Category Archives: restaurants

Kitchen 1540 – Del Mar

For Christmas, Travis gave me the gift of a fabulous meal.  He printed out menus from all sorts of “higher end” spots in San Diego and said we could go anywhere.  We would get to see what San Diego cuisine has to offer and I wouldn’t have to think about how it would fit into our household “dining out” budget.  It was a pretty awesome gift.

After our trip to Portland and fabulously ridiculous meal at Castagna, I was curious about Kitchen 1540.  I had heard really good things about it, but also knew they had recently had a chef change.  I tried not to have huge expectations, but it turns out my fears were unfounded.

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Castagna – Portland

I mentioned we did a lot of good eating over our long-weekend trip to Portland. It’s pretty common for us to cram a lot into a relatively short trip, but even I was impressed that we managed to cross so many tasty bites off our list.  We flew in Thursday morning and then home Sunday afternoon.  That only leaves so many meals, snacks, and beer breaks.  Throw in a day at the coast and meeting friends for dinner, and we really only had our first night in town dedicated to dinner of my choosing.

Based on some Chowhound research and cross-referencing various recommendations, I figured we could either go to Little Bird or Castagna for dinner.  The menu at Little Bird looked to be French-inspired, while the set menu at Castagna looked… well, intriguing.  Intriguing enough that Travis was willing to indulge my curiosity.

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Osetra the Fishhouse

Disclosure: Our meal was complimentary but I was not compensated for this review. As always, all opinions are my own.

We don’t spend a lot of time downtown, but I appreciate knowing some good spots in the Gaslamp for when we are in the area and happen to be hungry.  Or, if we’re looking for a special place to go for a good meal.  I had never been to Osetra the Fishhouse, so when the ladies at BAM Communications invited me to check out their special Valentine’s Day oyster shooters, I asked if we could also arrange a little sample of the dinner menu.  Happily, they obliged and I made plans for a fun dinner in the Gaslamp.

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Winner, winner!

Congrats to Faye, winner of the San Diego Restaurant Week dinners to Del Mar Rendezvous!  I hope you enjoy your walnut shrimp!  Mmm… walnut shrimp…

I thought it was interesting that Mary and Kirbie tried the walnut shrimp and soup dumplings and kung pao pork, too.  But, I think they are dishes you kind of have to try.  Obviously, if someone in San Diego has xiao long bao on the menu, you have to find out if they’re good or forgettable.  Same with walnut shrimp.  I’ve had some pretty terrible walnut shrimp dishes, so I’d consider it a small measure of overall quality if I’m served a really good version.  I do admit that the walnut shrimp stuck in my head after reading that Mary’s was crispy and good.

In related news, Del Mar Rendezvous has provided a link if you’d like to sign up for their e-mail list.  You’ll get a 20% off coupon for your first visit.  It’s probably not valid during Restaurant Week, but you’re also getting a pretty good deal there, since their 3-course meal is only $30.

And now, we’re off to Portland for a mini trip.  I have no idea what we’re going to see or do, or where we’ll end up eating (I have a list, but you know how those things go), but I’m sure we’ll have a blast.  Also, our house is being looked after by friends, in case you were thinking of coming by and robbing us blind.  Also, also, we just gave a bunch of stuff to Salvation Army since I’ve been on a clean and purge kick, so we’re running out of things to steal, anyway.  If you’re going to steal a dog, please take the skinny white one.

Alchemy – Suckling Pig

Way back in 2011 (December), we celebrated our friend Jeff’s birthday at Alchemy. Not just for tasty bites, but for their whole suckling pig dinner.  I heartily endorse this method of celebrating birthdays, since it involves a good group of friends and some really delicious food.  I’m a fan of good food, in case you haven’t noticed.  And since you need 8-10 people to really do this pig dinner right, a birthday seems like the perfect excuse to gather everyone up, which is exactly what his lovely wife Cami did.

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