I haven’t been to HBF since the ownership change so I stopped in recently to see how they’re doing. I’m pleased to report that the charming vibe remains somewhat intact. More white and less brown in general. The old, varied collection of tacky knick knacks, baubles and whatnot has diminished. I do appreciate that a couple of the big bears remain on their perch. The food overall seems to still be rather pedestrian and the menu is quite a bit smaller. Service was friendly and genuine.
I ordered the “Fried Mac & Cheese Balls” appetizer. Comes with a light green creamy dipping sauce that was not described in the menu. Unfortunately the balls were stone cold in the center. I also ordered a “Cob” which is a traditional Cobb Salad. It’s served with their signature huge, puffy breadstick. It was a generous serving although quite average compared to many other fine Cobb’s I’ve had. I am glad that the boiled egg was not 50 shades of gray like at D’Carlos.
Born in Brooklyn is a great food truck with friendly staff! I ordered the “Buffalo Chicken Tots” and they were excellent. A generous, heaping serving of tots perfectly fried to a crispness that I adore. Topped with cut up pieces of fried chicken meat, a zesty Buffalo sauce and blue cheese dressing drizz, then blue cheese crumbles. I loved all the funky flavors going on and would definitely order this again.
Excellent “Mama’s Platter” at Anthony’s in La Mesa, California! Includes hand-battered fish, shrimp, calamari and crab bites. Also enjoyed a very nice Shrimp & Crab Cocktail.
Filipino restaurants are not that common in my area so when I find a new one in San Diego’s North County I have to check it out! Luna’s LUNpias, located in east Poway, is an incredibly charming family run Filipino fusion eatery. It was most evident to me that they have a passion for Filipino cooking and hospitality. Everyone was so friendly and genuine. The restaurant itself is pretty small with only a few tables. They seem to do a bustling takeout business although I always prefer to dine in.
I ordered the vegetable pancit, add chicken. Pancit is a delicious stir fried savory noodle dish with celery, green beans, carrots, cabbage, onion and garlic. Typically a side, my order with chicken made it a meal in itself! Such a generous portion, I took half home. Of course I am not going to visit without trying the lumpia; although here it’s called “LUNpia” which is cute. These are super tasty Filipino-style egg rolls filled with either pork, beef or veggie. I could probably eat a hundred of these but stuck with a 4 piece serving. Highly recommended, I’ll be back!
First time checking out Public House 131 and I’m glad we did! Easy reservations on OpenTable, although they weren’t needed for the timeframe we visited. Studying their menu in advance, I was impressed and had high hopes for some of their unique offerings. This family friendly establishment certainly elevates traditional gastropub fare. Service was professional and efficient although not overly personable or friendly. I think it may have been the manager gentleman. Restaurant is clean, spacious and comfortable. Impressive draft beer selection on tap. Lady FoodObs’ margarita looked and tasted exquisite.
I started with an order of Fried Calamari, which included poblano chiles, morita crema and lemon. It was outstanding and beautifully presented, although somewhat of a petite portion. My Flat Top Double Cheeseburger was excellent! Made with two nicely seared beef patties, double cheese, bacon, pickles, grilled onions and dijon. One of the best burgers I’ve had in a long time, that I can tell you! I had onion rings on the side and while they seemed rather institutional, they were fried to a perfect crispness and there was a generous amount. For dessert I highly recommend the English Toffee Bread Pudding (no raisins). While it was unfortunately cool in the center it still tasted great overall. I’ll be back!
Outstanding “Special Combo BBQ” at Ramona Pho & Grill! Includes pork, chicken, beef and shrimp, plus two egg rolls. Also enjoyed a Fried Squid appetizer with Jr FoodObs. Comes with a secret mayonnaise sauce!
We love staying at Hassayampa Inn but their restaurant, The Peacock Room, is such a mixed bag. We had reservations for brunch at 10:30 am and everything from the service to seating was rather slow and methodical. Took a while just to be acknowleded at the host station. Then they had to “prepare” our table. I guess they weren’t expecting us to show up. Anyway, their prep did not include cleaning the chairs. I had to wipe off what appeared to be some parmesan cheese. Maybe the previous diners had a Caesar salad. I don’t know. Some of it was on the floor too.
I ordered a glass of champagne and after about 25 minutes wondered where it was. Not sure what happened but I eventually got it. I ordered an Omelet with ham, green chiles and asadero cheese. It was outstanding. I recall from a previous visit that their hash browns are woefully undercooked so I asked for “crispy, well done”. It looked as if the cook just dumped a handful of frozen hash browns into the deep fryer! What I received was literally a pile of fried match stick potatos that I could barely keep on my fork.
Jr FoodObs had the Southwest Burrito and he loved it! Looked great smothered with a green chile sauce. The burrito was huge and filled with chorizo and eggs. He remarked how richly flavored and nicely spicy it was. Lady FoodObs had the Lemon Soufflee Pancakes. Not sure where the “souffle” part comes in but they were rather flat. One of the pancakes was quite undercooked in the center. She had the meal subbed out for a simple order of scrambled eggs and hash browns. She didn’t request “crispy” and sure enough they came out quite pale and raw tasting in the center.
This restaurant is really beautiful with a magnificent and historic art deco vibe. The service overall is pretty average which is a sad mismatch for this unique establishment. No one seemed to have any sense of urgency or personality. Your mileage may vary with the food. It definitely depends on what you order here. I can tell you they do eggs well and potatos poorly.
Food Observations 