The Misadventures of a Diligent Diletante

Red Bean and Custard Sweet Griddle Cakes at 99 Ranch

2011-02-26T15:54:00.000-08:00

Ive been to 99 Ranch roughly a hundred times in my short life. I usually prefer the K-markets b/c it reminds me of my heritage and the selection is better/ cheaper for my korean ingredients...or the Vietnamese markets for the awesome price points. However, 99 ranch is awesome totally in its own right. The one in SD has also several small shops/ restaurants under the same roof including the eye doctor I have frequented, a vietnamese deli, a jewelery store, a makeup store, a funnish Hello Kitty kind of store, and two decent and well known Chinese restaurants. I have also seen this little lady who operates a little stand that makes little round treats that are best described as round spheres of batter filled with either red bean or custard creme. Each one is 60 cents and part of the fun is watching her make them. B/c I adore you guys, I secret-agent style took some pictures of the action. She may have heard the first flash b/c the iphone will not be silenced so easily, but i muted and unflashed for the rest of the pics.

The verdict? It was ok. Like anything that you build up so long, it was bound to disappoint. Husband didnt know these things existed and therefore loved it when he tried it. At 60 cents, I dare say that you can afford to go get your own and opine on your own. xoxo

Los Carbones Taco Shop- San Ysidro

2011-02-26T13:53:00.000-08:00

After a morning of busy bargain shopping at Las Americas Outlet, my credit card was wincing and my stomach was a-grumbling. Across the street from the outlet, we saw a sign for 99 cent tacos and I was like a moth to fire. This is gonna be a short but to the point post but overall, I would definitely come back here again. Case in point:

This is the sign that drew me in. Do you blame me? Plus we were STARVED.

Pictured is the 99 cent fish taco with the soft corn tortilla and the potato taco in the background. The tacos were definitely not like a street taco size and pretty hefty in size. Fish fillet was nicely fried flaky white fish of some kind and a decent size overall. It also had pico and cabbage. Could compete with any other fish taco out there and blows 99 cent tacos out of the water... The potato taco is made of like mashed potatoes filling. The size is also generous. What I was most surprised by was that for a fried taco, very little grease factor! I love that about this taco. It also is filled with iceberg and shredded cheese. The carrots were offered at the salsa bar that I didnt take a pic of. The two red sauces in the bar are awesome by the way, the green did not sampled unfortunately.

The ubiquitous carne asada fries. Hubby and I love these things but we only let ourselves order it once every month or two. I liked that they use skinny fries but I didnt like the fries themselves. The beans are part of the fries but I asked for it on the side. I wasnt a fan of the beans but I will let you sample them on your own. The carne was nicely seasoned and tender and I could have used more guac, but I am a guac monster. I could seriously just eat a bowl of it with a fork...even without the fork actually...sssshhhhhh dont tell. At about 6.50, it was in a medium- high price range for this kind of food item. I wont get this again, but mostly because I need more of those tacos asap.

Another interesting observation- I happen to catch a glimpse of their california burrito at the counter and gosh dang dilly, that sucker was hefty. It actually had me wishing I could measure it up against my forearm to size it out, but I dont have the cajones to ask a perfect stranger if I can borrow his burrito for a second. Other people tended to order tacos, saw some tortas, and quesadilla.

We will be back. Go check it out!! =)

Forgot about these...

2011-02-21T21:31:00.000-08:00

As I type this, several things are running through my mind. I love food, I miss my husband (away for a few days), I'm hungry again, and I love GLEE. Glee just makes me feel better no matter how crappy my day is. Ryan Murphy is a genius and I wish I had my glee squad around to make me feel better every day! Back to the star of the show...

BUSTER'S BEACH HOUSE:

$2 Fish taco special. Larger than usual size taco on a nice corn tortilla. The fish reminded me of fish and chips standard fare. The taco didnt have as much of the toppings/ sauces that I like such as cabbage, slaw, or sauce. Just a pico de gallo which was forgettable. But for 2 buckaroos? It could be worse...

Neighbor got three carne asada tacos. Somehow the marinade didnt hit a home run with me. Again, $2 each with the purchase of one drink (I think). Sometimes, its not good to take too long to post b/c small details get lost in the wind. Some guac would have been nice or even some shredded lettuce.

Cheese fries. Just meh. It was also on sale happy hour prices. Thats all I have to say.

***Parking is awesome and you get a view of the glam National City harbor. We got to eat at the table with the fire pit outside that has the cool glass rocks that keep you moderately warm and lit up. They also had HH drink specials.

HILLTOP DELI:

Sourdough bread, turkey, avocado, sprouts, tomatoes and cheese. Just meh. I think it was the Californian sandwich. Also came with pasta salad...more on that later.

Isnt the sticker so cute? Moving on.

Husband's reuben. He liked but not loved it. He usually loves reubens so that was ominous. It is one pretty sandwich though isnt it?

Alright this is the interesting part. Their pasta salad tasted like a ranch sauce...a different take on the traditional deli salad. Also seemed to have some kind of cheese on top. Al dente pasta as well. Not bad my friend.

***Mind you, it is tucked in an industrial part of El Cajon, so it might have office kind of hours and parking was spotty. You also risk the usual corporate lunch rush as I had to wait about 15 minutes for my order. Friendly staff btw. They also seemed to have some delish specials such as lasagna on a stated day of the week. Lmk if you have tried any of their non sandwich items...

GILLESPIE FIELD CAFE:

Portugese sausage breakfast plate. If you like sausage, you have to try this. The eggs tasted like eggs, home fries like home fries. But that sausage....

Outdoor seating. I just love these cement garden mosaic tables...

Literally on the Gillespie Field airport grounds. This is what you can see if you eat outside. One poor mom nearby had to drag her screaming son home b/c he was in love with the planes flying by and refused to leave.

Sausage gravy and biscuits. Not the best but pretty tasty. Nice portion size too. I personally like the more rustic home potatoes style, not the shredded potato action.

***Im glad I used a coupon for this place. Its nice to try out new places that you wouldnt drive 20 minutes out of one's way to save a few bucks, test the food and scout the locals.

Peace out home skillets...its off to bed for this girl! =)

What I have been eating in the past month...

2011-02-21T20:27:00.000-08:00

Since I still appear to be in my blog updating slump, this is going to be one gigantic blog-a-thon just so you guys can see that I am still alive, what rocked my socks and where you should avoid at all costs. Motivation is hard to come by and it cannot be bought, bartered for, nor can you will it to come back to you. Fickle like a young lover, it comes and goes without a moment's notice even. Here is mine, fleeting as it may be.

WEST COAST TAVERN:

A round of drinks to start...their sangria is freaking phenomenal! The other drink was a donkey punch, also reported to be tasty...

Triple Dip appetizer- white bean hummus, red pepper romesco and spinach artichoke dip. Just standard, save your dollars for something more exciting.

Portabella mushroom sliders (the original and lamb sliders somehow didnt get photographed). I'd go for the lamb if you had a choice, like vegetarian lifestyles or allergies.

Plain mac and cheese- creamyyyyyyy-licious. They also have a chef's choice mac an cheese offering which is this foundation with some mix ins.

New zealand black mussels- interesting take on mussels cooked in wine...the apples and currant bits were fun to eat and made the juice on the bottom of the bowl kinda sweet but take away a bit from the butteriness I was looking for from this dish.

Tavern chicken and waffle: I wish the waffle was bigger! Perfectly cooked waffle base, but the chicken was tad too crunchy for me. I'm sure that not everyone would think that this is a bad thing.

Grilled chicken flatbread- definitely has a spicy kick!!!! I thought it was appropriately crispy and pliable as a good flatbread ought to be, saucy and a better portion than many other things that night. I recommend.

****Word of caution- not the cheapest eats by any measure. The four of us with a drink or two and two dishes each spent about $150. That kind of caught me off guard since the word tavern doesnt usually scream expensive especially in the middle of North Park. I'd go for HH or maybe if they have a groupon or some other similar coupon deal.

DZ AKINS:

They brine their own pickles here and you can have as many as you like since its already sitting on each table with a few different mustard choices to nosh on while you wait for your order.

Pretty sure this is the reuben special with the tongue substitution for a few bucks extra instead of the standard pastrami or corned beef. Tongue was tender and just fatty/ creamy tasting enough. They also make a good rye that you can buy at the bakery counter on your way out.

Corned beef reuben lunch special. I only ate half b/c it is really filling and I just wasnt the biggest fan of their corned beef. I am not a CB expert btw!! It just didnt register with my palette i guess. Boo! I'd definitely look for the lunch special menu if you are there since you save a few bucks and it comes with the fries.

The Josephine bar. My choice for our to-go dessert, which I have to add that I rarely order dessert. But they have this impressive shiny deli counter with meats, cheeses, and sweets and I'll be gosh darned if they cant get me to spend even a few more dollars each time on take home items. Evil! Back to the dessert....at almost 5 bucks (prices are not marked on the display), I better have loved it and wanted to take its last name. I didnt. Ate one bite and pouted at how much I didnt like it...too sweet and not flaky enough. Wish I could have a do-over on this one.

***Overall, they arent too cheap either as their dishes range from 8-14 bucks. Parking is a capital B word and the place gets pretty packed. In the past, I have very much enjoyed their tuna melt and fries and hubby loves the tongue there. They dont normally have coupons that I have seen. Its definitely a San Diego landmark place so you should at least give it a whirlsky though.

OLD VILLAGE KOREAN RESTAURANT:

Drove by and saw this sign...got immediately excited....and had to try it out. Seeing as how the other tofu stew places on the same street average a good $3 a bowl more than this place, I just had to do it.

Banchan spread- not bad I guess for a lunch offering. I really liked the fish cakes...just like mom used to make them. From left top corner, you can see sprouts, cabbage kimchi, some kind of root in a soy sauce vinegar mix, turnip kimchi, sweet soy sauce potatoes and the lovely fish cakes.

I went for the seafood tofu stew. I figured it was a safe choice as I'd get a flavorful broth and get to taste the essence of this place. I knew not to expect a whole lot of seafood meat, but boy was I underwhelmed overall. BLAND. Exactly one piece of the following seafood bits i.e. shrimp, clam and I believe a mussel. Not spicy at all. If you wanted the egg to mix in while it was bubbling, this place didnt offer it (I didnt ask for it either, but other places usually bring it out automatically). I did like the mixed rice option...my favorite but a pain to make at home.

Korean blood sausage stew with a paltry side of the said sausage. Even worse than my tofu stew, probably b/c at least I knew my stew was cooked. I tried one of hubby's sausage bites and it was one of the worst I have ever had. I also wouldnt have bet money or even cheerios that it was even cooked all the way through. Husband basically threw it into the stew to cook it and dumped the seasoning salt accompaniment directly into the soup to make it edible. On the plus side, it was also 5.99 I think.

***I realized after sitting down that this was where the AYCE Korean food buffet used to be. Staff was nice and the place started filling up as we left. 5.99 tofu stew in san diego, fail. We can do better guys!!!!!

SANG DAO:

Crab rangoons- the filling was crabby and creamy like it should be but I find myself wishing that they would have put more in there. See how flat and deflated it looks? Nicely fried too.

One of my favorites here, although sometimes are better than others. Spicy eggplant with basil leaves. When I eat this dish, I totally see myself doing the vegetarian thing no sweat...then I think of crab hut, spam and fried chicken and then I resign myself to a life of partial vegetarianism. Depending on the day of the week. Get this...it even tastes good the next day.

Pad see ew. Love their version as well. Even better? They keep crushed peanuts on the table so for a kick, I threw some on top of the noodles and voila...everything I heart about pad thai (peanut and egg) with the wide flat noodles and sauce. If you can take some heat, that is the way to go here... This version had beef inside but I have had it with seafood and it rocks both ways.

Cant remember what kind of curry this was...panang? I liked it but I only had a little bit of it. I love that this place is not stingy with the basil leaves in their food!

Mango sticky rice. This was my first time, but not the last time. Their mangos are perfectly ripe and just firm enough. I personally am gonna ask them not to put the coconut sprinkles on top next time, but that is just my own coconut weirdness. Attractive presentation and decent portion. Perfect end to a nice spicy meal...I promise.

***Beware that the parking lot is tiny and it can be hard to find a spot around lunchtime. I also have never seen any kind of parking here search as I might. The portions are standard but the service has been friendly each time I went. I reviewed this place before and always recommend it to others.

YARD HOUSE:

The only thing that I ever want to eat here- ahi poke stack. poke, wasabi, carrots, sprouts and avocado laid on top of fried wonton skins squares. Can someone bring me one asap?

Til we meet again or till motivation hits again. Just keeping it real!

In the kitchen...

2011-01-17T19:16:00.000-08:00

My first attempt at Tortilla Soup. Chicken bouillon, yes I cheated. Sweet corn, tomatoes, zucchini, celery, cilantro, good salsa and avocado slices. Just combine it all in a pot (minus the avo) and let her boil. I recommend adding some grated cheese on top and some Tapatio to boot. Look, its not fancy and probably not authentic but its pretty tasty and easy as all get out. Try it and let me know if it works out as good as it did for me. xoxo

Lighthouse Ice Cream & Yogurt- Ocean Beach

2011-01-17T19:08:00.000-08:00

I so wanted to like this. And its not that I didnt like it, I just didnt like it very long. First few bites were heaven. After that, the waffle gets cold and soggy. Plus it wouldnt kill them to put some more ice cream in that bad boy. Overall, not bad...just not great.

Pros: nice concept, friendly staff, decent ice cream, many options for different ice cream/ dessert snacks, different waffle flavors
Cons: small serving, $3 for the small size is not equitable, gets soggy pretty quickly
Score: I am waivering between leaving it or giving it once more try...decisions!

Funky Garcia's- Downtown San Diego

2011-01-17T18:52:00.000-08:00

Date night with the mister led us downtown this weekend. Along with meeting the great Michael Flohr Michael Flohr's Official Website and chatting with him for a spell, we bought some mustache things, tried on eyeglasses for moi, and grabbed some food. Have you heard of this place? I thought it looked fun so we checked it out, even though it was not on the Entertainment Book. The bouncer was a riot!!! He convinced us to come in and even recommended a few things.

Pros: bouncer was cool as heck, happy hour specials seem cheap, cool atmosphere, prices are on the low side for being in dtsd (down town san diego). The chips were crunchy and good salty and table chipotle sauce...is un-freaking-believable, like I'd want to drink it.
Cons: basically taco shop food, our waitress was pretty much not interested in helping us, parking of course, and menu originality. The Al Pastor tacos were bad salty and the shrimp tacos only had one skinny shrimp on them w/ a pound of cabbage. The other item we ordered was the Funky Roll...aka a skinny carne asada burrito sliced to resemble sushi roll pieces. Guacamole usually makes me happy...but too runny to be really called guacamole. Disappointing really.
Score: I might one day eventually some time possibly check out a happy hour here...or if someone else is picking up the tab duh.

South Beach Bar and Grill- OB

2011-01-17T18:24:00.000-08:00

Do you miss the days of yore? Of not having a care in the world? Of lazy days and sticky fingers from candy or ice cream? Today was a society sanctioned hooky day for me and hubby. We went to go play in the sand at good old Ocean Beach. Except I didnt go in the sand..I dont like getting dirty. So we went to go eat at South Beach for tacos, although the original plan was Hodad's.

Pros: ranch sauce on tacos, who knew the yummy factor? Fried oyster/ calamari/ shrimp perfectly done, decent amount of non filler items inside the tacos.
Cons: wahoo overcooked and dry... is it me or have the tacos shrunk in size? No shark meat available today. It also took awhile to get the food today. At about $4 a taco, I expect more senor south beach!
Score: still love it, but it feels like we had a lover's quarrel somehow.

p.s. it was like 75 today at the beach in good ole cali...hence the beer at 11 in the morning for the mister. I never want to leave this place!!!!!

South Beach Bar and Grill website

I love presents!

2011-01-17T17:57:00.000-08:00

Especially unsolicited. Especially when its something I like. Especially from my husband. This is a post where I get to show off my new goodies from husband...God bless him sometimes. The babushka measuring cups can nest or stand on its own. The lunchbots is environment friendly and cute as a button. What have you received lately that made you smile?

Advice please

2011-01-13T21:58:00.001-08:00

I'd love to make a little extra income from blogging each month. It's
probably unlikely that I would ever be able to live as luxuriously as
I am accustomed to... Hahaha! Seriously anyone have any good tips? I
know that some of you guys are able to turn a few bucks over from your
blog so any words of wisdom would help. Like practical advice...
Thanks. Sorry if this is out of left field. :-)

Panda Restaurant- Lemon Grove

2011-01-09T22:08:00.000-08:00

They were nice owners. Thats probably the nicest thing I will say about this place. We got the shrimp fried rice and the foot long banh mi for lunch one day. Large menu of chinese, vietnamese and sushi food items. Yes i said sushi. Moving on. Who puts beansprouts in fried rice? Filler failure. Shrimp was fresh enough but I could have definitely used a few more. The sandwich was another disappointment...who the hell grills the pickled veggies inside the banh mi? Plus they didnt even taste pickled, the meat inside was limited and the bread wasnt too chewy. Parking can also be tricky here...if you have been to the Lemon Grove post office, you know what I am talking about. Lets get to the score....Leave it (in the kindest way possible).

A&D Hawaiian Food- National City

2011-01-09T21:40:00.000-08:00

If you havent been before, get off your butt and go. If you have an Entertainment book, its in there for a B1G1 deal (no min purchase or stupid must buy a drink codicil). I'm not going to mince words, the place could use a major rehaul decor wise and is borderline skeezy in cleanliness, but the food was awesome. The salt and pepper chicken was piping hot with the perfect mix of peppers, garlic and onions. We literally took the vittles and mixed the rice up into it. The BBQ beef was tasty and tender. The only thing I ddnt like was the onions in the mac salad...

Pros: S&P chicken is off the chain, cheap and good portions, coupon in the Entertainment book, friendly staff
Cons: on the not-clean side, order took a little while to come out but was piping hot so we didn't mind, parking limited
Score: Love it...the food, not the atmosphere...

Bull's Smoking BBQ- Morena Blvd

2011-01-09T20:55:00.001-08:00

Photos (L-R) Sausage sandwich with cole slaw, Smoked pulled pork and smoke brisket sandwich with fries

Pros: Try the sweet BBQ sauce, unique take on cole slaw with the candied

almond slices, and nice chew roll. Oh yea, dog friendly!

Cons: portions small for BBQ joint, parking sucks bad, sausage was just ok

Score: undecided but leaning towards leave it

Aunt Emma's Pancake House- National City

2011-01-09T19:57:00.001-08:00

Lets clear the air. I've gotten a bit lazy with the blog. I love the blog culture big time. Dont confuse my lack of blog activity with an apathy for the blog world. I ceremoniously check my google reader feeds through the day and love hearing some of my favorite bloggers (shout out to Lynn@The Actor's Diet, Kirbie@Kirbie's Cravings, CC@Pink Candles at Ridgemont High, Kirk@mmm-yoso!!!!, Ameena@Fancy That Fancy This, and The 99 cent chef@ at the similarly named blog, and so many others I couldnt possibly name). So how can i still share my food experiences? I am going to occasionally try blogging from my iphone for awhile and see how that tickles my goat or something to that effect. Phone blogging means no fancy editing, images will be uncentered, and posts shorter than usual. But it also means, we skip right to the gooey middle of the shizzz. I'm also gonna try a new rating system- love it, leave it or undecided. Cross my fingers, hope it flies.

Aunt Emmas Pancake House

National City CA

Pros: price, neighborhood joint, parking, friendliness of staff, generous on the sauce and avocado in lieu of turkey meat (which would probably have been cheapo sandwich meat)
Cons: bland, bland bland. Good thing I had my entertainment book coupon...

Score: Leave it

McRib Ribbit Ribbit

2010-11-30T15:42:00.000-08:00

A bit overdue so call this foodie review 999,999,999 of the infamous McRib. Do you like the dramatic picture? Its quite metaphoric for the mixed feelings (mostly bad) that I had for this sandwich. I literally havent had one since high school or college so dont go doing the math and aging me. It does seem like a no-fail idea right? Soft bread, bbq sauce, fake meat...yum. The meat felt...too artificial. Like trying to eat a chicken nugget after seeing that article where it showed what the nugget meat looked like in a pink paste form in the factory. At least mine had plenty of sauce and the pickles did add a little taste contrast. Cult following aside, I wasnt a convert. Sorry guys.

Mama's Bakery- North Park

2010-11-30T15:07:00.000-08:00

http://www.mamasbakery.net/
4237 Alabama Street
San Diego CA 92104
619-688-0717

Sometimes I wonder if my taste buds like to play tricks on me. Seriously. I have been looking forward to this place forever as it was on my list of places to try. Hubby and I went last weekend and I was starving too when we went. It wasnt expensive but the outside of the place made me think that it was going to be a cheaper eat than it ended up being. Portion was decent so maybe that makes up for it?

Overall I didnt care for this place too much (I'm sure I will hear many a surprised comment or two). The meat on the shawarma was too salty for me and I didnt really like the texture although I dont really have a frame of expertise here to base this on. The wrap was about the width of my fist and the length of my forearm (average girl arm/ hand measurements). Strangely the wrap tasted better than the platter even though the meat was the same variety. Hubby swears that theres is an unknown yummy herb in the wrap that is absent in the platter. Maybe.

The menu says the wrap contained steak, tomatoes, parsley, lettuce and tahini. The tahini worked like a charm in the wrap...so much that I paid an extra 75cents to get a side of their tahini for the house. When I tried it at home though, it didnt taste the same! Ughhhh.

Now that I read the menu, I realize that I never got the basmati rice with my platter. Hmph. It might have changed the tone of this review since I am a basmati loving fool. Sucks for them.... A good meat portion size but they plop it on top of the hummus which I dont like since I dont like food overly touching each other. Hubby liked the pickles though. I did enjoy the pita although the salad had way too much dressing.

Overall, I might come back for another kind of wrap and a Lenin soda if you twist my arm. Just sayin.

Random eatings

2010-11-13T18:09:00.000-08:00

Its funny how fast and slow time passes. Ever since hubby came home, I cant quite recite what we have been doing but I'm sure we have done a decent amount of things and eaten even more. So I'm doing the writing equivalent of a freewrite and unload a little bit. Enjoy the madness.

Maria Maria at Hazard Center is a gigantic waste of $ and eating time. Even if their swankish ambience and Carlos Santana connection is supposed to be a draw, their food is lacking in flavor and heat
If you have a chance to go to a Chinese-Vietnamese style wedding dinner, do it. On an empty stomach. With an open mind. My faves: cold meat platter with headcheese and jellyfish, sauteed lobster, chilean sea bass and peking duck. Plus, you cant go wrong with the ever roaming bottles of Hennessey!
We got K-BBQ fever and we dont want a cure. This perfection of a lettuce wrap had a fat piece of pork belly, acorn jelly with soy sauce and one leaf of rustic kimchee. If that wasnt over the top enough, the pork belly was dipped in my sesame oil/salt/pepper concoction
Chipotle is food from God. Steak burrito with pinto beans, rice, meat, all 3 salsas, corn, cheese, sour cream and guac. Lettuce on the side. Gosh, I wish I lived closer than 20 miles from a Chipotle right now =(
Krispy Kreme had a free donut promo for military on Veterans day. We may or may not have also bought a few extra ones as well as made another stop a few days later to pick up a hostess gift for a friend (and some for our house too). Chocolate glaze sprinkle all the way yo!
Boba is only made perfect when paired with something sumptuous like fried chicken snack, medium heat. Eating it with skewers only adds to the experience and the fried basil leaves are pure genius. I cant think of a better snack when you want a little bit of sweet, salty, spicy, hot, cold and crunchy...
Sushi Deli is what it is. Cheap, filling and better than alot of other sushi places that dont acknowledge their lot in the restaurant food chain. But did you know, they also have a rainy day special? If you come in during a wet day, lots of freebies!

Sorry for the hodge podge. xoxo

Pho Van- El Cajon Blvd

2010-11-13T17:34:00.000-08:00

4233 El Cajon Boulevard
San Diego, CA 92105

Before I became a homeowner, I rented. I have lived in many parts of glorious SD including City Heights which is where we find our restaurant of choice. There is an eating out policy I have. If you go to a certain kind of eating establishment, see a full house and most of them are of that nationality, you have come across an authentic sure bet. Every time I come to Pho Van, I always see a good number of Vietnamese diners. Plus my very Vietnamese friend and his family call this their go-to spot for pho take out...do you even need any more assurances than that?

I always order my pho this way...the fact that I am sharing my trade secrets with you demonstrates how serious I am about this. I like my pho with brisket and tendon only. I can eat beef anywhere, raw or cooked. Im not a tripe person so thats a no-go for me. You have to try the tendon and brisket here. Plus they hook it up on the meat and herb portions. Also, dont forget to ask for the sate sauce if you can handle a little bit of heat. I dont mess with the hoison, sriracha or sugar. Just sate, brisket and tendon.

One more bit of advice, get the spring rolls...fried or fresh. They are always piping hot or pliable depending on the version you order. Either way, never a fail.

Pinks Hot Dogs- Knotts Berry Farm

2010-11-13T17:19:00.000-08:00

http://www.pinkshollywood.com/pgz/menu.htm
Have you ever had one of those days where you continually chose the wrong route, answered the wrong call, picked the wrong thing to eat? I tend to always order the wrong thing when I go to a new place. Pinks, being legendary for their menu choices was one place where I didnt want to get it wrong. Too bad I had a stomach ache from eating at one of the food stands inside Knotts and was still kind of full from that as well. Then I kept changing my mind from selection to selection...bad news bears. There went my Pinks experience. But this is not to say that the other two people in my group didnt have a fan-freaking-tastic taste experience there.

Selection 1: The Queen Terry Dog (cant seem to find it on the Pinks website by that name but it was named America the Beautiful dog on their site). 12 inches of jalepeno hot dog with thick cut bacon slices, pastrami piles, lettuce and tomato. Divine actually. The dog itself was not spicy. This was an eat with a fork and knife act for sure.
My choice: Coleslaw Dog. Worst excuse for a hot dog ever. By the time I got the dog, the coleslaw juice had mushed the bun so bad that I couldnt even eat it. On top of that, the coleslaw was not very tasty. I ended up just taking the dog out and eating only half of it since I was splitting with a friend. Can I have my $$$ back please?
Selection 3: Nacho Chili Cheese Dog. Rave reviews from the eater. Whats not to like, nacho, cheese and hot dog. Next please.

Of course I'd come back. I wouldnt get the coleslaw dog even if they gave it to me for free but I want to come back for a re-do. If only SD could get one of these joints...Pinks HQ, can you hear me?

Jeong Won Korean BBQ Buffet- Convoy

2010-11-13T16:33:00.000-08:00

4690 Convoy St, Ste 104
San Diego, CA 92111
858-292-4670
jeongwonkoreanbbqbuffet.com

I'm reunited and it feels so good. Navy husband is finally home after a 13 month deployment overseas and I find myself adjusting slowly. If he reads this, I am really trying not to be a Naggy-Mcnaggerson about the messes that you leave in each room, your pickiness in eating leftovers, the way you drive and other really trivial minutiae in the grand scheme of things. that is one reason why I have been MIA as a poster, but still dutifully checking all my fave blog poster for sure. The other? This nagging bug I have had for several weeks now, one of which started off as a jinx to my own self. Dont ever plot getting out of something under the excuse of sickness as it will become true. As in 1000th degree. So the reason I was pretending to be sick has come and gone and failed to take the sickness with it. I will spare you those gory details and move on to the food.

I had been looking forward to trying this buffet but purposely waited for hubby to come home so we could share the experience together. Sickening, huh? As a Korean girl who grew up with the traditional grill on the table setup, my standards are pretty high about this subject. Especially since my mom is a phenomenal cook who in another universe, might be a world famous chef on part with Emeril or an Iron Chef. Its right next door to a now defunct pool hall and San Tong Palace (a Korean style Chinese restaurant).

The whole shebang. Right here. 16.95 lunch special includes go get it yourself style meat, veggies, seafood, banchan, sauces and soft serve. They bring you a bowl of bland miso soup and white rice. I would have appreciated more variety in rice selection such as brown rice or even korean mixed rice (it looks purple in color).

Veggies: sweet potato slices, tofu, sliced corn ears, tomatoes, pepper slices, raw garlic, bell peppers, mushrooms, green zucchini, yellow squash, and potato slices. I'd avoid the sweet potato b/c they are impossible to cook since they are sliced on the thick bias.
Meats: marinated shortib off the bone, marinated ribeye, beef liver, spicy pork, marinated chicken, tripe, pork belly slices and brisket slices. I found myself wishing that the ribeye was of higher quality b/c it kind of falls apart on the grill. Husband didnt like the spicy pork b/c it was too sweet.
Seafood: some white fish, mussel, shrimp, spicy calamari. I found the calamari to be tough when cooked FYI
Banchan: fishcakes, seaweed salad, carrot and turnip mixture, potato salad, mixed greens, bean sprouts, sauteed zucchini, and cabbage and cucumber kimchi. The cabbage kimchi was on point that day as was the fishcakes. They also gave us a complimentary side of korean pancakes that were nicely fried up
Sauces: these are just guesses on my part but they were one was a sweet soy sesame sauce, one was a sweet chili sauce and one had a thousand island kind of taste (not texture) to it. My personal favorite is the sauce I made which is standard bill Korean goodness-- salt, pepper and some good sesame oil.

Overall, here are my two cents. Skip the miso. Go for the pork slices, mussells and some of the shortrib. Avoid the sweet potato since you will just waste your time and get frustrated. Dont forget to leave room for the soft serve!

(Im also playing with some changes to the blog format. Input welcome)

Romesco- Baja Med Bistro (Bonita)

2010-10-14T19:36:00.000-07:00

4346 Bonita Road Bonita, CA 91902 -
(619) 475-8627
Romesco's Official Website

Location location location. If you are a local, you may have seen this place and wondered, "hmmmm I wonder what that place is like". Since it is wedged between Baskin Robbins and Rite Aid in the middle of Bonita, it has to try a little harder to impress IMO. And does it, you might ask? Keep reading, you decide.

You are going to spend a pretty penny by the time you leave. But, you will leave full and satisfied, if not happy. The flavors were good, ambiance is clean and elegant, and menu creative. We ordered 5 tapas and 2 orders of paella. Back to the ambiance--low lighting, cloth table cloths. Not exactly complementary to me busting out the flash on the good ole Iphone and snapping away. I was actually more furtive in my pic snapping skills. Like a blogging ninja!

So here is a bit of what we ordered in clockwise order: crusty french bread (complimentary), beer and champagne, Ahi Tuna Tostada, Papas con Chorizo ala Riojana, Fonduta con Chorizo, Beef Filet Mignon Carpaccio, Tacos de Cachete de Res, and Paella. For about 4 hungry adults with the above entrees and one champagne and one beer, the bill was like 92 bucks before tip. Can we take a second and admire the artistic vision that is my collage? I completely forgot how awesome photo editing programs can be!

The bread was a good starter. Crusty, chewy and the second loaf was just out the oven. Lets get to the nitty gritty. The tostada was small but good tasting. The guacamole was simple, the lettuce was like a baby green selection and the fish was fresh enough tasting. At nearly 4 bucks, not enough bang for the buck IMO.

The potatoes with chorizo had a nice spice to it. All the flavors melded nicely with each other and the components were perfectly cooked to taste. At 4.50, a bit better of a deal than the tostada but you still want to order something else if you get this. I cant remember if there was alot of chorizo inside which probably means there wasnt too many of those little critters inside.

Dont even bother with the fonduta. I was expecting a more smooth velvety cheese sauce, but really it just seems like straight up melted cheese with chorizo dropped into the pan. I like salt but this dish seemed to salty even for a salt-a-holic like me.

The filet carpaccio....actually pretty good! Not the best I had. That selection goes to this little so-trendy-I-seriously-might-puke place in the middle of Hollywood I went to a few years back. Best. carpaccio. ever. I think there was about 4 pieces to the order which seems fair enough at 6 bucks. The flavor was decent and it could have used a higher quality parmesiano reggiano shavings. Since I have only had this dish a few times ever, I'm not clear if the fried capers are standard. They were the hefty size capers and frying them gave a different texture and extra saltiness...interesting.

The beef tacos were very tender...that is the first thing I noticed. Deep beefy flavor here...duh! At 6 bucks, there was actually a nice pile of beef and hot corn tortillas to boot. It only came with a topping of salsa and white onions, which sucked for me since I hate onions that are shaped like circles.

The piece de resistance was definitely the paella. You cant tell in the picture but there was actually a good amount of non-rice bits in here. The menu said it has mussells, clams, shrimp, calamari, chicken, pork rib, and chorizo. I would agree. The rice was tasty, well seasoned and had a tiny kick that I enjoyed. At 19 bucks, it was one of the more moderately high priced items on the menu, but it was very well put together. Apparently award winning as well.

One quibble. Parking sucks due to the number of businesses in this shopping center and the small spaces. Also, some of the menu prices do not match what we paid on the bill. We were told that the menus need updating. If we were the more pushy type, we might have made a deal of it, but we are a peace loving happy bunch aka the less drama the better. All in all, a nice date place in a surprising location where there isnt a whole lot of eating choices.....

The Mission- North Park

2010-10-14T17:56:00.000-07:00

2801 University Avenue

San Diego CA 92104

619-220-8992

http://www.themissionnp.signonsandiego.com/

Today I want to talk about friendships. Friendships need maintenance, agree? Friendships need attention and care, agree? Friendships need to feel satisfying, no? I value my friends. I like my social circle, but I value my inner quorum alot. If you are in the juicy middle, I will love, spoil, trust and give you attention like no other. Similarly, if you stab me in the back, there is almost no recourse for any kind of making up or getting back to where we used to be. At the risk of jinxing myself, I love my girls!

The girls and I went to brunch with one honorary girl (friend's bf) last weekend. Seeing as how I live the farthest, I had to of course sojourn over to NP (north park) to join the others. We chose Mission frankly b/c it is known for being cheap and good. Word of advice? Go early or be prepared to wait. I went at 9 on sunday and it was a short wait but when we got out at like 10 it was a packed house with about 15 people waiting outside and at least 10 more inside waiting around. Parking is straight up curb parking which can be easy or impossible depending on, well, your luck. If you want to sit, you better make sure your entire party is there with you b/c they are sticklers for this rule. Trust me, I had to wait 20 minutes since I was the first one there.

Soy Chorizo & Eggs $8.50
Soy Chorizo scrambled with eggs, served with black beans, cheese, chipotle cream and tortillas.

This is what one of my friend's ordered. She has had it before so she obviously likes it. The beans were kind of bland but otherwise cooked nicely consistency wise. The dumb thing about this plate is that salsa is not included and that you have to pay extra for it. Ugh. Dont get me started on restaurants upcharging for condiments i.e. a buck for sour cream, buck fifty for 2 ounces of salsa, etc. They even charged her extra to add a few extra sauteed tomatoes to her plate. It had to be less than a small roma tomato but I cant remember how much she got charged. Tortilla looks like a reheater. Eggs were cooked nicely. The portion size was plentiful with enough to take home too.

Mission Rosemary $6.75
Crispy rosemary potatoes, scrambled eggs, sautéed tomatoes, and grilled rosemary bread.

My dish. I have been somedays opting to be meatless just for digestion and chewing reasons. Gosh that makes me sound like an old toothless gaseous patheticon doesnt it? I asked for my eggs soft scrambled...yum. Perfectly done, not too runny. It did benefit from a little bit of salt if I am being honest as did the rosemary taters. I was glad to not have eaten a raw potato and had nice char to them without tasting like the grate on a dirty bbq. The tomatoes really shouldnt even be added on the menu as a highlight since there was very little of it and didnt really have too much flavor anyways. The bread. Disappointing. I am a bread lover, the more rustic sounding the better. I felt the bread was too soft and didnt have enough chew. The portion was generous and they have their own jam here...some kind of berry mix. Not overly sweet either. Still, the bread broke my heart.

Chicken Apple Sausage and Eggs $8.95
Chicken apple sausage is lightly sautéed, served with crispy rosemary potatoes, grilled rosemary bread, and eggs as you like them.

The other two friends got this plate. Its a good amount of food. I wont talk about the eggs, bread or taters since I just covered it. The sausage is nicely cooked. The pic makes it look burnt but I dont recall anyone complaining about burnt food so I'm sure its a lighting blip. I rather like the way the light hits the corner of the plate in almost a sunday afternoon kind of way. My friend took home a sausage and half her taters home btw in case that interests anyone.

I'm just gonna go ahead and say that this is probably the most awesome pic in this entry. I dont know if you agree, but the bacon just is screaming to be eaten. It was perfectly cooked, thickly sliced and perfect combo of salt and sweet that bacon should be. Not too fatty but not that I would complain if it was. That is part of the reason why you eat bacon...duh! If you can see in the left corner, this is the other chicken sausage breakfast that was ordered. Stacks pretty high right? A small population of you might notice the beer on the right corner of the pic. Friend's bf stated that it was the weekend and he could drink if he felt like it. This is a side order of bacon btw. I think it came with 4 slices but if not, it was at least three. Couldnt tell you the price of adding a side of bacon...but if it spoke to you the way it seems to do to me, it might be hard to pass on next time.

All in all, a decent haul for sunday brunch. For 4 of us adults with one beer, one oj, and one mocha milkshake (dont ask), the damage was like 52 bucks before tip. They offer alot of healthy dishes as well...apparently we are a bunch of gluttons though.

Cheesecake Factory- Otay Mesa

2010-10-10T04:47:00.000-07:00

2015 Birch Rd # 705
Chula Vista, CA 91915-2007
(619) 421-2500

For me, this place is kind of like a love hate thing. Love some of their food choices, portion sizes and the fact that they dont use styrofoam for the takeout boxes- hate their prices, long lines, the mass producedness of it, etc. Once in a long while, I let myself come here and just dive in. That is, always in the day time, never during a holiday weekend, and only with a friend. Plus I dont get the cheesecake so somehow I feel better about it like I'm going against the grain or something. If you have never been, it is a chain of sit down restaurants with a fat menu of choices ranging from omelettes to steak to gumbo to pastas and some attempts at asian food...not to mention many cheesecake and non cheesecake dessert offerings with a full bar service. Glossy menus, servers decked out in white shirts and pants, shiny displays to tempt you into taking some sweets home. Whole shebang.

I happen to come here with a new friend who I am trying to hook up with my sister. If I find my sister a nice man, then my mother can relax and sleep...since according to my mom, she cannot sleep or relax knowing that my sister is still unmarried and alone. So we met here so that I could interrogate him and also to tell him a little about her...so old fashioned huh??? We ate outside since I am a hot blooded freak who needs to constantly feel cool even in 60 degree cali weather...which is cold for us!

Chicken Madeira. Our most popular chicken dish! Sautéed Chicken Breast Topped with Fresh Asparagus and Melted Mozzarella Cheese. Covered with Fresh Mushroom Madeira Sauce and Served with Mashed Potatoes (taken from website directly courtesy of The Cheesecake Factory Website).

My eating mate swears by this dish. He claims to order it every time. I have recently decided that I dont really like chicken...no reason...no understanding of why. A hefty portion. Those potatoes are ridiculously good. Like I couldnt stop stealing some off the plate good. Its topped with a few asparagus spears but I felt like it either should have given more asparagus or just not even included them to start with. Too much of a teaser. The sauce was good...but not great IMO. Those potatoes though....

My choice, Shrimp and Chicken Gumbo (minus the chicken). Shrimp, Chicken, Andouille Sausage, Tomatoes, Peppers, Onions and Garlic Simmered in a Spicy Cajun Style Broth with Cream. Topped with Steamed White Rice. They also give you the option of brown rice which is what I chose. To be healthy duh! Ok so here is the deal about this one. I liked it better the last time around, but Im not sure if it was b/c I got it at the Fashion Valley location, operator error, maybe the chicken makes it tastes a little better, etc. I still liked it, but it lacked the creamy factor that I liked in the last time I had this dish. The shrimp was a good size and they gave you more than enough in the dish. The portion size was generous as well. It was definitely missing something this this time around which made me frown a bit. But dont let that give you the idea that I would order anything else next time around without much consternation. It still ranks in my top 3 things to order there....

So I lumped the other two photos in the same line. They always give you complimentary bread while you wait for your food. I personally prefer the dark oat bread with a dab of butter. A touch sweet and bready all at once. It also has a french bread roll accompaniment btw. The cake was the Black Out Cake. Chocolate cake with chocolate chips, nuts, whipped cream and a fudge icing layer. In case you cant tell from the picture, many layers of cake and chocolate in between. Large slice of course. My friend says that if you take the cake and warm it in the microwave for 27 seconds, it is heaven. But then again, he doesnt like whipped cream so ya.... just kidding!

Happy eatings...brain...is...slowly...going....kaput.

Goody's Deli- National City/ Mile of Cars

2010-10-09T23:19:00.000-07:00

340 W. 26th street, Suite E
National City, CA 91950
619-477-4845
facebook.com/goodys.sushi

Say what you will about social networking site i.e. facebook. It made the probable creator into a billionaire, which I want to be so freaking bad. It has reconnected long lost friends, reunited family members, allowed people to stalk on others anonymously, helped people market their inventions/ businesses, etc. Through FB, I caught glimpses of this awesome looking sushi rolls via a friend's post and stopped in last week to check it out myself.

Its located in an industrial-ish building tucked behind In and Out near the National City Mile of Cars. Thanks to the greatness that is mapquest, I got lost immediately but was able to find my way relatively quickly. Coming into the restaurant, you will see that it is on the small size. But the staff are welcoming and make you feel like you have been coming for years! .They havent been open that long so I dont know if there are other plans decor-design wise. The menu features salads, sushi/ sashimi, sandwiches and other items.

For the sake of integrity, I will mention that when I walked into the deli, the sushi chef/ owner looked very familiar. After some small talking, we realized that there is a very good chance that we know each other and definitely have alot of mutual friends between us. But I also saw how they greet and interact with several other customers while I was trying to narrow down my choices and its clear that they love what they do. No bitter bettys here!

Shots from the area directly in front of the cashier and sushi counter. Simple operation but efficient. Only took a few minutes to get my 2 rolls and side salads. It actually took me longer to pick my rolls than to get my food lol. Food specials on the board.

Side salad with their fresh made dressing. Citrus, ginger and creamy. Love it. I wonder if they sell it separately? Seriously. I ordered two rolls, one with spicy tuna, red fish eggs and yellowtail and the other with spicy krab, albacore and seaweed salad. I know one of the rolls was the Al Bundy but I cant remember the other roll's name for the life of me. Fresh fish for sure. Creative rolls. Average price seemed to be between 8-11 bucks a roll. The rice was not too heavy or vinegary and good ratio to the fillings. Nice size rolls as well. I also heard the next customer rave about the sandwiches there...They are about 5 bucks each with choice of chips/ fries so it sounds like a good deal. Just look at their FB page to see more pics of their offerings....i couldnt find an online menu with descriptions for you guys to see.

Warning, they do take the customary 2 hour closing between lunch and dinner to prep for the night rush so dont come between 230 and 430/5. Parking is more than plentiful. They have at least a few things on special according to their board and facebook wall posts. We will be back....part deux. This place could seriously be on the sushi rotation for me along with my other die hard place!

What do you keep in your fridge?

2010-10-09T15:19:00.000-07:00

Every weekend I methodically prepare for the next week foodwise. No more dirty dishes in order to have clean glass tupperware and reusable water bottles for the work week. Prepping staple items to keep in the fridge. Grocery shopping only if necessary since I am trying to eat down my pantry and freezer lately. The most time consuming part of this process however is cooking my breakfasts and dinners for the week. I love having soup for bfast several times a week, my favorites being scratch made tomato soup with whatever is in my fridge for veggies, meat or pasta inside and korean seaweed soup. Sometimes I will make pasta for the week. Sometimes, grilling up the meat for the week. I loved having cubed watermelon and cleaned/ sliced berries ready to take and eat as well. Take a look:

Bottom row: kimchi, tofu, uncooked corn tortillas, guac, russian pickled tomatoes, and my famous water bottle. Middle row: brown rice with leftover 1/2 trader joe's chile relleno (so good and only 300-ish calories), leftover afritada and rice, asian pears, edamame, quiche that I had just made and portioned, homemade tomato soup with ravioli and kale and corn chowder. Top row: soymilk, vitamin water, club soda, day and night allergy meds, leftover chocolate sauce from claim jumpers, and ketchup. What is in your fridge?

If you looked today, you would find also 6 broiled potatoes, 5 boiled eggs, korean seaweed soup, homemade fettucine alfredo with broccoli, columbian vegetable sides, leftover chocolate cake from cheesecake factory, and a side salad. Happy eatings...

Sunday eats

2010-10-03T18:33:00.000-07:00

Life is funny isnt it? One minute you are arguing with a loved one, and the next, eating brunch with a friend who you hadn't connected with in awhile. Its sometimes as if one incident happened to one person and the other, another. Today was a day like that. Actually this weekend has been like that. Even retail therapy wasnt cutting the mustard all the way. The only think that kind of helped? Cooking and sharing. Seeing the look on my neighbor's face as they taste something for the first time, from one person's home to another.

In case you werent hungry yet, let me speed that process along for you. Here is a snapshot from our m-eating at the Daily Grind Cafe near SDSU (I have posted on it before: Daily Grind Cafe- Original Post). Since we didnt end up arriving till about 11, I decided to test out a lunch item. In fact we all did. I only took a pic of mine since we all got the same sandwich. Take a peek:

This is the turkey, avocado and bacon club. I havent had a proper sandwich in a while so this really hit the spot. Nice and large sourdough bread griddled perfectly. Swiss cheese inside with slices of tomatoes. Not too heavy on the mayo or the lettuce. Notice the fries? They are spectacular. I am normally a non-seasoned fry kind of chick ala in and out style, but these were tasty as all get out. They are wedge seasoned fries, perfectly fried and seasoned. Kind of reminds me of a way tastier and less burnt KFC fry. It was so big that I only ate half the sammy but I sure finished my fries. Hey I gave some to my friend's kid...they were three large fries by the way! In fact, that picture makes me want to go eat the other half right now....=)

Then I came home with an itch to cook. I guess I am trying to save $ and cook more at home. I wanted quiche to free up room in my itsy bitsy freezer so I have been thinking of making a quiche for awhile now. I also did not want to go to the market b/c I have a horrible habit of grocery shopping too often. The innards of the quiche? Edamame beans, shredded mozzarella cheese and sundried tomatoes. I thought it might be a bit of daring combo but I'm a badass so I did it and didnt event think twice. It came out rather nicely. I used heavy cream to mix with the eggs so the egg came out creamy and rich. My only faux pas- I should have used a few more eggs than the recipe indicated since it wasnt as tall as it usually comes out.

Neighbors loved their first brush with quiche as well as the kare kare I made for them with baby bok choy and mussels (normally made with oxtails I believe). I used a mix but I wasnt happy with it since I have been spoiled by my normal to-go place. I can never eat packet cooking again for Filipino food! Neighbors were entranced by my version though so I guess all is well that ends well.

Hanaoka- Sweetwater National City

2010-09-30T10:24:00.000-07:00

1528 Sweetwater Road Suite C

619-477-5173
Home Page for Hanaoka

For the record, I didnt want to dislike this place. It was perhaps ill fated to begin with since the sushi place we originally sought out to eat at was unexpectedly closed. So we went here b/c my friend knows the place pretty well. I ate here once (dont think I reviewed it) and felt it was meh. But I wanted to give it the good old second chance...besides we were hungry! Our waitress was very sweet and had the most adorable japanese accent. Sometimes accents are not so pleasant you know? They have a large menu. Ive seen larger sushi menus but they also have noodles (cold and hot), rice dishes, cooked fish dishes, salads and sushi boats. Not the prettiest of ambiance. I felt the price of their food was too high given the quality. Eek is that too harsh? First up... side salad. One came with the sashimi plate you will see later, the other had to be ordered separate. I didnt really care for their dressing...some pseudo1000 island concoction. Too heavy and thick for their standard slightly limp iceberg lettuce array. For 3.50 I definitely dont feel I got my $ worth. Still it was something to nosh on and help get you full i suppose. My friend also got a miso soup with his sashimi plate...he said it was standard.

This is the mixed handroll...dont know the price. It is freaking large and in charge for sure. You cant see it but the seaweed doesnt go all the way around due to its largeness. I see lots of rice though so that might contribute. According to my friend, this is good. Has tuna, crab mix, avo, and shrimp. I just could not get over the massivity of this thing.

This was one of my picks. The Hawaiian roll. Probably around 10-14 bucks. Overpriced for sure since it was just shrimp, crab and spicy tuna. However I do want to point out that it tasted pleasant and I was surprised by the secret ingredient of chili oil laid down on the plate before putting the roll on the plate, allowing it to seep into the rice. Nice touch. The spicy tuna part? Not so spicy but not bland.

This was friend's sashimi plate. $17 for 12 pieces of sashimi. The only fish I sampled was the albacore (yum, could have been sliced a bit more generously imo). It also came with salmon, tuna and one other fish I cant quite recall. The middle seaweed salad got me excited until i realized it was just decoration and completely unseasoned. also comes with a bowl of rice, along with the previously mentioned soup and salad.

The worst dish of the night. Baked crab roll. The only good thing about this roll is that the lady mentioned that it comes in half orders so we opted for the half. That spicy aioli? Not spicy. Would be surprised if it was aioli since it tastes similar to the lame salad dressing. The roll was not piping hot, the rice was not a good texture and the crab was too mayonaisey inside. I only ate one. It wasnt a cheap roll either come to think of it. Lame sauce.

Overall, I probably wouldnt come back for awhile unless I was outvoted by others. We went on a Wed night, so it wasnt too crowded or anything. Parking is more than plentiful as the business next door has gone belly up and its a strip mall actually. Our bill came out to 51 bucks and with tip, basically 60 something dollars spent here. I can say without a doubt that I can find better sushi at 51 bucks a pop in at least 2 different places. Sorry hanaoka and their fans....I will pass

Greek Style Chicken- El Cajon

2010-09-22T17:36:00.000-07:00

955 E. Main Street
El Cajon CA
619-588-2531

I know that its not the most authentic of places to grab a gyro. But dag-nab-it, I have a weak spot for this place. The portions are pretty sizeable, their tzasiki sauce is one of a kind, and their gyro meat has never disappointed me.

Greek Gyro Burger $5 plus change (add some more change to get the cheese). Very filling. The burger patty might look thin but combined with the gyro meat, its a fine balance. The cheese and the thousand island dressing on the bun might sound weird with the gyro meat but trust me, you at least have to try it once this way. My only quip is that the iceberg lettuce gets soggy quickly as does the bun. I wish they would toast the bun on the griddle a bit more...I'm sure they would oblige you if you asked but I didnt want to be a bother. It also comes with one serving of the famous tzatziki sauce. The bun seems like a standard issue bleached flour processed bun but it does the job. I ate one of the pickle slices on its own and it has a very spicy brine on it. Interesting.

Onion rings $2 something for the small size which still gives you about 8-10 hefty slices. More like a wet batter coating than a breaded coat. The onions were cut way too thick and wide for my liking and the batter while crunchy, could have used more taste. Keep in mind, I am very particular with onions and onion rings. Hate the crunch...onions really have to almost melt once bitten into for me to be ok with them. It works out for me about 50% of the time actually. I have also ordered the fries and zucchini fries before. Neither are really anything to write home about imo.

Since I rave about the sauce, it felt wrong not to show a picture of it. It has garlic, cucumber, yogurt and what tastes like sour cream??? I want to find out what is in this damn thing one day....an extra sauce container costs 50 cents--that I know for sure!

There is also another location off Graves where EC hits Lakeside. Their gyro is also a generous portion as is their salad. My boss raves about their chicken (their namesake) as well as their fish and chips. You will just have to test that out yourself. Now, as a reward for your loyal viewership I am going to share with you the secret I just found out today from the drive through lady. Diningjoint.com has coupons! I have been coming here for 3 years and never knew of any coupon so this is pretty big news. Good thing I dont live closeby or else I'd weigh 500 el bees. Ciao.

The Old Spaghetti Factory- Downtown SD

2010-09-22T06:14:00.000-07:00

275 5th Ave
San Diego, California 92101 (619) 233-4323

Impromptu birthday dinner with my friend, her sister and her aunts took me to dtsd. It took almost half hour to get a parking spot but it turns out that I had pleeenty of time before we were going to be seated. Since they dont take reservations by phone, we waited an hour to be seated. Once seated, everything rolled pretty smoothly though. In case you havent been before, every entree comes with a free non-alcoholic drink, side salad, bread and a cup of spumoni ice cream. In the words of the rapper Drake, we fancy huh? We had to upgrade to the cheese bread. Pretty good...cheesy for sure, I thought they could have gone a little longer in the crisper for more browner edges but that is my own personal quib.

After much prompting, I opted for the Manager's Favorite option $9.99 where you pick two of the following sauces: meat, mushroom, white clam sauce, mizithra cheese w/ browned butter or marinara sauce. I picked the mizithra and mushroom. Guess I didnt feel meaty today. They have a pretty right on marinara base for their sauce. The mushrooms seemed more of an afterthought than a rich component in the sauce but still good either way. I like that you can request gluten free or whole wheat pasta too--I opted for whole wheat. The mizithra? Here's my dos centavos on that. Tasty, yes. It has almost a chewy texture. I think it is more the browned butter that gives such a nice base to the pasta dish though. I wish they wouldnt let the two pastas mix sauces though....

Friend's garlic mizithra pasta $10.99. It had the mizithra cheese, browned butter as well as garlic, bacon and sauteed mushrooms. She always gets the mizithra pasta and said that she prefers that better than this. I tried it and couldnt really taste the garlic. I thought it was still decent but didnt seem that the other things really jazzed it up as much as the menu suggested. Decent size portion.

Small side of brocooli $2.95. Prepared with the same mizithra cheese and browned butter (notice a theme?). Not overcooked, but I wasnt too impressed. Seemed a little bland in my humble opinion.

Lasagna vegetariano $9.99. Cheese, alfredo sauce, artichokes, squash, carrots, zucchini, mushrooms and marinara sauce. Does anyone know why many places like to make alfredo sauce and marinara sauce the office mixture for veggie lasagna? I dont like to mix sauces and certainly not alfredo and marinara. They are like opposite sides of the coin in my book and I dont like them combined! Yes I feel that strongly about it.

There were more entrees but I didnt get to take pics. The cheese bread went over well. The regular lasagna and chicken marsala had a thumbs down from one of the aunts. The shrimp ravioli was well received and recommended for next time. Spumoni of course was a winnerl. We also ordered a slice of bday cake for us three bday girls. Very strong coffee taste in their mocha ice cream cake...not a winner with me but other eaters loved it. Overall I might come back but NOT on a saturday dinner night. An hour wait? it better be free if I have to wait that long for some food lol.

La Finca D'Adobe- Bonita area

2010-09-21T06:01:00.000-07:00

5202 Bonita Rd
Bonita CA 91902
619-733-7131

Hubby and I had driven past this place a few times and always said "I wonder if that place is any good". Neighbor was a sport and indulged me on my whim while hubby was away on a certain TT (Taco Tuesday). They advertise specials occasionally and parking lot seems welcoming. Here is the interior:

Not sure it translates well in this picture but I adored the decor. Come to think of it, it really doesnt show here at all. Very southwesternish and not cheesy or faked southwestern decor. Separate bar area. Big menu.

Fresh chips. Decent salsa, but made on premises. I am such a salt monster...especially crunchy chips.

I got the carne asada steak with cheese enchilada, guac, beans and rice and accompaniments. I think it was about 12 bucks or so. Nice portions. Steak was very tasty actually. My beef loving neighbor loved it. Took alot of it home but that is b/c I filled up on chips!

Neighbor's CAB aka carne asada burrito. It looks sad b/c its all alone on the plate, but apparently it was filling and tasty. It looked a decent size although I have seen taco shop versions here and there that are bigger. Jam packed with meat though if you can tell....

Overall, I'd come back. I want to bring hubsters here of course but I want to try their TT specials. Service was attentive and for you sports freaks, a few sports things blaring on tvs at the bar.

Craw Island- Chula Vista

2010-09-20T05:28:00.000-07:00

509 Telegraph Caynon Rd
Chula Vista, CA 91910

Ever since I moved past the 8 and the 15, I have missed the food choices around my new hood. It is dearly lacking in flavor, health, flavor and options. I have loved Crab Hut since the day we went for the first time, shortly after they opened. Since its more of a pain to drive all the way over there and then do the parking fight in that tiny ass parking lot, I was so excited to try Craw Island which is basically a Crab Hut themed place. They do offer a specialty that the OG Crab Hut doesnt--crepes and boba! The place is pretty small but not tiny. Parking is better than the OG predecessor. Here is the poorly shot outside pic:

Modest place. Friendly staff. The station by the window is where they make the crepes. I still think about those delicious things!

Crab rangoons. Served with a sweet tomatoey sauce. I think it came with 6 to the order. Adequate, not the greatest.

But I didnt come for crab rangoons. Here is the main squeeze. More corn and sauage than crab hut. However, the flavor just wasnt right on. Missing something. We got the mild but it was still spicy for my neighbor. Spicier than I imagined mild would be as well. I'd say nice try, but needs more work. Plus the corn was overcooked. No one likes mushy corn!

IMHO, this was the best part of the meal. We got the nutella crepe with almonds. Fan-freakin-tastic. That is coming from a person who doesnt usually go goo-goo-ga-ga over sweet things. Perfectly cooked crepe. I could have had a second one to share or at least my own crepe with no sharesies.

Overall? I'd only come here for the crepes or in a "I need crab hut like the dickens but I just cant possibly drive all the way to convoy for it" kind of occasion. Crepes anyone? Nutella!!!! Ok I will stop. =)

Fiesta Cantina- Hillcrest

2010-09-19T07:57:00.000-07:00

142 University Ave ste G
San Diego, CA 92103
(619) 298-2500

Neighbor and I often do TT aka Taco Tuesday. We tried out a new place so as not to tire of our usual regular spot. This was the Fiesta Cantina...TT special is $5 AYCE tacos, chicken or carne asada or ground beef. It comes with one serving of rice and beans as well. Each person must buy a beverage however, but each drink during HH is buy one get one. Come on an empty stomach. Here is the ambience...can you dig it?

The waiters dont all go shirtless. Just one of them on this day. I wasnt complaining though =)

Here is a picture of the daily specials menu. I get the feeling you come here more for the cheap drinks than the food however....And the eye candy.

Nice portion size right? I so wanted to like the tacos. The meat was pretty bland and the salsa sucked. Poop. The beans were blah. However the rice was flavorful and the only really tasty thing on the plate. I didnt know that the beans and rice were a one time deal and thought that I had to "clean the plate" to get more tacos so I forced myself to eat it all so I could try the other tacos. The things I do for you guys! I wasnt made aware that I couldnt get more rice until I ordered the second tacos. I really wanted to try chicken so I ordered some of those.

Dont they look good??? They werent. Salty and dry tasting chicken. Even neighbor didnt like them and there is rarely a beef or chicken that he wont eat. It makes me sad just thinking about it.

I wish I could report that the ground beef taco was any more tasty. I will leave it at that. Sad times.

This was my B1G1 beverage. Watermelon martini. Again, looks so divine, but taste fell short. Plus I had two of these things to drink so I made neighbor drink the other one. Life is so hard isnt it?

Overall, I would come back but not for the food. The food might taste better the more you get drunk. Parking is hit or miss. Seems to be a popular neighborhood spot. Oh and beware of the bathrooms. Co-ed.

La Finca D'Adobe- Bonita

2010-09-18T17:53:00.001-07:00

5202 Bonita Rd, Bonita, California 91902(619) 773-7131

Hubby and I have driven past this place a few times and thought it looked kind of cool. Since he is away, neighbor and I tried it out on TT day (Taco Tuesday). Here is a pic of the inside:

Not sure it translates in the picture but the inside decor is pretty cool. Very southwesterny. Two separate eating areas. Big menu.

Counterpoint- Golden Hills

2010-09-18T16:57:00.000-07:00

830 25th St
(between F St & E St)
San Diego, CA 92102

(619) 564-6722

www.counterpointsd.com

I was supposed to come here once before but my plans had changed. Since a friend of mine is good friends with one of the bartenders, it was inevitable that I would venture onto this place again though. Location wise easy to find. Parking is street only. Neighborhood is kinda rough but also lots of beautiful older 1920s style Victorian and Craftsman style home too. The interior is kinda cool decorwise as well. We sat in the cool kids booth by the bar with a colored glass chandelier ball thing hanging high above. Check it out:

Sorry for the yellowy pic. Iphone does not have the best camera despite raving online blog reviews on the iphone 4 prior to my decision to take the plunge. Large selection of beer and wines- no hard liquor guys. Bar food with a twist menu. We went on a Saturday night so no happy hour deals here.

Pork sausage and asiago cheese pizza $14. Very cheesy. Good size portion. I could have used a bit more sauce on the pizza myself but I love tomato sauce.

Grilled cheese $10. The bread apparently is baked locally at bread & cie. Menu says almost a 1/4 lb of Cahills-Porter cheese, a dark Irish cheese. The cheese has such an intense flavor and a large portion as well for the sammy. It is served with cole slaw thing on the side. It will definitely fill your grilled cheese craving.

Pain Frites $6. Basically, toasted "fries" of french bread, topped with melty blue cheese. You dip it into this crazy concoction of champagne, honey and jalepenos. Sweet and spicy basically. Its definitely worth a try.

The food is definitely guilty pleasure inducing. Cheese galore, thick breads, and libations to boot. =)

Guess who took a little hiatus...

2010-09-18T16:29:00.000-07:00

I have a few semi-acceptable reasons why I have been MIA. I thought we were on a break. Its not you its me. I have been sick with what they call bronchopneumonia aka walking pneumonia. Plus it was my bday.... Is that good enough? Can we move forward?

I couldnt decide which mediterranean food place to eat after my thrift store shopping ventures failed today. All I found was a lousy $4 wine rack. Im not gonna lie, the cheap price signs drew me in like a moth to a flame. Its basically a small middle eastern foods mom and pop supermarket with a few hot foods in their deli. Due to severe language incompatibilities, it took for-e-ver to order anything. I just ended up going for a few of their beef kebabs. Whopping total: $2.07 for three decent size kebabs and cucumbers and tomatoes on the side. Plus I picked up some canned hummus for a special someone who loves getting my packages.

The verdict: I would come here again. The meat tasted kind of gamey, was nicely cooked and the veggies were very fresh. For basically 2 bucks. Best deal in town.

Athena Foods

435 W. Main Street, El Cajon CA 92020

619-442-2300

Corner Bakery- Mission Valley area

2010-08-09T07:21:00.000-07:00

In a desperate search for free wifi last week, I found myself at Corner Bakery on the same block as the Mission Valley Mall. Here was my experience in a few nutshells:

Free Wifi in case you missed it in the intro; very strong signal I might say
Plentiful parking but the inside can get crowded depending on the meal time
Sandwich size was large but the bread felt dry. Booo since it looked so dang scrumptious when it came to the table. The roast beef was tender but I could have used some more inside (this is saying alot since I usually complain that there is too much sandwich meat).
Their tomato soup is NOT the business although it is one of their daily specialty soups. Twice now I got this soup and twice I was not happy. The focaccia bread on the side is nice and chewy though.
Their store brand tater ships are very good...crunchy and salty!
They didnt give us evil death ray looks when we studied for a few hours
Their chocolate chip cookies on the other hand ARE the business. Deee-lish.

Official website: http://www.cornerbakerycafe.com/home.aspx

Louisiana FriedChicken- Spring Valley

2010-08-08T07:08:00.000-07:00

Quickie cuz thats the mood I am in currently:

I had a mean craving for fried and battered __________ with hot sauce so I gave this joint another chance. I rarely eat fried chicken and I havent always been happy with the caliber of the food here on previous occasions. They offer the usual suspects i.e. fried chicken/ shrimp/ fish/ gizzards and sides like mashed taters, collard greens, gumbo, rolls, mac salad, etc. Now they offer mac and cheese! And yams and potato salad but that doesnt excite me much. For optimal fried skin real estate, I went with the 4 chicken nuggets with a side of mac and cheese and side of mashed potatoes. See here:

Okay so here is the down low on this meal. The mashed taters were the biggest disappointment. Looks like a deep intense gravy...it wasnt. Potatoes tasted too instant-y and gravy was very bland. The mac and cheese was decent...Not enough on the cheese, too much on the sauce. The chicken nuggets were 2 bucks for four and they didnt make me happy either. Portion was small and the batter didnt have the same taste/ texture as I remember their actual fried chicken pieces having. It was made of white meat however so I could feel a little righteous about that I suppose. Bottom line? It will probably be awhile before I go back here.

Corporate website: http://www.louisianafriedchicken.com/

San Diego Desserts update only

2010-08-07T19:08:00.000-07:00

I went there recently for a study sesh and found out some new things I want you guys to know about. You can always go back to my archives for my previous posts on this place.

They have free wifi
They do party bus trips to a winery in Temecula every so often along with the stay-cation days at the store with themed food nights
Its a dog-friendly atmosphere if you eat in their decent size patio area
They take mac and cheese up a notch in chicness. They make theirs in a white cheese sauce, dont use shells or regular elbow pasta (my guess is a rigatoni pasta), and they....use duck. Duck Confit Macaroni and Cheese to be exact. Its rich, not oily, the duck was a good balance of fat and meat, and a perfect size portion. It goes very well with #6 FYI.

They have happy hour deals for food and alcohol.
They have awesome truffle and parmesan cheese fries. Shavings of salty parm. Truffle oil. Shoestring fries perfectly fried and balanced.

Just because...

2010-07-30T06:35:00.000-07:00

This will be short and sweet. Filipino style roast pig, which is like special big party event food. This was taken in line at Tita's on Plaza Blvd. Its super good especially with the sweet sauce, but I cant eat any of the extremities or head parts. Only the main body section b/c I'm a weanie and cant stand to be reminded of where my food really comes from. Tip: I have also seen them sell the head as it is for $15 which is a good deal since its at least 10 times that expensive for the whole pig. Happy eating =)

Bonnie Jeans's Soul Food- San Diego

2010-07-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

You have probably driven by here a dozen times and not bothered to go it, didnt really notice it, etc. I know since I was in the first category...until today. The other day, one of those restaurant coupon sites had a special with this place and I finally had a reason to try it. My co-worker egged me on with her praises of this place so I caved. Their website is on hiatus currently but just google it in a few days. Off the bat, it had one strike- it didnt open on time. They dont open till lunchtime on the weekdays so I timed that shizz. The wait for the food took about half hour but I can tolerate some of that since I had skype, an iphone 4 and not too big of an appetite. Plus I had visions of delicious soul food running through my head.

This is the interior. A random collection of tables. I should have taken a picture of the one I was sitting on since it was red, white and blue with yellow cushions in the form of a picnic table. I was a fan of the chandellier in the back of the restaurant myself. They also sell a few hallmark-ish novelty items in the front area i.e. bookmarks, tshirts, frames, etc.

Fried chicken basket. It came with a thigh and a drumstick. Freshly fried with a very light interesting skin. Not as thin as panko but way less dense than like KFC/ Popeyes style. I was tempted into eating the skin, which i never do. I liked it with my hot sauce alot.

I ordered the cole slaw with it. Another interesting variation. They added tomatoes and red onions to the slaw mix. I am going to copy the tomato idea for sure. It was mayo based for sure but the tomato definitely helped cut the creaminess of the slaw. The only mark against it? The cabbage was browning a bit...even the mayo cant hide that.

The other item we got was the hot links platter. I have to preface this with strike 2. They didnt have ribs! Apparently they were getting ribs in later today from the market....that was the one thing I was craving when I planned to come to this place. So I opted for hot links since its still pork. Decent flavor. Sadly, it just made me crave ribs more since the bbq sauce was pretty freakin tasty. The collard greens are damn good...not bitter or too vinegary. Strike three you ask? They gave me the wrong sides. I asked for mac and cheese, not the greens. But since I ended up liking the greens, I'll stay quiet. The red beans and rice in the corner? Decent. Not the best.

Overall, I would come back sometime. I already know what I want too. Ribs plate with collard greens, mac and cheese, and either fried pickles or green tomatoes to start. Who's coming????

Daily Grind Cafe- College area

2010-07-28T07:11:00.000-07:00

Having a friend who went to SDSU comes in handy at times. She stayed at my bed and breakfast this weekend and instead, we went to eat bfast at this little gem called Daily Grind. She swears by it. At first glance, I was skeptical. FROM THE OUTSIDE, it looks small and quaintish (in a bad way). Inside, the atmosphere is more like the old Craftsman house with their own unique traits and it was pretty full when we got there. No wait though at 1030 Saturday, but my friend attributed that to SDSU being out for the summer. They dont have an official web page that I could find but here are some of their particulars:

6695 El Cajon Blvd
(between 67th St & Montezuma Rd) San Diego, CA 92115

619-697-0750

See what I mean? It just looks like one of those older businesses that are around that neighborhood. But take a trip inside, you will probably be happy you did.

My friend got the eggs, pancake and 4 bacon combo but she only wanted them to give her 2 of them! Blasphemy! The eggs were very creamy tasting, bacon chewy and pancakes were of decent diameter. Overall a very decent rendition of the classic eggs and pancake duo.

As for me, I went with one of their 10 versions of eggs benny. Mine was with corned beef hash and eggs with no runny yolk. If memory serves me right, they also have a version with a sausage patty, meatless, avocado, etc. It comes with house potatoes (cooked to nice doneness but a bit bland in taste). The bread could have been a bit heartier since it got mushy pretty quickly. The hollandaise sauce was good (the best sauce I ever had was from this place in Virginia Beach). The corn beef was probably the canned kind but I like that sometimes. We ordered a side of fruit to break up the grease pockets in our food. The fruit was very fresh and ripe.

Overall, I'd definitely come back. Maybe try another benny dish or maybe french toast. Its pretty cheap overall. On the board when you walk in, they list specials for the day. That day, it was a 7oz steak with eggs for around 7 bucks. Not bad these days my friend.

Denny's 2468 menu

2010-07-27T13:28:00.000-07:00

Let me preface this by saying I LOVE A GREAT DEAL. I know Denny's is...well Dennys. Kinda like that old pair of tennis shoes in your closet that still serves a function so you cant bear to part ways with it and gosh darn it, its still comfortable too! So when they came out with their new promo of menu items for 2, 4, 6, 8 dollars, I have been trying to find time to get over to there and see if it lived up to the hype.

Here is a link to their special promo menu:

http://www.dennys.com/en/page.aspx?ID=253&title=$2+$4+$6+$8+Value+Menu

I wasnt too hungry so I just got 2 items off the menu, the cheese fries and the red white and blue poppers. See below.

Our wavy-cut French fries smothered in cheese sauce and shredded Cheddar cheese. For 2 bucks, an equal portion size. I dont really like the new shape of their fries...what was wrong with the old straight fries? Cheese sauce was pleasant. I cant imagine eating a whole plate of these fries b/c they are kind of heavy but nice mild flavor to the cheese sauce.

(Couldnt find it on their online menu)I wasnt sure that I would like these but the white chocolate chips drew me in. Plus it was fried and in tiny portions. Basically had no choice in the matter. They were fresh out the fryer when they arrived on the table. Nice crunch on the outside, soft and cake-donutey on the inside. There were probably about 5-6 in the cup. The brown stuff on the side? pancake syrup.

I'd go back and try the biscuit and gravy with eggs or hash brown for $2. Seriously, 2 bucks??? What else were you gonna do with that pocket change?

Fairouz Cafe- Point Loma

2010-07-06T13:52:00.002-07:00

Fairouz Cafe Website
3166 Midway Drive #102
San Diego, California 92110
Phone: 619.225.0308

A friend and I went here for lunch one Friday afternoon after she had eaten here once for their lunch buffet. Who am I to disagree on a great review of lunch buffet for 8.99? Its on Midway in a small plaza on the east side of the street. Its a relatively small place and has cool art work for sale and display on the walls. The buffet looks like a pretty small selection but surprisingly, we were surprised by the variety as well as how stuffed we got. Also, the manager was super nice and just so welcoming that it made you feel like you were old friends coming by for some QT. On to the food...

Okay so I know the pictures are not swell and they certainly dont do the food any justice. However, I only took pictures of the buffet items I or my lunch mate enjoyed. The potatoes were flavorful, properly cooked but not mushy and had a tomatoey savory base. The cabbage was a surprise with a nice lemony flavor. The soup reminded me of asian porridge with the lemon incorporated in the soup base. Would be great comfort food. I went back for seconds on the potatoes and my friend went for seconds on the cabbage.

The gyros meat was juicy and flavorful--only gripe was that the meat was shaved on the smaller side (not as pretty). The chicken was lemony and fall off the fork cooked. The tomato with eggplant has a KICK! If you cant handle spicy, stay away. I liked it alot but I'm a pepper fiend. Its served room temp I believe.

Last item: Bas Bas is a wheat, honey and yogurt dessert. Intense honey taste, with a texture similar to cake/ muffin hybrid. My friend loved it, but I have a love hate honey relationship. They also have fruit and yogurt in the dessert area. Generic desserts. I was hoping for more of a nice dessert variety.

My only quibble about this place was that they let the bins get too low so you would sometimes end up with the bits and pieces on the more popular items. To be fair, it was lunch time so maybe thats why it was harder to keep things replenished. They had a fair assortment of teas as well. If I had more money I seriously would have walked away with a piece of art from the walls. They also sell simple made jewelery on site as well.

Old Venice- Point Loma

2010-07-05T13:42:00.000-07:00

Old Venice Restaurant- Point Loma

2910 Canon Street
Point Loma, California 92106
(619) 222-5888

Truth be told, this is my third time here. Some friends of friends frequent this eatery often and even work there. I will still be as objective as the next person however. We were only here to eat a few appetizers this time but I will add some commentary about other items we tried in the past. They have a decent menu size with pasta, pizza, sandwiches, seafood, salads and other meat dishes. I notice an Italian fusion kind of theme based on my limited experience. We went on a Friday night around 730 and sat in the main dining area--they also have a bar area as well as an outside garden area. On this friday, they had a great dj playing nineties hip hop which was random as the crowd was not a typical hip hoppy crowd. By the time we were leaving around 10-1030, there was a live musician preparing to play on his keyboard. The crowd is...random. I hear its known for cougars and for may december romances. Again, just what MY observations were. If you know the area, it seems very plausible given the Point Loma money and the boating community down the street. Beautiful houses in the area by the way. Now on to the food already!

Steamed mussel, dinner portion. Comes with a sesame garlic toast loaf. Here is the menu description: STEAMED MUSSELS . . . . . $12.75

New Zealand green lip mussels steamed in a garlic, tomato,
basil, and Madeira wine sauce

Here is the lowdown. Delicious. Probably about 8-10 per order. Not overcooked and very refreshing. Tastes fresh and you can definitely pick up the wine undertones. We halfway contemplated asking for a spoon to finish the sauce, but we exercised a modicum of self control this time. This time.

FOCCACIA . . . . . small $11.50, large $13.50
Italian herb bread baked with pesto, mozzarella and
parmesan cheeses, fresh roma tomatoes, basil, and feta cheese

This is fan-freakin-tastic by the way. The crust is thin with crunchy on the outside edges and soft on the main part of the triangle. Sorry the picture has a weird glow. Apparently we were too hungry to wait for a untouched picture of the food to be taken before digging in. Large chunks of feta, thin slices of tomato and large ribbons of fresh basil. Im normally not a pesto girl, but this dish works. We ordered the small size and I want to say it yielded 6 slices but I could be wrong. Get it (I noticed on their website that their lunch menu has a lunch version for about 3 bucks cheaper).

HOMEMADE COOKIE . . . . . $3.25
A giant 6 ounce chocolate chip, walnut, oatmeal cookie topped with
more chips and covered with pecans....heavenly when heated and topped
with any flavor of gelato

The cookie was chewy in a perfect way. Cookie was warm, vanilla gelato was perfectly sweet and creamy and toasted pecans a nice touch. See the vanilla beans speckles? If we werent so full, we would have licked this plate clean too.

I have also had in the past the following items:

Roasted Garlic Bulb: roasted garlic and brie cheese with house bread. Thumbs up
Walnut Gorgonzola Salad: Tomato, caramelized onion, red potato, caramelized walnuts and
imported gorgonzola on gourmet greens with blue cheese vinaigrette. The potato makes it.
Proscuitto Penne: garlic, onions, peas and proscuitto sautéed in a roasted tomato sauce
over penne pasta. I only had a bite of this but I know that my friends who go here frequently have this almost every time.
This last item, I dont see on the menu. My other friend swears by it. Its a squid ink pasta dish with linguini noodles. Ask the waitress and see what they say.

Okay, so thats it folks. Parking can be limited sometimes depending on the time of day. There is a back parking lot which is where we parked although Im not sure if you were supposed to. Its not super cheap here but doesnt break the bank either. If I lived closer, I might stop by a bit more.

Some BBQ food porn

2010-07-05T12:42:00.000-07:00

Im sure that many of us had a grilling experience on the 4th. Good times with good friends. Even if there was one person sorely missed in my long weekend celebrations, we made the best of it. The spread: mac and cheese, pineapples, ribs, burgers, chicken, corn, rice, lemon pound cake and brats. Enjoy!

Hash House a Go Go- Hillcrest

2010-06-27T21:02:00.000-07:00

3628 5th Ave San Diego, CA 92103

(619) 298-4646

Official Menu

Hello folks! I have been overly consumed by a little bugger of a problem for the past few weeks. Which cell phone am I going to get? The Iphone 4g by ATT or HTC Evo by Sprint ? They are the two current heavyweights in the newest baddest sleaziest phones around and if I have to sign a contract and commit myself for 2 years to a greedy corporation, then I better get the best phone for my buck. I have been slowly going crazy between internet research, friend polling,making pros and cons lists, taking advantage of the companies' 30 day trial period, etc. Basically it came down to what can I live with and what irks me the most. If you want to know more specific findings, feel free to comment and I can impart the completely non-scientific results of my research and tears.

I finally crawled out of my she-cave for brunch with a gal pal. Yes I just said gal pal and I kicked myself in retaliation. We met at 830 for brunch at the Hash House, oftly reviewed I'm sure. It was between this and the Omelette House in La Mesa....looking back, I shoulda went with Omelette House. My thinking was, I want ALOT of food so I can have yummy leftovers. However that theory only works if you like your dish to begin with. I was very disappointed that I didnt enjoy my food! Its not that cheap there as you might know and now it just kind of whet my appetite for a brunch craving that will probably not get filled for awhile...

Drinks: Blood orange sparkling beverage from a bottle and their Asti mimosa of the day (I forgot the actual name or other ingredients). I dont know why I broke my either ice water with lemon or alcohol drink rule today--it was alright but I could have done without.

My order: Griddled French Toast (on their website as a spotlight dish). "Our signature Amish style bread dipped in a banana cinnamon cream with pecan maple syrup...a breakfast legend". It was huge of course with three toast pieces and a whole griddled banana on top. Way too sweet. I should have asked to have the syrup on the side. The bread was not as crunchy as it looked...disappointing. The pecans were yummy and candied. They also threw some strawberries on there for extra measure. Overall I ate 1/3 of one slice and not because I wasnt hungry. My friend's little bro will be eating that for dinner tonight I'm told. Maybe part of it is that I dont have the biggest sweet tooth, but still even I can appreciate a sinful french toast. This one, just didnt do anything for me.

My friend ordered herself the BBQ griddled flank steak with 2 eggs, potatoes, fruit and a biscuit. The mashed potatoes were fantastic, which is saying alot since I'm not a great fan of them. I like my taters roasted, fried, grilled, baked or crunchy somehow and its one of my worst cravings. The flank steak was supposed to be medium rare and I know from my Food Network education that cooked properly, this can be a flavorful cut of meat. Why did that sound dirty? However it tasted overdone, bland, and rubbery. Another fail. The portion was huge of course and my friend enjoyed her fried eggs enormously.

We also ordered a side of biscuit and gravy. Decent gravy of sausage base. The sausage chunks were good in my opinion but sparse--I didnt expect there to be any since the sausage was a part of the gravy base. The biscuit was huge and I only made it through half of one. The gravy was alright tasting but it was off mark. Tasted artificial. Maybe I was spoiled after eating biscuits and gravy in my vacation on the east coast? I sure hope not.

Overall, 25 bucks later I ate1/3 a slice of french toast and 1/2 a biscuit with gravy...oh yeah and 1/4 glass of organic orange sparkle drink. At least the wait wasnt bad. It will probably be awhile before I choose to come back here....damn you!!!!! ****To be fair, I dont recall having a bad experience on my previous visit here last year so maybe today was just an off day. Still there are too many brunch places to stick to one, especially if you werent in love with the food.

What would you do?

2010-06-17T17:04:00.000-07:00

The other day, I made a new friend. In the same day, I lost my new friend. I was on my way to a client's house in the middle of a not so nice area and saw a little black furball trotting along the sidewalk. It looked obviously homeless and downtrodden. I couldnt resist so I pulled over to try to look for a tag on its neck or something. The dog gave me chase and ran down the street. I jumped in my car and followed it around the corner, where it ran under a car. If you know me, you know I like to always be prepared. So this should come as no surprise that I had a bottle of water, dog bowl and dog food in my trunk. The only thing I lacked was a dog leash. I began by throwing pieces of kibble at the dog to lure her to me. Eventually she let me come close enough to sit about 3 feet away from her. Poor thing was mangy, either pregnant or been massively overbred, half blind with a funky ear infection. Saddest little face ever. I called animal control to ask them to come pick up the dog in case it had a little microchip under her skin. They told me that they wouldnt have anyone out there for at least an hour...I did not have an hour since I was running late! So I took the little pupperoni with me on my first visit with a client...ha. She only wanted to stay wrapped up in this fleece blanket I keep in my car and only wanted to stay on my lap. After the meeting I took the dog to the Bonita shelter...where I was promptly told that this dog was "out of the jurisdiction". Since when is a dog out of someone's jurisdiction??? What is the world coming to? They advised me to call National City's animal officer...who then informed me that there was no available officer until the following morning. I was advised to drop the dog off at the Chula Vista shelter before they closed. Another couple hours later, the dog was safely turned over to the shelter personnel...but not without an almost tear from old softie over here....

Does anyone else have crazy dog love? What is the silliest thing you found yourself crying over?

Still no pictures but if you can use your imagination...

2010-06-05T15:38:00.000-07:00

Dear hubby still hasnt uploaded my food adventures pictures from his camera so I cant share my vacation eating with you quite yet. Phoooey. Eating vacation style is fun for a few days but then I start to miss my own favorite comfort foods. Since I've returned from my vacay, I have been cooking up quite a storm. My camera situation is going to be improved a few notches next week when my IPHONE comes in! I am so excited I cant stand it. I've fought every impulse to get this phone, using every excuse in the book such as too expensive, dumb plan, better deal in the future, dont need it, cant afford it, its just a phase, etc. Ever since ATT announced their plan to get rid of the unlimited data plan, I was forced to essentially poop or get off the pot. So I did it. And with some careful application store picks, my monthly cell phone bill should actually drop by 5-10 bucks from my tmobile plan. I will also get a way better camera and faster phone in the process.

So back from my tangent. If you are hungry, my next few sentences wont help one bit. The last week's cooking adventures shaped up to be like this: korean seaweed soup, super egg scramble with spicy turkey sausage, tomatoes and potatoes, seaweed salad with krab, korean soy sauce eggs with beef brisket, soy milk and berry blend smoothies,etc. This offset by leftover grill foods courtesy of some good friends and some takeout Filipino food of sisig and kare kare. Those are two of my favorite items from that cuisine, tied only with the dish that I suddenly cant recall the name of (taro leaves in coconut milk and a little bit spicy) and pancit palabok. Those are the Filipino dishes I look for when I get takeout at the bakery near my house every 3 months or so. Even if the aunty in charge there is not nice at all!

Today, I cooked up a storm too. Partly to save money for the coming week eats as life was too costly for me in the past few weeks what with the iphone and paying for study related items. Mostly because I am procrastinating my studies for part two of my licensure exam. Dammit....why is it so hard to make yourself want to study???? So my cooking today consisted of blueberry and blackberry chocolate chip muffins, potatoes and green beans in curry sauce, tomato soup with triple cheese raviolis, vietnamese egg meatloaf as well as prepping fruits and veggies for the upcoming week. Most of the items have healthy substitutions inside i.e. low fat sour cream in place of heavy cream for the soup, no meat in the curry dish, muffin mix base was Fiber One brand, used only 1/3 of the recommended meat in the meatloaf and added extra vegetables in lieu of, etc. However, my meatloaf didnt come out exactly as hoped as I had the wrong kind of fish sauce and didnt put enough salt in the egg mix. It will still taste good with some hoisin sauce and rice though....

Happy weekend ya'll. Remember to reduce your water usage and recycle recycle recycle. The planet is showing signs of wear and frankly, we have had enough bad news/ devastation/ loss in the world lately....

Its been awhile....

2010-05-30T17:40:00.000-07:00

since my last blog but it was for good reason. Finally got to see my husband as he is in the service and on isolated deployment. Two weeks with him was me going back to normal, back to my baseline, back to basics. It wasnt a euphoric hyper romantic getaway but it just felt like I could forget that he hasnt been here for the past 6 months. Coming back to reality also meant coming back with a slightly renewed and altered vigor. Back to crunching down on the spending, my bipolar food intake, and working on the second part of my career goals. Part of that will be to expand the focus of my blog from time to time. Im going to now include items on cool new technological items, random blippets, and also will be trying to expand my cooking repertoire. I am trying to grow as a Korean cook, learn some other new dishes and one day buy a better camera than my handy dandy G1.

Are you along for the ride? Give me a minute and I'll be right back.

Yokoz Sushi Bar and Island Grill

2010-04-29T17:28:00.000-07:00

Has it really been one month since my last post? Geeesh!

Ever since I relocated to the southside, I have driven by this place countless times. I heard mixed reviews but more on the "meh" side. Yesterday, neighbor and I wanted to check out the new Convoy Pho and Noodle spot in that shopping center. Rainy weather and greediness had made us crave some good ole, cheap, good portion Vietnamese food. I guess I didnt see the "Coming Soon" banner underneath the store sign. Since we were already here, we decided to settle on Yokoz b/c the Chinese restaurant there looked sorta suspect.

Yokoz Sushi Bar & Islander Grill945 Otay Lakes Road, Suite L - N
Chula Vista, CA 91913
(619) 482-0134 Restaurant
Official website for YOKOZ

This is the menu. The glare could not be helped as we were seated right next to the window. It was about 4+ pages long and included a half page sushi menu as well.

Apparently we went on Wednesday Karaoke night. I was bummed that we were about 2 hours too early for that showdown. Everybody knows...a little place like Kokomo...thats where you wanna go to get away from it all. I wonder if people actually come out for this- feel free to chime in, yee who know the answer.

Interesting choice in presentation. This was the first item we ordered- Ahi Poke "our original seaweed salad topped with your choice with sashimi grade ahi or fresh tako". Honestly? I've had better. Something was just not complete about the flavoring of the seaweed salad...like the balance in taste/ ingredients. I would have wanted to see more tuna and a better quality in tuna. It wasnt very melt in your mouth quality that other versions have been around town. Portion size overall was decent.

Neighbor's choice: Galbi Short Ribs Kau Kau- "slightly sweet marinated short ribs, grilled to perfection". These come with either steamed white rice or red rice, as well as Grandma Rosie's Potato, Mama Mila's macaroni, cucumber or house salad. He liked his dish alot. I just sampled a bite of the red rice. Having never tasted red rice, I dont have a previous marker to compare it to. My impression is that the rice was very buttery. It seemed good but for some reason I thought it would have tasted more savory or sweet. The meat looked nicely grilled and not too fatty. Good portion size.

Final entree of the night: Shrimp Tempura Saimin- "special Japanese style noodle in an Asian broth, garnished with green onion and fishcake. Topped with shrimp tempura". This one was mine, regrettably. Broth was on the salty side, which is saying alot because I love salt. I had to add a ton of lemon to break up the overwhelming savory taste, which tasted awkward. I cant put my finger on it, but the broth just didnt do it for me. I was pleased with the kelp on top and the generous amount of it, since it wasnt even mentioned on the menu description. I would have rather seen the other kind of fishcakes of the Japanese variety, the kind that resemble shriveled light brown balls for taste and texture sake. The shrimp tempura was good but they only gave two pieces. I know its one of the cheaper menu items but two shrimps dont last very long. Noodle was slightly overcooked and soft. It did quell my rainy day soup craving however, but made me strangely sleepy on the way home--it is either from being too full, too relaxed or too much MSG.

Overall, my thoughts on this place are that I would return with a coupon or a group of people wanting to eat here. Thats more like a C grade I guess. The service was slow. It took about 20+ minutes for us to get even the salad on the table. I asked for lemons for my water at the counter and they didnt even bring them out after the 20 plus minutes of waiting for the salad...I had to ask them for lemons again. They also left the tray on the table when they brought out our entrees. In a sit down place? Is that some kind of restaurant faux pas or something? The prices are on the high side for the casual service and aura of the place i.e. order at the counter, get your own drinks/ straws/ hot sauce bar, etc. Unless they didnt hand them out until after karaoke night started, there didnt seem to be a special happy hour dinner or drink menu there. One thing that might redeem them: they seem to have a cheap lunch special deal, but we were too late for that. Again, feel free to comment if you have been here before.

xoxo

Heaven Sent Desserts- North Park

2010-03-31T09:22:00.000-07:00

I have been waiting for my friend to send me the pics...hence the delay on this post. First time visitor to the joint. Here is their website: http://www.heavensentdesserts.com/restaurant/restaurant.php. My gripe of course is parking. Its not a convenient place to try to park nearby as it is literally on the corner of University and 30th...between the pedestrian walk, fire lanes, bus stop and that its a major intersection, parking right in front is buyer beware. Prices range from about anywhere in the 3 dollar range to 8 dollar range for a single dessert. Apparently they serve coffee and tea as well but we didnt mess around with liquids...strictly dessert time folks.

My choice. It had me at parfait really. Attractive presentation with the clear hard plastic cases and mint leaf on top. I was worried that it might be too sweet or too minty but they did not disappoint. Flavors wrapped around each other seamlessly. What you cant see is that there are little chunks of white chocolate chips in the brownie layers. Its like little easter eggs! And it was one of the more reasonable items for the buck too....I shoulda got a second one for later since its probably seasonal.

My friend's choice. She took it home with her so I dont know how it tasted. Love those little silver edible balls as decor though don't you?

Red Velvet cupcake. Again, my friend's choice. Actually her toddler son ate this one in the car while we drove back to our house. He had no complaints let me assure you. He ate it in the way all tots do...nose dive into the frosting. Cute!

The employee was gracious in letting us take pictures and for hemming and hawing at the counter. I'd go back during a slow traffic day for sure. xxoo

Leftys Chicago Pizzeria- North Park

2010-03-30T21:03:00.000-07:00

Do you like pizza? I have to be in the mood for it actually but I'm a fan. I prefer a thicker crust than thin, heavy on the sauce, easy on the cheese and toppings like sausage, tomatoes, basil, artichoke, blah blah blah. Always with crushed red peppers. So a friend of mine told me Lefty's was worth a try so try I did...twice. This post will have pics from both visits. For those who havent been, its off 30th near Upas. Seating is very limited, 2 small tables inside with a few counter seats and 3 outside tables for 4. I am impressed with my seating observations this time... Parking is street parking and varies based on dinner/ bar crowd rush times. Staff has been super friendly both times in case you care about that kind of stuff. Their website: http://www.leftyspizza.com/index.htm. Food next:

Here we go. We did a deep dish which is 16" in size and did half and half of 2 specialty pies- the Gold Coast and Monster of the Midway. The Gold Coast is the half with the basil chiffonade over the top and has the following ingredients-grilled chicken, artichoke, sun-dried tomato, basil, elephant garlic. The Monster comes with a spicy mix of peppers and cauliflower which we asked for on the side as we had anticipated a 2 year old to share in the pizza eating. It is topped with sausage, pepperoni, hot giardiniera, elephant garlic. Doesnt the picture look scrumptious? Here is my humble opinion. Decent pie, although I cant vouch for authenticity as I have never been to Chi town, never lived there, have no pizza making gene in my Korean blood, etc. There was certainly alot of cheese. This is either a good or bad depending on how much you love cheese. I prefer a delicate balance so it was a bit too much for me. The crust is very dense. It wasnt airy as I would have liked. I couldnt eat more than 3/4 a slice, although I didnt think I would eat more than a slice of a deep dish pizza...sad face. Crusts are my favorite.

Loaded fries. Ingredients: sharp cheddar or bleu cheese, bacon, sour cream, scallions. We got half and half cheese. The fries are very good but decadent. They remind me of fat In and Out fries...YUM. The cheese is a mix of melted cheese with some sauciness. Like a mix of shredded cheese and Velveeta. Portion is pretty big...can easily feed 3 hungry adults as an appetizer or side item.

Chicago Hot Dog: steamed & served on a poppy seed bun w/ mustard, onion, pickle, relish, sport peppers,

celery salt, tomato & fresh cut fries. This was my first taste of this acclaimed regional dog. Average size, could have been larger in my opinion but again, I'm no expert. It was tasty how everything kind of balanced each other out. Despite having ingredients that could potentially overwhelm on its own, I enjoyed my bite and found that it actually mixed very well. Bun was softly steamed and didnt fall apart either.

Homemade meatball sandwich. This was the surprise of the 2nd night actually. Bread was crusty and nicely toasted. The meatballs were very tender and had built in spice which broke up the meatiness of the meat. After all, its meat, bread and sauce only. The size of the meatballs made it hard to take a bite so I ended up breaking it apart and eating with a fork. Sandwiches come with fries or if you get the loaded fries they can take 50 cents off your sandwich price instead. They make a nice marinara btw.

We also got mozarella cheese sticks. I didnt include a picture b/c they were basic. Good but nothing out of the ordinary. I'd say to save your money for something else on the menu. I really want to try one of the salads next time. Really, Im not kidding. They looked amazing on someone else's table and come in a homey wooden bowl ala my childhood. Another recommendation. If its your first time there, start with a slice. Its very easy to overestimate your hunger and have way too much leftovers. Well, at least if you buy into such a thing as too much leftovers...xoxo

Island Style Cafe- Tierra Santa

2010-03-29T20:33:00.000-07:00

Let me repeat. There is no good eats near my house. Especially any asian or island food. its not like i cant drive 20 or 30 minutes away to go fetch some of my fave asian foods, but dang....sometimes a girl just doesnt want to exert any effort for food. I had heard about this place from my friend who spent a few years in Hawaii and raved about the authenticity of this place compared to the original Hawaiian eats. So of course, I made the sojourn to Tierra Santa off the Santo Rd exit on the 52. The location was relatively easy to find but parking was a bit frustrating. I didnt eat the food there but the place was cozy and clean. If you read the website it tells you that they are a family business and that is exactly what you will see when you go there. Staff was very friendly, especially the female owner. When am I going to get to the food?!? Here is their website: http://www.islandstylecafe.com/

In being the first time here, I ventured in the safe zone and tried their plate lunch special. This is one of the more popular items I've heard. It comes with 2 kinds of meat choices (other meat choices arent included in the 2 item price), either rice or potatoes, and macaroni salad. My meat choices? Korean chicken and Teriyaki beef. Overall, all the flavors melded very well. The potato were seasoned simply and were similar to roasted potatoes for me. The macaroni salad was awesome...not grossly creamy, pasta cooked to the right softness/ al dente factor, and seemed to have bits of tuna and potato in it too. At least I think there were potatoes in the macaroni salad although maybe pieces of my potatoes fell into my mac salad?

A close up of the macaroni salad. There were bits of carrots in there but it didnt bother me one way or the other. I usually dont think care for random carrots in most of my foods but I cant recall any negative thoughts on the macaroni salad. It was overall a very standup salad and went very well to balance out the sweet salty flavors from the meats.

According to the menu on their website, the Korean Chicken is "a fabulous boneless chicken thigh in Korean marinade". Im thinking that this is something that tastes much better if eaten in the restaurant. Flavor was sweet and salty...but texture wasnt very crispy. Bummer! Again, it may have been a matter of deflating from the steam off the hot food inside of an enclosed food container, but I will admit some disappointment at the texture. Meat was tender to be sure and well flavored as well.

Teriyaki Beef. According to their menu, this was "beef marinated in our soy sauce marinade". I was hesitant in picking this as my second meat choice since I'm not much of a straight beef kind of girl. According to the owner, their beef has won a local award for the best tasting Teriyaki Beef recently and so that helped me to make my choice. Again, seasoning was on point. But alas, I was disappointed...the meat was very tough to cut up and to eat as well. The serving was large for the beef (larger than the chicken) but the toughness of the meat made me less excited to eat so much of it. Thats all I can say about that b/c it brings back my sadness. Hmph.

Last picture. This is the potato that comes with plate lunch if you choose over the rice. I am by no means an expert on island bbq but I cant recall ever being given this option with my plate lunch. Not that I am complaining as I heart potatoes more than I should. They appear to be red potatoes with basic seasoning. I should also mention that they also offer an option to make it more carb free and replace starch with a tossed salad.

Overall, I would give this place another chance. It may have been just an off day for them or maybe it was the deterioration of quality due to taking it to go and it sitting in transit for 20 minutes. Their shaved ice looked delish and the picture of their loco moco (they serve it on a crepe) looks like something hubby would eat. I would definitely want to try the kalbi as a proper korean girl should on my next visit. I also would want to try the garlic fried rice! The price is definitely more than I have paid before for island bbq but other people have highly reviewed this place so maybe you pay for the authentic touch.

San Diego Desserts Part 2- College area

2010-03-08T07:48:00.000-08:00

I know that I have recently blogged on this place but today, I tried out their brunch (click here to see my previous post on this place's desserts: San Diego Desserts- visit one. Again, I will reveal that I do personally know the owner of this bakery but I will still do my best to maintain an objective approach so as not to steer anyone astray. San Diego Desserts has retail, catering, and commercial baking services as well as newly added dinner, brunch, lunch, happy hour and a small bar inside. You can apparently use the neighboring parking lot next to the verizon store and its supposed to be ok. But dont quote me on that since I do not have the slush fund to pay for others' tow fees. My friend's parents were in town so it was an occasion to go eat and stuff our faces. They are the cutest people from Ohio I swear. I love small town people so much....

Here is the brunch menu side one. They have only about 10 choices for brunch, but you can have dessert first before you have your meal and that ups your options by about 20 more.

Side two of the menu. They also had mimosas and a drink menu consisting of different espressos, teas, italian soda, and options to make any of your coffees adult-style.

This was highly recommended by my co-worker and the waitress as well- the almighty Eggs Benedict. They bake the french bread on premises and it comes with the potatoes. The hollandaise was creamy and yummy with a hint of something in the background. For 8 bucks I believe, a great deal and the portion was enough to make grown man from Ohio who is over 6 ft tall get full. I did steal a bite of this and was a happy camper. Potatoes are freshly made but ordinarily seasoned--nicely cooked. I just hate when you get a hard potato, dont you? Luckily that didnt happen here....

This was the spinach parmesan quiche that came with fruit. When it came out, it didnt look very substantial to be honest. Dont you like the antique-ish dish? It did come with a mix of fresh fruit e.g. cantaloupe, kiwi, apples, and something else. I didnt get to try this but it got rave reviews from my friend's mom. She was also surprised at how filling it turned out to be after her intial glimpse of the dish. It apparently goes well with mimosas! I think it was 8 bucks.

Bacon swiss quiche. Again, I didnt taste this dish either but my friend loved it. You can see the fruit a little bit in the background. The crust does look very flaky and the eggs looked creamy and cheesy in person. I think they do different plates for the eclectic feel. I have seen similar dishes for brunch elsewhere for at least 4 bucks more...

I got the San Diego egg scramble which had brie cheese, pork sausage, potatoes and mushrooms--it came with their fresh baked soudough bread. The sausage in the scramble was not like your regular bfast sausage. It looked more like cured sausages and in more of a tubed shaped...but tasted nice and salty in a good way. The brie chunks were big. The potatoes were the ones seen in the benedict photo. I thought the eggs were cooked a bit too long but the portion was large. The bread was soooo good. Chewy, with crunch. I could have just had a few slices of the bread with jam and butter and maybe a slice of bacon and been giddy. Since I had lots of scrambles left over, they were nice enough to give me a few extra slices of the bread for carryout. Yes! I didnt take a picture of my dish in my excitement...sorry.

The piece de resistance: Monte Bianco. Go run and get one. NOW. Chocolate and white chocolate mix whipped cream mix with chocolate cake on top and bottom. Really good fondant topped the entire cake. Dont get it if you dont want to get another one to go. I may or may not have gotten two for the road. Its that good....

Toro Sushi- Mission Gorge

2010-03-07T13:11:00.000-08:00

To tell you guys about this place is my nice deed for the day. /Sadly, I rarely tell people about this place b/c I dont want to make it get crowded. HA! Today was a good day which will be another entry, but it motivated me to share my ultimate favorite sushi place with the few of you who honor me with your comments. Hold onto your chonies and get your sushi eating pants on. We didnt order as much as we normally would but this is at least a little peekaboo into the place. Its next to the Souplantation, some pizza joint, fro yo shop, Subway, Thai, Indian, coffee shop all in the same shopping center on Mission Gorge close to Vandevere. Come to think of it, the entire plaza is almost all eating establishments. For that reason, parking can get hairy at times-fair warning. Also Toro itself gets very crowded with locals despite its smallish inside--they dont take phone rsvps (or they didnt use to), so I would go off peak eating out hours aka not at 730 on friday night. The decor is blah and needs work. Its kind of like a hole in the wall with big portions and good sushi. It certainly isnt gourmet sushi but it is reliable, tastes good and wont break the bank. The wait can be long sometimes from when you order to when you get the food depending on the traffic.

The menu first page. It is actually quite an extensive menu with appetizers, bentos, curries, rolls, sashimi, etc. The portions are generous here, rolls creative, and rarely do we get a not-fresh fish when we come. Prices are average but you will definitely fill up here. They also have a happy hour but we have never made it on time for that.

(Sorry in advance and in repeat for the poor photo quality. I now have NO actual digi-cam and my smartphone camera does not have flash and is probably just a 1.0 mp quality) This is yellowtail maki 6 piece. This is simple and you really get to taste the fish minus sauce, fried somethings, or tons of other ingredients. It also comes in an 18 piece I believe and is also offered in salmon. Again, their fish usually is generously cut and always seemed fresh in taste.

This is the Allen Roll. I cant remember all of the ingredients and cant seem to find a menu online. It has spicy tuna outside, wrapped in rice paper. The inside has surf clams, eels, and some other fish and stuff inside. I really should have checked for a to-go menu.... The surf clam is a nice touch in this roll. Not overly chewy. I could have done with a bit less of the eel sauce but other than that, it was a good choice by hubby.

This is the soft shell crab roll. Im not always into the fried rolls but this is one exception. Others might not agree but I enjoy the imo krab toppings that Toro puts on some of their rolls. It kind of has a sweet taste to it and not over bearing. It is also cheaper than most of the other specialty rolls and filling. What are you waiting for????

One last picture from another trip. The Danny roll. Spicy tuna and crab mixture on top with the spicy aoli. Wrapped in rice paper I believe. Inside was some kind of white fish with cucumber and another piece of imo crab. See the bonita fish shavings? I love those things. You better have your grown up panties on cuz this is pretty spicy. Yum.

I guess I will leave you with a shot of the inside. I warned you that it was dive-ish and quite small. Im in the red/ blk flannel and our table was the last one closest to the cashier. They have about 6 seats at the sushi bar and maybe 10-12 small tables scattered. Maybe you can see the photos they have of their customers on the wall? Its like that kind of place and its family operated.

Have any of you been here before? I did check out that four letter word (as Kirk calls it) of a food review website. Reviews seemed mixed but that doesnt mean anything. They have been wrong many times over IMO. You will just have to decide for yourself. Apparently there are coupons floating out there but I have never got my hands on them before.

Stay dry

Da Bok Korean Tofu Restaurant- Hacienda Heights

2010-03-01T14:34:00.000-08:00

On a family weekend, visiting hubbys family in LA and mine in the IE, we ate lots. Ate Claim Jumper, 99 ranch fast food, Del Taco, homemade food from the Korean motherland, Krispy Kreme donuts, etc. Keep in mind its over a 3 day period! After a trip to the ER (long story), I took advantage of being in LA asian-land and had to have some korean tofu stew. Hubby didnt want anything from Da Bok Tofu Restaurant so there is only one entree being tasted here. However, if a place has a menu item in its name-sake I would think that trying that one item should be an ok barometer for the rest of their food. I got the seafood beef tofu stew. It came with kimchee, fish cakes, seaweed and potatoes for ban-chan (ugh I forgot to take a picture of them). The banchan for the to-go order was just alright though...run of the mill flavor. Maybe you get more variety with the eating in orders?

So this is the interior. Clean, smallish-medium sized inside. Run by an adorable typical Korean husband and wife pair. We may have been the first customers of the day judging by the lack of traffic and that it was 1130 in the morning. The owners reminded me of my parents or their friends so it gave me a warm feeling inside.

They did seem to have lunch specials that ranged around 13-17 bucks but came with tofu stew and either meat entrees or rice dishes. The stew was 8.99, normal sized. I kind of expected it to be a little bit lower in price seeing as the fierce competition in the area (soooo many Korean food places just down the road a bit), but still cheaper than a goumet meal I suppose. You can see some of the other tofu stew options they offered.

Again, this is my choice, the seafood beef tofu stew medium spicy. The broth was tasty. Perfect spiciness. The inside vittles could have been more generous as I may have counted 2 clams and 2 shrimps and very little beef even. Lots of soft tofu. No egg on the side! I found myself fishing around the stew for more things not in the tofu catgory. Good flavor but admittedly left me a bit disappointed.

Had I to do it again, I might splurge for the lunch special combos so that I would at least have substantial leftovers and not feel jipped by the lack of ingredients. It did meet my sicky sick soup craving as well as my as long as I'm in Hacienda I might as well eat Asian food cravings....

Off Shore Tavern- Morena Blvd

2010-02-27T06:40:00.000-08:00

Random lunchtime eatings landed us at Offshore Tavern. Its on the Morena Blvd that runs parallel to the 5 north freeway. Ive been here a few times for drinks but we never ate here before. Prices are run of the mill to a bit higher than I would have expected to see at a bar. Here is the link to their official website: Offshore Tavern. You can see their menu offerings, daily specials, events, map, etc.

Service was kind of slow to be frank. Our waitress forgot about us it seemed after giving us the menu even though it didnt seem that crowded yet. Hmmmm. Since we were there already we stuck it out. We ordered the following items: Chinese Chicken salad, Chicken Pesto sandwich, House Salad and the Diablo sandwich. They let you choose tater tots as a side item with burgers and sandwiches in lieu of macaroni salad or fries.

Entree 1: Diablo Sandwich- grilled with shaved beef inside, spicy aoli, cheese and something they call jalepeno "bottlecaps" inside. Hubby opted for tater tots and got them smothered since it wasnt unhealthy enough on its own. As you can see, smothered includes cheese and bacon on top of the taters. Sandwich was actually very good. It wasnt too spicy, beef had good flavor and was tender, bread was grilled nicely and not very greasy at all. I cant recall the kind of bread it was though since hubby only let me have a few bites. At 10.95 plus another buck for the upgraded smothering of the tots, it was on the pricier side for a sandwich and fries but still tasty.

Entree 2: Chicken Pesto sandwich- I never got to taste this since it was my co-workers choice and she was very hungry. She finished the whole thing so she must have liked it. Appeared to be made from the same bread as the first dish. Also came with tater tots. I think this was about 9 bucks although I cant find it on the online menu.

Entree 3: Chinese Chicken salad- mixed greens, carrots, cabbage, fried wonton bits, oranges, chicken and green onions with a sesame vinaigrete. I didnt care for the dressing as I felt that it was too thick and syrupy for my liking. Some of the greens were bitter and it didnt have enough chicken in my opinion. Portion was a decent size but my hungry friend finished it all so it wasnt enormous. At 8.95 it was just alright in my humble opinion.

My advice? They have good happy hour and taco tuesday deals. Go then and test the waters that way. Parking isnt the greatest here btw. They do have a covered patio area that is kind of like a sunroom style. The smothering of the taters was maybe a bit overkill as it was just too heavy.

xx world

Instant Gumbo ala Tony Cachere

2010-02-26T06:21:00.000-08:00

Ever since seeing this post by fellow food blogger Homesick Texan (Chicken and Sausage Gumbo), I have been wanting to make gumbo. I bought all the ingredients such as sausage, chicken, bell peppers, etc and finally got ready to cook gumbo. No cast iron pot. No file powder. No this, no that. Dang. Luckily, I had ran across this experimental item which is a gumbo mix by Tony Cachere brand, usually known for their seasonings and sauces. I bought a box since it was on sale and figured it would be worth a hoot. Here is what the box looks like:

I know that the Iowa Meat Farms on Mission Gorge carries this as well as the dirty rice and red beans and rice version of this mix. In order to jazz it up a touch, I chopped up red bell pepper and celery to brown in the pot. I also chopped sausage cubed and peeled/ deveined shrimp for jumping into the pool. I waited until the gumbo was almost done to add the shrimp since I had smallish sized shrimp and didnt want them to rubberize up. The verdict? Decent. I added the amount of water it called for (4 cups) but to me, it came out bland. I happen to have the Tony Cachere creole seasonings so I dashed a bit into the pot. Better, but then it was too soupy for my preferences. I made a little thickening solution and voila, texture was improved instantly. I was impressed by the volume of food produced by one modest sized box of gumbo mix. For what it is, it was ok. It would be a good fix for someone who either doesnt know how/ doesnt want to make gumbo from bare bones recipe and wait hours or doesnt want to/ cant pay for restaurant entree gumbo. Again, camera is kinda limited...one day I will replace my smartphone and my shoot and point camera.

San Diego Desserts- College area

2010-02-25T16:22:00.000-08:00

Let me preface this entry by acknowledging a few things. This place is co-owned by a colleague of mine. Also I do not have much of a sweet tongue and so do not often seek out bakeries. I find great beauty in the skill it takes to make ornate baked goods, but personally dont consume much variety in them. Today, hubby and I were in the area and I had a strange cookie craving after seeing the ridiculously expensive but tasty looking Barefoot Contessa chocolate cocoa cookies with white chocolate chunk mix at Iowa Farms market off Mission Gorge. 9.99 for a box of cookie mix???? Uh not for this girl. Back to San Diego desserts of course...

Today, I was looking for my friend but was told he was in LA with the other owners showcasing their cupcakes at a Food Network office for an upcoming show called Cupcake Wars. Imagine the honor of being sought out by TFN to compete in a cupcake battle when cupcakes are the new rage. The nice staff offered us a complimentary cupcake similar to the one being demonstrated to the network people today. There was a Red Velvet, Lemon, German Chocolate, and Chocolate with custard cupcake on display- we got one of the Lemon and one of the German. See pictures below:

The lemon cupcake was heavenly. The frosting was kind of glazey in texture but a thicker glaze. It was sweet and lended well to the cupcake itself. The cupcake itself slightly resembled "an angel food cake with the texture of birthday cake'--thats from my husband btw. There was also a filling at the bottom that was glorious. Hubby says that the filling was like lemon custard--not the creamy type. It tasted like lemon pie filling with both sweet and tart flavors. Yummy but the filling fell out of the cupcake after the first bite.

Let me tell you about the German Chocolate cupcake. I actually think its more like a Black Forest variety and you will see why in a second. Whip cream on top with choc shavings, chocolate flavor cupcake filled with glazed cherries and whipped cream thats also on top. Holy cow. The cupcake is not too sweet but just right in flavor and super soft. Whip cream was a good balance to the cherries which were sweet and slightly tart just like perfectly riped cherries tend to be. SOOO good.

I also got a white chocolate macademia cookie. It was chewy and crispy at the same time and as big as my hand. Texture was perfect and there seemed to be a hint of vanilla in the cookie. It would have been perfect except for the shreds of coconut in the cookie. The coconut seemed to have been toasted before being put into the batter which would have been appreciated by someone who actually likes coconut. For me, its worse than onions so I really couldnt eat more than a bite of the cookie because of the dreaded coconuts. Hubby really enjoyed the cookie on the whole though...

In the past, I have also tried their Monte Bianco cake, which is both white and milk chocolate inspired and beautiful in and of itself, some cake piece with a fabulous chocolate ganache covering and some of their savory food items. Im told that they have a brunch and dinner and their new chef is amazing. I cant attest to the savory food currently as I havent been here since the new chef was hired but another coworker of mine has gone their recently and raved about the food and wine. They have a connection with a local winery and do joint tours,etc. Only drawback is the parking being off ECB and College. Here is a link to their official site: San Diego Desserts

Yum Cha Cafe- Linda Vista

2010-02-24T16:48:00.000-08:00

Today, we went to Fashion Valley mall to get a ring fixed and cleaned. After seeing the excess and money at that mall, I immediately craved some cheap eats in the nearby Linda Vista area. Yum Cha Cafe has been reviewed by others but since I cant remember who out of my favorite bloggers did so, I will take the opportunity here and share my thoughts on my food choices today. Here is a link to their company site: Yum Cha Cafe

I thought I was taking hubby here for the first time, but it turns out I took him here before. Drats. Since we were there already, we picked out about 6 items to graze on together. My food pickiness keeps me from trying the full range of food choices but we had enough for a full lunch and leftovers. This place gets full very quickly too FYI. We usually order the dim sum items although they also have roast duck/ chicken/ pig and soup/ noodle/ rice items.

So the item on the left is the sugar cane shrimp and the next is the rice shrimp roll. The stick is an actual sugar cane stick piece which is fun to gnaw on for a minute after you eat the shrimp on top. Decent amount of shrimp in each piece but the outside wasnt as crispy as I would have wanted. They dont serve the traditional sauce as other dim sum places do with the rice roll but it was decently fresh and soft. Whole shrimp pieces in the roll. I definitely got my shrimp fix today for sure...

This was some kind of shrimp mixture with eggplant slabs as well as some rice wrapped "beef stomach". Hubby wanted the beef stomach but due to language difficulties, we got this. It appeared to taste like some kind of har-gow in wonton shape. This one wasnt that great- something was crunchy inside in a bad way. The eggplant was good. It came with its own sauce. The eggplant was cooked a little too long and was most likely the chinese eggplant in variety. Seemed to have been a black bean style of sauce btw.

The last 2 items were Pork Shu-mai and Wrapped Rice with Chicken. I love the wrapped rice personally although I have also had it in bigger portions and with boiled egg inside. Theirs is smaller but cheap and has some savory chicken tucked inside. They reheat very well FYI. The shu-mai was too "porky" in our opinion although I never thought there was such a thing. Im not the biggest fan of shu mai to begin with but hubby is--he was disappointed for sure in this item.

4/6 aint so bad I guess. The only quip I have about this place is that they dont have a great sauce option on the table or behind the counter. No free beverages here either but it is a good cheap dim sum fix.

Rambertos- spring valley

2010-02-23T15:39:00.000-08:00

In San Diego, mexican taco shops are a dime a dozen. Sometimes a girl craves a good rolled taco. Today, I want to tell you guys about a wonderful rolled taco from Rambertos. They use the real guacamole, not American style. Guac has tomato chunks that you can see. They dont cheap out on the beef inside the tacos--no ground beef here! I also love their hot sauce. The only stinker is that depending on the person at the window, they can get stingy on the amount. Plus they only accept cash. They are open 24 hours however but service was painfully slow when we went there once after a late night out. See pic below:

They dont overwhelm the customer with lettuce either. Tacos were always nicely fried with all residual grease drained off. It appears to have cheddar cheese shreds which have always been generous as well as the guac. At 3.89 for 5 of these, it is a bit costlier than the other places in the 1 mile vicinity, but quality of ingredients made it justifiable for me.

The other item we got this day was the pollo asada fries. It was decent, but I usuallly like this treat to have simply seasoned pollo bites. Sadly, theirs was seasoned/ marinated more than I prefer. I also like the shoestring fries versus the thicker medium size variety. I like the pollo asada fries from Robertos off ECB and the 15 freeway better. Too bad we cant eat these things all the time! ='(

There is no inside eating area. A few lackluster plastic tables outside and a drive thru as well as walk up window to order from. The way it looked from driving past caught my eye and not in a good way but one night after a rare bar/ club night, we saw the 24 hour sign and took a shot. Figured the alcohol in our stomachs would kill any germs. I havent tried anything else here like a burrito but they do have a decent selection. I basically come here for the 3 rolled tacos for 2.99. Give it a whirl and let me know what your experience has been or is.

xx kiddos