The city of Oceanside, while technically not in San Diego proper but still within county limits, has a beautiful pier with a sunset one must see to believe.  This was the setting for my latest restaurant in the challenge; 333 Pacific.  Part of the lauded Cohen group of restaurants, 333 Pacific overlooks the beautiful Oceanside Pier.  The style is lavish, upscale and lush, which impresses tourists and makes locals have to wonder why it’s in Oceanside, of all places.  But hey, good food is good food, no matter where it’s located.  I may or may not have used that same theory in place of the “5 second rule” in college.  Don’t you judge me.

I was joined for this dinner by two of my favorite ladies and expert level foodies.

Aimee-Roommate since the 90’s, BFF, allergic to hot dogs and therefore labeled a commie by many

Suzanne-My Italian soul sista, Can throw down in the kitchen, the cultured one who pronounces everything correctly

Wish you were here. So we can sample more cocktails without looking like hopeless alcoholics.

333 Pacific (named for the restaurant’s street address) has won several awards for it’s food and drink.  Considering they have over 100 vodkas, i’d say they know how to satisfy their customers.  At least the ones who love vodka.  Which is me, so SCORE!  I started with Seaside Tea: A mix of iced tea vodka and lemon vodka.  Think upscale version of a John Daly.  It was really tasty in that special way that says “Don’t order another or you won’t remember eating here”.  Aimee had the Bellitini: A mix of peach vodka, orange juice and champagne.  She enjoyed it but felt it needed more peach flavor in it.  Suzanne had the “Sour Kiss”:  A mixture of citrus vodkas, Grapefruit juice and a key lime foam.  She says it had great flavor, was very light but could’ve done with less foam as it seemed to take up more than half of the glass.

For our appetizers, Aimee ordered the Andoullie & Kale Soup with white beans, garlic, tomatoes & herbs de provence.  She loved it.  Delicious comfort food with a nice spice.  Aimee also mentioned that the next time she’s sick she wants a “bucket of that soup”.  Noted.  Suzanne started with the Beet Salad.  The salad has beets, truffle oil, goat cheese, fried capers and roughly 16 pounds of arugula.  While she praised how well the beets were cooked, Suzanne notes that the salad was uninspiring and tough to eat with so much unruly greenery happening on the plate.  She said that, with micro greens, the dish would be more successful and she’d feel less like a woodland creature wading through the forest for cooked beets.

I ordered the very interesting “Ahi Stack For 2”.  It didn’t take me long to figure out why they made this dish for 2 people.  It was a stack of sushi rice, avocado, cucumber, mango, crispy shallots topped with an inch thick layer of sashimi grade ahi tuna with a lemongrass-soy sauce to pour over.  Think sushi cake.  The presentation was beautiful and striking.  The tuna was fresh and delicious, the rice wasn’t over powering and the sweetness of the fruit and crunchiness of the cucumber and shallots added just the right amount of texture and contrast to the sour sauce.  Seriously delicious and unique.

The last time I saw something this stacked and pretty was when Sofia Vergara wore Prada.

For the main courses, Aimee ordered the Kobe Meatloaf: blue cheese crusted with seasonal mashed potatoes, green beans and cabernet ketchup.  Upon ordering our server asked Aimee if she “really liked Blue cheese”.  Rightly suspicious, Aimee answered that she was okay with it.  The server went on to say that this particular dish is covered in it and gave the option to change to a different cheese.  Aimee went with Gouda.  She enjoyed the meatloaf, saying it was really juicy throughout and the cabernet ketchup was a great compliment to the dish.  The mashed potatoes were underwhelming.

Suzanne ordered the Braised 8 Oz Boneless Beef Shortribs: with carrot & parsnip purees, lump crab, applewood smoked bacon, potato zucchini hash and braising jus reduction.  She said the ribs were cooked beautifully, super tender and totally celebrated beef  without being over powered by the parsnip puree, which was stellar.  Since I got a taste of the seafood during my appetizer, I was hankering for a steak.  I ordered the top sirloin (Medium rare).  It was cooked perfectly, not only by my estimation but by both ladies at my table who, unlike me, have actually cooked a steak before!

Yes folks, that is a potato chip on top of mashed potatoes. ANARCHY.

I ordered sauteed mushrooms and a peppercorn demi on the side because I friggin love peppercorn anything.  I made the right choice.  The demi was tangy and somehow smoky but paired beautifully with the meat.  There were also unremarkable mashed potatoes on my plate.  This launched an interesting discussion about how some upscale restaurants will prepare and showcase their proteins so expertly but the side dishes often seem like an underwhelming after thought.

That having been said, the overall experience of 333 Pacific was certainly anything but underwhelming.  Great atmosphere, beautiful location and some damn good food.  Price-wise definitely a more “special occasion” or “written off as a company paid business expense” type place.  I would take my East coast tourists here as a means to impress and I feel it would do just that.

Further reading: http://www.cohnrestaurants.com/333pacific