San Diego’s Hot New Dining Spot: Hell’s Kitchen
Written by Ashley Dunn
Southern California’s very first Hell’s Kitchen happens to be just a short drive from the city of San Diego - located in Funner, CA at Harrah’s Casino - it’s a must try for anyone looking to be wow'ed! This location happens to be the biggest of all Hell’s Kitchens across the country. With beautiful and extravagant decor, to a Gordon Ramsey inspired menu, and a few flairs from his famous show Hell’s Kitchen — it’s bound to impress anyone!
The Kitchen of Hells Kitchen
The Ambiance
From the moment you enter the restaurant doors you become immersed in the Hell’s Kitchen world. Chef Gordon Ramsey virtually greets you from a life sized flaming (virtual flames, of course) video screen when you first enter the restaurant. You’ll notice all the Hell’s Kitchen season winners are showcased on the wall to your right — great to see both past and current winners still basking in the glory of winning such a rebound Food Network competition.
When you first walk into the main dining room, you’ll notice all the intricate details that went into this unique spot. From the Hell’s Kitchen torches hanging above, to the Red vs Blue culinary team standing behind the main kitchen counter. We loved the brightness of the restaurant, a huge contrast to the rest of the main casino, in which it’s located. It’s gotta stand out!
The kitchen is fully open to the dining room, so it was so fun to watch the chef’s at work while eating. Every now and again you’ll here some back and forth between the blue and red teams as well — a little play on the show, of course.
The dining room staff was magnificent as well, very attentive and always ensuring your water glass was full, and your plates cleared. It was truly a next level dining experience, ensuring it meets Gordon Ramsey’s expectations!
The Dining Room
Food & Drinks
The menu features several of Chef Gordon Ramsey’s specials, along with a strong wine, beer, and cocktail list to accompany. Some of those famous recipes include his Lobster Tail Risotto, with butter poached lobster tail, truffle risotto, and crispy onions, as well as his famous Beef Wellington with potato purée, glazed root vegetables, and a red wine demi-glace. Outside of those two Gordon Ramsey specialities, there’s a lot of other options to choose from! Take a look at what we ordered, below!
Cocktail
Smoke on the Blvd woodford rye, aperol, amaro averna, sweet vermouth, smoked with cherry wood*
This drink was delcious! A little bit more spirit forward with the Woodford rye, but the aperol provided a refreshing splash to what we’d compare to a classic old fashion taste profile!
*Added Bonus: It comes in a smoke chamber! How cool!
Smoke on the Boulevard
Appetizers
Oysters on the half shell chef’s daily selection, hk mignonette, gin cocktail sauce chef’s daily selection, hk mignonette, gin cocktail sauce
A classic, but we really enjoy some good oysters. These oysters were incredibly fresh and the Hell’s Kitchen Mignonette had a lot of delicious flavors!
Steak Tartare piedmontese beef, dijon mustard aioli, black truffle caviar, sous vide egg yolk
This option is great for anyone looking to go a little out of their comfort zone — Steak Tartare can be adventurous for some, but Hell’s Kitchen does a great job at making it approachable by keeping it rather classic.
Main Course
Filet Mignon 8 ounces santa carota beef, roasted tomatoes on the vine, béarnaise sauce
The Filet Mignon was perfectly tender and had a great bite. We personally really enjoyed the classic béarnaise sauce pairing. You can’t really go wrong with this one!
* Recommended Side Dish: potato purée crème fraîche, chives
Mishima reserve wagyu ribeye 12 ounces beef, glazed maitake mushrooms, shishito peppers
The Wagyu ribeye was cooked perfectly, and decent size to consider sharing! It paired very well with the mistake mushrooms and shishito peppers, making it a classic dish with a little bit of flair.
*Recommended Side Dish: brussels sprouts chili glaze, cilantro
Dessert
Chocolate Sin Cake caramel mousse, chocolate gelato
The Chocolate Sin Cake is every chocolate lovers dream — with multiple layers of different chocolate, it was a delicious end to a beautiful night!
Chocolate Sin Cake