Vintana Classes Up North County

There really aren't any restaurants in North County that you feel you have to dress up for, but now that Vintana is open in Escondido, you'll want to put on something special.  We went there for the first time in early October with Laurie and George.  We were celebrating their anniversary, and we did so in style.  The restaurant is stylish, comfortable and very good.  Laurie said it reminded her of Las Vegas, with colored fountains in front, and  from our third story  window seat, it was really a spectacular sight.

Vintana is part of the growing number of Cohn restaurants in San Diego, which include The Prado, 333, Indigo and several others.  This one is overseen daily by Debra Scott, executive chef, and she is out and about, schmoozing with customers throughout the night.  She is very charming.  The decor of the restaurant (which is absolutely enormous) is very comfortable, contemporary, with beautiful light fixtures, comfortable leather chairs, and a killer bar.  In addition, there is a covered outdoor cocktail area, with fire pits everywhere.  What a great place for a wedding or special event.

Upon arrival, the valet takes your car, and tells you it will be waiting for you up top when you finish your meal.  We walked through the showroom, (of course they want you to buy a car while you're there), then took the elevator to the third floor, where the hostess directed us to our

table.  Service was impeccable, from start to finish.  Our waiter, Stephan, was helpful in explaining the menu and making suggestions.  We were all very pleased with our food.

Upon sitting down, we are served a basket of warm popovers (remember Kirby's?) with flavored butter.  It's hard to eat just one, but I knew a big meal was coming, so I controlled myself.  Only George had a starter.  He had the Vintana wedge, which he said was delicious.  Instead of fresh tomatoes, it was served with tomato confit.  Other starters that I would try if I could eat more include Darrens Belly Roll (crispy rare yellowtail+asparagus nori mango-dynamite dipping sauce), Chef Deborahs Roasted Nut Crusted Brie (with jalapeno jelly, honey roasted garlic, grilled ciabatta), and Tempura Crab Cakes (pork belly+blackberry-baby arugula salad perserved lemon+dijonnaise).  Several soups and salads are also on the menu. 

The entrees run the gamut from chicken to fish, to pork to beef.  Several vegetarian entrees are also available, like roasted garlic and crispy mushroom gnocchi and a daily vegetarian selection.  I had a pork tenderloin cut porterhouse style, with a sweet potato mash, brussel sprouts and a thick ratatioulle.  The pork was glazed with a sugar ginger topping that crackled when you cut it and melted in your mouth.  It was excellent.  Ron had a wonderful ribeye steak served with an heirloom tomato salad.  George opted for the prime rib, served with baked potato and broccoli.  Several fish options are available, like rainbow trout oscar (served with crab, asparagus and bernaise), and ancho-sesame Bbq hamachi (served rare with roasted pineapple salsa, chile black beans, and fried plaintain.  I thought the menu was inventive and creative, but enough of the traditional dishes that everyone can find something to eat. 

Since we were celebrating an anniversary, we were served a complimentary bread pudding, with ice cream and whipped cream.  The bread pudding was made with the popover dough, and I found it a bit heavy, but that didn't keep me from tasting it.  We also ordered the mud pie.  OMG.  This was special because it had little bits of brittle, nice and sweet, which complimented the coffee ice cream. 

All in all it was a memorable evening, and we will be back.  It's not cheap, but if you have a Passport Card, it keeps the price down.  Most entrees are between $28-$38, and starters are $8-$10.  Lunch prices are of course much less, and the menu is quite different.  This is a great special occasion restaurant, and Escondido is not so far away.  It took us less than 25 minutes to get there.  Get out and try something new.