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!

Quick takes: Apollonia (UTC/La Jolla), Urban Plates (CV)

Apollonia is becoming our go-to place to dine with SuperBoy. Great kid-friendly service, spaced-out tables (there's even room for a careful game of you can't catch me if the bar is empty), great food (that we all like).  I enjoyed some of my go-to dishes: taramasalata and salmon with spinaki lemonato.

SuperBoy tried their grilled chicken breast for the first time. He picked at it, but liked it ok. He also got his favorite lentil soup.

DH liked his chicken kebab.
***
Urban Plates: I hadn't been for a while b/c I was bored with the menu. But they've changed it up a bit. I even got them twice this week!

--Ono: I like to order it medium: medium rare was a little scary when I got it earlier this week.

Grilled bread: still nice

--Mashed potatoes: not healthy but yummy

Two great new sides: agave carrots, and raw superfood salad. It's quite big. I saved part to finish later.

Also am enjoying the watermelon-pineapple-mint cooler. Very yummy on hot days like today.

Some quick takes: Trattoria I Trulli, Blue Ribbon Artisan Pizzeria Encinitas), Tender Greens (UTC)

Some quick takes:

--had lunch with a coworker at I Trulli recently.  Hadn't been there in years. It's actually quite good. I got penne nonina (eggplant, tomato, garlic), and it was a large, tasty portion. Bread was very good, and the entree at lunch (about $16) also comes with a small salad that was light and perfectly tasty.  That's more than I like to spend for lunch (and it's not quick) but I should remember to go again for dinner. It's been out of our loop, and it's good food. Also had a nice cappucino.

--Blue Ribbon Artisan: I think it's declining in quality. I don't want to spend that much when the food is inconsistent. Got buttnerut squash soup (was fine but nothing special; for $10 at lunch I'm expecting a Wade Hagemann masterpiece).  Got the butternut squash special pizza (which had no tomato sauce). Was the best part of the meal.  I still think their tomato sauce is not good. Tasted SB's cheese pizza. Yuk. He didn't like it either. On the other hand, I didn't remember BRAP is a train restaurant - coaster came right by during the meal. Also, he enjoyed his caesar salad, and it was a large enough portion for me to take home and enjoy more the next day.  So it was a pleasant, very expensive, not that great meal on the patio, where SB sat tight in the hopes of seeing trains. I still want to hit Kealani's again soon, but it's not open Sundays.

--Tender Greens: ah, how I love thee.  On date night, we were going to the movies in this neighborhood, and I couldn't decide where to go. I don't think of TG-in-the-mall as a date night restaurant - it's a grab reasonably good food with SB in tow restaurant.  I wanted to try Seasons 52 but it was all booked.  There aren't a ton of delicious dinner options in UTC (we can do Apollonia with boy, so it's also not a special date night choice; Wired is apparently overpriced at dinner and not as good as it is at lunch).  So we went to TG because we couldn't think of anything better. Oh, TG, how I love you - the delightful surprise of a new yumminess.  Soup was broccoli-potato (divine on a cold night) or roasted veg. (yuk - glad I sampled them both first).  Thoroughly enjoyed my tuna plate (I asked for it medium, not the default of rare- must remember to do going forward), with yummy mashed potatoes and divine roasted veggies. Wasn't hungry enough for one of their yummy desserts. Tasty and delightful - and just fine for date night.

My new addiction: Bottega Italiana gelato (UTC)

Not much time to blog of late, between work and the holidays (and then a bit of vacation).

But must blog about my new addiction (not sure it can really be called an addiction if I've only been twice in a month, but it's my new addiction every time I'm at the newly renovated Westfield UTC Shopping Center).

Bottega Italiana fresh artisan gelato.....MMMMMM.....

Stumbled on this place while doing holiday shopping. It's near the new Arclight cinema, north and west of Lenscrafters.  Had a taste....heaven. They make it fresh every day and they claim that it's healthier and lighter in calories than regular ice cream. Some flavors are non-dairy and all others are made with 2% milk.  but you wouldn't know, because it's so rich.

Last time tried:
--sugar-free chocolate: boring!

Shifted to:
--chocolate (non-sugar-free)
--pistachio: Both heavenly!!!!

Today, on a quick outing, couldn't allow myself to leave UTC without heading over there.

Tried:
--mojito (OMG, so light and heavenly)
--pistachio again (yummy, but maybe I'm ready to try a different flavor next time)

Absolutely worth visiting next time you are at UTC!!!!!

Apollonia Greek Bistro (La Jolla)

We need to remember to go here more! It's not as good as the sister restaurant Cafe Athena, but it's yummy and kid-friendly (much better than CV's Taverna Blu).

Full bar, though I restrained myself....

I ordered some of my faves:
--taramosalata
--cretan salmon, with extra spanaki lemonata
--side Greek salad

I ordered for Super Boy
--humus and pita
--lentil soup
--gave him some salad

CH got lamb and avogolemeno soup. He still likes Athena better but said the food was ok.

SB was one of the only kids in the restaurant, but the servers are very good and very kind to kids.  The waitress poured his soup out early so it would cool by the time it got to the table and we wouldn't need to add ice cubes and water down the flavor.  Everything came out efficiently and we were served with a smile.

PLUS when SB got impatient while we were eating, we could take turns taking him on the ESCALATOR!!!! outside. (He is even more into escalators than trains right now.

Yum!

Apollonia (La Jolla): revisit

I just want to show some love to Apollonia. We had a quick bite after a Nobel Park outing today. We always forget how kid-friendly (at least ST-friendly) they are. They don't have a kids' menu per se, and there's no mac and cheese etc. But they have crayons, fast and efficient service, and ST loves the:

--humus and pita, which arrives super-fast
--delicious lentil soup
--greek salad with olives, feta, tomatos and a yummy lemony dressing
--plenty of space to wander with Dad, plus a bar with a TV to peek at the football game.

I loved my: taramosalata, grilled salmon + spanaki lemonato. CH had a light meal of lemon-chicken soup and some of ST's humus.

All around, a very pleasant evening out with toddler in tow. (He is getting so big he'll need to be called Super-Boy soon).

Sleeping Beauty Wakes + Barolo

Food first: Barolo. It's ok. Have been before. Charisma makes all random Italian restaurants in SD boring (just like we can't eat at any random Chinese places since we found Dumpling Inn, except Rendez-vous as a substitute). Decent, healthy minestrone. Eggplant parm fine. Paso Robles Peachy Canyon - eh. Even for $7.50, don't like getting cheap, unripe wines. Dessert (choc/coconut cake), ok. Served its purpose - not cravable though. Still on the hunt for good pretheater dining for the LJP.

Play: Sleeping Beauty Wakes at the La Jolla Playhouse. Absolutely stunning - a thing of beauty. CH liked it less than me, but conceded after Act 2 that it "has potential." If you are a parent, especially, and/or a romantic and/or someone who has lost someone you love and/or love modern music in musicals (Groovelily is awesome), it is an absolute must-see.

Well worth the sitter this evening!

And now a word from my Husband (Specialty's, UTC)

CH called this morning: "I am in heaven. I sound like you. The best new restaurant opened."

Turns out a deli called Specialty's Cafe and Bakery, which he liked in the Bay Area, just opened in UTC. He awaited his sandwich. Here are his quotes:

"Oh, this is so good."

"I am so happy."

What kind of food makes the normally un-gushy CH talk this way?

Sandwiches on "amazing bread" and "incredible" cookies of all kinds, especially chocolate chip.

I just looked at their website (specialtys.com) and see lots of veggie soups too.

I can't vouch for this yet, but this kind of foodie behavior from the husband merits a post!

Fibonacci's UTC (3rd party review - oh well!)

Was excited about Fibonacci's in UTC. Who wouldn't love a new Waters outpost, and so convenient for so many things?

But alas, ABW (whose name is now going to change to CH, cute husband), and MuseumGirl and NYUGirl, have all been there recently and report that is bleh. No atmosphere, and very limited selection. If you work in a nearby office building it is better than nothing, but definitely not worth driving to.

Alas!!! (and sorry, Waters, I still love you...I'll just be hitting SB instead!).

Regents Pizzeria Revisit (UTC)

Just a note to say that we revisited Regents Pizzeria today (thanks to NYUGirl for the rec. that keeps on giving). It still does not belong in the SD Pizza Pantheon with Bongiorno's MM and Sicilian Thing. But it's mighty mighty tasty, and certainly covnenient! Today I tried the Chicago pizza there for the first time. I'm not a Chicago expert like with NY pizza, but my "Popeye" (spinach, tomato ragout, artichoke and very good mozzarella) was super-delicious. The crust, which I didn't intend to eat all up, was buttery and delectable. Definitely not a run-of-the-mill place.

So Regents may enter the regular rotation, esp. since they're open on Sun. lunch, and super fast.

Also, Boy announced that their pizza was "yummy in my tummy" and when we left announced that the it "did not smell like poop in there." (Oh well, I guess East Vllg Asian Diner won't be in our regular rotation).

Apollonia (UTC)

Very quick post: We always loved going to Cafe Athena in PB - it has wonderful, healthy, creative Greek food, much better than anywhere else we have tried in SD. But it's not so close by, sometimes there is a wait, and it is not ideal with Toddler. They bought a few years ago Apollonia in UTC, which is not quite as good but still has some of our favorite dishes from Cafe Athena. Again, not necessarily great with Boy, if you have to wait for your food to come.

Last night we tried to go to La Casa del Pan Marrón (that's Coco's to you and me). However it was crowded, there was a long wait, and we thought Boy was going to go crazy before his food came. So we wandered around Costa Verde. Apollonia: hmmm, doesn't look crowded, let's give it a try with him.

It was wonderful! We were seated right away, our waiter came right away, and he brought Boy's humus and pita right away, along with spanaki lemonato for me (that's the dish that always kept me coming to Athena or Apollonia - sauteed spinach salad with garlic and lemon). We also got some feta (though it was too high-quality for Toddler's taste - too strong a taste, but I loved it); chicken-lemon soup which both boys loved; imam bayaldi for me (a nice healthy eggplant/raisin/walnut dish), Chicken Couscous for the Dad (one of his favorites there), plus rice pilaf for boy.

There was plenty of room to wander in the short interval before the food came.

We would definitely consider taking Boy there again - we do miss us some Greek food, though I know that some nights they are much busier than they were last night.

Oh - and they have a full bar, though I didn't avail myself of it last night!