Tag Archives: restaurant reviews

The Crack Shack

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Don’t call it a comeback.

Actually, it’s perfectly okay if you call it that, accurate even.  I want to thank everyone who has reached out to tell me you miss my reviews.  I hope you’ve been well.  So, yeah, Let’s spend the Summer together, K?

One of the places generating some serious buzz in my city is The Crack Shack.  Richard Blais has launched a fun, quirky, casual outdoor chicken and egg place in Little Italy.  Little Italy is best known for it’s upscale lifestyle.  I always associate it with two things I will never have; a high-rise condo or a decent parking spot.  It’s also home to classic and nouveau Italian restaurants, several I have covered on this here blog including Prep Kitchen, Mona Lisa and Juniper and Ivy.  Also other favorites of mine like Underbelly and Bencotto and still others that are probably good but I was too drunk to remember eating there (note to self:  talk to therapist about constant need to drink in Little Italy)

My friends and I were eager to sample a lot of what the menu had to offer.  I was told I *HAD TO* order the Chicken Oysters.  The name got you worried?  Me too at first but it’s not what you think.  The term is used to describe two small, round pieces of dark meat on the backbone near the thigh.  So yeah, Chicken tramp stamps.  Often called the “Chef’s reward”, many people in the know call this the best part of the chicken.  As for Crack Shack, they serve ’em up batter-fried over a bed of delicious crispy kale with a side of mustard seed tartar.  They lived up to the hype.  They were tender and juicy.  Really good stuff.

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Instead of a  pearl, the hidden surprise was the grease stain on my shirt from when I bit into it while still piping hot  Worth it.

The other dish I ordered was the Mexican Poutine with pollo asado and Jalapeno Cheese wiz over schmaltz fries.  This one was a let down for me.  I get the concept; carne asada fries done like poutine.  My first issue was with the sauce.  I see the word “Jalapeno”, I expect some heat (there wasn’t any) and “Cheese wiz” I expect something more bold than what it was.  The fries were tasty but the biggest disappointment was the carne asado.  It was bland and lacked any detectable seasoning.  I wanted a bolder dish.

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You’re gonna think “Carne Asada Fries”.  Don’t think that.  This is a milder, polite cousin.  A Canadian dish that tastes how you would imagine a Canadian to taste.

Among our table, some of the dishes that received the highest marks were the Chicken Oysters and the Chicken Lollipops.  I hate it when things that aren’t a lollipop are called lollipops.  Just because something is on a stick, this isn’t even a stick, it’s a bone!  That means my foot is a lollipop!  That’s ridiculous to everyone except my dog (Dude’s a perv. You don’t even know.)  But anyway, the chicken “Lollipops” at Crack Shack are delicious. Tender, juicy with a crispy skin (Think upscale Shake n’ Bake).  Good stuff.  Other high points were the great beer selection and the cocktails were well prepared and heavily poured.  The staff was also super friendly and were highly visible/available for questions, refills or busing trays from your crowded table because you and your friends can’t go anywhere without eating like a wealthy king from the middle ages.

The lower marks from the table were the sandwiches.  The proteins were a little greasy to the point where they muddled some of the other flavor notes in the sandwich.  Crack Shack also offers a decent mini biscuit but many people weren’t loving them for the same reason I wasn’t.  It was almost impossible not to compare this biscuit to Juniper and Ivy’s biscuit.  Especially since Crack Shack is right next to that place.  I was just sitting there eating my biscuit and staring at the glowing green sign for J&I.  All I could hear was the Pussycat Dolls singing “Don’t cha wish your biscuit was hot like me…”  Before you knew it, I had even’t taken a second bite because I’d spent the last 5 minutes wondering why Nicole Scherzinger didn’t have a more successful solo career.  The Miso Maple Butter was really nice.

The food was heavy for me as I don’t eat fried foods as often as I’d like but I was determined to power through and order dessert.  Fat kid resolve is as solid as Gibraltar.   Crack Shack features a cookie du Jour and soft serve.  Believe it or not, these were the overwhelming favorites.  I had to two fresh baked cake batter cookies with Mexican Hot Chocolate soft serve.  The cookies were pretty much perfect.  A little crisp on the outside and “slightly underdone” level softness inside.  The soft serve had a touch of Cinnamon that was really nice.  I made my own ice cream sandwich and it was magical.

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It looks neat in this picture but one bite and this thing was a bigger mess than Batman Vs Superman.

Overall, we agreed we would return to The Crack Shack again (Minus our vegetarian, who outside of the delicious Border Slaw and mini biscuits, had not a single entree option available).  The chicken is good, the cookies are bomb, the service is awesome and there’s giant chicken in the yard where you can play Bocce Ball like my 87-year-old Grandfather used to when I was a child.  If you got a tender tummy, go light on the ordering and save room for dessert!

Further reading

 

The Finish Line

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Before we get to the new stuff, I’ve had several requests to post the companion piece to my Half Way Point cheat sheet entry finishing out the second half of the BW8SD 2014 challenge.  Your wish is my command!  Like last time, I’ve included links to the original posts and what to order at each place.  I’ve also had several people ask me to rank all 52 restaurants but I can’t because they were each a unique experience in their own right and I like my head best when it hasn’t exploded, which would most certainly happen should I try to organize this whole list.

27. Southpaw Social Club

What to order: House made Pretzels with cheddar cheese sauce

28. Heat

What to order: Heat Natural Burger

29. Old Town Mexican Cafe

What to order: Mexican style ribs

30. Saigon on Fifth

What to order: Spicy Noodle with Shrimp

31. Cowboy Star

What to order: Sweet Corn Soup

32. Swami’s

What to order: Lobster Benedict

33. Bruxie

What to order: Michel Cordon Bleu cold smoked Smoked Salmon waffle sandwich

34. Family House of Pancakes

What to order: Pecan Belgium Waffle

35. Fat Sal’s

What to order: the “Fat Buffalo”

36. Juniper and Ivy

What to order: Corn Fritter with Avocado Crema

37. Eureka

What to order:  the Napa Burger

38. The Patio

What to Order: Corn Flake crusted French Toast

39. Mona Lisa

What to order: cheese ravioli with meatballs

40. West Coast Tavern

What to order: Pistachio Bread Pudding

41. Nine Ten

What to order: Maine Lobster & Hiutlacoche Agnolotti

42. Waypoint Public

What to order: Fries (Yeah.  Totally not kidding.  They’re THAT good)

43. Little Tokyo

What to order: spicy crab and tuna roll

44. Tam’s

What to order: curried potato egg roll

45. Bijou

What to order: Paris Brest

46. Cafe 21

What to order: Grilled Pear Salad

47. Jimmy Carter’s Mexican Cafe

What to order: Cucumber Margarita

48. Saltbox

What to order: “Ginger Rogers” Cocktail

49. Big Kitchen

What to order:  Kirk Scramble

50. Foster’s Freeze

What to order: Double Decker Burger

51. Pizzeria Luigi

What to order: The White Girl Pizza

52. Zensei Sushi

What to order: The Firecracker

It’s been a great year but on to the new stuff!  I’ve got some awesome things coming in the new year, I look forward to sharing my continuing food journey with ya!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zensei Sushi (52 of 52) (CLOSED)

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I CAN’T BELIEVE I ACTUALLY DID IT!!!!

1 year
52 new restaurants

The mind.  It boggles at the scope of what I’ve done.

For the final restaurant of 2014, I chose some of my favorite food; sushi.  Zensei Sushi, located in the San Diego neighborhood of North Park.  I love me some sushi and was eager to celebrate this last dinner of my challenge with my friends:

Craig-Jackie’s lucky and mysterious other half, picture unavailable

David-Technical writer, singer, robot super villain

Durwood-Best friend, comedian, San Diego’s go-to young black non-singing actor

Jackie-Awesome Soprano, fellow East Coast transplant, Has a Vegas story or two

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

Joey-Future music professor, Sazerac drinker, makes a mean cup of coffee

Kelsey-Project manager, Advanced level foodie, Has been known to drop it like it’s hot after a few cocktails

Mandy-Writer, Top-shelf level geek girl, lives in my pocket

Samantha-My co-star in “Five Course Love”, Aubrey Award winner, A sometimes Amish Jew

Suzanne-My Italian soul sista, Can throw down in the kitchen, the cultured one who pronounces everything correctly.

A big thank you to everyone who helped out with this blog both in this picture and not in this picture. Thank you for being so obsessed with my silly descriptions of you.

A big thank you to everyone who helped out with this blog both in this picture and not in this picture. Thank you also for being so obsessed with my silly descriptions of you all.

Once we were seated (kind of an ordeal as we were a big group in a very small space) our server, who was lovely, informed us that only one of their two sushi chefs had shown up for their shift so our food would be coming out at a slower speed with only one person preparing it.

For appetizers, Samantha and Jackie both ordered the Tempura Avocado.  Samantha called it ripe to perfection, which she loved.  While the first two slices were delicious, after a while she began to only taste tempura.  Mandy & Joey started with Miso Soup.  It included sesame seeds, which Mandy doesn’t care for but said the soup was good.  Joey likened the tofu to the kind that comes in freeze dried packets.  He much prefers larger blocks of tofu.  Instead of an Oyster shooter (which they were out of), Jason got Stuffed Oranges (Spicy scallops and crab on rice, wrapped with fresh salmon), which is a favorite of his.  This dish also stood out with others who tasted it.

Durwood had the Fried Chicken Gyoza, which he felt was good but pretty standard.  Suzanne got an Orion Beer.  This isn’t a beer that’s usually found on a menu here in the states so she enjoyed that.  Jackie and I both ordered the Firecracker (Their version of a jalapeno popper).  While she found it nothing outstanding, Jackie did enjoy it.  It was a bit spicy for my whimpy tastes but it was very tasty.  Particularly nice with soy sauce.

Just because my punk ass yankee tummy didn't like the heat, these were delicious.

My punk ass yankee tummy didn’t like the heat but these were delicious.

For main courses, Samantha, David & Kelsey each ordered the Sancho Roll (Shrimp tempura, gobo, cream cheese, avocado inside with spicy crab, sweet sauce outside).  Samantha found the carrots really crispy with delicious crab and great shrimp tempura.  Kelsey found the roll to be very balanced with nothing that tasted like filler.  David called it his favorite roll of the night.   Samantha  and David both followed it with the 30th & Upas roll (Spicy tuna inside, with tuna and avocado on top, and secret spicy sauce),  Which Samantha called amazing.  She loved the salsa and cilantro.  She appreciated the fact that the spice didn’t overpower the tuna flavor.  David also called it delicious.   Less impressive to Samantha were the spicy mayo, which lacked kick and a ponzu sauce that was far too salty for her.  Kelsey also had Seared Ahi Sashimi Salad.  She found the salad to lack a lot of flavor.  While the fish was seared beautifully, Kelsey felt it need something more.  Mandy got the Spider Roll (Soft shell crab, masago gobo, cucumber, and avocado), which she said was well made and well sized.  She followed it with a Yellow Submarine Roll (Eel, crab, cream cheese, avocado, golden tempura, topped with eel sauce).  The roll includes Jalapeno, which is not Mandy’s favorite but she felt it worked really well.   Durwood had the Dragon Roll (Tempura‎ shrimp, cucumber, cream cheese and crab, eel and avocado outside).  He said it was excellent, which each ingredient being present in every bite.  Worth coming back for alone.    Suzanne got Tuna & Salmon Nigiri, both of which she said were good.  She also ordered a Dream Roll (Spicy‎ mix of cucumber, gobo, onions, masago, tuna, yellowtail and crab inside with avocado, thin edible lemon zest and seared pearl white tuna inside).  She enjoyed how fresh it tasted and the tuna was of particular note for it’s buttery-ness.

Joey (following a dashed attempt at ordering out-of-stock Salmon skins) ordered the Takoyaki, which is is a ball-shaped Japanese snack made of a wheat flour-based batter and cooked in a special takoyaki pan. It is typically filled with minced or diced Octopus (tako), tempura scraps (tenkasu), pickled ginger and green onion (Thank you wikipedia!).  Despite the fact that he compared the cabbage to the Kroger cole slaw blend, Joey said the Takoyaki was pretty solid.  He followed it with a Salmon Roll, which he said was acceptable.  Jackie had the Dragon Roll and the Uptown Roll.  She said they were both well made and well sized but tasted similar to each other.  Craig got Shrimp Udon.  He felt the noodles were good but the broth tasted like little else other than salt and the shrimp used in the soup were tiny.  David also had the Chicken Katzu (Lightly breaded chicken with Japanese bbq sauce, served with steamed rice and steamed vegetables), which he said was fine, if standard.

For my main course, I ordered the Maui Wowi (Crab,‎ avocado, cucumber baked with a special spicy sauce then layered with mango salsa).  I found the tempura a bit tough but the flavors were nice.

Spicy Tuna is everything. I just love it.

Spicy Tuna is everything. I just love it.

I also had the Pizza Roll, not to be confused with Pizza Rolls which I would still have gladly eaten.   This roll is Smoked salmon, avocado, and dynamite sauce, all finished in the oven.  While the roll was tasty, the baking part did made the rice hard and the whole thing was a bit greasy.  Which I realize only makes it more pizza like.

On a scale of Little Caesar's to Pizza hut, I'd say this pizza roll was a solid Dijourno.

On a scale of Little Caesar’s to Pizza hut, I’d say this pizza roll was a solid DiGiorno.

So overall it seems our feelings on Zensei Sushi were positive.  The service was great under pressure.  While there were some hiccups, they took very good care of us.  The food was good and well priced.  While I was not bowled over by anything I had, I would definitely not turn down an opportunity to return.

So, that’s it!  The last restaurant in the challenge.  I’ve had many readers ask what happens from here?  Well, I do plan to continue this blog into the new year. While I will not be dining at a new place every week, I will still be trying some new places and blogging about the places in San Diego that I already love. I want to thank everyone who read this nonsense that I post every week, especially those that comment, like and share my posts on social media. I never thought this blog would catch fire and be read by people all over the world that I don’t even know! I appreciate all of you and wish you the best in the new year. Thank you for taking and continuing this journey with me.

Sincerely,
Anthony Donovan
The Boy who ate San Diego

Big Kitchen (49 of 52)

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I’ve been very fortunate in this challenge to dine at some of San Diego’s premiere upscale restaurants.  Trendy, hip, swanky and (in some cases) just plain too good for the likes of me have all been explored but I’ve also loved going to the smaller, mom & pop-style hidden gems of the city.  I’ve learned that a restaurant experience doesn’t have to be expensive or have a celebrity chef attached to it to be unique.  Enter this week’s restaurant:  Big Kitchen.  As this was a breakfast, most of the usual early morning foods fans were in attendance.

Amy B-Vegetarian Belle, Author, Event Planner

Anna-Educator, flannel wearer, still mad at us for going to Snooze without her

Calei-Vegan food lover, a Mrs and a Mom, fellow Disneyland fan

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

Joe-Theatre and beer enthusiast, podcast co-host, Co-Creator of World’s Cutest Baby

Kelsey-Project manager, Advanced level foodie, Has been known to drop it like it’s hot after a few cocktails

Liam-Star Wars fan, Lego enthusiast, the Earl of Sandwich

Lily-World’s Cutest Baby (a Joe & Nicole production)

Nearly everyone in this photograph is from a place where we'd get made fun of for dressing like this in December in San Diego.

Nearly everyone in this photograph is from a place where we’d get made fun of for dressing like this in December in San Diego.

Big Kitchen has some serious history to it.  A San Diego staple for nearly 35 years, I may actually be the last person in this city to not have eaten here.  Many notables have come through and even worked here.  Most famously Whoopi Goldberg who left behind a promising career as a dishwasher at Big Kitchen to settle for becoming an Academy Award winning actress.  The staff, most notably owner Judy, are colorful friendly and so welcoming you really do feel like you’re a guest in someone’s home. Much like in my home, they only accept cash.  It actually makes dining with a large group easier, so it was no problem for me.  Those select few in my group who didn’t bring cash were back in a jiffy (yeah, I said jiffy) after hitting up a nearby ATM.  Jiffy.

Harry ordered the Turkey Omelette with a side of potatoes.  He enjoyed all facets of the dish and the roasted garlic was of particular note.  Calei got the Tofu Rancheros, which was originally brought to her with cheese but was made vegan at her request with absolutely no hassle.  She said the rancheros was super delicious and worth coming back for.  For Liam, she got the kid’s pancake, which he liked.  Amy had the Biscuit with veggie gravy with sauteed veggies,  fruit, Rye toast and fresh squeezed orange juice.  She’s been here several times and this dish is a favorite of hers.  Amy calls it the best veggie gravy she’s ever had with an amazing flavor and herbiness.  The sauteed veggies were a bit oily for her taste but she loves this place.  Anna ordered the Kirk Scramble.  She said it was awesome.  She loved the Blue Cheese, bacon and mushrooms.  Anna also found the potatoes to be top notch.

Kelsey had the Biscuits and gravy.  She found the gravy to be way too lumpy and the sausage was overwhelmed by the Sage and Thyme.  There was no parsley because Paul Simon didn’t make her breakfast.  She said it wasn’t bad but also wasn’t what she wanted.   Joe also had the biscuits and gravy.  He praised how big the food was but wished for more sausage.  Lily enjoyed her pancake.  I could tell she appreciated the fresh ingredients from the look of joy she wore while rubbing pieces of the ripped pancake into her hair, which she did because baby.  I had the spinach and mushroom omelette with bacon and potatoes on the side.  My breakfast also included an iPad-sized piece of coffee cake.  It was delicious but ridiculously large.

LARGE Coffee cake. I left the giant novelty fork in the picture for scale.

LARGE Coffee cake. I left the giant novelty fork in the picture for scale.

My main was course was fluffy and delicious.  While new ground certainly wasn’t broken, it was simple breakfast food done right.  Also, super affordable.

If they had drive thru, this place would be perfect.

If they had drive thru, this place would be perfect.

So in closing I would say Big Kitchen is definitely worth your time.  It’s charming, kitchy, cozy and fun.  Most importantly, good coffee and yummy breakfast food that will fill you up and make you happy in that special way that only breakfast, and occasionally tequila, can.

Further reading

 

Tam’s (44 of 52) (CLOSED)

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One of the things I’ve developed a great fondness for in the last few years is Thai food.  I first tried it when I was dating a guy some years ago who loved Thai food.  In the years since I’ve been unable to shake neither my love of spicy basil noodles nor younger guys who are completely wrong for me.  Fortunately, tonight I was only revisiting one of these life choices.  Tam’s is the first restaurant in this challenge that is literally walking distance from my home.  I still drove because lazy, but I totally could have walked there if I was so inclined.  Joining me was a small but dedicated group:

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

Amy B-Vegetarian Belle, Author, Event Planner

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

Durwood-Best friend, comedian, San Diego’s go-to young black non-singing actor

We stood on the stage for this pic. Does that sound odd? You ain't seen nothing yet...

We stood on the stage for this pic. Does that sound odd? You ain’t seen nothing yet…

Located in a tiny strip mall in Normal Heights, Tam’s defies expectations.  Unless you were expecting to walking into an empty restaurant in November with Valentine’s decorations up, Christmas lights, Disco ball lights, a stage and a tiny Asian lady asking what you’d like her to make for you, in which case you nailed this place.  Tam is delightful.  She’s such a character I wouldn’t be surprised if I found out she’s an actress playing the part of an old lady from a Kung Fu movie who has a Katana in her broom closet and the secrets of a thousand-year-old empire hidden in her spice rack.  I’m actually still unsure those last two aren’t true.  She speaks broken English, she’s sassy and she cooks all the food.  It’s very much like we were guests in her home and she treated us as such.

She bulldozed us into recommended we start with a curried potato egg roll with pumpkin sauce.  Not wanting to offend our hostess, we smiled politely and sipped our bottled water (which she brought us free of charge and insisted twice we weren’t drinking fast enough)  Turns out Tam knows what the hell she’s talking about and can throw down in the kitchen.  These were a massive hit with the table.  Crispy, rich with just the right amount of heat.  Easily worth coming back for alone.  This whole night just got as awesome as it was bizarre.

Asian fusion? Indian-inspired? Call it what you will, it was delicious.

Asian fusion? Indian-inspired? Call it what you will, it was delicious.

It wasn’t long before we had collectively finished enough of our water that we were allowed to order our dinners.  Tam was a bit overwhelmed with the amount of food but seemed up to the challenge of feeding this table full of hungry Americans (Look, for all I know she could also be a citizen but it’s way funnier to paint her as the near-offensive film cliche so just go with me on this.  Did I mention we love her?)

Aimee had the Amazingly Rich Pork (Batter fried pork loin with coconut ginger sauce and a Yellow Curry paste).  She said it lived up to it’s name.  Impressively moist for such a thin cut of pork.  Aimee called the Yellow curry a nice touch.  Harry ordered the Broccoli Stir Fry with Shrimp (with carrots and onion in oyster sauce).  He said it was awesome and tasted like Tom Yam Soup.  Amy got the Veggie Fried Rice.  She found the dish surprisingly light with very fresh vegetables and generously portioned.

Durwood had the Orange Chicken Pad Thai (yeah, that’s a thing) and Lard Nar with chicken (Rice noodles stir fried with garlic and broccoli).  He thought the pad thai was wildly innovative and delicious.  He called the dish “Some Top Chef-type shit”.  He also loved the flavor of the Lard Nar, calling it “Home made with a touch of love”.  I tried each one of these dishes and they were fabulous.  Loaded with flavor and super tasty.

Then something went wrong.  Very very wrong.  So wrong that I’m left confused and befuddled.

I ordered the Spicy Thai Curry Noodle (with snow peas, jalapeno, mushrooms, basil and curry powder).  My food came out last.  I was excited because, remember, I love Thai food and the evening had such promise and got off to such a strong start.  This dish…  It was awful.  It was absolutely flavorless.  It tasted like boiled pasta noodles with boiled vegetables.  Also a shit ton of curry powder which only added heat.  There had to have been a sauce she just forgot to add.  There HAD TO HAVE BEEN.  Everything else had been so good and so flavorful.  I poured some of my left over egg roll sauce all over my dinner and it barely helped.  I couldn’t get through it.  I was so upset.  Also confused but mostly upset that I was going to have to write about this dish during what had otherwise been a stellar evening of food.

We didn’t order dessert.  We didn’t have to because Tam brought us donuts.  I don’t mean she served us a house dessert based on donuts.  I mean an actual pink box of donuts from a nearby bakery.  Again, free of charge.  This made the evening even more awesomely strange.  I was pretty sure at that point Durwood was going to propose to her.

Yeah, totally not kidding about the donuts.

Yeah, totally not kidding about the donuts.

As for my dinner snafu, I have to chalk it up to a swing and a miss.  My dish was a mistake.  A smudge on an otherwise perfect record.  I am determined to return to Tam’s for another go at dinner.  She was too nice.  Too talented a cook and again, SHE GAVE US A DOZEN F**KING DONUTS.  I MEAN COME ON! I’m going back and you should go there too.

Further reading

To see all the photos from this meal be sure to follow The Boy who ate San Diego on Instagram

 

Little Tokyo (43 of 52) (CLOSED)

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Right now, in 2014, there are actual people who are still afraid of sushi.  My Mom is one of them.  You could even be related to one of them.  You could even be one of them and need smelling salts whenever you read about Aimee ordering Octopus on this blog.  I am here to break it down for you as it relates to this week’s restaurant.  Everything you need to know about what sushi is and isn’t and can be found on this clearly from the 90’s website.  I want you to read it before we continue.  Go ahead.  I’ll wait…

My love of sushi is well documented so I need little to no prodding (maybe a little prodding to get my fat ass loaded back into the car when I try to go home after eating 17 rolls) to go get some sushi.  When Little Tokyo was recommended to me, adding it to the list seemed like a no-brainer.  Joining me was a small but dedicated bunch.

Durwood-Best friend, comedian, San Diego’s go-to young black non-singing actor

Dylan-The newest addition, the 2014 model.  A Kate & Joe production.

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

Kate-Costume designer, Comedian, Once starred in a church rap video

Sebastian-The coolest kid in Kindergarten.  A Kate & Joe production.

Little Tokyo 1

Smile pretty! Everyone except Dylan, who finds selfies indulgent.

 

Located in the San Diego neighborhood of Carmel Mountain, Little Tokyo is quiet (very quiet this particular night) strip mall sushi place with charm and an affordable, if standard, menu.

Kate ordered the Crunchy Roll, which she says was good and right in line with white person sushi (or Gaijin as the Japaneses call it!).  Kate’s baseline gauge of the quality of any sushi place is its Spicy Tuna roll, which she also ordered and said was excellent. Finally she got an order of Yellowtail Nigiri, which she said was well cut and fresh.  Sebastian was a tough sell on Little Tokyo’s Orange Chicken with white rice due to the multi-colored sesame seed garnish but Kate bravely picked them out and Sebastian did put a dent in his dinner, which something I understand not all parents have as much luck with.  Dylan was less picky about her dinner as Kate’s boobs did not have sesame seeds on them.  This time.

Durwood had the Devil Roll (Shrimp Tempura, Crab, Avocado topped with Eel and Eel sauce).  He called it “Everything I love about sushi in one roll!” So well done.  He also had the Sesame Chicken Plate, which he called simple with good, tangy flavor.  He’s happy to see things like this available on the menu.  Harry had a Kirin Ichiban beer to drink along with Sunomono Salad, which he said was lacking in it’s customary wakame seaweed but was otherwise good.   Harry also had the Albacore Sashimi, which he said was “like buttah”.

I ordered Shrimp Tempura (*my* go-to sushi place appetizer).  God bless the Japanese and their penchant for lightly battering and frying anything at all.  There’s not much variant in how to prepare shrimp tempura but most of the menu at Little Tokyo is pretty standard fare.  It did the job it was meant to do.  Not the greatest I’ve had but certainly not bad either.  Competently made.

Little Tokyo 2

Like a warm hug from an old friend, so is the sight of fried seafood on a doily for me.

Up next was a spicy crab and tuna roll which tasted very fresh and was a really decent size for what I ordered.  I quite enjoyed it.

Little Tokyo 3

Random fact about me: I NEVER eat the end piece of sushi first or last. Sorry for the twitching, all my readers suffering from OCD.

Finally, I had a Surimi roll, which was tasty but HUGE.  Seriously, this was a hockey puck of sushi.  perhaps the most flagrant bastardization of Japanese sushi is America’s need to supersize everything.  It’s intended as finger food and while it was tasty enough, I’m not a big fan of sushi that I can’t eat in a single bite.  I don’t like to hold conversations while I’m trying to deep throat tuna.

Enjoy your sushi loaf.

Enjoy your sushi loaf.

The overall review of Little Tokyo is satisfying but nothing Earth shattering.  The atmosphere is quiet, the place is clean and the staff was very nice.  It’s also very affordable.  It did its job for me and while I could get very much the same type of food closer to home, I wouldn’t make it a point to drive up to Little Tokyo.  But if you are located near by and looking for some decent sushi, this is your place.

Further reading: http://www.yelp.com/biz/little-tokyo-san-diego

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

 

 

Mona Lisa (39 of 52)

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I grew up in an Italian American household.  That sounds so pretentious.  Like my parents were immigrants who looked like extras from a movie about the cold war (For the record, they aren’t).  Rhode Island was called “Little Italy” by many due to it’s large Italian population and surplus of gold chains and hair gel.  A number of family restaurants have been there for generations and my favorite one growing up was Marcello’s in Cranston, Rhode Island.  Old world charm, amazing classic style Italian food and best of all, on a busy Friday night, my family could show up unannounced and be instantly led past a line full of people waiting to our table.  How cool is that?!  Years later, Marcello’s has long since closed and the only clout I have is when the cashier at McDonald’s smiles at me and says “See ya tomorrow, Andy!” but I digress.  I have great memories of a time long since gone.

or is it?

Mona Lisa, located in a place actually called  Little Italy, is an old school Italian restaurant.  When I say “old school”, I mean dark 70’s wood paneling, romantic paintings on the walls and opera playing on the loud speakers.  At least 4 more square inches of chest hair sprung up on me the moment I crossed the threshold.  While dinner at a family-style Italian restaurant back in the day meant I ate with my family, today I embark on this culinary journey with the chosen family:

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

Amy B-Vegetarian Belle, Author, Event Planner

Durwood-Best friend, comedian, San Diego’s go-to young black non-singing actor

Dylan-The newest addition, the 2014 model.  A Kate & Joe production.

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

Joe “Bish”-Computer wunderkind, Husband of Kate, a tall drink of water

Kate-Costume designer, Comedian, Once starred in a church rap video

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

Sebastian-The coolest kid in Kindergarten.  A Kate & Joe production.

Tomy-Fashionista, Rocky Horror performer, an original Kathryn

Dine with us. We'll figure out together what, precisely, is a-matta-you.

Dine with us. We’ll figure out together what, precisely, is a-matta-you.

I really can’t talk about Mona Lisa without talking about the deli right next to it, owned by the same folks.  My boss was very enthusiastic about me hitting this up and after one quick walk through, it was easy to see why.  The place is full of all sorts of cool stuff.  Amy was a particular fan of the fact that they sold drums of cannoli cream.  I was shocked to discover a type of pasta I’ve never seen outside of Rhode Island is sold there.  It reminded me of delis in New York. which I love.  I also hear they make some killer sandwiches there so a trip back for lunch may need to be a thing.

We started off with beverages.  I had a real Italian vanilla cream soda with Torani syrup and actual cream.  It was a different texture but super good and sweet.  When they brought my house salad before dinner was when I knew this place was legit.  Oil and vinegar-based dressing.  This place tastes like home.  Very nostalgic.  At this point I was very excited to see how our main courses would fare.

I know it looks like used dish water with extra foam whip but trust me, it's damn delicious.

I know it looks like used dish water with extra foam whip but trust me, it’s damn delicious.

Aimee had the Gnocchi alla Vodka with meatballs.  Her dish was preceeded by a minestrone soup that she described as “meh” and mentioned that the broccoli in the soup looked and tasted a bit tortured.  The Gnocchi, on the other hand, was a home run for Aimee.  She said it was perfect, light and pillow-y dumplings with a really nice sauce.  The meatball she ordered with it was very flavorful.  Tomy ordered the Chicken Parmgiana with Canadian bacon and minestrone.  He, like Aimee, was not in love with the minestrone and said it needed some pasta in it.  He found is his main dish to be good but not spectacular.  He also made mention of the food being ridiculously large (it’s true, these plates are sized for sharing).  He did however love the cheesy garlic bread that he and Ky shared.

Amy got the Lasagna Marinara with a bowl of minestrone.  She felt the minestrone was solid with good spice.  She found the lasagna to be very good but nothing mind blowing.  She enjoyed the use of quality cheese and sauce in the lasagna.  The whole thing gave her a very comfort-food style vibe and reminded her of similar places she visited as a kid, much like I did.   Durwood ordered the Pesto alla Genovese with chicken with a Caesar salad.  He said his salad was really good; lightly tossed in just the right amount of dressing with quality cheese.  He gave another solid nod to the garlic bread.  While Durwood prefers a more traditional pesto, he really enjoyed his pasta.

Kate got the Chicken Marsala.   She found it to be good but nothing spectacular with a really good portion size.  Her most specific criticism was for the lack of flavor from the onions, which traditionally provide a sweet note.  She suspects they may not have been reduced enough.  Joe and Sebastian shared the Pepperoni Pizza.  This was a surprising hit.  As pizza is usually served as an after thought at restaurants that don’t specialize in it, this pizza was delicious, according to Joe.  He said it was so flavorful, it almost didn’t need sauce.  Ky had the cheese ravioli with meatballs.  She really enjoyed it, praising it’s great spices, cheeses and sauce.  Having tried it, I can honestly say it was my favorite thing at the table.  Super delicious.

Jason ordered the Lingiune with Clam Sauce.  He loved it, saying the dish was beautifully made and had a generous number of clams.  Furthermore, he loved the fact that the clams weren’t sandy, which I took to mean they must instead be Danny.  I had the Chicken Parmigiana.  One thing I found to be a bit odd was the accompanying linguine was served on a separate plate.  I’m used to the meat being served on top (Pause for gay joke).  The cut of chicken was good.  Great breading and moist chicken with a solid marinara sauce.  As Tomy had mentioned, it was huge but very satisfying and made for a great lunch at work the next day.  As Amy and Kate suggested, this was straight up Italian comfort food done well.

Vegetables, you've never been more unnecessary.

Vegetables, you’ve never been more unnecessary.

With the sheer mass of the food, it was tough to think about dessert but we are dedicated to sitting in true judgement about this place, so we soldier on.  Aimee ordered the Lemon Sorbet.   She loved it, calling the sorbet refreshing, light and zesty.  Plus points for presentation as it was served in a hollowed out lemon.  Amy got the Cannoli, which she dubbed really solid.   Durwood had the Tiramisu.   To say he loved it would be an understatement.  He called it fresh, light, creamy.  Basically a mouth orgasm.  It had him dancing in his seat.  Jason echoed that sentiment, calling it the best Tiramisu he’s ever had.

Sebastian and I ordered the Spumoni Ice Cream.  This is a dessert I hold near and dear to my heart.  When I was little, Marcello’s had a spumoni ice cream dish that I loved.  Spumoni is a molded ice cream dish (think Neapolitan) with fruit and nuts.  They would top it off for me with Creme de menthe.  I’m not sure why they would serve a 6 year old alcohol but my parents sure appreciated how quiet the ride home from the restaurant was.  I was disappointed that Mona Lisa did not have Creme de menthe but they offered Kahlua and it wasn’t the same but did call to mind the flavors of the dish as I remember it, which I loved.  Sebastian had his sans Kahlua and really loved the pistachio layer of the ice cream.

The Kahlua made it melty. Come to think about it, it also made me a little melty.

The Kahlua made it melty. Come to think about it, it also made me a little melty.

In closing, while some of the food was hit or miss for the group, we overall really enjoyed the experience of dining here.  Most of us plan on coming back and Durwood said it would be a great spot for a date.  The staff was friendly and very helpful.  It was nice family meal, which is really what a good Italian restaurant is for.

Further reading: http://www.monalisalittleitaly.com/restaurant.php

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

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! 

 

Alchemy (26 of 52) (CLOSED)

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I kind of love the San Diego neighborhood of South Park.  It’s got small town charm with hipster-y pubs and bars plus a yummy ice cream parlor.  There’s also a number of great places to eat in this section of town.  Among them is a place many of my friends have been going to for years but I’d never been to.  Several people were shocked to hear I’ve never been to Alchemy to which I always responded next time invite me, bitches  I guess the timing just never worked out.  Oh well, that’s what this here challenge is all about.  Joining me in this week’s adventure were:

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

Amy-Vegetarian Belle, Author, Event Planner

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

Joey-Future music professor, Sazerac drinker, makes a mean cup of coffee

Kelsey-Project manager, Advanced level foodie, Has been known to drop it like it’s hot after a few cocktails

Suzanne-My Italian soul sista, Can throw down in the kitchen, the cultured one who pronounces everything correctly.

DSCF2721

Until we come back here and get a photo of all of us staggering drunk after sampling the entire drink menu, this shot will have to do.

The atmosphere at Alchemy is nice.  There’s books on ceiling.  I’m not sure why but it’s a quirky touch that I enjoyed and most importantly, not a single one fell on my head during dinner.  That’s a good thing,  as my ability to injure myself in unusual and hilarious ways is at damn near Wile E. Coyete levels.  Alchemy, as to be expected from their name, has a rather enormous drink menu.  Our group made good use of it here.  Aimee had the white Sangria, which she loved and applauded the fact that it was served without ice.  Amy ordered the Alchemist Mule (grapefruit-lime cordial & ginger-beer with Vodka) and later the Southpark (Gin, barrel-aged satsuma shrub & burnt orange).  She felt the real strength of this place was in their drinks with their interesting and different options.  Joey echoed those sentiments, adding that the cocktail menu was super thought-provoking and one that he’s eager to explore further.

For appetizers, Kelsey had the Shrimp Cocktail.  She found it nothing to write home about with a runny sauce.   Amy had the Pepita y Limon Ensalada (english cucumber, shaved radish, house blend red chile powder, arbequina olive oil,  micro cilantro)  and a bowl of Watermelon Gazpacho.  She said the salad was nice &light but could use a touch more chili powder.  In contrast, she loved the gazpacho and said it was fantastic.  Suzanne, Joey and I all ordered the Thai Corn Fritter (white corn,  chick pea flour,  fish sauce,  green curry,  micro cilantro & sweet chili sauce).  Joey called it delicious with a perfect pairing in the chili sauce but wouldn’t have minded a heavier hand with the fish sauce.  I really liked these.  The corn was fresh and sweet.  They were fried a little harder than I like but the flavors were all there and the sauce was insanely good.

I would build every course around this sauce... Which would get really awkward come dessert...

I would build every course around this sauce… Which would get really awkward come dessert…

For main courses Aimee ordered K.C. BBQ Pork Spare Ribs, Cheddar cheese grits with apple wood smoked  bacon and cheddar bay biscuits with wild flower honey-butter.  Aimee  said her ribs were delicious; tender but not overdone with a great sauce.  Of less note to her were the sides, stale white bread and “grocery store quality” cole slaw.  Pretty standard sides in her estimation.  Her grits (which were strangely missing bacon) were good, which is high praise from an Alabama native raised on such fare.  The real star aside from the ribs for Aimee were the biscuits and honey butter, both of which she absolutely loved.  Suzanne had the Sancocho Columbiano (stew pot chicken,  carrots,  plantain , yucca,  sofrito,  avocado & micro cilantro).  This was a dish Suzanne grew up eating.  Alchemy’s approach was a little different from how she knew the dish but she enjoyed their take on it.  The temperature at which the dish was served was a little extreme and she’d never seen the dish served with bone-in chicken but she really enjoyed it and the soffrito based, which they seemed to nail.

Joey had the Watermelon Cod.  While the dish was light and fresh, Joey felt the flavors were lacking.  The seasoning that was there was noticeably uneven from bite to bite.  The pickled watermelon on the dish could’ve been stronger in flavor but the radishes offered a nice texture component.   Kelsey ordered Braised Beef Cheek with Ricotta Polenta and cheddar bay biscuits with wild flower honey-butter.  While she felt brown gravy was an odd choice for the dish, she did enjoy it but felt it was under seasoned and nothing she couldn’t make at home.  We’ll file the last part of that sentence under “things you’ll never hear me say unless a cereal restaurant opens somewhere”.

Amy ordered the Farro Risotto with heirloom tomato, broccolini, shaved golden beets, almond cilantro pesto & almond parmesan.    She was very impressed with the Farro.  Most places that offer a vegetarian or vegan options (Alchemy has both) tend to be limited and unimaginative in their offerings but Amy was really happy to see all that they offer.  She said Alchemy really knows how to make a good vegetarian dish.  “They get us.”   Harry had the shoe string frites & Larb Goong (shrimp tossed with lime, mint, bibb lettuce cups & peanuts).  Harry, like most of us who tried it, was crazy about the curry ketchup offered with the fries.  The curry spice with the tomato was kind of perfect.  Even Joey (a notorious ketchup detractor) seemed to like it.  Harry said the Larb Goong was really good with a nice, nutty flavor.

At first I resisted ordering the Fish & Chips as it seemed to be a very pedestrian choice.  I’ve noticed as time has gone on with this challenge, I’ve gotten used to ordering more unique dishes so this felt like a step back.  On the other hand, it was what I wanted so I went for it.  The portions were huge!  3 pieces of giant fried fish in newspaper.  That having been said, they were pretty delicious.  The fry went a little more well done than I prefer but it was super tasty and moist.  Then we have the chips.  THANK YOU SWEET LORD OF POTATOES!!!!  ACTUAL. STEAK. FRIES.  THIS is what I have been wanting for WEEKS!!!  Thick cut, done to perfection.  Floppy, moist and fluffy (also the names of my imaginary pet Llamas)  The garlic aioli was outstanding.  I’m sure the curry ketchup would’ve been pretty bomb with these also but by the time this occurred to me, the garlic aioli and I had already cemented our monogamous relationship with one another.  Seriously awesome.

Yes the fish was good but THEM FRIES, THO.

Yes the fish was good but THEM FRIES, THO.

After dinner, Harry and Suzanne kept the drinking theme going with a flight of Ports.  They seemed to enjoy them very much.  Suzanne called them a great finish to a really nice meal.   Alchemy’s dessert menu is by no means large but we sampled some of it.  Aimee & Harry had the duo of house-made gelato (The featured flavors were Lime/Cherry and Pink Guava).  They were both very tasty but the portions were a bit small.  Just a scosche above tasting portions.     Amy ordered the Blueberry Bread Pudding with bourbon caramel, strussel and cinnamon gelato.  This one was pretty deadly.  Sweet in all the best ways.  It evokes flavors of every great kind of blueberry baked goods and the cinnamon gelato was outstanding.

The big Blueberry finish.

The big Blueberry finish.

Overall I would say Alchemy lives up to the hype.  It seems like it would be a great place to stop in for a cocktail and some small plates at the bar.  Their brunch is also highly touted and this place made a good enough impression on me that I’m eager to return and see how many of those steak fries I can eat at try their brunch.

 

Further reading: http://alchemysandiego.com/

If you want to see all of the pics from this week’s entry, be sure to follow The Boy Who Ate San Diego on Instagram!

Addison (24 of 52)

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When I think about some of the best meals I’ve ever had, the 1st attribute of them that comes to mind is not that they tasted good.   I mean, of course, they “tasted good” (that’s kind of a basic qualifier)  but the very best meals go much further than that.  These meals transport you.   They make you taste the skill in preparation.  Each ingredient sings and comes together in such a way that you never forget not only the taste, but the presentation, the smells and how eating it made you feel.  That’s the real stuff there.  The stuff that makes you view food differently than you did before you sat down for that meal.

Addison, located by the Grand Del Mar,  is Southern California’s only Five-Star/Five Diamond restaurant and is said to be the “finest dining experience available in San Diego”.  Well, Addison, the crew from BW8SD and I wholeheartedly accept your challenge.

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

Amy B-Vegetarian Belle, Author, Event Planner

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

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

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

Joey-Future music professor, Sazerac drinker, makes a mean cup of coffee

Kathy-Loves a good farmer’s market, another camping enthusiast, Mother of Chris.

Kelsey-Project manager, Advanced level foodie, Has been known to drop it like it’s hot after a few cocktails

 

Me and my dear friends in the world of high end fancy-pantsness. Amazingly, they let us use the good silverware.

Me and my dear friends in the world of high end fancy-pantsness. Amazingly, they let us use the good silverware.

In addition to this here blog post, we were also celebrating Chris’s birthday.  He has been one of the driving forces behind this blog and he suggested this place so I figured if I’m gonna drop an obscene amount of money on dinner I may as well do it under the guise of celebrating the birth of a dear friend.  We were led by our host (yeah, we had our own) into the marble-lined lobby, through the marble-lined foyer into the equally marble-lined salon.  That’s fancy talk for lounge, in case you thought they were going to give us all ANTM-style makeovers before letting us into their restaurant.  Although, for a minute, I was hopeful.  We ordered some cocktails to start the night.   Aimee and I both had the La Grand Champange; j.lassalle champagne, grand marnier, bitters.   Sumptuous, fruit forward with great bubbles and a slight sweetness.  Also, strong enough to knock out a burrow.   Kathy ordered the Philanthrope; patron silver, basil, cucumber, lime, agave.  She loved the refreshing qualities of the drink.   Amy B had the Les Belles Abielles; belvedere vodka, thyme, lemon, vanilla, honey.  She said it was delicious and loved the name.  Harry ordered the Creme a’ l’orange; buffalo trace bourbon, lillet, orange.  He also enjoyed it.   Kelsey had the Mon Amor; bombay gin, elderflower liqueur, campari, lemon.  Le Salon visit was going really well.   Along with our cocktails, Chris ordered a plate of Kumamoto Oysters, which he and everyone else who ate them said were absolutely spectacular.  They seriously wouldn’t shut up about it so I’m gonna guess they were good.

The time had come and our table was ready.  Our bartender took all of our drinks and arranged them on a tray so we could be led into the main dining room.  We walked in procession and all I could hear in my head was this.  As we got closer to an enormous table, each of our 9 chairs were being stood behind by a different server.  In precision usually found in a choreographed ballet, all 9 chairs were pulled out at once and we sat down.  Before purses could hit the floor, small “purse stools” were placed beneath them.   This was luxury at it’s finest and I left like a toothless hillbilly seeing indoor plumbing for the first time.

The 1st thing we were brought was an amuse bouche.  Something to wake up the taste buds before the meal.  A base of yogurt with cucumbers, honey and a few sour elements.  Each of the flavors hit my palette like singers hitting perfect pitch in a beautiful 4-part harmony.  This was Boyz II Men in my mouth.  This was really unlike anything I’ve ever tasted and the meal hadn’t even begun yet.  The next 4 hours (Yes, FOUR HOURS) would be only uphill from here.

Addison Amuse

4 bites. A million flavors. This was the point we realized this meal was going to be something epic.

We ordered the laughably named “4 course menu”.  I say laughably because all told it wound up being about 11 courses of stuff being brought to us over the course of the night.  We all ordered largely different things but we all got to try just about everything so who ordered what will be less specific in this entry.  Just assume everyone had everything they could eat.  1st course offerings included a Sake cured Hamachi (Lime, Uni & Asian Greens).  Chris called it really phenomenal with the best Uni he’s ever had among raves from everyone else who tried it.  I (and our vegetarians) had the Spring Vegetables A la Nage (Parmesan and Extra Virgin Olive Oil).  You would never imagine a dish so simple could be so amazing.  The broth was poured over the vegetables at our table.  The smell of this rich, earthy broth wafted up at me and everyone near me.  It was magical.  The vegetables were slightly crunchy and mildly sweet.  Each flavor was present and prominent.  Full of flavor but still so incredibly light.  This dish was the result of a masterfully delicate hand in it’s preparation.

I could have eaten a gallon of this broth. Amazing work.

I could have eaten a gallon of this broth. Amazing work.

I wanted to take a minute here and recognize Addison’s Wine Director Elizabeth Huettinger.  She not only was able to suggest 2 fantastic wines for the table (a 2013 Chenin Blanc from Jurassic Park Winery and a South African Grenache, which were both fabulous) but she was super engaging, nice and immediately knew how to appeal to our geeky nature.  Plus her wine knowledge and know-how of food pairings was pretty spectacular.  She was awesome.

Before the next course arrived, we were treated to our 1st bread service.  A small ball of Brioche with a melted Rosemary butter cream in the center.  The chef requested that we eat it as a single bite.  Considering, at this point in the meal,  everyone at this table was ready to murder a bus load of orphans if the chef asked, we found following these instructions quite simple.   We all ate it at once and a hush fell over the table.  I just looked up and saw closed eyes and looks of absolute bliss across the table.  I just said “Heaven”, because that’s what the experience of this melt-in-your-mouth bread felt like.  Beautiful salty and sweet, soft & warm textures.  Fantastic.

Bread has no business ever being this delicious. Like, ever.

Bread has no business ever being this delicious. Like, ever.

2nd course offerings included Octopus Grille (Charred tomatillos, garlic and espelette).  Aimee, briefly an actual Japan resident, called it one of the most amazing dishes she’s ever had.  Joey, of actual Japanese heritage, said he’s never had better octopus.  Aimee implored me to break my standing rule that I mentioned right from the get go and try it.   I ate a small piece and it tasted like tender, light white fish.  I’m told this in no way represents the usual texture of octopus and is simply a side effect of the magic that our wizard chef practices on food.  Aimee told me to never try it again because it would simply never be that good again.  This advice, I can follow.  Kelsey had the King Crab (savoy cabbage and shellfish consomme) which she described as amazing and tasted like butter.  The Amy’s had the Red Pepper “Tarte Tatin” (Chevre, black olives and arugula).  The final florish on this dish was the 50 year old Balsamic Vinegar.  Yeah.  50 year old.   Amy B said words fail her to describe the amazing-ness of this dish.  Amy J said the dish was expertly crafted and fantastic.  I had the Caramelized Codfish (Daikon, charred scallions & Dashi).  This was gorgeous piece of fish that was melt-in-your-mouth good with another incredible smelling and tasting broth.  Perfect levels of sweet, savory and salty.

Right around here was where I decided I was never leaving.

Right around here was where I decided I was never leaving.

The third course only got better and better as our proper main courses took the stage.  Salmon au Beurre Sale (beets, apples, fennel and “troisgros” sauce) is possibly the best piece of salmon you’ll ever eat.  Joey praised the perfect temperature and preparation.   Kathy ordered the Coffee Roasted Canard (koshihikari rice and candied peanuts).  Canard is French for “Duck”  (I knew that without looking it up, which I’m sure would make my 11th grade French teacher, Ms. Coyle, very happy.  Provided she’s still alive somewhere.)   It was hugely aromatic.  Kathy loved the toasty elements and thought the texture was incredible.    I ordered the Kobe Beef Short Rib (mushroom gratin and potato croustillant) The sauce on the meat was chocolate fudge-level thick with an amazing impactful flavor.  The meat was tender and rich.  The potatoes were incredible.  Along with the mushrooms, these were great reminders of what we were seeing over and over again throughout this meal:  The simplest ingredients can be the most amazing thing you’ve ever tasted if they are prepared by a skilled enough chef.

You're probably thinking at this point that none of this looks like a lot of food. Trust me, it was the perfect amount by the end of the night.

You’re probably thinking at this point that none of this looks like a lot of food. Trust me, it was the perfect amount by the end of the night.

We had a long way to go still before dessert, so this was the perfect time for the table to enjoy Addison’s Cheese Service.  5 incredible cheeses: Largo: soft, smokey, ashy and creamy with just a hint of sour on the finish.  Ardi Gasna: A little firmer with a tangy, richer but still creamy flavor.  Hafod Cheddar: Bold and strong with a zingy sharpness.  Crystalization from the again process gave it beautiful cripsy and creamy texture.  Cabot Clothbond: soft, rich, earthy and pungent with mouth-filling flavor.  Fourme d’Ambert: a tangy blue with the perfect amount of bitterness, salt and creaminess.  The word “Foodgasm” was dropped more than once in the description of these cheeses.  One unnamed diner even went so far as to say this cheese plate was so good it made her “not want to have babies”.  Well, then.

I felt food drunk after this cheese plate. That's a good thing, btw.

I felt food drunk after this cheese plate. That’s a good thing, btw.

After the full scale assault of this cheese, Addison provided a palette cleanser in the form of a light lemon sorbet with rhubarb.  Kelsey described it as “Like the greatest orange sherbert you’ve ever had”.  She’s right.  It was light, refreshing and sweet.  The tiny slivers of rhubarb gave the dish a perfect tang and crunch.  A perfect in betweener before dessert.

Only the best place on Earth will bring you dessert twice.

Only the best place on Earth will bring you dessert twice.

No one in our group was surprised to find that dessert here was also all sorts of amazing. Among the dishes ordered were Tarte au Chocolat (cherries glacé and pistachios), Vanilla Pot de Creme (wild berry confiture and passion fruit) and what I had for dessert; Galette au Chocolat (mint chip ice cream and chocolate mousse).  The best way to describe this dessert is the fanciest mint chocolate chip ice cream sandwich you’ve ever encountered in life.  It was perfect.  Rich, sweet, creamy and beautiful to look at.  The mousse was absolutely perfect.  A dessert so incredible, I didn’t even care that I was eating it at 10pm.

Gold flecks on top bring to mind the image of a disco pimp making it rain in the club right before the food leaves the kitchen and arrives at your table. At least that's what it said to me, your mileage may vary.

Gold flecks on top bring to mind the image of a disco pimp making it rain in the club right before the food leaves the kitchen and arrives at your table. At least that’s what it said to me, your mileage may vary.

Just when Joey said that he couldn’t eat another bite of food, one appeared.  Addison just likes to make absolutely certain that you will forsake all other dining experiences in your life, so they delivered a single Macaron to each of us and it was, of course, perfect.  Sweet, light, cripsy and slightly chewy filling.  Aimee, usually the toughest dessert critic, called it one of the best she’s ever had.

Strong finish to an impossibly flawless meal. I may have dreamed this whole thing.

Strong finish to an impossibly flawless meal. I may have dreamed this whole thing.

Now, in the interest of maintaining my title of “keeper of the real”, I will say that Addison is by no means cheap.  I won’t be so crass as to share the exact amount of our bill but I will say that the 9 of us ate an amount of food equal to purchasing a 2003 Ford Focus (Yes, Chris actually checked the Kelly Blue Book rates on this).  The flipside of this is, this is a once in a lifetime dining experience that I wholeheartedly believe everyone should have at least once.

Chris really put it best; This was different from just a “nice restaurant” but rather food on another level altogether.  It’s not merely cooking but an expression of art.  The team at Addison, led by Executive Chef William Bradley & Chef de Cuisine Anthony Secviar, are artists in the purest sense of the word and their work deserves to be experienced by everyone at least once.

Further reading http://addisondelmar.com

Also, be sure to follow The Boy Who Ate San Diego on Instagram to see all the pictures from this meal and trust me, you WANT to see these pictures.