Leftys Chicago Pizzeria- North Park

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

xx

Yum Cha Cafe- Linda Vista

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. 

xx

Rambertos- spring valley

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! ='(

T

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

Cafe 21- Adams Ave

My sister came into town this weekend for the wedding of our old friends.  To continue the reunion theme, I squirreled together a reunion between my sister and her ex boyfriend from a long time ago since he and I still remained friends.  I guess that I'm a romantic at heart so I couldnt resist trying to do a little matchmaking of the rekindling of an old flame.  He suggested that we meet at a cool brunch spot Cafe 21.  Here is a link to their site: Cafe 21

Its located in a little strip mall next to a liquor store.  My friend who lived in Oregon for a spell said that it reminded him of the kind of cafes you would see over there.  Small, local, cool dishes, fresh ingredients, etc.  There is kind of a zen vibe in the eatery and I would say an eclectic mix of patrons.  The place could probably fit about 30 folks at a time although that is a wild guess since I didnt bother to count tables/ chairs.  There is also a cool wooden table outside that is kind of a gliding bench set.  I didnt trust my stomach to be able to endure a constant swinging motion. 

It was all of our first time eating here.  I was able to snag a parking spot by serendipitous luck and also by asserting my right of way.  After much consternation, we were able to choose our pickings.  Im not a coffee person but my sis and friend were thrilled with the house coffee.  Free refills apparently.  We were told by the guy I believe is the owner of the place that the coffee was organic Costa Rican blend.  They drank it black with a tad bit of sugar and had refills as well.  Our server Gregorio was fun and helpful.  I thought that it took awhile to get our orders, but then I reconsidered my qualms since its made to order.  We ordered the Salmon Benedict, Sausage omelet and Mushroom omelets respectively. 

Here is the Salmon Benedict which is a weekend special item.  The presentation is lovely and plates are a bit rustic-cool looking. The bread that accompanies all breakfast items is apparently locally baked in Escondido and a mix between white and wheat.  Hearty bread I would say, but was very good.  The salmon was flaked into large chunks in the patty below the egg.  It is mixed with a potato blend that almost tastes like mashed potato with chunks of potatoes inside.  The flower is apparently edible but just tastes like flowers.  The hollandaise sauce was a more liquid version but still tasty.  Sister really liked her dish. 

Here is an up close of the benny.  I just cant handle runny yolks so I wouldnt want to order this dish on my own but would recommend to anyone who likes eggs benedict overall. 

Here is what my sausage omelet looks like.  Its cool because they cook them to order in an individual griddle pan that gets started on the range and finishes setting up in the oven.  Not low calorie fare by any means but sometimes you need something that will just bliss you out.  Its served on this cool marbley round platter that adds to the ambience of your order.  All omelets come with a choice of side: potato pancake, fresh fruit, salad or grilled proscuitto.  Potato pancake seemed to have some cheese mixed into the potatoes...extra indulgent, I would have preferred home potatoes or roasted taters with rosemary or chives.  The omelet was good.  Very filling and actually I only ended up eating half.  Good amount of tomatoes and sausage chunks.  The only other bad part is that they dont have condiments on the table and you have to ask for them like a whiny customer. 

Just in case you wanted to see it up close.  Doesnt it remind you of a pan pizza?  That is my first thought. 

Here is the way that the hub area of the restaurant looked like.  There is the counter where the orders come out of.  They have an extensive selection of coffees and teas.  On the counter, they have a platter of fresh baked cookies that we didnt have the room to try out.  Apparently they are shortbread cookies with a fruit jam in the middle and topped with shredded coconut on top.  The server said that they might consider making a few without coconuts next time.  Well...since you twisted my arm!

Everyone was friendly here from the owner to the servers.  Portions are sizable and you will not leave hungry.  Not gigantor like some other restaurants mind you but I was able to take home half of my omelet after surmising that I couldnt finish another bite.  I recommend that you have everyone order something different and play the sharing game...

xxoo kiddos

Phil's BBQ- Point Loma

Yes I know that everyone has been to Phil's.  Yes I know that it has been yelped, blogged and reviewed widely.  As I mentioned on a previous post, a coworker and I thought we would be able to see Man versus Food filming there as I heard through the grapevine.  First they said that he was filming at 545, then they told me noon.  When I got there at noon, they told us he wouldnt be there until 2.  We didnt want to take a chance so we just decided to eat anyways.  I wasnt feeling meaty much so I opted for my first time tast of the veggie burger at Phil's.  Of course I had to get the fries.  Lucky for me, coworker got the onions rings so I could sneak a few into my mouth!  Going to a bbq joint for veggie burger probably is the logical equivalent of going to Fry's for lacy bra.  Sometimes you just have to say eff it.  Go against the grain. 

Lets start with the burger even though the fries are my favorite part of this place.  I got the bbq veggie burger with the sauce on the side.  Apparently burgers take longer to cook than ribs or their other offerings.  The burger came topped with one onion ring and cheese melted on.  I have to say, nicely charred on the grill, well seasoned, tasty patty! I can totally see myself ordering this again.  The fries...so scrumptious.  The remind me of In&Out fries but bigger.  I love the handcut lightly fried kind....their ranch also rocks.  Even dipping the fries in their bbq sauce was yummy. 

Here is a cross section of the veggie burger.  I would say that even non vegetarians would enjoy this. 

Onion rings.  Before you hear my review on this, keep in mind I detest onions.  If I find them in my guacamole, I pick each one out before I eat it.  I only use green onions in my recipes.  However, I will occasionally try an onion ring or two since I love onion rings when the onion is very thinly sliced and I can barely taste it through the batter.  I love their batter...crunchy, not bready and too overwhelming.  Loved the onion rings...especially with ranch! They may have looked burnt but they werent.  Crispy outside but not hard or bland.  The small order of the rings were very generous as well as the small order of the fries. 

Did anyone hear about the man vs food coming to town last week?