A Friday early evening drive
just a couple of exits south of The Kate Stanton Inn seemed to take an eternity
with the homeward bound and visitor traffic heading to San Diego for the
weekend. But, hidden at the end of a residential community cul de sac is Coral
Tree Farm & Nursery. It has been a family-owned and operated business since
1958 and grows heirloom vegetables and organic tropical fruits like avocados,
cherimoyas, and guavas. They also sell eggs from their healthy, free pasture
flock of heritage breed chickens, raised without antibiotics and eat organic
feed. They also offer space for private events like the dinner this evening.
The event began with live
music and conversation with table mates. Chef John Gonzales, from Bottaro WoodFired Pizza, prepared three items for the first course.
Tuscan Salad included
marinated tri-tip steak grilled in the oven atop spring mixed greens, shaved
parmigiano, and freshly made lemon olive oil dressing. The steak was grilled to
a perfect medium rare complete with juicy and tender texture. The greens and
dressing balanced the dish with slight bitter, sour, and sweet flavors all
working together.
Margherita Pizza is topped
with crushed tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil, sea salt, and olive oil. Simple
yet delicious! The crust has a nice texture with a bubbled bottom crust and slightly
smoky flavor from the wood burning oven. The sweet tomatoes, creamy mozzarella,
and herbaceous basil tantalized the taste buds.
Blonde Tomato Pizza is topped
with ricotta, fresh heirloom tomatoes, garlic, and parmigiano. This is a pizza
that you might not be able to stop eating. Luckily, they only served one slice.
The creamy ricotta works well with the garlic and tomato flavors, like lasagna.
Mangia!
La Jolla Brewing Company paired their Sunny Jim’s IPA with the first course.
It is the flagship IPA with a crisp bitter bite then yields to mild citrus
tones. It makes a nice pairing with spring/summer salads as well as being an
excellent springtime brew all on its own.
Chef Sonia Tryhane, from
Foodiesbysonia, prepared the second course. Brazilian Style Shrimp
made with yucca root, coconut milk, and spices served with rice. The dish was
very flavorful, also reminiscent of Thai curry with the spices and coconut milk
being quite addictive. The yucca root brought the South American flavor to the
mix. The shrimp were a little over cooked, but keep in mind, she prepared this
banquet style for around 100 people.
Boochcraft paired the Tumeric Tangerine Ginger Kombucha with the
second course. It is made with simple ingredients: filtered water, black tea,
cold pressed tangerine, turmeric, and ginger juices, and cane sugar. It is
brewed like a craft beer can contains healthy probiotics, vitamins, and
minerals. The citrus, ginger, and turmeric flavors paired well with the coconut
milk and spices from the shrimp.
Chef William Eick, from 608
Mission, prepared the third course. Milk Poached Halibut cooked with peas,
confit garlic, and clarified milk/flower tea. This wildly imaginative dish really
pushed the boundaries of ways to serve halibut. The milk and poaching process
of the halibut gave it a buttery flavor while not waterlogging the flesh of the
fish. The peas were the perfect color accent and the fresh pea flavor paired
well with the halibut.
Robert Young Estate Winery paired their
2014 Alexander Valley Chardonnay with the third course. It’s a tropical beach
vacation in a glass with golden color; mango, papaya, and melon aromatics;
kiwi, guava, nectarine, caramel and toasted macadamia flavors on the palate.
Chef Alex Carballo, from
MotoDeli, prepared the fourth course. Flat Iron Chimichurri served with a grilled
spring vegetable salad. An excellent, tender, juicy flat iron steak grilled to
a perfect medium rare. The mix of grilled vegetables worked perfectly with the
meat and the herbaceous chimichurri.
Robert Young Estate Winery
paired their 2012 Scion Cabernet Sauvignon with the fourth course. This cab is
aged in 100% French oak barrels and is a hybrid of California and Bordeaux
styles. It is structured and balanced with plenty of fruit notes.
Dessert course was presented
by Brothers Provisions, Gourmet Mediterranean Chocolate, and Half Pint Ciders.
Kate O’Hara, from Brothers
Provisions, provided an artisan cheese plate. The double cream brie was amazing
with its creamy, buttery texture and flavor spread onto the sliced baguette will
send you into cheese heaven.
Brian Trout, from Half Pint
Ciders, presented three ciders. The first is Cidrerie Daufresne’s Poiré from Normandy, France. This pear cider is made
from local pears of lower Normandy. It has a fine effervescence with pale, yet
brilliant yellow color. It has a fruity nose and tangy fruit notes are defined
on the palate.
The second is 101 Cider House’s Indian Pale Cider from Los Angeles, CA. It is a blend of American
cider apples and west coast hops. Tart, fragrant, and citrus notes are
experienced on the palate combined with a sparkling effervescence.
The third is Sea Cider Farm & Ciderhouse’s Prohibition from Vancouver Island, BC. This is made with home-grown
heritage apples and aged in rum-soaked barrels for a minimum of six months. This
produces deep rich flavors and aromas of brown sugar and rum.
Gourmet Mediterranean
Chocolates served two different chocolates. The first was a Jamaican Dark Rum
Truffle. The second was an Everything Square. Gourmet Mediterranean makes their
dark chocolate treats from cocoa beans grown on sustainable growth plantations.
They do not use flour, butter, dairy products, or eggs. They use only the pure
Belgian dark chocolate, dried fruits, nuts, tahini (sesame seed butter),
coffee, pure vanilla, and cold-pressed olive oil. The products are all gluten-free
and vegan.
As the guests started to
depart, a schwag bag was offered and filled with foodie goodies from Gogobot, Coola, Nibble, Frazier Farms, and The Salami Store, along with coupons from Bamboo 2 U and Beach House
Too, Yelp Eat 24, Outlets at San Clemente, Equinox, Nii Bar, and a Foodie Fest Passport good through October 31,
2016.
With bellies full, it was
time to head back to The Kate Stanton Inn for a wonderful night’s sleep to get
ready for the Foodie Fest Encinitas at The Lumberyard. Stay tuned for the
article!
For more information:
598 Park Ln.
Encinitas, CA 92024
+1.951.445.2342
Hours: Tuesday from 10 a.m.
to 3 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Parking: Street but be
mindful of “No Parking” signs on parts of Park Ln. You may need to park around
the corner and walk.
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