Bankers hill

Banker's hill restuarant is a newer addition to banker's hill area. Opening in May and bringing a sophisticated lofty industrial chic environment where both small and large plates pack flavorful dishes.

Low lit ambience with classic low wattage filament bulbs, exposed wood arches and support, polished concrete, and dark interior with a bar displaying 1 row of bottled beauties, the atmosphere is loud. From the music to the acoustics, it's not a first date place unless you will be yelling at each other across the table, but definately a group dinner environment.






The devil eggs draped with bacon and cooked with mustard hints adorned with shoestring fries with lemon and truffle dipping aoili are fantastic!


A hen never had them this good! The creamy, hearty, salty fritte and smoky bacon flavors just come together in bites of utter joy. Delicious.

The strawberry basil martini was interesting. At first subtle and good with a whiff of basil as you drank, but when mixed, the sweetness of the vodka infused strawberry shined through in a semi sweet way...


The battered shrimp with aoili sauce were great: meaty shrimp complemented by the breading and not overwhelmed by it, served with a celery carpaccio salad drizzled with lemon... Deliciouso:



The mussels with andallouse sausage provided a tomatoe based heartiness to the Carlsbad mussels... Slight smoky and great for bread dipping:





The beet and arugula salad, with 2 different types of beets and feta cheese is practically a staple.

The duck confit, on greens and a potatoe disc was fantastic:


The loin: a healthy portion loin cooked with citrus glaze, peaches and baby potatoes with spinach require the jaws of 2 beasts to devour:



Orgasmically good with the Zinfandel Pettite syrah blend of a bottle that we had. This is why we work out!

For dessert, a sweet and salty chocolate layered cake that took several tries in understanding that the adorning chocolate covered pretzels with the gelato was the salt aspect of the dish. Nonetheless, well presented and multilayered in both structure and complexity of taste:


Rachel's other dessert this night was a cheesecake with figs and a concord grape sorbet:



And because all the paws in the pictures belonged to beautifully people that were getting jealous of not being displayed with their dishes... A first on only happy satisfied people (well most of them :))










- Posted using mobile cam.. Eating and blogging on the go, excuse spelling mistakes :)

Get your taco on!

Every now and then, the craving for an authentic taco, spicy chile and just cheap and insatiable Mex food is in order. For some, it's the perfect afterclubbing food, for other's it's the perfect morning after clubbing perfect grub. Whichever side of the spectrum one lies on, La salsa's revamped menu had some good finds that seems to be in transition from Tex Mex to cali-Mex for the incorporation of hearty salads, roasted veggies and fish options.

The Guadalajara tacos are fantastic! Double corn tortilla wrapped pork carnitas, chunky and tender, with a chipotle cream sauce and always amenable to being topped off with a little diced onions, habanero salsa and some pico de gallo... These tacos deserve the gettho badge of "da bomb".. Yes folks, sometimes you have to keep it real :



Easily of 1 taco, you can make 2 for the portion control nazi's or expense savvy's out there.

The chicken lime salad with fresh romaine, cotija cheese, grilled chicken bits on top of rice was great, however more chicken strips would have made this better. With the salsa bar as your toppings bar, at half the price of alladdin's Mediterranean chicken salad, some days, the conservative approach might be needed!


Additionally, the full nutritional value menu is available to scrutinize over all the details ad to calories, fat content and salt. Although there are always surprises, good to see there are options on the lower cal side.

- Posted using mobile cam.. Eating and blogging on the go, excuse spelling mistakes :)

Voices for children fundraiser

Voices for children is an organization that raises funds as well as awareness to combat the troubles and challenges that orphan and foster care children face. On this event, the fundraising energy was vibrant: live auctions going into the high dollar ranges, music and a large part of the upper echelon of the area.

But the food was quite good given the number of tables and size of the attendance.

Pamellmousse grill brought out there arugula and watermelon salad: feta cheese, star shaped bread and light balsamic dressing:


The seabass was fantastically prepared.. Again surprised by the sea of wait staff coming in troves to bring out dishes that were warm. The seabass, grilled and baked, with a mild polenta and green beans was simple and good:



The dessert was a chocolate tart: chocolate pudding baked into a tart with boysenberry and raspberry decorations...



Although the focus of the event was to raise funds for the children, the food as such things tend to be disappointing. In this case, many of the restaurants an chefs contributed their best efforts to make this an above and beyond tasting experience.


- Posted using mobile cam.. Eating and blogging on the go, excuse spelling mistakes :)

Brockton villa- la jolla

This little charming place tucked into the hillside of la jolla, overlooking the ocean and having roots since 1894 is a little hidden gem.

Hearing that amazing breakfasts are served here, on this occasion was present for a special birthday event.





The boiled sweets tour had a delicious fire roasted artichoke with garlic aioli. The stuffed chicken breast with sundried tomatoes was fantastic:


The mahi tacos looked equally delicious:


And the Yukon sauce covered salmon.. Eat your heart out:


To our wonderful hostess:



The creme brûlée, disappeared before you can say yum:


- Posted using mobile cam.. Eating and blogging on the go, excuse spelling mistakes :)

Bravissimo barberella..

With Jane fonda inspirations pumping adrenaline into the veins, this heat lamp lit night brought us back to barberella's.

A welcoming jester awaits you at the bar:


With corkscrew statues inspiring the evening, who knows what type of adventures await:


Cozy interior, with dedicated fire places at select seats, a summer cocktail special of elderberry flower was in order:





The pizza funghi with grilled chicken and truffle oil, was great. Crushed red pepper flakes and extra truffle oil.. Delicious:





A little truffle oil goes a long way! Subtle, woodsy, mushroomy and earthy.. Fabulous ..

The burrata and pomodoro was fantastic. Creamy, cheesy fresh mozzarella cheese on an olive oil drenched baguette with ripe baby tomatoes, salty olives and adorned with balsamic reduction... Fantastico:


Once again, barbarella saves the day:


- Posted using mobile cam.. Eating and blogging on the go, excuse spelling mistakes :)

Love me some lebneh

A fantastic summer dip to have is lebneh, a Lebanese treat of thick yoghurt, garlic and olive oil to be scooped up with warm pita bread:


Another visit to alladin, outdoor patio in the sun with a mint iced tea almost reminds you of the summer afternoons in Beirut.

The babaganoush is one of the city's best: roasted eggplant ground up with tahini, lemon juice and olive oil..


The Mediterranean salad with chicken, fresh romain, feta, Persian cucumbers and radishes in a lemon and oregano olive oil based dressing is a favorite:


The prince of Persia never had it so good :)


- Posted using mobile cam.. Eating and blogging on the go, excuse spelling mistakes :)

Grill me up!

What's labor day weekend without some grilling action?

Roasted veggies galore, some eggplant marinading in garlic, olive oil and oregano, sizzled next to the Italian squash drizzled with thyme, sea salt and olive oil:





Add some sweet corn and peppers, the appetite gets going. Flavors roasting and harmonizing under the fire, make room for the petite filets with green onions:


Red onion grilled in foil opens up to a beautiful and delicious petals:



Sprinkled with lime juice, fabulous.

Time to dig in:





Charred to ultimate perfection :)



Sweet corn, some coated with a tangy barbecue, others in olive oil... Sweet and succulent..

- Posted using mobile cam.. Eating and blogging on the go, excuse spelling mistakes :)

Bencotto-- little Italy

A new welcoming addition to little Italy, Bencotta brings a modern industrial chic building space with great italian plates. Finally, a place in little Italy with good olive oil!

The interior space is modern loft, airy, exposed concrete, wine bottles and clean lines decorate the place. Exposed air ducts and all glass walls give you an industrial chic environment.



For starters, the bresaola e rucola, thin sliced cured beef with arugula, shaved Parmesan and sun dried tomatoe bits with olive oil and reduced balsamic vinegar.. Fabulous:


The rich olive oil, full of flavor:



The olives drenched in olive oil, were monstrous! Marinated with hens were meaty and good:



The tigella, a flat round homemade bread, comes plain or stuffed with pancetta and Rosemary...





The main course: tagliata Allan senape, a grilled rare steak marinaded with mustard and served with arugula :



A welcoming addition in an ultra modern building, looking forward to many more lunches here!
- Posted using mobile cam.. Eating and blogging on the go, excuse spelling mistakes :)

Ahi and peaches--oh my stars

With peaches galore, the recipes for peach infused dishes is definitely a summer welcoming.

From peach salsa to grilled peaches drizzled with balsamic vinegar, the fruit has extraordinary powers. Some even claim they make you happier...

Seared ahi served with spinach greens and topped with a caramelized onion and peach sauce, sweet and tangy... Fantastic blend of flavors



Peach salsa with cottage cheese, a refreshingly healthy snack (don't mind the chip action, it's there for texture!)



The mighty peach lives on...

- Posted using mobile cam.. Eating and blogging on the go, excuse spelling mistakes :)

What to eat in the burbs..

If you are ever stranded off o the 5 or in some remote wisteria lane looking like environment, you quickly notice that the food options are scarce.

On this occasion, coco's was the only non fast food joint in the vicinity. After not having walked into a coco's for 18 years, it was interesting to take a look at the menu.

Surprisingly, the menu had some new offerings of a chicken bistro offering. It was worth a try.


Roasted chicken with a simple salad and garlic cheese bread...the burbs are upgrading...

The egg scramble went down with a stack of pancakes:




- Posted using mobile cam.. Eating and blogging on the go, excuse spelling mistakes :)

Tuna melts--melt it your way

The tuna melt, with albacore tuna, cheddar cheese and tomatoes grilled in a sourdough bread is a classic serving.

With plenty of room for innovation, tuna with truffles and Romano cheese in a baguette is fantastic.

Here's a new creation that was inspired by some scarce resources. Chunky albacore, dressed with onions, heirloom tomatoes, dill, mustard, sea salt and white balsamic vinegar set to marinade to synergize the flavors:



On a whole wheat toasted bread, melted with Romano cheese, fantastic new creation:




- Posted using mobile cam.. Eating and blogging on the go, excuse spelling mistakes :)