Wolvesmouth

So I seem to have reneged on that promise on all of those blog posts I'd promised, but last night I experienced the perfect dinner to catapult back into blogging.

For those of you who haven't heard of Wolvesmouth, it's an underground pop-up/supper club hybrid that takes place at Chef Craig's loft, which is one of the most interesting places I've ever been to. At my dinner, they cooked with a crew of 8 in a truly "open kitchen." At the end of the typically 9-10 course meal, diners contribute an anonymous donation of what they think the dinner was worth.

"it's not a restaurant. it's a dinner party. it's the intersection between food, music, and art. it's an exploration in social dynamics. it's friends, old and new. it's fleeting and always changing. no menus. no dress code. no pretense."

Logistically, every week they hold at least one communal dinner. At least, that's what I think--I've only been on the mailing list for two weeks and I've gotten an invitation to make a dining request both weeks.

This is what an initial invitation e-mail may look like.

When I talked to Chef Craig at the dinner, he said that the communal dinners serve two purposes: a) they act as his marketing and publicity to help him secure private dinners and corporate buyouts and b) they keep him true to the wolvesmouth philosophy of using food and the wolvesden setting as a conduit to facilitate social interaction between a table of strangers.

One of his crew, Julian, filters through hundreds/thousands of e-mails per week before giving a final list of considerees to Craig to make the final call on who will be dining for the week. If you are a lucky enough to get a spot, Julian will send you a confirmation e-mail. You have a very small window (mine was something like 10 hours) to confirm your (and your guest's if you have one) attendance.

This is what the confirmation e-mail looks like.

I wasn't able to find someone to dine with me on such short notice, so I forwent the opportunity and reserved just one seat for myself. They send out the address of the loft to diners on the day of the dinner party.

So intimidating! Getting the jitters before dinner.

It's important that everyone arrives to the loft at the specified time, because dinner begins promptly 15 minutes afterward.

As everyone convened outside of the apartment complex making introductions, I noticed that I may have been the youngest diner and one of the only single diners in my dinner group. At 9:30, Chef Caleb (who seemed to be the spokesperson of the evening) came downstairs to lead us all up to the loft.

This is the ground floor of the apartment complex. Very urban/industrial feel.

The loft is decorated with various taxidermy/zoological pieces. Upon walking in, you're greeted by a stuffed bear and the aroma of genius at work.

Hello bear!

Centered with your vision as you're walking in is an enormous dinner table large enough and set to accommodate about 20. Before dinner, most of the guests milled about the kitchen while talking to the other diners. There was a huge table behind the dining table for all of the BYO contributions. Lots of wine, some beer, and a bottle of wine and two blood orange San Pellegrino sodas from me. Haha, embarrassing.

The menu for the evening is posted on the refrigerator door of the loft. According to The New Yorker article I'd read in preparation for the event, the menu isn't really finalized until maybe a day before the first dinner party of the week.

This was the menu for the night of November 9, 2013.

When it is time for the first course to be served, Chef Caleb announces for everyone to take their seats. The crew then serves the guests, two plates at a time.

THE FOOD.

Course 1: ribeye cap - tempura broccoli - broccoli stalk slaw - plantain tater tots - mint lime aioli - queso fresco - grilled plna-black bean soubise

Chef Craig opened the evening with a beautifully-cooked ribeye cap. Lots of different textures in this dish. I particularly liked the plantain tater tot. It wasn't crunchy on the outside--more breaded like a tempura. Inside was soft and chewy. About 5 minutes after the dish was served, Chef Caleb came around to inform us that dinner was to be a hefty 9 courses and that it would be wise to pace ourselves. A collective chuckle then ensued around the table, as every diner had already scraped their respective plates clean.

Course 2: cooked shrimp "ceviche" - avocado - cotija - red onion - tortilla balls - chipotle sauce

A cooked shrimp ceviche was a new spin on this Mexican classic. Lots of Mexican flavors here, but with re-invention. I don't usually like corn flour at all (and thereby, nix on tortilla chips) but these tortilla balls were phenomenal. They were warm, just out of the frying pan/oven/whatever cooking appliance they were cooked in. Their crunchy on the outside but soft on the inside texture resembled that of a fresh baked cookie.

Course 3: halibut - candied lemon gelee - mascarpone and onion jam profiterole - snap pea - yellow wax pea - turnip

Again, protein was cooked wonderfully--the halibut was flaky and moist on the inside as it should be. The onion jam and mascarpone combination was delightful. 

Course 4: rabbit croquette - poblano hooks puree - romano bean - green apple - sopapilla

I've only had rabbit on one other occasion before in a pasta, so I would've liked to have it in its pure form so I could really identify the elements that make something "rabbit-y." The croquette was great though--not too much potato like some croquettes usually have. The sopapilla is traditionally a Central American/South American fried pastry/quick bread. Chef Craig's sopapilla tasted like a cross between a churro (with its cinnamon sugar coating) and a very light and airy donut hole. It was definitely my favorite component of this dish. I think I missed the green apple component of the dish though, the diner across from me had this green piece that I was missing. I don't blame the cooks though, it's an enormous amount of food to cook and plate at an average of a 15 minutes per course pace.

Course 5: pork belly - squid ink aioli - squid ink pork sabayon - piquillo - piquillo puree - parsley oil - blue lake almond - potato

A lot of the diners raved about this dish, but it sat a little heavy for me. The squid ink aioli was very heavy and very savory. Combined with the pork belly, everything was a little too rich for me. Aesthetically though, this dish was one of--if not--the best.

Course 6: butternut squash - hen of the woods - parm fricco - rosemary - cocoa coffee

I think this was the only vegetarian dish of the night, with the butternut squash acting as the central focus of the dish the way that the protein component usually does. A lot of diners declared this to be the best dish of the evening, with the potential to be Chef Craig's "signature dish" if he were to open the restaurant, but for me it was just alright. I'm not a huge fan of cheese, so the parm fricco chip on top was average for me, and overall I found the dish to have too much cocoa coffee. It was definitely interesting, though. Look at the specks on the side of the plate--someone didn't do a proper wipe-down before serving haha.

Course 7: quail - chicken liver mousse - pickled green tomato - candied peanut - pinquito bean - watermelon radish - beet - deviled egg puree - corn nuts

This was the last savory course of the evening and my favorite. When Chef Craig came by to describe the dish, he literally said, "...So this one has a lot of shit going on." I am in 100% agreement, but it all totally worked. 

To start, the fried quail was moist and tender. I know I've mentioned several times on how well the cook on the protein has been, which a lot of people would assume should be a given at a dining experience of this caliber. However, Chef Craig's crew was built up in a ordered-chaos sort of fashion, many of them having no cooking experience prior to this. Chef Caleb was one such example--he was an early diner at one of these events and started as a dishwasher. That was 3 1/2 years ago and now he participates in the entire project.

The pickled green tomato and beets added a nice brightness and acidity to the dish that I felt like the pork belly dish was lacking. The pinquito beans and the candied peanuts added a sweeter element to the dish. The chicken liver mousse and deviled egg puree rounded out the lighter elements of the dish with some weight. I've only had one chicken liver mousse better than Chef Craig's version at Amaya. The corn nuts (you can see one all by its lonesome in the corner of the frame) tasted just like the corn nuts snacks from when we were kids. What a classy and creative way to bring a blast from the past to the table.

.Course 8: bruleed crepe - buttermilk panna cotta - cajeta - poached pear - pear lee - goat's milk dulce de leche sauce

The first dessert course of the evening was a bruleed crepe. The dessert was a bit sweet, even for me. The goat's milk dulce de leche and the bruleed crepe put it over the top. I would've liked to see a bit more panna cotta on the plate to counteract that. I will admit that the burnt sugar added an incredibly pleasant texture to the crepe. It was also nice to see an ice component to the dish--I've never seen that before.

Course 9: black sesame steam cake - olive oil lime ice - green tea whipped cream - crispy almond - yuzu ice cream

Last dish of the night! I'll admit I liked the flavor profiles on this plate a little bit better than the first plate, but I liked the textures on the first dessert plate more than this plate. Flavor-wise, everything was a little bit lighter. The yuzu ice cream was incredibly creamy and the yuzu taste was very slight. Also really enjoyed the almond crackers.

Cash donations for the evening.

At the end of the night, Caleb distributed little Chinese red envelopes (I really liked this--nice touch) for anonymous cash donations. Once your donation has been stuffed, you leave it in the mouth of the alligator for collection. The donation was truly anonymous and I liked how there wasn't any pressure from any of the crew or any of the diners on how much to donate. The only donation suggestion we were given was in one of the earlier emails.

"If you're wondering what kind of donation to make, consider what a 9-10 course dinner would cost in a restaurant and use that as your point of reference."

After the donations were cast, the crew invited us and even encouraged us to stay and chit chat with each other and the crew--even though at this point, it was already 12:30am.

THE EXPERIENCE.

At the beginning of the dinner, Caleb encouraged us to walk around and enjoy the decor, speak to the chefs, and watch the cooking process. I think I took advantage of this suggestion more than the other diners because I didn't have a +1 to talk to in between courses.

 

Various taxidermy pieces scattered throughout the loft.

 

Various art pieces scattered throughout the loft. 

Left: Bird skeletal structure; Right: Pug wall.

 

Chefs at work.

THE VERDICT.

I think that Chef Craig and his crew have a lot to be proud of. It not's only a fantastic concept, but one that is executed well. We managed to have 9 courses in 2 hours and 15 minutes, which comes out to about 15 minutes per course. That's incredibly impressive considering this crew of 8 needs to serve the diners, clear the table, and wash dishes all while pumping out this beautiful meal.

The crew manages to be laidback but polite at the same time--none of the pretentiousness at the fine dining restaurant. It was a lot of fun to watch them work and interact with each other throughout the course of the meal.

All in all though, the one word that I can use to describe the meal is laborious. At a nearly 3 hour experience at 9:30 in the evening, this dinner is intense. Compounded with having to navigate your way around interacting with 16 strangers in a foreign environment, Wolvesmouth really pushes you to your limits. Chef Craig says that the Wolvesmouth idea is all about the idea of being present in a situation--something he thinks that society has lost sight of over the years. He's really adamant about being fully engaged in whatever he's doing, and expects us as diners in the wolvesden to do the same.

A happy Crystal and the brains behind this operation.

I'd love to be a part of the experience again and will probably submit my name at least once or twice more before moving away from San Diego. It'd be interesting to see how the experience will be different as no-longer-a-newcomer and with a +1. If you're interested, definitely hit me up!

For more information about the Wolvesmouth project or to put yourself on the mailing list, click here.

Wolvesmouth

Undisclosed Location

Downtown Los Angeles

Recipe: Oyster Mushroom Stir Fry

Hi everyone! This is going to be my blog's first ever recipe, how exciting! I've finally gotten to the weekend and the next few weeks are going to be extremely busy for me, so I thought today would be a good chance to try and be healthy. That way I can justify being slammed with no time to do anything other than work, school, and sleep for the next couple of weeks.

After I went on my 1.5 mile run this morning, I came home wanting to throw together a semi-healthy meal. Disclaimer: I say semi-healthy because my standards of being healthy are extremely low--if there's green on my plate, regardless of how much green there is or if the green is actually even a vegetable, I consider it a win for the day.

This recipe is super easy to make and you can make it all in one pan, so I'm killing two birds with one stone because doing the dishes is my least favorite chore! I eyeball all my measurements for most of the dishes that I make so you don't have to be that accurate with this recipe. I'm will try to do my best to estimate what I use when I'm cooking for procedural purposes, though. Without further ado...

Oyster Mushroom Stir Fry

Served atop a Bed of White Rice and Fresh Kale, Topped with a Sriracha-Drizzled Fried Egg

For this recipe (Yields 2 small servings), you will need:

1/2 cup of rice, prepared separately

1/2 head of the leafy part of kale, chopped into small pieces

1 tbsp canola oil

1 tbsp garlic, minced

1/2 small yellow onion, diced

8-10 oyster mushrooms, sliced in half

1/3 cup oyster sauce, low sodium chicken stock, soy sauce mixture

1 tbsp sesame oil per egg

2 eggs

Garnish with: Sriracha sauce

1. Prepare the rice first, as it takes the longest to prepare in this recipe. Wash the rice, fill the pot with enough water, then change the setting to cook and let your rice cooker do all the work for you.

2. Heat the canola oil on high in your frying pan. I used a wok, but any frying pan should do.

3. Turn the heat down to a medium high. Add the garlic and onion into the pan immediately afterward and cook until fragrant.

4. Add the oyster mushrooms to the pan, stirring to make sure nothing burns.

5. While the mushrooms are cooking through, make your oyster sauce, chicken stock, and soy sauce mixture. I use about equal parts of all three; if anything, just a little heavier on the chicken stock and a lighter hand on the oyster sauce. Mix it well with a fork in the cup that you have prepared it in.

6. Add the sauce mixture to the pan. Turn the heat up and stir, coating all components while waiting for the sauce to reduce completely.

7. When the sauce has been reduced completely, begin plating the dish. Hopefully your rice has finished cooking by then. Cover the bottom of your serving bowl with rice, then add a layer of fresh chopped kale, adding the layer of the mushroom stir fry on top of the kale, emptying the pan.

8. In the same, now-emptied pan, add about 1 tbsp of sesame oil to the pan while turning the stove top to high. I like using the sesame oil because it adds another flavor profile to the dish.

9. When the oil is hot enough that it easily coats the entire area of the bottom of the pan, add one egg to the pan. After adding the egg, turn the heat down to medium or medium-high. In my head, I wanted the egg to be an over easy egg, but I'm notoriously bad at flipping eggs, so that dream didn't come into fruition. If you are a bad egg-flipper like me, don't worry about the egg. When all is said and done, regardless of how it looks, it's still an egg. When the egg white starts to bubble, it is ready to be flipped.

10. Finish cooking your now-flipped egg.

11. When the egg is ready, place it on top of the mushroom stir fry.

12. Drizzle Sriracha sauce over your finished product.

After that, bon appetit! There you have it! My first ever notated recipe.

I've been on a backlog with with blogging lately, but the next couple of restaurant reviews you can look forward to are Eureka Burger in UTC, Crab Catcher in Downtown La Jolla, and Extraordinary Desserts in Downtown San Diego.

I'm going to go soak up the sun now, it's a beautiful and balmy 80 degrees out today. Hope everyone enjoys their respective weekends!

Sake House Yu Me Ya

So it's one of those rare Friday nights where I haven't been scheduled to work, so that means I have some free time to blog for my loyal followers (aka. me). I went on two food adventures this week--the first being Sake House Yu Me Ya! I'd bought a LivingSocial voucher to Sake House Yu Me Ya several months ago after noticing that it had decent ratings on Yelp and have been waiting ever since for the right time to go, so when I got off work early on Monday, my lovely housemate Brian and I drove down to Hillcrest to use that bad boy.

This is a picture of the bar area in the restaurant.

The location itself was kind of difficult to find, but after we got inside, what a gem! I always appreciate authentic--or at least, authentic-looking--decor. Another restaurant that comes to mind is Izakaya Masa, also in the Hillcrest area. I say authentic-looking because I've never been to Japan and have no way of knowing whether or not this is what Japanese bars or restaurants actually look like and I don't want to be presumptuous. Not pictured but on the right hand side of the frame is a flat screen TV conveniently playing Japanese anime in case a) you're on an awkward first date b) you've lived with your dinner date for so long, sometimes you've talked about all that can be talked about for the day.

This is the beginning of Sake House Yu Me Ya's menu. You can see the rest of their menu here.

Spicy Tuna Carpaccio, Avocado on Wonton Skin

Our server, Mai, told us that, like most other sake houses or izakayas, Sake House Yu Me Ya was known for their tapas plates. She told us that the spicy tuna carpaccio was one of the most popular cold tapas items so we chose to start with that. Honestly, I wasn't that impressed. When I picture carpaccio, I picture thinly sliced meat, whereas this was just finely chopped tuna. Also, the spicy tuna wasn't spicy at all. Now that I think about it, it actually wasn't particularly flavorful either. The portions were very small, and as one of the most expensive items in the cold tapas section at 8.95, this was a classic case of food sounding a lot better than it tasted.

Takoyaki Octopus Ball

The second dish that we tried was the takoyaki. Takoyaki is famous street food from Osaka, Japan and is composed of a fried mashed potato and octopus mixture, topped with bonito flakes, seaweed flakes, and mayonnaise. Although it tasted similar to the takoyaki I've had at other Japanese restaurants, this dish was much better than our first. Ordering a hot tapas dish was a nice contrast to a cold tapas dish. I know the takoyaki balls were obscured by its toppings in the photo, but underneath all that bonito flake goodness were 4 takoyaki balls.

Broiled Black Cod with Kyoto Miso Flavor

Although the black cod was on the hot tapas list, I chose it to be my entree. Brian chose the super ramen, but I forgot to take a picture of it. The cod was well-cooked and the miso really came through on this dish. The only complaint that I had was that it was a little bit small, but for a tapas dish and for Japanese food, it's to be expected.

Mushroom Salad with House Dressing

I was still a little bit hungry after finishing the cod and had about half my bowl of rice left, so I asked Mai for another recommendation. I knew that I wanted something light, so I asked her which of the salads were the best and she suggested the mushroom salad. She told me that the salad had oyster mushrooms sauteed in a garlic and onion sauce served on top of a bed of mixed greens. This dish was really satisfying. The portions were big enough to fill me up and the sauce was very addicting. The only complaint that I had with this dish was that the mushrooms were very salty, and would have done better with more mixed greens to even out the saltiness.

Mai was a really great server and took the time to ask us about ourselves (probably because there was only one other party in the restaurant). Her service was friendly and very prompt, and many of her recommendations were very good. I only wish that Brian had tried their sake here; they have a pretty extensive list and she seemed to know a lot about sake.

I really wanted to love Sake House Yu Me Ya and while it was good, it was a little pricey, and there are better and cheaper izakayas out there. We might come back because I did enjoy the mushroom salad and Brian claims this is the best ramen he's ever had. We also might go to the Encinitas location as well, because apparently, its the original location and it has better ratings on yelp. LivingSocial voucher well spent.

Sake House Yu Me Ya

3882 4th Avenue

San Diego, CA 92103

The Melting Pot La Jolla

So hello again everybody! I'm back for post numero dos and today I am featuring my fantastic little restaurant, The Melting Pot, no less! This is monumental. Rarely do I follow through with anything, so let's keep our fingers crossed that this lovely little blog keeps rolling.

I apologize if this post isn't as thorough as my first; I've been to The Melting Pot so many times I'll probably take a lot of details for granted, but I'll do my best! And my pictures didn't come out as great or look particularly appetizing, but there is a super cool video of chocolate on fire that I will hopefully be able to upload for you, my pyromaniac friends.

This is a copy of The Melting Pot's a la carte menu.

Traditional Swiss Cheese

Gruyere and Emmanthaler Swiss Cheese with White Wine, Garlic, Nutmeg, Lemon, and Kirschwasser

I usually get the spinach and artichoke cheese when I'm at the Melting Pot because I like it the best. It's the most mild and who doesn't love spinach and artichoke? Another plus is that the spinach and artichoke is made with a vegetable bouillon base while all the other cheeses are melted down with an alcoholic base. But to keep from getting too complacent, I thought I'd jazz it up and try something different so we decided to order the swiss. I've only had the just bites of leftovers of the swiss here and there during my shift and while I've had it once where it was really good, this swiss didn't really measure up. The Kirschwasser was incredibly strong--as was the nutmeg--and we got through maybe half of it before we decided to order another cheese.

Cheddar Cheese

Aged, Medium-Sharp Cheddar and Emmanthaler Swiss Cheeses, Lager Beer, Garlic and Seasonings

The cheddar cheese was a lot more mild--at least, the alcoholic after taste wasn't as strong. I still like the spinach and artichoke cheese better though. I like the white blend of Butterkase and Fontina much more than I like the cheddar. All of the cheeses are served with apples, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, mixed bread. Ordering the Fiesta Cheese warrants a side of tortilla chips, too.

Virgin Sour Patch Cocktail

Originally made with: Stoli Raspberry Vodka, DeKuyper Sour Apple and Watermelon Puckers, Strawberry Puree, Lemon and Cranberry Juice, Sugared Rim

When the right bartender works, I usually get my pick of non-alcoholic drinks. 

French Quarter and Land & Sea in Bourguinonne

Premium Filet Mignon, All-Natural Breast of Chicken, and Pacific White Shrimp seasoned with Cajun spices accompanied with Andouille Sausage

Premium Filet Mignon, Herb-Crusted Chicken, and Pacific White Shrimp

The entree course is brought out unprepared on platters and then presented to you with instructions on how to cook your meat. We chose to do the bourguinnonne cooking style, which is a pot of canola oil. Pretty standard, very similar to Chinese hot pot. What differentiates The Melting Pot from the myriad of other hot pot-esque places are the accompanying sauces. Entrees are served with teriyaki, a yogurt-based curry, sweet and sour ginger plum, gorgonzola bleu cheese port, spicy horseradish cocktail, and green goddess sauces. You also get a basic tempura batter and a sesame tempura batter if you end up doing the bourguinonne. The best part of doing the bourguinonne is making stuffed mushroom caps! You stuff the mushroom cap with green goddess--a mix of sour cream, cream cheese, and chives--and then dip the mushroom in sesame tempura batter, after which you deep fry the battered mushroom cap. I'm pretty sure we also got the Pacific Rim entree, which includes teriyaki sirloin (my favorite) but it's not pictured here. Each entree plate is about $20-$30 and comes with several pieces of meat and although it looks small it generally ends up being really filling.

Flaming Turtle with Marshmallow Fluff and Amaretto

Milk Chocolate, Caramel, Candied Pecans, Marshmallow Fluff, Amaretto

Dessert is served with fresh strawberries, bananas, cheesecake, pound cake, brownies, Rice Krispie treats, oreo-crusted marshmallows, and graham cracker-crusted marshmallows. I feel like the bananas, Rice Krispies, and marshmallows pair really well with the chocolate, but everything else with the exception of strawberries--which I like plain more than covered in chocolate--is too rich to eat along with chocolate. I really like the dark chocolate here. Usually I order the cookies and cream, but Lucy doesn't like oreos at all so we got the Flaming Turtle instead. All the desserts are highly customizable and the marshmallow fluff and amaretto really added to the dessert. You can request for any of the desserts to be flambeed tableside, which is always fun. 

The servers at The Melting Pot really go above and beyond, but Tony is especially great (we had him tonight). Service at The Melting Pot is generally very attentive and personalized because the dining experience takes about 2-3 hours, giving the server a lot of time to get to know their dining patrons. I probably wouldn't dine at The Melting Pot without my employee discount, and even with it, I can only afford to go once every two months, but it's always fun as long as you go with good company.

The menu has since been completely revamped since the pictures taken for this post, as we are now catering to a more family-style and value-oriented approach. It has a lot of the same options from the old menu but some new offerings and I can't wait to try The Melting Pot under this new menu philosophy. 

The Melting Pot

8980 University Center Lane

La Jolla, CA 92122

Inaugural Post - The Marine Room

Hello my loyal (aka. non-existent) reader base!

Well, everyone has to start somewhere.

So today, one of my good friends Kelly flew into San Diego for a visit and clearly that means we had to celebrate! With food! I've been wanting to try The Marine Room for a very long time now and luckily, Kelly and Alice let me choose the restaurant so off we went.

This is a copy of their list of offerings for the evening.

Sea of Cortez Crab Timbale

Butternut squash nectar, Vanilla Pearls, Trout Caviar

Kelly and I started off with the blue crab timbale, because let's face it--real women do not eat salad. It's times like this where I am so thankful for the feminist movement. I was really curious to taste the caviar but since the presentation was so muddled in the nectar, I wasn't sure how to isolate a single caviar. If it was what I thought, it greatly resembled and tasted like a salmon roe--like the ones you get on sushi rolls. Overall, the timbale was wonderfully balanced. I was kind of nervous that the sweetness of the butternut squash nectar paired with the natural sweetness of the crab meat would be too overbearing, but it was perfect. A very light dish to start.

Hokto Kinoko Farm Trumpet Mushroom Soup

Truffle Croutons, Pine Nuts, Mt. Tam Cheese, Aged Madeira

Alice, on the other hand, chose to start with the mushroom soup. I only got to try a little bit of her soup, but from what I tried, it was really good. It had the texture of a chowder moreso than a soup and was hot, but not scalding. It was interesting because it had a curry-esque undertone which gave it another layer of complexity in flavor.

Dill Pollen Spiced Diver Scallops and Wild Prawn

Carrot Tangerine Risotto, Green Papaya, Tarragon White Port Reduction

This was my choice for the entree course. To be completely honest, I'm not a huge fan of scallops and it's very easy to do prawns wrong for me, but I wanted a larger variety of pictures for my first blog post so each of us chose something different... and I was the last to choose so I got what was left. I ate the deep fried lotus chip garnish first and it tasted... like a deep fried chip. The scallops were seared and seasoned perfectly but I felt like the prawn was a tad overdone. I always imagine prawns as being extremely juicy and succulent and I'm not sure if the prawn was overcooked or if it was the seasoning, but it didn't quite live up to my expectations. I really enjoyed the risotto though. Initially, I was really concerned that it would have too much citrus in in because of the use of tangerine as a descriptor, but it ended up being very mild in taste and creamy in texture.

Center Cut Angus Filet Mignon

Cipollini Potato Puree, Quince Chutney, Garnacha Sauce

So again, I only had a small bite of Alice's steak, but it was one of the best bites of steak I've ever had. It was the perfect temperature and a beautiful melt-in-your-mouth texture and the sauce was deliciously sweet. Being Asian, I'm a sucker for sweet sauces. I almost cried tears of joy when Alice offered me a second bite of her steak.

Red Walnut Crusted Butterfish

Black Thai Rice, Fennel Mango Salad, Saffron Yuzu Essence

Kelly chose the butterfish and was gracious enough to give me a bite as well. The bite that I had had a great nutty essence. She also gave me some of her black thai rice, which tasted very much like--huge surprise--rice, just maybe a bit harder.

Dessert Trilogy

From left to right: Orangecello Pot de Creme, Honey Chestnut Gelato, Cacao Nib Cordillera Chocolate Dome

We were each given a dessert trilogy to end our meal. I tried the honey chestnut gelato first. It had the icy texture of gelato but I wasn't a huge fan of the flavor. I couldn't taste the honey at all; now that I'm blogging I'm surprised to find honey as a descriptor for the gelato. I feel like chestnut as a flavor is very distinct and either you're a fan or you're not. Next, I tried the orange pot de creme. The berry on the top was actually infused with alcohol so my first bite just tasted very alcoholic. However, the pot de creme was infused with alcohol as well. I think it was probably orange liquer. The alcohol taste was a little bit too overwhelming for me. Also, I had creme brulee that my roommate Jenny made me just last night and I was comparing the pot de creme to that. Seeing that her creme brulee is one of my favorites, there was really no contest. I wasn't sure what the chocolate dome was when I'd read the description, I thought it would be similar to one of those chocolate bomb cakes. It ended up turning out to be a very dark, very rich, very thick chocolate mousse. I feel like if I had taken the chocolate dome with the chestnut gelato, it would've offset the richness a bit but I finished the gelato in two bites at the beginning so the chocolate wasn't as pleasurable as I'd hoped. Unfortunately, the highlights of the dessert for me were the orange and berry reduction used in the plating.

Our server Hector was attentive enough throughout the night; however, the service was pretty stuffy. I guess working at The Melting Pot with all of my coworkers has made me very accustomed to very personable service. I was pleasantly surprised that I was satisfied at the end of the meal. Too often, I find myself still hungry at the end of a fine dining experience. The view was beautiful, but I'm sure it'd be much more beautiful in the day. They have a huge glass window so you have a great panoramic view of the ocean front. I'd really love to come for high tide brunch. The next one is on February 9th or 10th, so hopefully I can convince someone to go with me! All in all, it was a steal of deal at $40 per person before tax and gratuity.

So whew! That's that, my first post ever! That was a lot harder than I thought it would be. A shout out to Alice and Kelly for a lovely evening, and Alice's contribution in "liking the word 'decadent'" for its inclusion in my blog's URL.

The Marine Room

2000 Spindrift Drive

La Jolla, CA 92037