Second visit to Charisma. LOVED it! Tried not to get exactly the same thing but it was hard. Got the arugula salad with truffle oil. Mmm...truffle oil. Just as good as the salad I got last time.
Still love the lentil spread for the bread.
DH ordered the same entree as last time (veal parm) but was in a better mood so liked it better. :) He also got bruschetta, which was very flavorful tomatoes and basil on very good grilled bread.
I got the same pasta dish with sauteed eggplant and smoked mozz, but did it with whole wheat penne. Felt a little more virtuous.
Didn't like my "Tuscan blend" as much as the Nero d'Avola I got last time. However, the nice waiter brought me a taste of Primitivo, which I would order again in a heartbeat. Even better: we were seated before $6, so my Tuscan blend only cost $3. For $3, it was an outstanding Italian table wine!
So friendly there, so cute....so delicious! Charisma gets promoted to my #3 fave restaurant du moment.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Too hilarious
Just noted that I posted a review tonight for El Callejon a year to the day after our last visit there, when I had noted "we need to remember to come here." And ST and I ordered pretty much the same thing (though I had black bean soup instead of jamaica salad). ST enjoyed the train last year too, though I called it a whistle - he was less obsessed then than he is now, so I didn't realize it should properly be called "a whole lot of horn." (cf. the generous Youtube train obsessives who post videos for other train-lovers and identify which model of horn is on each train).
Surprisingly, CH is the one who mixed it up. He got something totally different tonight than on our visit last time this year. And he's usually the stick-to-it'er and I'm the culinary experimenter!
Surprisingly, CH is the one who mixed it up. He got something totally different tonight than on our visit last time this year. And he's usually the stick-to-it'er and I'm the culinary experimenter!
El Callejon (Encinitas): Another train restaurant
There's a sign in the model train museum in Balboa Park: "yes, it really is always about trains." In our case, dining out with Super Toddler can be that way too.
We went to Legoland this afternoon and were trying to decide where to eat on the way home. CH suggested El Callejon. Chilly night, but with the heatlamps we figured we would be ok. El Callejon is yummy.
And (who knew?) it is also a train restaurant. The front parking lot at Moonlight Plaza was filled, so we followed the signs to park at the Encinitas Coaster station around the back. This allowed us to cross the tracks at the signal crossing as we walked from our car to the restaurant. (super excitement from ST).
And as we ate, not one but two trains rolled by. We couldn't see them, but we had a prime listening spot for all that horn. ST did his happy Coaster passing dance.
The food: yummy as usual. Had a black bean soup (though they brought me bacon on the side, which was lame since it was on the vegetarian menu - but I just sent it back). Then some yummy tacos de pescado, which has the yummiest tomato/pepper/onion sauce on grilled mahi mahi. CH enjoyed his chicken mole and the salsa. ST was very content with his guac, quesadilla, and treats (complimentary ice cream with a yummy hot-out-of-the-oven-churro AND a lolli for a well-behaved boy).
Overall, fast service, good food. A great night out together!
(I should note that ST had a tantrum when we first arrived because they immediately brought us chips and salsa, and he wanted guac. Took a long time for the server to arrive and ST was at first not a happy camper and had no patience. But once we ordered and the guac came, his hunger tantrum ended and we had a lovely meal. He especially loved the singers who came over to serenade us, and he was very proud to hand them money when I slipped it to him).
We went to Legoland this afternoon and were trying to decide where to eat on the way home. CH suggested El Callejon. Chilly night, but with the heatlamps we figured we would be ok. El Callejon is yummy.
And (who knew?) it is also a train restaurant. The front parking lot at Moonlight Plaza was filled, so we followed the signs to park at the Encinitas Coaster station around the back. This allowed us to cross the tracks at the signal crossing as we walked from our car to the restaurant. (super excitement from ST).
And as we ate, not one but two trains rolled by. We couldn't see them, but we had a prime listening spot for all that horn. ST did his happy Coaster passing dance.
The food: yummy as usual. Had a black bean soup (though they brought me bacon on the side, which was lame since it was on the vegetarian menu - but I just sent it back). Then some yummy tacos de pescado, which has the yummiest tomato/pepper/onion sauce on grilled mahi mahi. CH enjoyed his chicken mole and the salsa. ST was very content with his guac, quesadilla, and treats (complimentary ice cream with a yummy hot-out-of-the-oven-churro AND a lolli for a well-behaved boy).
Overall, fast service, good food. A great night out together!
(I should note that ST had a tantrum when we first arrived because they immediately brought us chips and salsa, and he wanted guac. Took a long time for the server to arrive and ST was at first not a happy camper and had no patience. But once we ordered and the guac came, his hunger tantrum ended and we had a lovely meal. He especially loved the singers who came over to serenade us, and he was very proud to hand them money when I slipped it to him).
Thursday, May 26, 2011
O'Brothers (Gaslamp)
Looks like I never reviewed this place in Horton Plaza. Loved it! Thought it was the best of the new SD burger places. Loved my veggie burger and sweet potato fries, and an awesome salad (I think we were there 2 mos. ago and I still remember). But CH didn't like his burger very much. So this will unfortunately not enter our rotation. But it's worth a try for you! Super toddler-friendly; satisfying lunch after hitting the Santa Fe Depot for a train reward!
Three cheers for Poseidon (Del Mar)
We go to Poseidon a few times a year. The combo of the view/setting on the beach + the creative and well-executed food is very appealing, esp. (though not only with) out of town guests. Service isn't always great, though.
Three cheers for them last night. We took ST and his nanny out to dinner. Wonderful service and large selection of reasonably priced choices for him. They gave us a prime table on the patio. Excellent atmosphere for him to stay put (and bang on the concrete without disturbing anyone). One of the best kid-friendly fine-dining places in San Diego! (in fact I'm not sure I can think of a better place for dining out with a lively toddler boy).
Three cheers for them last night. We took ST and his nanny out to dinner. Wonderful service and large selection of reasonably priced choices for him. They gave us a prime table on the patio. Excellent atmosphere for him to stay put (and bang on the concrete without disturbing anyone). One of the best kid-friendly fine-dining places in San Diego! (in fact I'm not sure I can think of a better place for dining out with a lively toddler boy).
Stone Brewery Restaurant (Escondido)
Not going to go on and on about the beer (foodie mom doesn't have much time to drink!). But here's a quick take on the restaurant.
Have delayed going here forever, despite talk of the beautiful gardens, because the menu has always struck me as very expensive for what it is, and it gets mixed reviews on yelp, despite all of the pretensions of the menu to being gourmet, farm-to-table etc. Here's what I found.
Setting: beautiful. Total surprise from the nondescript office park exterior.
Service: not very efficient. Ditto yelp. And my courses came all at once.
Prices: about $30 a person at lunch for salad, sandwich and a tiny beer.
Food: Tom Kai soup (a special) was not very good. Pale imitation of a Thai restaurant. My seared tempeh sandwich was pretty tasty. The salad that accompanied it was pretty respectable.
Beer: My levitation ale was good. Not as good as the smoked porter and IPA I had recently.
Gardens: Beautiful.
Would happily return for the free tour this summer (any takers?). And might take someone for a business lunch to enjoy the gardens. In general, it wouldn't be my first choice for a business lunch because of the prices and service. But glad I went!
Have delayed going here forever, despite talk of the beautiful gardens, because the menu has always struck me as very expensive for what it is, and it gets mixed reviews on yelp, despite all of the pretensions of the menu to being gourmet, farm-to-table etc. Here's what I found.
Setting: beautiful. Total surprise from the nondescript office park exterior.
Service: not very efficient. Ditto yelp. And my courses came all at once.
Prices: about $30 a person at lunch for salad, sandwich and a tiny beer.
Food: Tom Kai soup (a special) was not very good. Pale imitation of a Thai restaurant. My seared tempeh sandwich was pretty tasty. The salad that accompanied it was pretty respectable.
Beer: My levitation ale was good. Not as good as the smoked porter and IPA I had recently.
Gardens: Beautiful.
Would happily return for the free tour this summer (any takers?). And might take someone for a business lunch to enjoy the gardens. In general, it wouldn't be my first choice for a business lunch because of the prices and service. But glad I went!
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Dolce Pane e Vino (Rancho Santa Fe)
Not cheap, and not the best best place ever. But had a very delicious (if pricey) date night tonight at Dolce Pane e Vino, in lovely Fairbanks Ranch.
Cool vibe, some communal tables.
Great wines.
Enjoyed my delicious (if $15) burrata, stone fruit, candied almonds, etc. salad (CH likes his too).
Bruschetta with tomatoes was fine.
My flatbread with burrata was delicious. CH kept stealing it.
His chicken cooked under a brick in the wood-fired oven took forever to arrive. Strangely, the offered me a free second glass of wine and nothing to CH (probably because I seemed impatient and not him!). He thought it was ok, a little bland.
No dessert - he was tired!
Overall, it was a very lovely option to know about, esp. if you don't have to get on a freeway to go there. Not the best price/value ratio ever, but I thoroughly enjoyed my meal and the atmosphere. Successful date night!
Cool vibe, some communal tables.
Great wines.
Enjoyed my delicious (if $15) burrata, stone fruit, candied almonds, etc. salad (CH likes his too).
Bruschetta with tomatoes was fine.
My flatbread with burrata was delicious. CH kept stealing it.
His chicken cooked under a brick in the wood-fired oven took forever to arrive. Strangely, the offered me a free second glass of wine and nothing to CH (probably because I seemed impatient and not him!). He thought it was ok, a little bland.
No dessert - he was tired!
Overall, it was a very lovely option to know about, esp. if you don't have to get on a freeway to go there. Not the best price/value ratio ever, but I thoroughly enjoyed my meal and the atmosphere. Successful date night!
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