Twenty 88 Gourmet Fusion — Restaurant in Camarillo

My husband ordered a take out from Twenty 88 this week (6/8/22) desiring an exquisite dinner after a long day. Total cost of three dishes including tax $99.74: 14oz Rib-eye at $62, wedge salad at $15, egg rolls w goat cheese at $16.

In a nutshell, what a disastrous food and customer experience!

The steak to start with was the worst we had ever come across in a restaurant. Not even worth $30, a thin (not even 1/2" thick) and flavorless piece of meat from the stove. A big clump of fat In the middle, not the typical marbling that makes a rib-eye special. When picking up the meat with the fork, the piece of meat fell apart, so thin it was.

The mashed potatoes had no flavor of garlic as claimed by the menu and was missing any creaminess. The beans had simply been blanched in water, decent bite but also here no flavor. Bottom line, a carelessly chosen and cooked $62 (!!) take-out steak.

The wedge salad looked initially presentable. However, the reason why my husband had chosen this was because of the bacon. Bacon was barely anywhere found in that salad.

By that time (remind you, dish number two that had disappointed!), the goat cheese egg rolls were left. Now, they were ok but nothing special to go back for either, and I'd say they were surely overpriced at $16. My husband ended up eating those and left the other two items untouched but for trying the taste.

To top this subpar food experience, the next day I went with the items back to the restaurant to complain and get our money back. Two restaurant managers got involved (male - Anthony, female - Bertha H.) and when they saw the steak they not only asked me what was wrong with it, which sounded like "I don't see what you see", the female explained to me that a big fat clump is normal for a rib eye and when fresh it could come this way. When questioning how thin the steak was, she basically told me that yes, that is a 14oz steak, which to this moment we can't believe. Nothing but being defensive. The opposite of what you would expect from experienced customer service agents.

After this these two people left me alone for a moment, went inside and I assume started discussing "our case". Maybe 5 mins had passed, the male Manager finally came back out and told me they would reimburse the steak. So, I asked "what about the salad"? The manager looked at it and immediately stated nothing was wrong with it. Well, he didn't even want to hear what I had to say about the salad.

The manager apologized for the experience but it was blatantly obvious in demeanor and tone of voice how disingenuous that statement was. Nothing but a platitude.

So bottom line, I left that restaurant and after refund we had paid $33 for egg rolls. Unbelievable!!!

Needless to say, we certainly will never go back to this place and if this is the best of what Camarillo has to offer, lord help me, but people are getting exploited at this location.

If you are a foodie like we are, don't go here. Continue to take a ride to Ojai, Westlake Village or Los Angeles for an excellent food and a courteous customer experience that's worth your money!

To close off, if I can find another review platform where I can post the entire video of the subpar food quality, I will. Thank you...

Purple Yoda is a craft cocktail currently on the menu. The aroma is blueberry forward. It has light flavors of blueberry yet the alcohol is not overpowering. It has an intense play of sweet and sour. Rating: 4/5

Blvd Crispy Calamari is seasoned and lightly breaded, fried, and served with lemon garlic aioli and spicy arrabiata sauce. You won’t believe that it’s gluten free. The breading is reminiscent of panko bread crumbs and is light and crispy. The calamari is marinated overnight so it is as tender as can be. Both sauces work well with the calamari so have fun with the flavors. Rating: 5/5

Wild Mushroom Chicken is oven roasted chicken breast topped with wild mushroom and thyme pan jus, served with garlic mashed potatoes and sautéed spinach. The presentation is a stunner with the look of pan roasted duck complete with Frenched wing bone. The chicken breast is tender and juicy, but the star of the dish is the pan jus. It brings all of the elements of the dish to life and is similar to a Madera sauce in both taste and texture. Rating: 3/5

Sea Scallops with Lobster Risotto is golden pan seared scallops atop lobster and asparagus risotto with blood orange beurre blanc. Another stunning presentation with beautiful colors. The scallops are cooked to perfection with sweet flavor and tender like butter. The lobster risotto is decadent with big pieces of lobster. The blood orange beurre blanc worked well with the scallops with its creamy citrus flavor. Rating: 4.9/5

Delmonico Steak is a 14 oz. bone-in ribeye steak topped with herbed butter, served with loaded mashed potatoes, asparagus spears, and smoke horseradish demi sauce. The herbed butter truly brings out the beefy flavor of the steak. The steak is tender even at a medium temperature. The loaded mashed potatoes are amazing! The mashed potatoes have a garlic flavor which works well with the cheese, sour cream, and chive toppings. Rating: 4.3/5

Chai Tea Crème Brulee (flavors change so check with server if available) is a one-of-kind flavor experience. It had a creamy texture like crème brulee should have. It had a pleasant chai tea aroma and flavor....

Twenty88 is an excellent restaurant for special occasions. The prices are a bit high for the area, but the food is delicious, and portions are quite large. Staff were friendly, professional and attentive.

My wife and I had the wedge salad, their (limited-time) French onion soup, a mussels starter, the scallops and the rub eye steak. The wedge salad was fresh, crispy and well balanced. The soup was some of the best French onion I've had - none of the ingredients overwhelmed the others, and the saltiness was perfect. The mussels were stewed with marinara, chorizo and white beans, served in the shell in a pot with lots of delicious creamy - and a touch spicy from the chorizo - tomato broth at the bottom. It homes with a little piece of garlic bread dipped in the juices. Sooo delicious.

The scallops were seared perfectly and served on top of a bed of lobster risotto. I normally don't like risotto, but I tried my wife's and ended up begging for more. The risotto was creamy with a little citrus touch, big chunks of lobster and small chunks of vegetables. It was balanced nicely between light and rich.

The steak was good. It was clearly cooked on a griddle and, since I declined all the steak add-ons, didn't have any special seasoning. I think it would have been better with some herb butter or one of the other toppers, but it was a quality cut off meat cooked to the requested temperature, so no complaints. The mashed potatoes were great - lots of butter! The mixed veggies were broccolini, green beans and carrots. The pieces were pretty big and were cooked just right, so they had a decent crunch.

We didn't want any alcohol, so we went for a strawberry lemonade and a blackberry-mint lemonade. Delicious! These beverages were not too sweet and had great fresh fruit flavors, not like syrups at all. I'm guessing the cocktails are really good here and will make sure to test that theory next visit.

Overall, I really enjoyed Twenty88 and will be back...