Restaurant: Roy's Location: 8670 Genesee Ave. San Diego, CA Phone: (858) 455-1616 Price Range: Open for dinner only, about $20-$30

Number of visits: 1
Last visit before review: November 23, 2001

Randy had: Baby greens salad with creamy herb dressing (classic), roast duck (special).

Jeff had: Baby greens salad with creamy herb dressing (classic), garlic honey mustard beef short ribs (classic).

Rating 11 (of 12) Excellent

Randy says: I liked the baby greens salad with herb dressing. It was nicely sized with fresh lettuce, not wilted as is often the case with baby greens.

Jeff says: The baby greens salad with herb dressing was wonderful. There was a wide array of different greens, and the dressing was very tasty. Buried underneath the mound of lettuce was a thick slice of a large tomato. Usually tomatoes like this are grown for size over flavor, but this one did have flavor, and it was peppered creating a taste that reminded me of eating tomato soup with pepper when I was a child. And under the tomato slice was yet another surprise — beet puree that was sort of ringed around the edges of the plate.

Randy says: The roast duck, we were told, is braised and cooked for 2 days on the bone and then deboned and served. It's made with Asian spices. It was a little sweeter than I prefer, but it was good. It came with a container of white rice which was very moist.

Jeff says: I'm not a big duck fan, but Randy's duck wasn't bad. The rice that came with the duck tasted very much like butter, so I liked it. My short ribs were yummy, but I didn't really taste any honey mustard. At first when the dish came I thought the portions looked small, especially considering the high price, but by the time I was through I had more than enough to eat. Under the ribs were au gratin potato slices, which usually I love, but these were packed with garlic which I think ruined them. There were also some legumes that were similar to string beans. These were soaked in butter, so I thought they were good.

Randy says: Jeff's potatoes were way too cheesy. The short ribs were mildly flavored and good. The vegetables were way too buttery.

Jeff says: Bread is served before the meal and consisted of hot rolls that I thought were buttermilk biscuits. Nice and soft for melting butter and full of flavor. After I ate one the waitress plunked down an other one. If I'd eaten that one I'm sure there would have been yet more. The iced tea was very nice.

Randy says: The rolls were really, really good. They tasted like buttermilk but also with sourdough in them. A nice flavor. Jeff's iced tea was good, but I was drinking Pellegrino that evening.

Roy's specializes in Hawaiian fusion cuisine. The menu consists of two parts — the classics which are always offered, and the specials which change frequently. For a long time we didn't try Roy's because when we asked for a paper menu to take with us and evaluate, we were told that since the menu changes often no portable menus are available. Eventually we decided to give Roy's a try anyway and are glad we did.

Walking in we both thought we smelled a hint of raw sewage which wasn't pleasant, and it didn't seem to go away once we were well inside. We still wonder if that was from some kind of exotic fish they were cooking at the moment because in a while either it went away or we stopped noticing it. The decor inside is interesting. There is heavy use of wood in the style of Frank Lloyd Wright, and at the same time there are Asian and Polynesian themes such as totem poles to be found in the art on the walls. The most interesting part of the decor is the ceiling above the center section. In two places the drop ceiling has openings in the shape of what Randy says is a leaf without a stem, and Jeff says is an eye. On one side of each of these openings are small intense lights that slowly change color in unison from purple to yellow to green to blue. The restaurant is laid out as a large open room. Visible behind glass windows is a large variety of wine bottles on racks. The open kitchen allows diners to view the frenzied activity within. The feeling of openness extends outside with its large windows on the north and east sides, and the rounded glass northeast corner (of course that feature was there during the building's previous incarnations as other trendy restaurants as well).

Roy's is expensive but the food is original and creative. Each visit will bring a different experience because even with the classic items that are always offered, the accompaniments change frequently. For instance, we were told sometimes brown rice comes with the duck instead of white rice, and the potatoes and vegetables served with the short ribs vary. Since we found several items on the menu to appeal to our tastes, we plan to visit again and try some of the other items such as the meatloaf with onion rings from the classic menu, or if offered again as specials the rack of lamb combination plate, prime rib eye steak, chocolate souffle, or mango strudel.