Top of the Market is a top-notch place
Written: Jul 18 '00 (Updated Jul 18 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: mahi mahi, decor, screened clientle, good wait staff
Cons: too much garlic, drinks too strong, crowded room
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| tesserae's Full Review: San Diego Restaurants |
My grandmother in law turned 90 at the beginning of July. To celebrate this impressive milestone, she threw 2 big parties. The first, an intimate family affair was a formal dinner at an esteemed San Diego restaurant; the second was a thrilling afternoon backyard fest with nearly 100 guests and California weather.
The moment I heard we were going to The Top of the Market Restaurant for the family affair, I knew I wanted to write an epinion on it. It isn't often that I have the chance for fine dining; the stark reality of life with a two and a half year old eliminates any lingering delusions or fantasies of elegance. I took studious notes in my head (isn't it funny what we do now that we're epinionated?) and followed up with some research online.
I give Top of the Market (a subsidary of The Fish Market) 3 1/2 gold stars (err... orange dots). Here's why:
Ambiance
the room:
Our party was scheduled to be an early afternoon meal. Technically it fell under the lunch menu, though we were still eating when it turned to dinner. We had reserved the "Fish Bowl Room." This room is a small room off the main restaurant, adjacent to the deck. It is fully (top to bottom) glass paned on 3 sides, with 2 of the sides boasting a spectacular view of San Diego Harbor. Standing near these windows it became obvious that the Fish Bowl Room was built over the water -- absolutely nothing hindered our vision.
The room was very cold when we first walked in, but as the afternoon wore on and the sun came streaming through the windows, it grew very warm. My father in law, who was seated directly by the glass, removed both his coat and his tie towards the end of the meal. "It's hot by those windows," he commented to my husband and I.
the seating:
They had squeezed 24 of us around 4 round tables and the room between the chairs was minimal. People were constantly bumping into each other and whenever the waiter/ess entered the room, they said "excuse me" as they brushed against my husband's shoulders. I never felt as though I could relax, for there simply wasn't enough room to really get comfortable. Even worse, I found out later that the restaurant promised to fit 32 people in the room (!), making a whopping 8 per table. I can't imagine what that is like, and I'm disappointed that such a quality restaurant insists on over-crowding its guests.
the rest of the restaurant:
Top of the Market is a smaller upstairs restaurant that is actually a part of The Fish Market Restaurant in San Diego California (We were the elite snobs dining at the top of the world). The Fish Market doesn't have a dress code and it was quite noisy, while the Top of the Market was elegant; classical music played over the speakers and every inch of decor was stylish and expensive. After my meal, in an effort to escape the claustrophobia of the Fish Bowl Room, I sat in the Top of the Market waiting area and watched the staff. The greeter (hostess) was impeccably dressed and sure of herself. When a few scruffy looking teenagers in tee-shirts and sandals entered the room, she had them promptly escorted out (they were taken down the stairs by a man wearing a 3-piece suit). I saw a sign that said, "no tank tops," and hubby commented that he was glad he'd worn a collared shirt for the occasion.
The bathrooms were exquisite - they were well-tended and clean. This contrasted starkly with the facilities at the Fish Market below which were noisy, crowded (a line formed out of the ladies' room into the hall) and sloppy (stray tissue paper on the floor).
The Drinks
I ordered a strawberry daquiri. It came in a very small glass, without whipped cream. One of the people at my table commented, "I've never seen a daquiri without whipped cream before - it's usually how you tell the difference between a daquiri and a margarita." After some thought, I sent it back for whipped cream -- you see, I'd never had a daquiri without whipped cream, either.
The daquiri was not very flavourful. The berry taste was almost non-existent and overwhelmed by the rum. It was a good rum, to be sure, but it was very strong and not blended very well with the drink. Part of why I like mixed drinks so much is because I like the illusion of alcohol more than the alcohol itself. I like the sweet tart test of berries intermingled with the rum rather than overpowered by it. This daquiri was terrible in that regard.
The Preliminaries
the bread:
The bread was a long sourdough loaf partially cut into small rounds (The partially cut aspect made things difficult; it's hard to be elegant and dressed nicely while battling your bread). It was served piping hot with pats of real butter alongside. Very good.
the soup:
There were two kinds of chowder: Boston and New England clam. I ordered the New England style which was fantastic. The soup was mellow yet tasty, with chunks of real clams and fresh potatoes.
the salad:
I tasted a bit of my brother-in-law's salad. It was a very fancy salad with a house dressing (some kind of mustard fruit vinegarette) and a lot of greens I didn't recognise. It was delicious but almost impalatable - there was just too much stuff we couldn't define. I would have been happier with a simple (or well made) garden salad; at the very least I would have liked to have had the option to have one. I don't go to enough fancy restaurants to know whether or not this is standard, but my recommendation is to get the soup.
The Meal
I ordered the egg fettucine with florida rock shrimp and italian prosciutto. The pasta was cooked to a perfect al dente and the shrimp was perfectly cooked as well, but the sauce was full of garlic. There was so much garlic, in fact, that my mouth went numb after only a few bites and I couldn't taste anything else. This was a tragedy, as this was a delicious dish. The prosciutto was tenderly sliced and very flavourful, but (no surprise) it too was drowned out by the garlic.
My husband ordered the fresh pacific mahi mahi served with lime cilantro butter. This was absolutely fantastic. The fish was cooked so tenderly that it melted in my mouth and the lime cilantro butter gave it an extremely flavourful taste. It was served with a very tasty brown rice mixed with walnuts and spices and perfectly grilled vegetables. I was very jealous that I hadn't ordered it for myself.
The Dessert
Wow. This was a delicious dessert -- Top of the Market really knows how to bake a cake. It was a white cake with white whipped cream frosting. Stuffed between the layers was a combination of the frosting and real strawberries and blueberries. It was exsquisite -- elegant yet absolutely sweet and birthdayish.
The Service
Excellent. The wait staff was attentive and respectful. With the exception of bumping into chairs due to lack of room, they didn't hover or rush us. When I requested my whipped cream and my brother-in-law requested a second helping of cake, they were dignified and accepted our eccentricities with grace.
Summary
This was a lovely place to have a party. Top of the Market makes sure that their clientle is well-mannered, well-dressed and well taken care of. Beware of the garlic in the pasta dishes and have straight liquor rather than a mixed concoction. Wear a shirt with a collar if you're a guy; skip the tank top and the beach shoes. Above all, if you can, order a slice of their fantastic berry cake. The caloric splurge is well worth the small taste of heaven.
[relevant url: Top of The Market Restaurant in San Diego, CA - http://www.thefishmarket.com/san_diego.htm]
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
tesserae
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Reviews written: 53
Trusted by: 46 members
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