A Short & Sweet Pomegranate

I LOVE this place! Why have I never been and why have I never had Russian food before? Pomegranate Russian-Georgian Restaurant is located on El Cajon Boulevard and this eclectic light-a-match-off-the-wall (which is how they lit the candle on our table) restaurant is comfort food at its best. The writing on the walls of the restaurant say so and I'm here to attest to it. The decor alone will give you something to talk about but the food will have you dreaming about it for days. Amazing!Everyone that works in this restaurant is Russian. I found our waiter a little harsh and overly confident about the food at first but after tasting the dishes we ordered I decided that he had every right to be that way. The prices are not cheap but the ingredients used are of great quality. Plan to do lots of sharing and tasting with this kind of food and I promise you it's worth the price! Oh and its cash or check only and they have an ATM. Hysterical right? Who writes a check for dinner and what restaurant has an ATM inside of it? Awesome.

There was only two of us at dinner so I plan to go back with more people so I can try more of the highly recommended items on the menu. I will blog about Pomegranate again because I know many more amazing dishes are awaiting my taste buds. I wanted to get a little something up on this restaurant since its fresh on my mind and deep in my heart but it will be short and sweet. I can't stop thinking about it this place! Good thing its only a few blocks from my house!!!
We started with the Vareniki which is a potato cheese dumpling. They are served with sour creme, crispy caramelized onions on top and in some sort of rich buttery broth. They were like velvet and so good.We also had the Georgian Eggplant Salad. When it came out I can't say I was excited about eating it. It was covered with raw red onions. I dug in, took one bite and couldn't stop. It is one large thick slice of grilled eggplant served warm, lathered with a garlic and walnut sauce and topped with sliced tomatoes, sliced red onions and garnished with fresh herbs. It was so amazing and almost tasted Mediterranean. I would absolutely order it again.
For the main course we had the Zharkoyie. Its a Russian stew of braised beef, onions, carrots, dried fruit, and spices. It is served with an herb potato salad and kasha (rice) on the side. Now this is the ultimate hot meal to get on a cold night. The flavors were amazing and the beef was tender!As the night went on our waiter softened up and we spent about a hour speaking to him and the owner. Very nice guys. Oh and I need to tell you about the guy who sits outside the front of the restaurant grilling up Shashlik. He is basically the Captain of Pomegranate and if you see him you will know why I call him the Captain. I loved this guy! Actually I kind felt like I was aboard a ship and was taken away to Russia for a night. It was a great journey and such a trip! I can't wait to go back.
Pomegranate Russian-Georgian Restaurant
2312 el cajon blvd. san diego ca. 92104
619.297.4007

The Fastest Way To Win Someones Heart

Another Valentines Day is approaching and some of you might be excited about it and some of you may not be so excited. I used to think this holiday was one that would make or break any relationship I was in. The day was so important to me. Today I feel differently. When I think of Valentines Day today I think of the over priced prefixed menus at restaurants and the reservations that have to be made weeks in advance. The over priced roses that die the next day, the Russell Stover heart shaped boxes filled with chocolate, and teddy bears. I hate teddy bears. I mean all this crap is supposed to tell me how much you love me? How can one pick a gift that will possibly display their absolute love and devotion for someone? That gift is priceless. V-day causes stress on relationships and really just leaves people being disappointed. Showing your love for someone should be expressed every day of the year not just one day of the year right? One day should not make or break a relationship. I bet there are more fights on Valentines day and less love making...just saying!

I know what you are thinking. Cupid aimed for my heart but missed right? Believe it or not I like Valentines Day but the significance of this holiday has changed to me this year. Its just not the most important day to celebrate your relationship with the one you love. Everyday is.

My mother’s birthday is on Valentines Day so growing up I always shared Valentines Day with her and my boyfriends. This year I am all hers and I am happy about it. Valentines Day has always been my mom’s day whether I am single or not.Celebrate this Valentines Day with the one you love the most but this year go to dinner the night before when you can actually choose any affordable item on the menu, when there will be parking, less crowds, and less women dressed in red. Buy your Valentine flowers & heart shaped boxes with chocolates on any other day of the year to show your love. I promise it will mean more to them then getting flowers on Valentines Day when it’s predictable and expected. I think one of the most thoughtful gestures is to cook for someone. Don't they say the fastest way to someones heart is through the belly? So this Valentines Day stay in with a nice bottle of wine and cook for the one you love. Valentines Day should be simple and with that in mind I think a simple Spaghetti with Meatballs recipe is appropriate.I promise this kind gesture will express much love, appreciation and devotion to the one you love the most. Also this spaghetti & meatballs is pretty tasty!

Simple Spaghetti with Meatballs

Simple Tomato Sauce:

½ cup olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

Salt & pepper

2 32 ounce cans crushed tomatoes

1 can tomato paste

2 dried bay leaves

4 tablespoons unsalted butter (optional)

In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion & garlic and sauté until soft and translucent, about 5-10 minutes. Add celery and carrots and season with salt & pepper. Sauté until all the vegetables are soft, about 5-10 minutes.

Add tomatoes and bay leaves and simmer uncovered on low heat for 1 hour or until thick.

Remove bay leaves and add tomato sauce to a food processor in small amounts at a time. Process until smooth.

Add the sauce back to the pot and if the sauce tastes acidic add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time to round out the flavors.

Simple Meatballs:

1 pound ground sirloin

¼ pound pork or veal

½ cup Parmesan cheese

½ cup bread crumbs

2 eggs

1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley

Mix all the ingredients with your hands well and make into round balls the size of golf balls. It should make 20 small meatballs. Or you can make larger ones if you prefer. Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer on low heat for 1 hour or until cooked through. Boil spaghetti until done and top with meatballs and sauce. I would buy fresh made pasta from an Italian deli, it only takes a couple minutes to cook, and it just taste better.…do it for the celebration of your relationship on Valentines Day.

I hope you have a Happy Valentines Day and you get to share it with someone you care about. Happy 60^th Valentine Birthday to my mom Shellie. And remember mom, just the other day our dentist thought you were my sister! I am so lucky you are always going to be my Valentine that I get to shower with gifts and love, on this year and every year…xoWin someones heart today. xoxo

Deep Dish

I just got back from Chicago and the one and only meal I cared about eating was Chicago deep dish pizza. The question was where to get it from and I left it up to my local friends to steer me in the right direction. They did just that.

We ordered a deep dish pizza from Lou Malnati's. Lou Malnati's pizza is not only rich in history but very rich in flavor. Lou Malnati's got his first job at Chicago pizzeria in 1940. He took all he learned and in 1971 opened up his first location in Chicago. Now the family owned business has over 31 locations.
Every pizza is hand made from scratch with the freshest ingredients. The Malnati team hand picks the finest vine ripened California tomatoes every year for the perfect sweet and tangy taste. The fresh mozzarella cheese comes from the same dairy that has been supplying Lou Malniti's for 40 years. The fresh flaky buttery crust is a family recipe that has been passed down from generation to generation.When our pizza came delivered and we opened the box it was steaming hot. I mean piping hot. Usually when I order pizza for delivery its totally cold by the time I get it. Not this pizza. Straight out of the oven to our door. And to top it off it was was 7 degrees outside. How the heck did they manage to keep it so hot!?!We ordered The "Lou". Fresh spinach, mushroom, sliced tomatoes, covered with a blend of mozzarella, cheddar, and romano cheese. It was delicious! The toppings where flavorful, the cheese was not greasy, and the crust was buttery & flaky.
Living in California I don't have too wait to long to have my next Lou Malnati's pizza. You can order it frozen to be delivered to your home from The Taste Of Chicago. Just bake it in your own oven and get it as hot if not hotter then I got it in Chicago. I just might have to do that sooner then later.
Lou Malnati's

Superbowl Sunday Funday

Superbowl Sunday is only days away and most of you are planning your menu's for Sundays festivities. I will not be cooking this year as I will be traveling home from Chicago. I will be back just in time for kick off. For those of you who are entertaining I didn't want to leave you high and dry so I decided to search for some amazing Superbowl crowd pleasing appetizers! I hope they come in handy to you and you enjoy making them...and even better, you enjoy eating them!

I hope you have a fantastic Superbowl Sunday and may your team win!

Superbowl Savory Wings

Noble Pig does it again! How good do these wings look? Only 5 ingredient that include pineapple juice, soy sauce, lemon gelatin, poppy seeds and wings! You can see how its done here.

Antipasto Squares from The Cutting Edge of Ordinary

Okay not so healthy but who eats healthy during the Superbowl. This little sandwich looks so good and is made up of Italian meats, 2 kinds of cheeses and roasted red peppers. The bread is Pillsbury Crescent Rolls. I would put a bowl of Tums out with this one. Check out the recipe here.

The Reuben Dip
Nothing like hot Reuben sandwich and how brilliant is a hot Reuben dip? All you will need is Corned Beef, Sauerkraut, Swiss Cheese, Sour Cream, Cream Cheese, Ketchup, Spicy Brown Mustard and Cocktail Rye Bread. If you make this one I am inviting myself over! Another one from Noble Pig, check out exactly how to make it here.

Jalapeno Popper Dip

Jalaaaaaaa! I mean is this one for real? Look how crispy the panko bread crust is and who does not like jalapeno poppers? This recipe comes from Big Red Kitchen and is super easy to make. Simply spread it on your favorite cracker and enjoy!

Steelers vs. Packers Potato Skins

This one is my favorite and comes from Noble Pig! Pittsburgh Steeler fans can enjoy some skins that are topped with sauteed onions, kielbasa, sauerkraut, and grated Swiss cheese. Green Bay Packer fans can enjoy some skins that are topped with beer cheese spread, sliced grilled bratwurst, and spicy brown mustard. Hey if you are not a fan of either team enjoy both skins and get the recipe here.

May the best team win. Goodbye football season (sad face).

Until next year.

CHAAARGE! (had to represent)

Toast is Toast

I went to Toast Enoteca with my family and this new wine bar and kitchen has been open for one year. The way our evening went I would have thought it was opening night.

We made a reservation for 7:00 and when we got there they were going to seat us at a table that was literally in the doorway. Pretty much the worst table in the restaurant. We decided to forgo our "VIP" table and wait for a table inside the restaurant with some warmth to it.
We sat at the bar and enjoyed the some wine tasting from state-of-the-art wine dispensing machines. That was the best part of the meal.We finally were seated 45 minutes later at 7:45. We decided to go with the restaurant week menu. 3 course meal for $20.00.
We ordered our drinks, meals and received our water and wine a half hour later. It was 8:15pm and at this point we were starving and got up and asked the owner/chef/dishwasher (that is what he called himself) for some bread. Which was one of our first courses. The bread was bread, and the balsamic vinegar that was served with it was sweet and delicious. Besides my Stags Leap Chardonnay the vinegar was probably the best thing I tasted there.
We got our second course a while after that. Cavolfiore Al Forno - Oven-baked Cauliflower in the House Pomodoro Sauce. This was pretty good. I enjoyed the red sauce it was served in but nothing to amazing.
Pere E Gorgonzola - Baked Pare served with Gorgonzola Cheese. I really enjoyed this. It was served on top of arugula. I loved the sweet pare with the tart cheese.
I was starving, annoyed, and ready to leave and grab a burger someplace else at 8:45 and we finally got our main course. I have never heard my father (the nicest most mellow man in the world) drop the "F Bomb" so many times at the table.
Rigatoni A La Bolognese - nothing special. I have had better Bolognese.
Tortellini Al Burro Tartufato - Tortellini stuffed with Ricotta Cheese in a Truffle Infused Butter Sauce - What should of been cooked "Al Dente" was cooked "Al Jacked Up". I think it might of been raw. I expected a bite but this bite was way to hard and the what should of been soft hot cheese in the middle was a cold hard mess. Not good at all. I don't know if they were rushing to get us our food because they saw how unhappy we were or what but it was not cooked. I mean they only had 2 hours to do so.
Lasanga Al Broccoli E Salsiccia - Lasagna in a Broccoli and Sausage Parmesan Sauce - It tasted good but it sure was greasy.
I would of taken pictures of all the food but to tell you the truth I was to hungry I couldn't deal with pictures. The portions were tiny too, which would not of been a problem if the service was better and if the food was cooked to perfection.
They were understaffed. I felt bad for our waitress. This restaurant is small but she too was playing to many parts, busing tables and waiting on tables. Seems to me like they are trying to save money where they can but doing so seems to be bad for business. If you want to go and enjoy some good wine this is good place to go for that. Don't go hungry and if you order food expect to wait for it. The service was so off. There was no flow and it was chaotic. I almost wanted to jump in a help them out.
The owner did speak to us at the end of our meal. He apologized and knew it was an off night and said he saw everything that went wrong. He gave us his card and told us to come in to either one of his restaurants, Acqua Al 2 or Toast and he will do it right for us and take care of us. It was nice of him to offer that but I don't think I will be back. After he walked away from us, water pitcher in hand, he failed to fill our water glasses. The 2.5 hours we were there our water glasses never got refilled. Go figure. I wont be Toasting to Toast today, that's for sure.
Toast Enoteca
927 j street san diego ca. 92101
619-269-4207

O BO-Beau, BO-Beau!

Wherefore Art Thou BO-Beau? That is what I find myself saying after dining at the newly romanticized BO-Beau last Tuesday night with my dear friend Saul. It's the newest addition to the Cohn Restaurant Group. BO-Beau, which is located in Ocean Beach takes over the space that was formally known as the 42 year old restaurant Thee Bungalow. The once grandma-house-style restaurant has been transformed into a masterpiece. Not an ounce left of the 1969 french restaurant Thee Bungalow, except the old menu's framed in the restrooms.

I can't believe the transformation that has taken place and the revamped restaurant screams, Vintage, Rustic, Romantic, Warm, and French. What an amazing job was done on the decor that was designed by the man behind Bleu Boheme, Philippe Beltran. Beltran fronted BO's with French Colonial gates from mid-17th century Egypt and filled it with antique farm tools, wine barrels from a Spanish estate, and added a fire placed pizza oven patio.
Lyrics to a french love song written throughout the restaurant in french and frames near the lyrics translating the song in English.
We'll fly away from the same pier, our eyes showing the same reflections, for in this life and the one after, you will be my sole purpose.
(See? screams romantic!)The restaurant was packed for a Tuesday night and has only been open a couple weeks. The Bar (yes they put in a bar!) didn't have a seat open. The drink menu looked so good. It was a Tuesday night and a couple days after New Years Eve so I am laying off the alcohol but I plan to go back and try: Le Romantique - belvedere black raspberry + pomegranate-rose petal nectar + champagne + a rose petal.
Ooh, La, La!!!
Not just is the decor amazing but the food is spectacular too. BO's is rustic style bistro french food at its best. Rightly so as the Executive Chef, Katherine Humphus graduated from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris France. French food is what she does best and she does it superb!
The menu which you can see here consists of Appetizers & Boards, Woodstone Oven Flat Bread, Soups & Salads, Moules & Frites, Pasta's such as Housemade Fettuccini with Duck Confit, Roasted Mushrooms and Parmesan Reduction, and some french Bistro Classics such as Boeuf Bourguignon & Steak Frites.

The first thing we had was the house bread. I believe it was ciabatta. It is a rustic peasant style bread with lots of holes in it. Soft on the inside and super crusty on the outside. Why am I writing about the bread? Well it was damn good and I loved how the bread came served in a brown paper bag with soft butter on the side. So different then the normal boring bread basket. Loved it!We started with the Caesar Salad - Crisp Romaine, Soft Boiled Egg, Ciabatta Croutons, and Shaved Parmesan. I loved this salad. The dressing was perfect. A little tangy and just enough of it to not over power the salad. I loved the soft boiled egg on the side which added some richness to the dish. A great combination of flavors.We then had the Billi Bi - Cream of Mussel Soup and Tarragon Dumpling. It was rich and creamy with a few plump mussels. The tarragon dumpling was crispy on the outside and soft in the inside. So many different textures and this soup is decadent. We ordered a side of the mac n cheese. I really can't pass that up when its on a menu.
Leek "Foundue" Mac N Cheese with Cheddar Gratinee. You really can't go wrong with mac n cheese and BO-Beau's mac n cheese is really good. I did think it could be a little creamier and cheesier. It seemed a little dry. Still very good and I love how crispy the top was.We also tasted the Braised Short Rib Woodstone Oven Flat Bread topped with Braised Short Rib, Horseradish Smashed Potatoes and Chives. I love this flat bread. I have never had short rib on a pizza before and I love short ribs, pizza and smashed potatoes with horseradish. Together they are delicious. What an amazing creation!
We also tasted (by this time we were so full so tasted would be the appropriate word) the Moules A La Moutarde. Mussels with Whole Grain Mustard, Fresh Herbs and Frites. I really liked the mustard broth the mussels were in. Much better then a boring white wine broth. You could really taste and see the mustard seeds. Loved it!The Frites were awesome. Again served in a brown paper bag. I love this rustic touch. Keeps things casual and fun. That is what french food needs to be in order to get people to go back. For that matter to even get people to step in. BO-Beau does just that. You will go and you will be back!
If we hadn't consumed enough food, Chef Katherine brought out the best dish for us to try and I saved it for last.
This is a must if you go to BO-Beau. Crispy Brussel Sprouts sprinkled with Pancetta, Parmesan and Balsamic. I love brussel sprouts and these are divine. The outside leaves were so crispy and that is exactly how I love my brussel sprouts. The flavors of the pancetta, parmesan and balsamic jazz these bad boys up to the highest degree.
I love how they were served scattered on a wood plank and inside this rustic jar. A favorite for sure!The staff and service at BO-Beau was impeccable. The prices are fantastic too. The most expensive entree is $19.00. Portions are generous but not too large, and can definitely be shared.
I said it once and I will say it again. French food that is fun? BO-Beau does just that.
Finally!
BO-Beau
4996 west point loma boulevard san diego ca. 92107
619-224-2884

I Love You Maryjane

Cypress Hill said it first but I second the motion. Maryjane's Coffee Shop has been open in the Hard Rock Hotel since October 2007 and I went for the first time this past weekend for brunch. I didn't order a million things to try as I was still full from all the holiday indulging but really enjoyed this swanky coffee shop. Good ole American style cuisine and home-cooked breakfasts are served at Maryjane's. I loved the individual TV screen at our booth playing the Cardinals vs. 49ers game. Can't go wrong with that!

I ordered a build your own omelet and it was super good. Cheddar cheese, mushrooms and avocado served with the best hash browns I have had in a long time and a tasty biscuit! Not one of those omelets where the grease oozes all over the plate. I really enjoyed it.
Other recommended items are the Eggs Benedict, LA Sticky Buns, Disco Fries, Signature Burgers and Salads.
If you are looking for a new breakfast joint that is casual, hip with a flamboyant touch this is the spot. They serve lunch, dinner and breakfast all day and on weekends they are open till 3am. It's a great place to go to soak up the cocktails consumed after late night dancing.
Right now they offer a "Get Your Burger On" Wednesdays. Mouthwatering burger specials for $4.20 from 4:20pm till close on Wednesdays.

Who isn't in the mood to dine along side photos of Mick, Janis, and Prince? See you there 4:20pm on Wednesday!
Maryjane's Coffee Shop
207 5th avenue san diego ca. 92101