Dussini Mediterranian Bistro

It's not everyday you wake up and think...

DAMN...I could use some really crappy food today!
I certainly don't. Or I try not to. Even McDonalds is not a horrible meal because you know what you're getting into. And I think that's the thing really, if you're expecting really bad food, and get really bad food, what else can you say but, well, it was McDonalds? And if that Filet O'Fish tastes especially good one time, isn't that an unexpected happy surprise?

I guess the point I'm trying to make is, it's all about expectations. And this place I'm writing up about - did not meet those expecations.

Here's what this place says about itself, taken from their website:

Dussini Mediterranean Bistro, an upscale and intimate restaurant with a distinctive menu, has opened in high style on the site of The Old Spaghetti Factory in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter.

After months of planning, the vision emerged for Dussini with a warm and friendly atmosphere, highly-trained staff and an inviting range of exciting Mediterranean dishes from an olive tapenade appetizer to monkfish a la Nicoise, osso buco alla Milanese and paella.

Okay. That seems like something good, right?

After a long day at Comic con San Diego, our group had decided to get something to eat somewhere decent. We had loved the Old Spaghetti Factory every year we have gone to Con, but when we found out that it had closed down, we were disappointed. Dussini was its' replacement, owned by the same guys who own OSF...so we gave it a shot.

We had reservations at 8pm, and waited patiently until we were finally seated at 8:25. I figured, okay, busy day, with the Comic con going on and all. But not that many people were actually waiting with us...so I started getting suspicious. Our first glance at the menu was a disappointing one. What restaurant worth their salt doesn't offer something like sandwiches or burgers for dinner, forcing a patron to get something expensive?

Also, I have to say, our waiter was really shady. He was nice enough, but did something that made me want to pee and poo on his grave. When taking our orders, after someone would order an entree, he asked, "Would you like a soup or salad with that?" Now, usually when people hear that from a not so lameass waiter trying to confuse patrons of the restaurant for more money on the bill, one would think, "oh, my entree comes with a soup or salad." My friends around the table each fell for this one by one. I knew not to assume anything with this asshat with an apron, and declined my "soup or salad" option.

We waited for our food to come to our table. For a long time. A really long time. And when it comes to food, I can be pretty patient, but when it started hitting 45 minutes from time Asshat with an apron took our orders to food finally arriving at the table...my patience definitely wore thin.

This is what I ordered. Do NOT be fooled by its' appearance.

Lobster Mac and Cheese
Okay, I know what they were trying to do with this dish. They were trying to combine the feeling of comfort food with a twist of high class. I GET IT. And I was willing to buy into it, as long as it tasted good - but it tasted horrible! Kraft mac and cheese tasted better than this slop. The cheese taste was bitter, and had a nasty aftertaste. The lobster pieces were mushy and obviously frozen and defrosted poorly. The lobster had none of that good lobster taste that only comes from a quality piece of seafood. Taking a bite of one of those lobster pieces was like putting old chewing gum in my mouth; flavored like bitter nasty cheese. I definitely did not finish this entree.


Owen didn't fare much better either. He got the Ragu alla Bolongnese. I had a small bite of this and went, 'bleck'! The noodles were completely overcooked and mushy. The general taste of this dish was gummy mush in your mouth. The sauce was not tasty and meaty, could it have been imitation meat? Doesn't it cost more to make imitation meat than to give in and just have real meat in there? Even Taco Bell has better ground meat than this. And that's saying something.

After the drive back to LA from San Diego, I threw up. Tasting this food twice was like re-watching Star Wars Episode 1-3 Marathon. It's like the feeling of wanting to throw up after you've already thrown up.

So all in all, horrible experience here. Prices were extravagant for no reason, and food was piss poor. The bill for me and Owen (we nicely asked for a separate bill beforehand) came to 70 dollars for the both of us. If you're in San Diego, never ever go here. Ever.