After a week's worth of practice meals for friends and family, Galaxy Taco swings open officially today in La Jolla Shores, where George's at the Cove owner George Hauer and partner Trey Foshee have launched a casual neighborhood eatery in the bustling beach community. Catch up with all our past coverage of the project.
Executive chef Foshee designed the 4,000-square-foot space in collaboration with architect Mark Steele, transforming part of a long-vacant market and two adjacent cottages into a new kitchen and a partially-covered heated patio, lined with an eating rail that faces west to the ocean, behind which garage doors open onto the main dining room and bar; all told, there's seating for 160.
Foshee enlisted several artists to contribute to Galaxy's world; Ross McDowell crafted the ocean-inspired reclaimed teak altar behind the bar, Gennaro Garcia created symbol-laden male and female skulls drawings that will hang in restaurant and adorn Galaxy tshirts, and Manu Faves Studio painted a wall-sized corn-themed mural, beyond which sits the restaurant's prized custom grinder that turns nixtamalized non-GMO heirloom blue corn into masa for tortillas and tostadas, which chef de cuisine Christine Rivera and her team will be making to order. Nixtamalized corn is also a component of Galaxy's house beer, a corn lager, brewed locally by Benchmark Brewing Company and only available here and at George's at the Cove.
The fresh tortillas will anchor the foundation of Galaxy's menu (read more on the food and drink), nine varieties of tacos that range from lamb barbecoa to grilled avocado and carne asada with smoked bone marrow-salsa macha; a few entrees, from chili-braised short ribs to adobo-grilled chicken, are available after 4:30 p.m.; Foshee says they may add on other non-taco specials down the line.
