Kitchen 1540

Visited on a Tuesday night after Thanksgiving — I mention that because the server said that may be why they were out of some of the drinks that they had on their menu.
The food is interesting, although not quite as flavorful as the server described them as.
The restaurant had few patrons and this was a little be surprising, but possibly it was telling also.

The food was amazing… pricey for the small portions, but was expected. I had the pork belly and lamb Ragu and my friends had the sable fish, salmon and for dessert the beignets and lemon tart. The wooden round table, suede high back chairs and ember lighting make for an elegant and relaxed ambience.
The only disappointment of the evening was Jeff our waiter. He is definitely non-​emotive, but answered our questions regarding how certain dishes were prepared in a simple yet flat and somewhat condescending tone. His attitude aside, when a group of twelve were seated to dine after us and they ordered two bottles of what seemed to be expensive champagne, we became non-​existent and were completely ignored by Jeff. We received more attention and service from the young man who filled our water glasses, cleared our dishes and served our dishes!
When confronted about his lack of attention and basic wait staff etiquette like checking to see if we were enjoying our meal, was there anything else he could get for us, Jeff’s response was, «Oh.»
Poor service, Jeff… poor form.

Appetizers were great. (duck ham salad and geoduck risotto) I really liked the risotto! Very fresh and flavorful~
Main dish was fish. It was little over cooked and plan taste. Most of all… very small portion for main.
Excellent service and good atmosphere ~~
Little pricey.

My wife and I and another couple dined at Kitchen 1540 on Saturday night. I had read good things about it recently and wanted to check it out. We ate on the back patio and it was a great setting with the tables near warmers and generally quiet. The waiter (Jeremy) we had was very knowledge on the items on the menu. His suggestions on dishes were dead on as well and the service could not have been better.
The meal was one of the best I have had in awhile! For a starter I had the Corn Broth with mole and a mini tamale on the side. It had a good taste and the tamale with it went well. The main dish was a Dry Aged New York Strip which was one fantastic steak. It came with onions, mushrooms, potato’s and some green peppers that add a nice kick if so desired. Others at the table had a Wild Boar dish and (sorry for not remembering — a fish entrée I can’t remember) and they spoke highly of their meals as well. For dessert they have these warm doughnuts that come with powdered sugar and a sweet sauce that were very good. The waiter said a coconut porter beer they have from Mother Earth Brewing goes great with the doughnuts. I thought it was an interesting combo and ordered the beer and it went perfect with the doughnuts. My wife had the chocolate plate which had chocolate, dragon fruit, and pomegranate candies which went well with each other.
I would highly recommend this restaurant! A bonus is that the restaurant is part of the L’Auberge resort in Del Mar. I would recommend going out a half hour or so before sunset on their back patio and enjoy the sunset on the ocean as you have some drinks.

Steak is over cooked. You expect it to be perfect especially if they buy it at a market price. Paid $ 174 for 3 steak orders and it doesnt even taste like dry aged. The desssert is ridiculously small and weird. Ordered some dessert with pumpkin and all i got served was sweet pumpkin with small cupcake cut in half. Kids food are better tomorder than adults. We like the food we ordered for an 22 month old than the one we had. Cost me $ 375 for 4 people to eat and a 22 month old considering they gave us the dessert free of charge for messing up our steaks.

Perfection about sums it up. From Geoduck, Pork belly to Kona Kampachi for starters and the rest was history!

I do not generally follow the comings and goings of chefs in San Diego, but I had little choice when it came to Kitchen 1540. Their installation of Brandon Fortune in May of 2014 basically destroyed the restaurant. Brandon’s Southern (as in USA) and French influences combined to create a menu in which I was unable to order anything that I wanted to put into my mouth. I did end up eating there a few times, but eventually had to tell our dining companions that, even if they were staying at the hotel, we would have to eat elsewhere.
I was getting ready to force my party to dine elsewhere last night, when I heard that the chef had changed.
Introduce Chef Nathan Lingle. And a new menu. This intervention was long overdue.
The new menu is back from the disaster that defined May 2014 to August 2015.
I started with the Green Tomato Gazpacho. Lovely taste — a bit on the pungent side — with interesting garnish. The presentation is a bit odd; a very large bowl is brought with the shrimp agua chile, valencia mango garnish. Then a pour is done, which covers the bottom of the bowl. So from the very start the diner is doing a bit of a scrape off the bottom. Not sure how I feel about that. But I care more about the taste, so I’m going to round up to a perfect score on that.
I also tried the Kona Kampachi, which was very nice.
For my main course, I had the sable. And shared a Skuna Bay Salmon dish as well. Both very good.
For my after-​dinner indulgence, I went with their chocolate dessert. Unfortunately, the website for Kitchen 1540 is not current and neither my sable or my chocolate dessert appears there. I will update this review if they get that update done.
In closing, ladies and gentlemen, it is once again safe to visit Kitchen 1540. I’m curious how long it will take them to convince people to come back. Maybe a name change is in order? Otherwise, how will people know?

Kitchen 1540 is my favorite restaurant in San Diego. The entire experience is fantastic. Free valet parking — just pull up and get it validated with your check. Prompt and accommodating seating. Outstanding, professional, friendly wait staff like Sal and bussers like David. Brian is an gracious host and energetic sommelier with a fantastic selection. The chefs are passionate about the dishes they make; they have diverse seasonal dishes that are beautiful combinations of aromas, temperatures, textures, and flavors. They are accommodating to allergies/​intolerances and don’t mind splitting plates (especially if that means you will get to try more of their food). The desserts are also outstanding — so save room!
I love this place more and more every time I visit. Unbeatable value all around. Plan your next celebration with them or just a romantic dinner — you won’t be disappointed.

This is now our favorite San Diego restaurant. The portions were a little small but that just means we got to share more. The modern southern cuisine was very flavorful and different for the area.
Shrimp and grits: we were told they were going to have this much longer and that is a complete shame because it was absolutely amazing. The combination of three formats of corn as grits, kernels, and popcorn was different and texturally fun in the mouth.
Beet salad and smoked trout: this was my favorite because combining smoked trout with blue cheese and beets was something that never should happen and it totally worked.
Soup of the day: was a corn chowder with hot tamale and my wife love the summeriness of it all.
Arctic char: the arctic char was delicious but the star of the show was the summer vegetables under it. Slightly acidic and crunchy.
Fried green tomatoes: crunchy, acidic, and paired well with a Caesar salad. It made a great entrée for my wife but was overall an appetizer.
Pecan bread pudding: holy bat tits my wife ate bread pudding and liked it. Now when we go to the south I am going to make her eat a lot of it. She will argue but we all know I will win. Hell she is arguing with me right now about it.
Would we eat here again: hell yes!
Outdoor seating was absolutely amazing. Service was impeccable. The only slight problem was the wood tables because they seem porous and difficult to clean.

We happened to be staying at the hotel and made last minute reservations here. The hostess was great and set a table outside for us. Lovely place and the waiter was great. Wifey went with the Fried Green Tomatoes appetizer and the Shrimp and Grits. She loved the Tomatoes, crunchy crust and tasty. I went with the Arctic Char, which was very good too. Good restaurant and I would recommend.

Ehh. Risotto was under cooked. Chicken was over salted. Not what I expected. Service was good and drinks were good. Great atmosphere but food was under par.

Had dinner on Saturday, March 15^th. YUK! The «Chicken and Dumplings» appetizer was more like a couple of glorified tater tots with on tiny piece of chicken thrown on top. The «signature favorite dish» «Mary’s Chicken» had been brined and tasted like a salt lick. Now I like salty food but this dish drowned the flavor. As for service, we ordered cocktails and appetizers. After about 20 minutes out waiter asked «How’s every thing coming?» I had to ask him «You tell me». He replied «Oh we have had a small hiccup in the kitchen appetizers will be out shortly». The meal went down hill form there. With so many choices in Del Mar avoid Kitchen like the plague!

Nearly 5 years later, let me reconfirm that this restaurant has kept up the quality of the food. Just went here for lunch during Restaurant Week. Three friends and I shared some bites in an outdoor cabana on a perfect San Diego day. Perfect except for the flies that invaded our table, but I can’t fault the restaurant for that. We were outside after all. Service was attentive and water was consistently refilled and plates taken away and excess food boxed up.
As for lunch, the heirloom tomato salad with burrata and avocado purée was so delicious. Delicious heirlooms. Well-​seasoned. Next was a split of a burger and the surf and turf cobb salad. Again, both were big hits. The fries that came with the burger were unique and tastey. Lastly was the bread pudding. Well played, well played. Worth the calories. Nice touch of vanilla ice cream on top. Three people could have easily shared one dessert. Love.

Headed up the coast to L’Auberge to try out Kitchen 1540 for our Fancy Anniversary Dinner Night.
All the parking spots near the restaurant were taken up, so we had to valet (oh la la). Loved the ambiance and atmosphere of the hotel. There was a musician playing some relaxing tunes in the lobby when we walked in.
We had a Saturday night 8:30 PM reservation and the restaurant was completely dead except for a large party outside.
After seeing the appetizer menu ranging from $ 10-​$ 25, we immediately thought, «Oh no, this is probably one of those places that serves sub-​par food but can totally charge $ 25 for a charcuterie board because it’s at a fancy restaurant.» Rest assured, friends– the food was actually good. Yes, I do think it was a little over-​priced for what it was, but we were really happy with our food.
We started the night with some adult beverages. After seeing that wine was $ 12 a glass (yikes!), we opted to get cocktails for the same price. The Lovely Lavender Lemonade was refreshing– lots of yummy mint leaves.
The Fried Green Tomatoes were a good choice. They split the app onto 2 plates to make it seem like we were getting more bang for our buck. Essentially, it was a salad with a few fried green tomatoes to go with it. LOVED the flavor. The dressing, apples and spiced pecans really added some flair.
The Applewood Smoked Pork Tenderloin was spot on. Loved then chutney. The first couple bites were a little «bacon-​y», and it took a minute to get into the flavor, but once you start eating it, your palate adjusts and you just slip into porcine bliss.
I’m always a little hesitant to pay $ 30 for a chicken entrée, but we were drawn in by the promise of pork belly that comes with Mary’s Chicken. I didn’t realize until a day later, that there was no visible pork belly. (I’m sure there were little pieces or something, but don’t go in expecting a nice lil chunk.) Pork belly or not, the chicken did have nice flavor. Paired with some mashed taters, very tasty! Though it had good flavor, I’m pretty sure if I tried hard enough, I could concoct something similar. (I like to get things I can’t make at home). Next time I’ll try the halibut.
Our server was attentive but gave us our privacy so we could continue with our riveting conversation about squash vs. zucchini, or whatever we were talking about. Oh, he also knew the menu well.

Pretty awesome!
Located in the L’Auberge Hotel, this is a beautiful place within a beautiful place.
On a Sunday night, I thought we could walk in when they opened at 6pm, but was told that they were full at 6pm but we could come back at 615pm :) That was nice an accommodating that we didn’t have to wait too long to get our seats.
There were 5 of us ladies that decided to share some appetizers and desserts. There were plenty of dishes to choose from and I have a few notes that I think you might find helpful.
* The menu was Southern Chic and that is not something that you can find everywhere. I have tried ‘fried green tomatoes’ pretty much anywhere I have ever dined that has them on the menu and this is the first place that I ever found them actually enjoyable. I’m a fan of the namesake movie and have always hoped to try them and like them. Finally, I have!
* They add some ingredients to dishes that are a bit eclectic but they don’t do it just to be different, they actually work! Case in point, the Popcorn in the ‘shrimp n grits’, pretty delicious!
* Sitting inside was nice when it was hot outside, but it was so much more whimsical when we moved outside for dessert and coffee near their firepit and waterfall, once it cooled down and the sun had set.
The service was kind and hospitable. Jeremy didn’t treat us like a number, he treated us like friends he was hosting in his home. That is a good server and helped make our special night even more enjoyable.
We even got served a nice trout to taste and were asked for our opinions on the soup of the day, since it was the chef’s first time trying it out on the menu.
So if you are looking for a special spot to enjoy with friends, this can be one to bookmark for that.
Also consider that they have a nice private dining room in their wine room to try :)
All in all I thought this was great experience, but because it was busy the service wasn’t always quick enough especially when we mentioned that our birthday girl had a time crunch, that’s the only reason why this was not a full 5 stars, but I’ll be back to try them again for sure.

Coming to Kitchen 1540 has become a bit like visiting an old friend, not that we’re all that well acquainted. But perhaps that serves the analogy further — you don’t see an old friend all the time, just periodically when circumstances allow, the stars align, the tides are right. I’m always fond of driving up the L’Auberge, the stone driveway, the valet boys, the sense of class you get looking around at people. I come seldom enough that they likely don’t remember me (three times in the past year), but then again, as the only Asian around each time I’ve been here, maybe they do. Either way, they treat me professionally.
Seating is available indoor and out, me somehow always taking the same indoor booth spot each time, despite, I’m sure, the outdoor seating to be better (I confirmed this post-​meal). Nonetheless, I even grabbed a kids menu this time around, a great way to begin Sunday brunch.
California Omelet
Ordered with grits and white toast. The dungeness crab was a prevalent and strong flavor in the dish, not to say that it was fishy or smelled, but prominent. I could only appreciate the dish with the freshness and generous portioning of the crab, the creaminess of the avocado, the way the dish wrapped itself around the mouth as you took bite after bite of the omelette. The grits were, well, grits, and though I don’t particularly know why my companion chooses to order them, I can say that they weren’t as horribly bland as I’d had imagined. A little bit of salt and pepper did wonders.
As for the toast, it was well toasted, not much more to say. It was a typical almost-​English side to accompany the English grits, tastefully prepared tasteless treats, perhaps delightful on their own, but rather lacking next to a crab and avocado omelette. I loved it.
Bling Burger
My last lunch visit had a similar portion, perhaps not labeled as such, but quite reminiscent. The tomato jam, the shoestring fries, the usage of «Kobe» meat (though true Kobe, of course, is illegal in the States). I think this burger would have been wonderful, my main gripe was that it was clearly not prepared medium-​rare, as you can see in these photos. It was quite tall, too big to fit in my mouth (that’s what she said), smashed down to be cut, and then still too big. Of the two dishes, it was easily the more filling but less satisfying, and even the arugula wasn’t quite up to par, being relatively flavorless, consider me confused.
Was the burger decent? Eh, maybe. But for $ 18, I can’t help but not recommend it, considering I’ve had $ 8 burgers that’ve tasted better. Maybe if the meat was better prepared, fresher, or medium-​rare cooked, the arugula full, maybe a dash of red onion to add a bite (or some kind of high note?), but the eggs, bacon, medium cooked meat combination really just led to a heavy, unsatisfactory dish.
Seasonal Fruit Smoothie 5 — good. blended with no ice, and you could tell that the fruit smoothie was actually made with fruit. Lots of bubbles, ordered off the kids menu, but served in an adult tumbler glass rather than the plastic kids containers I later saw.
As it was wonderful weather for a winter, day, I took a post-​meal stroll around the facility, confirming what I already knew: we were the only Asians here, and the hotel was absolutely beautiful.
As I was leaving, though I had my gripes about the burger, I couldn’t help but feel like the meal was all too well enjoyed, the company delightful, the bittersweet feeling of leaving. I’ll likely be coming back here again (and again).

**Review is for Brunch**
With Kitchen 1540, you get a trendy eatery located in the fine L’Auberge Del Mar. The wait staff was dressed in t-​shirts and jeans. Pull up to the front of the hotel and have a valet park your car for free with dining. We made a reservation on OpenTable for a Saturday morning. The restaurant was quiet, thank goodness because it didn’t seem like they had a lot of staff.
Overall the dining experience was nice and quiet. Not a huge menu, but everything looked good and tasted amazing. For our family with 2 small kids, we settled on the Lobster Bennie, the Cobb Salad with Calamari and Scallops, and the Dungeness Crab Omlette.
The Lobster Benedict wasn’t a true benedict, in the sense that there wasn’s a muffin on the bottom, instead they have hash browns. It tasted great, but I expected a muffin in addition to the hash browns. the lobster wasn’t too fishy, and the sauce was good. It was a little small, so if you’re a big eater I wouldn’t recommend this one.
The Cobb Salad was HUGE. Topped with a battered and fried calamari and baby scallops, it also had grilled chicken, avocado, cherry tomatoes, and blue cheese. The dressing was light, and it didn’t contain the usual hard boiled egg. Nevertheless it was very good.
The Dungeness Crab omlette was for our kids (yes they eat good), and the kitchen split it for us onto two plates. I think they added extra potatoes for us, because it was a lot! The omlette was probably the best out of all of our dishes.
It’s not an every day brunch spot, but definitely nice for a special occasion.

Had a very solid breakfast at Kitchen 1540 on a Tuesday morning. We sat in a large and comfy booth; 4 people could easily sit here. Also, we were immediately approached for our drink order.
It’s a small menu, but it has the favorites and some interesting benedicts. I had the 2 egg breakfast, which comes with potatoes or fruit, a breakfast meat, and a bread. It’s quite a bit of food for $ 13, so even though this is in the lobby of a nice hotel, I wouldn’t call it overpriced.
The eggs were fluffy and hot. The potatoes were crispy and flavored appropriately. I find potatoes need a lot of salt, and Kitchen 1540 did well in this regard. The sausage on the side was juicy and the serving is 2 large links. Finally, I was able to get an everything bagel and cream cheese with no up charge. Large, hot breakfast that tasted good. It’s not the best I’ve ever had, but I’ve certainly had worse breakfasts on many occasions.
I’ll definitely return for breakfast, and likely for dinner as well.

Enjoyed dinner here with my sister. The interior is elegant yet modern; I would recommend dressing up. The patio looked lovely but we not quite warm enough so we opted to sit in a cozy booth. The service was attentive and we ordered a couple of recommendations.
Both entrees came out beautifully presented.
The beef cheeks were delectable and tender. The black cod was perfectly cooked and had a light yet full flavored sauce. Both were gorgeous bites!

This place made me feel like we were on the Real Housewives of San Diego.
We had a group of about 10 girls for brunch — everyone loved their food.
I got the lobster benedict and it was the BEST thing I’ve eaten in years! It comes with HUGE chunks of lobster, a truffle hollandaise sauce with prosciutto on top of hash browns.
Their service is amazing, ambiance, food, everything was perfect!