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: Presidential Eggs in the Nation's Capital

Devil-Ish Eggs – Founding Farmers, Washington, DC
Founding Farmers

Vodka goes to Washington, DC for one reason and one reason alone.  Not to gawk at the Jefferson Monument.  Not to eat cupcakes on the streets of Georgetown.  Not even to revere Dorothy’s ruby slippers at the Smithsonian.

Vodka goes to DC to see theatre (particularly theatre starring Bernadette Peters or Roger Bart).  As if there is no theatre at all going on in Manhattan.

Therefore, Vodka carted herself down to DC recently, this time to see Bernadette Peters in Follies.

The Best Thing to Happen to DC in Years

And while there, of course, she ventured to Founding Farmers, which Robert Irvine spoke of on the Best Thing I Ever Ate REINVENTED CLASSICS episode.  He recommended the devil-ish eggs combo – deviled eggs stuffed with crab meat, lobster, and salmon, along with a traditional variety.

Get It?  They're Deviled Eggs... Ish

To sum up the trip, Bernadette Peters was brilliant, and the devil-ish eggs were not.

Deviled eggs have never been one of my favorite foods, but when they are done correctly (i.e. the Spotted Pig variety), they can convert just about anyone.  The traditional deviled egg at Founding Farmers is pretty solid – not of Spotted Pig standards, but tasty nonetheless.

The seafood varieties, however, are severely less palatable.

Sometimes Fish Does Not Belong in an Egg

I blame most of the problem with the Founding Farmers devil-ish eggs on the texture of the hard-boiled eggs themselves – they are much too flimsy and breakable to support the fillings, and they feature an almost gooey consistency.  The crab and lobster varieties are not offensive, though they seem more like seafood salad plopped inside an egg than a cohesive combination.

The salmon version is rather abrasive in flavor, with the fish being a bit too smoky for the pasty egg it rests in.

The Picture is Better Than the Taste

Also trying the bacon lollis, they taste of bacon smeared in maple syrup – a welcome breakfast throwback. However, the bacon itself is a tad too chewy, and the candied coating a bit too crystalized, to be completely enjoyable.

But At Least They're Not David Burke's Cheesecake Lollipops

In contrast, if anyone would like to hear a review of Bernadette Peters in Follies, Vodka will wax poetic about her performance for hours, so be careful what you wish for.  (According to our rating system, she was clearly 5 stars).

Founding Farmers’s Devil-ish Eggs: 3 stars

Vodka Stinger's Worst Thing She Ever Ate

Cheesecake Lollipop Tree – DavidBurke Townhouse
DavidBurke Townhouse

Vodka Stinger is bitter.

We are not usually hard to please when it comes to food.  We are admittedly not food snobs and far from foodies.  In Ginger Orchid’s own words, “When I say I like food, I mean I like to put things in my mouth.”  Sure, we don’t love everything, but how many truly negative summaries have we given on our Best Thing I Ever Ate adventures?  One.  (Sorry, chocolate pizza).

However, when subpar food combines with high prices, poor aesthetics, and arrogant service, we are not so forgiving.  Vodka Stinger especially. These situations cause the words “disappointing” and “embarrassing” to fly from her mouth at rapid-fire pace.

In a bit of monetary manipulation, Vodka Stinger talks her parents into going to DavidBurke Townhouse for her father’s birthday dinner.  Being on the high-end of the price spectrum, it was not a location that had made the cut for the Best Thing I Ever Ate tour thus far, so Vodka abandoned Ginger in order to get her hands on Scott Conant’s (of Scarpetta bread basket and spaghetti fame) favorite REINVENTED CLASSIC, the cheesecake lollipop tree, with someone else (her birthday boy father) footing the bill.  It seemed like the perfect plan.

We'll Get Back to This Monstrosity Later

Arriving at DavidBurke Townhouse, we are asked instantly if we want to check our coats.  Being generally paranoid about bedbugs and other assorted cooties, we refuse.  Upon entering the dining area, we realize why the coat check is so paramount in the DavidBurkeTownhouse list of priorities: there is NO ROOM in the dining room.  The tables are jammed together so closely that one wrong move could cause your elbow to end up in your neighbor’s Salmon Tartare.  I’ve had roomier dinners at McDonald’s.

Seated (and by “seated,” I mean “squished”), we order a bottle of red wine as we peruse the menu.  There is a lobster risotto special that we would like to split as an appetizer.  And here is where the real trouble begins.

Our waiter, who has already displayed a supercilious, off-putting attitude, scoffs at this idea, stating that such a plan will only work if we each want “one bite.”  Now, call me crazy, but I have never ordered a pasta entrée that was comprised of three bites.  And furthermore, my parents and I have ordered such split pasta appetizers before – at Lincoln, Telepan, and Ouest, to name but a few – with no issues.  Pasta is one of our favorite hors d’oeuvres when we don’t want to weigh ourselves down by having it as our full entrée.

But our joy of a waiter is having none of it.

We end up ordering one market salad, one pretzel crusted crabcake, and one risotto special for our appetizers. WHICH IS WAY TOO MUCH FOOD, and which we end up sharing anyway.  David Burke is known for his “playful” food, and the crabcake, for instance, is comprised of crab meat surrounded by pretzel sticks – cute in concept but blah in execution.  The other two appetizers are also “fine” – nothing special.  Similarly, our entrees are so unmemorable that I can’t even recall what they are – except to say that none of us finished our dishes.  And trust me, we are a finishing family.

In fact, the best part of the whole meal ends up being the bread – a round loaf with a spring of evergreen sprouting out the top, accompanied by butter spread on a salt lick.  It is clever AND delicious.  A combination that the rest of the food lacks.

Finally, it is time for dessert.  By this point, both my mother and I have grown more than weary of our waiter, who seems to think we are there to serve him.  One would have assumed he was David Burke himself from the pretentious attitude he exuded (and based on the food thus far, even being David Burke would not have been something to brag about).

Years ago, we tasted the frozen versions of the cheesecake pops that are sold at Bloomingdale’s and were not wowed by them, but we figured it was because the freezing process took away some of their appeal.

We should never assume such things.

Looks Like a Starbucks Cake Pop

The cheesecake lollipop tree arrives, and while it is a spectacle, it is about half the size of the spectacle presented on Best Thing I Ever Ate (false advertising, much?).  The lollipops look lovely – spheres of cheesecake dipped in three varieties of toppings.  The problem?

The lollipops themselves are BLAND BLAND BLAND.  And worse, the bubble gum-flavored whipped cream is so overpowering in flavor (and not in a positive way) that it completely masks any potential flavor the lollipops have.  (To say nothing of the fact that bubble gum-flavored anything is at heart faulty, as one is taught from an early age to never SWALLOW bubble gum.  The whole thing is counter-intuitive).  But worst of all, it tastes bad.

It is the Worst Thing Vodka Has Ever Eaten on tour, bar none.

Do Not Eat This

By this point completely fed up, I am blatantly making my face into contortions of displeasure.  The manager, who has been wandering aimlessly throughout the meal, but never actually checking in with us, sees this and does nothing.

After my long-suffering father pays the astronomical bill, we leave so quickly that we assume we have knocked over at least three tables behind us.  And Vodka is ready to let someone have it.

Unfortunately, by this point, Vodka Stinger has consumed 2.5 glasses of wine and is off of her game.

Reaching the host stand, I give the useless manager a piece of my mind.  I complain about the food, the waiter, and everything in sight, assuring him that we will never be back.

I then make a sharp left, plotz up the steps out of the restaurant, and end up looking like an angry drunk.  Complaint fail.

Despite my inarticulation at the time, I will never return to DavidBurke Townhouse.  It is a pompous, exorbitantly priced institution that uses “whimsy” as an excuse for inferior food.

If you want a tasty lollipop, take yourself to the bank.

DavidBurke Townhouse’s Cheesecake Lollipop Tree: 1 star