George’s at the Cove – La Jolla

1250 Prospect Street
La Jolla, CA 92037
Reservations: (858) 454-4244
website

If you’ve been watching MTV at all, you know what La Jolla is.  When we visited San Diego in June of 03, however, I’d never heard of it and I did minimal research (which is how we ended up at a 4 star hotel a $40 cab ride from downtown San Diego and basically all the sights- the Gaslamp District, Balboa Park, etc… duhhh, Yvonne).  After got back, however, I watched “My Super Sweet Sixteen” and the first 2-3 episodes were focused on girls who lived in… La Jolla.  So apparently, it’s a super rich upscale snobby neighborhood… although I have to laugh at the girl who had her party at Hard Rock Cafe, because, coming from NYC, having your party at Hard Rock, while nice enough (a friend of mine had her party at Hard Rock, and it was great), is by no means what I’d expect from a filthy rich person. 

Anyhow, talking to the concierge and walking around La Jolla’s little shopping area- and geez, this place is quaint, think Sausalito near San Francisco, or like, cute little shopping strip right by the water, hardly any tourists, really (well, plus it was June Gloom, and that’s apparently the worst month to visit San Diego, the city of perpetual beautiful weather- except June)- I was repeatedly told that George’s at the Cove was a must-try.  I wasn’t quite a full fledged foodie at the time- although in a year, I’m sure I will look back a year and think the same of me now- but I still loved good food like no other.  So Craig and I walked along, up and down the street that serves as La Jolla’s main street, looking into restaurants and peeking at menus, before finally deciding that yeah, George’s looked pretty good. 

The view from the terrace was absolutely breathtaking.  We were practically right over the water- I wish I had better pictures- and there were heat lamps all around us to ward off the chill (we quickly realized that heat lamps were the norm in San Diego for all the restaurants with outdoor seating).  The night was nice, until I started feeling really sick and couldn’t eat any of my food. 

However, while Craig enjoyed his steak, since I was at a seafood restaurant, I opted for a fish dish whose name escapes me, but wasn’t that yummy.  The waiter didn’t seem to know what he was talking about, and the overall experience, while pleasant enough, was disappointing at best.  Perhaps it was because of the hype, but this restaurant fell short of any expectations that I may have had. 

Yvo says: Tourist trap!  In quaint lil La Jolla!  Maybe it has the best view of the cove, and spectacular views of the sunset (which we missed cuz it was a touch too foggy), but the food was bland at best and lacking some serious panache.  Boo.  Avoid this place; if you must, then perhaps drinks at the bar (I THINK you can see the view from there, too) before moving on to one of the other 10 upscale restaurants on that street (though we didn’t try any of the others, one of them must be good!) for dinner.