Lefty's Chicago Pizzeria, North Park, San Diego, USA

http://www.leftyspizza.com/

Once upon a time, in a town just across the border, on an unmarked street, in an unnamed bar, 

I met a man.  

Wait!  

It's not that kind of story.  Down in Mexico, in a bar just north of La Fonda HG and I DID in fact meet a guy and he told a very outlandish story, and that's what I want to re-tell, to you, now.

The subject within said unnamed bar, not surprisingly, was pizza.  What's the best place?  What's the best style?  Why is the word "best" stupid (that was mainly my participation), toppings, crust, blah blah blah.  I naturally offered up a YourPieMyMouth card and presented myself as the resident expert, of which most took no notice, standard.  Then, out of nowhere, some dude at the end of the bar said that Lefty's was the best pizza in San Diego.  Uhmmmm, WHAT?!?!?!?  I immediately corrected him and said "the best Chicago style deep dish pizza in San Diego was Berkeley".  To which he responded with "I didn't say deep dish".  Wait, what just happened?  You mean that you would go to Lefty's and get NOT the deep dish?  It's a Chicago restaurant, but don't get that?  Ridiculous. Borderline insane.

Mr. Dude said "trust me, try it.  Order the thin crust but you have to get it well done".  

More crazy shit.  Thin and well done?!?!?!?  La cuenta por favor, we are outta here.  A crazy bar filled with idiots.  So we left.

And it's been eating at me ever since.

The following is a tribute to my new favorite pizza, the Lefty's Thin Crust Well Done......

Turns out the Dude was right.

This is one of those rare occasions when the anticipation, the obsession, the endless analysis actually pays off.  

This is pepperoni, sausage, onion.

I love their use of red onion and the portion of pepperoni is endless.  You can't see the sausage but it's under the cheese, the mountains of cheese.  

This is a loaded down pie.  It physically weights a lot, enough for 6 people easy.  It's also cut into small squares, which may be OG Chicago style, but I don't know.  I know that for this pie having small squares works.  It's definitely not a gimmick, this evolved out of necessity and I like it.

Another thing I like, besides everything, is the sauce.  It's big and bold, tangy and delicious with strong flavors of oregano and basil and tomato.  It's not overpowered by the cheese, etc..  It's just great.

Who likes cornmeal on the bottom?

ME!!!!!

The crust is firm and rigid and very much able to hold up to the ingredients up top.  It's not dense and thick and tough though.  It's easily chewable and is the right dough for this pie.  There is crunch and pull and a subtle yeasty component that adds more depth to the overall eating experience.

Hands down this is my current favorite pie and I can't wait to have another (and I'm stoked that there's half of it still leftover in the fridge....)

Finishing this meal off with homemade gingerbread cake makes this one of the best days EVER!

Moist and light yet very big gingerbready flavor.  Clearly a pastry chef made this.  

Am I at a restaurant?  Some new place still unforeseen?

Nope.  Just happily at home.

DVA

Gula Gula, Ipanema, Rio de Janiero, Brasil

http://www.gulagula.com.br/

My epic day is coming to an end and I'm tired and hungry.  This day has brought 3 flights over 24 hours and upon arrival in Rio I'm headed straight into a 2 hour meeting, with only time for a quick change into my pro-duds prior.  No hotel, no shower, no nada except for fresh clothes.  Now don't get me wrong, all of this and more is well worth the discomfort to bring me to my first trip to Rio.  Beautiful Rio.

Strewn along the beach are endless stalls selling fresh coconuts.  The water inside is what the locals use to freshen up after a long day in the office, plane, or on the beach.  Machete'd by hand, refreshing and revitalizing to say the least.  

The next plan of action is food, and then bed.

Gula Gula

No idea the meaning (if there is one) I only know that the food will be great.

A standard salad is my starter.  It is fresh and light, a solid base for whats to come.

This is the special of the day.  It's a sirloin steak that was named something like "chorizo" but the explanation and translation told me that there was to be bone marrow melted on top.  My vision and sense of smell told me that it would be delicious.  

This is half a baked potato with Parmesan cheese shredded and melted on top, including a bit of melted butter beneath.  A new one for me and it was terrific. Who wouldn't like a cheesy potato? 

Now, I didn't see, and still don't, any evidence of bone marrow.  But this absolutely was one of the best steaks I've ever had.  Texture was firm but not tough, big meaty flavor (which is good because it's a steak  :-O) and hot and juicy.

The dessert was weird.  Delicious but weird. 

It was ice cream and a tart with molten dolce de leche cream inside.  The cream was the weird part. To me it tasted like beef.  Not super strong but definitely a meaty hamburger fat/grease flavor.  Not at all appealing, and kind of unsettling.  It is also very possible, dare I say likely, that I was the weird part in the equation.   Maybe I need some sleep.....Maybe I need to re-set.  It's been a long day.

From the Two-Brothers at the beach to the Christ Redeemer on the mountain, Rio is a beautiful and enticing city.  Bustling with people and culture, this is a city that is alive.  You can feel the pulse wherever you go.  I felt it griping me with it's claws as I snuck out the morrow, like a thief in the night.

I'll see you again Rio

Wait for me.

I'll be back

DVA

Cubana Cafe - Brooklyn - USA

http://www.cubanacafenyc.com/

Nestled in the Carroll Garden neighborhood of Brooklyn there exists a wonderful little gem of a restaurant providing not only authentic Cuban cuisine, but an authentic look and feel as well.  Maybe nestled is the wrong word to use in reference to Brooklyn?  Sounds a little to cuddly, but I'm going to go with it anyway.

As you can see from the above photo, this place catches your eye from either side of the street.  It has the look and feel of Cuba, as I imagine it.  And this is by no means a Cuban or Latin part of town.  This is full on white bread.  Nail salons and barbershops, corner grocery stores and sandwich shops.  The Cubana Cafe is a one of a kind gem in this neighborhood, except for the second location about a mile away...

Even though fall is in full swing and the storm outside has brought rain and temps in the 50's, as soon as you sit down you feel the beach and a sunny day just beyond your gaze.  

The decor makes you feel as though you've been transported back in time and space.  As if this restaurant had been dis and re-assembled right here for your and your pleasure.  I have no concept of whether or not the decorations are authentic or not, but I feel it, and I love it.

It's been a long day already, and it's just lunch time now, and we spy a bar, and we're on vacation,

so let's enjoy a refreshing beverage!

The waitress recommends what she claims is an authentic Cuban drink, the Mojito....

I'm not an expert on the local beverages in Cuba, nor am I at all positive on the validity of our server's claim, but this is refreshing and delicious.  Tart and light, minty and clean.  A good starter for sure.  We are mainly here for the food though.  It's after midday and we are ready to eat.  Let's do it!

Cuban chips and salsa, i.e., fried plantains and a cuban version of a sofrito and salsa.  It was OK.

It's hard to get excited about this complimentary offering when what we really want is on the way. 

Agreed, not an appetizing photo.  But what a great bowl of soup.  I love black beans.  Everything about them.  The health benefits, the versatility, the ease of cooking with them, the price (when I'm cooking them at home), and especially I love them in soup.  

Potaje Soup

Cumin, oregano, a floater of garlic toast on top.  It definitely has a very black bean forward taste.  They are not trying to hide what this is at all.  It's served very hot, so be careful.  Blended to a smooth consistency, no floating things (other than the garlic toast).  Light yet thick and hearty at the same time.  The two of us killed this in just a few ticks of the clock.

Palomilla Hanger Steak Sandwich

Pounded hanger steak marinated in garlic, lime and onion with chimichuri sauce.

Let's take a closer look...

A beautiful sandwich.  The steak was pounded and seasoned and cooked soo expertly that you can easily bite right through.  The bread was crisp on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside, soaking up any and all of the juices from the meat and chimichuri.  The sides were nice too, not flashy or over done, just there when you needed/wanted a different texture or a break from the sandwich.  

Nicely done Cubana Cafe.  Now I'm Super Duper looking forward to the next plate....

Cuban Sandwich

Roast pork, sliced ham, Swiss cheese, sliced pickle, chipotle mayonnaise

Ohhhhh ma-ma, this looks and smells amazing.

Roasted and pulled pork resting inside all of the traditional flavors of a cuban sandwich, i.e., Swiss cheese, ham, pickle, toasty bun.  Smashed flat from the panini press, warm and delicious.  I could eat many of these, and often.  If I lived near this place they'd see me every day.  Heck, I'd probably even have my name on a booth, permanently reserved just for little ol' me.

CUBANA CAFE!!!!!!!

Sofaking good

Whenever you are near, anywhere near, NYC you gotta check this place out.

After our food rested a bit we decided to have one more beverage before braving the rain and wind outside to make our way back to the hotel.  And what do we spy on the menu?  Caipirinha!  The national drink of Brazil!  

Hello again Brazil!  See you next week......

Stay tuned for the next post, coming soon!

DVA

Rip Current Brewing and Sublime North Park Take 2!- Beer and Food - San Diego - USA

Another short and sweet post for your pleasure  :-)

I'll start by saying that it's been at least a month since this visit took place, I'm kinda busy these days...  And any who, I'm glad I waited because in the meantime Rip Current has won it big at the Great American Beer Festival, see following link for details.  

Conratulations RCB!!!

http://sandiego.eater.com/2015/9/28/9408663/rip-current-san-diego-breweries-great-american-beer-festival

Yes, this is still where our favorite local beer is made.  I can't say that it's our favorite brewery to hang out in though, mainly because the logo and schwag are not super awesome, at least to my keen eye.

The main priority with this visit is to try more of Sublime's food.  If you'll recall from the first go-around, it tasted great but it looked awful.

HG has ordered the Southwest Burger.

I think she ordered this without really knowing the flavors of the southwest (at least Sublime's interpretation of the flavors of the Southwest), and I don't know them either for that matter, at least not in burger form.  The patty was good, nice flavor but maybe a little too underdone for my liking but not bad.  Bun = soft, but not too soft. It was certainly up to the task of supporting all of the stuff inside.  The problem was the stuff inside, aka the southwest flavors, which are kind of stupid to complain about if that's what you ordered, which we did. 

Apparently I don't like southwest flavors  :-O and I can't even describe them well, so I won't.

If you do, please have this burger.  The next visit I'll HAVE TO TRY a normal burger, because I think it'll be killer, or at least it won't suck.  here's big potential here for a decent burger.

This one was all on us, a bad choice for our taste.

How were the fries?

AWESOME

In the photo they look burnt and small and crispy, but to me they were delicious.  Not greasy or over fried at all, nicely lightly seasoned.

Sublime Mac and Cheese

Roasted chicken, mushrooms, applewood smoked bacon, truffle oil 

Baked so that the top has a beautifully crispy crunchy crust on top.  The smell of the truffle oil hits you about a minute before you even see the waitress bringing it by.  Cheesy and stringy, the pasta was cooked perfectly, the chicken and bacon are also a nice behind the scenes team.  

I'd order this again in a sec.  Heck, I may order this EVERY time I come here.

We like you Sublime, and we like that you're inside the place that makes our favorite beer.

Award winning brewery

Taste bud winning food

Walking distance for EVERY ONE

Check 'em out

DVA