Spring Sunday: On Relaxing Weekends

This? Sunday morning here in San Diego. Winter, we hardly knew ye.

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Weekend Plans: Sublime Ale House

What are your plans for San Diego Beer Week? If you're looking for something on Thursday (November 10), Sublime Ale House and Green Flash Brewing are having a Hops & Nosh dinner. Details here.

The busy continues at Casa Meandering Eats and, this time, it isn't about applications. We're going an amazing trip. I've tweeted about it, but if you haven't seen the tweets, then stay tuned for a surprise. I will definitely do a photo post on the road and I really hope I can do at least one written post, because my destination is one hell of an inspiration.

I'm leaving as fall sets in. It's time for hearty meals and San Diego Beer Week is upon us. I'm incredibly sad to miss a lot of the festivities, but I had my own fabulous beer + food experience recently and I highly recommend it as a place to put on your must-visit list. If not during Beer Week, then a weekend dinner with friends, perhaps?

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My Return, Cont'd: Yu Me Ya Hillcrest

The thing about being at home for two weeks is that I was dying to spend some time outdoors. Dan suggested a walk through San Diego Zoo in the evening, during their Nighttime Zoo hours. The zoo's only open in the evening during the summer and it's a wonderful walk.

We stayed until the zoo closed, then looked for a late dinner. After some debate, we settled on trying Yu Me Ya Sake House in Hillcrest. We had a lovely dinner and that was further evidenced by the fact that, a week later, Dan suggested we return. That's an endorsement if I've ever heard one, since he usually has to be cajoled into trying new restaurants and usually requires a couple of visits before he warms up to it enough to add it to the rotation.

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Foodbuzz 24x24: Stay Classy, San Diego

I have wanted to submit a proposal to Foodbuzz's 24x24 for the longest time. 24 meals presented by 24 bloggers in 24 hours. I finally submitted a proposal and it was accepted! I am extremely excited to have brought this meal to fruition and to celebrate some of the great food and drink that can be found in my adopted hometown of San Diego.

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Lucky to Live in San Diego

Ocean Beach Pier

I've been trying to leave San Diego for years.

Aaaand... you're trying to reach into your computer screen and slap me. Leave?, you snap. What is wrong with you? Beaches, temperate weather, beautiful coastline. The food scene's getting better and better and the beer is world-class. So world-class that our craft brews show up in cupcakes. Year-round fresh produce. The privilege of spending November weekends laying out on the beach.

Leave, you huff. Pfffft. Screw you, lady.

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PubCakes and Treehouse Coffee

Eeeks... it's been a while since the launch of Meandering Eats and nothing but crickets from me. Truth be told, I haven't felt like posting lately. Life occasionally turns into an avalanche and I do what needs to be done, then wait out the storm. Midterms. Finals (damned 10-week quarters still pass as quickly as I remember). Volunteering. Receiving news that I will have to go through another application cycle. Work. Reminders from friends, family, and even my boss, that my tunnel-vision towards medical school doesn't mean they don't matter. And then there's all that is happening in the world... writing about eating seemed trivial in comparison.

So, I walked away for a little bit and took my time on this post. Lest you think I wasn't enthusiastic about it, it's actually that I'm too crazy about it. The pictures took nearly a week to put together. The writing needed to be good and, at the time, I knew the it wasn't where I wanted it to be.

It's a post about new beginning, of partnership, and of deliciousness. I wanted it to be Meandering Eats' first post. Without further ado... let's talk about three of my favorite things: cupcakes, beer, and coffee.

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Seattle So Far...

Not a lot to say, but a ton of pictures from Seattle. It's a bit of a working vacation. D. has a conference and I'm working on secondary applications. Our friend APH has been very kind to take us around town when it's a hojillion degrees outside.

From the ferry to Bainbridge Island:

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AleSmith Lunch at Farmhouse Cafe

Ah, beer. I like beer.

I also like beer/food pairings, which is much newer concept than wine/food pairings. Can't say I know a ton about pairings except that I am not a big fan of believing in hard and fast rules when it comes to pairings. Above all, it should taste good. Sometimes, being too technical about it takes the fun out of it. C'mon, how bad is great beer + great food?

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Wine Vault & Bistro: St. Paddy's Dinner

UPDATE: Wine Vault & Bistro very kindly added two more dates, so I snagged myself a spot at the March 31 dinner. YES!

Ah, yet another meeting of one of my favorite restaurants with one of my favorite boozemakers. Of course, I can't go because I'll be at MCAT class. Yes, woe is me. Wine Vault & Bistro is pairing up with Stone Brewery (signature gargoyle above) for their St. Patrick's Dinner. Apparently, owner Greg Koch has given Wine Vault some awesome limited brews and beermaker Jeremy Moynier is hosting the dinner. March 17, 6:30pm, $39.50/person.

Anyway, if anyone out there goes, please let me live vicariously. Don't forget the pictures. Oh, and 1/2 liter carafes of all of the beers will be available during the dinner for $6. 6 bucks?! Geez, I might have to skip MCAT class for this.

Asparagus Salad | Burrata Cheese | Shaved White Asparagus | Nasturtium | Watermelon Radish | 25-Year-Old Balsamic

Stone "Levitation" Ale (4 oz. pour)

Fish 'n' Chips: Beer Battered Yellowtail | Potato Cake | Porter + Malt Vinegar Aioli | Micro Greens

Stone "09.09.09" Vertical Epic (4 oz. pour)

Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin | Brussel Sprout Hash | Guanciale | Thyme Jus

2007 Stone "Old Guardian" Barley Wine (4 oz. pour)

Lamb Shepherd's Pie

Stone "Arrogant Bastard" Ale (4 oz. pour)

Glazed Corned Beef and Cabbage | Braised Baby Vegetables | Stone Ground Mustard Aioli

Stone "Ruination" IPA

Chocolate Espresso Creme Brulee | White Chocolate + Brown Butter Mousse

2008 Stone "Imperial Russian" Stout

Levitation Ale ROCKS. It's too bad they don't have the oaked Arrogant Bastard, which I tried at a recent tasting and really liked. Just remember that when you're relaxing with that carafe of Levitation, I will be working on my organic chemistry problems. Sigh.

Samuel Adams Utopias Dinner at Urban Solace

"Oh, are you media?"

D. and I glanced at each other briefly and I can sum up what was going through our heads:

Well, I guess I am, if by "media" you mean I'm going to enjoy this meal, take lots of pictures, and geek out about beer and food/beer pairings on my humble food blog.

I'm just here with my wife, who insists on photographing every. single. damn. meal. we. eat. If that pays off for me in having amazing food and beer, then yes, she's media.

D. smiled politely and I explained that I was invited via my food blog. I couldn't help but wonder if I sounded insane. After all, it's the first dinner I've attended by invitation and the first one where I didn't feel self-conscious about photographing my food, so I wasn't entirely sure what to expect.

It started with an email. I occasionally receive PR emails and this one jumped off the screen at me. Urban Solace. Samuel Adams. World's strongest beer. I was sold. Urban Solace is one of our favorite North Park restaurants and Sam Adams is our go-to "big name" beer. Being in San Diego and living a few blocks from 30th Street, local microbrews are always plentiful, but we know that we can rely on Sam Adams for a good beer no matter where we are.

Bert Boyce, who brews for Samuel Adams, was hosting the dinner with talks about each beer and beer/food pairings. Matt Gordon, executive chef of Urban Solace, crafted a menu that paired well with the beers. What I love about beer pairings is that stronger flavors can be showcased without the food overpowering the drink or vice versa. Star anise and fennel were two ingredients that gave the dishes a pop that was noticeable, yet not jarringly so. Since both taste like licorice, it was a nice contrast to the various caramel and malt flavors coming from the beers.

We've been eating at Urban Solace since it opened and, while I've definitely heard of him, I'd never had a chance to meet Matt before. It was great to hear him talk about his process in creating the menu and it was even better to taste it. Talk about hitting it out of the park.

Small bites were passed around on trays, starting with a lovely sassafras-marinated grilled shrimp. It was very good and I'm pretty sure garlic was part of the nice punch of flavor. It was followed by little cubes of meatloaf that I could have made a meal out of. It was a nice little cube of meat, with a little fat for moisture and topped with a five-spice-based glaze. I overheard Matt mention that they make their own five-spice mixture at Urban Solace, which is pretty cool. D., who has a special place in his heart for meatloaf, loved it.

While these delicious bites were being passed around, we were given tasting glasses of Cranberry Lambic. There are good dinner wines and I think Cranberry Lambic (pictured below, on left) is a good dinner beer. Slightly sweet, mellow with a clean finish, it's a beer that's easy to drink and pairs very neutrally with all types of food flavors. This was the only beer that wasn't discussed at the dinner, but they use a wild yeast strain to ferment the beer, although a lambic is spontaneously fermented. This isn't a beer to compare to traditional lambics... ignore the name and enjoy the sweet, slightly tart flavor with a dish that's strongly flavored.

We began our first course with the Coastal Wheat, which is brewed with lemon peel. It's their hefeweizen, but brewing with the lemon peel smooths out the sharp flavor that hefeweizens typically have.

Our first course was a lovely cornmeal ravioli stuffed with smoked chicken and leeks. It was drizzled with brown butter and topped with pine nuts and wilted frisee and fennel. The pasta was toothsome and the chicken/leek filling was good and not too smoky. What brought the dish together, flavor-wise, was the wilted fennel. It threaded many subtle flavors together and brought out the smokiness in the chicken and browned butter.

The second course was pork belly braised in Old Fezziwig Ale. As a braise, the ale gave the pork belly's richness a slightly sweet tinge. As a drink, I can't say I was a huge fan. A dark ale brewed with cinnamon, ginger, and orange peel, it was not very flavorful. With those ingredients, I was expecting a punch, but it was merely heavy with malt and mildly sweet. The broth served with the pork belly smelled of licorice notes of five-spice and fennel, with the star anise in the five-spice making the broth smell like pho. While the drink fell flat, the dish was sublime, with near-molten fat and the light dumpling standing out.

The main course featured an Estancia grass-fed flatiron drizzled with a herb pistou. It was served with braised baby carrots and roasted sweet potatoes in a Boston Lager reduction. For one thing, I know Matt does great things with sweet potatoes, because I've never met a sweet potato at Urban Solace that I didn't like. This dish was no exception. The beef was good, although a smidge too rare, which led to the flatiron being a little tough. The carrots were perfect and the herb pistou was nicely balanced, with just enough sharpness from parsley without tasting like mowed grass.

Apparently, the glass was designed by engineers at MIT who received lots of free beer in return for the perfect beer glass.

Damn, I really should switch careers.

The bottom of the glass has a laser-etched ring, which is a nucleation site and results in lots of carbonation. The wider top allows the carbonation to continue expanding, allowing the concentration of the beer's aroma to concentrate above the liquid and also builds a good foamy head. The flared lip is another agitation site, maximizing carbonation so it creates a light mouthfeel.

D., who was already indulging in the generous refills of our tasting pours, refused to let a pint go to waste. He downed it easily, but raised his eyebrows when he noticed our last three tastings were 10%, 14%, and 27% alcohol by volume, respectively.

Dessert, needless to say, was amazing. Served with Samuel Adams' double bock, which has half a pound of caramel malt per bottle, it was a perfect match. The fudgy, dense, dark chocolate porter bombe was more like a super-thick mousse with a mouthfeel that was as decadent as the flavor. Freshly whipped cream contrasted nicely with the sharpness of dark chocolate. Accompanying the cake was a homemade marshmallow coated in malted milk powder. I love homemade marshmallows, which have a fantastic texture vs. the store-bought stuff.

Some close-ups:

The double bock was buttery and the warmth of the caramel came through easily. The triple bock was very different. At first sniff, I swore up and down that I smelled balsamic vinegar. Bert was talking about how the triple bock was casked for 15 years and how, after all of that time, the ethanol was being metabolized into aldehydes. And some of that is metabolized to acetic acid, hence the balsamic essence I was picking up. Inky and slightly thick, the triple bock left a coat on the glass when swirled. Despite the similarity in names, the double and triple bocks were completely different worlds, taste-wise. As Samuel Adams made inroads into extreme brewing, they had to look for different types of yeasts that could produce and tolerate higher ethanol levels. Strains of yeast from processes such as sherry fermentation were used for the extreme brews.

After dessert, Utopias was served. 27% alcohol by volume and meant to be enjoyed like cognac. It was roughly the same inky color as the triple bock, but it had none of the murkiness nor the balsamic essence. Although it is technically a beer, there's no carbonation. It reminded me of Werther's Originals candies. Butterscotch, caramel, and toffee were the primary notes on the nose. If smells could be "warm", then Utopias had a rich, warm bouquet. It goes down the throat with a sharp bang, then mellows into the buttery flavor. Imagine taking a shot of vodka and chasing it with a Werther's.

If you're curious about extreme brewing, I'd say it's worth trying. Utopias runs a pretty penny per bottle ($150) and it might also be a little hard to find. Check out the comments on Beer Advocate, some of which discuss where the commenter drank it. Some managed to find it at a bar and others bought bottles (certain BevMo locations might carry it). The bottle, shaped like a copper brewing kettle, is a rather nifty keepsake.

On that note, dinner was over, and I was a happy camper. Many thanks to Matt and the Urban Solace staff for a great meal and to Bert and the Samuel Adams crew for all of the fun beer facts. Special thanks goes to Tina from DeVries for the invitation.

(Note: My apologies for the extreme lateness of this post, since the dinner took place right before Thanksgiving. I was swamped/out-of-town for the holidays and wasn't able to write in a timely manner.)

Stone Brewing World Bistro & Garden

I write a lot of restaurant reviews on AoaAF and my take on reviewing is to keep it honest and as positive as possible. If it's good, praise it, and if it's bad... well, I try not to be too mean. Sometimes, though, there's an experience that really tests my profanity vocabulary (which is not small... and yes, it stays in my head) and I want to be diplomatic, but still convey my dissatisfaction with the experience.

Stone Brewing's World Bistro & Garden, I'm sad to say, was one of those experiences. I'll start with the positives:

The beer- Good beer and a huge selection.

The setting- The garden is lovely and there are wooden patio sets scattered throughout. We were lucky to find an empty one, but could only enjoy it for 10 minutes before they paged us for our reservation.

I'll pause here to say that if we had simply ordered beers and brought them out to the garden, it would have been fantastic. Idyllic, beautiful, and temperate. I'd have nothing to complain about.

The negatives:

The food- The menu touts their commitment to sustainable, organic, and local eating. That's great. I applaud any establishment that commits to serving whatever grows around here. I will happily pay the oft-higher prices that comes with artisanal and/or organic food from small businesses.

However, I must say that, no matter where ingredients are sourced from, they must be prepared properly. By properly, I mean the dishes should be edible. Let's start with the onion rings.

They're beer-battered in Arrogant Bastard Ale and described as "tempura-style". For one thing, panko crumbs make tempura flaky and tender, which these rings weren't. The other thing is that there is a difference between crispy and hard. These were fried for so long that they were indestructible. It's a shame, because the batter was tasty and the Stone Smoked Porter BBQ sauce was decent.

Burgers came overdone and dried out, but the chicken schnitzel was the evening's winner. The schnitzel was well-prepared and delicious. Another friend ordered the spicy beef and broccoli stir-fry, which was all spice and no flavor.

Last, we come to my mac 'n beer cheese. It was a very flavorful dish and I loved the sausage, the sun-dried tomatoes, and the crusty bread crumbs on top. They didn't divulge the cheeses used, but whatever it was, it separated into fat and curds. Fontina, perhaps? My dish looks great in the picture, but what wasn't captured was the centimeter-deep puddle of oil at the bottom.

The service- After they paged us, they made us wait 15 minutes. Why? Because the runner forgot to prepare a table. Nevermind that the restaurant was almost empty and "preparing" a table meant grabbing menus and leading us to it. Another half hour passed before our server showed up. It took a long time to take orders, bring our drinks, bring the food, etc. Our server seemed harried and overworked, yet there were lots of other bussers and servers who were milling around chatting with each other. Let us reflect again that the restaurant was almost empty. The general impression we received was that we should feel lucky to be let in.

Wow.

My friend asked to speak to a manager about the service and the response was, "I'm sorry you feel that way."

Well, if there's a next time, I'm going to stake out a seat in the garden, order a beer and an appetizer, and enjoy the view.

Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens
1999 Citracado Parkway
Escondido, CA 92029

Hamilton's Tavern & Cafe, Heaven Sent Desserts

I inched closer to 30.

So... I drank beer.

That's the way to ring in another year of existence. I don't feel old, but I didn't feel like making a big deal out of my birthday, either. M.T. and M.S. met us for dinner and beers at Hamilton's Tavern and Cafe. Later, J.T. joined us for dessert at Heaven Sent Desserts.

Hamilton's is a fun pub in South Park. Great selection of beers and they recently opened the cafe next door. We had brats and grilled cheese sandwiches. I enjoyed the "farmer in the dell" grilled cheese, which had manchego, chard, and onion jam. Yum.

For dessert, we headed to Heaven Sent Desserts in North Park. I heard they've had a new pastry chef for a while, so it was a good time to visit.

As always, the interior was lovely. The pastries are looking fabulous. Not in a mood for cake, I indulged in a chocolate-banana malted parfait. Chocolate pudding, bananas, malted cookie crumbs, and whipped cream layered in a tall glass. Note to Heaven Sent: a shorter, wider glass would probably work better, even though presentation might not be so impressive. I was given a longer spoon, but I was practically spelunking into the depths of the dessert.

Anyway, delicious overall and great combination of flavors. Just like the Whoppers on top, this dessert satisfies.

Hamilton's Tavern and Cafe
1521 30th St.
San Diego, CA 92102

Heaven Sent Desserts
3001 University Ave.
San Diego, CA 92104

Philadelphia: Monk's Cafe, Revisited

Our second visit to Monk's cafe was as delightful as the first. D. wanted to revisit this Belgian pub and I thought it was an excellent idea. I also chose rabbit this time around, but it was the lapin a la gueuze, rabbit stewed with root vegetables in Cantillon Gueuze, which the menu describes as a spontaneously fermented ale with earthy and citrus characteristics. I think spontaneous fermented ales are cool... if I'm correct, the brew is left open so yeast in the air can start the fermentation process. It made an excellent stew.

The cliched line of "it tastes like chicken" definitely applies to rabbit. The meat fell off the bones nicely and the mashed potatoes were an excellent side. The squash/onion mixture was soft and flavorful. It's a very elegant dish and paired well with my La Chouffe, a fruity golden ale. The beer was actually a bit too sweet for my liking, which is weird, because I usually enjoy fruited beers.

The atmosphere is a bit loud, but it's a pub, so... duh. The interior is rather dark and looks like a monastery, hence the name. Service is excellent and the food is fantastic. Great "icing" to the cake that is a great beer selection.

Monk's Cafe

626 S. 16th Street

Philadelphia, PA 19146

Eating at Home

After a whirlwind eating week that began with Costa Brava and ended with Bouchon, D. and I needed to recover both our bellies and our wallets. Plus, I'm coming to the end of two weeks of absolute insanity at work. Deadlines are crazy and, like a line cook, I've had compound after compound come off the pipeline. With long workdays come quick meals. Many, many thanks to D. for having hot meals waiting for me when I arrive home.

One of our favorite quick meals is an utter bastardization of both French flavors and Mexican snacks. It's a quesadilla filled with Gruyeres, onions, and ham. Alsatian-inspired flavors on a tortilla. I know, somewhere, someone is laughing their ass off. However, it tastes very good.

D. also picked up a loaf of rustic country bread from Bread on Market, which was excellent dipped in Pasolivo's Meyer lemon olive oil mixed with a dollop of the black button sage honey. This works really well with any sort of citrus olive oil.

Favorite at-home dessert these past two weeks? Stout floats. Inspired by both the Stone Porter Shake at Ritual Tavern and Karl Strauss' Oatmeal Stout Float (no dessert menu on the website, but it's mentioned on the Oatmeal Stout's blurb), I decided that we should have beer with our ice cream. We picked up a few cans of Young's Double Chocolate Stout and poured it over scoops of good vanilla bean ice cream. I suggest buying good ice cream, because you'll want a strong vanilla flavor with a rich creamy background to contrast the beer. Otherwise, you're drinking bread out of a cup with bland ice cream on top.

I'm not working this weekend and I hope there will be a baking project. Also, I'll be meeting some of my fellow San Diego Chowhounds at my first Chowdown! Next week's posts look promising, so stay tuned.

Ritual Tavern

It was a rainy Thursday night last week and the gang met up here in lieu of watching Thursday night TV. Writers' strike means more good eating. Ritual Tavern's fairly new to North Park and it's very close to the house. The restaurant is essentially a classy pub. Warm and rustic interior belies the rather plain and uninviting exterior. There's an exterior view to the kitchen, making it look almost like a pizza place.



I'd have to say that I was "whelmed" by the experience here. Not overwhelmed, not underwhelmed, but just... whelmed. Anyhoo, they very kindly sat T. down when he was the first of 6 to arrive, which is rare for restaurants. We all had beers and it was a very homey, but loud, atmosphere. I started with the Stone Porter Shake, which was the best part of this visit.



Creamy and nicely balanced between beer and vanilla ice cream, this drink is a must-have.

On their specials menu were black mussels from Carlsbad Aquafarms. Cooked in the classic white wine sauce, the mussels were fresh and fantastic. The sauce, however, was boring as fuck. It was white wine, shallots (or maybe onions), and garlic. The shallots and garlic are cooked down and white wine added to the resulting liquid. The wine broth is used to cook the mussels, adding their juices, and voila! Sauce. Zzzzz...

In Philly, Monk's Cafe did the same dish with much better results. Fennel, spices... anything would have given this sauce some personality. Oh, well... same type of rustic tavern with great beers, but much better food at Monk's.



Served with the "must" of moules, crusty artisanal bread. If the sauce ain't good, the bread serves no purpose. The great quality mussels really saved the dish.



T. and R. had better luck with the gumbo, which R. said was spicy and flavorful. Sadly, no pictures, but it was a pretty dish.

D. wasn't a fan of his Niman Ranch burger. He said the meat was too bland and the "artisan buns" too hard for a burger. Their in-house ketchup was really acidic with onion almost dominating the tomato flavor. Ironically, what would have made a difference would have been sugar or corn syrup, like a commercial ketchup, because sweetness would have balanced out the other flavors.

He also had the bread pudding for dessert.



The house bourbon sauce was good, but the pudding itself was a dense and dry clump with an overpowering amount of cinnamon.

Service was rather slow, but they did let us stay for three hours, so they deserve major props for that. We were pleasantly surprised to hear that our first round of drinks fell within happy hour. I'd go again for the beers, that shake, and the atmosphere, but dinner? Eh, maybe.