especially since I get to spend quality time with TC...
Yesterday we had what I call "hipster tostadas" in...where else, North Park. Tostadas is quite new; the owner also owns the popular City Tacos down the street as well as the fairly new IB Street Tacos. If the storefront looks familiar to you faithful blog readers, it should. I posted on Tostadas a few weeks ago when I took out my good friend MFH for her birthday dessert (so that visit we did not consume tostadas).
To refresh your memory, here is their menu (which can be viewed online in eye popping technicolor here)
(photo from my MFH's birthday dessert @ Tostadas". September 5, 2015)
I noticed that they had another type of sweet crepe (last time it was only pear) and two savory options. TC wanted to try the vegetarian crepe.
I actually had a free "coupon", i a business card with "FREE TOSTADA" counts as a coupon from a few weeks ago. I remember picking them up at the front counter thinking, "Cool, business cards". I usually pick up one for me and one for Cathy. Well, lo and behold, one of them had the magic word "free" on it. It must have been a promotion or something for their grand opening because I didn't see any more on the counter for today's visit.
You order at the counter, they give you a number and you pick where you want to sit and wait for your order(s) to come...
TC's agua fresca, the Sandia flavor (watermelon):
My two tostadas - The Sandia and the Callo de Hacha:
Sandia ($6) - Ahi tuna, watermelon, red onion, jicama, apples, cucumber, mango, peanuts, soy, lemon juice, orange, chipotle mayonnaise.
As you can see, it was also decorated with microgreens and edible flower petals. The watermelon was cross cut but not lying flush on the tostada, maybe because of the bumpy shape. It kind of looks like it slid off
There were a lot of flavors and textures going on. I did not see or taste and peanuts or mango in this though so that kind of sucks it wasn't included. I could taste the diced apples (Granny Smith). TC really liked this tostada out of the three we tried.
Callo de Hacha ($6/one of the $6 was free) - Scallops and octopus cooked with lemon juice, cucumber, red onion, cilantro, avocado and chipotle sauce.
This was another delightful flavor combination, agan topped with microgreens and flower petals. I liked that it was sprinkled with black sesame seeds which gave it a striking appearance. Both of these looked so pretty that I didn't even want to eat them. We did not pick them up to eat them but rather, picked at the toppings and broke off pieces of the tostada, which was pretty sturdy.
Tostada de Nopal ($4) - Cactus, tomato, queso fresco, onion, black olives and oregano.
This tostada was one of TC's choices. She said it was good but got tired of it after a few bites. She said there was A LOT of cactus in there. The flavor was kind of watery to her. The pickled red onions were more flavorful to her.
The other item she chose was their new savory crepes; this was the Vegetarian Crepe ($8) - Portobello, arugula, red pepper, and Gouda cheese. The crepe was quite hefty and served with a paper plate folded in half over it. The lady said the crepe could be eaten with the plate held that way or emptied out on top of the square plate.
As this was a sizable portion, TC could only manage a few bites before calling it quits. The arugula proved too bitter for TC so I ended up eating some of it.The leftovers would be enjoyed the next day. I tried a bit of it and really liked the thick grilled portobello.The whole crepe was quite delicious but I was already full so a bite was enough for me.
Utility boxes along North Park Way...
Such great street art here. I really enjoy seeing how different neighborhoods decorate their utility boxes.
Sometime during our lunch, the chef came out to check on us, which was pretty nice of him. He wanted to know how everything was for us and seemed quite happy that we stopped by to try Tostadas for lunch.
Reviews/articles:
"City Tacos launches tostadas concept $ seafood market" SD Eater, August 14, 2015
"City Tacos owner taking on tostadas for next North Park project" SD Eater July 14,2015
Zagat SD
Previous visit to Tostadas:
September 2015 in which MFH and I shared their pear crepe for dessert. Now they offer a strawberry and Nutella version.
Tostadas
3139 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92104
(619) 450-4788
tostadasnorthpark.com + their fb page and reviews from that four lettered site.
In keeping with my OCD tendencies, several revisits are in order in the near future so I can "eat my way through the menu" (thankfully it's not overwhelming huge) and then forget about it until I get a hipster tostada craving once more. I also want to check out the owner's other taco venture in IB...
4 comments:
When I saw he photos, noticing the different ingredients made me curious...reading the descriptions make me more curious as to how it all tastes mixed together. What a great concept for that space! We will have to stop by very soon; the veggie crepe looks like a full meal.
We liked the imaginative pairings...fruit seems to go well with mariscos. That crepe was pretty hefty.
The tostadas look so pretty and colorful with all of those toppings. I noticed the sign not too long ago when I drove by - hope they do better than Swoon did!
You know the saying about eating with your eyes...so true here. But these tostadas taste as good as they look.
I think they will outlast Swoon.
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