Palm Restaurant

Didn’t intend to eat here but glad we walked in. It was a Sunday evening and had no clue what type of restaurant this was. I’d rank the food up there somewhere between Ruth’s Chris and Mortons.
The service was exemplary.

It’s too bad this place closed down 1÷1÷2014. I just had am amazing dining experience 2 days before they closed. The 4 lb lobster was insane! Cooked to perfection and probably the best lobster of my life.
The clams casino and mushroom side was excellent and the rib eye on point. The place was packed I am so confused as to why it closed and sad since I just discovered it.
I have rarely experienced service this amazing as well. Best of luck to the employees looking for work.
Cheers and thanks for a wonderful experience!

Summary/​Overall ⁷⁄₁₀: Nothing on the menu is on par with the price. It’s worth checking out the numerous nearby restaurants for good eats.
Food ⁷⁄₁₀: While the $ 50 New York steak was good and cooked correctly, there are cheaper alternatives at other steak restaurants that are cheaper for the same thing. The «Classic Italian» chicken marinara dish wasn’t worth $ 32 and tasted relatively bland. The «Half and Half» French Onions and Fries was filled with fatty oils and was definitely not worth $ 12.
Atmosphere ⁵⁄₁₀: The restaurant is pretty dark inside with a dreary atmosphere that doesn’t have enough lighting. Chairs and tables could be made more comfortable and inviting.
Service ⁹⁄₁₀: The waiter was nice and the order came relatively quickly.

HH Prime Sliders ($ 5.95): pretty good, just a little too much pickle for me
HH Chix Meatball Sliders ($ 5.45): meh, no big deal.
Trumer Pilsner ($ 6.75): decent beer, but no HH pricing. In fact, no HH drink specials at all, tsk tsk

I had a surprise opportunity to dine here with some close friends and other fine company in one of their private rooms during Comicon a few months ago. We were treated to their Prix fixe menu and boy I was stuffed to the brim with goodies!
Started with a delicious Crabcake, bread and some wine
Caesar salad was yum
Steak and lobster! Haven’t had many opportunities to have lobster that big before so this was a great treat. Steak was cooked to my liking med rare.
Sides of onion strings, chips and creamed spinach were satisfactory.
Dessert! Oh yes! I’m not sure if it was the little wine buzz or that I’ve only had a few hours of sleep over two nights and that it was closing in on midnight, but both desserts tasted wonderful. Creamy cheesecake and divine flour less chocolate cake. Both very rich and indulgent that we couldn’t finish it all but such a great way to end our meals! Service was great!

The Palm gives points which eventually become discounts to those who write reviews, so please be leery of everything you read. That said–
The various breads that arrive at the beginning of the meal are ok, the French baguette is obviously the best. We ordered the baked clams, NOT the clams casino, the other option. They were soooo so yummy. I could have eaten many of those for my whole meal and been happy. We used a lot of the bread to soak up the butter sauce. I had the 3 lb lobster. It was a lot for me, my bf had to finish about ¹⁄₃ of it. The lobster was fantastic. My bf had the surf and turf. He wasn’t completely convinced that the steak was better than Ruth’s Chris, although he definitely said it was «up there» in terms of great steaks. We shared small sides of the mushrooms and au gratin potatoes, both were very delicious, I did expect a more complex flavor though and the mushrooms were greasy. We had a small portion of the sides leftover for lunch the next day The service was great, as to be expected. They cater to an older crowd, so my bf and I looked quite young haha
Between here and Ruth’s Chris, I can’t say that one is better than the other. I gave 4 stars because for fine dining it was great, not phenomenal.

My husband and I celebrated our 1 year Wedding Anniversary here and it was fabulous. The meal was delicious and the atmosphere was perfect.
Thank you for making our day extra special :)

I had high hopes for this place. Décor is nice and the service is good, but they can’t obviously cook a $ 45 filet to order. I ordered the steak medium, the waiter correctly told me that it would be pink inside. 45 minutes later I got a tough, overcooked filet which was obviously well done.
Very disappointing.
The other issue is that everything on the menu is al la cart which the waiter did not make clear, so I just got a plate with meat. Weird presentation.
Did I mention they have no parking and charge $ 10 to valet? Yeah. Not a budget steakhouse, which is fine, if they do the basics well, but unfortunately they didn’t.

Typical of a top notch chain. Very good steaks, usually excellent service, large portions of very good side dishes. The frequent specials are the way to go, especially the steak and lobster pairing, if it is being offered when you are there.

We had the lobster special ($ 79.95 for 4 lb lobster, 2 appetizers from a select list, and 2 sides of our choice). This special has been running all summer long, is listed on The Palm’s website, and is the subject of several emails from The Palm to me (since I registered to receive them) but surprisingly is not mentioned in the menu nor did our server tell us. The server told us about other more expensive lobster specials though. (We found out later than if you eat the special in the last three days before it expires, you actually get a 5 lb lobster!!)
The food was delicious. The «black bean soup» (which is really more like a chowder with bacon) actually tasted better than the infamous lobster bisque.). We also really enjoyed the sides (brussel sprouts and green beans with pancetta). We had the «special» –4 escargo on top of mushrooms – the sauce was the best part so we used the bread to mop it up! Even without the escargo with mushrooms alone, would have been fine.
The lobster was grilled and was served with melted butter and lemon, along with lobster bibs. We liked that the bus boy) actually declawed the lobster for us! He also came by later to squeeze lemon in our hands and give us warm towels to clean up. He was the same guy who kindly refilled our waters regularly at our table.
Our friends ordered the NY steak and filet mignon, along with spinach and cheddar potatoes. They enjoyed their meal.
Aside from the server not telling us about the lobster special that we knew about anyway, we had to wait a few minutes when we first arrived to be seated because the front check in was surprisingly not staffed at all. (Normally, we see at least two or three people but not that night.).
Would we go back? Yes.

Around Comic-​Con time we try to get reservations for dinners in advance to avoid the hour of dithering wandering around the Gaslamp, so I grabbed one here thinking it would be decent.
The lobster bisque was so thick it bordered on not being a soup, it had more of the consistency of a really thick salad dressing — this warred with my brain so much that I couldn’t finish it. The wedge salad was covered in lukewarm fried onion strings, which (even if they had been hot) seemed like overkill on a wedge salad that’s already covered in bacon and cheese and dressing. The «hash browns» ended up being a ludicrously large cake of cubed potatoes that had very nice browning on the surfaces, but lacked interior seasoning. For our entrée, we split a filet and it was a perfectly nice specimen of filet, so there’s that.
$ 130 after tax and tip despite the fact that we split an entrée = ouch.
I waver between 2 and 3 stars but the service was good, so, hey. Still, I don’t think we would rush back.

My overall favorite restaurant ever. I would rather come here than Mortons, Ruth’s Chris, or Donovans. In all fairness, where they sit in that food chain is Ruth’s Chris (Palm Restaurant (Morton’s (Donovans (at least in my opinion so you can see where I“m coming from). For some reason, I just prefer this place over the «better» Donovans or Mortons.
This is a family-​owned, chain restaurant that is an Italian (ish) style steakhouse. All of their dishes are incredible: steaks, lamb, seafood, everything. The atmosphere is of a smokey (but without smoke) old-​timey restaurant with dimmer, romantic lighting. It is a great place for a date. Everything is made with a deep wood and their walls are adorned with caricatures of celebrities which give this place a great character. It is an upscale setting, but not as «uppity» as Morton’s and classier than Ruth’s Chris.
There is valet parking out front (on the south side of 6^th street, west of J). They do close at 10 or 11pm so make sure you’re not going out and about after. The valet guys are great though, one night I got caught up and they left my keys with the restaurant (I pre-​tipped the valet $ 20 because I had an inkling I would be there late).
Their service is impeccable and I have always had a great experience there. I am part of their 837 club where you get special offers. This is a NO-​BRAINER. You pay $ 25 to sign up but you get a $ 25 gift card on the spot AND you get a FREE lobster dinner every year for your birthday. Denny’s, eat your heart out!
My favorite dessert there used to be their tiramisu but they stopped serving that and it’s the only drawback I have to this restaurant (shakes fist).
Disclaimer: I was friends with the former sales manager and was hired to take some photos of the restaurant but this review is (from my opinion, mostly) unbiased because of my experiences here before that happened.

Short and sweet. Save yourself the tough decision making. Just get the surf and turf and live a long and happy life! A nice big lobster. Some delicious steak. Close the menu and move on!
Oh and I always fill up too much on the bread!

When I lived in L.A., I used to go to The Palm downtown or Hollywood at least once a month. Sometimes I would go with a lawyer girlfriend and we would split a 6 lb. lobster. Yep, and we ate it all.
I have been to The Palm in Chicago, Dallas and San Francisco. I always have the lobster and the lobster is always the most fantastic dish anywhere.
So what the heck is the deal with the San Diego location??? Went with a girlfriend on Oscar night (maybe that was the problem — substitute chef??), and there were only three tables filled. We looked forward to a long, leisurely meal of fabulous 5 star food. But it was not to be.
Actually, I have to say that the lettuce wedge with blue cheese was fabulous. The cheese dressing was very tangy, and the lettuce was cold and fresh. Ann had the ahi tuna appetizer, and said it was great. I don’t eat sushi so can’t comment. But she really liked it. And she had the bacon wrapped scallop appetizer for her second course. It looked very good, plump scallops baked with some kind of light cream sauce with bacon wrapped around it.
Then came my lobster. I had ordered the 15 oz lobster tail ($ 56.00). I readied myself for the fabulous presentation and flavor that is the trademark of The Palm restaurants. Out came a big lobster shell, with the tail on top. It looked like some failed cooking school project, with a funky piece of lobster getting a ride on the shell. First off, the color wasn’t right. Good, fresh lobster is sparkly white. This was an off white color and didn’t have that great smell. It looked like the dinner special at Bubba’s Diner. It also wasn’t cooked right, it was wet on the inside. Ugh.
So I sent it back to be broiled more but it didn’t help at all. It looked, smelled and tasted the same. Bad. Inferior. Sad.
I sent it back and they took it off the bill, which was nice, considering how expensive it was. So my dinner at this supposedly 4+ star restaurant was lettuce wedge, bread, and dessert.
They offered us the desserts so we had the key lime pie and the cheesecake. Definitely go with the cheesecake, their signature dish. ALMOST as good as in New York (and with the Stage Deli now closed in New York, I will have to live in memory of their great cheesecake). It was a huge piece, super creamy, with a great graham cracker crust. Yumola.
The key lime pie was good but cannot stand in the light with the cheesecake. The lime taste wasn’t very pronounced, the piece was small, and the texture wasn’t quite right. I always think a good key lime pie should have a somewhat solid texture. This was a little creamy and too «wet.» Just a little blah.
Well, I would probably come back here and have the lamb chops or a steak, but I will not attempt another lobster dinner at this location. Bummer.

*This review is based on Restaurant Week only*
Visited here for the first time for the price fixed menu but decided to stop in for a drink first. They have happy hour until 7 with light bites and wines, beers and well drinks on tap. We ordered a fantastic lobster bacon cheese fondue and it was deliciously served with pretzel bread (and extra pieces for dipping). They have a Palm beer (?) that both my friends tried and they liked it before we sat down to dinner.
I ordered the:
Butternut Squash soup — creamy and the right thickness, delicious with added black pepper
Scallops and short ribs — I’m sorry, but you almost can’t have a better plate of food than that! Both were delicious. The sauce on the short ribs I wish was a little less but I used it to sop up the rice that was served with it.
Chocolate chip bread pudding with gelato — I wanted to try something different, but honestly I wish I would’ve just ordered the cheesecake.
One of the best parts — the bread basket! They had all different kinds of breads in there: jalapeño cheese, wheat, raisin (or plum), white and breadsticks. So delicious! And they were quick to bring more.
The service here was fantastic. Our orders were quickly taken, waters constantly filled, and dinner served not too fast, not too slow. Our server split our bill without any problem and was friendly throughout.
I honestly couldn’t afford to come here without the Restaurant Week prices. There’s a steak that I think was almost $ 100 that you split between three people — wowza! But, that’s what Restaurant Week is for, to try new and delicious places.
Also, this place is downtown so parking is always a pain, but if you go during the week you’ll probably have a better chance of scoring free, close street parking.
Bön Appetit!

A fave… my fave… lamb chops! NOM!
.
For me, what separates the Palm from the other well-​to-​do and well known steakhouses like Flemming’s, Donovan’s, Ruth’s Chris, or Morton’s, isn’t a good porterhouse, rib-​eye, or even a filet mignon, but it’s the lamb chops! I thought it was a fluke and that maybe I had it on a good night, the first time. But thank goodness, it’s been as great each time!
The lamb is as perfect as they come. It’s not masked with a bunch of seasonings, but is distinguishably lamb… delicious lamb! Three thick cuts that is seared and cooked to the right temperature; it just melts in my mouth with every bite. With that said, they have the most incredible mint jelly that I dip it into. It adds that little something, something and has my toes curling! This is when the magic happens, my friends!
Aside from just my favorite dish, their apps and sides don’t fail me either. Nether has their service. I’m a firm believer, that if you love and want (and can occasionally afford) something, that shelling out a few more bucks, will be worth that experience. I love lamb A LOT and enjoy a good steak. Sometimes it is okay to splurge to have a bite of happiness. Life is too short to only have known mediocre and to have never experience the bliss of a good piece of meat.

The best thing about restaurant week is being able to try places that I have wanted to try, but never got around to doing so. It is an excuse. =)
The garlic Caesar salad is fantastic, like really, really good. Whomever made it should be proud of it. I also had the chicken parm– which is really about 2 or 3 meals so be ready. For desert key lime pie, which was really good. The chicken park was okay, nothing memorable. But then again who goes to a steakhouse and orders chicken? I never had creamed spinach until I went to Palm. I either do not like it, or it was the worst creamed spinach in town.
My wife had a black bean soup that was wonderful. Followed by a perfectly cooked filet mignon. For desert she she had the flourless chocolate cake, really good, really rich.
Overall, I would return, I would recommend, I would order steak next time.

We just stopped by here for a drink while checking out the comic-​con craziness on Thursday night. We saw Elijah Wood outside having a smoke and talking to some kids and being pretty damn cool (minus the smoking part).
The Palm was just okay. Kinda expensive drinks and no good beer. I’m hoping to try this place out again for their happy hour which sounds pretty good.
They lock the doors at 10pm on weekdays, so don’t expect to get into the bar. I almost wasn’t let back in even though my friends were sitting at the bar.

Huh?
I ate here only once, so I’m hesitant to write this, so take it at face value. I’ll not be back here. This place was dismal. It smelled like a gin mill, the service was poor, and the food did not seem to be anywhere near the quality of the other Palm locations I’ve been to. Dark, dismal, disappointing. Was nearly empty, which should have been a sign (we left another establishment that was busy to come over here to eat) and there were plenty of people around, so I don’t think it was just a «quiet» night.
Maybe just the worst day in this restaurant’s history. Maybe it’s really OK. But my experience this night was terrible. Also, this was several months ago, and maybe there’s been a change in personnel. But…
Sorry.

I was hoping to like this place a bit more then I did. It wasn’t bad at all (ok, dessert was bad!) it was just lacking so much in flavor I thought. I hope to go back and try their lobster some day, but for now, we went with their $ 49 prix fixe menu.
We both chose the Lobster Bisque for our apps, after reading about people raving about it on here. Meh, I’ve had better from a booth at the OB Farmer’s Market. Really. Chunks of Lobster? Never expect that in a bisque, but others claimed it to be true, we both didn’t have chunks.
For our main course, I chose the Wasabi and Panko Crusted Jumbo Shrimp with a sweet Thai Chili Sauce. Not bad, just not wow. The shrimp was tender and butterflied, a nice crunch from the Panko, but just lacked a bit of oomph. More Wasabi please. There were 6 big ones, enough to take some home for lunch the next day. The chili sauce just tasted sweet, but not enough heat. And I’m a person that can not handle too much heat, so it was truly a bit too mild.
My friend had the Tamarind Glazed Sea Scallops, Grilled Baby Bok Choy with a Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette. He gave me a scallop the size of Rhode Island! It was WAY tender, and just the right amount of crust around the edges, with a perfect flavor due to the Ginger vinaigrette. Hands down, the best dish of the evening.
We were each allowed one side dish, and we chose Asparagus Fritti in lemon garlic butter, which was deep fried and breaded asparagus. Again, just meh. We also had the Wild Mushrooms in a balsamic vinegar. We had to add some 21 Seasoning Salute from Trader Joes that I carry with me… need I say more?
But what should have been the yummy cherry on top of the evening… dessert, turned out to be one of the worst Crème Brulees my friend and I thought we had ever had. Everyone does make this different, but this hardly had any bunt sugar glaze on top, and the custard inside was loose and runny, blech. We didn’t finish it and that is my favorite dessert usually. I literally didn’t want to waste my calories on it. Hopefully, their other desserts are better. Dessert is not included in the prix fix
Our server, Breeann… was excellent. They are incredibly well trained there, as I know someone who bussed there for two and a half years before they made him a server. So, someone must have to die, and then you have to be damn good to step up. Breeann proved that.
Again, wasn’t bad, maybe they are really more of a surf and turf place and I will come back to try that someday.