Kemo Sabe
Category: Restaurants [Edit]
Neighborhood: Hillcrest3958 5th Ave
(between University Ave & Washington St)
San Diego, CA 92103 (619) 220-6802
- Price Range: $$$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Full Bar
50 Reviews for Kemo Sabe
I don't think I've been to a Cohn restaurant I didn't enjoy but I think Kemo Sabe is my favorite. The food is fantastic and the presentation is SO impressive. I enjoyed eating and looking at my dinner "good things growing" and enjoyed trying John's dinner, "skirts on fire." I have only been there once but when I buy gift certificates to restaurants, Kemo Sabe is one of two places I go to pick them up (the nice thing about the Cohn gift card is that it can be used at any of the Cohn restaurants...I recommend Kemo Sabe but your gift recipient can choose).
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It is very unusual to go to a good restaurant after 3 years and have a great meal. Let's be honest... they have either sold to a new owner or the quality of food has fallen off a cliff. HAVE NO FEAR... KEMO SABE'S IS STILL HERE! the place was just as good as ever. Not sure you say? Order the Brie appetizer, any entree and 11 (that's right I said 11) of the mini Martini's (bring at least 2 friends for safety reasons) and say thank you to the culinary goddess know as Deborah Scott. Not only has she kept the food top rated but the staff (specifically our waiter Thomas) was prompt, knowledgeable and even a little funny. Kemo Sabe's gets 5 Stars. Hey and if those mini martini's kick your butt , catch a cab or a movie right across the street and be thankful great food is still around in San Diego.
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I was excited to check out Kemo Sabe, and had been wanting to go for a while, just never had an occasion... until last Sunday night.
We walked in and literally stood in the doorway for five minutes. About ten servers brushed by us on their way from the inner room to the outside patio, and none even acknowledged us once. We were actually getting ready to leave when the host came out and greeted us, and told us we would have to wait a moment until a table was ready. We began to debate whether or not to wait and literally ten seconds later they were ready to seat us.
The appetizer came out first; the sea scallops. They were nice, very good presentation, but nothing particularly special aside from the aesthetic. At $12 I expected more than three scallops. But it was a nice start, if not a spectacular start.
Then we waited 45 minutes. Finally flagged down a server (not ours, he went MIA) and asked about our dinners. They arrived 5 minutes later.
The kahlua-peanut short ribs were tasty, but they sounded better than they tasted, really. Nice presentation, again, and a decent meal. Good portion. My friend liked his dish (I can't remember what it was) but again, nothing spectacular.
Because the food took an hour to arrive, the host insisted on treating us to dinner, which was a nice gesture... though we were very full and it didn't sound THAT appealing really. But it was the highlight of the meal. It was a white cheesecake stack, and it was amazing. I'd go back just for that dessert. It was that good.
So overall, a 3... but really a combination of "1" scores (service), "3" scores (entrees), and "5" scores (ambiance, dessert). I can't quite decide if I want to give them another chance or not...
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The restaurant is cozy and exotically decorated. Taking about exotic, the food is exotic in both look and flavor. I have never taken that long to decide on a dish. The waiter had to check back on me at least three times before I decided. Everything on the menu sounds delicious. I finally when with the Kahlua-peanut glazed smoked ribs. When the food was brought out, I couldn't even believe my eyes. I have never seen anything like this. It was not only too pretty to eat, it was huge. Besides the ribs, there was cucumber salad and the watermelon-jimaca-lime salad. The ribs tasted wonderful. The watermelon was so fresh that I couldn't help finishing the whole thing. It was the most delicious dish ever.
I am not a big dessert fan but since the food was so delicious, we got Chocolate brownie topped with Kahlua ice cream anyway. We also ordered the 1996 Liquid Love Port that was paired with the dessert plate. I gave up drinking Port a while back, but this is some dang good Port. The brownie was warm and the chocolate was melting right inside the tasty ice cream. It was such a treat.
I really enjoyed my dinner here. There is no doubt that I would be coming back for more.
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The decor made me feel as if I should have been dining with John Wayne in some alternate dimension's Wild West movie. Or I should have played Raquel Welch in One Million Years B.C.. I thoroughly enjoyed the steel centipedes and goats on the walls. The music got a little intense sometimes, but was always offset by a lesser following track.
Our waiter was really attentive; so much so, that I would believe it might have been his one of his first nights working at Kemo Sabe...but definitely not his first in the restaurant business. After asking his recommendation on 2 items, he actually told me he preferred the Thai Jerk Smoked Duck Salad, which was the cheaper of the two. Although it might have been his actual preference plus statistics, I appreciated the fact that he actually took a second to mull it over, instead of immediately recommending the more expensive plate.
The Duck was AMAZING. I'm not usually one to eat game meat (if that qualifies?) but it was heavenly. I wasn't crazy about the Southwest cornbread, but the salad was very good and countered it nicely. The vinaigrette mixed with the grapefruit surrounding the plate, and made it so much better.
My dining partners tried the Sake margarita and pink mojito, both of which were extremely good. I don't think I've ever tasted more alcohol than I did in that margarita. My friend who had the margarita also had the Moo Shoo appetizer, and for some reason after trying her dish, all I could taste was alcohol. If a drink could infuse into a plate like that, it definitely was a good drink. Not so much for the designated driver, but you know how that goes.
Although Kemo Sabe screams pretension, it makes up for it with the food. The only lacking point was the 45+ min. wait for the food to arrive. Let's just say, it's good we weren't in a hurry. But the menu warns of the wait, explaining the design element and time subsequently needed...and those grapefruit were arranged mightily nicely.
Will be returning.
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Some restaurants just get it right. This is surely one of them. Everything just tastes great. They pay attention to detail. (Imagine if MORE places did that-they would ALL be successful.) That is so hard to find these days.
The vegetable brie appetizer is unique and impressive. The salmon is as scrumptious as piece of chocolate (or vanilla) cake. The ambiance is CORRECT. Finally -nice lighting-not too many a-holes with loud mouths. The tables are a little close together-but I'll deal for food this unique and tasty. Great place for a date.
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I do like the food here, unfortunately it is just a lot of "plate fluff", or crap on the plate that looks pretty but i would never eat. Dried noodles, strands of carrots and beets, basically like a parsley garnish, only wayy bigger and u cant set it on the table while eating your meal. Also kind of spicy, and not in a good way.... lets just say u may be in pain later!!! good apple sake though.
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Expensive, but worth it. I would have their toasted brie appetizer every day if I could. Great menu with lots of variety. I had the chicken with tempura yam and corn bread (fantastic!). The whole tilapia and the halibut were also both extraordinary. If you have a few bucks to spare, go here. You can't go wrong.
I've only been here once but it was "that good". My husband and I stumbled upon this place while on our way to see a movie at the theater across the street. Both of us loved the food. I had the salmon and after a few bites decided that it was the best salmon I've ever had. Lots of flavor, cooked perfectly, complimented well by the rice/sides. The appetizers/desserts were great too. I definitely recommend the Potted Brownie (which was served to us by executive chef Deborah Scott). Nice touch:)
I am most definitely going back here soon (in fact we're going back during Restaurant Week). Kemo Sabe meets and exceeds the Cohn Family Restaurants' reputation!
In theory, I really liked Kemo Sabe. In practice, I thought it was just ok.
My Traveling Pal and I ended up at Kemo Sabe after a relatively long day that included several iced drinks and no food. So we ended up at Extraordinary Desserts in Little Italy. This is important because our dessert first, dinner later experiment may have influenced my thought processes.
Loaded up with sugar, we bumped around until we ended up (because of amazing parking karma) right behind Kemo Sabe. We decided to give it a shot based on the interesting concept of southwestern/asian fusion, and because we needed vegetables. The interior was pleasantly dim, as was the hostess, who looked confused when we walked in. Overall, a nice contemporary interior, good for talking. Also, good for a first or third date, as the handsy couple next to us proved.
The food was ok to great. We split the 10 spice honey chicken served with spicy collard greens. The chicken was juicy, sweet and spicy, and perfect. It's hard to impress me with chicken in a restaurant...it's usually just...chicken. Collard greens added a nice little kick, the giant piece of jalapeno corn bread seemed unnecessary. This was good. I had Good Things Growing. Listed as a terrine of eggplant, bell peppers and cheese with ravioli, it was really a giant plate of roasted squashes and potatoes with a teeny tiny terrine, and 2 ravioli. The sauce was a bit bland for me, though my TP enjoyed it. The roasted squash were good, just not what I expected or wanted. Overall, I was underwhelmed with that plate. (Though a portion of the cost goes to the humane society).
Overall, a fine experience, a nice way to end the day but nothing special. I'd try somewhere else in Hillcrest before returning.
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My fiancee and I ate here for Valentine's Day and loved the Roasted Nut Crusted Fried Brie. We devoured it and haven't had or tasted anything like it. Just that appetizer alone we'll make us visit the restaurant again.
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I once made a weekend trip to San Diego just to have dinner at this place. The Chef really knows how to pair foods that play off of each other extremely well. I think it was a spicy duck cigar that was paired with cooling peaches and cucumbers to give relief. Really inventive fare. When can I find the time to return? I always recommend this place to friends.
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I just had the best time at Kemo Sabe with my girlfriends. The nut-crusted baked brie with jalapeno jelly, the skirt steak, the WINE, and, ohmagod, the white chocolate cheesecake mousse with praline wafers and fresh blueberries. We spent over three hours drinking, noshing, planning a trip to St. John and fighting about the election...
My friend, call her C, said women are too emotional to lead a country. WTF. Hasn't she heard of Margaret Thatcher? Yes, she has, but that's England, she said, and they are used to having queens.
Have another drink, honey.
"Even so-called third world countries have had female leaders," D said.
"Well, Bill and Hillary aren't in love" (serious non-sequitur)
That may be, but they make a hell of a political partnership.
"Shhhhh... you're bothering other people who are trying to have a nice dinner, "D said.
"I would never vote for Hillary," the woman sitting behind us said over her shoulder.
"I don't like Obama 'cause his middle name is Hussain."
Another drink, another cigarrete, another bite, another political discussion goes off the rails.
Our waiter, Larry, was overly patient with us. Ohmagod, what a gent.
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So very disappointing. We didn't have a waiter the whole night. That is not a joke. The manager/host served as our waiter. He took our drink order, then realized we never got our bottle of wine and went to get it. He mentioned something at one point about what could have been our waitress, and if she checked on us, but no one else ever came. He took our food order, he brought out our entrees, he told us the specials...
It took two and a half hours from start to finish for everything and not because we're slow eaters, because we literally didn't have a waiter.
The brie appetizer was great, but then we waited and waited, finally the entrees came and they were cold. Must have been because we had no waiter to know the food was ours.
The manager was great, but I don't think he really understood that he was the only person waiting on us. We had to go to the bar to get our check and give it to another random person to get it cashed out (at this point the manager was in the office doing paperwork). So disappointed.
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I came here randomly the other night and it happened to be the end of restaurant week, so I was super excited. My friend and I waited at the bar and ordered a couple of martinis. Mine was mango and it was really good. After that we ordered a bottle of some kind of white wine from New Zealand and it was tasty.
We ordered off of the restaurant week menu and our meal consisted of:
- crusted brie appetizer
- chicken potstickers
- black and white sesame salmon
- skirt steak
- chocolate pot
- cheesecake
Everything was exceptionally good including our server Nathan who was awesome. What I like most about the food is that each dish has multiple components that work so well together. I've been to Indigo Grill before and I have to say that I liked the experience and food here more even though they share some menu items and look similar. I can't wait to go back and try some stuff of their regular menu.
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Let it be said that having dessert an hour before dinner after a full day of not eating anything and drinking three different coffee drinks in the blazing sun is probably not a great idea.
Let it be said that "fusion" restaurants are really just a fancy way of saying "we don't really have focus, but we like some stuff".
Let it be said that it's been a long time since I've seen a couple make out in public. Well, until last night.
Let it be said that when you have the opportunity to have really good authentic Mexican, you should go for it. No matter how full you are.
My experience at Kemo Sabe was a reminder of all of these things. A "slap in the face, can't ignore it now" kind of reminder.
Traveling friend and I chose Kemo Sabe after walking all around Hillcrest, slowly digesting the best dessert ever (see Extraordinary Desserts) and coming down off of our semi-permanent sugar high. Option one - Afghan. Option two - Kemo Sabe.
Kemo Sabe, San Diego's attempt to fuse Mexican and Asian cuisine, was... okay. I really wanted to like it, the menu was interesting. Things sounded fantastic. I love the idea of the coconut calamari, thought the roasted nut crusted fried brie (clearly a french fusion restaurant as well) sounded quite tasty, was salivating at the idea of a number of the entrees (particularly the black and white sesame salmon and the lamb) and was particularly pleased to be able to share dinner with a friend who wanted to eat exactly what I wanted too!
We split the 10 Season Honey Chicken and the Eggplant Terrine (Good Things Growing). The chicken was very good - moist, the perfect level of spice, just enough honey. The bed of collard greens that it was plated on - ooo... must remember to mention the plating - was to die for. There was a huge, and I mean HUGE, piece of cornbread on the plate and a large piece of sweet potato tempura. The cornbread was spicy, almost a bit too much (and I like spice so please don't misinterpret). The SP tempura was just plain bad. Rule number one for tempura, the batter must be light. This was not. Not even close. Good Things Growing was... interesting. If I read a description of an eggplant terrine, I expect eggplant terrine and maybe some other stuff. This was other stuff and maybe some eggplant terrine. Seriously. I don't even think that there was a full slice of a small (Japanese small) eggplant on that plate. Disappointing. What was there was good - the non-tempura tempura showed up again. Seriously. Fix that. There was also a LOT of starch. Sweet potato, rice cake, squash, red potato, some other potato that I had to ask about - and it wasn't fully cooked, udon noodles and a cream dressed butternut squash ravioli. All of this on one plate. It was not what we expected at all. Having said that, none of it tasted bad at all - and I loved the squash - but it just wasn't well-planned.
What was amazing was the plating. Rarely do I feel the need to mention the plating of a dish - it's all a little "Top Chef" for me, but I really do have to say that it was beautiful. The only other redeeming factor about the Good Things dish was the plating. Perhaps I've read too much into this, but I think that there was a direction implied in the way it was laid out. I hope, for Kemo Sabe's sake, that this was intentional.
As we were paying our bill, and the couple next to us was clearly in the midst of the "shall we sleep together for the first time?" dance (full on making out was REALLY not cool) I realized that Kemo Sabe was part of a restaurant group. While restaurant groups always deliver on the availability of match books, chalk this experience up to yet another experience that proves it - they rarely deliver the goods on the plate. Oh well, another day, another two hour drive for a San Diego dinner. Next time, I'll stand up for authentic mexican.
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Simply Incredible.
I had trouble finding a restaurant that would accommodate my pescatarian (vegetarian & seafood) diet and date (not big on sushi, enjoys spicy dishes), so my friend told me to check out this restaurant, reluctant at first (since I like to try a place before taking someone there). Boy was I wrong.
I was floored by the service, ambiance and food.
I had the pleasure to try the Teriyaki Halibut (based on the excellent wait staff's recommendation) . I enjoyed and savored every bit until I could eat no more (Great portions). My date has a chicken platter that I was told was phenomenal (Spicy cornbread is a must to try!).
Our waiter then suggested dessert and offered us his personal favorite which was the white chocolate cheesecake. Let me tell you, I was floored. I don't normally eat desserts, but I couldn't believe how incredible this dessert was. YOU MUST try this dessert.
Highly recommended no question. You won't be disappointed. Book your reservations now!
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Excellent, excellent. We had baked brie for an appetizer that was awesome - served with jalapeno jelly, a baked head of garlic, squaw bread, and tiny slices of beets and carrots. For dinner, we shared halibut with a teriyaki barbeque sauce - very light but wonderful - to die for - and for dessert, their praline and cheesecake creation topped with fresh blueberries. The service and the coffee served with dessert was excellent.
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This is a fun restaurant with a focus on style and theatricality above all else. Like all Cohen family restaurants, the execution is totally impeccable.
The food is very good, but perhaps more effort is going into the arrangement of the food on the plate and the fun names on the menu than the food itself.
What keeps Kemo Sabe from being a 5-star restaurant? Maybe it's just me, but I always feel that it's a little bit of a gimmick, all style and not enough substance. There is something to be said for a theatrical meal but there is also something to be said for understated elegance. To me, the latter is more appealing.
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Nut Crusted Brie appetizer. Eat it. EAT IT! It's mandatory.
This is an artistic yet very good restaurant. It feels fancy even though it's pretty casual. They have an odd selection of food so if you like to keep thing simple order accordingly. Talk to your server about each dish. Some dishes, like the roasted chicken, is a full chicken.
They have an awesome vegetarian dish called Good Things Growing that is simply amazing and with it's purchase a donation is made to the Humane Society.
If going on a Friday or Saturday with more than 4 people you should make a reservation. (or maybe even with 4 people.)
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We went there after we got a buy one get one free entree coupon from the Taste of Downtown event. The skirt steak is awesome. They rub chiles on it... yummy and not too spicy, just a nice little kick. The roasted duck was ok, but hard to eat....maybe I'm just not that good with a fork and knife? Anyway, the best part of the evening? The potted brownie.....kahlua ice cream over a delicious brownie=heaven :)
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I've celebrated two birthdays at Kemo Sabe-one of them my own.
Kemo Sabe is the kind of restaurant that you want to go to for special occasions. The atmosphere is lively, the service is energetic and speedy, and the food-way OVER THE TOP. Both times I have left Kemo Sabe feeling stuffed out of my wits. Appetizers and especially entrees are enormous, mostly because they garnish their plates with heaps of shredded beets, lettuce, styrofoamy noodles, and other edibles which you don't particularly want to eat. The Mexican bacon-wrapped prawns (really good) rested on individual puffs of sour cream, atop a giant pillow of cucumbers, lettuce, and other random veggies. The sashimi platter was a visual feast, with little green-onion palm trees and a variety of sauces in fried won ton bowls. Too bad it felt like their were more decorative veggies than actual pieces of fish on the two-tiered plate.
I've tried most of the appetizers, and the best, in my opinion, is the fried brie. Based on this one dish, Deborah Scott really could be considered a culinary genius. Unlike many of the other apps/entrees, everything that came with the brie actually had a purpose (except for the random tortilla). Our server squeezed the roasted garlic and spread brie on the toast for us, which was nice.
Unfortunately, none of the entrees come close to the brilliance of the brie. I've had the duck, which was really tough and dry. Skirts on fire, Kemo's "signature dish", was really just an above-average steak, ruined partially by being served on a giant pool of black beans. I couldn't stop wondering why someone would pair a nice pice of meat with a side you can get for 50 cents at Rubios. The steak had a slightly spicy aroma, but was nowhere near on fire.
As for the desserts-I really don't have much to say for them. The potted brownie (which they send out complimentary for birthdays) was sickly sweet and had an odd, grainy texture. It didn't help that we had already ordered one before our server brought out the free one, because no one in our family could even finish the first one. The sorbet sampler was terribly ruined by the strange coconut-flavored one, which reminded us of gasoline. The cheesecake tower was another flop. I had expected cheesecake, and instead got a huge plate, on top of which was several layers of piped, creamy stuff and praline cookies. The whole thing was made worse by an excessive drizzling of white chocolate sauce, which was nearly solidified and completely mismatched to the dessert. The gingerbread loaf was lukewarm and bread-like, but did come with a delightfully large scoop of kahlua-flavored ice cream.
I really feel that this restaurant's merits are its service, atmosphere, and appetizers. Everything else is just over the top, and not in a good way.
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I haven't been here in over 10 years but it's a good sign to see it still around. My sister had her wedding catered from this restaurant. I came here last week for dinner. The decor and service was pretty good. The food is asian/south western fusion. The flavors are pretty strong and I liked it. We started with the shaved grana salad with shrimp, very good. And also the charbroiled mexican white prawns. Then moved onto the kahlua peanut glazed smoked ribs with a side of sweet potatoes. The entrees are pretty big so share. We were too full to get dessert but they all looked pretty good.
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I am a 'regular' here because I live in Hillcrest and go here so often. I have found the best way to go is to share a couple of appetizers and split an entree. (they don't charge you a fee to do this) Plus they have an AMAZING bar and we love to have a full bar when we have our meal.
One time, Deborah Scott was in the restaurant, I complimented her and she gave us a free desert. Thanks Deborah!!
For appetizers, I usually go with 2 of these: Arizona Roll (yummy- little mini burritos with a great spicy dipping sauce and guacamole on the side), the Prawns (they are wrapped in bacon and cheese and soooo delicious) the Navajo Bi Pie (we liken these to Mexican mini pizza's) or the Thai Sticks (you get one beef, one chicken and one shrimp skewer and they are hot and yummy)
MOST people love the Brie but it is not our favorite, very heavy....
For the entree, I think the Filet Mignon is the best- it comes w/mashed potatoes and tomatoes and is SO big there is no way one person could eat it if they have had an appetizer!!
Deserts are also amazing, try the brownie pot they do, it is so good
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I've only been here several times for restaurant week or when they have deals. So my experience may be biased.
The food off the special menus have been great. The place is crowded and if you are on the end tables, you may get bumped by the waiter/waitress/guests getting into/out of the small space to sit. However, the food has always been great. I've never had a problem with the quality on these busy nights. The reason I don't eat here on regular nights is parking's a issue (though they valet), and it's a bit expensive for my budget. (If i'm going to spend a lot of money, I rather go to nine-ten).
The Salmon looks and tastes great. So does the Skirts on Fire dish. Very spicy, very delicious. The butternut squash ravioli is not bad... they are huge monsters- you only get 2, so it was again good for me, but not for my BF who wanted more food.
The best part is the amazing brownie pot icecream dessert. It has a huge chocolate monster/dragon/animal coming out of the top and it's beautiful and delicious. I highly recommend. They gave some brownie dessert for taste of hillcrest and it's amazing and delicious.
Ambiance is fun, reminds me of Indigo Grill. A unique san diego restaurant.
Based on past experience, I tend not to expect much when dining during events like Restaurant Week. The food is typically mass produced and mediocre and I feel like they are pushing you out the door to turn over as many tables as possible. So when a group of us decided to eat at Kemo Sabe during their $20.08 Anniversary Special (three courses for $20.08), I expected the same experience. Surprisingly, I was wrong!
We ordered the brie to start (not on the special menu); I was not about to pass that up after reading so many reviews about it. It was so good.......lick-the-plate good, in fact. We shared a salad and potstickers. The salad was very tasty, but the potstickers were unmemorable. I chose the Skirts on Fire as my entree. It was definitely "on fire", but I will disclose that I have a low tolerance for spice. The meat was tender and cooked just as I requested. I highly recommend. On to desserts...we shared two.....the potted brownie didn't really do anything for me. The other dessert was some sort of cheesecake thing layered with crisy cookie things. I can't begin to describe how good it was. Absolute HEAVEN. Excuse me while I wipe off the drool.
I should note that I was very impressed with the service......our waiter was lovely, and the host was polite and professional.
If I could eat here every night I would. We have been here previously and had an equally fantastic experience. We started with the Dim Sum and Then Sum which was fabulous and perfect for two people. I had the halibut which was cooked to perfection and really quite beautiful. My husband had the lamb which was a huge portion and he didnt speak the whole time he was eating -- that is a really good sign. The brownie dessert is way over the top and very, very good. I had a cosmospolitan and the only I would change is to ask for no salt on the glass. Our waiter, Q, was great and did us a huge favor by warning us about the portion sizes. I truly appreciated that. I love this place and I am glad I live close by.
Of all the Cohn family restaurants I've been to, this was by far my worst experience. While the service was quite good and the ambience and decor was not lacking, the food was surprisingly awful.
My appetizer order (Dim Sum and Then Sum) included a sampling of vegetable spring rolls that probably could have gone without the cream cheese center, not to mention the Vietnamese noodles being al dente, a definite no-no. The ahi, however, was even more disappointing. When is sushi grade ahi ever supposed to be fishy?
The entrees were no better. My order of the Skirts on Fire came out overdone not once, but twice, and it didn't help that it was chewy and rubbery in texture. My date ordered the whole tilapia, which in itself was not bad. But, the accompanying sides of seaweed salad and udon noodles were dreadful at best. The seaweed salad seemed a little too fresh having tasted like it literally just came out of the ocean. And the udon noodles were more a wrinkly, shriveled mess rather than the thicker, smooth noodles you typically see in Japanese restaurants. Both dishes were described as "a generous portion" and yet, most of the food on the plate was entirely unappetizing. Heaps of julienne carrots and beets make for a gorgeous food arrangement, but certainly does nothing to whet the appetite.
Who knows? maybe it was an off night, but another visit to this restaurant is not in the future. Overall, there are other establishments in the Cohn family group that will leave you feeling more satisfied.
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i think when chef deborah scott's recipes are prepared correctly, they're truly stunning--the combination of spices, unexpected taste combinations, textures, and presentation is outstanding. but the last few meals we've had at kemo sabe just don't hit the bar.
i realize the last time we ate there we unwittingly walked in for the kick off of SD restaurant week, and we didn't order off the specialty menu. still, though, we were there very early--the kitchen should have been fine. we ordered the ribs and "good things growing." the meat quality of the ribs was just okay--lots of grizzle and tough stuff, rubbery and not tender, like you'd expect. that may be a common hazard with beef ribs (but jayne's gastropub has beef ribs that are out of this world).
my "good things gowing" was a mixed bag. if it had been prepared right, it would have been delicious. but the squash and some other veggies were way undercooked--too crunchy. the ravioli was cold. the layered goat cheese was still frozen! ah!
scott herself asked us if everything was good as we were leaving. i didn't have the heart to complain just as restaurant week was ramping up--she had enough to deal with. we just agreed that everything was good and thanked her. i think ultimately that does her (and the restaurant) a disservice, but how awkward would it have been, really, to confront one of the most famous chefs on the west coast personally about the quality of her food--or maybe just the quality of her line cooks and her lack of supervision. maybe i'll send her a letter. maybe i'll tell her next time. maybe i'll just take the easy way out and post a mediocre yelp review!
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Great service. Nice ambiance, good for a date or business dinner. I had the Mexican Chile Stuffed Filet, and it was amazing. My friend loved his lamb, but didn't care for the sides included (lots of squash and a salad). Drinks were yummy. I'd recommend this to anyone.
Not too impressed.
Took my sister and Mom here while they were visiting. It was really loud, but it looked like a fun place for a group of friends to go. But, I did not really like the food. I had some fish dish (that I can't not remember) with things poking out of it. Nice presentation, I suppose, but it was hard for me to find some pleasure in it. Where was the taste? My family liked theirs alright.
Anyway, I looked at the other reviews and wondered if we are just picky eaters, but I'd like to think we our taste buds are distinguished and wise:)..
I would have given this place 2 stars if that dessert hadn't been so awesome. Oh...sinful...Some chocolaty thingy. Yum.
Oh, parking does suck and the waitstaff is pretty good.
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I can't tell if I like this place or if I don't like it.
On the occasions, I've come here it's been real hit or miss in regards to quality. I remember getting a brilliant brie appetizer, followed by a rather mediocre piece of salmon.
I was also disappointed with my waiter's win suggestion once, and another time pleasently surprised. The atmosphere is also a little too high and mighty for my tastes. Too fu-fu.
It's good food, but just needs work in the realm of consistency.
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In San Diego for a teaching conference, had dinner her tonight. Has the green and black clam appetizer and the sesame salmon, both outstanding dishes. Very tasty and well seasoned. Haven't been to this section of San Deigo, really a hopping street with very nice restaurants. Kemo Sabe is definitely worth a repeat visit sometime this week.
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Having to share the famous restaurant chain with "Prado" "Tiki Hut" "Indigo Grill" and other famous ones, Kemo Sabe knows how to do restaurants. The food overall was good, there is a fusion touch to it. The ambiance is nice with soft lightings and very attentive waiters. However, the food was overly decorated with lots of "unnecessary" things that takes away from the flavor and makes the plate looks overwhelmingly filled. Kemo's chef should focus more on the food instead of the decorations; sometimes "less is more".
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Choc-o-holics beware!!!
There is a chocolate dragon that emerges from a ceramic pot filled with ice cream and brownies. He is out to kill your diet no matter what it may be. I'm not kidding. This thing is like 10 inches tall.
That being said, one must at least see the chocolate dragon. This isn't like some chocolate bunny made of convenience store chocolate. This is a thinly crafted work of art with white chocolate accent marks. He truly does emerge from the brownie bowl from a cloud of ice cream and whipped cream.
This is the kind of dessert that can suck you into a restaurant soley to behold.
Keep in mind, one eats dessert last. The entrees truly do work their way up to this level of ecstacy. Start with the appetizers. I reccomend the spicy beef skewers. This is a great place to go with friends! Sit outside and you can see Ru Paul's birthplace!
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We made reservations for our daughters b-day dinner for a Sunday night in January. We didn't realize it was the start of restaurant week in SD. I'm not completely sure on my rating. We liked the food. I had the potsticker appetizer, my daughters all had the crusted Brie, and my hubby had the sushi. Understandable they finished cooking for all the big parties. We had a late reservation we had to wait for our entrees. Yeah, the waitress said "coming out soon". OK there is hope. Manager walks by and asks "everything alright"? It would be nice if we were to get our entree replied my husband. The manager and unknown waiter return with our food immediately. We went on to round two ding-ding, Sam and I had the salmon, All the girls had skirts on fire. Need water. More water.
Where is the waitress, oh she's talking to table next to us her butt in our faces, my husband pokes her in the butt with his fork and requests more of the promised water. It is promised to us again, mouth burning, starting to black out now. This could be a blessing in disguise. I have a bad vision of being out to sea in a dingy and having nothing to drink. Good things come from adversity.
Now where was I? Dessert we have learned to put the potted brownie up there on the wish list of things not to be forgotten when we are stranded in the dingy. Along with desalization tablets. This is a fun go to celebration restaurant. We'll be back in July.
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I just don't know about this place
You ask for ravioli and get pasta the size of the palm of your hand.. maybe I'm a traditionalist? If you're looking for a restaurant that has unique menu choices coupled with an equally unique presentation and dishes that test the pallette (in a good way), then this is the place for you.
One bugger is the parking.. but once I get over that obstacle and try out every other restaurant in this town maybe I'll come back.
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This restaurant had a great ambiance and fun environment - right in the midst of trendy, bustling Hillcrest. The food was absolutely amazing - we tried the Arizona Roll appetizer, a great combination of southwestern and Asian (tortilla and southwestern flavors, with hoisin sauce) - we practically licked the plate. We complemented the meal with a flight of 5 sakes. For the main course we tried the jerk chicken dish and the halibut dish. The halibut was excellent, and the jerk chicken had a great display and was extremely sweet and rich. The bar has an extensive martini list, but we didn't quite get that far. Next time! The only drawback of the night was the noise level in the restaurant - it felt like we had to shout to even have a conversation.