Monthly Archives: August 2014

Swami’s (32 of 52) (CLOSED)

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Breakfast.

Just saying the word makes me smile.  It’s a gift to have breakfast.  Don’t believe anyone who tells you otherwise.  I love that other people love breakfast and then they open restaurants that serve it.  It’s a circle of love.  Not in the filthy way.  Or maybe it is for you, I have no idea what goes on at your house in the early hours of the morning.

Swami’s is one of the newest restaurants in the growing San Diego neighborhood of North Park.  It’s big, open early, has lots of natural light and a dog friendly patio.  These are all good things.  While I didn’t show up with a pack of hungry dogs it was good news for… Well, let’s just say my friends are also enthusiastic about breakfast:

Alex-Northridge student, EDM fan, Boy with camera

Amy B-Vegetarian Belle, Author, Event Planner

Amy J-Rocky Horror performer, Michigan football loyalist, a common floozy

Anna-Canadian goddess, theatre dresser and puppet builder.

Daniel-Metal lover.  Can tell you everything you want to know about great beer.  and he will.

Christy-Rocky Horror performer, Cat lover, We’ve all seen her boobs

Lea-Northridge student, Star Wars fan, Alex’s better half

Jason-Rocky Horror performer, 75th level-coffee snob, token minority

A lot of squinting night owls.

A lot of squinting night owls.

One of the first things we noticed about Swami’s menu was also one of the coolest; there’s lotsa stuff on it.  I’m a big fan of stuff.  I also enjoy items and things.  A wide variety of juices and smoothies meant we had lots to try.  There’s also a ridiculous array of coffees to choose from.  Even more good news.  It’s not a sit down restaurant.  You order your food and drink at the counter and they bring it to you, which is kinda perfect for a place that operates when most working people don’t have time to sit down for a full breakfast on a weekday.  Those people probably go into their jobs later than 8am every day.  I hate those people.

Jason ordered the Eggs Benedict with bacon and avocado.  The eggs were in line with what he was expecting with a good poach.  The avocado and bacon option was a great addition to his dish.  The potatoes were a bit cold for his taste.  Jason works for a major coffee place (I won’t name it, but I must take this opportunity to stress that it is ABSOLUTELY NOT the place seen behind us in the photo.  Like, at all.  He would kill me for even implying such.)  As Jason comes with a lot of coffee knowledge I was curious to get his input.  He loved the choices but felt dark roast was underrepresented.  He tried 4 different coffees and dubbed the Organic French Roast the best.  It wasn’t burnt and was pleasantly astringent on the finish.  Daniel had the Lobster Benedict.  He described it as nothing short of Nirvana.  He really loved it.  The lobster was perfectly cooked and the dish wasn’t too salty.  He would absolutely come back for it.

swami lobster

If you think I didn’t spend a minute excavating a forkful of egg-less lobster from this plate, then you my friend have never experienced the endless frustration of eating with me.

Alex’s desire to to try the Corned Beef Hash was dashed as they were out of it, so he instead ordered the Breakfast California.  He wasn’t crazy about the spinach tortilla but found salvation in their red salsa.  It was well portioned and he was very full.  The potatoes got another less than stellar review.  Lea had the Huevos Rancheros and Apple Hop Juice.  While felt the addition of ginger in her juice left the apple taste kinda lost, she enjoyed her meal.  She loved the sauce and the great spicy element.  In the future, she wishes they’d go easy on the beans and chips but she was overall happy.

Anna ordered the whole grain Pancake, a Grapefruit smoothie and the Organic Mexican Blend Coffee.  She absolutely loved her smoothie.  She also gave high marks to the coffee bar and felt her multi-grain pancake was flavorful enough that it didn’t need syrup.  To me, that’s about the craziest thing I’ve ever heard but I was just gonna roll with it as I backed away slowly from Anna and made my way back to my normal people breakfast.   Canadians.  Love y’all.  Amy J had the Waffles Benedict (minus the bacon) and potatoes with a Swami’s Surprise Smoothie.  She enjoyed the smoothie.  She also approved of the Hollandaise sauce.  She was uncertain at first but felt the dish worked great with the waffles.  The eggs were slightly overcooked to her liking (she explained that they weren’t runny and should be)  She enjoyed the potatoes (way to turn it around in the 7th inning, spuds!)  The asparagus was overcooked and stringy, which is kind of crime but made up very little of an otherwise good dish.

Big food good. Sorry, I'm simply not that poetic before sunrise.

Big food good. Sorry, I’m simply not that poetic before sunrise.

Amy B ordered the Pineapple Upsidedown Pancakes with a Sea Horse (Orange, Lemon and Grapefruit) Juice.  Amy lives very close to Swami’s so this was a return visit for her.  She described her meal as “Serviceable but not amazing”.  Christy had the Belgian Waffle.  She was not thrilled with it and felt it was a bit too crispy but was in love with the fantastic bacon.  Her side of eggs were good but a little heavy on the onion.  She felt what she did have was good enough for another visit in the future to try other things on the menu.  I had the California Burrito with a fruit cup and Kona Coffee.  I enjoyed the coffee but that assessment doesn’t mean much coming from me as I’m a firm believer that coffee is like pornography: quality be damned, it’s there to do a job.  The burrito was pretty standard but you gotta remember I love breakfast burritos, so I had zero complaints.  The fruit cup was a cup with fruit in it.  Yummy.

Swamis burrito

Nutritional good and evil on one plate with salsa representing moral ambiguity (as usual)

Overall I would rank Swami’s not as a destination breakfast but certainly a good place that I would make a point of hitting up whenever I happened to be in the area around the most important meal of the day.

Further reading: http://www.swamiscafesd.com/

To see all the pictures from this meal, be sure to follow The Boy who at e San Diego on Instagram! 

 

Cowboy Star (31 of 52)

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Steak is a great example of what separates someone who loves to eat from a foodie.  If you go to Prime at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, you love a good steak.  If you go to Ruth’s Chris, you love a good steak.  If you go to Outback Steakhouse, you don’t love a good steak.  If you order steak at Denny’s, you don’t love yourself.  Drink some Oprah Chai tea and give yourself a hug.  The award-winning Cowboy Star, located in San Diego’s East Village, just outside downtown, promises “a unique dining experience by combining contemporary American cuisine with a western flare.”  Pony up, y’all.  It’s time for some old west fusion vittles!  Circling the wagons with me tonight are:

Aimee-Roommate since the 90’s, BFF, allergic to hot dogs and therefore labeled a commie by many

Amy-Vegetarian Belle, Author, Event Planner

Chris-Attorney, lifelong food snob, loves good Scotch and gay jeans

Harry-Wise guy, master of the grill, loves camping for some reason

Molly-Recent San Diego transplant, jewelry maker, The new girl

Renee-My dresser in “Five Course Love”, Fellow MSTie, lover of The Wizard of Oz

Tim-Renee’s mysterious counterpart

Hee-Haw: The Next Generation

Hee-Haw: The Next Generation…

The award-winning interior (yup, apparently they give out awards for that sorta thing, which is cool) masters the art of high-end meets country-come-to-town perfectly without being tacky.  Personally, I think a mechanical bull would off-set the look nicely but this is why people don’t pay me to decorate their homes and businesses.  Cowboy Star boasts an amazing variety of specialty cocktails and we were eager to try them (the ultimate one coming at the end of our meal).  Molly had the Hoosegow Mule; which she described as “fantastic” with a great melon flavor to it.  Chris ordered the house Manhattan and an Old Fashioned, which he said were GREAT and right up his alley.  Harry had the Smoking Gun followed by the Saddle Bum, both of which he said were delicious.  Renee had the Painted lady, which she described as strong and “perfumey but in the good way”.  Amy ordered an Old Fashioned (based on Chris’s recommendation) followed by the bourbon-based house Sangria.  She said all the cocktails were fabulous.

For starters before our meal, Molly ordered a C-Star Caesar Salad, which she said was pretty average but made with quality ingredients including, yes, actual sardines.  Renee and Amy both ordered the Heirloom Tomatoes with tomato sponge cake and pickled watermelon rind drizzled with basil puree and sherry vinaigrette. It received high marks from both ladies.  Aimee ordered the Roasted Lobster Mushrooms with seared bay scallops, duck egg, pureed scallions and shaved Summer truffles.   She said it was a little different from what she was expecting but the scallops were good and the sauce was delicious.  Grilled scallions is what made that dish for Aimee.

Chris and Harry shared the Special Hamachi 2 ways (raw and poached with pea pods, marinated cherries and enoki mushrooms).  Harry said the hamachi was incredible with a perfect gastric.  Chris also loved this dish.  I ordered the Sweet Corn Soup.  This soup was kind of amazing.  Smooth, creamy and super sweet.  Along with roasted pepper cornbread chunks, there was a special cream served in the soup.  It was grey stuff and, as promised by Lumier, it was delicious.  This soup was insanely, lick-the-bowl good.

The cream was grey and tasted like Thanksgiving. Look, If I knew what half the shit I eat was, I would probably just cook at home myself. Leave me alone...

The cream was grey and tasted like Thanksgiving. Look, If I knew what half the shit I eat was, I would probably just cook at home myself. Leave me alone…

For main courses Renee and Tim both had Snake River Farms Wagyu; An American style Kobe skirt steak from Idaho.  As someone who generally isn’t a steak person per se, Renee found herself pleasantly surprised with the dish, describing it as velvety, soft and delicious AKA BEEFGASM.  I wonder if she’s taken out the trademark on that term yet?  if not, I’m certain Burger King will jump on it.  Tim also enjoyed the flavors and textures, having had more than one tough steak in his time.  Harry & Chris had the daily cut of dry aged beef, which is aged for up to 35 days.  They also had side of Roasted Corn with chorizo and eggplant and a side of marinated sunchokes.  Harry said that there have only ever been 3 steaks he’s bought in a restaurant that he was happy to pay for and this was one of them.  This is either the highest praise or a sad essay on Harry’s inability to order a good steak throughout his life.  The real story of the night here was the sunchokes.  In a move no one saw coming, these sunchokes were delicious, hearty and full of rich flavor.  Chris likened them to the most “meat-like non-meat thing” he’s ever had.  That’s a really accurate description.  They were the bomb.  Chris and Harry also couldn’t resist ordering a side of Bone Marrow to compliment their steak and completely gross me out.  We’ve been over my feelings on the matter.

Aimee went against the norm and ordered Pan Roasted Salmon with toasted red rice, Chinese sausage, roasted brassicas and Salmon Verjus Reduction.  She said she rarely orders salmon but it was perfect.  Beautifully cooked, medium rare all the way through.  Beautful sear.  What made the dish were the side dishes, the rice (She would’ve gladly taken an order to go) braised cabbage (Brassicas) was amazing.  Just the right amount of char without getting bitter.  Molly had 8 ounce Filet with Blue Cheese crumbles.  She praised the cheese as a nice touch and said the steak was certainly one of the better ones she’s had.  The accompanying potatoes were nice but she prefers a more rustic style mash rather than the smooth, creamy version we were served.  I agree 100%.  Amy ordered the Braised local beets in smoked vegetarian beet puree with shaved beets and radishes, black olive chimmichurri, toasted peaches, cream and mint.  While she said the dish was well done, for Amy, it was less of an entree and more an appetizer due to the dish’s overall lightness.  The inclusion of some kind of starch would’ve helped but it seems like our vegetarian friends are better off ordering a few items a la carte and building their own dinner here.

For me, I thought it would be silly to eat dinner at Cowboy Star and not get a steak so I ordered the 12 ounce New York Strip (a favorite of mine) with Brandy Peppercorn Sauce.  It was really flavorful and very well cooked.  I also liked that, at $38, it was not as expensive as that kind of steak usually runs.  I’ve paid way more for the same thing elsewhere.  While I didn’t find any new ground being broken here from a culinary stand point, it was still a really great steak.

After years of ordering my steaks well done, I now prefer medium rare. Proof that one can go back after going black.

After years of ordering my steaks well done, I now prefer medium rare. Proof that one can go back after going black.

I’ve been droning on so much over the food at Cowboy Star, want to take this moment to recognize the service.  The staff there was fantastic, attentive and committed 100% to our dining experience.  Our server, Jeremy, knew his stuff.  He was helpful with suggestions about food and wine and had a fantastic sense of humor, which is exactly what you need when spending two hours in a restaurant with these drunk assholes  my friends and I.  I wanted for nothing, had every question answered and didn’t once see the bottom of my glass.  This makes me a happy boy.

Before we knew it, it was time for dessert.  As a table we ordered several of the desserts (as always, for science).  Among them were “Our PB&J”, an inventive dish comprised of a Peanut Butter Blondie with concord Grape Sorbet.  The flavors are on point and closely evoke a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  We also had the Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding with warm butterscotch sauce.  The dish is served with chocolate ice cream but Jeremy suggested we do vanilla instead and it was another great call.  This was the hit of the desserts with the group.  It was light and mildly sweet without being totally overpowering or too custard-y.  My favorite of the desserts was the Sweet Tea Semifredo with stonefruit sorbet,  granola, meyer lemon & sliced stonefruit.  This dish was super original and unlike anything I’ve had.  I loved the flavors.   It was unexpected and I really really enjoyed it.

The House Wine of the South in dessert form. Yippie Kayay muther forker!

The House Wine of the South in dessert form. Yippie Kayay muther forker!

The final dessert item we ordered was something from the drink menu that we just couldn’t resist; A Bananas Foster Martini.  The only things you need to know about this drink is it’s sweet, it’s strong and it will make you believe in love again.  Several people in our group said they would come back for that martini alone.  But the point being, we’re totally coming back.  I think Chris said it best when he said that he can’t think of anything negative to say.  He (like I) had high hopes and they were not only met but exceeded.    Well done, Cowboy Star.

Further reading: https://www.thecowboystar.com/home

To see all the pictures from my dinner be sure to follow The Boy Who Ate San Diego on Instagram!

 

 

Saigon on Fifth (30 of 52) (CLOSED)

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San Diego is a city rich in ethnic culture, particularly when it comes to food.  So to the point that we’ve got cuisine from nearly every imaginable country.  Even Canada!  But that’s a little too wild for me, so for tonight we’re sticking with Vietnamese.  I love Vietnamese food, particularly Pho, but as it’s balls-out hot here in SoCal, I was looking forward to exploring other options.  Saigon on Fifth is a staple of the San Diego neighborhood of Hillcrest.  Two things you should immediately know about Saigon on 5th:

-It’s not on Fifth.  It actually faces the other way on University just to confuse you.

-It’s WAY bigger than it looks.

Nestled into a business district block, Saigon on Fifth looks like any number of closet-sized restaurants wedged between each other in this ‘hood.  When we went inside, we were lead into a HUGE dining room with an open space leading outside to courtyard patio dining.  It was like a small Asian female Willy Wonka leading us into the chocolate room but with more fountains and less whimsical music.  Cool digs.  Joining me in this trip to Wonka’s factory were the following rowdy, gold ticket winning children:

Aimee-Roommate since the 90’s, BFF, allergic to hot dogs and therefore labeled a commie by many

Amy-Vegetarian Belle, Author, Event Planner

Chris-Attorney, lifelong food snob, loves good Scotch and gay jeans

Harry-Wise guy, master of the grill, loves camping for some reason

Kevin-Gentle giant, works among the dregs of humanity, probably lived with someone you know.

Some of us needed a good drink, others a good meal. I just needed to pose in front of a brick wall. Everyone won.

Some of us needed a good drink, others a good meal. I just needed to pose in front of a brick wall. Everyone won.

Like almost every place in Hillcrest, Saigon on Fifth knows its clientele, so there were plenty of libations to choose from and my group wasted no time in sampling.  Aimee had the Cherry Blossom Cosmo, made with Sake.  She said it was really good with a muted sweetness.  Chris ordered a Bourbon Sweet & Sour but was less a fan of it, as it was prepared a little too sweetly for his taste.  Amy had the Buddah Mai Tai, which she described as “Strong, so YAY!”.  Harry ordered the Lychee Martini, which he was a big fan of.

For appetizers Aimee ordered the Steamed Mussels.  She said they were delicious with crispy toppings.  Amy had the Cream Cheese Wontons, which were good but pretty standard with a “meh-level” sauce.  Kevin and I both ordered the Imperial Spring Rolls with crab meat, delicate shrimp, chicken, and vegetables.  The texture was surprisingly crunchy and hearty but the meat was very tasty with a nice, spicy dipping sauce.

They taste more like egg rolls but I'm largely an uncultured savage, so I'll take them at their word.

They taste more like egg rolls to me but I’m largely an uncultured savage, so I’ll take them at their word.

For our main courses, Amy ordered the Bun (a classic Vietnamese dish) with Lemongrass Tofu.  It was different from the way she’s had it in the past but said it was good.  She requested the vegetarian dressing in place of the usual fish sauce.  She described the more veggie-friendly dressing as sweeter than expected but delicious, light and fresh; a great dish for Summer.  Harry had the Spicy Lemon Grass Soup – Fresh Chilli-base soup with lime, lemon grass accent, cooked with lemon leaf and mushroom.   He said it was perfect.  A great combination of spicy and tangy.  Chris ordered Vietnamese crepe with pork and shrimp, which he said was good.

Aimee had the Mango Fish (Whole Sea Bass pan-fried to a crisp, served with shredded green mango in chilli garlic sauce).  She said it was delicious, perfectly fried with a great sauce.  She also loved the green papaya salad included on the dish, which was both cooling and refreshing.  Kevin ordered the Orange Duck, which he said was perfectly crisp and not too fatty with an amazing sauce.  I ordered the Spicy Noodle with Shrimp.  As a big lover of Thai food, I was excited to try its Vietnamese counterpart.  It was delicious.  I ordered the heat level at a 5 out of 10, which was pretty much perfect for me.  Also of impressive note were the shrimp.  They were fresh, huge and really well cooked.  Kind of loved this dish.

Panda Express this is not.

Panda Express this is not.

The dessert menu is a small one with just two options; sweet sticky rice with mango or fried banana cheesecake (note to self: book a trip to Vietnam ASAP).  Chris, Amy and I split the sticky rice.  I’ve only ever had savory rice but it was okay.  I’m not a big fan of fooling my already profoundly dumbed down palette with savory/sweet trickery.  Plus the presentation was… well…

Not working blue today so draw your own caption.

Not working blue today so draw your own caption.

Overall I have to say I really loved this place.  The decor is lovely, the atmosphere is cool, the patio is quiet and romantic (if I ever have another date again, we’re totally coming here).  The food was great and it didn’t cost a fortune.  Opinions among the group were more mixed as Chris brought up an interesting point.  Vietnamese places tend to be more down-home “hole-in-the-wall” type places with more variety and cheaper prices.  He felt as though we were paying more for the ambiance than anything else.

For me, I like ambiance and while I’m sure there are some kick ass, more elbows-on-the-table-style Vietnamese places, this is a great centrally-located place that I plan to come back to often.

 

Further reading: http://saigononfifth.menutoeat.com/

To see all of the pictures from this week’s restaurant, be sure to follow The Boy who ate San Diego on Instagram!

 

Old Town Mexican Cafe (29 of 52)

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San Diego has absolutely no shortage of Mexican restaurants.  You can pretty much find one anywhere.  Historic Old Town is no different.  It’s the oldest place in San Diego (oddly enough not home to the oldest people.  Looking at you, La Jolla…) It has culture, theatre and the 10th most haunted house in America . Directly across the street from the Whaley House is Old Town Mexican Cafe, where Scooby, Shaggy and the gang can enjoy a margarita after running from Yankee Jim with the Harlem Globetrotters.  As for me, I brought my own gang of rag-tag ghost hunters:

Abby-Swim instructor, Disneyland buddy, Stresses about making food for my other food-savvy friends

Aimee-Roommate since the 90’s, BFF, allergic to hot dogs and therefore labeled a commie by many

Harry-Wise guy, master of the grill, loves camping for some reason

Kasey-Rocky Horror performer, Coffee wife,  Occasional Drag King

Ky-Rocky Horror performer, Disneyland enthusiast, Roommate of Brad

Sean-Former “Ambassador to Spain”, Halloween spookster, A picky eater like me

Yes, Mexican culture is rich, in-depth and lovely. Keep the Margaritas comin'...

Yes, Mexican culture is rich, in-depth and lovely. Keep the Margaritas comin’…

The first place you notice about Old Town Mexican Cafe is it’s big, crowded and LOUD.  Not the place you wanna bring a quiet dinner date but the party atmosphere is pretty contagious.  In what can only be described as the ultimate reward from the universe, we happened to be dining at Old Town Mexican Cafe on National Tequila Day.  Yes.  That is a thing.  Actually everyday is national something day.  ALL OF THE MARGARITAS FOR EVERYONE!!!   Abby had the Patron Margarita, which she called “effective”.  It’s important to note that Abby had already been there for a while when we arrived and was at a point in her Tequila Day celebrating where we probably could’ve gotten her to dance on our table with her skirt over her head with minimal fuss.  Ky had the Mango Margarita.  Kasey had the Strawberry Margarita, which she found to be lacking a fair deal of flavor and was essentially “The flavor of red”.  Harry got the 1800 Cadillac Margarita, which he called “awesome”.  Aimee ordered a Midori Margarita, which she also said was good but lacking flavor.  I had the classic margarita (blended).  The margarita was tasty and effective and totally worth the pain I had to endure from a bad reaction to lime juice with my medication.

Worth the pain.

Worth the pain.

The menu is big and they’ve got a wide array of Mexican and American food to choose from.  I would love to meet the sad tourist that would come here and have a burger, but I digress.  Abby ordered Mexican Shrimp Cocktail, which is served almost ceviche-style and she enjoyed.  Ky and I both had the chicken and rice soup, which was hearty and good.  Possibly not the best choice for a hot July day after a Margarita, but I like food so there’s that.  I also ordered the 3 Lobster Rolls.  I’ve seen these done elsewhere but they always seem to have black beans in them, so that was a deal breaker.  I’m happy to say that while Old Town Mex’s Lobster Rolls were not the greatest thing I’ve ever had in life, they DO NOT have beans of any kind in them, so this was a tasty victory.

Sized for sharing but I could've easily demolished this plate without a second thought.

Sized for sharing but I could’ve easily demolished this plate without a second thought.

For main courses Abby had the Fish and Lobster Enchilada, which she loved.  Sean had the two Enchiladas combo with one chicken and one pork enchilada.  While he mentioned he wished the chicken meat had been cut smaller for an enchilada, he said it was tasty and the pork enchilada was perfect.  Ky had the Steak Azteca (Marinated steak stuffed with jack cheese and  green salsa).  Ky said the steak was amazing but her rice was gross.  The salsa had some serious heat to it but she really  liked what it brought to the steak.

Harry ordered the Mariscada (Marinated shrimp and halibut with lime juice, onions, cucumber and avocado).    He said it was a nice light flavor.  Sort of like having a plate of ceviche.  He wished the cucumber could’ve had a bit more marinade but no other complaints.  Aimee got the 1/2 rack of Mexican style ribs.  She said that these were probably some of the best ribs she’s ever eaten.  High praise from our Southerner.  They are prepared rotisserie style and are served with no sauce but Aimee insisted it wasn’t needed.  Also delicious were the home made tortillas served with the dish.

Kasey ordered the Beef taco and Tostada Combo.  She described the dish as “standard sit-down Mexican restaurant quality” and was creeped out by the crust over her beans.  I had the Chicken Verde Enchiladas with rice and no beans.  I thought they were good with a nice spicy sauce.  I’ve had better enchiladas elsewhere but these were pretty solid and not super expensive.  It was a good meal.

Mexican food as it should be. Fresh, hot, bean-less and in front of me.

Mexican food as it should be. Fresh, hot, bean-less and in front of me.

For good measure, we ordered one of the few desserts offered, Churros with Vanilla Ice Cream.  These weren’t exactly a showstopper in concept, execution or taste but they were good enough.  While Old Town Mexican Cafe is a fun place with a great party vibe.  I think I would come here more for the bar food and drinks.  Not that this is a bad thing at all.

Further reading: http://www.oldtownmexcafe.com/

To see all of the pictures from this dinner, be sure to follow The Boy who Ate San Diego on Instagram!