Update

It looks like gourmetish may be taking a break for a while. This past week I went into premature labor and have been put on bedrest for the rest of the pregnancy. That also means I'll probably have this baby earlier than planned.

I'm heading to my parents house so that they can take care of me since my husband is unable to get off of work for the next 2 months. Due to the bed rest I will most likely be unable to cook or try new restaurants.

The past few months I've been behind on posting so I actually have a few posts and pictures to share and I will surely have more time to post over the next few weeks. Otherwise I will be taking it easy until December or January.

I look forward to reading everyone else's blogs and coming up with a list of recipes and restaurants to try in the future.

Oceanside Harbor Days

I had no idea that Oceanside had such a cute harbor. It's hidden from view of the highway and is the perfect place for a picnic by the water. Today was my first day walking around the harbor so I'm not sure what it's normally like but it was fairly crowded for Oceanside's annual Harbor Days.

It was absolutely gorgeous today with a beautiful breeze. Parking is a bit difficult depending on what time you arrive but they seem to have shuttle buses that leave from a parking lot by the harbor (near the car show). We managed to catch a spot on the side of the harbor not too far from the fair.

This is a smaller fair than Oceanside's Fourth of July celebration, there were many vendors and a row of food vendors in addition to the already existing restaurants, shops, and cafes by the harbor. I can't resist a good sausage so we bought a spicy sausage (I believe there was only one sausage vendor there) since they are huge and great for splitting.

There is also a vendor that sells good freshly squeezed raspberry lemonade for $3. A much better deal than the $5 lemonade-type drinks being sold by other vendors. Like always, I had to get a funnel cake with powdered sugar. It's one of those things I usually only eat once every 3-5 years so it's unusual that I've had 2 this year so far.

In case you were wondering about entertainment, there is a stage for performers not far from the row of restaurants and shops. This afternoon we saw a Japanese Taiko Drum Performance. To check out the Harbor Days schedule click here.

If you're in the area I recommend stopping by. There's a lot to see and it's very relaxing to walk around the harbor. Hopefully tomorrow is as beautiful as it was today.

Dry-Fried Beef

I've been dying to make dry-fried beef for a long time. It's one of my favorite Szechuan dishes. While I knew it wouldn't be as good as Ba Ren's I thought I'd give it a chance. I think I over-fried the beef by 30 seconds and I didn't have the hot bean sauce on hand but otherwise I thought this was pretty good for my first try and I think this recipe seems pretty accurate. The Szechuan peppercorns really do make a difference. My version wasn't very hot but I'm assuming that the hot bean sauce is what gives it the extra kick.

Dry-Fried Beef

From Chinese Cooking by JG Press

¾ lb. boneless lean beef
1 T. hot bean sauce (I used roasted red chili paste)
1 T. dry sherry (I used Shoa Xing Rice Wine)
½ t. sugar
1 or 2 small, dry, hot chile peppers, crumbled and seeded (if desired)
½ c. canola oil
1 large stalk celery, cut into matchstick size pieces
1 medium-size carrot, cut into matchstick size pieces
2 t. minced garlic
1 t. minced fresh ginger
2 whole green onions, cut into 1 ½-inch lengths
1 t. sesame oil
½ t. Szechuan peppercorns, roasted and crushed

Cut meat into 1/8-inch thick slices, then cut into shreds 1/8-inch wide and 2 inches long. In a bowl, combine the hot bean sauce, sherry, sugar, and chile peppers. Set aside.

Pour oil in a wok and heat over medium-high heat to 360 degrees. Add ½ of the meat and stir to separate shreds. Cook until meat is dark brown, slightly shriveled, and chewy (about 2 ½ to 3 minutes). Remove with slotted spoon and drain on a paper bag or towels. Reheat oil to 360 and repeat with remainder of meat.

Pour off all buy 3 T. oil. Increase heat to high. When oil is hot, add celery and carrot and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Return meat to pan, add hot bean sauce mixture, and cook, stirring, until most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir in the sesame oil and crushed peppercorns before serving.

Greek Festival 2006

It was a beautiful day this past Saturday. The weather was perfect for an outdoor Greek festival.

Every year a Greek Festival is held in Cardiff-by-the-Sea at the Sts Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church. This year it was on Saturday September 9th and Sunday September 10th.

I'm sorry I didn't post this on Saturday night. I hope some of you were able to make it to one of the many festivals in San Diego this past weekend. See my previous event post (below) for more events this month.

When my husband and I first arrived at the festival (which, by the way, costs a mere $2 for entry) we came across what looked like a little Greek town. The church has a few buildings that look like they were transported here straight from the a coastal town in Greece. These buildings lie beneath a gigantic cliff which makes you feel as if you're directly at the beach. They set up tents in between these buildings and the golden-domed church.

The smells of lamb roasting on a spit, meat being roasted for gyros, and skewers barbequed for visitors were very welcoming. There was constantly music being played under the largest tent and Greek dancing performed by the younger adult church go-ers.


I wish I could have tried all of the food at the fair. They were only serving the skewers with the combination plate in their tented "restaurant" ($12 for a sampler plate including: bread, salad, skewer, spanikopita, dolmas and greek lasagna). We had just spent money on pastries so we skipped the sampler plate and had a tasty (and large) gyro for $6.

The pastries available at the festival were quite impressive. They devoted an entire building to pastries. You could either buy one of their sample boxes (baklava or Greek sampler) or you could build your own box. Since I prefer the pastries over the cakes and sugar cookies, I grabbed a box and filled it with baklava, saragli (rolled honey-nut pastry), katarfi (shredded honey-nut pastry), and galatoboureko (custard pastry).

We also had to get a serving of rizogalo (Greek rice pudding) since it's my husband's favorite. Normally I don't like pudding (of any kind) but this had a terrific flavor or vanilla, cinnamon, and something else that made this pudding delicious. The rice must have been extremely short because it felt more like tapioca than rice.

The Greek coffee (also a "must" for my hubby) was thick like Turkish coffee and complimented the pastries perfectly. The bitterness (with a touch of cinnamon) cut the excess sweetness of the honey.

We saved the pastries for home but ate the rice pudding, coffee, and one piece of baklava while we were there. All of the pastries were delicious (and tasted great the next day) and were better than most I've had in Greek restaurants and bakeries. I'm dying to know who made them (a bakery or the church go-ers?).

The best addition to the "pastry room" was Smilin' Jack on the accordian (that's what the sign said). He really did have a great smile. Unfortunately all I had on me was my cell phone's camera but he was quite entertaining.

Other food at the Greek festival included the Greek deli (where you could get a plate with feta, hummus, pita, and olives), booths with side dishes like tiropito (cheese phyllo pie) and dolmas, and Loukoumathes or Greek honey donuts (which looked very good but we had already spent a lot on the pastries). For the kiddies they had a carnival-type set up with games they could play to win prizes. There were also a few non-food vendors but nothing that I found to be particularly impressive. But who cares?! I went for the food and I left very satisfied.

September events

Sept. 9: Fiesta Carlsbad
Sat. 9 & 10: Greek Festival in Cardiff
Sat. 9 & 10: Korean Festival
Sept. 10: Stone Brewing's 10th Anniversary Fest (tickets sold out)
Sept. 12: Pacific Beach Restaurant Walk
Sept. 13: Taste of Downtown
Sept. 16: Old Town Art Festival
Sept. 16 & 17: Oceanside Harbor Days
Sept. 17: House of Pacific Relations-Austria; music, dance, food
Sept. 22: San Diego Festival of Beer
Sept. 23: Menghini Arts and Music Festival; bbq, music, arts/crafts
Sept. 23: Taste of Carlsbad
Sept. 23: Adams Ave. Street Fair; over 300 vendors
Sept 24: Oktoberfest in Encinitas
Sept. 24: House of Pacific Relations-Germany; music, dance, food

For more September events in nearby areas check out my first food festival and second food festival posts.

Let me know if I'm missing any events for this month! September is one busy event month in San Diego!

Mint Meringues

These are a childhood favorite of mine.

Mint Meringues


2 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
4 to 6 drops green or red food coloring, optional
1 package mini chocolate chips


1.In mixer, beat egg whites until foamy. With mixer on high speed, gradually add sugar, about a tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition, until whites hold stiff, glossy peaks. Add peppermint extract and food color; eat for 1 more minute. Fold in chocolate chips.

2. Drop meringue mixture by rounded teaspoonfuls onto well-greased baking sheets (or silpats or parchment paper), spacing cookies about 1 inch apart. Bake in a 200 degree oven for 1 hour or until outside is dry and set; cookies should not turn brown. Let cool on baking sheets for about 5 minutes, then transfer to racks and let cool completely. Store airtight.

Comments: For a lighter green color only use about 4 drops of the food coloring. Otherwise they look very artificial and store bought. If you want to make these look prettier then you can pipe them onto the silpat/cookie sheet. I eat these up so quickly that I could care less how they look.

Also, this time I made them a bit soft since my mom needed to use the oven after me. So I only cooked them for about 40 minutes, making the insides soft and a bit gooey. I actually prefer them a bit soft in the center rather than completely dried out (as you will often find in the store). For soft centers bake around 45-50 minutes (as my oven runs a bit hot).

Remember, the chocolate chips are optional but be sure to use mini-chocolate chips. I can't make meringues without them! You could also try dried fruit (cranberries, cherries, etc.) for a healthier dessert.

Royal Thai

This past week I've been MIA because my mom was in town visiting. We did plenty of eating so I'll have several new posts to share this week.

On Thursday we went to the convention center because my mom loves quilting and they were having their annual San Diego Quilt Show this weekend. After a few hours of walking around the show we were starved and tired. Since the gaslamp is right across the street we went there for a late lunch.

One of the closest restaurants that was open was Royal Thai on 5th Ave. They were having a lunch special which included soup, salad, rice, spring roll, and entree for about $7-$9 each. Great deal. But did it taste good?

The soup of the day arrived first and wasn't much to look at but had a great flavor. It was mildly spicy with a black pepper flavor and included noodles, scallions, and a few veggies. Despite the warm day, I found this soup to be very comforting.

Next our lunch specials arrived. My mom ordered the Hot Thai Basil chicken which wasn't very spicy (she specified "mild" when she ordered) but had a great flavor and the white meat chicken wasn't dried out like it often is in these specials. I ordered the Drunken Noodles with shrimp and didn't specify how spicy I wanted them so they had quite a kick. Even though the photo (below) isn't the most appetizing picture, I thought the meal was very satisfying and a great deal. It was actually a LOT of food.

Service was very attentive despite the fact that it was towards the end of their lunch shift and I thought the atmosphere was tasteful enough(especially for dinner time when they put out nicer place settings).

If you work or live near the Gaslamp you should definitely check this place out. You can't beat $8 for an all-inclusive lunch.

Royal Thai

467 5th Ave, San Diego, 92101 - (619) 230-8424