The Daily Chow

NOMAD DONUTS | NORTH PARK MMM UBE

2017-10-19T18:29:00.000-07:00

Omg this place!! There's donuts and then there are DONUTS! There was so much hype and anticipation surrounding Nomad opening up in North Park and opening day did not disappoint.

I was invited to come by to try an array of tastes and I went to the gym that evening, carb loaded happy with a few favorites.

1 - The Scotch egg in a donut. I never knew what was missing out of my life, was an egg covered in sausage, inside of a donut.

2 - Ube croissant donut. So simple, so soft and so many layers of just sweet delicate flavor. The matcha one had a stronger flavor then the Ube one. I think I could have done w/ out the sugar on the outside, but I'm also a weirdo, because I dislike frosting (on anything).

3 - The every thing bagel and their spreads.

I've heard the sandwiches are quite amazeballs, so I can't wait to go back and try those.

Pardon My French: Hillcrest (+Video)

2016-06-27T10:49:00.000-07:00

"When I eat with my friends, it is a moment of real pleasure, when I really enjoy my life." ~Monica Bellucci

Just last week, I was invited for a summer menu kick off tasting and tour at Pardon My French in Hillcrest. It opened up in the Spring and if it looks familiar, it's because they took over the space that used to be Heat.

I cannot begin to express what a beautiful Sunday this was. The perfect summer like weather, relaxing music, conversations and company and the array of delicious eats and wine pairings, were the makings for a sensational evening.

Prior to dinner, I was led through a tour of the restaurant, where I got to learn about some of the art pieces on display, explore through the kitchen, meet the wonderful chefs/staff and taste a scotch that changed my life :D

For dinner, there were 7 courses, with every flavor to tickle and entice each corner of the palate, and wines to accompany.

In order:
1. Cucumber Granita. Lime and mint foam.
2. Heirloom tomato salad with balsamic caviar. ( I want an ice cream pint filled with that caviar :p )
3. Citrus cured salmon. (LOVE)
4. Pan roasted cod (also LOVE, the foam, lightness of the fish, every thing was perfect)
5. Grilled pork belly
6. Aged ribeye (This was so perfect, the smoke potato puree and carrots were divine!)
7. Chocolate Cremeaux (with honeycomb!!!)

What I love about Pardon My French, is the passion and care surrounding the ingredients and food experience, without the pretension that usually gets associated with fine dining. The restaurant name is also perfectly fitting for their San Diego cool attitude. The owners, Eric and Lindsey are so nice and really vibe off of sharing their experiences and love of food with people.

Also, on various nights of the week, they have live music. (Mandi if you're reading this, you're amazing and we loved sitting by you!)

Great food, cool company, lots of laughs, sharing stories and making new friends. While the ingredients and places may change, it's really these things it comes down to, that makes me tingly with joy and what every blog post has been about, since the beginning.

Something new for the blog, YouTube! Huzzah! :D Here are some vignettes from that evening.

Pokirrito! Sushi Buurrrrrrito Time is a Go!

2016-06-14T13:38:00.004-07:00

I love Poke and I love sushi, so when we drove by and realized it was the grand opening of Pokirrito, all other eating plans came to a halt and we hopped in line.

Pokiritto is a new, Subway/Chipotle style restaurant that serves up variations of raw/cooked "burritos", which can be thought of as extra long, uncut sushi rolls, bowls and Yakitori. I wanted to visit a few times prior to posting this blog, and I can now say with certainty, this place is legitimately good.

The menu style has changed a bit, a few things were added and I have yet to try the Yakitori, but that's mostly because I love the Pokirrito classic burrito and the kale bowl so much, that it's hard to noms all the things. Next time though.. next time :P

The seafood is fresh, and like Chipotle you can ask for a little more of this, less of that and to some degree, customize your order.

The Pokirrito classic burrito has tuna, crab, tamago, various veggies and my absolute favorite LOTUS ROOT CRISPS! The sad thing though is that they only put the lotus crisps on the burrito, and you can't pay extra to add them to the bowls.

For the kale bowl (only avail in large) you get 4 scoops of your choice of seafood, I always get 2 servings of salmon, 1 of tuna and 1 of scallops with a bit of spicy dressing. I'll ask for extra onions, and cucumber and the cherries on top are definitely the addition of seaweed salad, crab and fish eggs! If you're reading Pokirrito, please please please let me pay extra for lotus crisps to be added to the bowls.

With each order, you do receive a small bag of ruffles style chips.
Their sweet teas are also really good and for the slurpee lovers, they have frozen beer.

As it's in the epicenter of Convoy mayhem, there are often lines, and being that it's next to Rakitori and Tasty Noodle, the whole plaza looks like endless hordes of hungry people waiting around for food. The Pokirrito line definitely moves the fastest of the three though and if you go on Mon-Thurs, either before 630pm, or after 830pm it's not so bad :)

Good luck, let me know what you guys have tried and may the parking odds ever be in your favor.

Raising a Glass to Bowie: A Night at Hess Brewing

2016-05-02T13:01:00.000-07:00

Searching for music is like searching for God. They're very similar. There's an effort to reclaim the unmentionable, the unsayable, the unseeable, the unspeakable, all those things, comes into being a composer and to writing music and to searching for notes and pieces of musical information that don't exist. ~ David Bowie

There's a magnetic engagement that takes place when you merge the worlds of festivity, music and art into a single social space. Especially when celebrating someone as spectacular as David Bowie.

During this tasting event at Hess, as I was walking through the space and looking through the exhibitions, every so often, through the clouds of conversations, I would hear a familiar lyric or melody and I'd stop to see if anyone else caught that same tune. Sometimes, I would find someone and get a smile and a nod, other times I would catch storytelling soundbites from people sharing significant life moments surrounding that song.

I may be the last person in San Diego, let alone North Park or Hillcrest to finally experience Hess, but even though I was late to the party, I'm glad I showed up on the right night.

My favorite beers from the evening:
Ficus Saison
Grapefruit Solis:

--
big thanks to Amanda from Passion Roots for the invite and to Hess for the fun event and company.

Hello Neighbor: Rakitori Japanese Pub & Grill Hillcrest

2016-03-08T09:27:00.001-08:00

Like that trusted friend you can call to, in good times and in bad, finding that late night hideaway with great food and drinks is priceless.

We discovered Rakitori one late evening after the gym, when not many other places nearby were still open. From that night on, it's been a frequent favorite. (** 3 visits within a week type favorite).

The humble exterior, facing the busy and bustling University ave, leads into a cozy and ambient hybrid between a stylish uptown bar hangout and an intimate eatery.

The people are fun and friendly, the specials are on point, but what really really made me adore this place is their salmon skin salad. Served in a wooden box, this dish has quite the generous portion of crispy salmon skin (that has a sliver of meat still attached), a mix of seaweed salad, fresh greens, roasted garlic, roe and just the right amount of dressing. Somehow this salad is filling, satisfying, bright, savory and delightful all at the same time. I have yet to visit Rakitori and not order this dish.

Other favorites:
Chicken heart yakitori.
Baby octopus yakitori
Pork belly yakitori
Spicy seafood ramen
Oxtail ramen in Tonkatsu soup (if the menu doesn't show this soup avail, ask for it, and they'll let you know if they have it that evening)
and quite a few others.

I'd also like to highlight that I really adore the consistency/texture/bounciness of the noodles they use in their ramen and their black garlic oil with roasted garlic addition is a flavor party!

I often trek up to the Convoy area when craving yakitori, so I'm so stoked to have this place in Hillcrest, close to home and the gym.

We'll be headed here again soon and if any of you happen to try the green tea fondue, let me know what you think! I really like the butterscotch pudding.

Till next time, happy eating!

Comfort Food at Crest Cafe in Hillcrest

2015-12-15T13:04:00.002-08:00

"The best comfort food will always be greens, cornbread, and fried chicken." ~ Maya Angelou

In the heart of Hillcrest, right after the sun has set, you can start to hear the flickers and pulses of the neon lights turn on and feel a different energy flowing through the neighborhood.

Whatever your night is calling for, a romantic stroll, an indulgence in delectable tastes, a night you want to toast to and never remember, a place to find mr/mrs right now, dinner and a film for one, or in my case... comfort in fried chicken and a cozy conversation with friends, this neighborhood will open its arms and welcome you in.

Crest Cafe with it's South Beach Miami'esque flare, elephant mural and vibrant neon sign, has been iconically lighting up Robinson ave, for as long as I can remember.

My good friend Amanda invited a group of us out one night, to her event at Crest Cafe, to catch up,
have a couple drinks and try a bunch of things on the menu, while getting to know the owners and the history behind the long rooted neighborhood restaurant.

The food is familiar, the portions are hearty, the prices are great and there is an abundant variety of almost anything imaginable. But even now, weeks later, though the other tastes were good, I have trouble painting a picture of anything else but that fried chicken (which also came with waffles, more on that in a second).

Like how the restaurant so vibrantly stands out against many of the other surrounding buildings that come up and go over time, this fried chicken was unexpectedly delightful. I'm usually not a fan of boneless style chicken, but the crispiness, sweet flavor and texture of the meat was quite good.

While always good with butter and syrup, the waffles felt like a novelty pairing to the chicken, as opposed to being a standalone item, that I would order individually. If you're looking for the Belgian style, deep square, light crispy outside and fluffy inside waffle, this isn't it. But if you're into something that's better than eating your chicken with a biscuit, this definitely is that.

While the menu has healthy alternatives, as a few of the friends were looking for, it's very apparent that the steamed veggie and salad concoctions satisfy more so the sustenance aspect of eating, and not necessarily the comfort or enjoyment side.

I always feel the answer to most food predicaments lies in a pan with more butter, but I also understand that's not everyone's kinda thing :P

Crest Cafe is like that friend you don't often think of or see, but on that late working night, or catching up, they're there like a warm hug.

Canada in Noms

2015-12-03T10:21:00.001-08:00

It's almost like tradition, that once December with its holiday dressings are in sight, we begin to marvel in astonishment at how hastily the year has come and gone. This year, oddly and splendidly feels a little different. Maybe it's the modest alcohol consumption, in comparison to years past, that's allowing for a better recollection of 2015's adventures, but this year's pace, though busy, felt steady :P

I spent a month, early in the year, visiting family and friends through Canada, starting in Edmonton, then to Calgary and then to Vancouver. Since I'm headed back there for the holidays, for this Throwback Thursday, in absolutely no particular order, I wanted to share highlights from some of new places that we ate at.

Edmonton
Cafe Bicyclette - adorable place to catch up with a friend, or read while enjoying coffee and a croissant.
RGE RD - the people are awesome, I loved the variety in meats and they make great drinks.
Won Jung Gak- Not new, but absolutely one of my favorites in Edmonton. Get the Jajangmyeon noodles and nothing else :P

Calgary
Mercato - this place has everything! But the carbonara pasta (i'm a simple person) and espresso were perfect for lunch. GET THE DONUT in the deli section!!!
500 Cucina - definitely a new favorite!!! They make an awesome Bloody Mary.
L'Epicerie - not new, but I LOVE this place.. I usually spend hours here eating the pate, foie gras, and many other goodies. I've written about it before here "http://www.thedailychow.com/2015/05/hello-again-lepicierie.html"
Mango Shiva - Go here during a weekday off hour and sit by the window. I really enjoyed eating here alone, having a variety of their small plates and a beer.
Charcut Roast House - the bison with chimichurri is so good. Pricey place though and only a couple star dishes. I did however enjoy their house made Mortadella.

Vancouver
Bao Down - I don't care if the food snobs scoff at me for putting this down. The "2 world's collide" bun and their beignets are the bees knees!
Guu Garlic Izakaya - Really REALLY great food and I love that they had Monkfish liver.
Salmon n' Bannock - this place is so cozy and lovely, the people are so warm and the food really is simply delicious.
The Flying Pig - bone marrow!!!!
Cuchillo - very cool decor, the pork belly was my favorite thing there

A big thank you to everyone who took the time to come out and noms with me ♥ For those of you that know me, you know that my stomach isn't just a way into my heart, it practically is my heart!

It's off to NYC and I have butterflies of joy, as I love that city in the winter and during the holidays, then it's to Canada to see snow and ketchup chips.

Snapshots: Collaboration Kitchen, Ladies Night

2015-10-05T11:39:00.003-07:00

"You don't need a silver fork to eat good food" ~Paul Prudhomme

The stage..Catalina OP... the people, a group of talented chefs, sponsors, volunteers and food lovers, coming together for a night of awesome eats, for great causes.

From the handful of events this year, Collaboration Kitchen has donated $17,500 to San Diego charities.

What makes this event so great is, not only do you get to taste creative and phenomenal food creations, but you also get a live demonstration and recipes to help you recreate them at home.

On this special night, the featured chefs were, Logan Mitchell of Cellar Door, Christina Ng of Whole Foods Market Del Mar and Quinn Wilson of Balanced and Bright Traditional Foods.

What was cooked up:
Asian inspired Nicoise salad (that tuna!!)
Steamed clams in bone broth
Opah fish taco with mole
Grilled Baha shrimp with white bean succotash and Logan's amazeball chimichurri
Seared and chilled scallops with marinated vegetable ribbons
Salted Caramel Uni Profiteroles

Curds and Wine also provided delicious drink pairings, my favorite being the hard apple cider (and I'm not even a cider person).

The final treat was that everyone got to take home a bit of the beautiful decorative produce provided by Specialty Produce.

I love that Collaboration Kitchen is just about a good time and sharing tasty food, no fancy plating or silverware, no pretention surrounding ingredients and you get to see all the work that goes into making the event happen, through the open back kitchen. Following the demonstrations and after the event, you also get to talk to the chefs, pick their brains and get cooking advice on their recipes.

Be sure to follow them on facebook to see when their next event is. Tickets always sell fast.

__

Click the link to read about the previous event
http://www.thedailychow.com/2015/06/food-avengers-assemble-collaboration.html

Savory, Spice and Everything Nice: World Curry San Diego

2015-08-25T09:53:00.000-07:00

"If life were predictable it would cease to be life, and be without flavor." ~Eleanor Roosevelt

Many years ago, on a night after a long happy hour, a friend took me to place where vegetarians and meat eaters could happily collide in enjoyment over savory good eats and converse under the glow of colored lights and cozy decor.

Fast forward to a summer Tuesday evening, I was invited to a 20yr celebration of tastes at World Curry. With a couple of familiar faces and new friends, we got to sample flavors from across the world, and learn about the spices and seasonings that make the complex flavors found in varying curries.

**If there is one thing you MUST go to World Curry for, and absolutely must try, it's their Indonesian Bali Beef! After tasting this, I spent most of the evening musing over what size vessels I could bring, to have filled with their magical brisket, that is pressure cooked to tender savory perfection and served in a Rendang curry.

While the Bali Beef is my shining meaty star, we also tried an array of other wonderful bites.

- Tikka taco (delightfully good!)
- Veggie pakora
- Phall Popper (spicy but mild compared to it's curry counterpart)
- Naan bread
- Thai green curry with chicken and veggies
- Tikka masala with chicken
- Banana fritter with coconut ice cream

Bonus round: A SINGLE BITE of the Phall curry, which is the longest lingering, most delicious, and spiciest thing I've ever eaten.

It was a really special evening, getting to talk to Bruce and Momo, hearing great stories from the last 20 years and learning about the time, detail and quality of ingredients that go into their food.

When I asked Bruce, if he's tired of curry yet, or if there is something he still eats every day, he had the best answer, "Bali beef and a bit of rice, every day!"

In celebration of their 20yr anniversary, until Aug. 30th, they're offering the above as a prefix menu for just $20!

Check them out at http://worldcurry.com/

__

a very special thank you to Amanda at Passion Roots, our designated drivers for the evening and Bruce and Momo for sharing your stories and food with us!

That's Amore! Postcards: A Night at Calabria with Specialty Produce

2015-07-01T13:49:00.003-07:00

Fresh seasonal ingredients, passionate people and a hunger for good eats, all of these elements collaborated together to make a magical food evening at Cafe Calabria.

I was introduced to Specialty Produce through friends over at Catalina Offshore Products, and they not only provide produce to some of San Diego's best restaurants, but like Catalina, also have a retail front that sells to the public.

Last week, Specialty put together this event of tastes and Cafe Calabria could not have been a more perfect location.

I always have an amazing time at Calabria, whether it's an afternoon espresso, or a late night Sunday pizza with a glass of Sangiovese, the people always welcome you like an old friend and the inside foliage and nature elements make for a wonderful atmosphere.

The food oh the food!

Chef MJ (head chef at Calabria) and the chefs from Bracero Cocina really did an incredible and creative job with the dishes that evening. At some point, when everyone was out in the garden area, my friend and I found the lonely Tuna crostini and meatball trays and had quite the sampling of them. The merriment between the insanely fresh and tasty tuna with the aioli and dill, and the tender meatballs with roasted garlic and vegetables, had me in a whirlwind of food drunken happiness.

Another favorite was this samphire salad with beets and radish. I absolutely loved how bright this dish was, and could not stop eating the beets and radish.

At the end of the evening, we headed upstairs for a bit of espresso and what I initially thought was a donut decorated with berries, come to my surprise it was a perfect dessert peach!

But as always, the best parts of the evening, were getting to talk to the chefs, food lovers and providers, learning about their passion, how they came to where they are and what their favorite foods are.

So, when "the world seems to shine, like you've had too much wine (or espresso, pizza & tuna)

That's amore!"

Till next time, Mangia Bene!
(eat well)

Say hello to some of San Diego's awesome food people.
Specialty Produce

Cafe Calabria

Catalina Offshore Products

Bracero Cocina

Food Avengers Assemble! Collaboration Kitchen

2015-06-08T11:27:00.001-07:00

A handful of times a year, a cast of superhero chefs gather at Catalina Offshore Products, for an amazing underground demo and dinner event, not only to showcase recipes, tips and tricks to cooking delicious seafood, but also to raise money for local causes and rockstar organizations that are changing people's lives.

The proceeds from this particular night went to the Chef Celebration Foundation of San Diego, who are assembling the next generation of chef avengers!

The chefs of the hour and what they cooked up.

Sam the Cooking Guy
The 14 Emmy winning, "no foie gras or truffle oil, regular "cooking made easy" guy.

Matzo Brei with Lox and Caviar
Yellow Pepper Gazpacho with Grilled Shrimp
Sweet and Spicy Chili Opah

Matt Gordon
Owner and Chef at Urban Solace / Sea and Smoke / and Solace and the Moonlight Lounge

Spot Prawn with Mole and Burnt Tortilla Pesto
Monchong with Uni-Pea Puree and Meyer Lemon Confit
Fermented Chili Rubbed HiramasA with Korean Noodle

One of my favorite things about Collaboration Kitchen is the open space that allows guests to see some of San Diego's finest chefs, working hard behind the scenes, making food magic happen. Adding to the evening's repertoire, was also an up close whole fish deconstruction demonstration by resident fish monger, Tommy Gomes and Chef Ken. (Whenever I buy fish from Catalina OP, I always ask to keep the heads and if they have extras, because yum!)

The other lucky treat to the evening, was having Alesmith brewing provide specialty beer pairings with each dish.

Over the course of a couple hours, we laughed, learned a lot, ate good food, and best of all got to know the passionate people making our food and where our seafood came from.

So, how do you score a seat to this event? Prior to each event, Collaboration Kitchen and Catalina OP will post the date and details to their facebook, with a link to purchase tickets. Click fast, because these seats sell out.

This is the first of a series of blog posts that I'll be doing on Collaboration Kitchen, each one will feature more about the food, and a personal QA with chefs and people from the events.

--
HI Friends!
Check out some of the chefs, writers and friends from that evening.

Chef Sara Polczynski - The Blind Burro

Chef Miguel Valdez - Tabletop Commons (previously 100 Wines, when I first met him and got to hear about how he got started, his love for food, and that the food world is a small world where everyone knows Tommy)

Chef Billy "Butter" Joyce - Surf Side Cuisine

Chef Maria Hesse - https://about.me/maria.hesse

Sheen Fischer - North County Food (check out his awesome write up of this event).
http://northcountyfood.com/2015/06/03/collabo-who/

Hello Again L'Epicierie

2015-05-21T15:00:00.001-07:00

Two years ago, I serendipitously stumbled into what would become one of my favorite places to visit, whenever I'm in Calgary, L'Epicerie. Located off of 1st, between 13th and 14th ave, is this quaint, unassuming and absolutely charming French deli.

Life's adventures can often make me feel as if I've warped through months, in a matter of a few days. So when it comes to travel, eating and conversations with friends, I especially like to linger onto every moment and forget about time and deadlines.

Yesterday, stepping into L'Epicerie, was like catching up with an old friend. The familiarity from the scents of fresh baguette and espresso, the excitement of new tastes and the exuberant exchange of smiles and greetings with Chef Ryan on how quickly two years has gone by.

I ordered some of the old favorite items from my last visit and Chef Ryan let us try some of the new. Everything... EVERYTHING was so good.

My favorites and photographed above
(Items below are cured and created in house)
The Salmon Gravlax
Pâté Pork with Pistache
Duck Rillettes
Butternut squash soup
Duck Foie-gras Terrine
Black Olive Tapenade
Tarte aux Pommes (Apple Tart)

and of course.. espresso and salami.

I'm sad that my time in Calgary is so short, but next up is Vancouver (which I haven't seen in many years), then San Francisco for Google IO.

à bientôt Edmonton and Calgary, ❤ till next time when we eat again.

Read about my first experience at L'Epicerie
http://www.thedailychow.com/2013/12/a-serendipitous-encounter-lepicerie.html

34 Musings over a Birthday Irish Coffee

2015-05-11T10:23:00.001-07:00

With each aging year, I get this paranoia that at some point, there's a singular moment of transition, where I'll officially become mature, and begin to resemble this embodiment of what an "adult" is supposed to be. That at some point, it'll be no longer be acceptable to wear Dragon Ball Z shirts, collect action figures and have a drink at 8am.

That paranoia eventually subsides, especially when I'm among friends who are not only older and wiser than me, but are also effortlessly cool and free spirited.

For me, the significance of my birthday, is a mere excuse to interrupt the busy lives of family and friends, to gather, eat, share stories and laugh.

So, as I sip on my second Irish Coffee, for breakfast, in no particular order.. here are 34 thoughts now that I'm 34. (HOW AWESOME is it that the Buena Vista is now at SFO?)

34. People meandering through airports are much more polite and considerate than once they're on the plane.
33. 90% of my travel plans, meeting with people plans and life plans surround the consumption of food
32. I've seen the quality of my work, both in photography and design, increase immensely, purely because I had good people willing to tell me when my stuff was pure shit.
31. The older I get, the more I realize that a lot of the good stuff about me, came from my mom.
30. I still find it weird, how crazy people go over free stuff.
29. I should hand write letters to my friends more (sorry friends)
28. Every so often, I get awkward rude awakenings of my mortality, and express to my friends my fear of death.. sometimes over a dessert or after a movie.
27. I can't believe how incredible some of the people in my life are, and the equally incredible life experiences they have had.
26. I know I'm not old. But I swear I'm being honest when I say my hip and knee hurts :P
25. My mom was right, I don't enjoy clubbing anymore.
24. I still love electronica music and I probably do listen to my music too loud.
23. Social media is amazing, our phones are amazing, tech is amazing.
22. I miss working on my own car.
21. I'm thankful to have learned how to travel light. 3 weeks w/ a carryon, beats lugging around a giant luggage.
20. Learning to love and trust was a lot harder than I thought it would be.
19. Sticking to my guns on what I wanted to do in life, truly paid off. I've met the most awesome people.
18. I thought fixing my deviated septum would fix my snorting and snoring.. it didn't.
17. I never thought I'd love squats almost as much as I love deadlifts.
16. There are very few things in life, that being strong doesn't fix.
15. A lot of what I love about lifting, is a metaphor for life struggles. Doing something, that was thought to be undoable before.
14. When I write about food, It's usually less about the food and more about the stories behind the people that eat it and the people that make it.
13. To me.. success isn't how much money you make, it's the freedom to love what you do and do it out of choice.
12. Popcorn and bubble tea are still my favorite foods.
11. It's a beautiful life, and none of us make it out alive.
10. I feel really fortunate to have parents and step parents, that love me the way they do, and all to have taken part in raising me.
9. Loving somebody is the most exhilarating and also frightening thing.
8. This is my first time traveling with my American passport
7. I will vote.
6. Every year, including this year, my goals are to eat new things, travel to new places and see more things.
5. I summit my first mountain this year. It was small in comparison to many, but to me, it was monumental.
4. Waking up at 7am is too early.
3. Most hate it, but I love seeing people in love.
2. On to the connecting flight, and am glad for this moment of reflection.
1. Someone told me, that so many of the great things in life, happen because we said yes to something. (get your mind out of the gutter :P ).

To everyone that took even a second out of their day to wish me a happy birthday, thank you so much! It really does mean the world.

Brunch at Buffalo Public House

2015-05-07T13:39:00.003-07:00

My whole world changed because of one piece of pizza. What really changed my life was the person that I got to talk to who made that, [and] what their life surmounted to. ~ Alton Brown

A few sunny Sundays ago, I was invited here for brunch and you would never know from the outside, how warm and inviting Buffalo Public House is, the family history in the restaurant art and name, and how comforting the food is.

We got to spend the morning with Henrique, Norah and their son Henry (quite possibly the most charming, charismatic and adorable baby ever), to learn about the origins of their restaurant theme, the Brazilian influences on their menu flavors and to see how magic happens in the kitchen.

Throughout the restaurant and halls, you'll see photos and paintings of buffalo, which are in homage to their family's buffalo farm back home.

We had quite the array of food that morning, but I absolutely loved the fried chicken, the coconut pancakes, the french toast and their beer cocktails, specifically the Three Philosophers Ale with ginger beer and bitters.

Another pleasant surprise was reuniting with of my favorite servers, from a previous restaurant, who changed my life on two occasions, with a slice of cake and a salmon bacon panini sandwich.

That's the thing with food, it "is a switchboard, and it connects people unlike anything" else.

Thank you again to Henrique, Norah and especially baby Henry, I'll see you again soon!

Taste of Hillcrest 2015 Highlights

2015-04-29T09:14:00.000-07:00

There are 3 events in Hillcrest that I look forward to every year, Taste of Hillcrest, CityFest and Pride. This year, Taste of Hillcrest definitely did not disappoint. With a variety of signature eats for every taste palette, music and drinks, many of the restaurants really made an effort to provide a great experience. A few even deferred their regular hours, to cater to all of the participants.

It was hard to make it to every participating business on the list, as the event was quite widespread. I also wish that the website had better information on each business, to feature their specialties and so that we could have have had a better idea about the genre of food, ahead of time.

Of the places I did get to make it to, here are some of my highlights from Taste of Hillcrest

Tajima
Really embodied the spirit of the event. They were one of the few that deferred their business hours, so that people could sit down, try a variety of bites and get a well rounded experience of the restaurant. Everyone got a generous bowl of ramen with pork belly and an appetizer sampling which included Takoyaki, a potsticker and a piece of chicken karaage.

Juice Crafters
The people here were so friendly, and the smoothie they served up was tasty and refreshing, especially on that warm summer day. I also love the decor of the juice bar and the abundant menu selection.

Tandoori Hut
They served fresh baked naan bread with savory curry over rice. The owners and workers made conversation with everyone and it was awesome that they had $1.49 beer specials.

Buffalo Public House
The line for this place was constantly out the door. They had this unassuming fried chicken ball, that was surprising in flavor and came with chimichurri and spicy sauces, that I wanted to take home to spoon onto everything! We ordered a couple of my favorite drinks and I'll be writing more about them in another blog, but this place really has a great brunch and bar menu. Oh and make sure you say hi to baby Henry (he has so much personality and I can't get enough of his smiling face)

Mo's
The wings were tasty but honestly, I just love this place because they really know how to throw a party. They're always one of my favorites to stop by during Hillcrest events, because the people are fun, the music is awesome and we always have a good time.

Fiesta Cantina
After getting our dance on with the bar tender at Mo's, we headed to Fiesta Cantina to continue the party by toasting with margaritas. They're also one of the few places in Hillcrest that show pay per view fights, and don't charge a cover.

Empire House
The delightful fresh surprise. The salad with apple and pecans was just what was needed.

This neighborhood is so electric, exciting and special in so many ways and it's truly the unique businesses and the culture of the community that makes it all come together.

Upcoming this year, SD pride July 18-19 and CityFest August 10

Kula Sushi San Diego - Thirty Plates Later

2015-04-21T15:48:00.002-07:00

There is a great irony in the concept of fast quality sushi, delivered on a conveyor belt, but only after waiting almost two hours. Before diving into why I've been here four times, since they opened, let me first say, there are very very few things in life, worth waiting more than an hour for and I still don't believe that sushi is it. (Having dinner with Thor and the Avengers? Sure!)

BUT, if you happen to be in the Convoy area, and you have grocery shopping or errands to tend to, it's worth it to stop by, put your name on the list and come back later. (late lunch on a Weds had less than a 15min wait. You can also put your name down, have a drink at the Shanghai Saloon next door, and order appetizers from Dumpling Inn. )

Why I've been back so often.

Most everything is $2.25 a plate, with a few larger items only a couple dollars more. The food is actually quite good (they've been open for less than 3 weeks, so hopefully the quality maintains). The endless conveyor belt brings out a good variety of nigiri, sashimi, sushi rolls and other small bites.

There is a digital menu, so if there is something you want but don't see, order it, and a second level conveyor belt will shoot it right to your table.

The customer service is really great. They get that people have waited a long time to eat there, so they're incredibly nice, and take pride in providing a good experience. If there are any issues with the food, they address it right away.

Kula has also managed to bring gamification to eating. After you deposit your 5th plate into the cleaning tunnel, you'll see an animation on your screen where a character has a battle in Japan and pleads "help me defeat the enemy with more plates." After 15, you get a prize and the character goes to another city to defeat another boss. We ate 30 hoping for another adventure, but it resets after the second city.

Regardless though, a prize for eating more? Yes please :)

Here are my favorite bites/highlights
- UNI!!!! The sea urchin was quite fresh and delightful (they often run out though, I've only had it 1/4 times)
- The Tuna trio
- sesame balls (order this from the menu, instead of the conveyor belt, they taste better warm)
- The sunomono salad (lots of octopus pieces)
- Umami oil salmon nigiri
- Sweet shrimp nigiri (amaebi)
- they use real crab!

Here are some more #protips before you go. :D
- wait time during lunch hours are substantially less
- The wait time per page 1, seems to be about 50min - 1.15 hours (at night it's a little more)
- The shaved ice place next door (iceskimo) is REALLY good
- it's easier to find nearby street parking, the parking lot gets really congested.

An Evening of Seafood at Solare

2015-04-17T16:32:00.001-07:00

"And a beautiful world we live in, when it is possible, and when many other such things are possible, and not only possible, but done...under that sky there, every day."

There are very few meals in life that inspire an array of reflections from “ a Tale of Two Cities” but like the vision of an awing sunrise, a bite of good food with friends can stop time and make you think, damn life is good and we’re really lucky to be here.

I attended a special night of Seafood, provided by Catalina Offshore products, at Solare in Liberty Station. I knew that the evening would entail a wonderful array of good eats, but I didn’t realize how good it would be.

Chef Accursio Lota transformed the familiar into an onset of exciting and delightful new tastes and experiences.

Between each dish were insights from the chef on the ingredients and preparation, his inspirations and from Tommy (Catalina OP), information about certain species, their production and how they’re harvested.

After each tasting, I would stare at the empty plate, in a bittersweet contemplative state, amazed by what was possibly the best seafood I had ever had, and sad that I had already eaten it all.

So as the story usually goes with great food encounters, toasts were made, great conversations were had, and the air was filled with many laughs.

The biggest thank you to Solare for putting together such a great event, Tommy and the Catalina team for being the awesome good guys in seafood and Chef Ken and Rebecca G. for the invite.

Highlight Noms: (everything was incredible, but these were the details that made me ask “is this real life?”)

- The squid ink that went with the yellowtail sashimi. (True story, I licked the plate)
- The tuna carpaccio and balsamic vinegar pearls.
- The saffron gelee on top of the ravioli.
- The opah with the date tomato confit.
- The lemon mousse and every flavorful detail on that plate. ( I will dream about this dessert)

Sex, Drugs and Lobster Rolls: Ironside Oyster Little Italy

2015-04-03T14:32:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you're all about that life, and by that life, I'm talking about the feel like a rock star food one!

While that doesn't include having stacks of cash to make it rain or leather pants, it could include 3 dozen Oysters, octopus so tender that you want to cuddle with it, and one of the best Manhattans in San Diego.

Monday to Friday 3-6pm, Ironside really is the best side, with their $1 oysters (that don't suck and are really fresh).

The people are incredibly cool, they're open to answer any questions about the food, where it's sourced from, how it's prepared and if you sit at the bar you can have conversations about bourbons and scotch with the magic drink makers!

The eclectic nautical decor really makes this place unlike anywhere else in SD. I've been meaning to post about this place since it opened, but every time we go, I always forget the camera, or eat every thing before we have a chance to snap a photo.

The best part is in the hall of bathrooms, a glowing reminder above that "Shit Happens." So when it does.. grab some friends, have some oysters and have a drink!

Cheers Ironside, thanks for the frequent good times and good oysters!

Sunday, Bloody Sunday!

2015-03-10T13:43:00.001-07:00

"I do like green eggs and ham. I do like them, Chow-I-Am!

There are very few places where you can satisfy storybook cravings and the adult "inner fat kid" joys.

Under normal season circumstances, I would mention football being part of the Sunday allure, but sometimes an epic Bloody Mary, a gooey cinnamon bun and pork belly, over fluffy toast with eggs and green goo, are just as special. If not.. more special.

During the visit of two special Canadians, I felt like I was on a constant "last meal on earth" binge and it was incredible.

I know, Searsucker is a popular place, but on Sundays, this place is THE place. Don't get a table, find a spot next to the music (sometimes live singer, sometimes DJ), or on the couches. Order a Bloody Mary (spicy, and best I've ever had), and make sure you're there early enough to get a cinnamon bun, and the rest is just gravy.

Some Sundays I'm engulfed in conversational whirlwind of hilarity and nostalgia, other days.... I lay back sing to the tunes and smile welcoming Monday, while stuffing my face with a cinnamon bun of course.

"Try them, try them, and you may! Try them and you may, I say.” (did I mention, Bloody Mary and cinnamon bun).

A Midwinter's Summer Day - Halcyon East Village

2015-02-24T13:53:00.002-08:00

My favorite moments are those, when you sit down with friends, without care of what time it is and you can just get lost in never ending segues of conversations. Add in a great atmosphere, a colorful array of eats and some cold brew, and it's beyond a good time.

With grab and go type delis and coffee shops opening on every corner, I love that there's something about Halcyon's open atmosphere, that makes you want just sit and stay a while.

Surrounding our little area were people working, writing, socializing and some just having a moment with their waffle.

Two of my friends were visiting from Canada, and I was planning on stopping here to get some design work in, so invited them to come and meet me for lunch.

A few hours, many good bites, and two coffees later, we learned new things, past and present, about one another, and then took a stroll through downtown to take in the scenes.

The food, oh the food

- get the waffle! get extra fruit, and hell get another waffle.

- The cold brew with a smidge of hazlenut :D

- The east village sandwich

- The avocado toast

Everyone at Halcyon is super nice, gives high fives and are super cool.

With friends in town, we've been food hopping, so I have pictures and other places to post coming soon. (some that i've been going to for ages, and always forgot the camera.. :P )

You Had Me at Donut...I Mean Beignet

2015-01-14T13:40:00.001-08:00

You are what you eat. If this is true, alas I would a fried chicken/beef rib/donut, wrapped in bundle of al dente noodles. With room to spare, I'm sure there's spinach in there somewhere.

So imagine the pitter patter of my heart, when "what's on the menu" includes, yes you guessed it, fried chicken, noodles and of course my favorite version of donut, the simple, fluffy, lovable Beignet.

This past Sunday, I was invited to a tasting dinner, where Local Habit was serving up some new menu items and sharing the new changes to come, which also includes a big remodel.

The news of the night? Chef Nick Brune is back, and plans to further the New Orleans soul and Creole flavors into the restaurant and menu.

Everything we tried, were really a taste of things to come. Chef Nick mentioned that all of it is still a discovery and refinement in progress. With each tasting, was a delivery of intention, technical composition, ingredients and thoughts of where they're looking to improve.

Vignettes
- despite being a breading person, more than a batter person, that fried chicken made me a believer in batter. It was on the salty side, but damn was it good.

- being a fly on the wall in the kitchen, watching the chef, sous chef and staff work the kitchen and hearing the dynamic and conversations between everyone, was my favorite part of the evening.

- I wanted to love the gumbo/ramen noodle dish, the pork was of course amazing, but the noodles didn't have that bounciness that I love in noodles. It had the texture of brown rice pasta, still good, but not ramen like.

- that pizza dough. wow.

The best part.
Let's start by stating, I'm not a dessert person, I'm don't get cravings for cake or chocolate, and I dislike glazed donuts. If anything, I'm more of a croissant person.

So, the Beignets.. well let's just say, I'm thankful that the people we made friends with, at the table, were incredibly full by the end of the evening... because I ate 4......

and saved one for the next morning. ♥

THANK YOU to Chef Nick, Amanda and the Local Habit crew for the invitation to a wonderful evening and letting me hang out in the kitchen :)

Just the Way You Are - Hillcrest

2015-01-08T10:51:00.000-08:00

The other night while editing, Bruno Mars came on my Pandora, and as his lyrics expressed admiration, adoration and astonishment towards a beauty and love like no other, I found myself lost in an array of daydreams.

Not of Ryan Gosling or walks on the beach, but of the unforgettable eating experiences I've had throughout 2014, some of my favorites being in Hillcrest.

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine invited me to "Taste n' Tinis", a neighborhood event, where restaurants and local businesses, open up their doors to serve up tiny bites and/or specialty cocktails.

While most places were just handing out random shots of some unknown colored vodka drink, some of the businesses really offered up a top notch experience. The Buffalo Public house, seated each guest, and took the time to plate and prepare each dish. Luna Grill, which in truth I never thought about stopping by until this night, served up a complete tasting (protein, carb, vegetable), and even gave out coupons for your next visit. (Their Mediterranean salad was really good).

It was a bummer that some places like Local Habit and Salt and Cleaver, began turning people away and ending the event a couple hours before it was supposed to be over. (though they were overwhelmingly busy that evening).

What I truly enjoyed most about that evening was that it was an occasion to just walk all through Hillcrest, visit businesses that I may not usually stop into, meet different people, see the bright lights and just take in the festivities.

So.. Happy New Year! I know it's 2015, and that the holidays were sooo a couple weeks ago, but my tree is still up, I still get doses of that tingly feeling and before another month passes, here's a last little little bit of holiday tinsel.

Juniper and Ivy: Dinner Postcards and Ten Things to Love

2014-05-19T20:36:00.000-07:00

Two of my beloved eating partners and I decided to close out my birthday festivities by finally dining at this restaurant that we've been reading and hearing so much about.

The hype is real, the food is fantastic and the people and atmosphere are incredibly friendly and cool.

Take the pretension out of fine dining, keep the expected presentation and food quality and their creativity and taste go beyond it all.

Here are 10 things I loved about my experience at Juniper and Ivy

10. The location. This time we walked but often times the idea of driving through Little Italy and parking, on a weekend, brings stress sweats out of me. I love that it's located further north on Kettner, where parking is easier to find, and there isn't a cluster of other things going on.

9. People are nice. I once tried to make a reservation at Le Bernadin in NYC, a few weeks in advance, and was laughed and told "umm let's try 3months out." Since then, I've always started taking note at how restaurants handle extremely busy bookings.

Juniper and Ivy were pretty busy and booked up, the staff on the phone and in person were so friendly and helpful.

8. The Oysters! Oysters are oysters, I mean Kumomotos are my favorite, but as long as they're clean and fresh, they're going to be good. They completely reinvented the oyster experience, the tomatillo and beautiful pearls of horse radish, completely took me away with the flavors.

7. Creativity. We all compare dishes to any alike we've had before, and each dish that came out, even if the ingredients were the standard familiars, had a unique flare that made it a different experience to enjoy.

6. Food knowledge. The server and the chef were excited to share knowledge on what was in each dish, where the food was sourced from and why they chose those ingredients.

5. Sharing. The quantity on each plate was perfect for us to get a taste or two of everything.

4. The Fish (Cod). I could have listed all 10 things based on this fish alone, but if there was one entree I'd recommend, this would be it. Since it was my birthday, I got to eat the head, and the eyes/cheeks were heavenly :D Perfectly cooked!

3. The plating. I loved that the plating contributed to the eating experience, almost like a suggested order of operations in enjoying flavors. It wasn't just a few sprigs of stuff and smear of puree, most of what was plated, was to be eaten in addition to being aesthetically enticing.

2. The open kitchen. I loved seeing the varying dishes come out, as it was what inspired many of our ordering decisions.

1. The conversations. The atmosphere just set the stage for a great evening. We laughed, toasted, at times stared at each other in awe, when a flavor was mind blowing, and the staff would engage, contribute and laugh with us.

As I walked out that night, I made a reservation for this Weds. It was that good. <3 nbsp="" p="">

L.A Adventures: The Soup Dumpling Hunt

2014-03-24T16:31:00.000-07:00

Let me preface this all by saying, a good Xiao Long Bao aka soup dumpling aka heavenly deliciousness, should in fact have soupy goodness in it. If it doesn't, and you don't see that liquid goodness through the skin, when they bring it out in the steamer, then you're just eating a glorified bun shaped dumpling.

But don't feel bad, I don't, because sometimes a glimmer of goodness is better than none at all.

Harold and Kumar were on to something, with their journey in search of White Castle, because good food is worth going the distance for.

It was an early Saturday evening in Huntington beach, when we decided that since there was too much traffic to make it back to San Diego in time to watch a fight, that we may as well endure traffic up north and seek out these magical Xiao Long Baos that we had a couple years back.

I won't wait in line or drive 15min for a free movie, but for amazing food, I'm almost always game to go the distance.

An hour later, we find ourselves at the exact plaza, standing at the location of what was the exact store front, except everything looks off. The menu, the look of the place, the lack of patrons and even the name.

After a few text messages, digging around, looking across the street and asking store owners, the original place were were looking for was just a few doors down, renovated and renamed. Once inside, the smells, the menu and the woman hand making the dumplings for each order, became wonderfully familiar.

The soup dumplings we ordered: traditional pork, pork and crab (my favorite) and fermented duck egg (equally amazing).

Also ordered: Green onion pancakes, pig stomach salad, fried dumplings and a bean paste/chilli oil noodle bowl.

How would I describe everything? Well.... Gregg Wallace said it best "That's banging on the door of divine, that is."

--

since the restaurant has moved and been renamed, a lot of the online directories and info are a bit inaccurate. So here's a link to the google maps of the plaza in which the restaurant is located (first floor)

Postcards 2 from Kauai Hawaii

2014-02-05T12:10:00.000-08:00

I've seen beautifully shot postcards, wallpapers and videos that collage the various breathtaking views of Hawaii, but it wasn't until I sat in the sand alone and watched the midnight blue sky illuminate by the golden sun rising, that I got it.

It was recently written that the late Philip Seymour Hoffman most ably "suggested that each of us [are] the sum of our secrets.." that when each of us return alone to our rooms, "all bets are off."

The camera was off, the phone put away, and that sunrise, for a moment, spotlighted every insecurity, joy, hope, fear, delusion and desire.

I'm never certain what's to be derived from moments like these, life altering decisions? or maybe that moment of clarity and a bit of awareness is its entirety.

It's like falling in love.

The whole trip was composed with beautiful scenery, adventure, relaxation, laughter, beach escapades and of course copious amounts of eating. My biggest surprise at the end of the trip, were how few photos were taken, in comparison to other trips.

Though I'm looking forward to where the next flight or road trip takes me to, I think fondly of Kauai and will visit again.

Phillip Seymour Hoffman quote from:
http://www.esquire.com/blogs/culture/hoffman-junod?src=soc_twtr