2016 update: healthy vegetarian food at the San Diego County Fair (Del Mar fair)

I haven't updated my blog in many years! (too many good places and too little time!).

But I wanted to do a fair update since people are still finding my page!

Here's the original post from 2011 about finding healthy vegetarian food at the fair: http://sdfoodgirl.blogspot.com/2011/06/healthy-vegetarian-food-at-sd-county.html.

Here is my update from 2013 including the Albertson's stand: http://sdfoodgirl.blogspot.com/2013/06/healthy-vegetarian-food-at-san-diego.html.

Since then, the sweet potatoes are gone.   I'm not sure Dee's is around anymore with the grilled veggies.

But the Roxy stand still has a delicious baked falafel sandwich (with or without cheese; with or without sprouts; with or without avocado). Other recent healthy or veg options there include an artichoke sandwich; eggplant parmesan (haven't tried it yet); or baked fish and rice for pescatorians. 

Palapa Taco is still there with its delicious spinach wrap or Healthy Veg Burrito. 

And this year there is a new home for healthy food at the fair which I haven't checked out yet, the Hungry Caterpillar in the cocktail area, which has options including a naan flatbread with
"Fire Roasted Zucchini, Yellow Squash, Bermuda Onions, Sweet Peppers, Oven Roasted Tomatoes, Baba Ganoush, Sunflower Sprouts ($9.)
Hungry Caterpillar menu is here: http://www.sdfair.com/pdf/2016/2016_hungry_caterpillar_menu.pdf.

Post in the comments if you try the Hungry Caterpillar, or if you find anything else that I didn't list, since people are still coming to this blog to find out where to get delicious food at the fair that is not deep-fried!! I'm heading back to the fair tonight  - not sure whether I'll try the Hungry Caterpillar or get one of Palapa Taco's delicious veg wraps!

Quick review: Grant Grill Menu overhaul

I *love* Grant Grill. I have always loved its:

--posh but friendly/unpretentious atmosphere
--incredibly knowledgeable and warm servers (esp. Natalie)
--the super duper cocktails and wine list by the genius manager/sommelier Jeff Josenhans

The food has always been....good.

But overall I have always had a top-notch experience even if I wouldn't give the food a 10.

Now, it is CRAZY delicious, and the new chef, Sam Burman, has just elevated the place far above, in my view, any other place in SD (at least for someone like me who would rather have a cool atmosphere but not one with loud pulsating music that is trying to hard to be hip and full of 20somethings).

Had a crazy delicious meal there.
--Jeff Josenhan's bottle-fermented cosmo: c-r-a-z-y (so subtle, with hints of keffir lime, a little fizzy, really inventive)
--crazy beet dish
--delicious mushroom bread pudding

And their old standby signature warm foccacia.

I love it even more now. It's not an every-day-hey-why-don't-we-grab-dinner place, but I love going there!

Places I want to try this summer

Grant Grill: redesigned menu, new chef

JSix: Christian Graves let loose with Jack Fischer doing pastries

Hope to get to both soon! (not with SuperBoy, though!)

Some other recent favorites

Where else have we been in the last several months that is worth going?

Pizzeria Mozza: it gets mixed reviews on Yelp. I'm with the raves, amen.  Best tomato sauce in San Diego. Delicious grilled bread.  Fantastic pizzas (right, it's not NY style cheap pizza - but it's not supposed to be). Super friendly and kid friendly service.  Not cheap, but worth it. Would like an excuse to go again.

Juniper and Ivy: had a great time, met Richard Blais, nice cocktails and food. Food not as crazy as expected but still was very nice, will look forward to returning. (I still liked Mozza even better).

Craftsman (Encinitas): lunch.  Fantastic special: $9 = very generous Wade Hagemann salad + delicious margherita flatbread.  Added $5 Wade Hagemann sweet corn soup cup.  Delicious 3-course lunch for $14 - bargain!!!!

Sea 180:  not excited by service. But food was much better than expected for a Cohn restaurant. Had a very good piece of salmon with a crazy delicious farro/corn risotto underneath. Very nice infused watermelon mojito (clear color).  Very kid friendly - SuperBoy enjoyed his food very much.  But 180 degree views are only on the patio and if you're lucky. We had an obstructed view (behind a big pillar).  Kind of far to go to, given that other places have good food. But worth one try.

Waypoint Public: Loved the cool, loud bar vibe - packed early on a weekend.  I did love my apple orchard alcoholic cider, and the nice staff. We enjoyed pretzel appetizer, ceviche (texture was unusual but it was refreshing), albacore with very delicious greens (needs a starch though), dill pickles, steak over pretzel dish.  Would definitely return (but not before the Smoking Goat!).

Iberico in La Jolla: tasty enough, but very expensive - no need to return.

ENO at the Del:  really delicious and nice atmosphere, will definitely return if in Coronado.

Croce's Park West: nice enough, it's not calling us back, though

Seasons 52: It won't get me out of bed in the morning, but it's enjoyable if dining with SuperBoy.  The mushroom flatbread is pretty darn good and they have some nice cocktails, but you have to tell them not to make them so short or they are gone in 3 sips.

I still like Searsucker Del Mar for cocktails and dessert with a friend.  The dessert chef is channeling Rachel King and still putting out badass desserts  (l8yer cake and brown butter cake last time were both delish). They had a cocktail called waking up with Jorge with watermelon and gin that they might still make - they might have renamed it the El Guapo.

And just for the record, Ricardo Heredia at Alchemy is still the best chef in town....

(that's all I can remember of note since October!)

Smoking Goat: Yum!

Haven't blogged in a long time, but I wanted to remember that I loved Smoking Goat so we go again!

Very casual atmosphere, great food, very efficient and knowledgeable servers who are not pretentious.

Enjoyed: Lillet Blanc with blood orange (tasty but very short)
--Provencal rose (was very food friendly)

--Burrata and tomato salad (awesome grilled bread)
--Tomato risotto: just a really lovely dish with great Suzie's farm veggies

CH enjoyed:
--Suzie's salad (he might get regular green next time)
--half a chicken; had delicious potatoes and green beans too

Food was not too heavy for CH, I said several times after the meal (according to CH) that I really liked it and wanted to return. Yum!

Quick takes: Rimel's Del Mar, Cucina Urbana, Alborz

Quick takes:

Rimel's Del Mar:  decent food, s-l-o-w service, stiff drinks.  SuperBoy got rather grumpy waiting long intervals for food. Too expensive to be casual - probably won't return anytime soon, though the wood-fired salmon is decent. (the Al Capone was tasty and very strong, but not so delectable that I must return)

Alborz: always love the eggplant stew, no meat.  Have been happily eating (takeout) for years and years! 

Cucina Urbana: I had a better experience than CH on date night. 
--chopped salad: meh
--jar of fava/argula humus: good and a good value
--spring vegetable pizza: I liked but wouldn't order again
--CH not a huge fan of his dish (ribeye?)

Still trying to get a cocktail there I really like.  The stranded sicilian (with roasted pineapple gin) was drinkable but I wouldn't order it again.

Alforon (College Area): Very Yummy

Finally tried Alforon. Very tasty. Very small. Couple who runs it are very hospitable.  Very yummy veg flatbreads; baba ghanoush; humus; sesame bread (Lebanese bagel).  Pistachio nest was only ok, but the rosewater custard (I forget the Arabic name) and the date cookie were very delicious.  All the tables were taken on a Sat. night - good we reserved.  They are very kid friendly too.

Caffe Calabria (North Park) Restaurant Review: Delicious and Kid-Friendly!

We had been to Caffe Calabria only once before, with another couple. No babysitter tonight - but I was craving wood-oven Italian pizza (mmmm). Decided to try it out with SuperBoy.

SUCCESS!

Atmosphere: Not only cool and romantic and hip for grown-ups, but cool for a little boy. The inside is made to feel like a night street, all lit up. SB liked the fake windows and facades. The other theme of the restaurant is soccer. So there are Italian Jerseys everywhere - and soccer on the screen. The fact that SB was still in his soccer jersey from his game today received kudos from the wait staff, which SB liked.

Pizza: super yummy. We liked both the Margherita and the Margherita DOC with veggies added.

Frascati wine: delish and only $6

Green salad for only $5: super delicious and enough for us to divide in three parts as an app.

SB also liked the aranciata and was super well-behaved.

Oh - and the food came out so expeditiously.  Score!!!

I asked SB if he wants to come here again. He rolled his eyes and said, "Of course," as in "Duh, Mom."  North Park is also so much fun to visit. We saw an awesome African dance class going on at Stage 7.

***
He was so well-behaved that we went next to Heaven Sent Desserts at Univ and 30th for dessert.  SB got a red velvet cake, which he liked. I got german chocolate cake, which was tasty too (and enormous).  CH got a 3-chocolate cake, which was the yummiest, in my view.

Caffe Calabria and Heaven Sent: a fantastic date night for the whole family!

Restaurant report: JSix (Gaslamp)

We missed RW at JSix, but had a fantastic meal.

LOW POINTS: service is always so darn slow here. This would be a much more famous and successful restaurant, and we'd come more, if they had more staff on the floor. Took forever to order, and by the time we got our first course, we had been there for more than an hour.

Pepper Blossom cocktail: super-boring. but they changed it out for me to something yummier...

Cream of spinach soup: kind of boring

Chicken dish: it was a little too peppered for CH, though he thought it was ok

HIGH POINTS: Crazy delicious and not super heavy food.  Other friends and I had:

--super yummy manhattans. Never had one before; hope they are not all downhill from here. They had their own orange bitters and some other yummy stuff in it.

--ridiculously yummy raw veggies and burrata salad

--super yummy suzie's farm salad; every component was yum

--very tasty tuna crudo. Small portion. But the sea beans were super-tasty.

--corn agnolotti: very good. My friends l-o-v-e-d it; I thought it was tasty.

--halibut with coriander and yogurt: super yummy and innovative

--truffle fries: tasty, wish we hadn't gotten them free with yelp check-in; otherwise we had a super-low carb meal

--also ridiculously yummy tapenade with decent bread

--L-O-V-E-D hazelnut brandy ice cream.  Chocolate coriander ice cream also good.  Banana bread pudding was tasty; the vanilla ice cream with it was forgettable.

In short, great food here, nice atmosphere. Need more floor or kitchen staff!

Restaurant week report: Crush (Solana Beach)

Nice meal at Crush for RW.  Bruschetta entree was fantastic (grilled good bread, great burrata, tomatoes, pesto).  Eggplant was very tasty and huge portion, but very heavy - wouldn't order in future.  Great "julep noir" (bourbon, blackberries, mint, lime).  Great music too, but not so loud that you can't hear your companion talk.  Glad we went. (though I must add that a friend went the night before and was less impressed with the salmon. But we were lucky!).  This place is becoming a favorite.

Cucina enoteca opening soon (Del Mar Flower Hill)

(I feel like I am rebroadcasting Candace Woo's news this week, but she has so many interesting items concerning my fave chefs or places!)

She is reporting that the new sib of CU in Flower Hill will open September 29:

http://sandiego.eater.com/archives/2013/09/19/cucina-enoteca.php

Looks beautiful inside. We'll see whether it's kid friendly too..... (date night at Flower Hill does not strike me as super appealing but we'll manage otherwise.

Jack Fisher stops being a pastry chef :(

Candace Woo is reporting that Jack Fisher, one of my two fave pastry chefs in town, is switching to the savory side AND moving down to Imperial Beach.

http://sandiego.eater.com/archives/2013/09/19/chef-jack-fisher-on-moving-from-sweet-to-savory.php

This is not good news for me or for dessert-lovers north of downtown!  But hopefully it will be a good step for him - we all need change.

Going to Cucina Urbana soon - hopefully they will have some of his desserts left even if he isn't there to execute!

Tender Greens now open at SD Airport!

Great news from Candace Woo at SD Eater: http://sandiego.eater.com/archives/2013/09/17/tender-greens-takes-off-at-the-airport-tomorrow.php.

Must check out soon! (reports are welcome!)

Shoutout to Candace Woo at SD Eater!

a. Candace Woo is cool and always has good taste. Loved her old reviews (she was at CityBeat and I forget where else) and now her restaurant coverage at Eater San Diego.

b. Extra cool - she included my Sea and Smoke review in a roundup of Sea and Smoke reviews: http://sandiego.eater.com/archives/2013/09/13/the-latest-word-on-sea-smoke.php.

Come back any time, Candace - glad to have you reading!

Upcoming Restaurant Week visits

We normally avoid Restaurant Week - it's too crazy, restaurants are too rushed.  And it's not always that much of a bargain.

But we're going to hit Crush and Searsucker Del Mar this week.  They both should be a good value. It will be a great excuse to try Crush again, and to give the new Searsucker a new try to see how it compares to Burlap.

Which 'wich Review (Carmel Valley)

Last Monday, SuperBoy and I saw that there was a training session in the space where Which 'Wich was about to open in the Del Mar Highlands Shopping Center.  We read the sign on the door and saw that the restaurant would open on Wed.

On Wed. morning, SuperBoy said, "Mommy, that new restaurant is opening today - can we try it out tonight?" Ah! I am raising a food-forward boy! Love the use of "try it out." How could I say no?

When Cute Husband came home, we headed over there.  It was very busy for opening night.  But we loved it!

a. You can really customize your sandwich in a lot of interesting ways.  I got a whole wheat baguette with tomato, cheese, spinach, and sauerkraut.  (hmm....sauerkraut).  CH got a reuben and liked it.

b.  For kids, you can doodle on your sandwich bag and then post it on the wall.  SB loved this. He wrote an ode to the cashier and showed it to him. What is cooler to a little kid who loves to draw than being able to draw and post your work in a restaurant?

c. Place was highly staffed and staff was super friendly. 

d. Prices are very reasonable.

e. CH loved the idea of a pizzawich (a pizza sandwich! he said).

We didn't try shakes but SB wants to next time.  Great option in the neighborhood.

New food trucks in Carmel Valley

Miho hardly comes to High Bluff anymore; too busy!

Devilicious was here Monday (oops - I missed it!).

today a new Thai food truck (HaadSai Thai Food).

Can't wait to try Devilicious one of these weeks!

Not the best meal we ever had at Apollonia (La Jolla)

Apollonia is normally one of our fave delicious, sit-down, kid-friendly, not too stuffy restaurants.

Tonight they were off their usual quality.

Taramasalata and humus still good.

But worst spanaki lemonata ever (spinach too tough and chewy instead of melting in my mouth).

And the seabass turned out to be fishy and drenched in layers of unhealthy sauce (v. their grilled salmon, which is so light, delicious and simple).

If all the meals I'd had there were like this I wouldn't return. It may still take me several months. Stomach ache....

At least there was Baskins Robbins next door for a well-behaved boy.

New plant-based cuisine restaurant to open in UTC: Veggie Grill

Read this today in the U-T:  http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/aug/27/veggie-grill-opens-utc-mall-la-jolla/.

Will it be as good as Native Foods? Only time will tell. Sounds worth a try!

With Tender Greens there, and Seasons 52 being on ok option too, UTC may become a veggie wonderland! (not to mention bottega italiana for delicious gelato dessert!

Sea and Smoke Review (Del Mar)

Sea and Smoke, in brief:

--very loud

--very airy

--tasty food, interesting menu

--disorganized, disappointing service

--slow kitchen

--high prices, portions too large (this is fine if you really are sharing dishes, but if each person is eating something differnet - CH likes chicken, I'm a veggie - lots of food is leftover with a very big bill)

--there's a lot of fried food for "farm-to-table". I liked my mushroom dish (with poached egg, smoked lentil mousse), but did it really need potato chips on top of it?  And the dandelion greens didn't really harmonize with the rest.

We ended up cancelling some of the things we ordered because the waits between dishes coming out of the kitchen were just too long.  Either the bar is also really slow or our server was.

Too bad, because it's beautiful, interesting food, and I want Matt Gordon to succeed (nice guy, great chef). But I don't think we'll go back, at least until we hear other reports. Too bad!!!