Posts by George Hauer
Travels with George, 2011: Europe
My wife, Paula, and I have been avoiding Europe for a number of years due to our desire to see the rest of the world and the punishing value of the dollar versus the euro. Overcoming fear of bankruptcy, we set out for Spain in early September. Our first stop was San Sebastian, a city of 187,000 people in the heart of the Basque country bordering the southwestern flank of France.
Read MoreL.A. Restaurant Review
Travels with George, 2010: South African Wines
After our two-week journey into the African bush, Paula and I set out to explore the exciting wine region of South Africa. From our broad experience traveling to international wine destinations, this area is clearly one of the most dramatic settings in the world for the production of quality wines.
Read MoreTravels with George, 2010: Africa
Paula and I just returned from a month-long journey to Africa. Traveling around parts of this enormous continent, one is constantly reminded of the primal nature of existence there. And while the human landscape was always present on our journey, the bottom line was always focused on the wonderful birds and animals we were fortunate to see.
Read MoreNYC Restaurant Round-up
We checked out a wide range of restaurants on our recent planning trip to New York. Here is a list, along with a short critique, in case you're going that way anytime soon.
Read MoreTravels with George, 2009: India (Week 3)
Indian cuisine has a long and storied history. Many culinary experts consider it to be one of the world’s most complex, so I can only write about our experience from a lay point of view. To pretend to have any expertise would be disingenuous.
Read MoreTravels with George, 2009: India (Week 2)
We have covered hours of driving in this wild country in both rural and urban environments. In order to describe the conditions I must first detail the participants in the roadside community, beginning with animals…cattle, water buffalo, goats, pigs, dogs, and sometimes camels and elephants.
Read MoreTravels with George, 2009: India (Week 1)
After a hellish 42-hour journey, my wife Paula and I made it to Delhi. It is hard to comprehend the sheer number of people, flowing like a river; natives, foreigners, black, brown, white, young and old, holy men and beggars, intermixed with cars, pedicabs, scooters, bicycles, cattle, goats and mangy dogs. The air is thick with smoke and incense, blending with pungent smells…some good, many bad, along with noise and chaos, yet no sense of threat. The food...
Read MoreA Quarter Century of Restlessness
Approaching our 25th anniversary, I am prompted to look back on the numerous landmarks that have helped define our operation over the past quarter century. When I reflect back on the early days of our existence, the driving force was survival.
Read MoreGreen with hope.
This past week my wife, Paula, and I took a long walk along the ocean near our house in La Jolla. Once we reached the water’s edge, we saw that the sea that looked so beautiful from afar revealed itself as a floating garbage dump. We could not walk five feet without coming upon pieces of plastic, metal or trash. Those of us who have been around for a few years can stretch our memories to a time when the effects of carelessness, ignorance or worse were not so evident.
Reimagining George's at the Cove
Flashback to 1984, the year George’s at the Cove opened. I had just purchased my first VCR. Computers were not an integral tool in business or personal use. Cell phones were not the omnipresent reality of our lives. The Internet did not even exist! Boy, how the world has changed, and we, the dining public, have changed along with it. Dining is no longer “fine” as it was defined 20 years ago. Special occasion-oriented formal service, coats and ties, and highly structured menus were the rule. Today’s restaurant guest is more discerning and more targeted in their…
Read MoreThe Art of Bar Food
Remember the days when going to bars meant full-on drinking with little or no regard to consuming anything but your next cocktail? Thankfully, this past approach has yielded to a more sensible and no less entertaining alternative. For my wife Paula and I, the focus has shifted to actually going to bars for the express purpose of having an informal but tasty dinner. Our decision is usually governed by a number of key attributes. First, is the food any good? We are not interested in nachos and stuffed potato skins. Instead, we look to the restaurateur to provide a full compliment of…
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