Scary/Yummy

Jack O-Lantern 2005
Well, since pumpkin is obviously food this is surely on topic! I used to grow pumpkins and carve dozens of them each year. Others seemed be more interested in the amount of pumpkin bread or pumpkin pie they could make but I cared little of such things. Here are a few of my past wonders.

Foodies, Rejoice! 3 Courses for $30...
...is how the 2006 San Diego Restaurant Week website welcomes us. It’s many weeks ago (okay, months) but the site went live this week with a listing of participating restaurants. You might be able to tell that I like a good value and this is it. For many restaurants on the list the entrée is 25 to 30 bucks anyhow so it’s like getting a appetizer (or soup or salad) and dessert for free!

The menus aren’t up yet, but which restaurants are at the top of your list? Last year we made it to 2 restaurants (George’s at the Cove was a memorable meal), this year we’ll try for 4. I’m thinking Pamplemousse Grille, Mille Fleurs, El Bizcocho maybe or then there is Oceanaire, Jsix and Tapenade. Haven't been to any of these yet.

Indigo Grill and more

Mighty 1090
San Diego Sports AM radio station 1090, better known as The Mighty 1090 offers up a foodie treat and a great deal once a week. Each Wednesday around 8 in the morning they offer up (on their website) half price gift certificates to area restaurants. And these aren’t necessarily crap restaurants, but some pretty good names like Sbicca in Del Mar, the newish Island Prime, Cafe Pacifica in Old Town, Brockton Villa in La Jolla and the list goes on. Typically it’s a $100 gift certificate for $50.

On Friday we used our certificate at Indigo Grill (the Island Prime gift certificate I got ended up being good at any Cohn Restaurant). It was our first time there and a pretty good meal was had. My wife got the Tortilla Soup and Seared Ahi Tuna with wasabi mashed potatoes (both I believe were on the night’s “specials” menu) and I got the Free Range Chicken that came with a side salad (mixed greens with a delicious dressing) and black beans, rice, guac…all the typical sides. And we shared the Brie appetizer (which we were told is a signature dish), listed on the website menu as “Plantain and Pipian Crusted Brie with serrano jelly, honey roasted garlic with grana-scallion flatbread”. Whew. That’s a mouth-full and I don’t even know what two of those things are, but it was all tasty.

I wouldn’t normally get chicken as we have it very often at home but the waiter raved over the chicken rather than a couple of other items I inquired about. It was good but other items seemed more interesting and I think I could have a similar tasting entrée at, oh, say, El Torito.

In the end food, drinks and tax brought the tab to mere pennies over $100. (It’s key to use up all or at least most of the certificate as it is clearly stated that no change is given). Over the last year or so we’ve dined out for half price at 5 or 6 restaurants courtesy of the Mighty 1090 – often I forget about the sale, and usually they go quickly with just (I believe) 50 for sale. I never listen, but I think the restaurant gets plenty of mention that morning (maybe all week) in trade.

Blog Talk
I see my own tiny little start up blog has been linked to by San Diego’s very own Zen Foodist (thanks, Beth!) Hopefully I can get pump out the posts a little faster. I can think of one other one in which four guys use a random restaurant generator to come up with a lunch place on Friday and report back on it. They have been at it since June or July in the Miramar/Mira Mesa area.

Julian

Well, arriving in Julian at noon on a Saturday in autumn is not the best time to find an available parking space. But with a surprising bit of driving around it can be done. First we thought we would grab a bite at the Julian Grille – we were told it would just be 10 minutes. We waited longer than that and saw a couple of people seated that were there after us so we said ^*&% it and left, avoiding any confrontation. Mom’s Pie House was calling out to us anyhow. (And when I say “we” on this blog, I mean my lovely wife of 13 years, Linda and myself).

The line was surprisingly short, just barely out the door, so we took our place and were ordering pie within 5 minutes. We ordered a piece of Apple Boysenberry and a piece of Bumbleberry (Blackberry, Boysenberry and Blueberry), both with the crumb crust. I’m not entirely sure if bumbleberry is a type of berry or a term to describe a mixture of other berries. Both were delicious.

We also picked up a whole pie to take home. Went with the normal plain apple pie with the normal flaky crust.

It was very good and we finished up by Monday morning, but I preferred the apple with boysenberry. Oh, well. Next year!

When we left Mom’s the line was easily 20 people out the door so we got there at the right time.

This is just our second time to Julian. We went shortly after moving to San Diego 3 years ago. We’ve only been to Mom’s so I can’t say how the rest are. On the main street there are other choices to buy pie – some just from a window it seems. We also saw the rib place that got a horrible review at Chowhound. I wonder if it is really that bad - people were lined out the door here too. I heard a couple behind us excited to find out it was still there.

Hmmm...a trip to Julian, CA - pie country? Sure!


What kind could it be?

He posts again!

I don’t believe it. Welcome back, #1 reader!!

While I’m not terribly interested in doing actual cooking I do like watching cooking shows on the Food Network. I always learn something and sometimes I am inspired to make something. Over the last couple months I’ve gone to the Macy’s School of Cooking kitchen (San Diego Macy’s Home store next to Target in Mission Valley) several times to watch chef demonstrations with tasting samples which is a nice upgrade to TV food watching.

The first one I went to was Zov from Zov’s Bistro in Orange County. Delicious! Along the way I’ve tasted food from a pastry chef and another time from Chef Tony DiSalvo from the seemingly much awaited Jack’s in La Jolla.

The other week was the chef and owner of 150 Grand in Escondido. Demonstrated recipes were a chilled apple and fennel soup that was tasty and had very little in common with applesauce (which I was the taste one might expect…) along with a carnitas plate.


Also I managed to grab a photograph of a tasty heirloom tomato tart.

It was excellent!



Sort of a distance cousin to pizza.