The best hidden gem winery/ restaurant in San Diego! Â They don't just serve small plates and appetizers. They serve full lunch and dinner services. Their Duck Confit (with butternut squash, mushroom risotto, chard stem and lemon oil) is the best, and the customer service is stellar! Â I will definitely come back! :-)
Review Source:Had dinner with friends at The WineSellar this week. Â The food was good, but not stellar. Â Living in Los Angeles I have the opportunity to visit many restaurants in this class and for the price The WineSellar is in the middle of this class of restaurants. Â
The prices for wine are quite high. Â Maybe for the types of wine that they offer the prices are correct, but I would never know because there was not much on the menu that I would pay that high a price to try. Â I know they have to pay the rent but really?
The prices on the food are comparable with other restaurants like this one. Â I ordered the lamb and did enjoy it. Â It was cook as ordered and was flavorful. Â Some other dishes included the steak which was too charred to enjoy the flavor of the meat, and the lobster risotto which was flavorful. Â
The service was respectable. Â They were very attentive with bread service, not that I need all those empty calories. Â The food was served on time and hot. Â The servers were there when we needed them and not when we didn't.
All in all it was not bad. Â It's just for the price paid it wasn't stellar.
I had heard about this place but always wanted to check it out. When a groupon came out I was so excited and bought it immediately. It's as everyone said, the restaurant is located in a nondescript corporate office building and anyone would be surprised to find the inside housed a restaurant. A fancy one at that!
For our appetizer, we settled on the  Lobster Tartine "BLT". This was so delicious, I could have ordered two! For our main entrees, we ordered the Rack of Lamb and Short Rib. The Rack of Lamb was really good, albeit I did feel both were a little salty. Also had an excellent wine pairing with these dishes. They sure do know their wines!
Good thing about that is there is plenty of parking on weekends and after 5pm. I loved the dining experience I had here and I would come back (provided there were another Groupon)
Came here for lunch on a Friday. This place is a wine store / tasting room / and restaurant. My review is mainly for the restaurant.
It is the wine store and tasting room on the first floor, so take the staircase to go up for the restaurant on the second floor. The restaurant wasn't busy so we were seated in a minute. I ordered the duck confit with mushroom risotto and my friend got the flat iron steak. Soon after ordering, our server brought over some complimentary bread. I liked the bread because it tasted fresh and was very soft.
THE FOOD:
The duck confit was decent, but the portion was tiny teeny small. I liked the risotto, the mushroom gave a very good flavor to it. But the dish was very greasy, so much oil was floating on the risotto,.
LOCATION:
The restaurant is hidden in a business area so it wasn't too easy for me to find. The building 9550 Waples St is actually behind 9540 on Waples St.
MY ADVICE:
If you want a nice sit down place with wine in Mira Mesa, this can be a good place to stop by. Otherwise, if it's just for the French food, go to Opera Cafe which is just a mile away from WineSellar.
Nice wine bar/shop/restaurant conveniently located in the Sorrento Valley area.  I went for their Wednesday wine tasting & enjoyed myself.  $20 will give you five tastes of quality wines.  It's a good opportunity to learn about different kind of wines and expand your knowledge base.  I ended up buying a bottle of Italian Moscatto which was  the last item on my tasting flight of sparkling wines.  They also have a wide selection of wines for sale that are displayed in wooden crates throughout the store; allowing you to do some browsing and find something you like. Â
There are not many places like this in San Diego for wine enthusiasts; so I give WineSellar&Brasserie high marks.
Had my best dinner in many months here last night. Went for the 5 course tasting menu with wine paring and OMG, every course was exquisite both in presentation and flavor profiles developed! Not sure if chef had an energy drink or something last night but was absolutely stunning. Morrow did an amazing job at pairing the wines as well. Again, can't recall enjoying a meal more!
Review Source:So I came here on Christmas Eve for a champagne tasting. Â Incredibly random location but once you are inside the location is warm and cozy. Â We went upstairs for the tasting and for $40 we were given 6 champagne's to try... a little steep in my opinion and I didn't even pay for it! Â We ordered two sampler's. 1)roasted salmon with cavier beurre blanc potatoes 2)duck confit and vegetable risotto. Â With the tasting menu both were $12.50 each. Â The food was delicious. Â All in all a good experience with great company but a pretty penny nonetheless.
Review Source:This place was big time 'meh'.
You know the feeling you get when you walk out of a restaurant and feel like you've been gypped? Well, no, they didn't 'rip me off' per se, but I did feel like the combination of food/atmosphere/service/price didn't match our expectations (and trust me, I wasn't expecting the world with this place.)
The rundown:
1. Location doesn't scream 'hey, look at me' (fairly high priced french restaurant on the second floor of a commercial building/strip mall? Come on.)
2. Service was okay. At first, we were seated directly under the A/C vent (after waiting 15 minutes past our reservation time.) Also, our server wasn't 100% knowledgeable on the ingredients (big disappointment, as my girlfriend is allergic to legumes.)
3. Quality of food was alright. The best plate we had was the Beef Carpaccio. The Tuna Tartare and Crispy Salmon were just okay.
Took some guys from a client company here for a business lunch and discussion. Not at all a bad place, but clearly an OLD and localized place -- best to come on time, with a reservation, and not be in a hurry.
Downstairs is a very nice, large wine shop set strangely inside a business park. Upstairs is well-appointed smallish restaurant with white tablecloths, crumb-sweeper toting waiters, and a full bar. Service was nicely formal (don't come in shorts or sweats,) but with a few hiccups on our visit. Again, I think the clientele for this place is regular and well established.
Lamb salad set over spinach was VERY nice. Short ribs entree was well received. One of our party ordered the grilled tuna thinking it was an entree -- after a "oh, I'm sorry we ran out, oh, wait, we do have that," little confusion, he got this really small portion of four tiny pieces! (Oops, waiter could have pointed out that this was an appetizer portion . . .) The bread they serve is OUTSTANDING!
Price was high -- $60 for three entrees and one appetizer and no drinks -- but not crazy given the formality and quality of the spot. Will probably go back here again, and hope to have a smoother experience that includes a glass of wine!
My boyfriend and I came here to have a nice dinner one Friday. The restaurant is tucked away in a business area that may at first glance not seem like a place to have a "fancy dinner." However once you walk in, it is a different atmosphere. The first floor has wine tasting and a wine store. Upstairs is the restaurant. It may not have great views of San Diego through the window but I think the food and wine make up for it.
My boyfriend ordered the beef carpaccio and I ordered the escargot pot pie for appetizers. For the main course we had lamb and sea bass and we split this chocolate dessert with berries. Everything we ordered was yummy! I also had a glass of wine and a  cucumber martini while my boyfriend had their nut brown beer. The beer and wine were great, I'm not sure if I liked the martini too much.
The service was wonderful and my boyfriend and I had a nice discussion about wine with the store clerk downstairs and ended up buying a bottle of wine. We would definitely come back here again. No worries about find parking like other places in La Jolla and downtown. The staff aren't snobby and the food is nice.
It's location is a bit awkward. I found out about it through a fellow chef a while back and just haven't visited until I found myself in the area.
It's in an inconspicuous part of a business complex. Many locals don't even know about it....
Great selection of wines for sale with reasonable prices. I actually stumbled in looking for a strong Italian Red for some braised short ribs I was doing and ended up staying for lunch.
The starters and salad selections were great, the staff was helpful and friendly. Typical European style plating. The lunch crowd was mixed, many from the local business professionals perhaps on their lunch breaks.
We tried the Steelhead Salmon and The Pan Roasted Chicken, you can't go wrong with a bacon beurre blanc.
I know that they offer a lot of wine tastings and pairings with dinner menus as well as host small functions. I would definitely come back to try their dinner service next time I'm in town.
Summary: Great wine and service, food - leaves a lot to be desired. Â May give them another shot.
Had dinner there on Christmas Eve. Â Reserved table over the phone. Â Ten minutes before dinner time, I called to add one more person to the reservation and was accommodated without problems. Â Table was ready on time. Â As locals may know, the restaurant is located on the second floor, just above their own wine shop with very nice selection wines, consequently the restaurant's wine list is also quite good.
Wine: Thumbs up
Our waiter suggested, and we ordered a bottle of Solengo super Tuscan 2005. Â For me, the term super Tuscan usually means Sassicaia or Tignanello. Â The Solengo was a really nice choice. Â As expected, took 15-20 minutes to develop after pouring. Â Once there, rich, fruity, almost sweet nose. Â Neither too rich nor too light, very fruity yet dry on the palate.
Appetizers: Thumbs up
Grilled asparagus with quail egg. Â Asparagus perfectly grilled and seasoned. Â Quail egg prepared sunny side up, with perfect consistency yolk. Â Just the right amount of shaved Padano- great, rich in flavors yet light dish. Tuna tartare. Â Fresh, light, good flavor.
Entrees: Thumbs down.
Lobster tails were under-seasoned and over-cooked, on the tough side. Â My rib-eye was ordered medium-rare but was served medium-well. Â Even for the medium-well, it was on the chewy side that leads me to suspect previously frozen.
Desserts: One thumb up, the other way down.
Vanilla ice cream was a great finale: Â good vanilla flavour, not too sweet - perfect. Â Creme brulee had offensively grainy texture indicatingprobablytoo high cooking temperature
On the account of wine and service, I may try them again.
Went out to eat for a special night with the family and was not disappointed. Â We were all dressed up, although when you drive into an office complex, you don't expect to find a place to be dressed up in... Â No worries, we found the restaurant at the back of the building. Â The wine is sold downstairs, and the restaurant is upstairs. Â Given the outer decor, you really don't know what to expect when you walk up to the restaurant, but you'd never expect the ambiance you find once you're there.
We were overly dressed, but it was still a nice mood setter. Â The restaurant was surprisingly empty for a Saturday night, but that made the wait staff very attentive, and we also had the pleasure of meeting Executive Chef Kevin Smith.
We started with some warm bread and deliciously creamy butter. Â A little taste to whet the appetite, and some appetizers of foie gras and the roasted yellow squash soup. Â The foie gras melted in the mouth, and the soup was well spiced. Â The portion was better on the foie gras than the cup of soup, but they were both worth it. Â We also had a very knowledgeable waiter that was able to take our opinions of wine, go downstairs to the store, and locate the perfect pinot noir that wasn't on the restaurant's wine list. Â He was able to keep locating great wines throughout our meal, and we didn't order one bottle off the wine list. Â The waiter was worth his weight in gold!
We had a tuna tartar appetizer as well. Â It was creamy and flavorful, and everyone at the table was trying to out-elbow each other to get in another spoonful!
For dinner, we ordered the Maple Leaf Duck Breast - wonderfully flavored, but the gnocchi was a bit uninspired. Â The ravioli special ended up being portobello - there were only six of them, but they were so creamy they were divine. Â The venison rack received mix reviews - some called it too gamey, while others enjoyed it. Â Finally, the Lamb rack also received top marks. Â Overall, the dinner was quality, with only a few missteps.
For dessert, the creme brulee was deemed perfect with a nice, thick crust. Â The chef's artisan cheese board was delicious, but HUGE. Â The pear sorbet was a great palate cleanser, and the flourless chocolate cake with the Bailey's ice cream was to die for.
Chef Smith said that the fall/winter menu will be coming out next month, and I will happily go back to try out some new items. Â It also sounds as though he's revamping the dessert menu with some playful uses of foie gras. Â I hope he finds a way to make it work, but it all sounds fabulous. Â
Overall, the evening was perfect, and I'd happily go back to try out more of the menu.
Apryl and I attended a pharmaceutical presentation here last Wednesday night.
Upon entering, we were served a glass of wine of our choice. We both had a delicious chardonnay. We were set up in a banquet area (due to the large size of the group attending the presentation) and it was nice, but was actually a warehouse section of the shop.
We could choose from a menu of two appetizers and four entrees. A dessert to follow. We both had the salad as our starter and the Steak Brasserie for our entree.
The salad was very good. It was a small portion of greens with a tangy vinaigrette. It was topped of with a ton of fennel (did not like) and had a large, ripe strawberry sliced along side. It was interesting and pretty.
Our steaks were sliced into several thick slices and topped with a Bearnaise sauce. Under the tender slices of steak was a mound of sauteed spinach. Along side our steak was a large portion of garlic mashed potatoes. The steak was cooked perfectly! The center was a bright pink but still very warm. The mashed potatoes melted in our mouths. The spinach lacked flavor, but was a very welcomed texture along side the meat and potatoes.
For dessert, a large brownie and a cup of creme brulee. Awesome! I was stuffed, but I still managed to eat the majority of both portions.
The presentation was to the point and short which left a lot of time to enjoy the delicious food and wine. I'm very interested in going back again and eating in the actual restaurant.
Appetizer: Lobster Stuffed Herbed Crepes (Melted Leeks, Sautéed Haricot Verts and Carrot Emulsion) - This was alright. I didn't think there was enough lobster flavor infused in the crepe and sauce though.
Main entree: Two Preparations of Duck - Confit of the Leg and Grilled Breas (Parsnip and Guanciale Risotto, Split Haricot Vert, and Orange Gremolata, Star Anise Demi Glaze) - I recently had a duck entree in DT San Diego and compared to that one, this duck entree was bad bad bad. Â The grilled slices of duck was cooked medium rare, as the waiter warned. Â But I thought to myself, the chef must think this is the best preparation for this dish, so I went ahead with it. Â But when I tried it, it was so rare that it was hard to chew, and I didn't taste much flavor in it besides raw chewy meat. Bleh.
The warm bread they served was very soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside. Â One of the better breads I've had.
I thought the layout of the restaurant with the open kitchen reduced the ambiance of the place, since there wasn't much to see/display from the open kitchen besides some guys walking around talking and cleaning pots/pans/etc.
I like to purchase wine from here. We picked up a very very delicious Cabernet Sauvignon by Hartwell wineries for $65 a bottle. I think it was a 2005, but I really can't remember.
I really like this place and I know my friends do too. I want to make sure that The Winesellar gets a positive review from me.
In my original review, I mentioned my friends coming here and I didn't mention I did so someone FLAGGED me for not having first hand experience. Give me a break. Well, I made sure I stopped by The Winesellar and there ya go...first hand experience. Â
Every time we get a wine from here. Everyone in our group really loves it. We love the awesome customer service and the help. The people who work here can always suggest something great.
Their newest chef is amazing! He trained both @ Cordon Bleu Paris and in Spain. His portions are European standard (meaning, "appropriate / recommended portions ") rather than a plate overrun with food you won't eat.
Their dishes are very rich and well balanced. The desserts are an absolute SIN. He is making a delectable grapefruit sorbet right now (in season) with a meringue "sandwich" and lavender/mint accent (with champagne gelatin no less!) but it will only be available another week. :( Their creme brulee has a nice thick "shell" and the vanilla bean flavor simply dances on the tip of your tongue.
Their duck is delicious and it's saltiness is cut by the pickled turnips. The short rib ravioli in a red wine reduction with brussel sprouts and hazelnuts was also a very pleasant surprise.
Give the Brasserie a try!!!
I highly recommend a glass of Cimaron Bordeaux if you are going to indulge in their chocolate desserts...
What a disappointment we had while dining at Brasserie. Â We were looking forward to experiencing a touch of France and instead felt like we were eating French cuisine at the local Denny's. Â
First course of Foie Gras was served with a Foie Gras crème brulee in a tiny oval shaped dish.  The crème brulee was tasty but was unable to eat it all as no spoon was provided to scoop it out of the dish.  The Foie Gras itself was under cooked set atop of a small piece of garlic toast.  The toast over powered the Foie Gras.  It would have been nice to know what the chef had intended with these two dishes.  Had the server mentioned something like the Foie Gras is set on a toast with crème brulee for dipping or anything to indicate the purpose of each dish we would have known what to do.  Dipping the Foie Gras in the crème burlee did kick it up a few notches.
Our main courses of hen and duck were barely warm. Â The hen was extremely dry to the point of being inedible. Â The duck was just OK but with it being less than lukewarm took some of the taste out of it.
The bright note was our wine. Â Our server was able to offer two different bottles of French Boudreaux in the price range we had asked for. Â It wasn't outstanding but certainly good for a moderate cost.
Our suggestion would be to skip Brasserie for dinner but certainly buy a bottle of wine from their extensive collection, pick out a recipe from Julia Child and cook a fantastic French dinner at home.
Of all of the wine shops in San Diego, this one is pretty much my favorite. Â I've frequented their Wednesday tastings in the past, been a member of their standard wine club and usually come here looking for obscure stuff first. Â While it is obvious to me that they're marketing towards an affluent sector, I believe that in order to be a complete wine shop, you've got to have a decent selection of great wines at all price points. Â There's certainly times and occasions for Mouton Rothschild or a methuselah bottle, but what about those times when you want a twenty dollar bottle with a steak? Â I ended my wine club membership because none of their 'affordable' selections blew my mind. Â There's no reason an excellent wine can't be $20 or less and the Wine Sellar should be able to find them.
Review Source:Food: Delicious, and with gigantic portions (for a French restaurant -- super filling, not the small delicate portions you normally get). The organic white corn soup with mushrooms was kind of brothy but really tasty. The venison was tasty, two big chunks with some cherry port sauce and mashed potatoes. The pheasant with foie gras and truffle risotto was delicious. The waiter suggested a half glass for each of the two courses, which went perfectly with our meals. The dessert we had was some kind of chocolate fudgy mousse with hazelnut and caramel; really rich and decadent. The cappuccino for dessert was gigantic; a mug of maybe 20 oz. The coffee tasted great, and had refills.
Service: Great. The waiter knew what to suggest and frequently checked on us -- but not in an annoying way. The second server always made sure we had enough bread, water, and wine.
Atmosphere: Pretty nice. Not super duper fancy-looking, but people are wearing sort of dressy clothes, like a nice night out for couples and a couple groups. The older people were wearing more fancy style clothes and the younger people were wearing more casual dressy. Great place to drink wine, have a super decadent dinner, and just chat and relax.
Only had wine at their small bar area (about 6 people seating), but a great selection. Â The restaurant is cozy, which I didn't expect from the area and the downstairs wine store. Â I like the idea of trying the wine at the bar and able to buy the bottle downstairs. Â (The price is about 3 glasses upstairs, so it's like getting an extra glass.)
Review Source:Went to the Wednesday wine tasting last night $15.00 for their  "the un-discovered indigenous Italian varietals of Italy. Today we are joined by Italian expert Greg Martellotto. "  I enjoyed myself, there 6 wines to taste starting with proceso, pinot noir and ending with a white wine.  There were crackers served.  I would go back but I am not running back :).
Review Source:The wine selection here is really good and the prices are fair. My husband and I go every week for wine tasting and the wines selected are, with very few exceptions all interesting and/or very good. Also a favorite of ours is the annual Champagne tasting in November! Hooray for Champagne!
I left off one star because we have not eaten at the restaurant, so I can't speak for the food. That and some bottles of wine are a little over priced. It is definitely a good place to try a lot of wine and meet other people interested in wine.
Probably the best restaurant in that shit hole known as mira mesa. I'll even go as far as to say that its one of the better restaurants in all of San Diego.
Funny thing is, ask any local mira mesa folks and they'll probably tell you that they have never even heard of it.
You have to be really looking for this place otherwise you will drive right by it. Its deep in corporate land hidden by trees and semi tall buildings.
Great wine selection. Incredible really. The food is French and they have a very good chef and a competent crew.
I actually miss this restaurant although I hate the neighborhood that its in. Oh well, whatever. It is a bit pricey but its justified.
If I was in the area, which is unlikely, I would go but theres plenty of good restaurants in my comfort zone.
We went here a couple weekends back for dinner and it was all that we had expected and more! Bit on the pricier side but the food and wine collection is so amazing that its worth the $$. We ordered 2 wines, one red and another white. All I remember is that the white wine was a Riesling and one of the best white wines I have ever had especially considering that I like my wine a li'l on the sweeter side :)
As for food, we had the foie gras. It was my first time trying it and must admit the flavor was different, unique and tasty..The sauce with the foie gras complemented the foie gras perfectly! For the main course, I had the pan roasted alaskan halibut..the portion is enough just for one person..the fish, as mentioned in the other reviews, was on the saltier side but since I don't mind a salty food, it was ok for me but can see how it may not work for others..The fish was fresh, cooked perfectly and the potato puree was just the perfect pairing with the fish. For the dessert, we had a chocolate cake which was ok for me..didn't care much for it..Also, had the madeleines which are french cookies with powdered sugar on them..they were light & tasty!
I did get a bottle of rose champagne too from their wine shop which I am yet to try but all in all, the wine shop as well as restaurant are worth a trip!
This place has a lot of potential. Â We went for a French wine tasting event on Saturday afternoon. Â They get 2 stars for the following reasons: food was way, way too salty, waiter kept calling me "darling" and they ran out of 3 of the 6 wines they were tasting (apparently they had only rec'd 2 cases... Um wouldn't you want to taste wine that you actually have to sell?).
We'll give it another try and hope that it gets better.
Drive all the way to Mira Mesa for great food and wine? Â I often do for the weekly Wednesday tastings that are very casual. Â We invariably end up going upstairs for more wine and some nosh. Â The Saturday luncheon tastings are typically blind, which is fun, and carefully thought out. Â You can opt to have a choice of a paired menu item for the low low price of $11.50 also - what a deal! Â An amazing selection of wines can be had for only 20% over retail, making for a wonderful bargain given typical restaurant markups. Â Make the drive to Sorrento Valley and say hello to the gang at the Winesellar.
Review Source:This is my go-to wine store! Great selection of good wines. Staff is helpful and friendly. They all have different palates so you can always get some good opinions to find something you'll like at the price point you wish. Wednesday and Saturday wine tasting are both fabulous. Their Saturday wine luncheon shows off their excellent restaurant too. Â This is definitely a destination point as it is hidden from view. Great wine club with good membership benefits. I never have gone wrong during the 5yrs I've been a customer!
Review Source:This fabulous wine cellar/restaurant combo is tucked away in the back of an unassuming building complex. However, once you enter the front door into the wine cellar, you are immediately enveloped by the warm, cozy environment and greeted by row upon row of colorful labels and deep wood tones. Â
I have attended a couple of tastings and a Jazz 88.3 fundraiser at the Winesellar and have left completely satisfied with my experience every time!
The selection of wines is hard to match, the food is delicious, and the fellow patrons and staff are very friendly.
I highly recommend.
Excellent wine selection, wine classes, tastings, and friendly staff! The adjoining restaurant has great food, and what better place to find the perfect wine to complement your food than at a place like this? Don't let the location fool you, this is a first class business.
Amateurs and Oenophiles alike, you'll love this place!
When's the last time the owner of a restaurant/wine store has replied to your emails? And they've worked with my ever changing needs of switching between pick up and delivery as i change my mind every other week.
This place is definitely one of the top places to go for amazing amazing food and ridiculously inexpensive wine lists. If you're looking for a restaurant with a wine list with costs 2-3x the price, this isn't for you. They only charge 20% of the cost of the wine which is hot! I also love the food here, service is great and the waiters are wonderful. They gave my brother a free dessert for his 21st bday.
Sigh dropped down a star.
Wine is pricey here when you buy it at the store. Other local wine stores will have wines cheaper by 5-10$ easily (on a 50$ bottle of wine), and when it gets to the pricier wines you'll see even more of a difference in price. I hate to be critical because i do like their selection and the food at the restaurant, but the prices they charge are a bit silly. Â (50-70$ bottle of wine for 91$). Â
But they do have a nice selection of bordeaux/CDP/ and Burgundy that really can't be matched in SD, but their other selections (Aussie/NZ/Spain) are not nearly as abundant as other stores.
Just do a careful pricing research before you purchase.
This place is like one of those deep dark secret cellars you'd find in a castle. They offer an amazing selection of wines from vintage to the newest and latest fad. There's also a joint restaurant that serves up 5 star cuisine that pairs perfectly with certain wines that they recommend!
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