Culinaring Through Diego (Day 1)
These reviews are different from my usual. Since I only have one chance to dine at each restaurant, take these reviews to be more like ‘snapshots.’ (hence, the bite-by-bite nature of the writing)
Not far from the San Diego airport sits a restaurant that has big doors and big plates for people with decidedly big appetites. As it should, surf and turf Island Prime rocks palm trees and tiki torches in the front and an expansive view of the harbor in the back. It’s a pretty place, really.
Inside, Prime has two different sections, one called the “C Level” whose menu and prices are more everyday and another, “The Prime Menu,” that offers big steaks and tables with white tablecloth. Both menus looked good, and both crowds didn’t mind being next to each other. You would think that the guy wearing the suit would wonder why the guy at the next table isn’t even wearing socks, but hey, it’s California.
Plating could use some work in the elegance department.
Unfortunately, a mindless decision to stop by the Fox Sports Bar for a quick appetizer in Phoenix stymied what would have been a ferocious appetite. For that reason, I only ordered the kansas city strip au poivre which came with blue cheese pommes frites, sauce bordelaise and wild leafy greens ($35).
What I enjoyed most was the bordelaise sauce which I had never had with steak. The steak, a perfect medium-rare, came with a good searing and the hunky fries (yes, I said hunky) tasted of blue cheese-potato goodness.
Service didn’t quite match the tablecloth. While self-assured and playful at all the right times, our waiter disappeared for longer than appropriate once the entrees were served. In his defense, the dining room was packed for a Wednesday night.
But whatever the reason, day 1 of my culinary quest has started on solid, albeit pricey, ground. Now that I’ve satisfied the carnivore within me, I can move on with my appetite.
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