RTee's Profile
How is the Epicurean Excursion Walking tour
Did you end up taking the Forktown tour, Jase? If so, which one and how did it turn out?
chalmers, thanks for the heads up on the Epicurean Excursion stops.
Rancho Bernardo???
Sadly it looks like Star of Persia has gone out of business. When you go to their website it says:
"Sorry, Rancho Bernardo's Star of Persia is now closed. Thanks to our patrons for your support."
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Star of Persia
16761 Bernardo Center Dr Ste 1, San Diego, CA 92128
Noble Experiment
I assumed they did that on purpose, as they want you to call, text, or e-mail to make reservations. And they want to keep their air of mystery for at least a little while longer.
Would like suggestions to round out our food itinerary, please
Shimbashi Izakaya is also very good for Japanese dishes. I'd say there are fewer "unusual" dishes than Sakura (which I really like, too), but it is located in Del Mar so it could be much easier to reach and it's very good. It's also a tiny place, so if you have more than two people, it might be a good idea to make reservations. Also, I just had the o-toro there for the first time, and it was spectacular! I'm talking literally melt-in-your-mouth spectacular. I've been there before so I know the food's good, but I wasn't expecting it to be that impressive.
Another Japanese restaurant to consider is Yakitori Yakyudori in Hillcrest. Although, some people on this board think the place is waning because the proprietor/head cook, Nabe-san, isn't doing the actual cooking as much anymore as he focuses on his new ramen joint. But if you like yakitori and want to see a fun, vibrant, city-like section of San Diego then I would consider it.
http://www.shimbashi-restaurants.com/
http://www.yakyudori.us/
Rancho Bernardo???
Sorry for the double post, this happened on another thread too. It looked like Chowhound was failing to publish the first one, so I guess I accidentally posted twice..
Noble Experiment
Sorry for the multiples duplicate posts. Either my internet or Chowhound had an internet fart and now there are three of them.
Rancho Bernardo???
I like Pegasus Cafe for Greek food. It's a Mom and Pop Shop (although I've never seen the Mom)... in a strip mall!
16719 Bernardo Center Drive
San Diego, CA 92128-2509
(858) 487-2188
Rancho Bernardo???
I like Pegasus Cafe for Greek food. It's a Mom and Pop Shop (although I've never seen the Mom)... in a strip mall!
16719 Bernardo Center Drive
San Diego, CA 92128-2509
(858) 487-2188
Noble Experiment
Haven't been yet, but from what I hear it's just call or text to get a reservation. They have a website that is purely a link to emailing them, but it has their phone number on it too (619-488-4713). According to Yelpers they're open Wed-Sun.
http://www.nobleexperimentsd.com/
How do you post links as actual links, btw? Can we write in HTML here?
Noble Experiment
Haven't been yet, but from what I hear it's just call or text to get a reservation. They have a website that is purely a link to emailing them, but it has their phone number on it too (619-488-4713). According to Yelpers they're open Wed-Sun.
http://www.nobleexperimentsd.com/
How do you post links as actual links, btw? Can we write in HTML here?
Noble Experiment
Haven't been yet, but from what I hear it's just call or text to get a reservation. They have a website that is purely a link to emailing them, but it has their phone number on it too (619-488-4713). According to Yelpers they're open Wed-Sun.
http://www.nobleexperimentsd.com/
How do you post links as actual links, btw? Can we write in HTML here?
Excellent "under the radar" spot downtown
Thanks for the rec/review mcgrath. I'll have to check Currant Brasserie out sometime.
What is the hands down best restaurant in San Diego?
Wow that was one heck of a reply! Thanks cgfan, for the story and the recs. Also, I think you should write fortune cookie fortunes, even if you have to use both sides of the paper.
SD - goat meat
I think I've seen frozen goat meat at Lucky Supermarket on Mira Mesa Blvd.
Shimbashi-New Izakaya In Del Mar
I went about two weeks ago with a few friends for dinner, sort of. It was after work/after happy hour, but not quite full on dinner. Anyway, the food was very good. The bartender was very knowledgeable and pointed me toward a bottle of sake that was right up my alley (not too dry, unfiltered).
The chicken karaage (5 pcs) was fried well, but lacking a bit on the salt. The takowasabi had a great balance of wasabi-to-octopus for me (I like a heavier wasabi flavor). I like their Shimbashi's version the most of any kind, including Yakitori Yakyudori's. My friend got some special that involved three small plates (a few bites small, like 2 pieces of sashimi) paired with three sake shots. The halibut sashimi was unimpressive, I forget what the second food item was, and the roasted gingko nuts were fantastic bar food. The ankimo's texture was pretty good, although I don't recall it being the most flavorful.
The stunner of the night was the incredible chicken porridge my friend got. Even though I had already paid my bill and was getting ready to leave I damn near ordered one and would have stuffed it down with great delight. Even though there wasn't that much seaweed in it the broth had a beautiful "of the ocean" seafood flavor that was strong but not overpowering and still allowed you to taste the other ingredients. I was thoroughly impressed.
Overall, on my visit, the food was pretty well executed. The flavors were mostly balanced and not too subtle. I'll have to go back for round 2... and the chicken porridge!
San Diego - good Chinese?
sorry cdn_in_sd, but Chinese food here is not that great. I grew up going to Monterey Park/San Gabriel Valley area of L.A. for Chinese food and Richmond is of that ilk. But you won't find anything like that here, I'm afraid. There are a couple of good Szechuan places, though, like Ba Ren and Dede's. Dumpling Inn has decent dumplings/XLB but it's tiny and fills up quickly. If you like Chinese breakfast you should check out Chin's. And lastly, for Canto style food some of my friends like Hong Kong Restaurant. I don't remember being super impressed when I went there, but it's open late so I tend to go after drinking and wouldn't trust my judgment one bit!
You'll soon find that out the big Canto joints (aka the ones that have cart space for dim sum) here are Emerald, Jasmine and China Max in the Convoy district and Pearl in RB (smaller, no carts). Emerald has a late night menu after 9pm, I think, of standard canto fare, but I don't think they'll hold a candle to Richmond, BC.
Man, I wish we had Canto cafes here...
Ba Ren
4957 Diane Avenue
(858) 279-2520
Dede's
4647 Convoy Street
(858) 279-5999
Dumpling Inn
4619 Convoy Street
(858) 268-9638
Chin's
9355 Kearny Mesa Road
(858) 536-2300
Hong Kong Restaurant
3871 4th Avenue
(619) 291-9449
Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe, Sedona Food Itinerary Help for LA/OC Hounds
And I thought my post was long, yours was only of one brewery! I'm sorry you missed Pizzeria Bianco, but it looks like you got to a lot of your other options. And I'm definitely jealous about the brewery visit, as I'm a big beer guy. Great review, I can't wait to see what you have to say about the other places on your list, especially St. Francis and Matt's. I'm always really impressed with good diners/breakfast joints because I think they're few and far between.
Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe, Sedona Food Itinerary Help for LA/OC Hounds
I wouldn't feel too bad about missing Nogales either, really. I took a real liking to Chino Bandido, which surprised even myself. It's hard to go wrong with good prices, tasty food and extremely friendly service. I'm going to call it King of the Taco Bell Tier (in Phoenix... from my limited exposure =P).
ISO-seafood place in San Diego that Guy Fieri went to?
I know, I know! I'm dying to go back during oyster season (and crawfish season!) to get the genuine goods. Blue Water's oysters are still better than a lot of others that I've had though.
ISO-seafood place in San Diego that Guy Fieri went to?
Be careful though, seating is limited and Blue Water can get pretty busy. The last two times I went the line was, at least, past the second fish display counter. Calling your order in for pick-up would not be a bad idea.
San Diego Restaurant Week Winter 2010 Extended?
I feel like this happens pretty much every RW. When's the last time a RW was NOT extended to Restaurant Bi-Week? This time the reason is, "the weather surely kept many hungry patrons away." In years past it's been, "Due to popular demand!"
I'm not complaining, just making an observation.
MAMMOTH
It's a bit close to LA, and it's a chain you can find in LA, but The Hat is located pretty conveniently off the I-15 off of Foothill Blvd. And I never mind stopping for a basket of pastrami fries!
But once you get into the real thick of the driving, I don't think there are a whole lot of choices. A friend of mine likes a bakery in Bishop. I think it's Schat's-Erick Schat's Bakery, but there's another Schat's Bakery around town too (I presume the owners are related). I usually just do the drive as quickly as possible, stopping only for gas (and maybe Subway at the Pilot gas station near Victorville).
The Hat
8030 Monet Ave.
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91739
ISO-seafood place in San Diego that Guy Fieri went to?
The oysters at Blue Water, last time I went, were fantastic. Some of the best I've ever had, actually. In fact, they were better than the ones I got in New Orleans at Felix's about two weeks later. But in all fairness, oysters weren't in season at that time in NO. I don't know if oyster seasons are the same everywhere, or even where Blue Water gets theirs from. I just remember them being tasty.
Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe, Sedona Food Itinerary Help for LA/OC Hounds
I finally went on my own trip to Phoenix (over Xmas actually, so this is a bit late, but still apropos), and I figured I'd share some of my findings here.
Pizzeria Bianco - arrived at 9:00pm, but thought it was 8:00pm because of daylight savings time, and Arizona's lack thereof, which led to confusion but the gf and I were eventually seated around 10:30pm I would say. We actually started off at Bar Bianco while we waited to be seated, so I'll discuss that too...
Pane Bianco - I had the goat cheese on toasted brioche (or some kind of bread) with some marinated olives. I can't for the life of me remember what kind of olives they were (pincholine, maybe?), but they were so incredible we ordered another bowl full to snack on. They were out of goat cheese and replaced it with ricotta. If this is the case when you go, pass on it. The ricotta simply doesn't have enough flavor to make the small dish pop. But seriously, the olives were amazing.
Pizzeria Bianco pt. 2 - I met a nice older gentleman at Bar Bianco who said he and his wife had been coming here for years. So I, of course, asked him for recs, and he told me to get a pizza with fennel sausage and extra tomatoes (not sauce, fresh tomatoes!). Which I've decided is now called the RJ Special. We ended up ordering the Wiseguy pizza with extra tomatoes and the waiter stared at us for a second until I mentioned our new friend RJ recommended it, and then we were set! I forget if we were supposed to add mushrooms too... but I'm going to say no for now.
We also ordered a plate of the roasted vegetables that, I think, change based on availability/season. The pizza was very good, and RJ was right on about the combination, but it didn't blow me away, which you might expect from a place that has multi-hour-long waits. But the roasted vegetables.... my God were they exceptional! Purple cauliflower, red bell peppers, onions, broccoli(?), the best brussel sprouts ever, and a few more that I can't remember, plus a bit of salami and cheese (mortadella is my guess) and two slices of toasted bread. I think i would actually wait an hour just for the veggies, and I *HATE* waiting. The moral of the story is definitely olives and roasted veggies.
We took a trip to Sedona while we were there, so this next one's a bit out of the Phoenix/Scottsdale area, but..
Elote Cafe - Wonderful. The Elote corn must have crack in it because our entire party couldn't get enough of it. In fact, we ordered an extra one to go! The Green Corn Tamal was also very good. Avoid the Braised Lamb! We came in shortly after opening (5:20pm or so) and felt that the lamb hadn't been braised long enough, so it wasn't particularly tender and hadn't absorbed much flavor. The sauce was also a bit overwhelming. The Chile Relleno was like none other I've ever had. I can't even recommend getting or not getting it, the flavors were so... unexpected. But the Smoked Chicken Enchiladas were brilliant! I could eat them all day. The enchilada sauce was good and not overpowering, the chicken was still tender inside, and the flavor of that smoked chicken was just perfect. The amount of smokiness and whatever type of wood they used to smoke it were in complete harmony. It was the winner of the table, for sure (not including the elote).
Chino Bandido - How kitschy is this place!? I'd read about Chino Bandido, obviously, before going there, but was really not expecting to see what was essentially Hainan Chicken and sweet and sour pork and jerk chicken and carnitas all in the same place. Luckily they had the foresight to have a little tasting table where I could sample the dishes first. I got the Emerald Chicken (Hainan chicken, essentially), and Carnitas with the jerk fried rice. All three were good, especially the jerk fried rice, but I think the black beans were the star of the show. Creamy, beany, well-spiced, and probably made with lots of butter. I recommend Chino Bandido to any prospective tourists, especially because I don't know where else you could possibly find a restaurant like this.
Nogales Hot Dogs - Now this is what I call a hot dog with all the trimmings! Truth be told, they were very good, but did not stand up to the Sonoran style hot dogs I got at BKTacos in Tucson on a different trip. But they were cheap and delicious! Plus, the proprietors were extremely nice and served old-school coke from a bottle. That's a winner in my book. I like that you basically get the hot dog and add the fixin's as you please. The mushrooms are a nice touch.
Gallo Blanco- Ah we had quite a bit here, let's see if I can break it down... The Elote Callejero was pretty good - spiced with crumbled queso fresco all over it. Although for corn on the cob it might be a tad overpriced. The Chicharron de Queso was a fun app to share, and had a great sauce to go with it, but I thought the cheese might have been a bit over-fried so it was just passable. The Pork Belly taco was also OK, but not good enough for me to miss. The Verduras de Temporada were not well received by my vegetarian friend. The ingredients didn't seem special, although I can't speak to the quality. But it seemed like the general impression was, "I can make this at home." well. The Chilaquiles Verdes looked great, but I didn't even get a crack at 'em! A *very* picky eater did not complain about them, so that is very much high praise. The Conchinita Torta was spiced well and really delicious too. But the winner was the Naco Torta was exactly what you'd expect out of a steak torta, and it was executed perfectly. The sauce had a great chile flavor, the meat was cooked to my liking (med-rare), and the two eggs top it off perfectly. I only wish there was more sauce to mop up! I also really like that Gallo Blanco uses a lot of local sources, even their coffee!
If you're still with me after this VERY long post, thanks for reading! And thanks for the recs, I had a great food trip. =)
MAMMOTH
I like Angel's in Mammoth for ribs, sweet potato fries, and fried pickles (I know it sounds weird, but they're not bad, although not a must). They also have great scones/muffins, whatever they call them.
Giovanni's in the Vons shopping center serves up pretty good pizza. Sorry, it's been a while since I've been there so I can't give a much more detailed description or specific pizzas to choose. As I recall the pizzas are on the thicker side, but not close to deep dish. I do remember it being filling and a better than average pizza.
The Mammoth Brewing Co. puts out good beers too. I think I liked the Pale Ale and Amber best.
New in Little Italy: Jonathan Segal's The Q
Not as of yet, but I'm not against it. Is Milan renown for its opera scene? I must have missed that.
New in Little Italy: Jonathan Segal's The Q
This "people from Milan" bit doesn't do much for me. I've traveled around most of Italy and found that Milan was the city most devoid of character, cuisine and history. Perhaps this is because I don't like to buy leather bags.
South Indian food truck in San Diego
Actually I think they spend many of their lunchtimes catering to the Qualcomm folk. Copper Chimney's been serving them for a bit longer than it's been on Kearny Villa. So if you REALLY want it for lunch during the week...
South Indian food truck in San Diego
A friend of mine said that back in Hyderabad the urban legend he heard had something to do with cutting the chicken into 65 little pieces. The myth continues to grow....
