Cauliflower Pad Thai

This dish is not worthy of being the first post of my culinary diary, but then we have to start somewhere.

I had leftover flat noodles from the Hong Kong style noodle soup I made on New Years morning - I decided that I will make Pad Thai sans the meat. We also had two medium cauliflowers in the fridge that needed to be used up. So, this was a quick impromptu fix. I shallow fried the cauliflower florets with green curry paste to give them the spiciness and then tossed them over the bed of Pad Thai noodles. The heat of the green curry went well with the smoky sweetness of the Pad Thai.

Oh well, what else do you get for a quick-n-dirty meal?

Jake's Del Mar

This a was sudden plan. My hubby and I have not been out for sometime now. Ever since we bought our home, we have mostly been at home having 'take-out' from local restaurants, or I cooking at home (I LOVE my new kitchen!). We did go out occasionally, but no place really great. Then last month we got our dog, and since Freo came to our lives, we became almost like new parents - every moment we stayed away from the 'little one', we were thinking of him and wondering if he is lonely. It's been a month since he arrived, and it seems that he is now settled in, and we feel confident to leave him home alone in evenings.

So, we went out on a 'date' yesterday. We decided to try Jake's in Del Mar. We had previously been to Posiedon and was very disappointed. Jake's is right beside it. I have often driven by it wondering if it was any good. The reviews and website looked good, so we thought this may be a good one to try for our first dinner date this year. We called ahead and made a reservation.

It was a full moon night and the moon was quite close to the horizon and BIG - quite romantic. It was not too cold, we took our Mini with the top down, and I even wore a skirt! It was a lovely drive towards the ocean. We were seated promptly , but unfortunately not near the tall glass windows overlooking the beach and waves. We were told that for those seats, there may be a wait of an hour or so. Our seat was the third row from the window, but on a little elevation from the other two rows and so we could see the ocean. It was lovely.

The menu was just two pages. I like that. I do not like restaurants with more than two pages (e.g. Cheesecake Factory) - gives an impression that they are not serious about their food. The need to satisfy everyone is not required. What is required is a few dishes and get them perfect, every time.

For appetizers, we ordered Grilled Prawns with basil and prosciutto and dijon vinaigrette. Hubby got his usual, a Bombay Sapphire martini, stirred and not shaken - the right way to have martinis. I got a Peter Lehmann Shiraz. For dinner, I got the Macadamia Nut Crusted Salmon with wasabi mirin reduction, baby bok choy & hon shimeji mushroom stir fry. Hubby got the Brandt Farms Filet Mignon “oscar style"with creamy polenta, cauliflower cheddar gratin, and marrow butter.

Martini: He wanted two olives, but it came with one. He also thought the martini had a little too much vermouth and not enough gin. But overall, it was good. Infact, we were happy that they listened to him and stirred instead of shaking. (Oh! Bond spoiled it for Martini lovers. Did you know that Mr. Flemming had created that drink as a joke?)

Shiraz: What can I say, I am a Shiraz fan. Living in Australia only reinforced it. We were able to taste the best out there. This one was not among the best, but quite nice.

Grilled Prawns: Loved it. Five succulent prawns wrapped in prosciutto and grilled. They were served on a plate with shaved radicchio, cabbage, and Italian basil and drizzled with yummy dijon vinaigrette. I tasted a bit of the orient in the flavoring, but it may have been just me. The combination was excellent - a perfect balance of sweet and savory.

Macadamia Nut Crusted Salmon: Superb! The fish was cooked perfectly, not too dry and not too soft. Cooking fish is tricky, and I have been to several reputed restaurants where a dry lump had been served to me. People often forget the the principle of residual heat. You see, the fish will continue cooking for several minutes even after it's removed from the heat source. Hence fish should be cooked until it's medium, then removed the from the oven, microwave, stove top, or grill and let stand for few minutes to finish cooking. This restaurant seemed to have got it right.

The macadamia crust was both moist and crunchy. Underneath the fish was the baby bok choy and hon shimeji mushrooms, and further below was wild rice cake. The plate was drizzled with the light pink wasabi mirin reduction and the rice and vegetables had soaked up the sweet flavor very well. I was not able to taste the wasabi, just a hint of it's fragrance. The mirin was quite evident in the light sauce. I found the rice a bit greasy, may be it could have done with a tad less butter. The mushrooms were lovely - I am a big fan of mushrooms, so I loved to bite and taste each piece. The baby bok choy added a nice layer to the dish, the vegetable has a delicate 'watery' flavor and when you bit into the stems, it cleaned out your flavor palette so that the next bite of other food was again a sensuous discovery.

Brandt Farms Filet Mignon: Superb again! Oscar style is crabmeat, asparagus, and sauce béarnaise on top of the fillet mignon which came on top of the creamy polenta. The cauliflower cheddar gratin was served in a mini bowl - the kind one would serve french onion soup. Marrow butter is new to us, but it sure tasted great, with a delicate aroma of marrow (I would like to make it one of these days). Lets go bottom up. First, polenta - soft and creamy with a granular texture, a bit bland but perfectly complementing the steak, and soaking up the marrow butter flavor. The steak was cooked medium, red in the inside and juicy, full of flavor. The crab meat was delicious. The asparagus seemed to be grated in the crab meat, adding a nice crunchiness against the soft meat. The Béarnaise sauce was also distinct and rich - after all it's not your common Hollandaise! The cauliflower gratin was a bit of bland for our taste buds.

Service: Very disappointing! Yes, I know, what a shame, especially since the food was so good. Our server was Joe. At first he was late, we sat there twiddling our thumbs for quite a while. After taking our appetizer and drinks order, he vanished. No drinks for a long time. We sat there speculating that they probably were flying down to Oz to pick a bottle, or may be to France to get the vermouth! Eventually we got both the drinks and the appetizer. He forgot to tell us the specials and we had to ask for it. He took our meal order and then, you guessed it, vanished again, that too with our appetizer plates, forks, and knives. When the meal arrived, we did not have any silverware except for a fork each. We sat there exasperated, looking for him to ask for knives. I could still manage my fish with a fork, but how could P have his steak without a knife? We had to flag down another waiter and request a knife. Then, there was no refill for water, we had to again flag down another waiter. The food here is brought to the table by someone from the kitchen, and thank God for that, or else we would not have had anything to eat!

At the very end of the meal he came at last to ask us if he could take the plates away and get us the check. No questions whether we liked the food, or even polite courtesy. He also had this annoying habit of placing his hand on P's chair when talking to us. No good restaurant waiters do that! - this is Not a casual dining place, please! I was quite a bit mad at him. I also felt bad for the restaurant owners, with such a nice establishment, this waiter was literally killing the experience. Well, I am no great food critic, but this kind of behaviour will cost the restaurant some major demerits by the big guys! I was so mad that I made it a point to mention to the waiter that he provided us with bad service and that we had to wait for him a lot. He was slightly apologetic and quick to run away. We wrote about our disappointment on the check.

Bottom-line: I will give it 8.5/10. The food had the perfect balance of texture and flavors. It actually deserves a 9.5/10, but the waiter hurt the ranking. I hope the management will give the waiter some good training. I will however go there again, I loved the place. I would also like to meet up with the chef, his creations are superb!

After dinner, we went for a stroll on the beach. The waves were beautiful, white against the deep blue of infinity. But it was cold, the sand and the wind. We could not stay out there for long - our feet were freezing!

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PS: Yes, the format is a bit different. I am changing it.

Happy New Year

Yes, I have been very quiet for many months now. No, it's not that we have stopped eating out, it's just that I thought I did not have time to write detailed reviews. Oh! many reasons - new job, new house, new dog,.... Seems like life's a bit settled now and.... it's the new year. And it's the time for planning the year. Here are my plans for this year:

1. I will change this blog into something a bit more personal.
2. I will continue writing restaurant reviews.
3. I will add my own culinary experiments to this blog.
4. Most of all, I will make time every week to write a blog.

How about that?! :D

Wish all of my readers a VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Harry's Coffee Shop

Rating: 8/10
Date visited: Aug 2, 2009
Party of Two
Breakfast

I was craving for good old diner type food. There weren't any diners in Australia (or we were not able to find one.), and in North Carolina the diners were chains like Waffle House which served very greasy food and made us feel like throwing up after couple hours. So we hardly ever went to diners for the last four years. In Rochester there was a nice little place close to our apartment - Mount Hope Diner. We used to go there once every 3-4 months for a big breakfast. I wonder if it is still there?

As I said, I wanted diner food - eggs, toast, coffee etc. This was one of our regular Sunday-morning farmers' market visit days and breakfast with coffee is a must. We had noticed Harry's during our previous trips to the La Jolla market (we had been to Pannikin during those trips). Breakfast is served here all day everyday. We took a seat out on the patio, to enjoy the view.

Service was a bit slow, but we did not care, in fact we liked it. We were there to relax and have a lazy morning. The waitresses gave us a lot of time to review the menu and order. I got the "2 x 1", that is two eggs and a waffle, and my husband got their unadvertised special - Machaca Con Huevos. Of course, we got coffee - the regular diner drip coffee (this was brought out quickly).

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2 x 1 I had ordered my eggs poached. (I thought I may try to have a bit less butter by doing so. After all I was going to eat the butter on the waffle.) The eggs came in a small bowl, and instead of two there were three poached eggs! I love eggs, I will never complain no matter how badly one cooks it. These were done right, white and firm on the outside while 'gooey' yellow inside. I could see that they used a poaching cup (because the eggs were perfect circles) and did not use vinegar during the poaching process (there was no smell or the stringy texture).

The waffle was delicious. It was thin, crispy, and golden. The butter was served on the side in a small ramekin and maple syrup in a packet. I was a bit surprised. Diners usually serve it the other way round - butter in small packages and maple syrup in a pourer. Anyway, I liked it very much. I took my time and slowly ate the whole waffle. (oooh! the calories!)

Coffee This being a diner, we weren't expecting great coffee, but to our surprise, it was quite good. I would rather have the regular drip coffee here than the bitter brown sludge that Starbucks serves. At diners I usually expect a bottomless cup of coffee, here it came in a nice thermos. Thumbs up for coffee here.

Machaca Con Huevos This was a new one for us. My husband was initially planning on ordering either the Chorizo and Eggs or the Huevos Rancheros (again!). But the waitress said that there is this unadvertised special and she highly recommends it. It turned out to be a wonderful surprise.

Machaca is beef that has been marinated, cooked, shredded and then dried. It is very similar to beef jerky but with mexican spices. It is available in the Hispanic section of large supermarkets or in Mexican grocery stores. Here they cooked it with eggs, peppers, onions, tomatoes. The dish came with a side of salsa and corn tortillas. It was very tasty and quite filling. I am sure my husband is going to develop a craving for it soon, and either we will have to cook it at home, or (more likely) we will visit Harry's again. I hope they make this a regular menu item.

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In all this was quite a satisfying meal and we will go there again. I highly recommend it to everyone.

Address: 7545 Girard Ave., La Jolla CA
Website: hhttp://www.harryscoffeeshop.com/
Ph: 858 454 7381
Timing: Mon - Sun 6AM - 3PM
Liquor served - No

Pectopah (Pomegranate)

Rating: 9/10
Date visited: July 31, 2009
Party of Three
Dinner

I am sorry, I am a bit late writing this review. It was at the draft stage for the longest time and I finally had the time this morning to wrap this up. As you can see, the restaurant got a very high rating from me. So this post will be long and I will highly recommend that you visit the place.

Now, let's start from the very beginning. We found out about this restaurant from our good friend at Maverick's Musing. In her honor we have named our weekly Friday dinner evenings as Maverick Fridays. As you will notice, since we came to San Diego, we have been have checking out a new restaurant every Friday with her.

The name - Pomegranate. How much of a influence does pomegranate have on Russian cuisine is a something I cannot find too many references on. Our Russian and Georgian friends have not extolled on the use of this fruit in their food. I know for a fact that pomegranates is very popular, almost a staple, in Persian food. But Russia and Georgia is far from Persia. So where did this influence come from? Food historians and gourmets, please enlighten me.

Pectopah is located at the corner of El Cajon Blvd. and Lousiana Street. You will find it difficult to spot if you were not specifically looking for the address. Where there should be a billboard announcing the name of the restaurant, all you will find is the number 2302 in copper, with a red pomegranate replacing the zero and an arrow through it. It's a blue, run down building with some metal chairs and tables outside on a makeshift patio and relatively unattractive to any passerby. Believe me, if we did not plan on going there, we would not have spotted it or even be tempted to go inside. It is that inconspicuous.

You enter through a small decrepit door into a dining area crowded with furniture. The decor is intentionally 'wasted' - rough unfinished wood, dissimilar rickety tables and chairs, some cobwebs and dust on the decorations, icicle lights that were not removed from previous Christmas. And I did notice some old (maybe, antique) brass tea servers on shelves.

A presumably Russian/Georgian waiter asked if we had a reservation, and we did not. About 80% of the restaurant was empty, so we did not think that there would be a problem about not having a reservation. Please note, at this time we were sort of taken back by the decor - it did not seem to be a very appetizing place, and then the reservation question. He asked us to talk (plead) with the manager. This manager was sitting behind a tall desk at the far corner of the restaurant, answering phones and doing accounts, and a friend of his was sitting beside him eating a plate of seemingly delicious bbq meats. The sight if the food made us feel a bit better - hmmm, this place may have some good food after all.

The manager sat us at the front corner of the restaurant. My husband and I sat on a bench and our friend across from us. I was brushing against a dusty, carved wooden bear and the bench's padding was ripped and the padding falling off! It was an odd experience; we have been to coffee places with 'ruinous' decor like this, but never to a restaurant. The walls and reachable portions of the ceiling were full of graffiti - comments from the happy satisfied customers in many languages, some Russian too. Reading these comments lifted our spirits a bit.

My husband and our friend ordered Russian beers, I just went with water (designated driver, you see). I was tempted to go for the Russian tea, but decided against it. For appetizers, we ordered the Khinkali. They claimed that they serve Vodka by the inch and Borscht by the bucket - so, we had to get Borscht. And for the main, we went for the Lamb Shashlik. And for dessert, how could I resist the Toad Sweat Ice Cream?

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Beer: They serve a full spectrum of beers from a St Petersburg brewery called Baltica. My husband went for the hard lager (#9 Krepkoe) while our friend had the light one (#1). Both liked their beers, commenting on the crispness, a nice refreshing finish for the long week. My husband liked the high alcohol content as well and remarked on the perfect balance of hoppiness and the alcohol.
No, they did not have the vodka by the inch after the beer. My water with lemon was good too. Heh! Heh!


Khinkali: The menu said that these are peasant style meat dumplings. Seven of those steamed delights were served to us with a sprinkling of fine white pepper on a white plate. The rim of the plate was dabbed with red hot sauce. Now, we had not done our homework on to the right way of eating these sumptuous dumplings (read here ). We just pierced them with our forks and ate the whole, including the 'kudi'. The juices did not escape much, we were quick. They were delightful.

These dumplings reminded us of a lovely New Years Eve spent at our Russian friends place in North Carolina few years ago. In keeping with the Russian tradition, we spent a good part of that evening making scores of dumplings and the devouring them with vodka and other exotic Russian liquors. It was a divine experience and we will always treasure the memory.
Now, they were from Siberia, and the dumplings they made were very similar in taste to the Khinkali we had - only the casings here were a bit thicker. This makes me wonder how different would Pelmeni (also on the menu) would be from the Khinkali. Well, we have to try it next time. By the way, if any of my readers happen to visit and have the Pelmeni, please let me know. I have a soft corner for dumplings.

Borscht: This is a hearty soup of beets, cabbage, potatoes, green beans, parsley, and some meats simmered to meld the flavors. It had a dollop of sour cream, and you could also taste the rich butter in the broth. It was indeed as tasty as promised on the menu, but not served in a bucket! (disappointing!) It came in a plain white bowl.

This dish reminded us of the vegetable stew that our moms would try to inflict upon us on wintry Indian mornings when we were kids, and we used to hate it with a vengeance. Well, our moms' version of the stew of course did not have the meats, nor the rich buttery taste. Even if it did, I wonder if we would have eaten the vegetables. I think as we grow our taste buds evolve and the taste and texture of vegetables becomes more appealing.

Shashlik: This is a kebab type dish served only on Fridays and Saturdays, and takes time (about half an hour) to cook. The menu proclaims that this dish saved the accord in 1944 in Yalta between Stalin, Churchill, and Roosevelt. Historians, any comments?

We had ordered the lamb version. The dish consists of 2-3inch chunks of marinated lamb grilled on a skewer, like a sheek kebab. They brought the meat on the skewer and then 'de-skewered' it at the table. Just before serving, a pomegranate jus was poured over the meat. It came with a Russian version of a salsa.

Again, too good - worth the wait and quite well deserving of a 10/10. The meat was perfectly cooked, not too rare, not well done - just right. The jus gave a tantalizing aroma to the dish. We enjoyed every bite of the succulent meat.

Toad Sweat Ice Cream - All the menu says about this one is that 'it's not for the faint hearted'. This comment just jumped out of the menu at me as a challenge, and I had to take a shot at this. You know what, I do not want to spoil the surprise for you, and so I will not give you details on what this dish entails. All I will say is that I highly recommend it and please share it with one or two friends - it worth having.
(A hint for those friends who had been to our place in Brisbane - remember Dragon's Crap?)

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As you can tell, I ranked this restaurant very high. The food is very good. I usually prefer spicy food, and there were almost none in this meal - but I still loved it. The only reason I gave it one point less than the perfect 10 was because of the decor and the inconvenient seating. Yes, the decor as it stands now gives it a le chique le cool appeal, but I would rather they fix it.

We will go there again. Definitely. Probably to celebrate a special occasion with friends. I already have a long list of dishes I want to try the next time I go there. Oh yes, we will book ahead this time. And I will ask the owner next time - why did he name the restaurant Pectopah? What is the special culinary relationship between the pomegranate and Georgian/ Russian cuisine?

A special note about their menu which explains all the dishes in a witty style.

Address: 2302 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego 92104
Website: http://russiangeorgianfood.homestead.com/
Ph: 619 297-4007
Timing: Mon - Sun 5PM- 10PM
Liquor served - Yes

Pannikin

Rating: 7.5/10
Date visited: July 26, 2009
Party of Two
Brunch

Pannikin is right beside the La Jolla Farmers Market. We now go to the market every week. Last week we had coffee and a health bar at Pannikin, and yesterday we decided to do a brunch.

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Last weekend's meal: One double shot Americano, one double shot Cappuccino and a health bar to share.

We have been quite disappointed by the quality of coffee here in the US. Well, there are a few quality places, but they are hard to find and we have not found too many good places in San Diego yet. I guess we have been spoilt first by lovely coffees at Open Eye, Cup A Joe, and Cafe Driade in Chapel Hill, and then by the really good baristas in Australia, on almost every block in both Brisbane and Perth. I am told that NYC, Seattle, and Portland, OR, has quality coffees - it's to be tasted. As such, I find that most coffee places here in the US roast the coffee too dark and thereby enhance the bitterness. Or, may be the water temperature is not set right and it scalds the grounds while brewing. My husband is planning to write a blog entry on this issue - so I will leave the detailed analysis for him.

At Pannikin, the coffee was better than Starbucks and Bruegers, but still did not hit the mark. It was a bit too bitter for me, especially the Cappucino. The Americano on the other hand tasted too diluted. I suppose it is because of the cup size. We were served the Americano in a mug, about 12oz. An Americano (called a 'long black' in Oz) is best served with two shots in 8 oz water. The additional 4 oz ruins the flavor.

As for the cappuccino, my expectation is not to have to add sugar to the coffee. The milk in the coffee should beat the bitterness out of the coffee. Here it did not do so. And the froth was spooned over to the cup. My cup got a 6/10 from me.

The health food bar was good, really good. It is advertised as a vegan bar, and is choc full of cranberries, nuts, poppy seeds, oats, sesame, raisins and other seeds. It was a big bar - 4-inch square, enough for the two of us.
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This week's meal: One double shot Americano (in a small cup please) and the Huervos Panceros breakfast for husband, and one double shot Cappuccino and Greek breakfast for me.

Husband was pleased with his Americano this time. He gave it an 8/10, he's had better. The small cup, we think, did the trick. It was a 10oz mug with 9 oz liquid. My latte was good too - 7.5/10. It was still a bit bitter for me, may be it was the dark roast they used. But the balance of aroma and acidity was good.

Huervos Ranceros (mexican for Ranch Eggs) was a dish with black beans, scrambled eggs with mexican cheese, sour cream, quarter of an avocado, salsa, and a flour tortilla on the side. The scrambled eggs, they claim, is entirely steamed, no butter or oil used, hence a healthy alternative. The beans tasted good, may be they were out of a can, but they tasted better than that. My husband did not eat the tortilla, but overall it was quite a fulfilling meal. Avocados are so expensive these days, so a nice big slice with the meal was good!

Greek breakfast consisted of scrambled eggs with feta, diced tomatoes and basil over a toasted onion bagel. The scrambled eggs did not seem buttered at all - good! The basil looked a bit bruised, may be it was not minced with a sharp knife. It's all right - we liked the meal.

I have to say, getting a table to sit outside at this joint is tough. You have to keep a constant look out for someone planning to leave, and then run and snatch the place. We were on the lookout and then a kind gentleman let us share his table. (There is plenty of seating indoors, but on a lovely Sunday morning, who would want to sit indoors?!) There are many old-timers / regulars who come here, and it is very interesting to listen in on some of the conversations - this week there was a lot of chit chat on Sotomayor.

Address:7467 Girard Ave., La Jolla, CA 92037
Website: http://pannikincoffeeandtea.com/
Ph: 858-454-5453
Timing: Daily 6 am-8 pm
No liquor served

Lucky Bucks Bar and Grill

Rating: 7/10
Date visited: July 24, 2009
Party of three
Dinner

We went to Lucky Bucks to celebrate TGIF! Our friend had a tough week and she deserved some good drinking. I did not have a drink for a week, so it was time for me to have some too. My husband was our chaperon.

Lucky Bucks has a really great Happy Hour - 2 for 1 drinks, 5pm - 7pm. Margaritas should be your choice. They fix it strong, and they are large, 18 oz - and for $8 for two drinks, it's a great bargain. I actually saw him making the drinks, there is a very generous amount of tequila.

Service was good, attentive with a little laid-back attitude. We wanted the hassle free atmosphere, to just hang out in a relaxed atmosphere - the place served the purpose. Please note that this is not a high-end place, so expectations were not high either. This is a bar, a cheap one at that, serving bar-style food in small plastic baskets with wax paper, with plastic cutlery. There are a few booths inside the joint that could seat six at a time, the rest of the area inside is filled with high tables and tall bar. There is also some patio seating, mostly for smokers. By 8 PM, it was full. We sat inside at one of the booths. You have to seat yourself - no need to wait for the host / hostess.

For appetizers, we got the chicken quesadilla. For dinner, I got Buffalo wings with blue cheese, our friend got Buffalo tenders with ranch dressing, and my husband got a burger.

Chicken Quesadilla was the standard lot. I thought it had a bit too much cheese in it - but the chicken was juicy and had a nice flavor. We had already downed the first strong margarita on an empty stomach, so it didn't matter much. I had noticed that the sour cream was very thick and the salsa sub-par. I prefer thepico de gallo with my quesadilla - but that's just me, I suppose. The guacamole seemed out-of-a-can, but then one should not expect gourmet fresh food here!

The Buffalo Wings were quite nice. I would give it 8/10 for crispiness and taste. Now, it can never be as good as the Original Buffalo Wings at Frank and Teresa's Anchor Bar in Buffalo. I lived in Buffalo and have visited that bar many times, I know my Buffalo wings. On the absolute scale, these wings were probably 6.5/10, but my ranking is a bit higher because of nostalgia and the fact that I have not had good wings for the last four years! Since we left western New York in 2005, we have not had good buffalo style chicken wings - believe me, we have tried many places. Most joints outside western NY get it all wrong - if they get the sauce right, the chicken is too moist and soft, or, if they get the chicken crispy to the right degree, the sauce is all messed up! And in Australia, no one has heard of Buffalo Wings! (What a shame!)

The 'true' buffalo style wing should be crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. There should not be too much skin, just a thin crispy wafer around the meaty bone. Too much skin makes the meat too moist and soaked in fat, it does not taste good. Ideally, you cook the wings in the oven, then toss it in the deep fryer to crisp the outside. Now the sauce has to be the original buffalo wing sauce. Order it from Anchor Bar, if you need to, but please, do not use a knock off. It does not work! Now, you can add your ownembellishments to the wings, if you want. For example, a bar in Rochester ( Distillery, our regular joint during my husband's graduate school days) would add some garlic to the sauce before adding it to the wings, the taste and smell of warm garlic over the wings went well with the cool crisp beer. You can also sprinkle a generous amount of Cajun seasoning on the wings, it makes those pieces even more tasty. When I make the wings at home, I usually enhance the sauce a bit - I melt butter, add the original sauce, a bit pepper, simmer it for five minutes. If the vinegar appears to have evaporated, I add some lime juice, not lemon juice. You can try this with your chicken tenders too.

Buffalo chicken strips - they were a bit dry I think. The flavor on the outside was all right, but it seemed to me more like a compressed chickenpatte, similar to a Wendy's or Mac's tenders, only larger in size. I wonder if this was frozen-out-of-a box item, just heated up and tossed in the sauce.

Burger: Lucky Bucks is famous for their burgers. My husband asked for medium-well of their 'hot' burger. The basket came with an open topped burger with jalapeno peppers,pepper jack cheese melt. It came a bit rarer than medium, but it was very juicy. He enjoyed it.

We will probably go there again, may be when we crave another cheap drink session with non-healthy food. Come on, we all have such cravings sometimes!

Address: 1459 University Avenue, San Diego CA 92103
Website: Cannot find
Ph: (619) 297-0660
Timing: Daily 11am-10pm
Liquor served

Alborz Restaurant

Rating: 6.5/10
Date Visited: July 18, 2009
Party of Two
Dinner

We were craving for Persian food, and it turns out that there are not too many Persian restaurants in San Diego. I had lived in Irvine, which by comparison, is Persian food heaven (of course, outside Persia!). We have not been to Iran (yet), so my taste for Persian food has been honed only by the superb immigrant Persian food in Orange County, at restaurants like Caspian, Darya, Bahar, and many others.

We usually do not do this, but this evening for a change, we had actually called ahead and reserved a table for 7 PM. It turned out that this restaurant was at a strip mall and next door to a coin laundry - seemed a bit weird to me. The dining area was huge and not very busy, there was a bar and even a stage for live music. Their website proclaims that there is belly dancing on weekends, but we did not see any - may be one had to wait till late for live entertainment, or may be they did not have any dancing that night. Instead they were playing instrumental music, really loud for comfort, and theme songs from Love Story, Godfather, etc. What about Persian music?

When we walked in, we were seated right on the passageway. What good is a reservation if we get the 'worst seat of the house' - our table often bumped by waiters and waitresses running to and from the kitchen and precariously balancing the dishes too close to our comfort. Next, our table had one napkin, my husband's napkin was not there and we had to ask for it when the food arrived. The waiter gave us the napkin with an exasperated look on his face, as if we had asked for the moon!

Service was terrible at this place. Our waiter had absolutely no training on decorum - he was consistently abrupt and impolite. I will list all his inappropriate behavior in the rest of the blog and you can judge for yourself.

They served warm flat bread and butter to begin with - complimentary. We ordered a glass of the house Shiraz, and for dinner it was Fasenjon (chicken) for me, and the Koobideh Combination for my husband. The dinner dishes came with either a soup or salad. I got the soup and my husband got the salad.

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House Shiraz
The house Shiraz was listed as Australian on the menu. We have been living in Australia for the last two years and Shiraz is our favorite wine. We have had many varieties from different regions in Australia, and we know the wine well. So we ordered the Shiraz - to honor our Aussie memories. Also, Shiraz usually pairs well with Persian food, it compliments the spices and the aroma of the food.

The glass served to us did not make the cut in aroma, flavor, or body. We were very disappointed - it did not even taste like any of the really bad Aussie Shiraz we have had - there were actually no elements of Shiraz in the wine - it was flat, no discernable taste of the fruit or the peppery finish. I could not imagine that some distributor could take the pain of importing Aussie Shiraz of this poor quality!

Towards the end of the meal, after complaining to each other several times, I thought that I may as well ask the waiter as to which vineyard this was from. We should warn our good Aussie friends not to ever waste their dollars on this vineyard! Guess what? We were not served the Aussie Shiraz at all! It seems that they had run out of the Aussie Shiraz and they served us a South African wine instead. The waiter was not sure if it was Shiraz or not, and did not want to go check either. He did not bother to inform us of this switch and made the statement in a very condescending manner, as if telling us - who are you to know the difference? No, no, no - you NEVER do that to a customer, even if they are complete idiots! The first tenet of quality service - never snub a customer, especially if you know less about the matter in hand than the customer.

Also, when the waiter served the wine at our table, he literally banged the glass on the table, the wine was almost spilling!!

Flat Bread
It was warm all right, but a bit too crispy. Seemed that it was kept in the oven / warmer for a little too long. Few pieces were burnt too.

Soup
It was a lentil-chicken-lime soup and delicious! I could feel the lovely layered texture of the lentils, bulgur wheat, and minced chicken - not too 'grainy' and not too 'brothy'. The hint of coriander gave it a sensuous aroma and the lime gave it the kick at the very end - well balanced - just perfect!

Salad
This was a disappointing classic Greek salad - cold iceberg lettuce with broken feta and slathered with typical tangy Greek salad dressing. Unimpressive. The tomato and sliced cucumber looked dry - as it they were cut long ago and left in the fridge to shrivel. There is room for improvement here.

Fesenjon
This dish is among their 'Specials'. Fesenjon is a typical Persian dish made of pomegranate juice, walnut paste, and butter. Very heavy, but very tasty. It is on the sweeter side, because of the pomegranate juice. The consistency and recipe of a Fesenjon varies with the chef. I first had fasenjon as a very thick sauce at a restaurant in Chapel Hill (Sage), and that too with pseudo-chicken, since the restaurant was strictly vegetarian. That version had a hint of coconut, and I was so impressed by the taste that I made it at home too. The version at Alborz, did not have the coconut layer, but the dish had more generous gravy and real chicken. It tasted good, very good, actually. Of course, as usual, the portion size was a lot for me, and I had to take more than half the plate home to relish later.

Koobideh Combination
This is a dish that we always order at every Persian restaurant we have ever been to thus far. We judge a Persian restaurant by how well they can make their koobideh. This may not be the right measure of excellence, but we love the koobideh too much to not order when we go out for Persian food. The verdict here is - excellent. There were two koobideh skewers - one ground beef and other ground chicken - all marinated with the right spices, succulent, and charbroiled to perfection. It was served with two grilled whole tomatoes, white and saffron rice, and a wedge of lime. Now, the use of lime did not sit well with us. We are used to half a lemon, lovingly wrapped in a small muslin bag (to prevent the seeds getting into the food). A wedge of dry lime did not cut it for us. But since the rest of the food was delicious, we will let this issue slide. (Note - If the management of this restaurant wants to improve service, this little bag can win them few brownie points.)

Rice
The rice was soft and fluffy white Basmati rice with some saffron rice on the top for the effect. It had a smell of butter but the taste of butter did not overwhelm the rice - very well done! I give a compliment here because there has been cases where the butter overpowers the rice and hence dominates the flavor of the dish it accompanies. Rice on such occasions should be a 'true' side - that enhances the flavor of the main dish and gives it an underlying texture, and nothing more.
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I think I need to say a bit more on the dismal level of service. It was very rushed. The rest of the restaurant was quite empty, but it seemed to us that the staff wanted us to get on with our meal and move on quickly. They took away our appetizer plates when bread was still on them without asking if we were finished. During our meal, our 'lovely' waiter asked me twice if I would like my meal boxed. The second time, he did not even ask actually, he just came over and barked - 'Let me know when you want a box for it.' - giving me an order rather than making a request. We finally got our food boxed by another member of the staff - again quite rushed.

We will probably visit this restaurant again - but only if we do not find any other Persian restaurant that has as good a food as this one and offers better service. May be it is wise to do take-home from here - we may be spared from the bad service that way.

There are many dishes I would like to try, e.g. Borani, Tadig, the different kinds of Polo, and the other kebabs. I wonder how the lamb shank is? The food here was pretty good, the low score is only because of the terrible service.


Address: 2672 Del Mar Heights Road, Del Mar, CA 92014
Website: http://www.alborzinc.com
Ph: 858 792 2233
Timing: Tues - Thurs (11AM - 9PM), Fri - Sat (11AM - 9:30PM), Sun (11AM - 8PM) Mon - Closed
Liquor served

Ming Court

Rating: 8.5/10
Date Visited: July 15, 2009
Party of Two
Dinner

My husband returned from a work assignment in Texas and we were celebrating our 18th anniversary of 'meeting' each other. Yes! It's kind of sentimental to celebrate such an event, but then 18 years is quite a long time, isn't it? Why was it Ming Court and not somewhere more fancy? - Well, it was too late to book at somewhere too fancy, and too spontaneous a decision to eat out. We selected Ming Court from the Urban Spoon randomizer on our iPhone.

For an appetizer, we ordered the Sweet Corn Chicken Soup for two; and for dinner we ordered Sizzling Odd Couple (quite apt for us, isn't it?) and Pork in Yu-Hsiang sauce with brown rice.

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Sweet Corn Chicken Soup for Two
At $7.95, the quantity was enough for four. Again, I cannot help being surprised by the portion sizes in America! (Why is there so much focus on quantity and not that much appreciation of quality? I am writing a separate post on this issue - check later.)

The soup was good, right balance of the starch and sweetness, and not too overwhelmed by either corn or chicken, the egg white strings gently floating in the broth. The corn pieces were quite discernible and you could taste the burst of flavor when you bit into them - they were definitely not from a can, but shaved off a cob. The chicken was not the machine ground (that is what you find in most restaurant soups), but little pieces of chicken actually minced by a good sharp knife. I believe this form of mincing actually releases the flavor better when making a soup.

I have to mention here that our sweet corn chicken soup experience has been shaped by the scrumptious soups you get at the Hakka Chinese restaurants in Kolkata. We grew up loving those soups and now when we visit Chinese restaurants, and if they serve sweet corn chicken soup, we always order it and measure it by the memory of the delicious taste from Kolkata. So, by that measure of perfection, Ming Court's version of the soup got a 7/10.

Sizzling Odd Couple
This dish comprised of sliced beef tenderloins and scallops stir fried with scallions, green peppers, broccoli, mushrooms, and water chestnuts. They brought it out on a regular plate to the table, and then poured it on the hot plate at the table to produce the sizzling effect. The sauce was really tasty - it had a silken feel and was a bit of both sweet and spicy.

I enjoyed the scallops - they were sliced halfway (against the grain horizontally), but cooked just perfectly, not too much or not too less. Scallops are difficult to cook perfectly - they have an optimal time to cook. If you leave it in the wok too long, it overcooks and the texture becomes rubbery and stringy, the taste almost disappears. If you bring it out too early, it will be undercooked on the inside, and the dish you are making will get a smell of the sea that many customers dislike. Perfecting the cooking of scallops with the beef tenderloins to just the right consistency is, I must say, not an easy task.

The beef tenderloins in this dish was very nice, soft and silken. We could not taste any grains, they were all perfectly supple. I am yet to figure out how some Chinese restaurants manage to make beef, pork, or chicken this silken, soft and supple. I bet there is a secret - I have just not uncovered it yet. (Time to take some Chinese cooking classes OR a knowledgeable reader of this blog kindly letting me in on the secret!)

Scope of improvement - they could delete the water chestnuts all together. I do not appreciate the disappointing bite into a water chestnut when expecting to bite into a juicy scallop!

As for the name of this dish - superb!! Beef is the 'yin' and Scallop is the 'yang' - perfect odd couple! And sizzling too!

Pork in Yu-Hsiang sauce
Yu-Hsiang translates roughly to spicy garlic. The dish was made with thinly sliced (strips) of pork, green and red peppers, shitake mushrooms, and scallions - as if you had a bird's nest of sticks on a platter served to you. The sauce was deep brown in color and had a sweet taste which reminded us again of the 'Sweet and Sour' dishes from our good old Hakka Chinese restaurants in Kolkata. I loved it but my husband did not care too much for it. It was too sweet for him. I have to admit, Chinese dishes in America do tend to be sweeter than their counterparts in South Asian countries. I have not been to China (yet) and so I cannot give my expert opinion, but certainly in Singapore the Chinese dishes have less sweetness, and my Chinese friends also say that they do not cook with so much sugar. I think the sweetness is to please the Americans - sometimes you have to tailor dishes to cater for the local taste.
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The staff at the restaurant were very attentive and cordial. We liked the attention. Whenever our glass of water went below the half line, it got filled immediately and very quietly - not to disturb our conversation. This is not a common occurrence in Chinese restaurants - usually service is abrupt and directed, sometimes a bit clumsy too. The decor was also understated, the music light. We came to the restaurant when there was light outside, and when the sun set, they quietly pulled the blinds and turned on the lights. The whole affair was so gradual that we did not even realize the transition until it was time for us to get up and leave. Wasn't that great?

We will certainly visit this restaurant again. I have to try a few more dishes, like pungent shrimp, sar-char dishes, and tangerine chicken (I wonder how different the latter will be from the very ubiquitous orange chicken?) Next time we go there, we will go with at least three-four friends and order food in the true Chinese feast style - at a table with a lazy susan, about two dishes per person - a true banquet! And perhaps, a bottle of Baijiu!!


Address: 12750 Carmel County Road, San Diego, CA 92130
Website: www.mingcourtrestaurant.com
Ph: 858 793 2933
Timing: 11AM - 10PM
Liquor served

Daphne's Greek Cafe, Torrey Hills

Rating: 6/10
Date visited: Twice so far
Party of two
Lunch

I am very much against fast food - especially the McD kind. There are few 'gourmet' fast food chains these days, but I do not find them too appetizing either. So far, Daphne's has been all right - it's not disappointed me as much I was expecting. Their food seems to be light and contains less fat, though I have not asked for their calorie charts and looks can be deceiving. Their food does not tax my liver and leave me sluggish and dumb. So, as far as fast food places go, this chain I will visit as often as I need to.

We have been there for lunch couple times so far, mostly because it was somewhere to get a quick lunch and without the full guilt of eating fast food and the ensuing gastrointestinal discomfort. It was more out of necessity rather than desire that we have been to Daphne's.

They serve gyros*, kebabs, pita, hummus, and other common Greek goodies like dolmas, falafel, baklava, etc. (You can find the full menu on their website) We have had their chicken kebabs, gyro sandwiches, and also the platters.

Few points to note:
1) The restaurant is clean and well maintained. The waiter and waitresses are very particular in cleaning up the joint.
2) Drinks are not served, you just have to fetch it for yourself - they give you the cup.
3) For $1, you can get a small appetizer or soup or a baklava - nice deal!
4) Portions are huge - I still keep getting amazed by portion size. I think I had forgotten all about the massive portions in the US during my stint in Oz.
5) The rice pilaf is actually quite nice - it's shiny, I have no idea what goes in it. I bet it is not freshly made, and comes prepackaged in a can/ bag to be heated and served.
6) The Pita is all right - again it's the 'processed' kind. I should not expect anything different, should I?
7) The salad really makes me sad - I cannot stand the near white iceberg lettuce. Yes, the dressing is nice, but they could do a bit better than the iceberg lettuce.
8) I have tried their Fire Feta - it's basically a somewhat spicy sauce mixed with feta cheese crumbs. One would usually make that at home as a dip for a tailgate party. I guess it's all right.
9) I am not sure why they serve french fries with their meals. May be french fries are now synonymous with fast food in the American lingo and they will not eat otherwise? Or is it that its a quick, easy, and cheap meal filler? Well , in my opinion, fries definitely does not go with the meals they serve.
* 10) Special Note For my Aussie friends: Gyros is very similar to the lamb kebab shavings you get served at your kebab shops - ground meat mix on a tall vertical rotating spit in front of a heat source. The meat is sliced vertically. But, it tastes a bit different here than in Oz. The lamb gyros here seem to have the taste of some lentils or bulgur wheat in them. Also, they do not serve it like they do in Oz, they serve the shavings here with rice and/or pita bread pieces - no special sauces or other mixings and making it in a roll. Also, in America, we do not have chicken gyros like you have in Oz.

Address: 4639 Carmel Mountain Rd., San Diego, CA 92130
Website: http://www.daphnesgreekcafe.com/
Ph: 858-720-8642
Timing:
Liquor - not served.

Khyber Pass

Rating: 7.5/10
Date visited: July 11, 2009
Party of three
Dinner

We went there to celebrate the purchase of our new car. Our mood was great - we were very happy. A close friend joined us for dinner. (R, we missed you) As as usual, we were hungry after 7 hours of driving and 'burning' under the hot CA sun - we had the hood down all day!

I would say that this restaurant serves 'pseudo-Afghan' cuisine. Now, we have not been to Afghanistan (yet) but we have met people who have and heard stories of what the food is like out there. Here at Khyber Pass, they have the Americanized (and a bit Indianized) version of Afghan food. The menu had several kebab dishes and all the rest seemed to be Indian. We have to note that north Indian food has been influenced by the Persian - Afghan cuisine. So whether Chicken Matar originated in India or in Afghanistan, only a true food historian can figure - I am not qualified to pass judgement.

Afghanistan was very well known for its dried fruits and nuts. At least that's what we knew when we grew up in India - not for the opium and war, as we do now. I remember being a very young kid and a "Kabuliwala" walking the streets peddling the goodies from Afghanistan. This was more than 25 years ago - in Nibaranpur, Ranchi. The big strong men from Afghanistan would leave their family back at home and visit India to sell fruits and nuts on Indian streets - they were good money lenders too. Once a year they would trek back home with the money they made and pay debts at home - what a lonely life, isn't it? They used to have a big bag and would walk the streets and shout 'kabuliwala'. Women would call them to the house and trade. Moms would also tell the kids that if they would be naughty, the kabuliwala will stuff them in his big bag and take them away to the far distant land. There are no Kabuliwalas now. But his story has been immortalized by Rabindranath Tagore in his story Kabuliwala - you can read an abridged translated version here. Tapan Sinha made a movie of this story in 1957 - I highly recommend you watch it. You will fall in love with Mini (young Sharmila Tagore). And may be, just may be, the story of Rehmat will bring a tear in your eyes just like it does to millions of Indians.

Well, back to food.
We did not order any appetizers and went straight for the dinner dishes. No drinks either - was not in the mood for it - had a margarita earlier. Ordering two dishes for three seemed appropriate, considering that in America the food portions for individual platters are huge. So we went for the Khyber Pass Special Platter and Chicken Dal.

Chicken Dal made us curious. I make (my own recipe) chicken dal at home and my husband and friends love it. So, we wanted to check the restaurant version - I never expected it to be a dish at a restaurant. Well, I was very pleased to find out it tasted almost the same as my version! Mine, of course, is a bit more spicier. The food came on a lovely white rectangular platter - the reddish chicken dal curry on one side (longitudinally) and warm white Basmati rice (with loads of butter and some cumin) on the other side. We ate it all - not a grain of rice or curry was left when we were done. I hope the chef was happy when he saw the plate return - at least I would, if I was the chef. I would certainly like my customers to finish up the dish served to them.

Khyber Pass Special Platter is the dish I would recommend you all order when you go to this restaurant. It will give you a good feel of the cuisine. Lamb, chicken, and beef skewers are served with three different kinds of rice and and two vegetable curries. I think the vegetable curries served to us were - Chalow sabzi (spinach with onions and garlic) and Chalow mattar (sauteed green peas with onion and tomato). There was plain white basmati - just like rice with the chicken dal dish - and green rice, and brown curry rice. I think the green rice had a mixture of mint and cilantro - it sure smelled and tasted very nice. And yes, there was a nice flavorful mango sauce on the side of the plate - it went well with the chicken kebabs.

I also noted that on their menu they specifically mentioned 'imported' Basmati rice. That was nice. After all, Basmati is best harvested on the plains fed by the clear fresh water from the Hindukush and the Himalayas.

Scope of improvement for this restaurant would be to make the menu more authentic - do away with the Indian dishes and bring in more true Afghani ones - more fruit and nut dishes. As for the decor, it was quite good. The blue glasses for water was unique, I liked it. Over the bar they had the wine bottles boxed on the wall as if they were pictures. Looked good, but I am not sure how good it was for the wine to be so close to the kitchen. I would also suggest to open up the kitchen for full view to the diners. Right now the kitchen is hidden behind a white partition, they could easily replace it with a glass wall and the diners could enjoy seeing how the wonderful food is being created.

We will definitely go there again. There are several other dishes I would like to try - especially the cherry and apricot dishes and more kebabs.
I do cherish the dream on someday visiting that lovely country - when the war is over and peace prevails. When will that be?

Address: 523 University Ave., San Diego, CA 92103
Website: www.khyberpasssandiego.com
Ph: 619 294 7579
Timing: L / D, 11:30AM - 10PM Mon - Sun
Liquor served - yes

Surati Farsan Mart

Rating: 6.5/10
Date visited: July 4, 2009
Party of four
Lunch

We escaped the mad rush of July Fourth into the City by taking a drive and hike to the Laguna Mountains. It's very beautiful - I highly recommend it.

After hiking in the hot sun for couple hours, all four of us were ready for some soul food. I have been craving dosa for a while (ever since Ben took us to the restaurant in Perth and we had to walk out without one!). Everyone wholeheartedly agreed to the proposal! Yeahhhhh!

We headed to our San Diego's "Little India" - a collection of shops and restaurants on Black Mountain Rd. There was quite a few choices, we chose the Surati Farsan Mart. It was quite clean and was smelling good!

We ordered quite a lot:
Bhel Puri, Pani Puri, Ragda Petish, Falooda, Mysore Masala Dosa (for all), Jalebi, and tea.

Bhel Puri - Done right. Tasted just like it would at the Juhu beach stalls.

Ragda Petish - Done very well too. Perfect balance of spices and an appropriate amount of the sweet and sour sauce. I have to admit, I have not had too many Ragda Petish back home in India. But I liked what I ate.

Pani Puri - Our friends liked it, not a favorite for me though. I am not a big fan of Pani Puri done the Western Indian style. For me, nothing can beat the flavors of the Bengali 'phutchka' served at the dusty roadside stalls in Kolkata. My mouth still waters when I think of it. I wish someone here in the US can replicate the dish.

Falooda - Our friend had this and he liked it very much. The rose in the drink made it very soothing and tasty.

Mysore Masala Dosa - We all ordered the Mysore Masala Dosa. They take the regular dosa and put a generous helping of the very hot 'gun powder' mysore masala podi on the inside. It is awesome! There was a time when I used to eat the masala podi out of the bottle - of course, it made my mom very mad.
I also like my dosa not be served as a triangle but as a big crispy roll. I love it when the server brings the huge crispy tube, more than half of it sticking outside the plate. I love to attack it slowly from one side, crumbling it slowly, one piece at a time.
They served the triangular one here, it's OK. It's not easy to do the big tubes with masala inside.
The sambar was sub-par. May be the northerners cannot make the sambar as it should be. It was too concentrated and and not sour enough. I can guarantee you that most Americans would have trouble with it.
The chutney was totally inappropriate. They served a mix of mint chutney and coconut chutney! That's not want is usually served with a dosa. I want my white coconut chutney please, and with the correct consistency.

Jalebi - How could I have resisted the temptation?! They do not serve by the piece, so my husband got me 1/4lbs. They were good! It was cold though - it could do some warming in the microwave - just 15 secs zapping should have been enough. Anyway, I thoroughly devoured the whole lot, loving every bit of it. (OK, I am not that impolite, I shared some with the rest of the group.)

Tea - Our friends got the tea. They said that it was like the tea you would get at the railway stations in India. I am not sure if it's a compliment or not. Sometimes we Indians do crave for those cheap roadside vendor offerings - I suppose its more nostalgia rather than good taste. So be it, what ever pleases us at that moment is good enough.

Overall, it was a fulfilling meal. I had not had Indian food for a while - this meal satisfied that craving. I would go there again - may be when I need to buy some grocery or when some visiting friend has a similar craving. (Ben and Rasha - come over..)

Address: 9494 Black Mountain Road, San Diego, CA 92126
Website: http://www.suratifarsan.com/default.asp
Ph: 858 549 7280
Timing - don't know.
Does not serve liquor.

Pick Up Stix - Torrey Hills

Rating: 2/10
Date visited: mid June
Party of two
Dinner - take away

We had just arrived in San Diego and was living in a hotel. After a 4 day trans-continental travel from Australia to San Diego, via several stops on the East Coast was quite taxing. All we wanted to do that day was get some quick dinner, eat it in the hotel and sleep (if it would deign to visit us - we were so jet lagged too!).

This was our first experience of Pick Up Stix. When I was in Irvine before, I had been to Panda Express several times, used to like it. So we went to this one with a positive expectation. Now, I have to admit, we went very late - very near the closing time. May be the cook was not too excited to see new customers at the end of his shift!

We ordered Orange Peel Chicken and Kung Pao Beef. They were very disappointing. Not spicy as they claim to be - but then that's all right. Even if there is no spice, there should be some discernible flavor! The chicken was battered and very dry inside, it did not have any orange flavor or peels. It tasted like it was cooked in duck sauce. The beef was no better. It was 'liquidy' (is that a word?) and smelled of soy sauce. The chef must have added two or more servings of sugar in both the dishes. Chinese food is never so sweet, even deserts!
Well, what can we do, it was late at night, we were hungry, food was bad, we were jet lagged - not a good combination at all. We ate a bit and then left it in the hotel's fridge.

I will not go there again, even if it's so conveniently located near our place. I think we can find better fast food choices than Pick Up Stix. Before I sign off, I will however say that the staff was friendly and the decor was good. Too bad the food did not meet the standards.

Address: 4645 Carmel Mountain Rd, San Diego, CA 92130
Website: http://www.pickupstix.com/
Ph: (858) 794-0450

Spices Thai Cafe - Carmel Valley

Rating: 7 / 10
Date visited: July 5, 209
Party of two
Lunch

Thai is a a difficult cuisine to excel at. The flavors are delicate and layering them to a delicious creation is a challenge for the chefs. Back in Thailand, the street vendors probably do it in seconds, but here in America, I have had not had much luck in finding a restaurant that demonstrates effectively the dichotomy of simple ingredients and complex flavors. Spices Thai Cafe of Carmel Valley does it better than most.

We went to the restaurant for lunch - a very very late lunch - at 3:30PM! Yes, we were dealing with chores all day that Sunday - farmers market, Costco, Target, Trader Joes, etc., then driving around our area checking out the malls and what stores are out there, car wash, followed by a visit to the library (truly satisfying!). Anyway, this was why we were so late, and as you can imagine - very very hungry.

This time we had read the reviews for the restaurant, Penang chicken was highly recommended. My husband ordered the large Tom Yum Kai and I ordered the Penang Chicken with brown rice (got to eat a bit healthy, though I am not sure how healthier brown rice is versus white rice). We told the waiter that we can handle 'Thai hot". He suggested that he will make the dishes 8/10 hot. Good!

The soup came in the steel Tom Yum hot pot. (Good sign!) They changed our place settings to soup bowls. The individual soup bowls were however quite small, we could do with a bit bigger bowls. The soup was, what can I say, OK. The ingredients were right there, lemon grass swimming in the soup, kaffir lime leaves and galangal emanating the sweet aroma of a well made tom yum, the fresh mushrooms swimming in the broth - good. Two things that did not cut it for us. One, the chicken was overcooked and flaky and without flavor. The flavor of the soup did not go inside the chicken. Two, in order to make it 8/10 spicy, the chef added a big dollop of red chili paste, I think. Now, that is not how you make Thai food spicy. Dry red chili is not the predominant 'spicing' agent in Thai cooking! Well, our lips were burning with the heat from the chili, but we liked the soup - cleared out our sinuses all right. Next time I go there, I will order the soup without the 8/10 spice and see if they make it right.

Penang chicken was good. It could do with a little less coconut milk/cream, but it was OK. I think I was being too discerning here. Flavors were balanced well, and the chicken did feel infused with the flavor of the curry and the vegetables crisp. Good job!

Ambiance was great, very nice layout, light music, neat decor, and not too gaudy like some other restaurants. I liked the showcase with Thai patterned china and silver bowls, very pretty. Service was good and prompt. Several people came to ask if we were happy with the meal, but not too often that we get irritated.

We will go there again. May be with some friends next time and for dinner. May be after a good dinner there, I can give it more than 7/10.

Address: 3810 Valley Center Dr., San Diego CA 92130
Website: http://www.spicesthaisandiego.com/
Ph: 858 259 0889
Timing: M - F (L - 11 AM - 3PM, D - 5PM - 10PM), S - S (11AM - 10PM)
Liquor served

Posiedon on the Beach

Rating: 4 / 10
Date visited: July 3, 209
Party of four
Lunch

We went there at about 10AM hoping that it will open early and we can have a brunch - since it was a public holiday. Alas, they only serve Brunch on Sat and Sun. Lesson learned, check the website before you go! Anyway, we were VERY hungry - all of us! When they opened the 'gates' we were one of the first teams in!

We got a seat on the patio. Though it was cloudy and breezy, no sun, we liked the location, right on the ocean. Plenty of people surfing, playing, lazing on the beach. Not too many seagulls trying to snatch your food away! Ha! Ha! (It happened to us once!)

Service was slow. May be because we came so early? They gave place setting for three people and conveniently forgot the fourth person - place setting for the fourth of our lot was provided way after the food was served, and we had to ask for it. Water was more ice than water - but then, most Americans like it that way.

Lets come to food now. Bottom line - it was way below our expectations.
Hungry, as we were, we first ordered the Rainbow Nachos. Yes, it came on a warm plate, but that was all that was good about the dish. The tortilla chips were smothered with cheap cheese and black beans (probably out of a can)! The guacamole was all right. At such highly 'acclaimed' restaurant, we were expecting better quality. Anyway, we were so hungry that we devoured every last bit of the dish, save the ceramic!

And yes, we also ordered coffee. I went for the cappuccino and our friend ordered regular coffee. I am sorry, but to call the cup of white froth on brown liquid cappuccino will be a disgrace to the word. It was terrible to the power ten! The white froth had a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar. I have never had coffee this bad - and believe me, I have tried many coffee places, it is something I love reviewing. I urge you all, please DO NOT order coffee here - please do not waste your money ($5) here.

I ordered Fish Taco with salad instead of fries. It came with cold corn tortilla, with battered fish fingers, topped with the usual cabbage, cheese, salsa, guacamole, sour cream and 'chipotle aoili'. The latter I think was a sauce that your local Subway also served - squeezed from the same pointy bottle! The lime wedge was bitter, may be cut the previous night and let stand. The salad was already mixed with a tangy dressing, not sure what it was. It seemed to be stale - like the salad you get on sale at the local grocery store on the use by date. I am sorry, I was expecting a crisp salad.

My friend ordered the grilled chicken sandwich. She could only eat half of it. It was dry, over cooked, and the dressing was dripping all over. You could expect this from a Quiznos sub, not from a fancy restaurant!

My other friend ordered the Fish and Chips. Again, the fish was over cooked. The chips, however, were quite crisp! We were surprised because we were so disappointed with the rest of the meal.

My husband ordered the chicken Quesadilla. There was too much cheese in it and the sauce on the top made it messy. I think it was the same common Subway chipotle sauce. The mushrooms were fresh and added the flavor to the dish. He did not finish it.

This restaurant gets a 4/10 from me just for the location and decor. If this restaurant was anywhere else - inland - I would not go there again. May be we will go to there one once more - to try their dinner menu. After all their website says that they are one of the best in San Diego.

Address: 1670 Coast Blvd., Del Mar, CA 92014
Website: http://www.poseidonrestaurant.com/
Ph: 858 755 9345
Timing: M- F (L - 11AM - 3:45PM; D - from 5PM); S-S (Brunch - 9AM - 3:45PM, D - from 5PM)
Liquor served

Zip Fusion

Rating 7/10
Date visited: July 7, 2009
Party of four
Dinner

Zip Fusion is our friendly-neighborhood Korean Restaurant. This was the second time we went to the restaurant. The first visit was couple weeks back when we first moved to this area. Both times we went when we were quite hungry and enjoyed the meals. I will describe both experiences here.

On the first visit we had ordered the Zip Fusion Bowl. I went for the pork and my husband tried the beef. Shredded vegetables (sea weed salad, carrots, cucumber, nori, mushrooms) and meat (marinated and boiled?) over rice in a the traditional hot stone bowl, served with a red sauce (supposed to be hot, but not for us!). We loved the meal - very fulfilling and simple. For $13+t, it seemed a bit too pricey, but we were satisfied overall.

This time we took our friends there. We were a party of four. My husband and I decided to get the same dish - Classic Bulkogi Special Bowl ($11+t). One of our friends ordered Vegetable Tempura with Udon ($9+t) and the other ordered the Curry Rice ($13+t).
Our dish was exactly the same as the Zip Fusion bowl, only served this time in a deep dish instead of the hot stone bowl. It was good, as expected. I wonder why they have two dishes with same food and different names - just because they are served in different platters?
The curry rice was a very simple preparation of cubed chicken, with vegetables (broccoli, carrots, green and red peppers, and cauliflower) in a typical curry gravy. There was nothing special about the curry sauce - you can actually buy the curry seasoning at any grocery store and cook this dish at home. It was freshly cooked, and the chicken was quite juicy. The vegetable tempura was well prepared - crisp and flavorful. The noodles in the broth was standard - light and flavorful.
We were hungry and the company was good - we enjoyed the dinner. We did not order any drinks - we had some beers and margaritas at home before we went out for dinner.

Zip Fusion serves Korean - Japanese cuisine. I am not sure what is really 'fusion' about the whole affair - may be the fact that local cuts of meat are being cooked and served with Korean and Japanese spices and techniques. I have actually been to some really good and true 'fusion' restaurants and so I can say that this restaurant does not qualify for the term at all. Well, whatever misnomer the restaurant may be, it is true to "zip" (Korean for 'home') - it sure feels like simple home-made Korean food - just like the lunches I used to share with my Korean friends in grad school.

May be next time I will try their sushi. We will definitely go there again. Especially since they are so close to home. I wish, however, that their prices would not be so high - I fee that they are about $2 overpriced for most meals (can't comment on sushi).

Address: 11130 East Ocean Air Drive, San Diego CA 92130
Website: http://www.zipfusion.com/san_diego/index.htm
Ph: 858 755 3130
Timing Lunch and dinner
Soju, Sake, Beer, and wine available. Special cocktails available too. Corkage $18!!

Taste of China

Rating: 2.5 / 10
Date Visited: July 8, 2009
Who: Just me
When: Lunch

I was visiting the Clairmont DMV to get my drivers license and vehicle registration. Well, as you can imagne, I under estimated the work that is involved in this process and found myself looking for quick a place to eat while waiting for my car's smog test. I was not in a mood for Mexican or fast food - those seemed to be the only choice available around that shopping complex. I was not too keen on doing Chinese, but then gave in.

This place serves both regular Chinese food and sushi - low end fare. I did not fancy sushi at that time, so I ordered a regular lunch special - Szechuan Spicy Chicken. It came with fried rice, spring roll, and hot and sour soup for $7.65 + tips.

The soup was all right - nothing special. It came with the fried noodles and a red sauce - seemed to me a version of 'duck sauce'. It was not spicy at all. I have had better h&s soups in other restaurants.
Spring roll was OK - took one bite only. ( I am trying to watch my weight an this was too greasy)
Fried rice was not really friend rice, but white rice somehow colored with soy sauce and stirred - I could see the white rice. It was mediocre at best - no flavor.
Szechwan chicken, though proclaiming that it would be spicy, was not at all so. Now, yes, I am from India, and I have a high threshold for spices, but this does not even make 1/5 on the spice scale. The waitress gave me a small bowl with some extra red chili oil. But that red oil had no kick at all. Overall, the dish was too salty, with a 'common' Chinese flavor - definitely not szchewan. The chicken was soft - I liked that - the only saving grace.
The waitress and owner was attentive, refilled water several times. They also put a wedge of lemon in the water without me having to ask for it.

I am sorry that I am giving this place a low rating. May be the other dishes or the sushi is good. But I do not want to find out. I think there are many more good restaurants to check out in San Diego.

Address: 5604 Balboa Avenue, San Diego, CA 92111
Ph: (858) 279-1663
Timing: Open 7 days
No liquor