Elite Event: Oceana Coastal Kitchen

Late Review… but better late than never. If I could, this place would be like 6 stars. I feel a little guilty being treated to such a nice dinner as Unilocal Gold Elite.
Oceana Coastal Kitchen is located in the Catamaran Resort Hotel.
We ordered the following:
APPETIZERS
— Cabo Crab Louis — dungeness crab, pickled asparagus, boiled egg, spicy cabo louis dressing
— Tuna Carpaccio — wasabi cream, ginger, toasted nori (my favorite)
ENTREES:
— Grilled Harris Ranch Ribeye — yukon gold mashed potatoes with lemon asparagus
— Sea of Cortez Scallops — pickled cherries, frisee, sweet potato purée (my favorite)
DESSERT:
— New School Banana Pudding — caramelized banana and vanilla cookie crumble
— Cinnamon Honey Crème Brulee — (my favorite)
YUM! AMAZING!

Long overdue. Better late than never, I suppose ;)
For a moment, I thought we could have been at Del Mar-​La Jolla-​Harbor Island-​Coronado enjoying a swank, beachy dinner, with the full moon rising above Bay Park in the distance from our vantage point.
Date night was fun. Wifey and I enjoyed an evening dinner on the back patio. Did it all go without a hitch? Not entirely. Service was fantastic, along with the delicious food and potent signature cocktails.
A quick rundown on our plates…
Little Gem Caesar Salad
Cabo Crab Louie
Roast Filet Mignon
California White Seabass
Cinnamon Honey Crème Brûlée
Warm Skillet Brownie and Cream
…and beverages…
Hemingway Daiquiri
Revolver
Peach Bourbon Mule
Traditional Mai Tai
Each course was delightful, prepared nicely, and well timed. Our cocktails refreshing and some deceptively potent, with others boldly high-​octane, with an effective punch.
On a tangent, I had mentioned to our server about some teeny pebbles that somehow didn’t get filtered out of a side dish. No broken teeth, health hazard, or anything panic stricken like that, but the harsh crunch of little stones mid-​chewy was a surprise. I thought nothing of it since dinner was enjoyable, but chef visited our table to sincerely apologize for the incident. We appreciated the gesture. It was a simple oversight since I’ve made a pot of rice at home and missed a tiny pebble or two during the prep process.
The tiered seafood tower appetizer looks awesome and I would get that next time when we visited. Remember to get your parking ticket validated at the hostess stand.
Oceana Coastal Kitchen should definitely be on your list of neat spots for casual, refined dining.

First of all I want to thank Unilocal and Oceana for graciously giving me what essentially was a date night with my hubby. I rarely go out with the hubby sans babies so this was a treat.
The Catamaran is all about service. From the moment you come in, even till you leave, the service remains excellent. From our valet to our server, they were definitely on point.
We got seated outside overlooking the bay, with Sea World in the background. It was a warm night so it was nice to sit outside.
It did take a little longer than usual for our server to come, but it was a busy night, and he apologized for it. They served one fresh roll each. I’m sure we could have asked for more but the bread guy didn’t come back, which made me a bit disappointed since the bread server usually does come back especially if it’s a busy night. The roll served was amazing super fresh out of the oven. So wish there was more.
For appetizers, we ordered the sea bass ceviche and spicy tuna roll. The ceviche wasn’t that flavorful and required salt which I normally never have to add to my dishes since I don’t like salt too much. I take the salt shaker, it only has one hole, the salt barely comes out. The sushi roll was quite good but it had a bit too much rice not enough tuna. Also no chopsticks were served with the roll. Also disappointing. The drinks were awesome. I had the lavender lemonade and revolver. The hubby had a wine and whisky. This is the place for drinks, hands down. I would come back for happy hour just for the drinks.
Dinner was sea bass for the hubby and filet mignon for me. I know, meat at a seafood place. But it was quite good, I’ve had better else where but it was decent. Just not memorable. The sea bass on the other had was really moist and the sides with it were awesome! For dessert we had mocha cake and crème brûlée. The cake was decadent. The crème brûlée tasted nothing like crème brûlée. In fact it didn’t even taste like it was made from cream.
All in all we left extremely stuffed and drunk. Too mad it was a Monday and we had to put our kids to bed after. The food itself is 4 stars. But the service is 5 stars. We were paid attention to the best even before it was known we were there for the Elite dinner. So for that alone, the whole experience was 5 stars.

My Fiancé and I haven’t had a date night in awhile. So this was such a treat. As we enter the hotel we didn’t know where the restaurant was located until we saw a sign right at the corner of the room. We walked towards the outside and was a bit confused where the hostess stand was located. Luckily someone was standing there or else we would have not known.
We were greeted and sat immediately. Looking through the menu we had no idea what to order. Everything sounded so great.
We started with the Crab Louis and the YellowTail Crudo. The Crab Louis definitely had crab in it. We’re so used to ordering things and it lacks something but this dish was full of crab and greens. Wonderful! The Yellowtail Crudo was plain but still good. I say plain because there was nothing on it like a crudo should. There was no oil, no seasoning, no lime/​citrus, nothing. Weird to call it crudo, but I went with it. It tasted fresh.
On to our entrees. I ordered the Sea bass and the Fiancé ordered the scallops. We were both in love with the scallops. It was cooked so perfectly! My Sea bass was also delicious and also cooked perfectly. We were both super impressed. The grain that came with the sea bass was a bit too buttery/​oily tasting for me. Otherwise the dish was close to perfect.
We ended our meal with the Banana Pudding and their Donut which looks like a Beignet. Hands down the Banana Pudding was amazing. It wasn’t too sweet and the banana flavors were just right. I seriously would come here just for the Banana Pudding. I love bananas.
It was beautiful sitting outside enjoying live music, wonderful service, and great food. This is such a great location and would have not known about it at all.
Seriously though, I’m down to come just for Scallops and Banana Pudding. :)
Thank you Brad, Oceana, and others who have made this such an enjoyable night!

What a most enjoyable dinner experience! I didn’t really know what to expect, as this was my first GOLD elite event, but we were terrifically wowed and impressed by the attention of the staff, ambiance of the restaurant, and the general high quality of the dinner.
We were graciously received by the hostess, and escorted to our table, which was a prime table in the corner affording us a complete 180° view of the restaurant and the outside dining patio, leading to the beach and Bayfront. Maryanna, the manager, came over to introduce herself and welcomed us to the restaurant.
We relaxed with our drinks: Passionfruit margarita for me (see attached photo), and Sauvignon Blanc for my wife. My cocktail was delicious, and well balanced. There is a most impressive, diverse selection of wines by the glass, at very reasonable pricing.
As we had been saving our appetite all day for this extravaganza, we hungered and ordered way too much food, as the menu was very enticing (see photo). We opted for: Arugula salad, Chili Shrimp Flatbread, Crispy Shrimp Roll, Sea of Cortez Scallops, and California White Seabass. Though the food was delicious, as we were completely stuffed, we were able to discipline ourselves by not eating everything, taking leftovers for the next day’s lunch. Of course, we did indulge and complete our meal with a Chocolate Brownie that was baked in an individual cast iron skillet, served with vanilla ice cream, a la mode, and the Mocha Layer Cake. See photos of all.
The amazing thing is that EVERY dish that was served was absolutely delicious. Our server, Jenelle, was ever-​present and looked after us very well. Our bread server was available for repeat service (see photo), as the bread varieties were also enticing.
This restaurant may have been a hidden secret that I know will not last, as the word gets out about the high quality, and very reasonably priced dining experience to be enjoyed.
My sincere thanks to Brad, and Oceana, for the invite and the excellent dining experience. We’ll be back!!!

Brad & Oceana — you definitely spoiled us!
My husband and I had the privilege of participating in this Gold Elite Event at Oceana, and we were definitely in for a treat.
Oceana is located inside the Catamaran Hotel in Mission Bay. The restaurant has this awesome jelly fish tank located in the center of it and a beautiful patio with a view of the bay. You definitely get a sense of being on vacation while being here.
We couldn’t wait to enjoy our dinner, and after looking at all the other Unilocalers dining experiences and pictures, I was so eager to dive into their menu.
Our order consisted of:
— Yellowtail Crudo — Looked so good, and must’ve been good, because I didn’t even get to try it. My husband devoured it, before I even had a chance to have a little nibble haha
— King Crab Legs — SO good! One of my favorite dishes of the night. The legs were huge and very fresh!
— Sea of Cortez Scallops — My other favorite dish of the night. I’m a huge fan of scallops and these were cooked perfectly!
— Grilled Harris Ranch Ribeye — My husband ordered this as his entrée and loved it! A huge steak and cooked to perfection!
— Pumpkin Cheesecake — Our first thing of pumpkin for fall and it was delicious!
— Mocha Layer Cake — This was so good! It was my pick for dessert. Because we filled up so much on the whole meal, we took this home and enjoyed it later.
The cocktails we had were:
— Original Mai Tai
— Revolver Cocktail
Both were excellent and strong!
From the moment we walked in, to the second we left– the staff was absolutely amazing. Our server, Dustin, was always checking on us, and was very friendly and attentive.
Once again, thank you Oceana & Brad for this awesome experience. I will definitely be back for some more delicious seafood and strong cocktails on the bay!

First, thank you to the SD Unilocal Elite Squad, Brad B. and the management team at Oceana Coastal Kitchen for making this fabulous Elite Event happen.
I’ve been to the Catamaran Hotel once for a wedding upstairs, but never had the pleasure of dining in any of the restaurants at the hotel. Just stepping into the hotel made you feel like you were on a tropical vacation. When I made the reservation, I was asked if we wanted to sit inside or outside. The person I spoke with on the phone recommended sitting outside to enjoy the lovely view of the bay. She was right! The night view of the bay was immaculate and the perfect weather last Thursday night made the even more unforgettable.
I had a hard time believing we would be getting an entire 3 course meal of 2 drinks, 2 appetizers, 2 entrees and 2 desserts all free of charge. All my other friends were totally jealous.
We ordered:
Apps:
–Yellowtail Crudo w/​aguachile, avocado and pickled radish. This appetizer was missing a sauce. We had soy sauce brought out to the table, but I was expecting a vinaigrette drizzling on the fish. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the fresh Hamachi.
–King Crab Legs w/​Lemon Ginger Mayo. We loved this appetizer. It was huge and half cracked for us for minimal work. I’m a butter fanatic, but appreciated the lemon ginger mayo. It was much lighter than drawn butter and complimented the sweet king crab meat very well.
Entrees:
–Grilled Harris Ranch Ribeye: Cooked to a perfect medium rare, accompanied by mash potatoes and asparagus. I prefer my mashed potatoes to be a little richer (more butter, more cream), and the asparagus was a bit overcooked.
–California White Seabass: Ancho chili, orange, beets, farro, baby kale. The ancho chili crust was amazing. We loved the flavor.
Desserts:
–Cinnamon Honey Crème Brulee: Delish touch of cinnamon and honey with a perfectly caramelized topping.
–Pear Upside Down Cake: almond cake with cherry compote. We had to take this one home because we were stuffed! Tasted good even the next day!
Complimentary bread:
–The citrus biscuit was a hit with us. We loved it.
We actually ordered 3 glasses of wine and thought we’d be charged for the 3^rd glass, but everything was comp’ed! Our final bill came out to be $ 152.80 and we tipped our exceptional server, Dustin, $ 40.
Oceana coastal kitchen is a beautiful venue with thoughtful and creative dishes. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for a romantic night out with that special someone.

What an amazing experience.
I say that because… that was not a mere dinner out for me and a guest. we enjoyed our time at Oceana so much so that suddenly 3 hours had passed by! I gotta give it to our professional and respectable server who was apparently very mindful to how much we wanted to «stay awhile.» we were not forgotten by any means… simply left to enjoy each other’s company during a lovely warm Oct. 1^st night on the patio. our sommelier was probably the most engaging and articulate professional ive ever experienced. he sold me on everything he described as his personal enthusiasm radiated — and if it hadn’t been for my much more observant dining companion, i would have nearly ordered a whole bottle of the red special of the night from Italy. oops! 2 drinks was enough :-O
drinks: i decided to give their peach bourbon mule a shot. it was ok but i prefer more carbonated ginger beer. ive just had better. the pinot noir recommended to me was smooth and has a slight charcoal smell just as the sommelier stated — i was actually really intrigued by that! my companion got an old fashioned… his first ever… and stated it was quite strongly made. he was recommended another pinot and enjoyed that as well.
after hearing reports that they had run out of duck the previous day (what I had instantly decided on when referencing the menu) i got all in a panick. i actually called the front desk the day of to see if it would be an issue. suddenly this duck was even more desireable and I HAD to have it. im happy to report that I was able to get that duck: D along with the mussels and clams app. everything was delicious. i would have liked the duck temperate to be slightly warmer, but everything was beautiful and delicious in taste.
and now for the sad news. i got so worked up about my mission of the duck, i never thought the banana pudding would be an issue. THEY RAN OUT! i heard such amazing things. i feel like the kitchen should be made aware that this constant running out of popular items is a bit frustrating to experience. i hope i get to enjoy that dessert another time. the pumpkin cheesecake was what i settled on, and it was indeed delicious cheesecake and perfect to take home and enjoy later.
my dining companion going the king crab legs and the sea bass. he enjoyed both very much. i thought the crab legs were on the watery side, but its nothing i typically order so not sure. the server also brought me a cute sample of the melon gazpacho when I mentioned my curiosity. its exactly as you would imagine in taste… and i was good with one sip. it was a very nice gesture to bring me a sample to try, though!
always such a great privilege to be included in such a special and gracious dining experience. i am truly humbled. thank you so much to Brad for setting this up and making us Gold Elites feel special! I cant believe ive been doing this for 8 years now. Thank you to Oceana for your generosity and fantastic service. a truly lovely night I had been looking forward to and completely delivered on my hopeful expectations.

WHOA, its good to be gold!
i really thought this to myself as i sat there sipping a passion fruit margarita and looking out into the water:
«Lucy, you are one of the few very fortunate gold members of a beautiful community made up of wonderful folks who share so much in common and come together often for nothing but good times. You literally have the best life in the world besides that hot actress who sleeps next to Brad Pitt each night»…
Well… i do have a ‘Brad’ of my own (community manager), who really spoils us.
My friend and i decided on an über, very easy to find and the gentlemen at the valet directed us in the right direction, the restaurant has a nice sushi bar and the inside is beautiful but we sat outside and enjoyed the view.
Our handsome friend Dustin took such good care of us, we started with drinks and Juno came by to say hello.
Classy, classy people here!
Service is extremely thoughtful.
EXCELLENT passion fruit margarita.
Now the food:
i ordered king crab legs, the portions were enormous. I have ordered king crab legs as an entrée at other restaurants and the portion is nothing like Oceana.
My date Angie enjoyed the yellowtail crudo, very nice.
My filet came with a beautiful side of potato gratin which Angie thought was so much better than the mashed potatoes (a lil dry) she received with the rib eye.
I had a taste and i agree, my cheesy and moist potatoes win hands down.
Dessert was incredible, the baked brownie on its own skillet is sinful!
So what is calling me back?
The service and that delicious margarita.

It’s neat to be Elite!
I am so grateful to have been included in this event! When Melanio told me he was going on Wednesday, he said to contact Nette to get in on the reservation. So there were 14 of us in their private dining room! Great relaxed atmosphere and friendly staff from the hostess, to our server, to all the servers that helped our sever, the sommelier and the manager… oh and the valet! The dining partner and I arrived early and sat in the bar for a drink. I have never been to the Catamaran and it’s a great spot!
This was by far the longest Elite dinner I’ve experienced. The staff really wanted to make sure we were all eating at the same time. Plus the fact that there was a lot of mingling and talking among us… so they were giving us our space. The last time I saw Tony was at an Elite dinner at Blue Smoke in Fashion Valley. I also got to talk to Jimmy… and it’s always fun when Tupac is with us… thanks Nette! It was also great to see the First Lady of San Diego, Maria C, and a nice surprise that Brad came to eat with us.
Loved the Oceana sushi roll… eel and tempura… YUM! I had the smoked pork chop with polenta with goat cheese and spinach… YUMMMMM! The partner had the ribeye which he thought was a little more fatty than some of the others, but the flavor and prep were delicious! Melanio’s scallops were seared perfectly! For dessert, I had the pumpkin cheesecake which had well balanced flavors and reminded me that Thanksgiving is coming! Overall, it was a very deelish meal!
It was great to run into Cat and Jocelyn who were both sitting out on the nice patio with their dates. Made a really nice intimate dining experience for them! I walked out when the moon was up and it was really a great evening! I will definitely come back!
Thank you so much Brad! And thank you Oceana for hosting this very delicious event! I had friends staying in PB and told them to go to Oceana since it was in walking distance from their hotel. They thanked me for recommending them because everything was perfect!

Party for 14 please!!! Yes, we certainly did!!! Our party rolled up deep thanks to Nette who called on all our behalves. We ended up getting a private room for all of us to dine and drink together. I must say this restaurant totally surprised me. This place is like a hidden gem amongst the party scene. Admiringly, my fiancée and I are over the drinking and partying days in PB so we were a little hesitant to come down.
When we showed up, it was like we stepped into paradise. The hotel reminded me of the Hawaiian Islands and when you stepped into the restaurant I felt like we were in Waikiki Beach! The restaurant is beautiful and there’s lots of nice seating inside and out. The patio dining is the way to go with the ocean in the background and the live music.
We were treated to 2 drinks, 2 appys, 2 entrees and 2 desserts. I opted for the Blueberry Lavender Lemonade and they were delicious! Our appys were Nigiri and the Oysters on the Half Shell. MMMM For our main courses, we chose the ribeye and the lamb chop. Lastly, we got the ice cream and the warm donuts (kinda like beignets).
Service from John was awesome. He kept up with our party like no other’s business! We were offered bread service and everyone requested the Orange Biscuit. YUM!!!
Such a beautiful restaurant and I’m glad Oceana invited us distinguished guests to dine with us. Everyone on staff was so helpful and friendly– such a great attitude! Thank you Catamaran and Oceana for hosting us. Renovations were well worth it, and much success to you!
Thanks Brad for setting this up. You never cease to amaze us!
We cannot wait to dine back here again!

Where do I start… from the excitement of being picked as «one“of the 50 or when I strolled in the doors and felt like a freaking movie star?!
Usually I give my thanks at the end but I can’t contain how truly grateful I am to Brad for making magic happen for us, Unilocal for employing him (and being Unilocal;) and Oceana for making this girl feel loved!
After leaving the car with valet we walked into the beautiful lobby of the hotel, I felt like I was still on vacation! Getting off a cruise ship in the am I was not out of my vacation mood!
We made our way in the restaurant and were greeted by the hostess as well as management, then directed to probably the best seat in the house, the view, food and company made my night perfect.
Our waiter Jon-​David had the best suggestions! My date and I always choose from the menu based on recommendations we were pleasantly surprised with everyone’s input… I may talk way too much to everyone. Luckily he doesn’t mind… swooooon
We had the house specialty sushi roll, ceviche for apps. Prime rib and pork chop for entrées and crème brûlée and banana goodness for dessert. The food was so delicious my date and I agreed we had to come back and taste everything. I was a very happy girl!
Dranks were strong but delicious so quite deadly. We had the mojito, blackberry lemonade and mai tai. Mojito was my favorite. It was another perfect night and perfect end to my vacation. Plus a great date with my man.
Thanks again Brad, Unilocal and Oceana!!!

Wow.
Amazing food AND service AND view.
We got outdoor seating with a beautiful view of the bay and oceana just did an excellent job with the recent renovations, even adding a jellyfish tank which looks awesome.
There were so many great choices on the top that we had a tough time deciding haha
We ended up with the following:
Starters — king crab leg and yellowtail
Entrée — duck risotto and sea bass
Dessert — crème brûlée and hot skillet brownie with homemade vanilla ice cream
Drinks — aristocrat Manhattan and barrel aged mojito
The king crab leg was awesome, had plenty of meat and was well worth it. They took half the shell off the leg so it was very easy to reach the meat!
The entrée was the best part! Dammmm that duck risotto was even better than I imagined. The duck was cooked to a medium and tasted so well with the risotto. The risotto had a lot of flavor and good consistency! The duck did not have much fat which was nice to see! The sea bass was cooked to perfection and has a very flavorful crust. Went great with the quinoa which was cooked with the beets giving it the best flavor!
We finally made it to the dessert portion! The crème brûlée had a nice crust on top with a tasty and creamy bottom portion. The hot skillet brownie with Ice cream was very decadent and we had to finish the crème brûlée first for that reason haha.
The food was amazing, but I have to say, I have had one of the best experiences regarding the service here. Everyone was very professional and knowledgeable on the menu.
Great job to Brad and the San Diego Unilocal team! For another successful elite event that I will always remember :)
TL;DR AMAZING FOOD, EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE, BEAUTIFUL VIEW AND DINING EXPERIENCE. ¹⁰⁄₁₀ WOULD HIT THAT!

To Oceana, you really know how to treat your guests. Everyone was wonderful from the Valet to the Hostess, to the Manager and Waiter and of course to the owners who graciously hosted the Unilocal Gold Elite.
I have gone to several Unilocal Elite event dinners for both Elite and Gold Elite, this was far by one of the best. All of those previous dinners were different on all it’s own. Our continued participation in reviewing, attending events, meeting new and old businesses has some perks but it’s really a good way to find out about the best out there for yourself and your family and friends.
Oceana Coastal Kitchen is located in the Catamaran Resort and Spa and has been a completely renovated restaurant. It’s open for brunch and dinners. We had the privilege of having a large group share the dining experience in a private room (note for future small dinner/​lunch events or even birthday parties). For those who dined with their significant other or friend was able to enjoy the outdoor patio facing the beach in Mission Bay. The right time and you would have your drinks while the sun sets.
The food was wonderful. I could enumerate all the deliciousness but I don’t want to repeat other Unilocal Gold Elites’ comments. I would recommend the scallops, perfection! The banana pudding (their version was not too sweet and just right) ended the evening’s fare very well. The black lavender lemonade was a refreshing start for the evening.
Again Kudos to Oceana and staff. Thank you BradB for arranging this for us Unilocalers. We profusely thank you for this opportunity and for letting us San Diegans experience our own environment in the best possible way.
I would definitely return with my SO for another wonderful evening as well as possibly brunch!

How is it that I’ve never been to Catamaran Hotel & Resort all this time I’ve lived in San Diego. How. I think I grew up thinking it was an older hotel with a Three’s Company kinda vibe to it. I don’t even know why. Oceana Coastal Kitchen is the restaurant that’s within Catamaran Hotel and they recently partnered with Unilocal to host a pretty memorable dinner.
The view of the bay from the restaurant’s patio is beautiful. We were seated at table 500 which (gents you listening) is the best table to propose to your girlfriend. Patrick the manager shared some fun proposal stories with us.
A nice gentleman came by with a selection of 3 breads to choose from. The warm orange scented biscuit was a delight with a nice generous smear of butter.
We tried:
CLAMS WITH PEPPERS
This was a clam & mussel dish but our nice server allowed me to request only clams for this dish. The light tomato broth that slept on the bottom of the bowl was waiting to be soaked up by the toasted crostini. The clams tasted nicely steamed and wonderfully briny.
KING CRAB LEGS
Speechless when this dish was set on our table (see pic). These were some incredibly meaty and amazingly succulent crab legs. The ice chips kept the legs cold and fresh the entire time it took us to consume this cold bar item. I wasn’t a huge fan of the lemon ginger mayo. Perhaps they can offer a few other sauces as well (cocktail sauce, drawn warm butter, etc).
GRILLED HARRIS RANCH RIBEYE
The beautiful slab of rib eye was served on top of mashed potatoes and asparagus. There was some of it’s own natural au jus that could be used as a sauce as well as a gravy for the mashed potatoes. The kitchen did a nice job grilling the rib eye to a pretty medium rare. The steak was tender but seasoned just right. The au jus was wonderfully savory but a bit salty that evening.
CALIFORNIA WHITE SEABASS
The California seabass was seasoned nicely and had a firm flesh. It’s a steak-​y seabass (versus a Chilean seabass). Cdj said he enjoyed the seabass overall.
WARM SKILLET BROWNIE & CREAM
I asked for the ice cream to be on the side (you can see it topped with a cookie in the bowl). The brownie was molten hot and was delicious on it’s own.
MOCHA LAYER CAKE
It’s a nice fudgey ganache type of mocha cake. I was too full to try more than a bite so it’s waiting for me in my fridge to try out later. Dustin (our server) and I joked that there’s no shame having chocolate cake for breakfast.
Service was professional yet laid back. There was no rush to finish the meal and many times I got lost just staring at Sea World behind the view of the bay. Boryana said they have a bottomless Champagne seafood brunch that I had actually researched when I got the Unilocal invite for this event. I thought $ 58 was pricey but it includes mimosas, seafood bar (with the crab legs I heard!), oysters, a choice of one breakfast entrée, and desserts. I’m hoping to round up a group of friends to take me here for a bday brunch.
Thank you Unilocal and Oceana Coastal Kitchen for hosting such a well thought out dinner.

This was the most Bromatic night of my life…
Now I’ve had the time of my life
No, I’ve never felt like this before
Yes I swear it’s the truth
And I owe it all to you
’Cause I’ve had the time of my life
And I owe it all to you
I’ve been waiting for so long
Now I’ve finally found someone
To stand by me
We saw the writing on the wall
As we felt this magical fantasy

What a treat it is to be gold! This is what I’ve been waiting for since I’ve become gold, and Brad and Oceana delivers.
Oceana is a restaurant in the Catamaran on Mission Bay. The restaurant is outside where you can enjoy the view and have a romantic dinner. Service staff were welcoming and had their own little specialty. Oceana was generous towards us in letting us choose 2 appetizers, 2 entrees, 2 desserts and 4 drinks. It was like a complimentary SD restaurant week gift.
Upon entry, the place was beautiful with a jelly fish tank in the middle, they also lit up. Outside was dimly lit and views of the bay. We were seated and couldn’t decide what to order… It took us awhile but we came up with:
–Clams and mussels
–King crab
–Ribeye steak
–Scallops
–Brownie
–Pumpkin cheesecake
–Mule & wine
The King crab was amazingly flavorful! By itself! No butter, just squeeze a little lemon and you’re good to go! We saw the seafood tower and really wanted that but it was the most expensive thing so we decided not to take advantage. I think she gave us some options like it can replace both entrees or app and entrée or something like that. But we also wanted a hot and cold app… The ribeye steak was cooked to perfection! Great flavors! For a seafood place, the steak didn’t disappoint! I got the scallops from sea of Cortez, it was probably the best scallops I’ve tasted. Very tender and buttery. I wish I can just have a plate of that!
Dessert was decadent. The brownie took long to come out because it’s made to order, so keep that in mind, it also came straight out of the oven! Nice hot and fresh. The pumpkin cheesecake was on the lighter side, a slight pumpkin flavor that doesn’t overwhelm the cheesecake.
The «cork dork» helped us picked our wines and we were utterly pleased with it! It went well with our food.
We were very surprised on how good the food was! This has made it to our list of restaurants to try now. Well come back to just get the seafood tower and bay watching! Don’t forget to tip big! That’s the gold way. =)
Thanks to Brad, Sandra, Unilocal and Oceana for making this generous dinner for gold badges happen. It pays to Unilocal

O.M.G!!! What a fabulous night! Thank you Brad! Thank you Oceana Coastal Kitchen! I was giddy with excitement when I was confirmed for this event. I made my reservation for 2 at 7:00 p.m. last night. The lovely staff at Oceana called to confirm earlier in the day. Because traffic was lighter than we anticipated, my friend and I arrived about 30 minutes early thinking we could always get a drink at the bar. No need! The staff was able to seat us immediately. We had a great table outside overlooking the bay.
My friend started out with a Chardonnay and I had the Syrah. The bread selection was very nice. I especially enjoyed the citrus muffin. We started out with the Arugula Salad for my friend and I had the Ceasar Salad. Yummy!
Then we moved on to the entrée. We had the Sea of Cortez Scallops and the Sea Bass. Both were excellent! More wine and we were ready for dessert. We chose the Cinnamon Honey Crème Brulee and the Chocolate Cake. Decadent!
The service was second to none! The view spectacular! We enjoyed watching the sun set and the BIG beautiful moon rise. All in all… and wonderful evening.
I plan on coming back again and again. A couple at the next table had an AWESOME looking dish. It looked like it was mussels, clams, and sushi. I want to try that next time with a bottle of wine.
Oceana Coastal Kitchen… you are TOP NOTCH!!! Thank you again!

Wow, i mean WOW!
What an AMAZING event! Oceana Costal Kitchen is located in the Catamaran Hotel on mission bay. Who knew this awesome hotel and restaurant was tucked away in Mission bay? What a nice little hidden oasis in the middle of the busy mission beach area. I got a sense of tranquility and serenity as soon as i walked thru the doors, the koi pond and waterfall put me in chill mode. The jellyfish tank inside also kept me in a trance as they just glided along all evening, and to top it off as the sun set, the full moon was so huge on the horizon! Such an awesome view.
My mom happened to be in town so i decided to treat her to a nice dinner.
We started with the king crab legs with lemon ginger mayo and clams and mussels with roasted peppers. The clams and mussels were sweet and tender. The king crab came with 2 small legs, the lemon ginger mayo had a subtle ginger and lemon flavor and was smooth and creamy, so good; much better than just drawn butter.
For my entrée I decided on the Sea of Cortez scallops with sweet potato purée pickled cherries and frisee salad. The scallops were perfectly cooked, nice caramelization on top and still tenter all the way thru. The sweet potato purée was very smooth and the pickled cherries and frisee salad provided a nice acidity to cut thru the scallops and sweet potatoes. I did find it odd that the sweet potato purée was white, but it was tasty none the less, guess its a different variety than I’m used to.
Mom had the Harris Ranch rib eye with mashed potatoes and asparagus. It was very flavorful and super tender and a very large portion, she could not finish it. Lucky for me, i get to have leftovers for for lunch. She really loved the mashed potatoes as well.
The warm brownie topped with ice cream was D-​licious! I liked how the cold ice cream slowly melts over the warm chocolate brownie. It reminded me of a chocolate lava cake, we had to finish the brownie as fast as we could so the ice cream wouldn’t melt. By the time we got to the pear upside down cake, we were so full that i ended up taking most of it home. Although good, i did wish it came with a scoop of ice cream or more crème anglaise.
I also really liked the Bianchi Zinfandel, big, bold, and silky smooth wine. Can’t go wrong with a wine from the Paso Robles area.
Service throughout the night was spot on. Very friendly, courteous and knowledgable of the menu. I loved every thing about Oceana, the food and staff and most of all just the vibe. Its a very relaxed more quiet and calm atmosphere. Many high end places today are loud, noisy and so busy that its hard to have a conversation and just relax and have a good time. Here everyone is so friendly, its more intimate, it over looks the beach, you can go for a stroll after dinner. I could totally see this as a special occasion destination, birthday, anniversary, or popping THE question.
Thank you once again Brad and all the Oceana staff who made this all possible! I had a wonderful time!

It’s pretty cool when your girl takes you out to dinner. Especially when she’s a Unilocal Goldmember and everything is on da house! We tipped, of course.
The food was awesome!
Clams & Mussels — Nice bowl of clams and mussels with a peppers and onions. The broth was on he thicker side but had a deep rich creamy flavor. Real nice!
King Crab Legs — A nice portion of two crab legs and a fat body. I’m not usually a fan of king crab because I grew up on Dungeness crab, but this was fantastic. I liked that it had a saltier natural flavor which tasted great with lemon and pepper. Wow.
Grilled Harris Ranch Ribeye — A beautiful 12oz ribeye, perfectly marbled and grilled to a perfect medium rare. I ate every by of it and washed it down with a nice Cabernet, the Paul Hobb 2012 from Napa Valley.
Sea of Cortez Scallops — Pan seared scallops with sweet potato purée. Damn good!
Warm Skillet Brownie & Cream — Beware, it takes 25min to cook! When it finally came it was piping hot and the ice cream on top was slowing drowning the brownie pad. This was the first time my dessert was hotter than my entrée. Sooooo good and worth the wait!
Pumpkin Cheesecake — Pretty good. I’m not a Dane of cheesecake in general, but good.
Thanks Brad for putting this event together for the Gold Members! Thanks Lisa for taking me!!!
*Awesome event. What a deal!