AIRR Supper Club

Last Friday, I had the awesome privilege of attending the private event opening for a new Supper Club/Night Club, AIRR.

Located in the Gaslamp Quarter of San Diego, AIRR boasts an upstairs locale with two flavors mixing to create an innovative "whole evening" experience, where patrons are seduced with both amazing dinners and a nightclub for handcrafted cocktails afterwards (the term 'handcrafted' when applied to any foodstuff is very annoying to me, but I understand that's the lingo/lack of better term for carefully thought out drinks).

We were led up the stairs to a waiting room that appeared to be taken directly from an exhibit of Andy Warhol work. Spray-painted graffiti walls, looming red doors, and a spray-painted silver couch (I dared not sit on it, but it seemed okay for sitting and waiting).

We were ushered into the austere, monochrome dining room, opulent in its stark decor. Despite the seeming plainness one would think of with an all-white decor, the attention to detail was incredible. The entire room was cohesive and wooed the diner with promises of a glamorous, evocative experience. We chose two of the cocktails from their short, yet impressive list, the Cobain, a gourmet twist on the Dark and Stormy rum cocktail, and the Revolution, a delicious mix of berries, bourbon, and surprisingly, rosemary.

The appetizers of raw oysters and sushi were well balanced and teasing. Perfectly portioned for an appetizer, the oysters were incredibly fresh and satisfying. The spicy tuna roll was very good, but seemed a little out of place among the rest of the fare.

For entrees, we were served lamb chops and a mushroom risotto. The risotto was wonderfully creamy, full of decadent flavor, with flawlessly prepared and generous criminis on top. The lamb chops were heavenly little bites of tenderness, with just the perfect amount of seasoning to be tasty yet not hide the flavor of the meat.

After such a grand meal, dessert was simple: fresh strawberries topped with delicate whipped cream, dots of vanilla bean exploding forth rich flavor.

Another pair of cocktails, and we headed to the nightclub half of the restaurant to enjoy the "Red Room," aptly named as the entire room has been doused in red.

I have so say, there is nothing like AIRR in San Diego. I am anxious to see what happens next, but I was very impressed with their approach.