Confidential

I’m pretty sure this place closed. I stopped by a few weeks ago and it was a new restaurant with a log cabin theme. So sad. I loved their food! The menu for the new place didn’t have the items I wanted and there were no happy hour specials. We left and ended up at Neighborhood.

I have always been a huge fan of Confidential. Especially during happy hour. They had the most amazing Filet Mignon Bites and Tomato Bisque soup with some liquor froth on top. Amazing…
But. all good things must come to an end. Confidential is no longer confidential. It’s now a ‘sports bar” called The Lincoln Room. Some tasty items from Confidential made it over, but for a much smaller price tag. The atmosphere is amazing and the service was spot on.

Definite hangout place for a Saturday night. They even have a happy hour too which I took advantage of. Fridays and Saturdays from 5−7pm, and Thursdays from 5-​close offer ½ off on all food and drinks!!!
So I chilled at the bar for bit and ordered the McWilliams Riesling from Australia and their Bruschetta. Wine was good and the bruschetta was decent. Bread becomes soggy because it is immersed into 2 inches of balsamic vinaigrette and olive oil. Nice and fresh, though the bread-​to-​tomatoes ratio was not enough to cover the the amount of tomatoes given. Still a pretty nicely made dish.
I like the décor, with the color changing mood lighting. Modern like seating and couches. High tables for dining. Tables are removed at the later part of the evening to make more room space and the live dj does his performance. And no cover either!!!
Servers were super cool. Pretty busy staff, but they made sure that you are well taken care of. Nice upstairs loft too. Great music, great tapas menu. Nice location, little sophisticated, so come in a little dressy if you want. Check this place out.

Went here for a friend’s birthday on a Saturday night. She rented out the bottom floor basically and got bottle service. The employees were really nice making drinks for us at the table. Pretty standard cranberry & stoli.
Ambiance was very chic and cool. DJ Mark Marcelo was spinning and his music was great. All the 90s faves which I loooove and everyone else loved too bc we were all singing along.
Has a second story… I’m sure it’s pretty similar to the downstairs layout. Drinks were kinda on the annoyingly pricey side. I’d rather go across the street to a dive bar and get drinks for cheaper. But nice place to go if you wanna go clubbing but don’t wanna pay cover.

I came here with a group of friends for part of my birthday celebration this past weekend. Loved the ambiance here — very modern and minimal but also quite spacious. Whoever was in charge of the play list did a great job that night of compiling a multitude of loungy beats to help jump start a Friday night.
We arrived a little bit earlier in the evening so it wasn’t too crowded at all. We were seated promptly and the service was fairly pleasant. After perusing the menu we opted for the following dishes:
Lobster Bisque and Mascarpone Crostini
A small cup per serving. It was tasty but would have been better had it been served hot rather than warm.
Ahi Tartare
Served in a martini glass which made for an aesthetically pleasing sight. This was a decent dish.
Bacon Wrapped Dates
These dates are stuffed with parmesan. Good combination of sweet and salty.
Coca Cola Glazed Baby Pork Ribs
I was hoping for a bit more out of this dish, especially after reading some of the reviews. However, the ribs were too dry and there was nothing particularly outstanding about the glaze.
Angus Beef Patty Melt Sliders
Cooked to a nice juicy tenderness but sadly the meat was quite bland.
We had one more dish that was fairly decent but sadly I don’t remember the name of it. I love the idea of tapas and there was plenty of dishes on the menu that sounded promising but just needs a bit more work in terms of flavor. Overall, I’d say Confidential is a great spot for pre-​party cocktails to get your night started — the pomegranate martini was quite good — but I’d save my appetite for somewhere more satisfying.

Whenever I come here, I feel the need to dress up because well, I don’t want to look under dressed. I do like t hat people dress up here because you don’t see it that often, living in San Diego. There’s a chic crowd that comes here but they’re not snobs like some of the other places I’ve been to. I like the clean, minimalistic Miami look and the LED lights just sets the mood… for you to eat a lot. Studies have proven this too, that the dimmer the lights, the more people eat haha.
Anyway, it’s been awhile since I’ve been here. In fact, I used to drop by this place a lot before hitting up the clubs, not so much now.
Don’t come here if you’re expecting full meals or dishes with generous portions, because you won’t find that here, most of the tapas are made to eat by one person only, so you really can’t share it. Their mussels are great and so aren’t their tenderloins tapas, but my favorite is… believe it or not, the banana bread with pb and j. Weird huh? It’s warm banana bread with warm peanut butter, banana brulee, and grape gelato, it totally melted in my mouth and my husband couldn’t get over how fantastic that was.
Their specialty drinks runs at about $ 12, but some are rather stiff. I had the white orchid martini and I felt like I was getting knocked out with a bottle of vodka. My husband had the pineapple mojito, which was one of the best flavored mojitos I’ve ever had. Delicious, and the presentation is rather nice.
Service was a little slow but that’s because it was rather busy. The server mentioned that it gets quieter later in the night since everyone is off going to different bars and clubs.
I don’t recommend you come here during happy hours, yeah the drinks are half off, but just to get a seat is a pain. I remember waiting nearly an hour just to get seated since it was so full. Early Saturday evenings get rather full as well but then again, I don’t mind being in a place with tons of people, it’s just that you’ll have a hard time hearing your friends.

We had a group of 6 and they completely screwed up our reservation. We ended up. Waiting over an hour, BUT the manager more than made up for it!
Free round of drinks, free appetizer and two free desserts! The food was so good, hubby is still talking about the lamb burgers a day later!
My chicken skewers were just ok, a little dry but still tasted okay. My free Red Velvet Martini helped wash it down :)
A little noisy for a first date place, but would be good before a night out!
Highly recommend the crème brûlée and flourless chocolate cake.
Manager was very considerate, found out my friend has a nut allergy and went out of his way to tell the kitchen and prepare a different side dish.
Service was a little slow, we had to flag down the waiter to order and pay. But the atmosphere was so fun, it almost didn’t matter.

Yuck. Everything about this place is so Guido/​Miami/​mini-​skirts and tequila shots. Strange that our concierge at the Ivy recommended this as a nice, upscale spot for dinner, because it felt like a total meat-​market. And the food was totally forgettable — glorified bar food.
It was actually pretty dead for a Thursday night, but there was a rowdy group of young girls who seemed very excited about the bottle of vodka they were about to share between the 10 of them, along with a few couples necking in the white leather booths.
I know, I know… the Gaslamp district is not famous for civilized spots to have a nice, romantic dinner, but I was surprised that this came so highly recommended by hotel staff.
We had a fabulous dinner at TAKA sushi the next night (see review) So, I guess there are decent places to eat in the Gaslamp. But it’s not where your ultra-​cool concierge goes after work, obviously.

Despite the 50% happy hour on a Saturday, this place was pretty empty. The hostess seated my party of 4 at the table closest to the doorway, so that it would look like there was people there and draw in a larger crowd. Unfortunately, it was one of the very few chilly days in SD — we asked the hostess to be moved to any one of the many empty tables, but she said they were for other parties. By the time we left, these so-​called parties were nowhere to be seen. The drink choices are interesting, but some of the mixes just should never go together — too sweet, something or other was always off, and it took the bartenders FOREVER to make. Will not be returning and would not recommend this place
+1 Ambiance and décor
+1 Happy hour pricing
–1 Rude hostess
–1 Drink menu that seems creative but really is a disaster once you drink it
–1 Slow bartenders

Bougie!
This place is quite bougie and I like to call it the «Red Light Special,» because of the dim red lighting in the room that reflects on their long, white, flowing curtains. The décor here is so chic that it almost makes me wish I could steal their couches and their pretty white ceiling lights.
I came here as part of my SD birthday weekend and made sure to make reservations, being that Unilocalers say this place gets packed on Saturday nights. Well, it was definitely not packed when I dined around 5:30−7pm. I guess the herd comes in way later? And one thing that disappointed me was that I reserved for a table by the window and the hostess who sat us down didn’t even pay attn when I told him my name and didn’t look at the note I made on my reservation. PLUS there wasn’t really any one there, so why would he not seat us there?
Any way, we ordered a lot and part of it was from the extended SD Restaurant Week menu.
1. Cheese Plate with seasonal fruit (strawberries and peaches?), confiture, candied walnuts and toasts: This was part of their $ 25 SD Restaurant week menu and it was decent. I personally liked the blue cheese and I loved that the toast was warm when served.
2. Halibut concoction: Not sure what the name is and what’s in it, but it was complimentary by the chef. SCORE.
3. Ceviche: it came in a martini glass with chips to dip it with. I must say, for being a tapas restaurant, their portions were still big to me. This was refreshing.
4. Pork Tacos: this was from the Restaurant Week menu and it was definitely delicious. Pulled, tender pork, with some salsa and some spice!
5. Jumbo Shrimp Tempura with Garlic fries $ 12: The jumbo shrimp was kind of bland to me, and the garlic fries could have been more garlicy. I definitely didn’t get that garlic breath afterwards. The tempura veggies were good though and I loved the spicy sauce it came with.
6. Coca Cola Glazed Baby pork ribs with a potato salad $ 10: DEFINITELY GET THIS! I LOVED it. The potato salad I didn’t care for, but those ribs are yum!
7. Beef Tenderloin Skewer $ 17: Again, I DEFINITE MUST HAVE! So tender and delicious!
8.Indian Spiced Lamb Burger with Cumin Yogurt and Mango Chutney Sliders $ 10: The meat was definitely filled with all sorts of spices, but it didn’t amaze me either. This dish also came with some garlic fries that I didn’t care for.
9. Tahitian Vanilla Bean Crème Brulee: part of the restaurant week menu and it was pretty good. It had some strawberries I believe in it too. A little too much sugar on the top for me though.
Over all, I would definitely come here again. I would have given this place 4 stars but being that they failed at satisfying my reservation they really deserve 3 stars. Although, our waitress was very helpful and when we looked overwhelmed with food, she held our other orders until we were ready. BTW it was happy hour so all drinks were half off. So I enjoyed a glass of Riesling. I think it was $ 10 a glass. It was a nice wine, but not the best Riesling I’ve had before. So as I got filled by the yummy goodies this place had, I got to bump my head to some chill, old school with a mix of early 2000 music. I was feeling it when they played some Marvin Gaye.
Lastly, get some free parking right across the street at Horton Plaza, 3 hours free with validation. Just get it at any validation kiosk :)
Oppz, secondly lastly… did I mention that the chef is from Top Chef Season 5, Richard Sweeney!??

This place definitely made me feel a lot cooler than I really am for a night. For a place as chic and trendy (not to mention it’s named Confidential) as it is you would think it would ooze of snobbery more than an episode of «The Hills.» Not the case at all.
It started with friendly doorman without a line and continued the whole night with down to earth customer service. I was really pleased with how I was treated by every staff member, especially the nicest bathroom attendant I’ve yet to encounter.
Since it took me about a half hour to realize that «Confidential» was just a clever name, and not a representation of snooty clientele I spent the first 20 minutes in here sipping on a cocktail barely shooting glances at cute women on the other end of the bar. You know… the ones like «Hey girl, I was noticin you noticin me and I just wanted to put you on notice that I noticed it» type of looks that an establishment of high pretentiousness makes me feel is my only play with the opposite sex.
Those same women (professional looking mid 30s) shortly after took two consecutive rounds of Jägerbombs and I thought to myself, «Where am I? This place can’t be too confidential if these ladies are sucking back bombs as if they were in the ‘My New Haircut’ video.» That first half hour really explained a lot about the vibe here. It’s cool, but not too cool for school to the point that you don’t feel like you belong.
I never got around to talking to my Jägerbomb Cinderellas because the friends I was meeting walked in shortly after. I turned around to greet my peeps and they had banished without leaving glass slippers (or shot-​glasses). Ah well, at least they introed me in a cool way to the vibe of Confidential.
My friends and I ordered some bites, which included sliders, ceviche, and crème brulee. All were fantastic, but I wasn’t really in the mood to eat after seeing hotties do Jägerbombs… I got my drink on shortly after the small plates were cleared.
The cocktails were strongly made each time, and that made me very happy. Before leaving in salute to «the ones that got away» I had to do a round of Jägerbombs with my friends. They were pretty expensive, but then again it was a Friday night in the Gaslamp. I’d tell you exactly how much they were, but that’s confidential…
I’ll have to come back for a more in depth analysis of the grub. But nightlife wise I’d say single or involved, if you like trendiness with a laid back atmosphere and no lines, I’d recommend giving this place a whirl.

Although I only tried one thing — the shrimp and vegetable tempura and garlic fries small plate, I give this place 4 stars. I recommend bringing a pack of gum after eating this bad boy because the fries can be a little too garlic-​y. But it’s so good that you can’t stop eating it!
The ambiance is very nice with dim lighting and classy chic décor. It may look like an expensive restaurant, but it isn’t so bad to bring a small group of friends and order a few small plates and cocktails. I enjoyed the atmosphere, mainly because they played Christmas movies on a projected screen when I visited during the holidays.
They also have a second level with couches for lounging. You can also eat there too. Best for bigger parties. I wiould like to come back again one day and try more of their deilicious plates!

Who doesn’t love to be waited on by hot girls? Girls included! I’m surprised I haven’t written a review for Confidential yet, I loved it the first time I dined here! That’s why I was so anxious when my roommates decided to come again for their happy hour! Tuesday nights until close, everything, EVERYTHING on their menu is 50% off! Even their alcohol! Both of my visits, our waitresses were hot and friendly (those two adjectives don’t usually go together!!)
Recommendations:
–Grilled Portobello Mushroom with Goat Cheese and Arugula
–Ahi Tartare with Green Papaya Salad
–Seared Foie Gras
–Jumbo Shrimp Tempura with Garlic Fries and Chipotle Basil Aioli
–Beef Tenderloin Skewers
–Indian Spiced Lamb Burger
–Duck Confit
–Deconstructed Pizza
Their fries are AMAZING, and my faves of my recommendations are the deconstructed pizza and beef skewers!!!
I ordered the White Orchid Martini, which is supposed to have the most alcohol of all the cocktails but it didn’t really give me a good buzz. or not a buzz at all. However, it tasted really strong and I’m sure others may experience a really good buzz off of it so I do recommend it!
What should have been $ 160 was only about $ 80 for the 6 of us! Oh how I LAHHHHVVVV happy hours! *Less than 3*

No need to keep it confidential, but the Tuesday all night happy hour from 5PM onwards is off the hook! Half off all menu items on Tuesday, or during normal happy hour times makes the drinks and small plates affordable and a nice treat downtown. Our hero had a great date night out here without breaking the bank.
«Would you like to have a date with me?»
The Parmesan cheese stuffed bacon-​wrapped dates are delightful.
«I’ll bet you’d like something sweet…»
The house made lychee infused vodka tastes great, especially when mixed into a martini.
«Have you tried this unique Asian flavor?»
The Vietnamese braised sea scallops spiced with togarashi and basil with rice on the side was succulent and flaky. Orange slices on top of the scallops were an interesting contrast.
«Now how about we sink our teeth into the meat of things?»
The Indian spiced lamb sliders with fresh garlic fries were a bit lacking on the Indian flavor, but still very nicely put together.
«I had a blast.»
Frozen Irish Car Bomb… possibly the best alcoholic dessert ever.
Overall, this place is a swanky little restaurant on the corner that has awesome tapas, which are nicely priced during happy hour. Décor is urban chic, service is courteous, and the menu is fresh. Make reservations ahead of time for the nicer seating in the loft section!
PROS:
— A great selection of small bites to share with friends.
— Nice cocktail menu, which at $ 6 during happy hour is an excellent foray into the wild side of mixology.
CONS:
— Normal prices are a bit exorbitant for the amount of food you’d get. I wouldn’t come outside of Tuesdays and happy hours.

I’m a big fan! I’ve tried nearly everything on the menu, and there isn’t really an item that I wouldn’t suggest.
Some of the servers could be a bit more professional, but all-​in-​all the service is good enough to make me happy.
Food menu prices are pretty appropriate. The only thing that seems substantially overpriced compared to the rest of the menu items is the filet mignon lollipops. The dish is $ 17 or so, which isn’t outrageously expensive by any means, but the pricing just doesn’t seem to be quite in line with the other dishes. The filet is indeed fantastic though.
The downside is that the dining area is small, and to boot there isn’t much standing floor space either. Be prepared to wait on busy Friday/​Saturday nights if you want seating for a group of more than 4, even if you have reservations. Also anticipate standing around awkwardly perching somewhere with your drink during crowded Happy Hour time.
Hey, Management, I used to visit a lot more often when Confidential was on
. *hint, hint*

Stopped by for a couple hours for some drinks last night with my friend. The décor inside looked pretty nice, but we opted to sit on the patio.
Our waitress was nice, but sort of slow. My friend had a Lemon Drop that she liked, and I had a couple Blackberry Bellini’s. Suuuper tasty! Their martini’s were $ 12, which I think is pretty average.
All of their drinks sounded good, but I stuck with the Blackberry drink. I didn’t open the food menu, so I don’t even know what they serve. This was a cool place to hang out and drink with my BFF :)

An old colleague and I hadn’t seen each other in a few months and decided to catch up on everything over some happy hour over at Confidential. This place is known for their ultra hip atmosphere and great wines and tapas, and I’ve wanted to come for some time now. I decided to try a nice glass of their 2007 Firestone Gewürztraminer to pair with the Asian tapas I had in mind. The sweetness of the Gewürztraminer compliments the spice of Asian foods and is always a good choice with ethnic dishes.
Our tapas began with an amuse-​bouche of curried watermelon salad, compliments of the chef. This little bite was a refreshing starter on such a warm day and paired really nicely with my wine. It had a very mild smokiness and spice from the curry sauce and went down very cleanly with the watermelon.
Next our Indian spiced lamb burgers arrived. These sliders were absolutely delicious and were quite rare. They were paired with a healthy helping of garlic fries and served with a very delicious cumin yogurt sauce and mango chutney. This was definitely my favorite dish of the evening and was the favorite of my colleague as well.
Finally, we finished the bites with the Vietnamese braised sea scallops. Seasoned with a togarashi and Thai basil sauce, the scallops were topped with slices of orange and served with steamed jasmine rice. I really enjoyed the strong flavors and the scallops had a beautiful caramel-​colored sear.
Service was spectacular and our waiter was an awesome guy. He was on top of everything and made some great suggestions for what tapas to order. While the prices were definitely more expensive than the tapas offered over at The Palm, I like the young and fun environment here more than the older stuffiness found at the latter. I would definitely come back in the future for some great tapas, excellent wine, and with friendly company.
Food: ⁸⁄₁₀
Service: ⁹⁄₁₀
Price: $$$
Atmosphere: ⁹⁄₁₀

I Love Confidential Happy Hour! I am updating this review to give it 5 stars!!! I came here this Tuesday because I was craving their Angus Sliders. OMG, love them. Any how, we arrived around 7pm it was too crowded so I made reservations for the next available slot w/​the super cool hostess who is always so accommodating and scored an 8pm slot.
Entrees and apps:
3 ORDERS of Angus Beef Patty Melt — Caramelized Onions — Gruyère Cheese — Garlic Fries: 5 stars baby!!!
Cheese Plate — Seasonal Fruit — Confiture — Candied Walnuts — Toasts
Beef Tenderloin Skewer — Gorgonzola Fondue — Port Wine Reduction
Ahi Tartare — Green Papaya Salad — Edamame — Mango — Spicy Grapefruit
Drinks: 3 sodas and Hennessy
Total Bill: 38 bucks (not including tip)
I wish we ordered desserts but we were way too stuffed at the end.
As always, the service is awesome! Courtney our waitress is super gorgeous (a cross between Megan Fox and Kim Kardashian). This place is a must see!!!

Confidential continues to impress me. I headed in there again with some foodie friends from out of town and we really enjoyed our meal. A rundown of new items we tried.
Recommended:
Seared Foie Gras — perfectly seared and served with carmelized onions. If anyone has yet to try foie gras, this would be the place to enjoy it for the first time.
Mini tacos — adding potatoes to the beef was genius. I love my potacos and my beef so together that is a slam dunk.
Beef tenderloin — again, this was just heavenly.
Other items we tried:
Cheese platter — nothing unique or outstanding about the cheese platter — your standard hard cheese, plus a stilton and a triple crème.
Duck spring rolls — I love duck and these did nothing for me.
Seriously digging on Confidential and their happy hour where everything is half off. We had everything above plus a couple more items plus a bottle of wine and two blackberry bellinis for under $ 100. A steal for the quality of the food and drink and the chi-​chi atmosphere.

Love it love it love it.
Effen blackberry bellinis? How have I lived without them before in my life? I just have to figure out how to muddle blackberries and I will be making these all the time.
Our service was great. We were seated right away even without a reservation. The owner or manager kept popping by to check on us. All of the food that we had was terrific especially the beef skewers in Gorgonzola drizzle. YOMG!!! Best beef that’s been in my mouth.
This would have been a five star experience had it not taken an hour to get our food. I had 5 belilini’s by the time my food got there. I don’t think this is typical of this place from what I can tell. But don’t worry I will be back for sure and I’ll update my review then.
Belinni’s. It’s what’s for dinner. ;)

I can’t believe the tear I’ve been on at Confidential as of late. Been there three times in the last month, and I can’t get enough.
Call me crazy, but before very recently, I had no idea just how good their food was! I mean, I knew they had the statutory pub grub to go along with it’s liquor license… but people… their food is GOOD! A certain somebody from Bite in Hillcrest put their menu together, and their head chef (Richard) was a contestant on Top Chef this season. That’s pretty remarkable.
All of their food comes on small plates. I love it. In fact, if I can safely corner one personal resolution for the new year, it’s my desire to cut down on portion size. America is obsessed with eating truckloads of food, but it’s completely unnecessary. I literally wanna buzz saw my intake in half. I’m positive I won’t starve.
A few knockouts include the grilled portobello salad (must have), the butternut squash soup, scallops and the deconstructed pizza. They’re all served tapas style, and it’s JUST enough food to keep you satisfied. Isn’t that the point? Since when did it become unsatisfactory unless you have to be rolled out in a fucking wheelbarrow to your Ford Taurus?
If there is one night you should check it out… it’s Tuesday. Everything is half-​off, all night. Yeah, girl… you heard me correctly. EVERYTHING. All drinks, all apps, all food. Everythang, yo! I was last in this Tuesday, and I macked down on 4 food items and 5 drinks… and it only set me back $ 38. Best deal in the Gaslamp, hands down.
As much as I love the space, I can’t say I’m the biggest fanatic once the shiny shirts take over on the weekends. Not their fault, the Gaslamp just attracts a certain type of crowd that I don’t exactly gel with. Don’t let it deter you, though. You’ll make Baby Jesus weep.