Bangkok Hillcrest

With the various places for Thai food, Bangkok was a questionable entry. Always walking by the place, the interior seemed clean and white... Literally. It actually reminded me Of the Cafeteria in new York because of the white sterile interior.

With the lunch special, tried the Thai basil chicken.:



The chicken was tasty but came out all minced up. The brown rice was a bit dry, however the spicy peppers and basil masked it. A sweet vinagry side sauce was different.

A Tom sum salad, shredded papaya with shrimp was ok. Much better presentation than several other Thai reatuarants in the area:



The pa nang- cocunut milk curry was spicy an flavorful




Not sure why we were given some miso soup but out it came:




Overall, the food was tasty.

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Mona Lisa PIzza

I got to experience a place I don't think I would have ever actively chosen the other night. I'm well aware if the Mona Lisa in little Italy, actually their sub sandwhiches are pretty good and the little market does have unique offerings.

Mona Lisa's sister restuarant is in LA Gardens. I didn't know one existed being from LA... Lol.

The restuarant itself, as I'm told, hasn't changed since the 60's. It's definately a family orientated place.

Putting my personal pizza bias aside, we custom ordere two pizzas: a standar pepperoni and cheese and one with chicken, bell peppers and mishrooms.

Our hostess was particulalry well spirited and uberly positive character, which gets the place points. Eating with happy people is so much more a better experience regardless of the food.

The pizzas were overloaded with cheese, and had minimal tomatoe sauce, bu the dough was freshly prepared. A little on the thicker American side but overall ok.



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Chiken tikka masala

Garlic, cumin, Ginger and tomatoe all brought to a nice simmer:


With a bodied la crema Pinot noir, who says little India can't come to you...


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Saigon 5th- hillcrest

Saigon on fifth has flavorful Vietnamese food to offer. The lemon steak salad with a red onion vinagrette and juicy marinaded strips of steak is a fantastically refreshing salad:




The pickled cucumbers with ground peanuts are fantastic.

Add to that fresh imperial rolls with a hearty peanut sauce, and you have a well packed bite:



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Sandwich emporium

We were back at sandwhich emporium, this time trying two different flavors! Shared with a colleague so got to sample the nutty bird: a chicken salad on pumpernikel bread. First off, was a little hesistant. Chicken salads usually imply ground up chicken


mush with lots of mayonnaise and mustard and usually taste nothing like chicken. Pleasantly surprised, big chicken chunks were bathed in a relishy mustard with celery pieces and ground pepper.

The California delight: turkey pesto and avocado on toaste sourdough was fantastic:



Together, brought both sides of the spectrum into one meal:



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Chicken ala francindia..

Well after an exhausting day, decided to skip the various events and channel the frustrations through some culinary means.

The flavors of sweet onions, chives, mushrooms, broccoli and garlic were calling. They married with whole meat chicken, sauteed in olive oil with garlic to a crispy brown. Broiling  together with cinnamon and tarragon juicified every last flavorful bite:





For starches, starting out with a Greek frozen pizza from trader joes... Always a good starter, baked it with herbs du Provence, balsamic vinegar, truffle salt and shaven mozzarella:




Wha...la...The baked on caramel flavor on the crust mixed well with the lavendar and thyme of the herbs du Provence, all accented with the earthy flavor of the truffle salt. Oh, with an 06 Bordeaux... Fabulous...a moment of flavor passed with every bite..




Making a mess in the kitchen by now... Lol...A little experiment to try was a cooked salad as a side. Cooked greens are fantastic. Spinach, romain and arugula actually cook and grill really well. So into the pan goes little baby heirloom tomatoes, sizzling and crackling with some garlic and Himalayan sea salt and fresh virgin olive oil. Mix in some arugula, and watch it whither away in the heat.... although limpy in texture, savory by the spoonful.. Served on some buttered crostini's would have done this preparation well:




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Trader Joes- what can u do for me lately

Time and time again, the diverse selection of foods at trader joes is fantastic. Not one for canned or processed foods, and minimize the frozen foods, TJs has a lot of good finds that one can whip up into a savory and satisfying dish.

To start, whole wheat couscous was boiled in saffron, garlic, pepper and olive oil. Add to that roasted heirloom tomatoes, carmelized onions, dill, sea salt, and vinegarized mushrooms and you have a fantastic base.

Sautee some onions, garlic and fresh chopped basil, add to it some frozen turbo... salt, pepper, olive oil to taste. Serve together with an arugula and pomegranite salad dressed in a fig balsamic vinegrette, and you have yourself a healthy, tasty and flavorful meal:




All ingredients were from TJs, except the saffron which I had to buy at whole foods ;)

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Clairemont- hidden gem for Pakistani food--Bismilla

With access to various different foods within an arms reach, why would anyone drive to Claremont for pakistani food? If it's good, the people will come, and so it is!

This was the case with my friends A&M selection for the night. Bismillah in Clairemont Mesa was the destination.The dishes included a red curried chicken masala type dish: chicken simmering in potent spice, red sauce so yummy, you were dipping whatever naan was left with it!

The dahl, a lentil based dish was rich, powerfully balanced with hot spice, was definately meant for a hearty appetite. The kebab, nicely marinaded lamb kebab pieces soaked with lemon,, phenomenal. A little roasted onion and you were teleported to the memories of eating lamb kebabs in armenia or Beirut. Addition of the bryani rice and green chile sauce brought the fiery pleasure to your taste buds! The buds were happy:




Enough to feed a hungry tribe!



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Eggscellent adventure

After the mornings workout and dealing with rain and unexpected traffic, as well as inspired by the egg cook off, decided to whip up a couple of egg dishes.

Many Sunday mornings, the craving for some phenomenal eggs for brunch has gone unsatisfied. Scrambled, poached, a la florentine, Benedict, boiled, quiched, omlettified, all the egg dishes sampled have been ok or just plain, all egg-xcept (lol) the tractor room. But today with the rain, home cooking was more in order.

It started with lavash bread being ripped into pieces, Cooked in olive oil, fresh thyme, cracked pepper and oregano:



As the strips crispified, beaten eggs were mixed in, sauteed green onion and scallions were brought to a high heat:



A little tomatilla salsa, a dash of chalula... Ok a couple of dashes, some boiled chicken and straw hat mushrooms were added. Some grated mozarrella cheese brought the pseudo chilaquile dish to completion:



Served with Trader Joes flaxseed corn tortilla chips, the cruchy texture with the cooked lavash bread, chicken, cheese and eggs was a play of flavors and textures! The spice from chalula collaborating with the tomatilla salsa brought a power play party in your mouth.. Score!!


The second egg-trafying challenge was a farmers fresh mix light frittata. Starting out with olive oil, pearl onions, garlic , and heirloom tomatoes, the aromas brought smiles..



Adding in the eggs, the bubbling starts. Throw in some fresh basil, and a delicatley frittata pops an Italian farmers punch:



Very satisfied indeed. Egg-static... Lol.

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Jai - La jolla

Wolfgang pucks restuarant Jai is an Asian inluenced califronia style restuarant that is well situated within walks of the La Jolla playhouse.

The big eye tuna tartare wrapped up in a sweet and crunchy sesame cone with a dash of wasabi come out delicatley and sumptious:



The duck spring rolls with spicy mustard sauce are crunchy veggies rolled with duck meat to make for tasty bites:



The shrimp apps, rolled in a seaweed containing batter and garlic, with a cilantro lime sauce were fantastic



The Thai peppered salad was refreshingly crisp, light vinagrette but could have used more meat:



The butterfish however was amazingly delicate... Buttered seared with a grainy couscous and sweet mustard dipping sauce:



The lamb chops, grilled with hints of cinnamon and wasabi potatoes as well as dill flavored dipping sauce was asking for bone suckling action:



All topped with a nice zin... Flavorful bites always makes for a dramatic performance



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Lalos - hillcrest

The breakfast burritos here are fantastic. Whole wheat tortiall, eggs, potatoes, bacon and cheese.. Topped with beet soaked onions and tomatillo salsa make for good times



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Ariana kebab house

If your adventures take you to Mira Mesa, you quickly realize your not in Kansas anymore. Everything around you screams commercialized america... Including the SUVs waiting in line to entrance the freeway. But amongst all the strip malls, the kebab house stands out.

The welcoming staff sets the place apart. Family owned, the service is fantastic. Attentive and efficient.

On this joyous occassion, as there was a mad rush to get to Alice and wonderland, the sambosas were ordered:




Lighter than the standard pastry wrapped fried ball of potatoes or meat, these ones were chickpea based and were definately Chinese wonton paper wrapped, which gave them a hearty lightness. It brought me back to times I've hand made wontons, stuffing them with all kinds of non chinese mixes... The semi sweet green chile sauce was made fresh.

The lamb with sauteed cauliflower and basmati rice was well prepared. The lamb was juicy and sauteed in onions, coriander, cumin and pepper. It's flavorful and simple and well priced, and very much like a home cooked experence.




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Alladin Hillcrest

Back again at Alladin. this time tried the lentil soup:



Freshly made, the lentil soup was perfect on a cold day. Ironically enough it was yellow, but who cares when it tastes good. It went perfectly well with a lamb shwarma served with a little extra tahini.



Their mint tea served on ice is very good..


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Cozymels La Jolla

Cozymels is one of those places that's right up there with Acapulco. Don't frequent much but not a bad spot for a quick happy hr meeting spot.

And to my total surprise, they have skinny ritas! Reduced calorie margieritas.

Standard happy hr specials includes quesadillas, nachos and guacomole:






With 2 drinks, the meal above was $15. Decent bites on bargain bucks.

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Sandwich Emporium

The spicy Julio on toasted sourdough totally hit the spot today



The roast beef smothered in pepperjack and avocado.. Looks a bit messy and does get a little out of hand down to the last bites bit oh so good...

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Cafe Chloe SD

Tucked in the corner of the east village, cafe Chloe brings the joys of French influenced cooking to enjoy.

This place is fantastic. Dark candle lit ambience, marble topped bar and a loft section, Chloe brings together great service, fantastic dishes and a soothing ambience that many places just can't seem to get in SD.

Haven eaten here many times, the olives and the steak and frites are staples! The olives in various sizes, salty pruny French ones, to meaty ripe green Spanish ones, to tiny unripe green ones, sauteed in a warm olive oil, orange and thyme flavoring, they are defiantely delicious.



The mushroom bleu d'aubergne tart is a mouth watering concoction for all you mushroom lovers. Absolutely loveley!



A new addition today was the African black bass, pan seared with baby leaks an tomatoes and a pesto arancia balls making for a fantastic blend of flavors:



Since they removed one of my favorite desserts on the menu ( the Rosemary pear galette with creme fraiche ice cream), was pleasantly surprised with the pistachio bread pudding with espresso caramel and vanilla ice cream... Wow.. Ridiculously delicious!





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Bread & Cie Hillcrest

Every time I'm craving fresh bread or artisan bread I'm not sure why Bread and Cie doesn't come to mind. Swung by here for a quick lunch and was totally shocked to see breakfast pizzas on the menu! I've been looking for such a place for some time now, and who would hve thought it was here in the hood the whole time!

The turkey pesto with tomatoe panini was comfortably good with every crispy crunchy bite:



The grilled eggplant with feta cheese and sundried tomatoe on kalamata bread was ok, would have been better if I had requested grilled bread and maybe some arugula on the sandwich:




With fresh bread baked daily and flatbreads and desserts to make you hungry, this little spot makes a great lunch time:



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Confidential SD

We have a suspect restuarant serving globally influenced tapas on the corner of 4th... Roger that, do you copy?

Confidential should be no secret. This place has been serving good eats for as long as I've been in the area. Discovered this place more than 2 years ago, and still amazed everytime I go, good tapas style food, served in a cool Dj spinning atmosphere always makes for good times.

Confidential struck gold with me when it offered half off full menu during happy hour. That's right... Everything. The olives are some of the best SD has known... Warmly marinaded in virgin olive oil, meat green olives, saltier French black olives and pitted kalamata olives come out sometimes sprinkled with sea salt. There's only 1 other place in SD that has good olives (review to come).

The meat tenderloin skewers served in gorgonzola and port reduction are phenomenal




The angus beef burgers, served on artisan bread with Cajun flavored fries brings the comfort of home to every bite:




The ahi tuna salad, rare sesame coated tuna served on a bed of arugula is fantastic. The sea scallops, Vietnamese influenced seared with a touch of lemongrass and jasmine cocunut rice will have to be a totally separate addition. That with the Carnita tacos... Good bites.

But today, new entrees were introduced. A pan seared halibut, nicely buttered and served with prosciutto wrapped asparagus.. Fabulous:




Darren the owner and chef came out to greet and introduce a new addition: tenderloin served in a spicy tomatilla salsa. The picture will not do it justice, but the tenderloin pieces are served adorned with a baked tomatilla flower that was totally edible (will I think it was!)




With half off on all drinks and bottles of wine, Tuesdays are filled with folks.

PS: horton plaza offers 3 hrs of free parking as long as you validate.

I really do hope SD supports this place. A well priced food spot. And don't forget to ask for the O-berry, a blackberry and raspberry infused mojito, courtesy of yours truly!

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Bai Yook SD

Sometimes convenience has you try places that would otherwise not be tried. Sometimes those finds are pleasant surprises. Other times they are not.

Bai yook was one such experience. A papaya salad was a bit disapointing. The shredded papaya was not fully ripe and the chile vinagry sauce was ok but nothing to ride home about:



The Tom yuk soup was spicy and served With boiled chicken meat. The spicy Chile flavor overpowered the lemongrass:



Be careful on the tea refills as they charge you for every refill! Now, thats just wrong..



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