Communicating Ideas by Visualnewbie

Late Night HH at TGIF in Mission Valley

2011-12-17T20:58:00.000-08:00

I'm considered a night owl. So, I like to do things late and at those times the munchies start to kick in. Good thing there's late night Happy Hour to rely on. In this case, it's TGI Friday's Happy Hour in Mission Valley. They have some pretty good offerings for happy hour at a great price with plenty of food on the plate. So, here are some dishes we ordered...

One of my favorite appetizers from Friday's is their Sesame Jack Chicken Strips. "These tender chicken breast strips are coated with Asian Panko breadcrumbs and fried to a golden brown. Topped with toasted sesame seeds and tossed in our famous Jack Daniel's glaze for just the right kick." Man, they are so good! I really can't get enough of it and wished they had more of it on the plate. It's that sweet taste that I crave.

And there's the Tuscan Spinach Dip. "Spinach and artichoke hearts with sautéed onions and bell peppers, blended with Parmigiano and Romano cheeses and delivered hot to your table along with Friday's® red and white corn tortilla chips." It's also one of my safe bets when ordering. You really can't go wrong with these. So good!

And of course, nachos are a must! HAHAHA! What can I say, nachos are always ordered and that's Tostado Nachos to be more specific. "Crispy tortillas loaded with refried beans, seasoned ground beef and melted cheese. Served with salsa, sour cream, guacamole and topped with spicy jalapeños." They were ok, but more cheese and chicken please. What's wrong with places not putting enough cheese and chicken on nachos? The more, the better! But hey, I'm easy to please that way...

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TGI Friday's in Mission Valley

403 Camino Del Rio S
San Diego, CA 92108
619-297-8443

Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery in Mission Valley

2011-12-17T19:33:00.000-08:00

Some time ago, I had some dinner and drinks with some old friends at Tilted Kilt in Mission Valley. With it being located in the Mission Valley Mall, it's a real convenient/central place to meet up with friends. It also had a decent amount of parking that you don't have to worry about. There's plenty of TV's positioned throughout the restaurant for watching that big game and/or big fight. Tilted Kilt is pretty big inside with a patio at its side. With that said, it can get pretty pack. But on to the food...

The food itself is decent. I really didn't get expect much and thought as long as the food is as good as Hooters, I'd be ok with it. I don't think highly of Hooters food besides their chicken wings. And it was as good, but not by much. I did prefer the eye-candy here or Hooters though. For appetizers, we ended up getting the Fully Loaded Classic Nachos, which is loaded with seasoned grilled chicken, sour cream and guacamole. For some reason, it's what we order at every place to eat. Let's just say that I've had better and I didn't notice it much because I had great company to take my mind off the food. Great conversations with great friends over food any day...

I didn't feel like getting my hands dirty and oily by eating burgers or sandwiches. So, I went with their popular Gaelic Chicken. Gaelic Chicken is pan seared chicken breasts with sautéed mushrooms and onions served with Irish Whiskey cream sauce served over garlic mashed potatoes and garlic bread. I must say, it wasn't bad at all. I kind of wished the chicken breasts were larger, but I could see myself ordering this again. Pretty tasty...

Besides my food, I was only able to get one additional shot in. And that is the BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich which is slow cooked pulled pork covered in Guinness BBQ Sauce and topped with house made coleslaw. Also on the side is onion rings.

All in all, a pretty cool place to hang out to catch a game or two while doing some eating and drinking. I don't expect much when it comes to places like these. Plus the eye-candy here is real easy on the eyes.

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Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery

1640 Camino Del Rio
San Diego, CA 92108
619-299-5458

Dinner at Islands Fine Burgers & Drinks

2011-12-02T21:16:00.000-08:00

Here are some old food photos of dinner from Islands Fine Burgers and Drinks in Mission Valley/San Diego. With my trusted, at the time BlackBerry phone to take the photos of it...

Feeling a bit more hungry than the usual, the list of appetizers are first to be looked at on the menu. And as usual, the Nachos are what caught our attention. It's a safe bet and it's hard to go wrong. The nacho has cheddar, jack cheese, jalapenos, salsa, tomatoes and sour cream.

With me loving pineapple, I went with the Hawaiian Burger and Fries. The burger was delicious, but it's pretty easy to please me. For some reason, I didn't remember the burgers being this big. That was the first thing that surprised me. The burger has pineapple, teriyaki sauce, lettuce, tomato, onion, swiss and mayo.

The next burger is a bad photo of the Kilauea Burger with Onion Rings. The Kilauea Burger is a jalapeno and black pepper crusted burger with pepper jack cheese, chipotle aioli, lettuce, tomato and Island Reds. From what I was told, it was pretty damn good.

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Islands Fine Burgers and Drinks

http://www.islandsrestaurants.com
2441 Fenton Parkway
San Diego, CA 92108
(619) 640-2727

Knives: Cold Steel Kukri Machete

2011-12-02T01:45:00.000-08:00

One day, I received an email on a great deal for some Cold Steel machetes. So, I ended up getting the Cold Steel Kukri Machete and Sheath, "The Ultimate Outdoor and Survival Tool". At least that's what it says on the packaging. I actually have no real need for one, but after watching zombie movies/shows, I felt that I needed to prepare myself for the inevitable apocalypse. HAHAHA! It surely does help that I've heard and read good things about it to. In actuality, it was merely an impulse purchase on my part.

Here's a product description of the Cold Steel Kukri Machete off their website..."There's no single edged weapon that we can think of that can out-chop or out-cut a good Kukri. Our Kukri Machetes are those workhorses. They are available in two sizes, one has a thirteen inch blade and the other, our new "Magnum" model has a whopping seventeen inch blade. Both are ready to plow through the toughest chores life can dish out. Each features the distinctive weight-forward balance of our "top-of-the-line" models, and always present their edge on an angle so they're guaranteed to "bite" deep with every stroke. Additionally, they come complete with a sturdy Cor-Ex sheath! They're a solid value, ready for long, hard work."

The machetes that I bought are actual users. They don't just sit around waiting for the walking dead to create chaos. It gets brought out to the yard when branches and vegetation get out of hand. The Kukri does an excellent job doing that. So far, I'm impressed. The weight and balance are great in the hands, giving it awesome chopping power. I must say though, I was a bit disappointed at the sharpness right out the box. As you can see in the photos, it has a coating over the edge. It's sharp enough to chop, but not enough to slice. The good part is, a few minutes with a file are all it took to make it real sharp. And in the end, it's totally worth the price!

For more information and better reviews on the Cold Steel Kukri Machete, click on the link or any of the images above... Cold Steel Kukri Machete

Baps' Samahan Burger in Kearny Mesa

2011-11-28T22:25:00.000-08:00

One day I was craving burgers and not just your ordinary ones. And the first place that popped up is Baps. Baps is that burger joint formerly known as B Spot in Kearny Mesa/San Diego. They've got some awesome burgers and one of my favorites to say the least. They are also one of the messiest so prepare for that. I've tried just about every burger they have except for the Samahan Burger. So Samahan it is...

What is the Samahan besides being an awesomely delicious burger? It's a burger that has a beef patty with cheese inside "Juicy Lucy", Asian pork, grilled mushroom, coleslaw, terriyaki sauce and a fried egg. YUM!!! A fried egg in its own right makes just about any burger more fantastic. SO GOOD!!! You can even see the melted cheese starting to ooze to the outside. I can't wait to have another one and this time around, with many napkins around me at my disposal. Yeah, it's that messy.

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Baps aka "B Spot"

4646 Convoy ST, Ste 103
San Diego, CA 92111
(858) 571-6038

Belkin Verve Folio Stand for Galaxy Tab

2011-11-28T20:09:00.000-08:00

After the purchase of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, I immediately purchased the first available case. And that happens to be the Belkin Verve Folio Stand. I needed a case that has to have one particular job. It's to basically protect my investment and do it well since the tablet will be used on the go. Other than that, I was open to any type of case as I wasn't too picky. Enough talk, here are some photos of the product...

I'm sure there are other cases out there that are much better. At the time of purchase, I didn't have many options. Thinking back, I don't think I had any option. The Galaxy Tab was so new that there just weren't many cases. But fortunately, the Belkin Verve Folio Stand fulfills my needs for protection during transport. As I tend to shove it into my backpack with other stuff in it. After a few months of owning the case and the tablet, I'm also rougher with it than when I first got it. So far, it's doing a fine job doing it what I needed it to do.

The photos above show how the case opens up. The photos also show it without the tablet. Instead, it has the original printed paper of the home screen of the tablet. The next set of photos below show the thickness of the case with the tablet on top it and the last with the tablet in it. The Belkin Verve Folio Stand has some thickness to it. Some may have a problem with that, but I actually didn't mind at all. I've put so many hours with this case in my hands that I've gotten real used to it and the thickness. When I remove the tablet from the case, you only now realize how thin the Samsung Galaxy Tab really is. Which nice to do every once and awhile...

What else can I say? It protects my investment, which is the most important thing I wanted in a case. And it does it well. What more can I ask for?

If you have any interest in the Belkin Verve Folio Stand and want more info, check out the link or click on any of the images above. Belkin Verve Folio Stand for 10.1-Inch Samsung Galaxy Tab

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 16GB Tablet

2011-11-28T00:32:00.000-08:00

I've been using the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 with Honeycomb tablet and Wi-Fi for a few months now and I have to say that I love this damn machine. At first when I was looking into buying my first tablet, I wasn't a big fan of the sticker price that these types of tablets demanded in general. I was one of those people who said to themselves, "how the fuck am I going to use this thing?" Well, at least use it and get my moneys worth of use that is. I always felt tablets in general should be in the three hundred dollar range. And I'm glad to report that I feel that I got my moneys worth and then some...

I really didn't create this post as a review. I'm not very good at that. Since it's been out for a few months, there are plenty of reviews out there that can describe and articulate it better than I can. A lot better. This is more of a show and tell/open box review through photos and maybe a few comments here and there. From the photos above, you can see the box and as you open it, the tablet sits atop it. Besides the tablet and papers, it comes with the headset, USB cable and outlet plug...

The above images show a shot of the front and back of the Samsung Galaxy Tab. The screen is amazing to the say the least. I have plenty of experience on the iPad 2 and other tablets like the Motorola Xoom and Asus Transformer. The Galaxy Tab has the best screen out there at the moment. The images and text are much crisper and smooth to be honest. That's not to say that the others are bad alternatives. I also happen to like how this particular tablet feels in the hand. It feels very secure without any hard edges digging into your hands during long periods of hand use...

Here's a photo of the charging port...

My finger is pointing to the tablets speaker. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 has two of these small speakers located on both sides. Don't let the size fool you. They're plenty loud for the average user. And clean sounding. At least to my average ears...

Then you got the power button on the right and the volume rocker on the left. I also prefer the design of these buttons over the Apple iPad 2. I find myself always hitting the volume button on the iPad by accident. I do hit the volume button on the Tab also, by just not nearly the amount as I do on the iPad...

Nothing too special, but here's the headset port/plug....

And then here's the rear camera. I'll be honest; I don't use the camera much at all on the Tab. I have only used it to test it out and haven't touched it since. I don't have much use for it...

All in all, I recommend the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 to any one. I'm very happy with my choice. I'm actually considering buying the new smaller Galaxy tablet. The current one I have now is perfect for the home and serious web browsing and stuff like that, but I'd want a smaller one when I'm out and on the go. Well, that's it. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

If you're interested in the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and want more info on the product, check out this link or click on any image above. Samsung Galaxy Tab (10.1-Inch, 16GB, Wi-Fi)

Goldilock's Halo Halo in National City

2011-10-05T20:10:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos of Goldilock's yummy Halo Halo in National City. It isn't my favorite Halo Halo snack offered out there, but what's to complain about when sweets and ice cream are involve. Especially on hot days. It's a win-win I tell you! Compared to the Halo Halo from Conching's, this doesn't really have the sweet beans and sweet stuff inside it. For those that don't like things too sweet, this may be for you. It also has more gulaman (jello) than Conching's too. Anyways, less talk, here are the photos...

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Goldilocks - National City

www.goldilocks-usa.com
1420 E. Plaza Boulevard D-7
National City, CA 91950
619-477-7071

NOTICE: Site Maintenance on 09.21.11

2011-09-19T23:00:00.000-07:00

This is just a notice about the site maintenance that will be happening on Wednesday, September 21st, between 23:00 and 04:00 Pacific Daylight Time (Thursday, September 22nd, between 06:00 and 11:00 UTC). When this happens, you'll notice some photo/images will be down on this Blog, Communicating Ideas by Visualnewbie. This is where I host a majority of my photos for the site, Lapada Gallery. But don't worry, Communicating Ideas will be back up and running in no time. Besides, the content will remain, just not the photos during the maintenance...

As you may already know, I have been using Zenfolio hosting service for organizing, hosting and presenting my photos online. You can view my home page at http://www.lapadagallery.com/

Some of the features Zenfolio offers are:
- Unlimited storage
- Elegant pages with a choice of layouts and theme designs
- Highest quality presentation of photos online
- Easy to use intuitive interface
- Full screen Slideshow
- Links from auctions, blogs, and forums to seven different image sizes

You can use my referral code 7KP-95Q-85X during sign up to save $5.00 off your own subscription. Zenfolio offers a Free Trial account for two weeks so you can see if you like it.

Cream Filled Puff Pastries / 99 Ranch

2011-08-15T21:55:00.000-07:00

One of the few snacks I love to get every time we're at the Asian market called 99 Ranch is the Cream Filled Puff Pastries. For those located in San Diego, they're in the Kearny Mesa area on Clairemont Mesa Blvd. Oh man are they so addicting. It's one of those types of snacks were I can't just have one or two in some cases. Yes, my self control over snacks can be weak. And I'm not planning on seeking help either. HAHAHA! But the puff pastries are no joke! It's so delicious, yet very flaky messy. YUM! As an added note, they come in packs of four. Here are some pics...

Hello Panda & Giant Strawberry Pocky

2011-08-15T21:12:00.000-07:00

All I can say is YUM! I love Hello Pandas in all flavors as well as the Pockys. I loved them as a kid and still love them now. I can't get enough of these delicious treats. We ended up getting the Hello Panda Special Edition and the strawberry flavored giant Pockys. I don't exactly know what made these Special Editions, but were excellent as usual. I'm also fine with the regular size Pockys, but the giant size ones are where it's at. I much prefer the giant ones to the regular ones as they are a bit softer and offer more frosting to satisfy a grown man like me. So GOOD! Now I need to get myself a few boxes to please the sweet tooth.

Conching's Halo Halo National City/SD

2011-08-01T22:40:00.000-07:00

What is Halo Halo you're asking? Well, Halo Halo is a favorite Filipino dessert or snack that contains a mixture of shaved ice, evaporated milk, sweet beans and mongo beans, fruits, etc. Those are basically your basic ingredients to your standard Halo Halo. And as usual, other are ingredients are thrown into it to create many types of variations. The sky's the limit when creating your own. I also like to have mine topped with ice cream, more specifically Ube ice cream as shown in the photo below. One of my favorite places to get Halo Halo would be from Conching's Cafe in National City.

The purple ice cream is Ube and the green one is avocado ice cream. So good! The Ube ice cream is so delicious and I must say it should be a requirement in Halo Halo. They just go hand in hand like peanut butter and jelly. Also those bright colored squared objects you see there are called Gulaman, which is very similar to Jello.

Not like some other places, this Halo Halo from Conching's is half full of delicious goodness. It's the perfect remedy to a hot summer day. In fact, I don't need a hot day to enjoy a treat like this. I tend to eat most of the ice cream first before mixing it. It makes it a lot easier to mix the dessert or it'll just become a total mess if I didn't. I can get messy like that sometimes.

As far as I know, Conching's in National City has the best Halo Halos out there. If you have a favorite, let me know so I can give it a shot some time. Especially since it's been so hot in San Diego lately and I need any reason to go out there and cool off.

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Conching's Cafe
www.conchings.com
3400 E 8th St, Ste 115
National City, CA 91950
619-470-6993

2011 San Diego Chargers Season Tickets

2011-07-28T23:07:00.000-07:00

I haven't been excited about football until I got my hands on these. 2011 San Diego Chargers Season Tickets. This year's marketing slogan, "Bolt Up!". I'm not going to lie; the lockout did leave a sour taste in my mouth and I frankly didn't care for either side. The feelings and passion for football did come back as I held the tickets in hand and in all honesty, I can't wait for the real first game to start now. But this post is about the ticket package and design and for a lack of better words, show and tell.

As I opened the envelope and pulled out the vinyl envelope containing the ticket materials, my first impression was that the design was more colorful and bold compared to the past designs. My second impression was how cheap the vinyl envelope was also compared to past ones. Mine didn't hold up well. The bottom seal basically opened up and now have no way closing it. You can kind of see what I'm talking about by looking at the photos compared to the sides. And that really sucks as I'm a total sucker for branding and packaging.

The above photos show some of the extras that were thrown into the season ticket package. One is a sheet of stickers in various sizes with this year's saying "Bolt Up". Man I got to say, the blue is kind of bright, at the same time, I'm really digging it. Not like the regular stickers, next up are the black "Bolt Up" eye black patches to sport when you go to the game. These aren't your regular sticker paper too. It's pretty good quality stuff. Then we have the "Bolt Up" stencil. You basically punch out the white area of the stencil and then spray away. I can see people getting carried away with this and spraying everything. HAHAHA!

And now onto the important part of the package, which is the tickets itself. I'm sorry to say, it didn't impress this season ticket holder. The ticket design of these tickets could have been the best one designed to date except for some things. I really don't understand the use of fans as part of the design on season tickets and not the use of players? I don't want to see fans on my tickets when I paid good money for them. That really bugs me. I know it doesn't show it, but a nice element that they did use as part of the design was the use of the emboss effect around the text and fans. It's such an awesome touch and would have put the design over the top if the photos used were of players instead. So, personally, they missed the mark on that big time. I also find the game info a bit small. It's safe to safe that I'm disappointed in it. But I'm sure others may love it...

Wordless Wednesday: Subway Cookies

2011-07-27T12:21:00.000-07:00

I know it's Wordless Wednesday, but I have to mention that the cookies from Subway are so damn good! Yup, that franchise sandwich shop. Who would of thought? I loved them so much, I couldn't just buy one. HAHAHA!

WD Elements 2TB External Hard Drive

2011-07-26T23:27:00.000-07:00

Got my hands on a Western Digital Elements 2TB External Hard Drive since all the hard drives I have available are being used. I needed to free up some space so this drive was perfect for storing important files. It was inexpensive and I've never had a bad experience with Western Digital and it was on sale. So the choice was somewhat easy. Anyways, here are some pics of the unit.

The hard drive didn't come with much stuff. Just the necessities like the hard drive itself, USB cable, AC adapter and install guide. The drive is somewhat larger than I had hoped too. Actually, it's very similar in size to my old external drives that I used to have. I wasn't expecting SSD size, but a bit more streamlined. I also know that the AC adapter is important, but wished drives this large didn't need to have one. Oh well...

I'm also not saying that it isn't slick. Cause it is. Look at and tell me that isn't good looking? Around the side walls is a high gloss reflective finish and the top being matte with the WD logo in the middle. Only thing is, I can see it being a dust magnet like all black units as well as fingerprints showing up on the gloss finish.

I also pulled out one of my hard drives from my home server with the hot swappable trays for size comparison. They are very similar in size except in thickness. This reminds me, I need to buy another drive for the WHS unit...

Yeah I know, it's not much of a review, but more of a show and tell. Reviews can be found easily, but photos not so much.

Wordless Wednesday: See's Candies

2011-07-20T12:11:00.000-07:00

Chowking's Combo Meal and Buchi

2011-07-19T23:58:00.000-07:00

Here's a photo of Chowking's combo plate in National City. The meal consists of Garlic Chicken, Pancit Bihon and of course Rice. The chicken was average and to be honest, I would of enjoyed it more if it wasn't for those small pieces of bone interfering. The last chew before I swallow I can count on a small chipped bone annoying the heck out of me as I chew. I think it's the way they butchered the chicken. The Pancit Bihon was also ok and I can safely say that I've had better. But it's not bad at all.

I didn't find the meal to be that great but what about dessert? No worries, good thing Chowking's Buchi was pretty good and made my taste buds happy as well as my teeth. These small sesame seeds covered balls of treats were quite enjoyable and I couldn't help myself to just one. A few was more like it and minutes later another few more for good measure. HAHHAHA!

Phil's BBQ in Point Loma. So GOOD!

2011-07-18T15:20:00.000-07:00

For the first time in a long time, I've tried something new at Phil's BBQ in Point Loma/San Diego. And I've been eating there for years. But instead of eating it over there, we ordered ours for takeout. I just hate waiting in long lines only to be teased by the amazing aroma coming out of the restaurant. Also, I'm that kind of guy that when I find something I really like, I have a hard time straying way to try something different in fear of being disappointed.

Good thing we always order more beef ribs than we can eat. I'm not saying the El Toro sandwich was a disappointment, it's just hard to top the beef ribs or baby back ribs that Phil's BBQ offers. The El Toro is char-grilled deli sliced tri-tip topped with BBQ sauce. It was a good sandwich, but it was also a very messy one too. Good thing I was eating this at home, cause I'm not really a clean eater or at least that's what I'm told. HAHAHA! I don't where light clothes when I go out to eat...

Now the Beefy Ribs Full Dinner is what I normally get. Actually not the full, the full is way too much food for me. But what is shown is the full minus the large side we got. And that was the potato salad, not pictured. But back to the ribs, the ribs are awesome. I know I've shown a photo of it before on this blog, but it's so damn good that it's worth showing again. You typically get five bones, but I've had as much as seven bones in one meal. Also not shown, but a favorite is the Baby Back Ribs. DELICIOUS!

There are only few sides that Phil's BBQ has that I care for. The potato salad, sweet baked beans, baked potato, and onion rings. The photo above is the Onion Rings which I happen to really enjoy. It's nice and crispy, with the right amount to batter.

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Phil's BBQ - Point Loma
www.philsbbq.net
3750 Sports Arena Blvd
San Diego, CA 92110
619-226-6333

Jalisco Cafe in Bonita for Dinner To-Go

2011-07-16T23:44:00.000-07:00

We had an extra Groupon laying around, waiting to be used for some time now. And we figure we'd use it for dinner at Jalisco Cafe in Bonita and have it to-go. I've written a post on this place before and just like it was the last time we got food there, all I can say is meh. It's average at best to be honest and that's me being nice. Their chips on the other hand can be quite tasty from what we experienced.

I had the Two Beef Enchiladas combination plate with refried beans and Spanish style rice. I actually enjoyed eating their rice and the beans were ok, but then again, it's really not my thing. The enchiladas were also ok. The food in general isn't bad; it just wouldn't be my first choice when it comes to Mexican food unless some discount was to be had. Oh, and their servings are larger than average except when talking about the sides.

Then we have the Two Chicken Enchiladas in Mole Sauce. It's two corn tortillas filled with shredded chicken covered in mole sauce, topped with cheese, sesame seeds and sour cream. It doesn't look pretty, but when I had a chance to taste this, I think this was the best of the group.

And the last photo is Two Cheese Enchiladas. I've had this before and it was very cheesy. If that's your thing, knock yourself out. I on the other hand had trouble with the amount of it. So, I stay away from it...

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Jalisco Cafe - Bonita
http://www.jaliscocafe.com/
4026 Bonita Rd
Bonita, CA 91902

Wordless Weds.: Goldilocks' Macaroons

2011-07-13T16:08:00.000-07:00

More Sprinkles Cupcakes! Yes, again!

2011-07-10T21:56:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos of cupcakes that I've had over a month ago. Yup, it's been that long. These cupcakes are from Sprinkles in La Jolla and are worth the occasional, not regular, trip out there for some delicious treats. They aren't my favorite cupcakes in San Diego, but they're up there as far as my taste buds can tell. So, enough talk as I've posted about them before and more photos to look at...

First up we got the Banana flavored cupcake. It's fresh banana cake with creamy bittersweet chocolate frosting. It's pretty damn tasty, light, and not heavy on the sweet side. I personally tend to favor cupcakes on the sweeter side.

Then we got the Lemon cupcake. This is probably one of my favor cupcakes offered at Sprinkles. Its fragrant lemon cake with lemon-vanilla frosting flecked with zest. I just love the lemon flavor which isn't overpowering or light like I thought it would be when I first tasted it.

I love peanut butter flavored anything. And because of this, the Peanut Butter Chip cupcake that Sprinkles offers is no exception. All I can say is YUM to peanut butter. The cupcake is chocolate chip-studded peanut butter cake with peanut butter frosting.

Up next is the Mocha cupcake. It's another favorite of mine. What can I say, I have many favorites and I refuse to just pick one. I would say that the mocha probably leans towards the sweeter side than the ones shown on this post. So, if you're trying to stay away from sweet-sweet stuff. Sorry to say, this may be one of them. Its Belgian dark chocolate cake with rich mocha frosting.

This is the Strawberry cupcake. I've posted about the before. It's pretty good as well as light. The strawberry flavor was on the light side, but good nonetheless.

This is the Sugar Free cupcake. Let's just say I didn't like it at all. It was dry and as a whole, a turnoff and smaller than the rest of the cupcakes. I feel ripped! I knew I shouldn't have tried it when I first read it was sugar free. I never liked any sugar free cupcake I've tasted. But I thought I'd get it a try, oh well...

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Sprinkles Cupcakes - La Jolla
http://www.sprinkles.com/
8855 Villa La Jolla Drive
La Jolla, CA 92037
858-457-3800

Kababayan Bakery's Sugar Donuts

2011-07-07T22:35:00.000-07:00

Here are photos of the Filipino sugar donuts called Bitsu Bitsu from Kababayan Bakery in Spring Valley/San Diego. And man are they pretty damn good. I love eating these delicious treats. Of course, they're best eaten fresh or they'll start to get soggy like any other donuts out there.

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Kababayan Bakery
8423 Paradise Valley Rd
Spring Valley, CA 91977
619-267-1493

Capriotti's Sandwich Shop, Mission Valley

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

Due to some unfortunate circumstances, I haven't had time to post lately. And because of this, this post actually happened over a month ago. Better late than never as they say. Good thing is the photos of the sandwiches from Capriotti's Sandwich Shop in Mission Valley/San Diego are still relevant as they still sell them. It's some of their popular sandwiches for sure.

Having read the reviews, I was immediately drawn to The Bobbie. The Bobbie is homemade turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, and mayo. It's basically Thanksgiving dinner wrapped into one sandwich. I'm not big into traditional Thanksgiving food, except maybe ham. I can't say it was great, but it was pretty decent. In general, it's a light meal. The Cheese Steak with mushrooms on the other hand was pretty damn good. But that's a post for another day...

The others got the Capastrami sandwich. The Capastrami is hot pastrami, Swiss cheese, Russian dressing and cole slaw. The first image is with cole slaw and the next is without. My buddy had the slaw on the side instead of in the sandwich. I got the chance to taste this and thought is was pretty good. I should have gotten this instead of the Bobbie as I love pastrami. But I don't like ordering the same meal as everyone. I know, weird huh? Oh, all sandwiches were nine inches...

Since this trip, I've came here one other time. I tried the Cheese Steak and thought is was excellent. And that post will happen within the next few weeks. All in all, I'm a fan. It's great to see some kind of sandwich shop in the Mission Valley area. So, check them out.

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Capriotti's Sandwich Shop
http://www.capriottis.com/
1620 Camino De La Reina
San Diego, Ca 92108
619-542-1987

NOTICE: Site Maintenance on 07.07.11

2011-07-06T16:19:00.000-07:00

This is just a notice about the site maintenance that will be happening on Thursday, July 7th, between 23:00 and 03:00 Pacific Daylight Time (Friday, July 8th, between 06:00 and 10:00 UTC). When this happens, you'll notice some photo/images will be down on this Blog, Communicating Ideas by Visualnewbie. This is where I host a majority of my photos for the site, Lapada Gallery. But don't worry, Communicating Ideas will be back up and running in no time. Besides, the content will remain, just not the photos during the maintenance...

As you may already know, I have been using Zenfolio hosting service for organizing, hosting and presenting my photos online. You can view my home page at http://www.lapadagallery.com/

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Sandwiches at La Torta Cafe in La Mesa

2011-06-04T00:03:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos of some sandwiches my brother and I had at La Torta Cafe in La Mesa, San Diego. I had one of those coupons waiting to be used and figured why not. It was my first time seeing and eating at La Torta Cafe and really didn't know what to expect. I was also not that hungry, but wanted to try some place new. Little did I know, these sandwiches turned out to be huge. But first, here are a few photos of the shady front patio, where we decided to sit and eat. It was a bit too warm for me inside.

I ordered the Super Natalia's Torta. It's roast beef, ham, turkey, jack cheese, cheddar cheese, bacon, beans, jalapenos, avocado and the works. The meal comes with home fries. As you can see, the sandwich is large and half would have been fine for me. The sandwich is great, with great flavors and the fries were awesome. In the end, I ate about half of the second half of the sandwich and barely made a dent in the fries.

My brother got the La Torta Special. Its turkey, bacon, melted cheddar cheese, avocado and the works. It also comes with home fries. Even though it's smaller than my sandwich, my brother also had a hard time finishing it.

I still got an extra coupon to use at La Torta Cafe and I'll definitely be back to try out the other sandwiches that they have. I'm totally satisfied. I must also say, their menu has to be one of the largest I've seen to date. There's something for everyone and I'd be surprised if you couldn't find one that interests you. So check them out...

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La Torta Cafe
http://www.latorta.com/
8356 Allison Avenue
La Mesa, CA 91942
619-741-6230