My wife and I love LV. We have had both lunch and dinner there and she has been there many more times than I. I second everything that Ginger Wolf said. Excellent "old world service".

Not exactly in San Diego, but in North County, you might try Spicy King on East Vista Way. Szechuan cuisine, homestyle. http://www.spicyking.com/

We like Hart Family Winery. Small family owned. Joe Hart is one of the original pioneering winemakers in Temecula.
www.hartfamilywinery.com

Concur with 1500 Ocean. Wife and I had anniversary dinner there. Food and service were excellent.

We made our first trip to Austin in November and the truly memorable meal that we had was at Uchiko. The "tasting menu" (Omakase) is really amazing.

+1 for Le Vallauris. My wife and I have eaten there a couple of times and she has been there more than I with her mom and mom's friends. Service is excellent.

James Brennan has been maligned here for his management style and many don't like his executive chef's styling in the restaurants here, but read this UT article and watch the 60 minutes clip.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/o...

Thanks, Optimista. J. Mueller's looks great. It will go on the list.

Centro Basco in Chino. http://www.centrobasco.net/index.html

Hello fellow CHers!

My wife and I will be in Austin for the Formula 1 race in November. I have wanted to go to an F1 race since I was 10 years old. We know that there is a lot of good food in Austin and with so many more people in town for the races, I was wondering if there are places that local would recommend that we stay away from due to the increased crowds and the "marginal return on investment of time", i.e. good but not worth an hour or more wait!

Since this trip is already pretty expensive, we are looking for places that are relatively inexpensive, but with really good food. We are both experienced eaters, but not adventurous. BBQ is definitely on the list with Stiles Switch and Salt Lick.

I have also been following the "Best Thing YOU Ever Ate, Austin" thread, so thanks for all of those recommendations.

The car club I belong to recently had a club tasting event at Pamo Valley Winery in Ramona. I was very surprised by the quality of their reds. They source all of their fruit from local vineyards in Ramona and other nearby vineyards. http://www.pamovalleyvineyards.com/

For coffee and pastries, try Oma's European Bakery and Restaurant. My car club used to go to Idyllwild for overnights and we always stopped at Oma's for sweets.
We would have breakfast on Sunday morning at Cafe Aroma -- http://www.cafearoma.org/index.htm.

Then we agree to disagree. Everyone's taste is different. Opened a bottle of Chateau Margene's 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Friday night and enjoyed its full bodied dark fruit intensity.

I've been to both and it's not even close. AR Valentien. Delicias was bad all the way around. Bad service and overpriced food that was below average.

I would recommend Chateau Margene. The winery is way out in Creston, on the east side. Great Cabernet and Meritage. They do have a tasting room on the west side at Vineyard and Peachy Canyon. Right next to the tasting room is Opolo. Also out of the way is Nadeau Family Vintners. Nadeau does do a lot of Zin, but they also do a substantial Syrah and Rhone blends.

I used to work close to the cafe in Sorrento Mesa and went there often for lunch or stopped in the morning for a coffee and croissant. The food has always been excellent and the service precise and friendly. Lunchtime can be a bit hectic because of the proximity to so many businesses, but the staff is always accommodating. Definitely recommend a stop for the patisserie.

Great report. Takes me back to the "old days". Of course, back then, we didn't go to Spreckels, but it's nice to see that some traditions live on.

A couple of places come to mind that might work for you. In Carmel, the Highlands Inn is a spectacular property. The hotel has changed hands several times since I last stayed there, but it is still a great place to stay. The restaurant used to be rated highly, but as I said, it has been a few years since I was there last. You do have access to several good to great restaurants in Carmel.

The other place I would recommend you look at is in Calistoga, the Cottage Grove Inn. They have individual cottages that are fully appointed. No restaurant on premises, but close to many in the Napa Valley. French Laundry might be reaching a bit for this trip, but you can get the same quality food at Ad Hoc or Bouchon, which are both owned by Thomas Keller and are just down the street from FL.

http://highlandsinn.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels-highlandsinn/
http://cottagegroveinn.com/index.html

Definitely a clown. I didn't like him in the show and now that I have read his "bio" I like him even less. What drivel.

+1 for Hart, but I agree with him about the other Rancho California Rd. wineries, especially Wilson and Callaway. I think that the proximity to LA and Riverside brings the rowdies, where Napa and Sonoma don't necessarily cater to that type of crowd.

Cenote Grill in Escondido. +1 for Hacienda de Vega. Vinz on Grand for great selection of wine and food. Tango for sit down lunch and dinner with excellent wine list. IMHO, Stone is good for the beer but the food leaves a lot to be desired, your mileage may vary. Tacos Alex in San Marcos.

http://www.cenotegrill.com/
http://www.tangoongrand.com/
http://vinzwinebar.net/

For Italian cuisine, highly recommend Gourmet Italia -http://www.gourmetitaliarestaurants.com/
Winery restaurant - Carol's at Baily Winery - http://www.bailywinery.com/Restaurant.aspx
Old Town dining - Baily's - http://www.oldtowndining.com/

I am not associated with Baily Winery in any way, other than I've eaten at each of their restaurants and like the food and the wine.

Why the "new" food truck craze has scored with fresh, local ingredients and tasty prepared food.
http://californiabountiful.com/featur...

I would do "old school" Palm Springs at Le Vellauris (http://www.levallauris.com/). There is something comforting to my wife and I to walk into a restaurant where they still have tableside service, white table cloths and excellent service. Don't get me wrong, you will have to pay for the privilege, but it's worth the time and expense.

Opera Patisserie and Cafe went the other way and they have a truck in addition to their two fixed locations.

Actually, the owners are the same as Emerald, not Jasmine. BTW, Jasmine owners used to have Jasmine Bistro in El Cajon, but that recently closed its doors.

Yes. They bring a variety of cuisines to the culinary wastelands of the corporate office malls where the best you can do is maybe get a decent turkey sandwich. The problem is that when I'm in the mood for something, the truck might be some distance from here and won't be back around for another week. :-( Generally speaking (I have not eaten at all of the trucks), the food is all prepped and cooked fresh to order and prices are usually commensurate with their non-mobile competition.

I'm not Jewish so I'm not sure if they are truly Kosher, but Elijah's in the La Jolla towne center area says that they are kosher and their menu reflects that.
http://www.elijahsrestaurant.com/elij...

+1 for Pearl. We used to go to Jasmine alot back in the '90s, and even had our wedding reception there, but the dim sum is average at best. Highly recommend Pearl. RB is not that far to go, unless, of course, you are coming from Chula Vista or National City. :-)

I don't think that it's over, at least here in the Sorrento Valley/Mira Mesa area. If you look at http://sdfoodtrucks.com/food-truck-lu... or follow them on Twitter, you will see that there are a lot of them covering the area here as well as downtown and as far as Carlsbad. Many of them have regular place that one can find them, depending on the day of the week. Quite a variety of cuisines. Mangiamangiamobile stops two buildings down from where I work every Thursday, and I love the selections.