Saturday, March 17, 2007

George's at the Cove

I believe that no trip to San Diego is ever complete without a meal at George's at the Cove in downtown La Jolla. It's definitely one of those restaurant gems that makes that area so wonderful. The restaurant is actually divided into three levels. At the top is the Ocean Terrace Bistro, which is great during the day because you can enjoy gorgeous views of the Pacific Ocean while eating lunch. In the middle is the Pacific View Bar - I've only sat in there once with a friend to have a drink at the bar while waiting for our table on the terrace level. At finally, at the bottom is George's California Modern, the fine dining level that has the best food out of all three levels, with prices raised accordingly. The fine dining level was recently renovated to have a more "modern" look (hence the new "California Modern" in its name).

I used to have lunch at the Terrace Bistro every so often as a college student, so I've been missing it ever since I came back up north. Their food is just so fresh, well-prepared, and nicely plated. On this San Diego trip, I ordered the chimichurri steak sandwich, which was fabulous (and no, I didn't order that just so I could roll the word "chimichurri" off my tongue, although it is a fun word to say).

Chimichurri marinated steak sandwich, served open faced with avocado, arugula, grilled onions, and fries on the side ($12)

Close up shot of the steak

The last time I had a steak sandwich, it was at some Greek-owned breakfast place in Fremont where they slapped this huge uncut steak onto two pieces of toast. Not very pretty or manageable. But this steak sandwich at George's was quite good. The bread was lightly toasted, and the steak was a perfect medium rare (the way I always order my steaks). The avocado and arugula added some nice flavors and textures to contrast with the meat. And the fries were crispy perfection. The best part was that the steak was cut into about 6 slices and then topped onto the bread, so it made eating much easier.

George's also has impeccable service, but the waiters aren't stuffy like they can be at some other restaurants in the upscale downtown La Jolla. And the view of the ocean from the terrace level is simply amazing:

In short, I love George's. San Diego wouldn't be the same without it.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

What's better than a big fat juicy burger w/fries? A big fat juicy burger, fries, and a beautiful view of the ocean!

Passionate Eater said...

Wow, the view looks incredible, and the chimichurri sandwich doesn't look bad either! . . . You're right "chimichurri" is fun to say!