have them removed. She felt this salad looked better than it actually was. She questioned the freshness of the lettuce, and was not too thrilled with the bland vinaigrette dressing. She'd get something else next time. 

My dining partners were all over the place with what they chose for dinner this evening. These Pretzel Bites ($16) were a hit on the other side of the table. The pretzel balls were salted and served with a jalapeno nacho cheese dip. 

A salad or appetizer would not quell my hunger after our drive down here, so I selected the Lot Burger to satisfy my hunger. This good-looking burger included lettuce, tomato, onion, secret sauce, and cheese on a glossy brioche bun. The menu called for American cheese to be included here, but I chose cheddar instead. The burger was good, but not in the upper echelon of burgers I've had. They need more seasoning and secret sauce included here. The produce was relatively fresh, and I was happy they used leaf lettuce, instead of the usual humdrum iceberg most places use. This burger would have also been better if I had gotten some bacon, it would have woken up my taste buds. 

Okay, so this is not a great representation of the food scene in San Diego, but it was good for movie theater food. Not that I've ever eaten anything other than popcorn or candy at the movies before this. It was way more appetizing than those hot dogs that rotated around at the concession stand when I was growing up. The food was restaurant quality, but what we had this evening would never be described as craveable. We did experience some outstanding hospitality, as our server was right on top of everything we needed during our visit. I promise we will return to San Diego in the future, as I know I have a lot of eating to do in this scenic city to our south. 

Out of five roller coasters (because San Diego is home to the Giant Dipper, a 100-year-old wooden roller coaster at Belmont Park in Mission Beach), five being best to zero being worst, gets 2.5 roller coasters. 

For more information about The Lot, check out their website by clicking here: https://www.thelotent.com/movie-theater/libertystation

Anchors Aweigh Stevie

Garage Kitchen + Bar

655 4th Street 

San Diego, CA

It's pretty crazy that we haven't been to San Diego in over eight years. Besides being one of the most beautiful cities in the US, there's always tons to do here. There are the museums at Balboa Park, walking around Old Town, taking in a baseball game at Petco Park, and of course a ton of restaurants. It was definitely time to review our first restaurant in what some call, America's finest city. 

We came down this way not only to eat but also to tour the USS Midway, which is permanently docked in San Diego Bay. Katie's uncle Jim is a docent on the ship and gave us and her cousins a private tour. This trip held another special purpose, as our cousin Stevie has enlisted in the Navy and leaves for basic training this week. This tour kind of gave him an idea of what he's got to look forward to in the next few years. 

After walking around this massive ship for close to five hours, it was definitely time to eat, and of course, when that time comes, all eyes fall on me to make a decision on where to head. Since we were so close to one of my favorite restaurants downtown, we headed to La Puerta. No good. Downton San Diego was buzzing with lots of people roaming the streets and La Puerta had about an hour wait for a party of seven, so a quick search of Yelp led us one block north to the Garage Kitchen and Bar. 

We arrived at the Garage just before half past two and were a little bummed that they were not serving their lunch/dinner menu, but instead offered their brunch menu until 3. Not wanting to wait, and eager to get some nourishment, we decided not to be picky by this point. We were quickly seated in the front portion of the restaurant, adjacent to the pretty crowded bar area. The Garage is part restaurant and part large music venue, which I spied as I went to the restroom. Both areas are separated by a hallway, so I imagine even if there's a show going on you'll still be able to hear your tablemates. Something I wish I wasn't able to do on this afternoon since I was sitting next to cousin Yvette, one of Katie's more questionable family members.

The Garage pays homage to all the San Diego bands out there that started in garages. This historic building also used to be home to Carriage Works, which started in 1890 until 1902. After that, the building was purchased by the Lyons Implement Company, which housed the complete line of Studebaker vehicles.  The structure has been other things as well but has been home to the Garage Kitchen and Bar since late 2014.

Executive Chef Brent Hersant is the man in charge of the menu at the Garage, and his goal is to use sustainable ingredients, create modern approachable food, and offer it at a fair price point.  We were all pretty excited to see if he had achieved his goal. So let's check out the food at the Garage.

As I said earlier, we were all famished by the time we finally sat down at the table, so Katie alertly ordered two sides of Fries ($3.50). These were thick cut, very sturdy french fries that came garnished with what I believed to be crispy shallots. Not too bad, they were obviously freshly cut and fried to perfection. The crispy shallots really did not add too much, and we discarded them to dip the fries in ketchup. 

I was sitting next to Yvette, so I definitely needed to drown my sorrows with alcohol. The Moment in Paradise ($9) would be my diversion drink on this late afternoon. Sky Vodka is the base of this tropical beverage, then they add pineapple and lime juice, then spice things up a bit with some cayenne pepper. I enjoyed this drink as it kept me interested with the unexpected spiciness from the cayenne, unlike my lack of interest from listening to Yvette drone on and on about her fascination with water. Ugh. 

Katie's much better cousin Steve ordered this San-Di-Cristo ($14) as his entree on this fine Sunday afternoon. I had actually debated on whether to get this sandwich or not. Between the two pieces of creme brulee french toast was a good amount of smoked ham, pork, swiss cheese, caramelized onion, and pear. I did not get a chance to try this one, but from the looks of it, it kind of had a Cuban feel to the sandwich, without the pickles and mustard. Steve said it was alright, and nothing that really made him stand up and take notice. 

This good looking burger is the Butcher's Burger ($15). The patty is made up of bison, boar, and grass fed Angus beef. It's then stacked with cheddar, bacon jam, crispy shallots, house sauce, and served with fries. This burger was juicy, but I kind of expected more from it. The patty was fine, but I think it might have just been better with the beef alone. The boar and bison did not really add too much. I've never really been a fan of bacon jam, and this one had made me wish they would have just stuck with good old fashioned strips of bacon. The house sauce was mellow and was much more pronounced when I asked for an extra side of it. A solid effort, but maybe they tried too hard to make this an extra special burger when they could have just stuck to the basics. Still a beautiful looking burger though. 

Last but not least was Katie's selection, The Benny ($14). Benedicts have become pretty original nowadays, and this one from the Garage wasn't any different. Perched atop a cheddar and chive biscuit, a poached egg is topped with sliced, roasted tomato, smoked ham, and then drenched with a saffron hollandaise sauce. Katie really liked this little tweak on a traditional Benedict. The hollandaise was a little on the thin side, but she loved the saffron tinge it had. She was also stoked on the use of a biscuit instead of the usual English muffin, which gave this a little more depth. This also came with some very fresh and vibrant fruit and rosemary potatoes which were okay. 

The Garage filled in nicely as a backup for the restaurant which we had originally set out to try. Even though the brunch menu was relatively small, and we would have liked to have been able to order off of the much more diverse dinner menu, we all found something that we all kind of liked. I enjoyed that the chef took chances with the food here and made regular breakfast items his own. Some worked, and some didn't but I enjoyed the effort. Service was spot on for our party of seven, and our server made sure we had plenty of refills at all times. A bittersweet meal since we will probably not see our cousin Stevie for a long while, as he's off to the navy, but hopefully this was a sweet send off for him. 

Out of five gas lamps, (in honor of our first San Diego restaurant review, and the area of town this restaurant is located in), five being best to zero being worst, the Garage Kitchen and Bar gets 3 gas lamps. 

For more information about the Garage Kitchen and Bar, head to their website here: http://www.garagekitchenbar.com/