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

My office isn’t that far from Del Mar, but I still rarely find myself taking advantage of the delicious restaurants we’ve recently discovered. Some of it is because it’s just a hair too far away for a quick lunch break; the other part is because after work I just want to go home, which is in a completely different direction than Del Mar. When I was offered an opportunity to explore the menu at Shimbashi Izakaya, I figured I might as well expand my list of Del Mar dining options.

What I’m learning is that we should be spending more time in Del Mar eating…

We were greeted by Hideko, the manager, who is just one of the nicest ladies I’ve met in a long time. Seriously, I loved her so much I wanted to just hug her.  And Chiko provided amazing service the whole time we were there.  We sat on the patio, with a lovely view of the ocean, next to heat lamp that made the temperature just right.

There is an extensive menu book and then a tabletop menu with seasonal recommendations.  The menu book lists over 30 different sakes, sake/sochu cocktails, beer, and then all the food items (of which there are plenty). In Japan, an izakaya is kind of like a pub, where you drink and eat tasty snacks to unwind after work.  Shimbashi definitely provides you with a plethora of drink options and their food items come in small portions meant for snacking. And sharing, if you’re into that type of thing. (I’m kidding… I like sharing plates! You get to taste more things that way!)

Travis started with a Shimbashi Mojito, which had muddled shiso leaves in the cocktail for a little twist on the mint.  I had a few sips and it was delicious. Just tart enough from the limes and not so boozy that all you could taste was alcohol. I kind of wished I had gotten one, too.  I stuck with a pot of hot tea, which was equally delicious in its own way. Plus, everyone was very attentive to whether or not the pot was still warm enough and it was replaced with a fresh, hot pot of tea when I’m pretty sure I was only halfway through it.

That truly unappetizing picture next to the mojito (so, so sorry about that) is the grilled salmon collar, marinated in a miso paste.  I love salmon and halibut collars and this one was divine. I feel like it’s a good drinking snack because you can take your time eating away at it, poking here and there to make sure you’ve gotten every last bit.  The salmon was moist and fatty and delicious. Some of the skin along the edges was charred and crispy, which is how salmon skin should be.  Short of sucking the bones clean, I think we did a good job picking the collar over.

Here are the rest of our appetizers: agedashi tofu (it’s become one our standard dishes at Japanese restaurants), pri-pri shrimp, scallop and crab dynamite (off the specials menu), and gyoza.

The agedashi tofu was good: crispy on the outside, soft on the inside; warm but not too hot. It also came with a dollop of grated ginger and grated daikon (radish) mixed with chili oil. A mouthful of flavors, you could say.  The pri-pri shrimp are fried and then glazed with a honey sauce. The sauce is dark (Travis thought it was caramel when he saw it) and it has a caramelized note to it and it’s so good we both tried to scrape up as much as we could with whatever food bit we had.  Think walnut shrimp with no mayo or nuts but just as crispy-sweet and mouth-watering.

I’m a big fan of seafood dynamite, but I also like mayonnaise, which is a component of all the dynamite dishes I’ve ever eaten.  The scallop and crab dynamite comes served in scallop shells balanced on mounds of wet salt (don’t eat the mound – it’s salt!)  Tender scallops, fresh crab, and a sauce that was not mayo-heavy at all.  I loved every bite and probably would have licked the shells clean if I could have been sure no one would see me.

The gyoza are listed as being handmade and I’m inclined to believe them.  They came to us still hot, with a crisp bottom, filled with pork and chives, wrapped in a thin and delicate wrapper.  I’m not sure I’ve ever had gyoza with such a thin wrapper, but I like it.

It was about this time we were wondering how much more food we could fit into our stomachs. It was also about this time that Hideko came by to ask if we were not sushi fans. [I would like to put on record that I had asked Travis when we sat down if he wanted sushi but he said he wasn't in the mood for it.]  Hideko told us that their La Fresca roll was very popular and had been voted Best Roll at the Beer and Sake Festival in San Diego. She also ordered us a Lobster Salmon Roll, which was good because I had been wanting some salmon sushi.  The La Fresca roll is spicy tuna and avocado, topped with yellowtail and pico de gallo. It sounds a little odd on paper, but it worked perfectly on the plate. And in my mouth.  Somehow, the fresh pico de gallo brings out the freshness of the yellowtail and tuna. It’s a refreshing roll if you’re tired of coming across sushi rolls with tempura shrimp in them all the time.  The Lobster Salmon roll is filled with lobster and cucumber, then topped with salmon. The salmon was bright and firm and wonderful.  I had a really hard time deciding which roll I liked the best, so I guess it’s good we had enough of both.

Hideko also recommended the scallop sashimi – so fresh it was still alive in the kitchen! This was so good, the only thing we added to the scallop was a swipe of lemon.  Sweet, firm, tender, and melt-in-your-mouth. I probably would have eaten half a dozen (if they weren’t $23).

After the scallop, we were also recommended a dry sake to try.  My experiences with sake seem to involve warm drinks that taste like hairspray, but the one brought out was smooth and cool.  We sipped from the glasses and then from the cedar box that held the “overflow” of sake.  Ahh… if I knew how to choose good sakes, I think I’d drink it more often!  Shimbashi carries over 30 different sakes and they’re are always looking to add more unusual ones to their list.  They also have a couple of sake samplers on the menu, so you can try 3 different ones at a time.

And then it was time for dessert.  I’ve decided that it’s my job to determine whether or not a restaurant has a suitable dessert item.  Maybe not everyone needs dessert, but I like knowing a good dessert option is available to me.  Of course, this also means trying desserts becomes a requirement!  On the recommendation of Chiko, we went with the pear pie. Slices of pear in a firm custard – it’s not very sweet, just sweet enough. Actually, a perfect ending to a meal of snacks and sushi.  Other options are ice cream, mochi ice cream, or chocolate cake.  Creme brulee was on the specials menu, but I’m glad we went with the pear pie.

If you were to stick with the small plates and appetizers, the menu prices are actually very reasonable.  Some of the specialty sushi rolls get a little pricey, but you can also tell there’s quality in that roll.  This is no Sushi Deli! (My apologies if you LOVE Sushi Deli; I acknowledge they are super cheap, but I also feel you get what you pay for.)  And, the patio is perfect for some after-work unwinding.  You have a view of the ocean, it’s not too breezy, and you don’t get much road noise.  Sit next to a heater (or drink more sake) and it all makes for a pretty good night.  Considering it’s easier for Travis to come north than it is for me to go south, plus the fact that they’re pretty close to my office, I’m hoping we visit Shimbashi more often in the future.

If you sign up for their mailing list, you start off with a coupon for 20% off your next meal.

They are also running a Mother’s Day Special from May 10-13, 2012: for $28/person, you get tuna poki and a mini assorted sashimi bowl, a choice of pan-fried salmon or crab-stuffed chicken breast with plum basil sauce, and green tea mousse and lychee sherbet. Quite a deal!

Many thanks to Jen at BAM Communications for setting up our dinner and to Hideko for being such a gracious and generous host.  We had an amazing time and enjoyed every single bite!

One year ago today, I married the best husband a girl could ask for.  He is patient and kind, silly and sweet, thoughtful and genuine. He builds me chicken coops and garden beds. Washes the dishes after I make a mess of the kitchen. Takes me on great adventures and spends weekends at home watching silly movies with me.  I don’t have enough words to tell you what a lucky girl I am, how blessed my life is, how amazed I am to get to share this life with such a loving man.

One year ago today, we walked down an aisle and I swear I couldn’t tell you how I got from one end to the other.  I remember stopping to take a breath, taking a step, and then I was reaching for a hand I knew would never let go.

We had so much help – our wedding team was amazing; if something happened that day that wasn’t supposed to, I certainly didn’t know about it.

My parents were wonderfully generous with their support – financially and every way possible.  I suppose when your first-born daughter finally gets married, it’s hard to say no when she wants a photobooth and donut stand at her wedding.

It goes without saying that I would marry Travis again in a heartbeat. If I had the time and money, I’d throw that wedding again, too.  It was fun and then over way too quickly.  It had everything we wanted – from the music to the food to the wonderful company.

Our first year of marriage has flown by, too.  I’m sure something has changed now that we’re married, but I can’t tell you what it is.  I consider that the best sign of a good marriage, the fact that we are still the same people that got married, for better or for worse.  I’d say the best is yet to come, but I think the best is here already.  Every day will always be “the best”.

Happy Anniversary, babe! I love you today more than ever.

Last year, I had the opportunity to spend the day with some amazing bakers, bloggers, and baking bloggers.  Some I knew, some I knew of, and many I was meeting for the first time at the first Food Blogger Bake Sale in San Diego.

Not only is it a fun event to meet the bakers and bloggers you read about, it’s an amazing fundraiser that connects bloggers across the country.  All proceeds from the bake sales go to Share Our Strength, an organization striving to end childhood hunger.  I’m excited to be a part of this year’s bake sale, being held on Saturday, April 28, 2012 at Great News! in Pacific Beach.

Once again, our San Diego contingent is being led by Marie of Meandering Eats.  As busy as she is, she still manages to keep us updated, organized, and ready to rally for a good cause!  We’ve got over 40 bloggers, a new webpage for the event, and even online auctions.

While we hope to see you all at the Bake Sale later this month, we appreciate any support you can give, whether it’s bidding on an online auction or just donating to our team directly.  As I mentioned before, every penny we raise goes straight to Share Our Strength – all our time and baked goods are generously donated by the bakers and bloggers involved.

While I am not quite organized this year to put together an online auction, there are some amazing bloggers participating.  And I think you’d be happy with any treat you’re lucky enough to win.  However, I will be baking treats to physically bring to the bake sale.  This year, I’ve been baking a lot from Baked Explorations, so I’m guessing my bake sale treat will be something from that book.

Those are grasshopper bars that I made recently.  They had a fudgy brownie base, a lightly minted buttercream, and then a thin coating of chocolate ganache.  I’ve also made cookies, pies, cakes, and other bars from the book, all equally delicious and mouth-watering.  While I’m not sure the grasshopper bars will hold up well on a table, I’m pretty sure brownies will.  Perhaps topped with cocoa bacon?  I guess you’ll just have to stop by to see what treats await you!

Remember, Bake Sale goodies have no calories! It’s like a reward for your altruistic tendencies!

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

As you may have heard, this guy named Brian Malarkey has been opening restaurants all over San Diego.  Burlap is his second (Searsucker being the first, Gingham the third, and most recently Gabardine) and, to be completely honest with you, I was fairly certain I was never going to set foot in Burlap.  I wasn’t sure about the asian-cowboy-social-dining experience.  I’d already been scarred, but when I heard about their Zodiac cocktails concept, I was admittedly intrigued.

I wrangled Marie to be my blogger-not-just-a-guest companion and we settled in at the bar, where we were graciously cocktailed up by Ian Ward, a Snake Oil Company mixologist.  Oh! And we ran into Lori there! Or, rather, she found us, but it was still fun to see her.

The concept behind the Zodiac cocktails is that you pick a drink based on your Chinese Zodiac astrological sign.  Then, there’s a grid at the bottom of the cocktail menu that shows you which other cocktails you’d be “compatible” with. The only thing missing from the menu is a little chart that tells you what your Zodiac sign is.  So, until they get those little placemats that tell you if you’re a horse or a dragon or a snake, you can look it up here.

In case you’re interested, I am a Horse.  Also, for years, I thought I was a Ram because when you go to Chinese restaurants they list the Zodiac signs by year, but they don’t tell you that if your birthday is in January there’s some adjusting to do.  See, the Chinese New Year changes date every year and is usually in late January/early February.  Which means that a January birthday actually kicks you into the previous year’s sign.  Thus, I am a Horse.  I’m sure you were dying to know.

Ian was generous with his cocktail sampling, but Marie and I shared cocktails so we weren’t completely drunk by the time we left.

1. the Horse: Basically a mule, but it can be sized up or down if you want to share.
2. the Cock: Vodka, Cucumber, Wasabi-tini.
3. the Rabbit: Pimms #1 with basil lemonade and pickled carrots.
4. (from left to right) the Sheep, the Snake (I think?), and the Horse again (actually, it’s the same drink, just re-positioned).

I also got to try their housemade plum soda, which was fantastic.  All the flavors of a plum wine but no booze!  And yes, sometimes a drink with no booze is a good thing.  If you’re looking for a drink with a kick (ha!), the Horse is a good contender.  It was delicious but boozy!  Or maybe I’m just a total lightweight.  The Sheep is made with Calpico, which I loved because I grew up on Calpico and we even had the huge bottle of Calpico concentrate so you could mix it up however you wanted. 

Of all the cocktails, I think the Rabbit was my favorite.  The basil lemonade gave it great flavor and nibbling on the pickled carrots was a treat, too.

Great cocktails are meant to be paired with tasty bites, which is just what we did.

1. We split half of the orange duck, which arrived with two steamed buns and an asian coleslaw.  The duck was tender, flavorful, and not at all gamey.  If you were to eat it as an entree, you would not leave hungry.  We actually ordered this at the end of the night, just to make sure we had enough food in our bellies.
2. Venison carpaccio – sliced thinly to melt in your mouth, garnished with truffle aioli and capers.
3. Obviously not in order, this was a lemongrass coconut tapioca with kiwi, mango, and a passionfruit sorbet.  This? This was delicious and one of those desserts you think you should share because it’s in a large bowl, but you really shouldn’t because it’s awesome.
4. Hamachi with jalapenos – drizzled with ponzu sauce, this was also a winner dish.  Good sashimi can be hard to find, but not at Burlap.

We also got to snack on the grilled shishito peppers, which were charred, cripsy, soft, and salty.  The perfect bar snack.  Oh yeah, we also tasted the carrot cake, which was everything a good carrot cake should be, but it was sadly overshadowed by that tapioca.

By the time we were done snacking and imbibing, the place was hopping.  The bar was full of groups, couples, singles, and people generally looking for a good time and a good meal.  I’m happy to admit I was wrong in my expectations and I think a second visit is in order to explore more of the menu.  I’m also getting mildly curious about the other restaurants, too.

Burlap now offers Sunday brunch, which showcases a menu that sounds absolutely delectable.  And they have a new executive chef in the kitchen: Anthony Sinsay, formerly of Harney Sushi.  If you haven’t been to Burlap, a visit would be worthwhile.  Based on the Tuesday crowd we saw, though, I’d also recommend reservations.

Many thanks to J Public Relations for setting up our visit and to Ian for spoiling us with beverages and bites!

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.

I’m a sucker for beet salads and this one did not disappoint.  Not only are the sweet roasted beets lightly dressed, but there are bits of pistachio brittle scattered throughout the salad.  Yum.  We were off to a good start.

For our second appetizer, we almost went with the bbq pig tails, since the server said the pig tails were boneless and sliced into little coins of meat.  We figured it would be weird (pig tails!) but not too weird since we wouldn’t be nibbling off little tail bones.  But before we ordered, something smelling wonderful went by our tables, sizzling and making my mouth water.  It turned out to be stone-seared foie gras.  We almost didn’t order it because I didn’t want to get something Travis wouldn’t truly enjoy. But, he admitted it smelled really good, too, so we went for it.  Besides, you gotta get it while you can, right?

Stone-seared foie gras, placed on a bed of thyme, served with banana bread, huckleberry jam, peanut powder, and a ramekin of something-delicious reduction.  Our server told us we could leave the foie gras on the stone to let it cook more, but advised us 45 seconds was probably enough.  Once he left and I took a picture, we figured that was enough cooking time and moved it off the stone.

I’ve only had foie gras cold, spread on brioche with jams like a fabulously meaty butter.  If I didn’t know where foie gras came from, I would have sworn we were eating a beef product.  The foie gras was perfectly salted, fatty and smooth and velvety.  It was like eating bone marrow, but richer, if that’s even possible.  We took small bites, savoring every bit of it.  We tried it by itself, with banana bread, with peanut powder, with jam, with the reduction, and bites of everything all at once.  The banana bread, jam, and peanut powder was delicious, and the jam offset the richness of the foie gras.  The banana bread itself was amazing.  The perfect bite was almost the foie gras by itself, but dipped into the whatever-reduction was pure bliss.  When the foie gras was gone, we took pieces of bread, sopped up the leftover foie gras fat, and dipped that into the reduction sauce.  And then we went straight to bread dipped in reduction.  If the seared stone hadn’t been so hot, I probably would have tried to lick it to get every last drop of goodness off the plate.  This is one of those dishes where I’m glad I didn’t eat it all by myself but I also kind of wish I could have hoarded it just for me.

I realize there are many arguments against foie gras, which is why there’s a ban going into effect, but I can also tell you that we will be going back for that dish at least one more time while it’s still “legal”.

Our entrees were beef tenderloin and a seared tai snapper.  The beef came with smoked croquettes, brussels sprouts, chanterelles and a house made steak sauce that was fabulous.  You could taste the smokiness in the croquettes and the veggies were pleasantly crisp.  The tenderloin, though, was one of the tenderest filets I’ve ever sliced through.  Plus, the entire piece was consistently medium and pink.  As for the steak sauce, let’s just say I would have asked for more on the side except that the beef disappeared so quickly that I wouldn’t have needed it.  The snapper had a golden crust on the edges that was crispy and buttery.  The fish itself was flaky and so moist it was beautiful.  And it was all sitting on a bed of butternut squash puree.  When Travis was done, you couldn’t see a single smear of butternut squash left.

By now you should know that I will always eat dessert. Unless we’re somewhere I know does not have good dessert (yes, those places exist) because I refuse to eat mediocre dessert.  But, given the fabulous meal we had just consumed, I had high hopes for these desserts.  And, because Travis loves me, we got two desserts so I wouldn’t have to choose!

(left to right: peanut butter pot de creme, chocolate cremerie)

The peanut butter pot de creme was a rectangular block rolled in cocoa-ness, surrounded by caramelized bananas, peanut butter mousse, banana powder, and peanut brittle.  The cremerie was like a chocolate pudding, topped with candied citrus and big flakes of Maldon salt, with a hazelnut macaron.  The cremerie was fantastic and I would have declared it the winner until I discovered the magic combination of pot de creme and peanut butter mousse.  The pot de creme was not overly peanut butter-y; it was more like a chocolate-peanut butter pot de creme.  It was amazing.  I kind of wanted another one after we finished the first one.  I bet all the desserts are just as good.

I’ve eaten many meals in my life and some have been absolutely incredible, including the one where we traveled in and out of the Colorado State Forest at least four times, but I don’t remember being so constantly amazed, delighted, and giddy with every single bite as this meal.  On one hand, it makes me excited to see what else we can find in San Diego; on the other hand, why would I try to find something better than Kitchen 1540?

2012 has a big challenge ahead if there’s going to be a meal to top this one.  Unless our second meal at Kitchen 1540 is better than the first.  I don’t know when that will be, but I’m pretty sure it will happen at some point.  It has to.  Even if we just eat foie gras and dessert.  Mmm…

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.

Perhaps because it was a Thursday evening in early January, but we had the entire restaurant to ourselves.  The Cafe on the other side of the restaurant was booming, but we didn’t see anyone come into the restaurant while we were there.

Castagna does a four-course set (seasonal!) menu for $65, with optional wine pairings.  I’ve learned that if I expect to be stuffed with delicious food, I don’t like to be drunk at the end. Being a lightweight, even a small wine pairing is enough to make me loopy so I just opted for iced tea.  There were three choices for each course, and we made sure we didn’t order the same thing so we could maximize the variety and fun.

Before we started the meal, house made bread and three amuse bites arrived at the table.

(top left, clockwise: potato puff; bread, butter, lardo; savory beignet; rye cracker)

I’m going to start with the bread and butter.  Actually, I’m going to start with the butter.  The bread was great and the dish of lardo was rich and porky, but the butter was covered with salted brown butter crumbles.  On their own,the crumbles tasted lightly nutty, but when bread was spread with butter and then the brown butter, the brown butter crumbles seemed to intensify the butter underneath, finishing with a pop of salt.  I’m pretty sure my eyes lit up and we both got very excited for what was coming.

The potato puff was light and airy; there was a divot scooped out of the bottom and filled with a vegetable aioli and grapefruit pearls.  It was a one-bite puff, with the puff melting into your mouth and flavored by the aioli.

After mmm-ing over the potato puff, a large branch was placed on the table. Nestled into the branches was a rye cracker topped with chicken liver mousse.  It was kind of fun to pluck the crackers out of the branch and the rye cracker itself was crisp and light, but the star was the mousse.  I’m not a fan of chicken livers, but this mousse was was so light and creamy and not-really-liver-y that I found myself wishing we had more.

Then the savory beignet arrived: lightly fried dough filled with gruyere cheese and rolled in maple sugar and mustard seed.  It was still warm when we ate it, crisp on the outside and light a perfectly cheesy donut bite on the inside.  I could have eaten a basket of those beignets all by myself.

Our official first course started with steelhead smoked over chestnut, with sweet lime and herb sponge (left) and cauliflower in various textures and oyster (right).

The steelhead had no fishiness, had a good bite to the texture, and was just delicious.  I think there was a yogurty sauce with it, but I can’t remember.  The herb sponges were little torn bits of a sponge cake, but green and herb-y.

The cauliflower came pureed, pickled, and roasted, with a small oyster nestled under the veggies.  It was really fun to enjoy different bites of cauliflower all in one dish.  All in all, our first course was a good start, but I think the steelhead was our favorite.

The next course was really fun: roots buried in seeds and nuts with horseradish creme (left) and sunchokes, onions, leeks, compressed apple, and onion jus (right).

My plate was the fun one. Root vegetables mixed in with toasted nuts and pumpkin seeds, with dollops of olive paste and a fluff of frozen horseradish cream.  I would go digging amongst the vegetables, find a dollop of something, taste it, and sometimes top it with the cold, foamy horseradish.  Some of the vegetables were roasted chunks, some were thing shavings.  The whole thing was like a playground and I went hopping around, tasting everything until the plate was empty.

The sunchokes were steamed, then flash-fried, so they were tender on the inside but had a crispy crust.  The dried leeks were crispy, the onions tender, and the onion jus rich and almost meaty.  There were slices of apple that had been compressed with wheatgrass, so they had a ring of bright green color around them.  The apple bite started like apple but finished with a bit of grassiness.

Our entrees consisted of pork, hazelnut butter, glazed squash, and pear foam (left) and beef, potatoes, “flavors of charcoal” and crispy beets (right).

Both the pork and beef were a little tough – not as tender as I thought they’d be – but the flavor was wonderful.  Beefy beef and porky pork, if that makes sense.  The glazed squash was tender but not mushy, with just the right sweetness from the glaze.  The potatoes must have been butter poached; they were perfectly cooked and so buttery.  Both dishes were good, perhaps not perfectly executed, but the plates were scraped clean in the end, even though we were getting full and knew we still had dessert to get through.

(left to right: warm chocolate, salted caramel, toffee ice cream)

Dessert is always my favorite course, so I was looking forward to what we’d end up with.  I did ask to substitute the chocolate dessert from the larger tasting menu since the set menu didn’t have a chocolate option. Because they weren’t expecting a large crowd that night (ha!) they let me do that.

The warm chocolate was encased in a thin chocolate meringue shell, with pieces of spongy brown butter cake sprinkled around the plate.  I also had tonka bean ice cream and slices of compressed fennel with lime.  The fennel was crunchy, with anise flavors and a bit of tartness.  All the pieces were fun to eat, but the warm chocolate liquid was smooth and pure chocolate heaven. I almost licked the plate, but restrained myself.

Travis’ toffee ice cream had so many little components! Frosted cranberries and candied cranberries, molasses yogurt sauce and bergamot leaves.  Some sort of root was dried and candied, but I can’t remember what it was.  Lots of different flavors and combinations, although I think the molasses yogurt was Travis’ favorite part.

At the end of the meal, we were served two salted caramel dollops on a chocolate disc. I remember savoring the caramel and whatever filled it, but I also remember thinking that a spoonful of that warm chocolate  would be a good ending, too.

Travis and I have had some crazy, ridiculous meals through the years, although only a select few really stand out.  This one certainly ranked in the top five. So many flavors and components and textures and the whole thing was just so much fun to eat.  I think if we go back to Portland at a different time of year, we’d try to revisit Castagna to see what the menu looks like in another season.

We learned that Chef Justin Woodward got his start in San Diego (and still has family here) in the kitchens of L’Auberge Del Mar, which leads to the next ridiculous meal of 2012…

Happy birthday, babe!

Thanks for taking me to great places, like the smallest park in the world (see above photo), as well as spending lots of well-deserved weekend couch time on our butts.  Sometimes watching movies that turn out to be total chick flicks.

Thanks for making sure we eat lunch on lazy weekends, even when lunch turns out to be mac ‘n cheese from a blue box or reheated leftover crab cakes.  It’s still better than what I would have ended up hunting down when I finally decided I was starving and a bag of bbq potato chips sounds like a balanced meal.

You did not do a great job of slowing time down, since we are apparently just a few months away from our first anniversary as a married couple.  I guess time does fly when you’re having fun, and we certainly seem to have a lot of fun in our lives.

You’ve been amazingly patient and willing as I spontaneously took on Project Doggy Boot Camp, dog-knapping Maya and logging at least 4 walks a week as we explore the streets of Poway.

You’re an amazing man and I’m happy to mark all these milestones in our lives along the way.  Without you, I’d just be a crazy gal with too many dogs, cats, and chickens.  I’d probably be hungry and cold, too, since I have the worst judgement determining whether or not to take a jacket with me.  I love you bunches and I hope the weather gives you a clear, sunny day for your birthday. Something perfect for a motorcycle ride, perhaps.

I have been quite lax in posting these days.  Even worse about documenting what we’ve been eating or cooking, since there has been quite a lot of both going on.  I do have a post in the works about an amazing (amazing!) meal we had in Portland, which leads into another amazing meal we had in San Diego.  For now, I’m reverting to bullet form and apologies.

We took a long weekend trip to Portland in mid-January and ate really well.  I don’t know what you do or see in Portland, but I can tell you what to eat.  And you can do it all without a car – just a transit day pass and some good walking shoes.  According to my pedometer, on our longest day, we racked up over 22,000 steps.

• As soon as we checked into the hotel, we went in search of food trucks.  We found blocks of them all over the place, but my favorite dish came from Nong’s Khao Man Gai – chicken and rice.  In the same block, we ate spam musubi, yakisoba, and a belgian waffle.  Yes, in the same day. And meal.  It was glorious.
• We visited Voodoo Doughnuts twice and it was just okay.  It was great because there weren’t any lines, and the maple bacon doughnut was delicious, but the other ones we tried were too sweet and not mind-blowing enough to bring home.
• We tried to visit Pok Pok, but they were closed for renovations.  Luckily, right across the street was another gathering of food trucks, including a pie truck!  We ate some argentinian food and pie inside the beer truck’s heated tent.  So fun!
• Hair of the Dog Brewing Company serves a pickle plate that is to die for.  I wish we were hungry enough to sample the rest of their menu along with the beers, but you have to try their pickles.  Also, they are really close to the bridge to take you back into downtown, so it’s pretty walkable.
• East of the river, right off the #15 bus line, is Pine State Biscuits.  It is tiny, with 3 or 4 tables, and you order at a counter and then wait for heaven on a plate to be delivered, but you have to go.  Soft, buttery biscuits; crispy, moist fried chicken; and drool-worthy sausage gravy. I recommend the one with apple butter on top.  DELISH.
• The last morning in town, we had breakfast at Kenny and Zuke’s and ended up bringing home bialys.  The pastrami was delicious and the garlic bialy was worth the garlic breath.  Much better than our breakfast at Byways Cafe.  If we’d had more time, I would have lobbied for a repeat of fried chicken biscuit sandwich.
• We ate a lot of donuts, to the point where Travis stopped wanting to eat any more donuts, and I’m starting to wonder if maybe I’m just not a donut lover.  I didn’t fall in love with any of them.

Then we came home and celebrated my birthday, which happily falls during Restaurant Week.  We tried to go to Cucina Urbana when we landed, but it was way too busy (at 9 pm!!) so we ended up at Banker’s Hill where we had delicious short ribs and salted caramel pudding.  We did get to have dinner at Cucina Urbana on my birthday, where beet salad and chocolate budino was greatly appreciated.  The ricotta gnudi they had on the SDRW menu was also delightful.

Travis bought me a temperature controller for my birthday and a new cookbook, so we turned my crockpot into a sous vide chamber and made 36-hour short ribs, pork loin, and various veggies.  It was quite fun and I’m looking forward to playing with it all more.

Burgers and a cinnamon shake at Smashburger killed some time as we waited for a new baby to arrive (love you, baby K!)

On Super Bowl Sunday, I learned that Travis fries up perfect wings and that I enjoy hot wings more than I ever though possible.  Crispy, tender wings in a buttery hot sauce that you get to eat with your fingers?  Perfect snack food, I think.  I am a blue cheese dipper, not ranch.

I don’t know what we’ll do for Valentine’s Day, but it will probably be something at home.  No crowds or high-priced menu packages to deal with, plus I get to collapse onto the couch in my comfy pants afterwards.

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

We’ve been going through a lot of greens lately – for smoothies, juices, sautees, etc.  So, when Jen from BAM Communications mentioned organicgirl salad products, I was intrigued.  A little while later, a box arrived on our porch with romaine hearts, baby spring mix, and supergreens.

Each container has a plastic hard cover, but it’s also sealed with plastic on top.  Until you unseal it, the greens stay fresh (and pre-washed!) for quite a while, but the plastic top means that if you don’t use it all, you can easily keep it stored in the fridge.

All this convenience and ease really came in handy one night when it became dinner time and we were starving after work.  A few days earlier, I had brought home pre-sliced ribeye from Zion Market and some bulgogi marinade.  Along with a pot of rice and some lettuce, a plan for dinner was born.

The meat went in for a quick marinade, courtesy of my new vacuum marinator container.  As the pot of rice started going, I cooked up the meat in a wok, letting the marinade reduce a little and the edges of the meat crisp up.  A dish of sesame oil and salt for dipping, and dinner was ready.  In and out in less than 30 minutes.

We sat down with plates of rice and meat, grabbing a romaine leaf out of its container and filling it with tasty goodness.  The romaine was crisp and tender and the perfect vessel for a meaty bite.  It was incredibly easy to pluck a piece out, especially knowing I hadn’t had to separate the leaves, wash, and then dry them.

I am slightly conflicted between convenience and excess packaging, but I’m slightly less guilt-ridden knowing the greens containers are made of recycled material and are recyclable.  You can find organicgirl greens at Ralphs, Jimbo’s, and Vons.

Now… how best to enjoy the salad greens without feeling like I’m eating a salad? Perhaps something like this?

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.

Travis had other plans that night, so our friend Ben stepped in as my dinner date.  We had a little scheduling snafu at the hostess desk, but after that we were well taken care of by all the staff and Sara, the general manager.

As soon as we were seated, champagne (delicious!) and their signature Seafood Napolean appetizer appeared on the table.  The napolean is a stack of avocado, crab, and spicy tuna, topped with caviar and served with toasted baguette slices. Osetra has a new raw bar, which features sushi, scallops, clams, mussels, oysters, and crab, most of which is farmed locally in San Diego.  The spicy tuna is their own secret recipe, but none of the flavors mask the freshness of the tuna itself.

We also got to try the Spicy Tempura Tuna Roll and Sashimi Tuna (which is really more like seared tuna).  The tempura roll was really light and crispy, which I liked since I tend to run into tempura rolls that are too heavily battered and get soggy too quickly.  The tuna kind of gets lost in all the sushi rice and tempura, but as a whole, the bite was extremely tasty.  The seared tuna was probably the favorite of the appetizers. I don’t know how tuna can be “meaty”, but this tuna was, in a good way!  Very tender, very fresh, yet with a good meaty texture and a very nice house made soy sauce reduction.  Each plate had a little salad of mixed greens and pineapple salsa, which we probably would have finished if we hadn’t been busy stuffing our mouths with non-salad items.

The Valentine’s Day oyster shooters (Cupid Shooters) are oysters with grapefruit juice, grapefruit infused vodka (again, house made), and topped with caviar.  We also tried a couple of oysters from Carlsbad Aquafarms with Osetra’s spicy vodka mix on top.  Both oysters were delicious – fresh and clean and slippery – but I wasn’t really loving the grapefruit flavors with the oyster.  We told Sara the spicy shooters were our favorite, and then she brought them out the way they’re normally served – in a salt-rimmed glass with a wedge of lime.  I had to drink some of the liquid first before finishing the shooter, and then we had to let our mouths cool down a bit from all that spice, but it was very tasty.  I may be more of an oyster purist, though, as I think I prefer my oysters with just a dash of heat and a squeeze of lemon.  Knowing the quality of the oysters at Osetra, though, I wouldn’t hesitate to get a few on the half shell.

When we were perusing the menu earlier, Ben pointed out the mahi mahi with lobster mashed potatoes, so that’s the entree they brought out for us to try.  They split it into two portions, which is why the fish might look a little small for an entree.  I found the edges of the mahi mahi to be a little dry (perhaps because it was smaller?) but the center was perfectly cooked and moist.  The winner on the plate, though, was the lobster mashed potatoes, hands down.  Creamy, buttery, with little bits of lobster mixed in – I tried to eat every last morsel but I was just getting too full.

But, never too full for dessert!  Sara came by to let us know we’d be sampling their chocolate mousse, which will be served in a heart, for those of you looking to dine out on V-Day.  They also have a tiramisu, cannoli, and creme brulee.  I was trying to decide if we should go for a creme brulee or cannoli, but Sara said we didn’t have to choose!  I love not having to choose!  Especially if it results in more sweets to try.

The chocolate mousse was layered with raspberry mousse, with a small well of raspberry gel in the middle.  But, it wasn’t very mousse-y; it was dense and almost a little cakey. Chocolate-y and rich, just not what you’d expect from a mousse.  The cannoli was freshly filled with a house made filling and it was amazing. If we’d been at home, I would have just picked it up with my hands and nibbled at it, licking my fingers after I was done.  But, we weren’t at home and i was sharing, so we just shattered it with spoons and forks and scooped it like civilized people.  The creme brulee was my favorite.  I love a good creme brulee and this was silky and rich with a good, crackly sugar crust.  Creme brulee may not be an adventurous dessert, but when it’s done well it’s amazing.

From start to finish, it was an amazing meal and very enjoyable.  It makes me happy that the desserts are as well done as the rest of the dishes, especially since I’m one of those people who needs to end a meal with something sweet.

Osetra will offer their Cupid Shooters through the 15th, in case you’d like to skip the V-Day crowds and celebrate the day after.  But, all the other dishes are featured on their regular menu, ready for you whenever you’d like.

Many thanks to BAM Communications and Osetra for providing us with an amazing dinner and top-notch service.