we eat our way through so cal: part uno

Our first dining outing for our trip to San Diego was Chive, a fairly classy restaurant that features a selection of "New California" or "Fusion" style foods, located in the Gas Lamp District downtown.

Grant: Outside appearance is very stylish. There's a patio, nice clean exterior.

Beth: Inside it reminds me of an "ultra-lounge", but we instead opted for the patio. It was a good idea because the atmosphere was more relaxing...

Grant: ...but it was really damn hot outside. And the smokers at the bar next door were a bit unfortunate. I thought it took our waiter a little too long to get to us.

Beth: Service was definitely a bit spotty early on. Our waiter didn't get us our drinks and it was really hot outside.

Grant: The blueberry mojito was a good idea -- big glass and cool presentation. But it was a bit strong for our taste. I'm a bit of a woman when it comes to booze, though.

Beth: I was really impressed by the presentation as well. The crushed blueberries gave the drink a purple tint, which I thought was really cool. Our first dish was the Hamachi Crudo with grapefruit and caviar. I thought the grapefruit really complemented it and I personally liked the dish a lot.

Grant: Grapefruit is a disgusting fruit. It can die.

Beth: You can die.

Grant: I thought the Scallops were a much better second option. They were huge and smothered in this delicious brown sauce. They also had small bits of braised pork, which is delightful.

Beth: Okay, I agree. Not (!) that it was a better dish, but that it was good.

Grant: The Tuna, Mac and Cheese, and Jasmine Tea Glazed Halibut all came at once after the first two. The meal really got good about...here.

Beth: I thought the dishes before were good, I don't know what your problem was.

Grant: Other than the grapefruit abomination I was happy. I'm just saying it got really good here.

Beth: You barely noticed the grapefruit. I really liked the tuna -- it was one of my favorites.

Grant: Tuna done right is just so tasty. It's such a good piece of fish. This one was crusted in sea salt and the flavor was so unique, and it came with this slightly green, nondescript pasta that really went well with it.

Beth: The halibut was my least favorite. The coconut tamarind mixed with jasmine tea just made a weird taste.

Grant: This was slightly better in my opinion than the hamachi, but it really didn't taste right. Not bad, just odd. Maybe the chef has a different taste -- I just didn't get it. The mac and cheese was right up there with the tuna for me. I was sold when I saw peas in the menu -- I just love the way the peas fit in with their subtle taste and crunch. One of my favorite dishes growing up was this macaroni/tuna/pea casserole. I could eat piles of it.

Beth: I liked the dessert. The ice cream was awesome. It was a flavor I've never tasted in my life -- sweet and creamy.

Grant: Honestly, when I read "caramel balsamic ice cream" I was a bit worried. Sounds like something you put on bread at an Italian restaurant.

The Yummers Wrap-Up

We really liked Chive overall. When service picked up they were on for the rest of the time. It's a hard restaurant to recommend slightly, because the format is such that you pay a lot of money for very little food. The food itself is excellent, but the portions are a bit lacking. The only one that didn't leave us wanting more (portion wise) was the mac and cheese. Everything else was a bit skimpy. We know less is trendy, but sometimes you need to add a bit more to the plate.