out and about: taste of la jolla 2023

Another year, another taste of la jolla. Been doing this fundraising event for years… a decade even. It benefits the local high school. My alma matter; so it’s always nice to give back. And, it’s a great way to try all our new local restaurants, and revisit ones we may have not tried or enjoyed so much in the past. I use it as a jumping off point for all my out and about reviews for the upcoming year.

There were a few new restaurants this year, a few who we tried last year, that hadn’t opened yet, so I was happy to see how they had evolved over the past year.

There were some who recycled the same samples as last year; and others who went way out the way.

In my personal opinion, this is the time for restaurants to offer up their bests. It’s a mostly local event, and while we get tourists, it’s the locals who will come back again and again. No excuse for cold food that’s been sitting out the whole time, or to not offer up a few choices. This is how you bring everyone back.

veggie yakisoba: japenese style stir fried noodles, onions, cabbage

First up shiku sushi bar.

Loved the noodles. So much fresh vegetables. A giant and hearty portion.

Great start to the night.

the prospect roll: spicy tuna, cucumber, topped with tuna, avocado, white truffle oil, basil

This is a great take on a california roll. Almost as if a spicy tuna roll, a california roll, and a rainbow roll had a baby.

summer roll: crispy vegetarian rolls served with plum sauce

So this is one of our favorite thai spots. Period. Love thai gulf by aroi thai.

We hadn’t had this rolls before - and let me tell you. They’re on the list now. As is extra plum sauce.

thai fried rice with chicken: homemade fried rice with egg, peas, carrots, onion, tomatoes, cilantro and scallions

Always on our order list, it was great to grab a quick taste of an old favorite. Really yummy fried rice.

We were a little disappointed that lobster west chose to serve the same chowder as last year. We also thought that if lobster is literally in your restaurant name, it would be nice to try it. Especially since lobster is not always easy to do. Show us what ya got. Ya know?

citrus spritz: apertivo, gin, prosecco, citrus

Next up was george’s. Which has always had one of our favorite bites every single year. They also always off both a cocktail and a bite. Which I think is nice. And many times, the bite isn’t even something on the regular menu, but a showcase of what they could/can do for private entertaining.

spicy tuna tartare: calabrian chili, capers, shallots, chives, lemon juice, mustard, capers, chives, water crackers

The tuna was definitely on the spicy side. But a perfectly balanced bite. Spot on, per usual.

The next stop was we olive, and considering it’s an olive oil and wine bar, it was a little disappointing that the mojito mocktail they served had neither one of those things in it. They were pushing us to stay and order drinks and food for 10% off - which rubbed me the wrong way, since the whole point of this event is for people to taste their way through the village, in only 2 hours. Offer some great tastings of what you actually serve, and then people will come back on their own time, without the discount. Just saying.

Birdseye, which was new to the hood last year, offered samples of some of their bottomless mimosas from brunch. And while I totally appreciate a good mimosas (and these were both very good), I want to sample your food too. As much as I come for the drinks, I really want to know what your food tastes like. That will bring me back.

We liked the guava the best.

edamame
spicy garlic edamame
gyoza
crunchy spicy tuna roll
crunchy california roll

I’ve wanted to try cherry wine forever. It’s actually a burmese based restaurant, which is kinda cool, and has all sorts of asian fusion food. They opened in 2019, but we never made it over to them during the taste that year, then the pandemic hit, and this was the first time they’ve been back on the list, so we were excited to give it a try.

They had a large selection of different bites to try - which I really appreciated. They definitely were giving us a vision of what their restaurant offers. All the bites were good, but weirdly, my fav, was the spicy edamame. It was so flavorful.

spanakopita: flaky phyllo dough stuffed with spinach and feta, and side of tzatziki
moussaka: lasagna made with eggplant
kourabiedes: greek wedding cookies
grippa

Spiros was next up on our list. Been wanting to try it for a while now. Love greek food; but this was more mediterranean, with a few random (tacos anyone) dishes thrown in too.

I love that they had options, and sweets, and wine. The bummer was the food was all cold, and the wine was warm. Flavor profiles were spot on tho.

We moved on to beeside balcony. This restaurant wasn’t even open yet, last year… but they had samples to share.

This year we got to go up to the restaurant, try some starters - they had both tzatziki and artichoke humus with housemade pita. And a mixed tequila drink.

And, we got to take a look at the speakeasy they’ve added to the site.

My personal fav? The artichoke.

hard corn shell shredded chicken: salsa fresca, lettuce, cheese and crispy corn tortilla
hard corn shell shredded beef: salsa fresca, lettuce, cheese and crispy corn tortilla

Jose’s is a long time local staple. Like since I was a kid. And they are always down to support the taste of la jolla.

There was a choice between beef or chicken tacos. So of course we got one of each. And, they were excellent.

As always.

And that’s where the but is. Because it’s always the chicken and beef tacos. And us locals know them. So it would just be nice, one year, to have something different. Even if what you are served is excellent.

white bean turkey chili: cheddar, jalapeños, and red onions

Queenstown village has just recently opened. It took over the old karl strauss brewery that’s been shut down since covid times.

Been looking forward to what was coming into the spot. And this bite, it did not disappoint.

But maybe, I’m tooting my own horn, because after the first taste, jamie’s reaction was to say, “somebody’s been on your website and found your famous chili recipe. I mean it’s turkey, uses white beans, and has corn, and seriously tastes exactly like what you make.” Gotta love when the hubs is lowkey upset and getting all lawyery about copywrite issues.

But to be fair. It did taste an awful lot like mine. And what I love about my chili recipe - the white beans, the corn, and the turkey- is what is lacking in all other chili’s and why I don’t like them.

This is the only chili I’ve tasted that I would totally order outside the home.

Great minds and all that jazz.

hearth roasted bone marrow: salsa verde, grilled sourdough

Marisi was another one of the restaurants that was just opening last year. They had our favorite bite. A beef tartare, that we have yet to see on the actual menu. Which is heartbreaking. It was so good.

Marisi offered up a fantastic line up this year.

Starting with the beef marrow, although I feel like the sauce was more of a chimichurri. It was delish. And I am incredibly particular about beef marrow. Don’t like it when it’s gamey. Don’t like it when it’s super fatty. This, was perfection. And now one of 3 places I will eat beef marrow.

rigatoni: pomodoro, calabrian chili, basil, stracciatella
hugo spritz: elderflower, opal basil, sparkling wine

Pasta, also excellent. Loved that you had both a vegetarian pasta and a bone marrow option. They were happy to give people one of each if they so wanted.

Also, a drink.

The food was being prepared to order so was hot, and perfectly cooked. This was my idea of a perfect tasting. Options. More than one dish offered. And a drink.

It’s been several months since we were last at marisi, and now i'm looking forward to coming back. 2 years. 2 x perfect offering.

potato taquitos: corn tortilla, queso fresco, guacamole, salsa fresca, sesame black garlic chile oil
puesto perfect margarita: reposado tequila, fresh lime, organic agave nectar

Next up was puesto. Which, if you didn’t know, is the company that started it’s next door neighbor, marisi. Also known for taco choices, and the worlds best watermelon margarita. But I digress.

Love a good potato taco, taquito, burrito, etc. And I kinda love the balls on a place that will choose potato over more well known taquito fillings.

Everything here was delish. Drink and taquito.

meatball: lamb, creamy polenta, tomatoes, mint, parmesan
spicy italian tequila margarita

We headed to catania, which has been a solid part of the taste of la jolla line up for years. Before that it was jacks, a 3 story restaurant concept, where one of my brother’s bff’s was sous. Before that, la jolla had it’s own johnny rockets diner. But that's a convo for a different day.

Catania was affiliated with wisk n ladle (where marisi is now, coincidentally).

Unfortunately, the meatballs were cold and the polenta hard. It was obvious they had been out for a while. Sad, because they have great food, and if this was your first taste, you’re prolly not headed back.

margherita: mozzarella, tomato sauce, basil

I was most excited to try isola, as we didn’t have time to make it over there last year. And, it’s totally our families favorite type of spot.

Excellent apps to share, pastas, pizzas. It’s all we love.

Not only was the pizza coming out fresh and hot; but they showcased the san marzano tomatoes they use - the only canned tomatoes I use. And so superior.

Perfect and fresh.

These were the only restaurants we were able to make it to in the allotted 2 hours. But I now have a list of restaurants i need to fully try; ones I need to revisit; and ones I can pass on for this year.