Pho-get About It!

Tom wanted to try some pho, which is a Vietnamese soup with noodles. Okay, I thought, let's do it. I've had it before, and wasn't a fan, but didn't want to be a negative influence. So we headed West on Clairemont Mesa Blvd. and ended up at Pho T Cali.

Good news: we were seated immediately. Bad news: the gentleman who seated us tossed our menus on the table and continued walking. He was too far away to hear our thank yous... We were given water soon thereafter, and I ordered iced tea. I never got it. 

When our waiter arrived Tom ordered pho, and steak and tripe egg noodles. He thought both we rather flavorless. Although he said he was "starving," he finished neither. 

I got shrimp and egg noodles. It was okay, but the vegetables were too raw for my taste. 

The best part of our adventure, other than spending time together, was the mural. The meal was just over $20 without tip. And without iced tea. We won't be back.

Jersey Mike's Subs

Was in the mood for a meatball sub, so we decided to head West on Clairemont Mesa Blvd. and try Jersey Mike's. I was pleasantly surprised that this chain restaurant was into community service and giving back. Props to them! I enjoy purchasing from companies that do good. However, giving to those in need does only so much if your food isn't up to par. Thank goodness Jersey Mike's is awesome! 

I must say that I am in love with their meatball sub! Trust me, this photo does not do this hot and delicious creation justice. The bread was hot but not chewy. The meatballs were just the right consistency that they fell apart in my mouth, bursting with a great flavor. The provolone cheese was melted perfectly, and the marinara was a smidgen sweet. I ate about half before I forced myself to stop. At $6.95, I know I will be getting this again. And again!

Tom got a grilled chicken parmesan ranch sub. He couldn't help finishing this bad boy in spite of its generous size. He also thought he would be back. He rated this against similar sandwiches from Subway, Quiznos and Togos. Jersey Mike's is the clear winner in his book, and only second to 4.0 Deli near San Diego State University.

Smashburger!

In the mood for some beef, Tom suggested Smashburger. The name alone made me want to try it! A friend of his introduced him to this joint not long ago, and he really likes it. So much for the rule that I blog about a place that is new to both of us... However, he was paying, so I was totally cool with that. And, spending time with my son is really what this blogging exercise is all about.

Tom got his "usual," the crispy BBQ Rach Chicken sandwich, with Applewood smoked bacon, haystack onions, lettuce, tomato, BBQ sauce and ranch dressing on an egg bun. He also got the Smashfries, which are tossed with rosemary, olive oil and garlic. We shared those! Quite tastey. I took a bite of his sandwich and it was very delicious.

I got the All-American with cheese burger. The food here is big, and quite flavorful. However, this is not type of food I can eat more than once in a blue moon. The buns reminded me of In-and-Out Burger, which is a good thing, but the amount of grease in the meat and on the fries played havoc with my delicate stomach.

With two regular drinks, Tom paid just under $20 for our meal. It was delicious, but I won't be returning. Way too unhealthy for my body.

Edamami...another word for YUM!

Tom and I went  to Edamami’s Japanese Restaurant in Tierrasanta for lunch today.

Best food decision we’ve made in a long time! We got there right after they opened at noon, and were not the first ones there. We were warmly greeted and told to sit where we wanted. The place is small, but not dark, and we were given a bowl of warm edamame and menus almost immediately.

Tom is a huge sushi lover, so he was happy to see a lot of choice.

He ordered eel rolls, yellow tail rolls, red snapper sushi and miso soup.

His favorite was the red snapper, although he said it was all delicious. “This might be the best sushi I’ve had,” he nodded.

I ordered shrimp yakasoba. It was hot and tasted so very fresh. Neither the noodles nor vegetables were mushy like I have gotten with similar dishes elsewhere, and that made me happy. The light teriyaki sauce was just enough to make this dish pop with flavor. It was difficult for me to stop eating, even when I knew that I should. I absolutely loved it!

The bill came to just under $25 without the tip. Considering the fact that I brought half of mine home, it was a bargain. Edamami is on Santo Road, close to the 52. We loved it so much that it may become a new hangout for us.

The Big Apple

I was in New York City last week with a buddy of mine from high school. I missed my son, but had a blast with Dennis. We tried to get in to see Saturday Night Live, but were not successful. We did, however, learn first-hand how cold the city can be outside at 5 a.m. in February.

Trying not to be a "Debby Downer" I thought Times Square would be fun. It was!  We found a very cool place to eat called the Playwright Restaurant overlooking the Square.

I ordered french onion soup and shrimp cocktail. The soup was amazingly delicious. One of the best I've ever had. lots of tender onions, thick sourdough, and lots of glorious cheese. Yum!

The shrimp cocktail, while very good, only had four pieces in the order. They skimped on the shrimp!

I forget what dennis ate. I must have been completely self-absorbed, but I think it was a pasta or something. The service was fine, and the bill was around $40 with tip. Not cheap, but definitely memorable.

Gaetano's

In the mood for Italian, Tom and I hit up a little place called Gaetano's. It's located in Tierrasanta, in the same shopping center as the Albertson's we go to. We showed up at around 2 p.m. and were directed to choose any table we wanted. They weren't busy, but the service was a lot faster than we expected. Tom ordered a bowl of minestrone and a Campagnola pizza, and I ordered a meatball parmesana sandwich.

The soup arrived when my ice tea did. Tom liked it, but had to add a little salt. I thought it was tasty. My sandwich came soon thereafter.

It was very aromatic and hot. The melted cheese and tomato sauce were amazingly good. The meatball was a little too sausage-like for my taste, but Tom loved it. Since my gastric bypass 5 years ago I can’t eat a whole lot of food at one time, so I brought more than half of the sandwich home. Tom polished it off a few hours later.

His pizza, which took a few minutes longer to arrive than my sandwich, was a pesto, artichoke heart, chicken delight. He thoroughly enjoyed it. I can’t eat basil, or I would have loved it, as well. The artichoke hearts were great! Total tab for the meal was $22. I consider that a bargain. We will probably eat here again.

New year. New home. New traditions.

Living on our own for the first time in over 10 years has been a source of ever-growing happiness for me and my son. Even though our move was in the same county, it was a new city, and that provided fertile ground for us to explore. We started going to new restaurants—tasty new eateries—some even awesome. I never realized how much of a rut we had been in. Same old food, from the same old places. Don’t get me wrong, I cook—just not all the time.

So here we are, in an awesome location—San Diego. Add an awesome time—our new start—and it made all kinds of sense to create a tradition of dining at a new place every week. Awesome.

We made only three rules:

1.     The restaurant had to be new to both of us;

2.     It couldn’t have a drive-through; and

3.     The person who chooses the place has to pay.

We are ready to try new things, make new memories, and hopefully find some new favorite places. Let’s eat!