Crush Solana Beach

We made a reservation, but we had to wait about 10 minutes to be greeted when we arrived. Once we finally got seated, it took ages to receive our drinks. We mentioned to the waitress that we were in a hurry because we had a show at the Belly-Up, but that didn’t seem to make a difference. The food was good but not exceptional; I just ordered the wrong dish. I didn’t expect my chicken piccata to be fried in tempura batter.

The ravioli was fantastic, but the Alfredo chicken was quite disappointing. I understand that it was Valentine's Day, which can lead to some chaos, but the quality just wasn't up to par. Additionally, there was a rather loud guitarist/singer in the corner, which didn't help the atmosphere. We've experienced this place before when the lights flickered excessively. I would consider coming back on a less busy day. We also had an 8 o'clock reservation, but didn't get seated until 8:45, which was frustrating.

Throughout the evening, the waitress didn’t check on us at all to see if we needed anything or how we were doing. I eventually had to signal her to ask for a drink from the bar. We placed our order at 7:15, but we didn’t get our appetizer until 8:20, and our main courses didn’t arrive until 8:35. I understand that busy nights can lead to delays, and while it was frustrating to wait so long, I get it because I work in the industry too. When our meals finally arrived, I was shocked by the small portion sizes and how unappetizing they looked. My husband’s fettuccine Alfredo was bland and lacking any flavor, as if no effort had gone into preparing it after such a long wait. I ordered the pesto shrimp; while the shrimp were decent, the pasta was utterly forgettable and again lacked seasoning. The only redeeming aspect of the restaurant was the live music, as the musician had an amazing voice and played beautiful songs. It did provide an opportunity for my husband and me to enjoy each other's company while we waited for the waitress to attend to us. In hindsight, we should have saved our money and gone to Olive Garden. They offer larger portions, salad, and breadsticks, along with much better customer service.

What a great restaurant. We sat in the lounge which was nice and relaxed. The menu was ample--it was hard to choose and will require more trips! The bar was full with locals and a musician came in. He doubled down the ambiance.

Ambiance and service were good. the food was fair to good, certainly not great. the wine list was terrible. the selection was OK but extremely expensive. Erath pinot noir at $80.00?!!! I can buy the same bottle of wine at Costco for $11.00. come on man! I understand restaurants need to charge more, I owned a restaurant as a young man. you need to reconsider your wine prices before you lose a lot more customers like us.