Some friends met us for dinner and we tried a total of 12 dishes, 10 of which were outstanding only the broccolini and chocolate cream dessert were just OK. Under the talented direction of executive chef Aldo Negrete, the restaurant’s kitchen is turning out some pretty exciting food. It was a wonder I had an appetite for dinner at Bull and Bourbon that night, but I’m glad I did. It was served with crispy seasoned fries, cut nice and thin, just how I like them. I tried the fruity and zingy Blackbeard’s Delight mule, with Maker’s Mark bourbon, blackberries, lime, mint and ginger beer, and had it with a juicy, perfectly cooked Retreat Burger, topped with smoked cheddar and herbed aioli. Retreat features a very orderly bar menu with four “poolside refreshers” like The Good Life, with aperol, strawberries, lemon and Chandon brut sparkling wine, four kinds of mules, four Margaritas, four mojitos, four sparklings/Champagnes by the glass, four non-alcoholic drinks, along with beer and wine. That’s where you’ll also find Clique’s pool bar service, a must to try whether you’re hanging out by the adult pool’s swim-up bar, lazing along Retreat’s lazy river or frolicking with the kids in the family pool (bring your earplugs). The high-profile Sycuan-Clique partnership, a first for a San Diego casino, also extends to Elicit Bar & Lounge, a smart-looking cocktail bar/club with a sushi and raw bar, fireplace, DJ, tableside mixology carts and a tempting patio overlooking the posh, new Retreat Pool & Cabanas. They’re also working with the Hotel del Coronado to give that venerable property a more contemporary patina. After all, the hospitality group operates cool clubs and eateries ranging from Las Vegas’ Cosmopolitan and MGM Resorts casinos to Montage luxury resorts and the Pendry San Diego’s Lionfish, Oxford Social Club and Pool House rooftop bar. Appealing to a younger, hipper crowd was what 37-year-old Sycuan tribal chairman Cody Martinez had in mind when he proposed collaborating with Clique.

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