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.
------------------------------------------------------
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.
------------------------------------
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
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
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
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
Sunday, July 19, 2009
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.
--------------------------------------
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.
--------------------------------------------------
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
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.
--------------------------------------
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.
--------------------------------------------------
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
Thursday, July 16, 2009
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.
-------------------------------------------
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.
----------------------------------------------------------
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
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.
-------------------------------------------
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.
----------------------------------------------------------
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
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
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.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)