When we heard that the team behind callie was opening up a restaurant in la jolla, utc area, we were so excited. Right down the street from jamie’s office, no less. We tried it out right when it opened, and then again more recently for their newly announced market feast - a five course family style tasting menu, complete with optional wine pairings. Yay. They also offer a non-alcoholic pairing for any non-drinkers… which i think is a cool touch.
tasting of san diego vegetables: gently poached local veggies, provençal potato aioli, fines herbes
n.s. della neve: metodo classico, extra brut
We started with local vegetables, just poached enough to take the bite out - but to keep every bit of the freshness in each taste. The kohlrabi was fantastic, and a personal fav. Along with the freshest tomato and perfect cucumber. I mean seriously maybe I can’t pick a fav. they were all delicious. The potato aioli was a nice twist, making the dip less mayo forward and keeping to the vegetable theme.
ham & cheese: crispy gougères, cornichon, 24-month prosciutto di parma, gruyère & black truffle fonduta
Along with the local vegetables, we were served gougeres stuffed with a cheese and truffle fondue, topped with mustard, a cornishon, and proscuitto. Literally a perfect bite. But buyer beware she’s a messy bite. Which we like around these parts.
I think our only concern was getting too full with all the apps, right off the bat.
We also loved the bubbles. Light, airy, and perfect to hold up against both appetizers.
japanese kanpachi crudo: thai basil, confit tomato, spicy green coconut dressing
alexandre derame la morandiere: muscadet sevre et maine sur lie, appellation muscadel sevre et maine controlie
This dish. You guys. The tomato water jelly in the middle? Amazing, and kept the dish so light and bright. And y’all know my current obsession with tomato water… now gonna have to season mine with lemongrass and ginger and jelly it.
The pops of lime, the subtle heat of serrano… love the flavor profile and can’t wait to play around with it. Also - is there anything that isn’t made better with sun gold tomatoes in any iterations?
And once again a perfectly paired wine. Which was also so tasty on its own that we might have taken a gander at finding a few bottles for ourselves.
ricotta cappelletti alla norma: handmade ricotta cappelletti with tomato, basil and italian eggplant
rosanna sandri: stella dorata langhe doc arneis
This pasta was perfection. Got to love a housemade pasta that is not overdone, too thick, or starchy. The pasta itself was light, bright - full of ricotta, with little bites of it added to the sauce. The eggplant was braised beautifully and added a great earthiness to the dish.
I also really loved the addition of what I can only asume were in house sun-dried tomatoes to the tomato sauce itself.
The arneis was perfect, rounder than a sauv blanc but not as heavy as a chard.
dry aged liberty farms duck: spice-crusted duck breast, fig, confit ravioli and jus
market green salad: fines herbes, simple vinaigrette
jean-marc pillot: bourgogne, les grandes terres, appellation bourgogne controlee
Oh man, this duck. The cook was so perfect. Rubbed with coriander, fennel seed, pink pepercorn, and who knows what else to make it this yummy. Served with fresh figs and jam, alongside the most perfect crispy duck confit ravioli, and fennel two ways. Then brown butter jus spooned tableside.
Everything played off each other in the most perfect of ways. Elegent, refined, but oh so comforting. It’s a shame that fluerette changes dishes seasonally, because this is a flavor combo that I’d order again and again. Our only complaint? We need more of the jus. Perhaps a little poured over the duck itself so that each bite had some.
I also love that it was served with a simple, although nothing was simple about that dressing, green salad. Fresh and crisp, it paired perfectly with the duck.
The burgandy only served to make every bite that much better. Light bodied and fruity. And I’d really like to braise some mushrooms in it.
meyer lemon palate cleanser
When lemon cream meets lemon sorbet. But make it meyer lemon.
lavender & honey: mikolich honey semifreddo, pistachio financier, lemon, lavender mousse
To be honest, this was my least favorite dish of the evening. Personally I found there to be too much semifreddo to get through, to get to the other elements of the dish, so it was hard to get everything together in one bite. And I feel like all of the elements needed one another to truly come together.
I also wish there was a dessert wine pairing, ‘cause I could see how this dessert would pair beautifully with one.
All in all, the second visit was even better than the first, and I’m already looking forward to our next time.