We just had an interesting experience at The Playground. It started with the phrase from the server “you’re in for a treat!” I thought there would be a show full of props. If we were to judge the restaurant by the drinks and the dessert, we would give them 5 stars. The main feature and treat ( or trick?) The server started circling items. It was as if the entire menu disappeared. To give credit to the kitchen, they made the best of what they could make with what they had. Major points for improvement: Manage expectations- communicate ahead of time if you are almost out of items. There should be a manager to coordinate with wait staff and kitchen. Manage reservations- we had an 8:30 pm reservation confirmed weeks ahead that they had no idea about…because they gave our table to someone else. Manage time - sitting at 8:30 pm is still reasonable for 10:00 pm closing. We were so rushed by the server that we felt we had to down our entire meal. We know this restaurant is great because the friends we went with raved about how great it is; but unfortunately this was our only experience which was very poor.

My first time here was about a year ago. Someone special brought me here for a date which I thought was super cute. It was busy and we got a two seater table by the kitchen. Portions were small. I had some wine with my food. They kept asking if our food was okay. Had fun on with this person here. Very cute and good times ❤️

Visited twice in the last 2 months and both meals were delicious. Drink wise, the cocktail with the milk punch is the go to. Very balanced citrus flavors with a creamy mouth feel. Duck breast is a stand out dish with the perfectly al dente soba noodle. It's an Asian dish well executed in a non Asian restaurant.

First time here and what an amazing experience. The service was absolutely wonderful. Elizabeth was a delight. She checked on us regularly and made sure every dish came out to our liking. I'm not a huge fan of alcohol, but I do occasionally like a very light and refreshing libation. When I asked regarding drinks that would be low in alcohol and refreshing to the taste, she made sure to have the bartender whip up something close to what I was looking for. I ended up with a pineapple coconut passion fruit concoction with just the right amount of rum where I could feel it, but not taste it. Her level of attention immediately jump-started our evening on a high note and it only kept getting better. My husband and I ordered the Hokkaido milk bread and butter and it was heavenly. The bread was crispy on the outside, warm and fluffy on the inside, and a creamy taste. The butter accompanying the bread was rich and creamy and had a sweetness to it that complimented the creaminess of the bread. We then ordered the slow-roasted Japanese yam, which was beautiful in flavors and in plating. Yams are incredible on their own, but the brown butter soy lime emulsion had a sharp refreshing flavor that balanced out the heavy starchiness of the yams. The gai-lan were tender and salted perfectly and added a bit of crunch for texture. Beautiful. For entrees, my husband ordered the mozzazo rigatoni. The menu described it as "if cacio di pepe and carbonara had a baby," and let me tell you, that baby was absolutely divine. It's probably the best pasta I've had in years. The creamy pasta was bursting with flavors and spices that just worked amazing together. For my own entree, I ordered the wagyu skirt steak lomo soltado. Now, my husband and I frequent a few Peruvian restaurants. Detention's lomo soltado just blew every single other one we've tried out of the water. The wagyu was cooked perfectly medium and the level of heat was perfect. I enjoy spicy food, but I also like to enjoy my food, so I don't like the spiciness to affect the taste of my food. They got that balance just right for me. My husband and I got our own entrees, but we split them half and half and neither of us could decide which we liked better. They were both amazing but their flavors were so wildly different we just loved them for what they were. And then there was the sticky toffee pudding. Holy toffee-loving heck. I have not put something that delicious in my mouth since my MIL took me to Addison's for my birthday. My mind was blown. The pudding itself was not sweet at all allowing for the toffee sauce to shine without overpowering the sweetness. The whipped cream they served with it was salted. SALTED!! So you get a salty-sweet flavor when you top your bite with whipped cream. The way they balanced the flavors in this one dessert was absolutely genius. You have a dense, spiced cake with minimal sweetness, a beautiful toffee sauce full of delicious flavor, and a bit of saltiness to cut the sweetness when it gets too intense. Overall, the experience was perfect. Excellent service and the atmosphere was great! I'm so glad they do not crank their music up so you can't hear each other. That seems to be a trend, but the music here was loud enough to hear, but not to overpower conversations. This place really checked every single box for service, food, and atmosphere. We will definitely need to come back here again.

This is a private membership lounge with a menu that is well planned and limited to provide the exceptional quality that sets this restaurant experience apart. This is a no rush atmosphere where you are intended to stay and enjoy the meal. The experience started in the lounge where the bartender personally visited to get ideas about the type of drink you prefer. There is no ordering a drink that is just "ok", exceptional is what they strive for a achieve. You are also welcome to bring in your own wine for a nominal corking fee for 2+ bottles. There were 4 main dinner options, that I hear change monthly. We ordered the Indian spices and the steak, which was enough food to feed a table of 4. Each were prepared to perfection with flavors and spices that are thoughtful and pair well together. One meal (each had 3 separate dishes) came at a time so you could enjoy the dishes on their own. There staff are very attentive without being intrusive. The location was clean, minimally decorated in the dining area, slightly drafty but comfortable. Overall, a great experience and delicious food.

Great food, and a great time. We called ahead and they were completely booked for dinner, but we tried anyway. They did seat us on the patio, which is just ok for a patio, the people watching and heaters made up for the lack of atmosphere outside. We had the option of sitting in the lounge bar or outside so we choose outside. We were asked about any food allergies before we got seated so that was a nice gesture. All the servers were very attentive and we got our drinks and food fast. The food was very yummy and full of flavor. Our server was lovely and very knowledgeable about her drinks, our first time ordering a negroni. I highly recommend this place for all things DTSA!

Wonderful meal and service - so glad we had the chance to check this place out while in the area. We loved the Oyster Msuhroom "Bacon" Tartine and the Peruvian Bay Scallop Crudo. The Smashed Cucumbers may not sound like much in the description but the melding of flavors was excellent and it is a nice balance to heavier dishes. Pick your poison on the cocktails - all were equally interesting. We usually skip dessert, but the Tropic Thunder sounded interesting and did not disappoint!

We had a great experience from beginning to end. The craft cocktails were exceptional and we tried nearly all of the small plates, with the chicken mousse and crispy rice being among our favorites. I had the pork jowls which were served with fantastic house made tortillas, and it was perfectly cooked and the dish was perfectly balanced. Finished with sticky toffee pudding... One of my top 5 foods of all time! Very highly recommend!

Great place in Santa Ana. Excellent craft drinks and great dishes. Plates are made to share so u can order several and share amongst party or just go traditional and order per person. Cool joint. Will visit again.

Get here before it's over... It's been a wonderful 10 years. We are excited for the new place but Playground is Playground and you might as well have a final memorable experience.

Detention was fantastic! We loved it. Servers were great and food and drinks were super! Can't say enough about it. Each dish is so creative! Can't wait to go back!

Good news and Bad News. The good news is that the Sticky Toffee Pudding is still there and out of this world. The bad news is they aren't quite at the level of the Playground with their other dishes. Something was just not quite there in each dish we ordered. The cheesy bread had yummy cheese and arrabiatta sauce, but the bread itself lacked that extra flavor. The braised short ribs was good, but it tasted closer to pot roast even though the sauce and pickled onions were delicious. We also had the lamb dumpling which were good, but again something off with a bitter aftertaste. We also had the beer bratwurst. Everything about that dish was good, but the texture of the bratwurst was really finely ground, so it threw me off because it was unlike bratwurst texture to which I am accustomed. Everything was just almost right there to take you over the top in flavor luke Playground used to, but it just didnt quite get there for me. I will return for the toffee pudding for sure-if they let me after this review. Also, to he fair, they have only been open as Detention a short while and the menu will change again, offering new dishes. We ordered 5 dishes and spent about $150. P.S. The ambience and wait staff are great.

Parking: easier when the structure is open, but there is easily accessible street parking (especially on week days) Customer service: 10/10 (but make sure you make a reservation)! All the employees work together to make sure everyone in your party is accommodated and treated best. Food: you can't go wrong with anything on the menu (especially since it changes every season! The chef makes sure that he cooks miracles with the freshest ingredients, and focuses on locally-sourced items!) I can say for certain we would order EVERYTHING we ordered last time, again (see pictures) I love Detention, and cannot wait to try Trust, their sister restaurant! Yummmmm

The cocktails are unreal. Just have them make you something unique with the flavors/spirits you like, and you'll be instantly impressed. I've only had the food off the snack and shareable plates menu, but it's exactly what you'd expect from this crew: delicious and never dull. This is the only place I want to go for drinks now. In the photos: Yellowtail Tostada Incredible cocktails Corn Ribs Market Plums Dessert 💯

By @asiandumplingsmuggler Detention 2.0, a private social club, presents an extraordinary and unapologetically diverse menu crafted by the culinary virtuoso, Chef Jason Quinn. Embracing an attitude devoid of frills or unnecessary embellishments, Chef Quinn fearlessly delivers exactly what he desires. The result? Some of the most exceptional and delectable food and drinks one could experience! His unmatched hospitality creates an ambiance that makes patrons feel as if they’ve been warmly welcomed into his own home. And great thing here is - you don’t have to wait for his invite, well actually sort of - you need a membership to get through the reservation line 😉- but that’s about it!

We had an 8 course meal. I forgot to take a lot of the pictures because the food was so amazing I didn't want to waste time taking pictures. Honestly, seriously and sincerely some of the best dishes I've ever had.

I've had this restaurant bookmarked, so I was super excited to try it. We went here on a double date with our friends. I heard it wasn't easy to get reservations , so this was a pleasant surprise! Loved the ambiance. Our server was great. He spent a lot of time talking to us about the food and provided interesting tidbits of information about the menu, how it's curated etc. He was genuinely interested and invested in our thoughts about the food. The best thing on the menu (in my honest opinion) is the Hokkaido milk bread. So much that we had to order one to go! This was amazing and delicious. We ordered the scallops crudo. I liked this dish! The sauce was super flavorful and scallops were fresh. Refreshing ! Also ordered the dish that nobody orders lol. And we can see why.. it's literally just a bowl of beans. It was definitely not what we expected- thought it would be a nacho and chips dish. Pork jowl- was tasty! Basically expensive carnitas. We shredded the meat and mixed it with the guacamole. The best part of this meal were The homemade tortillas. Loved it! Wagyu lomo saltado- sadly.. this is we a no for me. It's a fusion or twist to the original Peruvian staple. They added jalapeños and gave it a kick. It was a tart sauce, which I wasn't expecting. The wagyu.. or lack there of... it was a chewy meat that didn't taste like the usual melt in my mouth that I'm used to (pause!) The French fries were good. But the worst was the rice. Definitely undercooked, and a struggle to finish. I wanted dessert but we opted for Hokkaido bread to go instead. They told us the menu changes, and it's not always the same. Which I appreciate... the first thing our server said to me was "don't look at Yelp" LOL. I was disappointed because they didn't have sea bass. I wish I could have tried it. Also.. portions were small and over priced…

Excellent food and wonderful drinks. It's on the pricier side but one of the best restaurants in the area

One of the best places to eat in Orange County. The service was top notch, the food was delicious. The menu is well thought out, not a lot of things but there is something for everyone. We had two kids with us so that's not always easy. The Pork patty was delicious, the omlette was very well made and a change from the normal breakfast eggs Benedict. I can't wait to try their dinner menu.

Food was inventive and impressive. Perfectly cooked and we loved the wait staff and the family style experience. The balance between casual and upscale is struck in this laid back environment. The cocktails were just okay. Dessert is worth it. They could have told me the mochi cake was from a prestigious bakery and I’d believe it.

It was the same concept as playground and they kept a few things as well. Basically all the dishes were amazing. Tempura asparagus was exceptional, never realized it could taste that good! Definitely worth a visit!

Great food and ambiance but for the food, portion size, and plating, there are many other places that outshine Detention

Easily the best chefs in Orange County. Consistent excellence! I have been here 5-10 times and every time, every dish is wonderful.

The food was unique and delicious!! Service was great and ambiance very warm. A bit too pricy, but perhaps worthy. The Corn, Brussel Sprouts, and Cauliflower dishes were delightful.

Nice atmosphere and service but the food missed the mark in several instances. Scallop crudo overwhelmed by crunchy burnt fried garlic. Pork wraps were purportedly Korean but very little spice or flavor. Burnt basque cheesecake was barely cooked, with a slight propane torch top - nothing like expected. Overall a disappointment for the price point.