Rancho Valencia

5921 Valencia Circle

Rancho Santa Fe, CA 92067

858 756 1123

http://www.ranchovalencia.com/

Dined here on March 4, 2011

 

Rancho Valencia is sort of a hidden gem in San Diego. The area was “discovered” in the early 1900s by movie director Theodore Reed. He suggested that his friend, screen idol Douglas Fairbanks, purchase the property as an investment. In 1924, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks bought 800 acres, named their property “Rancho Zorro” and planted 300 acres with Valencia oranges.

In 1989, adjacent to these historic acres, developer Harry Collins and architect James Morton built Rancho Valencia and several homes in the surrounding area. Working with interior designer Hank Milam and landscape architects Abby Drewliner and Bill Burton, they meticulously planned every resort detail, from the many antique furnishings, the hand-painted tile work, to the positioning of each of the suites and the lush landscaping.

The problem is not much if anything has changed since being built. Although it’s a beautiful property and location, it is extremely outdated especially the restaurant, Up until a few months ago the food matched the décor. If you wanted a well-done filet with asparagus or a basic salmon dish, then this was the place to be. Now as the resort prepares for it’s first renovation since being built, the food is the first glimpse in what we can expect from the multi million-dollar remodel.

Amuse

Yogurt, Cucumber, Meyer Lemon

This was a nice palate-cleansing dish but I think that it would have worked better as an intermezzo. Being this was the first thing I ate, my palate was fresh and ready for a bold one to two bite amuse to wake my palate up and to show what’s to come.

Winter Root Vegetables, Stems & Flowers, Seaweed

This was one of the highlights of the whole dinner. Fresh crisp vegetables accompanied by a reduced dashi sauce that was rich and robust with a nice smoky flavor that didn’t have me looking for a protein. When I asked where the smoke flavor came from the server said it was a chef secret, as most of us know, rendered bacon fat is always a chefs secret weapon.

Spotted Bass, Brassicas, Black Truffle Jus

The bass was spot on with a pleasantly crisp skin but the sauces are what really made the dish a winner. The black truffle jus with the addition of squid ink added a great earthy brininess to the fish and mixed with onion puree made it perfectly balanced.

Tete presse, Egg Yolk, Snap Pears, Potato

This dish was easily the favorite of the night.  You could tell this was a labor intensive dish and must of have taken at least 3-4 days to complete. The tete presse was so ethereal and delicate that it just melted on your tongue. The broth was a reduction of the pork braising liquid and had the same similar smoky flavor that we loved in the dashi sauce. The pickled radishes added the perfect acidity that was essential to cutting through the richness of the dish.

Foie Gras, Date Puree, Candied Garlic, Rosemary

I always look forward to the foie gras course and this did not disappoint. Although the presentation of this dish was a little messy and difficult to capture in a picture. The flavors won me over.  This was the first time that foam actually had a strong flavor that complemented the other components.

Beef Entrecote, Leeks, Charred Pears, Caper Marrow Jus

I can’t fault this dish as everything was executed properly. The charred pears added a nice surprising flavor and the jus paired well with the beef.  However I recently came to the conclusion that unless the beef is Kobe or dry aged, there really is nothing special about it. I would much rather have a game meat or just something braised.

Chamomile Mousse, Citrus Confit, Carrot Sorbet

This was the only complete miss of the night. The carrot sorbet was way strong and overpowering and the grapefruit left a bitter taste on my palate that just wouldn’t go away.

Overall this was a really great tasting and showed how much the food has evolved at Rancho Valencia.  Every component was cooked and seasoned properly and had purpose for being there with exception of the dessert course. Once the remodel is finished and the décor matches the food this is going to be one of the better restaurants in San Diego. I look forward to returning even in the midst of a remodel to see how the food is evolving.

 

Tags: http://www.staying-awake.org, http://www.whyhcg.com, http://www.myprovigil.com

Relate Restaurant @ St. Germains

Encinitas, CA

http://relaterestaurant.com/

Dined here on Feb 3, 2011

Soft Opening

Click pictures for larger versions..

I just got back from the soft opening of Relate and wanted to post a quick review of the nights dishes.. I thought it was a solid showing for a soft opening.. Front of house needed a little work but that’s understandable for this type of situation..

Carrot Consommé Shooter
This was a great starter.. strong ginger flavor on the nose from the froth but didn’t over power.. Would love to have a full portion of this.. I didn’t get a picture of this..

Roasted Baby Beet Salad, Golden Beet Vinaigrette
Perfect seasonal salad.. Beets were cooked perfectly and loved the cinnamon vinaigrette..

Butter Poached Lobster, Warm Egg & Caviar Salad, Leeks, Beet Chip with Fennel Jam, Onion Froth
My personal favorite of the night.. Lobster was cooked to perfection.. Leeks were melt in your mouth and the fennel jam was excellent.. Perfect dish all around

Rabbit Cassoulet
My second favorite of the night.. This was a nice hearty dish and wish it was a bigger portion.. The rabbit with the addition of duck confit was perfect..

Spiced Beef, Spinach Avocado Puree, Crispy Porcini Spaetzle, Black Truffle, Guinness Gastrique
This was a solid dish but the portion of steak was to small in comparison to the puree and spaetzle.. Overall though the flavors went nicely together and really enjoyed the spaetzle..

Smoked S’mores, House-Made Graham Crakers, Agave Marshmallow, Chipotle-Orange Ganache, Tequila Crème Anglaise
This was my least favorite of the night.. I didn’t think it really went with the rest of the dishes.. I found the presentation to be a little boring and I’m not a fan of doing heart shape anything..

I think Chef Moody did a great job and I look forward to returning soon.. I think once the front of house gets more comfortable and Chef Moody gets into his rhythm we will be in for great run.. Chef Moody I just want to thank you for letting me join you on your soft opening, it was a pleasure meeting you and I wish you the best of luck..

Cucina Urbana

Kensington Grill

sdurbankitchen.com

Dined here on 6/1/10

Kensington Grill is the sister restaurant of Cucina Urbana. I’m a huge fan of CU and after trying the whole menu there I can easily say that it’s the best restaurant in San Diego right now. KG just did a menu change about month ago that from the looks of it seemed to be following CU. I assumed CU being as good as it is KG must be of the same level, oh how I was wrong.
From the outside the restaurant seems very modern with a nice patio, although not much of a view. The inside décor does not match at all. It seemed very cheaply put together and lacked that warm inviting feel you want to have when entering. The two main problems I had with KG were the service and food. The server we had was just awful. Now I know that when I dine out I order a lot of food for just two people and I’m ok with the server saying once “this is a lot for just two people”. What I don’t need is for you to say it three or four times before I finish my order. Being that most of the dishes I ordered were small plates it shouldn’t be that big of an issue if done properly.
The first course was the mussels and corn bisque. Mussels were some of the best I’ve had in San Diego. They were perfect and the coconut broth was so flavorful I could have just had 3 orders of those and would have been fine. In hindsight I should have. The corn bisque was good but I wish they had added more crab, there was hardly any at all. Second course was lamb meatballs, spare ribs and truffle tots. The meatballs were just OK I’m not a fan of baking them. I want that contrast of texture you get from a hard sear, and I missed that here. Spare ribs were also good and the cole slaw on the side balanced everything out nicely. The truffle tots were probably the best thing of the night. It was accompanied by a tangerine ketchup that really made everything come together. Now the meal takes a drastic turn for the worst. The zucchini spaghetti was boring and bland, I mentioned this to the server and she picked it up and walked away. Really? The oxtail fritter was a complete disaster. The dish made no sense at all. Two out of the three fritters were raw on the inside. I asked the server about this and she said there was Gorgonzola cheese in the middle. There was no way that Gorgonzola cheese was in there it tasted like uncooked batter not a strong blue cheese. Most of the oxtail was inedible as it was all fat. Also why is there a fried egg on the plate? What does that go with? The dish reminded me of something from a culinary student not a chef. Next we got some things from the “hog bar” nothing was that much of a stand out but the real problem was with the pork rillette. There was a Burgundy mustard on top that completely overpowered everything. I mentioned this to the server, her response was “it’s one of my favorites, laughed and walked away”. Great thanks for that. The mac n shrooms had almost no mushrooms and way to much cream. It was more of a pasta cream soup with a breadcrumb topping that they stuck under the broiler to make it look like mac and cheese. The duck potpie would have been good, but the strong almond flavor from the Blazei mushrooms actually seeped into the crust of the potpie. That is all you could taste throughout the whole dish. Blazei mushrooms need to be cooked separately and then added to the dish so that almond flavor doesn’t over power everything. Also this dish was very difficult to eat. The vegetables inside were too big for the bowl and the crust although perfectly flaky was impossible to eat with everything. The sea bass was of Cheesecake Factory proportions. The flavors were actually really good but the sea bass was extremely thin and it sat a top of a mound of smashed potatoes with a pile of fried leeks on top of all that. It was another culinary student presentation. Finally on too dessert. I decided to go with the smore, cheesecake and sorbet. Sorbet was excellent, cheesecake was one note and the smore was the worst. The brownie was dry and the marshmallow, which was more of a meringue, was like a rock, inedible. I asked the server if the marshmallow is supposed to be like this and preceded to show her by knocking on it with my spoon. Her response was “Yes, it’s supposed to be like that it’s one of my favorites”, laughed dropped off the bill and walked away. I couldn’t believe it and $150 later I fell like I should have just stayed home and cooked.

Summer Corn Bisque

Blue Crab Salad & Herb Oil

p.e.i. mussels

coconut broth, kaffir lime, coriander

Lamb Meatballs

Kumquat Chile Marmalade

‘fall off the bone’ Pork Spare Ribs

Sweet Soy Chili Marinade & Slaw

Truffle Tots

Goat cheese & Tangerine ketchup

Zucchini ‘Spaghetti’  Fresh Herb, Water Chestnut, Chili, EVOO

Oxtail Fritter

Fried Farm Egg, Parsnip Puree, Pappadew Pepper Jam

“Hog Bar”

Rillettes de Porc, Spicy Rinds, Pork & Olive sausage

Duck Potpie

Chard, Carrot, Trumpet Mushroom, Cippolini Onion

Panee’d Sea Bass

Horseradish Crust, Smashed Potato, Crispy Leek, Chive Oil

Dessert Small Bites

Smore, Pineapple Cheesecake, Berry Sorbet

Blanca

437 S. Highway 101 #301

Solana Beach, CA

858-792-0072

www.dineblanca.com

I’ve dined at Blanca several times over the last five years and it’s been a rollercoaster ride of experiences. When I first started going it was about six months after they first opened their doors. I immediately thought this was going to be the best restaurant in San Diego. It had everything I was looking for exceptional food and service in a beautiful elegant designed space with a fair price to go with it. As the years went by my love for Blanca faded. The menu wasn’t changing, the service started getting sloppy and the prices kept going higher and higher. An average check went from about $120 to $220 a big jump in price for the same food. I thought I’d be seeing Blanca come to an end that was until I gave it one last shot.

Blanca has completely redone their menu, constantly changing things out each week to fit what’s in season and fresh. It has become a lot more enticing from that standpoint alone, but what is even better is the price. Leaving the choice up to the diner you can create your own tasting menu, from 3-5 courses ranging from $46-$66. What is great about this is they are not limiting you to app-entrée-dessert. You could technically get all five entrees for $66. There are no supplement charges for anything on the menu, just the special of the day. Which on this evening, happened to be the foie dish, but even then they still give you an option. You can either pay $20 a la carte or it can take up two courses in your tasting for no charge. This is a great step in the right direction for Blanca especially with the economy being where it is.

Duet of Oysters

Beausoleil & Kumamoto Oysters, Champagne Mignonette, Lime Cocktail Sauce

Red Pepper Soup w/ Basil Oil

Pork Belly BLT

We had asked the server if they had any pork belly on the menu, which she replied no, but then after talking to the chef came back with this tasty little PBLT.

Foie Gras Two Ways

All the components worked well together but I found the seared foie to be a little undercooked. It missed that warm fat pop.

Pacific Hamachi “Two Ways”

Sashimi & Tartare, Asian Pears, Star Anise Gastrique

The subtle flavors of the pear brought out the sweetness of the hamachi.

Asparagus Soufflé

Meyer Lemon Crème Fraiche

Perfect light and fluffy texture. I found it to be slightly under seasoned.

Mesquite Grilled Maine Lobster Medallions

Herbed Gnocchi, Fava beans

Chervil-Meyer Lemon Emulsion

This dish reminded me of a lobster bisque. Strong rich flavor with a nice addition of fava beans and seared gnocchi.

Porcini Crusted Atlantic Skate Wing

Mushroom Duxelle, Roasted Garlic & Porcini Mushroom Puree

Roasted Wild Mushroom jus

This dish had a lot of character. The robust earthy mushroom flavor was just strong enough to still keep the integrity of the skate wing. Great dish

Petaluma Quail “Kung Pao”

Crispy Rice Batter, Ginger & Scallions

Kung Pao Sauce

It was nice to see quail being used in place of chicken. It was a more refined take on typical take out item. I thought it would have been better to have a leg and breast.

Jidori Chicken breast

House- Poached Black Truffles, Sautéed Morel Mushrooms

Sauce Vin Jaune

I don’t typically order chicken but I was very pleased with this dish. Chicken breast was tender and juicy and the veal stuffing added depth.

Medallion of Colorado Rosen Lamb

Olive Oil Poached, Artichoke Stew

Yellow bell Pepper Coulis

Lamb was flavorful and tender. I would have gone with a different sauce. I find savory coulis to be sort of amateur. This one had an overwhelming acidic flavor.

Short Rib “steak” (medium)

Carrot Puree, Cumin essence

Red Wine- Valencia Orange Reduction

Classic presentation with a new age technique. The short ribs were sous vide for 48 hours. It had the marbling of a good American Kobe with a hearty short rib flavor. The carrot puree was silky smooth and the orange was a nice addition to the reduction.

Kobe Flat Iron Steak

Classic Potato Gratin, English Peas & Carrots

House- Made Worcestershire Sauce

This was the only miss of the night. Ironically the “Kobe” was flavorless and dry. Could have been any lesser cut of meat from the super market. Sides were boring and lacked a ton of seasoning.

Passion Fruit Soufflé

Grilled Pineapple Sorbet

Again the perfect light and fluffy texture. The pineapple sorbet was extremely flavorful.

After this meal my views of Blanca have been restored. Great food, great service, great price!