Punjabi Tandoor
9235 Activity Rd
San Diego, CA 92126
(858) 695-0956
punjabitandoor.com
I found out about this place from another foody's blog (http://www.sandiegofoodblog.com/indian/punjabitandoor.html). After reading this stellar review from a rather harsh food critic I had to check it out. The food is pretty much just as he described: cheap, tasty and spicy. The food is a bit spicier than average but still tame enough for the missus to eat. The saag paneer is fantastic and you get a lot of it for about $4. The rice is amazing (very buttery) and the naan is about perfect (a little chewier than most, but in a good way).
The only real criticism I've heard about this place is that it's a little on the greasy side...but to me, that's how Indian food is supposed to be. For those not in the know, nearly all indian food is cooked with ghee (a type of clarified butter). Ghee is almost pure saturated fat which is likely to affect cholesterol levels when eaten regularly. Here's the wikipedia entry on ghee: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghee
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Inconsistency is underrated
There's a concept that many chefs strive for: consistency. I'm posting tonight to say that consistency is overrated. One of the things I like about my favorite restaurants is the fact they have very little consistency. Consistency is boring. Even if the chef is consistently amazing in his product, he does himself a disservice to think that we, the foodies, like the same delivery every time.
One of my favorite restaurants is Zorba's. They're a Greek joint down in Chula Vista (of all places). They offer a buffet every day and sometimes the spanakopita is served as a giant sheet/pie that is sliced up, or individual pieces. Sometimes the spices are a little sweeter or a little more savory. I can see how not knowing what you're going to get when you go there for a meal would drive some people crazy, but it gives the wife and I something to talk about. We analyze each of the dishes and try to figure out what is different. Now sometimes, a dish is just dry (it is a buffet after all), but that's a risk I'm willing to take. It may be a matter of who is in the kitchen that night or the inspiration of the cooks that affects the variations of the dishes.
If nothing else, I think we can appreciate inconsistency for the sheer fact that to be inconsistent is to be human. I don't want the chef to mask the fact that he's in a different mood today. I expect variations in the food because he's human. He has to be affected by the things that happen in his day. Maybe he's even tweaking the dish, experimenting with a different approach. That novelty is far more precious to me than any lofty goal of consistency.
Food is art not science. Good art cannot be reproduced.
One of my favorite restaurants is Zorba's. They're a Greek joint down in Chula Vista (of all places). They offer a buffet every day and sometimes the spanakopita is served as a giant sheet/pie that is sliced up, or individual pieces. Sometimes the spices are a little sweeter or a little more savory. I can see how not knowing what you're going to get when you go there for a meal would drive some people crazy, but it gives the wife and I something to talk about. We analyze each of the dishes and try to figure out what is different. Now sometimes, a dish is just dry (it is a buffet after all), but that's a risk I'm willing to take. It may be a matter of who is in the kitchen that night or the inspiration of the cooks that affects the variations of the dishes.
If nothing else, I think we can appreciate inconsistency for the sheer fact that to be inconsistent is to be human. I don't want the chef to mask the fact that he's in a different mood today. I expect variations in the food because he's human. He has to be affected by the things that happen in his day. Maybe he's even tweaking the dish, experimenting with a different approach. That novelty is far more precious to me than any lofty goal of consistency.
Food is art not science. Good art cannot be reproduced.
Bangkok Spices Thai
Bangkok Spices Thai Restaurant
2832 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92104
(619) 281-1111
I'm lucky to live in North Park as there's a zillion restaurants within walking distance. One of the newer places down the block from me is Bangkok Spices Thai. The building it's in used to be Ramona's (a Mexican food joint) and somewhere in its past, I'm pretty sure it was a Pizza Hut (back when Pizza Hut was in a hut-like building).
The food is good though not my favorite. They have the standard Thai fair we come to expect from a Thai restaurant. The bulk of the menu is dedicated to curries and other dishes that vary in price by what you want in them. For vegetarians, they offer the option of veggies, tofu, mock duck or mock chicken. For everyone else, they offer beef, duck, chicken and seafood. Prices range from $7-8 for veggies or mock meat to $10-12 for beef or seafood.
They have a few more appetizers than the average place (appetizers are a bit pricey so I generally stay away from them). If I'm going to splurge I usually spend the money on dessert. Dessert is generally fresh mango and sticky rice. The two go perfectly together and it can easily be split between 2 or 3 people. It's very sweet so a little goes a long way.
My favorite dishes (ones that are very representative of the tastes of Thai cuisine) are Panang Curry and Pra Ram. Panang curry is one of the sweeter curries. It consists of red bell peppers and carrots in a coconut base. I prefer this dish with mock duck but it'd be great with tofu as well. They'll ask you how spicy on a scale from 1 to 10 you'd like your dish. This affects how much chili powder they'll add and in some cases (like this place) it'll affect how many slices of chili peppers they'll add. This place skews a little spicier than most so I usually stick with a 4 or 5. Be careful while eating as the chili peppers look benign (almost like bell peppers). They're known to be some of the hottest peppers on Earth (right up there with hanbaneros). Some people that can stand the spiciest Mexican food still have trouble with Thai spiciness. The peppers are just a bit different and the oils burn the tongue in different ways. I don't know the science behind it, but if you're up for it, try both peppers and you'll notice the difference. Alternatively, you can read a bit about Thai chili peppers here: http://www.happynews.com/living/cooking/thai-chili-pepper.htm
Pra ram is a unique dish as it offers a sauce unlike anything else. It's a peanut based sauce and it's a little different wherever you go (which is one of the reasons I get it at a new place I'm trying for the first time). If it's bad, it'll taste like peanut butter. The consistency should be medium...not too thick or too thin. It sometimes has small bits of peanut in it, but otherwise is quite smooth. It's sometimes poured on a bed of broccoli and other times spinach. I prefer spinach. It works well with cubes of tofu.
There's a couple other Thai restaurants that I'd like to mention:
California Thai Cafe
9550 Black Mountain Rd Ste A
San Diego, CA 92126
(858) 566-5021
http://californiathaicafe.com/
I love this place because it's usually very slow and it's small so the service is very good. The food is really good though the ambiance is non-existent, but I don't really care about that. This place is adjacent to the Little India area, so if you're stuffed after eating, it's fun to stroll through the KER market next door and look at all the yummy spices you've never heard of.
Sawaddy Thai Restaurant
8935 Towne Centre Dr Ste 115, San Diego, CA 92122
(858) 535-1668
This place has a lot of bad reviews on Yahoo, but I've only once had an issue with it. I asked for mock duck and they ended up serving me REAL duck. We vegetarians always fear that, but I'm willing to forgive. They haven't had that issue since. Nevertheless, there's a TON of Thai places in San Diego, so you have plenty of choices.
Unlisted Thai Place
on Clairemont Blvd. near the 15
Sorry, this place is too new apparently. I can't find it in the listings on Yahoo. There's a ton of new development right across the street from Sunny Donuts on the east end of Clairmont Mesa Blvd. They have the usual suspects there (Rubios, Starbucks, etc.) but what you won't expect is a little Thai place among them. They have great ambiance, very good service and it still won't break the bank. You pay a little premium for decor, but it's not bad. I'm sure this place does great business at lunch with all the businesses around, but it must be difficult to bring in a night crowd...you just don't think of that area for dinner. Plus, they have a wine bar and tv showing whatever sports game is going on...so I think they're a bit conflicted on what their target demo is...given where they're located. It's like they think they're in the Gaslamp district or something.
2832 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92104
(619) 281-1111
I'm lucky to live in North Park as there's a zillion restaurants within walking distance. One of the newer places down the block from me is Bangkok Spices Thai. The building it's in used to be Ramona's (a Mexican food joint) and somewhere in its past, I'm pretty sure it was a Pizza Hut (back when Pizza Hut was in a hut-like building).
The food is good though not my favorite. They have the standard Thai fair we come to expect from a Thai restaurant. The bulk of the menu is dedicated to curries and other dishes that vary in price by what you want in them. For vegetarians, they offer the option of veggies, tofu, mock duck or mock chicken. For everyone else, they offer beef, duck, chicken and seafood. Prices range from $7-8 for veggies or mock meat to $10-12 for beef or seafood.
They have a few more appetizers than the average place (appetizers are a bit pricey so I generally stay away from them). If I'm going to splurge I usually spend the money on dessert. Dessert is generally fresh mango and sticky rice. The two go perfectly together and it can easily be split between 2 or 3 people. It's very sweet so a little goes a long way.
My favorite dishes (ones that are very representative of the tastes of Thai cuisine) are Panang Curry and Pra Ram. Panang curry is one of the sweeter curries. It consists of red bell peppers and carrots in a coconut base. I prefer this dish with mock duck but it'd be great with tofu as well. They'll ask you how spicy on a scale from 1 to 10 you'd like your dish. This affects how much chili powder they'll add and in some cases (like this place) it'll affect how many slices of chili peppers they'll add. This place skews a little spicier than most so I usually stick with a 4 or 5. Be careful while eating as the chili peppers look benign (almost like bell peppers). They're known to be some of the hottest peppers on Earth (right up there with hanbaneros). Some people that can stand the spiciest Mexican food still have trouble with Thai spiciness. The peppers are just a bit different and the oils burn the tongue in different ways. I don't know the science behind it, but if you're up for it, try both peppers and you'll notice the difference. Alternatively, you can read a bit about Thai chili peppers here: http://www.happynews.com/living/cooking/thai-chili-pepper.htm
Pra ram is a unique dish as it offers a sauce unlike anything else. It's a peanut based sauce and it's a little different wherever you go (which is one of the reasons I get it at a new place I'm trying for the first time). If it's bad, it'll taste like peanut butter. The consistency should be medium...not too thick or too thin. It sometimes has small bits of peanut in it, but otherwise is quite smooth. It's sometimes poured on a bed of broccoli and other times spinach. I prefer spinach. It works well with cubes of tofu.
There's a couple other Thai restaurants that I'd like to mention:
California Thai Cafe
9550 Black Mountain Rd Ste A
San Diego, CA 92126
(858) 566-5021
http://californiathaicafe.com/
I love this place because it's usually very slow and it's small so the service is very good. The food is really good though the ambiance is non-existent, but I don't really care about that. This place is adjacent to the Little India area, so if you're stuffed after eating, it's fun to stroll through the KER market next door and look at all the yummy spices you've never heard of.
Sawaddy Thai Restaurant
8935 Towne Centre Dr Ste 115, San Diego, CA 92122
(858) 535-1668
This place has a lot of bad reviews on Yahoo, but I've only once had an issue with it. I asked for mock duck and they ended up serving me REAL duck. We vegetarians always fear that, but I'm willing to forgive. They haven't had that issue since. Nevertheless, there's a TON of Thai places in San Diego, so you have plenty of choices.
Unlisted Thai Place
on Clairemont Blvd. near the 15
Sorry, this place is too new apparently. I can't find it in the listings on Yahoo. There's a ton of new development right across the street from Sunny Donuts on the east end of Clairmont Mesa Blvd. They have the usual suspects there (Rubios, Starbucks, etc.) but what you won't expect is a little Thai place among them. They have great ambiance, very good service and it still won't break the bank. You pay a little premium for decor, but it's not bad. I'm sure this place does great business at lunch with all the businesses around, but it must be difficult to bring in a night crowd...you just don't think of that area for dinner. Plus, they have a wine bar and tv showing whatever sports game is going on...so I think they're a bit conflicted on what their target demo is...given where they're located. It's like they think they're in the Gaslamp district or something.
i suck at blogging
I recently got a comment asking "is this blog dead?" I suppose that means I'm overdue for another post...that and the fact that it's been a few months since I posted anything. Sorry dear readers, I've just been busy and haven't made time for you. That ends now...and begins in again tomorrow probably.
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