Adam's Avenue Grill - University Heights - San Diego - USA

http://www.adamsavenuegrille.com/

The weather has turned seasonably beautiful as of late, spurring us on to enjoy a leisurely walk to dinner.  A mere 1.7 miles from our casa sits The Adam's Avenue Grill, yes on Adam's Ave, in the lovely little neighborhood of University Heights.

This is by no means a new establishment.  I would guess that it's been here at this location, and under this ownership/chef (one in the same), and by this name for at least 15 years, if not more.  I also believe that the chef is originally from Italy (also possibly wrong) and offers fresh seasonal fare from a menu that does not change often, but does sort of role with what he is inspired by and offered via his weekly specials.  

All of the tables are covered in cloth and topped with white construction paper, a cup of crayons are positioned centrally for those who are drawn to create (pun intended).

1.7 mile walk, water please, and with a slice of cucumber of you have it.

Perfect and refreshing.

 Let's just dive right in shall we?

These are risotto balls (what?)

Arancini Crispy Risotto Balls

Even though there's only one depicted, trust me, there were more.  These are obviously made with risotto but also contain basil and red pepper and a slice of mozzarella cheese in the middle, among other various and sundry seasonings.

Absolutely perfectly cooked.  A gentle golden brown.

And they were served at the perfect temperature as well.  Not nuclear hot, and not cold.  Just right so that there was no delay to the gullet.  The risotto was cooked perfect, just a slight al-dente and moist and flavorful, big cheese rice flavors with a perfect crunch.  A very well done starter.

One of the sound on the special menu was a turkey chili tortilla soup, or something along those lines.  I looked on their website and alas, there is a new special menu so I don't have specifics for you.  I am particularly bummed because this was terrific.  It had really deep flavors but the broth somehow stayed very light.  No greasy after feel.  I literally tipped the cup up and drained it to the last drop.  Tomatoey and bean and meaty and all in the right balance.   And again, perfect temperature, hot but ready to eat.  Someone is paying attention in the kitchen.

And because, for some reason, when we are at a new place we just HAVE to order a bunch of things, here is a salad (HG needed some greens).

Italian Kale and Peasant Crouton Salad

This really just tasted like a Kale Caesar.  By the name I was expecting soaked croutons that were actually soaked,  These were dry and normal crouton style.  The dressing was good, tasted very much like caesar.  All in all we liked it, it's just the name threw us off.  I'm not sure what we wanted, but we felt kind of not too exited.

House Made Ricotta Gnocchi with Aubergine Sauté

This was a vegetarian offering.  The look of it was fantastic and it smelled great too, but somehow the flavor was not as bold as the look and smell had hyped it up to be.  It was tasty and the gnocchi were cooked very nicely, not at all gluey or gummy, nice texture, and the fresh veg was crunchy and felt good going in.  But I wanted the broth to slap me in the face.  I wanted to have to ask for a loaf of bread, yeah a whole loaf, and sit for an hour sopping up this stuff.  In the end we took half of it home, which was cool, and also because we ordered so much we were truly full by this time.

And oh yeah, we also got this...  Again from the special menu (so I really don't remember exactly)

It was a rainbow trout saluted in an amazing mix of spices accompanied by a rice that was a mix of quinoa and long grain and jasmine, probably the best rice I've had in quite a while.  The veg was boring so no more about that.

The fish though, the fish....

The flesh peeled away from the bones like they had never known one another, simply absent bed fellows, rubbing shoulder but no actual embrace.  Atop this pescetarian delight were sautéd onions and mushrooms.  A bite containing fish, mushroom, rice, was simply divine.  This we did not take home because there was none left.  

Well, well, well worth the walk to and from this place for a meal, at any time on any day.  And, if you are in the general area, they deliver!    What up-scale restaurant in your area delivers?  I'm not talking about Filippi's or Black Angus either, a nice restaurant.

Get out there and try some new food, if it's not this place then ANY place will do, even if it sucks.  Experiences, that's what it's all about.  You can gleam some morsel of goodness even from bad food, drink, or service.  At a minimum there's a good story to be had.  Every day and every way there is something to be learned.

Adam's Avenue Grill, Worth the walk.

DVA



The Next Generation of Breakfast - Taco Bell - Worldwide

Some might say taco hell, or taco smell, I just say "what's for breakfast?"

Any guess as to how this one's going to turn out?   A great "hand" free invention, or just more disgusting crap from a fast food chain?  

I promise that you won't have to wait long to find out.

Please allow me to introduce "The Next Generation of Breakfast", courtesy of Taco Bell....

A tray full of food we have ordered.  Not necessarily because we are starving but more because we don't  want to have to do this again.  It's not how we normally eat, but I am being drawn to this meal and I'd like to blame the subliminal advertising, but it's  really my lack of self-control that propels these types of posts on to fruition. 

I see it, I want it, I'm having it.

Let's ease into this a bit.

Cinnabon Balls.

Doughnut holes filled with cream cheese "stuff" and rolled in cinnamon sugar.  Hard to F this one up. 
Hot, sweet, light and airy, I don't hate it  :-/

Biscuit Taco

As we would find out when the other items are unwrapped, all this stuff is cold.  Cold cheese, cold eggs, I'm sure you get the point.  I'm pretty hungry at this point so I choked this down, well.... about half of it before I gave up.  The biscuit shell did have a biscuit flavor but it was the worst taste and worst texture of a biscuit I've ever experienced.  Dense, thick, chalky, blech, worse than even Carl's Jr., which is saying something!

See related post:

  http://yourpiemymouth.blogspot.com/2014/10/made-from-scratch-biscuits-carls-jr.html

I needed to run and get some sauce to get down what I had in work.  I'm not looking forward to the rest of this...

California A.M. Crunchwrap

This is HG's choice and we had to send it back due to the frigid nature of it's internal composition.  It looked/looks grilled and should be hot and ready to eat.  Sadly though, even after the re-fire it was still cold. 

After a look inside it's easy to see that the coldness is coming from the salad and avocado that they've placed there.  OK, that makes sense.  But for HG the flavors just didn't work.  Cold avo and salad and warm eggs and hashbrowns surrounded by a large, thick, floury tortilla.  Not awesome.  I tried it and put it down as well.

Grilled Breakfast Burrito - Fiesta Potato

Looks hot, looks grilled.  Was cold, was lame.

After the redux this became HG's new meal.  She ate it all, and fast, and for a buck I think I would order it again but only if a McDonald's wasn't near (I love a sausage McMuffin with egg SOOOOO MUCH!!!!!). 
This was tiny, about 5 inches long and maybe 3 inches around, barely enough to keep the starvation at bay.

A.M Grilled Taco - Sausage

This was not too bad, and I'd order it again for sure and it's probably the ONLY thing I'd get again but I'd have to order three or so because they are so small.  This photo is a little deceiving but they are using a small taco sized tortilla.  Maybe there are 5 bites here?  Again, for the price I'd say do it!

The next one is the guy that I've been wanting to spend some time with for quite a while now.  The anticipation has been exquisite.

Here's the formal ad.... is your whistle getting wet?

And this is the actual product.  Not super far off, at least appearance-wise, although the sandwich in the ad looks moist and juicy, sadly mine was thick and dense and hard to swallow, like a starchy log-jam in my throat.  Sure it's one handed and that's cool if you are driving, but I'm sitting and wanting to eat, and to be able to swallow, and to breath, and to live.  I don't like this.

Stop choking me Taco Bell! 

Get out out of my breakfast and get back to doing what you do well!

What do they do well??? Anyone??

Taco Bell Dollar Cravings Menu coming soon. What's worth a buck?....

Look for it

Wait for it

DVA

Sausage and Meat - North City San Diego - USA

http://sausageandmeat.com/

Anyone that focuses their love, attention, skills, or abilities in a singular direction inevitably will come out a success.  I believe this to be self evident.  Insomuchas life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are inalienable rights, so is the eating of meat.  Now, I'm not advocating the exclusivity of this item in ones diet, just like I'm not espousing that one should only go to the field when hungry either.  But balance, moderation, synergy, that's what your body needs.

Today, my body needed a sausage in it.....let's go get one!   :-O

- S&M -

Their name says sausage AND meat, but from what I saw there was mostly sausage, and what wasn't sausage was bacon or another pork by-products (pig's ears are really the only other thing I saw, but whatever).  However there are veggie options a-plenty so don't be afraid, this place has it all. 

Right off the bat I'm digging it, hard.  Someone has CLEARLY put some thought into the diner's experience here.  The following photos are a great example.  One of the biggest problems I have with the American dining system is getting someone's F'ING attention when you need something.  In Japan it's common for there to be an actual buzzer on the table to alert the wait staff.  It's also very very OK to yell out "excuse me" (in Japanese it Sumi-Massen), you just yell it out and multiple workers will answer "HAI" and come running, even in the nicest/classiest of places.

S&M has created these cards, which I will predict will spread like wild fire over the epicurean landscape.  You simply display how you are doing.  They come help, or leave you alone, as you wish.  Not too different from the meat cards at the Brazilian BBQ place in Brazil I recently detailed.

Let's take a look.

We've obviously just arrived.

This one says "I've ordered and don't need anything right now"

This one says "Please come to me!"  "I need something!"

And there he is....

I think you get the point.

Brilliant.  Love it.  Well done.  Let's eat!

Even though this place is a meat haven, and I also said I want to put a sausage in me, we are in need of some serious veggies (it was a long weekend in Mexico and our bodies are not feeling so great).

Brussel sprouts are not a unique menu item any longer, but they are becoming a requisite offering of sorts.  Not too difficult to do right, but easy to do wrong (does that make sense????)  What I mean is don't get too cute with them and they rock.  These ones rock, we loved them.  Fried and crispy, lightly seasoned, the additives are perfect; bacon, tomato, cheese, some light sauce thing.  Amazing. 



Pig's Ears

Boiled then deep fried till light and crisp.  Just the thinnest line of connective tissue runs the length of each little strip holding it together like a delicious porky high-wire cable.  I believe that honey is drizzled on (which honestly wasn't really needed.  A light salting would work also, but as they are these are still great).

We'll jump into this pool next time.  Can't wait.  It'll be soon.

A very cool logo spritz of biters on the foamy top of a drink.

This was a sort of spicy gin sour thing, with sriracha sauce?  Refreshing, light, tangy, spicy.

And Grilled Brocollini, with candied ginger and a sweet and sour sauce.  Again, my only complaint might be a little too saucy, but the sauce is delicious, so it's not that big of a complaint.  Fresh, healthy, yummy.  These are all hitting the spot perfectly.

This is totally my new new favorite spot, and it's right in the hood.  Original craft food and cocktails, SUPER nice people, comfortable atmosphere, a genius invented this!   The food here is delicious, as are the drinks and the atmosphere is an A+. 

It's not that they are super simple or even basic here at the S&M, it's that they aren't trying to do and be everything.   They have a concept and a focus that I hope they are able to keep.  If I see pizza and chicken wings on the menu then I may totally rethink this place.  For now, I dig it, and you should too.  At least try it, give em that.

Sausage

Get on it

DVA