What I wouldn't give to have the Midas touch! David Cohn seems to have found out the secret of turning all he touches into gold based on his extremely successful restaurant group, which covers 11 restaurants in San Diego and 1 in Maui. I had the opportunity to meet him at a food trade show before the opening of his 11th restaurant in Oceanside last year, and was struck by his pleasant demeanor, ability to cut the business chit chat bullsh*t and speak frankly without the hint of rudeness or elitist superioriy. To be honest, if I was in his shoes I'm not so sure I'd be so nice!
His latest venture, North County's 333 Pacific off the Oceanside pier, is still in its infancy and yet has been met with more acclaim and praise than many more established restaurants over years of toil. Multiple awards have already been won; steak and seafood blend together for a wildly innovative and solid menu, and with hundreds of their hand-selected vodkas from around the world, not to mention a formidable wine list to pair the food with, it's a match made in heaven. Entering the restaurant you are met with a mix of people- mostly nicely dressed 20 and 30somethings hobnobbing in the dimly blue lit vodka lounge, maybe a small handful of kids who haven't reached their teen years, a whitehair here and there, and what seemed to be the most attractive waitstaff in Oceanside. It was extremely upscale with no snobby overtones whatsoever. The view is unbeatable, and the space is large enough to accommodate an intimate pair or a huge family gathering.
Ashton and I had been trying to find an excuse to make the 40+ minute trek up to North County and justifying spending what promised to be a triple-digit meal. Based on 333's reputation, this was not the kind of place that we would be able to hold back. We finally had the opportunity for our 2 year anniversary, and to seal the deal I made sure to make the reservation online. A unexpected pleasantry I found was the "special requests" option on the browser. "Sure", I thought, "I'll just ask for a nice, intimate table and they'll do that. Doesn't hurt to ask, right?" Apparently not! Once we got there, we were quickly escorted to one of the enclosed-patio tables with a stunning view of the Pacific. Unfortunately, our reservations fell after the sun, but the people watching was just as good.
Surprised with the good start, we only had to open the menu to be even more impressed without having touched a bite of food. The waitstaff was impeccable. Elegant without being stuffy, knowledgeable without being snobby, the waiters danced around us in a constant ebb and flow of service without once interfering with the actual experience. Since we both had fish on the mind, we decided to start with a steak appetizer. A Kobe beef tartare salad was the special of the evening, and it came as though the greens were picked upon ordering and the meat had simply been peeled off a live animal. Lightly seasoned with pepper, the steak was just warm enough to accent the chilled greens with tossed veggies and a light Asian dressing. Absolute balance on a plate.
For the main course, Ashton decided to go for one of the more 'comfortable' dishes offered- wild striped bass sauteed with a sweet velvet corn sauce and paired with Maine lobster fritters. This proved to be a heavier dish, but one that sat well with the tastebuds! Velvety was the perfect adjective for the sauce, which was ladled with the perfect amount over the absolutely divine fish. I swear it was fresher there than much of the fish you could get on the East Coast! The fritters, though a side, spoke loudly and declared that yes! The word "fritter" can be found even here in the swanky Southern California food scene! Maine lobster is some of the best in the world, and that was proven again and again with every bite.
However, once I spied the word "ahi" on the menu, my mind was made up. The sashimi grade tuna came to life on a bed of elegantly steamed sushi rice and baby bok choy with an enhacing shiitake miso soy sauce. For some reason, I can never get bok choy quite right, and I still manage to enjoy the Asian green, so imagine my delight when I come across it when it prepared not just correctly, but magnificently! I've always said that if I were to work in a kitchen I would love to be a saucier, because I find that the true art lies with the details. Sashimi grade ahi tuna is hardly a blank slate to start with, and the addition of a delicately crafted sauce is the backbone that separates the simply good dishes from the award-winning, orgasm-inducing ones.
How, you might ask, could we find room for more? I can assure you that no bit was left on our plates as we obediently followed our mothers' instructions to clean our plates. Our server, seemingly via a psychic connection, offered us an anniversary dessert, but we quickly decided upon the pumpkin and white chocolate mousse cheesecake. I love the word "cheesecake". How can you go wrong with cheese AND cake?!?!
Just another special, unexpected touch to seal the wonderful experience of the evening. Many kudos to the chef, waitstaff, and obviously talented team of fine restauraneurs. An absolute must.
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