Are there ANY San Diego restaurants with a pre-fix menu???

Question

Just moved here from Washington, DC and I'm looking for a good quality meal, preferably something paired by the chef. Some place that also has a great collection of wines.

Answer 1

You should go to Hawthorns San Diego. A great restaurant with a prix-fixe menu. It located in North Park on University Avenue. The food is great. They have two options the Prix Fixe or DINNER FOR TWO. I recommend the DINNER FOR TWO. I included a link to the prix-fixe and to the Dinner for 2. Enjoy!

The following is the current Three Course Prix Fixe Menu
Served from 5pm-6pm Monday-Thursday
(Except on Theatre Nights*):

First Course:
Choice of: Duck Soup or Caesar Salad

Second Course:
Choice of: Salmon, Chicken, or Chateaubriand Tamales

Third Course:
Dessert: Crème Brulée

$25 (CANNOT BE COMBINED WITH ANY OTHER COUPON OR OFFER)

* See our calendar of events for Theatre schedule

They also have a great DINNER FOR TWO which includes wine for $65 a couple (not including tax and gratuity)

This is there current DINNER FOR TWO Menu
APPETIZERS(choose one to share)

Escargot in a garlic butter sauce or **Spring Rolls, Made with Chicken and/or Vegetables**

ENTREES
(choose one each)

Salmon, Sauteed and served with a curry sauce, shitakes and bok choy

or

Chicken, Stuffed with sauteed mushrooms, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, feta cheese with a white wine sauce
or

Flat Iron Steak, grilled and served with a dried cranberry, port wine reduction sauce

or

**Fusilli Pasta, tossed with green olives, tomatoes, mushrooms,
capers and onions in a white wine garlic butter**

**denotes vegetarian**

DESSERTS
(choose one to share)

Creme Brulée or Three Layer Chocolate Mousse Cake

BOTTLE OF WINE
(choice of)

Red Rock Merlot, California
delicious, approachable and smooth with flavors of
ripe cherry, blueberry and a hint of spice
with a very long finish
or
Frei Brothers Chardonnay, Sonoma
crisp citrus and tropical fruit character
with good clean acidity and no oak

Answer 2

Island Prime is my favorite new restaurant in San Diego. Run by local celebrity chef Debra Scott, it has excellent wines and some of the best food. It is located on Harbor Drive, overlooking the San Diego harbor and downtown (an understatement - the harbor is really more like an excension of the restaurant).
The menu is not pris-fix, but this meets your other criteria, and has exceeded all of my expectations each time I have dined there (as recently as two nights ago with a large delegation from Sweden who we REALLY wanted to impress!)

Answer 3

Yes, there are many San Diego restaurants with prix fixe menus. Here are some of my favorites:

Laurel (Mediterranean cuisine - I love the seared ahi)
505 Laurel St.
San Diego, CA
http://www.sdurbankitchen.com/laurelrestaurant.html
$55/person 3-course tasting menu with wine

Tapenade Restaurant (French - my favorite - foie gras to die for)
7612 Fay Ave
La Jolla, CA
http://www.tapenaderestaurant.com/menu.cfm?menuid=5
$86-92/person for food+wine tasting menu

Roy's (Hawaiian - the chocolate souffle is amazing, the mac nut tart not so great IMO)
8670 Genesee Ave
San Diego, CA 92122
http://roysrestaurant.com/prixfixemenu.asp
Around $30 (I think - the last time I went was 3 months ago) prix fixe menu for food only (no wine included)

You can also try this restaurant, which other San Diegans like but which isn't one of my favorites:

The Marine Room (Californian)
2000 Spindrift Dr
La Jolla, CA
http://www.ljbtc.com/files/MRChefstablemenu.pdf
$175/pp with food+wine (BUT for 6-12 guests only)

Tapenade would be my first choice, Roy's the most casual out of all the four listed, and Laurel my second choice. Happy eating! (and welcome to San Diego)