C Level Lounge

So I came out here to San Diego on a trip to visit a friend of mine and to really see what the city has to offer. I had never been to San Diego before, so I did a lot, way too much, research on where the best food was. One of the top restaurants I found was this place, the C Level Lounge. One of the extra highlights of this place was the view of the San Diego Bay. I think that's the name of the bay.

Anyway, we arrived, and luckily got seated right out in the deck area, so we had an absolutely stunning view of the Bay and the city skyline, all lit up. It really was a sight to behold. My stupid picture doesn't even do it justice. So our server came around and we got to work.

I started off with Chef Deborah's Pepita & Sesame Crusted Brie (honey-roasted garlic, jalapeno jelly). I'm pretty sure some of the accompaniments were different back when I was here, compared to the current menu, but what is really important is the fact that the ooey-gooey brie, textured with the sesame seeds, paired with the roasted garlic in a way that I haven't ever had brie before.

If roasted garlic isn't on my next charcuterie board, I'm gonna be very displeased. Pro-tip, though, ask for extra bread. I love eating cheese by itself, but brie? No, it needs to be spread on a carb of some sort.

I also got the chance to sample the Ceviche Verde (shrimp, white fish, jalapeno, cucumber, cilantro, tomato, onion, lime, corn chips). I'm not a huuuge fan of ceviche, but when it comes to ceviches, this one was packed full of seafood, which was very nice. Every corn chip dip I dipped had nice chunks of shrimp and/or fish on it. Very nice.

Pro-tip, use a spoon to spoon the ceviche onto the chip. The vessel they serve it in is too awkward for the corn chips they give you. Not a problem. Just saying.

For my main, I got the Seafood Pasta (fresh linguini, P.E.I. mussels, bay scallops, whitefish, shrimp, creamy marinara sauce, toasted bread crumbs, parmesan tuile). I don't like to sensationalize things, but this was the best seafood pasta I've ever had. Nice, thick linguine, almost bucatini-like. Cooked to just that perfect al-dente.

And the reason it was the best, it was CRAMmed with seafood. Check out the picture. The mussels were big, and none of them were closed. The huge hunk of fish flaked nicely so you could get some in many of your bites. The shrimp was huge and juicy and plump, and not overcooked, a miracle for shrimp this big. Wow. So nice.

I also got the chance to sample the Lobster Mac 'n Cheese (served with local organic greens, candied walnuts & fresh herb vinaigrette). This thing is served looking like a shepherd's pie. A baked, crispy crust all over the top, served in a baking bowl vessel thing. And with a few extra hunks of lobster on top. That was nice. They didn't have to do that.

This thing is so baked that the noodles kind of lose their shape and texture, so you're eating spoonfuls of gluten, cheese, and lobster. Very nice. I do not know if the greens or the walnuts were very useful, but I guess you have to serve something else on the side if you're gonna charge these prices.

Overall, this was my first dinner in San Diego, and it was very successful. Best seafood I've had since I moved away from the Gulf Coast....

Update: 8/21/24 Management of C level sent me a response to my review asking me to contact them by email to discuss the poor food quality and service that we received. So, I emailed them at the link that they provided, and what a surprise, I never heard back from anyone in management. So It seems to me that that's just some automated response that they send out to people who give the restaurant a bad review, and they really don't care about doing anything to fix your bad experience. The only thing I'm upset about is, "Don't send me a response to my review saying to contact your management if you're not gonna follow up with me after I do so. All you did was waste more of my time."

8/15/24 We went to C Level on a Thursday night to help celebrate my sister's birthday. We were a party at 10, so of course we made reservations. We had to eait over 30 minutes beyond our reservation time, but Natasha, the manager gave us complementary drinks to make up for it. Our waiter, Nelson was fantastic. We ordered drinks and appetizers. The calamari was unbelievably good. We ordered our entrees. I don't know who was dressing the salads that night, but every salad that came out was soaking wet. So of course, Natasha once again took care of it, and took it off the bill because they were unedible. I ordered the filet mignon and asked for a side sautéed onions and mushrooms to go with my filet. I never received them, even after reminding Nelson that I never received them. I do have to admit the filet that I got was very tasty and cooked to a perfect medium rare. The mashed potatoes were nothing special and the broccolini was unedible because it was basically raw. I've heard of al dente, but this wasn't even close and I used to cook in a kitchen. And then I found out after we ate that 1 person never received the cocktail that they ordered. The bottom line, it was a wonderful atmosphere, Nelson was a good server, but the food was hit-and-miss. 3 out of 9 people did not enjoy their meal or didn't eat their meal at all because of how it was prepared. The other bright spot was Natasha the manager who took care of the poorly prepared food. In the end, we had good time and my sister, the birthday girl was very happily with her meal, cocktails and key line pie. So that's all that really mattered, that she had a...

I recently had lunch at C Level, and unfortunately, my experience was less than stellar, primarily due to the service we received from our server, Amir A.

We arrived excited for happy hour, eager to try everything on the menu. However, we quickly discovered that the mussels we were looking forward to were only available at market price, which was disappointing since they were listed on the happy hour menu. Amir didn’t offer any alternative options, which felt a bit dismissive.

As we settled in, we noticed our drinks were empty, and Amir made an offhand comment about us drinking too fast. This felt unnecessary and out of place, especially since we were just trying to enjoy our time. After waiting over ten minutes for our food, we checked on the status of our salad, which was the last item we were waiting for. After twenty-four minutes of waiting, we decided to skip it and asked Amir not to add it to our bill.

At one point, one person in our party ordered for the table, and Amir remarked, “Are they just going to watch you eat?” This comment was not only awkward but also made us feel uncomfortable. When we were ready to order our beverages, Amir mentioned he had to drop off water for another table, which made us feel like we were being sidelined despite the restaurant not being busy.

When it came time to pay, we provided two credit cards to split the bill. Amir confirmed he would split it down the middle, but then returned to inform us he had charged it to one card. He asked if he should reverse it and charge it properly, which was frustrating given that he had just verified how we wanted it split minutes earlier.

Overall, the service we received from Amir was disappointing and detracted from what could have been a lovely dining experience. I hope the management takes this feedback to heart, as the food and ambiance have great potential. Here’s hoping for a better experience on...