Restaurant Week San Diego 2014

One thing that I've learned since being back in the USA after more than two years abroad, is that you never really stop traveling. Once you have experienced the feeling of your heart fluttering when you try something for the first time, or go somewhere new, there is no going back.
For that very reason, I have created a list of everything that I must try (food-wise) as well as everything that I must do for the first time while in San Diego so that I never have to lose that feeling and luckily for me, I have made some amazing friends here who feel the same way!
So to begin this post, I just want to thank the lovely Melissa of http://dreamitjustdoit.wordpress.com/ for experiencing restaurant week with me here in San Diego, CA for the first time!

(http://www.sandiegorestaurantweek.com/)

xo Jessica

Restaurant Week San Diego happens twice per year, once in the early fall and again towards the beginning of spring. This year marked the 10th anniversary with more than 180 restaurants participating in the 6 day long foodie extravaganza. 

For those of you who may not be aware of what exactly restaurant week is, let me give you a brief explanation of how it works. Restaurant Week takes place over the course of a week and has dozens or even hundreds of restaurants (depending on the city) which participate in these one-time promotions. Each restaurant offers up a special, prix fixe menu just for the occasion featuring 2-4 courses for an unbeatable price. This year in San Diego, restaurants are offering lunches for as low as USD$10 and dinners for as low as USD$25 at some of the nicest and most sought after restaurants in the city.

Since I am currently saving up for my upcoming trip abroad (to be announced very soon), I opted to try one of the "cheaper" dinners for USD$25. 

Around 7pm on September 25th, Melissa and I caught a "lyft" and headed to downtown San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter for dinner at the Gaslamp Strip Club. Now some of you may be very surprised and a little confused by the name so let me explain. Gaslamp Strip Club is a steakhouse with a very clever name that could either deter you from wanting to try it or make you very curious as to what it's all about. The basic concept of the "strip club" is that you order whichever steak cut you like most (they are famous for their 12oz. New York Strip Steak, hence the name) and then you grill it yourself after adding your choices from their selection of spices and rubs.

(http://www.cohnrestaurants.com/gaslampstripclub)

For Restaurant Week, the Gaslamp Strip Club was serving up an incredible 3-course meal for the low price of just USD$25/person. 

(http://www.sandiegorestaurantweek.com/)

We both ordered a caesar salad to start out with which came already dressed in an overflowing bowl. Once we had polished that off, we ordered our entrees. Torn between the white truffle macaroni and cheese and the bacon & cheese potatoes au gratin, we decided to order one each and share them while we also ate our 12oz new york strip steak (a must if you eat at the "strip club") and garlic bread. Now here is the fun part; your steaks come on a tray with your garlic bread all wrapped up and ready for you to go throw on one of the grills. Next to each grill are instructions for grilling novices (like me) that explain the cooking times for each type of steak as well as how to get the best grill marks. Seasoned with the signature steak rub and some freshly ground black pepper, my steak was sizzling away with the fire dancing around it as it cooked. 

After waiting the recommended 8 minutes of cooking time we checked to make sure our steaks were done and then headed back to the table where our sides were waiting having just come out of the oven. After stuffing ourselves with our amazing entrees and sides, our dessert came. A new york style cheesecake for me and a chocolate mousse cake for Melissa which ended the meal on a high note.

Recommendation: I would definitely recommend this restaurant (and restaurant week) to anyone looking for a fun night out with friends or a cool, unique date night idea. Just keep in mind that it is a 21 and up restaurant. Reservations are not require but are advisable especially on weekends. 

Gaslamp Strip Club

340 5th Avenue

San Diego, CA 92101

(619)231-3140

Website

*UPDATE* Restaurant Week has been extended until October 3rd! If you're in San Diego, definitely check it out before it's over! 

**All photos taken with my iPhone 5 (in terrible low lighting) unless otherwise noted.