[product review] chef anthony russo’s gluten free pizzas
You know I don’t do the gluten-free thing, but I like trying new things. I was given the opportunity to … Continue reading [product review] chef anthony russo’s gluten free pizzas
Tag: breakfast
[product review] plum amazins baked goods from sunsweet bakery
I had the opportunity to review a few new products from the San Diego based Sunsweet Bakery. Now I’m sure … Continue reading [product review] plum amazins baked goods from sunsweet bakery
brother’s family restaurant / allied gardens – san diego, ca
Last summer when Jake and I started going to Foster’s Freeze a lot I noticed a little restaurant across the way called Brother’s Family Restaurant. It looked like a cute little diner type place nestled in the old strip mall. This part of town reminds me of a small town with a little strip for it’s “Downtown” area. I got a group deal so we could check this place out and we visited Brother’s Family Restaurant last month for breakfast.
It was Jake, T and I for breakfast one morning and we decided to split two entrees between the three of us. Two entrees may not seem like a lot, but it was actually more than enough food for the three of us!
[biscuits & gravy combo – $8.99]
We started with the Biscuits and Gravy Combo which came with biscuits and gravy, hash browns, 2 eggs, 2 bacon and 2 sausage links. A pretty basic start. The biscuits and gravy were just okay. I thought the gravy was a bit on the thick side and could have used a bit more flavor and seasonings – as it was, it was just very basic. The hash browns weren’t crispy enough on top for me and were slightly on the soggy side. Again – just okay.
[brothers big 3 – $9.49]
We also shared the Brother Big 3 which had: 3 eggs, 3 Grandma Jennie’s Pancakes (or 3 original pancakes) and 3 meats (ham, bacon & sausage). This one came with a sausage patty instead of a link – which I liked better than the links.
[grandma jennie’s pancakes]
The best thing we had that day were these special recipe buttermilk pancakes. You can get “original” buttermilk or Grandma Jennie’s version which has a little bit of cornmeal in the batter. These pancakes were light, fluffy and perfectly delicious. The little bit of cornmeal in the batter made these extra good. The other items we had for breakfast were just okay and if it weren’t for these pancakes I don’t think I would enjoyed the visit all that much. Continue reading “brother’s family restaurant / allied gardens – san diego, ca”
peanut butter chocolate chip banana bread
Sometimes you get lonely, over ripened, sad bananas. But they’re not sad! They’re happy! Because they can be transformed from their sad, mushy state into something wonderful, like banana bread. Even people who don’t like bananas (*ahem*, me) like banana bread so you can’t go wrong here.
Sometimes you’ll start thinking about things you never think about, like Elvis (because someone in your house was recently watching an Elvis movie marathon) and then you’ll make the magical connection of peanut butter and bananas and wonder if it would taste good as a bread.
And then you’ll do it.
And then you’ll discover that maybe Elvis was onto something here.
But you still won’t eat a peanut butter banana sandwich since you still don’t like bananas.
And then you’ll write a blog post about it.
And then you’ll think, “Maybe I should just get on with it then.”
And you will.
Also – pardon the iPhone photos. I was too lazy to go upstairs to get my real camera. *sigh*
This bread has chocolate chips in it. And peanut butter chips! And a good hefty amount of peanut butters. And of course, those mashed bananas.
When warm, the chips are kinda melty… and the peanut butter chips give that extra “oomph” of peanut butter goodness. Most of the sweetness here comes from the natural sugars in the bananas, too, so you don’t have to add a ton of sugar to this recipe. Continue reading “peanut butter chocolate chip banana bread”
the original pancake house / poway – san diego, ca
Jake, T and I were in my ‘hood one Saturday afternoon and I decided I wanted to try this Filipino place. But then when we got to the Filipino place, I remember that the Original Pancake House was right next door and I suddenly wanted pancakes instead! Sometimes I just don’t know where my stomach is going to take me.
I haven’t been to this location in forever, but it’s pretty much the same as the one in Clairemont.
Here are some sides that our waitress brought out first – the lingonberries for T’s pancakes, some applesauce and sour cream and some butter.
These are T’s Swedish Pancakes – which look like crepes! These are very thin and kind of holey (they say “lacy” on the menu), resulting in a thin and delicious pancake. I had a couple of bites and it was really tasty – excellent with the lingonberries. I’m pretty sure the only other place I’ve had lingonberries is at IKEA!
Continue reading “the original pancake house / poway – san diego, ca”
kelly’s donuts and burgers / huntington beach – orange county, ca
Over Labor Day weekend this year, Jake, the kids and I headed up to Huntington Beach for the Civil War Reenactment that weekend. I got really interested in Civil War history after taking a few history classes in college at Boston University – I started liking history so much that it was my concentration (I was a little too lazy to actually minor in it though).
For the past two years, Jake and I have gone up to Calico for their Civil War weekend over President’s Day. I want to go to another one a little closer to home and this one was the winner.
Before we headed over to the camps though, we needed a little something to fill our bellies. We made a quick pit stop not too far from the Huntington Beach library to check out Kelly’s Donuts and Burgers.
[kind of empty looking donut case]
I started getting a little worried when we walked in and this was their donut selection.
All of the donuts mixed together just on a few trays. Say what? This was a donut shop wasn’t it?
[partial menu at kelly’s donuts and burgers]
Yes, it is definitely a donut shop but they also have other offerings for breakfast and lunch – including deli sandwiches and of course, burgers.
I put my skepticism aside as best I could after seeing the sad donut case. The kids and I each got a donut and Jake and I shared a breakfast burrito.
[polish sausage, egg, hash browns and cheese breakfast burrito – $3.75]
The burritos normally come with salsa, but I asked for it without since I don’t really like salsa inside of my food all that much.
[burrito closeup]
This was a fairly simple burrito. The polish sausage gave the burrito a good overall taste and the eggs were done well (maybe slightly overcooked but still solid). The hash browns were nice and crisp, too. I didn’t really taste a whole lot of cheese in it, so that could have been improved a little. Jake got a cup of salsa on the side and liked it better with some salsa. All in all it was a pretty decent breakfast burrito. Jake liked it a lot more than I did. The price sure is right though.
[donuts]
The kids were luckily able to easily pick out donuts for themselves, S. choosing the jelly donut and A. picking the chocolate and peanut cake donut. Jake skipped out on donuts while I got a blueberry donut.
Continue reading “kelly’s donuts and burgers / huntington beach – orange county, ca”
lemon grove deli / lemon grove – san diego, ca
The Lemon Grove Deli is a little restaurant that’s nestled in the heart of Lemon Grove. It’s in amongst the many little shops and businesses in Downtown Lemon Grove, near the trolley station. The Lemon Grove Deli serves up some mean breakfast and then also does sandwiches in the afternoons. You can stop by on Sunday and get breakfast until 2PM – which is what Jake and I did on a recent weekend.
This is one of my “adventures in groupons!” posts – I had a coupon for 2 breakfast and 2 drinks for one price. It was just the two of us for breakfast that morning and we sat outside on the patio to enjoy the beautiful summer day. There was a slight wait in getting someone to see to us, but we were in no kind of rush. When our waitress did come by we asked for some coffee while we continued to look over the menu.
[coffee & creamers – $1.95]
The coffee was pretty good for a standard cup. Not too strong but strong enough to have a nice, distinct flavor. I also enjoyed that they had a little bowl of different flavored creamers. They had vanilla, hazelnut and plain and I chose to dump a couple of hazelnuts in mine.
Hazelnut + coffee = a match made in heaven to me.
[breakfast menu at the lemon grove deli]
Here’s a peek at their breakfast menu. There’s a really good amount of options and you get a TON of food for the price.
[our breakfast, from above]
See that plate of biscuits and gravy? And the pancakes? Both side dishes for each meal.
So. Much. Food!
Continue reading “lemon grove deli / lemon grove – san diego, ca”
the huddle / mission hills – san diego, ca
I first read about the Huddle over on Dennis’s blog, A Radiused Corner. It’s been tickling the back of my mind for awhile now. I’ve been searching for a good “go-to” place for breakfast and looking for the elusive “perfect” hash browns after my favorite place for hash browns closed last year.
The Huddle has recently earned a place in my heart with it’s down-home, “sit and stay awhile” feel. This local, family owned restaurant has been around for quite awhile and I’m glad I finally got to make my rounds to drop by for a visit.
On our first visit, Jake and I (with two of the kids in tow) make only a conservative effort at tackling their massive menu.
The first thing I ordered? The “Del Mar Fair Cinnamon Roll”. It called to me. I had to answer the siren song.
[The Del Mar Fair Cinnamon Roll – $2.50]
The huge hunk of a cinnamon roll is the same recipe from the lady who makes the famous cinnamon rolls you get at the fair every summer. The Huddle puts their own spin on the roll by slicing and grilling the massive roll and topping it off with their own homemade cream cheese icing. What you get as a result is a fresh, warm cinnamon roll with a little crisp and crunch from the grilling. The creamy icing melts on top and should be slathered onto very bite for maximum enjoyment.
Four of us happily split this cinnamon roll and devoured it in record time. It’s so big that I do highly recommend you share this with a friend to avoid the onslaught of a sugar coma.
PS – This is my new favorite cinnamon roll in town. For reals!
[Corned Beef Hash and Eggs – $9.50]
I had a serious hankering for some corned beef hash. Jake only made a slight protest and then told me to “order whatever I wanted” since we were sharing. I was going to get something else, but since he’s a good boyfriend, made it sound like it really didn’t bother him if I ordered this. So I did.
We told our waitress we’d be sharing the plate, so she went ahead and split the plates for us. How nice is that! I was very touched by this little detail – and that we didn’t have to ask for it to happen and it was done at no extra charge. That is what I call some fine service!
The corned beef hash itself was quite good – it had a nice, crispy top and was soft on the bottom. Not too salty but with a good overall flavor. If you dig this type of thing, then the version they serve here won’t disappoint you.
[Homemade jams]
The other thing that I found exciting was their lineup of homemade jams.
Our waitress, who’s family has owned the Huddle for years, told us that the jams were her grandmother’s recipe. The jams you see above are: apple butter, strawberry rhubarb, and orange marmalade.
Continue reading “the huddle / mission hills – san diego, ca”
sugar factory american brasserie – las vegas, nv
The Sugar Factory American Brasserie actually wasn’t on my “to-eat” list for Vegas. I had wanted to go to a burger place but I saw an ad and a coupon for the Sugar Factory and my interest instantly peaked at the words “Sugar” and “Factory”. I guess I really do have an insane sweet tooth.
There are multiple locations of the Sugar Factory shop on the Strip, but only one restaurant – which is open 24 hours a day and located inside of Paris Las Vegas.
After looking over the menu, I was convinced enough to convince everyone else that this was where we should go for breakfast the next day.
And we did the “share all of our food” thing again. It worked really well. I always want to get the sweet stuff for breakfast but I usually get quickly overwhelmed by the same sweet flavors. Jake and I usually share a savory dish and a sweet dish to balance out all of the flavors.
[Blueberry Pancakes – blueberry compote, powdered sugar, maple syrup and vanilla bean sauce – $12]
Laura choose the Blueberry Pancakes, covering us for the “sweet” part of our breakfast. These pancakes are HUGE and you get a stack of three of them. I found that I didn’t even need to add any maple syrup to these babies since they were sufficiently sweet with the rich blueberry compote. The pancakes were very fluffy and delicious.
I wonder how they get that pretty edge to them? Do they have a giant pancake mold?
The vanilla bean sauce that was on the side was also very good and gave another hint of flavor to the pancakes. These are definitely sharing-size pancakes.
[Ham & Cheese Croissant Sandwich – cheddar cheese, black forest ham with home fries – $14]
Chris ordered the ham and cheese croissant and split it into four neat little pieces for all of us. I mostly just ate the croissant because I’m a weird girl who doesn’t like ham that much. The croissant was buttery and flaky though, just the way a good croissant should be. Jake and Chris loved the sandwich, ham lovers that they are.
[Open Face Fried Egg Sandwich – two fried eggs, cheddar cheese, english muffin, canadian bacon, skinny fries and country gravy – $15]
I ordered this. Something about it just sounded terribly intriguing to me. It kind of reminds me of our carne asada fries, but this is like a breakfast version with country gravy instead. I loved it! It helped that I only ate a quarter of it so I didn’t sick of it, too. The Canadian bacon adds a nice bit of saltiness along with the crispy fries and the country gravy helps pull it all together. There could have been more gravy (Jake certainly thought so) but still a unique dish.
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Weekend Eats
Since I’m on vacation right now, I decided to be lazy and just recap the weekend. Weekend food porn! I … Continue reading Weekend Eats
the trails neighborhood eatery / la mesa – san diego, ca
I used to watch Food Network almost non-stop. I loved all of the cooking shows – Rachael Ray, Paula Deen, Giada De Laurentiis. I picked up so many great hints and tips just by watching their shows on a Saturday morning. While I don’t really watch those shows too much anymore, I still enjoy some of the other, newer shows. One of them is Restaurant Impossible with Robert Irvine, sort of knock off on Kitchen Nightmares. I’ve gotten Jake to watch it a few times and he’s actually into the show now. When I told him that they had done an episode at a restaurant here in town, he was totally game for going and checking it out.
The restaurant in question is The Trails Neighborhood Eatery in La Mesa. I had never heard of the place before I saw it on the show. It’s in a pretty nondescript part of town, within an old strip mall in San Carlos/La Mesa. Driving by the strip mall, it really doesn’t look like much. There’s a CVS and a Keils food store which looks like one of the oldest stores ever.
Once you step inside though, you immediately see the homey, updated version of the restaurant. It has a really cozy feel with lovely colors and the images of the family throughout the restaurant give it a very welcoming feel.
We just happened to go the first time on a Sunday morning. When we watched in, they had the Food Network channel on which just happened to be playing their episode! We mused if it was a recording that the restaurant played, but the owner, Stacey, pipped up. “No, it just happens to be on right now,” she explained, with an embarrassed grin.
We ended up waiting over an hour for a table, no doubt because of that recent airing of the episode. I was determined to try it though even though maybe I hadn’t picked the best day/time to go.
[Cinnamon Roll Pancakes – Swirls of cinnamon roll filling and topped with cream cheese frosting – $6.99 / with bacon & eggs – $8.99]
On our first visit, Jake and T. shared an order of the Cinnamon Roll Pancakes. It’s covered in a rich cream cheese frosting which doesn’t require anything else to go on it – it’s quite sweet enough with that frosting!
The impressive cinnamon swirl is done right into the pancakes, giving it the classic cinnamon roll look and all of that cinnamon taste right in the pancake. The few bites I snagged from Jake were quite delicious. The pancakes were light and fluffy with a nice bit of cinnamon goo in them. This would have to be something to share in my opinion since it is rich and sweet – but very good.
Continue reading “the trails neighborhood eatery / la mesa – san diego, ca”
kona coffee company / hillcrest – san diego, ca
I’ve had kind of a love and hate relationship with coffee the past few months. I like to have coffee, but for awhile, I was unable to have it at all. It really tended to tie my stomach up in knots and drinking a cup of coffee made my stomach unhappy for a whole day. I laid off the stuff for awhile until I started taking probotics on a regular basis to help ease my stomach woes. I’m happy to say and coffee and I are friends again.
It was fortuitous then that I was invited to come to Kona Coffee Company in Hillcrest to try out what they had to offer. I was still a little wary of coffee at this point, but I had slowly started to partake of the fragrant beverage again and was hoping my stomach would be amieable enough for the ride. Jake and T were with me for this particular adventure. Jake isn’t a fan of coffee really and neither are most teenagers (T included). But I was hoping there would be enough here for them as well and happily there was.
We had a small snafu in the beginning as the manager gave me a blank look when I told her why we were there. But, after everything got cleared up, we were well taken care of. I let the manager make us whatever she wanted us to try.
[Outside of Kona Coffee Company from across the street]
The Kona Coffee Company in Hillcrest is one of the few shops in town that will offer you a 100% Kona coffee (french pressed for you, no less). They also offer 35% Kona blend at a lower price. I started off the day with the blend.
[35% Kona Coffee Blend]
I kept it simple and added milk and Splenda to my coffee. I’m not good at describing coffee flavors, but this had a bold and somewhat rich flavor. It wasn’t too bitter tasting with just one package of Splenda in this large mix of coffee which I liked.
[Hawaiian Mocha – espresso, milk, Ghirardelli chocolate, banana, coconut flavor, ground cinnamon and topped with whipped cream, coconut flakes and a sprinkle of cinnamon]
I’ve never had a mocha quite like this one – this one goes beyond just a dash of chocolate in your coffee drink! This is filled with intense flavors, giving the mocha a very tropical taste and feeling with the coconut and banana flavors in the mix. It’s also quite sweet – the mix of flavors and chocolate made this a rich, chocolately drink – enough to make you forget that it even has any espresso in the mix. The cinnamon rounds out the flavor nicely giving it a nice heat and spice that I really enjoyed. Jake and T also enjoyed this one, so it was winner for the coffee and non-coffee drinkers alike.
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