Off the Map: Right Cove, Wrong Fish Tacos

 Fish Tacos - George's at the Cove, San Diego, CA

George's at the Cove

First of all, turns out we ate the wrong dish. At the wrong restaurant. Nevertheless, we loved everything about it.

This Kind of Hard-Hitting Reporting Is Seemingly Why No One Reads Our Blog

So as it happens, when "George's at the Cove" was featured on Best Thing I Ever Ate way back in 2011, it was for their California Modern restaurant, which is on the lower level of their complex in La Jolla, CA.

In a Surprise Twist, This Is Not the Lower Level

We did not eat at California Modern. We did not even KNOW about California Modern. Instead, we ate on George's Ocean Terrace.

Bet You Can't See the Seals from the Basement!

Now at this elusive California Modern restaurant, they apparently serve something called "Reinvented Fish Tacos," which is presumably why they were featured by Aaron Sanchez on the REINVENTED CLASSICS episode of the program.  

Using Our Brains Left and Right Here in San Diego

On the Ocean Terrace, they serve plain old fish tacos, which is what Vodka and Vesper ordered.

Welp

Now, in our defense, California Modern is apparently temporarily closed. And in our additional defense, who would travel all the way to the La Jolla Cove and then sit in a basement, when the rooftop patio is there beckoning you, begging you to enjoy its scenic overlooks?

Take a Little Time to Enjoy the View

All that to say, we adored George's at the Cove, if that is in fact where we were eating.

A Packed Cove

Upon being seated at what other envious diners referred to as "the best table in the house," our exceedingly pleasant waiter welcomed us and apologized for the snafu on our reservation.

To which he received a completely blank stare from Vodka.

"We had to switch the day of your reservation...?" he prompts, and it finally dawns on Vodka that when she made the lunch plans over a month ago, they had initially been for the day before. Only George's was closed the day before for a private event, and it was a tech glitch that allowed Vodka to book on the blacked-out day.

Speaking of Blacked-Out Days

All to say, this snafu did not cause much heartache, or even so much as a tangible memory, on Vodka's part, which is why the fact that George's decided to compensate the issue with complimentary flutes of champagne was all the more lovely.

Raise a Toast to Extraordinary Customer Service

Since Vodka does not drink bubbles, she pawns her glass off on Vesper and opts for her go-to Grey Goose martini, along with a tuna crudo appetizer to share. 

A Rose-Colored Beauty

The fish dish, featuring tuna with watermelon, jalapeno ponzu, and basil, is so good - fresh and chilled and surprisingly delightful - that Vesper asks for the menu again so she can copy down the ingredients and attempt to recreate it at home (note: this will never happen).

One Perfect Bite

For our entrees, Vesper gets the designated fish tacos, and Vodka the sweet corn cacio (mostly because it's been a full two days since she's twirled pasta onto a fork and she is beginning to go into withdrawal). 

A Pasta a Day Keeps the Proteins Away

The fish tacos are relatively pleasing - not the best fish tacos Vodka has ever tasted, which may be why they were NOT actually featured on Best Thing I Ever Ate. 

Also Could've Used More Chips

The cacio is similarly decent, though nothing extraordinary (and actually a bit too sweet for Vodka's tastes, though this is her fault for ordering a dish that literally has "sweet" in the title).

Thankfully, By This Point We Were Also Tipsy, So We Still Licked Our Platters Clean

The creme brulee that we order for dessert heads back into the same extraordinary territory as the tuna crudo - a ramekin of perfection with an accompanying delectable cookie.

Now This Is a 5-Star Moment

And while George's had some decided "hits" on its menu (namely from the appetizer and dessert portions), the real appeal here is the location, which is nothing short of spectacular. In fact, we could have lazed away the entire rest of the day on that roof had we allowed ourselves to. 

George's Showing Off What Makes San Diego So Appealing

Instead, after a respectable three drinks each, we made our way off the patio, past the darkened basement of California Modern, and out into the La Jolla Cove itself, leaving San Diego with the most marvelous of a moment.

George's at the Cove's Fish Tacos: 4 stars

Off the Map: San Diego Takes Manhattan

 Smashing Pumpkin Martini - The Grant Grill, San Diego, CA

The Grant Grill

It bears repeating once again - if you are a restaurant, and you have an item featured on a NATIONAL TELEVISION PROGRAM, even if it is only known at the time as a seasonal offering, please, for everything that is good and scrumptious, add it to your menu full-time!

Take a Cue from These Bar Snacks and Be Featured ALL YEAR LONG

Hence is the quandary that faces Vodka and her friend Vesper upon entering The Grant Grill in San Diego, CA. Well, quandary number one is we can't figure out how to break into the joint, as all of the hotel's doors appear to be locked, and there are no doormen around to open them (in fact, upon waiting for our Uber to leave, we let in no less than three (alleged) new guests arriving at the hotel, who would have no way of making it to the front desk without our assistance? The whole policy seems illogical at best).

The Grant Hotel Was Clearly the Inspiration for the Hotel California

Back to the situation at hand, The Grant Grill was featured by Troy Johnson on the THAT I'M THANKFUL FOR episode of Best Thing I Ever Ate for its smashing pumpkin martini. Being that it's August, and not Thanksgiving, the drink is not currently being offered. However, being that Vodka and Vesper never met a martini bar they didn't want to saddle up to, we plow ahead with drinking here anyway.

Also We Needed a Place with Air Conditioning Because of San Diego's Unrelenting SUN

In place of the pumpkin martini, Vesper opts for the Old Fashioned, and Vodka for the Manhattan, because these are the two cocktails currently being advertised in the Grant Grill menu as the seasonal house specialties (something about brewing their own bourbon or Manhattan mix or something - Vodka was too annoyed by the lack of pumpkin to focus on details).

Here, Read It For Yourself

Now on the one hand, the ambiance of the Grant Grill can't be beat (that is, once you can figure out how to break into the joint). It's quiet and serene and beautiful in its decor - even when sullied by the image of a PDA-heavy couple distorting the vibe by continuously mauling each other smackdab in the middle of the bar.

Odd Photo Angle Due to the Love Birds Taking Up Most of the Bar's Real Estate

The cocktails, however, which are what the bar is known for, are not nearly as pleasing. 

Contrary to What Your Eyes Are Telling You, This Is Not Iced Apple Juice

While Vesper sucks down her Old Fashioned without a problem, Vodka is less taken by her Manhattan, which is not one of the best she's tasted, and may be closer to one of the worst (it just... doesn't seem to have much flavor - or liquor-based potency - at all?).

Even the Color Is... Odd?

Our waitress eventually talks us into ordering a side of warm, fresh-out-of-the-oven (how they were marketed) chocolate chip cookies, which unfortunately come with an accompanying smattering of berries. 

Vodka Saved This One from the Fruit for Photo Shoot Purposes

Unfortunately because, while we taste one of the cookies on site (it's fine), we haul the to-go container back to our room, not to be broken into again until we are on a plane back to NYC, only to find that the entire enterprise now TASTES LIKE FRUIT.

Which Is At Least More Flavor Than Vodka's Manhattan Had

Does Grant Grill deserve another chance in the future when they deign to add the smashing pumpkin martini back to the menu? Yes. But in the meantime, survey says there's only one place where Manhattans are universally "seasonal," and that is in Manhattan alone.

The Grant Grill's Smashing Pumpkin Martini: 3 stars

Off the Map: With a Side of French Toast, Please

Peanut Butter and Banana Stuffed French Toast - Cafe 222, San Diego, CA

Cafe 222

After a bumpy start involving an odd restaurant, a rogue oyster, and entirely too much sun, Vodka and her friend, Vesper, start day 2 of their San Diego jaunt at Bobby Flay's favorite place for a WAKE UP CALL, Cafe 222, home of the peanut butter and banana stuffed French toast.

Elvis Could Never!

We arrive approximately 90 seconds after the restaurant opens, because you can ship New Yorkers to California, but you can't make them believe that they'll have to wait in line if they are not the first on the scene when the doors open.

The Early Bird Gets the French Toast

Thankfully, only two parties have beaten us to our "late arrival," and we are seated inside the miniscule dining room. While the number of outdoor tables and chairs are deceptively robust, the same cannot be said for the innards of Cafe 222, which feature approximately six tables total.

And Also This Dainty Chandelier

Undeterred by the small surface area on which we have to work (read: eat), and after sheepishly inquiring if it's possible to get a "half order" of the chosen French toast, we choose the breakfast burrito (Vodka), the two by two by two (Vesper, holding her own with two eggs, two pancakes, and two slices of turkey bacon), and a "side of French toast to share."

Needless to Say, We're Not Here to Work on Our Beach Bodies

After a smirk from our very genial waiter, which should have given us a clue as to what we were in for, our meal, if we can even call it that, soon arrives.

Vodka, Saving Calories by Drinking Her Coffee Black

Only it's not so much a "meal" as a "buffet," more in line with what is offered at the finest Vegas breakfast establishments than at a small corner cafe.

Not the Type of Bar We're Used To

First things first, the French toast - which neither of us would commit to as a full meal because a) a girl needs ample protein in the morning, and the peanut butter wasn't going to cut it, and b) we don't particularly care for French toast - is, in a word, divine. It may very well be the best French toast Vodka has ever tasted, and again, not just because she doesn't generally order such things.

Bobby Flay, You Did Good With This One

Crisp on the crusts but soft in the middle, lathered with peanut butter and a thinly-sliced layer of bananas, the French toast is addictive. 

Stuffed to the Gills

We coat it with the provided perfectly-spreadable butter and dip it into an ample amount of maple syrup, and it serves as a sort of palate cleanser in between bites of our "real" breakfasts.

A Proper Serving of Butter

Both of our actual choices are similarly delectable, albeit absolutely enormous. 

A Burrito Suitable for Three Meals

After confirming that our hotel room is in possession of a working refrigerator, Vodka suggests carting our leftover wares back to our room, for which our waiter cheerily stocks us with approximately seven to-go boxes for packing purposes. 

The Bacon Is of the Turkey Variety So It's Practically Fat Free

This decision proves to be a fruitful one later this evening, when Vodka could be found mainlining cold burrito into her mouth after an evening where the cocktails overpopulated the dinner consumption by a margin of three to one. Even soggy, chilled, and decidedly worse for wear, the burrito remained delicious.

Leftovers Which Are More Appetizing Than They Look

Though it tasted even better with an accompanying slab of French toast.

Cafe 222's Peanut Butter and Banana Stuffed French Toast: 5 stars*

*Certifiable Best Thing We Ever Ate

Off the Map: San Diego's Most Disjointed Dining Establishment

Oxtail Gnocchi - Herb & Wood, San Diego, CA

Herb & Wood

San Diego, you are not off to a fortuitous start.

First of All, the Level of SUN in This Place

After two and a half years of varying degrees of quarantine (a great deal of it self-imposed - an introvert needs some alone time), Vodka is finally back out on the road with her friend, Vesper (who names herself after a cocktail for which she is incapable of listing any details or ingredients, other than "they drink them in James Bond movies").

No Photos of a Vesper Exist Since "Vesper" Never Actually Ordered One

Vodka's inaugural plane trip takes her to San Diego for, what else, a Bernadette Peters concert. But just about the only other thing populating her and Vesper's color-coded itinerary is a litany of dining establishments.

Vodka Only Leaves Her House to Eat, Drink, or Attend Bernadette Peters Concerts

Immediately after disembarking their plane, they head to Puesto for tacos and margaritas (which were good) followed by Brigantine Seafood and Oyster Bar for bay views and oysters (which were less good, considering Oyster #1 nearly took out Vesper in the first hour of our trip, and the whole plate was subsequently refunded).

By the Grace of the Travel Gods, Vesper Somehow Did Not Spend Her Whole Trip Here

For "dinner" (if such a "continuum of eating" can have actual meals attached) that night, Vodka and Vesper head to Herb & Wood in the city's Little Italy neighborhood, home of Beau MacMillan's favorite oxtail gnocchi from the SPECIAL OCCASION episode of Best Thing I Ever Ate.

How Many Bars Can One Saddle Up to in One Weekend?

Right off the bat, Herb & Wood is... a lot. The decor is eclectic at best and downright dichotomous at worst (the first room, where the (beautiful) bar is located, is a club scene; our dining room is a library).

And This Fellow Is Hanging Out at the Front Door

Also, despite the fact that we've been in San Diego all of a single afternoon, we have found the residents exceedingly nice so far. Friendly without trying too hard, pleasant without being annoying. Our waiter is none of these things.

And Based on Our Early Bird Dining Hour, It's Not Like He's Busy....

Chillier then our chosen bottle of Sancerre, he is far from welcoming or attentive, and it is our most disappointing service experience in San Diego by far.

We Would Have Found This Room Charming If the People Working in It Were the Same

As far as the food, the tuna tartare, which we share as an appetizer, is varying degrees of "fine." 

Here's a Picture of the Menu in Lieu of Actual Notes

Vesper enjoys it more than Vodka, as Vodka finds the texture of the fish itself off-putting.

Instead of "Chopped"...

...It Seemed More "Hacked"

The chosen dish of oxtail gnocchi sounds delicious in theory, but it comes with precisely ten pieces of pasta and a smattering of meat, none of which has a great deal of flavor. 

A Preschooler Could Use This Serving to Practice Counting to T10

The plate is served looking like the "after" portion of a meal, i.e. what we should be bringing home for leftovers - not as the main event.

The Greens Aren't Doing Much to Spruce Things Up Here

Finally, the hanger steak is the most egregious of all - we had ordered it medium rare, and it arrived not only "rare" but practically "still breathing." When we pointed this out to our ever-so-charming (...) waiter, he took it away without comment. It was returned to us a few minutes later after being "heated up"... in the microwave?!

This Dish Was, in a Word, a Disaster

Whatever they did to the meat did not improve it, as it was now not only chewy, but unevenly cooked. In contrast, the best part of the meal was the side of broccolini, most likely because it came smothered in a generous helping of cheese.

Perhaps This Helping of Cheese Is Where the Entire Gnocchi Budget Went

Frenetic with a side of attitude, despite its Food Network- and Top Chef-adjacent fame, and its starred Fodor's review, Herb & Wood in the end turned out to be much like its moniker: two disparate items which sound interesting together in theory, but in reality turn out to be a little more than a confusing mess.

Herb & Wood's Oxtail Gnocchi: 2 stars