Ivy Updates: Spotlight on Quarter Kitchen

America's finest city is turning into a hotspot haven that's keeping people on their toes with the launch of swanky restaurants, hip boutiques and exclusive hotels. Residents and tourists alike are abuzz, and amongst the chat is the Ivy Hotel, which has redefined chic in Southern California.

The Ivy Hotel has managed to maintain its lure and finalize a steady following after six months, when most San Diego treasures lose their charm in a matter of weeks. Approaching the six month mark, many San Diegans are wondering: What's the latest with the Ivy? Nearing 2008, the buzz is biased toward the rise of Quarter Kitchen.

The Ivy is an architectural masterpiece that stands confidently on F Street in the Gaslamp Quarter and beckons to an upscale crowd of twenty to forty somethings. Upon entering the Ivy Hotel not only is your vision stirred with an interior made for the set of "Sex and the City," but your taste buds are soon to be aroused when arriving to the acclaimed Quarter Kitchen. This lounge and restaurant has a soothing ambiance that makes you feel within your own (dream) home, with an addition of dashingly handsome waiters and plush couches.

Everything in this kitchen appears to have been carefully thought out with precision. In short, Quarter's interior just makes sense, in a feng-shui, I never want to leave kind of way. The lighting is dim with a slightly golden tint, the food is crafted to be savored and relished with every bite and the drinks are designed to pull you into a world so decadent and luxurious you'll have trouble knowing when to say, "That's enough."

Introducing Quarter Kitchen's Seasonal Menu
Quarter Kitchen, headed by celebrity Chef Damon Gordon, combines the rare with the classic. With the help of the Ivy Hotel's visionary, Michael Kelly, Chef Gordon creates simplistic foods that are prepared and presented in the most unique of ways.

Damon Gordon has nourished food lovers with his creations worldwide and the Quarter Kitchen only reflects his passion for the culinary arts through its luscious menu. Chef Gordon recently updated the dinner and lunch menus so that restaurant-goers can spice up their palettes with a variation of his eclectic creations.

Grabbing a bite downtown for a business meeting or between shopping splurges? The Quarter Kitchen is the perfect place to indulge and converse over a glass of wine and light lunch before getting back to the grind. The Lobster Club served with a side of truffle fries will give you that extra boost of energy during the afternoon hours. Eating on the lighter side? The Kitchen Sink salad served with marinated shrimp, crispy brie, and sweet mustard dressing with a side of the Roasted Butternut Squash soup is the perfect meal when you're on the go.

Amongst the new dinner menu specialties are the Kobe Beef Spaghetti and Meatballs and the Dungeness Crab Ravioli, two dishes that are presented in a way fit for royalty and with sauces that leave a lingering sensation in your mouth. The seasonal Surf and Turf has proved to be the perfect combination for those who are fans of both steak and seafood and wish to have a successful collaboration of both, served just right.

For the vegetarians in the dinner party, Chef Gordon offers vegetarian dishes that will outdo the veggie norm. From appetizers like the Seasonal Truffle Pizza to side dishes such as the Truffled Leek Empanadas, a dish that will be enough to satisfy the whole table, non-meat eaters won't be left out of this fine dining experience.

The Genius Behind the Menu
 Damon Gordon was educated in London and began his career as the Chef de Partie at the world renowned Waterside Inn in Bray, England.

After working at several extravagant restaurants throughout England, including the Saint Martins Lane in London and the Delano, Gordon moved across the Atlantic to work at the posh Hotel Gansevoort in New York and ONO, a high end Japanese restaurant.

Those visiting the Quarter Kitchen are guaranteed to instantly fall victim to Gordon's indulgent dishes, such as the Caviar Tacos and Lobster Pot Pie. Chef Gordon's servings will encourage your senses to be stirred with specialty combinations and are sure to leave you begging for more.