Well, he got the street right. This greenbox is on Coronado Avenue in Nestor. It's on the corner of Coronado Avenue and Hollister Avenue right by the 5 freeway off ramp and next to a gas station. I figured Thor would get this since he probably has ridden by this on his bike during his long rides.
Sunday, October 07, 2007
The Answer to Greenbox #4
Congrats to Thor who got the answer right!
Well, he got the street right. This greenbox is on Coronado Avenue in Nestor. It's on the corner of Coronado Avenue and Hollister Avenue right by the 5 freeway off ramp and next to a gas station. I figured Thor would get this since he probably has ridden by this on his bike during his long rides.
Well, he got the street right. This greenbox is on Coronado Avenue in Nestor. It's on the corner of Coronado Avenue and Hollister Avenue right by the 5 freeway off ramp and next to a gas station. I figured Thor would get this since he probably has ridden by this on his bike during his long rides.
Friday, October 05, 2007
Pei Wei
[Update - Closed and is now a bank]
After watching "The Seeker - The Dark is Rising" and doing errands, TC and I were hungry! So I decided to make use of a coupon I got in the mail for Pei Wei Asian Diner which opened just a couple of weeks ago in the new Village Walk shopping center in Eastlake (behind Target).
The coupon was for "One free chicken lettuce wraps with the purchase of one of their Signature dishes". I figured it was worth a try since I drive by this place everytime I go to Henry's or Trader Joe's (in the same shopping area). I knew it was some sort of a chain and later found out it is the sister restaurant of P.F. Chang's. That explained the similarities between their menus. The difference here is that you look at the menu while in line, then order and pay, then get seated. You get your own drinks, silverware (or chopsticks), to go boxes, etc...When TC and I went, it was pretty dead. It wasn't even 5 pm yet. The look is Asian (or at least wanna be Asian) contemporary, lots of dark wood and red everywhere. There is also an open kitchen where you can (if you want) watch the cooks make your grub. This was the view from our booth.
Here's their version of the Chicken Lettuce Wraps. It's worth $6.75, but with my coupon it was free. It tastes just like P.F. Chang's "Soothing (that cracks me up) Lettuce Wraps" which has minced chicken, scallions, shiitake mushrooms and water chestnuts drenched in a salty soy marinade that lays on top of fried rice noodles . They gave us four lettuce pieces. The oval platter, while cute, was so small that when you served yourself, the fried noodles would inevitably fall off the platter, creating a mess. Here it is before I made the mess.
Sorry, it's dark here. We saved some of this for Bert later. One of the servers (a former student, but not under my alpha) recognized me and gave me extra lettuce in a ziplock to go (6 pieces!). The service overall was very good. The cashier was friendly, the servers attentive and very helpful. The general manager was also out going from table to table and asking everyone how everything was. Well, since it's brand new, I'm sure they're out in full force making sure that their customers are satisfied. After a few months, they probably won't care anymore.
Here's the Mongolian Shrimp ($9.00). You can pick your own protein for the dishes here. So, instead of beef or chicken (which would have cost less), I chose Shrimp and instead of steamed white rice, I opted for brown. My total was $9.70 (with tax) and since I got a free item, it averaged to $4.85 for the two dishes. No drinks. We made ghetto lemonade with the free lemon (ooh, and orange too!) slices with the fake sugar packets. Ha ha.
Not bad, but it tasted like something I could make with a bottled sauce on my own. This place is quicker and faster than P.F. Chang's but more upscale than, let's say, a steam table 99 cent Chinese food joint. Everything is made fresh to order which is a good thing of course. But since it's a chain, it's still soul less food for the masses.
After watching "The Seeker - The Dark is Rising" and doing errands, TC and I were hungry! So I decided to make use of a coupon I got in the mail for Pei Wei Asian Diner which opened just a couple of weeks ago in the new Village Walk shopping center in Eastlake (behind Target).
The coupon was for "One free chicken lettuce wraps with the purchase of one of their Signature dishes". I figured it was worth a try since I drive by this place everytime I go to Henry's or Trader Joe's (in the same shopping area). I knew it was some sort of a chain and later found out it is the sister restaurant of P.F. Chang's. That explained the similarities between their menus. The difference here is that you look at the menu while in line, then order and pay, then get seated. You get your own drinks, silverware (or chopsticks), to go boxes, etc...When TC and I went, it was pretty dead. It wasn't even 5 pm yet. The look is Asian (or at least wanna be Asian) contemporary, lots of dark wood and red everywhere. There is also an open kitchen where you can (if you want) watch the cooks make your grub. This was the view from our booth.
Here's their version of the Chicken Lettuce Wraps. It's worth $6.75, but with my coupon it was free. It tastes just like P.F. Chang's "Soothing (that cracks me up) Lettuce Wraps" which has minced chicken, scallions, shiitake mushrooms and water chestnuts drenched in a salty soy marinade that lays on top of fried rice noodles . They gave us four lettuce pieces. The oval platter, while cute, was so small that when you served yourself, the fried noodles would inevitably fall off the platter, creating a mess. Here it is before I made the mess.
Sorry, it's dark here. We saved some of this for Bert later. One of the servers (a former student, but not under my alpha) recognized me and gave me extra lettuce in a ziplock to go (6 pieces!). The service overall was very good. The cashier was friendly, the servers attentive and very helpful. The general manager was also out going from table to table and asking everyone how everything was. Well, since it's brand new, I'm sure they're out in full force making sure that their customers are satisfied. After a few months, they probably won't care anymore.
Here's the Mongolian Shrimp ($9.00). You can pick your own protein for the dishes here. So, instead of beef or chicken (which would have cost less), I chose Shrimp and instead of steamed white rice, I opted for brown. My total was $9.70 (with tax) and since I got a free item, it averaged to $4.85 for the two dishes. No drinks. We made ghetto lemonade with the free lemon (ooh, and orange too!) slices with the fake sugar packets. Ha ha.
Not bad, but it tasted like something I could make with a bottled sauce on my own. This place is quicker and faster than P.F. Chang's but more upscale than, let's say, a steam table 99 cent Chinese food joint. Everything is made fresh to order which is a good thing of course. But since it's a chain, it's still soul less food for the masses.The Dark is Rising
TC and I just watched The Seeker - The Dark is Rising (PG), which is based on the second book of The Dark is Rising Sequence by Susan Cooper. It's been suggested that these books were one of the many influences for J.K. Rowling to write her Harry Potter series. As a young kid, I read and enjoyed this series, but over time, put them on the backburner of my mind and was excited again once I heard a movie was coming out. Well, the movie is totally not like the book - so many changes were made which I won't go into here. My daughter liked the movie but was a little freaked out by some scenes where two mallcops turn into rooks. The movie earned a favorable review in the Union Tribune on Friday, but I thought it was a bit predictable.
Now I feel compelled to reread the entire series to refresh my memory. I only have two of the five. The first book is actually "Over Sea, Under Stone" which I don't have, along with "The Green Witch" and "Silver on the Tree". Perhaps I can find it cheaper at a used bookstore. Getting brand new versions at the big bookstore chains isn't as fulfilling. Okay, sometimes I will "cheat" and buy a used book online but I still feel I'm supporting a mom & pop used bookstore since nowadays most do their business online.
Now I feel compelled to reread the entire series to refresh my memory. I only have two of the five. The first book is actually "Over Sea, Under Stone" which I don't have, along with "The Green Witch" and "Silver on the Tree". Perhaps I can find it cheaper at a used bookstore. Getting brand new versions at the big bookstore chains isn't as fulfilling. Okay, sometimes I will "cheat" and buy a used book online but I still feel I'm supporting a mom & pop used bookstore since nowadays most do their business online.
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Kalamansi
Mmmm...Kalamansi
I bought these at Seafood City (Chula Vista location) several days ago. They were only $2 + for a small tray. I ended up cutting them in half and squeezing the juice into an empty ice cube tray. The seeds were removed of course. After I freeze the cubes, I put them in a ziplock bag and use them whenever I need to use a splash of citrus in recipes. I've used a bit of this in adobo before and also in my sinigang. I've also used it for a snack recipe, "Adobo Flavored Pecans" (that stuff is good, I tell you!). Ironically, the link to my recipe post shows photos of limes being used instead of kalamansi because I couldn't find any at Seafood City in December.
My parents have a tree in their back yard but it didn't bear a lot of fruit this year. We also have a tree which seems to be in arrested development - there were only 5 or 6 fruits this summer. It's not often that I can find these fruits in the store. Too bad I don't know anyone else (other than my parents) with this fruit tree and I could get it for free! I could hit up all my friend's parents' backyards though!...."Excuse me Uncle (or Auntie), but can I have some of your kalamansi? Oh yeah, while you're at it, can I also have some kamote, ampalaya, eggplant and sili leaves?"
Update - While looking up the Kalamansi entry on Wikipedia, I also looked up related links and saw this recipe for pie using the Kalamansi juice. Here's the recipe here. The author's blog has lots of healthy recipes, as she is a vegan. I need to start eating more healthy! Now, I have an excuse to use that freshly squeezed kalamansi juice.
I bought these at Seafood City (Chula Vista location) several days ago. They were only $2 + for a small tray. I ended up cutting them in half and squeezing the juice into an empty ice cube tray. The seeds were removed of course. After I freeze the cubes, I put them in a ziplock bag and use them whenever I need to use a splash of citrus in recipes. I've used a bit of this in adobo before and also in my sinigang. I've also used it for a snack recipe, "Adobo Flavored Pecans" (that stuff is good, I tell you!). Ironically, the link to my recipe post shows photos of limes being used instead of kalamansi because I couldn't find any at Seafood City in December. My parents have a tree in their back yard but it didn't bear a lot of fruit this year. We also have a tree which seems to be in arrested development - there were only 5 or 6 fruits this summer. It's not often that I can find these fruits in the store. Too bad I don't know anyone else (other than my parents) with this fruit tree and I could get it for free! I could hit up all my friend's parents' backyards though!...."Excuse me Uncle (or Auntie), but can I have some of your kalamansi? Oh yeah, while you're at it, can I also have some kamote, ampalaya, eggplant and sili leaves?"
Update - While looking up the Kalamansi entry on Wikipedia, I also looked up related links and saw this recipe for pie using the Kalamansi juice. Here's the recipe here. The author's blog has lots of healthy recipes, as she is a vegan. I need to start eating more healthy! Now, I have an excuse to use that freshly squeezed kalamansi juice.
Monday, October 01, 2007
Chicks rock!
Currently listening to the new Iron Maidens CD, Route 666 which I finally got in the mail today. It comes with a DVD of one of their live performances but I'll probably watch that tomorrow (Here's more on the band) .
Check out the demo here from their website. One of my favorite Iron Maiden songs, "Die With Your Boots On" is covered! This version is just as good. Aja Kim's voice is amazing. She can go from a growl to a soaring scream just as well as Bruce Dickinson. The Maidens' version of "The Trooper" (from their first tribute album, which also kicks major ass) is also a great rendition of a Maiden classic. From the ferociously wicked twin guitar attacks to the trademark galloping bass to the grandiose lyrics (c'mon, what other rockin' song about the Crimean War are you going to hear?) - they are spot on!
FYI for your music and art nerds out there - the covers of both albums were both designed by Derek Riggs, illustrator for all of the Iron Maiden album covers such as their first two albums, the self titled debut Iron Maiden, Killers, The Number of the Beast, and Piece of Mind, along with more from the late 80s to early 90s. The difference is that the Maidens have "Edwina" instead of Eddie .
In my car cd player -
Joe Bataan - "Afrofilipino"
The Pretenders - "Greatest Hits"
Check out the demo here from their website. One of my favorite Iron Maiden songs, "Die With Your Boots On" is covered! This version is just as good. Aja Kim's voice is amazing. She can go from a growl to a soaring scream just as well as Bruce Dickinson. The Maidens' version of "The Trooper" (from their first tribute album, which also kicks major ass) is also a great rendition of a Maiden classic. From the ferociously wicked twin guitar attacks to the trademark galloping bass to the grandiose lyrics (c'mon, what other rockin' song about the Crimean War are you going to hear?) - they are spot on!
FYI for your music and art nerds out there - the covers of both albums were both designed by Derek Riggs, illustrator for all of the Iron Maiden album covers such as their first two albums, the self titled debut Iron Maiden, Killers, The Number of the Beast, and Piece of Mind, along with more from the late 80s to early 90s. The difference is that the Maidens have "Edwina" instead of Eddie .
In my car cd player -
Joe Bataan - "Afrofilipino"
The Pretenders - "Greatest Hits"
King's Fish House
[Closed as of 2012 and is now a Buffalo Wild Wings as of 2014]
Okay folks...I went to a chain (hangs head in shame)...It wasn't my choice, but rather Bert's mom wanted to take us out for lunch on Saturday so Bert picked the restaurant which was King's Fish House . This is fairly new and is located at the Otay Ranch Town Center (I call it the Otay Ranch Mall, even though the development doesn't call it a 'mall'). It's right by Barnes and Noble, on the eastern edge. There are a few restaurants out there - Cheesecake Factory (ugh), Panda Express, the soon to be finished AMC theatres and this place.
It was just us plus my mother in law and Bert's bro.
It was pretty empty for lunch time but it filled up by the time we left. The leather booths (or were they vinyl?) were quite comfortable and roomy. The decor was a lot of dark wood with retro print posters of fish and various sea-related festivals plus fake mounted fish hung up on the walls near the ceilings.
The lobster tank was right behind us and behind the tank was the kitchen. To the left of this photo was the oyster bar. No, not the Blue Oyster Bar! Ha ha, great tango scene. Beats "Scent of a Woman" and the Governator with Tia Carrere in "True Lies".
Our sour dough bread, which was really good by the way. Nice and soft interior. It was warm too. Loved the crust!
They had a series of hokey napkins with lame jokes (see sample below):
The waitress said their menu was printed up twice a day and their prices fluctuate too (WTF) to reflect changes in the market value of certain fish. Hmmm, if I want to eat something, I want the prices to be consistent, but oh well!
Bert's dish - Blackened catfish with a choice of two sides (mashed potatoes plus your standard steamed vegetable medley). I tried a bit of it and did not like it. The catfish had a muddy taste and the blackened spices weren't really spicy.
This was my dish - the Linguine with manila clams. The sauce was butter, white wine and fresh herbs. I have to say that this was actually very good. Either that or I was pretty hungry since I didn't eat a lot for breakfast on purpose! But really, the clams (there were about 10 in there - they should have just made it a dozen dammit) were not shrivelled nor tiny. They were plump and meaty and had no grit in them (thank God!). The sauce was perfect - very light and fresh.
TC's kid's meal - Fried Shrimp with a side of steamed vegetables. I had to request the vegetables because I didn't want her eating french fries with fried shrimp. I hate that kids' meals at restaurants dumb down their food and think that all kids want to eat are fkn fried chicken tenders, hamburgers, hot dogs, fried whatnot served with more fried crap. That's why there are so many fat ass kids nowadays because of all the junk their parents feed them.
Okay folks...I went to a chain (hangs head in shame)...It wasn't my choice, but rather Bert's mom wanted to take us out for lunch on Saturday so Bert picked the restaurant which was King's Fish House . This is fairly new and is located at the Otay Ranch Town Center (I call it the Otay Ranch Mall, even though the development doesn't call it a 'mall'). It's right by Barnes and Noble, on the eastern edge. There are a few restaurants out there - Cheesecake Factory (ugh), Panda Express, the soon to be finished AMC theatres and this place.
It was just us plus my mother in law and Bert's bro.
It was pretty empty for lunch time but it filled up by the time we left. The leather booths (or were they vinyl?) were quite comfortable and roomy. The decor was a lot of dark wood with retro print posters of fish and various sea-related festivals plus fake mounted fish hung up on the walls near the ceilings.
The lobster tank was right behind us and behind the tank was the kitchen. To the left of this photo was the oyster bar. No, not the Blue Oyster Bar! Ha ha, great tango scene. Beats "Scent of a Woman" and the Governator with Tia Carrere in "True Lies". 
Our sour dough bread, which was really good by the way. Nice and soft interior. It was warm too. Loved the crust!
They had a series of hokey napkins with lame jokes (see sample below):
The waitress said their menu was printed up twice a day and their prices fluctuate too (WTF) to reflect changes in the market value of certain fish. Hmmm, if I want to eat something, I want the prices to be consistent, but oh well!
Bert's dish - Blackened catfish with a choice of two sides (mashed potatoes plus your standard steamed vegetable medley). I tried a bit of it and did not like it. The catfish had a muddy taste and the blackened spices weren't really spicy.
This was my dish - the Linguine with manila clams. The sauce was butter, white wine and fresh herbs. I have to say that this was actually very good. Either that or I was pretty hungry since I didn't eat a lot for breakfast on purpose! But really, the clams (there were about 10 in there - they should have just made it a dozen dammit) were not shrivelled nor tiny. They were plump and meaty and had no grit in them (thank God!). The sauce was perfect - very light and fresh.
TC's kid's meal - Fried Shrimp with a side of steamed vegetables. I had to request the vegetables because I didn't want her eating french fries with fried shrimp. I hate that kids' meals at restaurants dumb down their food and think that all kids want to eat are fkn fried chicken tenders, hamburgers, hot dogs, fried whatnot served with more fried crap. That's why there are so many fat ass kids nowadays because of all the junk their parents feed them.
Points however to King's Fish House for having a really really nice Kids Activity Booklet. That day's lunch was a treat (on my mother in law) so we let her choose from the kids' menu. Normally she eats what we eat wheather we're at a Vietnamese, Laotian, Italian, or whatever joint.
My mother in law's salad - basic Spring mix with croutons and a side of some sort of light vinaigrette.
She had the Chilean farm raised salmon with a side of steamed vegetables.
My brother in law's dish was the same as Bert's except instead of blackened catfish it was yellowtail. Everyone seemed to like their food. I'm not much for seafood. The portions were not so huge which was good. I thought the price range was average for this part of town ($11 and up). But I'd rather eat at tons of other hole in the wall places.
Loved this silver bowl for the empty shells...
Having been there once, I'd go again just to have that linguine...Otherwise, eh.
My mother in law's salad - basic Spring mix with croutons and a side of some sort of light vinaigrette.
She had the Chilean farm raised salmon with a side of steamed vegetables.
My brother in law's dish was the same as Bert's except instead of blackened catfish it was yellowtail. Everyone seemed to like their food. I'm not much for seafood. The portions were not so huge which was good. I thought the price range was average for this part of town ($11 and up). But I'd rather eat at tons of other hole in the wall places.
Loved this silver bowl for the empty shells...
Having been there once, I'd go again just to have that linguine...Otherwise, eh.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Kona Pacifica Kafe
[Closed several years ago and is now Mea Kwan Thai restaurant as of 2011]
After our brunch at Villa Capri, we walked a few storefronts down to:
The website on their business cart wasn't working (wtf man). We were curious to try this place out. The owner is the lady who does Kona Kakes which is in Mission Valley next to that really lame Vietnamese restaurant behind Hooters. Well, she owns this place and it just opened last week and you could tell they didn't have it quite together yet. The place was bright and airy with tropical scenes galore on the walls. The photo below is their (empty) sushi bar area.
There was a cash register up front with a display case. The one on the left was a bit sparse. I was expecting the owner's famous tropical cakes, but instead there were prepackaged macadamia nuts in baskets. The display case in the middle had assorted cold drinks and the last one on the right was empty.
We sat near this wall. There was a huge lunch party towards the back.
The service was spotty. There were three waiters helping us but I think there were too many fingers in the pot. No one knew what the other was doing. I know they were probably trying to be helpful but shit, one guy asked us if we got our waters yet when it was clear by our EMPTY tables that we had NO water, which had been ordered more than 10 minutes ago. So, we finally got our waters. We also got free cake samples. This was a big let down because the samples were served on paper plates. We also got plastic forks (not pictured), For such a new and relatively upscale area, you would have expected regular plates to go with the silverware, even if the food was supposed to be "island style". Lest you think I'm a big grouch for griping about this, when I took my earlier photo of the display cases, I glanced over at the neighboring tables and saw people eating from clear plastic takeout boxes and they weren't just leaving either. Very tacky. Okayyyy, I know this place is new and maybe, just maybe, they didn't buy plates yet! Maybe they didn't want to wash any fkn' dishes or something. But eating from a to-go box? Not classy at all.
Our birthday recipient ordered a slice of the guava cake served in a...yes...a plastic to go container. Way to go people. I didn't care for this because I'm not a guava fan. My friend said it was okay. Another friend who tried it liked only the cake but not the filling or the frosting (buttercream).
Here was mine...the Chocolate "Dobash" or "Dobache" or "Doberge" whatever! It was actually pretty decent but nothing so spectacular that I would rave for days on end. I had a tiny bit and saved the rest for Bert and TC to sample later.
The Tropical Splash... none of us could taste the macadamia nut in here. Maybe it was ground up? Not pictured was the Kafe's most popular cake, the Caramel Macadamia Nut. It looked the same, but the cake was lighter in color. It sounds like it would be super sweet, but it wasn't.
I think this place needs to work on better service, more informed waitstaff and better dinnerware! Plastic boxes look cheap cheap cheap! Spend some money on some china! It's fine if you want to take your damn leftovers home, but to eat out of these seems really tacky. We're in Eastlake, not the trailer park. Maybe I'll check this place out after a few months and see if they get better.
After our brunch at Villa Capri, we walked a few storefronts down to:
The website on their business cart wasn't working (wtf man). We were curious to try this place out. The owner is the lady who does Kona Kakes which is in Mission Valley next to that really lame Vietnamese restaurant behind Hooters. Well, she owns this place and it just opened last week and you could tell they didn't have it quite together yet. The place was bright and airy with tropical scenes galore on the walls. The photo below is their (empty) sushi bar area.
There was a cash register up front with a display case. The one on the left was a bit sparse. I was expecting the owner's famous tropical cakes, but instead there were prepackaged macadamia nuts in baskets. The display case in the middle had assorted cold drinks and the last one on the right was empty.
We sat near this wall. There was a huge lunch party towards the back.
The service was spotty. There were three waiters helping us but I think there were too many fingers in the pot. No one knew what the other was doing. I know they were probably trying to be helpful but shit, one guy asked us if we got our waters yet when it was clear by our EMPTY tables that we had NO water, which had been ordered more than 10 minutes ago. So, we finally got our waters. We also got free cake samples. This was a big let down because the samples were served on paper plates. We also got plastic forks (not pictured), For such a new and relatively upscale area, you would have expected regular plates to go with the silverware, even if the food was supposed to be "island style". Lest you think I'm a big grouch for griping about this, when I took my earlier photo of the display cases, I glanced over at the neighboring tables and saw people eating from clear plastic takeout boxes and they weren't just leaving either. Very tacky. Okayyyy, I know this place is new and maybe, just maybe, they didn't buy plates yet! Maybe they didn't want to wash any fkn' dishes or something. But eating from a to-go box? Not classy at all.
Anyhow, the cake samples included Tropical Splash (pineapple and macadamia), pineapple, plus Chocolate "Dobash"pudding cake. Here's another gripe...I asked one of our waiters why the chocolate pudding cake was called dobash. He said he didn't know, but would find out. He later came back after I reminded him that I was really curious about knowing and he did follow through. He said it was "semi sweet chocolate pudding cake". Well, that's one of the ingredients. I asked him how "dobash" was spelled and what the origin was. He spelled it the way you see it written here but didn't know of the origin and guessed that it was Hawaiian! Not! Then, he said, "Maybe it's Russian?"!!! Aargh! Idiot!
Ohhhh my God! I wanted to shout, "Get out of my face dude!". Hence, since I couldn't rely on the ig'nant staff, I resolved to look this up at home. There were a lot of entries for "dobash", which if spelled in French should be "dobache". Turns out that it's a bastardization of the word "doberge" (taken perhaps from "D'Auberge). Here's Wikipedia's entry on Doberge cake. It's supposed to be a thin, multilayered cake with pudding inside. Here's a recipe I found for Chocolate Doberge Cake. According to the many entries I saw about this type of cake, it's a New Orleans thing.
Our birthday recipient ordered a slice of the guava cake served in a...yes...a plastic to go container. Way to go people. I didn't care for this because I'm not a guava fan. My friend said it was okay. Another friend who tried it liked only the cake but not the filling or the frosting (buttercream).
Here was mine...the Chocolate "Dobash" or "Dobache" or "Doberge" whatever! It was actually pretty decent but nothing so spectacular that I would rave for days on end. I had a tiny bit and saved the rest for Bert and TC to sample later. 
The Tropical Splash... none of us could taste the macadamia nut in here. Maybe it was ground up? Not pictured was the Kafe's most popular cake, the Caramel Macadamia Nut. It looked the same, but the cake was lighter in color. It sounds like it would be super sweet, but it wasn't.
I think this place needs to work on better service, more informed waitstaff and better dinnerware! Plastic boxes look cheap cheap cheap! Spend some money on some china! It's fine if you want to take your damn leftovers home, but to eat out of these seems really tacky. We're in Eastlake, not the trailer park. Maybe I'll check this place out after a few months and see if they get better. Villa Capri
Our regular lunch bunch was again revived after a summer hiatus. This time, all four of us were present to help celebrate the belated bday of one of the group members. She chose to have lunch at the new Italian place Villa Capri which is in the Shops at San Miguel Ranch on the corner of Proctor Valley Road and East H Street. It's way the hell out there, near the San Miguel Ranch housing development. And to think that only a decade and a half ago, it was all a scary dirt road...Yes, Proctor Valley Road. For those that live in the South Bay, that was the place to go joy riding and telling scary ghost stories. Supposedly freaky things happened out there too. Urban legends I'm sure. But I digress...
What you see when you first step inside. Pretty and very earth toney.
The patio. We were the second group there at 12 noon.
Some of the brunch items...
Our view from the patio - the parking lot plus some mountains. You can't see it, but Albertson's, which is the main anchor of this shopping area, is to the right.
The prix fixe business lunch menu ($13 average). Comes with a soup or salad or in my case, something fried, an entree plus a dessert. I didn't think they would serve this on a weekend. I was bummed because I scoped out their menu online the night before and I wanted to try their version of linguine with clams.
Our bread which we sopped up with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar and a splash of salt.
The appetizer for my lunch, called, "Sorrento" was the Calamari Dorati - fried squid with a spicy marinara sauce. The sauce really wasn't that spicy going down but going out is another story. It was either this or minestrone soup. I'll take fried anything over soup.
Fried squid.
Delicious tentacles...excuse my ratty nails and dry skin! Ugh.
My Gnocchi al Pomodoro, which I'm sorry to say, sucked. It was too doughy and thick. I saved it for later. But as I type this, it's Monday evening and I still haven't had the desire to eat the leftovers...
Close up of the gnocchi...Doesn't beat Thor's favorite dish, the Gnocchi Quattro Formaggio with Pancetta at Buon Appetito in Little Italy. Now THAT was good gnocchi!
Our other friend's Prosciutto Foccacia sandwich which had fresh mozzarella, tomato, arugula, olive oil and (although the menu didn't mention it), prosciutto. You'd like to think that they had it in there, eh! She enjoyed hers lunch and pretty much polished it off.
One of our companions had the Frittata Melanzana which was an omelet with eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, mozzarella cheese and basil. I tried some of hers and it was pretty good. It was served witha side of jelly, buttered bread and a side of fruit. I didn't want to order an omelet at an Italian place however.
The guts of my friend's omelet:
Here's the dessert that came with our meal. Two cannolis. I didn't care for the filling so I just broke mine apart and ate the shell. My friend on the other side was the opposite, she just ate the filling. The chocolate dipped strawberry was a nice touch.
Despite having dessert with the fix prixe lunch, we still wanted to go next door for dessert...
What you see when you first step inside. Pretty and very earth toney. The patio. We were the second group there at 12 noon.
Some of the brunch items...
Our view from the patio - the parking lot plus some mountains. You can't see it, but Albertson's, which is the main anchor of this shopping area, is to the right.
The prix fixe business lunch menu ($13 average). Comes with a soup or salad or in my case, something fried, an entree plus a dessert. I didn't think they would serve this on a weekend. I was bummed because I scoped out their menu online the night before and I wanted to try their version of linguine with clams.
Our bread which we sopped up with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar and a splash of salt.
The appetizer for my lunch, called, "Sorrento" was the Calamari Dorati - fried squid with a spicy marinara sauce. The sauce really wasn't that spicy going down but going out is another story. It was either this or minestrone soup. I'll take fried anything over soup.
Fried squid.
Delicious tentacles...excuse my ratty nails and dry skin! Ugh.
My Gnocchi al Pomodoro, which I'm sorry to say, sucked. It was too doughy and thick. I saved it for later. But as I type this, it's Monday evening and I still haven't had the desire to eat the leftovers...
Close up of the gnocchi...Doesn't beat Thor's favorite dish, the Gnocchi Quattro Formaggio with Pancetta at Buon Appetito in Little Italy. Now THAT was good gnocchi!
Our other friend's Prosciutto Foccacia sandwich which had fresh mozzarella, tomato, arugula, olive oil and (although the menu didn't mention it), prosciutto. You'd like to think that they had it in there, eh! She enjoyed hers lunch and pretty much polished it off.
One of our companions had the Frittata Melanzana which was an omelet with eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, mozzarella cheese and basil. I tried some of hers and it was pretty good. It was served witha side of jelly, buttered bread and a side of fruit. I didn't want to order an omelet at an Italian place however.
The guts of my friend's omelet:
Here's the dessert that came with our meal. Two cannolis. I didn't care for the filling so I just broke mine apart and ate the shell. My friend on the other side was the opposite, she just ate the filling. The chocolate dipped strawberry was a nice touch.
Despite having dessert with the fix prixe lunch, we still wanted to go next door for dessert...Friday, September 28, 2007
Mom's bday dinner
Friday was my mom's bday so we went over for dinner. I brought mini roasted potatoes, crisp with olive oil and seasoned with sea salt and fresh ground black pepper...I served this with my wanna be aioli. I cheated by using ready made mayo, but I added sea salt and garlic that I hand smashed in my mini mortar and pestle dealy-o. These were really good if I may say so myself!
Of course my mom cooked a lot of food. Among the dishes were pinakbet (no bagoong in here) with Chinese sausage...My mom put in the usual - Japanese eggplant (the long skinny kind), okra, kabocha squash, dried shrimps, and yes...bittermelon (my favorite) from the backyard. No bagoong here or pork shoulder or even tomatoes.
and sotanghon noodles with shiitake mushrooms and chicken. This was a departure from her regular birthday dish of pancit noodles for long life. Well, these were still noodles, so I guess they counted. There were also sauteed shelled shrimp and grilled rib eye steak (not pictured), and of course, rice. I really liked the noodles that she made. She normally makes it with ginger, garlic, soup and chicken. The mushrooms were a new twist.
That steak was pretty good too. Scavengers that we were, we cut up the soft parts first. I had dibs on the fat crisped edges. Poor Bert who came late from a long commute, ended up with the well done parts. : (
Of course my mom cooked a lot of food. Among the dishes were pinakbet (no bagoong in here) with Chinese sausage...My mom put in the usual - Japanese eggplant (the long skinny kind), okra, kabocha squash, dried shrimps, and yes...bittermelon (my favorite) from the backyard. No bagoong here or pork shoulder or even tomatoes.
and sotanghon noodles with shiitake mushrooms and chicken. This was a departure from her regular birthday dish of pancit noodles for long life. Well, these were still noodles, so I guess they counted. There were also sauteed shelled shrimp and grilled rib eye steak (not pictured), and of course, rice. I really liked the noodles that she made. She normally makes it with ginger, garlic, soup and chicken. The mushrooms were a new twist.
That steak was pretty good too. Scavengers that we were, we cut up the soft parts first. I had dibs on the fat crisped edges. Poor Bert who came late from a long commute, ended up with the well done parts. : (
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