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!
Saturday, August 25, 2012
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!
Thursday, August 9, 2012
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!
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!
Sunday, August 5, 2012
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!).
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!).
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
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
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!
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!
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