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!
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Monday, April 16, 2012
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!
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!
Sunday, April 1, 2012
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.
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.
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