Why thank you Food Network

Cafe 222 (3.4 stars)

Featured on Food Networks 'Best Thing I Ever Ate,' Cafe 222 located in downtown SD is a quaint little restaurant.

Food: Known mostly for its breakfast food, Food Network featured it's Peanut Butter Stuffed French Toast. I actually ended up going with a study group, so we went right after our morning class. I ordered the Eggs Benedict: really delicious, but the Hollandaise sauce was rather salty. The eggs were slightly overcooked, but seasoned well. Best part? The potatoes. Country style with a nice crusty outside and a soft well-cooked inside. My fellow classmates ordered: Pancakes (REALLY big portion, spongy, with a syrup that was pleasant and not overly sweet), the Mexican (scrambled eggs with peppers and other Mexican flavors, covered in a 'mexican gravy' which is really an enchilada sauce with bacon in it), and pumpkin waffles (not a fan of pumpkin myself, but Terra said she really liked it).

Service: Really small restaurant so there's not a lot of tables to serve, so naturally, the service was really good. Not the friendliest waiter, but hey, as long as he gets my food to me hot, I don't really care.

Overall: Let's just say there's a reason this place was featured on a national food show. It's good. Not the highest of fine dining, of course, but it didn't have to be. There's nothing like a reasonably priced breakfast restaurant with huge portions to ease the foodie soul.

Mini-Spotlight #1

Hey there foodies. Sorry for the lack of updates, but these Califoodies are on a college budget.

Which brings me to my first mini-spotlight entry, The Living Room Cafe.

For those of you native to San Diego, you may have seen this lovely cafe near your homes or schools. There are five locations in SD: Old Town, La Jolla, National City, SDSU, and Point Loma.

-The Living Room Cafe 3.7 Stars
Food: The food at the Living Cafe's are bistro style. So you'll often find salads and sandwiches, but one of the best things on the menu is their Chicken Pie. A pretty simple slice of Chicken Pot pie it seems. But when that crust reaches your palate, it just melts in your mouth like butter. The filling is smooth and rich and leaves you wanting more.
After everything has been devoured you can indulge some more in one of their many desserts. From a wide selection of cakes and tarts, to simple cookies, brownies and biscotti, the Living Room offers sweet, delicious pastries.
And on top of all this amazing food, their smoothies and teas are delicious and they have coffee that rivals any brand-name chain.

Service: I've only been to the La Jolla and SDSU locations, but I can say that they're amazing. Excellent food, laid back atmosphere, and just a really comfortable place to hang out with friends to get some lunch. The workers there are really friendly.

Overall: A great place to eat and hangout. The only downside (And I really only find this true of the La Jolla and SDSU locations) is that there are many many students in the area. So when midterms and finals come rolling around, these places can get packed with stressed out students. So watch out. Here's a link to their website:

http://www.livingroomcafe.com/index.php

Find one. Eat. Be merry.

Memphis Adventures

Hi ya'll...sorry...need to get my west coast accent back. Bree and I came back from our Tennessee trip and it was great. Awesome food, friendly people, and lots of places to drink. Here's what went down:

Day #1
-A&R's Barbeque 4 Stars
Very simple tables and chairs with a deli-style counter for to-go orders. Pretty run down, but with three flat screen tvs on the walls showing ESPN. This is a place you come to hang out and enjoy some grub, not impress a date.

Entrees:
Bree- Brisket platter, sides: Fried okra and BBQ Baked Beans
Andres- Pulled Pork platter, sides: Seasoned Fries and BBQ Baked Beans

Food: First off, the portions were very generous. Bree's brisket was tender and practically melted in your mouth. The fried okra was nice and crispy. The baked beans were some of the best I've ever had. And the seasoned fries were nothing special. The pulled pork was delicious, if not slightly dry. Although this is a completely personal matter, I found the BBQ sauce to be slightly too sweet, I like to have a little kick to my BBQ sauce, but again, a personal choice.
Service: Like I said, a pretty run-down place, and it took a few minutes for anyone to realize we were there (all the workers were pretty much in the back), but when we were seated and helped, the waitress was very friendly. Not too quick to check back up on us, but that was just fine as we were enjoying our food.
Overall: Great place recommended to us by the hotel guide in our rooms. Very reasonably priced, huge portions, and fried okra that even the most resistant child would eat.

-B.B. Kings Restaurant and Blues Club 4.2 Stars
So we came to B.B. Kings after some A&R's for some drinks. It was the brightest spot on Beale St. (Bree: "the poor man's Bourbon Street"). Went in, guy charged us a $5 cover for the 3 of us...excellent (normally it's $3 a head). Went upstairs and found ourselves a table. Ordered some rum and cokes, which were nice and strong. But what was really awesome about this place is its house band. Amazing instrumentalists and vocalists. Everyone really got into the music and it was a great spot just to hang out.
Food: Didn't have food. Sorry. A&R's was filling I tell you! But for what it's worth, the table next to us had fried pickles, and they looked amazing.
Service: Not bad. Waitress came by every once in awhile, but not quite as attentive as the night got busier.

Day#2
-Denny's (no...we're not gonna do it)
-The Flying Saucer 3.5 Stars

Apps:
Bree: Rocket-Tots- Cheese and pepper potato tots with habanero sour cream dip
Andres: Chicken Snack- Basically fried chicken tenders with fries.

Food: We came here just looking for a snack, but found a beer-drinkers paradise. The Rocket-Tots were delicious and the habanero sour cream dip was a nice touch. The chicken tenders weren't anything extraordinary, but they were hot and moist.

Service: Waitresses were really friendly and sociable. We decided to bust out Bree's Indiana Jones cards for some card games. The waitress asked if they were like Magic cards....No....they are just poker cards. But I can see where she was confused. The Indiana Jones symbols are pretty weird.

Overall: Great place to hang, but lots of smoke. Ridiculously huge selection of beers, over 300 to choose from. They even have golden plates on the walls dedicated to the brave souls who joined their U.F.O. Club and have drank more than 300 different kinds. Impressive.

-Superior Bar on Beale Street 2.9 Stars
Another restaurant/bar on Beale St. Actually heard the karaoke singing from the night before on went on the recommendation of a local. Ironically...not superior at all.

Entrees:
Bree- Fried Catfish Platter, sides: Hushpuppies, Slaw, and BBQ Baked Beans
Andres- BBQ Sampler Platter- Ribs, Pulled Pork, Smoked Sausage, BBQ Baked Beans

Food: Bree described her catfish as pretty dry and everything else was slightly sub-par. My BBQ ribs, which are served dry in Memphis, fell right off the bone, the sausage was nice and crisp on the outside and juicy on the inside. Unfortunately, the pulled pork was quite dry, and the BBQ Baked beans on both out platters were runny and flavorless.
Service: Very friendly and attentive....at first. For some reason she seemed stressed out and a bit frayed. If it wasn't for her slightly off-putting worry, the whole experience would have been more enjoyable.
Overall: With all the other great choices on Beale Street, we find ourselves giving you readers the advice of not going to the less than superior Superior Bar on Beale Street.

-Alfred's On Beale 4.3 Stars
Voted #1 Dance Club in Memphis 2007?? Well then...excellent. Seemed really really dead on the inside, but we asked if there was going to be a live band. Yes? Well then, in we go.

Apps:
Sausage and Cheese Plate: Pepperjack, cheddar, and crisp sausage served with BBQ seasoning and honey mustard.

Food: With our filled up stomachs of less-than adequate food from Superiors, we weren't that hungry until about 6 rum and cokes into the night. But we ended up getting the Sausage and Cheese platter. The texture of the cheese was slightly off-putting because the warm sausage had melted it just slightly. The sausage, however, was delicious. Seasoned well, crispy, and went well with the honey mustard.
Service: Okay. Please note that I am not exaggerating when I am seriously considering this lovely young lady from Memphis waitress of the decade. Very charismatic, always checked in, hardly let our glasses go empty. But most impressive was that she, alone, was covering more than half the room. She looked like Supergirl I tell you, zooming from table to table. It was extremely impressive and she made the whole Alfred's experience that much better.
Overall: The live band was great, but what made the night enjoyable was the amazing service and view of Memphis-folk dancing to the Top 20 hits of today.

Day #3
- Miss Polly's Soul Food Cafe 4.1 Stars
For breakfast we walked on over to Miss Polly's and can I just say?...it was a good decision.

Entrees:
Bree- Southern Scramble, scrambled eggs, topped with bacons bits, country gravy, sides: grits, toast
Andres- Country Fried Chicken, sides: grits, eggs, biscuit

Food: Bree enjoyed her basic breakfast of eggs and toast. She also enjoyed the grits, which I found to be a little plain and missing some serious pats of butter. I, however, extremely enjoyed the perfectly fried, juicy piece of chicken i was served. A nice crunch followed by the richness of the gravy and the perfectly seasoned piece of chicken. And the biscuit was flaky, and buttery, and everything a biscuit should be.
Service: Didn't really pay much attention after we ordered. That may be because soft drinks aren't refillable. Yeah yeah, we had soda for breakfast, give us a break, we needed the caffeine.
Overall: A great place to come for breakfast, and from what I hear, all other meals are just as tasty.

-Huey's 4.2 Stars
The last stop on our Memphis adventure. We ran into it on our way to another restaurant we were gonna go to, but decided this place would be better.

Apps:
Fried Pickles, Cheese Fries, Onion Rings
Entrees:
Bree: Bluff City Burger- Kaiser Roll, smoked cheddar cheese, bacon, BBQ sauce and onion straws
Andres: Shrimp Po-Boy- Hoagie bun, roumalade sauce

Food: Everything was just amazing. And the portions were huge. The fried pickles and onion rings were great. And the cheese fried were okay. Onion rings aren't normally the size of your face, right? Well these were. The Bluff city burger was juicy and the BBQ sauce added a nice sweet flavor against the salty bacon. The Po-Boy was a bit boring looking, and bland tasting, but the roumalade gave it a nice kick.
Service: This lady was our best friend. She gave us our drinks, then promptly returned with carafes of soda! Carafes! Best. Friend. She made sure we were okay, and was really friendly the entire time we were there. Even though we kept deciding to put more things into our order.
Overall: A great place to hangout. TV's make is sport-fan friendly and if you like big portions, Huey's is definitely your place.


Well...that ends this incredibly huge post that is our Memphis Adventure. I hope that if any of you plan to visit Memphis, be sure to bring big appetites because this city's got a lot to offer.

whisknladle according to a food novice

I Spent: $60.91 + tip for three course meal and wine by the glass
Attire: Casual
Seating: Outdoor + Indoor, but we took patio
Happy Hour: 5pm-7pm

Appetizer: Shared Entree-Sized Cutting Board
artisan cured meats, artisan cheese, mustard & pickles
Entree: Alaskan Halibut Tartare
creme fraiche, meyer lemon relish & Crows Pass garden lettuce
Wine: Albarino
Burgans, Rias Baixas, Spain
Dessert: Coffee Marscapone
tres leches cake, cara cara oranges & caramelized cocoa nibs

Food: I was satisfied after the appetizer, full after the entree and stuffed after the dessert. The wine was aliquoted in the kitchen and poured from a smaller bottle at the table and there was no charge for corking - albeit, I did only order a glass and not a bottle. There was of course the pre-meal bread baguette and butter and the tap water is cucumber, which is always refreshing. The appetizer was wonderful. We shared it between the three of us and I would have been good on the cheese/meats and my wine alone - in fact, I may do just that for a business meeting sometime! There was an oiled pork portion that was very good and the ground olives made me wish they sold it by the mini-jar for me to take home. The tartare was light and refreshing and the salad served with it was also surprisingly good for such simple greens. The presentation was a little sloppy as they didn't wipe the plate completely and there was definitely some stray sauce. I have to admit that I didn't finish it because I was so full with the entree sized portion. The server recommended wine that went very well but he did have to take some time to think of which wine would work well. The dessert was also light and refreshing, which is the way I like to go. The nibs were my favorite part as they worked well with the citrus. The cake at the bottom was a bit dry on top and viscous from soaking up the leche on the bottom. I tried the entrees and desserts for both Andres and John and I have to admit, I didn't see what was so special about the apple bacon dessert that Andres ordered - but somehow it brought them both to utter foodgasm!
Service: They're well-staffed and the servers are very good about keeping your glasses filled and checking in on your regularly throughout your meal. Andres did notice that after as the meal was winding down, the servers did begin to neglect the table but I would attribute this more to the restaurant being more filled than the empty that we started with. There was also a point where the server was unfamiliar with John's dessert options and had to ask the kitchen. To our server's credit, the wine he recommended went very well with my tartare.
Overall: It's a nice and relaxed place to take someone out on a date for. Nicely decorated and the casual setting made it very comfortable. Reservations aren't really required on a Tuesday night and you can get $20 pitchers or red or white sangria which next time, I'll definitely have to take advantage of. The menu is a bit difficult to digest before ordering if you're unfamiliar with a lot of terms, so you may need to bulk up on vocabulary before heading on over if you're not used to going out to eat. After Andres's criticisms about my lack of knowledge, I know that I'll be doing a bit of studying before April's CaliFoodies meetup! =D

Reviews to Come

So a person short with Bree taking care of her puppy, Andres, John and I headed over to whisknladle for a culinary adventure earlier tonight. Reviews to come from toniht as well as for Andres's and Bree's Tennesee adventure. For now, here are some pics from last night.

Serendipity

Okay, so there's good news and bad news. Bad news: We have to cancel Cucina Urbana this Friday. I know I know, we fail. It's literally THE first restaurant we want to go to and now we can't. Which leads me to the good news. Your CaliFoodies will be taking a trip to Memphis, Tennessee. You see, Bree and I are alums of San Diego State University and (amazingly) the women's basketball team has made it to the Sweet Sixteen of the Tournament. Soooo, we're off to Tennessee.

Now...here's what's weird. My sister was watching the Food Network show "Best Thing I Ever Ate: Guilty Pleasures" and she was telling me about a dish she saw that looked insane. This dish is the Surf and Turf at Restaurant Iris. It's a grilled NY Strip Steak stuffed with fried oysters, cheese, over some sauteed Yukon potatoes, Bacon and Thyme, and topped with a Bordelaise sauce, Hollandaise sauce, and fried sage. A bit much, no? But I guess that's why it's been labeled a "guilty pleasure." And where is Restaurant Iris you ask? Well none other than Memphis, Tennessee. It's serendipitous I tell you. So Restaurant Iris will actually be our first restaurant. Sorry John and Nikki!! We'll bring you back some souvenirs.

The Idea

So here's the idea: Once a month, the four of us go to a new restaurant in San Diego. Rate it on a system yet to be determined, and post our conclusions (and lots of pictures). I know there's a lot of people that wish they could explore the city they live in more often, so we're gonna do that. There are so many hole-in-the-wall restaurants and cafes in one city alone we figure we'll start with the one we're living in.

So in a couple of weeks we'll be starting with Cucina Urbana by Balboa Park. Italian, obviously.

To be honest, I'm pretty excited about this little project, I've always been meaning to go to more restaurants in San Diego. I mean, aren't we all tired of the fast food chain? I am.