Right on Track

Christine, Rebecca and I agree that what the San Diego trolley system needs is a car with Champagne and massage service. It’s the sort of thing that comes to mind (well, it did mine anyway) when you’ve just finished a gourmet dinner at Eddie V’s and are ready to head home by way of public transportation. Christine and Rebecca were at the door to bid me (well, yes, and other diners I’m sure) a good evening. But then we entered into a conversation.

Eddie V’s Prime Seafood opens to the public today at The Headquarters at Seaport Village. I was privileged to enjoy a sneak peak last night and met President Jim VanDercook, Managing Partner Mario Vega and Executive Chef Partner Brian Moran — all of whom impressed me with their interest in their guests’ pleasure.

As many people know, The Headquarters was the old police HQ; Eddie V’s has taken over almost 11,000 square feet of former courtroom space. You sure wouldn’t know it. How many courtrooms have a two-story, glass-encased wine cellar? I was eager to watch one of the servers enter the cellar and climb the ladder to reach a bottle in the higher wine racks. To my delight, someone ordered an upper-tier wine, so my desire was satisfied. I took a few pictures of it, but my photographic skills on my iPhone were not up to the task of rendering a sufficiently identifiable image. That’s why the above photo is a food shot. The food was right in front of me and not behind glass.

As the wine cellar attests (and my inquiry about Eddie V’s other locations having prominent wine cellars confirms), the restaurant has a great wine list. The Cellar Selections portion features the kinds of wine you’ve heard of but don’t necessarily see on restaurant menus. From the “regular” wine list, which includes by-the-glass options, I tried the 1999 Bartinney Cabernet Sauvignon from Stellenbosch, South Africa. This was a completely foreign wine to me in more ways than geographically, and I was intrigued by the possibilities. It did not disappoint!

If I were to coach anyone about the dinner menu, I would recommend what I ordered (and, thus, what is pictured above, as I expect it would be considered rude to go around to other tables and take pictures of other guests’ plates): the Georges Bank Scallops sautéed with citrus, roasted almonds and brown butter. Georges Bank (and, no, it doesn’t get an apostrophe, as much as I’m inclined to give it one since I only know people named George, not Georges) lies off the coastline of Cape Cod, Mass. I’m not sure how much credit goes to Georges, but I’m going to give due credit to Chef Brian for the scallops being melt-in-your-mouth tender.

I’m not what you’d call “a dessert person,” but I was enticed to give the Godiva hot chocolate cake with vanilla bean ice cream a taste. I gave it more than one taste, and I’m paying for it today; but the indulgence was worth the price of today’s diet of water.

Of course, the repast lasted much longer than my typical evening meal and then I had to catch the trolley home, which brings to mind my departing conversation with Christine and Rebecca. So if you’ll excuse me, I have a business plan to put together.

Janice Kleinschmidt

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