Lilian's — Restaurant in California

We went here to celebrate two birthdays on a Sunday night for dinner. The menu seems like it was created by one of the kids from "Master Chef Jr.". The four of us were seated quickly and we didn't get actual menus for another 5 minutes. Then someone (not the waitress) came by about 5 minutes later and took drink orders. We got waters right away. Then we got our drinks about 10 minutes later. Then our actual waitress got there. She was nice, but the service overall wasn't great at this price point! We ordered our appetizers and entree's right then. The first appetizer came out about 15 minutes later and it was Salmon Crudo.(so approximately 35 minutes BEFORE we had any food to eat!? Had 8 SMALL pieces of Salmon total with a small portion of caviar. Probably costed around $8.00 to make and it was probably the best thing we had 7 out of 10. (at $26.00, not worth it) Then the lamb chop appetizer came out like 5 minutes later.. 3 decent size lamb chops that were EXTREMELY rare! The sauce was good, but didn't have a heart to send back as we were hungry now. ($26 for 3 small chops-not worth it and under $10 retail to make IMO) THEN finally the entree's about 25-30 minutes later. We had the Lobster Frites and 3 of us had the PRIME Filets and we shared the Brussel sprouts, spinach, mushrooms and carrots. The steaks were good, but not great at $57 each ala carte! (Again for 8 ounces, retail cost $15-20 each for Prime) The sides were only $10.00 each and fairly good quality and preparation. The lobster was OK, but they put the fries UNDER the entire lobster!? Therefore the fries tasted fishy and soggy. We have been here at the old restaurant and it was a lot better. This menu is very limited and there's not enough decent appetizers and/or entree's. IF you have USDA PRIME filet mignon, WHY would you serve a REGULAR cut of Ribeye on the same menu? This reminds me of Aviara in Carlsbad. They had a great steak restaurant called Argyle with a great menu/service/everything. Then someone came up with the idea of hiring a celebrity chef (Richard Blais) and changing everything and the menus were similar to this one. Then they completely revamped and the menu and everything else is great now. I think Lillian's needs to do the same thing on their dinner menu. Only two of us had two drinks each and a coke. Worst over $400 meal I think I have ever had. If your going to charge these prices (and that's fine in RSF or LaJolla), take after the Pony Room and have a better selection/menu/value? Sorry to ramble on, but we were highly...

An HOUR wait for our two entrees…. When only 3 other tables were taken up (not rush hour at all). Our reservation was at 2pm, we were sat early, at 3pm we were barely getting served. The food was mid at best. The Monterey bay salmon tastes 100% farm raised and it was borderline undercooked. The carrots weren’t cooked all the way through either. The steak though was overcooked. When the waiter came later, he snarkily asked if we wanted the check without asking if we wanted dessert. Oh and $30 for what looked like a kid’s failed arts and craft project (Lilian’s wonderland) which tasted pretty bad too. The only redeeming thing was the caramel that comes with the beignet. I have to say, my expectations were high. Upon arrival, the setting is lovely. The decor is great. The hostess was so nice and inviting. It’s in a very affluent area and in a reputed resort. The reviews seemed great online etc etc. But it didn’t even meet basic expectations… in terms of service or quality of food. In the end, the atmosphere is all it has going for it. We live in the area and I was really hoping this would be one of our regular go-tos but I’m sad to say we will not be coming...

Where to start?!

Cocktails! Shaken and stirred to perfection. The wine list is also beautifully edited and with a nice selection of reasonably priced wines.

The options to start have generous seafood portions: the warm crab salad, the octopus, also the flavors were distinct but harmonized beautifully in the dishes like the pecking duck tostada. The lamb chops were marinated to perfection too.

We didn’t order to 2lb lobster but it looked amazing!

The main course that was super stand out for me, were the scallops. But I love scallops and they had the perfect crust and meaty deliciousness.

Skipping to desert: the Wonderland is a decadent and delightful dessert! How fun was the impressively creative display of delicious chocolate, ice cream, merengue, golden fruits and berries!

We’ll definitely be back! Important to note the service is exceptional...