Fairmont Grand Del Mar and Addison?

Travel, Wine Tourism, and Restaurants Forum
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I made a reservation for the Fairmont Grand Del Mar and dinner at Addison in early October for my anniversary. Anyone have thoughts on this (hotel and/or restaurant)? I saw some earlier posts, but they are fairly dated. Or other suggestions? We live in south OC and would prefer not to fly.

Thanks,
Tom

2

It’s a beautiful hotel and a well put together restaurant. If you don’t want to fly, it’s a nice easy relaxing overnight trip from where you are.

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We went there for a long weekend a few years ago and it was lovely. I don’t remember if the restaurant was named the same back then, or if it has changed ownership/chefs/brands, but it was pretty good too. As I recall, they were ok with me bringing a bottle of anniversary year wine.

4

I’ve stayed at the hotel several times, and it’s really good. Nice, quiet grounds but close to Del Mar and La Jolla. My family loves it. I haven’t dined at Addison.

5

Addison is a very good restaurant. I believe that it is 3 Michelin stars now. We absolutely loved the property and the restaurant when we stayed there!

6

It’s been a few years, but the restaurant and hotel are both outstanding.

7

Maybe not all that surprising, but I initially chose the hotel because of the restaurant. Addison, I believe, has been 3* for the past two years. So far, so good on the WB feedback. Looks like this is a keeper then for our 22 year wedding anniversary.

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8

It’s definitely a restaurant you should visit when you have the chance.
After a long dinner, you should be incomparably more comfortable staying at the resort than traveling again - especially if you’ll be drinking while celebrating your anniversary.

9

Fairmont knows how to do hospitality.

IIRC joining their loyalty program before your stay gets you some perks even first stay. I used to do a lot of Fairmont stays for work and it was bliss.

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Addison
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So, my wife and I spent our anniversary this past weekend. Very fortunate for us that it was far enough away from the ocean and a bit over sea level that we did not get that cold cloudy weather at the La Jolla/Del Mar. Fantastic property with great service. Feels like you are farther away from So Cal than you really are.
As to Addison, they have a nice BMW that takes you to and from the hotel to the restaurant, which is still on property.
Did not do the wine pairing, but had the somm pick out a white, pinot, and heavier red. He did a great job with that, including explaining how the wine would go with the multiple courses and not overselling.
Our favorite was the chef’s signature caviar dish. Great flavor and contrast in texture.
I got the truffle upgrade, first batch in season. Three dishes with truffles, with the main being the tartin (in the picture), which was way too strong for the truffles. Wife got the Wagyu upgrade. Hers was better and more than 3x less in cost.
It was a 3 1/2 hour dinner that moved fairly well and not too heavy.
One issue (and there shouldn’t be any with a 3 star Michelin restaurant) is that they would not let us sit next to each other. We were in a booth and started to move plates over and sit together, but staff said Chef wants diners to sit apart and that we would understand once the plates came out. We did not. We ended up sitting next to each other for the dessert course and did not feel like we missed out on any of the presentation. Anyways, bothered my wife more than me.
Overall, my best 3* experience. For my wife, not so much. She preferred EMP (pre-vegan) or Le Cinq.
Caviar
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truffles
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Nice. We went there some years go for an anniversary dinner and enjoyed it. I think we did cocktails rather than wine though.