FrogPrincesse

kalypso, Thanks for the recommendation. I need to thank you twice because I already followed your advice a few months ago, and had a great evening as a result. When you posted about restaurant week, I had completely forgotten about it. I made a reservation at Arterra after reading your excellent review. My husband and I were not disappointed and had an excellent meal for only $30. We will definitely go there again. As for Extraordinary Desserts – I used to live just a few blocks away from its Fifth Avenue location, so I had quite a few occasions to try the various offerings there. I would say that, compared to most pastry shops in San Diego, it’s quite good, although a little bit on the “heavy” side. Karen Krasne was trained in France (Cordon Bleu/Lenotre) but I think that her style is more American than French in general. The portions are very large and the cakes that are on the regular menu are a little overwhelming, but the specials can be great. They often run out of the specials early in the evening so it’s better to come early. The tea pastries (scones, cookies, etc) are ok but can sometimes be dry and/or boring despite the beautiful presentations (flowers, gold leaf, etc). I’ve been disappointed a few times (a super salty chocolate cookie that I was served once comes to mind) and the service is always pretty poor (read – extremely slow, and definitely an “attitude”). It’s also expensive (I believe that specials run about $10). The tea selection is great and includes Mariage Freres. Champagne in Del Mar has good French pastries although they’ve slightly reduced their selection. I recommend it. I have not tried Just Desserts (is it the same place as “Just Fabulous”?) in Kensington so I am adding it to my list of places to try. Someone mentioned Venissimo on Washington Street – it’s a great cheese shop. It’s tiny but the selection is great, they’re super friendly and will let you try anything.

mmm-yoso, Carlsbad, Kouign Aman - Thank you for the warm welcome! Kouign Aman – of course I am interested! Thanks for the offer. I may have a source for Breton cider… I need to check because that would be perfect with the cake.

This is my first post on egullet. Please be kind! I joined the website a few months ago and have been greatly benefiting from all of the helpful advice, cooking tips, ideas for meals, restaurant suggestions, etc… It’s really a fantastic resource and now my time to contribute has come! I thought I should start by talking about Tapenade, a French bistro that also happens to be my favorite restaurant in San Diego. Tapenade opened in 1998, which coincides with my arrival in San Diego (I am originally from Paris, France). Tapenade’s chef and owner, Jean-Michel Diot, is well know for his work in New York city where he opened Park Bistro and also the famous French bistro “Les Halles”. I’ve had lunch and dinner at Tapenade many times and it’s always been a pleasurable experience. Now I will describe my most recent meal that took place a few weeks ago. I usually order “a la carte” but the restaurant was offering a tasting menu that seemed very well designed so my husband and I decided to go with that. The menu was as follows: ----- TASTING MENU $62.00 PER PERSON $86.00 with pairing wines $92.00 with premium wines Terrine de Foie Gras, brioche toastée, dry figs mousseline Duck foie gras terrine, toasted brioche Homard aux Truffes et celery remoulade Maine lobster medallions, celeriace remoulade, fresh truffle dressing Poisson du jour "Provencale" Fish of the day, fingerling potato, baby zucchini, tomato confit, favas beans, niçoise olives & fine herb emulsion Noisettes de veau de lait, rates, Champignons, Feves, Jus du Sautoir Veal tenderloin "Noisettes," fava beans, fingerling potato, wild mushrooms and veal jus Le dessert de votre choix Dessert of your choice Mignardises ----- My husband ordered the wine pairings (premium wines), but I decided to pass since we are expecting a new addition to our family in a few months. I won’t be providing details about the wines other than the region for each one since we did not take notes and I did not get a chance to try them. At Tapenade you are always served tapenade (of course!) to start the meal, which is a traditional paste made out of black olives, garlic and anchovies and eaten on bread. The bread served at Tapenade is from Bread and Compagnie (Bread and Cie), which also happens to be my favorite bakery in San Diego, and I have to be careful about not devouring too much bread so I can to enjoy the rest of the meal. The starter course, which was duck foie gras, was really the highlight of the meal. It was very rich and creamy, a generous slice of terrine served with brioche. In fact, the slice was so large that we also used bread as an accompaniment. With the duck terrine, a quenelle of fig mousseline (whipped mousse texture with small pieces of figs) was served, which was good but not as impressive as the foie gras. We’ve had the foie gras before at Tapenade and have never been disappointed. Compared to the foie gras we had a few months ago at Bouchon in Las Vegas, the texture is less dense, which I actually like better. The taste may be on the saltier side but still very well balanced. After this first course, we were already quite satisfied. The foie gras was served with a Sauternes. The second course was the lobster course, which was probably the least impressive dish of the meal. The lobster was served cold and had a sweet, subtle taste but was overpowered by the “celery remoulade” that was served on the side. I love celery remoulade which is shredded celeriac root with a mustardy-mayonnaise dressing, but I did not think this was the best match for the lobster (although it is often served with it or with cold crab). Also on the plate was a fresh truffle emulsion that was divine but best on bread rather than with the lobster because it was also more flavorful. A Chablis was served with this dish. The third course was fish (“poisson du jour”) and we were served a crispy seabass filet with a delicious mix of vegetables. I especially enjoyed the fava beans and the tomato confit. The light sauce sauce/broth was nice too and everything was well balanced. This dish was very well executed and paired with a Sancerre blanc. This dish expressed very well what I enjoy at Tapenade – fresh, simple ingredients, prepared in an elegant and delicious way. Similar to traditional French bistro food but more refined and with more subtle flavors. The upscale version of comfort food for me. I also enjoy more adventurous foods but this is what I always go back too. The meat dish, the veal, had the same qualities as the seabass dish. Great ingredients expertly prepared – the meat, extremely tender and flavorful, served in the (probably reduced/degreased) cooking juices with wild mushrooms. I could eat this everyday… The wine pairing was a Bordeaux. For dessert we went with crispy banana rolls for me and a warm chocolate “fondant” for my husband. The rolls were served with handmade ice creams (mango and banana), a rich chocolate sauce and a vanilla whipped cream. I was impressed with the presentation of the desserts – I understand that Tapenade now has a pastry chef who is apparently improving on the dessert menu that Tapenade is offering. This was not the first time we had the chocolate fondant but this time the presentation was more memorable. In the past it used to be served with mango ice cream but the coconut ice cream was a good match too. The chocolate fondant was served with a tawny port. Since we didn’t order coffee we were not served mignardises but these usually consist of homemade “pate de fruit” (fruit paste) in assorted flavors. Overall this was a great meal. Service was impeccable and the staff very attentive. JM Diot stepped out of the kitchen for a few minutes during our meal but I was too chicken to chat with him, so we sent him our compliments via our waiter who was also French. Tapenade offers a daily lunch prix fixe menu for less than $20 so that’s a great way to sample their dishes without breaking the bank. A few other signature dishes we’ve enjoyed in the past are the mushroom raviolis (they are served with a delicious Port wine and truffle oil-based sauce), duck confit, Burgundy snails, lamb loin, coq au vin. Thanks to Kouign Aman for starting this thread about San Diego restaurants (I wonder where to find a Kouign Aman in San Diego by the way, I haven’t had one in a while). And to those who still wonder, yes we do have a lot of fine restaurants in San Diego. I will try to review my favorites in the near future. To name a few: 910, Region, El Bizcocho, Laurel, Arterra, The Marine Room, A.R. Valentien, Fresh, Chive, and La Bonne Bouffe, Barbarella or Parallel 33 on the more casual side. Other restaurants I plan on going to based on great reviews are newer restaurants Asia Vous in Escondido (chef/owner Riko Batolome) and Vivace at the Four Seasons Aviara (chef Bruce Logue from Babbo in New York City); also Pamplemousse Grill which I’ve never had a chance to go to. On the casual side I would love to try the Linkery in North Park that opened last year and obviously specializes in homemade sausages (choucroute anyone?).