Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

The View from TBL3—Part 1

A free look at a pricey, but delicious dining experience at George's California Modern

It’s always good to be in with the chef, but sometimes it really pays off. Case in point for me—on a recent trip to George’s California Modern (1250 Prospect Street, La Jolla), executive chef Trey Foshee was in the process of serving one of his special TBL3 menus to a table of epicureans and graciously allowed me to partake. For those who’ve never heard of it, TBL3 is a special dining experience, a 12- to 14-course menu made up of some of Foshee’s more elaborate and experimental dishes. Guests can call ahead to take part. The price tag is hefty, but the cavalcade of imaginative, expertly prepared, and downright artful plates that emerge from the kitchen will justify the cost for those afflicted with the foodie virus.

While I didn’t get to try all of the dishes on the night’s bill of fare (Foshee constructs a new menu for each TBL3 foray), he allowed me to sample nine of them from the other side of the dining room. It was like being a well fed passenger on some gastronomic underground railroad. I felt fortunate to get a taste and vowed not to squander the opportunity to let readers in on what TBL3 looks and tastes like. Anybody laying down big money for something like this should go in as informed as possible. So, without further adieu, allow me to submit my TBL3 experience for your approval.

The first offering to grace the table was easily the prettiest. Sweet chunks of lobster topped with fiery orange steelhead salmon roe shared nicely arranged space with Jerusalem artichokes (a.k.a., sunchokes) and brightly tart lemon cream. The latter was in perfect sync with the slight acidity of the caviar, which had been cured with sake. The poignant luxury ingredients were lightened up nicely with the accoutrements, including French sorrel, which earned style points for taste and looks.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/apr/06/43340/

Next up was something both playful and tasty—“fish tacos.” Given Foshee’s love of the ocean and its inhabitants, it wasn’t surprising to see him go with San Diego’s beach cuisine staple. What did take me aback was his take on it. The chef utilized thinly-sliced celeriac as the tortilla component to hold salmon marinated in a Buddah’s hand citrus vinegar mixture. And in the place of salsa—smoked apple gelée. It may have looked like a taco, but that’s where the comparison ended. The apple was the predominant flavor. It worked well with the celery root, making for a refreshing amuse.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/apr/06/43341/

Course three came to the table in the form of a bowl containing a trio of black truffle raviolini and a planter’s box-worth of petitely pared veg and flowery herbs. It was the kind of dish I almost hate to ruin with flatware. Fortunately, my waiter laid it to waste by pouring in a warm, crystal clear, amber broth over it to complete Foshee’s reimagined version of minestrone soup. Wisps of steam carried the strong scent of fennel. The flavor of the soup carried more delicate anise notes, but the stars of the show were those raviolini. Their soft, homogenous filling positively burst with truffle flavor. I hate to reduce something so exceptional to an acronym, but OMG!

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/apr/06/43342/

Foshee went back to sea fare for the next dish, serving up a minimalist plate consisting of a thin strip of aji (Japanese mackerel) with salted red beets served up two ways along with cute red-and-white Chioggia beets, and a dab of lime gelée. The mackerel had been charred, most likely using a kitchen torch. It was a nice, doting preparation, and the lime offered good contrast, but after all that preceded it, the dish felt a bit pedestrian. That’s the trouble with wowing a palate…doing so makes it tougher and tougher with each dish that follows to replicate that extreme awe factor.

This is starting to get long, so I’ll pick up where I left off tomorrow. If you can believe it, I haven’t even got to my favorite two dishes of the evening. You’ll definitely want to check back tomorrow for those!

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

Centennial Salute to San Diego’s Military, East Village Block Party, Birding Basics Class

Events March 29-March 30, 2024

It’s always good to be in with the chef, but sometimes it really pays off. Case in point for me—on a recent trip to George’s California Modern (1250 Prospect Street, La Jolla), executive chef Trey Foshee was in the process of serving one of his special TBL3 menus to a table of epicureans and graciously allowed me to partake. For those who’ve never heard of it, TBL3 is a special dining experience, a 12- to 14-course menu made up of some of Foshee’s more elaborate and experimental dishes. Guests can call ahead to take part. The price tag is hefty, but the cavalcade of imaginative, expertly prepared, and downright artful plates that emerge from the kitchen will justify the cost for those afflicted with the foodie virus.

While I didn’t get to try all of the dishes on the night’s bill of fare (Foshee constructs a new menu for each TBL3 foray), he allowed me to sample nine of them from the other side of the dining room. It was like being a well fed passenger on some gastronomic underground railroad. I felt fortunate to get a taste and vowed not to squander the opportunity to let readers in on what TBL3 looks and tastes like. Anybody laying down big money for something like this should go in as informed as possible. So, without further adieu, allow me to submit my TBL3 experience for your approval.

The first offering to grace the table was easily the prettiest. Sweet chunks of lobster topped with fiery orange steelhead salmon roe shared nicely arranged space with Jerusalem artichokes (a.k.a., sunchokes) and brightly tart lemon cream. The latter was in perfect sync with the slight acidity of the caviar, which had been cured with sake. The poignant luxury ingredients were lightened up nicely with the accoutrements, including French sorrel, which earned style points for taste and looks.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/apr/06/43340/

Next up was something both playful and tasty—“fish tacos.” Given Foshee’s love of the ocean and its inhabitants, it wasn’t surprising to see him go with San Diego’s beach cuisine staple. What did take me aback was his take on it. The chef utilized thinly-sliced celeriac as the tortilla component to hold salmon marinated in a Buddah’s hand citrus vinegar mixture. And in the place of salsa—smoked apple gelée. It may have looked like a taco, but that’s where the comparison ended. The apple was the predominant flavor. It worked well with the celery root, making for a refreshing amuse.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/apr/06/43341/

Course three came to the table in the form of a bowl containing a trio of black truffle raviolini and a planter’s box-worth of petitely pared veg and flowery herbs. It was the kind of dish I almost hate to ruin with flatware. Fortunately, my waiter laid it to waste by pouring in a warm, crystal clear, amber broth over it to complete Foshee’s reimagined version of minestrone soup. Wisps of steam carried the strong scent of fennel. The flavor of the soup carried more delicate anise notes, but the stars of the show were those raviolini. Their soft, homogenous filling positively burst with truffle flavor. I hate to reduce something so exceptional to an acronym, but OMG!

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/apr/06/43342/

Foshee went back to sea fare for the next dish, serving up a minimalist plate consisting of a thin strip of aji (Japanese mackerel) with salted red beets served up two ways along with cute red-and-white Chioggia beets, and a dab of lime gelée. The mackerel had been charred, most likely using a kitchen torch. It was a nice, doting preparation, and the lime offered good contrast, but after all that preceded it, the dish felt a bit pedestrian. That’s the trouble with wowing a palate…doing so makes it tougher and tougher with each dish that follows to replicate that extreme awe factor.

This is starting to get long, so I’ll pick up where I left off tomorrow. If you can believe it, I haven’t even got to my favorite two dishes of the evening. You’ll definitely want to check back tomorrow for those!

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.