If you don’t mind venturing away from DTSA, I like Pueblo even better than Vaca. It’s a smaller menu, but I haven’t had anything there I didn’t like. SoCo has several of good options depending on what you’re in the mood for.
Scotchery is also good.
Mix Mix has great cocktails.
Yall kind of scared me and boy i’m glad we felt otherwise. That place was pretty damn great and a very very good value. Went after 4 breweries:
had one of my favorites from home to take advantage of the free corkage on first bottle rule… if you ask me why i’m chilling a red wine i’m going to question your ftc cred 
duck larb was a cool idea and we enjoyed it… refreshing and bright but were hungry and just swallowed them without really remembering anything about it.
the scallop carpaccio was really lovely… everything there on point and working together
first time trying barnacles… really enjoyed their earthy / oceany taste… interesting pairing with the cram and potatoes… a bit confusing but a memorable dish
the big boy that ensures nobody goes home hungry… they sous vide the fuck out of this thing for the longest time and finish in a very maple glaze type of reduction, sauce… i’m sure they can upgrade the finish… needs more acidity for me, maybe some barrel aged maple instead…
nicely pairs with their brussel sprout ceasar salad … this salad is kind of a must have here honestly… really cool
mad carving skills after that many drinks
fig/chocolate something dessert was really good but needed much more of the cream on top. it was a great not sweet offset to the rest of it
and the chef/owner… my god what a dude… we walk in and my 4 year old screams out, “daddy, arsenal!!!” they have a jersey hanging behind bar… had to go track chef down at 2.0 after eating, he came out and we had a nice connection… he’s gooner family for life now … even without this i’d go back there in a second between the quality and price points… a bit annoying with the no subs, no salt no anything rules but whatever… didn’t effect the result.
2 Likes
Hi @Nemroz,
Nice report. Thanks for the thoughts. 
This was Playground 2.0, right? (just making sure.)
That pork chop looks massive! 
No, this was the regular Playground. That porkchop put the 4 of us into a very satisfied state after all of the starters. Still have the bones to make a broth
2 Likes
Fig bread pudding at regular Playground is excellent.
Jason is a good dude. Huge Arsenal fan - told us he tried to name his daughter Lanesra (which is Arsenal backward) until his wife figured it out. My wife told him one day that his khai soi was much better than Lotus of Siam. He filmed a video to tell his team to give my wife a free bowl of khai soi at 4th street market when his noodle place was open. We tipped generously.
We frequent and love Playground 2.0. If you like to drink the $175 tab for food, drinks and tip is a great deal.
4 Likes
Dude named his new kid Cannon!!! I was holding my sleeping kid by the time we were chatting. Good times.
kind sir, may i pretentiously ask if you know if the barnacles you were served were same/similar to what are known as “percebes” in spain?
thanks.
contradiction in terms.
I don’t know English football that well but I guess you root for Liverpool or Tottenham?
bite your tongue, sir, he said respectfully:
1 Like
sure seems like they’re the same type of barnacles
thanks for the info. not really my jam; they kinda look and taste like teeny dinosaur feet.
Welp, just tried Playground yesterday evening, and I have to say I’m in agreement with the general consensus here! If this were in LA and not OC, I don’t think it would still be in business. I thought the food was good, but certain bites were definitely over-salted. I think the inflexible “no substitutions” is bullshit, as is being told that I have to take my wagyu medium-rare because the chef won’t cook it rare (or any other doneness) apparently. Cocktails are priced well at $10-11, but I didn’t find them to be as well-made/balanced as the pricier ones I have in LA. Portions were small, especially for the price. Food was good, but 2 cocktails and 3 dishes coming out to over $100 is pretty fucking excessive…especially since the third dish was ordered after eating the previous 2 and deciding I was still hungry. I see no need to ever return.
Photos
Ecto-Cooler - Good, not great.
Tasty, but really tiny glass/serving size.
Brussels Sprouts Caesar - Favorite dish of the night, but over-salted.
Bincho Grilled Imperial Wagyu Sirloin - Meat itself was good, not great, and the overall dish was over-sauced and plated strangely. Was the sauce for the asparagus? The meat? Both? Can’t say it went particularly well with either.
Marinated Roasted Wild Mushrooms - Bland. And I love mushrooms. This could have used some of the extra salt from the Caesar, but the worst offense was the price. This tiny little bowl of mushrooms, grains, heirloom grape tomato halves and the most bland burrata I have ever had (texture and flavor-wise, it was more like brie than burrata) cost nearly $25. Complete bullshit, there.
2 Likes