Dreamhost is our hosting server and Dennis had received an invitation (as a customer) for a meet-and-greet with company staff at Union Kitchen and Tap gaslamp. Hosted appetizer and drinks? Sign us up already! We were also curious to see how the food would be following our San Diego Restaurant Week visit.
The event was in the large backroom of the restaurant and after checking in, we were handed two drink tickets well as a raffle ticket.
We were drawn to the long table in the back... a meat and cheese platter included black truffle salami, caramelized onion cheddar, dried spanish chorizo, nilano italian salami, wisconsin cheese, etc!
I've been going to Cine Cafe for the past eight years since working in the Gaslamp Quarter. I'm surprised I haven't reviewed this place by now, especially since I eat here at least once a week. So I've decided to do justice and review this place by eating seven of my favorite sandwiches in seven days! Just in time for Comic-con visitors too!
Cine Cafe is a convenience store that happens to include a deli. Look for the sign or the outdoor umbrellas to find it.
The Chicken Club Sandwich is my go to item when I cannot decide on what to eat.
This year we attended our first Taste of Little Italy via media passes. With all of our 'Taste of' experiences, it's a wonder how we've missed it! Technically, we attended Taste of Downtown 2007 (when downtown and Little Italy were in a single event). Since then, Little Italy has grown WAY too prominent as its own community to share the spotlight! In fact, they now split Little Italy into two routes, north or south ($30 each), or a combined route ($45) for the ambitious! And ambitious San Diegans must be as the combined route tickets sold out first! Or perhaps... it was too difficult to choose just one route!
In case you missed out on all of the fun, or even just a few stops of your map, we're here to give you the scoop on all the samples from this year's event!
San Diego is an evergrowing foodie haven and the food blogger community in San Diego is outstanding. I was lucky to be able to meet fellow bloggers at the Green Acre Campus Pointe location for a lunch.
The restaurant has a big focus on farm-to-table. The sign above shows items that are grown in the garden right here! Now that's as fresh as you can get, without picking it yourself!
We took a short tour around the building too. I couldn't believe my eyes how huge this building was. Look at this lovely view from the top floor, which houses multiple conference rooms for big parties.
We were driving home from Orange County after a family gathering and decided to check out Yu Me Ya Sake House basd on their solid yelp reviews. This Encinitas restaurant lies along the coast highway in an area with few street lights. Even inside the restaurant, it's quite dark, sort of like a secret sake cave for those in the know. And now we know! There's only room for approximately 20-25 guests in this place so after a 10-15 minute wait, we were led to our seats at the bar.
This restaurant served mainly small dishes, very few sushi items, and plenty of sake. The dutiful plate setting was accented with a bright mini paper crane. We chatted with the gentleman next to us and he recommended a few food items that he had just tried.
Carpaccio (spicy tuna), sushi style, was first on the list. This small plate contained spicy tuna in a crispy wonton shell.
We often attend the Taste of North Park around October so I was surprised to stumble upon a less publicized event called "Tuesday" Taste of North Park. This was a special 'mini' taste held Tuesday June 9, 2015 from 5-8pm in celebration of the HomeBrewers Conference that week! Curious, I picked up tickets for Dennis and me to check it out!
Will-call was available between 3-6pm in front of the North Park Main Street building located at 3076 University Ave. The sweet Dani and Alli were at the table helping me and other event-goers get our tickets! This smaller event was only $20 pre-sale or $25 day of and had 19 participating locations, 15 with food and 4 with beer.
Our first sample of the evening was a Mini Mini Corndog from Coin Op. Yes, mini is repeated twice, according to the server! It was served with a IPA mustard for a sharp kick of contrast to the pillowy dough and meat inside.
At the end of June, another fun Taste of event will take place along Adams Avenue. We definitely haven't explored this neighborhood enough (Soda & Swine was our most recent) but we've been itching to try The Rabbit Hole, return to Senor Mangos Juice House, and check out a few other restaurants in the area. A ticket to an event like this will allow us to do that with ease!
Official Event Info:
The 15th annual Taste of Adams Avenue will take place Sunday, June 28, 11:00 am to 3:00 pm, along Adams Avenue, from University Heights through Normal Heights to Kensington. This year’s taste will showcase 30 Adams Avenue restaurants, coffee houses, and exceptional eateries in one of San Diego’s historical and superb communities.
Little Italy is home to a few places we've visited in the past year, including Indigo Grill and Puerto La Boca, plus many more we've never tried so we're super excited to be able to check out our first "Taste of Little Italy" next week. An interesting tibit of information is that Little Italy used to be a part of "Taste of Downtown" back in the day, but we're glad that it is now its own event!
Official event information:
Little Italy’s foodie event of the summer is coming up, “Taste of Little Italy” on Wednesday, June 17 from 5:00pm to 9:00pm in Little Italy. The notable culinary hub is inviting visitors to stroll down the streets with their Taste Passport and experience the neighborhood’s one-of-a-kind eateries. Restaurants will open their doors for food lovers to enjoy a taste of one of their most popular dishes.
