The Shores is located on the beach at La Jolla and they were offering A "Savor & Sip Pairing Dinner" that was based on chocolate in honor of Valentine's Day. The price was great: $30 per person for three courses and an additional $15 per person with wine pairings. Chelsi & Jason had attended a different dinner series at the Shores last year and really enjoyed it - this menu sounded really promising and we thought it would be a great way to kick off the trip!
Four hungry foodies
First thing first - once we were seated we ordered a drink. It had been a long day, what with getting up at the butt crack of stupid in Stinktown to catch a time machine to the west coast, and nothing helps ease the leftover tension travel like a good drink. Jay ordered a Blood Orange Martini made with Grey Goose, Grand Marnier, and Blood Orange while I opted for a drink called the Diva: Sparkling Wine, Elysium Black Muscat, and Aqua Perfecta Raspberry Liqueur. Both drinks turned out exceptionally well - either one could have been too potent or too sweet but they were subtle and tasty and packed a nice punch.
Thank you sir, may we have another?
Not surprisingly we were pretty hungry since all we'd really had to eat were those terrific burgers at Hodads earlier in ther day, so we ordered a cheese plate to share around the table. This was a wonderful cheese plate and a terrific bargain: for $10 we received Humboldt Fog, Point Reyes Blue, Winchester Gouda, and Green Hill Brie along with crostini, fresh fruits, nuts, and some kind of jam (probably fig). Apart from the blue, which I don't particulary care for, I enjoyed all of these cheeses. Nothing says vacation like a fabulous cheese plate!!
Cheesy does it!
The first two dinner courses allowed for a choice between two items while everything received the same dish for dessert. For his first course Jay chose the Sugar Cane Skewered Jumbo Prawns served with Sweet Potato Hash, Watercress, and Chocolate Balsamic BBQ Sauce. If we had a single complaint with this offering it was that it only came with one prawn - a single shrimpie isn't much in the way of an appetizer even if it is served with a tasty tater hash. It all tasted great, especially the balsamic BBQ sauce, but it would have been nice if they'd been a little more generous with the seafood.
Only one prawn ...
I went with the other option for my first course: Saffron Buttercup Squash Bisque with Citrus Herb Croutons, Proscuito, and Spicy Cacao Nibs. As skimpy as Jay's shrimpie dish was I felt like I was given a bottomless tureen of creamy, squashie soupie goodness. The soup was wonderful, especially with those bits of prosciuto. Both dishes were accompanied by a glass of 2008 Riesling, S.A. Prum, Mosel, Germany. I'm not always a fan of Riesling because many of them strike me as too sweet, but this one was very nice - light and bright.
Yum!
For my second course I selected the 5-Spice Midwestern Filet Mignon served with Mascarpone Whipped Potatoes, Fresh Veggies, and Chocolate Port Reduction. This was very good although I would have like more of those whipped taters - they were light and creamy and practically melted in my mouth. The filet was good and the reduction was a nice compliment to the meat. My wine was a 2005 Red Blend - Deerfield "Red Rex", North Coast, CA - I'm not always a fan of red wines because they can give me headaches but I liked this one ... in very small doses. It was a blend of Cab, Merlot, Syrah, Cab Franc, Malbec, and Sangiovese - it was strong and I ended up giving it to Jay because this is really his kind of wine.
Needs more taters, precious!
Jay chose the Pumpkin Seed Crusted Sea Bass with Portobello Mushroom Risotto, Candied Fennel, and El Rey Mole' Sauce. He really enjoyed this dish and said it was quite good - given the seeds and the mushrooms this was something I didn't even bother to taste. I know when I'm beat! Jay's wine was a 2007 Chardonnay, Cuvaison, Napa, CA - this wine I liked a lot even though it was supposed to go with Jay's fish. It was light and citrusy for a chardonnay, and not at all too heavy or oakey.
Seeds, shrooms, and sea bass
Dessert was the same for everyone: Half Baked Chocolate Molten Cake with Vanilla Bean Gelato, Sugar Cookie Roll, and Morello Cherry Coulis. We were all given a glass of 2007 Essensia Black Muscat, Quady Vineyards, Madera, CA. This was a lovely end to a very tasty meal - gooey sticky chocolate and rich vanilla gelato with a dessert wine that tastes just like port! It was almost too much, but we all made an heroic effort to clean our plates.
Mmmmm, dessert!
All in all this was a wonderful meal in a lovely setting - the food was well prepared and nicely presented, the service was good, the drinks were generously poured, the comapny was fabulous, and who among us doesn't enjoy listening to the sound of the ocean waves lapping the shore while having dinner? If we lived in San Diego we would definitely pay The Shores another visit. As it is, dining there with our friends was a great treat - one we hope to repeat some day!
1 comment:
Your wine dinner had me salivating over my laptop. Everything looked perfect-even the mushrooms (which I hate) and seeds. I have yet to meet an Andrew Quady wine that I didn't like. Overall it sounds like a perfect evening was had by all.
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