Well…. hi again. I know I promised you Part two of Restaurant Week 2013 days ago, but life got away from me, with the Lima Bean Fair at The Heritage Museum in Encinitas today and all the promotion that went with it and the ‘celebrity judging’ that happened this afternoon. Busy, busy, busy.
And no worries! You’ll get the Pix and the Winner for that, in my next blog.
So, here we are again, reviewing some wonderful moments of Restaurant Week 2013…. that include George’s California Modern in La Jolla or LA Joe LA, as I like to call it, Searsucker in Del Mar (a Brian Malarkey Restaurant) and Oceanaire, downtown San Diego.
Where do I begin? Three equally good evenings, each different and special in their own way…
Well…. I was talking about Amaya in the last blog on food, saying that they presented butter three ways… one with honey and walnuts, another with herbs and garlic and just a plain salted butter… which brings me to salt and peppa.
I know it looks orange here <—— but the actual color was pink ish. Himalayan Salt… the middle is sea salt, and there’s your freshly ground pepper. And when you combined it with the butter? Well, people were just blown away by it! It was the talk of the table!
And if that’s how they ‘present’ salt and pepper? It’s a good indicator that you are in for a treat!
If you’ve been following my blog, you know that Executive Chef and Partner at George’s, Trey Foshee is someone I have admired for years and years and years.
There’s just something about his food that is heads above the rest.
And while this is the one restaurant that generally is great but doesn’t do backflips for the Chef Marian Table, I would say the level of consistency and thrill is the same, year after year.
Those are thumbs up and a smile on our faces for their fish tacos… which are like a deconstructed fish taco and very, very tasty…
One of us enjoyed their Risotto Verde, and their Warm Chocolate Tart. The Manager came by the table and asked … “Have you tried the Chino Farms Strawberry Mousse, with vanilla bean, pistachio and strawberry sorbet”? Having eaten and desserted (I made that word up)…. sufficiently
WE KNOW CHEF! YOU ALWAYS MAKE WORDS UP!
lol…. Mike called out “No, but we’d love to try it”. And try it, we did. Delish! Many thanks to the Manager at George’s.
And if you don’t think you’re eating with your eyes at George’s California Modern?
Think again!
Everything is beautifully plated.
And if there are any problems?
You can count on the kitchen to make it right!
I always like a restaurant that buys produce locally and works hard to create masterpieces!
Again, bravo Trey Foshee and your wonderful staff including but not limited to our waitress at George’s California Modern in La Jolla!
Onto our next rock star…..
This time we are talking about Oceanaire, downtown. The location reminds me of a great restaurant I went to in Washington DC….. warm with lots of mahogany…. but some every exciting subtle touches…. like calligraphy on the wall, and a blue ‘sky’ reflected at the bar…. Just a warm and cozy atmosphere. I was thinking it is romantic. Good for date night….
If I had asked for a better waiter? I couldn’t have found one. Not at Oceanaire. Not in all of San Diego. Not anywhere! I actually asked at the end of the meal: “Can I take you with me, to guarantee a great waiter at every restaurant I go to”? lol Just a gem of a guy.
Well, if that’s how you are starting your experience? You know what follows will be great.
And so it goes. We ordered our meal and our wine… and then?
WHAT CHEF MARIAN?
Out comes a huge tray of Oysters… FOUR different kinds and FOUR of each, to try! Well, that certainly was not on the Restaurant Week Menu and I thank the Chef for taking care of our table this way.
Followed by….. Dover Sole…… and baked stuffed shrimp (not pictured here)
If I could have put you in my back pocket for this meal, you would have come away salivating!
It’s always pretty amazing when one thing after another comes out and it’s all good… it’s all plated beautifully… and tastes great!
ARE WE STILL EATING WITH OUR EYES CHEF MARIAN?
Yes. Yes we are. Especially now. <——Just look at that flan!
How many times have you been at a restaurant that when dessert comes, you’re stuffed? And you eat it anyway? lol
Well that was the Chef Marian Table at Oceanaire. Stuffed and still ordering dessert! Now personally, flan is my favorite. But here’s what I did…
I used the Chef Marian rule: First bite? That’s good. 2nd Bite? WOWOOW! This is good! Third bite? Now I’m being naughty.
It’s because I know that I am going to play this game, that I make every mouthful count. I guess it’s called ‘mindful eating’…. Not that anything I did Restaurant Week was mindful. But still? You have to draw the line somewhere.
And in my drawing, I have saved the best for last. Searsucker Del Mar. Now you may remember this location to be called Burlap, another Brian Malarkey Production. Well, Burlap was good but the food was so rich that it wasn’t a place you could go to weekly.
On one of my recent trips downtown, I stopped into Searsucker with my girlfriend Marissa (also a Chef) for just a drink and an appetizer. And I have to say… it was unexpectedly good. So when I heard they were turning Burlap into a Searsucker (same owner) I did the ‘happy’ dance! And for shizzle your nizzle! They’ve now got a Chef named Dizzle! lol
What a rock star this Chef is. Keep reading….
And what about the staff? I would say ‘ask for Kyrie’ (pronounced Kiri) when you go in…. because she really goes beyond what anyone would expect! Here’s an example: We’re sitting around the table talking about the freshly shaved truffles in the mushrooms of one of the dishes on the Restaurant Week Menu (Whooot?).
FRESHLY SHAVED BLACK TRUFFLES ON A RESTAURANT WEEK MENU AT SEARSUCKER?
Yes. Don’t know if it was ‘freshly’ shaved Black Truffles. But it sure was good!
When we noticed that there was truffle oil combined, I cringed…. Most Chefs do not know how to use truffle oil. They most times saturate instead of just perfuming with it. Not Chef Dizzle! He knows how it work it! Anyway, we asked if we could see a truffle. Kyrie thought it had all been used. A little while later, she snuck into the private room the Restaurant had given the Chef Marian Table, with something behind her back and a grin on her face….
It was a big black truffle!
Now, the lighting was really bad…. so I know you can’t tell, but this was a wonderful looking black truffle, as Kyrie would tell it, named after chocolate because it looks like a clump of chocolate. As a matter of fact, one time someone did pick it up and bite into it, thinking it was chocolate! It was a Fifty Dollar bite! lol
She told us that the chunk was worth a couple of hundred dollars. And how are truffles formed? When lightening strikes! That’s why they’re so rare!
Food education. A Foodies dream come true…..
Shall we eat with our eyes?
Again?
And again?
And….. again?
Shrimp and grits?
Pork butt with grilled peaches?
Blackened Mahi Mahi? And I don’t even like things blackened but my dinner was fabulous!
It’s all about the Chef…. a Chef who knows he’s in North County and we care about what we eat. He makes sure to create dishes with us in mind! A healthier more flavorful faire!
I’m not going to ‘picture it’ here, (because we ate it too fast to shoot it) but you just picture it……….. dessert.
Cheddar Apple Pie + Vanilla bean ice cream.
Mmmmmmm.
This past week some of the restaurants did one more week… of Restaurant Week.
But I was so stuffed! And so tired of going out to dinner, that I took a ‘pass’.
I will say this: Try all of the Restaurants we went to, over the next month or two. Each one was special and if you haven’t been? You should!
If you have had good experiences during Restaurant Week and would like to share them?
Email me!
Restaurant Week comes but twice a year!
You can be sure… that I’ll be there!
Follow all the Events I create on San Diego Foodies.
Thanks to all of you that sat at The Chef Marian Table this year. And thanks so much for all the Restaurants that took ‘oh so good’ care of the Chef Marian Table, over and over and over again!
Happy eating,
Chef Marian