3 Quick Reviews #1

Meat.  I love meat.  And "Meat" just happens to be the nickname for a restaurant I have been going to for years...Alborz Persian and Greek Cuisine in Del Mar.  This place is kinda on the pricey side, unless you can go at lunch time during the week.  For this visit on the weekend, I had found a 2 for 1 coupon, so the price was pretty reasonable.

The menu has a ton of great items, but I usually get my favorite:  Kebob Barg.  This dish is marinated and charbroiled steak, and it's always tender and juicy.  You get a large portion and it's served with Basmati saffron rice and charbroiled onion, peppers and tomato.  The lunch plate also includes a small salad.  All meals come with thin cracker bread and butter.

My friend K has her favorites also, but tonight she decided to try something new...Fesenjon, which is a pomegranate and walnut stew.  Sounds weird, right?  It's chicken in kind of a sweet and sour sauce.  It was quite tasty and I think she was glad to have tried something different.

Eating at "Meat" reminds me of another place I love...but that's a review for another time!

Have you tried Alborz?  What did you think?

3 Quick Reviews #2

Most everyone knows about D.Z. Akins Delicatessen and Bakery in La Mesa, but sometimes you forget about it and how good it is, so I am here to remind you!  This place has a huge variety of food.  The menu barely fits on the table and is about 6 pages long.  If it's your first visit, it will take a while for you to read it all.  They have breakfast, appetizers, soups, sandwiches (102 different kinds!), dinners, desserts, shakes and more...just about anything you could want.  They have great hot meals, but I would say they are more known for their deli sandwiches and cold fish platters.

There is a bucket of chunky pickles on every table, and I start munching on these as soon as I sit down.  I normally get the same thing every time I go, haha, I just love it in it's simplicity...#55 (shout out to Jr.).  It's turkey, jack and avocado.  I usually have to re-make the sandwich after I get it, just so I can actually eat it!  Along with D.Z. Akins wonderful home made potato salad, this meal is a real filler.

My niece R, got a steak salad.  Tons of lettuce, avocado and tender steak piled high.  She enjoyed it very much.

You will not leave D.Z. Akins hungry!  Luckily (since there is never room for dessert) there is a bakery in the lobby so you can get a variety of cake and cookies to take with you.  There's a also a cute gift shop to browse in before you go.

Have you ever tried D.Z. Akins?  How did you manage to eat your sandwich?

3 Quick Reviews #3

I found Du-pars Restaurant and Bakery on Sports Arena Blvd. a few years ago using a Restaurant.com coupon.  Since then I have come back again and again for a wide variety of home style meals.  Du-pars started in LA, where there are still a few restaurants, there is only one location in San Diego.  They have been around for 60 years, and it would seem the decor hasn't changed much in that time, but don't let that deter you from going and enjoying some amazing dishes at this diner.

On this occasion, I was dining with my niece R, and while we really wanted to get to dessert, we decided to eat some "real" food first.  She had a bowl of clam chowder, which she loved.  I had a cobb salad, which was a little bigger then expected, and very good as well.  I have also had a lot of other things here, including sandwiches, burgers, omelets, "world famous" pancakes....and nothing has disappointed.

 Now, on to dessert!  I am a big fan of bread pudding and Du-pars is excellent.  You get a huge piece served with ice cream and dripping with rum sauce.  The bread pudding is moist and contains an ingredient I haven't had in any other, coconut...no complaints here.  R had the chocolate fudge brownie, which comes warm and heaped with ice cream, chocolate syrup and whipped cream.

 

Almost forgot to mention that Du-pars is open 24 hours.  I would certainly stop here if I was in the neighborhood at 3am!


Have you ever eaten at Du-pars?  What did you order?

The Food of My People on Easter

Kaiserhof is a favorite restaurant of my family, serving great German fare for many years.  Located in a cozy themed building on a corner in Ocean Beach, you have probably driven past it 100 times.  My mom and I decided to go for Easter Brunch, and since we made reservations, were seated right away at a nice window table.

The Easter Brunch came with rolls/butter, a soup/salad buffet, a side dish and mimosas.  The buffet is small and crammed into the lobby area, where it can get tight, but you'll find all good salad fixin's and some German potato salad there.  My mom ordered the Wiener Schnitzel, which is breaded veal, sauteed in butter and served with lemon.  As her side she chose mashed potatoes.  It looked and tasted delicious!

 I ordered Jagar Schnitzel, which is sauteed veal with a mushroom cream sauce.  My side was fried potatoes.  Mine was just as good as my mom's!  We didn't have room for dessert this time, but I can tell you they have some good ones....Apple Strudel and Black Forest cake are favorites.

I have eaten at Kaiserhof many times over the years, and I like to try a variety of things.  Every meal I've had has always been served hot and had that great homemade taste to it.  The servers are all friendly and efficient.  I highly recommend it!

Have you eaten at Kaiserhof?  Let me know how your experience was!