Picnic Table (Gingham)

Brian Malarkey, who apparently was a finalist on Top Chef (sue me, I could never get into that show), has opened many a restaurant in San Diego, because of the huge success of Searsucker. That place, by the way, kicks ass. Okay, so I've only ever been for lunch because it's so expensive, but their lunch definitely kicks ass! Does anyone else think it's a really clever idea to name your restaurants after garment materials? Love it. 

About Gingham: it's a laid-back restaurant with dishes (think bbq) that are all under $20. I'm a fan of the chef there, Ryan Studebaker, who used to work at Del Mar's Prepkitchen- will someone plleease get that place up and running again? Seriously though, back to Gingham. 

I went there with the bf for happy hour (Mon through Fri 5-6pm and Fri/Sat 10-11pm), not knowing exactly what to expect. Before we made our orders, our server gave us complimentary cornbread. They were light and a great way to start our meal!

We started off with some drinks, the bf got a beer (can't remember what one), and I got an infusion cocktail (regularly $9, happy hour $7). I got the best berry press of your life, thinking that it'd be sweet. That, unfortunately, was not the case, as I could barely taste the berry flavor. The bf said his beer was good, though!

Onto the apps.. the smoked salmon chips (reg. $10, happy hour $5) were straight up plain potato chips with a healthy amount of smoked salmon with capers and red onion. The chips were forgettable, but I really enjoyed the smoked salmon. This is a definitely a dish to share, since there was so much.

That Food Network Challenge Judge (D Bar)

D Bar has been open for a few weeks now and I wanted to give it a whirl (and hopefully get a glimpse of Keegan Gerhard, of the Food Network Challenge fame). It's in a prime location next to Snooze Eatery in Hillcrest and the decor is bright and spacious.

Like most restaurants I want to visit, I checked to see if they had a happy hour, and it appeared that they did (3-6pm on Tuesday-Saturday), so being the cheapo that I am, I went to try it out with the bf. 

What's cool about this place is how you can view the desserts being made in front of you, so its some added entertainment to your food to see the pastry chefs perform their craft. 

While we didn't get see Kegan, we did get the chance to talk with one of the pastry chefs, who was quite nice and definitely knowledgeable about all the desserts. She was quick to answer any questions we had, and it was a treat to watch her do her thing. Those pastry chefs are quite meticulous! 

Au Revoir, Foie Gras (Cavaillon)

I suck at consistently writing posts (clearly). Trying to get back into it.. 

So when I heard last year that foie gras sales were going to be banned in California in July of 2012, I made a mental note to at least try it before I lost my chance. Fast forward months and months later, a Bloomspot deal caught my eye, for $60 worth of dinner at Cavaillon for $30. I'd been to this restaurant once before and loooved it, and I knew they had foie gras on their menu, so I figured I'd go back and see what all the hoopla was about. 

The restaurant is located in an upscale residential neighborhood of Santaluz, right next to a hair salon and orthodontist's office, so if you're looking for a French restaurant with a great ambiance, this isn't really it. It's also a really tight squeeze inside, so parties of two can expect to overhear their neighbors' conversations pretty easily. If you have a small party, I suggest sitting outside for a little more room. The chefs have also changed, to mixed reviews, but since I'm not a regular, I couldn't say if it has gotten worse or better. 

Like any fancy French restaurant, they served us an amuse-bouche of some sorta cheese crostini with truffle shavings *insert Homer gurgle here* and some greens. Definitely the right way to start a meal. 

And they had some truffle infused butter to go with their complimentary bread, which was also awesome.

But let's get to the important stuff: the foie gras!

Mira Mesa Mondays

So everyone knows all the rage these days are food trucks... Wait, what's that you say? You don't know about this trend? Why, let me help you out from under your rock! Really though, these things are no longer the questionable roach coaches of yesteryear. They're in! I don't have a smart phone (gasp!) to help guide me to twittered-is that even a word?- locations, so it's really helpful when they all gather in one spot so I can easily get my grub on. 

That's why I got excited when I heard about Mira Mesa Mondays, located in the parking lot of the Epicentre. First time I showed up to one of these events, I somehow managed to lose $20 while standing in line for Devilicious. Don't know how I did it, but whoever lucked out and scored that cash, I hope you spent it wisely. Which means I hope you ordered so much food you wanted to puke after. Kidding..!

Even though I lost my appetite because of my own stupidity, the boyfriend ordered food from Devilicious. I just so happened to purchase a few Yelp deals of $5 for $10 worth of food at Devilicious, so he got the Cubano Grilled Cheese ($7), which came with braised pulled pork, Virgina ham, swiss cheese, pickles and a dijon aoili on sourdough. It came with a sizable and tasty side salad. The sandwich didn't blow my mind, but the bf seemed to like it.   

Birthday Freebie (Cucina Urbana)

I know Cucina Urbana has been open for a long time now, but I finally just made it out there to have a birthday dinner with the boyfriend.. This restaurant is located on Banker’s Hill, which can be a complete suck-fest for parking during busy dinnertime hours. Don’t even try walking in here without a reservation, they get booked FAST. We had reservations for a borderline early bird 5:45pm, so we scored a pretty sweet parking spot close by.

The minimalist wooden and steel furnishings are stylish, but let’s face it- I came here to eat, not to admire the surroundings. We started out with the ricotta gnudi ($10.50), and dear god, I could have eaten a million more of those little bits of heaven. So tender and flavorful, these little guys practically melted in my mouth. I only wished there were more than 6 pieces (sharing with the table is so overrated). 

For the main course, I chose the short rib pappardelle ($18.50) and the man (who I shall heretofore refer to as J) had the lasagna al forno ($15.50). I will say that even though his dish was tasty with the sausage and veal ragu, my pappardelle kicked his lasagna’s ass (if cheesy pasta entrées had asses). The cremini mushrooms and short rib married so well.. it was rich and they definitely do not skimp out on the meat to pasta ratio (J thought it a bit on the heavy side, but it was right up my alley). 

And because it was my birthday, we got a little dessert on the house. Tip- if you’re out celebrating a special occasion, be it a birthday or a promotion, let the server or front desk know! And here’s another tip from the resident cheapo: If you like a restaurant, join their mailing list. In most cases, you’ll get occasional discounts and heads up on promotions coming up. Unless of course, you’re California Pizza Kitchen, which in case, you will give NOTHING to your loyal customer. Yeah that’s right, I’m calling you out, CPK! I joined Cucina’s mailing list, and so we got $10 off our appetizer and one of the entrées. And who doesn’t like some extra money in their pocket?

Cucina Urbana

505 Laurel Street 
San Diego, CA 92101

(619) 239-2222

Meat for Cheap (Quality Social)

I am a procrastinator. And what do I like doing to procrastinate? Read blogs… so I figured, what the hell, seems like everyone in the world has one, I may as well start one, too.

I am attracted to all things food related, so it only seemed natural that I gravitated towards one that involved the glorious stuff. What I’m especially interested in is the food scene in San Diego, because if there’s good food to be had here, I want in. Assuming I can afford it, of course, which I usually can’t… so as a poor post-college grad in that funky ‘I need a real job, but it’s hard to dive headfirst into adulthood’ phase, I am totally into eating crap like Jack In The Box tacos, and McDonald’s chicken nuggets (have you seen what those things look like before they make it to your mouth? Scary.. and yet I still love them).

Point is, I’m going to lay out my random experiences with local restaurants and food outings and hope that somebody besides my poor, obliging boyfriend will read about them.

Here goes..

If you’re looking for something low key in the Gaslamp area, head to Quality Social. This place boasts in-house cured meats (charcuterie for the newbies) and their happy hour, which is from 5pm-8pm Monday through Friday (awesome time window, right?), all their charcuterie is half off (a collection of four different meats is usually $16, so $8 is pretty damn affordable!). The vibe is cool, especially if you’re a hipster who likes drinking PBR on tap (seriously, check out how many guys in flannel and handlebar mustaches are around on a busy night).

Went there one night to bring the boyfriend out to try the charcuterie because I liked it so much the first time I tried it, but I was slightly unimpressed the second time around. Notables from the first time were the potted rillette (delish), but the chorizo was the stand out. The flavor is reminiscent of la chang (slightly sweet Chinese sausage), and I loved it. 

All the charcuterie also comes with bread and a side of pickles. The second time we went for the Mac ‘N’ Cheese ($7.00), chicken liver pate, beef jerky, and 2 orders of the chorizo- because it’s THAT good. The mac and cheese was forgettable and I also found out that night that my palette (and my boyfriend’s palette for that matter) isn’t sophisticated enough to enjoy chicken liver. That was some funky stuff. And though the beef jerky had great flavor.. you better be ready to chew. And chew. And then chew some more.

 

What I really appreciated was their complimentary homemade sauces (the bbq and ketchup were my favorites). I love me some condiments. I’ll have to make it back sometime soon to see how I really feel about the place, third time’s a charm, right?

Quality Social

789 6th Avenue San Diego CA 92101

(619) 501-7675