Eda-mami review (Del Mar)

Trains. Super Toddler loves trains. Coaster trains in particular.

So tonight I headed off with him and CH to one of the Carmel Valley Rd. restaurants where you have a clear shot of the trains going through the valley by Torrey Pines. Too cold for Roberto's - so we hit Edamami.

In brief....

Food: Good. Going before 7 pm you can order from happy hour menu. Loved esp. the Sake Fusion roll and the delicious healthy salad I got for ST.

Service: Harried, slightly slow, but friendly enough and not terrible.

And the Coasters? Well we saw 3 in an hour.

ST's Behavior? Overall it was good. But we did have a little fight over the pink umbrella that came with CH's chicken teriyaki. ST thought it was a good idea to poke it in his eye. Mom didn't. Arguing/tantrums/stuggles to a timeout spot in the corner ensued.

Luckily it's a place where our little moment didn't really bother anyone (people did look over, but it was a reasonable buzz level, so we weren't disrupting anyone).

ST shaped up later, still got a lolli at the end of the meal after serving his time in TO (I'm a sucker, I guess).

Oh - and riesling goes really well with Asian food. :) I never order rieslings with other food, and usually don't get alcohol when I go out for Asian food. But it seemed a good idea tonight....and yum....I do love a good riesling when it's not competing with my meal!

Nothing Bundt Cakes Review (Del Mar)

Got some cakes here today for a family birthday. Verdict: very, very sweet. Ate one sample of the chocolate turtle (bite-sized) and felt a massive sugar rush.

Lemon: ST loved it. For him it was perfect: very lemony and sweet.

Carrot: Split one with a family member. He loved it; I thought it was very moist but again very sugary.

We saved the marble one to try tomorrow.

In the area, I have to say I prefer Cupcake Love cupcakes.

Was worth a try..... (the whole concept is puzzling but the owner claims people thought they would be gone in 6 mos but business is booming....they seem to like it on yelp too. A bit too sweet for me, though!)

Stadium (Encinitas): Review #2

LOVE the Stadium in Encinitas. Went with CH and ST tonight after trying it a few months ago.

All the plusses:

--kids' play room

--monitors at your table to see your child in the playroom so you can relax (we didn't even know about this kind of table last time, so one of us had always been left alone at the table while the other watched him; this was way better)

--surprisingly great food for a sports bar/burger place. I enjoyed seared ahi sliders with sweet potato french fries; ST had standard m&c that also came with fresh carrot and celery sticks and tater tots; CH had a chicken teriyaki bowl he liked (he decided to give the Stadium another try tonight and order something different even though he had a tummyache last time - hopefully it was a one time thing and he'll be fine tonight).

--great selection of beer on tap (I hardly drank any but enjoyed some tastes of the Stadium Honey beer)

--super-friendly servers: all the young women and men who work there are very nice and family-friendly

--hip-ish atmosphere and comfy seating. I'm not even into the big screens b/c I don't need to watch the game, but it lends the place a buzzy atmosphere.

Looking forward to going again. Super toddler-friendly and mom- and dad-friendly place (it almost felt like a date while we were sitting on our own, chatting, while watching him on the monitor playing hide and seek with the camera :)).

Pizza Patrol: Ciro's (Downtown/Gaslamp) Review + Viva Pops

Pizza! Foodgirl's family likes pizza. And we do have quite a few respectable NY pizza places in SD (and by respectable I mean they'll rival our fave places in NY/NJ). Readers of this blog know that our favorite are Bongiorno's Miramar and Sicilian Thing.

We also are known to happily get a slice at Bongiorno's Solana Beach. Carmine's in Oceanside is worth returning to; Bronx in Hillcrest is fine but not worth driving to from chez us; and we'd eat at Basic Urban downtown if it were more kid-friendly and had slices. Blue Ribbon is also super-yummy though not NY style. And Regents Pizzeria is not really authentic but it is tasty.

And we did not like Luigi's the one time we tried it: the Ca.-style white pizza was yummy, but the basic cheese slice was a tomato sauce abomination.

Today we hit Ciro's downtown for the first time. Verdict: not super-authentic, but definitely pretty yummy. The tomato sauce was a little sweet for me, and the sicilian pizza was too spongy to have any credibility East of the Mississippi (though it was tasty in a roll-with-cheese kind of way). However, the crust on the thin-crust pizza was perfect, and I loved my white slice. Would happily return when we are downtown.

In fact, it made for a perfect day with Super-Toddler, who had filled up his reward chart from sleeping all night long several weeks in a row. We took Amtrak to downtown and met CH there (the times between return trains were not convenient today so we made it a one-way trip). CH drove us to Ciro's; then we went to the train museum; then we hit Viva Pops. (hehehe - any day is a great day for Viva Pops - but especially a hot day!!).

I tried, at long last, the famed Salted Caramel. I enjoyed it but it wasn't the best pop I've had there, and I wouldn't get it again. ST branched out, with the experience of the cooks confab making him realize it's fun to experiment with flavors instead of always getting the same thing. He got "Strawberry Lemonade" instead of just strawberry. Then we were still hot and still hungry. So I got a blood orange, which we had enjoyed in mini size at the CC party - but which I found too tart to eat in a whole portion. He got another Strawberry Lemonade. I'm still considering the Mango Chili and the Avocado Lime for next visit.

Good eatin' today with ST!

Just an aside

The blog title mentions the idea of "delicious solo lunch on the run". Ha! Doesn't that sound exotic? I have had a bunch of work dinners (and a few date nights) lately....but lunchtime is spent either at my desk or quickly in the kitchen before pickup on days I'm at home. I ate once at Shar E Punjab in the last few weeks. Otherwise, what's lunch out??? Foodgirl scarfs down something quickly these days!! Miho comes to my hood and I never get to go!!

Vincent's Escondido (Review): Meh....

In brief: business dinner at Vincent's in Escondido.

SD Mag 2010: one of the critics (David Nelson?) awarded Vincent Grumel best chef in San Diego

Does the restaurant deserve it based on my visit? Ummm...No (aka, WTF? given the creative talent in this town? Ummm...no again).

I've been there 2x before in last several years, remember it as pretty tasty.

Tonight...

Service: not really very impressive, took forever for someone to come over. They were also not veggie friendly: meals come included with soup....while there's a veggie entree on the menu, there's no veggie soup. They won't even give you a green salad instead ("no substitutions"). So they're charging you for something that you can't eat. Not friendly at all! Every top chef in this town would be happy to send out a veggie alternative, as both a challenge/opportunity for the chef and to please the customer. Not impressive!

Amuse: Sorry, what amuse? (at this price level, shouldn't they be giving you one?).

Food: tasty enough, "correcte." Not worth the prices at this moment in time, IMHO. Tasty - not wildly creative. Not Ricardo Heredia or Brian Malarkey creative/delish. And certainly not Olivier Bioteau tasty! (This place ain't got nothing on Farmhouse Cafe as far as la cuisine française).

Wine: they don't even give you a list of wines priced by the glass, so you have to ask what the wines are and no prices are given. Tacky!

Dessert: Best part of the meal. Enjoyed a Pithiviers - very tasty almond cake. Can't get this elsewhere in SD.

It's definitely the fanciest restaurant in these parts. But I had great meals in the last few weeks at Habibi's (fraction of the price and delicious) and Hacienda de Vega (great atmosphere, very flavorful and interesting, also much cheaper).

I'd go back at some point if someone else was paying. Tonight was absolutely not cravable, and the service was not too pleasing. (On the other hand, my companions, who go out less, were very happy with their food. As I said, it was tasty....but hardly at the level of other places in town at this price.).

Searsucker: Oh How I Love Thee....

So I loved Charisma, and Alchemy's Ricardo Heredia is still the biggest bad-ass in town......

However, I'd be lying if I didn't say that SEARSUCKER IS STILL MY FAVE RESTAURANT IN SAN DIEGO BY FAR....

Had a fantastic meal tonight with a visiting friend. That place is off the hook!!!

Some of tonight's treats (we shared a bunch)
--cheddar poppers (of course - yum)
--no shisito peppers (the famous dish - tasty, but wouldn't get again)
--watermelon salad (good, had it once before)
--smoked trout salad with grapefruit and avo (yum)

--mahi mahi with blue cheese and chipotle: my how yummy
--she got a steak with chimichurri bearnaise and loved it

-sides: fried brussel sprouts with walnuts; and cauliflower with lemon, orange and sage: OMG on both of them

Oh - I left out the cocktails:
--talked her into getting the Peter Rabbit, which she enjoyed
--tried the Lullaby: HOLY STRONG DRINK, but also holy delicious. St. Germain: YUMMMMMMM!

For the first time, I got dessert there, even though I had no room:
--their Red Velvet Cake is awesome, moist, with lots of cherry action

The bill piles up fast there, but it's totally worth it!
It was hopping ridiculously on a Thurs. night.

Searsucker = best combo of scene + fun + ridiculous food in SD!

COOKS CONFAB SCHOOL LUNCH: YUM!!!

So Museumgirl and I took our families to the Cooks Confab School Lunch program at Fibonacci's today. COULD WE HAVE HAD ANY MORE FUN???? Upon arrival, they told us lunch wouldn't start for 75 mins. (??????? with toddlers????). But SuperToddler and MiniMuseumgirl (MMG) had a great time looking at butterflies and bugs on the back patio. Andrew Spurgin (a prince of a guy in addition to a helluva chef) let us have some delectable rolls in the meantime. The kids enjoyed fresh squeezed orange juice and some virgin "strawberry milkshakes" from the Snake Oil cocktail guys. MG and me enjoyed some spiked ones. We amused ourselves well til 1:15.

Then....
OMG!!!!
FOODIE HEAVEN!
ALL THE TOP CHEFS IN ONE PLACE!!!

First, I got to tell Ricardo Heredia that he is the baddest of badasses, and that his food is kicking butt over lots of the more famous places. He said it made his day (I'd say that made my day, but actually eating lots of super-yummy food made my day more :)).

Then, I got to eat the following, served to me by the chefs themselves on the Fibonacci's cafeteria line:

--Ricardo Heredia (Alchemy's) Potato-Cauliflower Tostada, Yellow Cherry Tomato, House Queso Fresco, Pickled Broccoli Stem, Salsa Verde: super-delish, scarfed up the queso fresco and pickled broccoli stem

--Trey Foshee's (George's) Cream of Tomato Soup with Parmesan Cream & Bread Crumbs, and George's pastry chef's Strawberry Yogurt with Chocolate Dipping Sticks: soup was pretty good, ST LOVED the chocolate meringue dipping sticks, and the strawberry yogurt was yummy

--Olivier Bioteau's (Farmhouse) Wheat “Macaroni ‘n Cheese;” Carrot Turmeric Purée; Diced Vegetables; Gruyère Cheese: This was super-yummy.

--Jack Fischer's Cashew Nut Ice Cream Cups with Honeyed Quinoa: OMG, Jack Fischer is back. He went through some phases where I was not too into what he was doing (like candy stuff) but he is back on my list of people whose food I crave. This was so delicious I had 3 of them (they were little, but still).

--Cafe Chloe's Suzie's Farm Vegetable "Lasagna", Handmade Focaccia (CH and MG's husband also enjoyed the Jidori Chicken Roulade which came with it): Yum. I loved the sauce too. Too bad you can't make reservations there - we never end up going anymore.

--Paul McCabe's (Kitchen 1540) "Fish & Chips” Wild Striped Bass, Baked Vegetable Chips, Tartar Sauce: this was delectable, one of my favorite dishes. Took forever for the line to die down so I was stuffed by the time I got there, but I ate every morsel. LOVE his food (when it doesn't get me sick, that is! :)).

And surprise of surprises!! One of my favorite foods of the day was, I think, SALAD!!
Andrew Spurgin is a bigtime badass....I was going to skip the "boring" lettuce in favor of all the delicious composed plates from the worthies. But I took some greens from the "Salad Bar from Waters’ Organic Garden with “a Bunch of Stuff That’s Good For You;” Fava Bean Tops and Beans, Peas and Tendrils, Garden Herbs," and added also some of his and Melissa Mayer's Roasted Vegetables and House Made Pickles; Tofu “Caprese” with Suzie’s Farms’ Cherry Tomatoes, Shiso Sesame Soba with Ginger-Sesame: YUM, YUM, and SUPER-YUM!! I thought it was the freshest salad I ever had in my life - and sure enough, Spurgin had picked it that morning with several kids from Fibonacci's Garden. It was spectacular (the cilantro pepita dressing was not bad either).

CH's favorite dish was Jason Knibb (Nine-Ten)'s Beef with Broccoli. We never got to it in the line, but Museumgirl's family also loved Stingaree's chicken satay. (Jeff Jackson's Chicken Pot Pie, CH thought, was just ok).

I must also give a shout-out to Lisa Altman and VIVA POPS! Super-Toddler was spectacularly well-behaved, all for the promise of some Viva Pops. He ate a choco banana milk, a bite of my honey yogurt granola, and then 4 of 5 blood orange juice boxes (well, they were not full size, and he had had tofu, sesame soba, bread, and some salad, plus strawberry yogurt and tastes of other stuff, so he deserved it).

WHAT AN AWESOME IDEA!! Museumgirl says she should have a party like this sometime - have all the top chefs in town in her backyard. Hehehe....that is a pretty awesome fantasy! Kudos to the chefs for advancing the cause of healthy, sustainable, kid-friendly, delectable food!!

I spent the afternoon in a food coma but should be ready to resume eating tomorrow....

Charisma Cucina Italiana (Hillcrest): Now THAT's how I like to eat!

So I read reviews a lot and a place seems intriguing....sometimes I get there, sometimes I don't, sometimes it's disappointing....sometimes it's like Charisma!!!

Amen, Yelpers....I'm so glad I went here!!

OVERALL: Real Modern Italian, not Little Italy or Italian-American. Simple and perfect.....The kind of food I would happily eat for a last supper. I love California cuisine, and farm-to-table, and out-of-the box and all that....but this is simple, well-executed, and scrumptious. I could eat this any day and forget all about the celebrity chefs.

ATMOSPHERE: Tiny, but beautiful red colors, right on University Avenue.

WINES BY THE GLASS: Now you're talking! I was delighted to have an excellent selections of Italian wines by the glass for $5-8 ($2.50 - 4 at happy hour!). Had to pass on a $5 Sangiovese and a $6.50 Super Tuscan (!) for a $7 Nero d'Avola Sicilian. DELISH!

BREAD: Super-fresh and hot, from Bread and Cie. Comes with a lentil spread that was scrumptious.

WAITER: Very gracious and efficient young Italian. Who cares if I had to ask him to keep repeating each component of the specials because I understood 25% of what he was saying? He still had great recommendations.

SALAD/SOUP: I went with a nightly special, mixed greens with gorgonzola, carmelized walnuts, blueberries and a balsamic reduction. I was afraid the gorgonzola might be too heavy. It came shredded (how about that?) and the plate was beautiful. I scarfed up the whole salad. Cute Husband enjoyed the soup of the day, a chicken minestrone.

ENTREES: CH was less excited about his veal parm than mine ("this is too much food for me," he said). I loved the perfect rosemary potatoes on his plate, though, and the delicious Italian vegetables. Oh - and my pasta dish? I have never even heard of the noodle I got (and it's not on the online menu). It was a longer, straighter version of gemelli. But it came with diced sauteed eggplant, smoked mozzarella, tomato sauce and fresh basil. It was RIDICULOUSLY TASTY. Yes, I would happily eat this for my last meal.

DESSERT: I was pleasantly sated from my food. CH got a cannoli. I thought the shell was just ok, but enjoyed a taste of the filling.

PRICES: Insanely reasonable.

On yelp, they say the service can be slow - and the kitchen is postage stamp sized, so I can imagine it gets slow when the restaurant is full. We dined early so had very efficient service. WOULD HAPPILY RETURN FOR A SLICE OF ITALIAN FOOD HEAVEN! Some people say Bice is the best Italian food in San Diego - some say it's Bencotto. I vastly preferred this to Bice (simple and cheaper and tastier); after eating at Bencotto I got a horrible stomach ache. So this is an easy choice for me as the best Italian (modern or not!) in town.