Quick takes: Curry n' More, Apollonia, Specialty's

Curry n' More in San Marcos: yelpers claim it has very fresh Indian food and is the best in the county. Yes, it's fresh, but "best in the county" are some fighting words, and it just does not beat the Sorrento Valley/Little India places for me. They messed up my spice level, plus the food is not cravable to me, especially for being so out of the way. India Princess up there has a more standard buffet, but is more delicious in my view (especially for a working mom who wants to eat and go)....Sorry!

Apollonia (Greek, UTC): Blogged about it once before but I want to blog it again, since it is not an obvious place to take your toddler...and yet we had another successful outing there when ST was in a dangerous mood. The hostesses never seem super-friendly, but we've had two super-kid-friendly waiters, who rushed us out some humus and pita so ST could avoid hitting dangerous levels of hungriness. I loved my spanaki lemonato as always; had some salmon dolmas and felafel. ST loved his lentil soup (am I lucky or what that he likes Middle Eastern food? too bad Indian is too spicy for him or we could hit the buffets like when he was a baby); humus and pita; and Daddy's "fight" (that's Sprite to you and me). CH likes their humus, and tried their boureks for the first time (to them, this equals blintze-looking stuffed-meat crepes). He likes them, but not as much as his usual staples there (like chicken couscous).

Specialty's (UTC): Still haven't made it there myself, but everyone CH has sent there in the last week is raving about it. And that bread he brought home was serious business. Too bad they aren't open on weekends!

Looks like we get to have date night in 2 weeks and then once the following weekend. Oh, the possibilities!

I do love Tender Greens (Liberty Station)

Sometimes we get the same ol' same ol' at good old Tender Greens. Seems perfunctory (grilled tuna and veggies and potatoes) - even if it's good.

Got the specials of the day today. SUPER!!!! Kick-a$$ fisherman's stew (cod- and veggie-based), plus a grilled yellowtail sandwich. TG has tons of farm-to-table fresh veggies....and yet I was so drawn to the carbs today. LOVE the Con Pane bread, esp. grilled; stole some of ST's quesadilla (what a corn tortilla...); even if I bypassed the potato leek soup with blood orange oil; the yummy mashed potatoes; and only had a bite of ST's cookie.

ST is tantruming a bit....no more blog time for me!

Naomi hits Blanca, take two

So she has gone back for the newest chef:

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2010/aug/25/restaurant-review-sweet-ideas/

Sounds good, though I'm suspicious of the service there. They have coupons (!) in the Community Guide. We'll see if I get there before this guy leaves! I think CH definitely doesn't want to go back. Happy hour, anyone? (you get to try the food and not deal with the servers!)

Still need to hit Wade Hagemann's (former chef) new artisan pizza place in Encinitas! (see list on right!)

San Diego Magazine "Best of San Diego" Party 2010, Quick Takes

Went tonight to the SD Mag. Best of SD Party with a great Groupon deal. Total mob scene - glad we got there early. Puzzlement: very long lines for Rubio's and other undistinguished places, no lines for Kitchen 1540 (at least at first), JSix and several other top places. SD seems to be changing culinarily...and yet, it's still fast-food tastes for lots of folks.

Some quick takes:

--Winner of the Night: Kitchen 1540, with a tomato soup with a molecular gastronomy shaved thing on top which Paul McCabe was personally shooting (is that verb?) on top. Dr. T., I get it: the food is yummy and totally different. Next special occasion: we're there!

--Most Happily Surprised: Had a god-awful meal at Roppongi 8 yrs ago or so - we thought it was worse than MickeyDs and did not get the hype. They had an awesome bigeye tuna dish. Went back for seconds. I won't bag on them anymore.

--Anthology: so underrated, and yet so yummy. Some beet thing with goat cheese in the middle: yum.

--Alchemy: love ya, love ya, love ya! Ricardo Heredia stayed at the restaurant: how could they manage without him tonight? The restaurant's host was manning the saute pan at the booth! And yet, they set him and the other cook up so well with a well-conceived dish: no-fail sauteed squash blossom with goat cheese, and a flavorful gazpacho. Nice going! Tasty...and veg....I love you, Alchemy!

--The Cravory Cookies: Loved you as 410 degrees. Sorry, don't love the new name. But you still have the most ridiculously delicious cookies ever. Skipped Red Velvet tonight and had PB overload (insane), some rosemary basil somthing and some other good cookies. Bypassed birthday cookie (already know it's the bomb) and Pancakes and Bacon (whaa??)

--Urban Solace: CH loved their pork dish. I loved seeing that talented and menschy Matt Gordon manning the booth.

--Nobu: OMG! Their black cod is phenomenal! Didn't love serving it with jalapenos, but it is justly celebrated. No line there...go figure....

--Massive lines at Royal India and Monsoon. Do that many people like Indian food in this town? Can those places really be better than the best of Sorrento Valley and Mira Mesa? I was curious but not optimistic enough to wait on those lines....

--Addison: a no-show, I think?! I was looking forward to trying William Bradley's food...without having to give my money to Doug Manchester! For that matter, didn't see Oceanaire or Quality Social, which were also supposed to show.

--Roseville: closed this week but the chef (owner?) showed up anyway! They're looking for a new location, as FoodBuzzSd.com reported. Their carrot amuse was a nice touch, but was the same as I felt about their food when I ate there: nice idea, nothing special.

--Bencotto: CH's fave of the night: the paper-thin prosciutto. Decent cookies.

--Con Pane: Love their breads at Tender Greens: what they had on display was not as exciting (loaded up foccacias that were not as flavorful as their plain ol bread)

--Tender Greens: You served pork...too bad for me! No matter...I'll be there again soon, eating my way through the menu.

That marks the end of a long string of extra date nights. No big plans for the next few weeks - except hitting Specialty's some day with CH (he brought home a loaf of bread today. Holy crap - he is right! It is awesome bread, and I'm not really wanting to eat bread right now!)

JSix (Gaslamp): Very nice experience!

Went to JSix last night to taste Christian Graves' food. He is always mentioned by the food-writers in town and is the king of the Chefs' Confab. And yet....there are not tons of reviews on yelp or on opentable, and some of them are mixed. What gives?

After eating there, I think I get it.

Room: nice, but somehow missing a certain je ne sais quoi (can't put my finger on it).

Service: incredibly friendly but not incredibly efficient. Chef Graves himself came out from the (open) kitchen to greet us when the hostess was not at her stand. How 'bout that?! But it took a really long time to get water and our order in. When my food first came, it was already lukewarm-to-cold. On the other hand, the waiter had great suggestions; was very friendly; and they gave us a super-delicious comp dessert. Once food started coming, it came quickly. And once I got my entrée a second time, it was a perfect temperature.

Food: Let's go course by course:

--What a cocktail! Lavender-basil lemon drop. SUPER-DELISH. One of the best parts of the meal.

--Bread: Loved the bread, loved the anchovy-laden tapenade.

--Amuse-bouche: crostini with delish local peach, goat cheese, nuts. Veg for moi? Thank you, Chef Graves!

--Salads: Strawberry-parmesan mixed greens. Very yummy; a bit heavily dressed, but I liked it.

Entrees: Great pricing/idea here. I got a "small entree" portion of roasted corn ravioli (with leeks): very yummy. Following the waiter's advice I also got a "half-portion" of a vegetarian plate. Was simple-looking but very yummy. Perfectly charred asparagus, grilled portabella with some yummy reduction/glaze on it; cioppilini onions and mashed potatos. For these two courses together, was only $18. Very nice! CH was not as impressed with his chicken. He reluctantly agreed that the chicken itself was 'okay....good" but he thought the carrots were disappointing. Someone on yelp had mentioned that this dish was bland.

However, here's the piece de resistance: because it was a special occasion, they brought us out a COMPED Valrhona chocolate dessert instead of the dessert menu. Mousse-pretzels-caramel: I'm not sure all the ingredients that were in this concoction, but it was OUTSTANDING. Mmm...it was all I could do to not eat it all up.

So….overall I would say I thoroughly enjoyed the food. I’m not going to rush back, like to Searsucker (we passed it on the way back to our car – it was even more hopping than when we went. THAT is the new in place). However, I can say for sure that JSix will be one of the tables I’m most excited to stop by on Friday night at SD Mag’s Best of San Diego party (and not only because Chef Graves said he would make something vegetarian :)). If you haven’t been: give it a try! Definitely get the cocktail and dessert I got, and recognize that the service might be slow. It’s not an absolute don’t-miss, but it was certainly pleasant and yummy! And the chef is a gem!

And now a word from my Husband (Specialty's, UTC)

CH called this morning: "I am in heaven. I sound like you. The best new restaurant opened."

Turns out a deli called Specialty's Cafe and Bakery, which he liked in the Bay Area, just opened in UTC. He awaited his sandwich. Here are his quotes:

"Oh, this is so good."

"I am so happy."

What kind of food makes the normally un-gushy CH talk this way?

Sandwiches on "amazing bread" and "incredible" cookies of all kinds, especially chocolate chip.

I just looked at their website (specialtys.com) and see lots of veggie soups too.

I can't vouch for this yet, but this kind of foodie behavior from the husband merits a post!

Hype! Hype! (Review of Searsucker, Gaslamp)

(a non-toddler-oriented review tonight!)

I've been on a "Don't believe the hype!" kick of late. Here are some recent buzzy places that have disappointed:

--Banker's Hill Bar and Restaurant (heavy/fried, a little boring...Carl Schroeder, I love you at Market but not here!)

--Bice (meh...not the second coming of Italian food)

--Bencotto (tasty enough, made me sick after...still wasn't the second coming)

--Cucina Urban (MuseumGirl, I know you love it and I only went once, but the food I had was only ok and the service was horribly slow)

So am I suspicious of hype? Hell yeah! (though there are exceptions: Urban Solace and Alchemy, both buzzy, were super-delish)

That leads me to Searsucker in the Gaslamp: tons of buzz, open for 3 weeks now. Created by Brian Malarkey (of Top Chef 3 and Oceanaire) and James Brennan (of Stingaree and other restaurants/nightclubs). Tried Malarkey's food at Oceanaire once: very meh, very don't-believe-the-hype-ish. Food at Stingaree: very boring (though the club itself was hella-fun the one time we went pre-ST). Should note I have also been suspicious in general of Top Chef contestants at this point. After being very excited to try that TV-delicious-looking food at Oceanaire and at Absinthe in SF (Chef Jamie from a few seasons ago), both were meh....I started to think the TV "Top Chefs" were not really great chefs, but only the most telegenic and drama-inducing (which no doubt plays some role in casting).*

BUT HERE'S THE RUB: Ladies and gentlemen, may I say that SEARSUCKER SHOULD BE BEST NEW RESTAURANT OF 2010. Super-delicious food, great vibe, great cocktails, very nice and efficient service....plus you get to watch the TV star himself expediting the food in the open kitchen. High drama....yummmy....what more do you want...and at reasonable prices in the Gaslamp?

And this is on top of my eating veg. there, which could have been very boring!

I had:
--Peter Rabbit cocktail (Pimm's, basil, carrots and some other cool and delicious stuff: hell yeah!)

--mushrooms, truffles and burrata (super-yum)

--free popovers sent out "compliments of the chef" (super-yum again: they were as good as the popovers at Arterra in the Carl Schroeder days)

--eggplant, mozzarella and tomato dish: not a real parmesan, but outrageously yummy: the eggplant was not cooked exactly as I would like it but the textures and flavors of this dish were truly to-die-for

--one $12 glass of super yummy pinot noir.

Prices were super-duper reasonable except for the alcohol. It was very high quality but I still don't like to pay $24 for two drinks. (Given how many places charge $12 for bad wines or boring cocktails, though, I don't want to press this point too much!).

As for CH, he may not be ready to give the place any awards but he also enjoyed it (remember he does not get very excited about food). I asked him for a quote on his salad: "Mediocre at best." However, his entree (a chicken dish) was "very tender and good." In all "he would come back." High praise from the husband!

My faith in Top Chef (and Brian Malarkey) is restored!! (This adds to the wonderful experience MuseumGirl and I had when we hit Craft in LA (Tom Colicchio's restaurant) at a conference several months ago. Ridiculously good....and crowd-pleasing (if I recall we ordered one dessert: and were given a pre-dessert, a dessert, complimentary cookies, and then a morning pastry to go to share with the folks at home!).

SO VIVA THE HYPE FOR SEARSUCKER!! My friends, get thee there on date night!! But I'm hoping this is a place that will be around for a long while. Very few are the places that make me want to go back soon to try more of the menu as opposed to trying the next hot new place....I love Alchemy too much to move it off its perch in my heart, but Searsucker will draw me back soon! (And it was fun to sneak over to the chef at his public-arena post and to tell him how much FoodGirl loved it and what a hit he has on his hands!).

Piatti's: oh well (La Jolla)

Had a delectable meal at Piatti's (LJ Shores) a few years ago, remembered it very fondly, couldn't believe I had never been before. (NYUGirl used to live in that 'hood - if you can call it one! - and said it was her favorite there).

Went this week - major disappointment. Bread was good, service was good....Aside from that, overpriced, average salad; undercooked (!) pasta [how often do you notice your pasta is undercooked? we're not talking al dente]; too rich eggplant dish; CH said *Coco's* makes a better chicken dish than his was.... We shan't return - too bad! With the decline of Jai and the closure of Venice, we are very eager for new pre-theater choices! (dear readers, do weigh in if you have advice! Apollonia is good, but not that exciting for date night; Roy's is kind of corporate; Whole Foods Deli is delicious but not a real date place; going into and out of La Jolla village probably is too hectic pre- a 7 pm show!); am over PF Chang's!

Mama Testa's, plus Viva Pops IV

Yes, another weekend....another impromptu trip to Viva Pops.

Hit Mama Testa's for the first time in a year. Loved it when we tried it last year, a little less today. Still has the best guac in town; great salsas; great service; lots of veggie options; pleasant. But parking is a royal pain in the rear in that neighborhood (we circled multiple times and were about to leave when Mom spotted a spot being vacated), and the veggie options aren't actually that healthy/filling if you're doing low carb like I'm trying to (mashed potato taco, or other taco combos that are carb heavy and don't have much veggies or beans). I'm sure I'll be hungry soon again. Flavors are yummy though.

ST slept in his big boy bed all night long (bye bye crib) so had earned some ice cream. He decided (perhaps I influenced him a bit!) that he preferred to go to the popsicle store. So back to Viva Pops....he got strawberry (still super-yummy); this time I tried the Mojito. Yum! Not my favorite of all I have tried (straw cucumb/mint; tart plum; nectarine basil) but still very good.

A new family-friend place in Carmel Valley! (Katana)

Quick post: a great new option in CV! Katana is much larger than the other Japanese places in CV. Food is fresh and tasty, arrives quickly; army of waitresses, all indulgent of super-toddler's hyper behavior (tonight was not his finest hour). Plus they give balloons for good behavior.

50% off sushi special is a bit of a tease: the portions are not that large when they come. But I still really enjoyed my "ex-girlfriend roll" and "spicy diet roll." CH said his chicken teriyaki was fine (not the best ever but certainly good enough to return with ST). They brought ST a wonderfully presented plate of tofu...very kind. Great place to go with kids!

Iris (Del Mar)

Yummy fish tacos for lunch. Great setting. Ahi sandwich good but not as good (a little too rare for me). Delicious salad dressing. Not the best value ever but worth it with a coupon. Great for a pleasant lunch if you want to chat a lot!