Table No. 10 (Downtown San Diego)

Table No. 10 resides in downtown San Diego on 10th Ave. right by Petco Park. Before the visit I read a lot of favorable reviews, and thus tried to keep those high hopes in check at the front door.

On the first floor they have an open kitchen and a chefs table that looked primed for delicious food, drink, and good company.

They recommend sharing and I would say most anything on the menu could be shared, although with the small plates and bites you get to try more things.

Many of the large plates and sides looked great. The toughest part of a meal can be deciding what to get. There were too many viable options. How would Michael and I choose? We didn’t flip a coin like we sometimes do, so it took a little time to narrow our choices down. 

I don’t drink often, but if I did, I’d probably start here. With awesome names like The Death of Daffy and Flux Capacitor, how could you not get excited?

Since Michael doesn’t drink very much either we opted for some refreshing sodas instead. On our first round we ordered the Blackberry Mint and Cherry Vanilla Cream. I rather enjoyed the Blackberry Mint. It wasn’t overly sweet, had a crisp fruity flavor, and delivered everything I was looking for. Michael liked the Cherry Vanilla Cream as well and mentioned he’d order it again. It had a good balance of cherry and vanilla flavor. He also got the Sarsaparilla. It kind of tasted like root beer but a little less sweet. He likes more carbonation and sweetness to his sodas while I didn’t mind the amount in mine.

The drinks tickled our taste buds and primed us for the food to come. We started off with the Deviled Eggs. The flavor of the day was pork belly with roasted garlic. Being the first of many items we’d try for dinner on this evening, I got a kick out of it. Call it hunger, call it survival, or call it anticipation, their deviled eggs were smooth, not too salty, and infused the smoky roasted garlic essence just right. Michael didn’t enjoy them as much as I did, but we still managed to polish each and every one of them off.

What a beautiful plate of food! If it wasn’t clear what kind of meal we were in for, this small plate answered that question and made things crystal clear. Here we have the Cobia with white soy vinaigrette, shiso pesto, rayu, and fresno chiles. The lingering spice played off the fish and greens quite nicely. If there was one thing we would change it would be the thickness of the fish. The pieces were a little too thick for our liking. Aside from that, it was an exquisite plate of food.

According to our server Kelly, one of the most popular dishes is the Scallop and Pork Belly small plate with sunchoke, coconut cream, and natural reduction. Pork belly and scallops are two of my favorite things to eat when they are prepared well. Their pork belly looked on the dry side, but once your teeth sink in, it is nothing but soft and juicy. It also was perfectly seasoned and didn’t come off greasy or heavy. The scallops too were cooked perfectly. This combination reads like a winner off the menu and tastes like one on your palate. In my mind I didn’t think it needed the little smear of coconut cream. But every so often I’d find my fork planted in it scooping some up. This wouldn’t be the first time I had a subconscious struggle within telling me one thing, but my body doing the exact opposite.

It isn’t like I’ve cooked a whole lot of octopus in my life, but this is another ingredient that I think many people are put off by for various reasons. Maybe because they can’t get past what it looks like or maybe because it can be rubbery and just not all that pleasant to eat if not cooked properly. One bad experience is all it takes and you’ll have octopus haters for life. We thought this would be a good test to see how they would prepare it. It comes with Portuguese sausage, potato, and sorrel chimichurri. Was it like eating a tire? Thank goodness it was not! The octopus was very tender and didn’t come off rubbery like it sometimes can. Again, the seasoning was very restrained and along with the Portuguese sausage, the perfect bite can be achieved. I’m not sure if the sorrel chimichurri was strong enough to add anything for me other than making the plate look appealing.

Our strategy was to attempt to try something from each part of the menu. We tackled bites and small plates, and we were compelled to get something from the large plates section. Hence we ordered the Opah with smoked fish hash, cornbread puree, and a molasses gastrique. Time out. Can I just say that at this point we were blown away by how consistent and excellent the food was so far. Can I also say I almost shed a tear? No joke. Michael and I have been lucky enough to eat some incredible meals over the years, and this one had the makings to be right up there with the best of them. Time in. The Opah was cooked lightly and again, looked almost too well placed to move around and cut into. Everything is so subtle yet when combined, create a magical moment for your taste buds to rejoice in. Another favorite of the night.

I can safely say this is one of the greatest things ever conceived. So simple, yet so good. I’m impartial to my sister in law’s creamed corn but she doesn’t put house made bacon in it now does she? Are you hungry yet? Just stare at the picture longer. It tastes just as good as it looks. If they had scratch and sniff on your iPad, you and I would be eating way too many snacks at home.

We had a short moment to reflect on the incredible meal we were having before Kelly forced us to order dessert. 🙂 And silly of me to think the desserts wouldn’t be at the same the level of the savory dishes before them. I will never doubt you again Table No. 10. Michael and I flip flopped and he was craving a fruity finale while I was pining for a chocolate one. Here we have the Strawberry Shortcake which is deconstructed and highlighted by the strawberry sorbet sphere on top, lemongrass macerated strawberries, a frozen mascarpone and whipped cream disc, corn biscuit, and brown butter crumb. If we’ve learned anything so far it’s that they know how to cook AND plate. This screams strawberry shortcake through and through while taking it up a notch with frozen elements and a splendid blend of flavors. If I could hand pick which on demand dessert dreams I could have, this one would make the list.

The very last dessert of the evening was the Chocolate Sesame Ganache. The flavors melded elegantly together and matched its flawless composition. The mixture of white and dark chocolate sesame ganache combined with concord grape sorbet, sesame sauce, vanilla sabayon, and yuzu and grape gel was heaven on a plate. How can you pick which one was better? Near impossible I tell you.

By the time we were leaving the sun had begun to set and the lights began to light up the restaurant. We managed to get a good glimpse at the bar before we left.

As always, thanks to Robbin over at Alt for the invitation, and Table No. 10 for treating us to a superb meal. While we were eating Michael and I were both asking ourselves, when can we take Anh and Jorgina? Who’s birthday is coming up next that we can celebrate here with? Anyone out of town we can take soon? Well, if there are no occasions right now I guess we’ll have to just go for the sake of going to an incredible restaurant. Everything about Table No. 10 is precise and fluid. The food, the people, and the space all tie in as one and come together like Captain Planet. It is nice, but not stuffy, and feels very comfortable. The service from Kelly was outstanding and genuine. Actually, everyone we encountered throughout the night was upbeat and happy. And I haven’t even relived the fantastic food memories yet. The food! If they can continue to serve food like we had that night, I might as well quit while I am ahead. If you can’t tell how impressed I am with what we experienced you will just have to go witness it yourself. Bring a box of tissues just in case.

Table No. 10
369 10th Ave.
San Diego, CA 92101
www.tablenumber10.com

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