Addison
Hemingway Daiquiri – 10 Cane Rum, Lime, Grapefruit
Amuse Bouche – Jardin de Fruits – Rhubarb, Raspberry, Ginger, Lime
Sherry and Crème Fraiche Gougere
Asparagus Deux Facons – Gribiche, Brioche, and Sorrel (Dutch White with Sorrel Puree and lemon / Northern California Delta Asparagus Veloute and Sliced Spears)
Meyer Lemon and Sea Salt Grissini
Kampachi Tartare – Uni, Cucumber, Lime (Kona, Miso Emulsion, Wakame)
Salted Brioche with Butter
Sea Scallop <<En Coquille>> – Caviar and Champagne (Wakame, Uni)
Dover Sole <<Amandine>> – King Crab and Golden Osetra Caviar with Cognac and Brown Butter
Petit Pois <<A La Francaise>> Ris de Veau and Red Onion Jam Reduction (Panko Brioche, Romaine)
Coffee Roasted Canard – Koshihikari Rice, Candied Peanuts, Albufera Sauce (Leg Confit beneath rice)
Artisan Cheese Course – Acapella (Pasteurized Goat’s Milk), Tomme Brebis (Raw Sheep) Somerset Sharp Cheddar, Largo Andante (Pasteurized Cow’s Milk Triple Cream), Fourme d’Ambert Bleu
Raspberry Sorbet – Yuzu Granita
Petite Tartelette – Meyer Lemon and Meringue
Peanut Butter Terrine – Port Wine Ice Cream and Honey Anglaise (Luxardo Cherries)
Raspberry Macaron with Milk Chocolate Ganache
Shortbread
Billed (heavily) as Southern California’s only Five-Star / Five-Diamond restaurant and featuring the culinary skills of Chef William Bradley plus the bounty of the region’s local seafood, produce, and livestock Addison at The Grand Del Mar seemed a fitting finale to my visit to San Diego and with reservations secured for the main dining room a month in advance expectations were high as the seasonal menu turned from spring to summer, bringing with it many of my personal favorites. Beautiful, elegant, and well cultivated Addison is undoubtedly a ‘hotel restaurant’ in as guests are given white glove treatment from entry to exit and yet with this comes some of the less fortunate aspects of such an experience as well, namely overly formal and joyless service plus food that often fails to take chances. A truly beautiful room and technically flawless with imported caviar gently popping on the tongue, snappy asparagus as flavorful as those in Paris, a creamy sweetbread the size of a child’s fist, and the sort or ruby red duck you only see at true temples of gastronomy Addison is a restaurant where diners get what they pay for, the room and each dish exquisite, but at such a tariff I would have traded perfection for a little more enthusiasm.
