Daily quiche (bacon and roasted red pepper)

My husband took me to lunch at a restaurant I’ve been eyeing for a few months called Chandler’s, located inside the Hilton Carlsbad Oceanfront Resort and Spa.

Chandler's

I love a good lobby, and this one is luxurious. It has white leather couches and wooden seating areas accented with mirrored and illuminated walls that reminded me of a swanky lodge. When I plopped down onto one of the couches, I told my husband I wanted to bring our food to the lobby to enjoy.

Ocean view outdoor patio seating

Once in the restaurant, the hostess seated us right away in the covered patio dining area facing the Pacific Ocean.

One thing about me, I try to look at the menu online before I go out to eat. Therefore, I knew I wanted the quiche. Some of the other menu options I was toying with were the tabouli salad ($14) filled with shrimp and watermelon, the Napa Thin and Crispy Pizza ($13), the grilled cheese ($13) made with goat cheese, and the fettuccine pasta ($15) with arugula and artichokes. Turns out the daily quiche ($15) was filled with bacon, roasted red peppers and cheese. Oh, and bacon. Did I mention it had bacon? My husband was on a salt moderation diet and asked the waitress if the chef would prepare his lobster taco dish ($18) without sodium and only cayenne pepper, lemon and black pepper. Without hesitation, she said, “of course!”

Lobster tacos

When our food arrived, the smell of the roasted red peppers and the bacon made me excited. I’m pretty sure I did the happy dance in my seat, to my husband’s embarrassment. My quiche was cooked exactly the way I like. The eggs were firm and I could see all of the ingredients. The crust was buttery, slightly flaky on top and thick and sturdy on the bottom. It came with a simple mixed green salad with balsamic vinaigrette dressing. The salad had a fresh, "farmer’s market" flavor and the dressing tasted homemade.

The lobster tacos looked and smelled very good when the waitress brought them to the table. My husband said they were just, "good." He did note that the seasoning they used was exactly what he wanted and went well with the lobster and flour tortilla, but he said it was missing a little something something. My guess is sodium.

Although they did have a nice selection of desserts, we already had plans to get dessert elsewhere. Because this was a restaurant I had wanted to try for so long, my husband planned to spend more than we normally would for lunch, though not as much as $46.44.