09/13/08

Must try!

by Poppet

After reading about the popularity of this restaurant and the need to book two days in advance, I was suprised to find the restaurant almost empty...course, it was a Wednesday evening. Still, that just meant better service for us! Everything was top notch - absolutely delicious food, attentive service and good music completed the ambiance.

You won't be disappointed if you try this restaurant - though I'm not a popcorn person, even that was phenomenal!

• Pros: Comfortable banquettes, phenomenal food and drink, attentive service, lovely ambiance
• Cons: Unfortunately, no view of the water

08/27/08

Trendy Design, Excellent Staff and Delectable Food!

by anc0065

I have visited San Diego a few times, and Blanca has by far been my favorite restaurant. As soon as you walk into Blanca, visitors are aesthetically pleased by well-done interior. Diners can either choose to sit in the lounge or fine dining area. Blanca is a preferable choice for either dates or if visitors coming in with a group from the races at Del Mar! Blanca definitely defines class without being too stiff. The staff is friendly, professional and experienced. The talented chef welcomed us with samples, and offers a diverse menu. I had the bacon-wrapped scallops, which I highly recommend. Guests will also be pleased with wine and cocktail options. My watermelon mojito was fresh and delicious. Blanca is moderately priced, and worth every single penny. I would definitely make Blanca your next restaurant visit!

05/25/08

Blanca Delivers

by fatgirl2000

My wife and I went to Blanca to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Fine dining is a rare occasion for us, and Blanca did not disappoint. I'm probably not the right person to notice if the sommelier rotated the bottle in the correct direction when pouring, nor am I someone who would be 100% comfortable with that waiter following me around holding my napkin for me. But I can tell you that the Blanca wait staff was extremely friendly and attentive, and that the food was amazing. We ordered the Chef's Tasting Menu, which really hit-the-mark in that each successive course kept us wanting more (from a quantity perspective), but left us completely satisfied at the end of the well-rounded, complimentary-yet-themed meal. Yes, we had our favorites (squash blossom soup), and not-so-favorites (crispy petaluma quail). But I think that the whole point of this little culinary adventure was to identify new and interesting flavor profiles that really worked for us. Blanca delivered on this objective, and we plan to return. Note - I recommend reserving a booth when planning for more intimate conversation, as the central tables seemed to be filled with larger parties and a little more "celebration and bustle".

05/18/08

Worst dining experience of my life...seriously.

by SeasonedDiners

To sum it up: a nice idea with a horrible execution. You have a decor following the latest trend of the Standard Hotel in LA paired with an excellent chef and superb menu. How could it go so very wrong? First of all, the Maitre 'di who is also the Manager, who loosely claims to also be a Sommelier is a rude, clueless blowhard with no apparent people skills or service experience whatsoever. Secondly, the waiters work so hard to pressure-upsell you on everything that you soon feel like you are at a used car lot. If anything goes wrong, don't expect any apologies from any of the staff, least of all the faux-sommelier Manager. You will probably be told it was somehow your own fault. Somebody please just close this place down and start over with something ANYTHING else.

02/24/08

Excellent Food

by rnakawat

My wife booked this restaurant via opentables. The parking lot is crowded, but there is valet parking available right in front of the restaurant for $3.00.

I ordered the Kobe Flat Iron Steak and my wife got the Day Boat Scallops. We shared Truffle Fries and Cauliflower soups Everything was excellent and I would definitely get the fries and soup again.

• Pros: Excellent Food
• Cons: Parking, Ice Tea was 4.75 per bottle.

07/03/07

More than just a pretty face, this swanky Solana Beach restaurant serves a top-notch local seafood menu, too.

by Erin Chambers

The Scene
Where do the beautiful people dine? Just off South Highway 101 at the new little black dress of North County hot spots. Sleek, modern design belies the beachfront location, which wooed renowned Michael Mina-trained chef Wade Hageman all the way from Vegas. The swift, expert service is the kind San Diego's fine dining scene has always lacked, if only because of its youth. Cheers to growing up. Seasonal items like the flash-grilled Hamachi with watermelon ponzu rotate on and off the selection list daily depending the freshest available fish and produce. Prices do reach arm-and-a-leg levels, but seafood is flown in daily, and the chef himself has his hand on every delectable dish, from sake-marinated cod to foie-gras-topped filet. And the strawberry shortcake is only better than the pot-de-creme in the way that a Boardwalk address trumps Park Place in Monopoly. You'd be lucky to enjoy either one.

12/11/06

divine....simply divine...

by lunatig

The food was exceptional. Our waiter was very helpful, I had difficulty deciding on a pinot noir and needed suggestions. He made his recommendation and I was very happy w/ the results. It was a very pleasant experience. The atmosphere were jiving,at times it got a little loud but not overpowering that our conversation was drowned out. The decor was beautiful and creative and the dishes followed suit. I had the maine lobster which was very rich and absolutely amazing. My boyfriend had the aged niman rach steak and it was so tender and buttery. Our friend had the scallops and she sang praises of her dish as well. Overall it was great. It is a little more on the expensive side but for a special occasion it was well worth it. And we were glad that we found this place. It is very comparable to the exceptional fine dining we are accostomed to in San Francisco.

• Pros: great wine selection, bar is great, food is divine, service is consistent and helpful
• Cons: can be noisy, book ahead of time, can be packed

11/06/06

Fantastic Service, Amazing Food, WOW!!

by desaiz2

We stopped by on Friday evening at 7:00 and the place was packed. Unfortunately, we had not made any reservations (our mistake). The man at the door told us to have a seat at the bar while "he tries to get us in"!

We were halfway through our drinks when we were told by the hostess that our table was ready. Somehow, magically, the man at the door, who we later found out was the manager and sumalier (wine guy) had made one of the lovely booths' available for the two of us. Our server, Michelle was extremely accomodating and very knowlegable about the menu. When we asked her for recommendations about wine pairing she refered us to the manager/sumalier. (Beautiful business cards, btw)

He inquired about our dinner choices and then asked us if he was at a liberty to pair what he thought was best. We were a little hesitant but decided to indulge. Boy, were we glad! We would have never dared to pair a "Bracheta di Aquy (sp??)" sparkling semi-sweet wine from Italy with a salad. But the bubbly wine and pomegranate vinagrette were an excellent match. With our main course, Filet (for me) and scallop (for my wife), he paired Corbiress (sp??) and white bugundy respectively. Unbelievable!! Never heard of any of the wines or some of the food terms, but Michelle was happy to educate and entertain. For dessert we shared the chocolate sampler (chocolate done four ways on one plate, awesome!!). The wine guy, paired muskat bombsvenis (sp??) and a towkay (sp??)

Sorry, I am ill-literate when it comes to wine. Only thing we know is that just like majically getting a booth on a busy friday night, the wine and food were majically, a match made in heaven. In this case at Blanca!

Excellent evening made even more memorable!

We'll definitely be back for more!

11/06/06

Like eating in an auditorium-NOISY and an uncouth maitre d'

by billntrish

My wife and I decided to try Blanca last Friday night. We had heard so many good things about this establishment and we were looking forward to trying it. We had spent the previous weekend in the Napa Valley and been to several great restaurants there, including the French Laundry. The decor is quite nice, the hostess very pleasant. There are tables and booths, we were seated at a table in the middle of the main dining area. When we arrived, the place was about half full. The waiter was very helpful in describing the entrees as well as helping us to choose a good wine. The wine list is quite extensive but selection of wines by the glass is wanting.

By the time our appetizers had arrived the place was full. We began to notice how noisy it was. The floors are hardwood and the ceilings high with no sound deadening material. To top it off, the booth behind us had one male in a flowered shirt speaking as though he was outside or at a ball park, i.e., quite loudly. My wife and I were seated next to one another and still had difficulty hearing one another when speaking in normal conversational tones. (Neither of us is hearing impaired, I might add). The din never improved.

The food was excellent. No complaints there. The dessert list had only one item that did not contain chocolate or nuts(my wife is allergic to both) so we decided to pass. The waiter thought that this meant that we were not enjoying the place. I told him that the food was fine, just found it a bit noisy and explained the dietary restrictions on the dessert. He sent the maitre d' over. The Maitre d' arrived aqnd chatted briefly. Told us he was from New Jersey and then gave us a plate with 2 small chocolate tarts, each with a rasberry on top of it. I remarked to him that my wife couldn't eat chocolate to which he replied "More for you!". What did I expect from a guy from Jersey?! We paid the bill and left. They need to improve the acoustics and re train their maitre d' .

• Pros: Good food, some interesting presentations
• Cons: VERY NOISY. Less than accomodating maitre d', overpriced for what it was

10/21/06

Awesome Chef!!!

by defitzgerald

Wade is a truly amazing and creative chef. I have had the great pleasure of trying many of his dishes and they have all been outstanding. He is great and you have to go back on a regular basis to see what he continues to come up with.

• Pros: amazing and creative food
• Cons: none