Bankers Hill Bar / Restaurant

[pickypicky]

We just went for the first time. The server told us it's owned by the owner of Cafe 222, but I thought it was a Carl Shroeder place. Maybe some of the best service I've had in SD. Love the design (especially no TV). Wish the food had tasted as good as it sounded on the menu. I can't find any coverage of it on here, and wonder what yall think of it.

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Banker's Hill Bar and Grill
2202-2222 4th Ave, San Diego, CA 92101

[honkman]

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/712559

We went back one year later and some small improvements but nothing special. Many better restaurants in SD aiming for similar customer base but with much better food and service.

[pickypicky]

shoot. I searched three times for a Bankers Hill thread and couldn't find one. Thanks, HM. Wow, if I'd read this, we prob. wuddent have gone. But we did. I think they read your comments. The service was great. The server noticed that we wanted our wineglasses under-filled. He asked politely if we would prefer to pour our own. We said yes. The menu items WERE interesting, and several piqued our interest. But as my husband says, there was no love there. What was there, was a constant odor of truffle oil. So, that, Alice QF, has not changed. I love the design and wish it all worked.

[foodiechick]

Truffle oil, and over salted potatoes have been an on-going distraction. I see they have taken the pasta bolognese off the menu. We really liked that and the salmon. Onward and upward.

[honkman]

Based on the comments/emails and threats we got on our blog post I have no doubt that they read what we wrote

[CTDub]

Threats or threads? Hopefully threads.

[honkman]

Some wished that our house would burn down so that we would move out of SD or that we get deported by the USCIS so that we never set a foot again in the US etc.

[Fake Name]

I'm sorry.

That's reprehensible.

[DiningDiva]

Wow, how mean spirited is that!!! You and your wife are really nice people, to wish that on someone is just immature and childish

[Josh]

I once wrote a middling review of Region and got a bunch of very nasty hate mail. Challenging groupthink is not for the faint of heart.

[honkman]

I guess it is part of the game using the internet where pretty much everything is anonymous and in general voicing an unpopular opinion. But I also think it is part of a cultural difference for us between Europe and the US but also between east coast and west coast how you react on criticsm. Both our companies have HQs on the east coast and there is always tension if they visit the west coast and critizes anything - Somehow people in California often seem to think that any criticism is a personal attack even if it can't be further from the truth. I remember cases were we talked with other guests in restaurants in SD about favorite restaurants and in cases where we mentioned anything not enthusiastic about their favorites they looked at us like we just offended their whole family. (And yes we could just have nodded and agreed that all restaurants are great but if we start a conversation we prefer to be honest about our opinions). (BTW, not great about the hate mails but you are still wrong about Region which was a quite important restaurant for SD ;)

[Josh]

How can an opinion be wrong?

[honkman]

Perhaps "wrong" is the wrong word and I meant that based on several meals at Region we found that Region was one of the strongest restaurant in SD at that time. (but as you can see from DD's comment not everybody shares this opinion)

[DiningDiva]

I agree that Region was an "important" restaurant for SD because it provided a new model. But it wasn't always a good restaurant. I had some pretty mediocre or down right awful dishes there while my dining companions at the same table had great dishes. An upper echelon restaurant shouldn't have that type of disparity in dishes coming out of their kitchen for the same meal.

[karaethon]

I think Region pre-dates my time in SD, but I could have sworn you seemed a little offended when I was a bit critical of Cavaillon. I probably misread it though.

I agree that it is fair to provide criticism for restaurants provided that the criticism is valid and in good spirit (not just mean-spirit criticism)

[honkman]

Absolutely not offended by your criticsm of Cavaillon - I appreciate if you (or anybody) disagrees with my opinion as it helps to see different points of views about restaurants. I also hope that nobody is then offended if the arguments are going back and forth as I value those threads most were we have really interesting true "discussions" (e.g. the more recent one including Jay about different opinions why SD has the current culinary profile based on its history. A lot of things I learned from it with very different opinions but I never felt that anybody was offended)

[karaethon]

Yeah I appreciate the back and forth and don't get offended. I feel like that is vital to developing the characters and personality of the board as while giving great information (as people are clearly invested in their opinions).

Of course I'm only speaking for myself, so maybe others were offended in the past.

[stevewag23]

People said that because you gave the place a less than stellar review?

[foodiechick]

Wow, threats?

[daantaat]

threats??? people, grow up!!!

[chezwhitey]

It's amazing that writing a review on a restaurant can get such a harsh and over the top reaction, I thought the nutjobs and xenophobes only hung out at the UT articles about politics and immigration.

[stevewag23]

Should we "build the wall" around Bankers Hill Bar / Restaurant?

[DiningDiva]

Then it would become *Bunker* Hill Bar/Restaurant, no?

[Fake Name]

Is it a bunker behind which we hunker to, say, have some peace and quiet with our meal?

[Josh]

There sure were some winners on there.

[Josh]

"Wish the food had tasted as good as it sounded on the menu."

Agreed.

[foodiechick]

It is a partnership with the two, I think Carl spends most of his time at Market. We have had some pretty good dishes there (and every dessert has killed), but it has been awhile since we have been as the noise level is a real turnoff.

[Fake Name]

Exactly.

[pickypicky]

Yep. We we in early and I thought the wooden ceiling would stave off noise. It didn't. We finished before it became intolerable. My husband ordered very different things than I did, but there was a sameness to our dishes. They looked and tasted similar. The desserts were good, you're right. We'll give it a another chance for an early dinner.