Sick Cute Husband on date night..... :( He didn't feel up to taking care of SB, so we kept the babysitter and I went on date night (Alchemy + theater) with Sabragirl.
Very quick....love, love, love Alchemy, even if every dish wasn't equally spectacular
--Farmer's Market salad: very good, yummy blue cheese was the best component for me (sabragirl loved the grilled onions and kept marvelling at the idea, which she needs to copy at home)
--Mixed Grain salad: this is one of his longtime veg classics on the menu, but I wasn't that excited about it. I get it: it's healthy, high fiber, low fat, low carb. But it's not as flavorful or exciting as other things. Was ok.
--Bourek: I wouldn't have ordered this (too carby and buttery), but Sabragirl wanted to check out how he made it. SUPER YUMMY!!!! LOVED LOVED loved it (phyllo horn stuffed with feta)
--INSIDE-OUT RAVIOLI: spectacular dish of the night; Ricardo Heredia is so creative. The filling is on the outside....it doesn't seem that spectacular til you see it. Super delicious flat pasta (would have been the filled ravioli); green pellets of spinach-ricotta; and flat crispy discs of parmesan cheese. Exciting, playful, etc.
Then we saw somewhere at the Old Globe. FANTASTIC. I will be shocked if this show doesn't transfer to Broadway, or at least to a major Off-Broadway theater. What a treat to see in the little Sheryl and Harvey White theater (and in the front row, inches away from Priscilla Lopez!). All of the actors were fabulous (Jon Rua is amazing, Juan Cardenas is rather hunky [not more than CH of course], and and Priscilla Lopez is.... f***ing Priscilla Lopez!). The whole audience was smiling during most of the show. It was delightful and happy-making but also complex, poignant, etc. There were certainly some moments of shock where we all held our breath. The second act needs shortening by 10 mins., but otherwise this is a DO NOT MISS PLAY, absolutely one of the best plays I've ever seen in SD (up there with Laramie Project, Jersey Boys, Memphis, and Sleeping Beauty Wakes). It is not a musical, but it's a family drama about a family that loves music, so there's some wonderful dancing. Here's a synposis: http://www.theoldglobe.org/tickets/production.aspx?PID=8958.
Showing posts with label South Park. Show all posts
Showing posts with label South Park. Show all posts
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Station Tavern (South Park)
Was very psyched to try Station Tavern. Artisan burgers! Beer! Sandbox for the kids! Thought it was the most brilliant concept ever...was practically ready to invest in it. Had a playdate with MuseumGirl and her clan tonight...thought we would drink and the kids would play. Would be the best place ever!
RESULT: Meh.....
Service: Friendly but overwhelmed, so not very efficient. Did a lot of service ourselves (got our own napkins, changed out our own ketchup bottles, etc etc).
Atmosphere: Tons of pebbles everywhere. I suppose this is fun for the kids but TruckBoy didn't really want to go in the designated "sandbox" and instead wanted to dig/throw rocks near the table. He was a little overwhelmed by all the kids and was being clingy instead. I left covered with dust. Plus it was unexpectedly freezing on the patio and we needed to send ABW to an overpriced organic cotton shop to buy us sweatshirts.
Oh and the Food? It was ok, but nothing cravable. Liked the chickpea veggie burger. Sweet potato fries: ok. Tater tots: ok. Salad: ok. Beers were tasty.
No need to go again...oh well!
RESULT: Meh.....
Service: Friendly but overwhelmed, so not very efficient. Did a lot of service ourselves (got our own napkins, changed out our own ketchup bottles, etc etc).
Atmosphere: Tons of pebbles everywhere. I suppose this is fun for the kids but TruckBoy didn't really want to go in the designated "sandbox" and instead wanted to dig/throw rocks near the table. He was a little overwhelmed by all the kids and was being clingy instead. I left covered with dust. Plus it was unexpectedly freezing on the patio and we needed to send ABW to an overpriced organic cotton shop to buy us sweatshirts.
Oh and the Food? It was ok, but nothing cravable. Liked the chickpea veggie burger. Sweet potato fries: ok. Tater tots: ok. Salad: ok. Beers were tasty.
No need to go again...oh well!
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Alchemy, Baby! (without a baby) (South Park)
A toddler-free evening, so a regular rest. review!
For the last 1.5 I have been trying to eat my way through all the new and interesting places in the city with what little free time I have. Because of this, even when I hit an uber-yummy place that I'm determined to return to (like Urban Solace and El Comal), I haven't made it back....there are still too many supposedly yummy places to check out.
As you'll see over on the right, I still have an active places I'd like to go. Bencotto sounds especially promising (if the Yelpers don't let me down).
And yet, there I was back at Alchemy tonight...just because the last time I went it was so extraordinarily yummy that I was determined to return, even though it's not in my 'hood.
And oh my, how I love Alchemy!! I won't declare it SD's 2nd best restaurant (though it did win best restaurant of 2008 in SD Mag.), but I am now happy to declare it MY 2nd favorite restaurant (still keeping Jai at the top). What's so great about Alchemy:
--kickass mixologist/wine list: my vanilla-citrus temperanillo sangria was awesome - the wine I had last time I went was yummy and reasonable
--chill but hip atmosphere: not remotely stuffy, very comfy - Sabragirl, who came along on date night and knows something about design, thought it was simple but beautiful and wants to come back
--servers are super-friendly and efficient - kitchen bangs out food really quickly (perfect for getting to a movie or show after)
--and oh....have I mentioned the food? First time I went I had the awesome ceviche with plantain chips. That alone would have drawn me back. Don't remember what else I had but it was deliriously yummy. Tonight I went all veg. We had:
--humus/tapenade/pita chips (very respectable tapenade, perfectly ok humus);
--strange and wonderful beet salad (horseradish-buttermilk dressing, some bitter greens and yellow molten sheep's milk cheese, pecans): I can't say I ate every morsel like at Jai, because it really was unusual flavor combinations, but I'm liking the genius that put it together and it was still yummy
--grilled broccolini with two sauces (loved their grilled veggies last time)
--half chicken with yummy-looking white carrots and delicious hollowed purple potato mash (I ate the purple potatos - as for the rest, my Sweetie pronounced the dish "good", which was high praise from him - he refused to give me more information for the blog because he wanted me to move on from gushing about dinner :))
--farmer's market salad: visually stunning; my Sweetie liked this too (also "good"); Sabragirl and I tasted the lemony white radishes and thought they were super-yum
--local sea bass with fennel: Sabragirl was raving about the fennel
--and last but not least spinach tortellini with carrot and mascarpone filling and pea reduction, with pea shoots and crispy carrot strings: ridiculously good - the pea shoots were the only part I wasn't crazy about because they were either not perfectly fresh or not perfectly edible!
What is especially exciting about Alchemy is that the food is as innovative and exciting as at places that are much more expensive and special occasion. Sometimes I want to go to a place like Grant Grill and spend $$ to feel it's a "special night out". But sometimes I just want a kick ass meal that's reasonable. Oh, Alchemy....Alchemy, Alchemy, Alchemy!!
And Alchemy has so many choices for a meat eater like the Dad or a pesco-veg like me. Bencotto and some others will still need to wait - I see more trips to Alchemy in my future to keep working through the menu!
(And have I used the word yummy a gazillion times in this review? Toddler momhood doesn't afford me the leisure to do too much editing/word refining, but that should give you the picture of how much I love this place!)
For the last 1.5 I have been trying to eat my way through all the new and interesting places in the city with what little free time I have. Because of this, even when I hit an uber-yummy place that I'm determined to return to (like Urban Solace and El Comal), I haven't made it back....there are still too many supposedly yummy places to check out.
As you'll see over on the right, I still have an active places I'd like to go. Bencotto sounds especially promising (if the Yelpers don't let me down).
And yet, there I was back at Alchemy tonight...just because the last time I went it was so extraordinarily yummy that I was determined to return, even though it's not in my 'hood.
And oh my, how I love Alchemy!! I won't declare it SD's 2nd best restaurant (though it did win best restaurant of 2008 in SD Mag.), but I am now happy to declare it MY 2nd favorite restaurant (still keeping Jai at the top). What's so great about Alchemy:
--kickass mixologist/wine list: my vanilla-citrus temperanillo sangria was awesome - the wine I had last time I went was yummy and reasonable
--chill but hip atmosphere: not remotely stuffy, very comfy - Sabragirl, who came along on date night and knows something about design, thought it was simple but beautiful and wants to come back
--servers are super-friendly and efficient - kitchen bangs out food really quickly (perfect for getting to a movie or show after)
--and oh....have I mentioned the food? First time I went I had the awesome ceviche with plantain chips. That alone would have drawn me back. Don't remember what else I had but it was deliriously yummy. Tonight I went all veg. We had:
--humus/tapenade/pita chips (very respectable tapenade, perfectly ok humus);
--strange and wonderful beet salad (horseradish-buttermilk dressing, some bitter greens and yellow molten sheep's milk cheese, pecans): I can't say I ate every morsel like at Jai, because it really was unusual flavor combinations, but I'm liking the genius that put it together and it was still yummy
--grilled broccolini with two sauces (loved their grilled veggies last time)
--half chicken with yummy-looking white carrots and delicious hollowed purple potato mash (I ate the purple potatos - as for the rest, my Sweetie pronounced the dish "good", which was high praise from him - he refused to give me more information for the blog because he wanted me to move on from gushing about dinner :))
--farmer's market salad: visually stunning; my Sweetie liked this too (also "good"); Sabragirl and I tasted the lemony white radishes and thought they were super-yum
--local sea bass with fennel: Sabragirl was raving about the fennel
--and last but not least spinach tortellini with carrot and mascarpone filling and pea reduction, with pea shoots and crispy carrot strings: ridiculously good - the pea shoots were the only part I wasn't crazy about because they were either not perfectly fresh or not perfectly edible!
What is especially exciting about Alchemy is that the food is as innovative and exciting as at places that are much more expensive and special occasion. Sometimes I want to go to a place like Grant Grill and spend $$ to feel it's a "special night out". But sometimes I just want a kick ass meal that's reasonable. Oh, Alchemy....Alchemy, Alchemy, Alchemy!!
And Alchemy has so many choices for a meat eater like the Dad or a pesco-veg like me. Bencotto and some others will still need to wait - I see more trips to Alchemy in my future to keep working through the menu!
(And have I used the word yummy a gazillion times in this review? Toddler momhood doesn't afford me the leisure to do too much editing/word refining, but that should give you the picture of how much I love this place!)
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Quick catchup post on some old visits: Bice, Alchemy
Going to clean up the backlog by doing a double post.
Bice: DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE! Everyone is treating it like the second coming. (well, it was here once before and did return). It was good, not worth a second visit. Of course, we didn't try the notorious cheese bar. The atmosphere was ok but nothing special (maybe it's less disco than the rest of the Gaslamp which is why people are going crazy?). My pappardelle was pretty yummy. The rest of the meal was just good. Certainly not better than Piatti, the recently defunct Venice, or other places in town. DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE!
Alchemy: Hype, hype, hype! This place won best new restaurant for 2008 in SD Mag. Oh, and did I see why! We went on one of the walkabout nights in South Park so it was even a better deal. But it is both hip and cazh (that's how we said casual back in the day); outrageously yummy food; very reasonable. The only thing was that the wines by the glass are more than I think they should be for the rest of the concept ($8-10). But I'd be thrilled to go there again. Was fun, lots of veggie options, very cute. (They don't take reservations, though, and the night we went it turned out to be more mobbed than they expected).
Ok, two down!
Bice: DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE! Everyone is treating it like the second coming. (well, it was here once before and did return). It was good, not worth a second visit. Of course, we didn't try the notorious cheese bar. The atmosphere was ok but nothing special (maybe it's less disco than the rest of the Gaslamp which is why people are going crazy?). My pappardelle was pretty yummy. The rest of the meal was just good. Certainly not better than Piatti, the recently defunct Venice, or other places in town. DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE!
Alchemy: Hype, hype, hype! This place won best new restaurant for 2008 in SD Mag. Oh, and did I see why! We went on one of the walkabout nights in South Park so it was even a better deal. But it is both hip and cazh (that's how we said casual back in the day); outrageously yummy food; very reasonable. The only thing was that the wines by the glass are more than I think they should be for the rest of the concept ($8-10). But I'd be thrilled to go there again. Was fun, lots of veggie options, very cute. (They don't take reservations, though, and the night we went it turned out to be more mobbed than they expected).
Ok, two down!
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