Romesco (Bonita) Review: Wonderful!!!!! (Worth a drive!)

Finally made it to Tijuana celebrity chef Javier Plascencia's outpost on this side of the border, Romesco Baja Mediterranean Bistro.  http://romescomexmed.com/.  Fantastic experience!

It is in a strip mall next to a Baskin Robbins.

And yet....once you are inside, it feels like you have escaped San Diego and are in a chic restaurant in a lively Mexican city like Puertao Vallarta - or in a French bistro.  Very nice bistro setting.  EXCELLENT service (there are no "hey, how are you?" teenagers here - very efficient men in formal wear).  Extremely tasty and innovative food.

Theme: "Baja Med" - so a mix of Spanish and Italian, with some Mexican touches.

Wine list: very interesting, lots of choices you don't see elsewhere in San Diego.  They gave me a taste of the tempranillo (love tempranillo, but this bottle was ROUGH) and a Spanish red blend which is not on the online menu. It was *delicious*, very fruit-forward, for only $7/glass.

French Bread: Excellent.

Tapas: Very extensive list. We opted to do the regular menu instead, but I tried the mushrooms in garlic sauce which yelpers (and my waiter) recommended.  On its own there is too much sauce (like salad dressed too heavily) BUT if you follow the waiter's recommendation and put it on the bread, it is perfect - the sauce soaks down into the bread and the mushrooms can be eaten alone (and the sauce tastes great on the bread).

Salads (free with entrees): Not that impressive. Boring caesar with iceberg lettuce. They have more exciting sounding salads on the menu for extra money.

Soup:  Got the spiced pumpkin soup following the recommendations on Yelp. Fantastic! This is why Plascencia is a celebrity chef who gets international attention: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/09/dining/09tijuana.html.

Entrees: CH got a carne asada plate that he thought was excellent (there's the Mexican food).  Too big a portion for him to finish.

--I skipped the pasta (Italian) options and got the fish of the day (escolar) al ajillo. Superdelicious. I liked the preparation too - with just some new potatoes and some baby vegetables, so not too heavy (I wasn't a huge fan of the baby zucchini and yellow squash, but they were healthy).

Dessert: Cute Husband talked me into getting the churro dessert.  I'm not a big churro person; he LOVES churros. They turned out to be excellent, a TV-food-show-worthy dessert. They took a basic street food and elevated into something elegant. Perfect churros (crispy on the outside, warm and soft on the inside, and full of a perfect amount of cinammon and sugar), with a dulce de leche dipping sauce, excellent vanilla ice cream (with pistachios or some other sliced nut) and then a little cup of Mexican hot chocolate with whipped cream).  CH would have liked a chocolate dipping sauce too but I was too full.

Decor: I was expecting this to be a glam, dress-to-the-nines place. But even though the atmosphere is very romantic, there are well-behaved kids there too. So there were some people like me in dining-out dresses, and others in stylish jeans (with fancy handbags!) along with their children.  You can choose how to go.

Overall, this is absolutely worth the drive, and I'm glad to be moving this from my "Places I'm Thinking of Trying" list to my list of places I have been to and can remember to go again!

Oh - and I passed Caribbean Pleasures (the Haitian restaurant) on the way there. I need to figure out a time to go there - and a willing companion!

Bull Taco: MUST VISIT!! (Cardiff State Beach Campground)

Finally hit Bull Taco this weekend with the boys. I don't know what took us so long.

IT'S SPECTACULAR!!

The setting is a shack (I thought it was a food truck but it's a regular structure) next to the page, inside the campgrounds in Cardiff. You park on 101 just north of Birmingham and walk a block up (or you can park on San Elijo by VG's if you can't get a spot on 101 and walk over).

FOOD: Not as great as some yelpers say, though we didn't get the ostrich. But it was fine.

And the setting....

WOWZA! Even living near the coast and going to places like Ki's, you are not prepared for this view.

They have things like quesadillas, sea bass (or other fish of the day) tacos, tater tots, shaved ice, veggie burritos, etc.  It's not expensive.

And the view? PRICELESS!

It's worth at least one visit to decide whether this will be your place.....Don't delay so long in trying it like I did. Wowza!!

Roberto's Del Mar

Have I never reviewed Roberto's? We went 2x over the holidays. Excellent "Lite Burrito" not on the menu. It's veggie. Ask for it with whole pinto beans.

SB likes their kids' cheese quesadilla meal. Comes with chips, rice and beans, a drink, AND jello - all for about $3.

Cute Husband likes the carne asada plate.

Plus there is Coaster-spotting for the train-crazed toddler. (and a hint of ocean). We love Roberto's!

Salazar's (Downtown/East Village): Too disappointing!

We took ST to the Festival of Sail today downtown. Tons of fun - and pirates! We decided to get Mexican food on the way home. I suggested Lucha Libre: last time we went, ST raced out into traffic, so CH wasn't ready to try it again. He suggested El Indio (but sometimes the lines are long and ST would get impatient). So I thought of Salazar's at 15th and Market. MuseumGirl and I had a great meal there 2 yrs ago after getting a rec. from a friend. They have their own parking lot. It seemed a good idea to try again.

Oh no! First of all, one poor woman was working as the only waitress, the only busgirl and the cashier. Emptied tables full of rotting food sat around through our whole meal. It took *forever* for any of our food to come. ST had a major tantrum (I don't blame him given how long it took, but it wasn't fun). I was kicking myself for suggesting the place at all, though I have to admit that when the food came it was pretty good (I got a fish burrito with fish sauteed in ranchero sauce, with some very tasty pinto beans and rice and fresh avocado slices). ST's guac was bland but just right for him.

But leaving all the dishes out forever was just disgusting and made me wonder about the cleanliness of my food. Waiting that long with Super-Toddler is just not going to happen again either. Oh well! It's rare I make a really bad call. Too bad for me!

El Callejon (Encinitas): Another train restaurant

There's a sign in the model train museum in Balboa Park: "yes, it really is always about trains." In our case, dining out with Super Toddler can be that way too.

We went to Legoland this afternoon and were trying to decide where to eat on the way home. CH suggested El Callejon. Chilly night, but with the heatlamps we figured we would be ok. El Callejon is yummy.

And (who knew?) it is also a train restaurant. The front parking lot at Moonlight Plaza was filled, so we followed the signs to park at the Encinitas Coaster station around the back. This allowed us to cross the tracks at the signal crossing as we walked from our car to the restaurant. (super excitement from ST).

And as we ate, not one but two trains rolled by. We couldn't see them, but we had a prime listening spot for all that horn. ST did his happy Coaster passing dance.

The food: yummy as usual. Had a black bean soup (though they brought me bacon on the side, which was lame since it was on the vegetarian menu - but I just sent it back). Then some yummy tacos de pescado, which has the yummiest tomato/pepper/onion sauce on grilled mahi mahi. CH enjoyed his chicken mole and the salsa. ST was very content with his guac, quesadilla, and treats (complimentary ice cream with a yummy hot-out-of-the-oven-churro AND a lolli for a well-behaved boy).

Overall, fast service, good food. A great night out together!

(I should note that ST had a tantrum when we first arrived because they immediately brought us chips and salsa, and he wanted guac. Took a long time for the server to arrive and ST was at first not a happy camper and had no patience. But once we ordered and the guac came, his hunger tantrum ended and we had a lovely meal. He especially loved the singers who came over to serenade us, and he was very proud to hand them money when I slipped it to him).

Quick North County review, II: Hacienda de Vega (Escondido): YUM!

As bad as my Carmela's experience was....Hacienda de Vega was good.

Lovely setting, waterfall, very impressive for out of town guests.

Friendly service.

DELICIOUS. Had a salad de casa with a delicious cilantro dressing. Very fresh, unusual and yummy.

Main course: delicious grilled fish a la plancha with a roasted chipotle sauce. Delectable spinach with some yummy herbs in it and then fabulous black beans on the side.

They also have a whole veggie selection.

My dining companions loved their food too, though I tasted the mango salad and didn't like it as much as mine (score) and one person who got the shrimp wasn't as crazy about it as my fish.

But a fabulous and reasonable North County option. Yum!

Toddler Review: Tio Leo's (Carmel Valley), plus Viva Pops redux

What would you get if you took Coco's, and:

--added a full bar
--had better service
--made it Mexican
--put it smack in the middle of Carmel Valley by the 5?

That's right: you'd get Tio Leo's!

Super Toddler decided tonight that he wanted to try Tio Leo's. We went to a park in Carmel Valley and on the way home, he inquired about that "reh-trant", and said he had never been there before and wanted to try it. Sure, it's next to the Area Formerly Known as the Pumpkin Patch, but how he noticed it and knew it was a restaurant was a puzzle (til he confessed that he asked his nanny and she clued him in).

Tio Leo's....huh....we pass it all the time but never tried it. Yelp has some mixed reviews ("Awesome chips and salsa! I still come from LA!" v. "Are you on drugs? It's worse than Chevy's). So why the hell not see for ourself, esp. because ST was pretty well-behaved today.

As I said, it's like Coco's with all the stuff above (which is not a bad thing when dining with ST). VERY relaxed but at the same time kind of unhip and diner-like. NOT VERY crowded on a Sun. night, VERY friendly and efficient service. It was the anti-Chevy's! (In our experience, you wait forever there and it's mobbed).

We all started with:
--yummy chips and salsa (not sure I'd drive from LA, but perfect level of spiciness and very tasty), plus some smooth and non-spicy guac for ST

Foodgirl got:
--grilled eggplant tacos w/black beans (not bad! very healthy too)
--sangria (why the hell not? and it was pretty good)

CH got:
--carne asada plate: he liked it but it was way too much food

ST got:
--quesadilla (gobbled it up)
--strawberry smoothie (first time trying a smoothie: he liked it but pronounced it too cold-->he'll be back to lemonade next time).

Overall, a perfect toddler option. Assuming no one gets sick (see some other yelpers :)), we'll be back

Oh, and we hit Viva Pops again this weekend (so hot!). Foodgirl likes to try something different every time; ST likes always strawberry, but they were out of it.

So ST got blueberry-lemonade-mint, and his Mom got Earl Grey (bergamot on a popsicle - YESSSSS!). We were both happy campers.

Mama Testa's, plus Viva Pops IV

Yes, another weekend....another impromptu trip to Viva Pops.

Hit Mama Testa's for the first time in a year. Loved it when we tried it last year, a little less today. Still has the best guac in town; great salsas; great service; lots of veggie options; pleasant. But parking is a royal pain in the rear in that neighborhood (we circled multiple times and were about to leave when Mom spotted a spot being vacated), and the veggie options aren't actually that healthy/filling if you're doing low carb like I'm trying to (mashed potato taco, or other taco combos that are carb heavy and don't have much veggies or beans). I'm sure I'll be hungry soon again. Flavors are yummy though.

ST slept in his big boy bed all night long (bye bye crib) so had earned some ice cream. He decided (perhaps I influenced him a bit!) that he preferred to go to the popsicle store. So back to Viva Pops....he got strawberry (still super-yummy); this time I tried the Mojito. Yum! Not my favorite of all I have tried (straw cucumb/mint; tart plum; nectarine basil) but still very good.

Viva Pops again, this time with El Comal (North Park/Normal Heights)

So I couldn't resist it! Dr. T. came with me to El Comal (I loved the pescado al ajillo and Dr. T. enjoyed his Cochinita Pibil). Lovely atmosphere, and they take restaurant.com!

We were talking about the blog and Dr. T. mentioned my Viva Pops entries. "Well," I said, "we ARE only about 1.5 miles away...Should we go?"

5 min. later, we were both enjoying strawberry/cucumber/mint "sugar-free" pops (with agave). Super-yum, loved the mint (though they were much less intensely strawberry than the wonderful strawberry pop that ST had on Sat.). Dr. T. took an apricot lemongrass for the road and sounded almost like my Mom did when she had her tart plum ("love lemongrass!").

Dr. T., thanks for the adventure! I love excuses to hit North Park/Normal Heights!

Cafe Coyote over Old Town Mexican Cafe (Old Town)

Ate at OTMC with a Comic-Con visitor and TruckBoy yesterday (he was so well-behaved I am going to call him SuperToddler). OTMC gets all the buzz ("best Mexican"), but I'm sorry...Cafe Coyote is way better! SuperToddler had a great time we were at Cafe Coyote last time. Food is delicious; comes fast; is served in lovely patio setting; plus there is a lot of space for wandering, stairs to climb, even a parrot.

Plus ColdStone is across the street and can be held out as a reward for good behavior. (And the trolley is close by if you have time for a real outing!)

Other than the decent tortillas at OTMC, my meal was undistinguished. Not making the mistake again of going there instead of CC!

El Callejon (Encinitas)

El Callejon is very yummy! But we never remember/manage to get there (or else we do think of it, and they have non-toddler-friendly waits). Tonight we called: no wait. Super-yummy dinner. TruckBoy stayed in his seat (some new cars helped, as did the train whistle next door, plus the wandering musicians - "why don't they sing to ME?" he asked).

The atmosphere is so beautiful: under the stars, lush, so much more special than the other places around. Lots of kids also for Boy to look at. Full bar, and tons of delicious choices (a real restaurant, not just a simple taco joint). But prices are very reasonable for the quality.

We got:

--Foodgirl: Make-your-own snapper tacos: grilled snapper in a delectable tomato-onion-herb stewed sauce, with delicious black beans and rice

--TruckBoy: Good guac; very fresh warm tortilla chips; excellent quesadilla (really good cheese, lots of butter, perfectly cooked)

--ABW: Puntas de pollo: yummy-looking chicken dish

Wasn't wild about our salads. Jamaica was good too (but I wish I had gotten a margarita!).

Most significantly, ABW (the understated eater formerly known as "the Dad") gave his highest praise yet since I started this blog. "Was your food scrumptious too?" I asked. He nodded, "It's good. I like this place. That's why I suggested coming here." (That's the equivalent of a regular person gushing about what they ate...."Good" is very high praise from him, much better than "fine" (which means we can come here again) or "ok" (which means I'd prefer not to come here again).

We just have to remember to go back!

El Nopalito (Encinitas)

Yum! Happy to move something from the "want to try" column to a report. Definitely recommended!

Right off the 5 at Santa Fe. We were the only non-Mexicans when we arrived and I was the only woman - lots of men happily eating their yummy food and watching soccer on TV. Delicious salsa bar (roasted salsa, chipotle, avocado, fresh tomato, tomatillo, etc.). Boy got a quesadilla (he said it was too spicy, but I think he just wasn't hungry). The Dad got a chicken taco, which he said was "fine." Both of them happily munched on their chips. I got a veggie burrito which was super yummy and flavorful, esp. when I mixed and matched the salsas on top. The tortilla it was wrapped in was delicious and perfectly grilled. We also got a plate of guac and chips. The guac was yummy (though yelpers report that it is "cut with sour cream").

The decor is simple but nice. There are pretty murals on the wall which kept Boy enterained ("whose house is that? whose car is that?" "what's on top of the hills?").

They are also known for lots of specialty foods that I wouldn't eat (menudo, pozole, goat stew) but you, dear readers, might enjoy.

El Nopalito is also a tortilla factory and they sell their famous salsas in their grocery store and elsewhere. I definitely want to go back!