Some quick reports:
Katana: we are going more and more. It's super kid-friendly. SuperBoy loves the little flashlights they give you with your soft drink, and he also loves their miso soup (with extra seaweed), plus edamame, rice and cubed tofu. I like the ex-boyfriend roll when it's on special. I am exploring their winelist. Had one bad Chard, but the La Crema chard is very good, and the Greg Norman pinot is super delish and not super expensive.
Native Foods: LOVE this place. Want to eat my way through the menu. Last time tried: Moroccan bowl, seitan sub, macrobiotic bowl (super yum, I could eat this often).
Urban Pi: Went successfully with a big group recently. I still believe in staying away from the nasty tomato sauce,but the other food there is good. Mom got a yummy white pizza. I got the delish beet and arugula salad with a yumm vegan corn soup-of-the day. I also like their pomegranate drink.
Want to take SuperBoy to Native Foods so can eat there more!
Showing posts with label Japanese. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Japanese. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Katana Takeout (Carmel Valley)
Ordered takeout tonight. Better than it has been in a while. The katana roll is one of the best rolls there. It's not drenched in sauce. Healthy, fresh and light.
Friday, April 5, 2013
Wa Dining Okan Review (Convoy): One of SD's Best Restaurants
Love me some Wa Dining Okan. It is NOT a hole in the wall, even though it might appear to be on first glance, as it's tiny and in a Convoy strip mall. It is a tiny, perfect, classy establishment.
Music: French cabaret
Food: Best miso soup I've had in San Diego. Wonderful broth. Delicious vegetables.
Got the salted grilled salmon again (enjoyed it so much last time). Delectable brown rice with some seaweed (I forget the name). The two veggie tapas of the day that came with it were a delectable broccoli with sesame seeds, and a "tofu lees" (I had to ask twice what that meant). It turns out it is the soy pulp left over after you take soy milk out of a soybean. YUM. There were also some perfect little pickles: 2 baby cuke slices, 2 tiny carrot slices, and then some beet-red (tomato?) pickles. Perfectly briny, clean, refreshing, crisp.
The atmosphere is also very quiet, as if the people crowded in realize that this is a temple of food and one should speak in hushed tones while enjoying it.
Many customers were Japanese.
This is such a perfect little restaurant. San Diego is so enriched by having places of this caliber. I can't say I've had a more delicious piece of fish (even though it was simple) or more intriguing veggies in quite a while.
My 3rd visit should come sooner than my 2nd visit took!!
Music: French cabaret
Food: Best miso soup I've had in San Diego. Wonderful broth. Delicious vegetables.
Got the salted grilled salmon again (enjoyed it so much last time). Delectable brown rice with some seaweed (I forget the name). The two veggie tapas of the day that came with it were a delectable broccoli with sesame seeds, and a "tofu lees" (I had to ask twice what that meant). It turns out it is the soy pulp left over after you take soy milk out of a soybean. YUM. There were also some perfect little pickles: 2 baby cuke slices, 2 tiny carrot slices, and then some beet-red (tomato?) pickles. Perfectly briny, clean, refreshing, crisp.
The atmosphere is also very quiet, as if the people crowded in realize that this is a temple of food and one should speak in hushed tones while enjoying it.
Many customers were Japanese.
This is such a perfect little restaurant. San Diego is so enriched by having places of this caliber. I can't say I've had a more delicious piece of fish (even though it was simple) or more intriguing veggies in quite a while.
My 3rd visit should come sooner than my 2nd visit took!!
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Eda-Mami (Del Mar)/too many losses
Well, my week of mourning for Naomi Wise is over....But it's replaced with the death of a close and beloved friend. While she was sick I told her about the blog and promised her I'd take her anywhere she wanted. She had picked out Bayu. We never got to go. Life ain't fair.
Instead of silence this week I'm going to blog again. She'd want me to, and I need distractions....
Hit Eda-Mami tonight in Del Mar for the first time in a while. Love this place! We need to remember to go there and dump Katana. The food is so much better! And before 7 pm they have great happy hour pricing. We ordered way too much food.
*Delicious*, healthy and generous salad: we ordered 2 for the three of us and had plenty left over (about $4)
Edamame: perfectly fine (about $4)
2 miso soups: SB scarfed his up, CH did too
Agedashi Tofu: $3 I think with the happy hour special. OMG - this is the best A.T. I have had in my whole life. Fabulous broth. Just delicious.
Sake Fusion roll: $7.95 w/happy hour. Huge. Delicious. Why did I order so much food?
Salmon roll: $3 with happy hour. OMG - I don't need this much food. Yet I finished it.... :)
SB got a lolli from sitting so nicely. He loved the wide array of choices. And he spotted 3 coasters while we were sitting there.
And tonight we had great service, much better than our previous visits. It was quieter too.
Eda-Mami has got to enter our regular rotation - LOVED IT!
(oh and I left out my wine - I am tasting my way through New Zealand Sauvignon blancs from the Malborough Valley - tonight I got a Star borough - not as good as what I had on the cruise, but still tasty)
(end of wine-induced gushing about food - back to the sad new normal.... :( )
Postscript: The meal didn't sit while with CH. :( Eda-Mami may not go into the rotation after all. Minor bad news in the scheme of things, but oh well.
Instead of silence this week I'm going to blog again. She'd want me to, and I need distractions....
Hit Eda-Mami tonight in Del Mar for the first time in a while. Love this place! We need to remember to go there and dump Katana. The food is so much better! And before 7 pm they have great happy hour pricing. We ordered way too much food.
*Delicious*, healthy and generous salad: we ordered 2 for the three of us and had plenty left over (about $4)
Edamame: perfectly fine (about $4)
2 miso soups: SB scarfed his up, CH did too
Agedashi Tofu: $3 I think with the happy hour special. OMG - this is the best A.T. I have had in my whole life. Fabulous broth. Just delicious.
Sake Fusion roll: $7.95 w/happy hour. Huge. Delicious. Why did I order so much food?
Salmon roll: $3 with happy hour. OMG - I don't need this much food. Yet I finished it.... :)
SB got a lolli from sitting so nicely. He loved the wide array of choices. And he spotted 3 coasters while we were sitting there.
And tonight we had great service, much better than our previous visits. It was quieter too.
Eda-Mami has got to enter our regular rotation - LOVED IT!
(oh and I left out my wine - I am tasting my way through New Zealand Sauvignon blancs from the Malborough Valley - tonight I got a Star borough - not as good as what I had on the cruise, but still tasty)
(end of wine-induced gushing about food - back to the sad new normal.... :( )
Postscript: The meal didn't sit while with CH. :( Eda-Mami may not go into the rotation after all. Minor bad news in the scheme of things, but oh well.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Katana (Carmel Valley): So-so
Takeout from Katana (it has become a standby). It seems to be slipping, but not so much that we won't stop ordering, at least for now.
CH: liked his miso soup + chicken teriyaki
SB, getting over a tummyache a few days ago and still on modified BRAT to get him set for candy-day tomorrow, had miso soup, rice, and edamame and seemed content
Me: miso soup in styrofoam: tasted chemically
--edamame: really bland, most boring edamame ever
--Ichiko roll: not on the print menu; spicy fake crab, avo, tuna on top, spicy mayo: pretty tasty, with or without soy-wasabi; best part of the meal, reason I would still order again
--salmon nigiri: fine, inoffensive
I wish they were more consistent!
CH: liked his miso soup + chicken teriyaki
SB, getting over a tummyache a few days ago and still on modified BRAT to get him set for candy-day tomorrow, had miso soup, rice, and edamame and seemed content
Me: miso soup in styrofoam: tasted chemically
--edamame: really bland, most boring edamame ever
--Ichiko roll: not on the print menu; spicy fake crab, avo, tuna on top, spicy mayo: pretty tasty, with or without soy-wasabi; best part of the meal, reason I would still order again
--salmon nigiri: fine, inoffensive
I wish they were more consistent!
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Katana (Carmel Valley): A bad night?
Just a note that we got the most questionable sushi we've ever gotten from Katana. I've always liked the Ex-Girlfriend roll, but some of the fish on it was kind of yuk. My salmon skin hand roll also had some questionable fish in it (I really didn't want to finish it).
The agedashi tofu, which we never tried before, was pretty tasty.
It's not like Katana is the best sushi in the world, but it's been generally reliable for tasty enough sushi. I hope this isn't a sign of things to come!
The agedashi tofu, which we never tried before, was pretty tasty.
It's not like Katana is the best sushi in the world, but it's been generally reliable for tasty enough sushi. I hope this isn't a sign of things to come!
Friday, July 1, 2011
Another visit to Katana (Carmel Valley)
Another successful meal with ST at Katana.
Cubed tofu + edamame + salad + miso soup + rice PLUS Nascar on television = one very happy and well-behaved Super-Toddler.
(Is he a healthy eater or what? My adventurous boy even decided to try pickled ginger and seaweed. Didn't like the first, kind of intrigued by the latter - "is it from my ocean?").
I ate ex-girlfriend roll (still my fave, riceless) + another special albacore role that was on the 50% off list. I was not into the albacore on top at all - I thought it was a little grody (though I liked the spicy tuna/masago mix inside the roll). I would get something different next time.
Cute Husband ordered beef bulgogi there for the first time (it's really a Korean fusion place anyway) and he thought it was very good.
No balloons for kids anymore, but we'll certainly return!
Cubed tofu + edamame + salad + miso soup + rice PLUS Nascar on television = one very happy and well-behaved Super-Toddler.
(Is he a healthy eater or what? My adventurous boy even decided to try pickled ginger and seaweed. Didn't like the first, kind of intrigued by the latter - "is it from my ocean?").
I ate ex-girlfriend roll (still my fave, riceless) + another special albacore role that was on the 50% off list. I was not into the albacore on top at all - I thought it was a little grody (though I liked the spicy tuna/masago mix inside the roll). I would get something different next time.
Cute Husband ordered beef bulgogi there for the first time (it's really a Korean fusion place anyway) and he thought it was very good.
No balloons for kids anymore, but we'll certainly return!
Monday, June 6, 2011
Shimbashi Izakaya Re-Review (Del Mar): Meh....
Since Grandma is here we got a few dates in this week (she just wants alone time with Super Toddler - we would have stayed in!).
Revisit to Shimbashi Izakaya. Was very excited. But it was a disappointing return.
Food: Good but not as good as last time. Very expensive - and not a lot of food. It would be one thing if it was spectacular...but it was not.
Drink: Sake Mojito was very bland (like soda water + lime), gave me no buzz I could tell. (was there really alcohol in it?).
Service: Ok, but then they tried to screw around with our check. The normally mellow dining companion known as Cute Husband was, shall we say, not pleased.
An unimpressive showing after a meal that was good but not great = probably not returning. Too bad = it's a nice view and the salad is still fresh and quite tasty (but not missable anyway).
Revisit to Shimbashi Izakaya. Was very excited. But it was a disappointing return.
Food: Good but not as good as last time. Very expensive - and not a lot of food. It would be one thing if it was spectacular...but it was not.
Drink: Sake Mojito was very bland (like soda water + lime), gave me no buzz I could tell. (was there really alcohol in it?).
Service: Ok, but then they tried to screw around with our check. The normally mellow dining companion known as Cute Husband was, shall we say, not pleased.
An unimpressive showing after a meal that was good but not great = probably not returning. Too bad = it's a nice view and the salad is still fresh and quite tasty (but not missable anyway).
Friday, April 29, 2011
Eda-mami review (Del Mar)
Trains. Super Toddler loves trains. Coaster trains in particular.
So tonight I headed off with him and CH to one of the Carmel Valley Rd. restaurants where you have a clear shot of the trains going through the valley by Torrey Pines. Too cold for Roberto's - so we hit Edamami.
In brief....
Food: Good. Going before 7 pm you can order from happy hour menu. Loved esp. the Sake Fusion roll and the delicious healthy salad I got for ST.
Service: Harried, slightly slow, but friendly enough and not terrible.
And the Coasters? Well we saw 3 in an hour.
ST's Behavior? Overall it was good. But we did have a little fight over the pink umbrella that came with CH's chicken teriyaki. ST thought it was a good idea to poke it in his eye. Mom didn't. Arguing/tantrums/stuggles to a timeout spot in the corner ensued.
Luckily it's a place where our little moment didn't really bother anyone (people did look over, but it was a reasonable buzz level, so we weren't disrupting anyone).
ST shaped up later, still got a lolli at the end of the meal after serving his time in TO (I'm a sucker, I guess).
Oh - and riesling goes really well with Asian food. :) I never order rieslings with other food, and usually don't get alcohol when I go out for Asian food. But it seemed a good idea tonight....and yum....I do love a good riesling when it's not competing with my meal!
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Shimbashi Izakaya (Del Mar)
Date night: super-yum!
Have been meaning to try an Izakaya (Japanese tapas bar) for a while....There are some good ones elsewhere in SD but also this fancy cocktail-y one in the Del Mar Plaza. Mixed reviews on Yelp, but when we got unexpected babysitting tonight (yeah, grandma!) we decided to give it a shot.
MMMMMM-YOSO (to borrow the name of another SD restaurant blog).
Super-fresh veggies - they apparently use Chino. Maybe we ordered all the right things but we loved everything.
Atmosphere: Cute. Very uncomfortable chairs (no backs). Mix of Japanese customers and other Del Martians.
Service: Very friendly, efficient Japanese women.
Food: Forgot about the chairs once it came!
--Green salad: Such fresh delicious lettuce and other veggies, with a good dressing....A big cut above green salads in other Japanese places.
--Miso soup: CH says it was ok, nothing special.
--Amuse bouche (they called it free mini-appetizer): grated seaweed and black mushrooms in a ginger-sesame broth. YUMMMMMM.
--Green beans and eggplant in sweet miso paste: I don't even like green beans - I thought this dish was just eggplant. BUT I LOVED IT! Green beans were super fresh and perfectly cooked; sesame miso paste was divine. They have a bunch of eggplant dishes but this one was starred as a must-try. Thank you, menu-writer!
--Shabu-Shabu: CH got this, super-fresh veggies, cooked his own beef in his choice of broth. He really enjoyed this. They say they have this only in winter.
--La fresca roll: Was deciding between this and miso cod (another starred must-try). Was excellent choice: spicy tuna, avocado, yellowtail, cilantro, and a fresh diced tomato-onion-pepper conconction on top (like a fresh salsa). Not traditional but super-fresh and delicious
Oh, and did I mention my $5 sake colada? (like a Malibu with pineapple except made with coconut sake). LOVED IT!
Not super-cheap but was a great price/value ratio. Not a place to go with Boy (other kids were there but the chairs and atmosphere are not for our roaming boy). Hope to get there again another time.
(oh - and there were lots of other veggie choices I didn't get to try - they're starred with Vs on the menu)
Have been meaning to try an Izakaya (Japanese tapas bar) for a while....There are some good ones elsewhere in SD but also this fancy cocktail-y one in the Del Mar Plaza. Mixed reviews on Yelp, but when we got unexpected babysitting tonight (yeah, grandma!) we decided to give it a shot.
MMMMMM-YOSO (to borrow the name of another SD restaurant blog).
Super-fresh veggies - they apparently use Chino. Maybe we ordered all the right things but we loved everything.
Atmosphere: Cute. Very uncomfortable chairs (no backs). Mix of Japanese customers and other Del Martians.
Service: Very friendly, efficient Japanese women.
Food: Forgot about the chairs once it came!
--Green salad: Such fresh delicious lettuce and other veggies, with a good dressing....A big cut above green salads in other Japanese places.
--Miso soup: CH says it was ok, nothing special.
--Amuse bouche (they called it free mini-appetizer): grated seaweed and black mushrooms in a ginger-sesame broth. YUMMMMMM.
--Green beans and eggplant in sweet miso paste: I don't even like green beans - I thought this dish was just eggplant. BUT I LOVED IT! Green beans were super fresh and perfectly cooked; sesame miso paste was divine. They have a bunch of eggplant dishes but this one was starred as a must-try. Thank you, menu-writer!
--Shabu-Shabu: CH got this, super-fresh veggies, cooked his own beef in his choice of broth. He really enjoyed this. They say they have this only in winter.
--La fresca roll: Was deciding between this and miso cod (another starred must-try). Was excellent choice: spicy tuna, avocado, yellowtail, cilantro, and a fresh diced tomato-onion-pepper conconction on top (like a fresh salsa). Not traditional but super-fresh and delicious
Oh, and did I mention my $5 sake colada? (like a Malibu with pineapple except made with coconut sake). LOVED IT!
Not super-cheap but was a great price/value ratio. Not a place to go with Boy (other kids were there but the chairs and atmosphere are not for our roaming boy). Hope to get there again another time.
(oh - and there were lots of other veggie choices I didn't get to try - they're starred with Vs on the menu)
Friday, August 6, 2010
A new family-friend place in Carmel Valley! (Katana)
Quick post: a great new option in CV! Katana is much larger than the other Japanese places in CV. Food is fresh and tasty, arrives quickly; army of waitresses, all indulgent of super-toddler's hyper behavior (tonight was not his finest hour). Plus they give balloons for good behavior.
50% off sushi special is a bit of a tease: the portions are not that large when they come. But I still really enjoyed my "ex-girlfriend roll" and "spicy diet roll." CH said his chicken teriyaki was fine (not the best ever but certainly good enough to return with ST). They brought ST a wonderfully presented plate of tofu...very kind. Great place to go with kids!
50% off sushi special is a bit of a tease: the portions are not that large when they come. But I still really enjoyed my "ex-girlfriend roll" and "spicy diet roll." CH said his chicken teriyaki was fine (not the best ever but certainly good enough to return with ST). They brought ST a wonderfully presented plate of tofu...very kind. Great place to go with kids!
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