Found myself in Hillcrest the other day at lunch. Bo's is in a strip mall with lots of parking. DELISH grilled fish tacos (some kind of tangy marinade and sauce). Not cheap, but reasonably quick and yummy. Would be toddler friendly.
Habibi's: OH BOY! Real Middle Eastern food in Escondido - real find. Not far from the Children's Museum at all. ST was overtired so it was a little stressful, but we had:
--amazing vegetarian lentil soup (had fresh ground spices: did I taste a hint of cardamon?)
--Greek salad: just eh, but ST loves feta
--hummus: super-yum, very thick and fresh. CH prefers thinner hummus but I thought it was very authentic and delightful.
--Felafel: I think I can safely call it the BEST I'VE HAD IN SD. Even better than Sultan Schwarma's. Very fresh, with delicious pickles.
--Chicken kebabs: CH thought they were good, though he wasn't as wild about the place as me. However, I tasted his rice pilaf. WOWZA! Yummy sliced almonds, raisins and vermicelli on top. Loved it!
I think they're Iraqi - they have kibbeh and bourekas and lots of other dishes whose names were unfamiliar to me on the menu.
Service not super-duper, but food was great and at a great price. Very toddler (and baby-) friendly.
Am so going back, if only I can find a time!
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Katana (Carmel Valley)
Sushi, got a return visit from us one night.
Worth mentioning again because they are so kid-friendly for an adult place. Balloons everywhere: the hostess promised ST that if he was good he could get one at the end. That definitely helped his behavior. They also brought his food out very fast, and my sushi platter was yummy and well-priced.
Worth mentioning again because they are so kid-friendly for an adult place. Balloons everywhere: the hostess promised ST that if he was good he could get one at the end. That definitely helped his behavior. They also brought his food out very fast, and my sushi platter was yummy and well-priced.
Brian Malarkey to come to Carmel Valley
Word is that Malarkey and James Brennan are building a new restaurant in the DM Highlands Shopping Center in the old Wherehouse space. A kind of Searsucker II, one hopes? However, word is that it's going to be a steakhouse (there is supposed to be a different farm-to-table place coming to the same strip mall). And worse, word is that it's going to be called Bandit. Sorry, but foodgirl thinks this is a dumb name. My father always used the Yiddish word bandit to mean a misbehaving child. That does not sound like a good omen for fine dining in Kidsville CV, land of Pat and Oscars! But we'll see how it turns out!
Round-Up of Recent Visits: A. R. Valentien, Bibby's Crepe Cafe, The Stadium
Now here's a group of restaurants that no one would put together:
--Fine Dining at A.R. Valentien (Lodge at Torrey Pines)
--Breakfast with Boy at Bibby's Crepe Cafe (La Jolla)
--Sports-Bar Dining at The Stadium (Encinitas)
But I've been to all three recently and don't have time for full reviews, so here goes:
A. R. VALENTIEN: Still good, but didn't seem nearly as good as it used to. Both CH and I thought so. Enjoyed my kabocha squash ravioli and crispy-skin arctic char. But the char was swimming in butter. It was tasty but not the light food that Chef Jeffrey Jackson used to serve. The veg. that came on the side used to be spectacularly light and tasty: lukewarm broccoli sauteed in garlic that honestly wasn't better than most cheap places in town. Wudn't nothing like the grilled farm-to-table veggies at Tender Greens, for a fraction of the price. Did love the yummy Jordan Chardonnay (if it's going to be $15 for a glass of wine, I want it to be a spectacular glass). And liked the free mini-desserts at the end. But this was our fave restaurant once upon a time. Definitely ain't anymore, can't see going back for a few years.
BIBBY'S CREPE CAFE: Decent place to bring ST, though it was mobbed: when ST went for a while on Cute Husband's lap, they took his own chair away because they needed it to use at other tables. Took a while for food to come and ST was in a bad mood, but when it came it was very good. REAL BUCKWHEAT CREPES, portions much larger than at Fabrison's in Little Italy. At the same time, I suspect that the crepes weren't 100% buckwheat. Even though Fabrison's crepe fillings are much less generous and well-priced and I was hungry after eating there, the crepe itself there was pure buckwheat pleasure and very delicious. The Bibby's crepe tasted less nutty, complex, etc. Buckwheat cheaters? But I would go back there if I was in the neighborhood. It wouldn't really satisfy a buckwheat craving, though!
STADIUM: Was very pleasantly surprised with this under-the-radar toddler-friendly place. Has a little kids' room with some toys and Cars the movie showing. Probably would work better if you went with more than 1 child, since ST didn't really want to stay in there by himself, which meant one of us was still sitting at the table alone. Food MUCH BETTER THAN EXPECTED for a loud sports bar with screens everywhere. Very large menu; enjoyed my portabella mushroom sandwich with sweet potato french fries a lot, and there were many other veg choices I could have gotten. Great beer selection and very friendly, efficient service too. But CH (he of the unpredictable stomach) got a tummy ache afterwards so it may not get a return visit from us. Definitely worth a try with kids!
--Fine Dining at A.R. Valentien (Lodge at Torrey Pines)
--Breakfast with Boy at Bibby's Crepe Cafe (La Jolla)
--Sports-Bar Dining at The Stadium (Encinitas)
But I've been to all three recently and don't have time for full reviews, so here goes:
A. R. VALENTIEN: Still good, but didn't seem nearly as good as it used to. Both CH and I thought so. Enjoyed my kabocha squash ravioli and crispy-skin arctic char. But the char was swimming in butter. It was tasty but not the light food that Chef Jeffrey Jackson used to serve. The veg. that came on the side used to be spectacularly light and tasty: lukewarm broccoli sauteed in garlic that honestly wasn't better than most cheap places in town. Wudn't nothing like the grilled farm-to-table veggies at Tender Greens, for a fraction of the price. Did love the yummy Jordan Chardonnay (if it's going to be $15 for a glass of wine, I want it to be a spectacular glass). And liked the free mini-desserts at the end. But this was our fave restaurant once upon a time. Definitely ain't anymore, can't see going back for a few years.
BIBBY'S CREPE CAFE: Decent place to bring ST, though it was mobbed: when ST went for a while on Cute Husband's lap, they took his own chair away because they needed it to use at other tables. Took a while for food to come and ST was in a bad mood, but when it came it was very good. REAL BUCKWHEAT CREPES, portions much larger than at Fabrison's in Little Italy. At the same time, I suspect that the crepes weren't 100% buckwheat. Even though Fabrison's crepe fillings are much less generous and well-priced and I was hungry after eating there, the crepe itself there was pure buckwheat pleasure and very delicious. The Bibby's crepe tasted less nutty, complex, etc. Buckwheat cheaters? But I would go back there if I was in the neighborhood. It wouldn't really satisfy a buckwheat craving, though!
STADIUM: Was very pleasantly surprised with this under-the-radar toddler-friendly place. Has a little kids' room with some toys and Cars the movie showing. Probably would work better if you went with more than 1 child, since ST didn't really want to stay in there by himself, which meant one of us was still sitting at the table alone. Food MUCH BETTER THAN EXPECTED for a loud sports bar with screens everywhere. Very large menu; enjoyed my portabella mushroom sandwich with sweet potato french fries a lot, and there were many other veg choices I could have gotten. Great beer selection and very friendly, efficient service too. But CH (he of the unpredictable stomach) got a tummy ache afterwards so it may not get a return visit from us. Definitely worth a try with kids!
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Barrio Star: Foodgirl, meet Foodgirl (Bankers Hill)
So, when I picked the name for this blog, I had no idea Isabel Cruz of Coffee Cup and the Mission called herself Foodgirl. I'm just a SD girl who likes food. :) Naomi Wise's tearing into Cruz for choosing such a name (http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2010/aug/04/restaurant-review-food-girls-mexican-soul/) made me feel rather lame....
But, who cares, you ask: whatever your name is, Sdfoodgirl, how did you like the famous Foodgirl's restaurant?
Barrio Star: Yelpers love it or hate it. Wonderful flavors, they say, or totally overpriced.
I have been now: they're both right!!!
a) Super-duper yum. Awesome, complex Southwestern flavors. Tons of veggie options. Great happy hour. Got $5 sangria and $5 decent malbec, awesome $4 salad (super-duper smokey dressing on a simple salad with corn and tortilla strips), delectable $2.50 cucumber salad (awesome spicy vinaigrette). My $15 (non-happy-hour priced) Brazil bowl was outrageously tasty. Amazing marinated tofu, black beans, power rice, coconut chili sauce, super-yummy steamed greens. Delicious coconut flan for dessert. Would happily go back for those awesome flavors.
I love Naomi Wise, but her review (written not long after the restaurant opened) seems a little fussy to me - those cucumbers were so yummy that I could never say they were overpriced!
And yet....
b) Was still hungry afterwards. The person next to me got the infamous 3 tiny tacos for $15 that yelpers talk about. CH was less a fan of his dish ("it's just not my kind of Mexican," he said - probably because it's Southwestern and more complex spice rubs than most Mexican places we go).
Would I go again? Happily. Is it a good value? Not exactly. But for any tofu-eaters amongst my readers, you must go at least once and get the Brazil Bowl or the Barrio Bowl - it's a San Diego veggie standout, the kind of dish that will remind you how wonderful it is to live in a city with such wonderful restaurant variety!
But, who cares, you ask: whatever your name is, Sdfoodgirl, how did you like the famous Foodgirl's restaurant?
Barrio Star: Yelpers love it or hate it. Wonderful flavors, they say, or totally overpriced.
I have been now: they're both right!!!
a) Super-duper yum. Awesome, complex Southwestern flavors. Tons of veggie options. Great happy hour. Got $5 sangria and $5 decent malbec, awesome $4 salad (super-duper smokey dressing on a simple salad with corn and tortilla strips), delectable $2.50 cucumber salad (awesome spicy vinaigrette). My $15 (non-happy-hour priced) Brazil bowl was outrageously tasty. Amazing marinated tofu, black beans, power rice, coconut chili sauce, super-yummy steamed greens. Delicious coconut flan for dessert. Would happily go back for those awesome flavors.
I love Naomi Wise, but her review (written not long after the restaurant opened) seems a little fussy to me - those cucumbers were so yummy that I could never say they were overpriced!
And yet....
b) Was still hungry afterwards. The person next to me got the infamous 3 tiny tacos for $15 that yelpers talk about. CH was less a fan of his dish ("it's just not my kind of Mexican," he said - probably because it's Southwestern and more complex spice rubs than most Mexican places we go).
Would I go again? Happily. Is it a good value? Not exactly. But for any tofu-eaters amongst my readers, you must go at least once and get the Brazil Bowl or the Barrio Bowl - it's a San Diego veggie standout, the kind of dish that will remind you how wonderful it is to live in a city with such wonderful restaurant variety!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)