Restaurant Week Reviews 2013 from the Chef Marian Table!

Is that a smiley face? Or just my imagination?
Is that a smiley face? Or just my imagination?

First-hand

in our faces

at all these places….

here’s your

Restaurant Week Reviews from our view!

Should we start with dessert?

YES CHEF! PLEASE!!

Ok…. this smiley face Coconut Panna Cotta with a caramel rum sauce is at Sbicca. The only thing better than that?

Bread Pudding Like No Other!
Bread Pudding Like No Other!

Their Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding with Tahitian Vanilla Bean Gelato.

Sbicca takes home the prize for BEST DESSERTS!

It wasn’t their fabulous Coconut Shrimp, or their Sumac Dusted Striped Bass cooked to perfection.

NO CHEF?

No. Really. It was the ambiance in their wine room, the fabulous group of 12 that gathered around a table, much like a family …. talking about our travels, and what events we would all like to create for San Diego Foodies….

And it was the desserts for sure, that blew us over the top!

I also want you to know that Sbicca wins the award for BEST WINE CHOICES! And several nights a week? They’ve got half priced bottles for ya! Cool beans!

Say what you want about Restaurant Week Reviews. These should make your mouth water… and chase away those blues!

ANY OTHER INCREDIBLE DESSERTS CHEF?

Yes. Yes there were.

2nd runner up for dessert
2nd runner up for dessert

These two from Nobu.

I’ve been playing around with that word….

How do you feel when you ain’t got

No Boo? lol

I have always been a fan of Nobu, but I have never gone to the one downtown before, never come away from Restaurant Week with a definite WINNER!

That would be my meal at Nobu.

It’s surreal.

I don’t even really like Sushimi. Never order it at a Japanese Restaurant… Never ever…

Pretty enough to eat?
Pretty enough to eat?

This was so light… so delectable…. so yummy, yum yum ~

with a light kick of the jalpeno on the back end.

It was as

perfect as

perfect gets!

One of the things that makes me nuts when I go to a Japanese Restaurant, is when Sushi tastes just ok. I don’t want ‘ok’.

Well let me just say ~ the thoughts that ran through my mind as the first mouthful of sushi hit my taste buds was  exactly how I felt at Paul Bocuse in Lyon France: “So this is what it’s supposed to taste like”! lol

Sushi done right!
Sushi done right!

Mmmmmm…. seriously. You can even tell how it sits on a plate that it’s gonna be good. Aaaah… but we haven’t talked about the Rock Shrimp yet, have we?

I always compare all Rock Shrimp I eat to what I tasted at a little place called ‘Taste’ on Melrose (Los Angeles).

Well surprise! Surprise! They call it Rock Shrimp at Nobu because it ROCKS! That Rock Shrimp hits every note on my palate.

Shrimp that really Rocks!
Shrimp that really Rocks!

So we have visited Sbicca and Nobu. I need to talk about a third restaurant here…. Amaya.

I will give you more about George’s California Modern, Searsucker and Oceanaire in my next blog I promise, because there were incredible salts, information about black truffles and a winner for the Restaurant that took best care of the Chef Marian Table, coming in Blog 2 Restaurant Week!

But this blog would not be complete without …. Restaurant Week would not have been complete without…. a trip into Amaya.

People say things like… oh yeah… I’ve heard about that place. You’ve probably heard about it at the Del Mar Grand Hotel… it’s the one that compliments Addison so nicely!

Well, they’ve opened across from George’s on Prospect in La Jolla. And I just want to say? Thank you. Thank you Executive Chef Cameron Woods. That was so wonderful of you to come to my table and chat about the food and your new location. It was a pleasure to see you again!

Back to the food…

Would that be bread... and butter?
Would that be bread… and butter?

I always say the absolute best way to start your meal and the real ‘tell’ of what the meal is going to be like is by sampling the bread.

They do a pretzel bread, like no other I have had before… not chewy… but light with that lightly salted top. And if that wasn’t perfect enough? They accompany it with a layered honey pecan/herb garlic/salted butter combination.

Talk about being well taken care of. It surely does set the tone for the entire meal.

Just another salad and sandwich? I think NOT!
Just another salad and sandwich? I think NOT!

OMG. I absolutely did not expect what came next!

It was like a ham and cheese. But it wasn’t.

It was like a feta cheese salad. But it wasn’t. Those two shrimp were the best shrimp I ate all week! So satisfying!

Words do not describe. I couldn’t even begin to.

Just go into Amaya and taste it for yourself!

I also want to say their desserts are insanely good.

And that’s it.

To the wall I have been pinned… Restaurant Week I sin, sin and sinned… and we’ll have more in the next blog!

Happy Eating,

Chef Marian