I met a customer at my job that worked at Southwest Airlines and we decided to meet-up to talk “business”. He wanted to meet me at Denny’s, but I saw L&L BBQ in the same parking lot and changed plans. I have driven by this place many times and a saw an L&L cup in my cousins car a couple weeks ago. Yelp has this spot rated at 3.5/5 stars. I didn’t have my good camera, so had to use Iphone 5. I spent $2,000 on a new one so get ready for better pictures!
Outside view
Hermmm…what to get?!
View from our table
LL cool J
I decided to go with the BBQ Chicken plate - “mini” size cause I wasn’t that hungry! It came with 2 large slabs of chicken, a scoop of macaroni salad, and a scoop of rice.
BBQ Chicken - MmMMmm chick…un! That’s what ran through my head when I took the 1st bite. The chicken slab was cut perfectly not to thick, not to thin, with just enough fat. It was smokey, sweet, cooked perfectly, and you could tell it was BBQ’d on a grill.
Macaroni Salad - The macaroni was swimming in Mayo! I had to eat a little at a time and then eat rice and chicken to balance it =(.
Rice - One baby scoop is not enough! I’m Asian for fuck-sake! Then again, I did order the “mini” size.
Dat Mango-Orange drank!
BBQ Chicken Masubi - My friend ordered this: I kept wishing there was Spam inside!
Another view
He also ordered fries - mehh…I think these are those Ore-Ida fries that come in a bag!
Hawaiian Dranks
Coffee…….I mean Teriyaki sauce and Soy sauce
Tips
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*Pros
-Food comes out fast
-The BBQ Chicken is yummy!
*Cons
-I think it’s a little pricey, that lil “mini” size plate I ordered was $5.99 and that lil Chicken sushi deal was $2.85
-No public bathroom, I had to use Subway’s bathroom next door
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The Bottom line
This place was good for a change, but I it’s too pricey for what you get. Yelp has it rated at 3.5 and I see why. I might come back and try the Chicken Katsu.
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1860 Sweetwater Rd Ste B (at Prospect St) National City, CA91950 Neighborhood: National City
I was getting an oil change at the Lemon Grove Honda location and it was lunch time. I searched nearby restaurants and came across Coop’s Texas BBQ. I’ve been eating philipino and mexican food so BBQ sounded good for a change. Yelp has it rated 4.5/5 stars out of 420 reviews, so this place has to be good! The reason Coops’s opened is because the owner’s father cooked him some BBQ and he brought it to work. Everyone said open a restaurant, so he did!
Coop’s is tucked away in a little strip mall
Menu
Specials
I ordered the 2 Meat and 2 Side Combo with a Sweet Tea. I picked the Southwest Jerk Chicken and the Beef Ribs. For sides I went with Collard Greens and Cornbread. It was like $15 with tax and the $2 off Yelp check-in coupon.
Another View
They gave me a damn brontosaurus beef dinosaur rib! This was the biggest damn rib that I’ve ever seen. It was OK. It wasn’t fall of the bone, but it wasn’t the best ribs either. I should of got the brisket or the pork ribs!
Yelpers raved about the Sweet Tea here so I had to get it. I ordered it up front and got my cup. I checked the soda machine and couldn’t find it! I looked around and I saw a huge Home Depot barrel water dispenser, this had to be it! It tasted just how I like it, sweet as fuck! It was perfect with a lot of ice. The whole time I was eating people were hitting up the Home Depot lol, like a line at a water fountain.
Another thing Yelpers raved about was dat Southwest Jerk Chicken. It was so goooood! This is how chicken is supposed to taste! Super smokey, moist, tender, juicy, and had incredible flavor! All I needed was some damn rice and it would have been perfect! I should of got the red beans and rice but I just ate it with my cornbread. There was enough on this plate to feed at least 2 people, definitely a must try!
Another Yelp recommendation, the Collard Greens. This is straight Soul Food right here! I haven’t had many Collard Greens, but these are the the best I’ve ever had! Super tender, cooked perfectly, not too salty, and the flavor was so rich! I dipped my cornbread in the juice like a bowss! In one of the Yelp reviews the guy said he should of doubled up on the Collards, I should have listened!
Dat cornbread! The cornbread was typical, nothing special, but still good. I think it tasted better when I ate it that night!
Bakery area - I didn’t get to try the Peach Cobbler or the Sweet Potato Pie, maybe next time!
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*Pros
-This is a Soul Food spot! Everything you eat taste like they put love in it!
-They make you feel right at home when your here. The staff is super nice. The cashier NaNa was super nice, she could read my facial expressions: I saw the guy after me get his food first and I glanced at her and she said I’m sorry we got your order mixed up and it’s almost done! I asked for a to go bag and she had one right at her hip and handed it to me. I was taking pictures of the menu and she said “don’t go stealing our secrets na!”She was real easy going and friendly!
-Great people, great food, great experience!
-If you check in on Yelp the first time you get $2 off a dinner combo.
*Cons
-I think it’s a little pricey, but you get what you pay for!
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The Bottom line
If you want some good Jerk Chicken, Collard Greens, and Sweet Tea come to Coop’s! I hear the Brisket, Pulled Pork, Rib Tips and other stuff is good, but I can only tell you from experience! Service is a 5 and food is a solid 4/4.5!
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2625 Lemon Grove Ave (between Mount Vernon St & Cypress Ave) Lemon Grove, CA91945 Neighborhood: Lemon Grove
I was introduced to this Food Truck by my cousin Sean. We came by after the gym one day and now it’s pretty much a ritual to come at least once a week. It’s parked beside a discount clothing store and is across the street from a Home Depot. There is always customers! It’s only $1 for a fish taco and it’s worth every penny! The soup is free too! This is the only fish taco spot that I know that sells Churros! These are not your regular Churros! They are filled with cateja which is a a Mexican confection of thickened syrup usually made of sweetened caramelized milk. It takes it to the next level, only cost $1, and is a must try!
The truck
Panoramic
Pick your poison: Blue cap is my favorite! Not too spicy and great flavor!
One of the many plates: 2 fish tacos, extra lime, soup
Another pic
Family style
Churros are the truth! Churros are filled with cateja which is a a Mexican confection of thickened syrup usually made of sweetened caramelized milk!
Insides #1
Insides #2 - sometimes the veggies are hit or miss. If you compare this to the one above there is no tomatoes =(
Insides #3 Sometimes they are heavy on the sour cream
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*Pros
-Cheap! $1 Fish tacos, $1 Churros, Free soup!
-Fast service, less than 5 minute wait time!
-Food is scrumdiliumptious!
*Cons
-There’s not one closer to where I live! This is about 20 minutes away =(
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The Bottom line
I am addicted to fish tacos and this is the main reason! It’s dollar menu cheap and extra delicious! The Churros are amazing! If your anywhere near this truck come and visit!
I got invited to try the sister restaurant of Toast - Enoteca and Cucina, Acqua Al 2. The website was really nice,the menu was exciting, and I’m always down for fine dining! Acqua Al 2 is rated 3/5 stars on Yelp…let’s see what happens!
Street view
Outside menu display
Dining table set-up
Place mat
Our seats - secluded and private, liked it and didn’t like it. Away from from everyone, but not much to look at.
Wine menu on Ipad
Front of menu
Pellegrino - Sparkling Water
Bread and bean dip - Bread was super soft like a cloud and it was extra fresh, the bean dip was ok. We destroyed the bread in two minutes, it never got replenished =(.
Filetto al Mirtilio, $33 A hand carved fillet mignon topped with a blueberry sauce.
This dish was highly recommended on Yelp, so I went with it! I love blueberries and strawberries! The presentation was beautiful. A nice boulder of filet mignon sitting in a moat of blueberries, with strawberries and a green garnish.
The steak was cooked perfectly with a nice char on the outside and it was super tender. Pile on some blueberries and it’s a match made in heaven! I was ready to slap someone it was so good! It just works, the blueberries and the filet compliment each other so well! I couldn’t stop smiling after each bite and my uncle and cousin were equally amused! I was wiping every last morsel of blueberry with my steak and fork! This is a must try!
I was ready to cut up my strawberries and add it the blueberry mix but the strawberries were bad! I told the manager later and she didn’t do anything =(.
Controfiletto alla Griglia, $26 A hand carved New York steak grilled and served on a bed of fresh arugula.
My uncle went with the New York steak. I was surprised how big it was! It dwarfed my filet and I was pretty jealous, but the filet was superior in taste! It was also cooked perfectly and was delicious.
Tagliata all’Arancio in Focaccia, $30 Grilled New York steak, sliced and served on a bed of arugula on a focaccia bread and topped with an orange glaze.
My cousin went with the grilled New York Steak. I loved the presentation. I like the twisted orange slice on top and the colors. I like the way it was cut like an accordion. The arugula had a nice orange glaze and it gave it a unique flavor. My cousin wasn’t a huge fan of the arugula, but I liked it. My cousin couldn’t stop talking about the focccia bread….super fresh and fluffy!
Farfalline alla Zucca, side order $8 Bowtie pasta with an italian zucchini, garlic and rosemary sauce and a touch of Parmesan cheese.
They ran out of Zucchini so they replaced it with pumpkin. It sounded interesting so I tried it. It was pretty good, I was so blown away by the Blueberry Filet that I wanted to get the same feeling with this dish. The manager came by I ended up switching it for the Maccheroni alla Vodka. I should of kept it. The pumpkin chunks were cooked perfectly.
Maccheroni alla Vodka Penne pasta with a milk and vodka sauce and a touch of tomato sauce.
This dish had a sharp cheddar taste but I wasn’t too thrilled, I’m not a huge macaroni and cheese guy.
Aftermath
Destroyed it, looks like a bludgeoning!
Clean!
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*Pros
-The food is really good. Flavorful, great presentation, and cooked perfectly!
-They made sure the water was always filled
*Cons
-The service was lacking! We ran out bread quick and it was never replenished. We ordered a second bottle of Pellegrino and it never came out. Our waiter had a bad cold, should of stayed home, I’m not trying to get sick! I told manager that my strawberries were bad and she kind of brushed it off.
-At about $40 a person this place is pretty pricey for most people. It’s what i expect from a fine dining spot, but the service better be on point.
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The Bottom line
The Blueberry Filet Mignon is the shit! You have to try it! This is definitely a place to come to for a special occasion! Step up your service and this will easily be a 4/4.5 star spot. I think service is like 3.5 and food is a solid 4.
We had the second food blogger meet-up at Buffalo Wild Wings. “B-Dubs” is very popular in Florida where I use to live. This location has only been open for a couple of months and Yelpers have it rated as 2.5/5 stars over 60 reviews(not a good sign!). It was nice inside with TV’s everywhere, but no pool tables like Florida =(.
Outside view, it was packed! We would try to come on a game night
TV’s on TV’s
Menu
Salsa was yummy! Chunky and not spicy at all
Chili Con Queso Dip AKA Nachos - This is about as good as munchies gets, It needed a higher meat to cheese ratio!
Huckleberry Limeade - Blend of huckleberry, lime sour and Sprite
They messed up our first order, so they let us keep it and brought out the correct order too! We had an army of boneless wings! There was two or three of each flavor: Parmesan Garlic, Asian Zing, Honey BBQ, Mango Habanero, and Spicy Garlic
Asian Zing! I thought this was Honey BBQ, until I looked at the little sticker….FAIL!
Oh, so here’s the Honey BBQ! It was super under-sauced! It looked like someone put sauce on a small paintbrush and hit each nugget with two strokes….FAIL!
So many wangs left over, but we destroyed them when we got home!
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*Pros
-Salsa is was chunky and delicious!
-The place is nice, it’s only been open for a couple months. There’s TV’s everywhere and has a cool vibe! It was game night and there was yelling from fans all night.
-They have specials: the day we went it was a couple bucks off any boneless wings!
*Cons
-The food was alright, Some of the wings barely had sauce on them =(. We sent them back to get sauced properly and they still came back dry.
-The service blows! We had a party of 8-10 and took 2 hours to get another table. The hostesses were clueless. It was game night and it was very busy, but you could tell there was no organization! Our waitress even told us she quit because of all the chaos! A manager came by and we were suppose to get comped for some our food but they messed up our first order and just let us keep the messed up order too.
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The Bottom line
I’d rather go to wing stop! I can see why this had a 2.5/5 star rating on Yelp. This place is run by a lot of high school young-ins and lacks leadership and organization. I’d give it 3 stars, maybe they are still trying to figure things out and it was just a super busy night.
I got invited to try On The Border - Mexican Grill and Cantina. I love Mexican food and Margaritas so this was an easy choice! This is rated 3/5 stars on Yelp and my sister said the one by her sucks, but I can’t turn down free food! There has got to be something good here!
Outdoor seating - view from the parking lot
Indoor dining room
Menu
Chips and salsa: The salsa was not a bit spicy, that’s what I like =). It had nice flavor, I could eat this all day. The chips were huge! We had to break most of them in half. The second plate of chips we got had a black burnt chip in it. We ate the first bowl of salsa so fast we ran outta chips and vice versa with the chips. I had to flag down our waitress both times for refills, I actually yelled her name like 5 times as she walked by to get her attention. She had like 7 tables and didn’t keep a good eye on ours.
Dat burnt chip =(
Margarita menu
$12 Herradura Margarita - This was a strong top shelf margarita! I was tipsy after a few sips =) Pricey lil drink, but it hit the spot.
My aunt ordered the $6 house mango margarita - It didn’t taste like mango and it was poorly made. Maybe the regular flavor tastes better? I wouldn’t get this again. On Yelp, they talk about a watermelon margarita, but I read about it too late and it’s not the menu. I think it’s on the happy hour menu.
Dos XX Fish tacos: Large portions of fish per taco, but no flavor! It tasted like flour tortilla and bland fried fish. I couldn’t taste the pico de gallo or the creamy red chile sauce. When I look at this picture it looks like they forgot the red chile sauce! I knew it needed sauce! I even compared it to the on the border website….it’s clearly missing! I am a fish taco addict! This is bottom of the barrel in my book. I’d like to take on the border to some local fish taco trucks and have them taste a real fish taco! After I ate half of one taco and let my uncle try a bite, I sent it back and went with the Enchilada sampler that our waitress recommended. The Dos XX taco needs more veggies, needs the sauce that it says it comes with, and some seasoning!
Tres Enchiladas: Cheese & Onion with red chile sauce Shredded or Ground Beef with red chile sauce Slow-cooked Pulled Chicken with sour cream sauce Spinach & Mushroom with sour cream sauce Pork with tomatillo sauce. I liked this dish because you can’t really get tired of anything. I took a bite of the green, bite of the white, bite of the brown and repeated. My favorite is the brown one, the sauce was delicious!
My uncle ordered the Chimichanga. I tried some and the meat was moist and flavorful.
My cousin ordered the Border Sampler:Chicken Quesadillas, Steak Nachos and Chicken Flautas. Served with guacamole, sour cream, pico de gallo and original queso. He almost finished it and I tried a steak nacho, again nothing special.
My aunt ordered the Del Rio: A seasoned, Grilled Fish Taco, a guacamole tostada, and a Chicken Enchilada with sour cream sauce. I only tried a bite of this, nothing special.
Wall decor
Super crowded! They need bigger tables!
Half-way done and my cheek is numb!
Wall decor
Bar area
Neon’s by the bar
Beer bottle chandelier this thing is awesome!
Another view!
To go
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*Pros
-Salsa is good!
-The place is nice, outside signs are bright like Vegas. The beer bottle chandeliers in the bar are awesome!
-The dining area is clean and nicely decorated. The lighting inside is nice.
*Cons
-The food is just OK!
-The service is lacking! Our waitress Jessica was very nice and bubbly, but she wasn’t attentive enough. Maybe, there a waitress called out and she had to pick up the slack? We ran out of salsa quick and had to yell at her to get her attention and the same thing happened with the chips. After our food came out, she did a quick check-up and didn’t check up on us for at least 15 minutes. I was ready to send back my dish after 2 bites and she was running around crazy.
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The Bottom line
I hear the happy hour is good here, so I’d probably come back for that and try it out. The food is just OK and the service wasn’t too good. There are too many taco shops in San Diego that are cheaper and taste better for me to want to come back here. I think this is truly a 3 star restaurant!
The Grand Finale of the sizzling five-day festival is the star-studded Grand Tasting Event held November 17 on the Embarcadero Marina Park North behind Seaport Village. Take in the beautiful San Diego Bay and enjoy the ocean breeze as you partake in the largest, most talked about wine and food festival in Southern California.
*70 of San Diego’s Top Chefs Your inner foodie will be in heaven as you taste cuisine from over 70 of the city’s most talented chefs as they pull out all the stops to wow you for their chance to win over $50,000 in cash and prizes!
*Gourmet Foods, Art & More! As if 70 chefs weren’t enough we’ve also brought together just over 30 gourmet food companies for you to nosh your way through.
170 Wine & Spirit Purveyors With over 700 different wines being poured at this year’s Grand Tasting, we challenge you to pick out just one favorite! Taste from a wide range of domestic and international wineries, discover new labels to add to your home collection, and visit old favorites.
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Nom Nom time:
So, I went to this meet-up to watch the James Bond - Skyfall movie. The host planned another meet-up for the San Diego Food and Wine Festival: Grand Tasting. I was kind of skeptical at first cause of the price $125 for Food and Wine or $75 for just Food. The host told me that it’s the largest Food and Wine Festival in Southern California…that was all I needed to hear. I’m not really a wine fan and I had to work a couple hours after the event so I went with the just food ticket.
So I get there super early cause I didn’t know where this was. I ended up parking like 10 minutes away and walking to the festival. The walk to the festival was interesting..I passed by the USS Midway, a whole bunch of boats, there were bums and tourists all over the place, a guy blowing huge bubbles, this guy stacking rocks, street performers/dancers, exotic bird displays, and the weather was perfect. There was one homeless lady complimenting everyone as they walked by. Some guy was running and she yells have a good run! I walked by and she said I love your red shoes! That made my day. At the festival they were giving out free fancy Perrier waters and drinks. On the walk back to my car after the festival, I gave drinks to all the homeless.
I checked in and waited in line to get in. The gave you this plate that could hold your wine glass and a bag to hold all your freebies and wine bottles if you bought some.
Wine glass and plate
It was crazy I had my SLR camera around my neck, plate in one hand with the wine glass attached, and a wine bag filled with free drinks, flyers, and coupons. I dropped at least 4 dishes cause my hands were so full.
After 20 minutes I realized they were not checking wristbands to get wine! It was so busy that no one even cared! After trying like 10 wines, tequilas, and shots of random stuff…I was buzzed and in a food coma. It was rinse and repeat….food, wine, dessert, food, wine, dessert, dessert, wine, wine, food. They had every kind of wine and every type of food. You could get stone crab claws, burgers, jelly beans, fine chocolates, fish tacos, banh mi, cupcakes…and you could go back in line as many times as you wanted! If you love food and wine the San Diego food and wine festival is about that life! This is a must go to every year.
Free bread on the way in! So fresh!
Free Aqua Panna at the entrance
Hoards of hungry zombies!
My 1st plate
Little desserts that looked like sushi - they had a banner that said they won Cupcake Wars on the Food Network
Cake, Cake, Cake, Cake, Cake, Cake!
Another plate…burp! (From Romesco’s ^)
Some marinara stuff and stone crab…mmmm crab!
Rubio’s shrimp taco
Beef something
Wild Salmon with veggies: So goood! The skin was extra crispy!
ErmMmMmmm scallops!
Lil bourbon milkshakes with bacon for straws
Mini burgers
Bacon
Made by locally sourced white guys…lol
Cupcakes basking in the shade
Jelly Beans!
Lil cakes!
Seasons 52 - Always wanted to try this place in Florida!
Seasons 52 - Desserts
Seasons 52 - Pecan Pie, Rocky Road, Chocolate, and Carrot
Slaters 50/50 burger and pound/red velvet cake
Chocolate covered potato chips…uh huh…throws in bag
Firecracker chocolate AKA Pop rocks in my chocolate….uh huh throws in bag! It really crackled!
Beef and stuff
Raw seafood that I stayed away from
A little pork dish
We took a break from the madness and enjoyed the view!
Let there be wine - Toast Enoteca and Cucina was there!
Pick your poison
Dat sangria!
Put a lil fruit in that bit!
Oh heyyy!
Dueces
Stella Snow bunny!
Stella Artois booth
Stella pourin up
Packed in front Stella booth
Joia - good soda!
Straight whisky with one big ass ice cube!
Big Boy Patron!
Dat Korean wine AKA Korean purple drank! Raspberry sake is the truth!
Self portrait
Cookin up!
Slack!!
We took a nap in the shade after the festival, this my view! =)
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*Pros
-The food and wine is amazing
-I got to try wines from all over the place and I only paid for the food ticket. Keep this in mind next year, don’t pay the extra $75 for wine.
-The venue at Seaport Village is amazing
-If you live food and wine, you must attend this event!
This place has been on my hit list for awhile. It is rated 4.5/5 stars on Yelp, it’s close to my gym, and close to my job. I just got off work and was hungry AF, figured it was a good time to finally try it out! The parking lot was extra full, that’s a good sign! I pull up to the drive thru order menu say hello and no one answers. I pull up to the 2nd window and the lady takes my order.
Drive-thru window…Thirsty? Yes!
Fianlly home! Nicely wrapped plates with limes!
Plate #1: $1.85 Adobada(broiled marinated pork) taco. They couldn’t stop talking about this melty goodness on Yelp, so I had to try one! I see this Adobada taco or burrito on a lot of menus but never tried it before. This is good stuff! It had deep flavor and was very well seasoned. Its nice for a change cause I’ve been devouring fish tacos and carne asada burritos. The smell of fresh veggies and meat filled my car on the way home, it was torture! Pulling over crossed my mind…
Another angle of the Adobada taco. It needed a little more meat, look in there! Skimp! It was delicious though!
I’m not usually a fan of the double tortilla but it was so good! I read on Yelp that the tortillas are made on the spot and you can watch the lady make them inside. I’ll get pictures next time!
Plate #2: $1.85 each/ Carne Asada tacos with guacamole overflow!
This blunt wasn’t rolled very well but I’ll take the extra meat,veggies, and the guac! This taco was bursting with flavor. Super smokey, fresh Guac and veggies and a little spicy kick at the end! You can tell this like a secret recipe that only the “family” knows….it’s that good!
2nd taco was much more proportioned
Limes: Lookin fresh! Sigh…I inhaled the 3 tacos so fast that I forgot the limes! FML!
Aftermath
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*Pros
-Fast and friendly service
-Tacos are super flavorful!
-High quality ingredients
-Homemade tortillas are bomb! They are tasty and hold up well
*Cons
-Fuck! They don’t have burritos!
-At $1.85 a taco, it’s a little high. Although, you get what you pay for!
-I’ll 6 of these to hit the spot!
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The Bottom line
Hell yes! I’ll be back and I’m bringing people with me! If you like tacos, fuck it, if you love food, you should go here ASAP Rocky! 4.5/5 stars is correct, bring in burritos and I’ll give you 5!
Just left the gym with my cousin and it’s time to eat! We got in the huddle, and agreed on this Pho place called Pho Nam Cali
Front of menu
View from our table
Pho prices
Pho toppings (comes with your Pho) - Fresh basil, bell sprouts, lime, and jalapenos. It tasted 100x better with lime! The basil smelled really good, it was fresh AF! Bell sprouts were snappy and I skipped out on on the jalapenos.
I was hurting from the gym, so I decided to take the healthy route and go rabbit mode. Vegetarian and tofu Pho. It was delicious, the soup had deep flavor, the veggies were cooked perfectly soaking in that soupy goodness. For $7, there should be a little more veggies. I haven’t ate tofu in awhile and I’m not really a fan. It taste like meaty jello, I ate it with a gulp of soup and I was good to go.
Dat tofu
Shroom
Sammies, Dine-in extra $1?! GTFO with that BS!
My cousin went with the “Special Sandwich”(BBQ pork, cold cut ham, pork meat loaf, pate). It was decent, the bread was toasted too much and the jalapeno was like fire.
Dessert menu looks promising! Flan mmm! Thai Halo halo? WTF? Shoulda asked about that. I saw people ordering smoothies when we were leaving, those looked good too.
Wall art
Condiments - Siracha etc.
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*Pros
-Fast service
*Cons
-Food was just ok, I need more bang for my buck!
-Service was ok, all the waiters were stone faced, and I had to pour my soup into the to go container. That -tip points!
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The Bottom line
I’m not a Pho or Viet sandwich expert, but I won’t be back here. I looked at some other spots and they are a little cheaper and the service is probably better. Dueces!
I was finishing up my laundry and my stomach growled. I quickly pulled out me iphone and searched good old Yelp. I searched far and wide and finally came across Minh Ky Chinese/Vietnamese Restaurant. The reviews were really good, it was rated 4/5 stars, and it wasn’t too far.
This is a hole in the wall restaurant in “China/Viet town” it was surrounded by Pho eateries, Chinese bakeries, and Viet Dentists.
Outside view, lil hood spot
Front page of menu
Inside view from our table: cozy little dining room, seats like 20
Lemon tea $2! This drink is the truth, I could drink this all day. They need to bottle this and serve it to the masses! If you like tea or lemonade this is your shit!
I ordered the Dumpling & Wonton Egg Noodles Soup $5.25. People couldn’t stop raving about this dish on Yelp. It was pretty good. It tasted like if you ate this everyday you would live longer or if you were sick you’d instantly be healed. The Dumplings and Wontons were scrumptious, but after that, it was just your typical Pho dish.
My cousin ordered the Shrimp Crispy Noodles $7.25. This is what Crispy noodles is suppose to taste like. There’s a spot called Harry’s in Sacramento that has a dish like this, I ordered it like 5 times in 3 days. I will be back for this! Next time i’ll add chicken and beef in that bit.
Another dish that Yelpers recommended was the Walnut shrimp, I couldn’t find it on the menu.
I looked around and saw that it was on the specials menu. I’ve tried this before at Golden Chopstix in National City and this is equally delicious! It’s a manage-tois(threesome) between white milky sauce, shrimp, and some walnuts. This is definitely one of there best dishes!
Condiments
No fortune cookies here, this is a guava/melon hard candy. It’s like an Asian Jolly Rancher.
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*Pros
- Cheap prices: $28 before tip for 3 people
- Fast service: Our food came in less than 5 minutes
- Food is great!
*Cons
-The workers didn’t know what Yelp was, then again they barely understood English ——————————————————————————————————————
*The Bottom line
I’m coming back for sure. The service is fast, food is cheap, food is great. I’d give it a solid 4.5/5 stars.
I just moved to San Diego on October 1st and I’m ready to eat everywhere I’ve never been…….literally. I heard about meetup.com from a friend and decided to try it out. I found a last minute food blogger meetup and hauled ass. I almost gave up when I got there cause parking was a bitch. Anyway, the meetup was a Toast - Enoteca and Cucina. I looked it up briefly before I left. I was thinking Toast? probably wine n drankin. Enoteca? WTF does this mean? Cucina? oh ya, kitchen. I’m not really a wine fan, but I decided to go anyway in hopes to find blogging inspiration.
Toast - Enoteca and Cucina is a hip, upscale, Italian food and wine bar. They are located in downtown San Diego near Petco Park.
You get wine by the bottle, by the glass, or by try a sample of the wines from the machine using a money card.
The wine menu is on an Ipad!
View from my seat
Table view
One of the wines I sampled, the machine was out of wine. One of the waiters quickly took care of it. They brought a new bottle to the table and filled half my glass.
Another wine I sampled, the description got me but the pear one was better
After careful studying of the menu, I ordered the ($12) Italian sausage pizza AKA
PIZZA ALLE SALSICCE E POMODORINI
Cherry tomatoes, mozzarella and Italian Sausage
I decided to make the pizza “healthier” by adding seasonal vegetables that I saw on another pizza, hence the garden you see in the picture. It would of tasted better without it but yeah I looked at it like eat the salad off the slice then eat the pizza and it worked out. It wasn’t your typical veggies that you would see at Pizza Hut, it was brussel sprouts and kale….straight rabbit mode. The crust was super thin and crispy, the veggies were extra fresh, the cheese was the perfect amount, and it didn’t take long for it come out. At $12 bucks, it’s about what you would expect from an upscale joint.
One of my counter parts ordered the ($14) “Italian bacon pizza”.
PIZZA AL PROSCIUTTO
Pomodoro sauce, mozzarella and prosciutto di Parma
I tried a slice, but it wasn’t anything special to me. I kept wishing it was real bacon.
The meetup host ordered a Salmon dish, that was not on the menu. I believe it was the fish of the day. I sent a message on the website trying to find out more details but still no response =(. I tried a piece of this and man it was good. I could inhale this dish. It was cooked perfectly, moist, and super salmony.
Free dessert! Apple pie with pannacotta gelato. It was ok, I kept wishing it was Vanilla ice cream. The gelato was meh!
Bar area
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*Pros
- Cool and unique environment (Ipad, wine machines, clean inside and upscale look and feel)
- Good food and wine
- The service is great (attentive and not pushy, water was filled at all times, empty wine machine was fixed quickly, we got a free dessert)
*Cons
- The house water is bleh! Taste like it came from the faucet or a garden hose. I expect more from an upscale joint.
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*The Bottom line
I would definitely come back! Plus I still have money on my wine card, but i’m getting bottled water next time. With the great service, food, wine, and free dessert this is a solid 4/5 star restaurant.
The other two people that showed up are part of a digital marketing company to promote restaurants. They said will pay me to eat and blog about other restaurants…we’ll see! They even paid for my dinner this night! Finally, the inspiration I needed to start this food blog.
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