Cusp (La Jolla) Review

We were excited to try Cusp, as it's gotten a lot of good press. We enjoyed that room before when it was Clay's.

Result: Good, not great.

Bar: Had trouble making a simple mocktail (virgin mojito). This is a standby when I'm not drinking.  I was basically getting limeade. 

No bread.

Green Salad: Tasty and light. It's farm to table, but without any real whimsy or creativity (I'm thinking of Alchemy for instance)

Soup of the Day (Turkey soup): ok

Burrata Flatbread: very tasty, and a good deal at $12

CH got jidori chicken with polenta. I thought the polenta was very tasty. He didn't enjoy the seasoning/flavor on this dish at all.

Atmosphere: nicer decor than when it was Clay's, but we went during the dark so we didn't get to enjoy the view. Older crowd (well-heeled folks our parents' age, plus some younger than us). Nice lighting.

Maybe worth a try, but it's not going on our regular rotation. Oh well!  The search for a good La Jolla dining destination continues....next stop, Seasons 52.

Caffe Calabria (North Park): MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!

Finally tried Caffe Calabria with Sabragirl and her man this evening. Yum!!!!!

Delicious red wine. And they give you a taste to see what you prefer.  The waitress took a while to get to us, but then she pegged me perfectly on wine. Loved my dolcetto! (Sangiovese was good - had gotten from a busboy - but not as good as what she helped me select).

Appetizer: rosemary flatbread (complimentary): yum

Salad: Burrata: super-yummy barrata, and nice tomatoes

Pizza: Loved the verdure calzone that S'girl's Man got. Would try again. Also loved my Margherita D.O.C pizza. Unfortunately, CH didn't like his proscuitto calzone as much (or his prosciutto salad). Though he thought the prosciutto itself was very good, he didn't like the sauce/dough that much. :( Othewise, this would be a regular spot for us.

Dessert: we shared the mezza luna. Super-yum.  Loved the vanilla gelato especially. Tasted the capuccino. Very yummy.

What a great, cute place (and they take reservations, which I don't think Pizzeria Bruno does). Would love to come here again, though perhaps not with CH!

Solace and the Moonlight Lounge (Encinitas) Review

Ate at Solace for the first time with a friend a few weeks ago.  SUPER YUM! Had been at Urban Solace twice: one fabulous meal, and one ok one. So I didn't try this place right away. But yumm-er-oo!

I got a mocktail: blackberry puree, tarragon (or mint?), that diet elixer (refresh?). Very yummy

My friend got a craft beer that she really liked (the jalapeno Green Flash maybe).

Started with cheddar-chive biscuits. Super Yummy

Split the Fall Julian Apple salad: light and yummy

Got the Quinoa-Hazelnut veggie burger (there were so many veg choices).  I don't think I'd get it again (the bread was boring, and the burger was a bit heavy). But it was still tasty.  And I L-O-V-E-D the ridiculous tasty French fries it came with.

Must go back with CH!

Cooking with SuperBoy

SuperBoy and I made the best banana bread ever last week, using a recipe from his old preschool cookbook. It's someone's grandma's banana bread, with orange juice as an ingredient. We had a lot of fun making it (super easy) and then eating it. We need to get organized to cook more often!

Recent bites around town: Beach Grass, Ki's, Waters (Solana/Cardiff)

Too busy to eat out a lot much less write about it lately. Here are some of our recent meals.

Hit Beachgrass today.  Service was a bit slow at first but once our order was taken the food came quickly. It was very delicious and we all enjoyed our meals. Cute Husband got french toast (too cinnamon-y for me but he liked it).  SuperBoy got a kid's pancake with mickey mouse ears and a funny face made of raspberry puree.  Very yummy - mom finished the rest. I had too many delicious choices but settled on the buffalo mozzarella, tomato and fresh basil omelette with potatoes and fruit. Fruit was very good quality, and the potatoes were super yummy. Liked the omelette too, but would try something different next time.  My sis came here a few weeks ago and got the gruyere omelette and brought leftovers to me - that was yummy too.

Ki's: Ki's has the best eggs. I need to remember that next time I go! I got the tempeh sandwich, which is an old standby of mine, but I stole some of CH's hash browns and scrambled eggs, and they were both super scrumptious. Veg stew is ok but not the greatest. My Mom got the veg stir fry, which was tasty, but I wouldn't get it on my own.

Water's:  Quick stop at Waters after Beachgrass.  SB enjoyed a choc chip cookie, CH his Valrhona brownie (snuck a taste....yum), and I got a little slice of sweet potato cheesecake. Can someone say: YUM?   I don't recall seeing that or having it there before. Not overly sweet or rich - a perfect little treat.  Luckily I also took home some roasted vegetables; butternut squash gratin; stuffed shells; and egg salad. It will be movie and Water's night here at home!

Herringbone La Jolla: Maddening!

Herringbone is a bit maddening....it is SO delicious and SO flavorful, and yet ultimately so frustrating.

THE GOOD:
--beautiful decor
--outrageously delicious off-menu cocktail: I asked if the Vodka Something was still available even though it's no longer on the menu....score!! And just as outrageously subtly delish as I remembered
--super delicious kambocha squash soup, with delightful brie and honey crouton on side
--very delicious black cod
--very delicious tomato-mozzarella crust
--friend kept raving about his monkfish osso buco

THE BAD:
Well we all know that it's full of ridiculously dressed (divorced?) folks of a certain age on the prowl.  One can deal with that.  But....

--bad service when you're paying $38 an entree?
--extremely slow waits for food?
--and then to top it off, my friend (a bartender who knows her drinks) was charged $17 for her BAD cosmo (she didn't want to be rude and return it - she was rewarded for this by being charged $17; when we questioned the price they said it was necessary because it had so much alcohol in it - as she pointed out, the proportions were all screwed up precisely because it had too much alcohol in it).  You would think that when you're paying $200+ for a meal that folks might want to avoid pissing off the customer and adjust that. Oh well!

CH liked his steak but I think he won't return to the restaurant.  It's a crime, since the flavors are so delicious, but it's kind of annoying to be there when the servers just abandon you to your fate!  At that much per entree, you should feel taken care of, not forgotten!

Mediterranean Room at La Valencia (La Jolla): Review: Definitely not a must-try!

Decided to try the Mediterranean Room at La Valencia. Had never been, and had thought they had a redesign/relaunch.  Menu looked good and reasonable, and reviews on Yelp and Opentable were mostly good.

Verdict: Totally missable! We had a nice evening because it's quiet and we had a nice conversation, and service was friendly enough. It was a nice touch that the sous-chef brings the entrees out.

However, the atmosphere is totally: out-of-date fancy hotel where you take your great-aunt on her 80th birthday. Food, ranged from (one dish only) "tasty enough" to "totally meh" to (CH's entree and my dessert) "not very good at all". True, it was less expensive than other La Jolla restaurants.  But as CH said, "Tell me why you picked here instead of Nine-Ten?" "Because we hadn't tried it and it was half the price," I said. "Half the price, less than half the flavor!" CH declared.

The bar was hopping, and the patio might have had a nice atmosphere. But no one need feel they need to give this place a try! (Dessert was the best example: got a gelato sampler: chocolate, salted caramel, and strawberry champagn gelato.  Salted caramel = BARELY salted if at all. Sickeningly sweet. Tasted like Ralph's non-premium ice cream. Couldn't eat it.  Strawberry champagne sorbet = ugh. Again, sweet like a 5-year old would like. Chocolate = edible. Not that great. Ate it anyway because it was too depressing to have paid $9 for this bowl of horrible ice cream instead of having gone to Haagen Dazs next door for better ice cream).

25 Forty Bistro (Old Town): Dinner and a Show, Part Two!

Before seeing the amazing Allegiance, we went to 25 Forty Bistro and Bakehouse in Old Town.  Like our last visit several months ago, we thought this is just an amazing restaurant that is so under the radar (TOO under the radar - they should have more business on a Sat. night - patio was hopping but was mostly empty inside).  Go, taste!

Delicious things tonight:
--their bread basket: so ridiculously delicious and worth paying $4: three adorable warm mini-muffings, superb whole wheat mini-roll, two foccacia-type rolls that CH hogged, and fab baguette. Great butter

--ordered soup of the day: zucchini: just as scrumptious as when I ordered cauliflower soup last time. Very delicate.

--CH got the simple green salad (super bargain at $4) and liked it as much as I did last time

--I got a white sangria made with soyu vodka (they have a wine list but can't do anything with hard liquor except soyu).  Not the best best cocktail ever, but refreshing and tasty and interesting enough. AND only $6.

--I got a crazy delicious homemade fettucine with organic veggies. LOVED. THE. GREEN. BEANS. Don't normally like green beans.  Scarfed up all of the veggies - they were so flavorful.  Pasta was great too. Beautiful presentation.

--CH got a ribeye, which arrived looking so impressive, on a block, with gorgeous fries, a little greenery and some sea salt.

Service not the fastest ever, but it takes some time to make great food. And they were very friendly.

(Baby near us was crying loudly and luckily didn't stay too long. Too bad to get a babysitter and then listen to other loud babies! But the crayons on the table are a nice touch for well-behaved toddlers)

We were too stuffed to get dessert, which is what they're apparently known for.

New list of favorite restaurants in SD:
1. Grant Grill
2. Alchemy
3.  25 Forty
4.  Searsucker
5. Cucina Urbana

(so-so meal at Charisma pushed it off the list. Still haven't had a bad dish at 25-Forty)

Allegiance (Old Globe) Review

Had an outstanding dinner and a show tonight.....show review first!

Allegiance is at the Old Globe, and stars George Takei, Lea Salonga and the young Telly Leung (from Glee and Godspell).

Show was AMAZING.  Cast was so earnest and talented, and showed that it was nonsense that the La Jolla Playhouse suggested it couldn't find enough good Asian actors for Nightingale. (In fact Christopher Ashley and Michael Rosenberg were in the house tonight, and we were speculating on whether they were sheepishly thinking this themselves!). Play is musical about the experience of a multigeneration Japanese-American family interned in Wyoming after 1941.  Totally heartwrenching, beautiful score, so well-sung and acted. And the set designer needs to get a Tony when this goes to Broadway.  Whole show will be a hit.

Met George Takei after, thanked him so much for the beautiful show and for telling us his own story (he was interned as a child and didn't want to talk or think about it for decades).  He said the play is definitely going to Broadway.  And that there are still lots of tickets available for the rest of the Globe run (even though tonight played to a full, loud house, which thunderously applauded after each great number and jumped to its feet at curtain call).

CH was happy to see his idol Lea Salonga.  She is really dazzling and has such a gorgeous voice. She even made herself look frumpy here, which is quite a feat.

More info is at:  http://www.theoldglobe.org/pressphotos/allegiance.html. GO SEE IT! (it deserves full houses every night, and is a never-to-be-forgotten kind of show!)

Saltbox Review + Chocolat Cremerie (Gaslamp)

Hit Saltbox recently - have been meaning to, plus PRGirl said it was fab.

Atmosphere: fine, gaslamp cool, but not super-loud and crowded like Searsucker, possible to hear each other talk.

Service: Friendly, but a bit slow. Big gap between apps and entree, CH was getting grumpy.

Food: Loved the flavors. Had corn soup, lettuce/peach/hazelnut salad, black mushroom pasta.  I loved the soup (basil oil); CH thought it was too thin.  Salad was good but not interesting enough to finish the whole thing. Pasta very delicious but would rather have had it as a half-portion and had some other flavors.  CH liked his corn ravioli.

We didn't feel like sitting there longer so went for dessert elsewhere. But first....

THE BATHROOMS: Ok, I understand this is supposed to be a hip place, and they're trying to be cool by having unisex bathrooms. But....the bathrooms were dirty, with overflowing paper towels.  Ladies don't like gross bathrooms. Plus it was very dim, and it was hard to see which stalls were open - and you're suspecting that someone is going to be tempted to be in the stall next to you doing it.  I used the bathroom 2x, and then just couldn't bring myself to go later.  Blechy.  When we came back for our car after dessert I really had to go again, but the hotel does not even have another public bathroom in the lobby - only the gross one in the restaurant.  Not interested in returning - alas! When I asked the concierge if there was another bathroom, I told him the one upstairs was dirty, and he just shrugged - no, "Wow - is it? I'll send someone right up!"

***
Chocolat Cremerie:  good (not great) gelato.  Nutella crepe: took forever. When it came: not even hot anymore.  Cute place, but no need to return.

Still, fun night in the Gaslamp. Delicious flavors at Saltbox - but next time we're in the Gaslamp we'll be back at Grant Grill or at Searsucker!

Coming to Encinitas: Native Foods Cafe

Was in the Trader Joes shopping center in Encinitas, and noticed an application for a liquor license in a window near The Kebab Shop. Native Foods Cafe: coming to Encinitas.  The name sounded familiar.

Sure enough it is a gourmet vegan restaurant in the OC and other places:  http://nativefoods.com/.  Looks super delish. What a great option that will be - esp. with a liquor license!! (of course CH is not coming with me to a vegan restaurant so any interested friends should let me know! :))

Quick Takes: Tender Greens and The Kebab Shop

Hit the Kebab Shop in Encinitas for the first time in a long time.  SB was not a huge fan of their humus, and CH didn't like the spicing in his shwarma, so we probably won't go again soon. But I think it's delish (and so convenient when you have errands!). Don't normally like Tabouli but their version was delicious on a scorcher of a day -very minty and fresh.  The green lentils are also delicious, and the felafels (while not the best in SD) are also very good, much better than the greek places.

Tender Greens (UTC): I review it so often I'll only mention the new stuff.

--their rose of zinfandel: nasty
--gruner veltliner (white wine): super delish, only $7

--carrot cupcake and chocolate cupcake: delish

--kale parmesan salad: not so good. Kale was raw and not marinated and tasted like parsley.  Would rather have gotten a different salad.

Otherwise, great place for delicious night out with boy!

Smoked eggplant wrap at MIHO Gastrotruck: Divine one week (and not as divine the next)!

UPDATE: Ordered it again today and it was much less delicious!  It was tasty, but not a must-have-again by any means.  Not sure what was different, other than that they said they substituted some black bean spread for the hummus from last week. It would be surprising if the humus alone was what had made it delectable.  Maybe the eggplant wasn't smoked as much as last week....
***

Had my fave dish ever (I think) from MIHO last week: smoked eggplant wrap.  Was super-delicious, and filling enough to justify the price.  I would happily go back if they put it on the menu again.

YUM! YUM! YUM!

Got the little burrata salad - was tasty, but not spectacular enough for me to spend $3 again on it.  Could just eat an apple with my wrap!

I hope they keep it on the menu and I get to have it again soon!

Davanti Enoteca (Carmel Valley): Super-Yum!

Was not expecting Davanti Enoteca to be so good. It's in the infamous Ralph's Shopping Center in the 92130 that has become Beverly-Hills-wanna-be central (Burlap, Mia Francesca, Urban Plates, etc.).  Had some last-minute babysitting, so gave it a try.

ATMOSPHERE: Well, it's that same we're-in-the-strip-mall-but-we're-trying-to-feel-like-hip-main-street feel.  They mean well.

but the star is the

FOOD!!

Wine: loved my $13 Gavi. They let me try a taste first - wouldn't have ordered it at that price if it wasn't super-yum. Had a disappointing :( meal at my fave Charisma recently.  Would rather pay $13 for a super glass of wine than $7.50 at Charisma for a so-so one.

Appetizers: CH got this super-yum truffle egg toast asparagus. I got two of the anti-pasti of the night on a platter: zucchini "spaghetti" with pine nuts and parmesan, and charred cauliflower with some other yummies mixed with it. Happy Foodie Mom.

Entree:  L-O-V-E-D my pizza with funghi, taleggio and leeks.  WAY YUMMIER EVEN THAN THE CUCINA URBANA pizza.  If this place wasn't in the strip mall, it would move higher on my list. CH thought his rigatoni with sausage was ok.

He didn't love it as much as me, but it was a super fun and yummy night. This is probably the best restaurant in the strip mall (leaving aside Rachel King's desserts at Burlap). Can't wait to try it again!

Bull Taco: MUST VISIT!! (Cardiff State Beach Campground)

Finally hit Bull Taco this weekend with the boys. I don't know what took us so long.

IT'S SPECTACULAR!!

The setting is a shack (I thought it was a food truck but it's a regular structure) next to the page, inside the campgrounds in Cardiff. You park on 101 just north of Birmingham and walk a block up (or you can park on San Elijo by VG's if you can't get a spot on 101 and walk over).

FOOD: Not as great as some yelpers say, though we didn't get the ostrich. But it was fine.

And the setting....

WOWZA! Even living near the coast and going to places like Ki's, you are not prepared for this view.

They have things like quesadillas, sea bass (or other fish of the day) tacos, tater tots, shaved ice, veggie burritos, etc.  It's not expensive.

And the view? PRICELESS!

It's worth at least one visit to decide whether this will be your place.....Don't delay so long in trying it like I did. Wowza!!

Apollonia Greek Bistro (La Jolla)

We need to remember to go here more! It's not as good as the sister restaurant Cafe Athena, but it's yummy and kid-friendly (much better than CV's Taverna Blu).

Full bar, though I restrained myself....

I ordered some of my faves:
--taramosalata
--cretan salmon, with extra spanaki lemonata
--side Greek salad

I ordered for Super Boy
--humus and pita
--lentil soup
--gave him some salad

CH got lamb and avogolemeno soup. He still likes Athena better but said the food was ok.

SB was one of the only kids in the restaurant, but the servers are very good and very kind to kids.  The waitress poured his soup out early so it would cool by the time it got to the table and we wouldn't need to add ice cubes and water down the flavor.  Everything came out efficiently and we were served with a smile.

PLUS when SB got impatient while we were eating, we could take turns taking him on the ESCALATOR!!!! outside. (He is even more into escalators than trains right now.

Yum!

Blue Ribbon Artisan disappointment

Just a note that we got takeout from Blue Ribbon Artisan recently and it was not as good as in the past.  Salad was good, but the famed corn soup might have been confused with canned cream of corn (I hate to say this: it's blasphemy).  Pizza was tasty but crust was nowhere as good as in past. I am hoping that the opening of Craftsman and the departure of Wade Hagemann to supervise that kitchen has not left BRAP in the dust. I hope he can keep his staff making great food there!

CV Farmer's Market: Yum....

Took SuperBoy to the Thursday Carmel Valley Farmer's Market today.  Got some yummy loot (beautiful yelloe and orange tomatoes, pluots, gorgeous strawberries, and ripening white nectarines), plus dinner. 

SB is all about the fish taco lately, and scarfed up two. Then he had some kona ice, which he enjoyed thoroughly (was a great incentive to keep him well-behaved while I fruit-shopped).

I got Flavors of East Africa's veggie plate.  chose the lentils, and the okra in a coconut curry, plus a spinach sambusa.  Not spectacular, but certainly tasty.

Hope this market stays in business - they've had a dropoff this summer and need support!

Herringbone Review (La Jolla): Surprisingly good!

Brian Malarkey's Searsucker was my favorite restaurant when it opened. Never before in San Diego had we had such an exciting restaurant: glamorous buzzy atmosphere with cutting-edge food and drinks. I still like Searsucker, but as he has extended his empire it has seemed less special to me. And Burlap is just too overwhelming with inconsistent food. So I wasn't feeling called to try his new places ( Gingham, Gabardine, Herringbone), esp. since the last two have mixed reviews from Yelpers. And some of the fish entrees at Herringbone are in the $30 price range.  Me no like, esp. if it's getting mixed reviews.

So....we were going on a double theater date and so needed to be in La Jolla before. Herringbone seemed a good option since it's "social dining."

Result: surprisingly yummy!

ATMOSPHERE: Everyone raves on Yelp about the 100-year old olive trees.  The decor is very beautiful. CH thinks this is his favorite Malarkey/Brennan restaurant: elegant and exciting without being too enormous or overwhelming.

COCKTAILS: Our friends had never been to a Malarkey restaurant so I suggested Snake Oil's famed Peter Rabbit. I got a "vodka something." (carbonated water, vodka infused with seasonal berries).  It seemed simpler than the others but was more what I was in the mood for.  Result....fantabulous. So simple, but subtle and delectable.  Love the Snake Oil guys.

SERVICE: Ha! I realized after a few mins. that our waiter Whitney had served us before at Searsucker when it first opened.  Turns out he now splits his time between the two restaurants. He is a fantastically competent waiter, who is not afraid to offer frank opinions, and helps steer you to the best things (not just to steer you to the most expensive things). He was one of the reasons I loved Searsucker so much instantly.  He helped us have a great and well-paced meal to get to the theater.  This is certainly one of the best features of the Malarkey empire: finding, training and retaning great servers like him! 

FOOD:  Yelpers scared me away from pizza.  Got the albacore dish (at $25, the cheapest fish entree). Was actually delectable. Also split the brussels, minus bacon vinaigrette ($7) and the beets ($7).  Brussels were ridiculously tasty. Beets were good but wouldn't order again.  CH thought his meat was ok, but that meat is not the speciality there. He prefers the meat dishes at Searsucker.

DESSERT:  After confirming that Rachel King conceived the dishes (though doesn't work in this kitchen), I got the hazelnut bar. Was very tasty, but simpler than her Burlap dishes.  I actually preferred it better when I deconstructed it and ate layers one at a time.  They were more subtle that way.

VERDICT among the Malarkeys:
Best atmosphere:  Herringbone (exciting but not overwhelming) or Searsucker (for people-watching)
Best savory food:  Searsucker or Herringbone
Best cocktails:  Herringbone
Best desserts:  Burlap!!!!!!
Best to visit with a girlfriend on a Sunday night: Burlap Lounge!!

We probably won't go back to Herringbone anytime soon, since CH thinks the meat options are not that exciting, it's not cheap, and it's not right around the corner. But I thoroughly enjoyed it, and happily recommend it. It's a great place to try, and the dishes I got from the menu ranged from good to extraordinarily delicious!

(Oh, and chef Amanda Baumgarten from Top Chef was in the kitchen easily visible expediting - but we were too busy talking and enjoying the food and cocktails and atmosphere to even notice her til we were done!).

Cucina Urbana revisit: Will the real Jack Fisher please stand up?

Cucina Urbana is climbing in my ratings. I still don't think it has the best food in SD by far.  But it's reliable, fun...and most importantly, near the park - and with a great fridge that stores your leftovers while you are in the theater!  Also took advantage of Sunday's no corkage to get a bottle: Roero Arneis. It was better with my food than on its own - was kind of boring to sip, but actually played well with my agnolotti.

Drinks:  got the rosebud cocktail. Really, a place as buzzy as this deserves a better mixologist. This drink was tasty - and actually the most drinkable cocktail I've ever ordered there.  But their cocktail menu is hit or miss, in my experience.  Their cocktail program is nowhere on the level of the other top restaurants in town (Grant Grill, the Malarkey empire, Alchemy, etc.).

Food: loved the corn/goat cheese agnolotti. Not a huge portion. Don't remember what CH ordered.

Dessert:  This was the biggest disappointment. Disappointment, you say? What, with Jack Fisher there?  Well, I went in with high expectations, cuz I love Jack Fisher! And the dessert I got was tasty enough: zeppoles, with vanilla cream, balsalmic syrup and some other component I can't remember.  But while it was tasty, it seemed dumbed down for Cucina Urbana. They were perfectly well executed zeppole, but I could have gotten zeppole like that at any restaurant in Little Italy in NY.  From Jack Fisher, I expect....well, something like the basil cilantro cake I just had at Nine-Ten, or that crazy cashew ice cream he made for the School Lunch Chefs Confab, or any of his fab cutting-edge panna cottas from his first go-around at Nine-Ten (in the Michael Stebner days). This was a dessert anyone else could have made. If there had been more vanilla cream and balsalmic, it might have been more exciting but they were placed on very sparingly, and so it was some plain ol' tasty zeppole.  CH loved his chocolate buddino, but that was something that the server said predated Fisher's arrival at CU.  He certainly executed it nicely, but it wasn't his creation.

So....I'll still order dessert when next we go, but I hope he'll be back to pushing the envelope! I know CU's clientele are not necessarily looking for the avant-garde, but with Jack Fisher there it would be a shame if he keeps the desserts too traditional.

Still, CU is so much fun, as the menu changes often enough, and the wine possibilities are fun, and the atmosphere is great.  I may be ready to add it to my list of top 5 restaurants, even though I think there's a big jump down in food between 4 and 5

1. Grant Grill
2. Alchemy
3. Searsucker
4. Charisma Cucina Italiana

5. Cucina Urbana

Albert's Restaurant at the SD Zoo: Shockingly Good

I have heard Albert's mentioned among the city's fine restaurants. But it still sounded a little suspicious.  We usually do fast food at the zoo, and the options are pretty depressing. But we were tired and hungry as we came out of monkey land so we decided to give Albert's a try. 

Decor: dated

Service: took a while for them to pay attention to us

But WOW! Once the food came it was shockingly good.

Bread: very delicious warm sourdough. CH thought there was too much sourdough starter/flavor, but I rather liked it.

Appetizer:  I got the cauliflower au gratin (had some delicious grated gruyère and seasoned bread crumbs).  Tasted fresh, if not dietetic.  Really liked it. Crispy baked gruyère crust, à la French onion soup, is one of my faves to peel off of a dish.

Entrees:  CH liked his bbq chicken pizza.  SuperBoy's pizza looked fine, but he'd filled up on bread and food from our knapsack while we were waiting for food to arrive.

My Farmer's salad with salmon: spectacular! Really, one of the tastiest salads I've had in memory.  Delicious seasoned al dente butternut squash, very nice goat cheese (Laura chenel?), delish salad greens, very nice piece of grilled salmon, crunchy sunflower seeds and then julienned radishes for color. The dressing was a basic Asian ginger, but altogether the salad was wonderful. Would happily eat that again at the park, if only it didn't involve sitting and waiting for food, something that is still not SB's fave thing!

And they even have COCKTAILS at the park, but of course while I'm on boy duty that's not for me!

Asian Persuasion Food truck today

Fish tacos with Asian-ish fresh slaw, from Asian Persuasion's visit to High Bluff....mmmmm.  Got them today with the spicy mayo on the side, which made them seem much healthier. Good move! Their line is much shorter than MIHO too, which makes them easy to visit!

Tender Greens (UTC): Quick Take

Working momhood has me not able to spend too much writing about food these days, though we certainly have had some good food! So one quick report.

We hit the new Tender Greens in the UTC mall.  I won't go into detail on the food since I've reviewed TG in Liberty Station so many times (do a search in the upper-left if you're new to the blog).

I'll just say:
--nice airy space

--not too crowded yet cuz most people don't know it's open. I bet it will be super-crowded at lunch and maybe not on the weekends, since UTC empties of workers (one can hope!).

--no liquor license yet, so no wine yet

--food was just as good as in Liberty Station, though there were some temperature issues (would have liked hotter food and soup)

--corn soup was yummy

--delectable grilled veggies this season: corn, eggplant, green beans, squash

--CH got a delicious harvest salad with lots of fresh berries and walnuts

I love the adventure of seeing what the specials are going to be at TG. That makes it more exciting than Urban Plates.

THRILLED TO HAVE THEM closer to home.  I only hope they won't get too packed and it won't cease being a good option to go to with Super Boy!

Jimmy's Famous American Tavern (Point Loma)

Hit Jimmy's with CPGirl and her family this week (I can't remember why I started calling her that and better remember soon or she'll need a new name!). She thinks it's fab so had been encouraging us to go. Was great!

Atmsophere: nice patio, boat view, great heaters, grass if the kids want to get up and play.

Liquor options: tons of wines by glass, great cocktails. I ordered the sunset martini: fresh lime juice, cranberry juice, orange infused vodka, blood orange puree, simple syrup, some other stuff. Was a little sweet for me at first, but as I drank more I thought it was very sweet and tart and tasty.

Food: I enjoyed my sea bass sandwish (a daily special) a lot. French fries were nice (peppery ketchup).  Simple green appetizer salad was outstanding - very fresh and perfectly dressed (not too much vinaigrette).

CH liked his prime rib sandwich.

SuperBoy was not as thrilled about his grilled cheese, though CPGirl is a big fan of the sandwich. I think he was just under the weather, as he got sick later. They brought him  a cookie, which looked nice.

Would love to return if nearby - a very fun and tasty place to go with or without kids.

Cafe Secret (Del Mar)

Finally made it to the much-hyped Cafe Secret, with my friend who has too many claims to fame to get just one moniker (HyphenateGirl?).  Verdict: we only ate lunch, and I only got egg salad, so the Peruvian authenticity and deliciousness of the food would probably be more evident at dinner. But I still enjoyed it.

Atmosphere: super pleasant patio on Camino Del Mar, leafy and attractive.

Menu:  Wanted the fish sandwich but they were out. Got the triple egg salad, which someone on Yelp said they had driven all the way from OC for after first tasting it during a DM vacation.  I wouldn't drive that far for it, but it was a nice sandwich (not sure what was peruvian about it). Came with plantain chips and a nice salad.

HyphenateGirl got a salad and empanada combo.  LOVED the chard-spinach-quesofresco-egg empanada she got. Not heavy, very healthy seeming.  Next time I go (I would like to go again as it's a nice place to have lunch, even if it's not the absolute #1 food) I'd like to get that empanada with a half egg salad sandwich.

Dessert: she got the tres leches, which is very praised on Yelp. I thought it was just ok.

I got an espresso. Tasty, but I like them nice and hot and it was lukewarm (many places do that - it's frustrating - it sits before it gets to you and is already almost cold).

Service was pleasant.

Final Verdict: not a must-visit, but I'll probably go again in several months or a year.

Smoked sea bass tacos from MIHO Gastrotruck

Yum. Fun!

(waiting for the truck to find a spot: not as fun!). Poor guys couldn't get a spot today and then tried to fit on High Bluff. Line kept following them up the street!

Was a tasty lunch to scarf down while waiting outside his class for pickup.
Would have liked to bring along something small for SB to snack on when I got him, but wasn't going to bring him a bacon chip cookie (yuk) and they didn't have chips or anything similar. Was afraid he wouldn't like the fried green tomato sandwich. So got him a brioche which he enjoyed to tide him over, til I could take him home and make his lunch!

Nine-Ten (Revisit)

Hit Nine-Ten with CH recently. Some quick thoughts.

The food is not the best in SD anymore. But I still love the room, and it still has lots of virtues. Passport Dining (one free entree) makes it more affordable - otherwise, I'd be grumpy to be paying $37/entree, and then still have to get an app and dessert because the portions are small.

Loved my hamachi sashimi appetizer. Seemed a little off at first, but I just had to get into the flavors of the dish. They were very earthy. Knibb paired it with some mushrooms and the sauce was yum.

Cocktail: Had a blue grotto on its debut day (was new cocktail menu). Lighter than a Grant Grill cocktail but still refreshing. Had a LOT of alcohol. Had to recover from getting drunk on the one cocktail...and still I ordered a glass of wine (A French syrah, which was fine for $10 - not a steal but not a disappointment either).

Entree:  CH liked his NY steak.  My salmon was very tasty and respectable. Not cravable enough to pay $37 for, but as the "free" entree it was fine.

DESSERT: OK, THIS IS WHERE THE MEAL SHINED!  Jack Fisher has decamped for Cucina Urbana (if you can't beat 'em....).  But several of his dishes are still on the menu.

Cilantro basil cake with coconut sorbet and tapioca: are you kidding me?  This was one of the most outrageous desserts I have ever had (and not only because I was drunk when I ate it - I ate the rest of the meal mostly drunk too but the dessert stood out :)).  What kind of crazy genius Jack Fisher had to invent it is dazzling.  He is always ahead of the curve. (I'm sorry, my dear Rachel King of Burlap, but I said to CH that if you went head to head and Fisher had this dessert, he would smoke you, crunchies or no crunchies!!!)

Here's the thing: you might think Nine-Ten wasn't worth visiting anymore with him gone (Jason Knibb's savory food was less exciting for me than the dessert). And yet, the kitchen is still executing it well.

AND as a free treat with the check, the kind French waiter brought two little bonbons courtesy of the new pastry chef, Steve Acosta.  O-M-Freakin-G.  They were two little apricot gel candies. O-M-Freakin-G. Such a flavor sensation.  Simple, delectable, perfect! Between the outrageous candies, the great service, the nice room, and the interesting savory food, I will return to Nine-Ten sometime (could be a few months, could be a year - the good thing about it becoming a national "it" place is that it's always still there!). But of course it's still too expensive to go regularly - and I don't think the savory food is better than Alchemy by any stretch!

Oh - and one cute thing. I had told them maybe 9 years ago when they opened something about CH's eating preferences/restrictions.  They still had it in the computer: when the server came over to announce the specials, he told CH which dishes had ingredients that did not fit his diet. That was pretty great!

Quick takes: Wa Dining Okan (Convoy), Long Island Mike's (Kearny Mesa), Habit Burger Grill (Solana Beach), Michoz (Hillcrest)

Some quick recent meals.

WA DINING OKAN: RIDICULOUSLY DELICIOUS. I don't know why it took me so long to get here (I needed a willing partner - thank you, NYUGirl!).  Really healthy, authentic, Japanese food.  Got salted salmon with a delicious selection of "tapas of the day" plus delicious miso soup plus yum-yoso brown rice and hijiki seaweed.  Lunch menu is more extensive than it appears on their website. Very fascinating strip mall at 3680 Convoy.  We want to try sometime the ridiculously cute Mignon Pho + Grill (NOT your father's Vietnamese restaurant): chic, modern, yummy-looking.  And Spicy House looks really yummy, with lots of veg. dishes. And there's an adorable French bakery, and a crepe-gelato store (both Asian-owned).  Definitely want to go back.

LONG ISLAND MIKE'S:  Murphy Canyon. Was on my want to try list for a while. Disappointing! Had really high hopes based on Yelp. Looked very authentic. Newspaper on the wall says the owner, Mike, opened his place in Seal Beach dedicated to only real NY pizza. Sounded great. Got two slices: margerita and cheese. Margerita looked good and was delicious. Cheese looked depressing (like it had been sitting out) and was nasty. The two boys only ordered the cheese, so they were stuck. And the slices left in the case didn't look any better. Maybe they're fresher at lunch, but can't see returning.  Oh well!

HABIT BURGER GRILL: Solana Beach. Took SuperBoy shortly after it opened.  Was perfect for mom and son lunch out.  Wait on line like fast food to order. Then they give you a buzzer like PF Chang's for when your food is ready, and you go up to get it.  I liked my grilled tuna sandwich.  SB's grilled cheese couldn't hold a candle to Urban Plates' (white bread, boring cheese - luckily he did not have to vie with his mother wanting to steal it - blech) - but he liked it. He also got a vanilla ice cream shake and was very happy. Fast and relatively expensive, pleasant atmosphere.

MICHO'Z: Hillcrest. Ate with a friend here recently. Also wanted to love it based on Yelp. Mixed results.  Cute atmosphere. Super-delicious (free) vinegary carrot sticks they give you when you sit down. Ridiculously tasty baba ghanoush, just as smokey as promised by Yelpers.  But then....lentil soup had no taste.  I told the waiter, thinking that maybe the spicing was off that day. He was offended and explained that they don't salt and pepper on purpose because their customers are happy that way, and they can leave it off or add. Um, ok....but you can still make a soup flavorful with herbs (or you can warn non-hypertension sufferers that the soup is a bland pea soupy mess otherwise). I ate it all cuz it was healthy and I was stuck with it, and on a winter's day probably would enjoy it more, but would never order it again or advise anyone else  to! And the falafel, which was praised to the hilt on Yelp, was just ok.  It is certainly better than Daphne's! But it's definitely not the best in SD. Just in the last 6 mos. I've had better at Egyptian Delight (CV Farmer's Market) and Kebab Shop, and I know Sultan Schwarma's is better too. Really, I need to get to La Mesa and try Alforon and the other Iraqi places. So this place is worth a try but only if you manage to order the right stuff!

Hands on a Hardbody (La Jolla Playhouse)

Hands on a Hardbody was a lot of fun - much better than I expected for a musical about a car contest in East Texas. Don't like country music but Amanda Green and Trey Anastasio did a terrific job and had me bouncing my seat. Very poignant songs about the hardships many people face today.

Love Jon Rua - was great to see him in another SD show. But couldn't they let him dance a little more?

(here's a little taste of what he can do when he's choreographing his own stuff for the Nets dancers or his Broadway Dance Center students:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aNOQMJiso8&list=UUIFogYsIJvDMve_uzYXXoBQ&index=1&feature=plcp.

and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6bV4L4hBO0&feature=relmfu)
He was still terrific, though, even though I had to wait til the second act for him to get his own song!

CH thinks the play was entertaining but is too stranded between musical and drama territory to have a long run in NY. I think he's wrong.  It's Broadway-bound; we'll see who's right!

George's Ocean Terrace (La Jolla): Ho Hum + Drinks at Jai (La Jolla)

Ocean Terrace used to be our go-to special occasion restaurant in SD.  Great view: check.  Innovative food: check. Chino-licious produce: check!  We have never actually liked downstairs at George's: one boring/not-great-service meal when it was George's at the Cove and another since it became "George's California Modern."  But we always liked the Terrace. Since SB was born, I don't think we've been. It's not a great place with a stroller or an active toddler. And on date night it has always seemed booked up.

So I planned ahead, got a pretheater reservation for tonight.

Hohum!

The good news is that there are too many interesting places in town anymore to miss Ocean Terrace.

ATMOSPHERE: Still that fabulous view. Nice umbrellas. Lots of ladies of a certain age with beautiful gams in party dresses.

COCKTAIL: Fascinating list. But my "St. Collins" (elderflower, lime, homemade sweet and sour etc.) tasted like a plain ol' mojito, no more, no less. I like mojitos. But it was not any special innovative cocktail despite its fancy name.

APPS: CH got a plain old salad.  I got bruschetta with sicilian-style eggplant and ricotta. Hohum.  It wasn't even a composed plate. You got 4 pieces of ciabatta toast, and then put your own ricotta and eggplant on. The ricotta was pretty good but this was not a cravable dish.

ENTREES: CH got a chicken dish and a side of corn. I liked the broccolini that came on the side. Tried a potato; it had a nasty spice rub (trying to be Middle Eastern but just not pleasant to my palate).  Corn: you can't go wrong with Trey Foshee's kitchen cooking sweet corn. That was probably the best part of the meal.

--I got the fish tacos because the fish dishes on the menu hadn't gotten raves no yelp. They were fine.

ALL AROUND: Pleasant enough evening looking at the ocean, good company of course, inoffensive food.  But this ain't cutting edge any more!  Poseidon kicks OTs tushy on view + yummy and cool food.

***
They had us in and out in about 45 mins., which was a little ridiculous. So we had time to hit the bar at Jai's before our show.  Jai used to be my fave restaurant when it was a year-round place and they had a cutting-edge chef.  It had gone downhill after it became open seasonally and they dumbed the food down.  But we tried the bar. Fab bartender let me sample the two glasses I was thinking of. Loved my Raymond Sauvignon Blanc (2009) even though it happened to be the cheapest glass on the menu (the Justin SB had nothing to it).  Great service considering we were in and out and not getting something pricey.  And I still love the room!  We may try it again another day, but last few experiences there were so-so food for $$$$, so CH is not too keen for now.

Casa de Luz Review (North Park)

MuseumGirl and I tried Casa de Luz today for lunch before pickup. ("Plant-based cuisine" on Univ. Ave at 30th).

Wanted to go with another friend last week.  However, there's one tricky thing about it.  They only have one entree choice per meal, and they only announce it a few hours in advance! I was set to go after reading yummy lentil or squash entrees, and just before I went to meet my friend I saw it would be "bed of cabbage" with shitake mushrooms. Yuk/not filling for a not cheap meal!

MuseumGirl and I confirmed that the menu looked good so went today.

ATMOSPHERE: Light and airy meets former warehouse. Lots of communal tables and smaller tables. Kind of fun.

SERVICE: Order at the counter. It's not super-organized. But the staff seemed friendly. It's confusing to have a cafeteria line but you do your order for many things only at the end.

Today's menu was

Soups:


Miso
Sweet potato



Salads:

Carrot, broccoli & daikon

Beet, cabbage & cucumber

Mixed greens with a miso tahini dressing



Entree:

Roasted kabucha squash stuffed with white beans, collard greens, onion, garlic & bojito olives

With red quinoa & Italian seasoning, zucchini ribbons, lemon & parsley



SOUP : I chose sweet potato (with floating broccoli). $5.  Very tasty and healthy-tasting.

SALAD; MG choose the beet, cabbage and cucumber. She was crazy for it; I thought it was tasty too but was glad I chose the soup. $5

ENTREE:  Mixed bag. Good overall; I cleaned the plate. But considering that they're only making one dish a day, and they bring it straight from the kitchen when it's ready, the temp. should have been better.  Some components were hot and others lukewarm.  Liked the zucchini ribbons section best. Quinoa was good but not hot. Squash portion was kind of strange and kind of tasty. 

I wouldn't necessarily return, but MG decided we should stay to caffeinate. That brought us to the best part of the meal....

COFFEE! They have some badass French press. Yum. And it comes with coconut sugar and almond milk. But it was so tasty it was good black.

DESSERT: I got a choco. ganache cheesecake (it's vegan of course like everything here, so cashew-based). Delish! ($3.95-ish).  MG got a lavendar lemonade cookie ($1.95ish) that she didn't like as much.

WINE: Not a huge selection, and MG"s wine (a Chilean) was kind of nasty.

On the basis of the atmosphere, great coffee and dessert, would come again.  But this place could be a whole lot better if the food were hot and the menu was less unpredictable!

Ricardo Heredia is still the coolest!

Ok, this is not a food review post.  But I had to "reblog" Ricardo Heredia's answer today in the UT Superdiners poll about best buffets:

The only all-you-can-eat I would recommend would be the Fat Boy’s song with that title from the 1985 movie Krush Groove. I feel institutionalized in those situations, being shuffled through a line side stepping like an inmate at Folsom Prison. EH EH not for me. What’s the allure? Shall I reference the Fat Boy’s again? — Ricardo Heredia, executive chef at Alchemy Restaurant


Krush Groove and the Fat Boys? Yet another reason why Ricardo Heredia is the biggest culinary bada$$ in the city!

Alchemy (South Park): How Many Ways Do I Love Thee?

When last we left FoodGirl's favorite restaurants, the current list was:

1.  Grant Grill
2.  Searsucker
3.  Alchemy
4.  Charisma

I think I may be ready to swap #2 and #3.  Brian Malarkey madhouse restaurants are becoming a dime a dozen (really, a fabric metaphor would be better but I can't think of one).  And a quiet, neighborhood restaurant with daring food in this city is a much greater rarity. So maybe I'm ready to swap them.

Either way, Ricardo Heredia is still my #1 favorite chef in SD. He's so creative and loves to reinvent his menu and he's always doing inventive and exciting combinations with great produce.  And he shows a lot of love to vegetarians.

Tonight I finally made to Alchemy for Wed. night prix-fixe vegetarian meal night! (have been tantalized by the prospect for months).

Was every bit as delish as I hoped.

"Indian" theme. I might have been scared off (I can have real Indian anytime), but I hoped a Heredia twist on Indian would not be "less than authentic" but would be its own delicious and original Indian-inspired self.

Sure enough: it was!

WINE: Got an albarino (Algareiro).  Kind of a boring flabby albarino. On the plus side, it was only $7.

FIRST COURSE: Chickpea salad.  Totally original take on an Indian chickpea salad. Delicious chutney, plus peaches mixed in with the chickpeas, and lettuce wraps. Yum and double yum.

SECOND COURSE: Veggie pakora. This is more fried than I would have liked. And they weren't true pakora but more like Indian-inflected tempura.  They were whole sliced vegetables, not fritters. But they were tasty (local eggplant, cauliflower and baby zucchini) with a nice tamarind chutney.

THIRD COURSE: Malai kofta, with fresh nan and a pilaf. Yum. Not at all like "real" Indian malai kofta, but very delicious and rich in its own right.  Tomato was the base of the sauce, I think.

ATMOSPHERE: Totally chill and not too busy on a Wed., but not cavernous. Still fun. Could hear my friend ("BorderGirl") talk.

SERVICE: Always friendly and efficient.

LOVE Alchemy!!!!

Noodles and Co.: Oy! I should have known better + Subway and Urban Plates with Super Boy

I eat bad food very infrequently. Meals out are too sparing to waste! Really I should have known better than to eat at Noodles & Co. during a recent quick trip to UTC. Fast-food chain Asian-American-medit fusion?  How could that possibly have been promising? But a lot of people say they like it so I figured I would try.

Ordered the Japanese pan-fried noodles; was sucked in by the promise of "carmelized" noodles, veggies and tofu.

First taste: BLECH - nothing but sugar!  Lunch is supposed to be savory. This was nothing but sugary sweet sauce all over the noodles.  And way more noodles than tofu and veggies.  Had no choice but to keep eating it cuz I was out of time before preschool pickup.  Had a carb/sugar rush for the rest of the afternoon. Blechy!  I would have been much better off at Rubio's.

In contrast, recently took SuperBoy to SUBWAY for the first time.  Proud mama says: my son....the veggie eater.  Got him a Veggie Max (the veggie patty) on multigrain oat/honey. Curiously enough, he wanted no lettuce or tomato or peppers or cucumbers. Just cheddar cheese and olives.  Would you believe the thing he loved most about his sandwich was the olives? Crazy for the olives.  Ate enough of the bread and patty to be healthy (and to leave me some too :)), but ate every last olive in his sandwich.  Taste is a strange thing!

And on our recent visit to URBAN PLATES let me note a few things:
--SB couldn't stand their mac & cheese. Thought it was disgusting and wouldn't eat it. I liked it. But I should just have gotten him the grilled cheese, which he and I both love. The m&c was too gourmet even for my food-loving boy.
--I tried a salad there for the first time. Grilled ono niçoise. Very tasty in fact, very generous portion of ono. But I should have asked for dressing on the side or not too much -it was quite oily! But SB loved it. He was happier eating my salad (including the OLIVES!!!) than his m&c.
--Oh, and CH did not like the Israeli couscous salad at all.
--Otherwise a good meal there, our first eat-in experience there in many months. Still chaos at the door, but once we got orders in the food came very quickly.

Nobody Loves You: Globe Review

Reviewed dinner below. But wanted to put in a plug for this super-cute show by Itamar Moses and Gaby Alter, with adorable choreography from Mandy Moore of SYTYCD.  We laughed our heads off. It's a musical spoofing/asking deeper questions about reality TV and romantic ideals. Very clever and entertaining and sweet!

Cucina Urbana Review #3: yum!

Since my initial haterdom of CU, I've been won over. It's a super-fun restaurant, which an interesting, changing menu. Not every dish is a winner, but it's absolutely worth returning to.

Wine:
Tonight, to avoid the ridiculous per-glass charge v. bottle gap, I ordered a whole bottle and took the rest home.  Broc Paso Robles rhone-style white. Yum! I had seen it on the menu online, thought it looked like a great value - then got there and it wasn't on the menu! Lovely waitress told me they had run low so took it off, but she found the last bottle for me! Very nice value for $23 + no corkage on a Sun night.

Apps:
CH started with humus and toasts.  Very tasty toasts.

I got kale/hearts of romaine caesar. Was coveting the ricotta gnudi but thought this would be healthier. Oops! It was certainly tasty, but it was loaded with hi-cal dressing and grated cheese. Enjoyed it but didn't want to finish it and wouldn't order again.

Entrees:
I got the honey eggplant and goat cheese pizza, which I had seen someone go nuts on at Yelp (someone else said it was tasteless).  CH got the ribeye w/gorgonzola potato croquette.  Eggplant pizza was good - they are great at doing woodfired crusts - but I wouldn't order it again. (still, it was a nice dish to try).  CH really liked his ribeye (and I l-o-v-e-d the not-healthy cheese croquette....sinfully yummy).

Too full for dessert. But as usual they packed up the leftovers (including the wine) and left in the fridge til we saw our play. We picked up the leftovers on the way home.  Love CU! 

Egyptian Delights: Delightful! (CV farmers' market)

Foodie Mom has had a banner day - snuck in a glorious meal from a food truck at lunch, and got some delicious takehome from the farmers' market in CV with SuperBoy.

Egyptian Delight is a food stand at the CV market (Thurs 3:30 - 7). They're based in Sorrento Valley.

Ridiculously tasty hummus (had a char like roasted baba ghanoush but was definitely humus).  Very respectable rice. And what yummy falafels!! Not at all Greek falafels. Very nicely Egyptian spiced.  What a find - rival for best Mideast in the county. Yum!!!! (and fast and easy!).

Tabe BBQ Truck Review: Food, Glorious Food!

Got a chance to hit Tabe BBQ for the first time today, at 12554 High Bluff in CV.

I think I'm in love!

This may be the best food truck experience I've had yet (sorry, MIHO!).

#1: no line just before noon!

#2:  I told the "front of the truck" guy that I had been wanting to try their truck for a while, that they have a good rep. He said, "and our food is glorious."

I figured I'd be the judge of that.

.............................................. [wait for food to be prepared]

Well, the food is glorious!!

Got a grilled tillapia taco and a portabello mushroom taco.

Both beautifully presented with a cute scoop of different fresh salsas on top.

Grilled tillapia taco: scrumptious, fresh, OMG.

Portabello mushroom taco: scrumptious, fresh, OMG too (yummy combo of sauce, salsa, carmelized onions and mushroom).

Only thing that could be better: the tortillas were a little flimsy and I ended up needing a fork to finish as the tortillas fell apart from the liquid.  Also, I was still a little hungry after the two tacos ($7).

Otherwise, I'll be back for more whenever I can swing it on a Thurs. in CV. Oh my - how scrumptious!!!

Three cheers for an Asian BBQ place that has veggie and non-fried fish options!! (they also have a fried cod taco and lots of meat (http://twitter.com/#!/tabebbq), but these were a-ok with me!)

Food truck adjustment (Carmel Valley)

Was going to try Tabe BBQ truck today but I see they've changed their schedule. Their day is now Thurs. in CV not Tues.

Thai 1 On comes some Tuesdays but apparently not today!  (http://www.ohiii.com/)

New food truck in Carmel Valley (God Save the Cuisine)

Saw God Save the Cuisine truck parked in NY on Rye's usual spot today on High Bluff just east of DM Heights (Mon).

http://www.godsavethecuisine.com/#!home|mainPage

CPGirl was just talking about it - was parked at Lux (I think!) for an event, and she said it was pretty good. Will have to give it a try one of these Mons.! Looks like they have some veggie options.

Greek from North to South: Odyssey Restaurant (San Marcos) and Harbor Greek Cafe (Liberty Station)

Greek twice in one week.

Odyssey (San Marcos):  What is there to say about this place, really, but:
--better than Daphne's
--Not to be mentioned in the same breath as Cafe Athena

It's San Marcos - a person can't ask for too much.

Harbor Greek Cafe (Liberty Station/Point Loma)

Not too bad actually! Doesn't have stellar reviews on Yelp. But my new pal (she is in need of a nickname - let's dub her CPGirl) likes it, so we checked it out for a picnic with the preschoolers.  She is a fan of the "Greek pizza," which is a fresh veggie concoction on a pita.  I was hankering for eggplant, and got the grilled eggplant sandwich. (though the grilled salmon sounded tempting too).  It was quite delicious - this is a dish they don't have at Cafe Athena or Appolonia.  Got SB a falafel plate.  He didn't want the falafels, so I ate a few (not like kebab shop or sultan schwarma, but a cut above typical greek falafels).  He liked the humus, pita and was scarfing up the greek salad, before he started coveting the goldfish crackers CentralParkGirl's son was enjoying. We wouldn't drive here just to eat. But we would pick up from them for a picnic again if we were visiting CPGirl, and it's a reasonable choice for anyone in the neighborhood. (Maybe their veggie options are better than the meat - on yelp they say the food is nondescript and nothing to write home about). But the veggie food was tasty and respectable!

A recommendation worth following up on: Spirito's in Oceanside/Carlsbad

I would just add this to my block of restaurants to consider on the right.

But a Brooklyn boy told me tonight I need to try Spirito's in Carlsbad...that they have great NY pizza and that their other cooked Italian food is fantastic.

Checked on Yelp. No haters. Everyone says it's delicious...and it's actually New Jersey pizza. (FoodGirl will be the judge of that).

Must try sometime soon!

New Farmer's Market in Carmel Valley!

Thurs. nights, Canyon Crest Academy, 3:30 - 7 pm.

SuperBoy and I hit it around 6 pm.  VERY crowded. Hopefully it wasn't just the buzz of the first week. Report:

--mostly prepared foods, with a usable supply of vegetables

--one flower vendor
--one vendor with strawberries
--one with tomatoes
--one with apples, etc. (Smit Farms, which I always like at all of the markets)

--a few competing stands with lettuce, zucchini, broccoli

--lots of bakeries
--various speciality products (oil, vegan cheesecake, etc.)
--lots of hot food stands; one food truck apparently had a 45 min. backup. We did the fish tacos, which were deep fried, but pretty tasty. SB now officially likes fish tacos.

Definitely worth a return visit even if it doesn't have the vastest competition in the fruit/veggie arena - convenient and a good time of the week!

Needs customers so it doesn't close like the late one on Sat. at Flower Hill!

Kotija Jr. Taco Shop (Del Mar): Revisit: Still good, but some kinks

Reordered takeout from Kotija Jr. Last time they were super vegetarian-friendly and delicious. Loved the pan-fried fish taco.

First on phone, they thought veg. burrito couldn't really be veg - that it had to come with lardy refried beans. But I insisted they had done it before, and the guy checked with the kitchen and said they were making the whole pintos.

Took it home....veg burrito was still delicious, and they did use the whole pintos.  But they sent us home with a side of non-veg refried beans instead of the whole pintos I asked for (oh well), and also the fish taco was totally different tonight - deep fried. Still tasty, but not as unique or yummy as last time, and definitely not worth being considered best fish taco in SD.

I called and they did say they would credit me on the beans...we'll see.  Meanwhile, it remains a mystery which is the correct recipe there for the fish tacos!

But we'll give them another try - the guac and veg burrito are still yummy.

Scottsboro Boys (Old Globe)

Separating out the theater part of the evening from Brooklyn Girl. Scottsboro Boys is a terribly moving and brilliant piece of theater.  Absolute must see.....

Brooklyn Girl Restaurant Review (Mission Hills): BROOKLYN IS NOT IN THE HOUSE!

Tried the much-hyped brand-new Brooklyn Girl tonight. Wanted to like it!  Sadly, Brooklyn is not in the house....

(Or as CH summed up his meal, with apologies to the late Adam Yauch and the Beasties:
GO.....
BACK....
TO BROOKLYN!!!)

Ok, end of musical introduction, onto the scene and food

SCENE: Holy crap, how is this enormous place so full and loud at 6 pm on a Sat.?  My doc. said he went last week at 7:30 pm and it was crazy - how early are the crowds getting here?  (and this in a place that only posted its menu online today!!). 

Place is trying to be Cucina Urbana trying to be Searsucker (someone said Urban Solace too but I see that less, since this is bright and airy, at least at 6, and Urban Solace is darker and more urban).  Loud social dining, see and be scene, shared plates.  Except - sorry, this Brooklyn wannabe ain't going to cut it!

(Now let me be real for a moment: this place is full of people - the table next to me were return customers.  So our not liking the meal and my announcing it here is not going to break the place.  But if you're thinking of going and are on the fence, let me fill you in on our experience).

STARTER: They bring parmesan popcorn in lieu of bread.  Pro:  it's salty, buttery and reasonably tasty. Con: on the real side, it's stale and half-popped. I was hungry: I kept eating it anyway (esp. the more I drank).

SERVICE: It was fine - server got our courses in time to go to the Globe. But really, it was not super warm. How could it be? This enormous operation must be a pressure-cooker to work. You have a gazillion tables, it's super-loud, the kitchen is behind.  We got our food more quickly than other tables, since we said we needed to go to the theater.  Hostesses are friendly and without attitude.

FOOD/DRINK PROS:
--delectable cornbread with honey (side dish, $6)
--delectable oven roasted caulifower (side dish, $6-ish); it looks like this http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/MF1ZY1IVIHsdU-eWfhHjCQ?select=nm_1E9aUy1L5akRzvOgsuQ#toiUOobfu5hwtlIcAo-6bQ (picture via a Yelper)
--CH's brick cooked chicken looked decent; the woman next to us was ordering it for the second time in a week
--wines are $7, 8 or 9 a glass; wines by bottle look decently priced (Cucina Urbana style), and they also have wines by the carafe, which is a nice touch

FOOD/DRINK CONS:
--on top of the stale popcorn, CH's humus came with stale pita chips (the plaintain chips were pretty decent; I liked the humus, but it had an unusual taste and CH did not like it at all)

--my pizza was a BIG...HOT....MESS.  Seriously - if they served this in Brooklyn and called it pizza, they'd get beat up.  Totally undercooked dough, big gooey mess of cheese. Really, I don't expect every high-class joint to make pizza as beautifully as Sicilian Thing - I'm not expecting real NY perfection even in a place called Brooklyn Girl - but this pizza was just plain embarrassing. And it's one of the things people were hyping on Yelp as one of the better dishes! And no - I didn't just have bad luck - the pizza they brought out to my neighbors was the same hot mess of cheese goo, with the same white undercooked Pillsbury-dough-boy crust (it should be charred and crispy and have some bubbles if they're advertising wood oven pizza!).

--bar looks seriously understaffed for an operation this size.  There were complaints on Yelp about length of time for drinks. Asked waiter if I should get cocktail or wine if we were on a schedule....quick as can be he said I should get the wine.  The $8 Chehalem Inox chard was ok; ditto the $9 Propietary Blend red (can't remember the vineyard and they don't have the wine list posted).  I'm happy I didn't pay $12-14 for these glasses, but they weren't fab wines for the price.

Don't think we need to return.  (It's so damn hard to get into Cucina Urbana - one month ahead I could not reserve for anytime after 5:15 or before 9 pm for tonight!). But I'm glad to have tried it, so I don't feel like I'm missing out, and the atmosphere was kind of fun (a poor man's out-in-the-neighborhoods Searsucker).

Oh, and my review is not idiosyncratic.  Almost cancelled the reservation after my doc. told me not to believe the hype (said it was much too loud and the service terribly slow even though the food was decent). And MuseumGirl, who lives in the 'hood, really really really wanted to like it, but reported that the food they got was not very good:  she said the barley risotto was gross, and ditto the veggie bolognese dish (which disappeared from the menu between its being posted this morning and our hitting the restaurant tonight).  She's still willing to try it for brunch (esp. since the cornbread is in fact yummy).

Kotija Jr. Taco Shop (Del Mar): Yum! + Alborz (Del Mar)

Kotija is a great addition to the Del Mar/CV dining scene. It replaces Mucho Gusto - and is much yummier and cheaper (though maybe not healthier).  It is located far away from the craziness of the Del Mar Highlands Shopping Center, in the lovely and relaxed Del Mar Heights Shopping Center just west of the 5 (where Golden Spoon, Alborz, and Von's are).

Super Boy and I did takeout from there this evening, while CH was working late.
We got:
--vegetarian burrito (delish! it's really a fajita burrito: yummy sauteed green peppers and onions, along with veg. whole pinto beans, and rice - I didn't ask if the rice was really veg. though): ENORMOUS, flavorful and under $4; I ate only half and there's plenty left

--fish taco: they claim the have the best in SD. It's not a grilled kind, but it's pan-fried rather than deep-fried, and I found it very yummy.  SB tried it too - first time he tried a fish taco. He liked it. There was lots of slaw, some kind of sauce, and a tasty corn tortilla.  Not sure if it's the absolute best, but they are certainly not off-base in hyping it this way.

--his quesadilla was very tasty

--we also got sides of whole pintos and rice, each was $1.50ish and very large. Ditto the guacamole - enormous side portion for about $1.75

Definitely happy we tried it. It will go into the regular takeout rotation!!

(I should also give some love to Alborz, which we eat from so often I don't bother to blog. LOVE the gheimeh bademjan and the eggplant stew both....Must haves every few weeks or so! And they're super friendly there, and the boys love the chicken-lemon soup)

Knockout Pizza (Mira Mesa) + VG's (Cardiff)

Went to a kiddie birthday party this week at Pump It Up in Sorrento Valley. They do a great job there, and the kids have fun. They are using Knockout Pizza now, though I remember getting bad/Domino's-ish pizza there in the past.  Knockout used to be nicknamed "Knockoff" by the Bongiornos, but at least it's an imitation of something good. Tried spinach/ricotta and eggplant pizzas - both delish. Plain cheese was ok - not as good as Sicilian Thing but better than Domino's.

VG's: always makes great cakes. White cake is a little lemony for my taste, but the cakes are beautiful with great chocolate frosting.

They also make good and inexpensive *cupcakes* though they get overlooked for Sprinkles etc. Tried tastes of:
--choco/peanut butter: FANTASTIC frosting, boring cake (still worth getting for the frosting)
--red velvet: fine for red velvet
--carrot cake with coconut cream cheese icing: delicious icing, ok cupcake

Nice to have decent food at a kiddie party!

And the award for most under-the-radar and delicious restaurant in SD goes to....25 Forty in Old Town!

Foodie Mom is swamped with work lately, and not much time to eat out or blog about it!

But must do a short review of the FABULOUS and under-the-radar restaurant 25 Forty in Old Town. Hasn't gotten much buzz, has mixed reviews on Yelp (some people said service was slow and food not "all that") AND they're not on Open Table, which keeps them off my radar most of the time.

HOWEVER, it is cute, fabulous and DELISH. In a little house off the beaten path in Old Town, which is not the place where you expect to find a homey food-forward, farm-to-table bistro.  But it was full of locals in the know - so cute too!

What I liked:
--nice welcome. I made a reservation on the phone earlier in the day. They had chalked my name on the floor next to "my" table. Made me feel at home. Nice touch!

--amuse bouche:  citrus-soy vodka jelly. Me like! (like a cutting-edge jello shot)

--bread basket: well it costs $4, but it's totally worth it. This is a bakery after all. There was cornbread, banana bread, a very yummy warm baguette, delicious whole-grain too. Enough to bring home for breakfast (it was date night, so SB didn't get to taste the bread til morning - but he could have come with us for lunchtime - they have crayons on the tables, though there were no kids when we were there at nighttime!).

--salad: got a simple side salad: $4.  YUM!! Very fresh greens, perfectly dressed and perfectly peppered. It was clear already that this is my kind of place!

--soup (yes I got soup and salad):  cream of cauliflower.  So delicate and cute. Came in an adorable bowl, and was very light.  There was an infused oil mixed with the thinnish tasty soup.

--the people around us were real foodies. At the next table, there were some elegant folks of a certain age talking up a storm about very delicious meals they make.

--CH got the bratwurst (about $10).  MASSIVE plate of sausage and sauteed onions. He scarfed it up.

Entrees:
--I got the eggplant parmagiana stuffed ravioli with fresh tomato sauce, minus the bacon.  Perfectly delicious, not too heavy.
--CH got a Greek-style lamb dish. I stole some of his lentil rice, which was yummy. He didn't think the dish was bad, but the flavor profile/use of herbs was not up his alley. He said he would come here again but not order that.

I wasn't feeling 100% so didn't order alcohol, but they had a short but reasonable wine list, and then $6 cocktails made with the soy vodka.

We didn't get desserts, but the dessert list was nice, and  they also have the fresh pastries since this place is open for breakfast and lunch.

Oh - and everyone around us was getting beautiful plates, all different from each other.

LOVED IT! Too bad it's not super convenient to pop back over that, but I'd love an excuse to go back.

Oh - and Parade at the Cygnet theater was terrific!

Lincoln Room: The best value in the Gaslamp/No place for date night

Here's the thing about Yelp: everyone can be a critic! And you don't know who the folks posting are. So when Yelpers recommend a palce, it could be great.....could be not so great! This is yet another reason why I miss Naomi Wise.

We were going to the theater tonight (Rock of Ages - way better than we thought it would be - totally campy and over the top but completely entertaining); 6 pm curtain at the Civic Theater does not leave much time for dinner!  I picked the Lincoln Room, using Yelp, thinking it would be fast, tasty and inexpensive. It was all of those things (ridiculously cheap and decent food) BUT the yelpers didn't mention that they were all young and don't mind ridiculously loud music. I'm not THAT old, but we couldn't even carry on a conversation in there. It was just too loud. So much for date night! The first glass of $5 happy hour wine I got I thought would be a big bargain (a Paso Robles zin that's normally $10) but it was N-a-s-t-y. Luckily they let me swap it out for a normally $12 glass of Au Bon Climat Pinot, that was a pleasure to drink for $5.  I also enjoyed the portabello mushroom sandwich.  But we won't return - just too loud for parents-on-a-date!  But for people with no funds in the Gaslamp, it is apparently the place to go for Happy Hour. It was packed at 5 pm on a Sun. Must be crazy on F&S.

I would be bummed that we walked past Grant Grill and I missed out on a Jeff Josenhans cocktail to go there, but that would have been out of keeping with going to Rock of Ages - much too posh!  We didn't get to talk on our date, but the Lincoln Room was a fun bar and made us think of being young in the 80s!

One small thing: must remember at Sher e Punjab that their dal is not my favorite thing there! Went this week and enjoyed the eggplant and veg. korma but could have done without the dal - it's pretty boring for there.

Mia Francesca (Carmel Valley) Takeout Review: not quite as successful as our visit + Sprinkles (La Jolla) review

Tried takeout from Mia Francesca last night. Not as superlative as our visit.

--Boys wanted rigatoni bolognese. They didn't have bolognese last night. CH got spaghetti and meatballs, thought it was ok. Grandpa got rigatoni sardi (with sausage, hold the mushrooms). He really liked his dish. (SB got this too but wasn't wild about it - he just is not a huge noodle fan even though he said he wanted it).

--Grandma and I split rigatoni alla siciliana (with eggplant, still very tasty) and a ravioli with a mushroom-tomato sauce. It was gummy and inedible - would not order again.

--Wanted spinach with garlic and olive oil. It was my favorite dish last time. They forgot it.

--Got the insalata francesca. Didn't really like it - boring lettuce and unmemorable blue cheese.

Dessert was much better. Sprinkles cupcakes reviews:

--Coconut chocolate: very delicious.

--Lemon: I didn't eat it but SB gobbled it up.

--Peanut Butter chip: not crazy about this, wouldn't get it again.

--Milk Chocolate: the G'parents and CH got this and everyone liked it.

Postscript on Room with a View (Old Globe)

Well, perhaps we left Room with a View too early in our Alchemy-sated tiredness. My dr. informed me today that in Act II, the 3 main characters get naked (fully). I don't know if we would have liked the show better as a whole on that basis, but that certainly sounds like it adds a jolt to what CH thought was a very plodding show.

Alchemy Review: How I love Ricardo Heredia + Room with a View (Old Globe) Review

Love, love, love Alchemy.....Every dish is not spectacular, some are hit and miss. But I love how Ricardo Heredia pushes the envelope and does interesting things with food. The food there, quite simply, is FUN. I never know what he'll be offering (the online menu is not always the most current one), and how it will taste.

Starter: Acorn squash salad + buttermilk/cranberry dressing + arugula +smokehouse almonds + goat cheese. I can't say this was the best salad I have had lately. It didn't have me oohing and aahing to the rafters like the delicious salad I had recently at Flavor. The dressing could have been distributed more evenly; some pieces of arugula had no dressing, and then I would find a clump of dressing at the bottom. However, I admire the thought that went into this dish, and it was tasty overall. This is similar to the experience I have had with others of this genre from Heredia (like the sheeps milk cheese + horseradish/buttermilk dressing + other salad stuff a few years ago) - not a home run, but tasty and interesting.

Trio of Spreads: CH ordered this: humus + tapenade + melitzanosalata (eggplant) + tortilla/crackers. He only ate the humus, which was thick and lemony and good. I liked the other two well enough.

Main: He got roasted chicken breast + baby turnips + barley risotto with green peas. He said the chicken was "good" (this is high praise from him - it is the level above "fine," and is pronounced with a smile as he enjoys his food). He ate some of the barley risotto and liked it, but I ate more of it, along with his turnips. Both were delicious.

--For me: crispy salmon skin + beet greens + some other stuff (it's not on the online menu). The dish normally has Serrano ham, but I ordered without it, and didn't feel anything was missing in the flavor. This fish was PERFECTLY COOKED, so delicious, and it stayed hot for most of the meal (I hate getting lukewarm food). The bed of beet greens were super delicious. I scarfed up everything on the plate. This was the best dish of the meal. Asked the server to please tell Chef Ricardo that this new dish is a winner! Enjoyed getting a peek of him in the kitchen (he's sporting an eye-patch - I hope it's dress up as a pirate-chef day instead of his being injured).

Cocktails: different array than on the online menu. I tried something with lemon+lavender+pisco+nutmeg (forget the name - H-- H-- something). I was afraid it would be too weird a mix of flavors, but was disappointed that it didn't taste like much. The server graciously switched me back to the Keeps Pleasure (at least I think that's what it was called). This was a completely different cocktail than the one with the same name listed on their online menu. That one is apple juice + ginger beer + vermouth. What I had was more of a citrus-mint soda: tangerine, lime, vodka, mint. It was very flavorful and refreshing - and reasonably strong!

The atmosphere at Alchemy is much more low-key than at my more glamorous faves like Searsucker and Grant Grill. But it is so fun discovering what combos Chef Ricardo has up his sleeve everytime I go. And the atmosphere is still chill. LOVE ALCHEMY!!

(Oh - and they take Passport, which is great. But I still showed some love to the kitchen by buying 2 kitchen brews - a kind of $3/each tip to Ricardo and the line cooks for them to drink up after service ends!)

ROOM WITH A VIEW: Much less exciting than dinner. It was not a big stinker, but the positive reviews by James Hebert in the UT and others surprised us a little. The score was not very memorable (very operatic), and it plodded for us - and I loved the movie with Helena Bonham Carter! I would have stayed for the 2nd act, but CH was suffering enough with boredom that I agreed to go at intermission, and wasn't too disappointed. Two great shows this season, Somewhere and the Recommendation, are enough to ask for - I can't expect everything at the Globe to be spectacular.

More Urban Plates takeout (Carmel Valley)

UP was so good last weekend for takeout that we got it again tonight. SB preferred to eat "house food." (foodgirl makes a mean quesadilla)

CH got the turkey sandwich, which has roasted tomatoes on it, and chips on the side, plus one side (he picked a salad). He said it was "fine."

I got ono again + beets again + sauteed mushrooms. Very delicious and very filling.

Tasted the carrot + ginger soup while I was there for pickup. Was fine, much better than the inedible roasted red pepper soup they had in fall. Tastes pretty much like the Whole Foods version. Still, ginger is not my favorite thing in carrot soup, so I'd order those only if I was cold and wanted something healthy and filling.

Still tasty - and I'm glad they're experimenting with different seasonal items.

MIHO Gastrotruck (Carmel Valley): Drowning in aioli!

Went to MIHO today on High Bluff (got there super-early - only way to beat the line!). Was going to try the deviled egg sammy special, but decided the bello would be healthier (wanted lots of veggies).

Well, my sandwich was tasty, but healthy it was not. The whole thing was absolutely drowning in the "roasted local fennel pesto aioli." I know farm-to-table doesn't mean lowfat, but I would have preferred a lot more "farm" (veggies) to fat ratio. I wiped most of it off, and still had oodles of aioli on the sandwich.

Wouldn't get that sandwich again unless I asked for the aioli on the side. Still like MIHO, but that was not as impressive a meal as some others.

(I did pick up a "Suzie's farm Strawberry shortcake," which I'll give to SB when he returns from preschool. That is also WAY more cream than berry, but I think he'll like it).

Urban Plates (Carmel Valley): Curbside Pickup Review # whatever

We have not been in an Urban Plates mood for a while. Definitely not for eating in, and I had grown tired of the choices compared to Tender Greens. But we decided tonight to give takeout a try again.

To my surprise, they actually are switching the menu up seasonally. So there were some different side choices (and a new veg soup choice). I didn't try the new soup choice (carrot/ginger) since I didn't want to commit myself without tasting it (the roasted red pepper from fall was nasty), but I may give it a chance in the future. Also, there is a new seasonal fish instead of tuna: ono.

I got: ono + roasted vegetables + beet salad. Have had the beets before: beets + onions + walnuts = very yummy. Roasted root vegetables I may not have: very tasty potatoes + sweet potatoes. Ono was very good (I got the chimichurri on the side because I'm not a huge fan - ended up using lemon we had just picked from a friend's tree instead). Overall, this was one of the more substantial plates I've gotten from there before.

SuperBoy's grilled cheese was still ridiculously delicious and I ate most of it.

CH's turkey + stuffing + salad carveup was "fine" (I think that means nothing spectacular, but satisfying enough).

We got lemon + coconut cake, but are too full to eat it. We'll look forward to trying it tomorrow!

Massage places to try

I got some coupons from East Holistic Reflexology (La Costa), and they have great reviews on yelp. (Also some decent reviews for Healing Touch Reflexology in Carlsbad) The big question will be: what eating adventure lies nearby, since all of the other great massage places I know about lie near delicious treats?

Happy Buddha/Dumpling Inn
Royal Siam/Waters
Massage Thai Way/Sab E Lee

I'll see when I have time to find out!

Harbor Fish and Chips (Oceanside)

SB and I recently met a friend visiting from LA in Oceanside. First we hit Red Velvet yogurt (lots of delicious choices, and a convenient location near the beach, the Amtrak station, and lots of parking make it a great place to hang out and wait). Then we hit the pier - the playground is gone for repair!! - but the swingset is still there. SB tired himself out running up and down the ramp.

Then our friend wanted seafood, so we headed over to Harbor Fish and Chips, a place recommended on Yelp. We're not in the 92130 anymore! This place had an authentic old school feel rather than a shiny new facade. I took one bite of my friend's fish - too deep-fried and gross for me. But my grilled fish was fine. Both portions were ridicuolously enormous for under $10, and they came with two sides (I picked sweet potato fries and salad). SB announced that it smelled like dead fish outside (it was a harbor) but he was ok inside -lots of cool murals on the wall, fake spiders hanging from the ceiling, lots of things to catch a preschooler's eye. Certainly a decent choice in the area - beautiful view outside of the harbor and sunset too!

Asian Persuasion Food Truck Review (Fridays in CV)

Decided to give this truck a try today for the first time. Showed up at 11:25 (supposed to open at 11:30) in case there was a line. Took until 11:40 for them to get there, and I almost left, but then I was first in what became a 15-person line within minutes.

Fish tacos were not dietetic at all (panko-fried, slaw, tangy Asian dressing), but very delicious. On Yelp some people say they're bland, but I think it's important to eat them right away and not let them sit. My first bite was extremely very delicious - by the time I was finished the last bite was a little soggier. Huge portion - am very full.

Not sure I'll leap to go back to this one, but it was great to try, and the fish tacos were yummy. That's pretty much the only veg or fish option there (there's also a fish burrito that has rice in it).

And the food is a Filipino-Mexican-Asian hybrid.

Mia Francesca Review (Carmel Valley): Yum in the 92130!

Mia Francesca opened last night in the now-famous Ralph's shopping center in Carmel Valley, the new gourmet gulch of San Diego. I found that it was open last night on facebook, and CH passed by today and got the menu. We made reservations for tonight at 6:15, with SB in tow.

ATMOSPHERE: The place is totally happening on day #2 of being opened. They have lots of staff, with many coming in from Chicago (where their flagship restaurants are) to make sure it's at their level of quality. Motown music, fun and lively.

SERVICE: Lots of busboys, though the waitress had a bunch of tables to do. Speed: slower than we'd ideally like with SB, but still reasonable. We had a nice meal and were done in 45 mins.

BREAD: Delicious, very hot and crusty from the oven. Not a huge fan of the rosemary in their olive oil. Could eat it plain, or ask for plain olive oil in the future.

WATER: Fantastic! They put a nice chilled, iceless bottle of water on the table. You can refill your glass, or they come by. Me like.

KIDS' MENU: Placemats just for them, with crayons. SB got lemonade right away in a cute cup. The value of the kids' meal is very good. $5.99 includes the drink (including refills), pizza or pasta, and gelato. The pizza was enormous - looked like a grownup size. Only downside: SB didn't like it that much, and to me it didn't taste that great (not like the kids' pizza I got him at Cucina Italiana). But SB was nutso for the bread and lemonade and the atmosphere, and he wasn't disappointed about the pizza - he just didn't want to eat it (but he was full up on the yummy bread!).

WINE: Here's a slight misstep. $7 for a pinot grigio that wasn't offensive, but tasted like nothing. It was drinkable, but I'd never get it again. The waitress said they had a great sommelier so I couldn't go wrong. I'll still try other things on the wine list, like the Sicilian chardonnay, but that was a disappointment after my fab wine experience at The Shores. Still, it was a generous pour.

APPETIZER: I got spinaci with oil and garlic. DELISH and totally cravable. Really, I could make this myself (though I'd probably get freaked out by the amount of olive oil needed to make it taste like this). But I'd come back just for this dish. Yum - as cravable as spanki lemonato at Athena (though that spinach is healthier!).

ENTREES: I got the rigatoni alla siciliana (eggplant, tomato sauce, fresh grated parm); CH got rigatoni bolognese. We both thought they were delicious. The folks around us at other tables were raving about everything they got, and everything that passed us looked spectacular. I thought the salmon at the next table looked fab. The nice people there said, though it was very good, it happened to be less exciting than the other dishes they got, which they called spectacular, esp.: roasted chicken, lemon chicken, and rosemary chicken.

DESSERT: Included in SB's $5.99 kids meal (including the drink and enormous pizza) was gelato. But not just a scoop - a trio! He could choose any flavors he wanted. SB tried: lemon sorbet, strawberry sorbet, vanilla gelato. He was in HEAVEN, and scarfed them all up.

SB has announced that the restaurant is great, even though he didn't like the pizza. He is excited to try pasta with butter next time (he is not a big pasta eater at home, but he'll try it there). If he's hungry, I also want to get him a salad next time. The choices look great - things like green beans and tomatoes with lemon and olive oil, which would be right up his alley.

ULTIMATE VERDICT: I wouldn't choose this for date night. It's too family-friendly and 92130-seeming to feel for me like a big night out. I'd still put Charisma ahead of it as my fave Italian restaurant in SD - that place is more intimate and the food to me is more spectacular. And it's more fun to get out of the 'burbs and hit Hillcrest or the Gaslamp for a date. But this place is much more buzzy, and is just right for a special night out with a well-behaved SB. Poseidon and Mia Francesca now promise to be our best recommendations for fine dining with a toddler!

Mia Francesca and Davanti Enoteca Del Mar: OPEN!

Haven't heard any reports yet, but their facebook page says they opened tonight. Reports welcomed! We want to try it, but probably should not venture in with Super Boy while they are working out the kinks! (on the other hand, if they are good as the Chicago hype suggests, they will be very busy very soon!).

The Shores Restaurant Review (La Jolla)

Reasonable amount of hype on The Shores Restaurant, since Augie Saucedo left and Amy diBiase has come on board: she formerly of Laurel, formerly of Roseville, formerly of the Glass Door, formerly of the Cosmopolitan.

Despite the bad luck she hit at Cosmopolitan (crazy owner, if the U-T reporting is accurate), she's still considered one of the top chefs in town, even if we were never 100% crazy about her food (it was always good, never cravable for us). And since she has settled in at The Shores, with a beautiful ocean view and reasonable prices, I've been meaning to try it.

Verdict:
I loved it!
Cute Husband: not so much!

I ordered from the "Sip and Savor"menu. Great deal, I think - 3 courses for $30, add wine pairing for $15. Lisa Redwine (ha!), the sommelier at the Marine Room, also does the menu here (this is the jr. restaurant of the Marine Room).

APPETIZER: me: very tasty kumbacha squash soup with tangerine infusion, paired with a very respectable and yummy French rose
CH: green salad with goat cheese and sherry vinaigrette: I thought it was very good, he thought it was ok

ENTREE: me: cocoa nib crusted albacore etc. Fish was perfectly well cooked, yummy rice, spectacular pickled bok choy. Otherwise it would have been a cliched Asian-style seared tuna with bok choy. The pickled vegetable really elevated the dish. I ate the whole thing up. I had a choice of pairing it with an excellent Chardonnay, or a Spanish grenacha. The nice waiter let me taste both - it was a tossup, but I went with the Chardonnay, which was the sommelier's set pairing. Worked nicely.
CH: herb roasted chicken breast. He thought it was ok. He was not crazy about the celery root and artichoke gratin it came with. I thought it was rich, but very tasty.

DESSERT: trio with mixed results.
--"Brandied cherry white chocolate parfait": a bit of a hot mess; I couldn't remember what the menu had said, and I thought it was rice pudding with some red stuff and a bunch of sticks of crispy pastry dough sticking out, til I checked the menu again
--"milk chocolate chai pot de crème": sorry, didn't taste the chai - was a decent enough chocolate pudding
--dark chocolate peanut butter truffle: this was the yummiest part. Amy diBiase was roaming (was fun to meet her - she's so young and accomplished!) said this was a family recipe.
--not a fan of the madeira it was paired with, but then I don't like madeira! I gave it a try but still no dice, even paired with chocolate.

ATMOSPHERE: CH is right, that it seems very upscale 50s motel. Really, they need to redo this if they want to elevate the restaurant.

SERVICE: Very nice, came by when we needed them, checked on us, hostesses also pitched in when needed. Certainly better than Flavor (and rivalled Grant Grill).

OVERALL VERDICT: I loved my fun dinner and fun wine pairings (though dessert was the weakest link, the pudding was fine and the truffle was yummy). CH thought it was meh. I would have loved for this to be our new pre-La Jolla Playhouse spot, but CH is vetoing that idea. We are still on the lookout for new openings in the Shores/UTC area!

Sicilian Thing (North Park)

I need to show some love to Sicilian Thing, current holder (in our view) of the title of Best NY Pizza in SD, ever since the Bongiorno's sold the Miramar location and the pizza there has become crappy (according to CH - I haven't been there since). Bongiorno's Solana is still good, but for the very best NY (or rather Philly) pizza, we head on down to North Park.

Today: CH enjoyed his (corner!) Sicilian slices.

SB enjoyed his Hawaiian punch (Daddy was in an indulgent mood) and round cheese.

I enjoyed my mushroom sicilian (oooh - the Sicilian really is fab there), but I tried a new slice (vegeta) and it was not as good as the others (used bland California olives, which are not my thing).

The Barack-oli Ricotta or the Nino Espinosa are still my faves there.

KC's Tandoor (Encinitas)

I'm never mad at the palak paneer at KC's Tandoor. It's not the absolute best in SD, and doesn't make me do cartwheels, but it's very tasty and respectable. There are tons of interesting choices there (coconut curry; tofu as a protein option; south Indian, north Indian), but I seem to stick with the palak paneer plus a roti often. It's a perfectly good choice there.

And it makes for a great quick bite/errand if you need an oil change - the Arco gas station across Leucadia Blvd. does speedy, friendly and good quality work!

Clairemont quick takes: Restaurant Reviews for Dino's Gyros, Cucina Italiana

Hit DINO'S GYROS this week while in Clairemont. Ok if you're in the neighborhood; not worth driving to!

Falafel was fine, a cut above Daphne's. Came with a multigrain wrap option. Greek salad and rice it came with were fine. One orders at the counter and then the food is brought to you.

By fine, I mean edible, not offensive, better than the bad Indian place next door. Hardly compares to Kebab Shop, but if you're in that mall it's a perfectly ok choice.

CUCINA ITALIANA: Got ravioli with tomato sauce. Wasn't nearly as good as the eggplant parm or pizza we got last time. But it was fine. Fast enough service for pre-movies. Decent wines by the glass. Not a place we need to go to if we're not already there, but the best in that stretch of the food court.

Kebab Shop (Encinitas): Yum! Fast! Kid-Friendly!

We tried to go to East Village Asian Diner tonight in Encinitas. (looked through the blog, saw that we liked it in spring 2010 and hadn't been back). On the phone they said they didn't take reservations but that we shouldn't have to wait at 6:15 for 3 people. Well, we didn't show up til 6:25, but it was mobbed, and it was going to be a 25 min. wait, in a tiny space, with the frigid night entering through the opening and closing door. So we switched gears.

We'd also been thinking of trying the Kebab Shop in Encinitas (Trader Joe's shopping center). Verdict: Yum!

I got: yummy falafel donner. Very tasty falafel (though it doesn't beat Habibi's or Sultan Schwarma). But it's Turkish and has other flavors (like tarragon in the dressing in the salad inside). $6.60-ish.

Super Boy got: 3 salad plate: humus, Greek salad, green lentils and walnuts (I love that my boy loves lentils - I asked them for a taste in advance so he wasn't committing himself to a dish he would think was strangely flavored, but he insisted, "Moooooooooom!!! I like lentils!!!" and sure enough he loved them. They had fresh tarragon and tasted delish; the dressing on the salad also had some tarragon (white-style dressing); the feta was very yummy. The humus was fine, nothing terrible, nothing to rave about. Was a huge portion; he ate, I ate, and we took home. $8.99ish

Other options from the salad plate included Moroccan carrots, dill cucumber, Algerian eggplant (had a quick taste, liked it ok, but not enough to choose it as a huge side rather than something else).

Cute Husband got: chicken schwarma. He was kind of bummed, cuz he wanted chicken kebab. But they said it would take 15 mins to make, and we were quite hungry by then. He is not a huge schwarma fan, so wasn't as crazy about the meal as we were. But the nice counter staff (Turkish-Americans who also lived in Germany; hence the Euro-Turkish menu) said next time we can just call ahead and they'll put it on for him so it will be ready when we come. Great! He also got a small side of fries ($1.99) and we all munched on them. Very tasty too.

Other plusses: lots of seating! Not much of a line! (lots of people were in and out, but they were well-spaced) Tons of easy parking! And not very expensive for serious Middle Eastern quick-casual ($24 and change for lots of food for the three of us).

If no one gets sick, and I have my way, we'll be back again soon!

MIHO Gastrotruck (Carmel Valley): this week's special

LOVED the yellowtail melt, MIHO's special of the week. Would go weekly for it if they put it on the menu!

Delectable flavors, perfect artisan bread, delicious onions (I'm not sure how to describe them - not carmelized, but not deep-fried - super yummy though - more like dry fresh onion chips).

Flavor explosion!

(and going early is the only way to go!)

MY NEW FAVORITE SD RESTAURANT: Grant Grill Review (Downtown)

Am still enjoying my Jeff Josenhans buzz.

Up until today, my fave SD restaurants were:
1. Searsucker = exciting atmosphere + exciting food
2. Alchemy = super-exciting food + relaxed neighborhood atmosphere (favorite chef in city = Ricardo Heredia)
3. Charisma = super-chill atmosphere, reasonable prices and delectable modern Italian cuisine

Well, after a revisit to Grant Grill, they're all getting knocked down a rank:

GRANT GRILL, I LOVE YOU!

Where do we start?

1. Jeff Josenhans = the city's absolute best mixologist. His flavor combos sound strange....they're fantastic!

2 yrs ago, I had a Horton House, a kind of alcoholic chocolate egg cream.

Tonight, I got the bitter betty = fresh muddled blood oranges + gin + vermouth. Don't like gin, don't like vermouth.....The drink was FANTASTIC. So aromatic and herbal, just like the waitress promised.


2. Swanky but luxe atmosphere. Grant Grill has a swingin' bar on Th - Sat. nights, with live music = very atmospheric. But the restaurant part is very fine dining and luxe-y, and quiet. So you have the atmosphere of the hot jazz, and a quiet, fancy atmosphere. LOVE IT!

3. Service is fantastic. Natalie, our server, was super knowledeable, and did not steer me wrong. She very enthusiastically explained more about the 3 cocktails I was considering, and answered every question in a way that left the choice to me, but left me better informed. I had a fantastic meal, with her help.

4. Oh yeah: the food! Would I say that Chris Kurth is a better chef than Ricardo Heredia? Probably not. Ain't got nothin' but love for Ricardo Heredia. BUT there are so many high notes on this menu. First, just like last time, LOVE LOVE LOVE the signature house foccacia. Crazy savory and yummy. Second, my beet plate (not really a salad but a stylish presentation of beets) was yummy, flavorful and light. And Cute Husband's farmer's market salad was delightful - in both of our minds! Third, he really liked his steak, and his creamed corn was yummy. My thai style sea bass (in a light broth, with mushrooms and a bit of sweet potato puree) was very light and tasty - I wouldn't return there just for this dish, and if the restaurant didn't have all of the other things (Jeff Josenhans' cocktails, swanky atmosphere, fab service), this dish wouldn't call me back at all. But it was "nice," and didn't drag the meal (or my buzz!) down.

Finally, the dessert. Rachel King and Jack Fisher: not to worry, you're not getting knocked off as my fave pastry chefs anytime soon! There was nothing legendary or pioneering about my dessert (a lemony mascarpone semolina cake with berry compote and vanilla ice cream). However, it happened to be VERY GOOD, not too big, very perfect. I am not a huge blueberry fan (or a huge lemon one, for that matter), but I scarfed up the perfectly prepared berry compote, which was humble but fantastic. The semolina cake was very nice, and the vanilla ice cream was super well-made and tasty.

Chris Kurth also sends out a little dark chocolate cookie with the bill, on the principle that you should finish your meal with a taste of dark chocolate. It wasn't the greatest little choc. thing I ever ate in my life, but it was a nice touch.

Oh! And I forgot my wine. Natalie helped me decide on a glass of viognier ($11) to pair with my sea bass. It was a generous pour and super delish.

On a M-W night, Searsucker is still probably more swinging and exciting.

And if I'm judging on food alone, I'll still take Alchemy food.

And on price/value/reliable deliciousness, I'd still eat my last meal on earth at Charisma.

But for a package of nutso-creative-delicious cocktails + fab service + swanky fun atmosphere + great food, Grant Grill has rocketed to the top of my list!

(Tonight we used a gift certificate - thanks, Mom! But they also offer restaurant.com certificates too. They're more expensive than any of my other #1-4, so it helps!)