6
Reasons to Succumb to JSix San Diego's 'Chef's Mercy' Menu
Located
in San Diego's kinetic, community-centric East Village,
JSix is a neighborhood bar and restaurant offering
warm hospitality alongside culinary whimsy and craft cocktail
ingenuity. With a seasonally-driven menu committed to hormone-free,
sustainable and organic "farm-to-fork" dishes, JSix
patrons are sure to experience stellar food and drink with a
side of gracious hospitality.
My
personal favorite aspect of the offerings at JSix
is its cryptic "Chef's Mercy" experience-an
entirely customized and randomized five-course tasting menu
allowing chefs to go "off road" and dish up whatever
suits their fancy-with the goal of dazzling the awaiting palate,
of course. Unlike a typical "chef's choice" menu where
actual menu items are tapped for selection, JSix's
Chef's Mercy allows executive chef, Christian Graves, and his
able brigade to prepare any dish they can conceive based on
that day's, or moment's, available ingredients and inspirations.
The
result is an enigmatic epicurean adventure well worth the price
of admission-certainly the $65 cost-per-head or $85 with wine
pairing.
If you're a culinary control freak who needs a little more convincing,
here are six reasons to succumb to the JSix Chef's Mercy menu:
1.
Dishes are a manifestation of what the chef feels is the best
use of, and result from, that day's ingredients. JSix prides
itself on utilizing organic ingredients that support local farmers
and the local economy, so the printed menu changes seasonally
and the Chef's Mercy menu, well, in real time based on what's
in the refrigerator, the pantry and the heart when the order
presents.
Chef
Graves also strives to utilize as much of the ingredient as
possible, whether it's an animal protein or produce, which also
can affect the dishes making it into a Chef's Mercy course.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Chef Graves recently and
he emphasized his lighthearted approach no matter which menu
direction a patron decides to go: "To have fun while you
cook, which translates into the dish. To keeps things fresh,
playful and unfussy. The ingredients speak for themselves, staying
true to their flavors."
2.
The Chef can express his culinary prowess with more creativity
and flair than the more "mass appeal" items inscribed
on the menu. Chef Graves boasts an impressive background with
accolades that include being named San Diego's hottest chef
by Eater and winning the Silver Fork Award from San Diego Home
and Garden. While regular menus are typically strategized to
best ensure dishes will resonate with the masses, Chef's Mercy
allows the kitchen crew to stretch their culinary legs and take
imaginative risks they may not have the opportunity to otherwise.
As well, in addition to creating incredible flavor and textural
profiles on-the-fly, JSix dishes are always
a visual delight with impeccable plating duly showcasing the
high level of culinary skill and technique.
3.
Allows patrons to savor a more complex cross-section of flavors
available at the eatery. JSix's seasonal fare is "as eclectic
as the East Village neighborhood." Chef Graves creates
each of his dishes in response to what is available locally
at the given time, including ingredients indigenous to California's
coast. As the Chef's Mercy courses unfold, in total the experience
delivers a diversity and range beyond what a typical dinner
would entail.
4.
Gives adventurous, non-finicky eaters the chance to participate
in informal "field testing." Since the menu at JSix
is ever-evolving with Chef Graves continually considering menu
items to add up ahead, the Chef's Mercy menu allows patrons
to actually help shape the culinary direction of the eatery-something
hardened foodies will especially appreciate. Not only is the
Chef's Mercy menu a brave, fun, exciting and mysterious culinary
adventure for the guests, it's also an adventure for Chef Graves
and his team as well. While the dishes are based entirely on
Chef's whim and what is available, as well as what has stimulated
him in that day or moment, the intrepid guests' reactions to
the fare could actually shape future iterations of the regular
menu.
5.
Through expertly strategized pairings, patrons can experience
a wide cross section of domestic and international wine varietals
by the glass. The wine pairings for each course are impeccable
and often showcase international and domestic varietals from
boutique wineries that you may not otherwise know about-or consider
pairing with a certain kind of food. Being introduced to these
wines with low commitment by the glass, oenophiles can readily
expand their repertoire and their own wine pairing prowess.
Of course, in addition to copious wine varietals, JSix has an
impressive artisan craft cocktail menu spearheaded by head bartender,
Chris Burkett, who balances a classic approach and timeless
techniques with ingredient-focused concoctions.
6.
It's distinctive dining at its finest. The JSix
Chef's Menu proffers a dining concept not readily replicated
elsewhere and, of course, the dishes themselves are entirely
unique-perhaps never to be seen again. That's what makes the
Chef's Mercy menu an experience unlike any other: the dishes
and pairings you taste have probably never been tasted before,
and may never be tasted again. So many factors contribute to
the creation of these meals, it's like capturing culinary lighting
in a bottle. The possible combinations and endless variety make
every Chef's Mercy menu a gastronomic marvel.
So
there you have it. Six rock solid reasons that will hopefully
inspire you to head to JSix for a Chef's
Mercy exploit all your own. Amid the excitement and
mystique of impulse-induced fare, rest assured you'll be served
scratch-cooked American cuisine that's curated with care.
By Merilee Kern, 'The Luxe List' Executive Editor
"The
Luxe List" Executive Editor Merilee Kern scours the luxury
marketplace for exemplary travel experiences, extraordinary
events, and notable products and services. Submissions are accepted
at www.LuxeListReviews.com.
Follow her on Twitter here: http://twitter.com/LuxeListEditor
and Facebook here: www.Facebook.com/TheLuxeList.
***Some
or all of the accommodations(s), experience(s), item(s) and/or
service(s) detailed above were provided at no cost to accommodate
this review, but all opinions expressed are entirely those of
Merilee Kern and have not been influenced in any way.***