The restaurant is beautifully appointed, low slung, with an ample amount of space between tables. There was a large table directly behind hours with a small flotilla of wine glasses, serious imbibers doing a special tasting, with their own menu. Quite impressive.
We started off with the fritto misto with calamari and vegetables. Had my first deep fried lemon, quite a zing. Two sauces, a red and a garlic aioli, quite nice. For dinner I had the tagliatelle, simmered in a ragu that the menu says takes six hours to simmer. The marinara was absolutely gorgeous, the tomato so fresh and wonderful. Freshly baked bread was replenished at our table, in a variety of hues.
Stanley had the duroc pork, a giant spread that looked and smelled delicious, Tracy sampled the equally good skirt steak. Not in the mood for drinking, I ordered mint tea from their extensive selection. We skipped dessert as well. I really was impressed with the place and recommend that you try it. My only tiny complaint was that the server wanted to talk and I just wanted to eat but he got the message.
Check Crush out.
- 437 S. Hwy 101, Suite 112
- Solana Beach, CA 92075
- P. 858-481-CRUSH (2787)
- F. 858-481-3290
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I am exhibiting this weekend at the Del Mar Antique Show. One of my fellow dealers from Phoenix asked me where they could buy good bagels yesterday. I thought a moment. "Montreal?" The reality is that due to idiosyncrasies with the water and the dough, it is pretty much impossible to get a decent bagel west of Jersey City. The puffy creatures that pass in these parts are pitiful and not suitable for toasting.
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Which leads me to my next beef. I had lox and eggs at Milton's this morning, an expensive and sort of faux Chicago jewish deli. As a deli maven from way back I think there should be a requirement that at least one person on the floor be a yid. I know that I sound bigoted and narrow minded but all latin speaking servers does not a jewish deli make. We need starched white uniforms with a few wise cracking older waitresses whose fat triceps (hadassah's) hang over their sleeves creating the necessary ambience and mood. Don't make me ask you again for the pickles either.
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Monday is our group's second annual truffle night. I think that we are dialed in for a dozen people, all making a separate dish with the glorious fungus. Truffles went up big time this year, we get them flown in from Italy courtesy of Sabatino, so we are going with one ounce of white and four ounces of the much cheaper black. Leslie is making duck confit tacos with shaved truffle, cilantro and la crema.
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With the new arrival of Estrellas in Fallbrook, I am about to undergo and exhaustive survey of cheap Mexican food in the area. Wish me luck.
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Leslie had to go to Florida last week to help settle a deceased aunt's affairs. I drove her to the airport and than had a great deviation on the way home. Jasmine, our favorite dim sum restaurant on Convoy, has a little express take out store next door. I stopped and got a lb. of honey glazed roast pork and a roast duck. Both warm and fresh, chopped it up in front of me, whole thing cost me twenty bucks and a little change. It was outrageously good.
Jasmine Express To Go
4609 Convoy St Ste A (between Dagget St & Opportunity Rd) San Diego, CA 92111. (858) 268-0888. www.jasmineseafood.com
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I passed a restaurant called Loïc this morning in the tony burg of outer Rancho Santa Fe. I thought, just like these pretentious bastards to have a restaurant whose name nobody can pronounce. I looked it up. I was wrong. Loïc is the chef's name. Apologies.
Loïc Restaurant Patisserie and Coffee Shop
18021 Calle Ambiente, Rancho Santa Fe, CA
Telephone: (858) 759-4409
4 comments:
this got me to thinking about how one could combine truffles with bagels; turns out it's already been tried; interesting, if a bit pricey:
"(Reuters Life!) - A New York chef has come up with a luxury version of one of the city's staple foods -- the $1,000 bagel.
The pricey bagel, that is topped with white truffle cream cheese and goji berry infused Riesling jelly with golden leaves, joins a list of $1,000 delicacies in Manhattan that includes an ice-cream sundae topped with a 23-karat edible gold leaf and a pizza topped with six kinds of caviar and lobster.
The bagel is the creation of chef Frank Tujague of The Westin New York hotel at Times Square and was designed in part to help raise funds for Les Amis d'Escoffier Scholarship which provides scholarships to students of the culinary arts.
"I wanted to create something that speaks to New York, and is also a reflection of my culinary passion for seasonality and fine ingredients," said Tujague in a statement.
He said by weight, white truffles -- also known as "white gold" and "kings of the table" -- are the second most expensive food in the world next to caviar.
Like mushrooms, truffles are the fruiting bodies of fungi, except that they grow underground instead of popping up on the surface. They grow in a symbiotic relationship with trees, taking sugar from the roots and giving back minerals.
Truffles are said to be an aphrodisiac because their aroma is similar to that of pheromones, which are irresistible to some mammals and can be picked up by dogs and female pigs used to sniff out the precious tubers.
With a limited seasonal window from now until the end of the year, the $1,000 bagel is only available until December 14.
"Bagels are a New York food landmark, which is where the base for this dish came from. White truffles are a simple, quality ingredient that takes the meal, or the bagel in this case, to the next level," said Tujague."
Is there no end to your gastric attack on mankind? What up with your complaining of no yids at Melvins and ordering a lb. of pork the next day??
I gotta love you Robt. but you literally are full of shit.
ps; Grumpy, who gives a rats ass about the history of bagels.
If you need any help sampling local Mex food, let me know. I am not a foodie except for Mex food!! I have been to the new Estrella's a couple of times. They do quite a nice job. Nice atmosphere as well!!
What I want is an accurate count of Mexican places to eat at in this town. I'm thinking around twenty, imagine twenty sushi or Thai eateries in one small town. Amazing to me and I love cheap Mexican like no other. By the way garden center bought El Hardin hmmmm
Deli guy.
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