Lei Lounge: Romantic ambience in University Heights

Lei Lounge--4622 Park Blvd., San Diego, CA (619) 813-2272.  www.leilounge.com.

On Thursday night Toni and I went to Lei Lounge in San Diego's University Heights neighborhood.  Lei is a hip, little place with a really cool atmosphere that emphasizes small plates.  And though a look at their website might raise the fear of a high douche factor, (for instance, they offer hookah service.) I have been there three or four times now and they have generally been friendly and pretty laid back.

The front of the restaurant is the bar.  It is narrow and has been cramped and loud every time that I have been there.  Tonight was not different; we had to squeeze/push our way through to get to the hostess stand.  But then when you get through the bar, the dining area is wholly different.  Even though it is fairly narrow, it feels wide.  First of all it is outside.  Though you are surrounded with buildings there is no roof.  Along the sides is banquette seating around gas powered fire pits and semi-private huts.  The table seating is elegant and pretty comfortable even though it is fairly close together.  The music is generally hypnotic, repetitive indie sounding stuff that is not intrusive.  Along the side of one building they project groovy patterns to go along with the music, like you might see at a dance club.  The lighting is subdued and pleasant.  Also, smoking is allowed in the dining area, with ashtrays provided on request.  I actually haven't seen may people smoking outside during dinner hours.

We requested a table for two.  I thought the hostess made a skeptical face and acted like it might be a problem.  Toni says its the same hostess that has accommodated us before, on a busy Saturday night when we didn't have a reservation.  Toni says she was fine.  As it was, there were lots of open tables, but the hostess mentioned something about a large party coming in.  When we were there, it stayed about half full and no large party ever materialized.  As it was, we were seated and only waited a minute.

We noticed one change from the last time that we had been there;  the servers were mostly women now, whereas before the large majority had always been men. [Really cute men, in tight, white outfits--T.]

We ordered drinks.  I wasn't feeling adventurous so I had a Maker's Mark, neat.  The server knew what that meant, not all do, and I view it as a plus.  Toni got a Madrid Mojito, containing liqueur 43, crushed pineapple, rum, mint, simple syrup, topped with soda.  Both of the drinks were in the $8.00 range.  After we got our drinks, we noticed that the table wobbled annoyingly.  Toni fixed it with a folded up piece of paper.

Lei does offer entrees but mostly tapas or small plates.  Toni ordered a chicken quesadilla (brie cheese, grapes, topped with sour cream and cilantro pesto and a side of strawberries.) for $11.00.  Toni said that this dish was perfect, unexpectedly well-balanced, with the sweetness of the strawberries nicely juxtaposed with the flavor of the brie and the cilantro.  She also ordered the asparagus basmati risotto ($5) which she enjoys, but I don't like simply because of the flavor. 

The spring roll sampler

To share we got the spring roll sampler ($16), which comes with eight spring rolls, two philly  cheese steak, two southwest chicken, two asparagus and shitake, and two lobster.  These came with three different dipping sauces, sour cream, avocado, and salsa.  The sauces were tartar, ketchup, and something that tasted like spicy ketchup.  The food runner brought the dish without telling us what was what, which was rather inconvenient.  We muddled through as best as we could.  The spring rolls themselves were very crispy, delicate, and delicious--very nicely done.

I got a petite filet mignon ($16) that came with bleu cheese infused mashed potatoes and a tomato salad and a side of  A1 sauce.  The steak was about 4oz and well prepared, though it did have a big hunk of gristle, which I don't care for when I am eating a filet.  The potatoes were delicious, but the consistency was lumpy and thin.  The salad was good--it's hard to mess up tomatoes, onions, and pepper.  Lastly, I got the giant Sicilian meatball ($5).  This was the biggest disappointment of the evening.  It started promisingly enough; it was a meatball completely surrounded by what looked like a ball of Parmesan encrusted rice and a piece of garlic bread.  However, the meatball was burnt--it was the color of rye bread all the way through and so hard that I couldn't hardly cut it with a steak knife.  I sent it back and did not have another go at it.

the petite filet mignon

We did not get dessert today.  On a previous occasion, I remember not being impressed with the dessert menu, but getting the donuts, which came in Chinese restaurant takeout carton and were good.

Toni feels the drink menu deserves more mention.  It features the aloe vera collins--vodka, aloe vera juice (good for digestion), lemon, simple syrup, and 7-Up;  Toni's favorite, the Gorgeous Geisha--strawberry liqueur, lychee juice, topped with champagne; and Tokyo Bubbles-- sparkling sake, mangosteen juice, and simple syrup.  They have about 20-25 signature drinks listed, and all run $8.50.  None of the drinks that I've seen are big.  The one's I've seen are served in highball sized glasses.

Also according to Toni, Lei has a romantic vibe that makes a regular night out special.

So one our rating scale--Toni gives Lei a rating of GREAT, while I come in more cautiously at GOOD.  I have gotten a few dishes here that weren't quite up to par, but overall they do a very good job here.

Baja Betty's--Most fabulous Mex in Hillcrest

Toni chowing down at Baja Betty's

Baja Betty's--1421 University Avenue, San Diego, CA 92103.  (619) 269-8510, http://www.bajabetty.com/.

Of all the restaurants that we've tried since coming to San Diego, we have come back to Baja Betty's the most, because we love the fun and fabulous atmosphere [I think the waiters are cute--Toni] and the food is delicious as well.  So last Tuesday, which is a big day for Mexican food in San Diego with every Mexican joint in town running 'taco Tuesday' specials, we went to Baja Betty's to review it.

Arriving at seven-ish, we had to wait for about ten minutes for our table.  Everytime that we have been to Baja Betty's there has been a wait, but it has never been longer than twenty minutes and usually closer to ten.  

The first thing that strikes you when you walk into Baja Betty's is the multitude of balloons in the shapes of male and female genitalia, tied to tables and floating around near the ceiling.  They have some patio seating where smoking is allowed and is where to sit if you want to be seen by whomever happens to be walking around Hillcrest--a Rogue's Gallery, but in a good way.  The interior seating is ample with basically three dining rooms and a bar decorated like a tiki hut.  The decor is loud and colorful and the volume is also generally quite loud.  People just seem to be happy in Baja Betty's and so laughter and loud conversation is typical, all backed up by awesome eighties music and some club music.

We were seated and our waiter, Brad from Scottsdale, Arizona [Adorable!--Toni] watered both of us without being asked, something that fewer servers seem to do in a lot of restaurants thses days.  He brought us chips, which were fresh, crispy, and not greasy; and Baja Betty's always fresh and a little spicy salsa.  He was very friendly; he called me, 'Babe,' and Toni was 'Angel.'  Once he got know us, he offered us a hot salsa that we had never tried in our previous visits there--very, very spicy, but good--smooth with a pleasant, garlic aftertaste. 

We looked over the drink menu.  Baja Betty's specializes in tequila.  The menu lists 101 tequila choices.  A Margarita Casa is $7.00.  [Their drinks are delicious and always pretty strong--T.]  Other drinks are the Skinny Betty, Surfer on Acid shot, the Me So Horni (A 36 ounce margarita monstrosity for $16.50) and the Teabag Sr.  Baja Betty's also boasts tequila tastings on the first Saturday of every month from 3pm to 5pm.  Toni ordered a Kick Ass margarita [It was awesome!]  and I had a Casa margarita, also very good.

Chi Chi Chicken Chipoltle

We were in a chicken mood.  Toni got Senorita Sally's Soft Taco dinner, two soft chicken tacos with onions and cilantro and Spanish rice for $11.99 [It comes with beans, but she doesn't like the beans--E.].  I got the Chi Chi Chicken Chipotle, char broiled chicken served with three kinds of bell peppers, onions, and a creamy chioptle sauce over rice and beans for $12.95.  One thing that always impresses both of us about Baja Betty's is the cleanliness of the resaturant and the freshness of the food. 

Our food came. The only complaint that I had from the day, was I got black beans instead of the refried beans that I ordered. [You didn't tell the waiter and give him an opportunity to fix it!--T] [Because he was being so nice, I didn't want to bother him with a trifle, my food was great, really--E.]  [I didn't know about it until right now.  You didn't tell me because you knew I would have told him.  He was so great and would have brought you more--T]  Despite that, my food was great and Toni, who often takes half of her food home for the next day, cleaned her plate.

The phallic dessert

After we ate, Brad decided it was Toni's birthday and brought us a celebratory dessert--a deep-fried bannana, with two scoops of vanilla ice cream and some whipped cream.  In this case, presentation was everything.  The scoops of ice-cream were positioned like balls for the bannana shaft, and the whip cream--well, you get the picture. [It came to the table and I squealed 'OOH a penis!' --T.] Since I am allergic to bannanas, but Toni doesn't eat a lot of ice cream--it made the perfect dessert.

So how much did three drinks and two entrees (the dessert doesn't count.) run us?  Just around $45.00.  Not at all bad for good food in a really fun environement where the service is always good, the food fresh and tasty, and the people very friendly.  We liked it all.

I'm being informed by my partner in writing that they have a sister restaurant--Urban Mo's Bar and Grill [With a drag show that is supposed to be to die for--T.]--also in Hillcrest, but we have yet to go there.  Oh and they own Gossip Grill, I'm told.  They probably own more of which I am unaware.

Oh, Baja Betty's also has a great Sunday Brunch--I recommend it.

On our rating scale both of us give Baja Betty's and enthusiastic GREAT for the overall good times and good food.