tiffany's Profile
Mother's Day Brunch near Pier 39?
Secured an early reservation at Town's End yesterday... fantastic! Thank you all & happy mother's day to all the mom's out there who's work is never appreciated enough!
Mother's Day Brunch near Pier 39?
You're right... we'll be on the Island Princess. I'm kicking myself because Town's End sounds perfect... more to my liking (per food/ambiance) but they don't have *any* reservations available the entire day on Mother's Day. :( I'll try to call about that tomorrow and give Delancey Street Restaurant a try if nothing opens up.
Thank you R & R!!!
Mother's Day Brunch near Pier 39?
I know... we've read that article too.
Good news is... we have reservations at Fog City Diner. Waterfront looked a little overpriced to me.. but I guess b/c of location & ambiance too. His first pick, Olea, only takes reservations for dinner, so yay! Thanks everyone!
Mother's Day Brunch near Pier 39?
Okay, Fog City Diner actually looks so good.. there's such a variety of food that I think could please everyone... now to see if I can convince my husband.
and thanks pamf for the note about the piers. That's good to know and might save us some time
Mother's Day Brunch near Pier 39?
Nice, thank you! Mama's doesn't take reservations (per Yelp) but I'll call them to check.. Fog City Diner looks like yum comfort food.. truffle fries sound so great! But my husband is such a yelp snob and turned his nose down at that suggestion when he saw that is has 3 and a half stars.. I shake my head (b/c mother's day is all about HIM! sheesh) Hillstone looks just like a renamed Houstons! Maybe if we decide to do a meal later in that day, that would totally fit the bill... they don't seem to have any breakfast/brunchy type foods. I like that Waterfront has their mother's day brunch menu online already... looks a bit pricey, but let's see if I can get a reservation. Thanks guys!!!
Mother's Day Brunch near Pier 39?
Our family is taking a cruise up the west coast with the mother in law and her sister. Our first port day stops in SF on Mother's Day and while I feel like it's kinda silly to be asking (b/c we go to the city for Tartine and Delfina whenever we go to SF), I just haven't had time to do my homework...
my husband wants us to be able to enjoy a nice mother's day brunch that's not too far from our port. I'm assuming it's near Pier 39, but I could be wrong... Pier 35? Anyway, the choices he sent me (thanks to Yelp) were Olea, Pat's Cafe, and Darren's Cafe... places I've never heard of. I guess we could just choose based on the yelp reviews and whether or not they'd even still have reservations available, but do any of you have recommendations for/against any one of these in particular or even other places in the vicinity? I guess he'd like to stay somewhat in the area and not have to cab it all the way across the city. We'd also like to be able to make a reservation and have a 2 year old and a 4 year old with us who can be well behaved if bribed with the appropriate things... and two seniors who really enjoy places like Ihop and Dennys... so I'm forever trying to make excuses to get myself out of going to these places with them.
I'd also like to try to stop at the Ferry building at some point to pick up some salted caramels from Recchuiti's, so maybe around that area would be okay as well? unless they're all kinda in the same area? Sorry, I'm geographically challenged. :(
We usually do this kind of research on our own but it's just been crazy and exhausting since we're trying to close escrow on our first home and are getting ready to go out of town all at the same time... here's where buyers remorse starts to creep in.
Thanks in advance chowhounds!!!
Knive set for non foodie MIL?
Ah, I SO wish MIL was in San Diego... we're driving up to the Bay Area (Danville) to see her tomorrow.. We're in smell-A now, but SD is where I was born, grew up, and hope to one day move back to... San Diego.. the promised land.
Thanks for the offer though. :)
Knive set for non foodie MIL?
The one I was looking at was this for $41.73 if I canceled the subscription to Martha Stewart Magazine
http://www.cooking.com/products/shprodde.asp?SKU=242233&ref=http%3A%2F%2Fslickdeals.net%2Ff%2F3614103-victorinox-7-pc-knife-block-set-56-73-shipped-from-cooking-com
but your deal actually looks better since it has the 7 inch Santoku instead of the sharpening steel... that actually looks like a *reallly* nice deal. Although my MIL wouldn't know what a Santoku knife is anyway, so I guess it wouldn't matter to her.
No really. I'm pretty sure her knife set are unbranded with that old brown wooden handle. Not sure if she's ever even sharpened them before, but I could probably try for her when I see her later this week.
Knive set for non foodie MIL?
Thanks everyone! Gonna stick with a Victorinox chef's knife and maybe a paring knife.. still haven't looked closely between Victorinox and Dexter Russel. I am running out of time since the previous weeks were spent planning a big birthday party we had for one of the kiddos this weekend, so Amazon it will be. I'll have to check out chefknivestogo maybe for me since Christmas deadlines don't apply to oneself. :) But thanks so much!!! This was a huge help & I learned something tonight.
Knive set for non foodie MIL?
Thanks.... the Ginsu knives would be perfect for MIL then! Okay, I'm only kidding. My MIL and I don't see eye to eye on many things but she's a generous lady and we've come a long way in our relationship. But thanks for those recs. I think that I really just needed someone to tell me to stay away from those Ginsu knives, although the high ratings from so many reviewers did cause me to wonder.
I vaguely knew that Henckels are comparable to Wusthof classic, but didn't know the difference between the different lines... never heard of Dexter-Russell before, but the carbon steel chef's knife and the Rosewood Knife Fork Combo with Leather Sheath look pretty crazy. So I'm learning.
What do I serve Ina's Tuscan Lemon Chicken with?
Hey guys, thanks for all the recs! The party turned out great. I actually ended up going with a sundried tomato pasta salad (also Barefoot Contessa) that was a huge hit last year and again, everyone loved it. Did the green beans per everyone recommendation.. they were actually the french green beans that I tried to blanch for a minute, plunge in ice water, then saute with some butter.. they were still way too raw for me and I hated them, but people still thought they were okay and ate them. Grilled some Aidell's sausages with the chicken and that was super easy. Chowser, the crash potatoes were a huge hit! I almost forgot about them until half of our party already got food and started eating.. but that worked out perfectly because they were piping hot out of the oven. If you see this, what temp do you cook it at b/c I would have prefered them even crispier. Ran out of time to make a salad since I thought I'd have time to make my own, and that was actually the one thing that I think would have rounded out the meal, for me anyway.
Thanks everyone! You guys are the best!
Knive set for non foodie MIL?
My mother in law requested a new chef's knife or a photo calendar for Christmas.. since we've already missed the deadline to make the second option, knives it is. But instead of getting just a chef's knife for her, I thought a small knife set would be so much better since all her of knives are crappy, dull, and from the 70s. She cooks, but not a whole lot, so they don't have to be nice santouku knives, or any of the name brands. I considered getting her this Victorinox set that was just around $50 on Cooking.com a few weeks ago, but those were sold out when I was ready to buy them. On Amazon, there are a bunch of sets of Ginsu knives that seem to have good ratings but I have absolutely no experience with that brand at all. Any recommendations for a set ( preferably small) that is under the $50 range? For some reason, I've read that the Henckels knives on Amazon are really cheapy and fake?
I only own a few Wusthof Classic knives, so I really don't know too much about all the other brands out there. I'd appreciate any suggestions!
What do I serve Ina's Tuscan Lemon Chicken with?
Really? Sweet potatoes? Would you just have to find small ones, or how would you do larger ones. I have some yams (or maybe they're sweet potatoes) that I've been trying to figure out how to make so that the kidlets would eat them... I might actually try that tonight.
Thanks!
What do I serve Ina's Tuscan Lemon Chicken with?
Now why couldn't I have thought of sausages! I actually have some Aidells sausages in the freezer right now, but they're pineapple something, so I'll probably pick up one of the other varieties. My husband will LOVE this idea.. he can't say no to sausages. And Gio, it's an early birthday lunch. I even thought of doing a brunch at first but decided that we'd grill instead since the rain's gone now and it's supposed to be sunny this weekend. The couscous recipe looks good and I might do that too if I have time, but I think those crash potatoes might be a winner. Thanks chowser! I'd seen that PW post before and totally forgot about it. I don't have a potato masher... you think a large fork would work just as well? and green beans sounds great too for both adults and kids. I had thought maybe a salad too.. maybe just the bagged spinach salad from Trader Joe's since I'm not gonna have any help, or something else simple.
My question now, is what to bake last? Both the mac n cheese and smashed potatoes need the oven.. well, actually the breaded chicken for the kiddos need the oven too, but I can do that earlier. Maybe potatoes? I only like my potatoes when they're burning your mouth hot. I won't even go anywhere near a warm french fry.
Thanks guys for all the great suggestions! I don't know.. my brain just doesn't work very well when it comes to putting a menu together but this is perfect. Thank you thank you!
What do I serve Ina's Tuscan Lemon Chicken with?
We're throwing a birthday party this weekend and I'm wanting to serve Ina Garten's Tuscan Lemon Chicken from Back to Basics. Planning a menu isn't my strength and I can't for the life of me think of what to serve with it. My husband says hamburgers and/or hotdogs, but i really don't want to go that route... however if I can't come up with a menu soon, I'm afraid I'll have to just throw in the towel and let him do whatever.
For the kiddos, I'm already gonna serve Ina's mac n cheese and some breaded chicken nuggets... will be making cupcakes and maybe more macarons later this week but my mind is going blank on actual real food for lack of sleep or maybe because I'm a baker and can only think of sweet things that I want to make. Some suggestions with not too too much prep work the morning of would be great. Thanks in advance!!!
Attn bakers! PLEASE help me adjust baking time for bread pudding!
paulj, I guess I could try NOT doubling the recipe and using an 8x8 like the person did in the blog entry.. but just concerned that it wouldn't be enough for 10 adults and 5 toddlers... thanks for the link though. love the photos & discussion in general since I also love Tartine.
Attn bakers! PLEASE help me adjust baking time for bread pudding!
Mmm.. maybe just this part, but it's also just straight from my Tartine cookbook: "• If you use a shallower mold (than a loaf pan), reduce the baking time."
and it kinda made me wish that I had bought brioche instead of challah, but my Trader Joe's didn't have brioche.. maybe they don't carry it anymore? You never know with TJs.
From that bit of advice, I'd just think to keep it at the same baking time (since it might be a bit more shallow than a loaf pan)? Not sure...
On another note (and I know.. this should probably go in Cookware, but does anyone have a glass/ceramic (preferably, but not necessarily deep dish) loaf pan that they'd recommend. Thanks in advance!
Attn bakers! PLEASE help me adjust baking time for bread pudding!
Hello hounds!
I'm making bread pudding out of the Tartine cookbook this weekend for a brunch and while it's not my first time, I'm trying to double the recipe (and actually use challah instead of brioche) and bake it in a 9x12 (but the bottom of the baker says 10x14" ceramic baker that I just got. The original recipe says to bake it at 350F for 1 hour in a 9x5 glass loaf dish, which I'd totally do if I had two (or even one) of these. I'd been meaning to replace the cheapo "non-stick" metal loaf pan that I used to have but hadn't gotten around to it and am now find myself trying to make this for a larger than usual (just my family) gathering of friends. I know, I know.. I could always bake for longer and keep testing for doneness, uncovering the dish, and slipping a knife into the center, but with other brunch prep going on PLUS little babies running around and needing attention, I don't want to have to remember to keep checking for doneness every 5 minutes or so. ANY suggestions would be VERY MUCH appreciated!
Dried Out Vanilla Beans
Sorry, I'm a little late to the game, but this is the best thread ever! Okay, maybe just for me b/c I just bought some pods online.. but now I'm thinking that maybe I should have bought the 1/2 pound quantity instead. Thanks for all the great tips!
What are you baking these days? June 2011 [old]
Kahlua chocolate cupcakes.. but with what? Some ideas please?
I had originally really wanted to frost with a buttercream frosting swirled with a salted caramel sauce.. just because I love salted caramel anything. But I tried a taste of the caramel with some of the cake and that would overpower the lovely kahlua flavor of the cupcake. I don't want to do a kahlua buttercream since there will probably also be a bunch of kids eating these cupcakes too. Maybe just a dusting of powdered sugar? Although I was really looking forward to piping something over these babies.. any suggestions? TIA!
Trader Joe's Lemon curd in a jar
That sounds really good... I'm gonna have to try that as soon as I can get to a TJ's to get a jar of that lemon curd.
Help Me Fix My Macarons!
Hehe.. nice feet though. I saw from another website that you can wet your finger and gently flatten those little peaks after you pipe them.. that is, unless you like/prefer them that way. ;)
Help Me Fix My Macarons!
"2) how long I cook them for - I don't know if this is "true" or cooking "superstition" but I now believe that when I was getting "big" air pockets I wasn't cooking them long enough. So when they cooled the "still too gooey" egg white center was collapsing - i.e. it wasn't set quite enough"
YES! I was trying a few of the macaron recipes on Tartelette's site and I was getting so frustrated because the blueberry shells that I made had feet (when they first came out of the oven) that deflated AND were hollow AND I couldn't get those darned things off the parchment paper no matter how many different tricks and tips I tried.. I finally came to the conclusion that I probably didn't bake them for long enough. Oh well, I now have a bunch of hollow & broken blueberry macaron shells that I'll have to find a use for.
Help Me Fix My Macarons!
Hey thank you so much for experimenting and sharing your results. I was getting really frustrated with the hollow shells last night (and they'd stick to the parchment too!) and increased the temperature today, which fixed the hollow shell problem.. but yeah, now I have protruding feet too. The problem I had today though was that mine (strawberry shells) over browned too. I'll have to try your technique next time.The only recipe that has always worked out well for me is David Lebovitz's chocolate macaron recipe and he bakes his at 350 for 15-18 minutes.
http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2005/10/french-chocolat/
Nice, kid-friendly brunch/lunch spot w/great food for 30th bday
No, I didn't know that.. thanks! I had only been to the location on Upas... it must have been 4 years ago that I was last at the Linkery. Too bad we're only staying for the weekend.. I've so many fond memories of meals there. But thats good to know b/c all the places that we'd been to & loved in SD were before we had any kids & I never had to include "kid-friendly" as a requirement before.
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Linkery
3794 30th St, San Diego, CA 92104
Nice, kid-friendly brunch/lunch spot w/great food for 30th bday
"I'll also throw out The Linkery, which does brunch now, and Cafe Chloe."
Reaaally??! I miss those two places, although they seem to be smaller spaces from what I remember.
I'd always wanted to try Coffee Cup, but guess I just never made it over there... ended up going to Harry's Coffee Shop instead which was a bit too greasy spoon for me. Thanks for reminding me... will consider it.
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Linkery
3794 30th St, San Diego, CA 92104
Cafe Chloe
721 9th Ave, San Diego, CA 92101
Harry's Coffee Shop
7545 Girard Ave, La Jolla, CA 92037
Coffee Cup
1109 Wall St, La Jolla, CA 92037
Cherry Pie
Ditto also... we now live in LA and my husband knows that Elizabethan Desserts is the one must-stop place for us every time we drive down to San Diego. Their baby Cherry Pies were what won me over, but I love their cupcakes now too... and pretty much everything else that they make, although I feel like the size of their chocolate toffee cupcakes recently shrank.
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Elizabethan Desserts
155 Quail Gardens Dr, Encinitas, CA
Nice, kid-friendly brunch/lunch spot w/great food for 30th bday
Thank you! And very nice, thanks for all the recs. Never heard of Urban Solace since we've been away for so long, but looks like we might have to try it. What specific things would you guys recommend? Wow, just loooked at the blunch menu & can we say "comfort food?" Looks great!
North county coastal sounds so lovely too, especially if the weather is nice... I just hate how the traffic on that section of the 5 is always so unpredictable... maybe not so on weekends?
And Normalheightsfoodie, you're totally right... Hash House would be a nightmare with small children in such a tiny place.. plus the wait on weekends is just ridiculous.
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Urban Solace Restaurant
3823 30th Street, San Diego, CA 92104
Nice, kid-friendly brunch/lunch spot w/great food for 30th bday
Hello Chowhounds!
This is a former San Diegan looking for a place to have brunch or lunch on an upcoming Saturday with my family and a few friends. We're now in smelLA and it's been awhile since we've been in SD. My husband was thinking Hash House a go go, but I know that there must be places with better food than Hash House and the Cottage. Cavaillon sounds nice, but from what I read from the boards, they only have brunch on Sundays? Reservations would be nice, especially since we have a baby and a toddler. Is there anything that you guys can recommend that's not more than a 30 minute drive from Scripps/Mira Mesa?
You only turn 30 once, so great food would be a wonderful way to celebrate.. thanks in advance!!!
Tiffany
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Cavaillon Restaurant
14701 Via Bettona, Suite 200, San Diego, CA 92127
roast chicken and....? help!
thanks for the suggestions! i was just reading the thread where a bunch of you were discussing whether one roasted chicken was sufficient for the number of people that the poster had mentioned he/she was having over... so your comments made me laugh. we have a 6 and a half pound chicken for 4 adults, 3 toddlers, and one 11 month old. so i'm really hoping that that one chicken will be enough... had thought of other things as mains, but since our guests never wrote back (which is rare), i just decided on something quick and easy. i had thought of mac n cheese too, b/c i really like barefoot contessa's recipe and it's super easy... so maybe either that or risotto. the salad & dessert ideas sound great too.. i'll have to run to the store later. thanks everyone!!!
