Ember Rye - Carlsbad

We dined outside. Beautiful view of the lagoon and golf course. Best fries ever and the entrees were wonderful too.

Granted it was a Monday night, but all things considered, that is no excuse for a restaurant like this. First, parking was a horrible experience. They did away with valet and do not control the golf course parking, making it a nightmare to park. The server, Jeremiah, was great. The beef skewer appetizers were extremely salty and tough. Three of us had the cedar planked salmon and all agreed, it was cooked well but super bland. The broccoli and grilled carrots were terrible. Cold and soaked in what appeared to be kilo man’s soy sauce or some generic balsamic. Lastly, the monkey bread dessert, usually fresh and warm and delicious, was dry, cold, and terrible. Seemed like they were leftovers. Very disappointed.

Honestly terrible by all standards. Chef is trying to make things so complex without any mastery. Best example is the butter like Béarnaise beauty of cooking starts with simplicity. Broccoli drenched in some sauce … Corn Crème Brûlée (sweet and sugary). Back to basics …

Unfortunately the food did not live up to expectations. Service was excellent and so were the cocktails. Those were the two bright spots of the experience. Taste of food and quality were over-hyped. I would only recommend this place if you're on a business trip and corporate was paying for it.

We had a lovely evening celebrating our anniversary at Ember and Rye. From the cocktail the mixologist made for us at the bar, to the final bite of dessert, the event was memorable. Thank you!