Our last group dinner in San Diego was, of course, arranged and planned for by Vivi (event planner extraordinare). While I generally am not huge fan of restaurants in hotels, they can be good options in cities that aren't flush with a plethora of fancy options like NYC, SF or even Chicago. Similar to the Poseidon, Chandler's is all about the location and views. It's got a lovely view of the beach and palm trees, so get there right before the sun sets. Vivi had reserved the back section along with the fire pit, so we started the night with some cocktails by the fire while watching the sunset. It doesn't really get any better than that.
Once we were warmed up, we started with a few pre-ordered appetizers: ceviche, burrata and heirloom tomatoes, crispy calamari and shrimp, and a cheese plate. These were the exact appetizers I would have chosen to try if I had ordered on my own - this is when you know you are in good company! I went straight for the ceviche and it was surprisingly well done. It was a combination of halibut, prawns, bay scallops, cucumber, hearts of palm, red onion, sweet peppers and lime with the perfect amount of acidity. It was also a decently sized dish, so I could have seen myself eating it as a main entree too. Next I tried the burrata and heirloom tomatoes and that was a winning dish too. What I love about eating in California is the abundance of delicious heirloom tomatoes. It's one of the best things to eat in the summer time and pairing it with a smooth creamy burrata is one of my a favorite things to eat. The calamari was a standard dish although I was a bit disappointed that the pieces they used for it were on the small side and the shrimp was more like heavily breaded popcorn shrimp. I didn't end up trying the cheese plate but it looked like a nice spread of artisanal cheese, crackers and fruit. There was actually 2 orders of everything so after noshing on all of this none of us were really starving for dinner.
I ended up getting the ahi tuna poke with quinoa appetizer as a main because I had really just been overeating this entire trip and felt like I needed to slow it down and cleanse my palate a bit. The tuna was raw sushi grade tuna served with rainbow quinoa, thai chili aioli, cucumber, seaweed, lime and ponzu. It was exactly what I was looking for - light, refreshing and simple. The fish had a nice clean taste to it and overall it felt like a really healthy dish to have after a weekend of stuffing my face with chips, churros and tacos.
While I don't know what the San Diego/Carlsbad restaurant scene is really like, having sunset cocktails and dinner at Chandler's isn't a bad choice. The menu isn't anything mind blowing or super creative but you can easily find something delicious and satisfying to eat while enjoying a cocktail or two. Total bill: N/A - graciously covered for by friends
Photo Credit: Yelp
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