San Diego Food

Hi there folks!  Another day in the paradise we call San Diego!  Noodles & Company recently invited us to try their new seasonal menu which features asparagus.  We had gone before a while back, and while it wasn’t bad it wasn’t very memorable either.  So this was our second attempt to see how their food has changed or evolved with the new items on the menu.  The manager there Jorge set us up with a table and gave us a little history on the restaurant as well as explained what they typically do for a tasting.  If there was anything in particular that we wanted we could have tried it, but I always like to leave it up to the restaurant to decide and be “surprised” so to speak.  So Anh and I were ready to get this show going.  Jorge warned us to pace ourselves so pace ourselves we tried.

So off we were on the race.  Starting off with four appetizers: chicken lettuce wraps, springtime flatbread, potstickers, and asparagus stack.  The runaway winner and favorite out of the four was the flatbread.  It had asparagus, mushrooms, parmesan, and bacon.  It reminded me of a good flatbread you could get at a nice sit down restaurant that may charge two or three times more.  The other apps were not bad, but this was the one item we’d go back and order again and again.  One note is that the lettuce wraps were served cold.  This is how they serve them here and I tend to prefer hot filling when eating lettuce wraps or similar dishes.    

Jorge brought out two salads for us to sample in the Spinach and Apple Salad and the Med Salad.  The spinach salad had a little too much dressing for us and the balsamic took over the flavors of everything else it touched.  But the Med Salad was a treat.  The spicy yogurt dressing wasn’t too spicy and hits you on the back end.  Everything was better balanced here and the pasta was a nice touch adding a little different texture in there.

We realized when the first four appetizers came out that Jorge wasn’t kidding about the amount of food coming our way.  We rested for a short while and Jorge came out with these four pasta dishes – The Penne Rosa, Garden Pesto Saute, Japanese Pan Noodles, and the BBQ Pork Mac and Cheese (not on menu).  One thing that we didn’t know is that the most popular items on the menu are listed at the top and go down in popularity.  The Garden Pesto Saute and BBQ Pork Mac and Cheese stood out from the rest.  The pesto pasta was light and our full stomachs appreciated that aspect very much.  Something about it was pleasant and overall satisfying.  It hit that food loving spot and we enjoyed it quite a bit.  The BBQ Pork Mac and Cheese was the opposite.  It was bold, over the top, and didn’t spare you any mercy.  It reminded me of Cincinnati chili.  I could only eat a few bites of it but they were enough to leave an impression.  

Luckily we had some to go boxes and enjoyed everything over and over again for many days.  Jorge even gave us some rice crispy treats he made earlier in the morning!  Special thanks to Jairo over at Bouchard for setting it up and Jorge at Noodles for taking care of Anh and I.  I’m glad we got to sample all the seasonal spring items because those were by far our favorites of the day.  Not only was the food good but the service was great.  All of the staff seemed to tend to the customers and check on them which I didn’t really see at the UTC location previously.

If you made it this far, we’re going to do a giveaway later this week for the same Noodles & Company tasting I just described!  Stay tuned folks…

Noodles & Company
3650 Rosecrans Street
San Diego, CA 92110
(619) 223-3200

http://www.noodles.com/

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When the general manager Ian over at Healthy Creations asked Michael and I if we’ve ever visited them I somewhat chuckled a little inside since 1) it’s a little far away from us in Encinitas and 2) it has Healthy in the name.  But Ian assured us if we liked good food we would not be disappointed.  Next thing I know Michael and I are headed over to try them out on a random day, in an unassuming shopping mall.  Aside from fresh food and drinks they also have healthy products they sell off the shelf and also cold products in a refrigerator on on side of the restaurant.  

They focus on local organic and gluten free products and also have an ingredient binder that lists all of them out in case you are curious or have any allergies.  Looking over the menu, it was a little hard to decide what to get but Ian swooped in to the rescue and offered up his suggestions.

Michael got the chocolate “malted” almond milk and I got the kombucha on tap.  The kombucha was a little more welcoming than some other versions I’ve tasted out of a the bottle.  This one was sweeter and had a hint of sourness.  Michael loved his chocolate “malted” almond milk and we were told that the maca was what gave it the natural nuttiness.  I think he’d get this again!

The mango and avocado salad tasted like it looked: great.  I had a salad that had similar ingredients a few days prior but lacked that freshness and unnecessarily drenched the salad in dressing.  Everything on this plate you see was rich in flavor, fresh, and tasted as it should.

Michael got the twisted reuben panini which he also enjoyed.  He especially appreciated the large thick cuts of pastrami!

I got the roasted Mediterranean chicken panini.  Soooo good!  The artichoke, chicken, cheese, everything really melted in your mouth.  They make their own focaccia bread in house and it was thin but sturdy and complimented all the ingredients inside.  At times artichokes can taste soggy and mushy but this one had a fresh crispy snap to them that I go nuts about.

So apparently Ian wanted to stuff us silly and made a few more dessert suggestions.  We didn’t have to listen but that would just be rude so stack em up!  Here’s the strawberry lemon bar, a mini carrot cake cupcake, a chocolate peanut butter brownie, and mini cookie sandwich.  All of these were great. The chocolate peanut butter brownie was one of our favorites.  It had a tough texture underneath the chocolate and peanut butter layer but once you had it in your mouth you get in that happy place very quickly.  Ian and the head chef/owner Rhiana were very gracious and informative.  It was evident that they care about what they do and are keen on producing nothing but top notch options that are not only healthy, but also leave you with a smile on your face by not sacrificing great flavor.  I’d recommend stopping by to give them a try!

Healthy Creations
376 N. El Camino Real
Encinitas, CA 92024
(760) 479 – 0500

http://www.healthycreations.com

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So SDF just participated in its first Dishcrawl in North Park last week!  What an interesting adventure indeed.  For those of you not familiar with the Dishcrawl concept, you basically sign up for $45 and get to go to four separate locations to sample various items on their menu that are pre-selected by each restaurant.  There is a Dishcrawl Ambassador (ours was Lindsay!) and she serves as the host and coordinator of the event.  Lindsay slowly revealed the locations as the event got closer so there is some element of surprise.  You start at one location and you “crawl” to the next location.  Each restaurant gave a little description about the food being prepared and the concept behind the restaurant itself.

The first stop was Alexander’s on 30th.  If you haven’t ever been here they have a signature white design and style that can’t be missed upon entering the restaurant.  Their pizzas and pastas are excellent.  They provided two separate pizzas to sample along with some bruschetta and a crab stuffed mushroom.  One of the pizzas served was the pesto, chicken, and elephant garlic pizza that I’ve tried before and love to order.  I highly recommend trying Alexander’s if you haven’t already.  

Sea Rocket Bistro is right across the street from Alexander’s and features fresh seafood on their menu.  They prepared a cooked oyster with romesco sauce and chillies, a sardine, and a local yellowtail fish taco.  The sardine was a daring offering for such a large group but the fish flavor wasn’t as bold as it may look and had a little crisp to the skin while not being too fishy.  The bones were hard to avoid and we noticed people had trouble maneuvering around them.  There aren’t too many restaurants that serve a sardine like this and appreciate Sea Rocket sharing what a nice sardine could taste like.   Personally I enjoyed the oyster the most out of the three and dug the spicy aftertaste.  As far as the taco goes, the tortilla flavor was just too strong for me and overpowered the great fish product.

It was a little hard to nudge our way to the food this time so Michael and I used this opportunity to recharge and didn’t get a chance to try the five spiced wings or the bacon and blue cheese flatbread.  But we heard from other crawlers that the wings were quite tasty.  

Swoon Dessert Bar was quite the experience.  I’ve heard of it before but never got a chance to try it until now.  The Executive Chef Ian Smith had a three course sampler for us to try.  From left to right we had a carrot cake ice cream with bacon, the Serpent’s Stout Mousse with marshmallow cream and smoked graham crumbles, and a devils food cake macaroon.  All were each unique and tasty in their own right.  They didn’t wow me on taste as much as they wowed me on presentation and uniqueness.  My sweet and savories in general stay on opposite sides of the plate so the hybrid compositions may not cut it for me.  The mousse was a little too hoppy for me and the graham may have even be a little too smoky for me as well.  The marshmallow’s sweetness however cuts through those overpowering notes and if you play your cards right you can get the perfect bite of balance.  Trying each component for me individually allowed me to get a feel for what each offers but are meant to be eaten together.  I enjoyed the macaroon as well, having no issues devouring it and each of the other samples.  Lindsay’s boyfriend ordered the carrot cake with sweet pea gelato to let everyone get a chance to see what a complete dessert looks like in presentation and portion.  Boy did it look good!  We’ll have to check them out another time to see what the other creations are all about.

All in all it was a great food event to partake in.  Lindsay was an amazing host and you can tell she put a lot of hard work and effort into making sure everything would go smooth.  It was fun to walk around North Park with our  dishcrawling group, eating and drinking at each spot.  Everyone seemed energetic and excited to see what the next restaurant had in store for us.  If there was one piece of advice I’d give future Dishcrawlers is to come into this with an open mind and leave expectations behind.  For the most part you don’t know what you’ll be eating or how big the portions are.  For me I wouldn’t have minded either a little more size to the portions or another restaurant on the list and to speed up the Dishcrawl a bit.  But I’m sure each event differs and it would vary next time.  It’ll be interesting to see what Lindsay has in the works for the next Dishcrawl in Little Italy!

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San Diego is in for a great treat!  The Big Bite Bacon Fest is making it’s way to the San Diego County Fair this year for the first inaugural Big Bite Bacon Fest.  We’ll be covering the event live.

In a couple of weeks, we’ll be holding a giveaway contest to raffle away two free tickets to the event (including admission to the fair!).  Stay tuned San Diego Bacon lovers…

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Project Pie is the latest in a series of new quick service pizza restaurants to make their entrance into Southern California.  Although they may not like my analogy, I think an accurate description is Chipotle meets CPK (California Pizza Kitchen).  It is a great concept that I’ve wondered about before, but strange that this hasn’t turned up sooner.  Anyhow, Jorgina heard about this new pie shop and we eagerly checked it out.  Project pie is located in the neighborhood of Hillcrest (central San Diego).  Parking was be a bit of a challenge, but it was worth the extra effort.

Their tagline is simple:  Design, Build, & Eat.  (works for me!)

There is a great visual appeal to seeing your pie being made right in front of you.  They start out your pie completely custom, or you have the option to choose a set pizza from their menu.  For us, we decided to choose a base pizza and then built it from there.  (Eg. I ordered a base of #2 which is the meat lover’s pizza).

I asked for three cheeses and started piling on extras like mushrooms, basil, and prosciutto.  Jorgina got a BBQ chicken pizza and added on a ton of different meats.  The nice thing is that the price is set, so you don’t need to worry about every last topping.  *Having said that, have you ever added too many things?  This happens to me from time to time in unlimited menu item restaurants.  Sometimes, subtlety is more.

Once they are done preparing your pie, they toss it into their oven and ring you up on their POS system running on iPads.

This is a bad picture, I know, but they’ve got a a really cool fountain full of Boylan Cane Sugar sodas to choose from, including two types of root beer.  No sooner than I got my drink, they were already calling my name.  (That was fast!)

Here is my customized #2: PEPPERONI, ITALIAN SAUSAGE, CRUMBLED MEATBALLS, MOZZARELLA, OUR SIGNATURE RED SAUCE, GARLIC – My additions were: Mushrooms, Basil,  & Prosciutto.

Here is Jorgina’s customized #6: GRILLED CHICKEN, SLICED RED ONION, CILANTRO, MOZZARELLA, GORGONZOLA, BBQ SAUCE – Her additions were: Pepperoni, Sausage, Meatballs, Bacon, Tomatoes, Mushrooms, Prosciutto, and Basil.

Both pizzas were piping hot and delicious.  I was completely amazed at the speed of execution.  The pies were personal sized, but definitely generous in portion.  I had a slice and a half left when I was done and Jorgina had 2.  The dough as you imagine is thinner than a traditional pizza, and was crisp on the outside and bouncy on the inside.  I really liked all the toppings we chose, although next time I may ask for a little more marinara sauce.

From what I overheard, Project Pie has been open in this location for just a little over a month now.  I think it’s a fantastic addition to San Diego’s pizza choices.  It will definitely become a regular on my schedule.

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