Quick takes: Gaijin Noodle House (Gaslamp), Be Beaming BBar (Solana Beach)

Have been to a few new places recently, but no time to blog.

GAIJIN (Gaslamp): disappointing. High prices, very small portions.  Some very interesting flavors, though. Loved the vegetable plate - 5 very yummy tastes. But noodles with tuna poke was miniscule. Spent a lot, left hungry. Wanted to like it!  Full of big groups of sake-drinking dressed-up 20somethings on the town.

BBAR AT BE BEAMING (Solana Beach, in same shopping center as UrbanPi across from Flower Hill mall): happened into this place near Del Mar Swirls because I had a cold and the idea of juice sounded appealing. Holy mackarel - where did this place come from and why are there so many people waiting 20 mins. for a $13 raw organic vegan non-GMO juice smoothie???  In truth: my smoothie was super tasty. Got the Lean and Green: delicious hemp-avo-spinach-almond flavor.  Would be $11 but I added vitamin C boost. I suppose if you're going to get a $13 smoothie, it might as well taste as good as this. But really? Are there that many people in RSF, DM, SB and CV trying to get cleanses. Clearly the answer in 2013 is: HELL YES!!  Do try it, if some money falls from the sky.  Otherwise, you can be "thrifty" and just get a $9 Suja "Fuji" smoothie at Jimbo's (yummy, lots of vitamin C and Vitamin A, and feels like a bargain compared to the BBar). They also have yummy-looking desserts, salads, and raw soups, all priced in line with the smoothies.

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!)

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.

Burlap (Carmel Valley): O how I love thee, Rachel the pastry chef!

I'm now settling into Burlap (3rd visit). I have decided I only like going on off-nights, catching up with a girlfriend in the comfy couches in the bar area. Feels much hipper and more intimate than the rest of the airport-hangar restaurant. (there are other places I like to go for dates with CH!).

Tonight's plan: Snake Oil cocktail, split some dishes, try a new Rachel King dessert (yes, I had to track down her last name - the (ungracious?) Brian Malarkey gives her no prominence on the websites for either restaurant, let alone post her dessert menus!).

We got:
--the Snake Oil guys' newest Burlap cocktail, a hibiscus something (the online menu also shows no love to them and doesn't list the cocktails); my favorite cocktail there so far, very subtle, not as crazy as the other "Asian-inspired" cocktails on their Burlap menu

--field greens salad: had gotten it before; this time there were persimmons instead of strawberries. This is still a yummy salad, and one of the better values on the menu, since 2 can split it for $7

--miso cod: Yelpers rave about this; it's tasty, but at $30 without any side dishes, not any better than the versions available around town for a fraction of the price; wouldn't order this again unless I had money to burn

--cauliflower with curry yogurt sauce: yum. love Brian Malarkey's cauliflower dishes, and this is a nice sized portion for $7

--Rachel's green tea mousse and condensed milk cake: I had gotten this before, but my companion, hiphopgirl, wanted to try it (and I said it was yummy). Still tasty: the crunchies (puffed rice here) were my fave.

--Rachel's new devil's food cake with homemade chocolate ice cream, chocolate ganache, chocolate square with ramen crunch, and creme anglaise. Super tasty. More well-balanced than any of the desserts I have had of hers so far - I liked the whole thing a whole lot. Fewer crunchies than on her other dishes, as it was a small smattering of ramen crunch on the chocolate square. But I ate this all up - it's a perfect chocolate dessert if one wants chocolate!

Still a steep tab: $90 pre-tip, including a shared salad, shared entree, shared side dish, 2 cocktails and 2 desserts. But for a splurgey girls' night out, I've now decided that Burlap is my place. (I'll still head to Searsucker for date night with CH, though!)

Burlap Restaurant Review: Overwhelmed in the Strip Mall (Carmel Valley)

CH and I finally hit Burlap last night. I'm still deciding what I think. On the one hand, we both didn't like it nearly as much as its mother-ship Searsucker in the Gaslamp. However, I am still in shock about how enormous the restaurant is and how *packed* it was at 6 pm on a Sat. I've been talking about all day.

DECOR: Holy crap, this was the Wherehouse? I love Searsucker, cuz it's exciting and warehousy and feels like Grand Central Station. But Burlap is like Walmart in comparison, or even a fancy and ornately-decorated hangar - I found it very disorienting, not only because it makes Searsucker seem intimate, but because it is very weird to have this giant, buzzy, packed space - complete with patio, koi pond, etc. - on the edge of the strip mall in the midst of suburbia.

MENU: Again, overwhelming. How does this kitchen turn out that many different dishes - well and efficiently - to such a gigantic crowd? It is impressive. On the other hand, we didn't find the menu as exciting as Searsucker - the Asian cowboy theme is maybe not for us. There were also just too many choices. But there certainly is something for everyone. For vegetarians, for instance, there is not a veg entree, but lots of veg small plates: an heirloom tomato and tofu salad; enoki mushroom salad; oyster mushroom cured ceviche style, edamame; sweet potato fries; and a whole lot of "sides", like wild rice stir fry with cactus or garlic noodles or cauliflower with curried yogurt (I didn't try any of these yet, since I decided to choose from the overwhelming list of fish options).

Oh - and MALARKEY SIGHTINGS: There seem to be more of these at Burlap these days, as he and his hat circulated on the patio. Back to the food....

SAVORY FOOD: We got:
--truffle miso soup (CH): Some Yelpers said it was ordinary, not that different from regular miso; CH enjoyed it; I thought it was just ok til I hit the scrumptious mushrooms he left over at the bottom.

--green salad (with walnuts, strawberries, plum dressing) (me): Absolutely delightful. Great salad just like at searsucker.

--half-chicken with steamed buns (CH): this was from the "rotisserie" section of the menu and it was enormous for $10. CH liked it. Kept saying that it is not as good as Searsucker, though.

--snow peas and ham (CH): nice-sized veg side; he liked it, can't vouch for it myself. :)

CH was very sated with a soup + half-chicken + side dish (=only $23). He left most of the chicken over.

In addition to my salad, I got two of the "left-column of the menu choices" (they have categories too complicated to remember: raw? satay? there's no such thing as an "appetizer" here). The waitress said that would be plenty of food.

--salmon belly satay: tasty and well-cooked, but not that big.

--tuna two ways: The waitress really plugged this, but at $14, it was much smaller than I expected. It was essentially a tiny and less spiced scoop of Searsucker's tuna + screaming rooster dish, plus three little squares of cured tuna. I would have orderd a veg side dish instead of one of these fish appetizers and been a lot more satisfied. So at $7 + 7 + 14 = $28, I was still pretty hungry.

WINE: I love Searsucker because every glass I've ordered has been fabulous, even if $10+. At Burlap, I got a Rhone Blend for $12, which sounded like the most interesting of the white choices. It was ok - not bad, but not that exciting.

At this point of the meal, we both agreed that Burlap (despite the crowds who seem to be very happy there) was just not that exciting for us, and we'd be happy to stick with Searsucker.

HOWEVER, the Snake Oil COCKTAIL co. guys saved the day (Yay, Ian and the other guy!!) At first, the cocktails struck me as too weird: Asian-ginger themed cocktails are not my thing. But since all of the whites-by-the-glass seemed boring and I didn't want to switch to red with my fish, I decided to give their lime-basil-martini thing a try. HOLY YUMMY AND HOLY STRONG! I think the secret to a good time at a Malarkey joint is to start with a Snake Oil Cocktail. Everything seems fabulous and delicious after you drink it.

Which brings me to DESSERT....

Whether it was because the strong cocktail made me very drunk - or because Rachel the pastry chef (who has left Searsucker to be on-site at Burlap) is newly inspired - DESSERT WAS THE BEST PART OF THE MEAL. So wonderful, that in my drunk state, I kept declaring to my wonderful Cute Husband: I love Rachel, I want to marry Rachel. (I never met Rachel, and I was not that excited when I got her red velvet cake at Searsucker the only time I was ever not so full that I had room for dessert there). But at Burlap, I was ready to become a polygamist so she could make dessert for me every night.

--My carrot cake, recommended by the waitress: kind of boring. HOWEVER, the crunchy things on the plate around the carrot cake: RIDICULOUSLY TASTY. They were some kind of pineapple nut brittle. Again, RIDICULOUSLY TASTY.

--CH's bittersweet chocolate tart with chocolate ice cream and more chocolate crunchy things (peanut/caramel/chocolate?). CH thought his tart was "ok, good." He thought his chocolate ice cream was amazing. And me: I scooped up all the RIDICULOUSLY TASTY crunchy things, because evidently Rachel is the queen of all things sweet and crunchy.

The other things on the dessert menu (condensed milk cake with green tea mousse and carmelized puffed rice; almond panna cotta with tamarind caramel and almond crunch, lemongrass tapioca with a coconut sorbet) all sounded very delicious - more exciting than any dessert menu I've seen recently.

So here is my TEMPORARY VERDICT (I'm still processing the place). I am not sure whether I will go there again for dinner. Again, it's kind of overwhelming. But I'm ready to have a girls' night out on a *weeknight* after bedtime (more mellow, less crowded - they told me it's not as bad outside of Th/F/Sat) to have a snake oil cocktail + some more dessert from Rachel. For now, those are the two things about Burlap that excite me....though it's too bad that I live a little too far away to walk the cocktail off at the end of the night!

Tao!!!! (Normal Heights)

Foodgirl must blog about the meal she just had at Tao with Museumgirl. We made up for the disaster that was Station Tavern by meeting just the two of us.

YUM, YUM AND SUPER-YUM!!

That place is ridiculous. We had:
--garlic "chicken"
--mango "chicken"
--their free salad
--their free ice cream

They make their own tofu. It was RIDICULOUSLY good. The vegetables were super-fresh and yummy, much better than in standard Asian restaurants. The brown rice was (dare I say?) the best brown rice I have ever had....a mix of 3 different grains. And the tofu and sauces were delectable. The textures of the tofu on each were totally different...and we just loved both dishes. (Does it sound like I liked it?)

There are complaints on yelp about service at night. At lunchtime, it was not super-fast, but still fine. The waitress was pleasant. I got a deal at BuyWithMe.com, but I would go again for full price (they also apparently are on restaurant.com).

LOVED IT!!!!

Jai is only hibernating, not closing! (La Jolla)

The happy news: it is not closing for good!!!! Jai is struggling so for the next three months they are closing the restaurant and only doing private parties or catering. They will reopen when the theater season starts in the summer, and be open on performance nights only.

The sad news: they're gone for three months! I am reminded of how sad this is by last night's yummy dinner (sans toddler of course - he'd be standing on tables trying to reach those globesque light fixtures). JAI IS OUR FAVORITE RESTAURANT IN SAN DIEGO. I put that in caps because I mean it. We like it better than all the other tops: Tapenade, Nine-Ten, Blanca, A. R. Valentien, etc etc., not to mention Cafe Chloe and all the more modestly priced yummies. And while I haven't been to Market in a while (I love it, the Dad doesn't), I'll say I think I like Chef Yoshinori Kojima even better than my beloved Carl Schroeder - even though Chef K gets no respect or name recognition because Wolfgang Puck's name is all over the restaurant.

Ok - why do we like Jai so much? a) Unpretentious atmosphere - classy without being stuffy. But more important b) THE FOOD, THE FOOD, THE FOOD, THE FOOD. Chef Kojima is some kind of genius. Every single flavor I have had out of his kitchen makes me want to clean the plate (honestly, there are no morcels left). The Dad loves it too - how rare is that??? Usually, I love a place and he thinks it's ok (we all know his faves: he could dine at Bongiorno's and Wahoos all week long). But we both LOVE LOVE LOVE Jai....

Last night I had:
--miso sesame cone ahi: I know, I really should have tried something new. There was a new butternut squash soup and a beet salad on the menu. (both sound boring but in Chef K's hands would have been a revelation, I am sure). In his hands, tomato soup and heirloom tomato salad, two favorites of last summer season were absolutely spectacular - nothing like the same dishes at other places.....And yet with Jai closing for 3 mos., how could I not get the little ice cream-cone style tuna tartare??? And of course it was scrumptious and when it came I was thrilled that I had not deprived myself of this yumminess by ordering something else.

--miso butterfish. It's their signature dish. I ate every last morcel of their brown rice (which tastes nothing like bland brown rice), plus the bok choy (which tastes nothing like boring bok choy), not to mention the yumminesss of the butterfish - and then there was an amazing sauce on the side I had almost forgotten about....ate every last morcel.

--Dessert: Here I lived on the edge. Was going to get the warm truffle cake (theirs is such a fine representation). But I decided to get the "warm fruit crumble." (what the hell)? OHMIGOD....At first glance it appeared to be a sea of jam with three little 1-inch diameter beignets and a bit of ice cream on the side. ("This is my whole crumble", she thinks?). And yet....my first taste of jam was delicious....and then HOLY ^&&^(()&^^% those little beignet things, as tiny as they were were just about the best ^&*()()(&* thing I ever ate. Definitely one of my favorite desserts of all time (I don't mean only at Jai).

In sum....Jai has incredibly delicious food, and on top of this they go very very light on carbs. And so we end up having 3 courses and being perfectly sated - full but not overstuffed or overheavy. The desserts are the perfect size - you didn't overeat but you got something really yummy.

HAVE I MENTIONED THAT WE LOVE JAI??

Only negatives: wines by the glass cost way too much. (Really? 12.50 as one of the cheapest??). And my cocktails have been not very exciting lately (loved the basil gimlet martini the first visit, and it has been more boring since).

And yet....did I even mention that you can use restaurant.com gift certificates there? So it ends up being Restaurant Week type prices all year....

And so, my friends, please do mark it on your calendars to try it when it reopens in summer. I hate to build it up so much that you'll be like "oh, it didn't live up to Foodgirl's hype"....But I CAN'T HELP THAT I LOVE IT AND CAN'T DO ANYTHING TODAY BUT SING ITS PRAISES!!!!

MAY IT COME BACK STRONGER IN SUMMER!!!

PS: I should have included info on The Dad's dishes (but of course, I was exulting only about what I ate. He had the veggie spring roll, which I tasted: much much better than your avg. spring roll, but it's still a spring roll, so that was only good, not amazing. Then he had the lamb, which he loved. Then he had the warm truffle cake, which he always gets and which is delicious....(he didn't let me share it this time, but I didn't want a taste anyway since I was dying over my jam and beignets!). Yummy for the carnivores and the piscivores!