Tag Archives: The Boy Who Ate San Diego

Special Report: The Boy Who Ate Nashville

by

Suffering from a bit of the tl;dr ?  Scroll to the end for my Nashville cheat sheet!

A few years ago, I did something I’ve never done before.  Traveled alone.  I don’t get to do much by myself and while I’ve flown alone numerous times, I’d never taken an actual trip anywhere solo.  That changed when my two oldest Nieces were graduating from high school in Northern Alabama.  My family decided to fly out and celebrate together.   My Dad wanted to meet in Nashville and drive down.  I decided on a whim to fly out a few days early and make a solo trip to explore the city before my family joined me.  I had a few friends who live there and I’d never been before, so it was all new.  I wasn’t sure what to expect.

I vowed after that to take more solo trips.  It was AWESOME.  For someone who doesn’t enjoy Country music, I had myself a TIME in Nashville.  Over those first few days I had adventures with friends, got lost a few times when my GPS failed, saw an incredible museum, banged up my rental car (note: Always get the full coverage.  Seriously.) but the thing I did the most was eat.  I tried to hit up as many places as I could before my family got in.  I love my Dad but his idea of dining out in a new city is visiting the local Chili’s (No disrespect to Chili’s but ever since they changed the recipe of their chicken crispers, things have changed between us.  It’s still pretty painful for me.  I don’t wanna talk about it).   I spent weeks putting together lists of restaurants and record stores I wanted to visit.  Some meals were so sublime, I vowed that were I ever to return to Nashville, I would hit them up immediately.  

Last Christmas, I found myself back in Music City.   It was GO time.  

I committed myself to covering 12 restaurants in 4 days and I did it, thanks in no small part to my travelling companion, Aimee.  She was also a great help in putting together a list of places of interest.  In fact, two of the best places were her suggestions.  I was also joined by a few friends at some locations who did an admirable job of helping me explore menus.  NGL, by day 3 I was rockin’ a pretty epic case of heartburn but with grit, determination and a fistful of Prilosec, I soldiered on.  For you, I do this.  I also spent a week doing a complete reset/cleanse because I can’t be cursed with the daily meat sweats for the rest of my days.  Here’s the low down on the places we hit:

Puckett’s (500 Church Street, Nashville 37219)

We were barely off the plane before it was time for lunch at this “Southern bar with an old general store feel”.  Aimee and I shared an order of Bubba’s Bones (Deep-fried baby back ribs tossed in Puckett’s BBQ sauce).  They were smokey and spicy with a nice chew.  Aimee enjoyed the fact that they weren’t over sauced and found the meat to be tender.  For me, deep frying dried them out a bit but they were tasty. 

Bubba got bones

For lunch, I ordered the Puckett’s BBQ Sandwich.  You can get it with pulled pork, chicken or brisket, each slow-smoked with cherry wood.  When I asked our server which protein is best, she responded “PORK!” as though the other options were burnt sinew or a used Kleenex.  The pork was very good and Puckett’s does a lovely spicy BBQ sauce.  The fries are also dry-rubbed, which were also great to dip in the BBQ sauce.  Our friends Patty and Jessica were big fans of the signature fruit tea (Blackberry citrus sweet iced tea).  Fortunately, they sell it by the gallon so you can play Puckett’s: The Home Game.  The only real misfire for me was dessert.  Puckett’s offers a “cobbler of the day” and Aimee and I decided to share the chocolate cobbler.  It was somewhere between an overcooked brownie and a stale cookie.  It was sweet but super chewy and needed a sauce or something.  A disappointing to end an otherwise perfectly fine meal.

Chauhan Ale and Masala House (123 12th Avenue, Nashville 37203)

Owned by celebrity chef Maneet Chauhan, this refurbished brick garage offers creative spins on Indian cuisine.  This was Aimee’s first suggestion for the trip and I’ll never be done thanking her for it.  Y’all.  Y’ALL.  This was the most spectacular dining experience I had in Nashville.  I will RUN back to this place when I am next in town.  As soon as you walk into the space, you are hit with the most intoxicating smell of curry and it only gets better from there.  I started with Garlic Parmesan Naan which was tender, chewy, savory and delicious.  My favorite part is dipping my naan and there were two fantastic options for that.  The first was the unexpected and life changing Saag Mac and Cheese.  I know, I know.  Everybody and their Mother has a Mac and Cheese but this was something truly special.  Tender spiral pasta surrounded by a creamy, velvety spinach-based sauce that’s grassy, herbaceous and so flavorful.  It feels weird calling it Mac and Cheese but it’s amazing.  We never saw it coming.  A real find.  

Blue box? I don’t know her…

For my main course, I chose the “build your own curry” option, which allows you to pair the protein of your choice with the curry of your choice.  I wanted to veer away from my usual chicken tikka masala in favor of something new.  I chose Ginger Garlic Shrimp in Korma (Saffron and cashew-based sauce).  The shrimp were plump, perfectly cooked and there were a ton of them in that little dish.  The sauce was another home run; savory, richly spiced and velvety.  It balanced perfectly with the side of basmati rice.  Once I ran out of naan to dip, I damn-near picked it up and drank it.  It was SO GOOD.  

Aimee was feeling more adventurous and chose the Tikka Masala Pork Shank for her main course.  Her exact words were “THE GREATEST PORK SHANK EVER!!!!”.  It was huge.  Like, this thing would tip over Fred Flinstone’s car (Another knee slapper from me!-your Grandparent’s favorite comic!).  The meat just fell off the bone.  It had amazing smokey flavor, assisted by great charred marks and surrounded by a delicious, citrus-y tikka masala.  If I had one more bite of food I was going to explode.  Aimee was feeling similarly but ordered dessert to go anyway.  She chose the Gulb Jamun Cheesecake, a light cheesecake with tiny donuts inside.  She said it was very tasty.  I could spend an entire episode gushing about this place.  It is a must do.   Although, a word of caution:  Parking is a challenge.  There is a nearby pay lot but it often closes early, over charges and is crowded.  They recommend that you instead park at the Whole Foods up the street, which has an underground parking garage.  Whole Foods also validates, so you can grab something upstairs, throw it in your car and walk a block to the best friggin’ meal you’ll have that day.

Five Daughter’s Bakery (1110 Caruthers Avenue, Nashville 37204)

Family owned and operated by Isaac and Stephanie Meek and named for their five adorable Daughters, Five Daughter’s is home of the 100 layer donut, which is exactly as fascinating and delicious as it sounds.   Taking up to three days to craft, these donuts are serious business.  They are offered in a variety of recurring and seasonal flavors.  We did a few of each.  My favorite of the staple items was the Vanilla Cream donut (infused with and topped with Vanilla Buttercream).  Given the size and feel of these donuts, they are surprisingly light and airy!  Soft and sweet with the perfect ratio of frosting (For me, anyway, you people who don’t like frosting on cupcakes are weird.  Just have a muffin).  Other highlights included the Strawberry Lemon Cheesecake Donut.  Aimee praised the smooth cream that perfectly balanced the tartness of the lemon.  Another treat was the Boston Cream Donut.  It’s huge, first off.  Many of these things are sized for sharing.  What we both noticed immediately was the chocolate on top.  It wasn’t a glaze, instead it was real chocolate ganache!  We both named the same donut as our favorite and you’ll understand in a moment why telling you this is entirely unhelpful.  As we were visiting Nashville in December of last year, it was a seasonal flavor; Mini Sugar Cookie Donut.  A light, airy donut base with typical sugar cookie frosting and an absolutely delicious Vanilla Swiss Buttercream filling.  I sincerely hope if you’re able to make it to Five Daughters Around the holidays that they choose to offer this flavor again because it’s pretty incredible.  The location we went to was cute as all get out but offered no indoor seating.  I can tell you from extensive testing, these donuts eat just fine from the driver’s seat of your car.

To owners, Five Daughters, one very happy fat kid

Belle Mead Meat and Three (110 Leake Avenue, Nashville 37205)

Located inside the historic Belle Meade Winery, we came here for a traditional “Meat and Three”.  It’s a cafeteria style, elbows-on-the-table type place that offers exactly what it promises.  For my meat, I had the smoked meatloaf, which was very tasty.  Aimee had the fried catfish (her favorite).  She said they did it perfectly, crispy and flavorful with a tasty house made tartar sauce.  Speaking of which, this place has a downright impressive selection of sauces.  Tartar Sauce, White BBQ Sauce, Classic BBQ, Vinegar BBQ Sauce, Mustard BBQ Sauce and something called “Comeback Sauce”.  I tried several times to get a description for it, but all anyone could say is “It’s…Comeback Sauce!  Y’know.  Come back!”  Sure…

The three sides that I chose (no small feat for my Herculean decision paralysis) were Fried Okra, Mashed potatoes with gravy and Mac and Cheese, which I have been assured is considered a vegetable in the South.  We also had a choice of biscuit or corn cake, which basically looked like a pancake with a spray tan.  The Okra was crispy, well fried and not slimy, although I didn’t quite need the old-school-Chipotle-sized spoonful (real ones know).  Everything else was fine.  Wasn’t blown away. 

Served alongside my own good ol’ fashioned side of fried white guilt

Aimee echoed my thoughts on the Mac and Cheese and mashed potatoes.  She also tried the BBQ Beans, which she said were sweet and well made.  Aimee added a dessert of seasonal Gingerbread Pudding, which was dried out from too much molasses and was in desperate need of whipped cream or ice cream.  Overall, I’m not really sure what all the hubbub was about with this place, for me it was just okay.  Also, there’s an uncomfortable footnote I would like to add here.

Belle Meade is a beautiful property; a historic landmark that is often booked for weddings, tours, parties, etc.  I’ll be clear: It’s a plantation.  While Aimee and I didn’t do the official tour, we did walk the grounds and I’m not gonna lie; I’m not a big believer in the supernatural but the place felt haunted.  Maybe there’s some energy that felt bad to me or maybe it was just my subconscious unable to turn away from the human suffering that almost definitely happened here.  When we turned a corner and saw the “servant’s quarters”, I’d had quite enough historical ick for the day and it was time to go.  Again, this was strictly my experience of being there.  Your results may vary but I wanted to arm you with that knowledge in case it informs your decision to visit.  Moving on.  

Hattie B’s Chicken (112 19th Avenue S, Nashville 37203)

Following an afternoon Tornado watch (Tennessee pulled out all the stops for our visit), my friends and I did an impromptu late dinner at local Hot Chicken chain, Hattie B’s.  Offering classic Nashville hot chicken in varying levels of heat, it’s a great no-fuss style place to grab a sandwich and hang with friends.  Now, on the subject of me, I LOVE spicy foods but I also know myself and I was determined to not make myself the same cautionary tale as celebrity chef David Chang (Check out his Netflix Series “Ugly Delicious”, Season 1, Episode 6 for the best story about Nashville Hot Chicken you’ve ever heard in life).  I went with the traditional hot chicken sandwich with medium heat with a side of crinkle cut fries.  The sandwich was very tasty and spicy but nothing I couldn’t handle. I feel like there’s maybe a more authentic version of NHC to be found(?) But I was happy with my choice. 

Please enjoy this uncomfortably close and wildly unappetizing shot of my meal!

I have to take this opportunity to give props to my girl Vicki, who was with us.  She ordered chicken tenders with the top 2 levels of spice to them!  She enjoyed both of them but even she had to back down from the spiciest level after a few bites.  Described the ghost pepper burn as moving clearly from the back of her throat to the front.  Love that for her.  

Aimee ordered the not-spicy Southern Fried Chicken, which she called juicy and delicious.  Perfectly crispy with lots of black pepper.  She also got fries with more “Comeback Sauce”, which, I guess that means she came back to it since lunch???  She also had cheesy bacon grits, which she said were smoky but way too thick.  We both had the banana pudding for dessert and it was…not great.  The bananas had disintegrated down to nothing and I was once again left to ponder why this city has such an aversion to whipped cream?  Aimee liked that the Nilla wafers still had some crunch to them but agreed they could only do so much to save this weak dessert.     

Biscuit Love (316 11th Avenue S, Nashville 37203)

By Day 3 of my trip, I was firmly on the struggle bus when I woke up with heartburn radiating down to my kneecaps but nothing could stop me from today’s breakfast. This is a place I discovered in 2021 and I’ve dreamed of returning ever since.  I ordered the exact same thing I had last time because it was perfection.  We started with an order of Bonuts (a biscuit/donut hybrid that is lightly fried, rolled in sugar, topped with a lemon mascarpone and served on a bed of blueberry compote).  These things are heavenly.  They are fried to order and served warm.  One bite and Aimee was a believer.  If you order nothing else at Biscuit Love, get these.  You will NOT be disappointed.

One bite and you’ll be ready to risk it all

My main breakfast was the East Nasty; a fried chicken thigh on top of a biscuit with country gravy.  I’ve never actually liked country gravy before eating this dish.  I know now that I just hadn’t eaten it made by people who make it correctly.  The chicken was perfectly fried, tender and so juicy.  The multiple layers of biscuit are buttery, fluffy and expertly baked.  It took me a little bit longer than usual to power through it but I achieved it, with help of the always-solid cup of Joe served at Biscuit Love.

Aimee ordered the traditional Biscuits and Sausage Gravy; A lifelong comfort food for this Heart of Dixie native and she grades harshly for those that don’t come correct with it.    She called it one of the best biscuits she’s ever had.  She didn’t even need to add her usual black pepper to the sausage gravy, calling it perfectly seasoned.  I swelled with the kind of pride and validation that can only come from a Yankee successfully pointing a Southerner to a great staple dish.  I chomped down on another fistful of Tums, reveling in my self-satisfaction. Shout out to the side order of Chronic Bacon, which we both loved.  Sweet and spicy candied swine at it’s best.   

Daddy Dogs (205 Printers Alley, Nashville 37201)

An event I got to attend in while in Nashville was hosted by Jackalope Brewing, featuring the food of popular Nashville food truck, Daddy Dogs.  Serving up the traditional franks with wildly creative twists (including Cream cheese or Peaches.  Yeah, they go there) and a bevy of coded dick jokes.  What’s not to love?  I ordered the “Music City”, topped with Bacon, Cheddar Cheese, Onion and BBQ Sauce.  While pretty tame compared to some of the more adventurous choices on the menu but it was really good.  Messy and very tasty.  I would totally work my way through the rest of the menu, given the chance.

Daddy Dogs: Queer coded deliciousness

The Twelve Thirty Club (550 Broadway, Nashville 37203)

A surprise last minute addition to my list was a late night visit to the Twelve Thirty Club, a massive structure hovering over the main strip of downtown Nashville.  Owned by Justin Timberlake, the irony was not lost on me that I was here with a handful of his former co-stars from a certain Disney television show in the 90’s. Full disclosure:  We met up with some other friends who had the full dinner on the 2nd floor and raved about the food.  Others and I did cocktails and small plates on the 3rd floor.  My small sampling of the food was far less impressive than the décor and vibe, which were stellar.  I ordered the shortrib potstickers with toasted sesame, cilantro and ponzu.  It was an underwhelming one-note flavor profile.  Potstickers need ginger, some element of citrus or another texture to the filling.  This was just shortrib in a thick dumpling.    I also had the Salt Crusted Warm Pretzels with provolone fondue. The pretzels were chewy with a crisp exterior and a velvety, rich sauce.  A pleasant enough small plate but nothing you couldn’t get at any chain restaurant.  They also had a nice selection of Ciders (a great choice for people like me who don’t drink beer)

While the food and service were a let down (Our server took major attitude when we asked her to adjust a bill that she herself screwed up.  I know, I hate doing my job too.)  This is a really gorgeous venue.  Thoughtfully designed, great live music and a fully realized vibe that couldn’t be further away from what you’ll walk back out into on the strip when you leave.  I’d come back for dinner based on my friend’s recommendation or just to have a cocktail and enjoy some live music.  

I sure am glad this post didn’t coincide with some bad press about this place’s owner! That would be awkward….

Loveless Café (8400 TN-100, Nashville 37221)

One of the places I ran out of time to visit in 2021 was first on the list this time but it required a reservation (Yes, even at 8am on a Monday morning) because it’s THAT iconic.  Boasting a rich history in Nashville spanning more than 70 years, the home open to hungry travelers by founders Lon and Annie Loveless is still serving up chicken, biscuits and all sorts of tasty dishes.  It has been frequented by numerous celebrities and covered on every food show imaginable.

While my experience with my server hours before at Timberlake’s house of apps and attitude was pretty sour, my experience at Loveless could not have been more of a skidding 180 degree turn from that.  Our server was delightful.  She gave us the history, answered questions and did it with authentic an Southern hospitality that truly impressed the former restaurant host, former server and current hospitality manager at my table.

The biscuits are legendary and it’s easy to see why.  They’re small but divinely fluffy, buttery and light.  Martha Stewart admits to putting some in her purse for her flight home because even billionaire old ladies are still gonna old lady, but I get it.  Served with butter and choices of homemade jam, I tried all of them.  Homemade jams instantly hit different.  You never realize until you have the real deal how often we’re served artificial flavors.         

I ordered the Country Breakfast Bowl, with hashbrowns, scrambled eggs, country gravy, topped with pulled pork and a biscuit).  So rich, savory and comforting with incredible pulled pulled pork.  Our server told me that the same guy has been smoking their pork for 20 years and if he ever dies, she’s done.  I agree.  Perfection.  Aimee ordered the country fried steak and eggs (another Southern classic) and declared (as Southern belles are wont to do) that it has ruined her for any other country fried steak.  Not heavy or over battered, it was tender and fried perfectly.  She also applauded their option to have the gravy on the side so it never got soggy.  She also loved the Hash Brown Casserole served on the side, which she called super cheesy and delicious.

A masterclass in comfort food.

Aimee was determined not to waste an opportunity to try it while we were here so she also had a Pulled Pork Biscuit, which she called spectacular.  So tender with the perfect amount of smoke, pairing perfectly with the smoky and sweet BBQ sauce.  This place is the authentic real deal for a phenomenal breakfast and true Southern hospitality.  We left full, happy and loved.  Do not miss Loveless.

Mattheessen’s Ice Cream (123 2nd Avenue N, Nashville 37201)

There was a popular cookie spot we were hoping to hit up before lunch on our last day in Music City but it (and several other places) was closed on Monday, so we had to improvise.  We took our chances on a place we happened upon.  Mattheessen’s offers ice cream, baked goods and their signature ½ pound cookie.  We ordered the ½ pound M&M cookie.  Not great.  I found it chewy and dry.  It didn’t feel or taste fresh.  Aimee was less kind in her review, calling it a “Bullshit cookie”.  She said the edges were super hard.  In fact, at one point she banged a piece on the counter without breaking it.  She went on to explain that a cookie of that size needs to be thicker to keep it soft.  She also called shenanigans on an M&M Cookie that was just a sugar cookie topped with M&M’s.  I can never resist a coconut macaroon so I ordered the rather large one they had in the case.  It was sweet, tough and chewier than it should be.  Again, it didn’t taste fresh and the chocolate had bubbled and discolored.  I wouldn’t have even eaten it  had I not been with a professional baker who assured me it wasn’t moldy, just old.  Didn’t finish anything we got.  Pass.

As promised it was big….

Peg Leg Porker (903 Gleaves Street, Nashville 37203)

The other undisputed highlight of my 2021 visit to Nashville was lunch at this place.  Voted one of the best BBQ spots in the South, one visit will make clear to you why that is.  Founded by BBQ badass Carey Bringle (The name comes from Bringle becoming an amputee at age 18 following surgery for a bone tumor), Peg Leg Porker serves up pork, not brisket, an important distinction they’ll be happy to clarify for you.  The ribs are sublime; dry rubbed, fall-off-the-bone tender and served with choices of BBQ sauce.  The main dishes more than live up to the mountain of hype they’ve gotten over the years but for me, it’s all about the Soul Potato.  Yeah, you heard me right.  

A plate of crinkle cut fries, smothered in smoky BBQ pork, BBQ sauce and cheese whiz.  It is an entire meal unto itself and it couldn’t be more perfect.  So simple but done so incredibly well.  Another must try. 

“Hey Alexa, play ‘Never Enough’ from The Greatest Showman”. FETCH ME MY WIG!

While I was a die hard fan of PLP, Aimee was making her first trip here.  She also ordered the half back of ribs and loved them, praising the dry rub and great smoke.  She also enjoyed the BBQ Beans, which she called perfectly cooked.  She added a side of potato salad (a classic no-fly food for yours truly.  Cold potatoes are insane.)  Aimee said it did a great job of cutting through the rich meat with well cooked and seasoned potatoes.  Not mushy.  

Okay, so here’s where Peg Leg Porker threw us a MAJOR curveball.  We ordered dessert.  I had the Banana Puddin’ (and yeah, it appears on the menu with the apostrophe so you know they’re not messing around).  Perfect bananas, perfect pudding, crispy wafers, and YES, WHIPPED CREAM.  All was again right with the world.  Aimee saw another item that fascinated her:  Made-to-order fried pies.  She got the Chocolate and the apple pies.  You guys, these damn things had no business being this good.  To be a place that flexes that hard with barbecue to have desserts that were this dope?!  Unbelievable.

Aimee said the crust was AWESOME!  So buttery and flakey.  Someone in that kitchen knows how to make a proper pastry crust.  She said the apples were well cooked, soft and not mushy with the perfect amount of cinnamon.  And yes, A SCOOP OF ICE CREAM!  I’m so glad.  We were starting to feel gaslit by the desserts in this city.  While the apple pie was great, the real shocker was the chocolate fried pie.  The filling (which Aimee confirmed is ganache) was soft but not overly liquid.  She called this pie one of her all time favorite desserts.  Peg Leg Porker knocked it out of the park again.  In a city overflowing with great BBQ, they are truly a cut above that is a must do in Nashville.  For the soul potato alone.  And dessert.  And the ribs.  Just go.

Deacon’s New South (401 Church Street, Nashville 37219)   

Our final meal in Nashville was another place I’d been to before and really enjoyed so I was eager to return.  Located in the Printer’s Alley neighborhood of Nashville, Deacon’s New South serves modern Southern classics and great craft cocktails.  We got started with their unique take on classic skillet cornbread with Culture butter, Muldon and Soured Honey.  For me it had a nice crust, wasn’t too sweet and had a pleasant bitterness on the finish.  Aimee found it a little overbaked and dense.  

Kernbread. Nuff said.

For her main dish, Aimee had the Blackened Pork Chop, which she had some issues with.  She explained that that when she orders a pork chop, she should get that chop on the bone.  Deacon’s pork chop was pre-sliced off the bone (unevenly, according to her) and tasted more like a porn loin.  She found it dry and not worth the price, instead calling her side of Handcut Fries in Tallow the best part of her meal.

I ordered the same dish I had last time (look, y’all, I’m not a complicated dude)  Spicy Crawfish Noodles.  While the dish had the same great spice and texture, it was a bit undersalted.  Plus the portion and plate were both noticeably smaller from the last time I was here.  This is one of the few times being one of those assholes who photographs their food and never deletes photos comes in handy.  I had the receipts.  

All told, Aimee said she wouldn’t return.  This is not a cheap dinner.  I, however, did enjoy what I had enough to return and explore the rest of the menu.  

And that, friends was my visit to Nashville!  I can’t wait to get back to eating my own fair city while researching more places to do special reports on.  Do I hear New York calling….?

NASHVILLE CHEAT SHEET:

Puckett’s

What to order: Pork Sandwich, Blackberry Citrus Iced Tea

Cuahan’s Ale and Masala House

What to order: Saag Mac and Cheese

Five Daughter’s Bakery

What to order: Vanilla Buttercream 100 Layer Donut

Belle Meade Meat and Three

What to order: Fried Catfish, Corn cake

Hattie’s B’s

What to order: Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich (Obvi)

Biscuit Love

What to order: Bonuts

Daddy Dogs

What to order:  Literally any dog they offer

Twelve Thirty Club

What to order: A drink

The Loveless Café

What to order: Biscuits and any dish with pulled pork

Mattheessen’s Ice Cream

What to order: skip it

Peg Leg Porker

What to order: Soul Potato

Deacon’s New South

What to order: Handcut fries in Tallow

Cake De Partie

by

As I move through the world, I strive to do my best to understand my fellow humans.  It’s not always easy.  In fact, sometimes it’s straight up impossible to truly understand everyone.  But I try and that’s all you can do sometimes, right?  Unfortunately, sometimes the efforts I put forth are met with an impenetrable wall.  There’s people in the world I just don’t understand and never will.  Right at the top of that list are people who speak out loud the following: “I don’t really like sweets”.  

I understand all of those words as English (the only language I speak fluently) and yet, like…what?….You don’t like sweets?  I can’t get my head around it.  You’re not obsessed with sugar?  You can turn down cake?  Like, WHAT?!  You don’t have at least a dozen local ice cream shops on your short list depending on which flavor you’re in the mood for?  You don’t open a bag of Oreos with a friend and say “Pick your row”?  Your box of Reese’s Pieces remains unopened through the trailers at the movies?  These people are like mythological creatures to me.  I’ve mentioned my addiction to sugar many times and how I balance that with my life as a type 2 Diabetic.  Dessert is not a part of my daily life so I always look forward to the times I can treat myself.  Tonight’s restaurant was one such night.

I brought along some of my usual enablers:

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

Amy J-Chief science officer, Michigan Football loyalist, a common floozy

Chris-Attorney, lifelong food snob, loves sandwiches.  Like, a lot.

Kelsey-Project manager, Keeper of Christmas, has been known to drop it like it’s hot

The group. Or, as we’re known in bakeries, The World Class Wreckin’ Crew

Cake de Partie sounds like a French Patisserie but it’s located in the Convoy Business District, one of the largest Pan-Asian business districts in the entire country with legendary, next-level food.  Cake de Partie is an Asian-fusion dessert café that also offers savory dishes and craft sodas.  The house specialty desserts are Pankcake Souffles (which taste like a lighter fluffier pancake and look like a pancake doing it’s best impression of a marshmallow) and crepe cakes (Layers of crepes and pastry cream stacked high enough to slice and serve like a full-sized layer cake.  I tried both but I’m still determined to fool you, gentle reader, into thinking I am something resembling an adult so I ordered a proper dinner first.  Plus, it takes about 35 minutes for the pancake souffles to cook (They are made to order) so we had some time to explore the rest of the menu.  Props to our server who used the most gentle language possible to tell us that the small table we were all seated at would buckle beneath the weight of all the food we just ordered and we would be more comfortable in the corner trough.  I’m kidding.  It was just a bigger table but we absolutely over-ordered because that’s kind of our brand at this point.    

We sampled a couple of the craft sodas.  Aimee ordered the Butterfly Pea Lemonade (The pretty purple one) which she found to be very refreshing and tasty but not overly sweet.  Chris got the Mango Passionfruit, which he found unremarkable.  Amy enjoyed her Hibiscus Pomegranate.  And here’s where it got weird.  Chris tried Amy’s soda, took us all on a silent face journey before carefully weighing whether or not to say his first thoughts out loud.  After some coaxing he finally said “It….Tastes like French’s Yellow Mustard”.  The rest of made the face you’re probably making right now.  In no time the drink was being passed around the table and we all (with the notable exception of Amy) agreed that it did indeed have a similar astringent, vinegary tang on the finish that one might find in a bottle of French’s Yellow Mustard.  So weird.  It left us all wondering if we would’ve connected those dots unassisted had Chris not first shared an observation so strange one would only share it with their closest friends (also knowing one said friend would publish it on a blog for the entire world to read days later).  Very strange.  For the record, Amy maintains her drink did not taste like mustard.  I don’t know what’s real anyore.  Moving on…

For savory meals, Aimee and Chris ordered the BBQ Pork Rice Bowl.  Aimee said the pork was tender but this was a very basic dish that needed a sauce.  Not bad but not craveable.  Chris said he enjoyed it well enough but not enough to get again.  Aimee also tried the fried shrimp.  She thought the breading was weird and fell off too easily (a pet peeve).  Plus it didn’t seem to be bringing much to the table flavor-wise.  After enough batter fell off, she just took the remainder off and ate the shrimp, which she said were very plump, tasty and paired well with spicy mayo.  Amy got the Crab Basil Pasta with mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes.  She praised the delicious pasta and chewy texture of the tomatoes but the crab was overwhelmed by the sauce.  Overall, Amy believe the dish would be improved (in quality and price point) with shrimp instead of crab.

Kelsey started with the popcorn chicken with Zapp seasoning.  Upon placing her order, Kelsey was warned about the spice level.  She acknowledged the warning and found herself wondering what kind of clientele they normally serve because she didn’t find the dish very spicy at all.  She found the seasoning dry and unevenly applied to the chicken, which had a very crispy breading.  The lack of a sauce option didn’t help.  For her main dinner, Kelsey had the Spaghetti Carbonara.  She was surprised to see the dish contained mushrooms, despite it being the one dish on the menu that didn’t list mushrooms.  The egg on top was overdone and did not mix well into the pasta, so it basically tasted like spaghetti with scrambled eggs.  She did however enjoy the inclusion of asparagus on the plate and wished there had been more of it.  

For my main dish, I had the Fried Chicken Bowl, which was basically the popcorn chicken served over a mound of white rice and a side of spicy mayo (which I was again warned about).  Each component was tasty enough on it’s own but did not create a successful dish overall.  Rather than a dipping side sauce, this thing needs a proper sauce.  The chicken and rice are both too dry on their own to work without it.  

This was like seeing Mariah in Concert and she opens with something from her new album. Like, girl. PLAY THE HITS.

But we knew coming in the real star of this place was the desserts and they did not disappoint.  I should start by saying the dishes were all gorgeous.  Some of the most instagrammable food I’ve seen this whole season.  Beautiful presentations.   Kelsey had the Very Strawberry Pancake souffle.  She described it as “everything you would expect it to be and everything she hoped for”.  The Pancake souffles are all doused in thick sweet cream sauce with a scoop of ice cream on the side.  For Kelsey, this didn’t make the dish too sweet and the fresh strawberries on top helped keep the dish in check.  Amy ordered the Triple Chocolate Cornflake Pancake Souffle.  She enjoyed it and appreciated the fact that the chocolate wasn’t too rich, which could’ve derailed the dish into a total sugar-bomb.  Aimee had the Blueberry Cheesecake Pancake Souffle.  She said it was super fluffy and well made.  While she enjoyed the flavor of the blueberry sauce, there wasn’t much cheesecake flavor to be found.  Aimee also loved the rice Krispies on the plate but felt graham cracker would’ve more successfully given the feel of cheesecake the dish promised. 

She was late but worth the wait. (Actually, that’s not true at all. It arrived exactly 35 minutes after ordering). I’ve now resorted to lying for rhyme’s sake.

I got the Salted Caramel Banana Pancake Souffle.  The pancake was light as air, beautifully made and not overly heavy or sweet.  The cream on top was lovely and gave great flavor.  The ice cream on the side was a perfect match with the bruleed banana halves on my plate.  Really great dish.  I’ve never had anything quite like it. 

Tasty and GORJUSSS!!!!

Chris had the Thai Tea Crepe Cake, which he believes would be popular with a lot of people but wasn’t quite his “Cup of cake”.  

While the reviews of the overall menu were pretty mixed (The savory dishes almost felt like an afterthought compared to how impressive the desserts were), I would say just about everyone agreed the desserts were the absolute standout at Cake de Partie, which when you think about it, makes perfect sense.  Another point in this place’s favor was the location.  While parking at most places in or around Convoy can be, to put it bluntly, horrendous, this place has it’s own parking lot!  The pancakes are available for carry out but you really miss out on that beautiful presentation.  The next time you want something sweet and deliciously different, hit up Cake de Partie.  This fat kid will be back.        

Watch the YouTube episode:

Hear the full podcast:

Wrench and Rodent Seabasstropub

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I was 22 the first time I ever had sushi.  I can’t believe I spent an entire childhood without it.  This is the part where I would say that we didn’t have that where I grew up but the truth of the matter is modern sushi as we know it dates back to around 1824.  I have to believe at some point someone somewhere in the whole state of Rhode Island said “Where tha f*** can I get some good nigiri ovah heeyah?”.  My parents were afraid of sushi, only referring to it as “raw fish”.  Once I’d moved to San Diego, I now had access to it that I never had on the other coast.  On a lunch break at work, my friend Marci offered me a piece of her California roll from the sushi place next door.  One bite and that was it for me.  I’ve been a sushi fiend ever since.  While my aversion to eating any sea life that was used as a monster in a 60’s Japanese monster movie and bi-valves is legendary, I can crush some spicy tuna, krab and shrimp with the best of them.

Like most cities in SoCal, San Diego has a huge number of sushi restaurants ranging from the most authentic you’ll find outside of Osaka to the equivalent of Arby’s gas station sushi and everything in between.  My personal favorite sushi in the city is called Izakaya Masa in Mission Hills.  I stack every sushi place I go to against it.  With such big shoes to fill, tonight’s restaurant (like all others I cover) has been called the best by someone in my world so expectations are high.  Prepare for your bluff to be called, friendo.  

First off, we gotta talk about the name:  Wrench and Rodent Seabasstropub.  On the surface, it’s confusing.  Like naming a strip club Chlamydia on Tap, A Few Missing Screws Car Repair or Amber Alert Childcare.  I could do this all day.  The name comes from founder Davin Waite.  It’s a nod to his English heritage and calls to mind the light hearted irreverence he hopes to convey through the food as well as a commitment to shaking up the food system.  For me, the name evokes the need to sneak a peek in the kitchen and see if the food is actually being prepared by a plucky rat who controls a hapless human by pulling his hair (Could you imagine the pitch meeting for Ratatouille?)

Alongside a set sushi menu, Wrench and Rodent also offers a number of daily specials.  Sustainable sourcing and non-waste are the order of the day, utilizing all cuts of fish and presenting them in innovative and tasty ways.  Plus they also offer a menu of vegan sushi.  Interest is piqued.  Now it’s time to pull up with my own culinary rat pack:

Our faces are huge and our bellies are full.

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

David-Wonder Woman superfan, musical theatre enthusiast, the narrator’s love interest

Harry-The I.T. guy, equal parts Type A and goofy as all get out, He probably knows how to fix that.

Shannan-Medical examiner, pumpkin enthusiast, drives the coolest car you’ve ever seen

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

The area of San Diego I live in is about 35-40 South of Oceanside, where Wrench and Rodent is.  In fact, with the exception of Suzanne, everyone in my dining group lives far enough away from this place that travel-worthiness played a big part in everyone’s review.  We started with some cocktails.  David and Shannan both ordered the Tokyo Sunshine (Vodka Soju Spirit, Simple Syrup, Japanese Yuzu and Sweet Citrus with a salt rim).  While the cocktail leaned heavily towards sweet and was less strong than a typical craft cocktail, David still found it enjoyable.  Shannan found it very refreshing and loved the sweetness. 

Tokyo Sunshine. Not the kind Natasha Bedingfield had in her pocket. Or maybe it is. I don’t know her life.

Shannan also had one of the house special cocktails, the Dirty, Surely (Vodka Soju Spirit, Pomegranate and Sparkling Prosecco).  While she loved the pretty presentation of the drink, the flavors did not prove to be as attractive.   Suzanne ordered the Seoul Mule (Gin Soju Spirirt, Black currant, Japanese Yuzu, Ginger Beer and a twist of lime).  She found it refreshing, offering a great balance of light sweetness with the spicy kick of the ginger beer.  She called it “Summer in a glass”.  I tried it and I agree with everything she said.  I just felt like I’ve had this drink many times before at many other places.    

One of the more unique specials on Wrench and Rodent’s menu the night of our visit was their Fish Rib Karaage.   Lightly fried and served with a sweet sauce.  I have this aversion to fish bones (apologies to any 80’s punk/ska/reggae bands that take offense that that sentiment) so I opted out but everyone who tried this dish seemed to really love it.  Harry and Shannan had the Seared Albacore Sashimi with Ponzu and Garlic Chili Sauce.  Harry enjoyed the balance of the delicate fish against the textures and toppings but found the ponzu to be lacking.  Shannan enjoyed the smokiness, layered textures and flavors plus another beautiful presentation.      

Stick-to-your-fish-ribs food!

For my main entrée, I had the Yakisoba (Offered with Chicken or Tofu, I chose tofu) with noodles and stir fried vegetables.  The flavors were very rich and savory.  Tender noodles and really well cooked tofu with a nice chew.  The serving size was a little big given the richness of the sauce but I enjoyed it.  

Send Noods.

I love a good sushi roll and Wrench and Rodent offers several mainstays on their roll menu.  Suzanne and I both ordered the Chronic (Spicy Tuna, Krab, Avocado-deep fried and topped with spicy aioli and sweet citrus sauce).  While I generally don’t love a piece of sushi I can’t eat in one bite, the flavors and textures were all on point.  Nice crispy texture balanced well with the richness of the avocado and the spicy citrus aspects.  Nothing Earth-shattering but I did enjoy it.  I just feel like I’ve had this roll a million times in a million other places.  Suzanne found the roll’s construction to be way too rice-heavy without enough fish to support it plus a noticeable lack of citrus sauce on hers.  

Aimee had the Hedgehog Roll (Krab and Shrimp Tempura topped with Seared Yellowtail, Garlic and truffle Oil).  She loved the smoked salt and garlic on the Yellowtail as well as the pop of the garlic chips.  David tried the Rainbow Roll (Krab, Cucumber and Avocado topped with Tuna, Yellowtail, Salmon and Avocado).  He enjoyed the freshness of the fish and beautiful presentation.  While his ordinary sushi roll order is larger, this roll on it’s own large enough on its own to be a satisfying meal.  Shannan and Harry ordered the Holiday in Cambodia Roll (Spicy Tuna and Cucumber topped with daily whitefish, Thai fish Sauce and Scallion).  She said it had a good spice level with refreshing cucumber and the fish sauce was very tasty.  Harry enjoyed the buttery sweetness of the whitefish against the spicy tuna.  

The table also ordered some Nigiri (raw or cooked fish hand pressed on a ball of rice).  Shannan had the daily special, Black Cod Nigiri with Miso truffle Glaze.  She again praised the beautiful presentation and the nice texture of the fish.  Her favorite of the night.  Aimee and Harry got another special; Swordfish Nigiri with Bacon Guava Jam.  Harry found the jam to be interesting but the dish was otherwise unremarkable for him.  Aimee found herself wishing the sear on the swordfish had gone a bit longer.  While the jam was also a tasty addition for Aimee, she said its inclusion muddled the flavor of the swordfish to the point where you could use any fish and you wouldn’t notice a difference.  David’s curiosity was piqued at the Bacon Guava Jam so our server (who was great, BTW) brought him a small side of it so we could try it.  Very tasty.

Some very unique offerings on the Nigiri menu were the Anchovy Nigiri and the Scallop Nigiri.  Suzanne went for the Anchovy.  While it lacked the briney she was expecting, She really loved the delicate umami flavor, which paired nicely with the mustard.  Even though she admitted ponzu might have been a better choice.  Harry and Shannan went in on the Scallop.  Harry says the nigiri was soft and buttery with a nice umami boost from the truffle oil.  Shannan echoed his sentiments and called the dish quite delicious.  Suzanne also ordered the Salmon Nigiri with Sweet Citrus Salt.  While salmon is a favorite of hers, the Citrus Salt was so overwhelmingly sweet that it was a strike out for her.  

The biggest swing-and-a-miss moment of the night came in the form of Aimee’s Eel Nigiri.  Eel Nigiri is her favorite.  Her go-to at any sushi place.  She said this was the worst she’s ever had; tasting old and rubbery, she likened it to “eel jerky” and struggled to chew it.  She sent it back after the first bite.  To their credit, our server was apologetic and they did take the item off the bill.   Given the better quality of everything else we ordered, I will call it a fluke for this one dish to have gone so poorly.  Shit happens, y’know?

David also ordered the chicken fried rice, which he found to be a very generous portion with tasty chicken and lots of fresh vegetables.  He also enjoyed the addition of cauliflower to the rice.  

Taking a boring standard and making it awesome is a Hell of a flex.

Based on our server’s recommendation, I ordered the Nutella Cookies and Salted Caramel ice Cream for dessert.  The cookies were soft and delicious.  The ice cream had thick ribbons of caramel throughout.  Very tasty dessert, I wouldn’t come here just for it but it was a nice end to my meal.  Shannan had the Rose’ poached Pear served with vanilla whipped cream and berries.  She loved it.  Sweet and delicious with beautiful texture and a striking presentation.  David also tried it and was worried about the Rose being too overpowering but found the balance to be really lovely.  

Suzanne and Aimee both had the Bread Pudding and both found issues with it.  Unlike a usual bread pudding, it’s served cold.  “Refrigerator cold” to use Suzanne’s exact words.  They both said it was extremely dense.  Suzanne called it a missed opportunity to bring in another flavor profile with a sauce.  Aimee said it ate like cold meatloaf from the fridge.  Not a winner.  

My overall feelings about Wrench and Rodent are positive.  I enjoyed everything I had but I’m left feeling like there was nothing particularly special about it for me.  If you find yourself in or around Oceanside, I would say it’s a solid place for a date night.  The design is cool and the patio is lovely.  The food is solid and the service was great.  Would I drive back to Oceanside just go eat there?  Unlikely.  Would I protest if the opportunity to dine there again came up? Absolutely not.  I say run don’t walk.             

Watch the YouTube Episode: https://youtu.be/0xqYIUmgg38

Listen to the full podcast: https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-zqa3y-1630461

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

Dija Mara

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Fun fact about yours truly: I am dreadfully under travelled.  Don’t get me wrong, I know how lucky I am to have left the U.S. at any point at all (as some folks never get to) but the first and only passport I’ve ever owned is less than 3 years old and has only one stamp in it.  I’m working on that.  All this to say, my experience with Balniese food is….Non-existent.  

Located in the San Diego City of Oceanside, Dija Mara mixes Southeastern Asian flavors with Western flair and Japanese cooking techniques to offer a unique spin on Balinese cuisine, helmed by critically acclaimed chef Jason Ambacher.   Dija Mara’s sister restaurant, Hoxton Manor, was one of the first places suggested to me to cover this season but it unfortunately closed before I could make it there.  Dija Mara is still going strong in North County  and I was eager to see what all the commotion was about.  

Joining me for this culinary maiden voyage to Indonesia by way of North County was my own band of merry travelers:

Amy J-Chief science officer, Michigan Football loyalist, a common floozy

Chris-Attorney, lifelong food snob, loves sandwiches.  Like, a lot.

Harry-The I.T. guy, equal parts Type A and goofy as all get out, He probably knows how to fix that.

Shannan-Medical examiner, pumpkin enthusiast, drives the coolest car you’ve ever seen

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

For this mission, I had to assemble my small plates and craft cocktail all stars.

I’m just gonna go ahead and call it.  This is best place I’ve been so far.

This is gonna be a bit of a stretch but I need you to just buckle up and go with me here.  I want to talk for a moment about every straight person’s favorite musical, “Grease”.  Specifically the 1978 film version of “Grease” (That clarification is strictly for the theatre girls, gays and theys because only we know other incarnations exist).  First off, respects paid: Restful peace to the memory of my beautiful birthday twin, Olivia Newton-John.  I said for years that Grease is a terrible musical but recently, I’ve amended my feelings on it.  Grease is actually a great musical with a terrible moral.  Remember ladies, change everything about yourself so your outside appearance lines up comfortably with the lies our male lead was singing in Act one about what a whore you are.  Protect his fragile ego and reputation at all costs.  A problematic, misogynistic and woefully dated film with a soundtrack loaded with bangers (See also, “Purple Rain”-Also, soon to be a Broadway musical and no, I don’t want to talk about it.)  My favorite number in the film is “Born To Hand Jive”.  Set during the school dance competition, Sha-na-na delivers a rousing, energized, hi-octane version of the song while Randal Kleiser’s direction keeps the cameras moving nearly non-stop in perfect lockstep with Patricia Birch’s phenomenal choreography.  I’m not kidding.  This number is genius in it’s staging.  It’s controlled chaos in a beautiful symphony of dance, character work and placement.  It’s a big, painstakingly detailed show showstopper that rushes past you in an instant, taking the secret that it took two grueling weeks to film straight to it’s grave.  You need to watch it a dozen times to see everything you missed the time before.  There’s action in the foreground, in the background.  Characters come in an out of the scene at break-neck speed.   It’s frenetic and all over the place but it comes together so tightly.   All the more impressive staging and choreo-wise was Patricia’s work as director in the brilliantly-title sequel, “Grease 2”.  Again, not kidding.  Terrible movie, FIRST RATE staging and choreography.  But “Born To Hand Jive” works so well because there’s so much going on and it all fits together so well.  I could teach a whole filmmaking class on these 5 minutes and 41 seconds.

The ASMR-type satisfaction in filmmaking that I get from watching “Born To Hand Jive” is exactly how I felt eating the food at Dija Mara.  Layered,  painstakingly detailed and beautifully thought out.  I always vowed I would never be the type of food critic that called food “clean”.  Like, how stupid is that wording?  But I GET IT.  I’ve had sloppy, muddled flavor profiles in dishes before.  Too much going on.  Dija Mara is the complete opposite of that.  My friends and I just about ran the whole menu and shared every plate on the table.  Let’s get into it.

First up was a plate of grilled Roti bread, which is a soft flatbread made from stoneground whole wheat flour.  Unlike it’s delicious cousin, Naan, Roti is unleavened.  Warm, soft with a delicate chew.  This was love at first bite for ya boy.  I could’ve smashed a phone book-sized pile of it.  Served alongside a Lamb Jus Curry and a Vegetable Rendang Curry  for dipping.  Both were delicious but I seem to be the only one at the table who actually preferred the lamb curry.  It had a savory flavor and a nice heat on the finish.  The Rendang curry was earthy and smokey with a heavy lean on the cumin.  Harry called the dish a sense memory trigger for some of the best Thai and Indian food he’s had.  

The first dish I ordered was the Mie Goreng (Spicy wok-fried noodles, lamb shoulder and sprouts).  They were unfortunately out of lamb that night and instead substituted chicken thigh.  Our server warned me that the spice level starts around a 7.  I warned her not to threaten me with a good time.  The noodles were al dente, tender with a beautiful rich flavor and they were not playin’ with that spice level.  Any more would’ve been too much but damn it was good.  I couldn’t stop eating it.  Shannan aptly called it a “Flavor punch”.   Chris noted that the dish may not be authentic, skirting a line between Thai and Indian but he agreed it was delicious.

The spice must flow…Directly into my belly.

Dija Mara offers several types of meat skewers and we had a few.  First up was the Big Eye Tuna (with Fermented Chili Aioli, curry leaves and crumbs).  I learned quickly that Dija Mara knows how to pair flavors and textures to create an amazing bite in such a small piece of fish.  It was buttery with just a kiss of astringent citrus.  Suzanne praised the beautiful sear on it.  Amy loved the fermented chili note and the crunch.  Again, would smash a whole platter of it.  Up next were the Chicken Thigh Skewers (With peanut sauce, green onion and cucumber)  Suzanne advises building a bite with the green onion and cucumber to take the chicken to the next level.  This was good advice.  She also noted their unconventional chunkier approach to a classic peanut sauce.  While many at the table found these to be less remarkable than the other dishes, Chris enjoyed the great char on the meat.  The final skewer we had was the Pork Belly (With Peanut Aioli and Shallot Matah).  My first bite gave SMOKE and I was about it.  Harry, not so much, he likened it to gun powder.  I loved the juiciness of the pork with a slight sweet note.  I’m obsessed with the layers of flavor they bring to every dish.  It feels like storytelling.      

What Harry most definitely WAS feeling was the Sea Bream Ceviche (With Makrut Lime, Hijau, Herb Oil and Coconut Cream served with a side of cassava chips).  He called it unlike any ceviche he’d ever had.  He loved how the fish was accented by the strong Thai flavors.  He said he could eat only this and be happy.  Amazing.  I’m not a big ceviche guy myself but it certainly was tasty and reminded me of how much I like cassava chips.  Suzanne enjoyed the bright citrus and how well it pairs with the coconut.  Amy enjoyed how the cooler flavor of the ceviche was a nice offset top some of the spicier dishes we were served.  Shannan loved how vibrant and beautiful a presentation it is.  She’s right.  It’s a gorgeous plate of food.

You’re, like, really pretty

Up next was Beef tartare (Curry Leaf Aoili, Fermented Kohlrabi and Opal Basil spread on Prager Toast).  I low-key love beef tartare, all thanks to my late ex-Boyfriend Dylan who took me to Ruth’s Chris for our anniversary years ago and insisted I try it for the first time.  Dija Mara does a fabulous job with it.  It’s fresh, unctuous and delicious without being too heavy.  Chris found the dish to be less exciting compared to the rest of the menu while Suzanne found the dish to be a bit oversalted and over dressed to the point that had her asking “Where’s the Beef?” (RIP, Clara Peller.  I don’t mean to keep bringing up so many dead people in this review)

One of the non-meaty dishes at the table was the Chinese Yu Choy (Similar to Bok Choy) Steamed green served in a savory broth with grated coconut.  Crisp and well cooked.  Amy praised the heavy Sumatran spices in the dish.  They were a hit.  Chris said he’d pair this with a side of rice to make a great center-of-the-plate meal.   

We also had the Ayam Penyet (Dija Mara’s take on fried chicken, served with coconut rice and house sambal)  Again, I could eat a whole platter of this.  The chicken was juicy and tender with a great crunch.  Chris also loved the chicken but pointed out the spiciness of the sambal (Indonesian chili paste) called for more rice.  Shannan found the heat to be a bit too much.  Suzanne went a bit further, saying the sambal hit the back of her throat like a rocket!  Hey Alexa, play “Bring it All To Me” by 702 featuring JC Chasez….

Another undisputed highlight for me was Beef Shortrib Rendang (with Indo Ferments topped with a picked egg and coconut rice).  There was so much going on in this sauce and I loved it.  Possibly the best short rib I’ve ever had.  Tender and rich with a beautiful fresh note from the mint.  Of course I didn’t eat the pickled egg.  Are you new here?   Shannan also loved the moist, tender flavor of the short rib and how well it paired with the rice.  Harry said the beef was so tender, it would fall apart with an angry look.  We’re not so different, this short rib and I…

Up next was the Tofu Rendang (Tofu and Tempeh with pickles, cucumber and peanut sauce, served alongside coconut rice).  I also low-key love tofu.  People speak ill of it but it honestly just amplifies the flavor of whatever it’s served with, which can be awesome when paired with something delicious.  It basically jumps in your mouth and says “YEAH, THAT!”  win/win, really.  The tofu was toothsome and richly flavored with great crispy shallots.  The dish was also a big hit with Amy who loved the taste and texture of the tofu and wondered how they managed to get a whole peanut sauce without peanuts, which she is allergic to.  This is a good time to pause and shout out our server, who was extra attentive to all of our dietary needs and allergies at the table.  She was on top of it with who was not to touch certain dishes.  

So, I have this hang up about food.  Try to temper your shocked reaction.  I clearly have no problem eating anything that used to have a face but I would just rather that face not still be attached to it while I’m eating it.  Knowing this, Chris was delighted to order the Whole Fried Market Fish (Tamarind glaze, urap salad and herbs).  Before long, the fried carcass of Mister Limpet arrived looking like he decided to make a sharp left turn into an underwater high voltage fence.  Ick factor aside, whole fish is stressful for me because it’s difficult to eat.  I don’t want bones.  For me the meat yield just isn’t worth the stress or the work.  That having been said, it was a very flaky, buttery white fish that paired nicely with the crisp exterior and the sweet tamarind sauce.  And yes, I made Chris cut me a piece.    While he enjoyed watching me deal with this monstrosity, Chris himself found the dish to be an overall disappointment.  

In addition to great food, Dija Mara also offers a full menu of wine-infused cocktails.  Suzanne ordered the hilariously named Pandan-y Dropper (Pandan-infused agave wine with pineapple, coconut and lime).  It was very green and pretty but I tasted it and the tannins in the agave made it taste like acid reflux to me.  I also blame myself for this because it looked like a grasshopper and I really wanted it to be that because I am 3 housewives from the late 60’s in a trench coat.   Suzanne said it tasted like something you make in college using odds and ends left over from the last frat party.  Damn.  Chris described it as “A Hell of a ride through a series of flavors” and is still convinced there’s lemongrass in there somewhere.  An ingredient that strikes me a touch bougie for a college bar but whatevs.

Shannan got the Cardinal Sin (Dija’s spiced Agave win with honey, lemon, bitters and egg whites).  She found it yummy and not too sweet with a light cinnamon note on the finish.  She also praised the light and frothy egg whites.  She’d definitely order it again.  Love that for her.  Shannan’s second cocktail of the evening was the Lychee Camo (Chamomile-infused agave wine with pineapple, coconut and lime) Much like the Pandan-y dropper, a beautiful presentation but this one delivered on what it’s appearance promised.  Shannan says it was flavorful, sweet and refreshing.  

A little insight into my process when I do these reviews: I have a tendency to glance at the menu before the visit but I don’t decide what I want or make any plans ahead of time.  I literally order what looks good to me in that moment.  When I sample other people’s dishes (My right as the aforementioned “Boy” in “The Boy Who Ate San Diego”).  I almost always ask what’s in it, because if there’s something I don’t like, I skip it or have a very small bite of it.  Dija Mara won my complete trust so early on in this meal that I didn’t ask a single question.  I was ready to try it all.  The exceptions being the more obvious “no-fly list” items like pickled eggs or a the fried-solid remains of a horrified expression forever captured on this fish’s face.  I loved nearly everything I tried.

It’s a smaller place, better suited for couples or a small polycule that the kids seem to be into nowadays.  The interior is modern, hip and the staff is top tier.  The food is, as previously mentioned, the best I’ve had this season so far.

Go.  Now.  Hand jive your way up to Oceanside and get you some.        

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

Watch the Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/EHErxkROric

Gaslamp Lumpia Factory

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When I moved to San Diego, California, at the tender age of 22, I knew I was in for some culture shock.  My prior 5 years in South Florida would expose me to Cuban, Haitian and African American food and culture that was inaccessible to me growing up in New England. (I went to a high school with a student body 1700 kids strong that, with few exceptions, couldn’t be whiter if we poured out of the spout on a faulty McFlurry Machine at McDonald’s.)  I took a job at a movie theatre when I arrived in San Diego alongside a mix of young people from all different backgrounds, but the two most well-represented ethnicities of my new co-workers in my new home city were Mexican and Filipino.  Over the years, I’d go on to learn about and experience so much amazing Mexican and Filipino culture and food, but I was skittish about it at my young age.

The saddest example of my idiotic, youthful apprehension of the unfamiliar was when December of that first year rolled around.  It was my job to plan to the after-hours holiday party for the employees.  We had a bunch of cool stuff planned; an hour of free play in the arcade next door, karaoke in the theatre and food.  I got a ton of food catered from a nearby grocery store.  One of my coworkers offered to pick up a few dozen tamales from her Grandmother in Tijuana and bring them to the party.  I had no idea what a tamale was but, sure, whatevs.  The more the merrier.  There would be plenty of food.  The party starts and my coworker comes in rolling 3 igloo coolers and setting up a giant platter of tiny bundled…something(?) on the table next to my party platters.  When I tell you, these kids who worked at our theatre STAMPEDED over to that table to tear into those tamales.  I was surprised they didn’t knock over the table of everything I’d bought and even if they did, not one of them would’ve blinked an eye, the tamale frenzy was that strong. 

I never ate one.  I even turned down the one my friend had put aside for me.  I was too scared. Food from someone’s house?! In Mexico? (Whatever the Hell that even means.)  I didn’t know what a tamale was or how to eat it and I was too embarrassed to ask.  There, I said it.  There are countless moments where I recall the adventures of 20-something Anthony and shake my head in disgust but this one is a doozy.  How silly was I?  Flash forward to 2024.  I have eaten countless tamales from just about everyone’s Abuela both here and in Mexico and they are bomb.  A good tamale is just the best thing.  It’s been 25 years and I still regret not trying one that night.  They get more amazing in my fantasies with every passing year.  What was I so afraid of?!

As the years went on, I made more friends and eventually got exposed to Filipino food.  By this time I was a bit older and less dumb so I was more willing to try new things.  It was right around this time that I discovered the gloriousness that is Lumpia.  Lumpia are a type of spring roll that can come from Indonesia and The Philippines.  They are paper-thin pastry rolls that can house sweet or savory fillings.  While they certainly can be a center-of-the-plate meal, they are usually enjoyed as an appetizer or snack.  They can be served fried or fresh.  In Indonesia (brought to that region by early Chinese settlers), you’ll find Lumpia as street food.  In The Philippines, they are enjoyed as a celebration staple.  There’s roughly a gazillion varieties of how they’re prepared and filled but all I know is they’re delicious.  My favorite non-Lumpia Filipino food is a noodle dish called Pancit.  When I found out that a popular Filipino variation of Lumpia called Lumpiang Pancit (Lumpia FILLED WITH PANCIT) exists?  Oh yeah, that was a good day.        

Back in the days when shutting down a dancefloor at 2am still sounded like something I’d want to do, we would come out of the local bear bar (RIP Numbers) and there, waiting for us, was the Lumpia lady.  This tiny little Filipino Lola, sizzling it up in her little metal cart that filled the whole block with the smell of roasted pork and vegetables.  It was just as intoxicating as we were intoxicated.  She was so precise and focused on her work, which is why she never looked up and dropped dead from a heart attack when the sidewalk she was posted in front of rumbled like Jurassic Park as a herd of sweaty, half-naked Eddie Valiants, Lou Grants and Damien from Means Girls (original and remake) descended on her at once like a fat femme remake of “300”.  She only took cash.  She barely spoke English but she knew damn well this thicc burly horde of drunk furry men would kill for her if she asked.  That, friends, is the sheer power of Lumpia.

Gaslamp Lumpia Factory is the only Pulutan (think Tapas-style small plates) Bar in San Diego.  They offer a variety of Lumpia and popular Filipino-American comfort foods, as well as beer, wine, sake and specialty cocktails.  It also has the distinction of being the only dedicated Filipino spot in the Gaslamp Quarter of downtown San Diego.  Joining me for this adventure were my own small but dedicated horde of lumpia lovers

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

David-Wonder Woman superfan, musical theatre enthusiast, the narrator’s love interest

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

Joseph-Music educator, loves just about every food I won’t touch, masterclass Dad joker

We’re not of the culture but we are big fans of their work.

Not gonna lie.  The location of this place may scare off some locals.  It’s in the Gaslamp Quarter.  Like, the absolute Gaslamp-iest part of the Gaslamp Quarter.  During the weekends, it’s busy.  During Padre games, it’s chaos.  During Comic Con, it’s the actual seventh realm of Hell.  But once you get past the crowds, the tourists and navigating the internal moral turmoil of seeing entire streets equally lined with Teslas and homeless encampments, there’s actually some fun and cool stuff there.  Right at the end of F street and before you hit the parking garage of Horton Plaza (the abandoned haunted house of 90’s mall culture), you’ll find Gaslamp Lumpia Factory.  If you’re local and not a fan of the Gaslamp, I cannot recommend enough that you either go for lunch or on a weeknight.  We all found street parking and there was plenty of seating.  Or go on a Holiday weekend.  Choose violence.  Do what you want.  I’m not your Mom.

Naturally, I ordered the pork Lumpia.  Served alongside a traditional sweet chili sauce, these bad boys were served screaming HOT.  There was absolutely no question of the freshness here.  It was several minutes before I could even hold one.  Crispy and savory with a great fry to them.  While I won’t say they particularly stand out from any of the other lumpia I’ve had, they were well done.  Durwood had the chicken lumpia (which I also tried).  He loved both but gives the edge to pork.  Joseph, on the other hand, was not as big a fan of the pork lumpia.  He felt like the primary flavor note in his was simply oil. Aimee tried the beef lumpia and also enjoyed how well fried they were.  In addition to the sweet chili, she also had the sesame-soy dipping sauce.  I found the sesame-soy to be a little too salty but she loved mixing the soy with the sweet chili.  Aimee also pointed out that, for a place called a “Lumpia factory”, she was hoping for a bit more variety in the lumpia selections.         

I could have waited until they cooled down but I was a man possessed. I had a ROUGH go of it in the 90’s with Hot Pockets for the same reason.

There are many other options available aside from Lumpia at Gaslamp Lumpia factory, including rice bowls.  David had the Kahlua Pork with pineapple over Jasmine Rice.  He found the dish to be a very tasty, gluten-free alternative to lumpia.  To wash it all down, he also had a Papa Pili Mai Tai (Gold Rum, Sweet Citrus, Pineapple and Orange Juice), which he found delicious and beautifully presented.  I had a sip and it was very tasty, if a bit of a weak pour but that might just be due to the fact that I’ve been in Hillcrest a lot this week.  It was good, tho.  

She ain’t strong but she sure is pretty. I think that’s the title of a country song…

Durwood got the Garlic Fried Rice with Longanisa (a garlic-forward Filipino sausage) and pineapple.  He said it was a great blend of flavors but was hoping for more of a fried texture in the rice.  For him, it was giving more steamed rice, which he enjoyed with some of the house hot sauce. 

Joseph, a proud soup enthusiast, ordered the Pork Sinigang Soup (sour and savory pork tamarind soup with tomatoes, green beans and cabbage).  He said the broth was tasty and savory with a delightful sourness that didn’t linger.  The pork was fall-apart tender.  Solid soup that he would definitely eat again.

For my main, I had the Shrimp Tempura and a side of Garlic Fried Rice.  The shrimp was fried a little harder than I’ve had it in the past but it was awesome.  The dragon sauce served alongside the dish was absolutely divine.  Creamy with a great heat.  It paired perfectly with the crunchy shrimp.  I could’ve crushed 20 more of these.  Delicious.  The Garlic Fried Rice was also a standout for me.  I love garlic to unhealthy degrees (at least according to my doctor, who I’m sure is a vampire who just never wants me to have any fun.)  Durwood was correct in that it’s not a similar taste and texture to traditional fried rice but, for me, that made it much lighter.  It paired nicely with the other proteins at the table I ate.  Traditional fried rice with all that lumpia and tempura would’ve been rough for me. 

Aimee ordered the most unique main course and it’s a signature specialty at Gaslamp Lumpia Factory: The Pandesal Smash Burger.  Commonly eaten for breakfast in the Philippines, Pandesal is a fluffy, sweet bread roll made from flour, yeast, sugar, oil and salt.  Inside the roll is a quarter pound beef patty with cheese, onions and a house sauce.    Y’all.  This shit was DELICIOUS.  Aimee loved it.  She said the inside of the roll was lightly toasted but the outside remained fluffy and sweet, reminiscent of a Hawaiian roll.  She loved how well the burger was cooked and the amount of cheese on top was perfect.  I’m usually not a fan of sweet buns for burgers (don’t get me started on that Godless abomination Krispy Kreme Burger that came from the fiery depths of county fair Hell) but this burger alone is worth making the trip downtown for.  A stand out. 

You’re a winner baby!

Alongside her burger, Aimee had the macaroni salad.  She said finding a good pasta salad is a difficult task around these parts but Gaslamp Lumpia Factory’s take on it is good.  The pasta held it’s shape.  The dish wasn’t too mayo-heavy and had a nice twang to it.  I had a bite, which is unusual for me because I don’t like mushy or cold pasta but the shells were al dente and pretty good.   Durwood took issue with it being called “macaroni salad” despite not being elbow macaroni.  I respect his position.  I’m sure Aimee was glad just to not have to share more of her tasty side.   Overall, the entire table came away with a very positive review for Gaslamp Lumpia Factory.  I, like many locals, can’t imagine why I’d want to purposely go the Gaslamp Quarter, but we frequently find ourselves down there for some reason or another.  Going to support a unique Mom-and-Pop spot with great Filipino food and a killer burger is a great reason to do so.  Next time I’m in proximity to Gaslamp Lumpia Factory, you’ll catch me in there. 

Special Report: The Boy Who Ate Phoenix

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I’ve been to Phoenix, AZ exactly twice.  Both times for the same reason; to see Madonna.  I mean see her in concert.  I didn’t, like, go visit Madonna at her lavish Arizona compound where we’d do yoga and I’d film Instagram reels of her behaving in a manner unbecoming a pop icon her age.  I don’t fantasize about being besties with Madonna.  That would be silly.  I do however enjoy a rich fantasy life where I am Taylor Swift’s fabulous gay uncle.  We’d talk about boys over cheap red wine and pints of Ben and Jerry’s.  My dog would fight with her cats.  I don’t know if Taylor Swift even owns a cat, let alone multiple cats.  Just a hunch.  I’d tell her how proud I was of her for re-recording her first 5 albums to gain full ownership of her masters while gently reminding her that Prince did that first and probably better.  Y’know, normal Uncle stuff.  That seems like something that would happen in Phoenix.

What DID happen in my recent visit to Phoenix was time spent with lovely friends, experiencing the Pride parade and a long weekend spent with my partner eating a city other than San Diego.  Since I only know two people who live there (shout out to Michael and Daniel for being fantastic hosts and adventurous dining companions), I took their suggestions, along with whittling down a lot of top 10 lists from the always trusty internet, and mapped out an impossibly long list of places to try.  What you are about to read are the places that made the final cut and what we thought.  By sheer happenstance, most of them are within a mile or two of each other!

First up Hula’s (5114 N. 7th Street, Phoenix.) Boasting a menu of fused island and mainland flavors, Hula’s offers up a twist on the classic tiki bars and restaurants of yesteryear.  The vibe is cute, kitschy and festive.  I saw a cocktail on the menu called Dr. Funk and felt almost obligated to order it on the name alone.  Coconut rum, vodka, crème de banana, coconut, pineapple and orange juice served in a tall tiki mug.  It tasted like the luau scene in Grease 2.  In other words, absolute perfection.  David and I shared the samurai beef sticks (grilled Mongolian beef skewered with pineapple and scallions).  Really tasty but the star of this appetizer was the lime curry dipping sauce. 

I could not have ever imagined myself walking into a tiki bar and eating tacos but here we are.  The Crunchy Spicy Chicken Tacos sounded too interesting to pass up.  Marinated roasted chicken, jack cheese, taco slaw and salsa roja in a deep fried corn tortilla.  The freshness of the chicken made all the difference, super juicy and flavorful.  The hot crunch of the fried tortilla hit perfectly with the cold crunch of the slaw.  A nice kick from the jack cheese tied it all together.  Fantastic.    For his main course, David chose more traditional island fare with Duke’s Luau Pork Plate (slow roasted pulled pork, soy glaze, pineapple with rice and slaw on the side).  Tender and well seasoned, it also offers up a generous portion of food.  Hula’s is officially on my “must return again” list when next I am in the city of Phoenix.  Strong start. 

Fried Tacos. At a Tiki Bar. Day one and Arizona is already out here doing the most.

Capping off night one was dessert at Sweet Republic (6054 N 16th Street, Phoenix.)  Handcrafted ice cream scoops, sundaes and shakes with unique flavors in a casual setting (“casual” meaning “minus the panic attack I’m having internally when faced with having to choose ice cream flavors or really anything at all.”)  Actually, it was pretty easy to make this choice.  I got a cup of Blueberry Lemon Custard Pie (Lemon custard ice cream with swirls of blueberry and chunks of waffle pie crust).  The ice cream base was so light and creamy, it ate more like gelato but still had that nice richness of the custard.  The lemon was front and center with sweet tangy goodness and the pie crust chunks kept it all in check.  Really, really great.   David got two scoops: the Hummingbird Cake (think carrot cake but with pineapple instead of carrots) and the Bananas Foster.  While the Bananas Foster was good, the clear winner for him was the Hummingbird Cake ice cream, which exactly mirrors the taste of its namesake cake.  This place is worth seeking out. 

It’s pie but it’s not. It’s gelato but it’s not. It’s wrong but it’s right.

Day two started with breakfast at Matt’s Big Breakfast (3118 E Camelback Road, Phoenix.)  While the first two places were recommended by my friends, this was the first place I went to that came from the Phoenix top ten lists Google showed me.  Located in the Biltmore Plaza, Matt’s Big Breakfast offers “Scratch cooking and honest ingredients,” according to their website.  I have to agree.  Not one thing on my plate looked like it was trying to sell me Bitcoin or a timeshare in Florida.  I ordered the Five Spot Platter (breakfast sandwich on a roll with two eggs, thick cut bacon, American cheese, grilled and onions alongside some home fries).  I also had to order a short stack of blueberry griddle cakes because I love them.  My overall impression from my meal was that it was solid but nothing outstanding.  I do love crunchy bacon but some of the bacon on my sandwich was so burned, it belonged in an urn.  Not a deal breaker.  Again, I love crunchy bacon and the meal was well done.  The griddle cakes were tasty and well made but I’d had them before many, many times at many, many places. 

I love me some griddle cakes. These were delicious, if uninspired.

Wanting something a little more original than a basic bacon-and-eggs breakfast, David ordered the Chop and Chick (two eggs and a skillet-seared Iowa pork chop served alongside toast and a choice of potato.)  He found the pork chop to be really well-seasoned and delicious (I tried some and can confirm.  Also, props for offering a different protein for breakfast!)  He was also appreciative that his request for extra crispy hashbrowns was honored and they were able to offer a side of banana slices instead of the evil gluten of toast.  Final verdict: While I’d certainly come back to Matt’s Big Breakfast, I wouldn’t make it a point to visit.

Dinner was a local recommendation, George Yang’s Chinese Cuisine  (6048 N 16th Street, Phoenix)  With a specialty in Chinese food, George Yang’s also offers dishes of Thai, Burmese and Vietnamese descent.  An appetizer that caught my eye early on while perusing the menu was the New York Style Egg Roll, made with shrimp, pork and PEANUT BUTTER.  Yeah.  While my New York native friend Michael swore he ate them like that all the time back East, David (also a New York native) had never heard of that.  Now, I’ll admit, East Coast Chinese food and West Coast Chinese food are worlds apart, even though both are awesome in their own ways.  But, yeah, I have never heard of peanut butter used in this way.  Peanut sauce?  Sure.  Anyway, I had to get to the bottom of this and I have to say it was pretty tasty, particularly when paired with the spicy mustard at the table. 

David and I shared the Chicken Lettuce Wraps (minced chicken with water chestnuts and mushrooms).  This was my favorite dish of the entire meal.  Each ingredient was well-featured and not at all muddied in the overall flavor.  Simple, well-executed and very tasty.  Would come back for that alone.

Simple and delicious lettuce wraps, presented without a questionable regional claim.

For my main course, I forewent my usual go-to, Kung Pao Chicken.  George Yang’s does not serve peanuts in their Kung Pao Chicken and they say as much in the menu.  I can only assume all of the peanuts are being ground to make the peanut butter in the egg rolls. I instead ordered Firecracker Shrimp (served with mushrooms and zucchini in a garlic and ginger sauce.)  The dish was served with a family-style bowl of rice.  “Everything comes with rice…You idiot.” Said our delightfully curt server.  Okay, she didn’t say that last part, but her tone did.  Anyway, it was my bad for asking.  Moving on.  I didn’t quite get the heat the name of the dish promised but the shrimp were well cooked and the sauce was more garlic than ginger but very tasty. 

David ordered the Tres Amigos.  Yes, that classic Chinese favorite, Tres Amigos.  A house specialty at George Yang’s, it’s a trio of shrimp, chicken and beef stir fried with vegetables in a brown sauce.  He found the veggies to be well-cooked without losing their crispness.  The meats were delicious.  It was also cool that they sat our group of 8 at a large circular table with a glass lazy Susan, so it was very easy to sample a little bit of everything (which is how I discovered their orange chicken is legit)

Morning brought brunch at The Genuine (6015 N 16th Street, Phoenix.)  This place was a recommendation from a stranger I met in a bar the night before.  Shout out to Butch the realtor for the list of more places to try!  The Genuine bills itself as an elevated dining experience centered around shareable wood fired cuisine and craft cocktails.  A lot of thought clearly went into the design of this place.  The vibe is retro and cool.  I started with a cocktail called a Spicy Prick, chili-infused blanco tequila, Malibu pineapple, prickly pear puree, fresh lime and a smoked sea salt rim.  Well, “rim” in that it starts at the rim and cascades down the entire side of the glass.  That’s not a complaint btw.  I love salt with my tequila.  This cocktail was delicious.  Sweet heat with a pinch of salt.  Good stuff. 

This drink is one of very few instances I can point to in my life where a positive decision started with tequila.

A shareable brunch option that I partook in was the Jumbo Cinnamon Roll with cream cheese frosting.  While the Genuine and I clearly have differing opinions on what the definition of “jumbo” is, this was really well done.  The frosting was not the usual thick sugar spackle but was instead a creamier, smoother, less aggressive cream cheese icing.  It gave nice flavor without turning it into a total sugar bomb.  Even the light sugar glaze on the roll itself managed to keep itself in check.  I will say, if you’re a diehard fan of the classic cinnamon roll and icing, it might not be your jam.  But kudos to The Genuine for a unique twist on a classic.

Unfortunately, my main course was more forgettable.  I ordered the Classic Breakfast (two eggs, grilled country bread and house bacon).  Everything on the plate was well-made, but nothing about it felt elevated or special.  Granted, I know a “classic breakfast” doesn’t exactly give exciting, new, or special in its description but I felt like I’d had this dish a hundred times at a hundred different places. 

David ordered the Wood Oven Meat and Potatoes Skillet (with roasted potatoes, bacon, sausage, peppers, onions, cheddar cheese and scrambled eggs.)  He loved it – flavorful sausage, crispy potatoes and well-cooked onions. I sampled and it was much better than what I ordered.  It’s worth noting that of our 4 diners, David was the only one who was totally happy with his meal.  I would come back, but only for drinks.

My internet research gave us the choice for dinner.  Not only did it appear in multiple top ten lists but I would later discover that this place was also awarded “Best Restaurant in the Country” by Yelp!  Cocina Madrigal (4044 S 16th Street, Phoenix) offers classic Mexican fare with a focus on tacos and tequila.  It’s off the beaten path and it isn’t much to look at.  Hyper-designed, Instagram-ready hipster vibe this is not, but HOLY SHIT was it ever amazing.

We started with the Oaxaca Fundido which featured Oaxaca cheese melted over longaniza sausage, roasted jalapenos, mushrooms, caramelized onions and epazote (a Mexican herb.)  They serve it in a cast iron skillet with fresh house-made corn tortillas.  The fundido contains an almost absurd amount of flavor.  Smooth, velvety cheese with a touch of tang playing off the rich, earthy mushrooms and sausage and finishing with just a bit of jalapeno heat.  Once we ate our corn tortillas, we were scraping the skillet with our chips.  One of the best dishes of its kind I’ve ever had.  Like, EVER.  The fundido can be ordered on its own or included in a trio with Guacamole and salsa, which is how we had it.  While the guac was legit and the salsa was smoky and delicious, the fundido was the absolute undisputed Diana Ross of this trio. 

Thanks to our server Antonio who gave great suggestions on what to order.  I took his advice and had the Two Enchiladas, one chicken (achiote-braised chicken, jack cheese, New Mexico hatch green chile sauce and chipotle cream) and one wild mushroom (a mix of 3 wild mushrooms, jack cheese, ancho mole cream sauce, avocado relish and sour cream).  They were served alongside traditional rice and beans (the latter of which I asked to be left off and they gladly obliged).  The chicken was so fresh and loaded with great flavor.  It meshed perfectly with the creamy spice of the cheese and sauces.  I’ve never had something so simple, done so expertly.  The mushroom enchilada was absolutely delicious as well.  The umami of the mushrooms paired so well with the mole.  Antonio did right by ya boy with this suggestion.

I know this looks like a plate of Enchiladas you could get at any corner Mexican restaurant but these were next-level, poetry-worthy culinary achievements. Seriously. I’ll be talking about this meal for years.

David had one of the chef’s features – crispy salmon served over mashed potatoes with a roasted tomatillo sauce, topped with Oaxaca shrimp and avocado relish.  He said it was absolutely fantastic.  The tomatillo sauce was flavorful without overpowering the dish and there was a generous amount of shrimp.  

There are only three desserts on the menu at Cocina Madrigal, so we ordered two of them.  The Chocolate Chipotle Pie was smooth, creamy and rich, yet was surprisingly light.  Topped with whipped cream and spicy candied pecans, this dessert was anything but an afterthought.  The other dessert we tried was Classic Churros. These are made to order so they’ll take a minute, but they are well worth the wait.  Filled with a Bavarian cream, the churros were fried to absolute perfection and served alongside a delicious leche dipping sauce.  I will RUN back to this place the next time I’m in Phoenix.  It was the absolute best place I went to and I cannot recommend it enough. 

Our final full day in Phoenix included more local recommendations, starting with brunch at Fez (105 W Portland Street, Phoenix.)  With a menu that includes trendy burgers, cocktails and Mediterranean fare, the restaurant had a very cool vibe and a large crowd inside (always a good indicator).  I started with a cocktail called the B-Spot (blueberry and lime vodkas, blueberry liqueur, muddled blueberries and lime pressed).  I did not see any fruit muddled in this glass but it was bright ICEE-blue and tasted like Hypnotiq, so I have zero complaints.  

I tried two of the appetizers.  One was a success, the other not so much.  The Cauliflower Wings were really great.  Like, surprisingly great.  The panko breading held up and brought lots of great flavor.  The cauliflower drummettes were tender and very well cooked.  Paired with buffalo sauce, this dish was a winner.  The Lettuce Wraps were the only sour note in an otherwise lovely meal.  Diced grilled chicken, almonds, apricots and cherries tossed in pomegranate vinaigrette with romaine lettuce cups.  The chicken was inedible-level dry and the vinaigrette could not revive it.  In fact, David could taste so little of the dressing, he was surprised to learn it was there.  Without the proper flavor of the chicken to balance it, the fruit and nuts  were left to fend for themselves.  Not good.

For his main course, David ordered the weekend-menu-only Fresco Fritatta (oven-baked eggs with sauteed spinach, caramelized onion, crumbled bacon and creamy goat cheese served with a side of roasted potatoes.)  He felt that while the flavors were good, the frittata itself was a bit dry.  He would’ve preferred some cheddar instead of goat cheese and some avocado on top to cut the salt.  He asked for fries instead of the standard roasted potatoes.  He normally orders them “crispy,” but *for some reason* didn’t remember to do that (shout out the cocktails at Fez.) They arrived less done than he prefers (“floppy” to use his words.)  I, on the other hand, love fries like that, so I helped out as clean up crew.

My main course was another weekend-brunch-only item that looked too interesting to pass up.  The Golden Curry Egg Scramble is herbed rice scrambled with eggs, green onions and sweet corn topped with curry sauce.  I added crispy chicken on top.  This was such a cool, new way to enjoy breakfast for me.  While curry for breakfast is common in both Indian and English culture, I come from the very pale state of Rhode Island and this was uncharted territory to me.  (“Hey Alexa, play ‘a whole new world’ from Aladdin.”)  I love curry, I’ve just never had it with rice and eggs and, friends, this will not be the last time I order this dish.  The rice was tender, the eggs were fluffy and the rich, spicy creaminess of the curry pulled it all together.  Plus, my addition of crispy chicken only elevated the dish for me.  It was giving Japanese curry and that is MY JAM.  I’m basically a culinary genius, meshing worldwide cuisine.  Please don’t correct me.  Just let me have this.

Eggs, Rice, Curry and fried chicken. Magic. Absolute magic. I need to know where I can get something like this in San Diego. If you know, holla atcha boy.

Our final dinner in the lovely city of Phoenix was TexAZ Grill (6003 N 16th Street, Phoenix.) While Phoenix is not a place I’d expect to find homestyle Southern food, here we were.  The interior is…a lot.  Neon, Christmas lights, license plates, vintage metal signs, snapshots, it’s all here.  Like, ALL of it.  Even on the ceiling. It’s either paradise or a waking nightmare, depending what specific type of ADHD you have.  I gotta give a shout out to our server.  There were only 4 of us but we ordered a lot and there were multiple substitutions and requests.  If you have ever worked in a restaurant, I know you’ll see the exact red flag that I get in this situation.  He didn’t write anything down.  DANGER WILL ROBINSON.  He got it completely right.  Respect, sir.  I will take my anxiety elsewhere.         

I was told by a local that the chicken fried chicken was where it’s at.  While TexAZ Grill is known for their Chicken Fried Steak, I’ve always preferred the chicken version (see also: “The Great Escape.”)  What I hadn’t anticipated was how much food this would be.  The steak usually is pounded flat and thin to make Chicken Fried Steak.  This dish featured two huge chicken breasts!  Served with steak fries (the undisputed love of my life), a bowl of corn and a biscuit, the chicken is batter fried and smothered in cream gravy (or “country gravy” for you “Try That in a Small Town” folks).  I followed our server’s instructions and sprinkled the can of Zatarain’s creole seasoning he brought atop my gravy.  Again, he did not steer me wrong.

In college, my best friend convinced me to take a Labor Day weekend trip with her back to her hometown of Dothan, Alabama.  Once we rolled into town, we were hungry after the long drive from South Florida.  We stopped for lunch at a restaurant called Po’ Folks.  I ordered the fried chicken sandwich and, for the first time in my young life, had actual Southern fried chicken fried by actual southerners in the actual South.  It was delicious and stuck to my ribs with such tenacity, I could not eat for another 2 days.  Not even kidding.   Aimee teases me about my “tender yankee tummy” to this day.  But that was then, this is now.  My tummy (while still tender at times) is built to handle this and handle it, it did at TexAZ Grill.

The chicken was perfect.  Juicy and delicious.  The breading was on the “just enough” side of “too much” but they did it up right.  It honestly took me right back to that small town in Alabama when I was 20 and thought sweet tea came in a can marked Lipton.  I don’t eat this kind of heavy food often but, if I lived closer, this is the place I’d go.  David ordered the TexAZ Grill Burger.  Made to order and customizable, David’s burger (Taylor’s Version) included avocado, bacon, sauteed onions.  A staunch opponent of steak fries (star-crossed lovers up in this bitch – you don’t even know,)  he instead chose mashed potatoes.  David found the burger patty to be thick and delicious and the toppings were perfect.  The final thing that was ordered at the table was the Mac n’ Cheese.  All you need to know about my feelings on this can be found in my review of Louisiana Purchase earlier this season.  So let’s just leave it at that and move on.

Chicken Fried Chicken is the star of a classic and delicious beige plate. IYKYK.

Overall, TexAZ Grill was legit.  A surprising but delightful discovery that’s worth checking out whether you’re a Southern food novice or a pro.  Big thumbs up.  I was not hungry for at least 24 hours (compared to the 48 hours in Alabama).  You know that that is?  Growth.So if you live, visit or find yourself for some random Madonna-related reason in the city of Phoenix, AZ, keep this post in your back pocket for some helpful suggestions.  Feel free to let me know if I got it right, got it wrong, or missed out on some great hidden gems.  Happy eating, Y’all!

Chicken Pie Shop

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In the culinary landscape of San Diego (and I reckon any other city), so many places come and go.  Some in the blink of an eye.  But there’s still those rarest of spots that stand the true test of time.  The kind of place that lasts so long it boasts generations of customers, all the while never changing who they are.  They do what they do and just watch the world change around them while they stand securely in their place, frozen in time, it’s zeitgeist solidified in amber, beloved by locals for decades.  In San Diego, that place is the Chicken Pie Shop. 

The San Diego Chicken Pie Shop opened in 1938 and even typing that out seems unbelievable.  In a world where most restaurants don’t stay open past the 5 year mark, do you even know how much of a flex it is to say your place has been open for 85 YEARS?!  Still here.  Still family owned.  The fourth oldest restaurant still operating in San Diego County.   I’ll save you some Wikipedia scanning and tell you the other 3 are Waterfront Bar, LA Cuatro Milpas and Tobey’s 19th Hole Café.  So impressive. 

Here are just a few things that the San Diego Chicken Pie Shop is OLDER than:

-Air Conditioning in cars

-Instant Coffee

-Batman

-Thin Mints

-World War II

-Canasta

-Francium (the last chemical element discovered in nature)

-Dolly Parton, Sir Ian McKellen, Nancy Pelosi

Also, when the Chicken Pie Shop opened, Sigmund Freud, Virginia Woolf and Lou Gehrig were all still alive.   What I’m saying is the place is OLD. 

Originating downtown and in Hillcrest on the corner of Fifth and Robison, the Chicken Pie Shop was a staple for 52 years reigning as the oldest thing you could find in Hillcrest not glued to a barstool at the Caliph (That one was just for the locals) before getting the boot and eventually becoming a Starbucks that recently closed. I feel like there’s some symbolism there.  They relocated to El Cajon Blvd in 1990, where the shop resides to this day.

Painting a picture of such a beloved San Diego institution has me feeling a kind of way about what I’m about to admit to you but I promised to keep it a buck with y’all so here goes…

Full disclosure:  I’ve been to the Chicken Pie Shop once before and I hated it.  I went there on a date in 2009.  Both the meal and the relationship fell far beneath my expectations.  And it was difficult going on this visit without the rave reviews and expectations from all my local friends weighing heavily on me.  The restaurant that is.  No one was hyping up the guy I was dating.  In retrospect that would’ve been hilarious.  “But he’s awesome!  My family would date him all the time when I was little!”

I recall the décor giving something between nursing home and my elementary school cafeteria.  The clientele, sights, sounds and smells were definitely familiar to me.  As a former nursing home employee and Florida resident, I know the vibe of which I speak.  The whole thing was like stepping into the early 80’s to have the early bird dinner special with folks in their early 80’s.  I also remember the place being in dire need of a facelift and it got that a few years ago.  It looks great!  Every time I’ve driven by it, my curiosity to see the inside got stronger. 

Details of my overall dining 2009 experience are lost to antiquity but I do remember the signature double-crust of my chicken pie being very dry, unable to rehydrate itself back to life from the neon-highlighter-yellow gravy contained therein.  My corn and fries on the side managed to create a palette of indistinct beige on my tray, creating this 3-D map effect of the Mojave desert.  The blueberry pie was decent.  I did come away with that positive memory.  Anyway, that was a long time ago.  Both the Chicken Pie Shop and I have grown up a bit and enjoyed a fresh new coat of paint.    

Enough years had passed that I felt like it was time to give it another go and, in the process, maybe figure out just what it is about this place that has endured for 85 years in San Diego.  It’s iconic.  Legendary. The chokehold this place on the locals is ironclad.  I knew I had to make this trip with a mix of people who both loved and hated it.  I’ll let you decide, gentle reader, who’s who…

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

Chris-Attorney, lifelong food snob, loves sandwiches.  Like, a lot.

David-Wonder Woman superfan, musical theatre enthusiast, the narrator’s love interest

Kelsey-Project manager, Keeper of Christmas, has been known to drop it like it’s hot

Nicole-Stage Manager par excellence, Scout Leader, Red Menace

Shannan-Medical examiner, pumpkin enthusiast, drives the coolest car you’ve ever seen

Over 100 years of combined San Diego residency here to solve the mystery of this place’s appeal.

I was unsure if I should go the route of ordering exactly the same meal I had on my last visit but I ultimately decided that I should go another route.  Besides, I knew others would for sure order the classic chicken pie meal and I’d get to try it (a requirement to joining me for a BW8SD review is I get to try anything on your plate).  I chose the Fried Chicken Breast entrée with whipped potatoes, daily vegetable, soup a roll and dessert.  Honestly, a Helluva deal, even with the inflation acknowledged by some CPS lifers at the table. 

The Soup was chicken and rice (a welcome arrival at the table, given the winter-timed visit).  A little salty for my taste but it had good flavor.  Shannan also enjoyed the big comfort factor of the hearty, thick, almost stew-like chicken soup.  She found it to be delicious and likened it to a “mouth-hug”.  Chris found the soup to be pretty standard but, like Shannan, enjoyed the fact that the celery still had a crisp texture. 

The rolls were decent.  Not too dry and oddly sweet?  Shannan and Aimee found them fluffy sweet and very dunkable in the gravy.  Chris was not so much a fan of the rolls or the gravy, calling it “gelatinous chowder”; a phrase that will haunt my dreams for a good long while. 

The undisputed upside to my dinner was the chicken breast.  I gotta give credit where it’s due.  It’s really good.  Hand-breaded, well fried, tender and juicy.  Had my dinner just been this on a plate, It would have been perfect.  But much like your really cool friend who you invite to your parties, she always has these two tired skanks with her in tow.  Said skanks in question were the sides.  I understand that nostalgia makes these sides popular with fans of this place but just because it’s the same as you remember it as a child doesn’t mean it’s great food.  When I was 4, I used to sit on the arm rest in the front seat of our ’77 Chevelle with no seatbelt jammed packed with adults who were ALL SMOKING with the windows up.  Nostalgic?  For sure, but that doesn’t mean it was good or I should want to experience it now.      

Was the chicken that good or did the sides just permanently throw off my taste buds? I don’t know what’s real anymore.

Unsurprisingly, our group was divided on the mashed potatoes.  For me, they tasted like the mashed potatoes I had in the cafeteria of Stadium Elementary school.  Like, the very same potatoes.  Chris really nailed it with his description of “Gluey”.  Shannan was into them and praised the abundance of gravy included with the potatoes.  Aimee said they were great but under seasoned.  Nicole gave the pro tip of abandoning the vegetables altogether for double taters, which Aimee did and eventually regretted.

The vegetables were terrible.  Revived frozen medley of mush.  Couldn’t get through it.  I tried, you guys.  I really did.  In fact, the vegetables were universally panned.  Kelsey did mention that it wouldn’t take much to elevate that aspect of the dinner and I have to agree.  Steam some broccoli, maybe?  I’m sure they’d be happy to take suggestions on altering an 85-year-old recipe from a douche bag with a food blog, right?        

I feel like mashed potatoes and vegetables are sides that our generation got used to coming from a can or a freezer.  I blame depression era rations and the instant/frozen food boom of the mid 20th century.  Most people didn’t cook vegetables the right way because it never occurred to us that we could.  It’s the same reason brussels sprouts were once reviled in our culture because all they did was boil them.  Once modern cuisine adapted to the better way, now we can enjoy brussels sprouts the way they were intended to be enjoyed:  Charred with pork belly, chopped almonds, maple syrup and served on a 4” plate for $15.  I’ve never liked coleslaw so that was an instant no-go for me but Aimee did say it was good and gave a nice crunch without being overly dressed.  She likened it to KFC coleslaw, which I can only imagine is praise. 

Chris ordered the Chicken Fried Steak.  He said the texture was not quite right.  Not exactly chewy with tough meat that hadn’t been properly tenderized and found it to be bland.  David went a very opposite route from everyone, skipping chicken entirely in favor of the cheeseburger with fries.  Sometimes going off script is the way to go.  He loved his burger, calling it juicy with perfectly cooked bacon and a generous amount of avocado on top.  The fries were crispy (exactly how he orders them).  It’s also really nice to know that the gluten free folks have options here.  I was honestly surprised. 

Aimee, Kelsey, Shannan and Nicole all ordered the classic chicken pie.  I tried some of Aimee’s and I have to say, it was SO much better than I remembered.  While Aimee LOVES the lack of vegetables in the chicken pie, I found myself missing it but the chicken, gravy and crust were all miles ahead of what I remember having years ago.  Full redemption in my book.  Shannan swears by the pie and loved hers.  Kelsey found the pie met her full expectations, even if it needed more gravy for her. 

The classic. The OG. The old broad that has kept the lights on since the great depression. Long may she wave.

Dessert pies varied across the table.  Since I enjoyed it so much last time (and it’s a longtime favorite) I got the blueberry pie.  It was what I expected.  Nice crust but the filling had that artificial Hostess-like gelatinous taste that I didn’t love.  Or rather, I could’ve loved more with a scoop of vanilla ice cream but props to our server who brought me extra whipped cream because, when it comes to whipped cream, too much is almost enough.  Nicole and Aimee had the banana cream pie, which was a bit off texture-wise for Nicole.  Aimee (a professional baker) was let down by it.  She said the bananas were turning brown and had a soggy crust, which means it wasn’t very fresh.  David and Chris had the peach pie, which was shared with Aimee.  They all found the crust to be a letdown.  Shannan loved her apple pie.  While she called it heavy on the spices, she enjoyed the texture of the apples and crust.

Ask for extra whipped cream. I don’t recommend raw-dogging this bad boy.

I will be honest here.  I have a complicated relationship with my feelings toward the Chicken Pie Shop after this visit.  Was it better than my first visit in 2009?  Absolutely.  Did I have a fantastic meal?  No.  I left hungry.  I don’t know that I would go back but I have come through this review with a newfound respect for the place.  I might not go back (I say might because the chicken breast was really great) but I want you to go.  I think everyone should at least once.  I love that it has such strong roots in this town.  I love that generations of families have come here.  I love that they do what they do and don’t pretend to be anything other then what they are:  a no-fuss, elbows on the table comfort food meal at a reasonable price.  I love that you see so many senior citizens eating there.  It’s a lost vibe you don’t get many other places and makes me wish I could’ve brought my own Grandparents here.  It warmed my heart to see the glee in the faces of my friends who have loved this place since childhood.  The owners mentioned in a print article a few years ago that their main goal is to make it to the 100 year mark and I will say without a shred of sarcasm:  I absolutely want that for them.  I don’t have the same reverence for the Chicken Pie Shop that some of my friends do but I respect the Hell out of it.           

This place is a living, breathing time capsule of San Diego history and you should experience it.

Further reading: https://chickenpieshops.com/

Check out the YouTube Episode! https://youtu.be/nNLKClVG_Q8

Check out the full podcast episode! https://www.podbean.com/eas/pb-wg7z2-15aa1a1

Qin West Noodle

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When I think about great places to get Asian food, I’ll keep it 100 with y’all.  My first thought isn’t San Diego but more L.A.  However, we in San Diego are no slouches.  Whether you visit parts of town like Little Saigon or the Convoy Business District (btw, locals can just say “Convoy” and we all know it means one of the largest Pan-Asian business districts in the entire country with legendary, next-level food) but there’s also places outside of those communities offering up some great stuff.  There’s no advertising quite like word of mouth and I need to give a shout out to my friend Onkeo who recommended this week’s place, Qin West Noodle.

While there are 6 other Qin Noodle Houses in SoCal (Westwood, Chinatown, Arcadia, University Park, Irvine and Culver City) we’re obviously focusing on the San Diego Location in the neighborhood of University Town Center (Think like a younger slightly less elderly wealthy Cousin of La Jolla).  This location of Qin West Noodle, like 3 of its other locations, is located in close proximity to a college.  In this case, UCSD, home of the weird upside down Dr. Suess library.  Billing itself as a “Fast casual noodle house”, I can see the appeal to college students.  Such excellent and varied food options were not my college experience.  I lived on flat cherry coke and pizza flavored Combo’s from the gas station next door to my college dorm because only rich people could afford Fudruckers across the street.   It was a different time; a lawless wasteland called the 1990’s.  I was young, destitute and couldn’t dress myself for shit.  I could grow hair on my head but not my face.  We walked around saying words that young people today wouldn’t understand like “Fruitopia”, “Snapple” and “Attainable college loan payoffs”.  Good times.

Qin West Noodle is nestled into the UTC Westfield shopping center, once a small, humble outdoor mall that underwent a renovation that transformed it into the largest, most complex set piece from the MCU Avenger’s Campus you’ve ever seen.  It’s all lights, LED screens and roughly 89 levels of parking lot and over 230,000 stores.  It’s massive.  I’m sure you can download a 20-page pdf detailing how to park and find Qin West Noodle.  Just, park near Macy’s.  One thing that made this review unique is the night we went found my fair city in rare form; cold and rainy from scattered thunderstorms that afternoon, which NEVER happens here.  While this made outdoor seating impossible, it did make for absolutely perfect noodle weather.  I huddled inside to the walk up counter with my own band of unwilling human space heaters:

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

Chris-Attorney, lifelong food snob, loves sandwiches.  Like, a lot.

David-Wonder Woman superfan, musical theatre enthusiast, the narrator’s love interest

Harry-The I.T. guy, equal parts Type A and goofy as all get out, He probably knows how to fix that.

Joseph-Music educator, loves just about every food I won’t touch, masterclass Dad joker

Shannan-Medical examiner, pumpkin enthusiast, drives the coolest car you’ve ever seen

Huddling inside. Safe from the rain and taking up literally half the tables.

The menu is varied but not very descriptive at all.  If you know, you know.  And we did not know.  I was delighted to see so many spicy options available (although I found that claim to be a bit erroneous on some of the selections)  I ordered the Spicy Wonton Soup.  I don’t see spicy wonton soups on menus very often but my favorite one was from this little steam table chain place that no longer exists in San Diego called City Wok.  I’ve never found one that has even come close, which is strange because (with all due respect) a lot of those steam table places aren’t really known for killer homestyle dishes.  To liken it to fast food seems wrong and inaccurate.  It’s just…not the same, y’know? Friends, the Spicy Wonton Soup at Qin West Noodle is my new favorite.  It had an option to add ramen noodles, which seemed like a dream come true to someone like me who loves both wonton soup and ramen.  I have to say, it wasn’t necessary.  The wontons were tender, full of flavor with a spicy kick.  The broth was light and totally handed the wontons the proverbial mic.  The ramen noodles almost threw the balance off for me but were still great.  This dish needs no help from add-ons.  This is my rainy day go-to (Hey Alexa, play “From Now On” from Greatest Showman)

This will be the first, last and only time you’ll ever hear me describe ramen noodles as unnecessary.

Harry, Shannan and Aimee all ordered the steamed dumplings (Were they pork? Veggie? Oops all Crunchberries?  Pocket change?  Help us, menu!!!!)  They did not get high marks.  I tried one and I can see why.  A little too large and dry to be served without a sauce.  Better dumplings can be found many other places.  Oh, and they were pork.

I got two entrees because my next dish was too fascinating to not try.  I ordered the spicy shredded potatoes.  Again, with absolutely no guidance from the menu, I only had these 3 words to go off of and I like all 3 of those words, so I was ready to give it a chance.  Thin sliced blanched potatoes with a light starchy sauce and fresh jalapenos (my favorite).  I’ve never had a potato dish so light.  The fluffy julienned potato slices were the perfect counterpart to the spicy kick of the jalapenos.  The portion was huge so the latter half of that came home with me.

Yes, I know it looks like frozen hashbrowns. You gotta trust the process here. It is WORTH IT.

Among my other favorite bites was, by far, the biggest hit of the evening; The Mongolian Beef (ordered by Aimee, David and Shannan). They found it tender, well sauced and a good crisp to the onions.  More than one person called it the best Mongolian Beef they’d had.  In addition to great flavor, Shannan praised the size of the entrée as a great value for the price. A winner.       

Joseph had the Guilin Soup which offered a light but complex broth with a nice addition of peanuts and thin sliced beef, which he found to be super rich and delicious.  He said the sour beans, cilantro and broth created a great balance of savory, herbaceous and acidic tastes.  Joseph and Aimee both tried the Spicy Mo; he opted for the beef while she had the pork remix.  Savory protein inside chewy grilled bread, Jospeh ruled it ridiculously delicious.  Aimee echoed those sentiments, calling the sandwich her favorite thing of the night.  She loved the rich, tender pork and is determined to figure out how to make this bread at home. 

Chris ordered the Zhajiang Noodles with chopped tomato, pork, cucumber (Think Chinese ragu/bolognese).  He found the portions to be generous with dense noodles, clinging together without sticking but a little tough to pull with an interesting texture.  He said it reminds him of the food he’d had while in China. 

Harry and Shannan shared the Chicken Chow Mein and SPAM Fried Rice.  Both got high marks for the proportions of ingredients and flavor.  Shannan enjoyed the balance of the rice; the tender and not-too-salty SPAM, tender vegetables and fluffy egg.  The chicken chow mein offered moist, flavorful chicken and perfectly cooked thin noodles.  Great taste and textures.

The atmosphere was giving traditional noodle bar, where people quietly sit and eat without talking.  We all spoke with lowered voices like we were in study hall, partly out of self-induced peer pressure and part fear that we wouldn’t be allowed back.  I can’t lose another spicy wonton soup.  I just can’t.  The only exception to the quiet was the family behind us with a baby who, from the sound of it, they had set on fire.    Some housekeeping should-knows:  This is not a traditional sit-down restaurant, seating is limited.  A good number of the orders coming out of the window were for pick up and delivery and I can see why.  There is outdoor seating but it was also raining the night we went, so delivery might be the way to go.  This food would travel extremely well.  Also, they don’t validate parking so you want to make sure to get in and out of there in under 2-hours before Westfield starts charging you.  I assume the lion’s share of that two hours would be spent trying to find a wizard with a list of side quests you must complete before unlocking the map and beginning to great journey back to your car.  All told, should take about 4 films and a couple of 3-hour prequels to complete. 

But the journey, much like for Frodo, was worth it to find my new favorite Spicy Wonton Soup and a host of other great dishes.  I will be back to Qin West Noodle, rain or shine.

Louisiana Purchase

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In 2014, I took one of the best trips of my entire life when I made my very first excursion to New Orleans.  In fact, I was so impressed with it, I blogged about it.  You can read that here: https://theboywhoatesd.com/2014/03/19/special-report-the-boy-who-ate-new-orleans/

Sad to say I’ve not been back to the big easy since but hopefully someday.  In the years since, any place with New Orleans-style eats on the menu automatically gets my attention.  While choosing what places to cover on this first season of BW8SD: The New Class was no easy feat, the fact that this place was named among the “must-try’s” made it an immediate contender.

Louisiana Purchase is located on the corner of Louisiana Street and University Avenue in the San Diego neighborhood of North Park.  The fact that the place is called “Louisiana Purchase” AND located on Louisiana Street is either an incredible real estate coincidence or was by design because I can’t imagine the place being called “University Purchase”, unless it was opened by Lori Laughlin (Jokes ripped straight from the headlines of 2019!  You’re welcome!)  Drawing on the famously bold flavors of New Orleans, Lousiana Purchase bills itself as an “intimate cocktail restaurant”.  Executive Chef (and NOLA transplant) Quinnton Austin is serving up inventive takes on classic Southern cooking while the bar eschews the more “sugary” New Orleans standards in favor of a more modern focus on “Quality and craftsmanship”, per their website.

Joining me on this maiden voyage to Lousiana Purchase was my own delightful band of anthropomorphized bayou critters to my Princess Tiana.  But let’s face it, I’m more Charlotte. 

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

Dan-Lawful pirate, metal lover, can tell you everything about a great beer.  And he will.

David-Wonder Woman superfan, musical theatre enthusiast, the narrator’s love interest

Harry-The I.T. guy, equal parts Type A and goofy as all get out, He probably knows how to fix that.

Kelsey-Project manager, Keeper of Christmas, has been known to drop it like it’s hot

Joseph-Music educator, loves just about every food I won’t touch, masterclass Dad joker

Shannan-Medical examiner, pumpkin enthusiast, drives the coolest car you’ve ever seen

Laisse les bons biscuits au babeurre rouler

Louisiana Purchase is the type of place that lets you know straight out the gate who they are and what they’re about.  The buy-in for me was immediate.  From the purple lights of the bar to the portraits of Snoop Dogg and Britney near the restrooms but for myself and others at my table, the biggest non-food highlights was the music.  All night we were treated to a sublime curated mix of 90’s-early 2000’s R&B.  I’m talking full-on Bill Bellamy MTV Jams-era bliss.  As more and more plates arrived to our table throughout the night, their arrivals were set to the sounds of Lauryn Hill, SWV, Maxwell, Soul For Real and Mary J. Blige.  What sold me was hearing the 12” version of Jodeci’s undisputed 1992 boot knockin’ classic “Come and Talk To Me”.  THE TWELVE INCH.  Remember 12” remixes and Maxi-Singles?  Kids, ask your parents.  The 90’s were it.  We were a PROPER COUNTRY.  Seriously, wall-to-wall bangers all night.

While their food is undoubtedly the focus, Louisiana Purchase also offers a full menu of fun, Nawlins-inspired cocktails, both traditional and with a twist.  I was eager to partake of said cocktails since I enjoyed so many in the Big Easy (from what I’m told, I had a lovely time) but your boy was unfortunately on a round of antibiotics for a UTI that night so I had to lean entirely on my amazing krewe to drink and dish on my behest.  And boy, were they up to the challenge.  Aimee had the French Margarita, with cognac, fresh citrus and agave nectar.  She gave it a thumbs up for the sweet, refreshing balance of the agave nectar and the cognac.  Shannan had the Hand Grenade, a frozen cocktail blended with Jameson, Cantaloupe, Honeydew, Fresh Citrus and mint.  It had a really nice flavor without being too strong.

Harry and Dan both ordered the Praline Old Fashioned (Bourbon, pecan orgeat, orange bitters and chicory bitters).  Harry found the drink very accessible with controlled flavors and a mild sweetness.  Dan found it had a woody taste but no buzz (“Alexa, play ‘You’ve Got a Friend In Me’”)  Harry also gave high marks to the Jamaican Superman (LP LIT Mix, sorel, lemon, simple syrup and starry).  David went the classic New Orleans route and tried Lousiana Purchase’s very fun take on a Hurricane.  Made with a house rum blend, house fassionola (A word I absolutely did not have to Google), almond orgeat, fresh citrus and burlesque bitters, which I can only assume is the flavor of a disastrous 2010 film starring Cher and Christina Aguilera that only gay men are able to enjoy.  Served with a side of Pop Rocks (yes, really), it takes the experience to a whole new level.  He said the drink was (surprisingly) not too sweet.  Also, shout out to our server, Abraham, for letting David pick out another flavor pop rocks after being brought strawberry, which he is allergic to.  I was delighted watching him and Shannan toss back pop rocks and giggle while they drank a sip of hurricane like two adorable children getting drunk on a Wednesday night.

The cocktails continued to appear at various points through the night.  At one point, David had the Strong Island Iced Tea.  As a native of Oceanside Long Island, New York, this was a no-brainer for him to try.  Made with LP LIT Mix, orange curacao, lemon, simple syrup and cola, the Strong Island changes up the recipe of a classic Long Island but, according to David, very successfully and deliciously evokes the flavor of a young person trying to get as drunk as possible for as little money as possible.  Y’know, the good ol’ days.   

We started with several small dishes for the table.  Garlic Cheddar Biscuits arrived.  They were large, fluffy and served with jam and honey butter.  A nice mix of savory and sweetness.   The taste and textures were a hit with the table overall.  Among the most anticipated dishes of the night was an original creation by chef Austin; Alligator Andouille Cheesecake.  Savory cheesecake, alligator, andouille and a crawfish cream sauce.  Wildly creative, original and absolutely not for me.  I know. I KNOW. CALM DOWN.  I got no problem with alligators.  In fact, one used to live in our yard in Florida and my Mom made the front page of the local newspaper in her efforts to stop wildlife authorities from killing it (That story is 100 percent true).  I just can’t get down with reptiles as food.  It’s a me problem.  This is why I bring other people with me.  According to the more adventurous eaters at my table, the cheesecake (which, btw, this isn’t a slice of cheesecake, it’s a whole mini cheesecake about 4” in diameter) was rich, creamy and intensely flavorful.  A wholly satisfying experience for everyone who tried it.  There was also some discussion about what constitutes a “cheesecake” and whether or not this dish qualifies.  More on that on this week’s podcast episode.  The point is, the dish brought raves from those brave enough to give it a go.  Love that for them. 

Hot, moist and full of unexpected alligators. Kinda like Florida but better!

 My first plate of the night was the crawfish Mac and Cheese.  Homestyle Gouda Mac and Cheese with big chunks of tender crawfish.  This might be the best Mac and Cheese I’ve ever had.  Where most homestyle Mac and Cheese dishes get it wrong for me is the texture of the pasta.  It’s almost always overboiled and mushy.  These elbows were al dente.  Perfectly cooked.  The cheese was kept in check, giving the right amount of rich, velvety, sauce consistency without being overly stringy (which I’m also not a fan of).  There was just the right amount of crisp on top and a slight heat on the finish.  An absolute stunner of a dish.  I would go back for this alone.

The mere existence of this dish means I can no longer call San Diego the “Bullshit Mac and Cheese Capital of America”. 

Harry was a fan of the ACME Chargrilled Oysters, seven gulf oysters with garlic lemon butter and parmesan.   David ordered the Crawfish Garlic Parm Wings.  Chicken wings are smothered in a rich garlic sauce with crawfish and dusted with parmesan.  The dish is traditionally offered with fries but, as said fries include a batter, Gluten-unfriendly David had a side of brussels sprouts instead.  David said the wings were very messy but cooked to perfection.  Agreed on both counts.  The crawfish adds so much richness to the crispy wings while the parmesan glides in with just the right kick of salt on the finish.  Kelsey had the Spinach N’ Artichoke Toast (Spinach and artichoke dip on toasted sourdough with fried jumbo crab).  She had some issues.  While the dish is listed among the ‘shareables’ on the menu, she found it barely appetizer sized and a bit of a non-bargain at $22. 

The main courses started arriving.  David had the shrimp N’ grits, served with a garlic tomato creole sauce and topped with bacon lardon (Which, as any culinary expert will tell you, is simply fully erect bacon).  He says the shrimp were plump and perfectly cooked with expertly flavored cheese grits.  The only possible drawback to this dish (and I have to agree) is the tomato sauce which doesn’t overpower the rest of the dish but, if overdressed, could easily do that.  It skirts the line of “too much”.   Kelsey ordered the Crab Stuffed Shrimp and was underwhelmed.  The accompanying jerk ranch dip helped but does not rank among her favorite sauces.  Joseph had the Shrimp N’ Fried Cabbage.  Served with andouille sausage, peppers, bacon and jerk spices, he found the Shrimp to be the most delicious part of the dish with a nice mix of sweet and spicy from the cabbage.  The only real misfire here for him was the rice, which was more undercooked than he liked.  In his words “Unintentionally crunchy rice is something that is hard to reel me back in from”.

My main course for the night was the Uptown Kitchen Sink Gumbo.  A blonde roux gumbo (which I can only assume means it’s dumber but hotter than the other rouxs and never has to pay for a drink at the bar), roasted chicken, andouille sausage, crawfish and shrimp with a scoop of rice taking centerstage.  There’s a certain feeling to gumbo done right.  An unctuousness, a depth of flavor that half-assing any step of the process will immediately destroy.  You can taste the time in a good gumbo.  You can taste the care.  Plus, if you’re going to open a New Orleans-style restaurant and your gumbo is a buncha bullshit, don’t bother.  Bestie, this is the real deal.  While I think it’s weird to anthropomorphize food, it felt like this dish exuded actual swagger and confidence.  It walked into the room and did what it does in a “Stay humble but let bitches know” kinda way.  I see you, Gumbo.  We all see you.  So good.      

This was everything I wanted in one bowl. The season can honestly only go downhill from here. 

Aimee had one of the house specials (A rotating menu at Louisiana Purchase); Halibut with crawfish chowder, grilled cajun corn, red potatoes, applewood smoked bacon and grits.  The richness of the chowder had Aimee wishing it had been served over rice instead.  She was also convinced the dish was served with polenta and not grits.  She insists there is a difference that she can spot immediately; an innate ability to those born and raised in Southern Alabama, along with the ability to make any topic of conversation about college football.  She said the halibut was perfectly cooked and delicious. 

Dan ordered the Lemon Pepper Catfish with two sides (he chose brussels sprouts and LP’s Gouda Mac and Cheese that I lost my shit over just 4 paragraphs ago).  He found the fish to be wonderfully flaky with balanced seasoning and a non-greasy fry.  The maple butter on the brussels made the side cloyingly sweet while the Mac and Cheese felt too heavy and overpowering in contrast to the rest of his meal.    For his main course, Harry had the Crafwish Monica Ribeye, A USDA Prime 14oz cast iron seared ribeye paired with nola’s famous spice cream sauce.  He said it was cooked to a perfect medium rare.  In fact, he found the sauce to be a detractor and could almost be left off for him.   

The dessert menu at Lousiana Purchase doesn’t offer a whole bunch in terms of selection (with only two options) but at least we got to try all both of them.  First up, the Ooey Gooey.  Yellow cake with cream cheese topped with cinnamon, bananas foster and vanilla ice cream.  The cake was light, buttery and fluffy with just enough ice cream to keep the bananas foster in check.  We were all pretty full at this point in the night so Harry and Shannan got the other dessert (classic beignets) to go and play Lousiana Purchase: The Home Game.  Follow up reports were fabulous.  Sweet, doughy with a light crisp that gives way to soft insides.  Again, this is another NOLA classic that I feel like you need to get right.  Lousiana Purchase was up to the challenge.   

The evening didn’t go perfectly (I’ll get to that in a minute) but I have to highlight the service at Louisiana Purchase, which was top shelf.  Our server, Abraham, was charming, knowledgeable, helpful and even nice enough to split the bill for us, even though everyone had obeyed my threats to bring cash. That having been said, there were some missteps with the pacing of our meal.  A cocktail and side dish were forgotten but no one seemed particularly peeved about it.  It was a Wednesday night and we were a big group.  

I can’t see myself ever ordering that much rich food again in one sitting BUT, I really loved what I had and I am already planning to return.  If you love New Orleans food, Louisiana Purchase is a San Diego must.  The good times will roll.  No diggity.  No Doubt.

Be sure to watch the YouTube Series episode about my visit!: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBoyWhoAteSanDiego/featured

For a more deep dive discussion among the panel, check out the Podcast!: https://theboywhoatesandiego.podbean.com/

Further reading: https://www.louisianapurchasesd.com/

It’s Hard Out Here for a Restaurant

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When I decided to relaunch this blog series, I got very curious to see how many of the original 52 places I reviewed were still even open.  While not as bad as it could have been, my findings were still pretty grim, at least to me.  So, let’s pour one out for the ones we lost, for better or worse….

IN MEMORIUM:

Bistro 760

Searsucker (Fear not, gentle reader, Brian Malarkey has opened many more restaurants)

Empire House (If this was the Oscars, the sausage bread from this place would undoubtedly win the audience dead-applause-o-meter)

BiCE Ristorante

Cafe Japanego

Carnitas Snack Shack (Just the North Park location, there are others)

Heat (NOT. MY. FAULT.)

Southpaw Social Club

Pure Burger

Alchemy

Saigon on Fifth (The absolutely CAVERNOUS space it occupied remains empty to this day in Hillcrest until some plucky new upstart can meet the 7 million dollar-a-month rent.  I made that last part up.  It’s probably much higher.)

Fat Sal’s

Bruxie

The Patio

Little Tokyo

Waypoint Public

Saltbox

Bijou

Tam’s

Zensei Sushi

Bonus reviews:

Burger Miester (San Francisco)

Farmer Brown (San Francisco)

Neptune’s Waterfront (San Francisco)

Out of the 52 places I covered, only 32 remain open at press time (I feel like the Clark Kent-yest MF on Earth just writing the words “press time”.  Am I a journalist?!?!).  That’s a good sign no matter which way you slice it but in the restaurant business, it’s damn near a miracle.  According to Bin Wise, about 60% of restaurants fail in their first year of operation.  80% fail within 5 years of opening.  That’s crazy to me.  When you consider the original BW8SD list is now a decade old, bravo to those that held on. And of course I get that the list was a VERY wide net.  It encompassed everything from celebrity chef vanity projects to unknown holes in the wall with bomb ass food and that was very much by design.  While the fate of Tam’s always hung in the balance, I doubt anyone at Addison was saying “Well guys, time to tighten the belt.  We need to switch to dollar store brand for the men’s room mouthwash carafes”.  If you aren’t a celebrity chef, other reports claim that restaurant owners can operate their business for between 10-20 years before raking in a substantial profit.  To say nothing of the mental health and stress challenges that come with restaurant ownership.  This is why “The Bear” was so stressful to watch!

Plus there’s the added complexity of operating a restaurant in the age of COVID.  The bounce back from the initial shutdown has been a wild ride.  According to a rep from the National Restaurant Association, even though restaurants made record sales in 2023, the industry is still extremely fragmented.  While takeout, delivery, drive-through and curbside sales have increased since 2020, on-site dining traffic has remained down.   Many factors can contribute to a restaurant shuttering prematurely but according to Google, the number one lifespan killer of a restaurant is location.  I think I’m just a weirdo because that never really bothers me.  I’ve driven hours just to go to a place I like but, now that I think about it, those places aren’t ones I can get to regularly enough to keep their lights on. 

It was during the initial shut down that I realized how much of a difference supporting the local restaurants you love can make.   The ugly vibes of fear, misinformation and racism made Chinese restaurants an early target.  We made it a mission in our house to make take out from our favorite Chinese spot a standing weekly appointment.  This place shall remain nameless as they recently changed ownership and I have not yet been back to see if the food is still good at press time (THERE I GO AGAIN).  As time went on and restrictions eventually lifted in San Diego, I never took my favorite places for granted again.  It’s important to support the places you love in your communities.  I went from a “good” tipper to a “great” tipper.  I want everyone at every job level in this business to do well.  I want everyone to win.  Yes, even the places I give less than stellar reviews to.  That can mean spending more money but, for me, the experience is worth it.  Y’know, usually.  They can’t all be Addison.  Because if they were, I’d need a sugar Daddy and at my age the sugar daddies are all sugar corpses.  Related: Great podcast and YouTube Ad sponsorships available!  Help a brotha out cuz some of y’all got expensive taste.

In the meantime, hopefully this here blog can be a resource for you to find some great new places to support in San Diego (and elsewhere).  LET’S EAT!!!!