Georges at the Cove – Utmost in Fine Dining
Back in the days when there were Smoking and Non-Smoking sections in restaurants (I know, the thought of cigarette smoke in a restaurant today is barbaric, right?) a group of us comprised of four couples went to eat at Georges at the Cove.
Mark and Patty snorkeling at La Jolla Cove
We requested a Non-Smoking section and were placed one table away from a smoker. It was just like the no-pee zone in a swimming pool. Just as our entrees arrived, the guy had finished his dinner and was lighting up a cigarette the smoke of which of course wafted in our direction.
Unruly Smoker
My husband, Mark, asked the guy to put out his ciggie; after a few cocktails the guy was belligerent and said “No.” So Mark opened up a window. The smoker got up and shut the window. “You really can’t have it both ways,” Mark told him. “Put out the cigarette or leave the window open.”
The guy then blew an entire cloud of smoke in my face which was so nauseating I could not even finish my meal. Mark wanted to punch the guy through the plate-glass window. We asked for the manager and George himself came out saying that if we didn’t like the smoke then we should leave. In that era, 20 years ago, it cost the eight of us around $400 for meals that we couldn’t even finish due to the crass smoker. Adding insult to injury, the meals were not comped, and the eight of us departed Georges at the Cove, seething and angry.
For years afterward, anytime someone mentioned “George’s at the Cove” we would relate our story and dissuade them from going.
Times Change
Then sometime around 2015,, someone to whom we related our story happened to be a friend of George. Naturally, word got back to George. And to show you how times – and people – can change, he called us up on the phone and apologized for the fracas 20 years ago, and offered us a $100 certificate to dine there.
Patty and Mark at the renovated Georges at the Cove for a birthday dinner
We were happy to drop the long-time grudge and sample some of the latest fare at George’s at the Cove.” We went on my birthday.
Hand-made cocktails
We were seated at a nicely lit area with not even an echo of the way it had looked back in the 1990’s. Wonderful ambiance and friendly staff, we noted right away. We were definitely ready to go “all in” with this special birthday dinner at this California Modern fine dining venue, so we started out with cocktails and an hors doevre.
I always like to lean toward a tangy lemon drop and Mark likes a spicier drink, so he opted for the Maple Old Fashioned. And then followed the cavalcade of food.
Cold soup with octopus tentacle
There was a cold soup with octopus tentacle to tease our palates.
Tenderloin with peach
For our entrees, Mark had the beef. I had the fish. Both dishes were succulent and dressed on the plate as though they were teenagers ready for Homecoming.
Executive Chef, Trey Foshee, is one of the most imaginative, whimsical and creative chefs out there. So Mark and I realized that this experience was going to be as close as we would ever get to a dining experience at El Bulli. That was(the restaurant at the end of the universe – on the edge of Catalonia, Spain, now reimagined as a creativity center.
Mark and I always like to split our food. That means we feel as though we get twice as much food as we ordered. And now we were definitely getting full, especially with the excellent bottle of wine accompanying our meal.
When the Fat Lady Sings…
Chocolate torte with scoop of Tahitian vanilla ice cream on shaved chocolate
But the opera is not over until the fat lady sings, or the birthday dessert is consumed. And thus our chapter closed on a marvelous meal after so many months of bitterness.
My mother’s dying words to me were: “Don’t hold grudges.” I think she would be pleased by how it all ended.
And she would have thoroughly enjoyed that chocolate torte, too.
Thank you, George, for stepping up. We have forgiven you!
