Bloom Restaurant + Bar — Restaurant in San Juan Capistrano

FABULOUS SERVICE ! My wife and I were in San Juan Capistrano on Saturday to do a spot of shopping. It's such a busy little town...we did quite a few laps before finally nabbing a parking spot in one of the public parking lots..$2 an hour. Once our shopping was done the plan was to have lunch here around 12.30pm. FIRST TIME ! Gracie the hostess welcomed us with a big smile and offered us a table near the entrance. We declined so Gracie showed us to a table for 2 at the rear of the restaurant...perfect. A busser named Nicholas brought us glasses of cold water within seconds. MENU ! We had checked out their lunch menu online before we arrived...as is our habit. A server named Ash dropped by to take our lunch order.....2 x Cappuccinos to start with and 1 x Classic BLT Sandwich ( applewood smoked bacon, frisée lettuce, organic vine ripe tomato, cracked pepper & herb aioli, artisan multigrain bread, hand cut herb fries ) to share on 2 plates. I requested that the hand cut herb fries be crispy with minimal seasoning. All the lunch time action was at the tables upfront...it was quiet where we sat. Ash brought out our frothy cappuccinos....we knew they used a Nespresso machine. They tasted good enough. Within a short time our Classic BLT Sandwich with huge pile of hand cut Herb Fries arrived courtesy of a smiling food runner named Anthony. Everything looked perfect and the fries were delicately crispy. The BLT Sandwich was made very well on Bread Artisan Bakery Multigrain..we have it at home. HARD TO BEAT ! I must have gobbled up a million of the scrumptious crispy herb fries. I asked Ash to show us the DESSERT MENU...he brought us a copy of the dinner menu which featured their dessert menu. We selected the Tahitian Vanilla Bean & Blood Orange Cheesecake ( pistachio crumble ). Our server Ash comped us a serve of Peanut Butter Ice Cream with Bourbon Caramel Sauce. Both desserts tasted extraordinarily delicious..hard to pick a winner. We also bought a serve of their house made Rosemary Focaccia Bread with Honey Butter to take home...it was delicious. AND THEN ! Before we left we had a nice chat with Joshua the operating partner / manager. WE LOVED OUR...

Now, I have wonderful details! First of all, I drove all the way from San Diego area to experience Bloom blessings!

It was delightful to sit subterranean by the window that faced the Mission San Juan Capistrano: Pray for us!

Jaden (forgive me if I did not spell correctly) greeted me with a warm smile! “Employee of the Month” Emily, our server, served us with a gracious attitude! She was patient with our many requests and questions because we were first time Bloom guests and we loved her opinion!

Nicholas kept us hydrated with lots of water!

Saturday, November 18, 2023, turned out to be a sunny day in San Juan Capistrano and a great time to dine at Bloom Restaurant and Bar!

Our party of 4 celebrated 2 birthdays! We were happy to spend time with friends eating “Blunch” since our reservation was at 11am!

I had the yummy grilled chicken with salad!

For sure, I plan to return!

Message:

God loves you-and has wonderful plan for you! Ever Virgin Most Powerful Mother of God, triumphs and reigns in all faith filled hearts! We celebrate you on the remembrance of your blessed presentation! Jesus through Mary and Joseph, save souls! Tuesday 11/21/23 (Prayer of Memorare for Lily)

Previously- For now, I do not have any details because I am giving 5 stars for the ambitious market craftsmen who want to feed the hungry, to share their tasty food talents, and vision for exceptional dining and drinks! I appreciate their exquisite culinary skill sets that I do not possess. I applaud their efforts to bring their gifts to others and I appreciate how daring such a venture is to share your talents that might be rejected by others! With God's Providence, I hope to give future details soon because friends have reservations this Saturday at 11 am 11/18/23! We are excited that this restaurant has existed less than their one year anniversary!

God willing, we will join the many diners at Bloom to wish all involved success and continued prosperity! God bless everybody! San Juan Capistrano, pray for us especially for us who love to find wonderful places to eat and create memories!

Tuesday,...

We decided to try Bloom for lunch, drawn in by its beautiful ambiance and lively reputation. The restaurant itself is stunning, with a great vibe that feels upscale and special even in the middle of the day. The service was also pretty good and attentive, which was a definite positive. However, the experience came with a hefty price tag, which unfortunately set expectations that the meal didn't consistently meet. There were definitely some enjoyable moments. The carrot bisque soup to start was a genuine highlight; flavorful, velvety, and expertly prepared. It was a delicious opening to the meal that showed real promise. Unfortunately, navigating the rest of the menu proved challenging. Many of the dishes feature very "fancy" or complex variations, with numerous ingredients in each item. This made it quite difficult to find options that could easily accommodate food allergies without feeling like we were deconstructing the entire dish. For my main, I opted for the Wagyu Burger. It was a good, solid burger, but it wasn't the amazing, memorable experience you'd hope for, especially given the premium price for a lunch item. It fell a bit short of justifying its cost. Overall, our feelings about Bloom are mixed. It’s a beautiful setting with good service and some definite culinary bright spots, but the "super expensive" nature of the menu creates a high bar. Given the good-but-not-great main course and the difficulty with the menu's complexity, the value just wasn't there for us. We enjoyed parts of our meal, but we're not in a...