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!
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.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
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.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Pacific Nature Tours
A great day for whale watching and the Coronado Islands...Pacific Nature Tours
A couple of weeks ago we found a deal on Living Social for an 8 hour whale watching cruise for just $69. Since I can't spend enough time on boats and the deal was so great we bought. Today we used our vouchers and we want to go again, although considering the normal price of $195, we probably won't be able to unless we find another deal.
Growing up in Coastal Southern California harbor tours are one of those things your family does every now and then, like going to the zoo or Disneyland. Since moving to San Diego I've gone much more frequently, because I'm an adult and can buy a ticket whenever I want. I would not recommend taking your kids on this trip though, and not because they might be loud or annoying but because they will be bored to death. The trip is great but it's 8 hours on a boat that you can't leave. There were some very exciting moments but there's a lot of just cruising along in between. There was a couple who brought their 2 grandchildren and although they were very well-behaved kids, you could tell that they were dying of boredom at points. That being said, even though their web site says it's great for families, if you don't bring the kids you've got to go!
The tour goes down to the Coronado Islands, off the coast of Baja California, Mexico but you don't need your passport, people are not allowed on the islands. One of the things I loved most about this trip is, as I mentioned above, harbor cruises are a pretty regular thing around here but this trip took us way out into open water. Not that I haven't been on other trips into open water in many other places, just not as often. On the way to the islands we were treated to a display of white water pounding against the rock. The islands are beautiful, volcanic rock with areas of luscious greenery, brilliant turquoise water, a variety of sea birds (which means areas painted completely white with guano) seals and sea lions. It almost felt like a pirate movie or Disneyland, it was that perfect. We saw a large number of pelicans dive-bombing to find food. Pelicans may not impress you, but I've had a special love for them since my trip to Southern Mexico years ago.
Breakfast and lunch were included. No gourmet faire, just fruit, bagels and yogurt for breakfast and sandwiches for lunch, non-alcoholic beverages included, in a cramped galley (as most galleys are). Beer, wine, mimosas and bloody marys are available for a separate price. Its definitely not about the food, but you gotta eat, right? The staff is very friendly and there were 2 naturists on board to point things out and answer questions. After lunch the galley turned in to the nap room and when we woke up there were snacks. Just like kindergarten for adults, without scissors and paste.
On the way out of the bay there were sea lions and sea birds of course. As we got farther South we saw a large number of dolphins and a few grey whales. One of the whales breached 3 times. It was spectacular. "We" also saw a couple of minke whales. I say "we" because I never saw them. Evidently minke whales are pretty elusive and as soon as one of the naturists spots one they disappear. I think perhaps they are the aquatic version of a snipe hunt.
All in all I would say this trip should definitely be at the top of your list if you're visiting San Diego or if you're a local who has enough photos of the Coronado, bridge taken from the bow of a boat, to wallpaper your living room.
A couple of weeks ago we found a deal on Living Social for an 8 hour whale watching cruise for just $69. Since I can't spend enough time on boats and the deal was so great we bought. Today we used our vouchers and we want to go again, although considering the normal price of $195, we probably won't be able to unless we find another deal.
Growing up in Coastal Southern California harbor tours are one of those things your family does every now and then, like going to the zoo or Disneyland. Since moving to San Diego I've gone much more frequently, because I'm an adult and can buy a ticket whenever I want. I would not recommend taking your kids on this trip though, and not because they might be loud or annoying but because they will be bored to death. The trip is great but it's 8 hours on a boat that you can't leave. There were some very exciting moments but there's a lot of just cruising along in between. There was a couple who brought their 2 grandchildren and although they were very well-behaved kids, you could tell that they were dying of boredom at points. That being said, even though their web site says it's great for families, if you don't bring the kids you've got to go!
The tour goes down to the Coronado Islands, off the coast of Baja California, Mexico but you don't need your passport, people are not allowed on the islands. One of the things I loved most about this trip is, as I mentioned above, harbor cruises are a pretty regular thing around here but this trip took us way out into open water. Not that I haven't been on other trips into open water in many other places, just not as often. On the way to the islands we were treated to a display of white water pounding against the rock. The islands are beautiful, volcanic rock with areas of luscious greenery, brilliant turquoise water, a variety of sea birds (which means areas painted completely white with guano) seals and sea lions. It almost felt like a pirate movie or Disneyland, it was that perfect. We saw a large number of pelicans dive-bombing to find food. Pelicans may not impress you, but I've had a special love for them since my trip to Southern Mexico years ago.
Breakfast and lunch were included. No gourmet faire, just fruit, bagels and yogurt for breakfast and sandwiches for lunch, non-alcoholic beverages included, in a cramped galley (as most galleys are). Beer, wine, mimosas and bloody marys are available for a separate price. Its definitely not about the food, but you gotta eat, right? The staff is very friendly and there were 2 naturists on board to point things out and answer questions. After lunch the galley turned in to the nap room and when we woke up there were snacks. Just like kindergarten for adults, without scissors and paste.
On the way out of the bay there were sea lions and sea birds of course. As we got farther South we saw a large number of dolphins and a few grey whales. One of the whales breached 3 times. It was spectacular. "We" also saw a couple of minke whales. I say "we" because I never saw them. Evidently minke whales are pretty elusive and as soon as one of the naturists spots one they disappear. I think perhaps they are the aquatic version of a snipe hunt.
All in all I would say this trip should definitely be at the top of your list if you're visiting San Diego or if you're a local who has enough photos of the Coronado, bridge taken from the bow of a boat, to wallpaper your living room.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Himalayan Cuisine
A pleasant surprise, not too far from home... Himalayan Cuisine
Just on accident we stumbled across this restaurant. We don't spend much time in the East County but were on our way home from Parkway Plaza tonight. I did a quick search for restaurants in La Mesa and Himalayan Cuisine came up. What is Himalayan Cuisine? Well, it's a lot like Indian food. In fact, I could not tell you the differences. Their sign says Himalayan, Indian and Nepalese food.
This place is in a strip mall on El Cajon Blvd. You can see the sign for it on El Cajon Blvd., but the restaurant is farther in the strip mall hiding behind the 99 cents only store. It's a pretty big place, but it seems they probably use the larger back area for special occasions. We were seated in the front, along with everyone else who came in while we were there. There were 4 or 5 small booths and a few larger tables in this area. It's fairly dark inside, so if you need light to read your menu, bring one with you. The overall look of the place is pretty drab, but the ceiling included some panels with interesting designs on them.
What did I get?
Everyone gets a cup of lentil soup to start. It was very hot to the touch, but I would have liked a little more spice. We ordered vegetable pakora appetizer . Very tasty, shredded vegetable haystacks coated in what tasted like lentil flour then fried, served with mint chutney. They also have samosas which some may prefer, but those came with a tamarind chutney. I can eat gobs of mint chutney, thus the pakora.
I love lamb!!! I got the #29. Sorry, didn't write down its name. It is lamb in a slightly sweet and hot, flavorful sauce, served with your choice of Basmati rice or "bread". The waiter didn't specify, but I'm thinking it probably would have been naan. I got the rice and ordered it at level 6 for heat. I could have gone hotter and been fine. It was very good, lots of sauce, and I love sauces. The best part was that the lamb tasted like lamb. I've often been very disappointed when ordering lamb and getting something that I could not distinguish as being lamb. If I want lamb, like I often do, I want it to taste like lamb. If you can't taste that delicious gaminess, then you might as well order beef. My dinner companion ordered #46, I think. It was kinda like an Indian version of fried rice with lamb, served with Raita. It was pretty good, but of course I liked mine better because it was saucy. For dessert we tried the "juicy milk balls". Not really my kind of thing. Cake balls with honey or something really sweet in the middle, served warm in a very sweet syrup. I'm not a big sweet eater to begin with, and I didn't care for the texture, kinda like tres leches cake but denser on the outside and even sweeter.
He also ordered a chai tea. This is nothing like you get at the coffee monopoly stores. You could actually taste the tea, which had a grassy taste. The spices were not as pronounced as many people may be used to. It was served hot and unsweetened. After adding 3 sugars, he was happy with it.
They also feature a number of chicken and vegetarian dishes, all of which also sounded good.
As usual, whenever we go out to eat we bring home at least another meal's worth of leftovers. I'm looking forward to lunch tomorrow.
What's cool?
The waiters are very nice and it's pretty relaxing inside. Even though it's in a strip mall, all the windows except the glass door are covered with fabric so you can forget you're just steps away from the 99 cent store. The music playing was pretty interesting (if you're weird like me). It kinda sounded like a cross between native American and Celtic, different than I remember ever hearing in an Indian restaurant.
What sucks?
Nothing really sucked besides the dessert, but it just wasn't my kind of thing.
Rating...Good food and a nice change of pace.
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