Happy New Year! 2017 already? How many times will I write 2016 until 2017 will feel right? Anyways, I hope 2017 brings you better food, better drink, and more of each of them. 🙂
The Haven has been in Kensington since 2013. I went with one of my friends a few years ago, but have not had a chance to come back since. When that much time has passed it’s almost like trying a new place.
The holiday decorations were in full swing and it’s a smaller, but not cramped restaurant. It actually felt quite homey.
Wedge salads are funny. You often pay more for them, yet you have to do some of the work preparing it! That doesn’t stop me from ordering it because there’s something satisfying about being able to cut your own pieces to your preferred size. This version was really good. The gorgonzola was not overpowering and the amount of dressing was just right.
Brussels sprouts are still going strong. We enjoyed these as well. Bacon makes everything better and bacon seemed to be the theme of our meal. 🙂
They had some seasonal drinks on the menu and my love of ginger ale pulled me towards the ginger hard cider. The ginger flavor was definitely there. It could have been slightly sweeter for my taste.
Normally I don’t really like the mixture of sweet and salty. But the spicy factor messed with my tasting compass and the pineapple really worked well with the sauce and jalapeños.I’d be happy chomping away at this if it was all I had for the night.
Another favorite was this pasta. The penne was cooked perfectly al dente and the addition of the meatballs had us coming back for more. Michael and I convinced ourselves that 5 more small spoonfuls was less than w regular sized scoops.
I did say we had a lot of bacon, right? Normally I like bacon, but am not a huge enthusiast like some. Sausage mcmuffin > regular mcmuffin all day. Still, we couldn’t turn down a chance to turn this pizza into surf and turf. It was nice but I wished the pesto had been turned up a notch.
Last we ended with a little dessert. We were pretty full and we did our best to get something on the lighter side. Biting down on the lady fingers was like sinking down on a pocket of air. They were so fluffy and it all came at just the right moment. We might have tapped out after the first bite had it been more dense. The coffee essence also came off smooth and velvety, adding to a decadent, but soft finale.
Conclusion
We had an intimate encounter with bacon on this evening. While it was nice, I would venture to try some of the other enticing menu options next time. But one thing is for sure, the penne will reach my mouth once again if I have a say in the matter.
Disclaimer: We were invited to dine at The Haven and our meal was complimentary. However, our opinions remain our own.
The Haven
4051 Adams Ave
San Diego, CA 92116
thehavenpizzeria.com
ooh we just went here last weekend! the only food we had in common is the Brussels! we thought the pizza dough was amazing and couldn’t stop eating it. I think we’ll have a post up in about a week or so if I can keep schedule. happy eats for January! looking forward to your sdrw post too!
Sweet! Yes, the pizza was pretty bomb. I’ll look out for that post. Hope your SDRW dinner is a good one! Ours is tonight. 🙂
Sorry we had to bail from the other event. J was feeling his jet lag come on strong. Let’s grab an extra bite next time and catch up.