So twice a year, San Diego has restaurant week. It varies when these weeks are. Like I think I went to one in December and one in July before but this year it was January. Anyway, restaurants decide to participate and make a tasting menu consisting of an appetizer, an entree, and a dessert, usually for $40 but this year, they also had tasting menus at certain restaurants for $20 and $30.
My friends P and S joined me and we headed to
Jake's Del Mar, a fine dining restaurant on the sandy coast of the city of Del Mar. (Jake's Del Mar's tasting menu was $30 dollars.)
Since it was Sunday night, we had very little trouble finding parking. Don't get me wrong, the restaurant was pretty packed. But last night, a lot of people choose to valet their cars. Anyway, we made it promptly for our 6:45pm reservation and were seated within minutes.
Tonight was a particularly good night because the three of us all decided to get something different for each part of the meal and then share with each other.
Appetizers
S went with Mushroom Soup, described as truffle oil, chanterelle & hon shimeji. (Pictured above).
I didn't get to try any of this for obvious reasons. (Soup is hard to split.) But S said it was good.
P went with the Dungeness & King Crabcake with meyer lemon remoulade. P thought it was pretty good. I felt like it was a pretty standard crab cake. While not the best I had, I felt that it was littered with crab, and that's always a good thing went it comes to a crab cake. Would I order it if I ever came back? Maybe, but I'd like to try other things on the menu first.
I went with dry rubbed bbq ribs with a honey sambol bbq sauce. These were ridiculously good. The meat fell of the bone and it had an interesting spice blend that left a slight tinge of heat that left you wanting more. And it wasn't like eat a thai red chili heat - it was a more mild, addictive heat. Even now I wish I had a plate of them... mmmm.....
Entrees
For her entree, S went with the Wok Seared Ahi with a nectarine basil relish, lime butter
and rice.
She found the dish to be wonderful. While I don't like rare tuna because of the texture and temperature, I found it to be pleasant and buttery smooth if that makes any sense.
P went with the Pistachio Peppercorn Crusted Salmon served with roasted tomatoes, braised leeks, pomegranate
balsamic reduction, and what looked like risotto. The salmon was pretty typical for salmon at an americana type restaurant. The one thing that confused me was that I didn't find it to be that pistachio crusted. It just tasted like a pan seared salmon filet piece. Nonetheless, P ate it all up.
I, of course, being the crazy meat eater, went with the New York Strip Steak served with herb butter, roasted green beans, and mashed potatoes. While the steak wasn't Ruth Chris good, it was a good, solid steak. I kept looking for the herb butter but never found any. And the flavor of the steak didn't taste of herb butter either. The mashed potatoes were average. But seriously, my favorite part of the dish was that the vegetables were not over cooked. The green beans were still crisp. So many restaurants get that wrong. Anyway, if I ever go to Jake's again, I'd probably get another steak. While I think beach restaurants are known for their seafood, I think you can get a good, decent steak here.
Desserts
S went with a slice of the Hula Pie consisting of macadamia nut ice cream, oreo cookie crust, hot fudge. This is their signature dessert. And when they bring it out, there is definitely that shock and awe factor because it's so huge. I found this dessert to be good and you do get a lot of macadamia nuts with each bite.
P ordered the chocolate banana bread pudding with vanilla bean ice cream. I think P loved the ice cream but just felt like the bread pudding tasted like chocolate. I had a taste and felt like it just tasted of chocolate and cinnamon.
I ordered the lime cheesecake with raspberry couli. There were two things I found odd about my dessert. 1) It was served a few degrees cooler than room temperature, and 2) It had a oreo crust. I like my cheesecake fridgerator cold, and I do not think chocolate goes with citrus. (I am not a fan of orange chocolate.) I ordered the lime cheesecake because I DIDN'T want chocolate. Anyway, it was just ok.
In the end we all left with stuffed bellies and food coma. And I left with a craving for those ribs... a great $30 well spent. I think Jake's could have easily charged $40 for their tasting menu.
I'll be going to another restaurant night tonight, so stay tuned for another entry.
Bows and Ornaments.
