Dinner at Anthology

I think that I have found the perfect date night in San Diego.

What is the perfect date night? Well, we tend to think of it as dinner and a movie, or dinner and a show. What if you combined those things into one awesome venue (and I'm not talking about dinner theater here)?

Anthology, a San Diego theater and restaurant, does just that, in the best possible way. Anthology combines some of the best cuisine in San Diego with some of the top performing artists in music and comedy.

Check out the seating arrangements! There's really not a bad seat in the house! Who wouldn't want to enjoy a great dinner here and listen to some great music? There is a projector screen on the stage to put people as close to the action as possible, but the venue is so intimate, I watched the act rather than the screen the entire time. That's a first!

We were there on Saturday night, anticipating a night of comedy with Paula Poundstone. Even if you do the later shows, Anthology has you taken care of. Their kitchen is open for the late show! We started with the delicious tuna tataki appetizer, with seared fresh tuna steak, covered with seaweed salad and surrounded by homemade ponzu sauce. I'm a huge fan of tataki, and this one did not disappoint. The tuna was seared to perfection, and the seaweed salad was a great addition!



We were still hungry, so after lots of pondering the menu (seriously, EVERYTHING sounds amazing), we decided on the duck cassoulet with duck confit, roasted root vegetables, and cannellini beans; and the wild sea bass, surrounded by a risotto mixed with fresh roasted corn, snow peas, and heavenly sauce.

The duck was wonderfully tender and had a nice flavor. The skin was crispy and roasted to a beautiful rust color, creating a nice texture with the tender meat. The vegetables were a perfect compliment, making me think of autumn days in Paris.

The sea bass was the bomb! Tender, flaky fish with delicious buttery flavor, all surrounded by corn, risotto, and crispy snow peas. I loved the contrast of the crunchy peas and the risotto. Snow peas are easy to overcook and can be floppy and soggy when done so, but these were crispy and crunchy! The sauce was incredible! I had to restrain myself from licking the plate.

After such great entrees, I couldn't resist dessert! After lots of debate (pineapple upside down cake did sound good!), I had to order the chocolate souffle. I've only had souffle a couple of times in my life, and this one was amazing! Piping hot from the oven, a vanilla creme anglaise was stirred into the center just before serving. I couldn't get enough of the rich, fluffy cake and the creamy center. I'm not much of a chocolate person, but this souffle makes me a believer. What better end to a romantic meal and a great show than a rich chocolate dessert?

I can't express enough how much fun it was to do a proper dinner and show! It was definitely the type of date where you can dress up (or go casual!) and have a special night out. I will certainly be returning to Anthology for a sensational evening of music/comedy and food! You should do the same.