Bert wasn't able to join us due to a previous commitment but we headed out nonetheless to a place I'd been meaning to revisit...
I really like the seating area with the vine covered trellis. So pretty. This time, we came for dinner and since we'd been experiencing a rash of warm weather, sat outside again.
You can also see their menu online here (it changes weekly so this may not be accurate). We had our eye on the avocado fries.
I wanted to try the kabob platter; the owners are from Azerbaijan and I was curious to try an Azeri dish.
TC chose the stuffed pork chop...
TC's Raspberry Lemonade...very refreshing! It looked like an alcoholic drink!
The view from our table...
The avocodo fries which was served with two types of dip, a beet "hummus" and cucumber yogurt.
The fries were lightly coated with seasoned rice flour. I was glad that they weren't breaded thickly. These were silky smooth and light tasting. Of course, we saved a few for Bert (who later enjoyed our leftover that same evening).
My Azerbaijani Kabob Platter looked rather impressive when our server brought it over. She then asked if she could de-skewere the meats for me. Consider this an action shot. Haha, I just noticed you can see our box containing the avocado fries.
The meats (from top to bottom) were chicken, beef, and lamb sausage served with rice pilaf and three dips (which were redundant since we had the exact same thing from our appetizer - avocado, beet hummus and cucumber yogurt). Each meat was seasoned differently. My favorite of the three was the beef. The chunks were substantial and very tender and juicy within. The lamb sausage was my least favorite. I only took a tiny bite but it was still too "lamby" for me. The texture of the sausage was also kind of "mealy" which I didn't really like. The grilled (or roasted) lemon half was not just a pretty garnish. The juices made the dish so much more flavorful. Overall, this was a great dinner and I'm glad I tried something different.
This was TC's dish - the Prosciutto wrapped stuffed pork chop (stuffed with brown rice, mushrooms and cranberries), served with bread (they called it a 'vegan crostini') and pink grapefruit cream sauce. This was one of the most amazing dishes we've ever had! The prosciutto was like a tasty salty armor for the succulent porkchop. The bread was also perfect for soaking up the juices of the pork chop and the tart grapefrui sauce.
TC really enjoyed the stuffing in the pork chop as well. We liked that the pork chop had the bone too!
Our original plan was to eat at Plumeria in University Heights but it was too damn crowded and I couldn't find any parking so that is why we came here. That was the best decision I made that day. No parking problems at all (they have their own lot) and no crowds to contend with.
They had dispensers filled with fruit. Preserved lemons? One was dark red (maybe the raspberries?). I liked the exotic decor like their pierced metal hanging lamps and various bric a brac on the shelves.
One last look...
Who else went to Cafe 21?
The Diligent Diletante went here back in 2010, along with Dennis of A Radiused Corner, San Diego Food (visit 1 and the revisit) and Food Coma 911. Some of them went for breakfast so it's a nice look at all they offer...
Cafe 21 recently opened up a location in downtown San Diego. Here are some recent posts by Kirbie and Mary of the new location. I quite like the idea of sangria flights!.
Cafe 21
2736 Adams Ave
San Diego, CA
(619) 640-2121
www.cafe-21.com
Here's my original post on Cafe 21 back in 2010 with TC.
Service was really excellent here. Super nice ladies! Their dessert offerings were two types of pie and a cheese cake but we weren't in the mood for those so we respectfully declined. Dessert would be back home since we had ice cream in the freezer...
7 comments:
Mm I love the brunch at Cafe 21 and have always been meaning to go back for dinner. That pork chop looks so scrumptious!
Yum. I'm thinking of taking my friend for dinner, esp with those sangria flights. hehe. Though I really want to try the brunch since I've heard such good things.
Hi Minxi and Kirbie - Brunch sounds good! I'll have to come back for that one of these days. I don't know if they do the sangria flight here though. that pork chop was really good but it was such a huge piece; it made for good leftovers though!
Ohh, that pork chop does look really good! I've had lots of bad pork chops at restaurants so I'm usually wary of ordering that, but TC's looks awesome! Great choice!
Yes it was! OMG!
If I didn't get that kabob plate, I would have chosen this, but of course, that would violate one of the most sacred food blogger rules, right?
I took my nephew here a few years ago for his birthday. It was nice to try something new. I liked it. We were the only customers though!
Hi WC - It's such a cute place here. Haven't eaten INSIDE yet since the patio is so nice, we've eaten outside twice.
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