4340 La Jolla Village Drive
La Jolla, CA
(858) 450-6666
www.donovanssteakhouse.com
Let me get this straight: I do not dine at places like Donovan often. I am a struggling college student, preferring to spend her part-time earnings on cheap eats and clothes instead. HOWEVER, I warranted my boyfriend's birthday a very special occasion and wanted to take him somewhere special. Fine dining + steakhouse = Donovan's! I made reservations via Open Table, careful to include "it is my boyfriend's birthday!" on the special notes section. On the special day, I took him to Donovan's.
His mouth literally dropped when I parked outside the restaurant. It dropped further when we stepped up to the door and discovered a door leading into a room --- with just another door! (Yes, I know the rest of you may not find this very fascinating, but this is our first fine dining experience other than House of Prime Rib in San Francisco! Give us a break.)
Once inside, we were greeted by a friendly hostess who assured us our seats would be ready in a few minutes, and also wished my boyfriend a happy birthday. It did indeed only take a few minutes, and soon we were lead into a small, intimate part of the room.
I'll cut down to the chase: our server Bobby was conversational, friendly, and very helpful. I ordered the Prie Fixe meal ($45 for appetizer, entree, and dessert), and my boyfriend ordered the 16 oz. NY Steak ($61). I changed my order to the Prie Fixe Meal after hearing the Soup du Jour -- some carrot ginger soup with crab meat, avocado, and won ton strips.
1. Soup du Jour - (as described above): simply the best soup I have ever consumed in my entire life. I've had lobster bisque at other restaurants and the flavor was always too overwhelming for me to finish. Not here! The soup was absolutely delicious, especially accompanied by the crab meat and won ton strips. I scraped every last piece off my bowl.
2. Twin Prime Rib Medallions: as steak should be. Tender, juicy, and flavorful with every bite. Cooked just how i want it -- medium rare.
3. Cheesecake - fluffy and delicious, not too sweet. Best cheesecake I've had aside from the Cheesecake Factory.
4. Boyfriend's NY Steak: the thing certainly LOOKED like 16 oz. Not bad, but I liked my steak better. :)
All the servers/staff we encountered also made a note to wish my boyfriend a happy birthday. :)
They also gave us creme brulee as it was my boyfriend's birthday! Not the mini, bite-sized bowl of creme brulee either -- the thing was humongous. Even though I was breathing heavilly and struggling to chew, I put every last spoonful in my mouth. Hands down the best creme brulee I have ever eaten in my life. A thick, caramel top..I am salivating as I type this.
The check came out to be $140 including tax and tip. Worth every penny for a meal like this, on top of excellent service! The staff will certainly cater to their guests and ensure a delightful meal. If only I was a big baller and had the opportunity to come more often...*sigh.
Showing posts with label steak. Show all posts
Showing posts with label steak. Show all posts
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Don't Worry, It's Not Really A Strip Club: La Jolla Strip Club (San Diego, CA)
4282 Esplanade Court
San Diego, CA 92122
(858) 450-1400
lajollasteak.com
My friend lured me with the prospect of a $10 10 oz. steak accompanied with garlic bread and salad. "$10 for a steak?!" I thought to myself, "What a deal!" So I agreed to meet her and her friends at La Jolla Strip Club.
Service was extremely slow as it took a while for someone to get our order; we flagged several people down who each hastilly hurried away with a reassurance someone would "soon be with us". At long last, someone took our order~ my friend and I split a 10 oz "grill your own steak" and the Lobster Truffle Mac and Cheese (happy hour $7!)
Service continued to crawl by -- why did a few drinks take so long to get? Why did uncooked steak and garlic bread take so long to reach us? After 25-30 minutes of waiting, we finally had to get our food, which yes, we had to make ourselves.
The plus part is that the salad and garlic bread seemed to be unlimited - we asked for more and our waitress happily gave it to us. She was also very friendly and helpful for the moments she did tend to us.
And so we cooked our own steak; pretty cool how there is seasoning on the side to sprinkle on the steak. After I cooked mine to a medium rare, I plopped it down on my plate with my garlic bread to try. It wasn't anything exceptional--I've had better steak at other places-- and tasted like steak I could purchase at a nearby grocery store. But the garlic bread and salad were pretty good.
This place is definitely not worth it at their regular prices and not in big groups either (gratuity of 18%). But otherwise if you want to give it a go with a small party or with one other person it's a little fun. I DO want to go back to try the porterhouse steak (20 oz) because it looks huge!
San Diego, CA 92122
(858) 450-1400
lajollasteak.com
My friend lured me with the prospect of a $10 10 oz. steak accompanied with garlic bread and salad. "$10 for a steak?!" I thought to myself, "What a deal!" So I agreed to meet her and her friends at La Jolla Strip Club.
Service was extremely slow as it took a while for someone to get our order; we flagged several people down who each hastilly hurried away with a reassurance someone would "soon be with us". At long last, someone took our order~ my friend and I split a 10 oz "grill your own steak" and the Lobster Truffle Mac and Cheese (happy hour $7!)
Service continued to crawl by -- why did a few drinks take so long to get? Why did uncooked steak and garlic bread take so long to reach us? After 25-30 minutes of waiting, we finally had to get our food, which yes, we had to make ourselves.
The plus part is that the salad and garlic bread seemed to be unlimited - we asked for more and our waitress happily gave it to us. She was also very friendly and helpful for the moments she did tend to us.
And so we cooked our own steak; pretty cool how there is seasoning on the side to sprinkle on the steak. After I cooked mine to a medium rare, I plopped it down on my plate with my garlic bread to try. It wasn't anything exceptional--I've had better steak at other places-- and tasted like steak I could purchase at a nearby grocery store. But the garlic bread and salad were pretty good.
This place is definitely not worth it at their regular prices and not in big groups either (gratuity of 18%). But otherwise if you want to give it a go with a small party or with one other person it's a little fun. I DO want to go back to try the porterhouse steak (20 oz) because it looks huge!
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