Cafe Chloe

I actually came to Cafe Chloe several years ago when it first opened and the East Village was being gentrified as a hipper, more local alternative to the Gaslamp. A friend and I came late for a dessert of creme brulee and a bottle of sparkling wine to once again celebrate the fact that neither of us had money to spend. Flash-forward a few years later. The Chowhound boards are buzzing with recommendations for Cafe Chloe and the small wine bar established itself as a dining destination in San Diego.


On a Monday evening, the small restaurant was able to accommodate a party of three outside, though smashed around a tiny table. The "larger" tables inside were not that much bigger. With nice weather, it is nicer to sit outside anyway. The restaurant does not take reservations for smaller parties. Promptly seated, the server immediately asks what we would like to drink and even offers a small sampling of a few wines to accompany the meal. This detail of service is amazing because we got to choose a wine that suited our palates. Ended up going with a medium-bodied red to match the variety of dishes we selected created by chef Katie Grebow.


We shared the starter of the corn and smoked mozzarella tart with pickled shallot ($8.75), which was then cut into thirds for sharing. The corn added a sweet taste to the meatiness of the smoked mozzarella. Its summery taste matched the ambiance and was a good start for the dinner.


After some time as each dish is made to order, the entrees eventually came out. The local white sea bass with ragout of summer vegetables, herb salad, espellette pepper sauce, grilled ciabatta ($23.00) was lightly overcooked as we saw it sitting under the heat lamp waiting for the other dishes to finish preparation. The sea bass had a thick crust, but the fish inside was not light and flaky, but rather dry. The fish should have been prepared last out of the other dishes. Ordering the steak & frites with roquefort, onion marmalade, and sautéed spinach and wild mushroom ($21.75) also meant that Cafe Chloe will donate $1.00 to the S.D Food Bank's Food for Kids' Backpack Program, at least during the month of August. The steak was more on the rare side than the requested medium-rare, but was still succulent with the generous chunks of roquefort. The frites were also well-executed and added a new texture in between bites of steak. Also on the side were the spinach and a variety of tender wild mushrooms. The plat du jour: choucroute garnie- fresh cherries & brandy pork sausage, brined pork loin, spiced pork belly, sauerkraut and butterball potatoes ($23.00) showcased pork in one of its several forms. The pork belly tasted more buttery than spiced - so lusious. Pale in comparison were the sausage, still rich and slightly sweet, and the loin. Full from the dinner, we passed on the dessert.

The foodie mill was right to recommend Cafe Chloe as a great place to dine, but the experience was not as mind-blowing as the hype led it up to be. That was slightly disappointing because I expected each bite to provoke wide-eyed amazement and wonder of the food. Maybe my taste buds have been spoilt by too much foie gras imported from the southwest region of France.

Cafe Chloe. 721 9th Avenue, San Diego, CA 92101-6481, United States. (619) 232-3242. Open Weekdays 7:30am-10:30pm; Sat 8:30am-10:30pm; Sun 7:30am-9:30pm. www.cafechloe.com