Recent bites around town: Beach Grass, Ki's, Waters (Solana/Cardiff)

Too busy to eat out a lot much less write about it lately. Here are some of our recent meals.

Hit Beachgrass today.  Service was a bit slow at first but once our order was taken the food came quickly. It was very delicious and we all enjoyed our meals. Cute Husband got french toast (too cinnamon-y for me but he liked it).  SuperBoy got a kid's pancake with mickey mouse ears and a funny face made of raspberry puree.  Very yummy - mom finished the rest. I had too many delicious choices but settled on the buffalo mozzarella, tomato and fresh basil omelette with potatoes and fruit. Fruit was very good quality, and the potatoes were super yummy. Liked the omelette too, but would try something different next time.  My sis came here a few weeks ago and got the gruyere omelette and brought leftovers to me - that was yummy too.

Ki's: Ki's has the best eggs. I need to remember that next time I go! I got the tempeh sandwich, which is an old standby of mine, but I stole some of CH's hash browns and scrambled eggs, and they were both super scrumptious. Veg stew is ok but not the greatest. My Mom got the veg stir fry, which was tasty, but I wouldn't get it on my own.

Water's:  Quick stop at Waters after Beachgrass.  SB enjoyed a choc chip cookie, CH his Valrhona brownie (snuck a taste....yum), and I got a little slice of sweet potato cheesecake. Can someone say: YUM?   I don't recall seeing that or having it there before. Not overly sweet or rich - a perfect little treat.  Luckily I also took home some roasted vegetables; butternut squash gratin; stuffed shells; and egg salad. It will be movie and Water's night here at home!

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!!

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!

A recommendation worth following up on: Spirito's in Oceanside/Carlsbad

I would just add this to my block of restaurants to consider on the right.

But a Brooklyn boy told me tonight I need to try Spirito's in Carlsbad...that they have great NY pizza and that their other cooked Italian food is fantastic.

Checked on Yelp. No haters. Everyone says it's delicious...and it's actually New Jersey pizza. (FoodGirl will be the judge of that).

Must try sometime soon!

Harbor Fish and Chips (Oceanside)

SB and I recently met a friend visiting from LA in Oceanside. First we hit Red Velvet yogurt (lots of delicious choices, and a convenient location near the beach, the Amtrak station, and lots of parking make it a great place to hang out and wait). Then we hit the pier - the playground is gone for repair!! - but the swingset is still there. SB tired himself out running up and down the ramp.

Then our friend wanted seafood, so we headed over to Harbor Fish and Chips, a place recommended on Yelp. We're not in the 92130 anymore! This place had an authentic old school feel rather than a shiny new facade. I took one bite of my friend's fish - too deep-fried and gross for me. But my grilled fish was fine. Both portions were ridicuolously enormous for under $10, and they came with two sides (I picked sweet potato fries and salad). SB announced that it smelled like dead fish outside (it was a harbor) but he was ok inside -lots of cool murals on the wall, fake spiders hanging from the ceiling, lots of things to catch a preschooler's eye. Certainly a decent choice in the area - beautiful view outside of the harbor and sunset too!

Mia Francesca Review (Carmel Valley): Yum in the 92130!

Mia Francesca opened last night in the now-famous Ralph's shopping center in Carmel Valley, the new gourmet gulch of San Diego. I found that it was open last night on facebook, and CH passed by today and got the menu. We made reservations for tonight at 6:15, with SB in tow.

ATMOSPHERE: The place is totally happening on day #2 of being opened. They have lots of staff, with many coming in from Chicago (where their flagship restaurants are) to make sure it's at their level of quality. Motown music, fun and lively.

SERVICE: Lots of busboys, though the waitress had a bunch of tables to do. Speed: slower than we'd ideally like with SB, but still reasonable. We had a nice meal and were done in 45 mins.

BREAD: Delicious, very hot and crusty from the oven. Not a huge fan of the rosemary in their olive oil. Could eat it plain, or ask for plain olive oil in the future.

WATER: Fantastic! They put a nice chilled, iceless bottle of water on the table. You can refill your glass, or they come by. Me like.

KIDS' MENU: Placemats just for them, with crayons. SB got lemonade right away in a cute cup. The value of the kids' meal is very good. $5.99 includes the drink (including refills), pizza or pasta, and gelato. The pizza was enormous - looked like a grownup size. Only downside: SB didn't like it that much, and to me it didn't taste that great (not like the kids' pizza I got him at Cucina Italiana). But SB was nutso for the bread and lemonade and the atmosphere, and he wasn't disappointed about the pizza - he just didn't want to eat it (but he was full up on the yummy bread!).

WINE: Here's a slight misstep. $7 for a pinot grigio that wasn't offensive, but tasted like nothing. It was drinkable, but I'd never get it again. The waitress said they had a great sommelier so I couldn't go wrong. I'll still try other things on the wine list, like the Sicilian chardonnay, but that was a disappointment after my fab wine experience at The Shores. Still, it was a generous pour.

APPETIZER: I got spinaci with oil and garlic. DELISH and totally cravable. Really, I could make this myself (though I'd probably get freaked out by the amount of olive oil needed to make it taste like this). But I'd come back just for this dish. Yum - as cravable as spanki lemonato at Athena (though that spinach is healthier!).

ENTREES: I got the rigatoni alla siciliana (eggplant, tomato sauce, fresh grated parm); CH got rigatoni bolognese. We both thought they were delicious. The folks around us at other tables were raving about everything they got, and everything that passed us looked spectacular. I thought the salmon at the next table looked fab. The nice people there said, though it was very good, it happened to be less exciting than the other dishes they got, which they called spectacular, esp.: roasted chicken, lemon chicken, and rosemary chicken.

DESSERT: Included in SB's $5.99 kids meal (including the drink and enormous pizza) was gelato. But not just a scoop - a trio! He could choose any flavors he wanted. SB tried: lemon sorbet, strawberry sorbet, vanilla gelato. He was in HEAVEN, and scarfed them all up.

SB has announced that the restaurant is great, even though he didn't like the pizza. He is excited to try pasta with butter next time (he is not a big pasta eater at home, but he'll try it there). If he's hungry, I also want to get him a salad next time. The choices look great - things like green beans and tomatoes with lemon and olive oil, which would be right up his alley.

ULTIMATE VERDICT: I wouldn't choose this for date night. It's too family-friendly and 92130-seeming to feel for me like a big night out. I'd still put Charisma ahead of it as my fave Italian restaurant in SD - that place is more intimate and the food to me is more spectacular. And it's more fun to get out of the 'burbs and hit Hillcrest or the Gaslamp for a date. But this place is much more buzzy, and is just right for a special night out with a well-behaved SB. Poseidon and Mia Francesca now promise to be our best recommendations for fine dining with a toddler!

Kebab Shop (Encinitas): Yum! Fast! Kid-Friendly!

We tried to go to East Village Asian Diner tonight in Encinitas. (looked through the blog, saw that we liked it in spring 2010 and hadn't been back). On the phone they said they didn't take reservations but that we shouldn't have to wait at 6:15 for 3 people. Well, we didn't show up til 6:25, but it was mobbed, and it was going to be a 25 min. wait, in a tiny space, with the frigid night entering through the opening and closing door. So we switched gears.

We'd also been thinking of trying the Kebab Shop in Encinitas (Trader Joe's shopping center). Verdict: Yum!

I got: yummy falafel donner. Very tasty falafel (though it doesn't beat Habibi's or Sultan Schwarma). But it's Turkish and has other flavors (like tarragon in the dressing in the salad inside). $6.60-ish.

Super Boy got: 3 salad plate: humus, Greek salad, green lentils and walnuts (I love that my boy loves lentils - I asked them for a taste in advance so he wasn't committing himself to a dish he would think was strangely flavored, but he insisted, "Moooooooooom!!! I like lentils!!!" and sure enough he loved them. They had fresh tarragon and tasted delish; the dressing on the salad also had some tarragon (white-style dressing); the feta was very yummy. The humus was fine, nothing terrible, nothing to rave about. Was a huge portion; he ate, I ate, and we took home. $8.99ish

Other options from the salad plate included Moroccan carrots, dill cucumber, Algerian eggplant (had a quick taste, liked it ok, but not enough to choose it as a huge side rather than something else).

Cute Husband got: chicken schwarma. He was kind of bummed, cuz he wanted chicken kebab. But they said it would take 15 mins to make, and we were quite hungry by then. He is not a huge schwarma fan, so wasn't as crazy about the meal as we were. But the nice counter staff (Turkish-Americans who also lived in Germany; hence the Euro-Turkish menu) said next time we can just call ahead and they'll put it on for him so it will be ready when we come. Great! He also got a small side of fries ($1.99) and we all munched on them. Very tasty too.

Other plusses: lots of seating! Not much of a line! (lots of people were in and out, but they were well-spaced) Tons of easy parking! And not very expensive for serious Middle Eastern quick-casual ($24 and change for lots of food for the three of us).

If no one gets sick, and I have my way, we'll be back again soon!

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.

Urban Plates (Carmel Valley): Curbside Pickup Review

After lots of reports from friends that they have had great experiences at Urban Plates in the last two weeks as they get more organized, I asked the boys if they wanted to go tonight. SB is usually up for a "re-trant" anytime I ask, but tonight he said, "No, Mommy, I'm too tired. I want to stay home." I was feeling toxic with white carbs (ate way too much potato kugel, challah and matza balls in the last few days), and had been craving a simple UP dinner of grilled tuna, salad and quinoa/edamame. CH proposed my giving their curbside service a try.

VERDICT: It's a wonderful service - you drive up to the back to the 10 min spots, call in, and they bring out your food....Only problem: they forgot my salad! However, when I phoned they were very gracious and not only took that portion of my food off, but my entire ahi plate. So I will definitely give it another try; I take it as opening kinks, and it was very good customer service of them to comp my entree altogether.

FOOD: CH ordered a margarita pizzette. He wasn't thrilled with it (he thought it would have sauce, not be cheese, basil, and whole tomatoes). However, SB loved it and ate it all up.

--Urban Kids: SB got grilled cheese again. Since he was eating Dada's pizzette, I ate some of his sandwich. Ridiculously tasty ww bread, perfectly toasted. A very respectable sandwich. I resisted the homemade chips, since I'm trying to do carb detox. SB also ate my grilled ciabatta.

--My ahi platter. Very nice. But the real revelation this time was the QUINOA EDAMAME SALAD. Fantabulous. Healthy and cravable.

--Red pepper soup: This is the one item I still don't really like there. Tried it on the pre-opening and they were perfecting it. I don't really like it. It's too bad it's their only daily veg. soup and it's not that yummy.

Overall, I'm happy to keep exploring the delicious menu and will give curbside pickup another try!

Urban Plates Revisit (Carmel Valley): Some Kinks to Work out!

My pre-opening experience at Urban Plates was so exciting that I took the boys back as soon as we had an opportunity (last night when I returned from work and had not made dinner!).

FOOD: Just as exciting as on Sat. (see below)

SERVICE/ORG: Has some kinks that need to be worked out! Now, we went on their *second day* of operation, and it's a cafeteria line with lots of stations, where people are grilling and slicing food fresh, not just ladling it out. But Super-Boy was not really Super-Boy - things took long enough that he was bouncing off the walls and CH was about ready to declare the place a bust.

HOWEVER, the owners are super-keen on getting this place right and are already tinkering and improving. Their goal is that people will get their plate of food within a minute after they order. We were at more like 8-10 mins., but when we talked to the owner, she had some wonderful ideas for why things were crazy on day #2 and how things would improve. They have a wonderful concept, and CH agreed when he sat down that the food is EXCELLENT and healthy and tasty. Here are some of the things they're going to do:

--set up web ordering like Specialty's. Not only can you pick up curbside, but they even might allow you to order ahead for eat in! That would be fabulous for a family like us, that wants the eat-out experience but has impatient kids that want to eat right away. Of course, as CH conceded to Pat the owner, if they do manage to get the timing down to one minute, then we won't need to do that.

--they also see that they are way more popular than they expected, and because they have an INSANE PASTRY SELECTION, they realize they need to have more room in the kitchen than they thought. They're running their kitchen 24 hrs a day right now!

There's probably more to say but I'm exhausted and need my working mom sleep! I wanted to post in case anyone saw my first post and then is disappointed by the initial ordering experience. I think they will work it out, but in the meanwhile the food is delish!

And speaking of food, here's what we got:

--grilled veg sandwich: I got this with roasted root vegetables and summer squash saute: yum; plus a fresh farmer's market salad on the side (yum) and homemade potato chips (good, drat!); I wish I could have gotten farmer's bread but they only had ciabbata

--Urban Kids grilled cheese for SB (on ww): very delicious, plus fruit salad he loved and those homemade chips

--CH got carved turkey, a side salad, and homemade stuffing: he was grumpy on the confusing line but then conceded that the food was good

DESSERT: red velvet cupcake (very lemony - I'm not a lemon person, but this was a serious cupcake) and chocolate truffle cupcake (YUM! except it had coffee flavoring on the frosting and CH and SB don't like coffee - it should be marked! but I ate more than I planned because I thought it was awesome!)

Urban Plates Review (Carmel Valley): A Huge Addition to the Neighborhood!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am going to regret posting this, since I am going to be contributing to making this place very crowded, and I hope it doesn't get too crazy too fast!

I had a very exciting and unexpected adventure today. I went to Jimbo's to grab some lunch while the boys were on an outing, and saw that Urban Plates (one of the new places which has been under construction in the Del Mar Highlands shopping center) had finally lost its scaffolding...and was open!

It turned out to be a private pre-opening event (opening day is Mon., Sept. 19). But the nice young woman at the door told me I could go in anyway. They were serving their menu for free for a selected group of invitees....plus little old moi.

CONCEPT: Ok, I was dreaming that this place was going to be like Waters: it had been advertised as upscale takeout for families, or you could eat there. To my surprise, it is nothing like Waters....but it is like Tender Greens....only maybe even better! One moves through a cafeteria line, and can either get salads with grilled proteins (steak, chicken, turkey or tuna), à la Tender Greens ($10);
--or grilled proteins on a plate with 2 sides (hot or cold) ($10)
--or grilled protein sandwiches with 1 side ($10)
--or pizzettes ($5)

They describe themselves as farm-to-table without high prices. Really, it's modelling itself after Tender Greens, but there are many more choices. Instead of the TG model, which requires you to get a green salad and mashed potatoes along with your grilled protein, here your choices include: beet salad, quinoa with edamame, grilled mushrooms and leeks....or you could have mashed potatoes if you really wanted (I'm leaving out about 10 other choices of hot or cold veggie sides). Oh - and just like TG, they have *fabulous* grilled bread - only theirs is made in house (I chatted with the chefs - did I mention it was super exciting to stumble out of my house in my I'm-squeezing-in-work-and-I-haven't-showered-yet clothes, and to find myself in a culinary wonderland?). They also have a soup station ($4) and a dessert station (more on that in a moment) and wines by the glass.

DECOR: *Love* the design. It is so pleasant - it fits very well with farm-to-table. Bright colors, open space, contemporary design, nice wood tables.

KIDDIE CHOICES: Their "Urban Kids" station includes gourmet m&c, grilled cheese, organic pb&J and several other yummy-looking meaty things I'm forgetting. They come with fruit salad and organic chips, but I bet they'd let you sub a salad.

SERVICE: Everyone was super-nice, and even though it's cafeteria style, there were hordes of energetic, friendly servers circulating once you sat to see if you needed something. I'm sure this was especially for the soft-opening, but it boded well.

WHAT I SAMPLED:
--grilled ahi plate (good), with beet salad (awesome) and mashed potatoes (yum, just as good as TG)
--grilled bread (yum....white carbs are too tempting)
--roasted red pepper soup and veggie curry soup (both tasty)
--mushroom pizzette (very tasty)

DESSERT: Ok, this place is *ridiculous.* The choices are overwhelming, and the cakes are beautiful like at Cafe Zinc. I watch Top Chef desserts weekly and salivate, then get disappointed when the desserts at nice places in SD are just ok (Rachel's crunchies at Burlap aside). These cakes were all ridiculously tasty looking (plus there are cookies, brownies, and other desserts I'm blocking out). I ordered the strawberry-almond cake - it was out of this world moist, with light as air frosting, and delicious strawberry jam inside. They gave me a nice to-go box, so I actually brought this home to share with Super Boy. We both loved it.

My prediction: this is quickly going to become the most popular place in Carmel Valley. People will flock there with their children, or they'll flock there if they don't have children. It's healthy if you want it to be (or decadent if you don't), simple, tasty, and reasonable. (Of course, if you get an entree and a soup and a dessert, you're at $20 very quickly for a cafeteria, but for the quality of food in Carmel Valley, it's still very exciting).

LOVE IT, CAN'T WAIT TO BRING THE BOYS! (and don't spread the word too much, or the line will be out the door and it won't be toddler-friendly anymore!!)

Lots of Quick Takes: San Diego

--Delicious meal today at OFF THE HOOK SEAFOOD GRILL in Encinitas. It is conveniently located near one of the best oil change places around (the place next to the AM/PM at Leucadia Blvd. just east of Garden View). Had been planning to eat while I got the oil change at KC Tandoor (which I don't give enough love to on this blog, but is very respectable Indian food for Encinitas, and fast). It was closed, so I wandered over to Off the Hook. OUTSTANDING! A great food concept, and very kid-friendly. Any grilled fish you choose, either in salad, sandwich, bowl or plate form, with the flavor/sauce of your choice. I chose garlic olive oil. For about $11, I got a massive slab of grilled cod, over a bed of brown rice and very delicious sauteed vegetables. Very healthy, delicious and fast (order at the counter, then they bring your food).

--Recent repeat visit to EL CALLEJON, which is a perennial favorite of super-toddler and us. I got the pescado zarandeado. Didn't enjoy as much as the other fish dishes I've ordered but it was good. It's in the regular rotation.

--Took a coworker to CHARISMA. Still among my fave restaurants. It's too much of a secret in Hillcrest, though - lots of neighborhood folks still haven't heard of it. I hope it stays in business!

--Went to Champagne bakery in CV with Super-Toddler when all the other restaurants in the DM heights shopping center were too crowded. It was not as bad as I thought (I've always thought it was fake French and not as exciting as it should be considering how beautiful the pastries look). They had a very decent kids' menu, I got to have a glass of wine and some decent food, and ST had plenty to look at (however, the brand-new escalator in the mall was too confusing for him). We can't wait til Mia Francesca and Davanti Enoteca open - we're hoping they'll be good options in that area.

--And yes regular readers, CH and I will be heading soon to Burlap! We were waiting for the kinks to be worked out.

Katana revisit (Carmel Valley)

Katana has a huge menu, and it's a place we've been going back to once a month or more with ST. It's quite good overall, and very toddler-friendly so it works. But the rolls are a bit hit or miss, so it's good to remind myself what I liked (and then search later!).

Today I got:
--baked mountain roll
--tuna tartar

CH got:
--"crispy chicken" app + soup + salad + rice

ST got:
--salad + rice + cubed tofu + miso

ST was thrilled as usual with his food, plus the X-Games on the screens.

CH was not happy he ordered something new: he thought the crispy chicken would be more well-done grilled, and it was chicken fingers. Luckly he wasn't very hungry.

Me: The tuna tar tar salad was not really tartare (in that it wasn't haché). But it was quite tasty. Cubed raw tuna, with avo, on a bed of mixed greens, with a yummy slightly spicy-sweet dressing. The kicker on the plate (which I wasn't expecting): crispy tempura-ed rice balls. Very delicious...and very not on my no-white-carbs-if-possible eating plan. They were too yummy - I ate more "tastes" than I wanted to.

--Mountain roll: I have to remind myself that this is a mess of a sushi roll. Too much sauce on the salmon. Tasty, but I'd rather get something healthier. I set out to have healthy raw fish tonight, and ended up with a stomach full of fried white rice balls and the goopy sauce on the mountain roll. (Ditto Alaska roll, which has an alfredo-like "truffle-in-name-only" sauce on it).

Overall, still like Katana a lot as a tasty, somewhat hip family-friendly option. But should go back to the delicious and riceless ex-girlfriend roll for me, and the beef bulgogi or chicken teriyaki for CH!

Taverna Blu Revisit (Carmel Valley)

Took the boys to Taverna Blu (had been on my own).

Still good to have a decent place in the hood, not the greatest place ever.

Had salmon, grilled vegetables, salad. All tasty, but salmon and grilled veggies swimming in butter.

CH liked his gyro pita, but didn't like the garbanzo mix, which turns out to be deep-fried chickpeas (fair food!).

ST liked his salad, french fries and humus (not to mention the great music and patio atmosphere), though he is burping a lot after (who knows from what).

Also had a glass of Luna pinot grigio - nice to go to a place with ST where I can get a nice glass of wine.

Friendly service, though food all came out at once (not salads then entrees).

Will undoubtedly return - it's easy enough. But it's not super-healthy!

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!

Another visit to Poseidon (Del Mar)

Another out-of-town guest: another fabulous meal with Super-Toddler in tow at Poseidon in Del Mar!

ST: Quesadilla + fruit cup + surfers and trains to watch + lemonade + chocolate gelato for dessert = one very happy and well-behaved Super-Toddler (though some of his silly faces and antics did provide lots of amusement for neighboring tables)

Me: Wild halibut + fennel + edamame + parsnip puree + kalamata olive sauce = one very happy high-protein, low-carb-eating me! (oh - and their house salad is also good, but I loved the sunset margarita I ordered too)

CH: Chicken stir-fry: he thought it was ok, not great.

Always happy to go to Poseidon!

Taverna Blu Review (Carmel Valley)

The makeover of the Del Mar Highlands shopping continues. Lots of new restaurants....and less parking! It's a real winning combination.

But after fighting for a spot, I gave Taverna Blu a try today. Not bad! I'm not sure I'd say it's worth driving a distance for, but it seems to be a winning formula. Tasty Greek/Med food, at good price points (at least for them): $3, 4, 6, 7 or 11. Of course, the diner ends up ordering a little of this and a little of that, so it adds up, but at least you get to try different flavors if you're going to pay $10-$12 for your lunch and $15-20 for dinner.

Tried/shared:
--lentil soup (good deal for $4, tasty)
--"threesome" (spicy feta dip, humus, "mama ganush" - like Spanish eggplant with tomatoes); for $6, the portions of the dips were not that big, but there were tons of carbs on the plate (pita, pita chips)
--falafel sandwich ($7): respectable enough; not going to vie for best falafel in town

Atmosphere: Very cute patio, big hip space in side (wine and beer).

Service: There were a lot of complaints on yelp (they've only been open a few weeks). But maybe in response to that, servers were super-nice and attentive.

They're not advertising yet, so it's Counter spillover and walk-by traffic for them. I think this is going to be very, very popular in the food-starved DMH area. And it definitely would be toddler-friendly (esp. outside) even if they're going for a more happy hour vibe inside.

The Counter Review (Carmel Valley)

ST's school schedule is screwy this week, so Mama took him to a special lunch out! (boy hasn't gone out to eat alone with me except for fast food since he was in an infant seat). Brought him some cars, some paper to draw on (they have pencils for filling out your order form), and we were good to go.

Verdict: Yummy! (though not super-yummy, let's not exaggerate)

Advanced buzz on Yelp: mixed about this place, lots of haters, so I didn't have high hopes. Also there's always a line there when we think about going, so we have ended up at Red Robin.

Well, this ain't Red Robin! Fun music, fresh air on the patio (though only one heater for the whole patio). Lots of choices: I got a fresh veggie-quinoa burger, and had a choice of tons of things to add on/sauces. I picked:

--carrot sticks
--organic spring mix
--grilled pineapple
--Tilamook cheddar
--on multigrain

+tzatziki sauce

Very tasty! I really liked the burger, and the way I customized it was yummy.

ST got a kids' veggie burger (two sliders with American cheese), also came with fries.

We also tried their sweet potato french fries. They're not the very best in town (sweet potato fries are also becoming cliche), but they were certainly tasty.

Service: Took a while to take our order, but once we flagged someone down we got our food within 10 min.

Fun, customizing the burger means I'd love to go back and pick some different sauces and toppings.

Fun, fast, tasty, Super-Toddler-friendly! That's my kind of Toddler's-and-Mom's Lunch Out!

Suzie's Farm visit!! (Imperial Beach)

On Sat. June 11, Super Toddler and I piled into the car with another fabulous mom and her boy, and we headed down to Imperial Beach to take a tour of Suzie's Farm. Yes, that Suzie's Farm -the one featured on menus all over town, from Alchemy to Mistral. $10 donation pp includes as many veggies as you can pick in your reusable bag - oops, I'm the non-eco one who forgot her reusable bag, so let's make that cram into the backpack you had brought for snacks for ST.

The boys were super troopers, esp. considering that the bathroom is super far in the fields (Suzie's is huge!!).

Some of the loot we picked and took home:
--delicious carrots (ST is super strong and wrestled those babies out of the ground)

--a couple of clandestine radishes (we weren't supposed to pick them, but what did ST know)

--fresh dill, parsley, cilantro

--kale of various colors

--a beautiful, vast head of red-leaf lettuce which we are slowly making our way through

--two enormous summer squash (which ST's babysitter sauteed last night for me after bedtime - super yummy!!)

--one humongous ridged zucchini, which inspired me to cook tonight (!!), even if I wasn't sure my boys would eat the kind of food I like to make.

I made zucchini latkes + a zucchini-red pepper frittata. ST was pickier than normal, but at least he add tons of salad and applesauce. CH, who doesn't like "veg food," gamely ate some latkes (he hid the zucchini under mounds of applesauce). Luckily, CH's Mom came to dinner and so was a more appreciative audience for my gourmet veggie cuisine.

Haven't cooked the kale yet - will probably saute it tomorrow and see if ST likes it.

It was a super-fun activity - definitely worth hauling a toddler along! We left a little early (they had had it), but that was fine.

From now on, "Suzie's Farm" on menus will mean something to me - though I'll be thinking also of dirt, flies and manure smell rather than only something gourmet and glamorous (ah....food marketing!).

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).