Kitchen 1540

Last night me and Sol went to visit our first wedding photographer. She wanted to meet at L'Aberege (Luh-Bearj) Del Mar, a boutique hotel right on the coast. Since I've been back in Cali I've heard about this place from a few people, so I was pretty excited. We met in the lobby/lounge which was very white. I felt like I was in a huge beach house in South Carolina, very cool atmosphere. You knew you were a nice place but it wasn't stuffy at all. After our meeting (we really liked the photographer for those of you wondering) we decided to try out the restaurant, Kitchen 1540.

We walked into the to a sleek modern restaurant with again lots of white and some orange accents. We started with a glass of champagne, I guess to celebrate something, though I'm not sure what it was we were celebrating. Just being happy I guess.

Sol started with Egg & Bacon app with house made pancetta, 62 degree egg, brioche, & smoked ketchup. What is a 62 degree egg you ask? Well, let me tell you. According to the chef it is when the outside of the egg is cooked and the inside is not runny, but still velvety and soft. The bacon was a thick tender cut - so good with the egg yoke. The whole dish was kind of set up like a Benedict but overall, very well put together and quite tasty I might say.

Sorry it's off center, super dark and it was my camera phone!

For my app I went with one of my favorites, Scallops or Scollops as Chef Gordon Ramsey says. It had popcorn puree, candied almonds, salted caramel, nasturtium. What's that last word and how do you pronounce it? Well to be honest I forgot to ask, but I just looked it up and its basically the scientific name for watercress. It sounds like an interesting dish right? It was amazing, it had some fresh popcorn that went well with the Carmel. Great texture. The diver scallops were huge! They were cooked so perfectly, a light sear on the outside and sooooo tender in the middle.

Yes, that's popcorn.

We ordered our next glass of wine, Sol a Pinot Noir and I was leaning toward a merlot/malbec but the server correctly steered me the right direction of a great Cabernet.  She did everything right, it was higher priced and it was the correct pairing.  I haven't mentioned the service yet but it was definitely spot on.  The hostess knew the menu, the server seemed like she was a cook in the kitchen she knew so much.  She had great things to say about what we ordered was VERY knowledgeable about the entire menu.

And the entree's arrived....

I ordered Natural Beef Tenderloin  (Filet Mignon) with Smoked Potato Croquettes, green beans (and white), lobster mushrooms, Roasted Tomato-Cabernet Reduction.  It was great, the steak perfectly cooked.  I used the croquettes  to sop up the sauce.  The veggies which I self admittedly am not a fan of were damn good.  Overall I loved it. 

Sol ordered  a Braised Pork Shoulder.    It was very tender, the server said it had been braised for 7 days.  The little shell looking things on the side is gnocchi.  Soft but firm.  This dish definitely had a lot going on but it all melded together well.  I would mos def order this one next time.

All in all we had a terrific visit, no issues what so ever.  Food was great no glitches in the service.  Ambiance was outstanding.  And the hotel was different than anywhere I've even been before.  If I could afford it I would spend the night just because.  If you have a special someone, this is a great place to take them.  With each item you order it keeps you on the edge of your seat.  I can't wait to go back.

George's at the Cove, La Jolla

Here we go finally a place worth blogging about!  Wanting to go out to eat somewhere nice we were contemplating where to go, Encinitas, Del Mar, La Jolla, San Diego?  We settled on La Jolla and went to George's at the Cove.  During restaurant week this place caught my eye, but working nights I didn't have a chance to go.  Not wanting to "sit down" for dinner we went over to the bar.  This place has 3 floors, Ocean Terrace & Bistro, the Bar, and California Modern. Each floor had its own way of doing things.

A different concept but cool. 

We started with 2 of our favorite cocktails Sol a Hendrick's and Cucumber Martini and I enjoyed a Sidecar.  Mine was great, i sucked it down pretty fast.  I had a taste of  Sol's, she mentioned that the one at STK in NYC was better.  It was a  little tart and needed to be balanced a but by some bar syrup or Agave.

We started with a Charcuterie.  The Prosciutto (La Quercia) on the Charcuterie platter was probably the best of I have ever had. I'm not sure why, maybe because it was a bit thicker maybe not cured quite as long?  I don't know but it was tasty.  It also came with Pecorino cheese, typically hard and a bit tart.  This one on the other hand was much softer and slightly sweeter.  It's made from sheep's milk, fyi. The plate also came with a mustard fig compote.  It was good but it was chunks of fig with mustard seeds.  I think it could have been a bit better if it were more of a jelly with a bit more mustard.  Still over all a  very good plate of food!

Our other app was what our server called deconstructed bruschetta.  It had grilled bread, and a puree of butternut squash (very fall) and ricotta cheese.  On top of that was some goats cheese.   It was very smooth and a bit nutty.  Kinda tasted like pumpkin but it was super good.  It was very different and I am not sure that I would necessarily call it bruschetta but still, it was inventive.  But...where were the tomatoes?  According to my bible, wikipedia, it says Bruschetta is grilled bread rubbed with garlic, olive oil and can include various array of toppings.

We waited for a little wile before dinner I had a few Ballast Point IPA's (Brewery out of San Diego) and Sol had another a "New fashioned" rather than an Old Fashioned.  Eh.  We finally decided on dinner, and geez louise I have to say this kitchen puts out their food faster than McDonald's.  So when you order you'd better be ready to eat.

Even though we were at a seafood-ish restaurant I was in the mood for some beef.  But I thought better of it and ordered seafood.  Well kind of.  It was Garlic Roasted shrimp with Chorizo & Piquillo Pepper Risotto, roasted fennel and shaved almonds.

A nice looking dish, unfortunately you cant see the piquillo peppers and chorizo but they look exaclty the same.  This is a nice touch that good chefs excecute well.  The almond actually added some very nice crunch to the softness of the risotto.  Unfortunately...the risotto was WAY too soft, over cooked.  And ladies and gentlemen for the first time that I can remember I sent-it-back.  I had to it was in-edible and I might has well have burned money.  So after a while it returned cooked perfectly.  I felt bad but I've watched Hell's Kitchen for a long time and Chef always makes them taste the  risotto before they send it out.  So they either didn't taste it or didn't give a crap that it was over cooked and sent it out anyway.  It was a very well though out dish but it just didn't deliver.  Maybe it was too simple?  I'm used to risotto that's a bit more rich and this didn't have the flavor I was looking for. Oh well, can't win them all.  Risotto can be amazing but it really is hit or miss.

Sol ordered Sesame crusted Tombo, baby bok choy, oyster mushrooms, leek fondue, miso-soy vinaigrette





First of all what the F*&$ is Tombo?  Am I the only one who has never heard of this?  Guess it's a fish, actually its Tuna or albacore.  Who knew?  I just found that out right now so I guess I don't think its so crazy any more.  But why don't they just called it Ahi Tuna like every other place?  Anyways I tried a bit and like mine, it sounded good, it looked good but it just didn't blow me away.  I really wanted to love this place, but all in all it was good, i'd give it 3 out of 5 stars. 

We even wanted dessert, it looked good but decided against it.  I told Sol I think if our Entrees had been better I would have wanted to order one.  But that's the way the cookie crumbles sometimes.

I can't even think of a good conclusion to this blog.  I am either not inspired by this place or I'm rusty.  You decide...

Sharks and Wine

You know, it's kind of weird...I really really look forward to my days off now.  I am not quite sure why - maybe its because I am back in California and I have so much I want to discover for the first time.  Maybe I want to go back and visit all of the places I miss so much.  Maybe it's because I am living in a new area that I want to see and enjoy.  I don't know but I am off for the next two days and excited as hell about it.

Tomorrow me and Sol are going to the beach with some friends, I'm going to attempt to surf again.  Last time I was semi-successful until I saw what I swear was a shark riding awave about a hundred yards away (http://www.southswellsurflessons.com/surf-news/2010/8/11/shark-spotted-off-san-onofre-surf-lesson-in-encinitas-keep-o.html).  I saw a fin and a body cruising on a crashing wave and it scared the bejesus out of me!  I'd like to avoid the below obituary/newspaper article. 

"Survived by his fiancee and both parents Anthony Ybarra was an ambitious guy.  He'd never surfed before but was determined to after recently moving back to California.  Unfortunately, the combination of his size and his inability to surf he looked like a hurt seal (shark bait) flapping around in the water.  A Great White had been hovering in the area (see above link) and unbeknownst to him just happened to be cruising in Encinitas this fateful day.  Anthony was 26 years old and loved golfing, playing poker, and spending time with his fiancee, friends and family."

My life flashed before my eyes and I laid on my stomach and rode the first wave in screaming at Angela and Sol, "Shark!!!!  Get in! Get out of the water!!!!"  Flailing my arms like a lunatic while riding this puny wave in on my belly.  Not my most glamorous moment but I have a shark-a-phobia, sew me. 

Anyway, my point is, I'm braving the storm again tomorrow so wish me luck.  Hope I don't leave my parents without a son.  I hope I can write you guys and tell you I actually "surfed" - imagine that in your head and you might get a little chuckle out of it. 

After the beach I have my Fantasy Football Draft, that should be a good time.  I won last year so its always nice to be the reigning champ.  Who should I draft first?  AP?  Drew Brees?  Chris Johnson?  We'll see who's left by the time it gets to me.

As for Friday, maybe me and Sol will go golfing, maybe I'll go buy some much needed suits.  I really just don't know what Friday holds yet.  All I know is I am going to enjoy the next two days.  Maybe we'll go to a nice restaurant so i can write a good blog.

On another note I have been learning about Wine for the last few days.  One of my servers is a certified Sommelier.  So I decided I should take advantage and start learning a thing or two about a thing or two.  So what have I learned so far?

I've learned that Syrah and Shiraz is the same grape BUT Shiraz comes from Australia because the fokin' aussies can't pronounce it right.

I've learned that a Fungus grows on a grape in Sauternes and makes a good dessert wine

And I've learned that Sauvignon Blanc originated in Loire, a region in France. It does well in cooler areas and New Zealand introduced a whole different kind in the Mid-80's. 

and Lastly, I learned that Cabernet Sauvignon is the son (or daughter depending on how PC you want me to be) of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon . 

What do you think?  Am I a certified WINE-O yet?

Cheers!

What is a "sope"?

Pronounced "so-pay" according to wikipedia a sope : at first sight looks like an unusually thick tortilla with vegetables and meat toppings. The base is made from a circle of fried masa of ground maize soaked in lime (also used as the basis for tamales and tortillas) with pinched sides. This is then topped with refried beans and crumbled cheese, lettuce, onions, red or green sauce (salsa, made with chiles or tomatillos respectively), and acidified cream.

That's not a very appetizing description is it?  Just out of curiosity how many of you actually knew what that was?  Anywho - after another day of venue shopping I was starving come lunch time.  After visiting the Museum of Latin American Art we asked them where a good taco shop was (in Long Beach where we were). Go figure they would know where a good place to eat would be.  The security guard pointed us down the street which just so happened to be on the way to the next place we went to go see, perfect.

After a passing a couple of scenes that looked like they were straight outta Training Day we arrived at Taqueria la Mexicana.  A hole in the wall with a little window to order from that had gated seating with  overflowing trash cans and flies pestering anyone tyring to eat....yum.

I like my San Diego burritos so I wasn't going to mess with ordering one of those, I took a gander at the menu and my eyes landed on the sopes.  I love me some sopes.  Ever since I heard my pledge bro talk about 'em back in the day (shout out to dizzle!).  If I remember right that's his favorite food, and its right there on the top f my list too.  I will say right off the bat that Tacos El Gordo in National City has the best sopes you can find, those of you that live in San Diego know whats up.  If you live in San Diego and haven't been to Tacos El Gordo you are missing out!!!  Back to this venture.

I ordered my so-pays without lettuce and tomato, I'm not really a fan of L & T on my Mexican food.  I feel like it takes away from the REAL flavors of the beans, meat and anything else that was cooked in something delicious.  Lets face it, the taco shop on the corner isn't exactly using high quality lechuga y tomate so there isn't going to be a whole lot of flavor in it.  Just a personal preference, don't hate. 

What's this blog about anyways?  Lettuce, tomato, another taco shop, the definition of a Mexican delight...oh yeah our trip to La Mexicana.

We ordered, both got horchata ( see my blog about carne asada fries if you forgot what horchata is).  Waited 5-10 minutes, and our food arrived.  It looked amazing and tasted even better.  I eat mine like a tostada but one could eat it with a fork and a knife I suppose.  I lifted it up and took a bite and the flavors rushed into my mouth hitting all parts of my tongue: spicy, salty, sweet.  "MMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmm", I sighed.  The beans were flavorful, the meat was salty and their house made salsa had a good little kick to it.  The kind that makes your nose run.  Every bite was like a party in my mouth.  The sope itself was crunchy but soft and chewy, freshly made.  I want one again right now.  The sour cream was oozing off the sides, you had to catch it with your mouth before it fell off.  I was so mesmerized I didn't even see any flies. 

I was full and ready to move on to the next wedding venue.  Nothing better than finding a delightful hole in the wall right in the middle of somewhere you'd never expect.  Remember if you're hungry and in an unfamiliar area ask the locals where to go.  If you don't believe them, then take your ass to Burger King and don't ask next time.

Chewy_Crunchy_Greasy

Chicken & Waffles?

Unless y'all live in a hole, I am sure that you have heard of Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles at one time or another.  Or at the very least you have heard of Chicken and Waffles, right?  Well since I became a foodie I realized that I needed to go out of my way to get to Roscoe's Chicken and Waffle House.  Now I didn't make it up to Hollywood to the original but does anyone go to the original McDonalds - no.  That being said I was okay with this decision.

Myself, Sol, her brother and her niece went on over to Long Beach other wise known as the LBC.  Unfortunately, I forgot my phone which had GPS so we didn't know where it was.  Seriously, what did people do before technology?  I was secretly having a panic attack worried that someone would say, "lets just go some where else."  Jun, Sol's brother, gave me his phone and I fumbled around trying to figure out how to use it, after a few minutes I still couldn't figure it out.  I felt a lump forming in my throat, we were getting closer and I couldn't get it done then...success.  A few minutes later I was shitting myself because my phone also had my camera and I couldn't take pictures.  What fun is a blog with no pictures??  Sol had her 3.2 mp camera on her phone but I knew that wouldn't do the trick.  Luckily since we'd been searching for a wedding venue she had her real camera in her purse.  Pfew, disaster averted.

Didn't take long to figure out what we wanted...ummmm....chicken and waffles - duh.  In general though the menu consisted of traditional southern/soul food: red beans and rice, mac n cheese, etc.  We all ordered the "Scoe's #1" - two waffles, and 1/4 chicken.  As you can see below it was pretty straight forward.  I was a little scared to try to down two waffles but being the persistent son of a bitch I am - I gave it a try.

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Did you really have any doubt?  They gave me plenty of butter, plenty of syrup and a fork and a knife.  Of course I finished it.  In all seriousness though the waffle was pretty amazing.  It tasted like maybe it had a hint of nutmeg as the secret ingredient.  The waffles had a slight crunch but were soft and fluffy.  The syrup was damn good and the butter was plentiful.  I love butter that is easy to spread...its the little things in life you know?  How many times do you get cold hard butter and when you go to spread it on your waffle/toast/pancake it breaks it or tears it.  Temper you butter restaurants!!!  Back to the waffle, something about it made it utterly fantastic.  Maybe it was that I was destined to eat here my entire life and my life's work was now complete...or they had a good recipe.  The chicken was good, i'd say a 7.5 on a scale of 1-10.  It was cooked right but I was expecting the flavor of the skin to be a little....better?  I mean chicken is in the name of this restaurant so naturally I would think the fried chicken is where its at.  Again it wasn't bad it just didn't blow my mind.  Overall still loved and would go back in a heart beat.

Chicken and Waffles I think is the original Salty & Sweet meld of flavors that is so trendy right now.  Throw some Louisiana hot sauce on there and you really spice up this combo.  Maybe its where Bobby Flay got his Spicy n' Sweet flavor combo.  Either way all the flavors flow together in a river of goodness arousing every part of your palate.  Way to go Roscoe, Way to go...

Salty_Sweet_Spicy

New Name for my Blog

So after scouring the Blogosphere I have deduced that the name of my blog sucks and isn't original at all.  I decided I need a better name.  It needs to be something that I can trademark and I can make a logo out of.  So I turn to you my readers - what are your thoughts? Creative, funny, and original.  Leave your ideas on the comments section of my blog NOT facebook.  I REALLY need your help on this one. If I am ever to achieve Julie and Julia status I need to start blowin' up and I think this might be one helluva start! 

Also, to my San Diegans - now that I'm back what do you want to see me blog about?  Fine Dining - Taco Shop - hole in the wall - what appeals to you?  Any and all feed back is helpful!  Thanks guys!!!

P.S.  If you think I should keep the name, let me know that too!

P.S.S, Any of my Graphic Design buddies wanna make my Blog Header/Logo?

Quaint Italian Restaurant in Encinitas

Trattoria I Trulli - a quaint little Italian Restaurant located on Highway 101 in downtown Encinitas.  Very homey, cozy, and comfortable.  Seems to me a great place for a date or to have a nice adult family meal, I wouldn't recommend taking kids here for the simple fact that it is so small.  No music here only the chattering of voices talking over one another, not a bad thing.  Sol said she kind of liked it, it gave it more of a personal touch.

We made reservations for 8:30 but showed up quite early, lucky for us they had a table ready and sat us.  We were immediately greeted with a basket of bread and its amazing accompaniment.  It was a slightly cool tomato sauce seasoned very well with strong notes of basil and a hint of spice.  The bread was very fresh - which was a nice touch, I feel like you don't get that very often.

We opened our tattered menus, the first page was a plethora of daily specials: including a ravioli, gnochhi, pasta, soup and desert.  The following page included their house specialties of antipasti, pastas, fish, meat, etc.  So much to look through, what would we decide on.  After ordering a bottle of Chianti, I started to really peruse the menu.  The waiter approached our table mixing in some general Italian words like "Prego" and "Grazie", I asked him what he recommended and he immediately went to the first page, the specials.  The decision wasn't hard from there, Sol ordered the pasta special: a Spaghetti with homemade Italian Sausage, clams, shrimp in a white wine sauce.  I ordered the Risotto of the day: can't remember what all it had but there were peas, watercress and it was on a bed of prosciutto.

To start we had the: Scampi ai Trulli (off the regular menu): Fresh shrimp sautéed with white wine in tomato sauce with shoestring potatoes.  This was uh-mazing.  Never would have paired potatoes and shrimp but it worked very well.  The potatoes were freshly cut and fried, and the shrimp was VERY fresh, soft and succulent.  The seafood flavor from the shrimp and the comfort of the potatoes melded together like they had known each other for centuries.  Maybe they have, I don't get around much.

Back to our entrees.  As you can see mine was a heaping PILE of Risotto.  The main thing that attracted it to me was the "bed of prosciutto".  Lately I've been diggin' Risotto since our chef, Jesse, makes a bomb Lobster Risotto and a Duck Risotto, so I thought I'd give this one a try.  Unfortunately, it fell flat.  It was slightly over cooked, and kind of bland. Not bad with a fair share of salt and pepper, but not sure they tasted it before they sent it out.  I'm not going to lie I was a little disappointed especially since everything up till that point had been superb.


Sol's entree on the other hand was fantastic.  The Italian sausage was quite tasty and the spaghetti tasted fresh.  The light sauce was very flavorful and a great compliment to this dish.  I absolutely loved it.  Something very different than I had tried before but again done very well.  Great presentation.

Sorry, it looked so good, I forgot to take a picture of it whole!

To finish we had Strawberry Napoleon.  When I asked the waiter if it was good before ordering he said yes, it was made fresh daily.  Fresh daily will sell me every time.  Wow, so good.  It was home made whipped cream with thinly sliced strawberries and layers of puff pastry finished with powdered sugar and chocolate sauce drizzled along the outside.  I might even say it was decadent.  Isn't anything with puff pastry and whipped cream good?

I must say, though my entree wasn't great, I found this place to be a wonderful find.  Atmosphere was fantastic, service was very good.  There was some Italians working there which gave it an authentic touch.  The food I would say was outstanding all things considered.  And frankly, I can't wait to go back.

Everything_You_Want