Located inside San Diego Mission Bay Resort, Covewood boasts an award-winning menu and stunning waterfront views. Whether you’re a guest of the resort, visiting the area or a local San Diegan, Covewood serves up a vista as invigorating as its food and drinks.
Seated on the patio of Covewood, we took in panoramic views of Mission Bay as we looked for a cocktail to quench the thirst that accompanies a warm summer day. The Noble Sunset immediately caught our eye. Named after San Diego Mission Bay Resort’s parent company, Noble House, the Noble Sunset is a tantalizing mix of orange-infused vodka, Aperol, agave and grapefruit juice with a prosecco float on top. It would be very easy to keep the Noble Sunsets coming far after the sun goes down. We also tried the Gull of the Cliff, which is sure to satisfy anyone with a taste for spicy margaritas.
For our appetizer, we started with the sweet potato hummus, served with big blocks of feta, olives and fresh naan bread. The hummus was incredibly creamy and flavorful; we slathered it atop the fluffy naan bread and added feta to complete the perfect bite. Our server also suggested the highly popular tuna tartare and the pork lollipops.
Though Executive Chef Roy Hendrickson offers many main course highlights at Covewood, we went with the pappardelle Bolognese and the pork chop.
The pappardelle is made fresh in Little Italy and mixed with a short rib that has been carefully braised for hours, pancetta, San Marzano tomatoes, grana padano and petite basil. Perfectly grilled sourdough bread is included to soak up every delicious drop of sauce in the dish.
The pork chop is probably one of the best–if not the best–we’ve ever had. In fact, Chef Hendrickson has been hired by a restaurant in the past after making this very dish. The pork is succulent and complemented by a sour cherry glaze; each bite was better than the last. The pork is paired with a surprising and delicious side: mustard-and-parsley spaetzle. Spaetzle isn’t something you often see on California menus, and this dish left us wondering why!
We somehow managed to leave enough room for dessert. We selected the cinnamon doughnuts with caramel and chocolate sauces. The doughnuts are made fresh daily, and you could certainly tell. The texture was soft and pillowy and melted in your mouth upon contact. And the accompanying sauces provided a great richness that truly tied everything together. Lastly, Chef Hendrickson surprised us with a scoop of banana spirulina vegan ice cream that he sources from a friend in Los Angeles. It’s safe to say this ice cream is the only way we’ll be eating bananas from now on.
For more information on Covewood, visit www.missionbayresort.com/covewood-restaurant.