Empirehouse

One of the many perks that come with working for bloomspot is that the higher ups like to incentivize we salespeople with bloombucks bloom rewards. I like to use these bloom rewards for a facial or massage here or there, a yoga membership, etc. However, the features I am always drawn to are the restaurant ones. As a self-proclaimed foodie, (but really, who isn't? Do you not like food?) I love me some $39 three course meals including vino technically for free.

 I must say that my favorite experience thus far is with Empirehouse, Hillcrest's little house-turned-bistro that is apparently breaking a famous curse on University. Ross and I started with the sausage bread- warm, doughy french bread stuffed with cheese, spices, and you guessed it- sausage. It was heaven. We decided we will probably go back one day just to get the entire loaf and a couple beers.

As we sipped on our bottle of Carmel Road Pinot Noir- yummy, smooth, and a little fruity- we chatted it up with Susie, the friendliest human/restauranteur ever who knows how to craft a burger (read on). Our server, Farrah was equally as awesome. Basically, I fell in love with the staff over there. Susie- if you're reading this, I want to be friends with you.

We noshed on the Susie Burger (blue cheese, mashed avo, tomato perfection) and nibbled on a couple tacos-pulled pork (for me) and ahi (for Ross). Somehow, we still made room for freshly baked brownies (FOUR of them) and delicious vanilla gelato. Mind you, we had also finished the entire bottle of Pinot at this point.

We walked away with happy hearts and full bellies. As Ross said as we walked away, "That is how you run a business."

Empirehouse, you ROCK.

xo,
L


*img courtesy of: cities2night.com

Ono Sushi

Ono? Oh yes.

Ono Sushi, one of San Diego's premier Japanese eateries, wowed me Tuesday night with their service (some of the friendliest staff I've encountered), soup (on the house!), and most importantly, their sushi. Their hand rolls are nothing short of artwork (just take a peek at the Munchi roll to know what I mean). Emily, my good friend and sushi fiend says it is her favorite spot in all of San Diego. Although I'm not the biggest raw fish fanatic, I do love a basic and tasty shrimp tempura, avocado, and cream cheese roll. And boy, did they know how to do it right. Nice and compact (no avocado rolling out of the sides), and perfectly bite sized. That, paired with a little low-sodium soy sauce and I was in sushi heaven.

See what I mean? You could put this in a museum!

The best part about Ono are their Daily Specials and Tuesday evening's was no exception. Half-price select specialty rolls every Tuesday night, including the fancy Triple Fantasy Roll (Spicy Tuna Outside, Tempura Shrimp & Crab Inside), and the popular Crunchy Roll (Tempura Conch, Crab, Sweet Sauce & Pepper Flakes), as well as a 12-7 happy hour every Saturday and Sunday, are reason enough to make this Hillcrest eatery a regular haunt.

The only question that remains is why we opted out of dessert. Tempura Fried Bananas, anyone?


xo,
L

Bernardo Winery

For Emily's quarter century birthday celebration, thirteen of us met at the historic Bernardo Winery for a day filled with good company, delicious food, and of course, wine tasting. 

The afternoon started with a tour from Nancy, who educated us on the 122 year old Bernardo's organic wine growing practices (they specialize in the red varietals) and showed us around the lush ranch-style winery. She gave us [generous] tastes of their house Chardonnay (very creamy, not too oakey) and Reisling (delectably sweet), as well as the fruity and full-bodied Merlot and crowd pleasing Syrah. She polished us off by popping a cork of some celebratory champagne to toast to. Overall a wonderful tasting experience.

We then headed to the bustling outdoor restaurant on site, Cafe Merlot, where we noshed on tasty California classics and listened to the live band. Some popular choices? The "Bella" chicken, caramelized onion, and horseradish aoili sandwich on crispy sourdough and the Cafe Merlot house salad- complete with sun-dried tomatoes, chicken and goat cheese. Oh, not to mention the apple strudel a la mode (with a candle on top!) that our lovely server brought out while we sang "Happy Birthday" to Em. We couldn't decide which we liked more- our delicious meals or the wine! So of course, we had to go taste a few more types just to be sure.

The day turned out to be quite the hit and many of us commented how we couldn't believe we had never been to the winery. The perfect venue for a small gathering, girl's day out, or afternoon date- Bernardo Winery is definitely one of North Couty's hidden gems.

xo,

L

*more pics to come!

Canapes

I love a good happy hour. I would especially love it if the happy "hour" wasn't taken quite so literally (hint hint, Canapes). A couple girlfriends and I went to good old Restaurant Row last night, and got cozy at Canapes, the hippest only wine bar in San Marcos. 

We were greeted by outdoor fire pits, a warm ambiance indoors, and a very friendly staff. Since it was 5:02, our time was ticking away and we ordered three glasses of vino- stat. I stuck to my dear friend Chardonnay, while Emily and Lindsay got down with Chard's darker cousin, the Pinot Noir. We were all extremely satisfied with our choices, especially since they were only $4 a glass. Another plus- they were decent sized glasses. (I hate it when you pay $7 for a "glass" of wine, and the server pours what appears to be a shot of Shiraz.)

While we sipped on our wine, we got a case of the munchies and proceeded to order about six items off their tastes menu. (We hadn't eaten dinner yet, ok?) Plus, they are all meant for sharing so we didn't feel as guilty when we ordered macaroni & cheese, plus a flat-bread pizza, and two dips.

Canapes macaroni & cheese is scrumptious. It's baked to perfection with a few different cheeses strewn in, made complete with bacon bits crumbled in and bread crumbs on top. The spinach and artichoke dip was alright, but with the mac & cheese in front of us, we barely noticed it. The other highlight was the Pesto pizza. It was topped with chicken, sun dried tomato, and Parmesan cheese- some goat cheese would have amped it up a few notches. It was definitely on the smaller side (I think we each got a slice and a half) but savory, and by the time we were done with that we were all stuffed. Oh, but don't worry- not stuffed enough for Red Velvet Cake for dessert. I think we each had two bites of that decadence before passing out in our chairs.

Laundry list of Happy Hour items (sorry for the blur but total cost was $61- not bad for the 14 items we imbibed!)

So, two glasses of wine and two and half hours later (the only thing we ordered after 6pm was the cake), we left happy and full, promising to re-visit Canapes. Next time, we'll go at 4:59, so we don't miss out on any of those precious minutes between 5 and 6pm. 

xo,

L

Palm Springs

Out in the desert, 2 hours northeast of San Diego, and past what appears to be a thousand giant windmills, lies the oasis of Palm Springs. I hadn't been there in for.ev.er and Ross took it upon himself to plan a little 2 day/1 night getaway for us to celebrate the loviest of holidays- V-day.

We didn't want to spend too much moolah on a room, considering we wanted to be by the pool most of the day and out most of the evening, so we settled on the kitschy Caliente Tropics Resort. (Resort is an interesting choice of words for the joint, but we loved it nonetheless!) The place is decked out in Polynesian themed decor- tiki torches by the pool, a bedspread adorned with palm fronds, and little bamboo accents in the bathroom. The pool area where we sipped adult beverages at noon was big gigantic- I think there may have been turf and a putting green out there somewhere- and the jacuzzi was ahhh-mazing. (Really though, it was the perfect temp- usually I have to get out after 3.4 seconds because it's too hot.) 2 thumbs up for our love nest du joir. 

We called for a cab to take us "downtown," which consists of 4 blocks of shops, bars, and restaurants and began our night. We started out at Village Pub, where happy hour was in full effect. I forgot it was a Monday night, so was stoked to get my Salty Dog for three bucks. We people watched there, then stopped for a dance at a Mexican restaurant as a live band played "Wonderful Tonight" before heading to our 8:15 dinner reservation at the dimly lit Matchbox. 

Matchbox is everything Palm Springs is not...filled with younger folk, heavily romantic, and not at all over-toured. We sat at a two-top on the balcony amongst other love birds, and decided on drinks. I, not realizing the drink menu proudly offered two sections for martinis- "Manly Martinis" and "Girlie Martinis"- ordered the Birdcage (flawless canary vodka, pomegranate, sweet & sour, sprite) off of the Manly section and then felt awkward. I still went with it, not to be duped by their marketing ploy. I was glad too because it was probably the best martini I've ever tasted. Being known for their wood-fired (as in, in the oven for 3 seconds) pizzas, we gobbled up the oven roasted tomato, burrata, and basil 14 incher. So good. Ross took off a little of the basil on his slices, but I devoured every bite of mine. I'm seriously considering getting a pizza stone to recreate the deliciousness. We also shared the warm goat cheese, tomato, bacon, and orange salad which was also extremely tasty. Matchbox=perfection. 

Pizza, you are my weakness.

After dinner, we went back to the aforementioned Mexican restaurant, which we figured out is called Las Casuelas. Not gonna lie, we spent the next hour and a half dancing with the other patrons (cough cough, the 60+ crowd) to the live band and had the best time ever. They played everything from happy Motown tunes to slow jams from the 70s, and everything in between. He even played some Van Morrison at my request. The lead singer had the voice of Neil Young- it was almost eerily similar. It was a perfect way to end Valentine's Day- with other folks in love and dancing the night away. 

Yep, that's the said band- Hot Rox.

2/21/10 UPDATE: Skimming through this month's Sunset Magazine, I was pleasantly surprised to find Caliente Tropics Resort made the mag's Top 100 in the West list. See the blurb here. (P.S. The article quotes the cost at $105/night but we got ours through Travelocity for $69. Steal!)

xo,

L

Sushi, Shelter Island, and Superbowl...

What a busy (& happy) weekend it was...It started out with sushi with the boys at Umai Sushi in San Marcos. They have a plethora of rolls, and the best part about the joint is they make custom rolls. For someone like me who is still a sushi beginner, that's all it takes to win my approval. The boys (Ross, Tait, and Eric) shared about 10 different rolls, a few of which were the: Pizza Roll, Rainbow Roll, and Tiger Roll. I customized my not-so-scary shrimp tempura, cream cheese, avocado, and soy wrap roll. I think they threw some crab in there but considering I didn't notice until I was halfway done with my plate, it must have been tasty!

Saturday was spent at Shelter Island in Point Loma with the whole family. It was perfect weather for a day by the water. I made my famous berry salad with strawberries, blackberries, cranberries, almonds, onion, and bleu cheese drizzled with a raspberry vinaigrette and convinced people it was healthy.

It looks prettier pre-tossed :)

Aunts, uncles, cousins, second cousins, and a couple friendly dogs gathered here for a lovely barbeque, time out on my pop's boat, and to witness an epic ripstick fail. Ask me about that one.

Finally, yesterday's Superbowl festivities concluded the weekend. Some highlights: playing Thirteen in the park, finding out Brett Swain of the Packers played sports with my boyfriend growing up, eating delish homemade guac and carne asada tacos, the Volkswagon Passat commercial with little Darth Vader, my Feta, Artichoke, and Roasted Red Pepper dip (photo below), and of course, the National Anthem (it always gives me chills even if Christina did flub the lyrics!).

Recipe & photo from allrecipes.com.

Happy Monday!

xo,

L

Seattle (& Bellevue) Shenanigans...

As some of you may know, I went to the far Northwest corner of the U.S. last weekend. Colette was my tour guide around the Seattle 'burbs (Bellevue, Kirkland, etc) , and we navigated our own way throughout the big city. We stayed in Bellevue at her gracious parent's home, which is about a 10 minute drive from Seattle proper. Colette told me that Bellevue has really taken off and is now much more of a "city" than it was back when she last lived there (high school). Either way, it made me long for a hometown that was actually cool to go out in. Sorry, Escondido/San Marcos- you don't make the cut quite yet!

Our agenda was something like this:

Friday- Got an early start and headed into Seattle to go to the infamous Pike's Place market- it smelled fishy (lots o' crab), yet also scrumptious (fresh donuts, anyone?). Ate a delicious breakfast of Egg's Benny on rosemary sourdough bread (so yummy) at Lowell's. Wandered aimlessly. Got a (tall, non-fat, white) mocha at the very first Starbucks. Got rained on.

Kendra & me on left, Colette & Elizabeth on right

Friday night- headed out with Colette's pals Kendra and Elizabeth (who I have 40 mutual friends with on Facebook- weird!). Went to 5 bars, all within walking distance- I felt like I was in college again!. The hits of the night were: Purple- a swanky wine bar conjoined with Lot 3- a hip new bar for the 24-40 year old crowd that makes delicious tequila+juice shots. Headed to Rock Bottom, where we watched interesting people do karaoke and earned our nicknames for the evening (Unknown, The Dot, Musician, and Beautiful)*. Followed by Earl's- I can't even describe the deliciousness of the martini I imbibed there (Wild Orchid) and lastly, Joey's.

 *Unknown- Kendra, The Dot- Elizabeth, Musician- me, and Beautiful- Colette.

Saturday- Did the things people do after a night of drinking Wild Orchids and wine. And beer. Not a whole lot.

Saturday night- After an amazing Mexican feast at Milagro Cantina in Kirkland, where we noshed on butternut squash and chorizo tacos (delectable), we ventured out to Seattle for the night. We had big hopes for you, Saturday night, we truly did. But such is life when you have high hopes- something inevitably goes awry. We: Couldn't find parking. Had to park "SouthEast" of certain parking signs (what the hell does that mean? Who carries a compass with them at all times?). Went to Peso's where I had a beer and made plans to meet up with friends at some cool dance club. Left for said club...turns out to be in a rather sketchy, industrial part of town. Friends decide not to go to club. We decide to call it a night. Followed by an annoying toothpaste incident (ask me about it).

A tree inside beautiful Milagro.

It was a Mexican kind of evening, I guess...

Sunday: Saw some charming neighborhoods of Seattle (Madison Park, I love you) and looky-loo'd around the UDub campus and surrounding area...So beautiful. Got our toes did. Awaited our 5:30 flights back to California...

Vintage pic I found of Madison Park (vintageseattle.org)

All in all, Seattle was awesome. The topography is unlike anything I've ever seen...the closest thing to it is Northern California, which doesn't hold a candle. It's like being in a city in the middle of the woods: tall pine trees as far as the eye can see, snow covered mountains surrounding you, and a big beautiful lake in the middle of it all. So picturesque. Granted, I could never move there due to the rather constant sprinkling but I absolutely can visit. A lot.

xo,
L

3rd Corner- Encinitas

I went on a much needed catch up date to 3rd Corner (@Coast Hwy & H St.) a couple weeks ago with my friend Cecily. She had recommended it due to the yummy apps (in particular their baked brie), warm ambiance, and most importantly, their cheap vino.

We arrived around 7 on a Wednesday night, and were seated promptly. As I glanced around, I felt that the place was effusing a familiar air...a uniquely San Francisco air. Not many times have I ventured out in San Diego and felt that way. The specific air I'm speaking of is one reminiscent of San Francisco's Marina district, where I had resided for the past 2 years. You can practically smell the hipness walking those hills. But, the difference is, in SF it's overdone. Here, it's almost refreshing.

Our waiter was witty without being obnoxious. Even better, he didn't come over 7 times to ask if we were ready. Once he took our order, we ventured over to their wine section after leaving our purses on the chairs at the table. I hesitated at first, but Cecily kindly had to remind me I wasn't in Asia anymore. Any place that has a whole room devoted to wine in any price range is my kind of hangout. We opted for a $17 Cab Sav and had our man open it up for us. (Only gripe, $5 corkage fee...wasn't expecting that since it is their

wine...Just sayin'.)

Their Wine Vault- via TLS Images

We quickly decided we were going to be real calorie counters that night: baked brie with toast to start, followed by their delicious Butter Lettuce Salad:  apples, grapes, blue cheese, candied pecans, apple cider vinaigrette (Note: We ordered this crisp summery salad because even though it's winter in the rest of the US, in San Diego it's still 70 degrees), and finished up with the Truffle Risotto with parmesan. Decadent and good for leftovers too. All in all the meal and experience was a solid 9 stars.

Upon finishing [almost] the entire bottle of wine, we rubbed our full bellies and vowed another date night was in order soon. A lovely place for good friends who like good (& cheap) treats.

Cheers!
L