French-born restaurateur Bertrand Hug just may gain fame as the first man to successfully defy the law of gravity.
Mister A's, the famed, decades-old luxury restaurant atop a mid-town San Diego high rise, had been sinking for years. The plush restaurant catered primarily to an audience of regulars that shrank annually in accord with the actuarial tables, and the decreasing popularity occurred despite an unrivaled location that commands sweeping views of Balboa
Park, downtown, San Diego Bay and more. But just when the restaurant's fall seemed to be accelerating, Hug, who owns the famed Mille Fleurs in Rancho Santa Fe, stepped in and announced that he would lift the landmark back up to the pinnacle by transforming it into a new luxury restaurant named Bertrand at Mister A's.
Amazingly, the place opened right on schedule on June 1, with the clever slogan "Same view, new perspective." Gone are the tuxedoed waiters and plush, red velvet draperies that at one time defied "chic" in San Diego; in their place, guests find servers in blue blazers and a contemporary, discreetly rich decor that emphasizes the zillion-dollar views on display outside the floor-to-ceiling glass walls. In the kitchen, chef Todd Davies - who ruled the ranges at several celebrated Bay Area eateries - supervises what he calls an "American Cuisine" menu influenced by classic French
and Mediterranean cooking.
The menus at both lunch and dinner are quite tempting, but it must be stated up-front that the prices are aggressive for San Diego and may meet some popular resistance, since the majority of dinner entrees cost more than $30. In fact, a three-course dinner for one will cost a minimum of $50 per person, and that's before beverages, tax and tip are figured into the equation. On the other hand, it may be time that this town opened a luxury restaurant with standards equal to those in such truly big cities as New York and London.
Davies' cooking is dazzling and sophisticated, and shines with such appetizers as the seared Hudson Valley foie gras with apple-stuffed French toast and a sweet-tart syrup, and fried, mustard-coated Malpeque oysters with Armagnac-flavored mayonnaise. The list turns playful with
a plate of house-smoked Scottish salmon paired with hotcakes and eggs, and truly extravagant with the top-quality Beluga caviar offered at $125 per serving. Among entrees, it's hard to ignore such stand-outs as the clever lobster "fish and chips", the whole roasted Dover Sole and the veal braised with Merlot. The white chocolate souffle with Grand Marnier sauce brings the meal to a conclusion every bit as sweet as the final scene of a Disney film.
