Zan Lee Stopped in last night as a party of four on a rainy December 27 evening and I am happy to report that we all had a wonderful meal. Half of us have been here quite a few times and the other half it was their first time. Cowboy Star is unique to San Diego in that it is an elevated country themed steakhouse. Imagine something you would see in Austin Texas or somewhere along those lines and almost has a saloon feel to it. Inside is very dark and romantic, and not very large which really adds to the coziness of it. They don’t have any dedicated parking or valet so it will be a pay lot or street parking, we were able to find a street spot a block away, so it wasn’t too bad, luckily we had umbrellas. In the front of the restaurant is a large full bar with tons of wine and cocktail options. It’s a great place to stop in just for a drink or if you’re in the mood for dinner, the second half of the restaurant is filled with booths, tables, counter seating at the kitchen, and a large private room in the back. I love how dark and styled it is inside and it’s really a sort of place that you want to spend many hours.
Our server was very polite and everything that we ordered came out pretty fast. They have a fairly large menu so there are a lot of great options on it, but their specialty is steak and cocktails. I started off with the Steak Tartare and really enjoyed it. It had some very hearty flavors and the portion size was nice, it was not too large or too small. We also ordered the Bone Marrow, which wasn’t as good as I usually get. This version was a bit too buttery, but it still had some nice flavors, I would just go easy on the butter in the future. For my entrée, I chose the 8oz Filet Mignon with a side of Peppercorn Sauce and honestly really liked it. The steak was cooked perfectly, seasoned well, and I really appreciated the side of broccolini and mashed potatoes. After all this, we were too full for dessert, but they had a lot of great options on the menu, if I had some more room in my stomach, I would’ve got the Bread Pudding.
Overall, I would say this is in one of the top 3 best steakhouses in San Diego. Steak 48 is still king, but this is a wonderful option and would be fabulous for a date, dinner with friends, or a work function. Cowboy Star is much better than Born & Raised in Little Italy, which shouldn’t be as popular as it is. I would highly recommend and plan to be back more times in the future and would happily send any friend or acquaintance here, knowing that they would have a great meal.
