Category

Californian

707 G Street, San Diego, CA 92101. 619-230-0125

Zanzibar Cafe

This is my second visit to Zanzibar Cafe. The first visit was a so-so experience because of slow service. My coworkers and I came during the weekday lunch rush and didn’t get our sandwiches for almost 40 minutes after placing our order (it took them about 10 minutes before they even came to take our order!).

This second visit was much better. There was only one waitress this time but she was quick on her feet and we got our meal within minutes. Lynn and I ordered Spinach and Artichoke pizza.

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Spinach and Artichoke Pizza ~$10

Delicious! Nothing beats a fresh tasting pizza thats unique and topped with a mountain-full of ingredients. There was plenty of artichoke, feta cheese, spinach, and olives over freshly baked focaccia bread. The only thing that you may not like is the saltiness. Lynn thought the pizza was fine, but the feta cheese and mysteriously salty olives were a bit much for more.

On the way out, we grabbed a mocha dessert bar to go. Oh man… it was the best! Normally, we find these chocolate desserts to be too sweet but this was perfect. And it had a slight hint of coconut on the top layer that just melts in your mouth…

Taste: 8/10



Indigo Grill Website
1536 India Street, San Diego CA 92101. 619-234-6802.

My friends and I went to Indigo Grill last night for their $20 three course menu special. It is a current anniversary special by the Cohn Restaurant Group for their participating restaurants until January 10th. More information can be found at the Cohn promotion page.

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Pipian Crusted Brie. Jalepeno jelly, honey roasted garlic, grilled nopales, mole negro and scallion flatbread.

This brie was fantastic! I had never eaten brie before and the rest of the group hadn’t eaten it with this kind of crust! Warm brie oozed out when we sliced it and it went well with the flatbread, which was the perfect blend of soft bread and subtle sweet flavor.
Christina and Lynn loved the honey roasted garlic, which surprisingly had little of the expected strong garlic taste! The insides melted in your mouth and the crunchy skin could either be eaten or removed beforehand. The brown sauce at the edge of the plate was boring. It had a flat taste that just seemed to disappear the moment you tasted it.

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Shrimp and Scallop Ceviche. Cured in lemon juice with cucumber pico de gallo.

The presentation looked great for this ceviche and chips. The taste was within expectations too. But the portion was lacking. Is this your money’s worth? NOooo.

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Alderwood Plank Salmon. Cucumber dill moleto, squid-ink pasta and smoked aged farmer’s cheese.

The first crispier bite of the Salmon had Lynn thinking that the fish was overcooked, but once past that corner, the juicy and tender salmon had her feeling quite happy with the meal. This salmon also had quite a bit of sweet flavor in it, which reminded us of the roasted garlic. A nice change in overall flavor was the interesting ink squid pasta mixed with a complimenting cheese. We’ve definitely never had cheesy pasta that tasted like that before! The only part Lynn didn’t like were the vegetables in the middle but pickled food hardly ever receives her praise.

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Wild Mushroom Fettecini. Roasted bell pepper pasta, leek and fennel cream sauce, sauteed spinach, hazelnuts, and cotija cheese.

For a vegetarian meal, this was absolutely scrumptious! Christina and Lynn really loved the mushrooms and hazelnuts that were buried in the dish. The vegetables and pasta created a unique blend that was fun to eat. The only thing Lynn didn’t like about it were that the spinach pieces were in large lumps and not as spread out as she would have preferred. Who said you have to have meat for a good meal?

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Hickory and Apple Smoked Pork Ribs. Morita-kahlua glaze, indian corn pudding, shaved pear and walnut salad with cilantro viniagrette.

Eugene and I both ordered the Pork Ribs entree. It was served in a unique rectangular plate that was somewhat difficult to eat off of. Every time I stabbed my fork into the mountain of salad, some other parts of salad would fall off the edges of the plate.

The Indian corn pudding had a fantastic and very familiar taste. I especially liked the outer parts near the rim. It had a nice texture that counterbalanced the warm and gooey center. I wish they had served this during the Taste of Downtown event last year. This is definitely a new favorite for me.

As for the ribs themselves, they were delicious and tender. The flavor was interesting and portion was just right. I was quite full by the end of this entree but eagerly awaited my dessert!

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Roasted Plantain Cheesecake Flautas. With firewater dipping sauce.

The outside of the flautas were crispy and tasty. The inside had a subtle cheesecake flavor to it. Everyone really liked the dipping sauce. It had an Asian kind of flavor to it. Alcohol flavored figs? I’ll pass!

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Chocolate Pistachio Torte. With rasberry Sorbet.

Nothing out of the ordinary for this dessert but it was still tasty. The dark chocolate was surprisingly not as strong as I thought it would be. The girls really loved the chocolate. The sorbet reminded of me of the Razzmatazz flavor at Jamba Juice, just without the seeds.

We came in to this restaurant hungry. We left full (and with to-go boxes!). If anybody is interested, I would highly suggest trying out the $20 three course special. If not at this restaurant, then at least at another one of the participating Cohn Restaurant Group restaurants. Its such a great deal! BTW, I believe there is some San Diego restaurant gift card at Costco where you can buy two $50 gift cards for the price of $79.99. Please correct me if I am wrong but I believe this restaurant is on that list of restaurants. Good Eating!
Taste: 9/10
Presentation: 5/5
Atmosphere: 4/5 (crowded)
Total: 18/20



219 North Center Street, Reno, NV 89501. (775) 786-3232

http://www.harrahs.com/casinos/harrahs-reno/restaurants-dining/cafe-napa-detail.html

This restaurant is located in Harrah’s Casino. It’s open 24 hours and offers California cuisine as well as Asian specialties.

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The rolls had a sweet, crunchy, sort of caramelized top.

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The soup was a tasty blend of eggs, chicken, and corn.

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I ordered a spicy chicken dish, which came with rice, veggies, and a few pieces of sushi.

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This is the steak with veggies and a baked potato.

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Add on a succulent lobster tail for $9.99. It’s a decent portion for this price.

Overall, it’s a fair place to have a meal, especially if you’re in the casino and you don’t want to gorge on the buffet.

Taste: 7/10
Presentation: 3/5
Service/Atmosphere: 4/5
Total: 14/20



505 Laurel St, San Diego, 92101

http://www.sdurbankitchen.com/laurelrestaurant.html

Another favorite happy hour spot is Laurel. It had always been a great special occasion dinner place but a few years ago, Laurel was bought by the same group that also owns Chive and Kensington Grill. It’s still an upscale place but the new owner has given the decor a hip, swanky look and the bar is a comfy place for drinks or snacks with friends.

Their ‘7 before seven’ happy hour is a great opportunity to try some of Laurel’s menu and enjoy the atmosphere without paying premium prices. The happy hour, which is offered every night of the week, offers a list of 7 drinks and 7 appetizers, all priced at $7.

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A friend and I stopped in the other night to catch up over some delicious bar bites. Above is my friend’s Mango Martini and my Dragon’s Blood Sangria. The sangria was the best version I’ve had in a while - sweetened with port and calvados, an apple brandy.
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Here are a couple of selections from the $7 food menu. My favorites were the little sandwiches on the left, Laurel’s version of sloppy joes called ‘lamby joes’, made with ground lamb seasoned with garam masala and topped with caramelized fennel. These were finger-licking good. Our flatbread appetizer was dressed with salty bits of ham and blue cheese and drizzled with a sweet sauce. Also pictured are the addictive edamame which are complimentary. I’ve also tried the short rib spring rolls and the mini escargot ‘poppers’. All portions are pretty generous so it’s easy to put together a decent meal. The ‘7 before seven’ menu makes it easy to treat yourself to a stylish experience without a huge expense!
Taste: 9/10
Service: 4/5
Atmosphere: 5/5
Total: 18/20



880 Harbor Island Drive. San Diego, CA 92101. (619) 298-6802.
http://www.cohnrestaurants.com/cohn/cohnrestaurants/islandprime.php

I first want to thank Dennis and the Oh-So Yummy community for welcoming me into this project! I’m looking forward to reading about and sharing my own food adventures! I wrote a round-up of Happy Hours for San Diego Citybeat a couple weeks ago and took some photos for it. I have very meager photography skills but some of the photos actually turned out pretty well so I thought I’d share these outtakes from my shoot at C Level Lounge on Harbor Island.

C Level is connected to the Island Prime Steak and Seafood Restaurant, one of the many restaurants in the Cohn Restaurant Group empire. It features a waterside outdoor patio area that looks back onto the downtown skyline and on a sunny day, there is no better view in the city. Their weekday happy hour is a great deal too, although it starts at 3:30pm and ends at 5:30pm so it’s a little hard to catch if you have a day job but $5 appetizers and drinks are enough to tempt me to play hooky. The appetizers are above standard happy hour fare too - with dishes such as Crispy Calamari with Vietnamese Dipping Sauce, Nut-Crusted Brie and Ahi Poke with Taro Chips. The portions are pretty generous too so it’s easy to cobble together a meal with a couple of appetizers. Specialty drinks are highlighted daily and I can attest that Mojito Mondays are a great way to start off the work week while Mai-Tais on Fridays definitely help ring in the weekends!

The service is very friendly and C Level’s location out on Harbor Island guarantees that there’s never really a crush of people as there are at other, more centrally located places. Try to catch sunset on the patio - it’s unbeatable!

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Taste: 7/10
Atmosphere: 5/5
Service: 4/5
Total: 16/20



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