That Food Network Challenge Judge (D Bar)

D Bar has been open for a few weeks now and I wanted to give it a whirl (and hopefully get a glimpse of Keegan Gerhard, of the Food Network Challenge fame). It's in a prime location next to Snooze Eatery in Hillcrest and the decor is bright and spacious.

Like most restaurants I want to visit, I checked to see if they had a happy hour, and it appeared that they did (3-6pm on Tuesday-Saturday), so being the cheapo that I am, I went to try it out with the bf. 

What's cool about this place is how you can view the desserts being made in front of you, so its some added entertainment to your food to see the pastry chefs perform their craft. 

While we didn't get see Kegan, we did get the chance to talk with one of the pastry chefs, who was quite nice and definitely knowledgeable about all the desserts. She was quick to answer any questions we had, and it was a treat to watch her do her thing. Those pastry chefs are quite meticulous! 


After getting a better look at the happy hour menu, we realized that the desserts weren't being offered at any discount, which was misleading (though there were donuts on the hh menu that wasn't on the regular menu), so make note of that when you go. 

We got the crue fries (regularly $9, $6 during happy hour), which were garlic parmesan fries with all the fixin's: some melted cheese sauce, cheddar jack cheese, ranch, bacon and chives. You totally get your money's worth on this one, there were a LOT of fries and they weren't sheisty with the toppings.

For dessert, we chose the waffle i.c. sammie ($10). The waffle was super light and the vanilla bean ice cream paired nicely with the cherry compote. There was also amaretto chantilly on there, which, according to the pastry chef we talked to, is just like whipped cream. I don't even like whipped cream, but this stuff was GOOD.

Since it's supposed to be a dessert bar, I figured it was going to be desserts galore, but I was slightly disappointed, as I thought they could have had a few more options. All in all, I'll probably go back to check out their other offerings, but since I'm not a huge dessert girl, it probably won't be anytime soon.


D Bar

3930 5th Ave
(between University Ave & Washington St)
San Diego, CA 92103

(619) 299-3227