Wednesday, February 27, 2008
San Diego Beauty
Spring is right around the corner. The evidence is in these pictures I took while walking in Pacific Beach.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Recent Meals Worth Mentioning
Shore Club - Pacific Beach, San Diego
I had no expectations of this establishment. Overall, I have been disappointed in Pacific Beach's ability to build an enticing waterfront. I want a plethora of outdoor cafe's with over-sized funky umbrellas, flowers abound in the day, diverse candle light at sunset, and too many choices of fun/casual/classy places to go to. Instead, there are eateries and bars that primarily cater to anyone who is looking for bar food and a lot of drinking. The Shore Club seemed like another one of these places, and in a sense it is. However, their veggie and grilled mahi tacos were a very close second to South Beach (OB) fish tacos. In the five years that I have lived in San Diego I have not been able to say that about any other fish taco, so that means a lot to me. The veggie taco was filled with marinated and grilled zucchini, eggplant, and squash, and then topped with lettuce, diced tomatoes, a small/perfect amount of guacamole, and white sauce. Other notable things: it is on the second floor and has wall to wall opening windows, with seating overlooking the ocean. This entire experience was a pleasant surprise and I will certainly add it to my rotation.
Bite - Hillcrest - San Diego
Bite is a new, modern, wine bar and bistro that offers eclectic tapas and small plates. I went with three of my friends and we ordered eight "bites" (two rounds of each of us picking one) and two desserts. The following are descriptions of my favorites, in no particular order:
1. Grilled Cheese Baguette of Cremini Mushroom, Fresh Thyme, Roasted Shallots and Melted Fontina. This was so cheesy and flavorful. The thin baguette was pressed and grilled to perfection. This is a smaller plate....two, (about) three inch sandwiches.
2. Yam Gnocchi with Rock Shrimp, Toasted Hazelnuts, Haricot Vert and Sage Butter. The gnocchi in this dish was good, but what made it amazing was the rock shrimp. The combination of the hazelnuts and sage reminded me of a light horseradish flavor which I loved.
3. Medjoul Dates Stuffed w/ Gorgonzola and Wrapped w/ Apple Wood Smoked Bacon. I have had bacon wrapped dates before, but these were taken to a whole new level with the gorgonzola stuffing. We loved these so much, we got two orders. Four dates per order.
4. Warm Cream Cheese Bread Pudding with Blueberry Buttermilk Sorbet. I think the name says it all. One of my new favorite desserts. Perfect size for sharing.
The poet, Rumi, said -"let the beauty of what you love be what you do." I could not agree more.
I had no expectations of this establishment. Overall, I have been disappointed in Pacific Beach's ability to build an enticing waterfront. I want a plethora of outdoor cafe's with over-sized funky umbrellas, flowers abound in the day, diverse candle light at sunset, and too many choices of fun/casual/classy places to go to. Instead, there are eateries and bars that primarily cater to anyone who is looking for bar food and a lot of drinking. The Shore Club seemed like another one of these places, and in a sense it is. However, their veggie and grilled mahi tacos were a very close second to South Beach (OB) fish tacos. In the five years that I have lived in San Diego I have not been able to say that about any other fish taco, so that means a lot to me. The veggie taco was filled with marinated and grilled zucchini, eggplant, and squash, and then topped with lettuce, diced tomatoes, a small/perfect amount of guacamole, and white sauce. Other notable things: it is on the second floor and has wall to wall opening windows, with seating overlooking the ocean. This entire experience was a pleasant surprise and I will certainly add it to my rotation.
Bite - Hillcrest - San Diego
Bite is a new, modern, wine bar and bistro that offers eclectic tapas and small plates. I went with three of my friends and we ordered eight "bites" (two rounds of each of us picking one) and two desserts. The following are descriptions of my favorites, in no particular order:
1. Grilled Cheese Baguette of Cremini Mushroom, Fresh Thyme, Roasted Shallots and Melted Fontina. This was so cheesy and flavorful. The thin baguette was pressed and grilled to perfection. This is a smaller plate....two, (about) three inch sandwiches.
2. Yam Gnocchi with Rock Shrimp, Toasted Hazelnuts, Haricot Vert and Sage Butter. The gnocchi in this dish was good, but what made it amazing was the rock shrimp. The combination of the hazelnuts and sage reminded me of a light horseradish flavor which I loved.
3. Medjoul Dates Stuffed w/ Gorgonzola and Wrapped w/ Apple Wood Smoked Bacon. I have had bacon wrapped dates before, but these were taken to a whole new level with the gorgonzola stuffing. We loved these so much, we got two orders. Four dates per order.
4. Warm Cream Cheese Bread Pudding with Blueberry Buttermilk Sorbet. I think the name says it all. One of my new favorite desserts. Perfect size for sharing.
The poet, Rumi, said -"let the beauty of what you love be what you do." I could not agree more.
Timeless San Francisco
If you happen to be in San Francisco, and looking for a good and quick lunch, check out Nonna Rose. Touristy - definitely as it is in the heart of Fisherman's Wharf, but worth it. The crab salad sandwiches were packed with fresh crab meat and were very light on the mayonnaise. For under $10.00 and a view of the bay, you can't go wrong.
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