Recently I was invited to a blogger dinner at Seasons 52 at The Headquarters in Downtown San Diego. It’s that cool spot right next to Seaport Village if you aren’t familiar with the Headquarters! Jake was my date that evening and we got down to Seasons 52 right on time.
[strawberry basil infusion]
There was a little mingling session with the other bloggers and we were served these lovely little basil infused drinks. It’s strawberry-infused Reyka Small Batch Vodka with agave nectar, and fresh basil. That bit of basil really came through in the drink giving it a fresh boost of flavor. The vodka was very smooth and a little sweet – very easy going down.
[tasting menu]
Jake and I thought that we would be seated with the other bloggers, but we were all paired off and got our own individual tables instead. Looking over the menu we could see that we were really in for a treat that evening! Each course was paired with a lovely wine – but since I’m not a wine person I didn’t really document that part. It’s all about the food for me! (All about that food)
[amuse bouche]
This cute little amuse bouche was the starter for a wonderful six (!!) course meal. It was a little toast with camembert cheese, strawberry puree, lemon chantilly cream, asparagus cream, and micro basil.
It was only about two or three bites but it was an incredible bite of flavor. It had a nice fruity component with the strawberry puree and lemon chantilly cream which contrasted nicely with the creamy cheese. My only gripe was that the toast was not very crispy and was more on the chewy side. Otherwise I really liked the combination of flavors!
[prosciutto asparagus flatbread with camembert cheese, chervil]
For our first course at Seasons 52 we were treated to dual flatbreads! This is the first one that came out: Prosciutto and Asparagus.
This flatbread also featured the same cheese from the amuse bouche – the camembert cheese. The camembert cheese is very similar to brie cheese – it’s a soft, creamy cheese with a rind made in Camembert in Normandy, France. I love the crispy, salty prosciutto paired with the soft cheese and the bits of asparagus. The flatbread (they use lavash bread) was nice and crisp on the bottom.
[lobster and fresh mozzarella flatbread with roasted sweet peppers, slivered scallion, lobster sour cream]
Jake only tried a tiny piece of the Lobster and Mozzarella flatbread since he’s not a fan of lobster. I enjoyed this one with the chunks of lobster scattered throughout the flatbread. I would leave off the peppers next time though since I’m not a fan of those but the rest of the flatbread was really yummy. The scallions gave it a boost of flavor that I really enjoyed paired with the rest of the items on top.
[spinach salad with spring strawberries, pea tendrils, toasted pine nuts, gorgonzola, 15-year aged balsamic drizzle]
Time for a bit a salad! We were served these pretty plates of spinach salad for our next course. I loved the pine nuts and gorgonzola bits that accompanied the salad. It gave a bit of crunch and tang to the salad. The strawberries were not quite in season as they were slightly on the bitter side, but overall it was delicious. The balsamic drizzle gave the salad a little sweet note to top off the spinach.
[grilled sea scallops with lemon risotto, English peas, roasted asparagus]
Our next course were these lovely plates of grilled sea scallops. You can see a bit of the sear marks on top of the scallops! I’m used to having pan seared scallops so the grilled scallops were a nice little twist. The grilling imparted a nice bit of char flavor to the sweet scallops. The lemon risotto was a nice creamy accompaniment to the sea scallops but for me it had way too many English peas in it. The peas overwhelmed the other flavors for me and I missed really being able to taste the lemon in the risotto. I found myself picking around the peas to try and eat the risotto on its own.
[meyer lemon ricotta ravioli with brown butter, roasted peppers, English peas]
I was pretty excited about the next course because it had ravioli filled with meyer lemon ricotta!
Ricotta makes my heart flutter and this dish was one of my favorites of the evening. The ravioli had a little bit of sear on the outside which was different – but quite tasty. It gave the pasta a little extra chew that I enjoyed. What I really enjoyed though was the creamy, luscious inside – the meyer lemon infused ricotta! It was incredibly smooth and creamy and the flavor of the meyer lemon really heightened the flavor of the cheese. There was a simply brown butter sauce all over the plate which helped make the flavor of this dish over the top! I could just eat plates and plates of these suckers. I ignored those peas, though. I was sick of peas already.
[asian glazed chilean sea bass with organic black rice, snow peas, shiitake mushrooms, micro wasabi]
Gosh can you believe we’re not done yet? The fifth course had two entrees for sharing. Thank goodness they were for sharing because our tummies were getting full at this point!
This dramatic looking stacked dish was the Asian Glazed Chilean Sea Bass.
The sea bass sits on top of a pile of black rice and snow peas. The sea bass is glazed with tamari to make this dish gluten free. Tamari is like a gluten free/wheat free version of soy sauce but it tasted less salty than regular soy sauce. It tasted so wonderful with the sea bass which Jake and I really loved. The sea bass was incredibly tender, flaky, and very moist. We both thought the tamari glaze added a bit of sweetness to this wonderful piece of fish.
The black rice kind of looks like a big blob of yuck due to the dark color but the black rice was perfectly cooked and really delicious. It was nice and chewy and didn’t taste much like the “normal” rice I’m used to having. I really enjoyed its texture – soft and chewy but not mushy. It reminded me a bit of sushi rice.
[rack of lamb with spring vegetables, Yukon Gold mash, shallot jus]
Lamb is one of my favorite things. I’ve tried to make it at home before with horrible results so the only time I ever have it is when we’re eating out. Jake’s not a big fan but he was a trooper and tried a little bit out.
The lamb was very tender though I think I would have liked it a little more rare than how it was served (which was a bit more towards medium than medium rare). It didn’t taste gamey at all though which I loved about it. When I made it at home before it tasted very gamey. I wonder if there’s a special way to cook or prepare it so the lamb doesn’t have that gamey flavor (must do research).
The masked potatoes and shallot jus added lots of overall flavor to the dish as well. Honestly, I was getting full now so I didn’t eat very much of this!
[mini dessert]
I’m really glad that the desserts at Seasons 52 are tiny because I don’t think I could have eaten much more at this point! We had lots of leftovers with us already but when a tiny dessert is placed before me I can’t help but finish it all. My dessert stomach totally kicked in!
Usually when you come to Seasons 52 they present a little tray with all of the desserts available but this time they gave Jake and I these tiny little Amaretto Almond Cakes. In that tiny little syringe is an extra boost of amaretto that you squeeze into your dessert, filling it up with more boozy almond flavor. It came with a little almond brittle for some crunch with layers of whipped cream and moist almond cake. I liked the bit of crunch mixed in with the moist cake and creamy layers of whipped cream. It was the perfect size, too! Just a little sweet end to a really delicious meal.
Jake and I were glad we had parked a few blocks away since we needed the walk after this incredible six course meal. We really enjoyed the fresh flavors of Seasons 52’s seasonal menu and look forward to trying them out again in the future.
Seasons 52
(Multiple Locations)
789 W Harbor Dr
San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 702-0052
Disclaimer: I was invited on behalf of the restaurant to a special blogger’s dinner at Seasons 52. Our meal was complimentary. I was not further compensated for this post. All opinions here are my own.
OMG. wow. so much food! I was already getting full after seeing that you got TWO flatbreads haha! I remember the sea bass from our visit, which was good, but didn’t really care for the black rice.
i had my first(?) amuse bouche at last night’s chef’s dinner. never even knew what it was until recently! I’m totally amused… =D
Hi Lynn – They did give us a TON of food. Jake and I were pretty good though, had leftovers from almost every course. I liked the black rice! I liked how chewy it was.
This was also Jake’s first amuse bouche, I had to tell him what it meant. 😀
Wow! They sure stuffed you with free food! I liked their sea bass. I’ll have to try the lamb. They have a good lamb burger at Bare Back Grill.
Hi Soo – Yeah, they were pretty generous with their tasting menu – we got a really good sampling of what they serve here. I haven’t been to Bare Back Grill in a long time! I didn’t even know they had a lamb burger – I might have to check that out! Thanks!
Their food is really good. What camera do you use?
Hi Danie – Yes, their food is very good! Currently I use a Samsung Galaxy 2 Camera – wifi enabled which makes my life a lot easier.
What a great spread! I’ve only been to the Seasons 52 in UTC and liked what I had there (flatbreads, salad and soup). I’ll have to check out this location soon.
Hi CC – I like this location a little better since it’s nicer right now. UTC is painful for parking right now since they’ve torn out half the parking lot. The Headquarters is a really cool spot, too.