New York Pizza
2358 University Ave.
San Diego, CA 92104
I love Eggplant Parmesan. On a plate or in a sub, it's my favorite Italian dish. I love eggplant and it's not easy to make it just right. Every place does Eggplant Parmesan very differently. Some places leave the skin on and just grill the eggplant. Other places trim the skin and batter and fry the eggplant. Every style is good if done well (unless you don't like the skin, but if it's done right you won't even notice the skin as it will be tender and easy to eat/digest).
New York Pizza has the most generic name I've seen in San Diego, but their food is above average. They have a good Eggplant Parm sub and that's what I originally came in for. The sauce is a bit weak on the sub, but it's still pretty good. They have extremely large pizzas (which I haven't tried yet but they look pretty good) and you'll wonder how they get them out the door or into the delivery car.
But their true shining star is the spinach roll. It's under $5 and it's easily two solid meals worth of food. It's about 2 lbs of fresh spinach, ricotta and mozzarella rolled up in a ...well pizza pocket for lack of a better term. It's kinda like a calzone, but more like a pizza burrito with no opening (it'll usually have a couple small cracks in it so you have to be careful as you're eating it, just like a burrito, or it'll explode eventually).
I made the mistake of trying to eat this thing in one sitting. Don't do it unless you're a pro. It looks like you can do it, but you'll be hurting by the last 1/4 of it. It's just plain massive...and only $5!
Other great pizza places: Bronx Pizza, Regents Pizzeria
Other great eggplant parm subs: Florencia Pizza
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
Rant: No expensive vegetarian food
Okay, so I'm normally one that gets excited to find cheap, good food. However, there are occasions when I find myself at a more upper class restaurant and I'm thoroughly disappointed by the vegetarian selection (and generally there is but ONE vegetarian selection).
I realize that we are a port city and that high-class cuisine is often synonymous with seafood, but this is also San Diego and there are more than a few vegetarians here. We vegetarians should not feel out of place and bored with the cuisine when we dine at high-class eating establishments.
I'm going to name names: C Level @ Island Prime (and nearly every other Cohn Restaurant Group restaurant) and Osetra: The Fish House have been my two most recent disappointments. Granted, these two places specifically have "meaty" names, but there should be no reason that their top-notch chefs can't get creative with a couple vegetarian selections.
Instead of any original dish, the vegetarian option at any high-class restaurant is almost invariably either pasta or risotto. Don't get me wrong, I adore pasta and risotto...but I can make both...and do on a regular basis...mostly because they're extremely cheap. So I don't tend to get too excited when they're offered as the only vegetarian option.
It's a slap in the face as if to say "we considered a vegetarian option and we decided you weren't worth any real effort or imagination so we'll make you some noodles." I blame the owners, the managers and the chefs for this nearsightedness and I expect more out of San Diego. Come on, fancy-schmancey restaurants. When I've got the money to lay down for a high-priced meal, you're going to have to earn my money.
I realize that we are a port city and that high-class cuisine is often synonymous with seafood, but this is also San Diego and there are more than a few vegetarians here. We vegetarians should not feel out of place and bored with the cuisine when we dine at high-class eating establishments.
I'm going to name names: C Level @ Island Prime (and nearly every other Cohn Restaurant Group restaurant) and Osetra: The Fish House have been my two most recent disappointments. Granted, these two places specifically have "meaty" names, but there should be no reason that their top-notch chefs can't get creative with a couple vegetarian selections.
Instead of any original dish, the vegetarian option at any high-class restaurant is almost invariably either pasta or risotto. Don't get me wrong, I adore pasta and risotto...but I can make both...and do on a regular basis...mostly because they're extremely cheap. So I don't tend to get too excited when they're offered as the only vegetarian option.
It's a slap in the face as if to say "we considered a vegetarian option and we decided you weren't worth any real effort or imagination so we'll make you some noodles." I blame the owners, the managers and the chefs for this nearsightedness and I expect more out of San Diego. Come on, fancy-schmancey restaurants. When I've got the money to lay down for a high-priced meal, you're going to have to earn my money.
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