Dinner options near Hilton Bayfront at 1 Park Blvd near Petco Park

[BRL]

Looking for dinner options for tomorrow night for a few work colleagues. We're staying at the Hilton Bayfront whch is across the main road from Petco Park. Looking for casual place, but excellent food. Want to go to a place -- if it exists -- that isn't a tourist oriented place. Not concerned about price, just want a really good meal -- all cuisines are good. We will likely want a bottle or two of good wine and maybe some good seafood on the menu. Someplace where we can sit at the bar for a bit before and/or after dinner for a few drinks would be great too. Walking distance -- 15 mins or so would be great.

Thanks for your help.

BL -- DC Hound

[Beach Chick]

You're in the Gaslamp...everything is tourist oriented to some extent.

Jsix at the Hotel Solamar...fab food and great wine list.
Grant Grill at the US Grant Hotel..ditto
Deck bar at the Marriott Gaslamp across from Petco Park for drinks
Stingaree for drinks
Top of the Hyatt at the Grand Manchester
Hilton Bayfront has a nice bar
Cowboy Star

I like Cafe Chloe but the couldn't imagine sitting in their chairs for more than a half hour max.

[mcgrath]

Drinks at Cowboy Star, then decide if you want to stay for dinner or hit Cafe Chloe. Excellent food at both. C.S. much more comfortable.

Another brand new choice: Red Light District at 4th and F. Just opened two weeks ago or so. The chef is Jason Maitland (Arterra, Flavor Del Mar) a young man with tried and true skills. Interesting menu including one of my winter favorites, cassoulet. Sleek bar. Looks to have everything you want, except proximity. It would be around a 20 min. walk from your hotel, or a short cab ride. www.rldsd.com

[Beach Chick]

Red Light looks great mcgrath!

[bhoward]

Man, the menu at RLD does look tempting!

[foodiechick]

Red Light District. I want to go to there.

Have you tried it yet?

[mcgrath]

I was at Red Light a week ago for free small bites and cocktails as a promotion for downtown residents. Delicious apps. Going for dinner very soon and will report back.

[RB Hound]

I don't get the chair thing. We ate inside Chloe last night, and the chairs hardly seemed uncomfortable to me. My six-year old was able to stay in them for over and hour, and that is saying something. Perhaps you refer to the bar seats or the chairs outside?

[Beach Chick]

Maybe they got new chairs...haven't been in awhile..
Others on Chowhound have stated their chairs are horridly uncomfortable...sadly, clients and friends refuse to go when suggested.
Chairs were inside and not at the bar.
Wishing them only the best and hope they got new chairs!

[Fake Name]

No wonder- I think the chairs are sized perfectly for a six year old. It makes perfect sense he/she'd be comfortable in them...

; )

[RB Hound]

Good point, Fakey. Another good point is that I was in a padded bench seat. My wife (who's somewhat picky about that stuff) didn't comment on her seat being uncomfortable, though.

[Fake Name]

She was likely being kind, and didn't wish to upset dinner. She was suffering in silence.

You should keep her.

[RB Hound]

Dinner was with a mentor of hers; daughter and me were along for the ride. He was in town for a convention, and I supplied a list of places in the Gaslamp / East Village that would be OK for dinner. He picked wisely.

My daughter was the youngest person in the joint by at least 15 years, and she did just fine. It shocked me, of course. She absolutely loved the Mac-n-cheese appetizer, as did I. My steak with frites was decent, but I was not blown away, and sort of wondered why I went that route. Wife's Artic Char was excellent.

[honkman]

The frites are key to the steak & frites - when they are done the right way at CC they are the best fries in SD - sometimes they are coming out a bit too well done and the whole dish isn't anything special.

[RB Hound]

They were good. Not quite perfect, but darned close. I found the steak a bit bland, not enough to flavor the frites and no dipping sauce came with the entree.

By the way, they did not bring me a steak knife and I had the darnedest time trying to cut the steak with the table knife (it was a chewy cut of meat, though it was cooked to a perfect medium rare). Was this simply an omission on their part and I should have asked, or is it one of those "things" (like no ketchup at Neighborhood)?

[honkman]

They don't bring dipping sauce for the dish (and I personally don't think it would be a good addition) but you can ask for it. They normally bring you a steak knife

[Fake Name]

Cafe Chloe.