Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Sipz! A vegetarian/vegan haven

Sipz Cafe
(858) 279-3747
5501 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA

A friend of mine showed me Sipz years ago, and they're absolutely amazing. They have a second location in Poway that they opened a couple years back, and I hear from a friend that they're going to be opening another location in North Park (which is much better suited for the cuisine).

Sipz bills itself as a fusion asian cuisine cafe. They don't make a big deal about being nearly all vegan and they aren't pretentious like a lot of vegan/veggie/raw food places are. In fact, unless you look carefully, you won't even realize that they only serve mock meat.

Their main dishes are bowls and include things like Pho (a classic Vietnamese beef noodle soup), Walnut Shrimp (tempura style fried shrimp and walnuts, my personal favorite) and Orange Chicken. They recently doubled the size of their shop and put in a vegan sushi bar. I haven't tried the sushi there yet, but everyone in the place seemed to be enjoying it.

So why the name Sipz? They also offer an extensive list of drinks, including boba teas (the popular milk-tea drinks with marble-sized tapioca balls in them), hot tea, cold tea, wines, beers, etc. If you can, save room for dessert. They have a vegan Banana Cake with coconut sauce that's fantastic.

Most of the bowls are about $7 at dinnertime. The desserts are about $4.

A greasy spoon

We all have our favorite spot for deep fried breakfast. For a vegetarian, most greasy spoons are about pancakes and has browns. Sometimes you'll run into an occasional omelet worth tasting. For my wife and I, we haven't found the perfect place yet but we like (not love) a couple places we've tried:

The Lumberjack Grille
3949 Ohio St
San Diego, CA 92104

Perry's Cafe
(619) 291-7121
4620 Pacific Hwy
San Diego, CA 92110

Now The Lumberjack Grille used to be the Old Mill Cafe, and as a result, you won't find it under Yahoo Maps as The Lumberjack Grille. Their menu has a large selection of dishes with a few surprises. Look for the Crunchy French Toast which is french toast, battered with raisin bran and fried. I know it sounds odd, but it's pretty tasty if you're open minded.

They have a handful of Mexican dishes, their prices are fair (though some things are more pricey than you'd expect, like sandwiches) and the service is okay. There's some peculiarities to the place such as they serve a pasta-sauce style sauce for dipping their fried cheese sticks in. My wife asked if they had marinara and they didn't. Just don't expect them to have everything to cater to your tastes.

The clientèle is largely gay men for some reason. I don't know the history of the place to venture why that is.

Perry's Cafe is a different story altogether. They're bigger, busier, louder and cheaper. They're right on the PCH so they pick up a bunch of traffic. You'll often have to wait if you're going there for breakfast, but the wait isn't as bad as it seems. The turnover is quick. Their prices tend to be a bit cheaper than The Lumberjack and the service is a bit better. This place is a gem for people who like classic roadside cafes. It doesn't get much more authentic than Perry's Cafe.

The food is what it is: cheap, straight-shooting and edible. Lot of buzz, activity and at times it's a bit too noisy. If you like that sort of energy, you're definitely in the right place. If you want something a bit smaller, more laid back, then The Lumberjack might be more your style.

I've been meaning to have breakfast at Brian's American Eatery but every time I've made the attempt, they haven't had any parking spaces open (and getting a spot on the street in that area is tricky). Hopefully I'll be able to review them soon.

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Indian buffet

Taste of India
858-566-0806
http://www.tasteofindiasd.com/
6780 Miramar Rd.
San Diego, California

In the theme of buffets, I had to include an Indian buffet. Indian is my personal favorite cuisine of all time for two reasons: it has so many vegetarian options and it has so many different variations that a dish is completely different each place you have it.

The second part might be considered inconsistency to some people and it might be the source of frustration. However, the reason for all the variation is due to the thousands of cultures that comprise India. There are 23 different languages recognized by the Indian Constitution, for example. This even makes many of the dishes appear under different names and different spellings. For instance, some restaurants will refer to a creamed spinach dish as Palak Paneer while others will call it Saag Paneer. Some places with deep fry the paneer cheese (a soft, homemade, tofu-like cheese), others won't, and some will offer Saag without cheese at all! And that's just a single dish!

Obviously all this variance means that people are going to have many preconceptions of what Indian food should be. If I were to define what I think it should be, it would be best exemplified by the Taste of India on Miramar Rd. There are a bunch of places that call themselves "Taste of India" and I have no idea if there's a common owner of them to explain the name, but the food is very different from one to another, so even if they are under common ownership, do not go to one thinking you'll find the same dishes as at another location.

Nearly all Indian restaurants offer some form of buffet. The lunch buffet is the most popular. The lunch buffet at the Taste of India is only $9 and it's a great option if you need a quick lunch (and you're really hungry). The dinner buffet is $13 but they do bring out some more expensive dishes.

For dinner, they always offer a Saag Paneer, Chicken Tandoor, Dal (lentils), Alu (potato) and chickpea dish. They're all very good and have very different flavors. Their basmati rice is very good (unusual for a buffet where it usually gets dried out and isn't evenly cooked). They also have pakoras (deep fried veggie fritters) and samosas (super-buttery, curried potatos and peas in a deep fried shell).

But here's their big winning factor: they don't make the mistake, that so many Indian buffets make, of leaving the Naan (a buttery, fluffy flat bread) out on the buffet where it gets tough and dry. They bring it to your table and when you finish it, they bring you another. It's super fresh, hot and delicious. For dessert they have the standard Kheer (a sort of thin rice pudding) and Gulab Jamun (deep fried cheese balls...they're awesome). The Gulab Jamun in particular is better here than any other place I've had it. Most places I've had it, it comes out cakey rather than spongy and tender. It sounds weird but you have to try it.

Another place to try (especially if you're vegetarian) is the Madras Cafe. It's all vegetarian and it's Southern Indian cuisine (which is radically different than all other Indian food). There's still some curries and lots of potatos, but they have a bunch of different breads including one that is paper thin that's about 1.5 feet in diameter.

In case you haven't picked up on this yet, I'm in love with Indian food and I get excited just by writing about it. There's a completely new twist on it at every place you eat, so if you've had Indian before and it was either too spicy, not spicy enough, or just didn't suit you, try it again, at least twice more, at different places. You're sure to find one variety of it that you like.

Ethiopian buffet

Harar Ethiopian Restaurant
(619) 295-3735
http://www.ethiopianrestaurant.com/california/harar.html
2432 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92104


I know, I know...Ethiopian buffet? But aren't people in Ethiopia starving? For some reason, Ethiopian restaurants in San Diego seem to commonly have buffets at least once a week. If you've never had Ethiopian food before, the only thing I can liken it to is Southern comfort food. Most of it slow cooked and buttery. My favorite dishes at this particular buffet are the eggplant dish and the greens dish (I can't remember if they're collards or another type of green).

The buffet runs about $12 and is available Friday evenings (I think between 6pm and 11pm). The trouble with being a vegetarian at this buffet is that nothing is labeled and since everything is slow cooked to the point of mush (very tasty mush) it's sometimes difficult to tell if a dish is meat or not. The waitstaff is very friendly and helpful and their English is very good so don't be afraid to ask. They consistently have the same dishes every time I've gone so you only have to learn the dishes once. Generally they lay out the veggie dishes on the left and the rightmost dishes have meat in them.

The trademark of Ethiopian food is the Injera. It's a type of spongy flatbread that you use to "pinch" the stewed dishes with. You scoop or pinch a bit of stewed veggies in the injera and then eat it. This way you don't have any utensils. It's very communal feeling. Many Ethopian restaurants in town will serve large platters that combine 2 or 3 people's orders (and don't worry they usually leave enough space between the dishes that the meat doesn't touch the veggies). The idea is to share among your friends. I happen to like the format, but it's not for everyone (especially anyone who has something against eating with their hands).

Another good Ethiopian restaurant further down University Ave. is the Red Sea. Both Harar and Red Sea are pretty small, family run, very cozy and friendly places.

Greek buffet

Zorba's Greek Restaurant
(619) 422-8853
100 Broadway
Chula Vista, CA 91910

If you like Greek and you haven't been to Zorba's down in Chula Vista, you owe it to yourself to check it out. I know what you're thinking: Chula Vista? Greek? That's an odd combination. And yes it's pretty far for most people to drive, but when I want Greek food, it's the only place that I think of.

I've had some pretty good Spanikopita from some other shops around town and if I need something in my neck of the woods (North Park) I can always count on the Olympic Cafe near Texas and University. But when I want to treat the wifey and I (and a couple friends) we go down to Zorba's. Friday and Saturday nights have dancing and there's an extra charge so if you go those nights, get in and out before 8pm unless you're interested in the dancing.

The buffet is about $12/person but they have a ton of selection and everything is good (I can't speak for the meat, but my friends who eat meat tell me the Gyros are delicious). They always have Spanikopita, a bunch of salads, Mousaka and about 5 desserts. Other items rotate out fairly randomly.

The quality of some of the dishes can sometimes be inconsistent as they have different people in the kitchen, but the place is very Greek and you'll see first-generation Greeks eating there pretty frequently (always a good sign).

Monday, January 22, 2007

Russian food

Russian Georgian Rstrnt
(619) 297-4007
www.russiangeorgianfood.homestead.com
2302 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92104

This place, also known as Pektopah Pomegranate, is one of the few authentic Russian places in San Diego. The prices are a bit on the higher side (and the waitress will try to upsell you on sppetizers) but the food is so unique that it's worth it. I recommend the vegetarian Borscht. The Georgians are known as the best cooks of Russia and Pektopah Pomegranate serves up great peasant dishes with big bold spices.

Their baker is truly skilled too. They have flaky pastries that are amazing. Their Turkish coffee is similar to Greek coffee: small cup, lots of grounds on the bottom, super strong.

They have a bunch of fancy teas as well. The place is small and festively decorated. There's writing all over the walls with various people (in various languages) singing the praises of the food. Marco (the owner) sits in the corner and reads his paper and will be very happy to strike up a conversation with you. He has a thick Russian accent and will tell you stories and teach you Russian.

The best breakfast in town for under $2

Sunny Donuts
9330 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA
92123

I have a secret. My wife and I eat breakfast every Sunday at the same place...and we fill up...for about $5. We both have an egg and cheese croissant and a donut. The egg and cheese croissant is $1.89 and it's absolutely delicious. It's big and buttery and yummy. If that's all you get, you're going to get a good breakfast (okay maybe not the best for you but it's delicious and pretty filling) for under $2.

If you really want to splurge, get a donut, too. I recommend the apple fritter or the plain cake donut. There's something about a plain cake donut that's so simple, that you can really tell the skill of the maker.

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Great chinese food for < $10 a plate - Tons of vegetarian options

Mandarin Dynasty
1458 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92103

My wife and I are both vegetarian. We struggle with Asian food as many of the wait staff don't consider fish to be meat (we do). They also generally don't have a lot of vegetarian options. That's why when we want Chinese, we always head to Mandarin Dynasty.

Basically, anything on the menu, you can get as a vegetarian option. Their meat substitute is a fried dough and varies based on the dish. If you want something salt and dark, go with the Mongolian Beef. If you want something sweet and tangy, the Sweet and Sour Pork is a sure bet. Others worth trying are the Lemon Chicken, Salt and Pepper Chicken and Honey Chicken.

The wait staff is very friendly and they proudly hang a signed vintage picture of Sarah Michelle Gellar near the door (in which she raves about the place).