San Diego Restaurant Week returns January 19-26, 2020 and offered the perfect excuse to try out a restaurant on my “dying to go” list – The Marine Room! For $60 per person you get an exquisite three course pre-fixe menu at The Marine Room along with the stunning view of the La Jolla shore and impeccable service. Check out their full SDRW menu here: https://www.marineroom.com/menus/restaurant-week
San Diego Restaurant Week does have 180 participating restaurants offering prix-fixe menus, so its a great chance to schedule several meals over the eight days! Across San Diego County, restaurants are offering three-course prix-fixe dinner menus for $20, $30, $40 or $50 per person and/or two-course prix-fixe lunch menus for $10, $15 or $20 per person.
At The Marine Room, there is valet parking available for $10, though we had no problem finding a close street spot. Early birds will appreciate going for a 5pm reservation (and reservations are definitely a must during the busy restaurant week!) and catching the sunset.
As for the SDRW menu, I highly recommend starting with the Signature Maine Lobster Bisque! It is one of their most popular and long standing menu items for good reason – the bisque is absolutely delicious. The flavors are balanced and decadent, accompanied by a pistachio financier (aka a small French almond cake). I also very much enjoyed the Baja Wild Prawns, a cold appetizer served over quinoa and topped with persimmon. The flavors were bright and vivid, and I only preferred the bisque because I tried the cold prawns on a chilly evening!
For your main course, you can choose options like the Icelandic Fjords Natural Salmon, the Plum Wine Braised Kurobuta Pork Cheeks, or the vegetarian Heirloom Carrot Ginger Risotto . I selected the Macadamia Yuzu coated Diver Scallops and was not disappointed! The dish came with bamboo edamame rice, white asparagus, baby mushrooms and edamame along with the three plump diver scallops. The scallops were soft and tender, with the macadamia yuzu coasting giving a nice crust.
You also have the option to upgrade your entree. For an additional $15 you can get even more elevated entree options like their famous Togarashi Seasame Spiced Ahi Tuna or their Center Cut Filet Mignon. We choose to try the Argumes Dill Pollen Basted Lobster Tail, which was heavenly. It came with a flavorful sweet corn cake and served with a boudin blanc.
For dessert, a sweet treat is that you dont have to choose! The San Diego Restaurant Week menu comes with a trilogy of desserts. Chocolate lovers will adore the rich chocolate coffee tart. The blackberry port sorbet with light and refreshing. And the violet liqueur panna cotta was not available for the preview, but the root beer panna cotta they substituted was incredible!
As for value, The Marine Room’s SD Restaurant Week menu is a fantastic deal, one of the best I’ve seen in San Diego!
Another great way to check out The Marine Room is at their High Tide Breakfast (not part of San Diego Restaurant Week). As you can see in the photo above, during high tide, the La Jolla waves crash right into the windows of The Marine Room! To take advantage of this “splash” the High Tide Breakfast offers a fine dining experience next to the waves. Dates include: January 25-26, February 8-9, 22-23, March 7 8. Learn more at https://www.marineroom.com/menus/high-tide-breakfast
