"And a beautiful world we live in, when it is possible, and when many other such things are possible, and not only possible, but done...under that sky there, every day."

There are very few meals in life that inspire an array of reflections from “ a Tale of Two Cities” but like the vision of an awing sunrise, a bite of good food with friends can stop time and make you think, damn life is good and we’re really lucky to be here.

I attended a special night of Seafood, provided by Catalina Offshore products, at Solare in Liberty Station. I knew that the evening would entail a wonderful array of good eats, but I didn’t realize how good it would be.

Chef Accursio Lota transformed the familiar into an onset of exciting and delightful new tastes and experiences.

Between each dish were insights from the chef on the ingredients and preparation, his inspirations and from Tommy (Catalina OP), information about certain species, their production and how they’re harvested.

After each tasting, I would stare at the empty plate, in a bittersweet contemplative state, amazed by what was possibly the best seafood I had ever had, and sad that I had already eaten it all.

So as the story usually goes with great food encounters, toasts were made, great conversations were had, and the air was filled with many laughs.

The biggest thank you to Solare for putting together such a great event, Tommy and the Catalina team for being the awesome good guys in seafood and Chef Ken and Rebecca G. for the invite. 

Highlight Noms: (everything was incredible, but these were the details that made me ask “is this real life?”) 

- The squid ink that went with the yellowtail sashimi. (True story, I licked the plate)
- The tuna carpaccio and balsamic vinegar pearls.
-  The saffron gelee on top of the ravioli.
- The opah with the date tomato confit.
- The lemon mousse and every flavorful detail on that plate. ( I will dream about this dessert)