Supernatural Sandwiches – The Lair
A few weeks ago, I grabbed a couple of coworkers to go with me to Supernatural Sandwiches new brick and mortar location on Miramar Road. I was excited to go visit their store front since discovering that they were opening and pretty close to the office.
The restaurant is located pretty far in on the very, very long road and at least for now, there was no sign to indicate where it was. With the directions in hand, we found a strip mall that had a “Grand Opening” banner over one door. I just assumed that this was the place and as we drove closer, we could see their sign on the window – Bingo!
Talking with the cashier, all of the sandwiches on their menu can be made into salads too, but I want a sandwich!
My choice for the first visit was their iconic sandwich – The Siren. Six plump garlicky shrimps drizzled with aioli, on a little bed of cherry tomatoes, mixed greens, and shredded white cheddar, squeezed into a buttery toasted bun. Man…this sandwich was good! I know that as you read through what’s in the sandwich, you may think it would be heavy but it isn’t at all! It’s light, buttery, a little spice kick to it and makes you lick your fingers after you’ve consumed it. All sandwiches come with the shrimp chips you see here and those are my childhood addiction.
In addition to my sandwich, I also got a side of the garlic shrimp fried rice. It’s not listed on their website, but it’s on their “Sides” menu at the restaurant. This packed a nice garlic kick and the rice wasn’t too sticky at all. Although, if it was up to me, I wish there was some chili sauce to go with it to make it spicy.
My friend opted for their surf n’ turf sandwich – the Chimera. This sandwich has Korean steak BBQ and those plump shrimps! Along with a sesame chili aioli and kimchi relish on a buttery toasted brioche bun. My friend was loving the sandwich and had the same feeling as I did with mine – although it sounds filling, he said he didn’t feel overly stuffed after the decadent sandwich.
And the other coworker friend of mine that day got the Garuda in a salad form. Unfortunately, I was so busy eating that I forgot to take a picture of her’s. It was a generous salad portion topped with the Garuda’s Korean BBQ chicken. She said the chicken was super moist and packed with flavor.
On my second visit with even more coworkers, majority got the Siren and Chimera since we were raving about them after we got back to work the first time. So I decided to try another sandwich because honestly, I want to try at least 3/4 of the menu!
On the table this time is the Kappa! (By the way…I love the names of their sandwiches.) This is basically a grilled cheese with spicy crab! Now this time, maybe because it is melted cheese that it did feel a little heavier but still by no means, too stuffy.
I love this place and I just wish it was closer to one of the freeways on Miramar. Even the workers there admit that although the location isn’t ideal, they want to spread the word out to let people know that they are there. I really hope the word does get out and then maybe they can get a better (second?) location!
Supernatural Sandwiches
7094 Miramar Rd #105
San Diego, CA 92121
Devilicious
Oh food trucks…how I love thee. Let me count the ways that I love you:
Your food is cooked fresh to order.
You provide me good food without any unnecessary frills.
Most of the time you have me eating with my hands.
You satisfy my hunger and my soul.
Oh food trucks…thank you for completing my eating life in San Diego.
The food truck mania is not just some passing phase people. It is a staple that San Diego has been long behind on and over the last 5 years, that side of the business has significantly grown. One of the oldest food trucks in San Diego who also participated in the Food Network Great Food Truck Race – Devlicious, has been serving our great town for awhile now. Their signature item is the Lobster Grilled Cheese sandwich. So when a coworker and I found them parked just outside our office, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try it for myself:
The lobster grilled cheese comes with a side salad with balsamic vinegar. The sandwich itself: butter poached lobster with melted jack and cheddar cheese and caramelized onions on sourdough.
It is a rich and delicious sandwich. The cheese melted perfectly, nestling in the sweet onions and lobster itself all on two pieces of crispy, fresh bread. I think if it was any other side, it would have been just too much for me to handle, but because it was a salad, it helped bring down the richness. As for the lobster you may be wondering – fresh, soft, sweet, and was not overshadowed in the least. And they gave you a good amount of lobster for the price of $12.
People may think this is “outrageously” expensive, yet a restaurant would have charged you $16-$18, and some places could get away with even charging up to $20 for this exact sandwich portion. Think about it people, how much would it cost you at a restaurant? These trucks have to not only pay for the food supply itself, but even with their bare minimum operations, there are still costs to run a food truck. Have you not seen the show itself? You need to charge every dish to cover your cost of food, overhead (eg. wages, truck maintenance), and still make a profit from every sale.
So come on San Diego! Go out there and support your local food trucks!!! There’s a great website that shows you all the food truck gatherings throughout San Diego called Curbside Bites and their calendar lists out everything. Granted, always check with the truck’s twitter or webpage for any updates on their locations.
Throughout San Diego County (and sometimes beyond)
Philly Frank’s in San Marcos
Ok, so I don’t normally track up to the San Marcos area for food. Or at all since it is never “on my way” to anything! However, my coworker introduced me to a place up in San Marcos about three weeks ago and my world has been forever changed. (And the realization dawned on me that San Marcos is actually NOT that far away from our office in Rancho Bernardo!)
CB started talking about getting Philly cheesesteaks one day and that got me really hungry. Then he proceeded to tell me the name of the restaurant – Philly Frank’s. Of course, the moment he gave me the name of the restaurant, I went hunting for the place online to see if it was worth my saliva (because I was drooling already at the thought of it). Upon browsing through Yelp’s comments, reviews, and the pictures, I was completely sold!
Since I don’t eat beef, the only “Philly cheesesteak” that I’m familiar with is of the chicken variety. There were good reviews for Philly Frank’s chicken variety and hence, there was an immediate need to make a lunch trip up. Fortunately, for us, the managers were all gone for training during the week and so, it was time to schedule a “long” lunch!
There were four of us who made the trip that one fateful afternoon – CB (the culprit), PY, XP, and myself. Between the four of us, we ordered the following: Cheese Steak, The Works (with peppers, mushrooms, and onions) – Beef (3), and The Work (with everything) – Chicken, two orders of seasoned fries and an order of the onion rings.
Up close shot of my chicken philly
Needless to say, we had a LOT of food for the four of us that afternoon. We thought that we could tackle it without any problems-no that is actually a lie. Once we saw everything in front of us, we knew it would be a challenge that we had willingly accepted!
Unfortunately, I forgot to take an aerial shot of the table, but trust me, put all those sandwiches together and our sides and you’ll get the idea. And by the end, I ended up eating more than 80% of the fries, some of the onion rings, and half of my sandwich. There were definitely some food coma issues for the four of us upon our return to the office. Was it all worth it? HECK YES!!!!
It was so worthwhile, that CB and I made another trip last week with three other coworkers – MW, MB and RC. They too understood why we would risk falling asleep during work hours for this sandwich! Results were just the same as the first time – lots of food, happy eaters, and very tired workers.
Though the sad ending for our second trip, my leftover half of the sandwich was accidently left at the office fridge. It was over the weekend, but there were no notices that the fridge was going to be cleaned out, which is done every now and then. I come back to work on Monday morning, and was going to put my side salad I brought from home to eat with the sandwich, only to find my sandwich was GONE. Seriously, I don’t get people who take other people’s food! Sadly, that meant that I didn’t have the protein I needed for lunch that day and was starving soon after lunch.
This just means that I need to make another trip up to Philly Frank’s so I can have my other half of the sandwich!
Philly Frank’s
151 South Rancho Santa Fe Road
San Marcos, CA 92069
Stacked
There days (or nights) when I want something simple to eat, but if the restaurant can make it entertaining for me too…I can love it even more. It makes me wonder why don’t more restaurants get this??? A distinguishing factor can help a restaurant stick out from the sea of options for patrons.
Stacked in Fashion Valley Mall occupies where the UNO Pizzeria used to be many ages ago. This restaurant is a burger, salad, pizza, sandwich joint. What makes this place different than say, a Burger King or Chili’s?…….It’s self-service, to an extent. There are still servers and cooks, however the servers do not take your orders. You put in your own order on your table’s personal tablet:
I know it seems so trivial and some may even find this annoying that they have to put in their own orders. However, for today’s generation and the current technological culture, this is a welcomed addition for restaurant goers. You can check out their website and see what their menu looks like. And since you place your own orders, you can customize it as much or as little as you want. The control is ALL yours!
With that control, I created this sandwich for myself:
What you see before you is CP’s burger: Brioche bun + Angus Burger + Romain Lettuce + Bacon + Onion Straws + BBQ Sauce + Side of Jalapenos (for me).
My sandwich: Whole Wheat Bun + Blackened Grilled Chicken + Romaine Lettuce + Caramelized Onions + Roasted Red Peppers + Sides of Garlic Aioli and Chipotle Mayo.
And to accompany our sandwiches – a combo of half fresh cut fries and housemade chips. Ketchup for CP and ranch for me!
All of this did not come cheap, so don’t expect this restaurant to be your run of the mill place. With each customization, it’ll cost you – yes, even the sauces which does include the ketchup. However, I will say the idea of having a perfectly created sandwich, cooked to our liking to our exact order is empowering. Also, the housemade chips are just ridiculously addicting, but I would recommend that you request for “less salt”.
To wrap up the evening, I ordered a dessert (another “stacked” item): Scoop of vanilla ice cream sandwiched between chocolate chip and snicker doodle cookies. The chocolate chip cookie was a little over baked, but the whole dessert was still delicious because you can’t go wrong with ice cream and cookies!
The second time CP and I went, he ordered a customized pizza and it was good too. Not outstanding, nor best pizza ever. At the end of the day, Stacked is fun and good for a simple (or not so simple if you’re technologically illiterate) meal. I think the novelty factor makes it worthwhile to warrant a visit. Go ahead, stack your own meal!
Stacked (Multiple Locations)
Fashion Valley
7007 Friars Road
San Diego, CA 92108
Suite #356
What a slacker I am…(and NOLA – Pt. Deux!)
Now that I have time again in my life, I find that I am slacking off on things! I have to exert extra effort to do things and that kind of enthusiasm quickly declines after one day. Allie of Hyperbole and a Half did a wonderful illustration that pretty much depicts this…in comic form actually!
Over the weekend, I attempted to organize my memory card’s ridiculous crap-load of pictures and realized, “Sh*t! How did I let it get this bad?? I haven’t even uploaded minuscule percentage of it for my friends!” Because some of the pictures actually have people in them! And it’s not just food! They know that it takes me forever to upload pictures for them, but because they love me (I hope), they allow for me to continue on with my ways. However, this weekend was to make up for it! For almost a year’s worth of photos, I planned on organizing, backing up, and uploading them for all to see!
…………….yea that didn’t happen. *sigh*
AND to add salt to the wound – I am falling behind on my weekly posts! *double sigh*
Well I did promise myself and you, that I would tell the rest of my New Orleans Adventure! Here goes!
NOLA – Part Deux!
Cafe Beignet
So as you can see…my first official NOLA beignets were NOT from the famous Cafe Du Monde. I was tired, and still reeling from the whole event of the previous night (see Part 1), so I was in NO mood to stand in line for a beignet. Hence, this little cafe on Bourbon Street was our savior – Cafe Beignet.
Now, I had enough sense in me to know NOT to eat only sweets (and nothing else) as a meal. That is why you see an order of jambalaya and a shrimp po-boy. They were mostly to coat CP’s and my stomachs before the main attraction…
The FRESH beignets! Oh man…even though our actual food was sitting there, I dug into one of these puppies immediately. And honestly, it was good…yet at the end of the day – they are powdered doughnuts. Don’t get me wrong! I have nothing against it! Or hate it!!! I loved every bite of it, that I came back with CP the following day for another round. However, for me…it wasn’t something that made me go: this is genius! It’s simple, done well, tastes good…there’s nothing wrong with that at all.
Commander’s Palace
That evening was done in high style and tradition. CP had made dinner plans for our last evening in NOLA. He wanted to keep it as a surprise from me (which is a hard thing to do!) and I must say, he did extraordinarily!
Warm Garlic Bread to start
Gumbo du Jour (Tasso and shrimp)
Pecan Crusted Gulf Fish
Seared Sea Scallops (my fave)
Simple scoop of vanilla ice cream for CP
Creole Bread Pudding Soufflé (and that whiskey sauce was NOT kidding around!)
Just all around amazing restaurant. Sitting in the main dining room on the first floor, you can feel the history. That place has seen it’s fair share of faces, lived through disasters, survived through wars, and still manages to show up every night with its bells and whistles on. I loved Commander’s Palace and I would come back again. Although it isn’t cheap, it’s worth every penny for the experience and great food.
So going from the blazer type restaurant, to the down to the basics simple but still delicious, the following day…
Gumbo Shop
This was our last official meal of New Orleans and we wanted something simple, but still good. The Gumbo Shop delivered us just that:
(left to right) Crawfish Étouffée, Jambalaya, & Shrimp Creole
(left to right) Red Beans & Rice, Jambalaya, & Shrimp Creole
Simple, delicious, and warmed our stomachs to a state of blissful contentment. What more do you need?
So that wraps it up for CP’s and my first trip to the Big Easy. There were extreme highs and extreme lows in this trip, and not for the reasons most people associate this town with. Our time there was short lived, but the memories of the sounds, smells, and sights are forever with us. New Orleans…you are one H*LL of a city! As they say, “Laissez les bons temps rouler!
Cafe Beignet
311 Bourbon Street
334-B Royal Street
Commander’s Palace
1403 Washington Avenue
New Orleans, LA 70130
Gumbo Shop
630 Saint Peter St, New Orleans, LA 70116″
The Red Door
Seemingly appropriate given the holidays are in full swing right now! It has been the first time in the last three years, that I have truly felt the holidays. The past three years had been so ridiculously hectic due to my old job, that I rarely got into that holiday spirit. I have to be honest, I think my spirit was plainly exhausted and maybe even a little jaded. The work before was not only mentally draining, but physically and most of all – emotionally draining, that when it was time to take some “time off”, all I wanted was to sleep.
This year however, it is totally a different story! I can FEEL the holidays growing in my bones and I am LOVING IT!! 🙂
Anyways, the reason why I missed last Sunday’s post was because I was celebrating with friends and family all weekend long. “For what?” You may ask. Well, it was for my birthday! Another year older, maybe another year wiser? Who knows, but I looked back and thought to myself, “Man…what a f***ing year!”
To celebrate with my family, we had a very nice dinner at The Red Door in Mission Hills.
The restaurant is small and cozy. The decor very much a wine country setup and the main dining room has a full wine rack wall. Dim lighting really sets the mood for an intimate evening. I can imagine that during the mornings and afternoons, it is bright and cheery and perfect for a nice, cozy get together.
Now that is enough about the restaurant, let’s get to the real matter of things: the food!
Appetizers:
Signature Cornbread Muffins
Shrimp Creole
I do believe appetizers are suppose to wet your appetite for the main course, but the first course was my absolute favorite part of the meal. The cornbread muffins are made to order, so the waiter will warn you it takes about 15 minutes for the prep. Trust me – it’s worth it. The cornbread is light, fluffy even, with a touch of creaminess from the white cheddar. The muffins also come with a honey-rosemary butter which just helps the muffin to melt more in your mouth.
Then comes the Shrimp Creole in a white wine and cream sauce, spiced with the flavors of the “Big Easy”. Though the portion size is small, the flavors are HUGE!!! A thick tomato sauce filled with smokey, spicy, tang goodness. I used the fried polenta to mop up more of the sauce, then when there was no more polenta, the cornbread went so well with it. Man…this place knows how to start off a good meal.
Wild Mushroom Scallop Risotto
Pork "Schnitzel"
Red Door Burger
Garden Vegetable Plate
Red Door Chicken Roulade
The entrees on the other hand…was not memorable. The scallops were nothing extraordinary. The Schnitzel was not quite what I knew Schnitzel to be (more like fried pork chops to me). CP’s burger though looked juicy enough. My sister’s vegetable plate was as advertised and she liked it. And the roulade was dry…=\.
I feel like the appetizers set my expectations higher than it should have been because the delivery was there in the beginning! Yet, Red Door’s entrees barely raised above an “inside voice” level. The appetizers would be like an opera singer – belting out beautiful notes. Perhaps the encore would help save a poorly performing middle?
Brownie Sundae
Apple Walnut Cobbler
Well…how should I start off? The brownie was probably the winner of the two. It was a DENSE chocolate brownie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, drenched in fudge. Definitely quite delicious. I had a bite and loved it. The cobbler on the other hand…it was nothing specially about it. I’ve had much better cobblers and given that my ice cream was FROZEN solid turned me completely off. One of two, 50/50, those aren’t bad odds at all. I’ll take that any day!
Red Door is definitely worth a revisit, with different orders. I would stick with my appetizer choices, but I would try something else on the menu for my entree. Would I recommend this restaurant? Yes – I would just stay away from the chicken and scallops…you can get much better elsewhere.
The Red Door Restaurant & Wine Bar
741 West Washington St
San Diego, CA 92103
Atlanta, GA – Week 1
First job at the new work place turns out to be in Atlanta. Now, you all should know by now, I never travel without doing my research on where to eat. Thank goodness my colleagues are equally open to my gluttonous ways (and frankly encourages it). Behold our week long feasting:
Firkin and Gryphon
This was dinner on our first night because by the time we landed and got to the hotel, nothing was opened. My manager and I managed to make it to a pub, which we thought would still have something to eat. Upon entering, we were told it was the “late night” menu only – aka fried appetizers. Within minutes of sitting, we were told the kitchen was closed for the night to the waitress regret. However, we were set on getting something so I begged for them to at least let us have dessert.
Hence, you see before you the Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding and the Seasonal Cobbler (Strawberry-peach). Both came with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. Both were ridiculously delicious and probably not the best way to start our week…or best way to frame the rest of our week.
JCT Kitchen and Bar
Appetizers –
Angry Mussels - Peppered bacon, Serrano chile & onion
Truffle Parmesan Fries
Carolina Gold Rice Aracini - Butternut squash, crispy brussel sprouts
Entrees –
Lamb Shank - spinach-creamed, Carolina gold rice, garlic chips, preserved lemon
Shrimp & Grits - red mule grits, deep fried soft poached egg, smoky tomato “jam”
Fried Chicken - benton's bacon macaroni & cheese, local farmstand vegetable of the moment
Desserts –
Chocolate Pudding - salted caramel, chewy peanut butter cookies
Butterscotch Bread Pudding with bourbon cream
Apple Fried Pie - butter pecan ice cream, bacon-caramel drizzle
Fat Matt’s Rib Shack
Ribs - great stuff
BBQ Chicken (1/2)
Chopped Pork Sandwich
Sides: Mac n' Cheese, Coleslaw, Baked Beans, and Brunswick Stew
Slope’s BBQ
Pork and Chicken Combo with Fried Okra and Jalapeno-Cheese Grits
Pork, Ribs, and Brisket - with Jalapeno-Cheese Grits and Brunswick Stew
Chopped Chicken and Pork with sweet potato fries and baked beans
Seasons 52
Maui Tuna Crunch Salad sushi-grade seared tuna, tropical organic greens, toasted almonds and miso vinaigrette
1. Organic Baby Spinach Salad with sliced seasonal pears, toasted pine nuts and crumbled gorgonzola cheese. 2. Chipotle-Glazed Shrimp with guacamole and tomatillo salsa verde
Gyro Pizza and Chipotle-glazed Shrimp
Pumpkin Pie Shot
Wildflour
Jalapeno Lime Sandwich - grilled chicken smothered with poblano pepper and onion mix, melted provolone, jalapeno lime sauce and pico de avocado.
Fogo de Chao
The Strip
1. Volcano– tuna tartar, cucumber topped with tuna, mango, avocado, Jimmy’s sauce, teriyaki. 2. Dynamite– spicy tuna, spicy yellowtail, masago, seasoned asparagus
Bread Pudding with Ice cream
Googie Burger
Flying South Sandwich - Seven spice crispy chicken breast, topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, signature hot sauce, & blue cheese slaw, with fresh cut fries & sweet tea
Ship & Anchor
Shepard's Pie
Shepard's Pie - Innards
Mitchell’s Ice Cream
Salted Caramel and Rosemary Olive Oil Flavors
And that is just week one. We still have another week ahead…I hope my stomach can hold on.
Firkin and Gryphon
4764 Ashford Dunwoody Road
Dunwoody, GA 30338
http://www.firkinandgryphon.com/
JCT Kitchen and Bar
1198 Howell Mill Rd
Atlanta, GA 30318
http://jctkitchen.com/
Fat Matt’s Rib Shack
1811 Piedmont Avenue NE
Atlanta, GA 30324
http://www.fatmattsribshack.com/
Slope’s BBQ
Multiple locations in Atlanta area
Seasons 53
Two locations in Atlanta
http://www.seasons52.com/
Wildflour
5815 Windward Parkway, Suite 210
Alpharetta, GA 30005
http://www.wildflouratlanta.com/page/page/5668614.htm
Strip
245 18th Street Northwest Ste 5100
Atlanta, GA 30363
http://www.h2sr.com/strip/
Googie Burger
190 Marietta St, (Centennial Olympic Park)
Atlanta, GA 30342
http://googieburger.com/
Ship & Anchor Pub
5975 Roswell Rd NE
Atlanta, GA 30328
http://www.yelp.com/biz/ship-and-anchor-pub-atlanta
R Gang Eatery
The other day, my friend – LA – and I ventured out to Hillcrest for brunch. Naturally, since we had recently visited Hash House, we needed to visit a new spot. Fortunately for us, I’ve been eying a place nearby for sometime now – R Gang Eatery.
This restaurant pretty much looked like it was once a big house, that was converted to a restaurant. Maybe it was because of that, the central air system was not quite up to par to a restaurant’s. It was a hot day by San Diego standards and that place was like a sauna. A tip for you RGE – you may want to look into finding a better solution on your climate control than putting a few fans around that were naturally hogged by those who were positioned closest to them.
Anyways…aside from the terrible heat, our waiter (Chris) was very energetic and super friendly. LA and I were already decided on what we really wanted from this place – their tots! We ordered both of their current specialty tots – the White Trash Tots and the Buffalo Tots.
White Trash Tots
White Trash Tots - Innards
White Trash Tots – tater tots stuffed with diced Spam and Velveeta Cheese, served with “ketchayo” (ketchup & mayo). These were a bit of an oddity. I felt that there could have been more spam, and the velveeta gave it an odd taste. Maybe I’m just not accustomed to the cheese because it is definitely not the Spam’s problem! I LOVE Spam since I grew up on it!
Buffalo Tots
Buffalo Tots - innards
Buffalo Tots – tots stuffed with blue cheese and bacon (!!!), served with garlic-buffalo sauce. These were by FAR both of our favorite tots between the two! Oh mama! The smoky and delicious bacon, with the cool bleu cheese, dipped in the tangy buffalo sauce, made you feel like you were eating a buffalo wings with fries! In my opinion, they could have done with a little more bacon, but still was our favorite. We couldn’t stop eating these despite the fact we still had our entrees coming.
Before that…I must warn you. What I’m about to show you is ridiculously good and totally dangerous!
Ready?
You sure?….
Ok, you asked for it!
French Toast Casserole
Absorb it all in…look at the beauty that is before you. This was not your normal french toast, but rather a bread pudding disguised as french toast. RGE took the regular french toast and elevated it to new heights! (Though they do offer another french toast entree on their menu…but I can’t imagine it being better than this!) There are cubes of what I believe was brioche, baked in a creamy vanilla-cinnamon custard, then topped off with a bourbon caramel sauce and streusel crumbs. Their online menu tells of a different casserole, but I think the one we had is sooooooo much better! Actually, this was LA’s entree and I wanted it for myself! Soft, salty, sweet, melts in your mouth, and with a kick of bourbon to remind you that you are at brunch. Oh sweet, sweet jebus! This was not a brunch item – it was a freaking dessert for breakfast/lunch! All this needed was some vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream…and we’d be set.
My entree on the other hand…was a bit of a disappointment:
R Egg Sandy
The R Egg Sandy – fried egg on a focaccia roll with RGE’s house-made chicken apple sausage, topped with fontina cheese, spinach, and crispy onion strings. Sounded delicious! The actual result was somewhat lackluster despite the size. I wanted something savory, but this did nothing for me. I wanted that casserole more!
All in all, we had a good meal and walked out of there stuffed. My first impressions and recommendations of R Gang Eatery:
- Great, friendly service in a casual and fun environment.
- Could definitely figure out their climate control for those abnormal San Diego weather spikes (whether it be hot or cold).
- Don’t pass up their stuffed tots (especially the buffalo).
- Must try the French Toast Casserole.
- Remember to check-in on Yelp for a special discount on their tots.
- Have reservations regardless of day/time.
I’m curious about their dinner menu and would come back to try, but if nothing else…I’ll be back for that casserole!
R Gang Eatery
3683 5th Ave
San Diego, CA 92103
619-677-2845
Chez Nous
One afternoon of running errands after the holiday weekend, I wanted to grab lunch. However, I had no idea what I wanted and I was driving already towards home. I knew I wanted nothing near my neighborhood, but then I remember having read about Chez Nous on Yelp.com before and their hours just did not work with my own. Yet on this day, it was perfect! I pulled off the 15 freeway onto Carroll Canyon Road.
By the time I pulled into the little strip mall area, tucked into a business/forest area, it was already past the “standard” lunch time, so it wasn’t too busy. There were still a good number of people finishing their lunches, waiting for their to-go orders, and those (like me) coming in for a late lunch. Since it was my first time at Chez Nous and all I had to go on were the reviews I read beforehand about their fan-favorite sandwich.
The Spicy Chicken Melt is basically a hot and spicy explosion of AWESOME. The magic to this sandwich is quite simple: take 2 slices of jalapeno bread, put pepper jack cheese, pulled chicken with a deliciously spicy sauce (kind of reminds me of buffalo chicken), and then grilled to perfection (with butter of course). Afterward, put a couple slices of tomato and voila! MAGIC in your mouth!
I loved, loved, LOVED it! When it comes to spicy foods, I am a total sucker for it. And whenever you have butter in the equation, you KNOW it’s going to at least make something not so good to ok. In this case…it sent the entire concoction to a higher level. Now…if you do not eat spicy foods (you really should start :)) I will warn you now that this will be a “hot” sandwich.
Every sandwich needs a good companion and since it was a cold day, I ordered a cup of soup as well:
The Southwestern Corn soup is a pureed corn with a little stock and spices. Given that it is a “southwestern” soup, there was some chilies, cayenne pepper, cumin, and I’m sure lots more. It was a nice thick, yet not too heavy soup and perfect for a chilly afternoon.
Everything I tried that day was on the ball and packed with flavors promised as described on their menu. Unfortunately, they don’t have a website so I can’t point you to the menu but this is mostly a sandwich, soup and salad shop. As I was eating, I watched other people’s lunches and everything looked amazing. I will be back and try another sandwich…that is if I can somehow keep myself from getting the Spicy Chicken Melt.
They are open from the morning til 3pm during the weekdays and late morning til around 1pm on Saturday (closed on Sundays). Also, they’re a cash only business so remember to bring the cash and change!
Chez Nous
9821 Carroll Canyon Rd, Ste E
San Diego, CA 92184
Joliet, IL
Oh Joliet…what can I say about you? You remind me of a bi-polar classmate of mine. On one side, you have such beauty and quaintness about you. On the other side, you are a scary, somewhat sketchy kind of personality. The fact that I spent less than a week yet I was pleasantly surprised every now and then.
Al’s Steakhouse
This place was definitely a local steakhouse joint and very old school. We had heard we needed to come here for the French Onion soup and that was exactly what I got. It was the best thing I had that night here, but the guys said the steak was good. I’ll take their word on that one ;).
Truth Restaurant
My gawd…one word about this veggie burger: cardboard. I’ve eaten plenty of veggie burgers and I know the wrong kind of veggie burger, that’s overcooked, it is the saddest meal ever like this one was.
The Department
The restaurant is unassuming and a diamond in the rough. It has a lot of potential and we were all equally surprised at how good the meal was. I loved the soup, a little over salted yet still good.
Chicago Street Pub
This was the best surprise we got while in Joliet. One of our waitress suggested this place to us and we had to try it (considering there was also nothing nearby either). Look at our appetizer! Chili-cheese tater tots!! My gawd..so simple and it is not like you cannot get chili-cheese fries, but I have not seen any place that did it with tater tots!
Gji’s Sweet Shoppe
Had to get some ice cream but it was just too sweet for me :(. It was the Hershey Cappuccino Crunch made with Hershey’s dark chocolate and it was overkill. Ugh..
Giordano’s
Yum yum! The appetizer was a mixed fried sampler of mushroom, zucchini, and mozzarella! The mushrooms were my favorite with its molten, juicy, hot innards held in by a crunchy coating. Our pizza order was sadly taken erroneously :(. We wanted deep dish but the waitress thought (for some reason beyond our knowledge) we wanted the thin crust! Geez…who comes to Chicago to eat thin crust?! Well at least it was still delicious! To wrap it up: store bought tiramisu that was frozen. BLEH!
The Reserve
Our dinner at The Reserve was actually more funny than anything else. We were informing one of our party members about amuse bouches and palate cleansers for multi-course meals. Best thing out of those pictures above?…My main entree – a seafood cappellini! It was light, flavored rather than just tomatoes and it was great! However, by this time, I was done with seafood and wanted nothing more than vegetables and tofu.
Even then, of course we need to have dessert! Except my dessert, the molten lava cake, was TERRIBLE. Um first off when you hear the name of the dessert…is it too much to expect that your cake to be well…molten on the inside?!?! Well what I got was like an over baked brownie topped with ice cream and whipped cream. I get a little angry thinking about this. However, my colleague got the caramel pecan bread pudding. Oh lordy…it was amazingly delicious.
Potbelly
To make up for terrible dessert, we have the amazing Oatmeal chocolate chip cookie from Potbelly. Our Senior Manager brought us a bunch and I was HOOKED. They make it just the way I like them: underbaked! Mmmm…
Oh Joliet…the disappointments and surprises you had for us. Not exactly a destination, but at least I will know where to go (and not go) if I ever find myself out there again!
Resolution: not to just eat more, but to tell YOU all about it!
When I looked in my photos folder today, I realized how backlogged I am on posting. This realization hit me earlier this year when I had looked at the date of my last post, which was already over a year!! Actually, once I started analyzing my posting patterns, I saw that essentially my postings became less frequent when I started my current job. Then at some point in my sea of work, I just stopped posting all together and a year had gone by. Yet, during that year, I never stopped taking pictures where ever I went. Thus, I was (and still am) up to my EARS in backlogged pictures and I knew I had to start writing again.
Upon having this epiphany, I decided to make a resolution to start posting again and keep it up! However, given the fact that when I had this epiphany, it was almost half way through the year so I couldn’t make it my New Years resolution. What’s a gal to do? Well if you are as entrenched into the business world as I am, you make (*drum roll*) a NEW FISCAL YEAR RESOLUTION!! Problem solved. I surprised even myself :).
Here was my resolution: I will post at least ONE entry, once a week, regardless whether or not it is food related. I will not let myself waiver! And so, ladies and gents, here is this week’s post! (Since I don’t always have a great story to tell everyone with every meal I have, I decided to tell you why I have been writing more! Devious aren’t I? ;))
Dumpling Inn
A couple weeks ago, a friend of mine was moving to Boston for med school and was going around, getting together at least one last time before she left. We had gone with another friend of ours to Dumpling Inn on Convoy for lunch. The small restaurant is always packed and that day was no exception. However, it is one of my favorite places to go for Chinese fair and back in the day, my mom, sister, and I used to come here at least twice a month. We so rarely come now just because of busy schedules, but we still love it!
That day, all I really wanted was Xiao long bao and since I had never tried Dumpling Inn’s before, I decided to give it a shot.
Each order comes with 10 little dumplings for $6.50 (I believe) and you can order a side of Szechuan hot sauce or spicy soup for a $1 more. I decided to get the hot sauce since I love to slather hot sauce/chili oil on everything I eat. The dumplings were fine. The wrappers were not too thick, nor too thin. I could have used a little more soup in them, but the flavors were all there and delicious.
Would I order it again? Yea, I mean it’s still a nice small, yet hearty dish especially on a cold day. Maybe next time I’ll try it with the spicy soup!
Also, a word of advice if you have never been here before: either get here EARLY to beat the lunch/dinner crowds, or prepare to wait for a table in the teeny, tiny restaurant.
Dumpling Inn
4619 Convoy St, Ste F
San Diego, CA 92111
Opera Patisserie Cafe
On another day, I met up with CP for lunch at my favorite cafe: Opera Patisserie. Don’t let the name fool you. This place does turn out great savory food and not just pastries and desserts. The cafe has weekly specials that are featured and are not on the regular menu. That day, they had the Duck confit panini and I was suddenly in the mood for duck.
The special comes with a side salad with their dijon vinaigrette and a drink for $9.50. The panini was made a really good ciabatta bread, with pesto slathered on both sides, and stuff with generous chunks of duck meat. The whole thing was held together by the melted provolone.
There are other great items on their menu, but I was sad to find they had taken down my favorite salad: the Chevre Salad with bacon. It was simple mixed greens salad with cherry tomatoes, crispy bacon bits, and a toast with a giant slab of goat cheese. Oh man…it was my favorite salad of all time and yet, they had to take it down. *Sigh* Maybe one day they’ll bring it back or I will demand of them to make it for me!
I love Opera cafe, but I do wish it was open for dinner since there are times that I want to pick up dinner from here after work. They are only open Monday through Saturday, and for breakfast and lunch only. However, given their new location here in Sorrento Valley, it makes the most business sense for them to operate the hours and days that they do. The business side of me would have done the same. The foodie in me wishes they were open more often. Oh well, I will just have to find more reasons to lunch here then!
Opera Patisserie Cafe
9254 Scranton Rd. Suite 101
San Diego, CA 92121
Pampas Argentine Grill
A few weeks ago, I met CP for lunch and since he had a 1pm meeting, we decided to stay close to the Kearny Mesa area. However, neither of us really wanted fast food and CP just had sushi the day before, so we racked our brains of where to dine. It was CP who came up with the brilliant suggestion: “Why don’t we go to Pampas?”
I had never been to Pampas, but I absolutely LOVE empanadas so you can guess my reaction. I believe it was somewhat along the lines of: “OH H*LL YES!”
We arrived at the restaurant off of Aero Dr just before the lunch rush. In fact, there was only 2 tables at the bar at the time and so we were seated immediately.
I took a browse through the menu and I knew I wanted nothing more than empanadas! Since I was not starving, I decided to get some empanadas to share with CP. We ordered 2 different empanadas: chicken and spinach. CP got one of the chicken and I got the other plus the spinach.
The empanadas were encased in a flaky pastry shell that were fried baked to order (Updated: I was kindly corrected by the restaurant and this actually explains the lack of oil when eating these pastries!). I enjoyed looking at how empanada makers differentiate the pastries by how they crimp the edges. The spinach edge looked like it was sealed with a fork, while the chicken was folded over to create waves.
The spinach empanadas were filled with a mixture of spinach (duh), onions, and parmesan cheese. It was FILLED with lots of spinach and I felt stronger from all that iron! *FLEX* I think this was the winner between the two pastries.
The chicken empanada was filled with shredded, spiced chicken and onions. It too was good, but the meat was not as flavorful as some empanadas I have had. The chimichurri at Pampas was quite good. Their version looked and tasted like a mix of parsley, garlic, cilantro lemon juice (or vinegar), olive oil and probably a couple spices. Perfect companion to our little fried babies.
In addition to my fried lunch, I ordered the mixed salad to make myself feel like I had a balanced meal. The salad was a simple mixed greens with red onions and tomatoes. The dressing tasted like a shallot vinaigrette that made this very simple salad taste so good! I would order this salad again just for the dressing.
CP ordered the Choripan sandwich. The grilled choripan (Argentine beef and port sausage) was sliced in half and put between a French loaf. The sandwich had the standard romaine lettuce, tomato, and red onions that were all topped with a health dose of the chimichurri. I had a nibble of the sandwich and it was good, especially the bread soaked with chimichurri. I don’t eat beef, so I let CP tell me how it tasted and he gave it 2 thumbs up!
The sandwiches come with a choice of a side and CP had the “Argentine” fries. My first question to him was: “What’s this ‘Argentine’ fries? Do they have some sort of special potato for these fries?” It turns out what made these fries “Argentine” was that they were sprinkled with parsley and garlic. Now of course my next comment would have to be: “Aren’t these just garlic fries then?”
Overall, I really enjoyed the food here. The service was somewhat lacking since for some reason, it took them forever to get the sandwich out. My thoughts are that the kitchen wasn’t ready when we had come in. Yet, when we had arrived, it was about quarter to noon, so that would not make much sense. Other than this, I enjoyed my time at Pampas, but just remember to leave yourself enough time for a long lunch here.
Pampas Argentine Grill
8690 Aero Drive Suite 105
San Diego, CA 92123
So bad, yet so good…
We’ve all had that moment when the thought crosses our minds when we lay our eyes upon something that is so wrong…but so right. That moment definitely happened for me during one of the first country stops during my European trip with my honey.
In the Netherlands, where their red light district and coffee shops are well-known, there are dozens of “snack bars” that line the streets. These snack bars serve whatever you are craving for when you’ve got the case of the munchies or need a “recharge”. Ranging from the sweets to the savory, they’ve got you covered!
Now what was it that caught my eye and had me think: “Omg…should I really be even considering EATING this!? At this hour?!”
But hey! We were in Europe where the typical dinner didn’t start until about 8pm or later. It was about 11pm at that time. So once you see the beauty of a beast that was being offered in so many forms…you’ll understand.
Now that I’ve caught and kept your interest, I don’t keep the object of such amazement, of such gastronomic blasphemy from you any longer…
Behold!
Yes, I consumed that THING that you see there. My honey helped with a bite or two, but I polished the rest off on my own. The surprising thing was…I did not feel the tremendous guilt as I thought I would. In fact, given the chance, I would do it all over again and again because it was absolutely delicious. Simple concept and we’ve all probably consumed this contraption in one form or another (unless you’re a vegetarian).
So please my friends, before you blast on the travesty from far away, think about how if you just opened up the bread, spreading it thinner, it would almost resemble a makeshift pizza.
Can you see it now? Can you see how this wonderful (not so) little bun filled with meats (hot dog and spiced chicken), cheese, and bell pepper…is essentially a rolled up pizza?
Case closed.
A trip down memory lane
It has been so long since I have: 1. Logged into my account to WRITE something, 2. seriously considered putting up a post, and 3. actually logging in and writing a real post.
I have failed tremendously as a blogger. As such, I hereby consider myself an n00b once again in the food blogging world. Please be nice to me.
A year has come and gone as it always does. However, this year I do not have a big trip to look forward to. For the past 2 years, I have made a summer trip overseas to Europe on both occasions. My first trip was back in the summer of 2008. The trip was my graduation present to myself and also, my last real BIG trip before I started my career (aka being an adult).
In 2008, I made my first trip off of the North American continent since I was like 4 or 5 years old? I don’t even remember the last time I set foot off of this continent because I was so young. On top of that, I was setting out on my 25-day excursion on my OWN. Well…technically, I wasn’t completely by myself since I was joining a tour group.
For 25-days, I let the good people of Contiki decide where I should be, where I would be staying, and where I would be exploring in general. My gosh…25 days of non-stop traveling, carrying my 45 pound luggage on my own (I would get a little help occasionally) and going around foreign countries with little to no knowledge of the native tongue. However, it was one HELL of an adventure!
I don’t even know where to start to describe my very first trip to Europe. So instead, I’ll give a reader’s digest version and let the food pictures document my trip!
During my 2008 trip, I visited the following countries and cities:
- UK – London
- France – Paris, Beaujolais Wine Region, French Riviera, Nice
- Monaco
- Barcelona, Spain
- Italy – Verona, Venice, Pisa, Florence, Rome, Pompeii
- Greece – Corfu, Athens
These were the main cities we had visited during our trek through Europe. There were other cities that we had made stops in between our destinations, but they have since been lost on me. However, as you can see here, I had my wide range of sights, sounds, and cuisines!
Please do keep a few things in mind:
- I had just graduated and left my part-time job about 2 months before the trip and I had spent majority of my savings on the trip.
- My choices were limited at times and thus, I ate a lot of bread and anything to keep me from starving.
- Yes, I did more than just gelato (you will see a lot of it). However, when I was in Italy, it was the end of June and the heat plus humidity was KILLING me. All I wanted during the day time was gelato and ice cold water. That’s all I needed honestly.
For the record: I was well fed and never did I once go hungry for long. And I am sure there’s the question of weight gain. The honest answer is I had no idea. I stayed away from the scale after my trip and the whole summer for that matter because you know what? I was about to start my working life and I was going to have as much fun as I possibly could in those two and half months!
Let the reminiscing begin!!
London, UK:
Chicken Tikka Masala with naan
Sandwiches from Harrod's
Dessert from Harrod's - a pistachio cake with strawberries
Paris, France:
One of MANY baguette sandwiches I had, but they are so yummy!
Laudree...I squealed in delight just thinking about this place
My precious!!! These beautiful macaroons were amazing and well worth the money.
Delicious pizzas/cheese foccaias from a little bakery. A cheese (back) and a proscuitto & goat cheese (front)
Look at the stack of Nutella
Nutella, banana, coco crepe - best combination ever
Duck a l'Orange
Beaujolais Wine Region:
Wine tasting
Bruschetta
Roasted chicken with vegetables
Tiramisu-like dessert...still was really good
Barcelona, Spain:
The amazing market right off of La Rambla – La Boqueria
Falafel sandwich with seasoned califlower from Maoz
Garlic Bruschetta
Traditional Paella...the pan was bigger than a tire rim!
Lasagna and salad
Prosciutto & Goat Cheese Salad
Sangria
A different goat cheese and prosciutto salad
They killed smurffs to make this cold, creamy, blue concoction
No smurfs for me, only Fig gelato!
Venice, Italy:
One of my favorite surprise flavors!
Pisa & Florence, Italy:
Best fettuccini alfrado I've ever encountered! Nothing like that the States make.
Eggplanet pizza
Gelato MOUNDS...get in my belly!!
Cold cuts
2 types of bruschetta: white bean and tomato paste.
Pasta course
Roasted chicken
Rome, Italy:
Eggplanet Parmesan
Yes, more gelato because I needed it to function.
Ham and cheese sandwich
Corfu & Athens, Greece:
Chicken plate with pita and fries
Kataifi - honey drenched dessert. Much too sweet even for me
Misc Snacks throughout the trip:
I still think about these amazing Paprika Pringles...I only wish they had these in the US
My goodness...the amazing little Bacetti. Chopped hazelnuts mixed in a smooth ganache, topped with a whole hazelnut and enrobed in dark chocolate.
Really cute snack - a wafer shaped like a hippo, filled with hazelnut (or chocolate) cream and chocolate dipped and covered with crunchies.
Eating around…Part II-A: Noshing around downtown San Diego
Like most office workers, lunchtime is that miraculous hour where we can have a taste of freedom, away from our work. And I tend to want that freedom to taste good, so I make my way all around the areas that are reasonably close to my work for lunch. This post will be a HUMONGOUS one, but trust me…they are all worth it (and I’ll try to keep my rants down to a minimum). Also one more note: the restaurants will not be in chronological order to which I visited it.
Let us start off with a chain *ducks under her desk to avoid any flying objects thrown her way*
Come on, which one of you out there can honestly say that you’ve NEVER eaten in a chain restaurant??? Even the biggest foodies out there have gone to one or another at some point. Seriously, not ALL chains suck. Some do, some more so than others, some a little less, and some are even decent. So let us calm the rage within us and let me talk about the Yardhouse.
For a chain that seems to be more for the beer than the food, their menu is not that bad. Heck, I will risk in saying that it’s pretty darn good! The first time I went there was for lunch with a couple of co-workers who really wanted their Lettuce Wraps, which they offered to let me try without me even asking, yay! I only tried the chicken filling and it was not that bad, not out of this world, but not bad at all. For myself, I decided to go all out and try their crabcakes and house salad dressed in spicy peanut vinaigrette. Both were wonderful enough for me to go a second time after Comic-Con with my little sister and ‘L.’
Although I was seriously tempted to get the crabcakes again, I forced myself to try something else, but I did get the Blackberry green tea that one of my co-workers got and I had tried as well, and fell in love with.
As to my dinner, what was I going to get?! I wanted onion rings and no one else really wanted to share an appetizer of it with me, so I got the Portabella Burger with onion rings instead of fries:
Portabella, eggplant, peppers, basil, feta, and sun-dried tomato mayo all on an onion poppyseed bun. The thing I loved the most with this burger was the layers of colors! I mean just look at it! Even if Yardhouse is a chain, they make the best looking portabella burger I’ve ever laid eyes on. And the onion rings (in the back, top right corner) were just as good. Perfect ratio of beer batter to onion and fried to crispy goodness.
With some help and persuasion on my part, my little sister finally decided on the (Mac & Cheese)^2 with roasted chicken, applewood smoked bacon, wild mushrooms, cheddar and parmesan cheese with castellane pasta and white truffle oil:
Now this is what I a call a mac & cheese! None of that stuff that comes in a certain blue box, nope…this is real cheese with cream and/or milk, pasta cooked to al dente, tender and not dried out chicken, and smoky bacon. The best bite of mac & cheese is the crust that forms on the top!
And ‘L’ got the Classic Cheese Burger:
That came with fries that were to DIE for! The Yardhouse fries are super-thin shoestring fries that are, possibly, twice fried like pommes frites. I wanted to take more fries from her plate and kept asking if she wanted more onion rings just so I didn’t feel so bad for taking her fries. I wonder if they would let you have half fries and half onion rings with your burger…I will have to try it next time!
Now OFF to the next chain!! >> Rocking Baja Lobster (yes, another chain).
After watching the Padres play against the Giants (and winning, w00t!!) during the afternoon game, my boyfriend and I were famished. We had brunch earlier that day (more on that with another post) and were stuffed during the game. The plan was to get some overpriced food during the game, but since we were quite content still from brunch, we didn’t need to pull out a mortgage just to feed ourselves. However, since we didn’t eat during the game, we were both starved when we got out and set off immediately to find ourselves some grub!
As we had walked around the Gaslamp we looked over our options. My boyfriend and I only walked a few blocks up the Gaslamp before we stopped because we realized something. The more we walked, the more options were available to us, thus making it even harder to decide on what and where to eat! And we were slowly starting to feel the effects of low blood sugar from the lack of nourishment, so we stopped at a corner to talk about the options we had seen. Most were WAY overpriced and we just didn’t feel justified to go indulge ourselves that way.
Of all the places we passed by, Rocking Baja Lobster was one of the first and we both had wanted to try the place for sometime (not the Gaslamp one though, but the Old Town one). My boyfriend voiced out his suggestion of trying it and I immediately started pulling him back down the street towards it. Once again, I am completely happy with our decision. We both ordered the Tres Tacos del Patron (San Felipe Style):
Three crisp batter dipped shrimp and/or slipper lobster tail tacos in warm flour tortillas with tomato, cilantro, cabbage, avocado and creamy cilantro-lime sauce. All of their meals it come with unlimited “create your own” Caesar Salad bar. The cool, refreshing salad was immensely welcomed after baking under the sun for the last 3 hours. And when our tacos came, I was excited because it looked positively scrumptious.
Taking that first bite of the lobster taco was absolute heaven. The crunchy, tender lobster meat was sweet and the cool cilantro-lime sauce mellowed out the deep-fried aspect of the taco, making it irresistible. Even though our waitress said that the shrimp was better of the two, I think both were equally good, but since you don’t usually get lobster tacos. I would highly recommend you getting 2 lobster and 1 shrimp tacos when ordering this!
Now that I’ve gotten the chains out of the way, I can get to the smaller but just as, if not, better establishments in downtown. I will give a small eating tour of San Diego’s Little Italy, going from the “ok” to the “spectaculars”!
Petrini’s is pretty much on the south edge of Little Italy and the only reason I went there was: 1.) They had relatively cheap lunch specials in terms of Little Italy, and 2.) I’ve passed by the place so many times as I enter Little Italy and had a yummy sample of their pizza once. So with that, I went there for lunch and had the eggplant parmesan that came with only 2 little slices of garlic bread:
Talk about being skimpy. And truthfully, the eggplant didn’t blow me away. However, the meat sauce that covered the mediocre eggplant parmesan was very good. It had a sweetness that comes naturally from the tomato that I loved. It had the right spices so I didn’t miss or even need the red pepper flakes. I used the garlic bread to mop up all the sauce after I was done with the eggplant, which I thought tasted even better.
Would I eat here again? I’m not sure but I definitely won’t be ordering the same thing. I much rather have the Torta di Melanzane (Layered eggplant, mozzarella, pecorino, and Parmesan cheeses, topped with marinara sauce) from Cafe Zucchero even if it is twice as expensive, but worth every penny in my opinion.
I realized just how big this post would be if I did it all in one shot, so I will divide the downtown post into 2 parts for your sake. I’m sure your eyes would be too tired out if I did that. So now it will be divided into: savory and sweets. You’ve just finished the savory portion of the meal, stay tune for the soon to come sweets!……
>>Part II-B: Noshing around downtown San Diego (cont.)
Yardhouse 1023 4th Ave San Diego, CA 92101 (619) 233-9273 Rocking Baja Lobster 310 5th Ave.San Diego, CA 92101 (619) 234-6333 Petrini’s 610 W Ash St. San Diego, CA 92101 (619) 595-0322
I found heaven
Ok…I admit it, I thought I fell in love with Extraordinary Desserts about 2 years ago when I got my first cake there for my birthday. But it was a false love. I thought I really liked their cakes, which I’ve tried 3 of them along with the coffee cake and chocolate chip cookie. I really thought it was the best, but I was tricked by their pretty presentations with the flowers and gold leaf and sauce presentations. I was a fool blinded by the desire to find the ultimate cake. I think in these last few months, I’ve finally come to realize that I really didn’t like ED all that much! The cakes are much too dense and waaaaay too sugary for any normal human being! Even for those who LOVE sweets! Their coffee cake was not bad, but not outstanding. The chocolate chip cookie was good due to the high quality chocolate they use (Valrhona), but the cookie dough itself was only fair.
Yet, somewhere in my chaotic mind…I still cling on hope for this place (despite the terrible and slow service). And finally today….I found justification for that sliver of hope!
My friend “L” came downtown on her day off to visit me. She had been wanting Extraordinary Desserts for sometime, so we went for lunch.
I got the feta cheese panini ($10).
Grilled eggplant, tomato, feta, mixed greens, and pesto on toast from Bread & Cie. I’ve posted on Bread & Cie on their sweets which were pretty good, but their bread is hands down, some of the BEST in San Diego. The bread and feta made this panini good. There was just enough feta on the toasted bread to give it a light saltiness and the soft cheese contrasted with the crunch bread. The tomatoes, eggplant, greens were all fresh, and the pesto was delicious but I wish they had put a little bit more on it! Oh well…pretty good overall.
And with the panini was a apple, corn, and pepper relish? It was sort of sweet and I enjoyed it too. It was very refreshing.
My friend got the caesar salad ($10) and we were both taken back at ED presentation of it! I mean look at it! If you’ve never had the caesar here, you would be too! It reminded me of a flower pot!
Inside the “pot” was a generous amount of shaved parmesan cheese and croûtons. Once she hacked into the salad, she proclaimed, “This is so good!” I took a piece of lettuce to try out the dressing and found it to be a little too tangy for my taste buds. And I told her that, which “L”responded, “That’s probably why I like it – the tanginess.”
“L’s” salad came with toasted bread too, the same as my panini, and she couldn’t stop herself from eating it. I don’t blame her!
We wanted something sweet but neither of us was sure of what to get. I wanted a slice of cake, but everytime I think about ED’s cake, the sick feeling of sugar-overload invades every part of my body. Thus, each time I think of getting a slice of cake from ED, I change my mind. However, I did want to try the roasted coconut cream torte. (There are 2 things that will always get me: peanut butter and coconut…as you will see.) But all that was left in the case was one lonely slice that looked like its been in the case for a few days…not appetizing at all. So that desire died quickly. What was I going to get???
After looking at all the dessert offerings, none of which really grabbed me. I saw the biscotti (whole pieces) when we first went in, but I was hesitant. I’m very picky with my biscotti. I think it’s one of those things that because it’s so simple, it’s so hard to get it right and make it good. And I wasn’t about to spend $2.75 (?) on their chocolate almond biscotti. Then I saw by the cookies area, biscotti ends that were being sold for $0.50. Score! I could spend a little to get a taste of it. Along with that, I got the dark chocolate tea cookie that I’ve always seen but never tried. When ordering, I asked our waitress if she could get me one of the bigger pieces of the biscotti end. She said “yeah,” but I got one of the smallest piece there was. Maybe she was partially blind.
The biscotti was mediocre and was not even worth my 2 quarters, especially when our waitress told me she would get me one of the bigger pieces. Never again.
The dark chocolate tea cookie ($2.50) on the other hand….
Oh. My. Goodness. That first bite of the dark chocolate cookie was…nirvana. I was (to put it lightly) ecstatic! If any man wanted to give me the perfect gift….it would be a bouquet of red roses along with these cookies!
I had just found what I have been searching for a VERY long time. The perfect cookie. It was soft and moist, just enough butter, and the best part: chocolate without the sickening sweetness. The flavor of the chocolate was upfront and full bodied. There was nothing that blocked the flavor from giving me the full impact and embrace it I did.
The last time I had a cookie like this was when I still worked at a bakery, and my boss made the most delicious chocolate cookies with a dollop of german chocolate-like icing. The cookie was moist and soft, the chocolate was pure and unhindered (pre-icing), and since then…there has not been a cookie that has matched it. I use that cookie to compare every chocolate cookie I taste. I wish he never left. He was one of the nicest, funniest, and most talented baker I had the honor of working for. If anything, he made me want to go to Europe and learn the art of baking. I am still trying to find a sacher torte that is up to par to exceeds his.
“L” got the peanut butter shortbread ($2.50).
Anything with peanut butter is usually automatically on good terms with me. I LOVE peanut butter anything. My favorite sandwich is peanut butter and coconut! Sounds strange? Well if you think about it, Thai cuisine pretty consists of these two flavors. Anyways…I’m getting off topic…
Now although my chef never made a peanut butter cookie, ED’s peanut butter shortbread would probably be something he would make. Perfection. This cookie had the same softness of my dark chocolate tea cookie, but it had the texture of shortbread (eg. very buttery). However, the saltiness of the peanut butter and the sweetness of the rock sugar edge, helped balance the butter in this cookie. Now I have a cookie to set the bar for all future pb cookies!
So what’s the lesson I learned today?….There is always hope for everything and it is not worthless to cling on even the smallest bit of hope you have for anything. Hold on to that hope and one day, you’ll find that one thing that makes it all worthwhile.
May-chan
Delighted Palate 
