Bertrand At Mister A's

I thought that this place might be stuffy and uncomfortable. I was wrong.

The food was delicious- the service was beyond good, the views were awesome.

I recommend it for a date or special occasion (not cheap)

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Had a party for 25 at Mr. As and it was a huge disappointment . Very few of our guests liked the food (the bisque was awful), servers were unfriendly and the final straw was when they added on charges to meet our minimum after they had told us two days before the event that our order was above the minimum required.

When I disputed, they told me there was nothing they could do. Really?

Requested that the owner call me back, which he never did.

Will never go back and am telling everyone I know about our experience. Their pompous attitude is unjustified....they aren't that good!

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We were not disappointed by picking Bertrand at Mister A's for a celebration of my birthday. It was our first visit to this most famous of San Diego's upscale restaurants. The twelfth floor location at Fifth and Laurel, as promised, provided stunning views of airplane landings at Lindberg Field, the bay, waterfront, downtown skyline, Balboa Park, Mission Hills and more. Arriving a little early we enjoyed sauvignon blanc at a patio table with a view of planes landing.

Patio seating was also available for dinner (three sides of the roof area) but we picked an inside-the-restaurant table with a great view of downtown. Our very distinguished waiter Marc was attentive and helpful, perfect. The service was timed to our conversation, never rushed or disruptive and the food was delivered promptly. I have never had better service in a restaurant.

Our favorite food all night was the famous truffled fries ($7) with parmigiano regiano, absolutely delicious. One order was more than enough for all three of us. Highly recommended, a bargain.

For an appetizer I had the Maine lobster strudel (fresh lobster and assorted mushrooms in filo dough with cognac lobster sauce): honestly I was a little disappointed, somewhat dry and lacked the explosion of taste expected. Not recommended. My wife had the multicolored young beet salad with goat cheese in filo served with a horseradish vinaigrette: good she said but I noticed only half was eaten. My daughter had the garden salad with baby vegetables and champagne vinaigrette: OK she said, just a salad. Presentation on all three were very nice, colorful, fresh.

For the main course I ordered the duo of Alaskan halibut and sea scallops served with saffron sauce, angel hair pasta and braised fennel: loved the scallops, halibut was just OK, nice presentation. My wife had the vegetarian entree after a discussion with our waiter: it looked like they put considerable effort into the preparation; after a taste we all thought it was, at best, just so so. My daughter ordered the winner, the pan seared beef tenderloin with gorgonzola cream sauce and gratin dauphinois: fabulous, perfect, absolutely perfection but priced to feed a family of four for a month in several parts of the world. Oh, forget price, it was my birthday and a celebration.

The two deserts and paired late harvest wines we tried were both pretty good, creme brulee and bread pudding. Coffee service was unexceptional. Total bill with tip and valet parking: $332.

Will I go back? Maybe, but we have so many great choices in San Diego... Do I recommend it? Well, yes, the views are really something and I loved the truffle fries. Minus one star for being 30 percent overpriced. Minus one star for serving food that does not taste as good as it looks.

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The Animal Protection and Rescue League asks you to boycott this restaurant to help stop animal cruelty.

Mr. A's continues to serve fois gras, the liver of ducks or geese which have endured weeks of force feeding, performed by jamming large metal pipes down their throats and filling them with massive quantities of food. This is the equivalent of forcing a 150 pound human to eat 60 pounds of food per day.

The livers of these poor birds swell up to ten times their normal size, inducing a disease called "hepatic lipidosis". These fattened, diseased livers are served as foie gras.

Please call Mr. A's and inquire if they are still serving fois gras. If so, then please let them know that you choose not to patronize restaurants which engage in this horrific cruelty.

Your call will make a difference!

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Bertrand at Mister A's is a great place to take someone for a romantic evening. The location is amazing, located on top of the treasury building downtown. The food was excellent and the service was attentive. The only negative thing I can say, is that the portions of the food were not particularly large.

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I went here with my family but I would rather go with just my husband. It is very romantic. The food and service were just perfect and the view is outstanding!

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I was very pleased with my dining experience here. The view was one of the most romantic in all of San Diego and the service was impeccable. The food was delicious and they offered an extensive wine list, which my husband and I enjoyed with the guidance of a very knowledgeable server. The only con I can think of would be the price....it is really a dining experience more suitable for anniversary celebrations and other special occasions. However, if my budget would allow, I would not hesitate to dine here once a week!

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Poisoned on Christmas Eve and they didn't care! The waiter/usher was checking out my beau and totally rude to me the whole evening. We ate the same except my appetizer was Lobster petites, Thejealous little creep set me up !

For 3 days I was sick, sick, SICK! We both called to report it. We asked to speak with the owner and left our #'s. Bertrand failed to reurn our calls!

I placed a review on the retaurant site....and was shcked to see several stating similar circumstances,,,a few months later I checked again..and ALL BAD REVIEW HAD BEEN HIDDEN! THEY MUST ON THE SITE OR THEIR ADVERTISING $$ MEAN MORE THAN THE TRUTH TO THE PUBLIC DOES.

A $400 dinner to waste and so was Christmas until 4 days later!!

PROS: Great views you can have elsewhere 1/2 the price and better food
CONS: it's definately not the Mr A's of days gone bye-bye-

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