The managers from Bale French Sandwich in Linda Vista have taken over a small banh mi shop near the Lucky Seafood Market in Mira Mesa. I think they do the best bread and sometimes it's still warm when they make the sandwich, yum.

I had some great moules marinieres with a traditional herb, wine, cream sauce at Hawthorn's in North Park and the Lodge at Torrey Pines does a really good saffron cream version. Both spots have excellent fries. The mussels at Urban Solace were nice but they broth is cream-free, although you could have an untraditional version of moules and frites with that dish and their sweet potato fries! I haven't been lucky with the mussels at Vagabond.

Mike, the weekend bartender at Nine-Ten in La Jolla has a deserved, devout following. He's great with the classics but also does interesting things with lesser-seen spirits and plays around a bit with molecular mixology. It's never too ridiculous or pretentious though. I've also heard good things about the bartenders at the Tractor Room on 5th Ave.

Doesn't Dede's serve hot pot too?

Tried Dolce Freddo and didn't love their plain flavor in comparison with Yogurt World's.
It was much sweeter and flat-tasting. While we were there, a few people came in to taste and left without buying anything. They have an Asian shaved ice with red bean that's better.

Introduced to this new place on 9th & Market by Turkish friends who say the flavors are authentic. Have tried the beef kofte kebab and lamb shawarma. We also tried an iskender kebab - lamb layed over pita bread, topped with tomato sauce, yogurt and a delicious grilled Turkish green pepper. http://www.thekebabshop.com/index.htm

Thanks for the tips so far. Hotel Healdsburg is a little out of our budget - we're saving our pennies for wine and food! Any other recs for a more affordable yet still centrally located place?

Bovolo sounds exactly up our alley, food-wise, and we prefer red wine in general. Can each area: Dry Creek, Alexander Valley, Healdsburg proper, etc., be tasted in a day?

Planning a first visit to the Healdsburg/Russian River Valley area and would love any tips on centrally located hotels or can't-miss wineries and restaurants. Thanks!

I thought everything was priced pretty reasonably. The live crawfish were a rare treat and the fried catfish is excellent. The gumbo was tasty too. They are hoping for a liquor license soon. Blue crab will be available in the next few weeks. Word's out - every table was full last Sunday for lunch.

Try Mardi Gras market on Midway Drive - they have a lot of New Orleans foodstuffs.

They aren't the heavily battered kind, but the fried chicken wings at Ichiro in Convoy are amazing. The skin is shatteringly crisp and and the meat is moist and flavorful.

Tioli's Crazy Burger on 30th. Very casual and they have lots of tasty non-beef burgers: turkey, salmon, portobello mushroom, etc.

Need help deciding on where to book a dinner while in the city for a long weekend. We are a small group of 30-something's looking for a small/shared plates place with great food(very important) but also fun atmosphere. Past favorite meals I've had while visiting were at Bar Crudo and Chez Nous. Thank you!

Ranch 99 sometimes has whole live black cod and Zion Market sometimes has black cod filets.

Mandarin Garden in Mira Mesa has good lunch specials.

Coming into SF for a few days and our first reservation is at R & G Lounge. Any recommendations on must-order items? I've heard great things about their salt & pepper crab and steamed fish. We are only a party of 3 but have big appetities! Also, has anyone experienced a difference in the food quality/service on the different floors? Thanks!

Yes, the staff is definitely high energy and there is kind of a constant din in the room. We ate in the front room but maybe the back patio is more quiet. We all really enjoyed our meals, especially the BYOW part, although Francisco said that they should have a liquor license by summer. The special ravioli with gorgonzola and walnut sauce was outstanding as was the fried focaccia with tallegio cheese.

You can taste Qupe at Wine Country, a great wine store in Los Olivos. It's the tasting room for quite a few local wineries.

I had a nice dinner at Sala Thai(6161 El Cajon Blvd) before a recent Cox Arena concert. It's less than a 5 min. drive away. Family run, good food and very pleasant atmosphere. The restaurant is in a big strip mall so most of us left our cars there and carpooled to the concert - very convenient.

I love the savory custard at Cafe Chloe. It's better than butter when spread on bread. Although it's not essential, the fried egg on a Linkery burger makes it pretty darn delicious.

I think the Ramona egg lady might also be at the PB farmer's market on Saturdays.

In lieu of baking one from scratch, does anyone know of a bakery in San Diego that makes a good red velvet cake? Thanks!