COOKS CONFAB SCHOOL LUNCH: YUM!!!

So Museumgirl and I took our families to the Cooks Confab School Lunch program at Fibonacci's today. COULD WE HAVE HAD ANY MORE FUN???? Upon arrival, they told us lunch wouldn't start for 75 mins. (??????? with toddlers????). But SuperToddler and MiniMuseumgirl (MMG) had a great time looking at butterflies and bugs on the back patio. Andrew Spurgin (a prince of a guy in addition to a helluva chef) let us have some delectable rolls in the meantime. The kids enjoyed fresh squeezed orange juice and some virgin "strawberry milkshakes" from the Snake Oil cocktail guys. MG and me enjoyed some spiked ones. We amused ourselves well til 1:15.

Then....
OMG!!!!
FOODIE HEAVEN!
ALL THE TOP CHEFS IN ONE PLACE!!!

First, I got to tell Ricardo Heredia that he is the baddest of badasses, and that his food is kicking butt over lots of the more famous places. He said it made his day (I'd say that made my day, but actually eating lots of super-yummy food made my day more :)).

Then, I got to eat the following, served to me by the chefs themselves on the Fibonacci's cafeteria line:

--Ricardo Heredia (Alchemy's) Potato-Cauliflower Tostada, Yellow Cherry Tomato, House Queso Fresco, Pickled Broccoli Stem, Salsa Verde: super-delish, scarfed up the queso fresco and pickled broccoli stem

--Trey Foshee's (George's) Cream of Tomato Soup with Parmesan Cream & Bread Crumbs, and George's pastry chef's Strawberry Yogurt with Chocolate Dipping Sticks: soup was pretty good, ST LOVED the chocolate meringue dipping sticks, and the strawberry yogurt was yummy

--Olivier Bioteau's (Farmhouse) Wheat “Macaroni ‘n Cheese;” Carrot Turmeric Purée; Diced Vegetables; Gruyère Cheese: This was super-yummy.

--Jack Fischer's Cashew Nut Ice Cream Cups with Honeyed Quinoa: OMG, Jack Fischer is back. He went through some phases where I was not too into what he was doing (like candy stuff) but he is back on my list of people whose food I crave. This was so delicious I had 3 of them (they were little, but still).

--Cafe Chloe's Suzie's Farm Vegetable "Lasagna", Handmade Focaccia (CH and MG's husband also enjoyed the Jidori Chicken Roulade which came with it): Yum. I loved the sauce too. Too bad you can't make reservations there - we never end up going anymore.

--Paul McCabe's (Kitchen 1540) "Fish & Chips” Wild Striped Bass, Baked Vegetable Chips, Tartar Sauce: this was delectable, one of my favorite dishes. Took forever for the line to die down so I was stuffed by the time I got there, but I ate every morsel. LOVE his food (when it doesn't get me sick, that is! :)).

And surprise of surprises!! One of my favorite foods of the day was, I think, SALAD!!
Andrew Spurgin is a bigtime badass....I was going to skip the "boring" lettuce in favor of all the delicious composed plates from the worthies. But I took some greens from the "Salad Bar from Waters’ Organic Garden with “a Bunch of Stuff That’s Good For You;” Fava Bean Tops and Beans, Peas and Tendrils, Garden Herbs," and added also some of his and Melissa Mayer's Roasted Vegetables and House Made Pickles; Tofu “Caprese” with Suzie’s Farms’ Cherry Tomatoes, Shiso Sesame Soba with Ginger-Sesame: YUM, YUM, and SUPER-YUM!! I thought it was the freshest salad I ever had in my life - and sure enough, Spurgin had picked it that morning with several kids from Fibonacci's Garden. It was spectacular (the cilantro pepita dressing was not bad either).

CH's favorite dish was Jason Knibb (Nine-Ten)'s Beef with Broccoli. We never got to it in the line, but Museumgirl's family also loved Stingaree's chicken satay. (Jeff Jackson's Chicken Pot Pie, CH thought, was just ok).

I must also give a shout-out to Lisa Altman and VIVA POPS! Super-Toddler was spectacularly well-behaved, all for the promise of some Viva Pops. He ate a choco banana milk, a bite of my honey yogurt granola, and then 4 of 5 blood orange juice boxes (well, they were not full size, and he had had tofu, sesame soba, bread, and some salad, plus strawberry yogurt and tastes of other stuff, so he deserved it).

WHAT AN AWESOME IDEA!! Museumgirl says she should have a party like this sometime - have all the top chefs in town in her backyard. Hehehe....that is a pretty awesome fantasy! Kudos to the chefs for advancing the cause of healthy, sustainable, kid-friendly, delectable food!!

I spent the afternoon in a food coma but should be ready to resume eating tomorrow....

Dumpling Inn (Convoy area)

Oh Dumpling, Dumpling....It's true that for the local Chinese community, you are known as Fat Joe's House of Dumpling or something. But since I'm a native English speaker (and therefore too politically correct, as my Chinese colleague says, to call someone fat), to me it's just the deliriously yummy Dumpling Inn. Much too crowded to eat at with a toddler - in fact, I haven't eaten there in person since he was born! But amen for takeout. Tonight we're getting some of our faves: spinach-tofu-egg flower soup, black bean sea bass, beef with scallions, chinese greens and cucumber salad. The dumplings are yummy too; any of their fresh noodles; the kung pao etc etc. Some yelpers say the waitresses are not friendly but they must not be regulars. To eat the best Chinese food in San Diego (there, I said it - I may not be Chinese, but I prefer it to Jasmine, Emerald, and even Ba Ren and Dede's), I'd put up with a lot worse - but the ladies who work there just happen to be very efficient and professional beneath their harried exteriors. In fact they give great service (at least to us). Long live takeout at Dumpling Inn - a Sunday night favorite. Not only is the food extremely delicious, but the drive there and back gives us 20 min. not to have to chase the toddler! :) (really the food is the important part, though!)

Ali Baba's Cave (Sorrento Valley)

Ok, it's not worth a long drive - there's certainly better Middle Eastern food in the county (Sultan Shwarma, you have the tastiest, freshest, most authentic felafel in these parts!). But for a reasonably yummy lunch in which the toddler stays put long enough for mom and dad to eat....it works! Orientalist kitsch all over the walls, a fountain and caves all provided enough entertainment. The felafel sandwich was about a 6 out of 10, but yummy middle eastern pickles added a special something to it. The best feature was a very authentic middle eastern lentil soup (the place has a mixed persian and middle eastern menu - the soup was much more western levantine, earthy, thick, perfect for a rainy day). With views of the highway and the train tracks across the street, it's perfect for lunch with a toddler. (at night it is supposed to become non-kid-friendly, hookah bar atmosphere, but at lunch on the weekend we were the only customers, which was good for us).