The Third Corner
2265 Bacon Street
Ocean Beach, CA 92107
619.223.2700
Last Sunday. two new new friends, Susan and John, joined me for dinner at “The Third Corner” for their Prix-Fixe Sunday dinner.
“The Third Corner” is where one of my favorite restaurants used to be – the Belgian Lion -. I was sorry to see it close down, but have been to “The Third Corner” several times and have enjoyed it. This was the first time I had been there for their special Sunday menu, and it was also the first time for Susan and John.
We had barely been sitted when we were served fresh bread and butter. I have always had a concern about being served a “loaf” of bread cut half-way through. In order for us to eat the bread, we had to pick the loaf up in our hands and tear off a piece. I think I would prefer to have had the bread cut all the way through and just take a piece of it that way.
The menu was interesting. The first course was either a House Salad or Baked Potato Leek Soup. The second course was either Pork Schnitzel served with Brussels Spouts with Bacon and laced with a whole-grain mustard sauce or a Potato Crusted Salmon, served with Julienne of Vegetables, and covered with a sorrel cream sauce.
The dessert was Goat’s Milk Cheesecake, with a pistachio brittle and orange compote. The price for the above was $19.99.
We decided that for $10 more, we would add a “flight of wines” and the pairings were excellent. We started out with a Balius Chardonnay with our salads; a Grenache/Syrah from Los Dos with our meal, and a Porto Blanco from Pocas with dessert. All three of the wines were well chosen and complimented the meal.
As I once reported in a quick review of this restaurant, the service left something to be desired. Tonight was no exception, at first. The three of us ordered a salad, which, by the way, was fresh, and very good. But John was served his, and it wasn’t until 11 minutes later when he asked the waitress where Susan and my salad was that it was served to us. The waitress apologized, and from that point on we were served all together.
The Salmon.
When our salad plates were cleared from the table, so were our forks. When our main meal was served John pointed out that we did not have any forks. They were quickly brought to the table, and the waitress noticed that Susan did not have a knife. She asked her if she wanted one, and it was brought to the table almost immediately.
John and Susan had the Potato Crusted Salmon and it was delicious. It was moist, tasty, and did not have a fishy taste. Susan pointed out that the vegetables were cooked to perfection, seasoned well, and very enjoyable.
The Pork Schnitzel.
I ordered the Pork Schnitzel and it was tender, moist and the whole grain mustard sauce was excellent. I was not wild about the Brussels Sprouts. They were rather bland, could have been cooked 1 minute more because they were difficult to cut. I like Brussels Sprouts, but I left most of them on my plate. Also on my plate, but not listed on the menu, were red roasted potatoes that were very good. A tiny bit of pepper made them succulent and I was sorry there were not more of them.
I was surprised at how good the Goat’s Milk Cheesecake was. It was so smooth; the pistachio brittle on the top gave it a crunchy taste, and it was served with the orange compote decorating the plate.
Goat’s Milk Cheese Cake.
Over all, the meal was enjoyable, tasty and filling. We had reservations and were taken immediately. The only wait we had was for our salad, and that was quickly forgotten – until I began to write this review. The total cost of the meal was $97.17, not including a tip. And, I felt that I got my monies worth!
If I were to go again, there is no question I would go for the Sunday special. Twenty dollars – without the wine – is well worth the price.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
This made me wish I was back in San Diego so I could go eat at The Third Corner. Yum!
I think the writer is over critical and was not looking (sounds like, at least) at all to have a good time. Money isn’t everything and I am sure that compared to any other fine dining establishment, Third Corner is ranked at the top of any list for both service and satisfaction. Perhaps the memory by the writer faded of the good time had by all when trying to succeed as a food critic. Third corner is great and anyone who has been there knows that the staff does a great job with friendly service and they are human and work hard at doing an excellent job. Don’t let the negative parts of the above story in any way dissuade you from trying or returning to this unique and delightful restaurant. I love it there and have never had complaints at all except that parking is limited (but where isn’t it?), but there is always parking available across the street at the park. Dana
They also have a really nice Saturday & Sunday brunch special. It’s less than $20 (I think $17.95) to have seasonal fruit, bread, an entree, and bottomless mimosas! Pretty good deal for good food, drink and atmosphere. Although the bread they give you is chocolate bread with some sorta weird cinnamon butter? I’m really not crazy about it, but some of my friends enjoy it.