After dropping off TC and my friend's lunch, we headed down to downtown Chula Vista.
I wanted to take Bert to Indulge where I had recently enjoyed lunch with TA...
Info for the red/orange/yellow "sun" sculpture, entitled "Chromata Sol":
The view from our booth.
I snapped a shot of their revamped menu before it was taken away (click to make larger). The server told us there were a few offerings not listed on the older menu like the Short Rib (which we wanted but it wasn't ready yet), the Indulge burger with some sort of pedigreed beef (it was from Open Space Farms), and a prosciutto sandwich.
I didn't realize it until we went again (the next morning for breakfast) but the centerpieces are real! I thought the pears and apples were artificial! The floral arrangements were really pretty with fall colors and fruits. They didn't have out when I went a few days before. They added a nice touch.
Near the bathroom, I took a quick peek into one of the cases. There's Jamaica tea and mint tea in the pitchers. In the glass containers are two housemade preserves - pineapple and strawberry.
Bert's house coffee before he added his cream and sugar (liked the cup and the squarish handle). This time, I tried the decaffeinated mint tea which was refreshing...
Again, my sandwich had that cool skewer. The fresh lettuce leaves were bigger today and again, it had that lovely light citrus dressing...
Bert had the Summer Grilled Chicken sandwich on a ciabatta roll which he enjoyed. The chicken was "free range" with lemon aioli, arugula, and Swiss Cheese.
He really liked the flavor of the chicken with the lemony aioli.
I loved my sandwich - prosciutto with fresh basil pesto, mozzarella and tomato. They used the same wheat bread from Bread and Cie. I liked the combination of salty and savory along with the smooth creamy cheese paired with the crunch of the grilled bread...
In between bites, the server came back to refresh Bert's coffee. The owner, Flor Franco, came out to chat with her customers and stopped by our table. She was really friendly and enthusiastic about offering good and fresh food to the neighborhood. What really made this meal stand out was her attentiveness to her customers and her generosity. In our case, she knew that one of us originally wanted to try the short rib with pappardelle but it wasn't ready initially. She said it was almost done and promised to bring us out a plate of it...
That was really quite gracious of her. We didn't expect such a big portion of the shortrib. It was so tender and well seasoned. No pappardelle but I think the meat spoke for itself...
I liked the seasoning on the outer edges of the meat (which also had some bits of fat on it, which was a good thing!)...
Lastly, to top off our lunch, I wanted Bert to try that Pumpkin Praline Cheesecake that I enjoyed so much a few days earlier. This time, it was served with a small side of whipped fresh butter.
More of "Chromata Sol" as we left...
and another one just before the 3rd Ave and E Street intersection...
It was a great lunch spent with Bert but now we headed back to pick up TC. We knew we'd be back soon to try their breakfast items...
2 comments:
The short ribs look really yummy! A bit of fat is definitely a good thing!
hello lucia! thanks for stopping by my blog! :) and yes, that fat did make it taste better! it was nice that the short ribs were comped. that was such a nice gesture on the owner's part.
Post a Comment