procrastination

Published February 7, 2010 about , chickens , dogs , food , recipes 2 Comments

I am supposed to finish laundry, pick up the yard, and mow the lawn at the moment, so of course I’m playing on the computer.  Travis just finished weed duty, then he’s going to clean his kegs and start the transfer process.

We’ve consistently (for 3 days, ha!) gotten one egg from the chickens (I think it’s Buffy) each day.  Each day they get a teensy bit larger and the color is a little darker.  One thing I noticed is that the yolk is the same size, there just seems to be more of the egg white.  We cooked them up for breakfast this morning and they were definitely a darker color than our store-bought eggs, which is exciting to me.  I’m wondering how long it will take before we actually have an egg backlog.  Right now, we go through them faster than the chicken lays!

Poor sweet Cassie is full of matted fur.  I think part of the problem started when we shaved her a couple of years ago (I read you’re not supposed to shave double-coated dogs) and the other problem is that we just don’t brush them often enough.  Lexi is easy because her fur doesn’t really mat up.  Sadie doesn’t either, she just needs constant brushing to get rid of the extra fur.  But, she’s also kind of easy because you can swipe at her a few times here and there and eventually she gets groomed.  But Cassie takes more effort and time (for being the same breed, she and Lexi have wildly different fur) and she’s just kind of been fur-neglected.  So, we’re going to see if we can find a good groomer to do something and then try to take better care of her from here on out.

I made Jamie Oliver’s Chicken Braised in Milk the other night, except I followed this recipe instead, which added lemon juice (not just the zest) to the pot.  I liked it, because you can taste the lemon juice ever so slightly in the finished sauce.  I kept the cover on for the first hour, then took the cover off, which gave us some nice crispy skin on the breast.  The chicken was moist and tender and the sauce was good over rice, on the chicken, and absorbed into some homemade bread.  We also used an organic chicken (from Costco… small steps), which made me feel better, but I don’t know that it tasted all that different from a regular chicken.

Now I’ve got a pot roast in the oven – just a chuck roast with French Onion Soup and some beef broth – waiting to become dinner.  That and the leftover chicken should get us through the week before we jet off to Denver.

All right.  Enough procrastination.  I’m going to go get my chores done so we can go get lunch.

Oh yeah, Happy Super Bowl Day!  This may be the first year we don’t have plans to attend a party, which may be kind of nice.

things I have noticed

Published February 2, 2010 about , dogs , food 3 Comments
  • People seem to think headlights are only needed when you can’t see what’s in front of you. I believe if you can’t see the cars behind you (due to light rain, fog, or low level lighting at, say, dusk), then you should turn your lights on so others can see you.
  • Donuts are not a proper breakfast. Bringing in boxes of donuts for work breakfast is just mean. At least give us something with some sort of redeeming value.  Like a bagel. Or fruit.
  • Weight changes seem to have a 1-day lag from behavior. While this makes logical sense, it’s kind of frustrating.
  • Dogs don’t care that you have to go to work in the morning. If they’re up at 2am and something is bothering them, they will let you know.
  • Dogs seem to think not being able to lick your hand at 2am is a notable problem.
  • Planning meals in advance, and with enough foresight to leave leftovers for lunch, only works for a week.  Then schedules get in the way, I get bored, and I just want to go out for sushi.
  • Sushi does not make good leftovers.
  • Rearranging the freezer does not mean you will end up with more room. It just means you have a better understanding of what’s taking up all that room in the first place. It also means you end up eating a lot of ice cream “because it’s about to go bad”.
  • I’m not sure what “six more weeks of winter” means when you live in San Diego.  If groundhogs lived in San Diego, would they even care about their shadow?

uh… yeah

Published January 31, 2010 about Leave a Comment

As usual, life gets in the way of “blogging”. Not that anything in particular is happening, just a general life-is-busy period. Long days at work, throwing together dinners, trying to plan enough so there are leftovers for lunch, and then the ever-elusive time for exercising. I’ve actually done a pretty good job of that last one, which is encouraging and enough to keep me motivated, but it’s been a lot of work. Maybe other people can say they stay in shape with minimal effort, but I’ve been working my butt off.

We’ve got one more weekend at home, but then we’re off to Denver and then getting ready for the regional conference our local engineering group is hosting this year. At some point this month, I’d like to get the garden in shape and maybe start some seedlings inside.

We haven’t really been going out all that much, or at least not for fancy meals. Mr Hummus in Poway has closed but I don’t think we’ll really miss it. Pho Joy is scheduled to take it’s place… I hope it’s good. We recently tried to make mozzarella, but it never got springy and we just ended up with a pile of ricotta. Which is good, but not what we were aiming for.

In a nutshell, it may get kind of quiet around here for a while. February is going to be a crazy month for us.

I used to have quippy titles

Published January 19, 2010 food , restaurants Leave a Comment
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Now it takes too much brain energy and I just tell you what I’m going to tell you. I must be doing too much technical writing lately (you know, where you Tell them what you’re going to tell them, Tell them, and Tell them what you told them).

Back when we thought everyone was going to be in town (Travis included) for some birthday dinnering, Travis made reservations at Alchemy for me. The girls had been there before (girls + baby, I guess) and I had their vegetarian tasting menu (which was very filling and delicious) and we thought this would be a good time for Travis to finally get down there. I’m sure the fact that it’s next to Hamilton’s had nothing to do with the suggestion. So, plans were made, then people were being sent out of town, plans were tweaked a little and in the end I had a second birthday dinner with ¾ of our friends, minus one Travis.

I feel compelled to tell you about our dinner because 1) it was really good and 2) Alchemy is getting negative press by the regulars on that site. The All Important Collective Voice of That Site says that service at Alchemy is terrible and they are always rushing their diners and bringing new food out before you’ve finished the food in front of you. So, potential new customers who were looking for advice have now decided that Alchemy is no place for them and they will not go try it. Which is a shame. Now, you could say that as a happy customer it’s practically my duty to put my two cents in and say that I’ve always had great service (although, I’ve only been there twice) and never felt rushed. I could do that, except I’m not fond of public flogging or creating undue stress for myself, so I’m not posting anything. If I did enjoy public flogging, I would also post that I very much enjoy meals at Thee Bungalow, a restaurant owned by that wretched Cohn Group that is somehow ruining the food scene in San Diego? I just don’t get the attitude on That Site.

So. My birthday dinner? Delicious. I had printed out an e-mail from being on the mailing list that got us the tapas of the day, which was essentially fried cheese. Kind of like taking halloumi cheese, deep frying it, and serving it with a tiny pile of dressed greens (which did a good job of cutting the richness of the cheese). We also had a bowl of the parmesan frites, which were hot, crisp, and cheesy. Like the best garlic fries but without the garlic (or garlic breath). The boys had the burger (which must have been good because it was polished in no time), Abbey had the flat iron steak, and I went for the braised pork shank (my other choice was going to be the seasonal pan braised wahoo). Think of a good osso bucco, then replace the veal with pork and make it smaller. My pork was tender, not dry at all, and it tasted like a really good pig. There was a tiny bit of marrow in the bone, which I shamelessly dug out with my knife, and it was served with braised kale and a mini cast iron dish of sweet potato puree. Yum. I don’t really like braised kale (I prefer it in soups or oven-baked into crisps) but that’s only because it tastes rough and healthy. I mean, it tastes good, it just tastes healthy. I ate everything on my plate, though. I could probably have eaten another dish of those sweet potatoes.

You can’t have a birthday dinner without dessert, and mine was the chocolate trio: a chocolate-chipotle crème brulee (subtly spicy and creamy), a chocolate-peanut butter truffle (a bit too rich, actually), and a chocolate crunch thing topped with salted caramel (crisp and crunchy, buttery, and delicious). The chocolate crunch part was my favorite.

We ordered the tapas, then the parmesan frites, and then ordered our entrees when the drinks arrived. I don’t remember feeling like I had to wolf down what was on my plate because the next plate of food was arriving. Our water was filled regularly and our server came by often to check on us. Granted, it wasn’t very busy that night, but I didn’t feel ignored or rushed.

I also want to point out that both times I’ve been to Alchemy, it was with a baby. Now, he’s almost one so he can sit in a real high chair (although, the high chair seemed too low for the table), but the first time I don’t think he was able to sit up, so he stayed in his carrier. My point is, the people at Alchemy have always been super baby-friendly. They helped figure out the best way to stick the carrier in an upside-down high chair, they don’t mind the mess or the fussing (I don’t think he really fusses loudly, anyway), and the other night they picked up whatever toy was thrown on the floor with a smile. I’ve never had anything but friendly and good service at Alchemy. And I like the food.

Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise that Travis got sent to Tucson. Now we’ll have to go back so he can try the food!

Birthdays, weekends, and eating

Published January 18, 2010 about , food , movies , restaurants , shopping 7 Comments
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Ahh… birthdays are funny things. I don’t mind getting older (I mean, really, I’m not that old) but it’s weird that in one day your age changes. I do like the celebrating that comes with birthdays, though. And I liked having breakfast cooked for me on Sunday.

I had a lovely birthday weekend. It probably won’t sound like a birthday weekend, but we were out of the house, running errands (fun errands), and being productive, which are all things I like. We dropped Travis’ motorcycled off early to get fixed, grabbed a juice smoothie for a light breakfast, and then ran into the restaurant supply store on Clairemont Mesa. Found a chinois and looked at all sorts of cool dishes, glasses, strainers, scoops, and other gadgets. Then we ran up to Dick’s Sporting Goods to spend the $150 card we got when we bought the treadmill. It’s harder than it sounds to buy $150 worth of stuff when you’re not really looking for anything. While we were there, we noticed the treadmill was on sale for $100 less than last month’s “sale” price, and we got the difference refunded! So, that was a pretty cool shopping trip.

Filipino food for lunch (I really wanted the lechon, but Travis wasn’t into a pile of that) and then we started our multi-stop furniture store browsing. We’re thinking of putting a bar unit in our front living room, but it needs to fit the existing furniture (leather couch, dark wood bookcases and cabinets) while also fitting into a hunting lodge type of décor (due to the various deer heads and stuffed raccoons hanging on the walls). And we don’t want to spend $1,000. We found a bar we like, at a decent price (for a new bar) and now we’re just trying to see if we can find it in a different wood finish. I feel like we’re getting close.

We finally hit the end of the furniture stops and went to pick up Travis’ motorcycle. Some puttering around at home, some time spent on the elliptical and treadmill, a quick dinner (prepared short ribs, broccoli, and a sweet potato) and then off to see Avatar. I’m sure all the movie popcorn completely negated the treadmill running, but you can’t see a movie without popcorn. Avatar was a very enjoyable movie… there’s one scene halfway through where you go, “Huh. Now I know how the rest of the movie is going to play out exactly” but it doesn’t make it any less fun to watch. I only had a slight headache after watching it in 3D for so long… kind of how I feel if I try to read in a car. But, the 3D filming gives a whole new depth (literally) to the movie.

Sunday was breakfast (waffles and bacon) and DVR catching-up (oh, Jersey Shore, why must you end?) and more house puttering. The grass was cut, sprinklers turned off (in preparation for the Storm of the Century), and then more treadmill running (I think I watched the end of Dollhouse, but I’m not really sure). And then it was off to our SDRW dinner at Nobu.

I told Travis that you know you’re too old for the Gaslamp District when you realize you no longer have suitable clubbing outfits. All part of growing up, I guess.

Sometimes SDRW is a chance for a good deal at an expensive restaurant. Sometimes it’s just an excuse to finally go try an expensive restaurant. Our dinner at Nobu was more of the latter… although, I think the $40 menu was a good deal compared to their regular menu prices. But compared to real-world what-do-I-want-to-spend-my-money-on prices, I think you’re paying for the Hard Rock Hotel experience and dining at Nobu.

The food at Nobu was very good. We were served a “bite” from the chef – a slice of yellowtail sashimi rolled up with a jalapeno and speared on a bamboo skewer, served in a ponzu-like sauce. Tasty bite. The first course was seared salmon sashimi salad (three pieces of salmon, greens, and a cilantro-based dressing) or rock shrimp tempura (also served on greens). I think the third choice was oysters. I love oysters, but I love good salmon more. The salmon was good, even though it was slightly seared and the dressing was (as Cami noted) too salty. I would have preferred 4 good-sized slices instead of the 3 smaller pieces, but it was good-quality salmon. Nothing I haven’t found at Poway Sushi Lounge, though. Travis had the rock shrimp, which were tender, crispy, and well-dressed. They reminded me of the shrimp appetizer at Suite & Tender – also a good dish.

Entrees were next: sliced ribeye or jalapeno-glazed black cod; no one chose the sushi plate. Why choose a $20 sushi plate (6 pieces, plus a salmon-avocado roll) when there are more interesting dishes on the menu? The ribeye was sliced so you could eat it with chopsticks. Served with two sauces and a mound of avocado/guacamole, it was good. Tender, beefy, and the sauces were bright (and not Asian). The ribeye goes for $36 on the regular menu. I don’t know if portions are normally larger (we were told that Nobu does tapas-style plates and each plate serves 2-3 people when shared), but it did not look like $36 worth of ribeye, even with the big bowl of rice it came with. Now, the cod was amazing. Flaky and moist, with this delicious sweet glaze that got crispy on the edges of the fish. Also not really looking like $26 worth of fish. But really, really good. There is a regular miso-glazed halibut on the menu for $22, so maybe the markup is due to black cod being more expensive than halibut.

Desserts were a green tea ice cream parfait, passionfruit and banana mousse, or pistachio and strawberry-chocolate mocha ice cream. All good, but I wouldn’t call any of them outstanding. For me, a good dessert is something I would specifically return for. The chocolate decadence at Avenue 5 would be one, the red velvet cupcake at Luc’s Bistro would be another. Or any cake at Extraordinary Desserts (as overpriced as they are).

Expensive dinner, but none of use left hungry and we were celebrating SDRW AND my birthday. So it was fun. Birthday celebrations continue tonight at Alchemy with a slightly-modified group.

One of the reasons I had wanted to go to Nobu was because of the miso-glazed fish. We had a really good one recently that triggered this craving, but neither of us can remember where it was. Travis thinks it was in New York, I feel like it was somewhere here. Anyone know of a place that serves a good miso-glazed seafood that doesn’t cost and arm and a leg?

Newcastle Draught Keg

Published January 16, 2010 food , product review Leave a Comment

can, DraughtKeg, bottle

There must be some unwritten rule somewhere that you shouldn’t turn down free beer. I know when I was in college, you never turned away a free drink (although, I suspect if you are in a sketchy place and said free drink is offered by some random person, you may be safer saying no), but that may have been because it was just cheaper that way.

By no means do I consider myself a beer expert or even connoisseur. But, I know what I like and I know what bad beer tastes like (and, although I am not a fan of the sour beers, I do recognize why some people do enjoy them and I don’t just write them off as being awful). So, when I was offered a DraughtKeg of Newcastle to evaluate and try out (because it is now widely available in the San Diego area – check BevMo and Alberstons as a start), my only concern was whether or not I’d have to buy a BeerTender in order to use it (the answer is no, but I’ll get to that in a minute). Plus, I thought it would be fun to get Travis’ input on this mini keg idea, seeing as how he’s the true beer nerd.

The Newcastle DraughtKeg follows the same concept as the Heineken mini keg (Newcastle is a subsidiary under Heineken International), both designed for use in the Krups BeerTender which will keep your keg cold for the duration of your party (or whatever reason you have a mini keg in your house). Because we often have multiple large kegs full of homebrewed beer, I couldn’t see any reason we’d want a BeerTender or when we would need a mini keg of commercial beer, even though we also have many, many, many bottles of various commercial beers in one of three (three!!) refrigerated units dedicated to holding beer. It’s for this reason that I don’t allow any beer in the “food” fridge in my kitchen. If the beer can’t fit into one of the many appliances purchased just for holding it, then we have too much beer already and don’t need more.

Anywho… the Newcastle DraughtKeg looks like a mini keg and holds approximately 10 pints of beer. Newcastle is an English brown ale, smooth and slightly malty. I actually like Newcastle and have been known to order it by the pint on a few occasions. The DraughtKeg comes fully equipped with a plastic tap and lever handle. The instructions are sparse, but you can figure out from the pictures that you take the spigot handle part and place it straight into the center port. Then you attached the lever and, by pulling the lever upwards, you are ready to dispense beer. The DraughtKeg also has an internal pressurization device (to push it out of the keg) and claims to keep the beer fresh and sparkly for up to 30 days.

For completely different reasons, we’ve had a side by side taste test of Newcastle before: can vs. bottle. Beer nerds will tell you that Newcastle often has a slightly skunked taste (not that it tastes like a skunk, just that it has off flavors) because it’s bottled in clear glass bottles, allowing the beer to be affected by light if not stored properly. This and temperature variation can change the taste of beer. So, the theory is that Newcastle in a can will not taste skunky because it hasn’t been exposed to light. And stuff (see above: not a beer nerd). If you regularly drink Newcastle from bottles, you’ll probably never notice off flavors because it just kind of becomes the way you expect Newcastle to taste. However, if you taste it next to that poured from a can, you may notice that the canned Newcastle has a cleaner, maltier flavor. So, we thought it would be interesting to do the same taste test with the addition of the DraughtKeg.

ooh... fancy!

Travis put the test together, using clear plastic glasses, a serving tray, and the beer towel I got with the DraughtKeg. We had a couple of friends over (because two people can’t reasonably finish 10 pints of beer in one night) and we made informal notes and observations. In the end, the bottled Newcastle ended up being the majority favorite for “best beer” – I ended up choosing the can – but in reality, they all pretty much tasted the same. So, if you choose to purchase a mini keg, rest assured that the quality of beer is consistent and acceptable.

For various and sundry reasons, one of which being Travis was out of town for two weeks, we still had beer in the DraughtKeg three weeks later. I can definitely vouch that the beer was still well-carbonated and tasted just as it did when we first “tapped” it.

I do have some reservations and picky notes about the DraughtKeg, which may apply to all mini kegs and not the Newcastle one in particular. I’ve never had a mini keg of any kind, so I’m not familiar with them at all.

First, when I “tapped” the keg with the spigot part, beer totally shot out onto the counter and my foot. It would have been handy to know this in advance so I could have been prepared with a towel under the spout or perhaps even a glass. Second, while we didn’t have any leaking issues the first could of days, after a couple of weeks we noticed a little puddle in the beer fridge where beer had been leaking out of the spigot. There must also have been a leak where the spigot enters the keg because the inside rim was filling with beer. Perhaps due to the pressure from inside the keg? Or maybe we were supposed to disconnect the spigot for “long-term” storage. I’m not sure. It would seem like you’d want to keep the DraughtKeg “tapped” so you could easily just go in and pull yourself a pint.

I’m also not completely clear on the benefits of a mini keg, aside from easily providing a quantity of beer from one receptacle or perhaps cutting down on trash. The DraughtKeg retails for about $22 and holds 10 pints (16 oz.) A 6-pack of Newcastle (12 oz. bottles) is about $9, maybe less if you find it on sale. By my calculations, you’re paying a little bit more for the DraughtKeg. But, again, you’d only have to carry in one thing, as opposed to a couple of 6-packs. And, I guess if you were trying to serve a lot of people some Newcastle at once, it would be more convenient to just point them at the DraughtKeg instead of opening up a bunch of bottles (or cans).

If you are familiar with kegs of any sort, you know that there is somewhat of an art to pouring beer without an inordinate amount of foam on top. With tap handles, you want to pull it all the way open. With the DraughtKeg, you want to play with the amount you open the “lever” to control the velocity of the beer coming out. We found that the first pint had the most head; subsequent glasses were more manageable.

We are a bit spoiled in that we almost always have some homebrew available to us. And, most parties we go to also supply some pretty good homebrew (or bottles of tasty local microbrews). So, I’m not sure we’ll often have opportunities to buy a mini keg. But, I can see how it would be handy for a beach party (if you were allowed to drink at the beach in San Diego) or a picnic, where you didn’t want to deal with glass bottles. And, if faced with the choice of Newcastle or Heineken, I would definitely recommend you drink a Newcastle. It’s just better. I’m glad we had the opportunity to check out the Newcastle DraughtKeg, though. It’s an easy unit to put together and use and I didn’t even know what I was doing! It delivers consistent beer that doesn’t go flat and it’s easily transportable. Thanks for letting us try it!

Avenue 5 Restaurant & Bar, SDRW Preview Dinner

Published January 14, 2010 food , nifty , restaurants 7 Comments
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As much as San Diego Restaurant Week (SDRW) has changed (for better or for worse), I still look forward to it and always look through the menus to see if anything piques my interest. Sometimes we go more than once, sometimes we don’t go at all. I think we’ve managed to visit a new (to us) restaurant each time. We had already decided to visit Nobu this year and it helped work out some birthday celebration issues since people are in and out of town, plus there is a baby’s birthday to celebrate soon after mine this year. But, when McFarlane Promotions e-mailed to ask if I’d like to preview the SDRW menu at a restaurant, I jumped at the chance.

Splitting off for a tangent, I mentioned to Travis that I kind of feel weird accepting free meals in return for a review. Like I’m a sell-out or someone just looking for free stuff. He pointed out that just because it’s free doesn’t mean I have to give a positive review. Likewise, even if I don’t like it, I can always point out something positive in addition to the negative points. And, he said that I comment an awful lot on meals that we’ve certainly paid for, so being invited to a restaurant is just a nice perk. I do try to balance my reviews on free meals with what I would think had we paid for it, or what we would be paying if we were to return for another meal. I also tend not to post about places we’ve been where I was just downright disappointed in the food or service, mostly because people get mad when you say you don’t like them. But, I’ve decided that if I’m invited out for a meal in return for a review, if I really don’t enjoy it, I will leave it up to the people who invited me whether or not they want my thoughts published. If you can call writing on my blog as “publishing” something.

Anyway… I was given a list of participating restaurants, weeded out the ones in North County because I knew we wouldn’t be able to get there, took a look at some menus online, and decided to choose a restaurant we hadn’t been to before. When I replied, I was pretty flexible with the time we could done out and gave a list of restaurants I’d be happy to get (since it was mentioned that seatings were limited). I also asked if there were any updates to the participating list and they replied that Avenue 5 wasn’t on my original list. I’d actually never heard of Avenue 5, but it seemed like it had promise so I picked that one. And then I decided to check out Yelp reviews, which was just a mistake. Based on the Yelp reviews, it looks like people enjoy the brunch but are all over the place when it comes to dinner experiences. Travis reminded me that Yelp is all over the place for everything, though, so perhaps it’s most useful for checking whether a restaurant is still open or not.

Avenue 5 Restaurant & Bar is on 5th Avenue (duh), between Olive and Nutmeg Streets. It’s next to Hane Sushi. I guess it’s in Bankers Hill, but I would probably point people to it by saying it’s across from Balboa Park. The park part of Balboa Park. And then they’d probably get lost. It’s an easy drive and we didn’t have any trouble finding parking. I had already decided that if I didn’t like dessert, I was going to make Travis take me to Extraordinary Desserts, but that ended up being unnecessary.

We encountered a little snafu when we checked in because the reservation wasn’t under my name, but the name of my blog (how was I supposed to know that?) I was actually asked if I might be confused as to what restaurant I made reservations for, which I found a little insulting since I’m pretty sure I know where I’m dining at all times. For a brief moment, though, I did wonder if there was another Avenue 5 somewhere and we were at the wrong one (this has happened to me in Palm Springs where we were at one Mexican restaurant but we were supposed to be at the other one, same name, at the opposite end of town). Once I said we were there to preview a SDRW menu, it got all cleared up.

The restaurant space is nice and open, in an L-shape. We were seated around the corner, so we didn’t get to look at the bar or the outside, which I guess is fine. The food was great, which is really what matters, right? The menu is on the SDRW site or you can look at the picture I took [update: the SDRW site lists Avenue 5 as a $40 menu, but I confirmed with the restaurant that it will be $30]. I chose the salmon tartar, short rib (I always have to check out the short ribs), and chocolate decadence. Travis chose the vodka-cured beef carpaccio, the herb gnocchi, and profiteroles. He also had a pint of Airedale Homecoming Porter and I had a glass of rose. The porter was lightly spiced (nutmeg, I think), just sweet enough, and nicely rich and malty. I like a good porter and this was a good one. I also like a good rose and mine was right in the middle of dry and sweet. Unfortunately, I’ve gotten better at describing beers and worse at describing wines.

bread and beer

salmon tartar

carpaccio

Travis’ brain has been overloaded at work lately, so when the carpaccio came out he said it looked like it had been cured in something. I had to remind him that it was vodka-cured, like the menu said. Poor guy. He was very happy with it and liked the olives and capers that were sprinkled around the plate. As far as carpaccio goes, it was a good-sized portion, velvety smooth, and it came with a small pile of dressed greens and two baguette toast slices. My salmon tartar came with four (I only ate three) and, while I liked the crunch of the toast with the salmon on top, I actually preferred eating the salmon with the cucumber slices. Travis thought it tasted a little fishy, but I didn’t think so. He’s not a big raw salmon fan, though, so it’s not something he would order. I loved it and cleaned my plate.

beefy short rib

best gnocchi ever

The short rib and gnocchi were next, served in very warm plates. The short rib was one piece, but it was a huge piece! It wasn’t fork-tender, but it wasn’t so tough that I had to use a knife to cut it. I just had to use my knife to help pull it apart. It tasted like beef (in a good way) and it wasn’t dry, stringy, or chewy. Quite tasty, actually. Travis had ordered the gnocchi, which I never would have guessed, and it’s certainly not something I would have ordered normally. I’ve given up on gnocchi because I’ve had so many awful experiences: it’s heavy and doughy and you have to chew forever before you can swallow. So, I just don’t order it any more. And, because I don’t make them at home, I don’t really get to eat them very often.

People, I have good news and bad news about the gnocchi at Avenue 5. The good news is that they were fantastic. Perfect, really. The gnocchi was light and tender but with a hint of a chew. Almost fluffy, but not really. Plus, they had been pan-seared so they had a little crisp crust on the outside. Crisp on the outside, soft and delicious on the inside. Served with pearl onion, green beans (sorry, haricot vert), brussel sprouts, mushrooms, and diced sweet potatoes (I think) in a Madeira cream sauce, they were amazing. I actually ate only half my short rib, with the intention of taking the rest home, but I kept picking at Travis’ gnocchi. Halfway through, I told him I wish I had ordered the gnocchi and he switched plates with me. I finished the gnocchi and he finished the short rib.

The bad news? The gnocchi is not on the regular menu (we took a peek after dinner; neither is the salmon tartar). They do have a mushroom tortellini, which gets some great reviews, but I would want the gnocchi. If we go back, I’m asking them (ahead of time, of course) to make it. That’s how good it is.

So, I thought I was full, but really I just wanted gnocchi instead of short rib. Then, dessert arrived.

profiteroles

not photogenic, but so tasty

The profiteroles come filled with pistachio ice cream (with real pistachios in it) served on a puddle of crème anglaise, which was so good I’m surprised no one licked the plate. Travis really enjoyed it, and he’s not much for a sweet tooth, so that’s saying something. The profiteroles were good, but I prefer mine filled with pastry cream. Just personal preference, that’s all. My chocolate decadence, though, was just what I wanted. Sometimes you come across “chocolate decadence” and you don’t know what to expect. Sometimes it’s dense like fudge; sometimes it’s cakey like a molten chocolate cake. This was like a flourless chocolate cake, but not cakey. It was light and airy, but chocolatey and had substance. Definitely not dense and chewy, but not airy like a meringue. I don’t know how to describe it. It was just really good.

So, funny story… because I was asked to review our meal, I figured I should take some pictures. I forgot my camera and we had to use Travis’ work camera, which is why they aren’t the greatest pictures (sorry). But, after I’d taken a few, a gentleman came over with his card and mentioned that he figured we were there for the same reason he was (to preview the SDRW menu). We exchanged cards and a few sentences (he actually writes articles that get published… like, for real publications) and went back to our meals. That’s the first time that’s ever happened to me. So, hi Howard! Hope you enjoyed your meal as much as we did!

SDRW may catch some flak from the peanut gallery (speaking of which, I am so over CH and I’m not posting there anymore. I’ll rely on the plethora of SD food bloggers to keep me informed on the new and exciting stuff) but we still enjoy it. It’s an excuse to go try a new restaurant and sample (hopefully) good food. And it’s usually a pretty good deal when you look at all the food you get.

Avenue 5 gave us a great meal and I’m glad I decided to give them a try. My only complaint (and it’s one I’ve run into before during SDRW) is that some of the SDRW menu items aren’t available on the regular menu. I understand that a lot of San Diego menus are becoming seasonal and change frequently, but it is a little disappointing to find an outstanding dish during SDRW and not know if you can order it again. But, I’m glad to know that they’re willing to recreate it (or something similar) if I give them enough notice. I like restaurants that are willing to work with their customers to make them happy. If you’re thinking of dining out next week, SDRW gets my stamp of approval. And, if you like a good gnocchi dish, I can’t recommend the SDRW menu at Avenue 5 enough.

Avenue 5 Restaurant & Bar on Urbanspoon

Prix fixe meals

Published January 7, 2010 food , restaurants Leave a Comment

Personally, I have no idea whether or not the economy is improving. I see articles all over the place that say housing prices are back up, but people are still losing jobs, Walmart stock is rising, but Starbucks keeps trying to bring in business, and then I’m bombarded by articles on why I need to save more money. Or something. So, I don’t know. What I do know is that I’ve been making a conscious effort not to buy more food from Costco because our freezer is exceptionally full. I’ve also been pulling things out of said freezer and turning them into tasty meals. Unfortunately, these meals tend to be enough to serve two people, which means there aren’t a lot of leftover for weekday lunches. I’ve also been making an effort to use up things in my (pull-out and effortless) pantry, and I feel like I’ve been doing a good job there, too. I notice our snack shelf is bursting, though, so maybe that also means we’ve been better about mindless chip-eating.

I have been trying to cook at home more so that we’re not always going out to restaurants (and because it’s easier to keep track of what we’re eating if I’ve made it). But, there are a lot of restaurants I really enjoy going to, plus there are a lot of new-to-us places that I really want to try. I’ve also noticed that quite a few 3-course menus have popped up that sound worth trying. Which would also be a good place to tell you about San Diego Restaurant Week. It’s held twice a year and each year it seems like something’s a little different. Various restaurants around San Diego put together a 3-course menu for $20, $30, or $40 with the “higher-end” restaurants on the $40 end, of course. It used to all be $20 menus, which made it a fabulous deal and a great opportunity to experience a restaurant you might not have otherwise been able to afford (I probably do this wishful remembering every time I talk about Restaurant Week). Most of the $30 menus are still a really good deal. Looking over the $20 menus, I’m still up in the air as to the financial benefit, since 1) I’m not likely to go to some of those places anyway, 2) you may be hard pressed to spend $20 ordering off their regular menu, and 3) it’s unlikely I’d eat an appetizer, entrée, AND dessert there in the first place. Some of the $40 menus are probably pressing their luck, so I view it as a reason to go try a new place anyway. And, if their entrees are $25-30 regularly, then Restaurant Week isn’t such a bad deal. Restaurant Week is January 17 through the 22, 2010 and reservations are usually a good idea (and a lot of the restaurants are on OpenTable, too).

But, there are a few restaurants have set menus on certain days year-round. I don’t think we’ve taken advantage of any of them, but maybe this will be the year. I don’t know how long they’ll keep it up, but I’d like to try them while they’re still part of the menu. And, since writing things down makes them easier to remember, maybe posting about them will make it easier to try them!

La Bastide Bistro: 3-course menu on Mondays for $30 – I can’t find any current information online, but we had a coupon at home with the prix fixe menu information on it. I don’t feel like digging up the coupon to see if it expired or had dates on it, so I’d probably call before going over if your heart is set on a prix fixe menu.

Starlite: 3-course menu every Tuesday for $20 from 5PM to 8PM – We love Starlite (my mom said it was one of the best burgers she’s ever had) and I don’t think I’ve ever been disappointed by a dish there, so I’d love to see what they put together for $20. It’s also an easy drive from work… we just haven’t found a Tuesday that hasn’t been in the middle of an already-packed week.

Cavaillon: 3-course menu Monday through Thursdays for $32 from 5PM to 9:30PM – We haven’t been to Cavaillon for dinner yet, but we did finally go for brunch and it was delicious. I tend to have low expectations for breakfasts because it all seems to be the same kind of egg dishes and pancakes (both of which I do a good job at cooking at home, plus I can stay in my pj’s). I had a smoked salmon, cream cheese, and scallion scramble there that was so buttery and creamy and delicious I didn’t want it to end. And then I was full. So, based on that and the fact that they have a familial connection to our beloved Luc’s Bistro, I think their dinner menu would be equally satisfying.

The Pearl: 3-course menu on Bistro Mondays for $25 – Our friends Cami and Jeff turned us onto The Pearl and, while we don’t get down there as often as we’d like (this is sadly the case for many of our favorite restaurants), we always enjoy it when we do. The first time we went, we had candied bacon as an appetizer; the last time it was bacon confit with a fried quail egg over a hash brown. Bacon may be totally 2009, but it still tastes really good! They also have a lot of fun events planned, like Dive-In Movies and Family-Style menus.

The Marine Room: 3-course Lobster Night on Mondays for $40 – You don’t get their lobster bisque as a first course, but your choice of entrée is a lobster tail prepared one of three ways. We’ve gone to The Marine Room during Restaurant Week, for a Mother’s Day brunch, and for their High Tide Brunch (for my birthday) and each time the food was amazing. I would definitely be willing to go back for a brunch. Depending on how large the lobster tail is for dinner, $40 sounds like a reasonable deal.

Like I said, we haven’t had the chance to personally try any of these deals yet, but we have dined at each restaurant at least once, and it does make us want to go back and eat more food. If you know of any other on-going deals, I’d love to know about them! And, if you go out and try and of these 3-course menus, let me know what you thought!

Still a new year

Published January 6, 2010 about , chickens , movies 8 Comments

Is it too late to say Happy New Year?  It’s still a pretty new year…

We spent our holidays at home, laying low, and generally enjoying the down time.  Especially considering we’ll be hopping on and off of planes and taking various road trips in the next couple of months. 

I’ve been taking advantage of my Blockbuster by Mail subscriptions lately, renting various workout DVDs and then exchanging them in-store for a new release.  So, we’ve gone through quite a few movies during our long weekends.  We watched Angels & Demons (I think I was too busy wondering what Ewan McGreggor would do as a priest to see the ending coming), Twilight (yes, we watched it; mainly to see what the fuss is about and to find out what vampires look like when they glitter – Spoiler: they look like glitter), Inglourious Basterds (entertaining and quirky, and then we figured out it was a Quentin Tarantino movie and it all made more sense), District 9 (I didn’t like and really wanted the main guy to just die already), and Four Christmases (I like Reese Witherspoon, Travis likes Vince Vaughn, it was pretty much a win/win movie).  The funniest thing about Four Christmases was the baby puking.  Because it’s exactly like that in real life (I suppose Vince Vaughn’s reaction is pretty spot-on, too).  If you’ve ever had a baby throw up on you, you’ll appreciate those parts of the movie.

I haven’t committed to any New Year’s resolutions, nor have I signed up for the 10 in 10 challenge, but I am still on that never-ending quest to get a little fitter and a little lighter.  Also, because I started months ago, I consider it a continuing and ongoing habit and not just something to start once January hits.  I was doing pretty well before Christmas, then kind of hit a snag, and now hopefully I’m back on track.

We’ve been eating pretty well lately.  I managed to not cook on both Christmas Day AND New Year’s Eve, but I did cook most of the meals around those days, so I think that’s a good trade-off.  Since we both worked on New Year’s Eve, we just went for an early dinner at Luc’s Bistro (still my favorite place to eat in Poway).  The next night I cooked up some lobster tails I snagged at Henry’s, and then I made Shrimp Fra Diavolo using Rao’s arrabbiata sauce and fusilli pasta (also found at Henry’s).  I dusted the shrimp with a mixture of flour and cornstarch, though, instead of just flour and it made the shrimp light and crispy.  It was actually a really good meal.  We still have half a bottle of the sauce left, so I might pick up more shrimp and do it again.

Then it was a meal at Indigo Grill ($20.10 Anniversary Week through the 8th!) and it was good enough to make me want to go back, which I think is a sign of a successful promotion.  There are a lot of Cohn Restaurant Group haters in San Diego, and I do agree that some of their places are overpriced and underwhelming (like Mister Tiki), but I have also enjoyed meals at Thee Bungalow and the Gaslamp Strip Club (more for the fun of it than anything else) and now Indigo Grill, so I think sweeping them all under the rug is a little uncalled for.

In chicken news, they are getting so big and heavy, but no eggs yet.  Granted, they’re still too young to be laying eggs (maybe next month?) , but I keep hoping they’re overachievers or something.  Lexi got into the coop one morning when I was bringing them treats, got a mouthful of Bunny, and now they’re all wary when I let them out in the morning.  They used to run right out to see what treats I brought; now they sit in their coop and give everything a big stinkeye and only when I show them something enticing will they come down.

Bunny is definitely top chicken in her coop

Buffy is a big girl!

So far, 2010 (twenty-ten, if you’re tallying votes) looks like it will be a good year.

And, again

Published December 31, 2009 about 4 Comments

I am not a fan of Year in Review lists, posts, and stories.  I don’t need to be reminded of all the things I’ve already seen multiple times throughout the year.  But, sometimes, it’s nice to reflect on what the year has brought, and so I have slogged through another What Did I Do list, also known as the Sundry meme.  If you’re curious, you can also look up my 2008 and 2007 lists.

1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?

We tackled a complete kitchen remodel (even if we didn’t move walls or do any major reconfiguration) and survived.  I learned that the stove/oven/fridge is not the most important thing in the kitchen for someone who cooks; it’s the sink.  The sink where you clean things up.  Without a sink, you may as well not even bother with a kitchen.

We also spent our vacation with a couple of friends on a road trip.  I’ve gone on a cruise with Cami before, but it’s the first time we’ve spent a week with only 2 other people crammed into a car.  I’m glad to say it went well and we all (I’m pretty sure) had fun.

I also got to see my name in a cookbook, even if it’s only as a tester.  But, as a result, we took a trip to New York to meet the other testers (and, of course, David Leite) in person after years on electronic communication.  And, it made me want to get more involved in the food community and meet more people.  Which I also got to do when a bunch of bloggers were totally lavished at a Suite & Tender dinner event.

And, I actively started making an effort to lose weight.  I actually started in January, did really well, then let it all go while we tore out and rebuilt the kitchen.  Then there was some other excuse, I’m sure, and I picked it back up a couple of months ago.  It’s not that I’m terribly overweight, and it’s only 10-15 pounds I need/want to lose, but it’s something I want to get a grip on while it’s still manageable.  I don’t want it to creep up to 30 pounds of excess before I get off my butt and do something about it, you know?

Oh!  And I got chickens!

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions and will you make more for next year?

Last year I said I was officially done making resolutions, so I guess it’s fair to say I did pretty well with that?

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Yes!  And it has been such a treat getting to watch Adam grow up this year.  He’ll turn 1 just a few days after my birthday!  He is amazing and I love him, but he doesn’t make me want one of my own.  It’s pretty nice letting someone else clean up baby puke.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Oh, we lost our sweet Clair this year and sometimes it still makes me cry.  I think another cat would help fill that void a little, but Travis is still in mourning and says he isn’t ready.

5. What countries did you visit?

We did not use our passports once this year (not even to go to Mexico), but we’re going to try and plan an international vacation next year.  Which reminds me, I need to renew my passport.

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?

Maybe more discipline with my budget?  We tend to have lax saving habits and just do whatever we want, whenever we want.  I don’t rack up any debt (and I put a lot away into various retirement accounts), but I think I’d like to start putting more in my short-term savings accounts.

7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

None… dates are such a blur to me. 

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Honestly, I’m just glad I made it through another year.

9. What was your biggest failure?

I have not mastered the art of keeping dog fur off the couch.  There’s just so much of it!

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

I did get a cold at the beginning of the year, but I think that’s about it.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

The kitchen.  Every day I’m in there, it makes me happy.  It’s laid out better, it feels nicer, it’s more organized, and it’s totally more accessible.  I don’t even mind putting dishes away because everything has its own little place.  Best purchase ever.  Thanks, mom!

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

Cassie has continuously proven to be a very good dog and has given us no trouble at all.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

The entertainment community in general?  As much as I enjoy the trainwreck that is Jersey Shore, I can’t believe how much time and effort is spent on stupid stories.  Is Tiger Woods the first guy to cheat on his wife ever? Did we really need a Behind the Story: Tiger Woods special?  Can we stop talking about Balloon Boy yet?  I mean, it’s all gotten so bad that I’ve started listening to NPR in the mornings now.  NPR, people… that’s where I’ve been forced to go.

14. Where did most of your money go?

Who knows… new kitchen stuff, chicken coop materials, a new treadmill.  Groceries and eating good meals in good restaurants.  The usual places, I guess.

15. What did you get really excited about?

The new kitchen (I know I keep talking about it, but it’s been amazing!)  And getting the chickens, who were so cute as baby chicks.

16. What song will always remind you of 2009?

I would say Poker Face, except if you were to play it in a couple of years, I don’t think I would associate it specifically with 2009.  I’m probably just thinking about it because I’ve been hearing it all over tv.  Maybe Single Ladies, because they did a little dance to it in Glee and the Chipettes sing it in the “squeakuel” (I didn’t watch the movie, it’s been in the commercials).

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

  • happier or sadder?  I would say I’m as happy as I was last year… consistent rate of happiness.
  • thinner or fatter?  Definitely thinner than last December, not as thin as I got mid-2009.
  • richer or poorer? Hmm… my overall net worth has grown, but my day-to-day bank balance feels tighter. I won’t even go there with the sappy “but I have a richer life due to wonderful friends and family, blah, blah” (even if I suppose it’s true)

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

More walks around the neighborhood, more visits to the farmers market, more walks with the dogs, more dog brushing.  Those poor dogs are so neglected!

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Less feeling like we were always on the go or out of town on weekends.  Less sitting on the couch in a stupor because I was just so tired after being at work, making dinner, cleaning up, etc.

20. How did you spend Christmas?

We spent it at home, by ourselves, in the quiet.  It was actually really nice.  I made baked French toast, bacon, and coffee.  We opened presents, then started playing with our presents.  We took a nap.  We had Peking Duck for dinner and rented a movie to watch at home.  It was relaxing and just us.

21. Did you fall in love in 2009?

Oh, whatever… I could say that I fall completely in love with Travis all over again each year, but that would just be a big saccharine-filled lie.  I mean, I love him and there are moments where I’m reminded why I love him so much, but we really haven’t fallen into a phase where I wake up one morning and realize that I love him all over again.  I will say that we’ve been reading a couple of books and we’ve learned how to better communicate and express our respective love to each other, which has been nice.  It’s an interesting concept, reading relationship books as a way to improve your relationship, instead of using them to try and fix something that went awry.  I recommend trying it, even if you think your relationship is awesome.  It can always be better.

22. What was your favorite TV program?

I totally enjoy Big Love and only order HBO so we can watch it.  I also got into Glee, but mainly as something to watch while on the elliptical and Dollhouse, the concept of which I find amusing and interesting.  And then came along Jersey Shore, which is like watching a social experiment or something.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?



Nope.

24. What was the best book you read?

A Big Little Life: A Memoir of a Joyful Dog, by Dean Koontz.  It makes me want a Golden Retriever.  It also makes me want to read the books the dog wrote.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Does Beatles Rock Band count?

26. What did you want and get?

A new kitchen, some chickens, more time at home on the weekends (mainly the last couple of months).  A treadmill (so I didn’t have to worry about running outside). 

27. What did you want and not get?

A few more years with Clair.  A Clair-clone, or even a Dollhouse-cat imprinted with Clair’s personality (how awesome would that be?)  A meal at WD-50.  And Ben still hasn’t moved back to San Diego.

28. What was your favorite film of this year?

I don’t think any of the movies we rented are worth “favoriting”.  And I can barely remember what few movies we saw in the theater.  So, I’m going with Up, because it was really cute and I am dying for the day I can buy those talking dog collars for our pups.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I turned 30 this year and we went to Disneyland.  It was simple, fun, and a perfect way to spend my birthday.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Less working, more cooking.  Winning the lottery without even having the play.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?

Let’s try to fit into the clothes we already have and if they don’t fit it’s time to stop eating so much.  That, and how many outfits can you pair with heels?

32. What kept you sane?

Travis, pure and simple.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

I’m going to go with Hugh Jackman, because you can’t ever go wrong with him.  And, while Wolverine may have been a silly movie, it had a scene of nekkid Hugh Jackman running across a field, which you have to admit it pretty awesome.

34. What political issue stirred you the most?

All of them.  They should just let me rule the world… I can’t possibly do a worse job, right? I take that back.  All this TSA/airline safety/3-oz bottles crap is just lame.  Some dude gets by you and your 1-quart clear Ziploc baggie rule because he’s stuffed it down his pants and now you’re going to make airline travel even more annoying for me?  Hasn’t this just proved that people with threatening ideas are just going to find a way to get by your “security” no matter what you do?  Why not go back to the good old days when I could have a full tube of toothpaste and a peanut butter sandwich and let’s see how that goes, huh? 

35. Who did you miss?

I miss Clair.  For such a relatively small cat, she sure took up a lot of space in our lives.

And I miss Ben.  As long as he’s been in Seattle, and as much as we’ve gotten used to him not being here, when he comes to visit it feels like we’re a whole group again. 

36. Who was the best new person you met?

Adam – it’s so cool to get to watch a little baby grow up into a little person.  It’s hard to imagine that almost a year ago he was tiny and barely moving, and now he’s on the verge of talking and walking. 

And I met Darlene this year!  And then we had dessert at Chocolat and brought out matching purses (not on purpose) and it was a fun visit. 

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.



Just because you want something, doesn’t mean you need it.  And as long as you’re truly happy, that’s all that matters.  And sometimes being content is just as good as being happy. 

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

Umm… I’ve got nothing.

It’s been a good year, but it’s rare that it isn’t.  I continue to be blessed with a loving family, good friends, and a wonderful boy who loves me.  There’s really not much more a girl could ask for.

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