Last weekend I had the rare opportunity to take my family on assignment with me. We were invited to try out Landon’s Gourmet Kitchen in San Marco’s Restaurant Row.
The reason this was a family excursion was Landon’s Gourmet Kitchen has a built-in playroom that is staffed with a couple of caregivers.
Since my kids are 5 & 3, it was the perfect opportunity to have a quick date night, but not worry about scheduling a babysitter, etc.
A New Dining Concept
After checking the kids off into the playroom, we were given a quick tour and concept overview by the owner, Charylnn.
Her idea was to create a unique space for families to congregate, but allow the parents to have their own space.
It’s designed to be a upscale quick casual dining experience (think Nordstrom’s Cafe). You order at the counter and then serviced completely once you find a seat.
The restaurant had a nice open feel to it with homey decor… loved the wood floors throughout!
Here’s a quick peek into the playroom. There are arts and crafts, toys, iPads, and a TV.
Here are Little K and Little L doing some Xmas arts and crafts while keeping a watch of Moana.
Here’s a quick shot at their menu. They even have a couple of kid menus.
So, when we ordered our food, we also ordered the kids their meals and had it sent to the playroom where they can also eat.
(If you want, you can have your kid dine with you, but I wanted to take advantage of the onsite childcare this night!)
The Kid’s Meal
“Eating dinner” while still watching Moana. Can you tell they don’t get to watch a lot of TV at home! 😉
We got Little L the mac and cheese with fruit and fries. He seemed to like it.
We ordered Little K the grilled chicken strips with apples and fries. She only ate the apples, a few fries, and one bite of chicken.
Our Meal
First up was their mushroom soup. This was delicious. It was well balanced between the earthiness of the mushrooms, cream, and salt.
Next up was their signature stuffed avocado. We selected two salads – the smoked salmon and the chicken salad.
It was also served with some arugula and potato chips.
We both liked the poached salmon salad the best.
For my entree, I ordered the basa sole. It was a lighter dish with good portions, though I would have preferred a little more sauce on top or on the side.
Jorgina ordered the steak frites (medium rare). It came with some balsamic glazed mushrooms on top which were fantastic.
As far as the steak itself, it was good but also needed some moisture. We did ask for some Worchestershire sauce which helped.
And while the dish is literally “steak and fries”, we thought a little garnish in the empty white part of the plate would have helped with the presentation.
Dessert Time
Jorgina spotted some chocolate chip cookies at the counter when we ordered. So, we had to try them!
This is the chocolate chip cookie and another one with walnuts and a little coconut I believe.
Our favorite was the plain chocolate chip cookie and the kids were happy we pulled them out to join us for this course!
I wanted to try the carrot cake since that’s one of my favorites. While it was decent, I felt the cream cheese frosting could have been a bit more pronounced.
Finally, we ordered their pear tartlet which was really nice. The fresh pears and flakey pastry paired up nicely.
Dinner menu
(I really like their approach to fresh and healthy foods here!)
They also have a nice beer and wine menu for you to choose from.
And finally, this is their brunch menu which looks awesome.
Final Thoughts
We really love the concept that Charlynn has brought to San Diego. As a family of 4, there are a lot of times when it’s just easier to eat in because of the kids.
With a concept like Landon’s Gourmet Kitchen, you can experience both family time and date night simultaneously. Come check it out and tell us what you think!
*We were invited to dine here and or meals were complimentary. No further compensation was received and our opinions always remain our own.
Landon’s Gourmet Kitchen
1020 W San Marcos Blvd
San Marcos, CA 92078
That’s a cool play area for the kids! Fish looks good.
Yeah, I definitely appreciated the concept that accommodated parents!