We had the reservation before the announcement came earlier this week. Jeune & Jolie was awarded their first Michelin star on Tuesday. So dinner last night ended up being at a 1-star Michelin restaurant in San Diego, who’d have ever thought…
A few housekeeping items before we get to the food. It was a balmy night, we sat outside and it was delightful, there are heaters strategically placed and they were all on which kept the patio pleasantly toasty. Service was attentive and well orchestrated. There was no apparent shortage of staff and what staff there was was personable, well trained and well informed about the menu, including the cocktails and wine. Unfortunately, as night fell the lighting on the patio was not conducive to photos, plus I used the “food” setting on my camera, which I will not do again. Anyway, some of the photos are not as clear as I would have preferred, but they will give you an idea of what the food was like.
The only menu option is prix fixe $85 for a 4 course meal. There were 4 choices for each course except the first course for which there were only 3. Between the 2 of us we had 8 of the 15 dishes offered. We had agreed to share everything, so I got to taste everything we ordered. A vegetarian option was offered on each of the first 3 courses, the 4th is dessert which, of course, is normally vegetarian. There is also a raw bar menu of fresh seafood if you want to supplement the meal.
Two wine pairings are offered, the Jeune for $55 which are New World wines, mostly Pacific Northwest, and Jolie for $75 which are Old World wines, mostly French. I went with the New World pairing, my friend went with the Old World pairing.
The amuse bouche was a shot glass of chilled melon soup that perfectly captured the essence of very ripe, late summer cantaloupe.
We then moved on to the first course. I had the Hamachi Crudo and my friend the Tomato Tart. Both were pretty wonderful
Slow roasted heirloom tomato on a spelt crust. Topped with roasted strawberries and anise hyssop flowers and leaves. Tomato water surrounded it. Tomatoes and strwaberries…who knew?
Wine pairing was 2018 Des Vines D’Envie Jacquere, Savoie, France. While this wine did pair well with the tomato tart it did have a pretty substantial barnyard nose and taste to it.
The hamachi was like “buttah”. Peaches and lemon verbena for the sauce, garnished with pea shoots and itty bitty peach slices, which may have been the bane of some young prep cook. Wine pairing was 2020 Patricia Green Cellars Sauv Blanc, Willamette Valley, OR
Shortly after the dishes were cleared we were presented with this…
The bread course. Croissant dough rolled and baked in a muffin tin topped with assorted seeds. Avocado butter on the side. Forget the gluten, forget the calories, just eat this thing…slowly…and savor every. single. bite. Best dish of the night for me, it was that good.
The second course brought us halibut and beets, tho’ not on the same plate. I love halibut in almost any incarnation. This came with chanterelles, lemon and a bounty of fresh herbs. My friend, who doesn’t much like beets ended up with the beet dish, which she declared delicious. In the end, however, I liked her beet dish better than my halibut and she like my halibut better than her beets.
Thin slices of beets interspersed with black berries - another who knew combination - and garnished with red shiso leaves, housemade fromage blanc on the side. The fromage blanc was heaven with the beets and blackberries.
Wine pairing was 2019 Ferlat “Ramato” Pinot Grigio, Venezia Guilia, Italy. White wine grapes processes as for red wine. Absolutely delicious, and a good match with the beets and berries
Halibut with crispy, lemony breadcrumbs, potato, chanterelles and parsley, tarragon and chives. Oh, and there was a mussel or two in there as well.
Wine pairing was 2019 Trail Marker Chard, Santa Cruz Mountains, CA. Not overly oaked, nice match for the halibut and lemon
On to the 3rd course. I went with the duck and my dining companion went with the loup de mar (Seabass). Both dishes were outstanding
Perfectly cooked duck breast with crispy skin. It came on a bed of beluga lentils (aka black caviar lentils) over which was poured a reduction sauce of black tea and coffee. There were also some red currents in there somewhere
Wine pairing was 2018 Johan Vineyards Pinto Noir, Willamette Valley, OR. Pinots aren’t my favorite red wine, but this one could change my mind. Great with the duck and lentils
Look at that crispy skin. The fish underneath was moist and tender. The “stuff” on the side was squid and peppers.
Wine pairing was 2020 Domaine de la Fouquette Rose, Cotes de Provence, France. Stellar rose.
Finally dessert rolled around. The almond and berry dish was definitely the better of the 2 dishes.
Almond cremeaux two ways topped with blackberries, blueberries (the sorbet) and praline.
Wine pairing was 2019 Domaine D’Alliance, Sauternes, Bordeaux, France. Yummy and totally perfect with the cremeaux
Coconut rice topped with mango and a tapioca crisp, finished with a thai basil sauce.
Wine pairing was 2018 Robert Stinsky Late Harvest Pinot Gris, Los Carneros, CA. Worked well with the coconut and mango, but not as nicely as the sauternes went with the cremeaux
The meal was a treat from start to finish. The chef is fairly new and it has, apparently, taken him a while to find his stride, but if our meal is any indication, he is well on his way. While some dishes were better than others, not one was a clunker or even a near miss. It’s a splurge meal for sure, but definitely worth it.
Which brings me to exactly how much of a splurge it is. We had 2 cocktails, 2 pre-fixe meals, and both wine pairings. Add in a generous and well deserved tip and our final tab was a bit over $400, $130 of which were the wine pairings. Money well spent in my book.
