Dining Out: El Bizcocho
by Paisley Wood

To be honest, I used to reserve El Bizcocho at the Rancho Bernardo Inn for special occasions. Although I thought the food was terrific, it was quite a trip from downtown, even from Del Mar in those days, and the formal dining room and gentlemen in jackets policy made it seem a bit too proper even for a Friday night date with my husband.

I’m happy to report that several things have recently changed to make El Bizcocho (which has always been highly regarded in the San Diego food circles) a bit more, what should I say, user friendly?

Lucky for us coastal folk that the 56 freeway is now complete, making the drive to Rancho Bernardo less than 15 minutes (rush hour traffic aside). The powers that be also revoked the anachronistic jacket required rule in the dining room. And a very nice re-dressing of the still beautifully appointed dining room has made it less formal and more comfortable.

There’s a new chef these days also. Gavin Kaysen, 25, took over as chef de cuisine at El Bizcocho when Patrick Ponsaty left last year. After graduation from the New England Culinary Academy in Vermont, Kaysen spent a few years in France and Switzerland working around at highly regarded restaurants, learning not only the French language but also the underpinnings of classic French cuisine.

The menu is divided into two parts: a “seasonal” a la carte menu and a “Menu Degustation” which offers a five-course tasting menu for $75 or with wine pairings for $120.

Call me controlling, but unless I’m at a wedding or a wine dinner, I like to make my own choices. I usually order an olio of four to five courses, which I start by warning the waiter, “Don’t be shocked, I’m going to be ordering a lot of food here.” Any service professional worth his or her tip is no doubt tickled figuring that the bigger the bill, the heftier the gratuity.

These days chefs at most fine restaurants send out an amuse bouche, a complimentary appetizer from the chef designed to tickle the taste buds, and Kaysen did not disappoint. He offered a corn and leek flan surrounded with a green garlic emulsion, topped with a tad of Osetra caviar and a red bell pepper rouille, all beautifully presented in a shallow white bowl. My taste buds were tingling.

Moving on to the first course, the choices were difficult: fricassee of escargot, Ahi tuna “nicoise,” and Maine lobster on housemade brioche all tempted. Foie gras freak that I am, I indulged myself with the Hudson Valley foie gras served with a white nectarine brulee and toasted walnut bread. It was topped with spicy micro greens that added a wonderful layer of texture. Another must-have is the day boat scallop with cauliflower mousse and snap pea froth. This dish sounds, looks, and tastes just like spring.

Even if you have to share it with your dining companion, don’t miss the lobster bisque. It’s bisque at its best, and is perfect when enjoyed with the delicious white rolls and unsalted butter that are served upon seating.
After sampling a tasting of the roasted garlic potato gnocchi the chef sent out (following a not-too-subtle hint), I longed for a Claim Jumper-sized portion of it. These house-made pillowy pleasures are delectable.

For a strong finish, I selected the braised Kobe beef short ribs. Seared, then slow cooked for several hours, and served over a parsnip mousseline with braised Cipollini onions and carrots, this dish is definitely not for the Fume Blanc drinker. Thick, tender, rich, and viscous, these short ribs cry out for a good Cotes du Rhone or Zinfandel.

Getting older and set in my ways, I usually don’t like change much, especially when it comes to a restaurant I fancy. But in this case, I am happy to admit that all changes were for the better.
17550 Bernardo Oaks Drive, San Diego, 858/675-8500

Delicious Dipping
Looking for ways to jazz up your home entertaining? Consider the Sephra Home Chocolate Fountain. Sephra LLC, based in Rancho Bernardo, is the world’s leading manufacturer of tall commercial chocolate fountains, measuring as high as 44 inches, that are used daily by food service professionals around the world at elegant weddings, lavish corporate events, and special banquet celebrations.

Now, for the first time, Sephra is bringing into the world's kitchens the elegance and fun of dipping tasty fruits and desserts into a cascading curtain of warm, melted decadent chocolate with a new 18-inch-high home model.

The Sephra Home Chocolate Fountain, the world’s first, high-quality home fondue chocolate fountain for personal use in home kitchens, is the ultimate accessory for every chocolate lover and home entertainer. Your guests will talk for years about the indulgence of spearing their strawberry, banana, or pretzel under the two-tier, flowing waterfall of creamy, delicious chocolate.

Filling the house with the aroma of chocolate, the Sephra Home Chocolate Fountain will become the centerpiece of attention at any event, adding a spectacular visual as guests enjoy an unforgettable dipping delight into an irresistible, luscious stream of scrumptious, melted chocolate. As the chocolate is heated in the base and pumped up to spew over the top, family and friends will be amazed and entertained as they drench delicious fruits and desserts through a continuous current of liquid chocolate. This summer, a party’s not a party without a cascading home chocolate fountain from Sephra.

The Sephra Home Chocolate Fountain features a stainless steel basin and aluminum-encased heating element. The fountain is available in a choice of three different exterior finishes: brushed stainless steel, metallic charcoal black, or deep metallic cherry red. Cost is $249, which includes four pounds of Sephra’s own brand of premium chocolate from Belgium, which requires no oil for melting.

Say “good-bye” to the fondue pot. The Sephra Home Chocolate Fountain is revolutionizing the world of fondue and adding a new dimension to this traditional party favorite with some new, delicious ideas. Not limited to dark, white, or milk chocolate, the fountain also is perfect with caramel, cheeses, barbecue sauces, or salad dressings as fondue. The dipping possibilities are endless. (888/9Sephra [973-7472], www.sephrafountains.com) — S.K. Tiger

The Chocolate Diet
Is there anything as decadent as smooth, rich chocolate, so sinfully sweet and heavenly that risking a nibble after lunch is not unlike a forbidden tryst? Though we are wracked with guilt, the sheer bliss of its effect on our mood is worth every bite. In a perfect world, we could eat chocolate with every meal and still fit snuggly into a Nicole Kidman-size bathing suit. In a perfect world, chocolate would be on every diet. Well then, it’s time to rejoice, because there is a new diet line called SlimDelices, developed by Gil Mennetrey of Laboratoires Natural Scientific, France, which uses sinfully sweet chocolate as a means of weight loss. The line includes various types of tea, coffee, and chocolate. Test subjects who used the products in their diet lost an average of 43 pounds. All products in the line contain a slimming formula Mennetrey developed using active vegetable ingredients. The teas include black tea, black currant, cherry stalk, mate leaves, and bitter orange; the coffee, called Café Slim, is made from Arabica coffee. But the best part is the guilt-free French dark chocolate bar. This might just be a diet that is easy to stick to. The line is available at Hello Imports in
La Jolla. (858/454-8880) — Alicia Garcia

Double Barrel Indulgence
What could be a better way for papa to celebrate Father's Day than with a cigar and a nip of cognac? He can tote them in style with this combo cigar-flask made of stainless steel by Torre & Tagus. Available at Adorn in Little Italy. (619/794-2729) — Shana K. Wilson

Bet On Ladeki
San Diego restaurateur Sami Ladeki thinks North County could use an “everyday” dining option. So his newest project is the Blackhorse Grill, a neighborhood-friendly, bistro-type restaurant, which will replace his Prime 10 Steakhouse in Del Mar. While several of the Prime 10’s favorite steak selections will remain on the Blackhorse Grille menu, new additions include pepper crusted Ahi tuna with stewed sweet peppers and waffle potato chips; Scottish salmon with red onion marmalade and asparagus vinaigrette; and heirloom tomato lasagna with ricotta pesto and roasted garlic. Sounds like Ladeki is off and running with another winner on his hands. Blackhorse Grille is is open for lunch from 11:30am-4pm daily. Dinner is served from 4-9:30pm. Free valet service. (858/523-0007) — Shana K. Wilson

Pizza Choppers
Artistic kitchen appliances are nothing new. Cappuccino machines, toasters, even microwaves have been tapped with the fashion wand. But never has there been such a unique utensil as this line of Hot Rod Motorcycle Pizza Cutters from designer Frankie Flood. Made of stainless steel, each cutter is hand-made to order, and finished with a variety of materials such as carbon fiber, titanium, aluminum, leather, or gold-plated brass. Some of the wilder design even feature working shocks. Because Flood works to order, no two cutters are the same. The finished products are so cool, chances are they’ll never see a pizza, and instead sit on pedestals. The cutters range in price from $1000 to $2000, depending on the design. (217/355-0802, frankiefld@yahoo.com) — Ryan Thomas

Drink And Drive
Maurice Car’rie Winery is offering The Midnight Rider to the Temecula Wine Country, the ultimate way to tour wine country. The tour is taken in the world’s largest limousine, a 70-foot tractor-trailer limousine that is the only one of its kind. The owners and designers of the limo spent seven years perfecting the $2.5 million dollar limousine for luxury travel and entertainment purposes. Reminiscent of an 1870s railroad Pullman Car in the interior, the limo seats 40 passengers amid its three lounges and full bar. The Midnight Rider will be offered in June at promotional prices. Passengers will be offered a daylight tour, which includes an hour tour of the wine country while enjoying hors d’ouevres and Maurice Car’rie award-winning wines aboard the limousine at $79 per passenger. Seating and tours are limited. (951/676-1055) — Shana K. Wilson

Food Editor's Tip
Put a sheet of waxed paper under the grater when grating cheese. It’s easy to move the cheese where you want it and it doesn’t stick to the paper like it does the counter. — Terryl Gavre

Fisher Returns To Nine-Ten
Local pastry chef extraordinaire Jack Fisher is planning to return to La Jolla’s Nine-Ten restaurant. Fisher served as their pastry chef before he left to open Region with Michael Stebner in San Diego. He will work with chef Jason Knibb, crafting the award-winning restaurant’s pastry, dessert, and cheese creations. (858/964-5400) — Ana Kessler

Loews Battles Child Obesity
With youth obesity becoming an increasing epidemic in America, Loews Coronado Bay Resort and Spa has teamed up with leading dieticians to help parents wean their children off soda and other sugary foods. The result is a new kids’ menu featuring Quenchers, fruit drinks that measure in at only 200 calories apiece. They come in a variety of flavors that please every finicky child's tastes, including strawberry, banana, pineapple, blueberry, coconut, chocolate, and grape. The drinks enjoy kid-catchy names, such as Pink Cow, Monkey Business, Tropicalada, Berry Berry Good, and Purple Nurple. Also on the menu are healthy items, such as baked fish nuggets, barbeque chicken legs, turkey wraps, and chicken dippers. Coupled with the diet menu, the resort has implemented the latest video game craze, Dance Dance Revolution (DDR), as part of their youth activities. In the game, kids attempt to follow dance steps on a screen by hopping and jumping on a large dance pad. Having caused a cultural stir in Asia before making its way to America, DDR has already been credited for helping many kids lose weight. Other activities new to the resort include kids’ yoga, smoothie-making workshops, and teenage skincare lessons. (800/23-LOEWS) — Ryan Thomas

From Aussie Beer Comes New Verjuice
Australia turns out more than just action stars and didgeridoos. It has culinary exports that make the mouth water. One of the most famous foodies in the land down under is Maggie Beer, formerly the owner of the Pheasant Farm Restaurant (PFR). Before Beer closed it in 1993, PFR won a string of awards including the 1991 Remy Martin Cognac/Australian Gourmet Traveler Restaurant of the Year — the highest award given in the industry in Australia. Beer’s latest palate-pleasing accomplishment is homemade verjuice — a cooking and dipping sauce made from the juice of unripe grapes. Once a staple of French provincial cooking, verjuice is enjoying a renaissance thanks to Beers. Beer was on hand in San Diego last month promoting her verjuice, as well as her cookbooks, Cooking With Verjuice and Maggie’s Table, and her own unique brand of fruit pastes. Perfect with cheese and crackers, they include blood plum, fig, quince, and cabernet. Beer's products, all of which are receiving praise, are now available at Zinc Café on Cedros. (858/793-5436) — Ana Kessler