Sprouting from the Latin vīvax meaning long-lived or vigorous”, or the Italian vīvere (to live or to be alive), vivace is also a musical term meaning brisk and lively. All these characterizations apply to Vivace the signature restaurant at the Park Hyatt Aviara Resort, Golf Club & Spa in Carlsbad situated just north of San Diego in California.

Executive Chef Pierre Albaladejo, a Bailliage member, perfected the AAA Four-Diamond restaurant’s holiday menu for members and guests. A native of Dax, France, Albaladejo’s culinary career included the three-star Lucas Carton in Paris, two-star Café de Paris in Biarritz and the Élysée Palace in Paris in the private kitchen of President Francois Mittérand.

Before the dinner, we enjoyed a vivacious reception of Champagne as well as Green Apple Martinis with an array of stunning hors d’oeuvres (lamb tartare, wood-fried octopus and kampachi) on the terrace overlooking the Spanish Colonial resort’s golf course, pools and beyond to the pristine Batiquitos Lagoon which ebbs and flows with the mighty Pacific Ocean.

MENU

Foie gras, sweetbread and rabbit roulade
heirloom apple, bitter greens, celery barigoule

Dungeness crab agnolotti
melted leeks, cream, sea grass

Zanbuton beef
chestnut puree, wild mushrooms
tender root vegetables, truffle sauce

Gorgonzola dolce panna cotta
verjus, Port shallot jam
gingerbread, walnut granola

Orange and lime lollipop
Breton sablé, salted caramel, Manjari chocolate mousse
smoked whipped cream

Dinner was luscious and served with wines that Wine Spectator affirms of Vivace’s cellar: “award-winning robust wine list features some of Italy’s finest as well as some hidden gems from lesser known regions of the country”.

In the holiday spirit, Bailli Dominick Addario added to the evening’s fine wines by bringing a Lilypilly from Australia to blend with the foie gras and a Louis M. Martini ‘Monte Rossa Vineyard’ 1999 Sonoma County Cabernet-Sauvignon to partner the beef.

Marie Addario
Vice-Chargée de Presse Nationale
Editor-in-Chief, Gastronome and Gastronome Extra!