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1-10 out of 68 reviews:
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May 12, 2008
Marche Moderne serves French bistro fare for weary shoppers in South Coast Plaza. They offer a $20 3-course prix fixe lunch - a salad, a choice of two entrees, and dessert. I went there a couplw of weeks ago with my family, and we all got the prix fixe lunch, and also ordered the Seared Foie Gras with Mango appetizer to share.
The foie gras was rich and decadent, made more so by creamy mango sauce that accompanied it. It was better with a bit of tart mango to cut through the richness. The salad was composed of lightly dressed greens dotted with dried cherries and hazelnuts.
My mom ordered the Bay Shrimp & Scallops with Couscous. Those tiny bay shrimp are admittedly not my favorite, but even then I thought they were slightly overcooked. The scallop was nicely done, but the chive aioli seemed bland, making the overall dish a bit dull.
But I absolutely loved my Braised Lamb Cheeks - melt-in-your-mouth tender and not too gamy. The napa cabbage and cauliflower mixed with the gravy from the lamb was a delicious, earthy accompaniment.
We closed with an almond cake with mango sorbet - a light, delicate dessert.
The prix fixe lunch menu for $20 is a great deal for this quality of food. The amount of food is not overwhelming, which is probably a good thing for on-the-go shoppers.
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Apr 09, 2008
I had read on Alice Q Foodie's blog that Cafe Chloe had started an afternoon tea service. For $25, you will be treated to a pot of tea, a selection of finger sandwiches, pastries, and desserts.
I went there recently to check it out and it's a great way to try a selection of Chloe's offerings. We chose a black tea with longan fruit and a white tea. They brought us a tray of the savory snacks: smoked salmon on pumpernickel, a mini-mushroom tart, a cucumber and watercress sandwich, and a lentil soup served in a demitasse. I especially liked the mushroom tart with its flaky, buttery crust.
After we finished the savory treats, they brought out a selection of pastries and desserts: a scone, pear-rosemary galette, a chocolate pot-de-creme, and an espresso shortbread. All of the desserts were delicious. I'm a sucker for chocolate so my favorite was the pot-de-creme. The galette was wonderful too; as evidenced by their mushroom tart, Chloe really knows how to do pastry crust. If I wanted to pick nits, I would say that the scone was more like a muffin or quickbread than a scone, but it still tasted good.
Overall, it's a great experience for a good price. Most tea services are much more expensive, and likely in a fancy hotel where you might feel compelled to dress up. Cafe Chloe gives you an opportunity to have a similar, but more casual experience with great food (and tea, of course).
Tags:
afternoon
tea
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Apr 08, 2008
Ritual Tavern is one of the newest entries in the growing North Park restaurant scene. The unassuming exterior on 30th St hides a charming upscale pub interior. It's a cozy place for a casual-but-not-too-casual meal.
My friends and I started off with their beer-battered deep-fried vegetables. They had a crisp, well-seasoned crust and went very well with a slightly spicy remoulade.
Since they've opened they've become famous for their vegan Shepherd's Pie- mashed potatoes on top of a rich stew of tofu, root vegetables, and green beans. Meat lovers, feat not, since they have a version with beef and lamb as well. We ordered one of each.
For both the vegan and non-vegan versions, we agreed that the shepherd's pies were enjoyable, but lacking somehow. For me, the stew portion of the pie seemed a touch under-seasoned, and it lacked complexity - maybe it could use better wine or stock.
Still it was an enjoyable meal, and Ritual Tavern has other intriguing options on the menu - including another vegan option (the portobello burger). It's another great addition to the neighborhood.
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Pho King
4658 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115
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Reviewed By howie
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Feb 09, 2008
I asked my friend if she wanted to try Pho King this afternoon, and she seemed hesitant. But after telling her that I would pay for it, she said OK. I had been meaning to try Pho King for a while, but just never got around to it, so I was psyched.
We started with Shrimp And Sugar Cane Wrapped w/ Rice Paper. It's kind of like a make-your-own spring roll. The Pho King waiter gave us a bunch of hard rice paper wrappers, a bowl of warm water, and plates with shrimp, noodles, lettuce, bean sprouts, mint, jalapeno. Then you dip the wrappers in the water to soften them, put the ingredients of your choice inside, roll them up, dunk them in the sweet fish sauce dip, and eat them.
I really liked this dish. It's very fresh and light with all the veggies and mint. Plus making your own rolls is kind of fun. It harkens back to childhood when it was OK to play with your food.
My friend ordered the pho with brisket. I tried some of it, and I thought the broth had a little too much cinnamon and clove. It was also a bit sweet for my taste, but not terribly so. The meat had decent texture. It wasn't fall-apart tender like the best versions, but it wasn't what I would call tough.
I had the Grilled Pork Rice Dish. The char-grilled marinated pork had a decent slightly sweet flavor, but again it wasn't as tender as other versions I've had. The little bowl of broth they give you on the side was again a bit too heavy on the cloves and cinnamon.
All-in-all it was a positive experience. While not everything was stellar, I would give Pho King another shot.
Tags:
pho
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Feb 02, 2008
Los Reyes has slowly become one of my default Mexican stops over the years. I usually go to Adalberto's just down the street, but Los Reyes does some dishes better and offers some that are not as common like birria and menudo.
I've really enjoyed most of the beef and pork dishes that I've tried at Los Reyes. The carnitas is luscious. The pork adobada and carne asada are flavorful and juicy.
On a recent visit, I tried birria, a spicy, soupy goat stew, for the first time. As such, it's hard for me to do a comparative analysis with other birrias, but I will say that I really enjoyed mine. The chunks of goat meat were very tender almost falling off the bone along with bits of soft tendon. The fiery red soup was rich and not too spicy. The Chinese in me wants fill it with noodles and rice and slurp away.
I've had a couple of items that I didn't love though. The guacamole here (like at most SD taquerias) is sub-standard. It's bad enough that it will ruin a dish like carne asada fries. The refried beans lack the creaminess present in the best versions.
Still these are minor faults. Los Reyes is a great place for a Mexican food fix.
Tags:
birria
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Feb 01, 2008
I was disappointed to hear a while ago that Da Kines in PB had closed down, but I recently heard that they had opened up a new location in the Liberty Station, the naval training center turned shopping center.
It was quite a challenge finding it. After a long weekend run, I thought I would treat myself to a nice plate lunch. I ended up wandering around the NTC for almost half an hour with aching legs before I found a map that showed where Da Kines was (hint: it's tucked in the back corner).
My first trip I ended up trying the grilled mahi mahi, and the teriyaki chicken plate. The mahi was simple and well-prepared - a good choice for the health conscious.
The teriyaki chicken was less successful. It was dry and stringy as if it had been sitting out for an hour. The chicken was also quite flavorless as if it had barely been marinaded. L & L (the McDonald's of plate lunches) serves much moister and flavorful chicken.
Another pet peeve, the rice was mushy; that always annoys me. How hard is it to measure the proper amount of water and dump it into a rice cooker?
On a subsequent visit, I tried their fried ahi poke. I love a good poke (hehe), so Da Kine's cooked version sounded appealing to me. When I got it home and opened it, it looked very unappetizing - a mass gray cubes (the tuna) mixed with seaweed coated in gray residue. When I tasted it, it was kind of slimy. I admit that this could all be my fault for bringing home a dish that should be eaten immediately, but I also thought the flavors were off - it was bland. The saving grace was the macaroni salad, which was light and had a nice pepper accent.
I remember having better meals at Da Kine's in PB so this was kind of disappointing. But I still enjoy a few items here, and it's convenient for the area. I'll just try to stick to the items I like.
Tags:
hawaiian
bbq
plate
lunch
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Jan 31, 2008
Dao Son is one of those places that I feel guilty giving a middling review because the people who work there seem so nice. Plus Dao Son fills a greatly needed niche in the metro area; if you want casual, but not too casual Asian food in the metro area, your options are limited.
...but... I just don't love their food. The menu is hodgepodge of selections from East and Southeast Asia. That's usually a tell-tale sign that the food won't be authentic, and it seems to hold at Dao Son.
The bun (a Vietnamese noodle salad) was not like others I've had in Vietnamese restaurants. Instead of simple char-grilled meat, they topped the noodles with a generic stir-fry, and the noodles were quite mushy. The clean, bright flavors of this Vietnamese classic weren't evident in Dao Son's version.
Dao Son also serves a large selection of stir-fried dishes. They aren't unpleasant, but they have the feel of generic, Westernized Asian food. They basically end up all tasting the same to me. And sometimes the meats are overcooked. It also doesn't help that the rice served with it is often severely mushy (a pet peeve of mine).
Still if you're in the mood for Asian food, and you're too lazy to go to Kearny Mesa, City Heights, National City, etc, Dao Son is a good choice.
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Jan 30, 2008
Pacific Whey is one of those places that I'm almost glad that I don't have near me because otherwise I would probably get fat stuffing my face with their food every day.
They specialize in a variety of breakfast pastries. My personal favorite is their Cinnamon Custard Danish - flaky pastry topped with a light, sweet custard and dusted with cinnamon. This danish is beyond addictive, and has become my default breakfast on my trips to Orange County.
Pacific Whey does a lot of pastries quite well. I also love their Almond Frangipane Danish with its pillowy texture and sweet almond filling. The Chocolate Almond Rugalach is a nice pick for chocolate lovers.
I even like their fat-free muffin. Most fat-free muffins are either dry, tasteless pucks or suffer from a pasty interior, but Pacific Whey's version tastes like an actual muffin - less oily than a normal muffin, but with a moist, cakey texture and full flavor.
Pacific Whey also serves breakfast items like eggs and pancakes, as well as an array of tasty sandwiches and salads. Nothing fancy, just simple food, well-prepared. This is exactly the sort of place every neighborhood needs, but is sadly quite hard to find.
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danish
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Nov 15, 2007
Wow, these yogurt places keep popping up faster than I can keep up with them. This is the fifth tart frozen yogurt place that I've tried in San Diego so far, and it's also my least favorite.
My main problem with Dolce Freddo is the yogurt itself. It's neither tart enough or sweet enough for me. The plain yogurt had almost no taste at all. I know that sounds funny for a plain anything, but plain yogurt should taste like yogurt, and this tasted like nothing. Shoveling this cold, unflavored mass into my mouth quickly became a chore.
I also tried the green tea flavor, and while I could taste the green tea, the lack of sweetness still threw me off.
It's not all bad. The selection of toppings is pretty good. It's not as exhaustive as Redberry's, but you'll probably be able to find something to put on your yogurt. And the store itself is clean, pleasant, and comfortable. I just wish I liked the yogurt here.
Tags:
pinkberry
clone
tart
frozen
yogurt
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Nov 10, 2007
Peking Restaurant is an old school Orange County restaurant, specializing in Northern Chinese cuisine. Apparently it's been around for decades. My parents told me that they used to go here regularly in the 70's when it was one of the only Chinese restaurants in town. We recently visited when we found ourselves cruising around Westminster looking for a place to eat.
My favorite dish was the Chicken Wrapped in Scallion Pancakes. The scallion pancakes would have been good enough just on their own - crispy, chewy, and savory. But take these pancakes and stuff them with chicken and hoisin sauce and you've got something addictively delicious.
Another favorite was a mung bean noodle with a sesame-mustard sauce. Wide, flat, slippery noodles mixed with chicken, cucumber, and nutty sesame sauce with a nice kick from the mustard. I haven't seen this dish on any menus in So Cal, though maybe I just didn't know to look.
Peking Restaurant is famous for their dumplings, though which type I'm not sure. We ordered the Xiao Long Bao, and it was good though not great. The flavor was good and balanced, but the meat could have been more delicate, and the dumpling could have used more soup.
I also really liked their Mu Shu Vegetable dish. This Chinese burrito was chock full of mushrooms. We also tried Salt Pepper Pork Chops, and it wasn't quite how I liked it -- too much soy sauce, and a little tough.
It's too bad that my parents didn't bring me here more often when I was growing up in OC because Peking Restaurant has some delicious and unique dishes that I could have been enjoying for years.
Tags:
xiao
long
bao
scallion
pancake
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