jennyo's Profile
SD Weekend suggestions
After reading about the terribleness of the Hash House, I thought I better ask for some additional Chowhound suggestions to round out my weekend. Heading into town next Thursday and staying downtown thru Sunday morning. Looking for suggestions for dinners, brunches and/or lunches. Caveat: I grew up outside of Escondido and lived in Hillcrest until the mid-90s so have missed much of the downtown/surrounding areas "renaissance." I have loved the Crest Cafe forever and would basically eat there and Juanita's taco shop for every meal but am trying to expand my horizons. Open to anything except mayonaisy sushi rolls.
Definitely intrigued by all the new(ish) North Park places, which should I not miss? Linkery? Blind Lady Alehouse? Sea Rocket Bistro? What are the best times/meals to hit these places?
Brunch options: Looking for something loud and raucous and drink-based, possibly Baja Betty's or Urban Moes? Food less important than atmosphere on this one, but isn't that all brunch?
Downtown: Our place is near Cowboy Star. Is it decent? Have been to Currant and some other forgettable places down there. Want something nice but not super stuffy. Other options appreciated.
Anything interesting near the beach these days?
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Linkery
3794 30th St, San Diego, CA 92104
Baja Betty's
1421 University Ave, San Diego, CA 92103
Sea Rocket Bistro
3382 30th St, San Diego, CA 92104
First weekend in San Diego
Is Hash House really terrible? Usually when I am visiting and in that neighborhood I go to Crest Cafe, but recently saw some kind of "baconrama" show on the food network and they highlighted the Hash House so I was slightly intrigued thinking about trying it when I am down there next weekend. But if it is gross, maybe not. Advice? We would be going on a Friday morning so as not to deal with the line around the building.
Where to go vs. where to repeat?
In Besh's defense, I enjoyed the beets almost as much as the praline. But overall as a meal, I have been more wowed. Maybe my expectations were too high. We have eaten at French Laundry, Gary Danko, Spago, Chez Panisse and I expected something along those lines based on reviews.
Where to go vs. where to repeat?
Late getting back to this but wanted to follow up. We arrived Sunday evening and after walking around the FQ and getting some drinks, we ended up at Coop's Place about 9pm. Tried originally to go to Napoleon House but it was closed. After about a 20 minute wait at the door, we opted for seats at the bar because no one appeared to be leaving the tables (why would they?) I had the Chicken Tchoupitoulas, husband had the Coop's Taste Plate, and our friend had Chicken Fettucine Alfredo. All very good, washed down with Abita's Mardi Gras Bock. Since we had been up since 3:30am PST to fly in, we turned in early.
The next morning my friend and I got up about 8 and walked over to Cafe du Monde because she wanted beignets and I desperately needed coffee. Went back to the rental townhouse and chilled until my husband got up, then headed slowly over to Stanley for "second breakfast." I love Stanley so much! I love the drinks, and the building, and of course the food--everything about it. I had the eggs benedict with fried oysters (YUM!) and a Mega Mary. My husband had the corned beef hash which he said tasted fine but thought the "chunks" were too large. My friend got the french-bread-pizza-ceasar-salad-sandwich, which sounds so bizarre but totally works! After this we shopped and walked around some more, got a to-go Pimm's cup at Napoleon House, and then went over to the French Market where we took a shuttle to the Old New Orleans Rum Distillery for a tour. Great tour!
After coming back, we hopped a bus over to the Bulldog on Magazine Street, so I could show my friends the cool fountain made of beer taps (my husband is a beer fanatic). After getting back to the FQ, we hit the Carousel Bar, then the Chart Room, where my friend made some "friends" who were interested in buying "us" (her) more drinks. So we followed them to Johnny White's Bar, where after about 3 more beers I was getting hungry and also wanted to change clothes (I was still in shorts and a tank top from the morning--AMAZING NOLA WEATHER). I was reluctant to leave my friend with the guys, but she had a key to the townhouse and knew the address, so my husband and I left with a plan to get something to eat at Napoleon House.
Until we walked there and found out they had closed at 5:30. By now it was almost 10pm and the (not very many) places that had been open were closing down. I did an open table search on my phone and found a place called Sylvain which had tables available up to 11pm. The menu looked more San Francisco than New Orleans but we were pretty hungry so we went in. We started with the chicken liver crostini, and then shared the poached egg over grilled asparagus. Both outstanding! Then we shared the crispy pork shoulder. OH. MY GOD. It was amazing--like a carnitas crab cake--crispy, and gooey, and porky, and tasty. I loved it! Great wine selection, but my husband hipstered/rednecked-out by ordering a $2 can of Schlitz.
The next day we went to Galatoire's. I knew that the bar opened at 11 but when we got to the front doors they were locked. I called the restaurant from my iphone and asked if someone could come let us in so we could go to the bar. Someone came out, opened the doors, and then promptly locked them behind us after we entered. Which made me wonder if there is another entrance somewhere? We had a couple bourbon milk punches and then made our way downstairs at 11:30. We ordered the souffle potatoes, and the grand gout appetizer. I ordered the Stuffed Eggplant, my husband ordered the Crabmeat au Gratin, and my friend ordered the broiled pompano. Food was very good, atmosphere was lively, table-neighbors were friendly and service was excellent. We were unable to stay all afternoon, because we had a 2pm bicycle tour scheduled, but we stayed as long as we possibly could and still have time to run back to the house, change clothes, and then run over to Washington Square Park on Frenchman Street for the tour.
*(Not a food-related topic, but the Confederacy of Cruisers bike tour is fantastic, as are the bloody mary's at Marie's Bar).
After the 3-hour tour, we wandered back through the FQ towards the townhouse. After a bit of rest, we made our way over to Restaurant August for dinner. After reading wonderful reviews of it here and other places, I was very excited to cap off our trip with this dinner. And while all of our dishes were very good, I wasn't completely wowed. To start I had the beet salad with crab, bacon, quail eggs, and mizuna. I greatly enjoyed it! My husband had the foie gras three ways, which he said was good but underwhelming. My friend had the seafood bisque, which she liked a lot. For mains, I ordered the lamb duo, which was comprised of lamb sweetbreads (yum!) and a seared loin (meh). My husband ordered the sugar and spice duckling, which he liked but described as "super rich." My friend got a fish dish, which I can't specifically remember, but she said it was too much like the bisque and was somewhat disappointed. Notwithstanding the mixed outcomes, we all were stuffed. We pondered dessert (I has intrigued by the goats milk cheesecake) but couldn't do it. After clearing the table, our waiter brought a plate of mignardise which included THE MOST AMAZING PRALINE I HAVE EVER EATEN. This little extra made the whole dinner worthwhile! But I really expected to be raving about all of it, not just the lagniappe.
Anyway, overall a great quick trip. Plan to return soon, because I didn't get any BBQ shrimp or muffalettas.
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Napoleon House Bar & Cafe
500 Chartres St, New Orleans, LA 70130
Restaurant August
301 Tchoupitoulas Street, New Orleans, LA 70130
Coop's Place
1109 Decatur St, New Orleans, LA 70116
Galatoire's Restaurant
209 Bourbon St., New Orleans, LA 70130
Stanley Restaurant
547 St Ann St, New Orleans, LA
Chart Room
300 Chartres St, New Orleans, LA 70130
Where to go vs. where to repeat?
Thanks everyone for the suggestions. Flying in tomorrow afternoon and can't wait to arrive in my favorite city in the US! Will report back after the food coma wears off.
Where to go vs. where to repeat?
Coming to NO for three nights next week from NorCal and I feel like I need to try some new things, but also make my first-timer friend and second-timer husband happy. On the first trip with husband we went to Galatoire's, Coops Place (lunches), Cochon, K-Paul and Commander's (dinners). My trip in the fall with a different friend resulted in forays to Galatoire's (spectacular Friday lunch), Louisiana Bistro, Drago's, and Napoleon House (dinners) and Stanley for a breakfast.
I made a Monday night reservation for MiLa but have left the rest of the time open. We arrive on Sunday afternoon and depart early Wednesday morning. Would like to hit Galatoire's again, preferably for lunch on Tuesday. Any recs for the rest of the time would be appreciated. I am intrigued by a co-worker's tale of the chicken bon femme at Tujague's as well, is it worth it? Also want to try good BBQ shrimp. Suggestions?
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Napoleon House Bar & Cafe
500 Chartres St, New Orleans, LA 70130
Cochon
930 Tchoupitoulas St., New Orleans, LA 70130
Galatoire's Restaurant
209 Bourbon St., New Orleans, LA 70130
Tujague's
823 Decatur Street, New Orleans, LA 70116
Louisiana Bistro
337 Dauphine St, New Orleans, LA 70112
recommendations for a New Yorker, 3 lunches, 3 dinners
I had the sweetbreads at Galatoire's a few months ago and they were very good!
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Galatoire's Restaurant
209 Bourbon St., New Orleans, LA 70130
Monte Cristo Sandwich
The Distillery in midtown serves a Monte Cristo sandwich, I think it is the deep fried kind but can't recall for sure and they are so old school they don't seem to have a website to check.
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Distillery
2107 L St, Sacramento, CA 95816
Need a restaurant suggestion in Tahoe City/Truckee area
Moody's in Truckee is very good.
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Moody's
10007 Bridge St., Truckee, CA 96161
Cocktails, Chow between Rocklin and Brentwood?
Ravenous is not really in Elk Grove, it's in the Pocket neighborhood of Sacramento. Guisti's in Walnut Grove would probably be about halfway for both of you. It's an old school place with family style Italian food and cocktails, a very funky place. Or Al's Place in Locke.
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Giusti's Place
14743 Walnut Grove-Thornton Rd, Walnut Grove, CA
Al the Wops
13936 Main St, Walnut Grove, CA 95690
Need advice for upcoming trip
Just got back - thanks again to everyone for great suggestions! I am sort of bummed we weren't able to consume as much food and drink as I wanted to, I don't know what happened with that!
Mini trip report:
Dinner at Napoleon House Thursday night after flying all day...love the warm muffaletta and the leftovers provided needed sustenance late Friday night! Going to try to find an olive salad recipe to make those tasty buggers at home!
Drinks in the dark afterward at Lafitte's blacksmith shop watching the Giants fail to close out the NLCS in 5 games....
Friday lunch at Galatoire's was absolutely perfect! I think parties of 2 actually have an advantage (we got in line at 10:30 and groups of 4 and 6 in front of us in line did not get tables downstairs). Had the souffle potatoes, fried eggplant, shrimp remoulade, crab maison, sweetbreads, duck crepe, softshell crab...all amazing. Plus lots of champagne, a few bourbon milk punches, great company (most of whom were strangers to us before Friday), and musical entertainment! We stayed until about 3pm. My friend loved it and was thrilled we were able to do it. Also, excellent service!
After a bit of a "nap" we wandered over to Drago's and shared some chargrilled oysters. For some reason, these were not as amazing as I remembered they were the first time I had them in early 2008. Had drinks afterward at the Carousel Bar, which was fun although the spinning was odd.
Breakfast Saturday morning at Stanley was excellent. I had the Eggs Stella (more softshell crab - I can't get enough of it!) and my friend had the PoBoy Sliders, with chicken/pesto, Korean beef, and cornmeal oysters. Good coffee too. After a confusing bus-transfer situation due to construction, we took the St Charles streetcar to the Columns Hotel for stellar mint juleps on the front porch. Then walked over to Magazine Street and wandered in and out of shops and bars. I loved the bar with the beer-tap fountain! Then we made our way back to the FQ with more stops at the Chart House, the rooftop bar at the Omni, and the obligatory trip to Pat Obrien's.
For dinner Saturday night, we had made a reservation at Louisiana Bistro, which I don't really see too much about on CH, but liked the concept of "Feed Me" so we tried it out. I thought it was really good! We chose the 4 course option for $49, which consisted of crawfish beignets, speckled trout on cheddar grits with a great pepper sauce, smoked quail on bourbon mashed sweet potatoes, and Creole rabbit, which was extremely tasty (the sauce was exquisite) but we were kind of in a food coma at that point. The chef came out to describe each course - that guy has some serious energy! I think it would be better if they were to size the portions based on how many courses are being ordered, like Gary Danko, and they would probably sell more 5-course options, but I still enjoyed it immensely. We did a sort of disappointing wine pairing option, but the people at the table next to us who were also from the Bay Area had 2 bottles and were pouring us glasses of theirs because we were providing Giants score updates from my iphone...
Sunday morning we just got some stuff from Rouse's and made breakfast in the air-conditioned townhouse while watching the Saints game. All in all a great trip, but too short and I definitely didn't bring my A-game eating-wise. Have to go back soon.
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Columns Hotel
3811 Saint Charles Ave, New Orleans, LA 70115
Napoleon House Bar & Cafe
500 Chartres St, New Orleans, LA 70130
Galatoire's Restaurant
209 Bourbon St., New Orleans, LA 70130
Louisiana Bistro
337 Dauphine St, New Orleans, LA 70112
Need advice for upcoming trip
thank you all so much for the great options! I think we are going to try to do Galatoire's on Friday; I'm afraid I have built up the expectations too much to back off at this point. Hopefully some birthday pleading will do the trick (and getting in line early)...
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Galatoire's Restaurant
209 Bourbon St., New Orleans, LA 70130
Need advice for upcoming trip
Hello - a friend and I are coming to New Orleans this Thursday-Sunday from Northern California to celebrate her birthday. We will be staying in the FQ and I want to give her a great sampling of NOLA cuisine. She loves spicy, interesting food but has a husband with digestive problems and a first grader so her daily food life is pretty bland.
I have been to NOLA once, a couple of years ago, and had an amazing food trip, including lunches at Drago's, Coop's, and Galatoire's; and dinners at Commanders, Cochon and K-Paul. Plus some interesting "fourthmeals" or whatever it's called when you eat more than 3 meals a day in New Orleans... So these are my dilemmas:
Friday Lunch:
Initially I wanted to take her to Galatoire's Friday Lunch, since that is her actual birthday, but I am worried that it will be too much of a scene, or that we won't even be able to get a table since we aren't regulars/locals. I have read on CH about some of the other places offering Friday lunch, but can't seem to find specific info on the restaurant websites so would love to hear from locals what the up & coming favorites are. I have seen Commander's Palace, Bayona, and Restaurant August mentioned, and am intrigued by the 25 cent martini option at Commanders if they still do it. Basically, we just want a festive lively atmosphere and great food. So suggestions on that would be very appreciated.
Sunday Brunch:
If we end up doing Commanders Friday lunch instead of Galatoire's, then I need alternative suggestions for Sunday brunch. We won't have a car but are willing to cab/streetcar it. I see mixed reviews about Brennan's, like it is a must-experience or that it is terrible.
Best of New Orleans:
Any suggestions on "must haves" in New Orleans...money is not an issue, but I do like to go to both fancy places and holes in the wall to get a full range of flavor.
Drinks/Happy Hours:
When we aren't eating or exploring, we will be drinking. Where should we go and what should we avoid?
Thanks in advance!
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Restaurant August
301 Tchoupitoulas Street, New Orleans, LA 70130
Cochon
930 Tchoupitoulas St., New Orleans, LA 70130
Commander's Palace Restaurant
1403 Washington Ave, New Orleans, LA 70130
Bayona
430 Dauphine St, New Orleans, LA 70112
Galatoire's Restaurant
209 Bourbon St., New Orleans, LA 70130
POUTINE with cheddar cheese curds
Any place that has a Beto's, or Adalbertos, or any other variation ending with Berto's in CA will have the carne asada fries. I have also seen them at non-berto's places with some frequency, specifically the Flaming Grill in Sacramento. They are basically drive-thru mexican restaurants that have taken over defunct fast food places and are open 24 hours. Mostly prevalent in San Diego county, but also can be found in the Sacramento/San Joaquin Valleys and other medium to large western cities including Reno, Salt Lake, and St. George.
POUTINE with cheddar cheese curds
I have lived in several different parts of CA and have never come across poutine. Even at a place they served it in Vancouver BC, they admitted that it really didn't belong on the west coast, it was just that one of the cooks was from the part of Canada where it's more popular so they had it on the menu.
But carne asada fries, which you can find all over CA, will probably fill your poutine void.
Dining on the Delta?
I think the Lost Isle is no longer open, which is probably a good thing. Most of the food we have come across in the Delta isn't great, but there are some interesting places including Al's and Giusti's. Every time we have gone past the Boathouse Marina, they have not offered guest docking, but maybe that has changed. Giusti's dock gets crowded, if you are going to try to have dinner there I suggest arriving early (before they start their dinner service) so you can find a spot. Those houseboats are difficult to park.
We regularly hit Wimpy's for lunch, they have a nice burger (and a very large guest dock). And the Lighthouse is usually decent for appetizer-type things. As others have said, these places are all in the northern part of the Delta. I have heard good things about Breadfruit Tree near Stockton but have never eaten there.
True SoCal Rolled Tacos in Bay Area?
Trust me, there is a difference. Flautas are usually made with flour tortillas. Rolled tacos (in the San Diego sense) are made from corn tortillas, but I find them more commonly referred to here in NorCal as "taquitos."
Unfortunately, Belanger, I do not know of any 'berto's type places in the Bay Area. I live in Sacramento and there are tons of them here. They even have Alberto's in St. George Utah. Not sure why they aren't in the Bay, but I suspect it has something to do with the mission burrito snobs.
Sacramento Area - Need Best venue/facility for 40th Birthday Party for 100.
Your request might have stumped people, affordable is relative and it is difficult to tell whether you are looking for an event facility or to buyout a restaurant. My co worker is having a 40th birthday party for her husband next month at Mix downtown. For about 100 people it is $5K. You could probably call the owners of Aioli or Tapa the World and ask them for suggestions on a tapas theme. They may cater or know someone who does.
World Famous in San Diego
To me they both are what they are: places to have a drink, enjoy the people-watching action on the boardwalk, and eat some average food. Does anyone really go to those places expecting fine cuisine? I will admit that I had a pretty good carne asada benedict at WF a couple months ago. I had low expectations and they surpassed them.
Casa de Bandini
Any news on when Casa de Bandini will open? Am going to be visiting North County this weekend and was hoping to stop by for a nostalgic giant margarita. I have tried to call but their message does not state an opening date. Probably not a good sign.
Anchor Spirits.
We have ordered the Old Potrero Rye from Beverage Warehouse in the past (located in LA). We live in Sacramento and have not been able to find it anywhere but there. Even they are out of it now. Many years ago Bevmo had it but they only have the gin now.
Your best bet is to order from an online retailer.
North Lake Tahoe Favorites?
Fifty Fifty Brewing in Truckee has very good food, not just your average brewpub fare. Good beer too, if you're looking for that.
Suggestions for Weekend Meals/Monday dinner
The event is at the polo fields, I believe. And we are including taxis in our definition of public transportation, if the bus/streetcar just absolutely doesn't make sense for where we are going.
Suggestions for Weekend Meals/Monday dinner
Incanto looks awesome, thanks for the tip!
Suggestions for Weekend Meals/Monday dinner
We are coming to town (from Sacramento) this weekend for the Outside Lands Festival and I need some suggestions for breakfast/lunch type-places for Saturday and Sunday before the festival starts. We are staying around Van Ness and Lombard St. and would prefer not to use the car (we will be taking public transport to GG Park for the show).
Also looking for a great Monday night dinner, hopefully some places will be open.
As for style, we are open to anything but would especially enjoy something that typifies the best of San Francisco. We both we go there for work frequently but usually just a day trip. We never get to just kick around and enjoy the city, so we would appreciate good insider tips food-wise. Thanks!
Couchon one of Frank Bruni's top 10 new "Restaurants that Count"
I live in northern California and would give my left eye to have a restaurant like Cochon here. Its great that style of cooking can be found everywhere in the south, but you can't get anything like that in many parts of the country. That may be why the NY reviewer felt it deserved distinction. We ate there a couple weeks ago and absolutely could not decide what to order, because everything looked awesome and we could only eat there once!
