out and about: sea & sky

Can I just tell you how excited we were to try the new updated restaurant in hotel la jolla? Like extremely.

For many reasons… the old restaurant, cusp, just didn’t take advatage of the amazing view or location like it should of. Which was slightly depressing considering the location is 5 minutes down the hill from us, and the view is pacific ocean centric.

When we heard that the restaurant was getting completely reimagined and reinvented, we were so excited. Like extremely.

And then? When we heard that bradley chance was attached as the chef de cuisine, we got even more excited. Like extremely, extremely. We knew and loved bradley from the george’s modern days. His amuses were always a knock-out, and his use of fresh and local ingredients, along with a seafood forward bent, never disappointed during our many TBL3 meals. Spotless execution that’s clean and harmonious, without any excess fluff, letting the ingredients speak for themselves.

super dirty gin martini

society pupil ipa

Y’all know I love a good dirty martini. And this was definitely a good one. My only complaint? More than one olive please. But that’s a me thing.

Jamie was excited to see society on the menu. Always a good ipa choice.

Good drinks? Check. Happy campers? Check. Check. Great view to enjoy them? Check. Check. Check.

parker house loaves: la jolla sea salt and miso butter

Is la jolla sea salt actually a thing? If it’s not, it totally needs to be. A little homage to our home town.

And don’t get me started about the miso butter. Holy toledo batman… I want to slather it on all the things. All the time. For always.

Loved the play on parker house rolls. Have to admit, i prefer the original myself… but give me that miso butter to put on them and I’ll eat parker house baguettes.

bone marrow + yellowfin tuna: salsa macha, pineapple pico, warm flour tortillas

Brilliance. This dish is pure brilliance.

Who ever thinks about combining warm and silky bone marrow with fresh raw yellowfin? And then serving them together on a mini tostada, topped with pineapple salasa. Brilliance I tell you.

Seriously one of the best bites we’ve ever had. And that’s saying alot, because jamie feels about bone marrow the way he feels about lamb - it’s only worth eating if it’s cooked correctly. And man oh man was this bone marrow unbelieveable.

The tostadas themselves made us reminisce back to TBL3 and the many iterations of the snapper tacos we enjoyed over the years. The whole dish was exactly what we would have expected and been thrilled about back then.

catching rays: saffron-infused espolon silver tequila, ginger, tamarelo, tamarind liqueur, lemon, agave

Cheers. Loved this play on a margarita. What fun flavor profiles.

oysters: kumiai oysters, aguachile azul, pickled watermelon rind, yuzu seafoam

Once again, the combo of ingredients here is nothing short of genius. I adore oysters, and kumiai one of my very favorites. They are firm and briney with a sweet finish, a clean a fresh taste, that could be easily overpowered by too “much” extra umph.

This was not the case. By not serving them with the traditional lemon, cocktail, migionette, and horseradish accoutrements on the side, and instead having them plated and ready to go, you are left with the perfect balance of flavors. That pickled rind, I tell you, perfect vinegar hit. The agua chili give a hint of spice, and the yuzu adds the citrus. All the elements you want, but in an unexpected and perfectly balanced way. Pro tip: order the oysters.

yellowtail crudo: passion fruit, cucumber, avocado, radish, crispy sweet potato

I need to stop writing this, and go back, because your girl is making herself hungry remembering all these amazing dishes. Seriously… here’s my problem. I want to order them all again. But, then how will I know how good all the other dishes are, if I do?

Case in point, this yellowtail. Such a great juxtaposition of ingredients. All fresh, and all work together to form a cohesive bite, that is based in the quality of the ingredients, rather than a sauce or heavy component that would make everything blend together.

I mean, look at those adorable crispy potato circles. And the crisp radish rounds. And who knew how well passion fruit would work with tomato and cucumber (cue ideas for my future recipes). You do now.

sparkling rose: domaine carneros brut, carneros, california

Perfect glass of wine. Crisp, clean, and pairs beautifully with seafood.

half grilled snapper: aji amarillo, la jolla nicoise, perslane

Showstopper right here. And it doesn’t hurt that it’s my beloved snapper. Seriously… i love snapper.

And who doesn’t love a whole/half fish both for presentation, and for collar accessability. And you best believe, I grabbed that first. Sorry, not sorry babe, a perfectly cooked snapper collar is not something you sleep on.

And the warm play on a niciose? Perfect accompanyment. And perffect spin on the classic - I actually prefer this version.

Obviously, we were right to be excited. And extremely so. We’re already planning our next visit back… and this time we’re bringing friends.