Dine Diego Features Wonderful Menus at Great Prices
by Susan Montgomery
On a beautiful fall day, three of us (Linda, Todd and myself) ventured to the vibrant Coronado Ferry Harbor and savored a Dine Diego menu at the iconic seafood restaurant, Peohe’s.
Dine Diego is this year’s innovative substitute for San Diego’s traditional Restaurant Week. This is a one-month dining celebration running from September 15 through October 15 and is a promotion to support San Diego’s restaurants as they face ongoing challenges resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic. The program is sponsored by the California Restaurant Association and the San Diego Tourism Authority. Over 150 restaurants are participating with specially priced menus. You can go to the web at SanDiegoRestaurantWeek.com for more details and a complete list of restaurants. Reservations are recommended.
We sat on Peohe’s lovely patio with stunning views of the San Diego skyline and San Diego Bay. While we enjoyed our delicious lunch, we loved watching the ferry coming and going and all the other water activities, such as kayakers.
Peohe’s, which is a Landry’s Charthouse restaurant, specializes in a wide variety of fresh seafood dishes with a tropical flair. We were fortunate to meet the charming Executive Chef, Chris Gardner, who has been at Peohe's for almost two years, and who has extensive, impressive experience as a chef at such outstanding restaurants as Eddie V’s Prime Seafood and Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse. He was also the Food Service Director at Volunteers of America Southwest. Chef Gardner stopped by our table several times to make sure we were satisfied with our lunch — and we were more than satisfied.
Our gracious server, Alisa, brought us amazing dishes. The Dine Diego menu offered us three outstanding courses at $35 a person. But first we ordered some special cocktails. Linda had the zesty, refreshing Fiery Cucumber martini. Todd loved his Ultimate Margarita made with Cointreau Orange Liqueur and I was in martini heaven with my smooth, deep red Pomegranate Martini. While we enjoyed our cocktails, for only $8 more, we sampled two tantalizing appetizers. The Chicken Lettuce Wraps brought together a delightful combination of flavors served on crisp lettuce and the Coconut Crunchy Shrimp were so tasty with a savory soy dipping sauce.
For our first course, we had a choice of Lobster Bisque or Peohe’s Salad. Linda and I enjoyed the luscious Lobster Bisque with chunks of fresh lobster while Todd happily dug into his Peohe’s salad of crispy mixed lettuce, mandarin oranges, and candied walnuts, all nicely dressed with an orange vinaigrette.
For our second course, we tried all three choices. Linda said the Maple & Ginger Glazed Salmon was perfectly seasoned. It was creatively served with a soy glaze on jasmine rice with a cucumber daikon relish. Todd finished every bite of the tender New York Medallions served with a wild mushroom risotto and topped with a Cabernet Sauvignon sauce. My Shrimp Mezza Plate was almost too beautifully presented to eat. The huge roasted shrimp were highlighted by grilled vegetables that had marinated in an herbed artichoke tomato tapenade. 
And as an extra treat, the Dine Diego menu offers a four-ounce lobster tail for only $10 more with any entrée. Since Linda and I are lobster connoisseurs, we could not turn that down and it was so fresh and tender, dipped in melted butter of course.
We were totally full after this wonderful meal, but have you heard that we all have a separate stomach for desserts? So we satisfied these stomachs with the two delectable dessert choices. Todd and Linda raved about the authentic Key Lime Pie custard with a graham cracker crust topped by whipped cream and I was blown away by the Mini “No Ka Oi” which featured macadamia nut ice cream, floating on chocolate sauce and topped by whipped cream.
We would all highly recommend Peohe's, especially during this time period when patio dining is so desirable. Everyone wore masks, tables are nicely spaced, and we felt very safe. Of course there are many other wonderful restaurants on the Dine Diego menu. Prices vary according to restaurants. You can also play an interactive Bingo-style game board with a chance to win restaurant gift certificates and you have the opportunity to win a San Diego Staycation package. Just go to this website for details: SanDiegoRestaurantWeek.com.
Happy Dining!