George's California Modern - Wedding Reception

Date of Dining: 3/31/2013 

Location: 1250 Prospect St, La Jolla, CA 92037
website

Due to my lack of writing lately, it looks like I will be doing the unthinkable and actually writing about the same place twice in a row!

While I'm not sure of the exact process involved with planning a wedding reception at George's, I do know that the bride and groom get to be involved with the menu to a large degree. As a result, the menu tends to get slanted towards seasonal versions of favorite dishes.

menu for the wedding

I was extremely fortunate to be invited my Yao of {insert-food} to his wedding. Yao worked with Chef Trey Foshee and his wife to develop a great menu for the wedding. As Yao hails from a family full of foodies and constantly enjoys culinary adventures with his wife, the food for his wedding was extremely important. While I don't know if it was his intention, I felt that Chef Foshee's food illustrated the themes of love between my friends and delivered the message in a way that only food can.

Canapes

As with any wedding, we started the evening with some canapes.

pea soup - chino farms peas, ham snow

The pea soup was very light and refreshing. Unlike other pea purees, the soup was not very viscous and worked nicely as a savory drink. The ham snow was a very nice touch that added just the right amount of seasoning to the soup. This dish was illustrative of flirting in a relationship. It lightly tickled the taste buds to get an interest before moving in for the next move.

lobster falafel - meyer lemon yogurt

The falafel had the perfect mix of lobster flavor with delicate spices. The lemon yogurt really tied together all the flavors and lowered the intensity of the spices. This was my favorite of the canapes. The falafel reminded me of when you find that common interest with the one you love as it really hooked me into the meal.

beef tongue tacos - cilantro, avocado, carrot

These were introduced as "beef tacos" since it was feared that some would not want to enjoy the tongue. Like other preparations of beef tongue I had at Georges, the tongue was cooked to perfection; there was a great balance of flavor, texture, and crunch. This course was more about the different textures and crunches as there was contrast between the tongue, the taco shell, and the pickled carrot. The Mexican flavors melded together very well and it was an enjoyable bite. The tacos were similar to the first fight a couple has as the crunch was similar to a fight, but the flavors were similar to the making up afterwards, forging and even stronger relationship.

First Course

chino farms peas - dungeness crab, almond milk sorbet, lettuce cream, yuzu, rhubarb

To me the first course was all about duality: the sweetness of the peas with the sweetness of the crab, the sweetness of the peas with the sweetness of the almond milk, the juxtaposition between the sweetness of the peas and the slight bitterness of the pea pods, the bitterness of the pea pods against the bitterness of the lettuce cream. All of these elements worked together to really illustrate that while the peas may be great alone, they are much better when paired with another. The amalgamation of the dish was an extremely complex, yet light and refreshing salad.

Second Course

mushroom stew - 60 degree egg, black truffle, roasted onion jam, potato foam

While chanterelle season has passed, the substitute of maitake and bushimeji mushrooms worked really well, and I hardly noticed the difference. This dish was every bit as good as I remembered it, and all I wanted to do was revel in the glory of the taste as all my other troubles were washed away. The stew had a very similar effect to love where one simply wants to enjoy the harmonic ecstasy of the moment. This dish was my favorite of the night.

Third Course (A)

lamb loin and shoulder - charred eggplant, peas, apple, pine nut risotto, lamb "caramel"

The lamb was cooked perfectly and the rich red meat flavors really shone through. The strong savory flavors of the lamb were held in check by the sweetness of the peas and the slight tartness of the apple. The lamb was similar to the strong raging passion of love while the vegetables were the sensible logic that holds back those emotions in public. Together, they formed a symbiosis that created a wonderful plate.

Third Course (B)

local black cod - peas, asparagus, fennel, razor clam-tomato broth, seaweed, meyer lemon

The black cod was cooked to be extremely delicate. The vegetable medley was a really nice textural contrast to the absolute delicacy of the fish. Meanwhile, the razor clams added a nice chewy element to the vegetables. The cod itself had a really nice and rich flavor, but it was really highlighted by the fennel. While the cod was the star of the dish, it only succeeded when backed with the fennel, whose contrast allowed the cod to really shine through. 

Fourth Course

ginger panna cotta - vanilla crumble, tangerine, cucumber sorbet

The panna cotta again illustrated duality: the panna cotta itself was extremely spiced from the ginger, while the cucumber sorbet immediately cooled the palate. The orange and vanilla paired off with the panna cotta, but the cucumber was the voice of reason and brought the situation back to balance. 

Fifth Course

left - banana tiramisu - banana cake, espresso, marscapone cream, chocolate mousse, buttercream
right - hazelnut almond - praline, nutella mousse, swiss meringue buttercream
by Jenny Wenny Cakes

Both cakes were extremely moist and very well put together. I really enjoyed the banana tiramisu as it wasn't as sweet, which allowed the flavors of the banana and espresso to shine through more clearly. The hazelnut almond cake was also very enjoyable as the flavor of hazelnut was pervasive throughout. Overall, both cakes were enjoyable.

Conclusion

Overall I thought Chef Foshee did a great job with the wedding menu. I really thought his interpretation for the wedding dishes to highlight different facets of love was a wonderful interpretation of the relationship. As my friends had a hand in choosing the dishes, I felt that I learned a lot about them and their love for one another as I was eating the food. It was a truly masterful job and great culmination to a beautiful wedding day. I hope Yao and his wife have many years of happiness and wonderful life together. I hope they will live in good health and that their kids will also have good health. Finally, I hope they enjoy their honeymoon in Japan! (Yao, no blogging allowed during the honeymoon!)

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George's California Modern - New Years Eve 2013

Date of Dining: 1/31/2012
Price: $75 for 4 course prix fixe
Location: 1250 Prospect St, La Jolla, CA 92037
website

The Quick Bit

+ high quality innovative dishes

+ great service and front of house

+ nice selection of wines

Δ some small inconsistencies in food

Δ dishes could have been explained better

For those wondering, I am still alive but I've been quite busy traveling around the country the past few weeks. While I did eat many a great meal, I decided not to try and get past TSA with my camera as I wasn't checking any bags, so unfortunately we'll have to re-live a few older experiences.

While I've covered TBL3 quite extensively, it's been awhile since I've visited George's for the regular menu. While my previous experience wasn't that great, I hoped that I would enjoy the "regular menu" more during this visit.

I ended up visiting as part of the New Years Eve 2013 celebration with a group of other foodies. When we sat down, we noticed a red wine stain on the tablecloth as well as some hairs as if the table had not been properly bused prior to our seating. When we pointed it out to the wait staff, they promptly re-set the entire table and gave a complimentary round of champagne for the table, which I thought was a great, Michelin quality move.

First Course

smoked beef tongue carpaccio - winter truffles, comte, burnt onions, thyme pearls

I ordered this dish remembering the fabulous beef tongue dish from TBL3. While this was not those standards, I still found the dish very enjoyable. There was a nice balanced smoky flavor on the perfectly prepared beef, and the onion and comte was the perfect complement to the dish. The only downside was that I did not detect any truffle as was advertised, but fortunately I felt the plate was great even without it.

Second Course

chanterelle stew - 60 degree egg, roasted onion jam, potato foam

As I previously pointed out, I felt this dish was one of the best of all of 2012. The creamy unctuousness of the egg was balanced with the harmonious earthy flavors of the chanterelles that were stewed to a soft texture so that the entire dish sung of umami flavors. The onion jam added just a touch of sweetness to brighten the dish as well. 

Third Course

roasted duck - beets, cocoa, black pepper gnocchi, strawberry, buckwheat, sorrel

The duck was cooked perfectly and the skin retained a nice crispy texture. The gnocchi were cooked to a nice soft pillow and worked well against the sauce. I particularly enjoyed the contrast between the sweetness of the beets, the bitterness of the cocoa, and the tartness of the strawberries. The elements were deconstructed on the plate, but amalgamated to a nice complex and rich sauce.

Fourth Course

goat cheese panna cotta - cranberry compote, orange segments, bacon, sage gel, honey foam

I really enjoyed the contrast between the bacon bits and the dairy flavors of the panna cotta. I also felt that the safe gel and honey foam really provided nice highlights to brighten up the flavors of the dish. Unfortunately, the crust of the panna cotta was too hard; it was difficult to eat and didn't seem to add any interesting flavors to the dish. Fortunately it was easy to scoop the panna cotta off the crust and enjoy the meal without the hazard.

Conclusion

Overall, my second visit to George's was much more successful than the first visit. While there may have been some roadblocks, the front of house skillfully overcame those obstacles and made the entire evening a night to remember. The chanterelle stew was one of the best dishes I had all year, and I can't wait to potentially see it again in the future.

While TBL3 won the terrabyte, the regular George's California Modern is still a great destination, and is awarded the gigabyte award.

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Solace & the Moonlight Lounge - Matt Gordon Tasting

Date of Dining: 1/15/2013
Price: $100 for 8 course tasting
Location: 25 East E St, Encinitas, CA
website

The Quick Bit

+ high quality menu packed full of bold and rich flavors

+ great creativity and use of technique to create interesting dishes

+ most dishes were very aromatic

Δ is there such thing as too much of a good thing?

As we were enjoying the previous TBL3, the brain trust of myself, Rodzilla, Yao from {insert-food}, and Foodie Flirt was hard at work in determining which restaurant to visit next. One of the candidates was Chef Matt Gordon, who was interested in creating a tasting experience. After contacting Chef Gordon, we were able to arrange such a tasting at his Encinitas Restaurant Solace & the Moonlight Lounge.

Chef Matt Gordon is the Executive Chef and part-owner of Solace & the Moonlight Lounge - the second restaurant to open after Urban Solace. Prior to moving to San Diego, Chef Gordon worked in such kitchens as Willi's Seafood and Raw Bar, Scott's Seafood, and Gordon Biersch Brewing Company. 

Just prior to our visit, Chef Gordon had an interview published on Eater. Our group found this interview extremely enlightening on his approach to food. We also noticed that he was inspired by Chef Trey Foshee of George's California Modern. When Foodie Flirt invited Chef Foshee to join, I felt extremely fortunate when that invitation was accepted. Before the meal began, Chef Gordon explained that the menu was inspired by foods he liked to eat himself and hoped we would enjoy them as well.

First Course

sea and smoke - smoked oysters, duck fat, clam dip, squid ink crisps, lemon shallot chutney

I started this course my sampling a small bite of the clam dip, and I was immediately transported into unctuous decadence. The clam dip was made of cultured cream, clams, and duck fat, which amalgamated a real complexity in different fats, textures, and saltiness. When I felt that I might have been potentially overwhelmed, the chutney immediately refreshed my palate. The chutney also did a great job of lingering on the palate, which infused the successive bites with fresh acidity. Finally, the squid ink crisps were extremely tasty and enabled a fun component of dipping into the sauce.

I really felt that this dish was an impressive way to start the meal because it was extremely rich, yet balanced in flavor, acidity, texture, and restraint. It might have even been my favorite dish if not for...

Second Course

offaly interesting - confit of sweetbreads, chive crusted bone marrow, white onion gruyere puree
onion soup

This course was Chef Gordon's take on French Onion soup. If other french onion soups are this good, I will order it every time I see it for the rest of my life. The bone marrow was a great flavor burst and acted almost like the bread component. The different preparations of onions were really enjoyable in their textural contrast as well as how the flavors melded together into an even more complex flavor. Finally, the sweetbread was prepared perfectly and was immensely fulfilling. While many dishes were great, I felt that this dish was the one I enjoyed the most for the entire evening.

Third Course

is that a carrot in our pocket? - sable fish stuffed with poached and roasted carrot, watercress
sunchoke star anise sauce

The sable fish was prepared perfectly as was extremely delicate and flavorful. The carrot puree was infused with curry, which was a nice contrast to both the anise and the sweetness of the carrots. The roasted carrots were also extremely well prepared, and we even enjoyed eating the carrot tops. However, I really enjoyed the sunchoke anise sauce. I felt the anise spice really accentuated the various flavors of the dish.

Fourth Course

curds and whey - housemade ricotta roulade, green olive juice, candied kabocha squash, honey jelly,
mizuna, caramelized whey reduction

I enjoyed various elements of this dish. The ricotta was well prepared and had a great flavor. I also enjoyed that the honey jelly was "spiked" with a real kick of cayenne. Finally, the caramelized whey was very clever and inventive. 

Fifth Course

uni-laterally banned - cornmeal shrimp cake, uni gonad, seared foie gras, foie gras mousse,
uni shellstock reduction

For many at our table, this was the first time that we were able to experience uni and foie in the same bite. Overall, most of us felt that it worked because the uni was able to stand up to the foie.
The best part of this dish was the foie gras mousse ball. When the ball was cut into, the foie mousse covered the rest of the plate and mixed with the reduction to make a rich and flavorful sauce. The combination of the liquefied uni and foie against the whole uni and foie was a thrilling juxtaposition of textures and flavors as the flavors were each unique. All of this was tied together by the prawn contrasted against the shrimp corn cake. These were welcome additions to use in soaking up the rest of the uni and foie sauce.

Sixth Course

deer prudence - pine smoked sous vide venison, chanterelles, potato mille-feuilles, red wine syrup,
pickled baby red onion

 The venison was cooked perfectly and contained a very smoked flavor, which lingered on the palate. This smoke infused the mushrooms, potato, and onions with the same smoke flavor. The mille-feuille was a technical marvel as all the layers of potato were cooked well and contained a light texture.

Seventh Course

popper bonilla - cauliflower pot de creme, brown butter cake, sweet jalapeno caviar
cheddar crisp, vanilla bean whipped, bacon dust

For dessert, we were surprised as Chef Gordon invited Chef Jeff Bonilla to create desserts. You may remember that Chef Bonilla created my favorite dessert of 2012.

After eating my first dessert of 2013, it is going to be awfully difficult to surpass. The pot de creme was extremely light and airy, yet retained a rich cauliflower flavor base. The jalapeno caviar contained all the pepper flavor of the jalapeno without the heat from the capsaicin. This allowed a really fresh taste of pepper be infused along with the caviar. However, the cheddar crisp is what really tied the dish together. The crisp contained the salt needed to accentuate all the other flavors while also acting as the crunchy textural contrast, which made the dish incredibly fun to eat. 

Eighth Course

terry's milk - aerated chocolate, gran marnier gel, chocolate genoise, satsuma foam, candied orange glass
chocolate sauce

The chocolate genoise had the perfect texture of cake, which really carried this dish. I also enjoyed the orange glass, which added a nice amount of acidity and texture. The various chocolates acted as distinct and different sauces in which to dip and enjoy the cake. 

Conclusion

While I was initially excited about tasting Chef Gordon's food, the entire dinner exceeded my highest expectations. Chef Gordon warned me not to expect food on the level of TBL3, but I felt several of these dishes were on that level of preparation. With the great company I had for dinner, I felt the meal was a smashing success. I hope that in the future, Chef Gordon may be willing to make his tastings available to the public by arrangement, similar to how TBL3 is arranged. When that happens, I will definitely be willing to return for an encore engagement.

While I can't give Solace itself an award, I will go ahead and give Chef Gordon's tasting dishes the gigabyte award. Hopefully this tasting will be more available to the public in the future, so the award carries more meaning.

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Sky Room (closed)

Date of Dining: 12/21/2012
Price: $95 for 7 course tasting menu
Location: 1132 Prospect St, La Jolla, CA 92037

The Quick Bit

+ venturing into the culinary unknown

+ variations on the same ingredient

+ knowledgable and friendly service

+ great view

Δ dishes could be edited

Culinary trends are cyclical as time come and go; Oysters Rockerfeller turns into Oysters on the Half Shell until even that turns into Oyster Foam, before Oysters Rockerfeller returns in a deconstructed form. There are no beginnings or endings to in culinary arts - but this was an ending.

A warm breeze blows through the hills of Escondido, buffeting that late season chanterelle before passing into the Highlands of Torrey, where the nasturtium is germinating for the spring bloom, before that breeze collides with the cool onshore flow in the Cove of La Jolla. Here the hot and cold air battles as it blows by a solitary tower, a tower where the top is known as Sky Room.

Recently, it was determined that the Sky Room at La Valencia was operating as a restaurant without the proper permits. Rather than keeping the iconic restaurant, the owners elected to allow the restaurant to operate through its sunset provision and then close the restaurant. 

Fortunately, in the culinary world these endings can form into a new beginning. Chef Luke Johnson aspires for such a new beginning. With a resume that includes stints at Alinea (America's top restaurant) in Chicago and Melisse in Los Angeles, Chef Johnson pushes the envelope of modernist cuisine. His farm to table modern technique style showcases the same ingredients prepared in several ways on each dish. 

Our group, which included Rodzilla and {insert-food} decided to try Chef Johnson's food before he relocated, as we were unsure of his next destination.

First Course

oyster - kunomoto, salsify, grapefruit, chive

This was a great opening dish in both flavors and pace. The acidity and tartness of the grapefruit simultaneously cleansed the palate while causing the mouth the water. I felt the puree of grapefruit was the element that really tied the entire dish together. The three preparations of oyster were distinct and fun as well.

Second Course

lentil - onion, pig, yam

I really enjoyed the pork belly in this dish as it was cooked extremely well. The lentil soup reminded me of a time where I burnt some peas trying to create the Maillard reaction.

Third Course

lobster - turnip, orange, mushroom

I really enjoyed the preparation of the lobster as well as the lobster foam, which I found very aromatic. I liked the contrast in flavors from the lobster tail versus the lobster knuckles, and thought the mushrooms added a nice element of umami to the dish.

Fourth Course

gnocchi - beet, veal, lemon, parmesan

I thought this was the best dish of the night. The key to this dish was the candied lemon. When I ate the lemon, it lingered on my palate while I ate the other elements in the dish. Together with the beats and parmesan, the lemon flavors created a sauce for the gnocchi, which I really enjoyed. The gnocchi were cooked perfectly and were very fluffy. When I first ate the dish without the lemon, I felt it was missing something, but after enjoying the lemon, the rest of the dish really came together.

Fifth Course

venison - celery, pine nut, raisin, sage, coffee

I felt that the venison was cooked to perfection. The coffee sauce really added a lot of depth of flavor to the venison and complemented the game flavors very well. The pine nuts and sage added to the theme of the forest as well.

Intermezzo

verjus gelee, mint

This was a nice palate cleanser to prepare for the dessert courses

Sixth Course

cheese - honeycomb, fennel, cornbread

The fromager d'affinois cheese was a great piece of cheese in both texture and flavor. Having usually skipped the cheese course, this course really educated me on how cheese works well in the progression of a meal.

Seventh Course

gourd - chocolate, spice, streusel, chestnut

This dish was one of my favorites. The butternut squash was served in juice form in the center of the plate and them it was complemented by an extremely light and airy puree. Every bite screamed out with a purity in flavor that really impressed me. I even appreciated the macarons, streusel and chestnut on this plate as they added interesting textures to highlight different variations of the squash flavor. Despite Chef Johnson not being a pastry chef, this dessert was superior to many desserts I enjoyed prepared by pastry chefs this year.

Conclusion

The most impressive quality to this meal was that I saw that Chef Johnson was not afraid to try new things and push the culinary envelope. While some of the dishes didn't work, Chef Johnson's work seems to be ahead of the other San Diego trends. That said, I do feel that sometimes one can be somewhat ambitious and push too far too fast. In some dishes, some of these envelopes were pushed too far and the dishes didn't work. With that said, I am still excited about Chef Johnson's food and look forward to his next venture.

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2012 gastrobits awards

After some a short absence, I was compelled to make an update based on my 2012 year end awards.

Looking back at 2012, it was the year where I truly embraced food writing. I set a torrid pace to start the year and then experienced some burn out as we neared the end. Looking back at all the photos, there's so many good dishes that I had during the year. For this year's awards, I've decided to just highlight the best dishes and assign them some arbitrary awards.

Best New Restaurant - Akinori Sushi

Akinori opened just recently has and has been serving an inspired trendy style of high quality sushi. If you like your sushi in the kaiseki style (some hot dishes as well as sushi), then Akinori is the place to experience omakase done right.

Best Vegatable Dish

carrot - TBL3 @ George's California Modern

The carrot cooked from the coffee crust grill was an amazing preparation. The carrot was prepared to actually taste similar to meat in heartiness and texture. The flavors meshed together incredibly well.

Best Ethnic Thai

som tum muazuar - Zabb Elee (NYC)

This papaya salad from Zabb Elee was a masterpiece. There was a wide range of flavors and textures while delivering a rich thai flavor. Best of all, it only cost $10. Unfortunately, you'll have to fly to New York City to sample this dish.

Best Ethnic Latin

octopus - Mision 19 (Tijuana)

The octopus from Mision 19 had a variety of latin flavors with incredible technical execution. Each octopus was cooked very well and had a complex range of sauces to highlight the flavors and texture of octopus. Not only was this dish the best Latin, dish but it was one of the best dishes of the year.

Best Ethnic Chinese

famous prawn in hot wok - Lao Hunan (Chicago)

The prawns were cooked perfectly in the hot wok and had a great balance of flavors and spice to resemble Thai food to some extent. The accompanying garnish added a lot of flavor in the form of herbs and spices to add depth to the dish. 

Best Noodles

tonkotsu ramen - Tsujita (Los Angeles)

The tonkotsu ramen at Tsujita packs a might flavor punch as the broth is boiled for 60 hours prior to serving. The result is an extremely thick and luxurious essence of pork flavor.

Best Ethnic Italian

tagliolini nero - Balena (Chicago)

The squid ink pasta from Balena was sauced perfectly and contained a great amount of flavor of both sea urchin and crab. This is pasta cooked properly

Best Ethnic Japanese

matsutake mushroom soup - Akinori

The matsutake mushroom soup was full of fresh seafood cooked to perfection along with a slow cooked mushroom soup. The flavor of the mushroom transferred well into the broth and was an extremely surprising and fulfilling highlight to the omakase meal.

Best Sandwich

porchetta sandwich - Ariccia Italian Market

The porchetta at Ariccia is amazing in flavor. Recently, the pig was changed to a local acorn-fed pork, which has imparted even more flavor into the finished porchetta product.

Best "Pizza"

tuna crisp - Flavor Del Mar

With nothing comparable to Pizzeria Mozza, the best "pizza" I had was the tuna crisp at Flavor. The mix of the tuna with the umami crisp underneath was the perfect bite.

Best Raw Preparation

raw beef - Totoroku

The raw beef dishes were all amazing at Totoroku, but none were more impressive than the beef throat. The yield to serve a table of 4 requires the slaughter of 1.5 cows. The throat has an incredible balance of natural fat with a pure beef flavor. I enjoyed the raw beef throat even more than the finest toro.

Best Seafood Dish

salad of dungeness crab - A Simple Supper with Gavin Schmidt

The dungeness crab salad capture the pure essence of crab flavor to explode in my mouth. The accompanying spring vegetables really highlighted the sweetness of the crab dish. To top it off, there was some special preparation to the gelatinous wrap that could only be served in an underground dinner.

Biggest Surprise Dish

chanterelle stew - George's California Modern

I didn't eat this until there was 38 minutes left of 2012, which was the first surprise. The second surprise was the incredible unctuous texture of the dish. It was simultaneously rich, while being anchored with the earthy flavors. Each bit was also incredibly light and delightful.

Best Dessert

watermelon, prosciutto, love & break dancing - Evolve Explore Your Senses

The dessert from Jeff Bonilla was not only one of the best desserts, but also nearly the best overall dish I had all year. It combined elements of the savory prosciutto to enhance the sweetness of the watermelon. Every bite was light and packed full of flavor.

Best Overall Dish

smoked beef tongue - TBL3 @ George's California Modern

The beef tongue in this dish had a delicious smoky flavor, but it was the brandade cream that really highlighted the dish. Each bite of this dish was a party in my mouth.

Best Overall Restaurant - George's California Modern

With another awesome TBL3 and a well executed New Years Eve, George's California Modern takes home the title of best restaurant 2012. George's raised its gastrobit rating from gigabyte to terabyte and includes a great wine list worthy of the oenobyte. Last but not least, I had an incident during my New Years Eve experience that was handled masterfully by the front of house. Another food writer commented that it was a "Michelin move," and I agree.

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