Chart House Dana Point - 08.26.06

The Chart House in Dana Point is located on a hill overlooking the Harbor. It is a great location and allows panoramic views of the water. Inside, there is a stairway that leads directly down to the bar and restaurant. The decor is a bit outdated but the restrooms look like they have just been renovated.

We visited Chart House in September 2006. We started at the bar, which has low seats and televisions that beam football and other sporting events. The lounge area is festive and the service is fast and friendly. It looked like an ideal place for a mid-week happy hour, but we have not tried that yet. It took a bit longer than expected (40 minutes or so) to be seated after arrival. We were both hungry and glad to be transferrred to the dining room.

The dining room is circular, open, has glass windows which overlook the ocean and is, overall, unique for Orange County. It reminded Anna Lisa of a space-ship; it reminded Jay of the TV show about the 4 waitresses back in the '80's...(It's a Living). The room had a different feel from other OC restaurants because of its open layout. It is not what we would call a romantic destination - - it is very lively and everyone sees everyone. There are servers walking back and forth all the time. We both thought it was interesting although the carpet and decor scream that they were leftovers from the early 80's. We sat in one of the booths that lined the inner part of the dining room. It was comfortable and made it fun to watch everyone else in the room.

Jay had the Spiced Yellowfin Ahi - - Cajun spiced and grilled, ginger soy butter, wasabi cream, spinach & bok choy. He says it was good. If it wasn't for the fact that it felt like we were eating in a spaceship, it would have been a much better dinner. Really, it satisfied him. He says he would recommend this dish, despite it being a standard item on just about every OC menu.

Anna Lisa had the halibut with crabmeat on top. It's not on the web menu but it was absolutely fantastic. It was very rich and it was almost hard to distinguish the halibut from the crab. The entree was full of flavor and I would definitely get that again.