The Press Box Knocks It Out of the Park

As a former daily newspaper staffer, I’ve dined in a press box or two. The food was predictably the same each time: hot dogs, burgers, fries, beer, peanuts and ice cream cups.

So it was a surprise and a pleasure to dine recently at Press Box Sports Lounge on Jamacha Road in Rancho San Diego. The surprise: a menu created by and kitchen supervised by a five-star chef. The pleasure: eating in a sleek, modern restaurant that looks like it was transported from the Las Vegas Strip.

Not that I was expecting a stadium-style press box. Perhaps a more traditional sports bar with team pennants, pinball machines and a standard menu of burgers and fries. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. But what a treat to find gourmet food, beautifully presented, in a place that’s manly without being a man cave.

Before I get to the food, a few words about the décor and ambience of this 2-year-old restaurant: a gorgeous mirrored back bar accented by neon-like lighting and sporting three HDTVs; a conversation pit with leather couch and leather chairs for viewing several of the 15 total HDTVs; a VIP room for private parties of up to 20 guests, also with leather seating and a jumbo 120-inch HDTV; and a wine cellar near the front door, with glass doors so you can look in and see what’s available. There’s even a HDTV in the patio dining area out front.

The menu by veteran executive chef Jesus Frias features the expected items like potato skins, Caesar salad and baby back ribs. But the very experienced Frias added items for more discriminating palates, like pulled-pork fries, calamari sandwich and filet mignon.

For an appetizer, my companion and I chose the Cremini mushroom caps stuffed with fresh crab meat and cheese gratin ($10.95), with colorful corn chips for scooping. As first impressions go, this was a home run for presentation and taste. Look at the photo we took of the deep-bowlful of the warm, melty creation that really wakes up the taste buds.

For her entrée, my companion had the Ahi Nicoise salad ($12.95) of seared Ahi tuna on a bed of mixed greens plus green beans, artichokes, onion, hard-boiled egg, potatoes and olives, drizzled in a rice Dijon vinaigrette. It tasted very fresh, not at all fishy and quite refreshing on a warm night.

Most sports bars serve hamburgers. But since this is a sports lounge, I had to try the half-pound Kobe burger ($10;95), served on a toasted and steamed bun with jalapeno jack cheese and fries. Our waitress assured me it was real Kobe beef, not the Kobe-style beef you find at some other places. It was another stunner -- possibly the best burger I’ve ever had. Juicy, tender, fatty and bursting with that unrivaled Kobe flavor that only comes from truly pampered cows in Japan.

I’m not much of a beer fan, but considering the Press Box has a selection of more than 100 specialty craft brews, I tried the Afterburner Amber ($5.50) which, I’ve read, features a clear golden body with a small white head; the aroma of caramel, earth, grain and nuts; and the flavor of caramel malt, earth, subtle florals and grass. To me it was just plain refreshing and didn’t overpower any of the food we tried.

The desserts aren’t made onsite, but they must come from a very good purveyor. We had the raspberry white chocolate cheesecake ($6.95) with fresh berries and vanilla bean sauce. It tasted made from scratch, although we knew better but didn’t care.

The Press Box is yet another East County eatery that has surprised this reviewer over the past few months. It’s a winning combination of great food, décor and ambience. Service was a little slow even on a light night, but our waitress was efficient and knowledgeable. This is an excellent place to cheer on your favorite teams while enjoying fine food and drink. The patrons were a mix of young, middle-aged and old on our visit, so the place seems to appeal to all ages.

Our total bill before tip was $53.66, a tad on the high side but definitely worth every bite. We will be back, for sure. And maybe, on a milestone birthday or anniversary, we’ll have that VIP room to ourselves—plus about 18 friends and family members