Sometimes, a touch of serendipity will light a spark. Table Three, arguably the best seat at Georges California Modern, looks out over the Pacific Ocean. Squint seconds after the sun sets and you just might catch that elusive green flash. Blue, orange, pink, and yellow fade to black as blips of light, fishing vessels, dot the darkness, possibly netting tomorrow’s catch. It is that impossible contradiction – a table with a great view and better food.

Table Three was born out of my last meal at Georges California Modern – where I asked Chef Trey Foshee to “go for it” – and it is now the menu’s official name.¹

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Searching for the new, in the constant grind to stay relevant, many chefs have adopted a maximalist philosophy, unleashing a barrage of technique and flavor combinations that aim to surprise first – the Cuisine Agape.¹ At its best, such as Pierre Gagnaire on an inspired day, thinking in eight more dimensions than humanly possible, epiphanies pop across the plate with revelations of flavor and texture. But there is something too about peeling back the onion, so to speak, paring the food down to its most elemental – fire and nature – where simplicity reveals the complexities of taste. Minimalist and light, Joshua Skenes has developed a style where the inflections of a toasted sea leaf divulge as much about food as an entire space-age twelve-course tasting menu. “Simple”, he says, “sometimes is very difficult.”

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