My pick for this year

Some of you may notice there's been a break in posts and with that is good news, I'm officially a nurse on a hospital unit and have been slammed with work and a new schedule!  Hopefully this post can make up for my recent absence, with a place I've definitely identified as a favorite in my neighborhood and a favorite for many locals.

Found in the University corridor, Carnitas Snack Shack has been lauded as top newcomer, a must stop and one of the best eateries in San Diego.  Accolades don't stop there, individual dishes have been considered must eats with special attention to great prices and high quality food.

Snack shack has a great laid back atmosphere and the seating has even been expanded since this picture was taken.  Whether you're under the heat lamps on a chilly day or lounging in the shade on a hot day, you'll find a comfort zone for yourself in the spacious open seating.

If you're looking for something light to start with, I highly suggest the beet terrine.  This little cube contains layers of tomato, beets, spinach, goat cheese and balsamic glaze.  Not only is this refreshing but the richness of the goat cheese really adds a creamy layer that rounds the whole dish out.

You might be so inclined for something a bit more...meaty?  This little cube of goodness is roast pork belly with a sweet chili glaze and an apple radish slaw.  This has been one of the best preparations of pork belly I've ever had (and trust me I've been around.)  The meat melts in your mouth and the slaw is the perfect tart accompaniment to take you into the next rich bite of meat.  I understand a lot of people get turned off by the layer of fat in pork belly, but even if you simply went for the meat on this one, it'd still be worth it purely on great flavor.

The sandwich that's been speaking to a lot of patrons is the Shack pork sandwich. This is a loaded meat sandwich with tender pulled pork as the base, then crunchy schnitzel next and smoky bacon to top it all off.  All the meats are distinct yet really blend well to make a cohesive sandwich without being too overpowering alone.  The peperoncini-pickle relish is that tart element to the rich pork, very consistent in the dishes around here.  For even more contrast, theres creamy morsels of corn on the side that can change things all together.

The shack is even taking classics and adding their own twists.  You couldn't have an eatery sporting excellent pork without a good ol' BLT.  Here the sandwich is elevated with brioche bread, crispy ham and aioli.  This is the definition of simple goodness, bringing all the elements of the classic with just a few mix ins to make unique and a must try.

Ok I get it, maybe pork isn't your thing at the moment.  How about some red meat?  The steak sandwich brings thin sliced ribeye (my favorite cut,) grilled tomatoes, pickled serranos, jalapeno jack cheese, with chipotle aioli all on jalapeno-cheddar bread.  I was lucky enough to have the steak cut thin but cooked rare, if that's your thing I highly recommend asking for it this way.  Every bit of the sandwich is just a win in flavor from head to toe and will knock you out at the end of finishing it.

Ok you've heard about my favorite dishes but don't forget some tasty fries on the side.  The fries are pretty standard shoe-string, but with a nice little peppery dusting.  The real twist is the "ketchup," which is more like a gazpacho or cold tomato soup.  However you see it, it just makes these fries a must order.  I consistently ask them to bottle and sell because I could put that stuff on anything.

This final dish is a special that seems to pop up on mondays at the shack.  This cheesy goodness is a riff on Canada's beloved poutine fries.  They take their seasoned fries and top them off with pulled pork, white cheddar bacon gravy and a bacon crumble.  If there's any special you're going to seek out, patrons and staff will agree this is it.  A perfect combination of crunch and richness from cheese gravy and the salty rich flavor of the pulled pork really make this a perfect dish.  I think any Native San Diegan familiar with Carne Asada fries will really find a comfort zone with this dish and can really enjoy this one.

Carnitas Snack Shack has unique dishes made with great fresh ingredients available to the masses.  I see this place as somewhere to go for great tasting food with hits of gourmet flair but very friendly to the wallet with the menu all under $10.  Chef Hanis has done an excellent job with this place and look out for this name because it's constantly being published.  With that, this place is gaining popularity by the day and they just recently reached their one year anniversary so you know they're still climbing.  For all these reasons, the Snack Shack is my pick of the year (2012,) and a place to be for 2013 when I nurse those cravings.

Carnitas Snack Shack
2632 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92104 
(619) 294-7675
Check out their site

You may call it a temperature drop, I know it as soup weather!

Slowly but surely the weather around San Diego has dropped a few degrees, and as the sweaters and jackets have made their ways out of storage, so has our need for warm comfort foods.  This brings us to a little spot on El Cajon Blvd., where a shop opens it's doors to serve up scratch made soups and warm paninis.

 The place itself is very nice, a bit smaller on the inside but plenty of seating outdoors to enjoy your warm soup and the charm of the Boulevard in front of you.

When I saw lobster bisque on the menu, I knew that had to be the first thing I was going to order.  From the first time I've tried it at other spots, I've been hooked by the flavor but was always put off by salt content.  SD Soup Shoppe did not disappoint.  Being scratch made, it really puts things on another level.  The soup is rich and deep with a great creamy flavor to finish off every bite without being close to salty.  You get great lobster flavor on the front end and a bit of sherry on the back end.  The kicker for the soup bowl is the fresh made bread they receive in the morning that has that little bit of crunch and chew you only get from being recently baked.

I was soo blown away by the lobster bisque, I decided the the clam chowder was a must try.  The broth has a perfect thickness with a great cream-rue flavor.  Again great seafood content without being overly salty.  Big pieces of clam are a nice treat and the potatoes are diced small with a soft texture.  One of my pet peeves with chowder are huge hard pieces of potato so this was perfect.  The fresh roll of bread on the side that's made it's way through the panini press plays a nice crunchy compliment to the soup, a great dipper for those inclined.

As for the sandwich, we went with the chicken pesto with bacon and red onion.  The grilled chicken breast is thick and moist, almost as if they had been through a brine before the grill.  This is topped with a nice slice of fresh mozzarella and bacon with a mild olive oil mayo over top.  The pesto base is nice and flavorful but not too overpowering and adds a nice dimension to the sandwich.  The whole thing is your traditional chicken club kicked up with the pesto and mozzarella to create a different experience all together.  Again we have a fresh rosemary olive oil bread to pack all the goodies into, nice and crunchy from the press with just enough flavor to round the contents of the sandwich out.

I can't say enough, it's one thing to make a soup from scratch but it's a whole other story to have a great recipe and make bowls of amazingness.  What SD soup shoppe does is take soups you normally wouldn't have a second thought about and does them at such a high level that when you try them there, you realize you've been missing out.  This place opened earlier this month and they've gotten off to a great start.  Other choices for the soups are Mushroom and Brie, Roasted Red Pepper and Gouda, Mediterranean Lentil and Italian Wedding Soup.  At 6$ for soups(add a dollar for the lobster bisque,) and $8 for just the sandwiches they aren't cheap.  I'd love to see some combination specials in the future but hey, I'm soo enamored by the fresh philosophy of the place I'm willing to pay the premium right now.

San Diego Soup Shoppe

2850 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92104

(619) 795-3870

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A Night Out for Oysters Turns Into Soo Much More

Last Thursday night me and the family went out on a mission for some oysters once we found out that El Take it Easy in North Park has a $1 oyster night.  Luckily for us, this happened to land on the same day as the monthly 30th on 30th event.  What does this mean?  A lot of delicious small bites everywhere we walked!  For those not very familiar, 30th on 30th is an event on the 30th of each month to showcase restaurants on 30th street with small plates that cost about $3-5.  Along with drink specials and many participating bars/restaurants, this turns out to be quite the event!

So a little background on El Take it Easy.  Like a lot of North Park, they've followed suit on a commitment to fresh ingredients on a cuisine considered to be "New World Mexican."  This philosophy branching off from the fact it's a sister restaurant to Linkery.  The menu reflects traditional Mexican food with modern sensibilities toward preparation.  The decor has that hip North Park feel you'd expect from a newer joint with a full bar, chalkboard menus and local art on the wall.  Definitely a fun hang out spot.

The event special was a $3 ceviche tostada with goat chicharron sprinkled over top.  This was really good!  The ceviche consisted of chopped shrimp and cut yellowtail "cooked," in a mild lemon/lime mixture which tasted great with cucumber and tomato mixed in.  Both refreshing and satisfying with the amount of seafood.  This was all on a freshly made and fried tostada which makes a huge difference in delivering the mild but great flavors the ceviche had to offer.  The real kicker was that goat chicharron sprinkled over top which added an interesting depth of flavor and texture, elevating the whole dish to something a little extraordinary.

   Here we have crispy pig ears, served with an asian slaw and sweet soy dipping sauce.  Seeing this on the menu, we just had to order it.  The pig ear bits looked a bit rubbery at first and I was a bit skeptical if it was really crispy or not but with the first bite you get a nice crispy texture with just enough chew on the inside.  In the sauce you get an asian flair with sweet soy and sesame seeds.  The slaw is mayo based but was mild enough to add contrast to the pork and sweet sauce to create a balanced dish.  If pig ears are your thing, this for you.

 Now we finally get to what we ventured out for, the oysters!  At $1 a pop, we had tempered expectations with only hopes of freshness and quality.  El Take it Easy delivered on all ends with this one.  The oysters were a bit on the smaller side but had great flavor(Not fishy at all,) which reflected a general freshness to the shellfish.  The picture up top is the raw serving, served with a mild lime-mignonette which added that zing without overpowering the oyster like straight citrus would do.  The picture here on the left was the grilled option, served with a mild hotsauce and the mignonette again.  We generally preferred this but that may be because the raw preparation was a little too close to room temperature for our taste.  We prefer our raw oysters to be a bit more chilled and if they were to be served warm, we prefer them grilled.  Maybe this was an off night for them given the event, either way I think it's well worth a try and still good quality oysters.

On our way home we passed by The Ritual Tavern and found them grilling off some porkbelly skewers.  If you know anything about me or this blog, this stopped us in our tracks and became a must try.  Talking to the chef, we found that the pork belly was cut into cubes, skewered and simply seasoned with salt and pepper before hitting the grill.  Where the flavor really takes off is the passion fruit glaze the skewer is doused with right after it comes off the grill.  The glaze has a deep flavor from the fruit with hints of olive oil, garlic, pepper, oregano and other seasoning I couldn't quite put my finger on.  This was a surprise winner for us with a great unique fruit flavor on the meat and of course great quality pork belly with just the right ratio of fat to meat.  The real kicker here was how the chef told us that the fruit was picked from the restaurant's garden which really became a testament to the food's quality.

Before we left tavern, we couldn't help but notice the big sign advertising the mussels cooked in white wine out in front.  We decided to order one to share.

These mussels were AMAZING!  The meat had great texture which I believe is attributed to it's freshness.  The white wine sauce was deep and rich in flavor with shallots and onions rounding everything out on the backend. 

The dish is of course served with crusty bread which we happily sopped the delicious white sauce with.  We were very happy with this and at $13 for the pound, it was money well spent.

So the day was a complete success.  We went out looking for a deal on oysters and were pleasantly surprised by the day's events and food offerings.  Calling North Park my new home, I will definitely keep the 30th in mind as the day to venture out and try some new things and places.  Although a lot of the special dishes I talked about won't be offered every 30th, or even on the regular menus for that matter, it goes to show that making your way out to local events can provide you with some amazing eats and hopefully insight on what an establishment's food is all about.   I barely put a dent on the many offerings of North Park, but if this is any sign of what's to come, we are all in for a treat!

More info on 30th-on-30th

El Take it Easy
3926 30th St
San Diego, CA 92104
(619) 291-1859

The Ritual Tavern

4095 30th St
San Diego, CA 92104

(619) 283-1618

Getting to know my neighborhood

Since I'll be calling North Park home soon, I figure it'd be a good idea to start familiarizing with all the great food offerings of the area.  Most locals are in the know that North Park is one of the neighborhoods around San Diego that have been revitalized with a younger crowd seeking niche bars and good eats.  Most of these eateries lean toward the modern food tastes while running the gambit of dives to fine dining.  A place that I've personally set my sights on for a quite a while but never actually made my way to is The Linkery. 

The Linkery isn't exactly the newest joint around town, but since it opened it's been applauded for taking fresh local ingredients into their menu daily and creating flavors that are uniquely San Diego.  Truly a farm-to-table approach.  Along with quality food, the restaurant has that hip modern vibe with great open air seating that has become commonplace to North Park and San Diego in general.

Not only is the Linkery a great spot for food, they tout a very reputable selection of craft beers that San Diego has recently been known for using daily specials and food pairings to enhance the experience for those seeking a quality brew with their food.

On this day we made a lunch trip which to no surprise, came with lunch specials.  Obviously being called Linkery, I had my sights set on a sausage or two until I spotted the Salchichero topped fries.

Ok so I guess I'll start at the bottom with this one.  The fries are cut fresh and fried in beef tallow (fat.)  This preparation really lends to a unique flavor of the fries as they took on a richness you don't get with any regular fry oil.  This is probably why they had such a great crunch to them as well.  Over the fries was the house made longaniza which had a great pork and red pepper mix although more resembled Mexican chorizo due to the way it flaked rather than Spanish longaniza.  The locally found spring hill cheddar added a perfect bite of cheese without being overpowering and created that classic taste with the fries elevated by preparation and quality.  The avocado over the cheese was a quick guacamole mix which fit well with the theme of the fries and longaniza while adding a fresh contrast to the fried cheesy goodness.  Where things take a twist is the bacon and eggs.  The egg is fried perfectly over easy and as the yolk drips down into the rest of the food, it doesn't get any more rich and flavorful (if you're into that sort of thing!)  The bacon is just icing on the cake, smoked in house and cut thin adding a great note to the end of your bite.  If this dish is any indication towards the goodness of the rest of the menu, I can't wait to be back.

The Linkery is definitely unique and worth a try, especially for lunch where you can get something like the above dish and a draft beer for $12.50.  The lunch specials also had offerings catering toward the extensive sausage menu which will probably be my route the next visit.  The prices might be generally high but remember, the philosophy is farm-to-table so the quality is definitely there and I can vouch for that.  As a side note, for their method of gratuity, 18% is added automatically(kind of Euro style,) and anything extra is donated to the charity of the month so don't be shy if service was particularly great on your visit.   

The Linkery
3794 30th St
San Diego, CA 92104
(619) 255-8778