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
Smashburger
My first smash sandwich was not a burger as a friend pointed out. I don’t eat beef so I opted for the chicken option, which was just as wonderful (as a burger…I would imagine).
I ordered the Spicy Baja with pepper jack cheese, guacamole, lettuce, tomato, grilled onion (requested), chipotle mayo, and fresh jalapeno, all on a chipotle bun. The chicken was pounded thin and that helped keep the chicken nice and juicy. This is a technique we use to cook protein at home too because it ensures thorough cooking while being quick. It helps retain the flavor and marinade, and minimizes the issue of overcooked, rubbery chicken.
The only issue I had with this sandwich was that all the ingredients were “wet”, so it all slipped out with each bite. I guess that that means that it was finger-licking good! Other than that minor issue, the chicken sandwich was very enjoyable. Now Smashburger will be my go-to for a quick delicious sandwich.
Smashburger
Multiple locations
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
Northern Nevada Trip
So where was my next stop after my time in New York?…
RENO!!!!!!
Thank goodness we also had a stop in Tahoe as well during our visit to the Northern Nevada casino properties. Being my first time in Northern Nevada, I was shocked at the decay of the city of Reno. As we drove through the main road of the city, I could see how this was once the hustle and bustle of Northern Nevada. Now, it is a sadder scene with areas of abandonment and memory of the old days.
However, granted I was traveling with others this time aka – there was no excuse to NOT eat with tons of people and way too much food.
I will just go down chronologically of the meals that we had shared and consumed:
235 N Lake St
Reno, NV 89501
This was a Basque restaurant, serving traditional Basque cuisine. I had never heard of Basque food before and the only time I had even heard of “Basque” was during my travel to Europe and was given a brief history during our drive into Spain from France. So I was excited to see what this food was all about.
First, the dining room reminded me of an old bar or saloon. There were rows of long tables that you would share with other parties when it was a full house. However, that night, the place was already winding down due to the fact it was a late Sunday night. The meals were served family style with a choice of entrée for yourself. The entrees differ each night and so…let the food precession begin!
Soup
Chorizo
Beans
Fries
Lamb Chops
As you can see, they pretty much covered the bases with a soup starter, meats, and starch. The food was good overall, but it did not exactly blow my me out of the water. Still…it was a good start to the trip.
247 California Avenue
Reno, Nevada 89509
The following day, after our morning of walking the floors, we met up with another team working on another property for lunch at The Cheese Board. This place would be considered a casual French/American Bistro. They had sandwiches, salads, specials and of course – wine (which we did not have because we were all on ‘work hours’ and we were being good to stick to it).
Brie
This was so good! I don’t know how you cannot like warm, melting, good quality cheese.
Cheese Board
Because this was the namesake of the Bistro…and the selections were all quite yummy.
Steak Fajitas
Quiche
(It was one of the better quiches that I had ever tried)
Pasta Chicken Salad
Sante Fe Chicken Sandwich
Overall?…A wonderful lunch spot and reminds me that Reno is still alive!
17 S. Virginia St. #180
Reno, NV 89501
Since we had such a nice lunch that day, we hoped that this recommendation we received from a fellow colleague would not fail us. Plus, it sat right by the river so it was the closest “seaside dining” we could muster for Northern Nevada.
Pear & Goat Cheese Crostini
Taste was there, but there was no texture. It was just a pile of mush on mush…sad 😦
Artichoke & Brie Dip
(Just…no)
House Salad
Possibly the best thing I ate there that night. Fresh greens dressed in a delicious vinaigrette (plus there was texture here at least!)
Now our entrees:
Meatloaf
Grilled Salmon
Lamb
Good lamb…even better polenta that was served under it.
Pork Chops
Rib Eye
Desserts (I laugh and make a face as I write/think about this):
River Mud
The way they described it on the menu sounds interesting, yet it came out exactly as I had imagined: a brownie with a Klondike bar sitting on top. =\
Bread Pudding
Disgusting. Let me describe to you why: imagine cubes of stall bread that was pressed together and re-baked with no liquids to make it remotely moist and then try to cover it with chocolate sauce. This was the bread pudding. UCK!!
Crème Brulee
Now for this one – it was scrambled eggs in a dish with caramelized sugar. Yea…
Crumble
(Chuckling) Ok…on the menu it does not tell you what kinds of berries are used, just that this was a berry crumble. So we asked the waitress and she tells us, “It’s a deep berry the chef uses.”
….Did you all catch that? “Deep berries.” If you were like us, you’d be asking (like we actually did): “What (the hell) are ‘deep berries’?” Are they berries deep within a forest? Are they philosophical fruits? What?! Let’s just say the waitress could not talk herself out of this one. (By the way, it ended up being strawberries…because they were out of deep berries apparently.)
My recommendations to you?…Skip the appetizers and desserts, go for the house salad and entrees only.
205 West 5th Street
Reno, NV 89503
The place is pretty self explanatory of what we had for lunch. However, in addition to our bowls of pho, we had orders of the Fresh Spring rolls and Fried Eggrolls
Vietnamese Eggrolls
Fresh Spring Rolls
Now…on to Tahoe!
111 Country Club Drive
Incline Village, NV 89451
For our first night in Tahoe, we joined with the group at their hotel for dinner. Let’s just say we ordered more than what we all really needed. Let the bingeing begin:
Calamari
Pork belly
Quail
French onion soup
Wedge salad
Lamb
NY Strip
Ribeye
Buffalo
Short ribs
Grilled Chicken
Dessert platter
I think the end of the meal was the favorite part of the meal for me that night. Look at that spread of delicious, fatty, sugary goodness. We had (going from left to right): Apple Trio; Mud Pie; Cheesecake; Crème Brulee; Chocolate Pear Nougat; Walnut Tart w/ Dolce Dulce Ice Cream.
My gawd…it was an overboard of sugar and we were all already at our breaking point but we were all very dedicated foodies (and a newly initiated one who was brought on to help us and was floored by the amount of food that we ate). My favorite from the platter? It would have to be the Walnut Tart with the ice cream. By the way…this was the platter at the end:
We CRUSHED this platter!
168 Hwy 50
Stateline, NV 89449
For our last lunch, we headed for some Mexican/Spanish food. However…it was not that good sadly.
Mushroom & Cheese Empanadas
Tacos – Lamb & Carne
Tacos – Lamb & Al Pastor
The meat tasted fine for the tacos, but not astounding. Worst part was that the tortillas were too thick. You needed thinner tortillas to just hold the meats and let the (good) meat do all the talking. This place’s tacos were just a mumble in the air.
1001 Heavenly Village Way #26
South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150
Our last night in Tahoe, for dinner, we opted for something amazing to make up for lunch, but yet, staying away from the steakhouses (we both needed seafood to balance out all the red meat). Thus, it was Kalani’s that really saved the day.
Lobster Bisque
They were kind enough to split an order into two little cups for us. Thick, flavorful, sweet, a tinge of spice…wonderful.
Pulehu Baby Back Pork Ribs
Sweet, salty, sticky, and fall-off-the-bone tender. Though we both had enough meat the past few days, this was a great addition to our meal.
Pan Caramelized Miso-Yaki Sea Bass
O.M.G. I cannot tell you how much I LOVE sea bass and its buttery texture. This fish really does fall to the slightest force from your fork and melts in your mouth as if it was butter. Amazing piece of fish and cooked with a crispy side to add a little texture. Suberb!
Ahi tuna
The special of the night was an ahi tuna steak topped with sweet, fresh crab meat, served on top of kimchi and “veggie sticks” (aka julienne carrots, zucchini and squash). This was good, but it was not a sea bass.
Coconut Creme Brulee
To round off the night, we finished with this delicious and wonderfully made creme brulee. The coconut flavor was in your face, but pleasantly so. By far…it was our best meal to date during this trip!
953 W 5th St.
Reno, NV 89503
Last day in Northern Nevada…back at Reno to grab a quick bite before we headed to the airport. We wanted something simple and quick. This little café had a great spirit and a hard working woman who I can only assume was the owner. She worked the counter, cash register, and waiting/bussing the tables. Naturally, you see her just running around the little café at great speeds.
While sitting there, you could watch your food be made fresh and also watch them bake their own breads for the menu items.
Morning Cuban
This was toasted bread slice (freshly made in-house), roasted pork, swiss cheese, ham, eggs overeasy, green salsa. With a little hot sauce, it is the cure for hangovers.
Mediterranean Salad
A mixed organic greens salad with tomato, kalamata olives, red onions, red bell peppers, feta cheese, avocado, procsiutto, house croutons.
We kept it simple and clean….well I did with my salad, can’t say the same for my colleague.
Well friends…that was my first time adventure in Reno and Tahoe. Will I be back? If it’s for work, I won’t have much of a choice, but if for pleasure, then I will definitely be back to Tahoe.
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
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
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.
May-chan
Delighted Palate 
