Tonight I had no idea what I wanted for dinner. I had tried to make a reservation at a seafood restaurant in La Jolla, but couldn't get anything before 8:45 pm. I was definitely not going to wait that long, so I did a little surfing and came across Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot. I'd heard of hot pot before, and seen it in t.v. food shows, but I'd never actually had it. I'm always up for trying authentic ethnic cuisine so I decided that's where we were going to go.
First off, for a place I'd never heard of before the place was huge and packed. My roommate and I seemed to be the only caucasians there who weren't with Asian friends or relatives, (Always a good sign!) and the smell coming out the door was amazing. It smelled spicy and woodsy and meaty.
There was a short wait. The front entry of the restaurant is very chilly, but I imagine that's because the dining room is full of steam from the pots on the tables. When we were seated, we were given a menu on which one is to mark off the items that they want. First is the broth. You have a choice of their original, spicy original, half & half or vegetarian broth. Then choose your meats. There are too many choices to list here but include various kinds of beef, lamb, chicken, pork, seafood, tofu, meat and fish balls, blood cake and on and on. Next the vegetables, then the noodles and accompaniments. Many of the choices are available in half orders, which was good for us since we were only 2 people. Their online menu only shows a fraction of the items that are available, and features the items that would be most palatable to the average American diner.
I like spicy foods, my roommate, not so much, so we got the half & half broth. We both like beef, and if you've read my blog before you probably know I love lamb, so we got the lamb and beef combo. We had considered getting chicken, but the only option was breast meat which I don't care for. I also ordered a 1/2 order of tripe. I'm not sure if that was more because I wanted it, or just to annoy my roommate. Because the majority of the vegetables were ones I wasn't very familiar with, I decided to play it safe on our first time out. We got Napa cabbage, spinach, corn, enoke mushrooms, seaweed knots, wide fresh noodles and lamb won ton. We also ordered the sesame pancake, which was not a pancake at all but a fairly dense bread that was crisp on the outside and covered with sesame seeds, Mongolian kimchi and street style lamb skewers.
Many cultures have their own version of a hot pot. I have had other culture's versions of hot pot before which usually have a fairly bland broth, I was not expecting the strong aroma of the broth. It smelled spicy and delicious with an overpowering woodsiness. I'm not sure what it was flavored with, but it did take a moment to get used to, it had a very strong umami flavor. Besides green onions and garlic there were various pods in it including goji berries and dragon fruit pods. I wasn't able to identify the others. The lamb skewers also had that same distinctive woodsy flavor. The kimchi was totally unlike other kinds of kimchi I've had before. It was spicy but it was also sweet and crunchier than others. It was probably my favorite item of the whole meal.
The staff were very helpful and patient. At first we had marked many other items on the menu, but the waiter looked at it, suggested it was too much for the two of us and helped us decide what to take off. When we were done, one of the waitresses packed up our leftovers for us as I'm sure we would have made a mess of it. At the end of the meal they brought orange slices to the table. The oranges were a perfect way to end the meal, cleansing and cooling the pallet.
The only problem I had with this restaurant was that the wall we were seated next to probably could have been wiped down a little better after the previous diners had finished.
I'm sure next time we go it will be an even better experience as we will have a better idea of what to order. I am definitely looking forward to it.
For those of you who may have visited my blog before, welcome back. I've made a few changes. I hope you like them.
I plan to bring you useful information on places to go and food to eat in San Diego. I consider myself a tourist in my own town and am looking for new things to do all the time. I hope you'll join me or share your ideas.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Sunday, March 25, 2012
San Diego Home Cooking - Mission Valley Cafe
If you live in San Diego County and watch TV, you've probably seen a commercial for San Diego Home Cooking. I'd never been to any of their 5 restaurants before. A big reason for not having gone before is that until this past Summer, they had no locations in the city of San Diego, just East and North counties. Within the past year they have opened the Mission Valley Cafe, so we went to try it out.
I was a bit weary of the location, since it is so close to Hotel Circle. I have sometimes been disappointed by restaurants in the area, but this is a place that would easily do well without tourist traffic as their other locations have.
When we first walked in, it looked nothing like I had expected. From the front, it looks just like any coffee shop, but as you reach the entrance which is on the side of the building, you see a good sized covered patio seating area. While I usually prefer to sit outside if it's available, today was chilly and the covered area was too cold. The entry looked a bit more like a hotel or apartment building foyer than a comfort food restaurant, with faux aged copper tiles on the floor and a large round mirror flanked with over-sized vases. We sat in the lounge, which has a bar but is primarily arranged for dining. All the tables in the lounge are bar-height which I don't normally find comfortable, but one side of the table had a bench which I got used to rather quickly, once I jumped up into it.
The bar is surprisingly large and well stocked. They offer a number of different versions of Mimosas which I had never seen before. I tried the "Color Me Red" Mimosa with cranberry juice and my roommate had the "Pink Lady" Mimosa with grapefruit juice and grenadine. They were both very good. Although it wasn't on the menu, I thought I overheard someone behind the bar telling some other customers about the drinks and I heard peach. If that's a Mimosa I'm definitely trying it next time.
I had the Portugese sausage (linguica) and eggs. It came with a choice of has browns, home cut fries, fresh fruit or cottage cheese and a choice of bread, biscuit & gravy, English muffin or pancakes. After confirming with the waitress that there would be no cantaloupe in my fresh fruit, I got that and the pancakes. My roommate ordered the meatloaf sandwich which was served open-face, covered in gravy, with mashed potatoes and hot vegetables.
The portions are ample and the food is good. The linguica was cooked perfectly; split in half and grilled. There were grill marks and the skin was crisp. The pancakes were fluffy and sweet and not too big so I didn't waste too much. The fruit was fresh, but mostly grapes with just 2 slices of strawberry. My only gripe was the eggs. I like my eggs cooked medium but most places get it wrong and this was no exception. While they weren't the runniest eggs I've ever had, they were definitely runnier than I like.
I tasted the meatloaf, which I don't normally care too much for and didn't care for it, but my roommate loves meatloaf. Their meatloaf tasted like it had peppers in it, which I really don't like and have never tasted in any other meatloaf. The portion was huge, with 3 thick slices of meatloaf, no skimping on the gravy. The potatoes tasted home made with a hint of sour cream and a bit of parsley, but they were a little loose. When I took a taste some of it fell off my fork in a drop, not a plop.
I am looking forward to going there again, and as my roommate said "maybe we can add this to our Sunday breakfast rotation". The menu has a lot of variety so there should never be a problem finding something good. While not fancy, this place is more than just a coffee shop.
Main complaint? Although I usually enjoy dining on a patio, their patio faces the parking lot. The only people you'll get to watch are those coming to and leaving the restaurant and the area the restaurant is in doesn't provide any enjoyable scenery. Perhaps if they enclosed the patio and added plants it would be better.
I was a bit weary of the location, since it is so close to Hotel Circle. I have sometimes been disappointed by restaurants in the area, but this is a place that would easily do well without tourist traffic as their other locations have.
When we first walked in, it looked nothing like I had expected. From the front, it looks just like any coffee shop, but as you reach the entrance which is on the side of the building, you see a good sized covered patio seating area. While I usually prefer to sit outside if it's available, today was chilly and the covered area was too cold. The entry looked a bit more like a hotel or apartment building foyer than a comfort food restaurant, with faux aged copper tiles on the floor and a large round mirror flanked with over-sized vases. We sat in the lounge, which has a bar but is primarily arranged for dining. All the tables in the lounge are bar-height which I don't normally find comfortable, but one side of the table had a bench which I got used to rather quickly, once I jumped up into it.
The bar is surprisingly large and well stocked. They offer a number of different versions of Mimosas which I had never seen before. I tried the "Color Me Red" Mimosa with cranberry juice and my roommate had the "Pink Lady" Mimosa with grapefruit juice and grenadine. They were both very good. Although it wasn't on the menu, I thought I overheard someone behind the bar telling some other customers about the drinks and I heard peach. If that's a Mimosa I'm definitely trying it next time.
I had the Portugese sausage (linguica) and eggs. It came with a choice of has browns, home cut fries, fresh fruit or cottage cheese and a choice of bread, biscuit & gravy, English muffin or pancakes. After confirming with the waitress that there would be no cantaloupe in my fresh fruit, I got that and the pancakes. My roommate ordered the meatloaf sandwich which was served open-face, covered in gravy, with mashed potatoes and hot vegetables.
The portions are ample and the food is good. The linguica was cooked perfectly; split in half and grilled. There were grill marks and the skin was crisp. The pancakes were fluffy and sweet and not too big so I didn't waste too much. The fruit was fresh, but mostly grapes with just 2 slices of strawberry. My only gripe was the eggs. I like my eggs cooked medium but most places get it wrong and this was no exception. While they weren't the runniest eggs I've ever had, they were definitely runnier than I like.
I tasted the meatloaf, which I don't normally care too much for and didn't care for it, but my roommate loves meatloaf. Their meatloaf tasted like it had peppers in it, which I really don't like and have never tasted in any other meatloaf. The portion was huge, with 3 thick slices of meatloaf, no skimping on the gravy. The potatoes tasted home made with a hint of sour cream and a bit of parsley, but they were a little loose. When I took a taste some of it fell off my fork in a drop, not a plop.
I am looking forward to going there again, and as my roommate said "maybe we can add this to our Sunday breakfast rotation". The menu has a lot of variety so there should never be a problem finding something good. While not fancy, this place is more than just a coffee shop.
Main complaint? Although I usually enjoy dining on a patio, their patio faces the parking lot. The only people you'll get to watch are those coming to and leaving the restaurant and the area the restaurant is in doesn't provide any enjoyable scenery. Perhaps if they enclosed the patio and added plants it would be better.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Brians' American Eatery
So today was cold and with a wind chill factor of "are you freakin kidding me?" you might not think I'd want to go to Brians' American Eatery for brunch. There's always a line and it gets pretty crowded with people trying to wait inside, but, it's worth it! They have parking, but you may have to park somewhere else and walk when it's really busy.
First of all, no, I'm not spelling it wrong. It's Brians', not Brian's, because it's 2 guys named Brian. Brians' is in Hillcrest, on Washington between Lincoln and Cleveland. This location used to be an old coffee shop that never changed. When it became Brians', everything changed. It's still got a vintage coffee shop feel but now it's on purpose. There's also a heated patio on the side for when it's not raining or windier than heck.
Brians' is all about good food and lots of it. I'm not kidding. If you consider yourself a big eater you might be surprised and you'll definitely be satisfied. You're never going to go there and get "a little bite" of something. I've never finished my whole meal. They offer breakfast, daily specials and a big variety of entrees and sandwiches and everything is good. When you order a cup of coffee, they leave a full pot on the table. Same thing with hot tea and they bring a honey bear with it.
Not only is the food really good and really big, the staff is great. If you leave Brians' unhappy, it's probably your own fault. Everyone is friendly and attentive and eager to make sure you get everything exactly the way you want it.
For breakfast I like their Country Benedict; a biscuit topped with sausage, scrambled eggs, country gravy and green onions. I love that I can get grits instead of potatoes. I also like that they put fresh fruit on many of their plates. Other favorites include Fried Chicken and Waffle, Hey Ricky!, Nachos El Brian or any of the burgers.
Brians' is absolutely my first choice for Sunday brunch.
Make sure to get one of their frequent diner cards!
First of all, no, I'm not spelling it wrong. It's Brians', not Brian's, because it's 2 guys named Brian. Brians' is in Hillcrest, on Washington between Lincoln and Cleveland. This location used to be an old coffee shop that never changed. When it became Brians', everything changed. It's still got a vintage coffee shop feel but now it's on purpose. There's also a heated patio on the side for when it's not raining or windier than heck.
Brians' is all about good food and lots of it. I'm not kidding. If you consider yourself a big eater you might be surprised and you'll definitely be satisfied. You're never going to go there and get "a little bite" of something. I've never finished my whole meal. They offer breakfast, daily specials and a big variety of entrees and sandwiches and everything is good. When you order a cup of coffee, they leave a full pot on the table. Same thing with hot tea and they bring a honey bear with it.
Not only is the food really good and really big, the staff is great. If you leave Brians' unhappy, it's probably your own fault. Everyone is friendly and attentive and eager to make sure you get everything exactly the way you want it.
For breakfast I like their Country Benedict; a biscuit topped with sausage, scrambled eggs, country gravy and green onions. I love that I can get grits instead of potatoes. I also like that they put fresh fruit on many of their plates. Other favorites include Fried Chicken and Waffle, Hey Ricky!, Nachos El Brian or any of the burgers.
Brians' is absolutely my first choice for Sunday brunch.
Make sure to get one of their frequent diner cards!
I just got this cool deal for Bus Stop Gelato on Living Social...check it out. I can't wait to use it.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
What to do on a cool day
Today the temperature is going to be cooler than the last few days. We're going to Balboa Park to walk and the Ruben H Fleet Science Center to see their new film and exhibit on Black Holes. The park is always a good choice for walking and on a cooler day the Science Center offers interesting and educational experiences indoors.
Searching the net there is no consensus on what park is the largest in the United States. The park tram drivers in Balboa Park will tell you it is the largest. With an area of approximately 4.856228 Square kilometers (according to a Google search), it is definitely larger than Central Park in New York City which is listed at 3.41 Square kilometers.
Searching the net there is no consensus on what park is the largest in the United States. The park tram drivers in Balboa Park will tell you it is the largest. With an area of approximately 4.856228 Square kilometers (according to a Google search), it is definitely larger than Central Park in New York City which is listed at 3.41 Square kilometers.
Review: Florencia's Ristorante - North Park
This afternoon we found ourselves walking around North Park, hungry and with no idea of where to go. We eventually got to University Avenue near 30th Street where there are at least half a dozen restaurants and as many food choices on a single block. With all those choices we settled on the Italian restaurant, Florencia's Ristorante.
Florencia's has a typical Italian look. The dining room is large and on the dark side, but there is also a small patio with about 6 or so tables. It was a beautiful day so we chose to sit outside. We also chose to sit outside because the inside of the restaurant was pretty warm. You could feel the heat from the kitchen making it's way through the dining room towards the open doors. The walls surrounding the patio were painted to look like a Venice canal. It was cute even if one of the gondolas looked like it had a kidnapped boy in it screaming to be saved. My roommate was also amused by the fake fire logs which were lit and sitting in an alcove inside the dining room, without a fireplace. The restaurant is on the South side of the street, so it was cool and shady.
The first thing I noticed once we sat down was that although it was 1:00 in the afternoon on a Saturday, there was only one other person there. The table where we had initially sat down was next to the wall but it was wobbly, so we moved to another one next to the patio fence. We had our menus in front of us but there was a sandwich board on the sidewalk with specials listed on it. When the waitress, who was really beautiful by the way, came to take our order we had expressed interest in knowing what specials were available. Instead of telling us anything about what specials were available, she simply said "we have a lot of specials", so I got up and walked out of the patio to read the specials. Not an impressive beginning.
My roommate ordered "Fettucine Spicy Antonio", basically a spicy version of Alfredo sauce with tomatoes. Looking at their online menu, this dish is listed as being served with Penne instead of Fettucine, and I don't know if it was listed the same way on their printed menu or if he requested the Fettucine instead. The meal came with a choice of Minestrone or a dinner salad. He chose the salad with Bleu cheese dressing and ordered a Coke drink. I didn't find this dish terribly appealing. The sauce appeared to be broken and the overall appearance of the dish wasn't appetizing. I will give them a lot of credit for the sauce being spicy though. Although my roommate didn't agree, I found the Coke to taste a bit watered down.
I ordered an Antipasto salad with the house dressing. The salad was a good size for lunch, but the plate it was served on was much too small. The first few times I stuck my fork into it, pieces of lettuce or the pepperoncinis would fall off. They did not skimp on the meats and cheeses. However, the dressing needed some help. When she brought it, it just looked like a ramekin full of olive oil and that's pretty much how it tasted. The flavor of the herbs and spices were good and very traditional for Italian salad dressing, but they didn't mix in at all. It was in desperate need of vinegar and should have been served in a salad dressing shaker.
The garlic bread was made with a nice Italian bread, very crusty on the outside but soft inside. It had a lot of garlic flavor, but it was very dry. I dipped the bread in a little of the salad dressing at the bottom of my plate. The oiliness of the dressing mixed with the dry bread made a very nice bite.
If someone were asking if I knew of a good Italian restaurant in the area, I would not recommend this place. However, if you find yourself in the area on a beautiful San Diego afternoon and just want to chill out al fresco, this is one of the places you could go.
Florencia's has a typical Italian look. The dining room is large and on the dark side, but there is also a small patio with about 6 or so tables. It was a beautiful day so we chose to sit outside. We also chose to sit outside because the inside of the restaurant was pretty warm. You could feel the heat from the kitchen making it's way through the dining room towards the open doors. The walls surrounding the patio were painted to look like a Venice canal. It was cute even if one of the gondolas looked like it had a kidnapped boy in it screaming to be saved. My roommate was also amused by the fake fire logs which were lit and sitting in an alcove inside the dining room, without a fireplace. The restaurant is on the South side of the street, so it was cool and shady.
The first thing I noticed once we sat down was that although it was 1:00 in the afternoon on a Saturday, there was only one other person there. The table where we had initially sat down was next to the wall but it was wobbly, so we moved to another one next to the patio fence. We had our menus in front of us but there was a sandwich board on the sidewalk with specials listed on it. When the waitress, who was really beautiful by the way, came to take our order we had expressed interest in knowing what specials were available. Instead of telling us anything about what specials were available, she simply said "we have a lot of specials", so I got up and walked out of the patio to read the specials. Not an impressive beginning.
My roommate ordered "Fettucine Spicy Antonio", basically a spicy version of Alfredo sauce with tomatoes. Looking at their online menu, this dish is listed as being served with Penne instead of Fettucine, and I don't know if it was listed the same way on their printed menu or if he requested the Fettucine instead. The meal came with a choice of Minestrone or a dinner salad. He chose the salad with Bleu cheese dressing and ordered a Coke drink. I didn't find this dish terribly appealing. The sauce appeared to be broken and the overall appearance of the dish wasn't appetizing. I will give them a lot of credit for the sauce being spicy though. Although my roommate didn't agree, I found the Coke to taste a bit watered down.
I ordered an Antipasto salad with the house dressing. The salad was a good size for lunch, but the plate it was served on was much too small. The first few times I stuck my fork into it, pieces of lettuce or the pepperoncinis would fall off. They did not skimp on the meats and cheeses. However, the dressing needed some help. When she brought it, it just looked like a ramekin full of olive oil and that's pretty much how it tasted. The flavor of the herbs and spices were good and very traditional for Italian salad dressing, but they didn't mix in at all. It was in desperate need of vinegar and should have been served in a salad dressing shaker.
The garlic bread was made with a nice Italian bread, very crusty on the outside but soft inside. It had a lot of garlic flavor, but it was very dry. I dipped the bread in a little of the salad dressing at the bottom of my plate. The oiliness of the dressing mixed with the dry bread made a very nice bite.
If someone were asking if I knew of a good Italian restaurant in the area, I would not recommend this place. However, if you find yourself in the area on a beautiful San Diego afternoon and just want to chill out al fresco, this is one of the places you could go.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Review revisit - Awash Ethiopian restaurant
A few years ago, shortly after starting this blog, I did a review of Awash Ethiopian restaurant. I've been back several times since but thought it was time for an update. Not much has changed since 2009. It's still comfortable and relaxed and serves really good, authentic Ethiopian food.
We went there for dinner tonight and I purposely chose a menu item I had not tried before. I ordered the fried beef ribs. These were very different from what I have ordered in the past. Instead of small bits of meat mixed with spices these were slices of rib with bone that were seasoned and fried with jalapenos and onions and awaze (spicy sauce which tasted very similar to the sauce meats are mixed with in other dishes.
The ribs were served fajita style. First they brought a plate covered by a piece of enjera and a bit of salad and accompanied by a side of the awaze. Next, the waitress brought out a sizzling platter with the ribs, onions and jalapenos, and spooned it all on top of the enjera. The ribs were very good and seasoned nicely, but I think I prefer the other dishes I've had in the past. Although the awaze had that same flavor I'm used to, it didn't have as big a flavor impact served on the side as the dishes that are cooked in sauce.
In my previous review I stated that I had not tried the tej. I have since tried it, but not tonight. It was good, but not something I would drink on a regular basis. It's not too sweet as I feared it might be, but if I'm going to drink wine with dinner, I prefer something dry.
I also wanted to try wot this evening. I had ordered the collard greens wot, unfortunately I never got it. Although the waitress apologized profusely, somehow it didn't get in my order. Oh well, something new to look forward to next time I go. This is an example of the one problem I have with this restaurant. The waitresses are very nice but don't have a good grasp of English and this is not the first time my order wasn't exactly correct. This evening, after we were finished eating the waitress and I did a little "Who's on first" regarding taking our leftovers and ordering baklava to go. I'm willing to overlook this because the food is so good, it was just a side dish and the order has never been so wrong that I was completely unhappy, but if you're a stickler for perfect service you may be quite disappointed.
All in all, I still highly recommend this restaurant for those with adventurous taste buds. Just remember to wash your hands before dinner.
We went there for dinner tonight and I purposely chose a menu item I had not tried before. I ordered the fried beef ribs. These were very different from what I have ordered in the past. Instead of small bits of meat mixed with spices these were slices of rib with bone that were seasoned and fried with jalapenos and onions and awaze (spicy sauce which tasted very similar to the sauce meats are mixed with in other dishes.
The ribs were served fajita style. First they brought a plate covered by a piece of enjera and a bit of salad and accompanied by a side of the awaze. Next, the waitress brought out a sizzling platter with the ribs, onions and jalapenos, and spooned it all on top of the enjera. The ribs were very good and seasoned nicely, but I think I prefer the other dishes I've had in the past. Although the awaze had that same flavor I'm used to, it didn't have as big a flavor impact served on the side as the dishes that are cooked in sauce.
In my previous review I stated that I had not tried the tej. I have since tried it, but not tonight. It was good, but not something I would drink on a regular basis. It's not too sweet as I feared it might be, but if I'm going to drink wine with dinner, I prefer something dry.
I also wanted to try wot this evening. I had ordered the collard greens wot, unfortunately I never got it. Although the waitress apologized profusely, somehow it didn't get in my order. Oh well, something new to look forward to next time I go. This is an example of the one problem I have with this restaurant. The waitresses are very nice but don't have a good grasp of English and this is not the first time my order wasn't exactly correct. This evening, after we were finished eating the waitress and I did a little "Who's on first" regarding taking our leftovers and ordering baklava to go. I'm willing to overlook this because the food is so good, it was just a side dish and the order has never been so wrong that I was completely unhappy, but if you're a stickler for perfect service you may be quite disappointed.
All in all, I still highly recommend this restaurant for those with adventurous taste buds. Just remember to wash your hands before dinner.
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