Weekend in Montecito

I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I think it took me most of the day to realize how amazing this place was; this house in Montecito. My ex-boyfriend from college texted me right before Christmas to see if I was in town (Santa Ynez Valley) and wanted to meet him at his brother's rental house. His brother and fiance were visiting from Texas and had rented this beautiful house in Montectio with a heated pool and hot tub. As gorgeous as the house was, the best part of my visit wasn't the house, it was the company and the food.

Let me just tell you that these guys know how to eat and drink. Follow me through the day:

Noon-I arrived in Montecito

1pm-Head out to the harbor and stop by Brophy Brothers for a dozen oysters, oyster shooters, and some beer/wine

2pm-Decided it was too crowded so we went to State Street for some window shopping

3pm-Hungry again, we went to the Neighborhood Bar where they have microbrews and satisfying pub food. Ordered the chicken and goat cheese panini and amber beer; 2 thumbs up.

4pm-Stuffed, we head back to the house to rest but not before stopping off at Trader Joe's where I picked up two bottles of wine. The first was a delicious Lane Tanner Pinot Noir (only recently available at TJ's and one of my favorite winemakers) and the second a very cheap bottle of Liberty 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon (Paso Robles) with an impressive label designed by a very talented guy I know.

4pm-7pm-Enjoyed Christmas cookies my mom and I had made along with the wine purchases. Friends opened up yet another bottle of wine they had and we finished with a fourth bottle of Aqua Pumpkin Pinot Noir. They were so impressed with the AP Pinot when they went out to eat that they called up Kenneth Volk Vineyards and ordered 3 cases. I love the spontaneity of it all.

7:30/8pm-Realizing we better eat now before the restaurants close, we head over to nearby Lucky's on Coast Village Road in Montecito. (Note: my responsible friend B was the DD, no need to worry!)

8-10pm-Ordered a bottle of Aqua Pumpkin Pinot Noir (my new friends' favorite of the weekend) right away (not that we needed anymore wine, but we were celebrating the holidays with old and new friends). Going along with the theme of extravagence, our host, B's brother, ordered a dozen oysters that were definitely the BEST oysters I have ever had (ironically from the east coast). Sex on a plate, my friends. They were so good they made you feel almost high (or maybe that was just the massive amount of wine we had consumed?).

B and I were so impressed with the oysters we decided to order another dozen. Our generous host ordered a salmon (perfectly cooked) and steak (melted like butter in my mouth) to share. I don't remeber what we ordered for dessert but I know it was throughly enjoyed.

12am-Fat and happy, we went home and enjoyed a midnight dip in the hot tub (and I tried out the incredible heated pool). I honestly can not imagine living like that. It was a priceless experience.

We all know that food and luxury are great but these things don't matter without good friends. The highlight of my weekend in Montecito was getting to spend time with my old friend and my two new friends from Texas. Such kind-hearted, generous, and fun-loving people that left quite an impression on me (one that I would have had even if we had dined on PB&J sandwiches). I'm looking forward to their return visit so I can show them around our wine country; it's sure to be a good time.

Tirade about restaurants

Last week my husband and I had a very disappointing food week. First of all, I've stopped baking (at least during the week) in an attempt to lose weight, have been living off whatever is in the freezer, and had a horrible restaurant week.

When my mother-in-law was in town we decided to take her to Balboa Park on the free museum day (Tuesday). Whenever we visit that area of San Diego we like to hit up either the Garden Grill or Extraordinary Desserts. Since we're on a tight budget we thought the Garden Grill would be ideal. When we pulled up our favorite meditteranean place was replaced by a NY Giant Pizza place (that looked like a chain) that was under construction. The husband and I were truly heartbroken. There aren't any reliable and super affordable Lebanese-type restaurants up in our neck of the woods (or beach?).

So we hung our heads low and retreated home for whatever I could scrounge up. Then this past Saturday we were tired after running errands all day and decided to go to Big Jim's Barbeque. I never posted about my first trip there but I loved their sides, sweet tea, and spicy shrimp. I could take or leave the barbeque but the sides were true quality comfort food for Southerners. Even though the atmosphere was like eating on picnic tables in a run-down building, I didn't mind. My husband was thrilled to finally find some good sweet tea. We were excited to see if our first impression would hold true for the second visit.

Since we were craving some down-home food at a great price, we drove down the PCH towards Big Jim's. When we got to Encinitas we looked at each other and wondered how we missed the restaurant. On the drive back we realized that Big Jim's has been replaced with another restaurant.

We ended up going to Leucadia Pizza since we were starved but it wasn't very good that night (a lot of restaurants have an off night every now and then). Actually, it was pretty bad. So we're truly considering staying in for a long time just in case we're cursed.

Does anyone know of any good and authentic Lebanese/Meditteranean restaurants in San Diego?

We're actually looking into moving to Silicon Valley/the bay area this fall and I'm starting to get excited because we've just had a hard time finding restaurants here (with the exception of our favorite..Ba Ren) that taste great and are priced well. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure there are lots of great restaurants in San Deigo but up in Oceanside there aren't as many options as I would like. We mostly choose between pizza, Thai, pizza, sushi, pizza.

If anyone's reading this from North County (or should I say North Northwest County) and has some good restaurant options, please let me know.

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

Heaven Sent Desserts

Last Saturday my husband and I spent the day in San Diego having meals with various friends. The heat was beyond unbearable and none of the restaurants seemed to have air conditioning (or if they did it couldn't cope with the heat). After a hot lunch and dinner I knew I needed to sit down somewhere cool for dessert. We had passed a bakery before dinner called Heaven Sent Desserts that looked like it would fit the bill.

Parking was easy to find on the street and I was pleased to find that their air conditioning was far better than the other restaurants I had been to that day.

After looking over the desserts in the glass case I had a feeling that I wasn't going to be blown away. The prices ranged from $2-$8 for items such as a slice of cake, bread pudding, or a single macaroon.

My favorite desserts are tarts, cookies, brownies/bars, and other homey desserts rather than cakes and puddings. It just so happens that Heaven Sent Desserts had mostly cakes that night. They did have a lemon curd tart that looked good and one of my friends ordered the apple pie/tartlet. I decided just to order a sundried cranberry coconut macaroon ($2). My husband split their New Orlean's Style Bourbon bread pudding which comes with vanilla ice cream with another friend.

Since I'm not a fan of bread pudding I just took my husband's word on how it tasted. He said it wasn't bad but not the best he's had (but then again, my mom makes a killer bread pudding so he has high standards now).

I tried eating my macaroon but it was so dry and tasteless that I couldn't even finish it. A macaroon should be moist and flavorful. It's a very simple dessert to make so I was disappointed that one of their smallest items wasn't really edible.

The Dutch apple pie on the other hand wasn't bad. The crust was crisp and the streusel was acceptable. However, it still didn't "wow" me. To be honest with you, I'm so tired of going to bakeries or dessert restaurants and being disappointed with what I ordered. While it doesn't matter so much for $2 I really hate paying up to $10 for a dessert plate only to leave unsatisfied.

Another local dessert spot is Extraordinary Desserts. However, I mostly go there for the atmosphere (and tea!). I was hoping Heaven Sent Desserts would be an additional San Diego option for dessert but it just isn't worth the drive down to North Park. If you're vegan it might be worth the trip for you. They have several vegan desserts available on their menu.

I try to visit an eatery more than once before writing a review but since it takes between 40 minutes and 2 hours to get to San Diego (yes, it took 2 hours this past weekend) I am usually only able to visit San Diego eateries once.

So, just because I wasn't impressed with their desserts, that doesn't mean you shouldn't go to Heaven Sent Desserts. The owner is a former air force servicemember and I do feel that it's important to support people who volunteer(ed) for the military whenever you can.

If you need a break from the heat or just a quiet place to catch up with a friend I think this place is perfectly suitable. They have coffee, ice cream, and other drinks in case you're not in the mood for dessert. As mentioned in Alice's review, they have adorable coffee cups. (Side note: it's funny because I didn't realize it was the same dessert place that Alice had reviewed until after I left. I think her review was very accurate.)

Heaven Sent Desserts
3001 University Ave.
corner of 30th St.
619/793-4758

Zinc Cafe

My first visit to Solana Beach occured this past Friday when I met Rorie (from Milk and Honey) for lunch. We met up at the Zinc Cafe which is an quaint cafe nestled in between boutiques on S. Cedros Ave.

The Cafe has mostly outdoor seating underneath shady trees and vines. We sat indoors right next to a wide open window. Fortunately the cafe is close enough to the beach to be cool enough to bear this usually unbearable San Diego heat.

I ordered their homemade lemonade (with a mint sprig and slice of ginger in it) which really helps refresh you on these hot days. They also have a container of cold water on the counter which I find extremely convenient since I can't get enough water lately and there are no waiters so you don't have to ask for water; it's right on the counter.

Rorie ordered a toasted brie sandwich that looked delicious and I couldn't help but order my favorite type of sandwich: buffalo mozzerella caprese sandwich. Normally I like mine heated but with the outside temperature I opted for the sandwich as-is which turned out perfectly light and satisfying.

We ordered a brownie and lemon cheesecake to share and if it weren't for the heat I would have gobbled them up. I love a good moist brownie. Their brownie was moist without being too heavy and rich. The cheesecake was light and lemony but not quite as satisfying (unless cheesecake is your favorite dessert). I brought home the leftover cheesecake to my husband who was happy to indulge.

One of my pet peeves about California restaurants is the pricing. Most California cafes are way overpriced and leave a lot to be desired. I thought the Zinc Cafe was much closer to a reasonable price (there are no sides and the plates aren't overflowing but everything seems to be appropriate for their prices) and the atmosphere is very relaxing. I felt like I was sitting in Rorie's garden rather than a crowded cafe (which it appears to be since it's one of the few restaurants on the block).

I'm very sad to say that I won't be able to meet Rorie there again since she's moving far away to New England but I'm hoping she'll keep posting and of course keep in touch. It's always a shame to make friends right before someone has to move (that keeps happening to me!). That's the life of a travelling gourmand, I suppose. Haha....I'm only joking. I've just moved around a lot. You know what? I probably will continue to do so. There's just so much good food in the world. Someone's got to try it all!

Zinc Cafe, 132 S. Cedros, Solana Beach, CA 92065....858/793-5436

Tip Top Meats

After a trip to the Carlsbad Farmer's Market I decided to go to Tip Top Meats only a few exits away off the 5. I had heard they serve meals and my husband was starved so we decided to eat at their restaurant before shopping for meat.

I knew the minute we entered the store that I had found what I had been looking for. Every city I live in I look for the local German deli. This is it. They have a huge selection of beer, wine, German and Eastern European goods, condiments galore, and every meat you can think of including all of my favorite sausages (wursts, etc.). In the back of the store you can find their restaurant.

Their restaurant has a big menu with breakfasts, lunch, and I believe dinner. Their prices are great. An all-you-can-eat meat breakfast includes potatoes, eggs, and your choice of meats for less than $6. They have great blue-plate specials and wide range of entrees and sandwiches. I ordered the German Weiner which comes with your choice of bread, a pickle, and a side for less than $4.

I substituted German potato salad for fries. Their German potato salad was definitely authentic (with bacon and scallions) but it was served hot and I prefer it cold or room temperature. The German Weiner plate comes with 2 weiners (and if you know German "hot dogs" you know that they are very very long). I cut one in half to fit the roll and saved the other one for home. My sandwich was great but I was disappointed that they only had nasty mustard available even though they sell a TON of German (and other kinds of) mustard. A true German sausage needs good mustard.

My husband believes that a good sausage needs sauerkraut and while I should agree with him due to my German heritage, I don't care for sauerkraut. He ordered a side of kraut to go with his sandwich.

He said it tasted fresh and it definitely made his sandwich taste better. His corned beef sandwich was very big and only around 6 bucks. The meat was exceptionally tasty.

After lunch we wandered through the store some more and gawked at their huge selection of mustards, olives, desserts, candies, and more. I was in heaven. I feel "in my element" a lot more now that I found a German deli. Now I have a place where I can get my wursts. Our purchases today included landjager, Nuerenberger bratwurst, German weiners, and Braunschweiger (for my husband). I'll definitely post more about these when we cook them. For now I'm freezing them for future dinners.

I got a kick out of some of their products and their candies. They actually had several flavors of Mentos which I've NEVER seen before. I'll be honest, their prices are marked up quite a bit. For instance, their Nutella was over $4 even though you can get it at Trader Joe's for closer to $2. Most of their products are like this. However, I thought their meats were well priced as well as their bakery goods (bread, strudel, etc.).

So expect a lot more German foods (or at least meat) in my posts over the next year. I will definitely take advantage of having Tip Top Meats nearby while I'm in San Diego.

Tip Top Meats: 6118 Paseo Del Norte, Carlsbad, 92011 - (760) 438-2620

(Down the street from the Carlsbad Outlet Mall)

Joey's Smokin' BBQ

A while back I read about Joey's Smokin' BBQ on Scott's site and was very intrigued. It wasn't until this past Fourth of July that my husband and I ventured down to Carlsbad to see how smokin' Joey's barbeque really is.

First, let me preface this review with my background. I was raised in VA, right outside of Washington D.C. After moving to NYC for a short period of time in college I finished college in Richmond, VA (which I can safely say is definitely the south and has some good BBQ). I've also traveled around the south a bit throughout my growing years. So I think it's safe to say that I've had enough barbeque to be a good judge.

There are MANY types of BBQ and I'm a fan of all types (even though I like the ones that use vinegar in their sauces the best).

So I went to Joey's with an open mind since we are in Southern CA and not Southern VA.

When we arrived at the restaurant (which is almost like a fast food joint) we thought it looked promising. The menu was large (a bit pricey but do-able) and they had our favorite: sweet tea. It's been very frustrating for my husband (who lived in the South for about 20 years of his life) to order ice tea and never have it sweetened to his liking. Once the tea is cold there is NO way to make the tea super sweet (the sugar won't dissolve).

So we ordered 2 sweet teas, a half slab of ribs with the "wet" rub (they have sweet, wet, and dry) and an ear of corn on the cob for me, and a pulled pork sandwich (which comes with beans and cole slaw) for my hubby.

We sat down in a booth and waited for our meal to be delivered. The booth implied that we were going to have a good meal. There was a big roll of paper towels ready for when we got super messy from the BBQ sauce.



Despite the fact that it was the Fourth of July and many restaurants were closed, the restaurant wasn't that busy. At least, it wasn't busy enough for them to have taken as long as they did to get our food delivered to our table.

Once our food arrived we realized this was definitely a no-frills meal. Which is usually ideal with BBQ but I thought $12 for a half slab or baby-back ribs (and no sides) was a bit pricey. They were plenty moist and fairly tender but honestly, I've had better. Much better. I would say that I wasn't mad that I paid that much but I would never order ribs there again. They just weren't worth it to me.


The corn on the cob was very good but I hate it when they leave the corn silks (or hairs) on the cob. It was sweet, hot, and sprinkled with what I believe was paprika. The corn was worth the $2 and it was the highlight of my meal.

It's kind of sad that corn is the highlight of a meal at a restaurant.

My husband's pulled pork sandwich was devoured but mainly because he was starved. He said it was "fine" but he was disgusted by the sides. The "creamy cole slaw " had practically no dressing on it! Who wants to eat shredded cabbage by itself? When I asked him how the beans were he said, "the first word that comes to mind is 'coffee'." That might not be a bad thing but he said they were pretty much inedible.

I could have been more generous with my review of their food but it was the end of the meal that really made me mad at Joey.

We were still slightly hungry after our meal and decided to order a slice of Bourbon Pecan Pie ($2.99 plus tax). Not only did it take FOREVER to get this slice of pie but it was FREEZING cold when it arrived. It had obviously been taken out of the freezer. Call me a fool but I was NOT expecting a frozen slice of pie. I just assumed that any decent BBQ place (or any BBQ place that thought they were decent) would serve home-made pie. We were very ticked off. Since the pie was way too cold to eat we took it home. It was just as disgusting heated up, though. I'm guessing any frozen pie from the grocery store would taste better than this pie.

Oh, the horror.


Needless to say, we will not be going back to Joey's Smokin' BBQ and we are very much hoping to find a better BBQ place in the area. We'll probably try Big Jim's in Encinitas shortly. Hopefully Jim knows better than Joey about how to make good barbeque.

Joey's Smokin' BBQ
6995 El Camino Real
Carlsbad, CA 92009
760/929-1397
Don't get the pie.

Ba Ren

Before I begin my tale about the best Chinese food I've had in a restaurant, I must begin by thanking my dear blogger friend Kirk from mmm-yoso. Thank you, Kirk, for mentioning this restaurant so many times on your blog that I just had to try it for myself.

For a very non-Asian woman, I eat a LOT of Asian food. I try to cook most of it myself and frequent 99 Ranch Market and other Asian markets. My life long dream has been to go to culinary school in China. While I love Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese and Chinese food equally (I'm not as familiar with other ethnic foods from Asia) I have a special place in my heart for Chinese food. Perhaps it's because I'm in love with my wok that I bought from the Wok Shop in San Francisco. Or maybe it's my intense love for dim sum. Whatever the reason, I am obsessed with cooking (and eating, when I can) authentic Chinese food.

Despite this passion, I hadn't eaten authentic Chinese food besides dim sum until last weekend.

Whenever my husband and I venture down to San Diego (usually to go to Ikea, the Container Store, or 99 Ranch Market) we always plan to eat dinner down there. Unfortunately we often times eat the same thing on these outings(we love the Garden Grill on India St.) since we don't always know what restaurants are worth trying.

This time I had a plan. Armed with directions and notes from Kirk's website, my husband and I drove to Kearny Mesa to try the infamous Ba Ren. I say infamous because Kirk has posted on this restuarant so many times that it was clearly a winner. I trust Kirk's reviews as it's clear he's an expert on Asian cuisine (plus I agreed with his dim sum reviews so that was a sign that I could trust him).

When we pulled up the restaurant it was only a little past 5pm and the area looked fairly deserted. Plus the outside of the building is a bit suspect. The grey cement building isn't exactly welcoming.

My husband turned to me and said "Are you sure about this?"

Of course I was sure. Kirk SAID it's one of his favorite restaurants and he SAID it's authentic. In my household, Kirk is the god of all foods Asian.

So we walked into the dining room behind another couple that had just arrived only to find that the dining room was dark. Apparently the owners weren't expecting guests just yet. There was another family sitting in the dark room so at least we were comforted in knowing there were other people who liked this restaurant and were eating early.

The lights came on as soon as we sat down and the mood lightened.

We took a look at the menu and were immediately overwhelmed. The menu is 4 long pages of everything you could ever imagine (as far as Chinese food goes). There is a cold appetizer section, hot pots, dry fried dishes, meats/seafoods/poultry/veggies, soups, noodles, rice, an American-favorites menu (which I would NEVER order from at a place like this), and much more.

The cold appetizers can be ordered from the front of the restaurant where they keep the dishes ready-made in a cart. Clever idea for folks like me who can never wait until their food arrives to eat. This time we did not order appetizers since there were only two of us and we already had an idea what to order from Kirk's recommendations.

Based on the recommendations and the fact that I love hot dishes but my husband is a bit of a wimp when it comes to heat, we decided to order one spicy dish and one non-spicy dish. Since I LOVE spicy noodles but rarely ever find ones I like in American-style restaurants, we ordered the cold Sichuan noodles (knowing we would take some home as great leftovers). Our other two dishes were Stir-fried dry beef ($12.99) and Crispy Rice Crust with Prawns ($14.99).

The first thing to arrive was our spicy noodles. We were impressed immediately. There were ingredients resting on the top of the noodles that I couldn't even begin to guess. Okay, I'll guess. There might have been dried pork pieces in the noodles, msg? (I hope not but I think I saw some crystals that looked msg-ish), something crunchy that I really have never seen before, and scallions. The noodles were thin and somehow crisp in a way (not mushy in the slightest). While this dish is super hot, it's so flavorful that even a wimp (like my husband) will love it. For only $5.99 it's the perfect dish for leftovers and to order EVERY time. Oh yes, we WILL be back, and we WILL order this again.

Our next dish to arrive was the crispy rice crust with prawns. While I had an idea of what this dish was, I didn't realize that it's basically an entree version of Sizzling rice soup (sometimes found in Chinese restaurants). However, this doesn't really work as an entree. They bring out a huge bowl/plate of prawns, lilybuds, bamboo shoots, bok choy, mushrooms, and crispy rice squares (quite a few, too). Then they pour the broth on top and expect you to eat it with your chopsticks. Um, the broth is really important in this dish and all it did in this case was make the massive amounts of crispy rice mushy and clumpy. Not appetizing. The flavor of the broth was good but I couldn't appreciate the dish without a bowl and spoon (plus this was the first time I've had crispy rice get THAT mushy).

Speaking of utensils, I have to mention that not long after we sat down the waiter brought us forks. He did not, mind you, bring forks to any other patron in the restaurant. Needless to say, I was insulted.

Our waiter was nice and spoke English perfectly but I was disappointed that he didn't know what kind of tea we were drinking. I took the brand name label so that I can look at the store and try to guess but the tea was REALLY good and didn't taste the same as most Chinese restaurant teas (which tend to be Jasmine or Oolong). Watch, the tea will end up being one of the types I just mentioned!

Okay, back to the meal.

Our last dish was the stir-fried dry beef. This was probably the highlight of the meal for me (although my husband and I were still reeling from the noodles which we LOVED). The beef is dry-fried to lock in the beef flavor and make it chewy. Then it's stir-fried with mung bean sprouts (so good!), Chinese celery (it's a mini, more flavorful version of American celery), dried chilies, and red bell pepper. This dish is mildly spicy but you don't really notice due to the immense amount of flavor.

Despite my high tolerance for spice/heat, I did find that my lips and mouth were tingling by the end of the meal and I felt a bit, well, high. It was a good high. I'm guessing it was from the endorphines that my brain released since it thought I was on fire. What a meal, huh? Great taste, good price, and a buzz!

So, ladies and gentlemen, if you have not been to Ba Ren, you may miss out on the best Chinese food you've ever had. Be brave, be adventurous, and be prepared.

I'll be back to Ba Ren very soon. The Sichuan Cold Noodles are calling me.

Ba Ren 4957 Diane Ave., San Diego, CA 92117

Open 11am-9:30pm

(858)279-2520

Longboarder Cafe (Oceanside, CA)

Finally I remembered to bring a camera! This afternoon my husband and I went to the Longboarder Cafe in Oceanside for what is most likely the tenth time. We love this cafe for a late breakfast or lunch. The prices can't be beat, the food is good, and the atmosphere is relaxing (noisy, but relaxing).

If you want to go to Longboarder, don't go hungry. Or at least be prepared for a long wait on the weekends. I've never had to wait more than a half hour but I'm sure there are times when the late is longer. It's a very popular spot on for breakfast and lunch on the weekends (it's only open until 2pm).

The decor is one of the best things about the cafe. Most walls are painted with beach murals and the rest of the walls are covered with surf memorbilia. There are even two stained-glass windows in the front of a beach and woodies (photo upload is being stupid all of a sudden).

Only one block from the beach, the Longboarder cafe is the perfect addition to your day at the beach. It has a great view of the Oceanside Library (the nicest part of Oceanside, in my opinion)and you can usually feel the ocean breeze through the front door.


After another twenty minutes (or more) of waiting once we were seated, we finally got our order. I had the short stack of french toast (less than $5) with a side of hash browns ($1.99). My hubby ordered the California omelet (avocado, mushrooms, tomato, cheese, sour cream, bacon..it's huge!) which comes with potatoes (of your choice) and toast for less than $7.


I personally think their almond french toast is their best menu item but my husband likes their big omelets and sandwiches. It's definitely diner food but it's great for the price. If you don't believe me you can ask Rorie (from Milk and Honey) or Lisa (from Comfort Food/In a Nutshell) since I met them there once for lunch.

So if you've never made it up (or down) to Oceanside and always wondered what's going on in the land of the marines; check out Longboarder for breakfast or lunch.

Longboarder Cafe
228 N Coast Hwy
Oceanside, CA 92054
760.721.6776

Leucadia Pizza

My husband and I are desperately trying to find a 2 bedroom apartment to move into in May or June. Yesterday we took a look at one of the last options we have and weren't impressed. So we decided to get apartment hunting off the mind and take a drive down Coast Highway and enjoy the gorgeous weather.

We decided to take a walk around the town of Encinitas and take a look at some of their vintage clothing stores. HOME had the best vintage clothing for both men and women. They have both used clothing and store-designed duds where they buy used clothing and paint on different logos. My husband ended up buying a blue buttoned-up shirt with a skull painted on the breast pocket that is really cute (I mean, bad-ass).

Since we were in Encinitas we remembered that Leucadia pizza was nearby and started craving their gourmet pizzas. We had been once before around the holidays and were very impressed with their goat cheese pizza with pineapple, peppers, bacon, etc.

Just like our previous visit, we managed to eat almost 2 baskets of their (free) garlic bread. It's totally addictive. So be warned. We were barely able to eat our salad and pizza.

I'm trying to be better about eating salads as often as possible and Leucadia pizza makes it really easy to stick by that resolution. They have many types and sizes of salads including Greek, apple and walnut, and a Green salad. We opted for the green salad with a honey mustard dressing made with grainy mustard. The half-sized salad was only 4 bucks and provided 2 servings each.

I was tempted to get the goat cheese pizza again but we decided to be a little more adventurous and ordered the Shrimp Pesto pizza with thin slices of tomatoes and sundried tomatoes. It almost tasted like a pesto pasta with shrimp. The best part about this restaurant is that they have so many sizes of all their dishes. The "small" pizza easily serves 2. We almost had to take some of it home. So we had a huge dinner with garlic bread, salad, and pizza for around $14 (plus tip, etc.). Not bad. Leucadia pizza definitely gets the gourmetish seal of approval.



Leucadia Pizza
315 S. Coast Hwy 101
Encinitas, CA 92024
(760) 942-2222

Also at:
7748 Carmel Mountain Rd.,La Jolla/UTC, (858) 597-2222
12075 Carmel Mountain Rd., Carmel Mt. Home Depot Center, (858) 675-2222
16085 San Dieguito, Del Rayo Village Center,Fairbanks Ranch, (858) 759-2222

Rudy's

It is nearly impossible to find an affordable meal in Santa Barbara. Unless you have the hookup. Fortunately, I have the hookup. I know some of the locals. They just so happen to be my parents.

Unlike my mother and father, I cannot go for more than a few hours without eating. My mom can go from breakfast at 9am to dinner at 6pm without eating. If I ate breakfast at 9am I would most definitely be hungry by 11am. So this weekend, during my Santa Barbara visit to see the parents, there were a few moments of pleading to find food, any food, fast!

Fortunately, there is a fantastic Mexican hole-in-the-wall joint called Rudy's in both Santa Barbara and in the "city" of Buellton where my parents live (about 40 minutes north of the city in wine country).

Our first visit to Rudy's was on Sunday when I proclaimed that I could not possibly wait another minute without eating or I was going to die from starvation. Since we were taking a stroll by the water (they have a great art fair on Sunday down by the beach) our closest option food would be on State Street.

I wouldn't have ever gone to Rudy's myself because I can be a bit of a wimp when it comes to trying places that don't look pristine and, well, at least a little gourmetish. However, it came recommended by my parents and I was starved so I gave it a go. While there is no menu on the wall, I took one of the tiny two laminated menus by the register and was pleased to find plenty of viable options. Since I'm not a big fan of rice and beans I was more than happy to order an à la carte taco and a side of chips. My parents ordered a sweet pineapple tamale and a chicken tamale with mole sauce. Normally I'm not a big fan of tamales because they taste too "corny" to me but these were very good. The mole sauce wasn't my favorite but the chicken was so tender and the masa was mild and moist. None of use had tried a sweet tamale before and were pleasantly surprised. It was also moist and tasted like a sweet corn cake (with pineapple).

My taco was fantastic and cheap. Only about $2. It was extremely crispy without being greasy, had shredded beef that was quite flavorful, and plenty of shredded lettuce and cheese. They also have a great salsa bar which is great for someone like me who LOVES spicy food.

Since I was so impressed with our first visit to Rudy's I begged my mom to take me to the one in Buellton on Tuesday. It was a lot bigger and much cleaner than the one in the city and even had a few more options on the menu that looked great. I had already had my mind on their taquitos which I had seen on the counter at the city location. We ordered one chicken and one beef taquito plate for about $3 each. This is a great deal because not only does each plate come with 2 filling taquitos but it also has a handful of chips, lots of guacamole, and a small salad.


The taquitos were delicious. I can't get over how not-greasy their chips and tacos are. I'm so bummed that we don't have a Rudy's in San Diego. To be honest with you, I haven't seen any Mexican restaurants in my area that look good (within 10 minutes of my house). I would love to hear about your favorite Mexican restaurants in San Diego, even if they are far from Vista.

It may be time to make some homemade tortillas again. After my second batch I promised myself I'd wait a while because I eat them WAY too fast. Each batch makes about 20-25 and they're gone within 2-3 days. Can you blame me?

Rudy's Mexican Restaurant
811 State St # E
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
(805) 564-8677

Rudy's Mexican Restaurant
234 E Highway 246
Buellton, CA
(805) 686-5268

Ocean Thai Cuisine

A month or two before I moved to North County, San Diego my friend took me to a hole-in-the-wall Thai restaurant in Oceanside. This quaint Thai restaurant, called Ocean Thai Cuisine, is tucked away in a tiny strip mall next to a convienence store and Latino market. I never would have found this gem without my friend's help.

Since that first visit I have been back at least 7 times. My husband and I love the prices (you can easily eat a great meal for under $10 a person) and, so far, we think it's the best Thai restaurant in town. 2 weekends ago I took my mom there and yesterday I took my husband for his birthday dinner. We decided on Ocean Thai because we've both been sick for the last five days and I've always found Thai food to be very comforting when I'm sick or cold (or sad). After both visits we had enough food for another meal. I adore Thai leftovers.

You'll be happy to know that I did remember to take pictures during both recent visits. The first visit I decided to use my new cell phone camera to see if it could do the job but I was highly disappointed with the quality. The second time I used my digital camera but not the flash (since the flash would definitely attract attention) so the pictures came out fairly dark. I also took pictures of some of the leftovers which isn't as attractive as the plated dishes but these are much easier to see.

If you read my blog regularly then you know that I LOVE Tom Yum Koong (tom yum with shrimp). I've tried making it myself and while it was good, it wasn't great (partly because 99 Ranch Market NEVER has any kaffir lime leaves when I go). Ocean Thai makes a GREAT Tom Yum. It's fragrant and just spicy enough (I ask for everything medium spicy so that my husband can eat it too). Their other soups are comforting as well. The Hot and Sour soup looks similar to the Chinese version but tastes sweeter with a thinner broth. Usually I don't like Hot and Sour soup but this one was delicious.


When you go to Ocean Thai Cuisine, order the Sampler Platter (for 2 or 4). Unless you're crazy and don't like spring rolls, you'll love this plate. The platter for 2 consists of 2 shrimp rolls, 4 mini spring rolls, 2 large spring rolls (slightly different than the previous spring rolls) and 2 shrimp purses. Everything is fried but nothing is greasy. Their dishes are always garnished with cute carrot flowers and their sauces are always tasty.

Speaking of sauces, their Chicken Satay has the BEST cucumber chutney (something similar is served with the Angel Wings as well). The sauces for the Cucumber salad, sampler platter, and peanut sauce for the satay are equally complimentary to their dishes.

Their Larb Gai (chicken Larb) is a great appetizer or leftover. It's not too spicy and not too acidic. My mom and I ended up eating the cucumber salad and Larb Gai for lunch the next day.

During both of my recent visits we tried the Angel Wings appetizer. We had never ordered these before because it says the 2 wings are around $8 which seems really pricey to me. That is until they brought the wings to the table. 2 wings is an understatement. These suckers are huge (the photo below doesn't do them justice). I honestly have no idea how they get these wings to expand so much. After they are deboned they are stuffed with glass noodles and shrimp and then fried. The wings were extremely filling and crisp without being greasy.

When I was eating at Ocean Thai with my mom the other week I noticed that they had made a few changes. They had tableclothes, cute folded napkins, and a new fish tank. I have to admit, my husband and I were sad to see our big fish friend go. He was old and snappy (literally, he snapped at you while you were eating) so it was probably his time to go. I can't help but wonder if he ended up as someone's dinner. Instead of the big old fish they have an updated fish tank with smaller fish. They also have Thai sculptures and jewelry on shelves (I believe they are available for purchase) and carved woodwork on the walls.


I've always found their customer service to be prompt and friendly. The other day I asked a woman there where they bought their Kaffir Lime leaves. She was extremely nice and offered to give me some if I just stop by the next time I need some. I'm a little shy when it comes to situations like that so I decided to go to 99 Ranch Market to see if they had any (she said they come in big bags). Unfortunately I couldn't find them anywhere. For some reason they don't sell kaffir lime leaves on the days I visit. The nice woman also offered to give me directions to a nursery that might sell the entire plant. I was disappointed when I went back last night and she wasn't there. I wanted to let her know that I hadn't found the kaffir lime leaves (maybe she would offer me some?).

Now that I've eaten my leftovers from last night I'm planning my next order at Ocean Thai Cuisine.

Ocean Thai Cuisine
3846 Mission Ave #A3
Oceanside, CA 92054
(760) 967-9901

Knockout Pizza

I am finally feeling more comfortable living here in North County, San Diego because I have a NY Pizzeria to satisfy my NY pizza cravings.

Knockout Pizzeria is located in Carlsbad and according to google it has several more locations (Oceanside, San Marcos). My husband and I first tried Knockout after a walk on the beach. They offer a deal where you get 2 slices of pizza (the first time we had tomato basil and pepperoni) with a drink for $5. Not a bad deal but it's more like a snack than a meal. My husband and I laughed pretty hard when we read that one pizza is supposed to feed 3-4 people. We easily go through one pizza ourselves and are always disappointed when there are no leftovers. A pizza is 16" and goes for around $16-18. The crust is really thin so we're able to eat a lot more pizza than we could normally.

We've ordered 2 pizzas since that first visit. Both times we got the tomato basil pizza because it was so satisfying. They make this pizza with garlic and olive oil instead of tomato sauce and have plenty of chopped basil on top of the pizza with thin slices of tomato.

If you've never had NY pizza and live out here; try it! There's nothing like it. I find it addictive. While I love other pizza places like Oggis and Leucadia pizza (my favorite is still my own pizza), I grew up on NY pizza and can't live without it. Thank goodness for Knockout Pizzeria.

(The guy who started Knockout Pizzeria used to work at Bronx Pizza in San Diego on Washington St.).



Knockout Pizzeria
2959 Carlsbad Blvd.
Carlsbad, CA 92008
760/434-4468

Note: They only do free delivery if you live within 4 miles.

San Diego eats

I just got back from a few days in San Diego (downtown) and had a lot of fun visiting my friend. Thank goodness I was hanging out with great people who love to eat too. We ate everything from Mexican to cheesecake.

My first food outing was a quick dinner at Prado (in the lounge) in Balboa park. I wasn't really impressed considering the prices but the food wasn't bad. We were pressed for time so I just got the shrimp tacos. In case you can't tell from my blog, I like to eat well for cheap. So I wasn't thrilled that my two tiny shrimp tacos were $7.50 when I'm sure I could find the same thing for much cheaper and even tastier (right, Kirk?). Don't get me wrong, the food was perfectly fine and is probably a great place to go if you're a tourist checking out Balboa park (which is SO beautiful! I should go more often).

For breakfast on Monday we went to St. Tropez bakery and cafe in Hillcrest. I wanted to get something cheap and they had a few pastries available up front. In my opinion, you can tell if a French restaurant is going to be good by their pastries. If their pastries aren't good then you probably won't like the rest of the food. I always love brioche (especially the round kind with the sugar crystals on top) and almond croissants so I figured I couldn't go wrong. To be honest with you, I was really disappointed. I miss the French bakery near my house when I was growing up. These pastries were extremely dry. I had to wonder if they even baked them that same day. (Which is sad because it was only noon! They should still taste fine). My companions got egg dishes that came with a side of potatoes. The potatoes were pretty good and they seemed to like the eggs so if you like eggs you might enjoy this place. I, on the other hand, will probably not go back. Oh, and my friend had a side salad which I SWEAR had store bought Italian dressing on it. You can call me a snob, but I think that's a big faux-pas in a French cafe/restaurant. Can't they make a vinagrette themselves?

For dinner we decided on P.F. Changs (it's one chain restaurant that I actually love). I know it's not authentic Chinese food but I love to go to P.F. Changs when I'm in Mission Valley. We ordered the chicken lettuce wraps (pretty good, I hadn't had them before), pan fried veggies dumplings (very good but small), spicy green beans (they got rid of the long beans! but these were fine), mu-shu chicken wraps (I didn't try this), and crispy honey chicken (one of my favorite dishes, usually I get the shrimp dish, though).

For dessert we decided to get some Cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory. I had actually never had cheesecake there. My keylime cheesecake slice was nice and light. I also tried the vanilla bean and chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecakes. They were all tasty.

So, now I'm going to get prepared for a dinner I'm having on Monday for four friends (plus my husband and I). Here are some restrictions: no cilantro, one person doesn't like shrimp, one person doesn't eat meat but does eat chicken/seafood, and no apples or pears. I have some dishes in my repetoire that I could make but I would like to make some new dishes too. If you have any ideas let me know! Oh, and my mom is visiting this weekend so I'll be doing most of the cooking the day of the dinner.

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Garden Grill and Extraordinary Desserts

If you walk past the Garden Grill on India Street you might not give it a second glance. The seating area is filled with cheap plastic tables and chairs and the only scenery is that of a soda machine and a wall of mirrors. I've seen cafeteria's that look nicer.

This is about as far as I can go in giving the Garden Grill a bad review. Everything else about the eatery is fantastic. You can easily get a meal for around $6 or "splurge" and get more food than you can eat for a total of $16. They offer salads, pita sandwiches, plates (which can feed two), many appetizers and even desserts. Since my husband and I flock to cheap yet tasty restaurants, we have been here many times. Between the two of us we've tried the kibbeh, labneh, hummus, tabboulleh, gyro sandwich, chicken shawerma, and kabobs (lamb, chicken, and salmon). They have dozens of more plates to choose from.

When we first started eating here the soda machine was broken and their menu was smaller (and maybe a bit cheaper?). Over the last six months they have redone their menu (they have a very easy-to-read picture menu), fixed their soda machine, and added specials. Despite the poorly done eating area, the rest of this hole-in-the-wall restaurant has been updated nicely.

Lately we've been on an extremely tight budget (military screwed us over...long story!) and haven't been able to buy groceries or go out to eat. Our plan for today was to go to the Chinese New Year fair downtown but when we got there we quickly realized it was very lame. There were only three food vendors and most of the other vendors were selling trinkets and non-Chinese items. Since we spent all of ten minutes at the fair we decided to "splurge" and eat at our favorite Mediterranean eatery.



Since we're on such a tight budget our splurging consisted of splitting a meal and getting an appetizer. We decided on the labneh with pita bread (which I used to get weekly at Jons up in L.A.) and the Chicken Schwerma plate. Each plate comes with a greek salad, basmati rice, hummus, pita bread, the main meat and a sauce. I requested the green chile sauce instead of the tahini because it's so flavorful and has a nice kick. We also got a bottle of water and a large coke (refilled twice) and the total was only $16. Not bad for the huge amount of food. We were both stuffed from the one plate and appetizer.

***

Unfortunately Valentine's Day is on a Tuesday and my husband works night shift right now so we won't be able to have dinner together. He's also going on a two week deployment in a few weeks. That's why tonight we decided to make our night extra special or extra-ordinary. You got it. We went to Extraordinary Desserts on 5th Ave in the Hillcrest area.

I was very proud of myself for remembering to take a picture of our food at the Garden Grill and kept reminding myself to take a picture of our cake at Extraordinary Desserts. I forgot. Can you blame me? How can I think of taking pictures when a decadent piece of chocolate cake is placed in front of my face?

I did remember to take a picture after we finished the cake:


Fortunately I got a cookie to take home to show you. It appears to be a chocolate linzer cookie with a little gold leaf and rose petals.



My husband also got a cup of their heavenly Kona coffee. Normally I would have gotten a cup of their Chocolate tears tea (handmade) but it's $5 and that was a bit too rich for our wallet. A small container of the tea is $22. One day when I have $22 to throw away I will definitely get that tea. It is truly divine. The best tea I've ever had.

Extraordinary Desserts also has a great selection of chocolates (Vosges, etc.) and gifts. The atmosphere is relaxing and comfortable whether you are in side in a booth or outside under a heatlamp.

One thing to remember when going to Extraordinary Desserts is to go early. We went at 6:30 and waited for about ten minutes. By the time we were sitting down the line was out the door and down the street. I was very surprised since it was so early. Normally we go around 9 or 10pm and it's very crowded then. They're open until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. Oh, why can't there be an Extraordinary Desserts in North County?!

Garden Grill
3715 India Street
San Diego, CA 92103
(619)293-3660

Extraordinary Desserts
2929 5th Ave.
San Diego, CA 92103
(619)294-2132

For more pictures and another review, check out Kirk's trip to the Garden Grill.

X-rated North Beach (2nd day in San Fran)

I'm cranky if I don't eat right away in the mornings. Unfortunately our hotel in San Francisco (the Adante Hotel) had a nearly nonexistant breakfast. If you can live on toast and o.j. that tastes like orange soda then you'll be fine. I need something more substantial.

We decided to walk down Geary and see what we could find for breakfast. All of the diners we passed seemed unappealing. I think it's because that area of San Fran is really dirty (way dirtier than NY, which I found surprising) and it kind of turned me off. I couldn't make a fair judgement about the diners with all of the trash on the ground.

When we made it to Union Square we found a small cafe that served sandwiches, gelato, and pastries. I had an almond croissant and my husband had a chocolate croissant with espresso. The total ended up being almost $11 which is a bit pricy for those three items.

Since my husband had an appointment at the Academy of Art University at 1pm we knew we had to eat lunch early and decided not to fill up on breakfast. After walking around some more I'm greatly embarassed to tell you where we ate lunch. I promised myself I wouldn't eat here on our trip but I have to tell you it was a good decision given our time and budget. We ate at the Cheesecake Factory. I know, I know a foodie like me should have tried someplace local--but I still didn't have my guide books and I really like having recommendations when I don't immediately see a place that strikes my fancy. Again, the dirtiness of the area was affecting my judgement.

The Cheesecake Factory was exactly what I expected with one excellent addition: the view. This particular CF was on the 8th floor of the Macy's building and it overlooked Union Square. Our lunch was simple. For me: a luau salad (greens, honey wontons, mango, green beans, peppers, chicken, etc.). For him: a side salad, tomato soup, and a half of a chicken salad sandwich.

After our tour of the Academy of Art and the industrial design building (he wants to go back to school for transportation design) we were pretty exhausted. We took a quick nap and were starved when dinner rolled around. All of that walking really builds up an appetite! We settled on Tomasso's in North Beach because it got great recommedations from every guide book (I have two books that tell you about "hidden" places to go) and I was in the mood for a good pizza.

On our walk to North Beach we saw familiar sites of Nob Hill and Chinatown. When we crossed over into the North Beach area I was shocked. The guidebook mentioned it had a lot of XXX shops but I couldn't believe how many! Not that I care, I'm very liberal and that kind of thing doesn't bother me. I was just surprised that this was the same area recommended to us by an admissions person for family living! I may not care about the stores but I don't really want to raise a child right there. Maybe it looks totally different during the day. At night the neon lights are flashing everywhere.

We came across Tomasso's and were feeling a bit uneasy. There were no windows and all of the shops around them were either "peek-shows" or, well...you can see for yourself:

Fortunately we stepped into the restaurant and were surprised to see what appeared to be a family dining room. There was a really long table in the middle and booths on the side. There was even a booth by the kitchen that said "Reserved for Tomasso family" (or something to that extent). We were sat at the end of the long middle table with a nice view of the brick oven. The Tomassos cook their pizza in the brick oven with oak wood inside. That's what initially brought us to the restaurant.

We started out with a cesear salad. I had a feeling this would be an authentic cesear salad and luckily I was correct. This was definitely the best cesear salad I've had (at least in a long time). It only consisted of romaine lettuce, freshly shaved parmesean (some of the best parmesean I've had), and a light coating of dressing. Their dressing was traditonal (not visibly creamy) with the slightest hint of anchovy. Normally I hate anchovies but this tiniest bit of flavor made the salad just perfect. Perhaps they were fresh anchovies?

For our main course we split a small (their small is 12") vegetarian pizza with Italian pepperoni. Small round morsels or hard pepperoni. My favorite kind. I was a bit disappointed that they just had regular black olives on the pizza but everything tasted great. You could taste a hint of oak and the crust was perfectly crispy. While it's not the best pizza I've ever had it's definitely one of the top 5.

Since we were planning on going to the San Francisco Brewing Company after dinner I didn't get anything alcoholic to drink but my husband got a bottle of Peroni. We had never had it before and found it went perfectly with Italian food (duh, Kady! It's an Italian beer!). The beer is very light but still flavorful and very bubbly.

Again, I'm sooooo sorry that I didn't take a picture but the WHOLE family was right next to us and I get paranoid that they'll be upset that I'm taking pictures of the food.

After dinner we had saved room for some microbrewed beer at the San Francisco Brewing Company on Columbus. I ordered the Emperor Norton Lager and hubby ordered the Gripman's porter but we ended up switching because we liked each other's beer better. I've found that lately I prefer darker beers while my husband is starting to go lighter. I don't like beers that are thick since it fills you up to much but I do love a dark beer. Since I'm a lightweight (I'm not sure how but I got drunk off of that one beer) I didn't order a second but my husband tried a pint of ShanghaI.P.A. (clever, huh?). He liked it a lot but it's always hard to tell whether it's your tastebuds that like the beer or the fact that you're already tipsy and almost any beer would taste okay.

We were both impressed with the bar. There was an antique wooden bar and really fascinating palm fans in the center of the room that were rotating vertically rather than horizontally. The San Francisco Brewing Company is a cozy bar and offers typical bar grub.