Southern California Restaurant Review

Karl Strauss La Jolla

2011-05-02T21:35:00.000-07:00

We went to Karl Strauss La Jolla for lunch last week. I've been there numerous times before and I've always had a good meal. Actually, I went to the downtown Restaurant a bit more and really enjoyed that location as well. I had the Crunch BBQ Chicken Salad for lunch. I'd give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars. It was a little sloppy, but overall it tasted pretty good. The waitress was friendly and when we indicated that we wouldn't be having beers as we were off of work, she gave us all some samples. Overall, it was a good experience. I definitely recommend the place.

Karl Strauss
1044 Wall Street
La Jolla, CA 92037

Burger Lounge - La Jolla

2011-03-22T21:02:00.000-07:00

I stopped off at the Burger Lounge in La Jolla with my boss a couple of days ago. We were considering Karl Strauss for a burger, saw Burger Lounge and decided to give it a try. We had to wait in line for a while as they were kind of busy and the interior is kind of tight. Well, it was well worth the wait. I got a Grilled Lounge Burger and Onion Rings. Both were excellent. The Onion Rings were some of the best that I've had. I tend to be the kind of guy who likes a big juicey burger. This wasn't exactly that type, not real messy, but it was very good. I give this place my wholehearted recommendation. It was great. As a matter of fact, I'm trying to think who I can take with me there tomorrow. I hope it doesn't rain.

Burger Lounge
1101 Wall Street
La Jolla, CA 92037

Americana Restaurant in Del Mar

2011-03-18T21:31:00.000-07:00

I had breakfast at the Americana Restaurant in Del Mar this morning. It was a very nice cozy place. I was waiting out front for my colleagues and the waitress came out and asked me if I would liked to come in and sit down inside, which I thought was very nice. They have benches along the street which would also be a very nice place to eat on a summer weekday morning. I had the French Toast. It was a basic French Toast made from Texas Toast with powdered sugar and butter. It was very good. I definitely see myself trying to set up morning business meetings in the future, so that I have an excuse to go there.

Americana Restaurant
1454 Camino Del Mar
(between 14th St & 15th St)
Del Mar, CA 92014

Whisknladle - La Jolla

2011-03-13T16:12:00.000-07:00

My wife and I went to Whisknladle for breakfast this morning. I had the Ricotta Pancakes and my wife had an omelet made to order. Obviously, located in La Jolla, it's a great location. We took the time to walk around afterwards and poke our heads in to a couple of local shops. As for the breakfast, it's a beautiful restaurant, the service is great, and their is a great atmosphere. However, the menu is a little "earthy" for my taste. That's not to say that it was bad. In fact it was quite good. I'm sure that there is a huge group of people that would find this exactly to their liking. The staff was friendly, the waiter seemed to really get in to describing the menu, they did a great job putting together a made to order omelet for my wife that fit her diet. In looking at the menu, I may try them again and test out some of their dinner dishes. While it's not for me, I would recommend this restaurant to any of my friends that had a particular keenness for earthy, artisan foods.

Whisknladle
1044 Wall St
La Jolla, CA 92037
(858) 551-7575

Private Chef Versus Personal Chef

2011-03-12T16:10:00.001-08:00

The world today is getting increasingly more fast paced by the minute. Everyone appears to be very busy and does not even stop for a moment when they are on the move. Being like that makes someone ignore other little things, and either lose a bit or fully forget time for themselves. One good example is preparing food for themselves, particularly when living alone. People often turn to fast food, or no-cook dishes which doesn't really give the full enjoyment of eating. However, along with innovations in gadgets and other things,there has been alternatives in enjoying quality food that's fit for a good meal in a fine dining restaurant - in the actual comfort of your home or office.

People have been hiring their personal or private chefs - and it has been an excellent alternative in going to fancy restaurants, fast food, or instant meals. Some may cost some bucks, but being able to enjoy well-prepared food right in your own home devoid of breaking any sweat is simply precious. But, why do many people choose to avail of these services these days?

Previously personal chefs are exclusive for the rich, but not now. These days, there is a wide range of personal chef services and many choices to choose from. It has become less expensive even for the non-rich people and can be availed by just about everyone. The personal chef will take enough time to know what your preferences are like the ingredients you do not want to add on certain dishes or the dishes you want to eat regularly. They can save a lot of time as they can do the shopping for you and knows the best and freshest ingredients for you to enjoy. They will come prepared and will have everything they need to ready your meals in the comfort of your own homes, as well as cleaning up when they are done. When you get home, just reheat the dishes in storage and bon appetit!

A private chef is sort of similar to a personal chef, however in terms of working just for a particular group or person is what sets them apart. Private chefs are generally hired by families who are very busy and have a hectic schedule. They are hired by people in distinctive families or by a certain group. Private chefs sometimes are taken along in family travels, and most of the time is present while their clients eat. They still enjoy the same things as with personal chefs as they possibly can have the professional equipment but in a feel-at-home atmosphere with no pain of cleaning up a huge deal of mess after having a long day's work.

Whether you are a customer searching for the best service or a chef searching for a career, there are certain things that should be considered. With a private chef, a lot of the clients don't mind if they spend expensively given that they get great dining quality. Many private chefs prefer acquiring ingredients in different places which could mean added fees. They will also get more pay as people will typically get their services such as specific families and celebrities which will cause better paychecks. However, expect you'll see intimate things too. A few of your clients may be in their bath robes while eating, and you often hear conversations, but gradually become a part of the family. When a client particularly asks for a certain brand for a certain ingredient and if you can't find one near the place your working in, you might be having problems. When your client travels, chances are that the private chef will be there too. Free travel!

A personal chef has the liberty of having more clients, provided that they can handle their time correctly. They are on a "clean as you go" basis, but doesn't have to clean as much as someone in a restaurant. However, although a personal chef can handle several clients, there are days when it gets mixed up and it gets stressful. Mixing up schedules or inescapable events brings disaster so it also gets hard too. It is usually been known that pay is a little less when being a personal chef in comparison to a private chef.

Private Chef or a Personal Chef? It is your own decision. If it is all about good food for you to enjoy, one thing is for certain- both the personal chef and private chef can rise to the occasion. It genuinely is dependent upon the preferences though.

For more personal chef training tips please visit us at Personal Chef Academy. Visit us for more personal chef training.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ambert_Stephens

Barbarella - La Jolla

2011-03-10T20:52:00.000-08:00

I've been To Barbarella several times now. This restaurant is themed based on the movie with Jane Fonda. I decided not to hold that against them and have been here several times. I went once with my wife during restaurant week, then again a couple of times with work. It was not my preference. With that said, I was dragged there for breakfast and really liked it.
Unfortunately, I have found the service at Barbarella to be consistently mediocre. I've had the Barbarella Burger which was good, but the fries were soggy and a Bib & Blue Salad which was pretty good. For Breakfast I had the Strapazette which was really good. Ultimately, the food was never good enough to overcome what was consistently poor service. Therefore, I can't recommend them and give them two out of five stars.

Piatti In La Jolla

2011-03-08T21:05:00.000-08:00

Piatti is one of my favorite restaurants. They recently had a makeover and the atmosphere is better than ever. I went there for lunch the other day with the guys from work. They had a mixed meat risotto on special. It included sausage and pancetta. I have to say, that I wasn't very happy with the dish. I just checked the menu and it does not appear to have made it to prime time which is a relief. Again, Piatti is one of my favorite restaurants. When I was single, it was a place that I would often take dates to. However, they need to avoid this dish in the future.

Breakfast at Cafe Coyote in Old Town

2011-03-06T15:37:00.000-08:00

My wife and I had breakfast at Cafe Coyote in Old Town yesterday. In general, we thought it was pretty good.

My wife had a California Omelette without the cheese and substituted vegetables for the filling. It was good, but she had to send the order back to get it right.

I had the Coyote Breakfast Quesadilla. It was very good, but small. I also had a Coyote Breakfast Margarita which I enjoyed thoroughly. I can't say that I am a heavy drinker, but I definitely got my money's worth with this one.

As for chips, we got the bottom of the barrel. I suppose that we could have asked for more, but I really didn't need them so why?

Ultimately, I have to give them 3 1/2 stars. We would probably eat there again.

The Cheescake Factory - Mission Valley

2009-11-11T20:48:00.001-08:00

My son and I had lunch at The Cheesecake Factory last Saturday. My wife is pregnant with twins and needed the time at home alone to catch up on her sleep. I had a pretty good idea what I was going to write about my trip prior to my visit. The Cheesecake Factory is my favorite chain restaurant and prior to undertaking this blog I had already endeavored to try everything on their menu. I am not quite there yet, but I can say that there are very few items on their menu that I haven’t liked. One of the main things about The Cheesecake Factory is their consistency. You can always expect to get a good meal, with a good size portion and cooked correctly. However, this time was a little bit different. I ordered the Navajo sandwich, which I hadn’t tried before. I found it to be dry and poorly seasoned. I thought the concept was good. I liked the wrap. Quite frankly, I am not sure that they put all of the correct condiments on the sandwich. It seemed dry and flavorless. I’ll probably try this sandwich again at some point if it doesn’t go the way of one of my favorites, (Mustard Crusted Chicken).

Moving on to the Cheesecake. The last time we went to The Cheesecake Factory we had one of the cake/cheesecake concoctions. We really liked it. So this time, there were two on the menu that I had to take home for my wife and I to try. We had Stefanie’s Ultimate Red Velvet and the 30^th Anniversary Chocolate Cheesecake. Let me just say that they were both two of the best I have ever tasted. With that said, you have to try the Ultimate Red Velvet Cheesecake. It was amazing. The cake was incredibly moist and the flavor was delicious. I don’t know how they keep the quality of the cake so high when combined with the cheesecake. In the past, usually this combination results in less than desirable pieces of cake. By coincidence, I had recently seen a couple of different shows dealing with Red Velvet cake on the Food Network. I had not ever seen Red Velvet cake before. If it is all as good as this, I am going to have to add it to my list of favorite foods.

The Cheesecake Factory is Located at:

7067 Friars Road San Diego, CA 92108
(619) 683-2800

C Level

2009-11-04T20:10:00.000-08:00

I recently had a business lunch at C Level. What a great place to spend a nice San Diego afternoon. They have a great view of the San Diego Skyline, as well as Coronado. While I have been to Island Prime before, this was my first time at C Level. My group was taking some business associates that we hope develop a closer business relationship with. C Level didn't disappoint. Obviously, this is a "Hot Spot". We got there a little early and were surprised that it wasn't packed. Ten minutes later, the place was wall to wall.

We got seated a good 15 minutes before our associates showed up. The waitress was very friendly and didn't make us feel pressured at all for taking up a seat without ordering. When they arrived, the five of us went ahead and ordered. After we ordered, it took about 20 minutes for us to get our lunch. While this was fine for us, as we were making introductions and getting to know one another, this could be too long for a group trying to grab a quick lunch and get back to the office.

I had the snake river farms kobe filet burger with blue cheese. This burger was well worth the wait. It was a perfectly cooked medium rare bacon burger on an artisan bun. It came with steak fries which were definitely not to the level of the burger. However, the shortcomings of the fries not withstanding, I would wholeheartedly recommend this dish.

C Level is located at
880 Harbor Island Dr.
San Diego CA
p: 619.298.6802

Fidel's In Solana Beach

2009-10-27T19:55:00.000-07:00

I recently joined some friends at Fidel's in Solana Beach. I would say that it is kind of an eclectic Mexican Restaurant. The building that houses Fidel's is in the middle of a residential area. It appears that it may have been a home at some point.

I am going to keep this one short and sweet. The chips and salsa were good. They weren't particularly good with refilling my drink. I had the Chicken Quesadilla. Pretty standard Mexican fare for San Diego. Not the best I have had, but definitely not the worst either. Fidel's seems like a good place to go with a large group of people. They seem to have a lot of large seating area for groups both inside and out.

Fidel's is located at:
607 Valley Ave.
Solana Beach, CA 92075

Jake's Del Mar

2009-10-26T20:13:00.000-07:00

My family had a Sunday Brunch at Jake’s Del Mar this week. The experience was interesting to say the least. The meal was excellent. Obviously, the location is almost unparalleled. The restaurant has great ambiance. It was a good experience and I would recommend the restaurant.
We got to the restaurant about 15 minutes after the rest of the family. The server was already serving a round of Mimosas and accidentally poured 5 mimosas down my back. They handled the issue very well. They gave me a T-shirt to change in to and took very good care of our table. In short, they did their best to try and make up for their mistake. As my father-in-law paid for the meal, I am unable to verify that they comp’d it, but they said that they would.
To start, the pastries were all excellent. There was a good selection and each one was very good. For my meal, I had the Vanilla Bean Custard French Toast. I can’t rave about this enough. It was a lot like a bread pudding with cinnamon raisin bread, raspberries, and strawberries. It was delicious. This also included their potato dish on the side which was also delicious.
My wife had the Eggs Benedict. Again, this was excellent and included the same potato dish that came with the French Toast. We both loved this dish as well.
The only down side to the experience was that my wife’s uncle asked for a side order of two scallops. This wasn’t the way they typically serve the dish. The server had a real hard time understanding what he was looking for (just 2) and I was a little frustrated by the back and forth required to order two scallops. Ultimately he ended up getting a plate of four scallops, which appeared to be their standard appetizer. I am not sure if this was intentional or a misunderstanding. In fact, they may have comp’d it. I don’t know.
All and all, I would whole heartedly recommend Jake’s Del Mar. I loved the meal and will definitely go back for more.

Jake's is located at:

Jake's Del Mar
On the Sand in Del Mar
1660 Coast Boulevard Del Mar, CA 92014
Phone: (858) 755-2002
Fax: (858) 755-3240

On the Border

2009-10-22T20:16:00.001-07:00

On the way back from Bates Nut farm last weekend, we decided to stop at On the Border for lunch. It wasn’t my choice, but my wife is pregnant, so she gets what she wants. The first thing I noticed was that they seemed to have changed the chips. They weren’t bad, but I could get full on the old ones before the meal even came. I liked the salsa a lot, but my wife said that it was too spicy. She has little stomach for spicy foods. We also ordered a side of guacamole which was good, but there wasn’t much of it.

For lunch, I had the Pepper Jack Chicken Grilled Enchilada. It was adequate. I would have called it a grilled fajita, if I were to name it. I like my enchiladas with a bit more sauce than came with this one. The rice was good and the beans were also good.

My wife had the Mexican Chopped Chicken Salad. It was very bland and did not offer much in the way of taste. Neither of us would order this again. My wife went anticipating ordering a chipotle salad that they no longer offer.

The highlight of our meal was the Kids Cheese Quesadillla. It went excellent with the salsa that came with the chips.

Would I recommend On the Border? Yes. We selected a couple of items that we may not normally have chosen so that I could review something new. There are a lot of more traditional items that are good, and you know what to expect every time you visit. The service was also very good.

On the Border is Located at 10789 Westview Parkway, San Diego, CA 92126

Sunset Bar & Grill

2009-10-16T21:27:00.000-07:00

I’ve been to the Sunset Bar & Grill in Del Mar several times now since the re-opening. In the past, I have really enjoyed their food, so I expected more of the same. Unfortunately, this trip did not live up to my expectations. My wife and son and I went to the grille on Saturday and were very disappointed. We went in for an early dinner at about 5 and ordered immediately. Since it was not crowded, we were surprised when it took twenty five minutes for the food to arrive. I ordered the Sunset Grill Burger which I had enjoyed in the past. My wife ordered the Pesto Chicken Penne. We were disappointed by both.
For the Hamburger, they apparently ran out of the Artisan Buns and substituted it with whatever was on sale at Vons. I asked for a medium rare burger, but instead received a burger that was cooked medium well. The fixings were good, however they did not bring out any condiments with the meal. Normally, I like a good medium-rare burger without condiments, but I usually take condiments on a medium well burger. Because I didn’t know it was medium well I neglected to request condiments. Because we had already waited so long, and my son was getting restless, I did not ask them to give me a new burger.
The Pesto Chicken Penne was only a little better. We ordered the dish without the Feta Cheese because my wife is pregnant. This dish was very bland. The best I can say about it was that I didn’t hate it.
Moving on to desert, we were left hungry after our dinner, so decided to order desert. We shared a triple chocolate cake and ordered the child’s sundae for my son. The chocolate cake was probably not a top seller because it came out stale. I suppose if it was fresh, it wouldn’t have been too bad. However, I wouldn’t recommend it. For my son, we received a bowl of ice cream soup without any chocolate syrup.
As I said to start the post, I have enjoyed this restaurant in the past. In fact, I have had the Sunset Grill Burger three times now. However, if this was my first time at the Sunset Grille, I would probably never go back. They definitely not on their game on this day. I for one cannot afford to spend my entertainment money hoping for a good meal. With that in mind, I cannot recommend The Sunset Bar & Grill.

The Sunset Bar & Grill is located at:
1555 Camino Del Mar #322
Del Mar, CA 92014

The Lazy Dog Cafe

2009-09-19T08:43:00.001-07:00

We went over to the Lazy Dog Café Prior to an Angel’s game last Sunday with the family. We were kind of in a hurry, because we needed to get to the game and this place fit the bill. They quickly turned around our order and let us get to the game on time. As I understand it, you are allowed to bring dogs there and they can sit next to you in the outside eating area. As our dog weighs 150 pounds, and has the energy of a lab, I don’t think it would be a good fit for our family.

We decided on the Tex-Mex Salad with chicken and the Guacamole Burger. We were happy with both selections.

The Tex Mex Salad had a good amount of freshly grilled chicken. It wasn’t rubbery and our son even enjoyed it. The there was a variety of greens, all of which were very fresh. Finally, the dressing had very good flavor. I would recommend this dish.

The Guacomole Burger was not quite as good as the salad, however we did like it. It had a nice bun that didn’t overwhelm the burger as well. It had a nicely cooked piece of meet that had just enough fat to impart good flavor without seeming fatty. We also enjoyed the fries. I would say that they were of the “steak fry” variety. They were well cooked and very good.

To top it all off, they brought out a little container of fruit loops and licorice for our son.

I would definitely recomment this restaruant and hope that they open a location in our area.

The Lazy Dog Cafe is located at 1623 W. Katella Ave. Orange, CA 92867

Por Favor

2009-09-18T06:57:00.001-07:00

We decided to stop by Por Favor for my Son’s 1^st Birthday dinner. I find with Mexican, that you can often find a hidden Gem when you try a place like this. Clearly, this wasn’t a hidden gem. The layout of the restaurant is nice, with an inside portion and an outside patio area. It also has a seating area along the street. The seating area along the street is what drew us to the location. The interior was well worn, which is fine for this type of restaurant, with Mexican art on the walls throughout.

Starting off with the chips and salsa, I would bet that they had been recycled. They weren’t very good. The salsa was just as bad. It seemed like it was an attempt at a pico de gallo, but it had been all mushed together. Again, I suspect that there may have been some recyling going on with the Salsa.

I had a del mar enchilada. I found myself constantly asking myself as I ate it if it was good or if it was bad. Really, my review is going to be based on the fact that I had to ask the question. I just couldn’t decide that it was worth eating and eventually decided to to give up. I left half of the plate uneaten. I found that the shrimp was rubbery and the sauce just couldn’t commit to a flavor. The sauce seemed like a mix of different canned sauces, and clearly did not work.

Finally, we liked the Taco Salad. In terms of a taco shell type salad, this was a pretty good one. It had a nice crisp taco shell and the ingrediants appeared to be pretty fresh. I would have liked fresh chicken, but in comparison to the whole, it wasn’t too bad.

I would not try Por Favor again. We decided to try the local restaurant instead of going to On The Border in the hope of finding a decent non-chain restaurant close to home. In hindsight, we would have preferred On The Border.

Por Favor is located at 148 E Main St. El Cajon, CA

Dick's Last Resort

2009-09-07T16:35:00.000-07:00

My wife and I had an early dinner at Dick’s Last Resort on Thursday. I am sorry to say that I wasn’t very impressed. As I have lived in San Diego for 8 years now, I have often heard about Dick’s and their waiter’s schtick. We were on our way to the Gaslamp Strip Club. They were completely empty, so we decided to head into Dick’s Last Resort. Let me first say that I can see how this place could be fun on a Friday Night before a ball game with a bunch of friends. I will say that my waiter seemed to sense that we weren’t in it for the show and didn’t lay it on very thick (which I appreciated).

I ordered Macho Nachos with Chicken and my wife ordered the Steak Salad. The Nachos weren’t very good. They were reminiscent of nachos that you would get at a baseball game. The chicken was a complete waste. It was completely rubbery and could very well have been cooked the day before. The chili wasn’t very good and last but not least, I really don’t like cheese sauce on my Nachos.

The Steak Salad was a little better. The steak was a correctly cooked medium rare. That is where they lost me. For the type of place that Dick’s is, I would have expected a much more hardy steak salad. It was like they were trying to cross a burger joint with a trendy restaurant. Very light on the dressing, which I think was incorrect, but am not completely sure. We asked for Blue Cheese but got what may have been a Blue Cheese Cilantro combination. I would not recommend this dish.

Dicks Last Resort is Located at 345 Fourth Avenue, San Diego CA 92101

While I wasn’t happy with my first go round with Dick’s I will probably give it one more try. I would like to try some of the items that their menu is built around such as the ribs or wings.