ARLO — Restaurant in San Diego

I would recommend using the address to Town & Country, otherwise it'll take you the back or the side. Go to the light where you see construction with the green drapes over the building. Walk through the front door of the hotel and ARLO is located outside to your left. Or walk through the side of the building where you see the mini mart.

We walked inside ARLO to check in and got seated outside. I love the ambiance, as a local, it has a resort style and transformed this beautiful Friday night into a vacation experience. Our view was of the pool, umbrellas, palm trees and sand area with pits. Very exquisite. Even the decor of ARLO and their table set up and furniture complimented everything. The chairs are heavy but sturdy. If you're wearing shorts, you'll get the weaving marks behind your thighs.

Our 3 courses:

-Lamb meat ball and Pulpo & Passion - the octopus was perfect, not too chewy or burnt. I'm not a fan of lamb but I did take a stab at it and took a bite. The initial taste was okay, it tasted like a curry/tikka Masala spice to me and then the after taste was gamey and not for me.

-Pork belly roll and sea scallops - These two dishes were recommended by the manager and it's legit. The pork belly was really tender rolled up in a spiral. It could add a bit more flavor but overall it was fine. Love the heirloom carrots. The scallops was perfect texture and paired well with the quinoa and the greens.

-Truffle escargot and honey beehive - it's more play on words because there were no snails. Instead it's chocolate truffles on an escargot plate with waffles for dipping. All the chocolate were different and they were not solid truffles but melted. The honey beehive was a pound cake with meringue on the outside. The inside tasted like ice cream. Both of these desserts were average. I was not a fan of either.

The cocktails are so vibrate and worth your money as in alcohol. Unfortunately, I only like sweet drinks and was recommended the Memories of Maui which was perfect. Then I got the Mission Mule, thinking it would taste like other Mules but it was made with rye and that did not go well for me. ARLO graciously took it back and removed the charged. My friend got the Paloma and she also returned that drink. We returned a total of two drinks but we made it up in tip.

At first the servers were very attentive then it got busy and it became less. We ordered wine to compliment our main course but it didn't come out until we were 3/4 done. Dessert took 30 minutes to come out. We got the beehive to experience the flambé and that didn't happen. He kept trying to light it and in the end, we were left with the alcohol taste on the meringue.

For those reasons I knocked down a star but I'm also more critical during COVID. ARLO did a great job wearing their masks and how they touch things but we did observe two occasions that could be practiced better. The busboy refilled our water cups and we weren't comfortable of our glasses being picked up. Would prefer if it was refilled without touching our glasses. Then there was a private party of 30 at 7:30 behind us. There's no party size restrictions for restaurants but we felt our surroundings at risk when the guests were trickling in randomly. Would have preferred for ARLO to set a standard rule to have all guests meet outside at a designated area and get seated when all guests arrive. That way, they all have their masks on and being escorted to their tables. Once seated, they can remove their masks. Instead you got people already seated being distracted and mingling with the new guests arriving....

Sat at the bar for dinner and drinks. Had a cocktail followed by a pour of Cabernet. Nothing to get right or wrong there.

Service was lacking. Guy was pretty standoffish which is fine but I had to ask for everything. He never offered water, I had to ask for a glass, nobody else got one. Never cleared our plates, even after they sat untouched for 15 minutes, never offered a box.. I even had to ask for a pen for the check. We’re easy going but for the “fine dining” pricing it felt like dive bar service. I don’t want to keep asking for attention for basic stuff.

The steak was disappointing to the point that I ate less than half of it. Bland, barely seasoned, a just okay cut with way too much fat, undercooked (pretty purple for being medium rare) and no sear at all. None. The chimichurri was run of the mill, and the side of duck fat potatoes was equally tasteless. I don’t know how you make bland duck fat anything, but the chef did so tonight. No fresh black pepper or any accoutrements were offered so it was honestly just slog through the most expensive item on the menu while really not enjoying it. I’m still bummed about it. Messing up a $50 steak this badly is a recipe for your customers feeling ripped off.

The decor was nice but could have used some music. It was just silent, so it was us and the bartender who wanted nothing to do with us. It’s rare to be at a restaurant with no music, but that’s the case here, at least tonight.

On the plus side my friend’s meatloaf was reasonably tasty, so maybe just avoid the steak and maybe don’t sit at the bar if you want good service. I’m at this hotel for the week but I won’t be going back to Arlo.

edit: Thanks for the kind message Carlo. I love this resort overall and don't like to leave negative reviews. I get the feeling I just had an off night at the restaurant, since I looked at other photos of the steak on reviews and theirs look delicious. I'd probably talk to whatever cook was on that night and check how they're preparing steaks. Again, forgivable to be a little off on most dishes but when you're paying a premium for a piece of meat it should be...

My family had an exquisite Easter Sunday all-you-can-eat brunch at Arlo and was very impressed with every dish and cocktail. There was something for everyone. There were various food stations throughout the outside patio: a seafood bar (grilled or charred octopus, ceviche, and mini crab claws and shrimp swimming in fresh tomatoey cocktail sauce), a breakfast and starter bar (sausage, eggs, bacon, and avocados sliced in half, all prepared delightfully with multiple flavors and textures), a meats and protein bar (sliced tender beef with an earthy chimichurri sauce and baked salmon, both of which were meltingly yummy), and a dessert bar (more than 8+; my favorite was a mix of beignets, a dessert bar (more than 8+, my favorite was a dessert bar (my favorite was a mix of beignets, a The bloody Marys and CUVÉE champagne were a perfect pairing with the food. There was also lovely live music and a beautiful singer who performed throughout our meal on the patio, which enhanced the ambience. We had an amazing server, Katrina, who took great care of us and was so kind and attentive. Additionally, to top the experience off, we got to meet and talk to Chef Josh, who is so incredibly personable; he came up to our table to greet us and shared about his dishes and favorites. Our family would like to express our sincere thanks and delight at the Easter brunch you diligently prepared. Every single dish was enticingly flavorful one after the next, and we will always remember Easter Sunday vividly, all thanks to Chef Josh, Katrina, and your entire Arlo team.

Don't miss out on a lovely experience and drive down to Arlo over now at Town and Country (park in the parking structure and get your ticket validated at the restaurant) and post your Arlo brunch/lunch/dinner consider checking out Monkey Bar right next to Arlo for tasty cocktails and craft beers around the outdoor fire-pits or inside the high-top bar...