Welk Resorts

Last month, we were invited to Welk Resorts San Diego for a special dinner celebrating the launch of Welk Resorts’ new craft beer and wine partnership with local Iron Fist Brewing Co. and Belle Marie winery. We also got to spend the night there as well.

Located in Escondido, Welk Resorts is founded by Lawrence Welk, an American radio and tv personality and host of The Lawrence Welk Show. Truthfully, I was unaware of the existence of the resort until my visit, so it was nice to explore something new.

Dinner was held outside underneath the vineyards. The set-up was just beautiful.

The menu was prepared by Executive Chef Thomas Trevethan.

Ahi Tuna| California Field of Greens| Mango Puree

I just loved the colors of this salad and it’s usually hard for me to get excited about a salad. Surprisingly, this was my first time eating raw beets and I really enjoyed them this way. After this dinner, I bought a bunch of beets from Specialty Produce so I could start putting them in my salad.

I was also enchanted with the tiniest baby carrots I’ve ever seen. I did feel like the tuna got a little lost in the salad, almost like an afterthought, but I did enjoy the greens and mango puree,, which was light and refreshing.

Lobster Bisque

My favorite course of the night would have to go to this lobster bisque. I usually find lobster bisque far too salty, but this one was not. It was just a very rich, concentrated lobster broth with a hint of cream, which is how I always imagined lobster bisque should be. Afterward, the chef was explaining his laborious process of preparing it, just cooking the broth down for days without adding anything extra to get that flavor.

Chilean Sea Bass| Grilled Vegetables| Cauliflower Puree

I felt like my fish was a little dry and the dish overall was a little plain.

Filet Mignon| Butter Poached Lobster Tail

I was already quite stuffed by this point, but how could I resist steak and lobster? While I appreciated that the dishes didn’t have too much fuss, I did feel they were both a little under-seasoned. They were cooked perfectly though.

Dessert Trio

This was just a lovely plate. In addition to be a talented chef, Chef Thomas also was a pastry chef previously too. I enjoyed all three, but my favorite bite was the cheesecake.

All the dishes were paired with either Iron Fist Brewing Co. beers bottled especially for the resort (a blond and a stout) or Belle Marie winery wines also made for the resort (sparkling wines, field wine). I was especially fond of the stout beer and I’ll have too visit Iron Fist Brewing Co. sometime soon.

Overall, we had a really enjoyable dinner. And afterwards, instead of having to make the longish drive home, we got to stay the night.

The resort set-up reminds me a lot of the condominium complexes in San Diego. Not only do they look similar, but they also contain pools, activity rooms, much like a nice condo complex. This resort is very family friendly. The rooms are like condo units and come fully equipped with everything you could possibly need, including plates, dishes, baking tools, etc.

I have no idea why, but seeing the baking tools gave me the sudden urge to bake a cake.

Our room had a patio with this gorgeous view.

On the grounds there is also a large pond, pools, activity rooms for kids, theaters with live performances. I can definitely seeing this place being a good long week vacation stay for families, since it’s more convenient than a hotel, and has a lot of entertainment for kids.

When we were there, most of the people there were families with kids. It’s not somewhere we’d go to for a couple’s retreat, but it is something we’d consider in the future. And we definitely enjoyed the dinner.

Please note, as stated above, we were invited to this dinner and resort. All opinions expressed are my own.

Welk Resorts San Diego
8860 Lawrence Welk Dr
Escondido, CA
https://welkresorts.com/