Spread has been selected as a best restaurant
by a major publication or website.
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| Gourmet vegetarian - great idea, OK execution |
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Reviewed By howie |
May 23, 2007 |
| Tags:
vegetarian
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Spread has a modern bistro feel that befits its theme of upscale comfort food for vegetarians. San Diego could really use this type of restaurant so that vegetarians have a nice place to go where they aren't relegated to ordering the one obligatory vegetarian option on a menu.
My friend and I ordered the Wild Mushroom Ragu and the Thai Veggie Pizza. The mushroom dish comes with bruschetta and a ramekin filled with purple potatoes in a mushroom sauce and decorated with edible flower petals and a big sprig of sage. It was tasty, but it really tasted more of potatoes than of mushrooms.
The Thai Veggie Pizza has a thin, crisp crust topped with diced vegetables, cheese, and peanut sauce. The crust had a nice texture, and the pizza overall tasted pleasant, but a bit nondescript. The sauce was mild and it was hard to tell that it was meant to be a Thai-influenced dish.
My feeling about Spread is that they are a little bit precious. The server kept emphasizing how it's all family-style service, and they bring out each dish one at a time to be shared. Then they ended up just giving us both our dishes at once.
Also, instead of just regular ice water, they have a water pitcher filled with edible flowers and herbs, which lended the water a slightly medicinal taste. I couldn't shake the feeling that I was drinking water from a flower vase. I'm not categorically opposed to flavored water, but it seems like this was done for the sake of being trendy rather than providing something thirst-quenching and refreshing.
It's nice to have a restaurant like Spread in San Diego, but I do wish they would drop the pretensions and just concentrate on making good food.
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Listed below are links to reviews of Spread from around the web.
[ more from entertainment.signonsandiego]
"Country waffles come with a choice of spreads like Mexican chocolate and white chocolate pretzel butter baked into the mix. Other menu items include peanut butter and marshmallow sandwiches, peanut butter and cantaloupe — even sushi with a peanu..."
[ more from gregsguide]
[ more from happycow]
| "Review: My wife and I had an outstanding meal at Spread last night. Dinner for two with drinks, dessert, tax and tip was about $100...." |
2 reviews
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[ more from hedonia.seantimberlake]
"My mother (who lives in San Diego) recently ate at a restaurant there called Spread, in North Park. Although Spread sports a chic, modernist interior and features a menu of "nouveau comfort food," their claim to fame, for which they were recentl..."
[ more from search.cityguide.aol]
| "From humble beginnings as a purveyor of organic peanut and almond butter, Spread eventually grew to specialize in a full menu of organic vegetarian meals. Entrees are based on fresh and exotic produce personally chosen by owners Andrew and Robin Schiff...." |
1 reviews
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[ more from signonsandiego]
"I was impressed by his hat-changing techniques, but I was more impressed by the food. That salad was quite possibly one of the best I've ever eaten...."
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