Sabor Latino - San Diego

I came across this new restaurant a few weeks ago that had just opened. I didn't want to go in during the first week or so, So I waited a few awhile to let them work those new restaurant glitches out. I had been drooling over going here and thinking about the various possibilities an eatery would have with a sign out front stating "Sabor Latino" and "Latin cuisine". Sabor in Spanish means flavor. Could this place be a little gem? Possibly modeled after a Rick Bayless style of cooking? The sign out front hinted that it was possibly a cut above the standard "Berto" Brothers fare. You know the ones. Filiberto's, Jilliberto's Sillyberto's. I have said that before, But after awhile you get sick of most of them. Although quite a few offer excellent food for the buck. After being open for six weeks I thought it time to go check it out.

I went in for lunch around noonish. Just one other table was eating. The place was decorated in South American Bistro charm. Flowers on the table with nice Mexican themed place settings.

I sat down and the obligatory basket of chips and salsa came out. Chips, Hard and greasy like "Dog the Bounty Hunter"chewy on the outside, but mushy on the inside, with a side of flavorless salsa that tasted watered down and right out of a number 10 SYSCO food can. The salsa looked good. it had some green in it, pieces of what looked like jalapenos? But no flavor at all. Strike one on the "Sabor" thing.

I searched through the menu for little nuggets of a hint at greatness and imagination, Only to find Egg rolls!, Buffalo wings? and Blue Cheese burger's!? Not very Mucho Latino. This lunch menu best represents the reason why I really don't care to go to lunch at a place that purportedly specializes in dinner. The lunch menu is never any good, cast offs and throwaways abound usually. This menu was no exception. Just all over the place. Definitely put together with the help of Sally Field playing the roll of Sybil in that classic old film about a schizophrenic with 16 personalities, and in this case none of them seem to be Latino. This place used to be a Peruvian restaurant and the new owners have left a few Peruvian dishes on the menu as well. Let's see we have Lomo Saltado, Cuban style fries and fried plantains as well as Creamy Jalapeno Tilapia. Tilapia, that goldfish of non threatening tasteless and mushy equivalent to a Petco Park hot dog. Oh Boy do I need to get to a good restaurant fast as I feel I am quickly becoming the Michael Savage of the review world. OK, I just took my Nitroglycerin. Calm again.

I ordered up the Mexican Ceviche Tostada ($3.95). It looked very good when it came out. It had a nice presentation with a nice Quesso mayonase sauce. Nice size shrimp and crisp tomatoes. Very mild citrus hint of lime and lemon. On a bed of lettuce, Which I don't care for in any Mexican food and a store bought packaged Tostada round. Just very mild though. Not much "Sabor" here either. Worth it for $3.95 if you are a first time ceviche eater. Just not very authentic.

For the main course I had asked about the Chicken Mole ($8.95). Now Mole can and usually is a complex conglomeration of various spices mixed with chocolate, and just about every region in Mexico has there own style of it, usually family recipes handed down through the years from Grandma to Mom to Daughter and so on. I would compare it to a Mexican Curry type sauce. Like curry, Mole is most times an acquired taste. The waiter told me it was actually his mothers recipe. Great! I thought. Only Mexican mothers can truly make a good mole. So I quickly ordered up a plate.

The chicken was grilled and then the mole poured over the top. I like it when the chicken is actually simmered in Mole for a while to let the flavors and textures mingle. The Mole was thick and looked really nice. But like everything else at Sabor Latino it really lacked any depth of flavors and that is what you look for in a good curry or mole, is the depth of flavors usually brought together in the case of Mole with the heat of Ancho and other hotter type peppers, mixed with cinnamon and Allspice and of course Mexican Chocolate. Done right it can be heaven as the velvety sweetness en robes the inside of your mouth and then the slow heat builds. Oh my! Sounds like a Harold Robbins novel. Nope, just good Mole. This one had a little heat going on but not enough. it was great in balancing the sweet chocolate and other spices. All in all, It did work together with the grilled chicken. Just not rich enough.
the Chicken Mole came with Spanish rice and Beans. The rice had a nice flavor to them. OK, The rice had Sabor! Light and fluffy with a nice tomatoee creamy texture. A hint of garlic and possibly some Saffron going on here. Each grain of rice was an individual grain and not mushed together.
To sum it up. the owner / Chef wore an Applebees baseball cap. It all made sense to me now.

That is what this place reminds me of, An Applebees menu. Just all over the place.

A liitle more "Sabor" Por Favor.

Sabor Latino

8680 Navajo Road

San Diego

Open 7 days a week 8:30am to 10pm

Chow

Michael

Lefty's Chicago Pizza - North Park

We ventured over to Lefty's Chicago Pizza place today in our ongoing Quest to find the best pizza in San Diego. This place is located in an area in San Diego called North Park, Which has some of the best restaurants in town and all walking distance from the neighborhoods it surrounds. Very lucky North Park residents. Lefty's is no exception. This is such a great little find. A great Chicago style eatery that serves up some tasty stuff. No bigger than a standard size living room, it can be tough to stand in line and order, as this is as busy a place as Bronx Pizza. But this place goes way beyond your just a pizza serving restaurant. Lefty's serves up some of the finest and most beautiful looking old school Midwest style of food in San Diego. And cheap!

We walked in to find no one in line and we seemed to have caught the place in a not so busy time, a rarity on a Saturday. They have a very East Coasty type attitude here. But if you have ever been or have friends from the East Coast, you know that it can be taken for being rude. But in reality it's really not. They are a brash group. I for one think it humorous. Anyway, we stepped up and ordered a Chicago style thick crust with pepperoni ($18.00), as usual, just what the Quest specified. We did think, but just for a second, to order the thin crust instead. But nope, You can't go into Bronx Pizza and ask for a Chicago style pizza and you shouldn't go into a Chicago style pizza place and order thin crust. So thick it was. They told us it takes at least 35 minutes to cook it. No problem, we wanted to soak up the place anyways. They have beer on tap and one of the handles is for PBR! Ya gotta love that. They have pizza by the slice and have a gorgeous assembly of the offerings in a glass case.

We walked outside and sat at one of the open tables. Remember this is such a small kitschy little cozy dive. They have a small group of plastic tables and chairs for the customers. As we sat and talked, we began to notice the food that was being brought out to the other diners around us. Chicago style hot dogs and Polish dogs and something called "loaded fries" that we should feed to condemned men as they're last meal. because after eating it , it would be! It looked gorgeous though. Mounds of fries covered with sour cream and huge chunks of crispy fried bacon bits. The Chicago style hot dogs looked picture perfect. They had a nice wedge of pickle on them and two little yellow sport peppers. Just like a real Chicago dog. Big plates of pasta came out to the table next to us. Amazing looking food. And all very reasonably priced. Hot dog with fries ($4.50)
OK, There is a reason, as usual I had to go on about the other food on the menu. This place, just for the other offerings alone and the fact that it carries pizza. And as you know, the place that holds the number one spot currently on the list only serves pizza. Based on that. Lefty's would win hands down, no questions asked. But if we are just ranking on Pizza alone. Well then. Bronx wins hands down. The pizza here looks amazing and came out to our table literally piping hot and still sizzling.

It had a huge amount of Wisconsin Mozzarella on it and in traditional style. cheese on the bottom and sauce on top. The tomato sauce was chunky with large pieces of tomato and fresh Basil sprinkled all around. The pepperoni was put on in abundance and was everywhere you looked.
It just looked spectacular. The crust looked nice and think, with large amounts of corn meal evident. Which I think adds a nice texture and taste to the pie crust. Too hot to handle this pie was, So we nabbed a few pieces of pepperoni off of it. WOW! The best pepperoni in town. really nice and flavorful, had a nice spicy bite to it, and greasy as all get out. Just dripped everywhere. Every pizza house in town should get the name of this brand and trash the pepperoni they use now. I thought it quite amusing though looking around I noticed that the adjacent eatery next door was a Vegan restaurant. I just chuckled out loud as I watched the Vegans having to walk past and see Lefty's, that pit of voracious carnivores, eating every ground up farm animal on the planet on they're way for a slice of falafel pie.
This pie is a thing of beauty to look at. But beauty as usual is only skin deep. The crust had no taste other than corn meal and actually was quite mushy and chewy. It was more of a foundation that was utilitarian in it's quest to hold up to the mounds of cheese and sauce. The sauce had a nice fresh taste to it. Mild though, very mild. Too much so for my taste, nice tomato taste and chunky texture and I loved the addition of the fresh herbs in it.
To sum it up. Lefty's over all has become one of my favotite hole in the wall classic dive eateries. This place has it all. The food, the kitsch, The Vespa scooters parked out front. The pizza? Eh, it ain't so bad. Definatley not the best in town, but like the Chicago cubs, this pizza will always be in the race.

Lefty's Chicago Pizza

3448 30th St.

San Diego

Mondays - - - Closed
Tuesday - Saturday - - - 12 PM - 10 PM
Sunday - - - 12 PM - 9 PM

Chow

Michael

Pizza Quest Top 10 List

Here is the top 10 list so far in our Quest for the Best Pizza in San Diego. We are off and running tasting the majors now. we have a heck of lot more to go. Do you have a suggestion? drop us a line. And a very sincere thank you to all who have submitted places for the team to check out.
But for now here is how the race looks.

1. Bronx Pizza 111 Washington St. San Diego
2. Lefty's Chicago Pizza 3448 30th St. North Park
3. Sanfilippo's Pizza 8141 La Mesa Blvd, La Mesa
4. Bottle Shop 2447 Fletcher Parkway, El Cajon
5. Etna Pizza & Ristorante 4427 El Cajon Blvd, San Diego
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.


Check back periodically as this list changes as we review other Pizza places. This list will be like a horse race and all participants will be constantly changing in rank.

El Gaupo's Mexican Food - La Mesa Village

Do you remember the movie Three Amigos! with Steve Martin, Chevy Chase and Martin Short? The main bad guys name was "El Guapo. Meaning handsome one. The owner of this Mexican food place thought it would be a good idea to name his restaurant after that character.
I think that is funny and shows some originality and a sense of humor. Unfortunately we didn't have much fun on this visit to El Guapo's.

This place used to be La Torta. That incredible Mexican Deli. When we arrived for what we thought was going to be a quick lunch, we Popped 45 minutes worth of coins into the parking meter. Thinking that should be ample time for a quick bite and than back to the office. We stepped up to the cashier around noon time. Not a lot of customers, There were maybe 3 tables inside and no one outside.

We scanned the menu and decided on a Carne Asada Burrito ($5.50) A California Burrito ($5.50) and a Mahi Mahi taco ($2.95). By the way they do carry one of my favorite beers, Modello Especial, They also carry the darker version, Negra Modello as well. Oh, and they also have Coke from Mexico! Another plus as the Mexican made Coke is the original Coke recipe made with cane sugar. The Coke we get up here in the states is made with that lovely Diabetes inflicting High Fructose Corn syrup. So we were happy to grab our drinks and go outside and grab a table. You order at the counter and then they bring you the food. We waited and waited and waited. The place was not very busy at all. After 25 minutes we, along with two other tables started to get very antsy, The guy with the WAMU shirt on started to sweat and look at his watch. You could tell everyone was on they're lunch break and needed to get back to work. Minute 27, we finally received one Burrito. Minute 30 the rest of the order came out.

We dug in. First up the Mahi Mahi taco.

It was covered in Jack cheese, Not a good sign for authentic Mexican fare. Could not pick the taco up, it was way to wet and top heavy with cheese and very very runny. The sauce did have a nice chipotle smoke to it though, but it covered everything. It could have been a fish stick stuffed in this taco and you wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

I had the Carne Asada burrito. That Southern California invention of perfection. The stuff that legends are made of. Put the original Roberto's on the map. And single handily started the Mexican Fast food drivethru craze. No such animal exists in Mexico. If you order a burrito in Mexico. You are going to get a desert dish. Looked nice from the outside. A nice stuffed 14 inch flour tortilla. I grabbed my plastic knife and cut it in half. Inside I was amazed to see more Jack cheese! and the burrito was ice cold, So cold it wasn't even able to melt the Jack cheese that was stuffed in it!

It did have plenty of real guacamole and a nice amount of Carne Asada. The meat was tasty, even though cold. It seemed to have all the right spices, A little citrusy back flavor with a rather nice texture. But after 30 minutes of waiting there was just no way I was going back up to the cashier and ask for a hot one. This burrito would have been passable if not for the Jack cheese and being a cold burrito-sicle. We cut into the California Burrito. Let me tell you what is in this artery clogger. Sour cream, Carne Asada, French fries and Jack and Cheddar cheese! As usual we had 911 on our cell phones pre programmed, just in case. We cut into this one and what a concoction. This one I can't get into. I guess I'm too old school Mex food kinda guy. This is the equivalent of that sandwich made with peanut butter and marshmallow sauce. I know, I know. I just never grew up with that either.And once again. Cold as a stone. No melted cheese. The house sauce on the other hand was quite good though. It had a nice smoky Chipotle creamy feel to it, with just a little pepper heat. that one was a hit.

Ok. Our 45 minutes where about up in the parking meter and we weren't quite finished yet. After all it took 30 minutes to get our food. So I wandered back up to the register, which was now manned by what seemed to be the owner. To get some more change, And he was conversing with a gentleman in front of me. I stood there like a child doing the potty dance, glancing over at my car and then the meter and then the owner and back and forth again and again. Knowing that the Jawslike meter person for the La Mesa Village has about 4 blocks to patrol and is very quick with a ticket. After 3 minutes of no eye contact and no"hey I'll be with you in a minute pal" or nothing. I decided it wasn't worth the $21.00 parking ticket any longer.

So, Adios El Guapo and like the film. The Village should rise up to the El Guapo's and let them in on a secret. yup, believe it or not. the customer is still king.

El Guapo's
8350 La Mesa Blvd

Chow

Michael

Mona Lisa Italian Foods - Allied Gardens

Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name, So starts the theme song from that classic sitcom Cheers. And the words ring true here at Mona Lisa in Allied Gardens. Unlike the other Mona Lisa restaurant in downtown San Diego, This one is nestled in a strip mall in a neighborhood setting and owned and operated by Mike Apparito, Using family recipes that had been handed down by his father Gaspare Apparito and creatively coming up with his own versions has made this place an institution in San Diego and of course the community of Allied Gardens.

The restaurant has recently gone through a major renovation project that completely transformed the dining area into a beautiful open and yet intimate dining experience. Photos of the family hang everywhere. They bring a great sense of comfort to the diners and let you know that, Yes, there are still those family restaurants around town. Not just family style, But the new honoring the old style family kinda place.

The menu is a nice spattering of what you would expect from a classic old school Italian eatery. Pasta dishes, Veal or Chicken, Lasagna and pizza and so forth. But a few things set this place apart from the rest. One of them is that food of love factor. Not so evident in other places. But here it still thrives on. You can tell that at this Mona Lisa, Mike still has a passion for the food and the place. It would be easy after all the years in business to just let the place go on auto pilot. But not here. A major remodel and the food is nice and comforting. The tomato sauce has to be one of my favorites. It is a rustic basic sauce that has a huge and bursting intense tomato flavor, with a nice fresh sweetness to it, Hints of Oregano for a slight smoky background and lot's of garlic flavor. Great stuff. Right away you can tell that this is a heavily Sicilian style influenced sauce.

A nice tight wine list consisting of a few choice wines. I was surprised to see the Parker Pinot on the list. One of my favorite wines. And litres of the house wines are only $11.00. The food just looks awesome. All finished off with care. We started out with a cup of the house minestrone soup. A classic soup made with Veggies. This one had an incredible tasty broth base. Light, with a nice offering of squash, zucchini cabbage, carrots and various other vegetables. and they weren't all soft and mushy after being in the pot all day long. Good stuff.

As you should know by now I have an aversion to that vinegary mushy pile of veggies that a lot of Italian places put on their Antipasto salads. So I was quite pleased when ours came out that it didn't have any on it. Excellent! It look very nice and piled high with greens and cheese, and various cold cuts. With your choice of dressings on the side.

I had the Veal Marsala. tender and juicy with a nice wedge of lemon for that citrus kick that balances out the sweet Marsala wine flavor.

The veal was nice and not overly sweet tasting, looked great on the plate and wasn't overcooked. Very simple but elegant dish that at most places can get overly complicated and usually ends up tasting like either a dill pickle or a sweet candy.

Lasagna was next up. Nice to see the Mona Lisa rendition of this old school dish. Most places pile up the layers so high that they need a light on top so the planes won't hit it. This one had just a few choice layers resulting in a nice balance of flavors. The Lasagna pasta was done to perfection and not overly cooked and mushy. The filling gave you just enough to allow you to taste all the separate ingredients. Most places usually make huge trays of lasagna once or twice a week and when you order, they take a hunk out and cram it in a ramekin dish and throw it in the pizza oven and then a few minutes before it's heated all the way through they load up the top with cheese to cover it all. Yummy right? Yeah, that's why I usually never order Lasagna in an Italian restaurant. If I want 5 day old re-heated left overs. I will stay home. So remember, Usually when a Place has Lasagna on the menu and it comes in a ramekin dish look elsewhere for another item. Because that's what it usually means. Your gonna get the stuff that they are gonna throw out in a few days. heated in a dish and covered with cheese.

This version at Mona Lisa's was a pleasant surprise.

Very pleasant staff on hand. Nice desert menu with a great offering of Italian classics.

Remember this is unpretentious family fair served here. But having said that. It is also a place to go for that first date or your 50th anniversary. A great little home style Italian eatery. And yeah, Sometimes it is nice to go to a place where everybody knows your name. A place with quality food, service and ambiance that pays homage to it's past by carrying on it's passionate food tradition for the future.

Mona Lisa

5156 Waring Rd

San Diego

Chow

Michael

Pho T Cali - San Diego

I used to come to this place a lot when I worked up in the Clairemont Mesa Blvd area. I surely miss the luxury of having some of the best eating establishments in San Diego at my gastronomical finger tips. So today I found myself back in the area on business and had to decide where to eat, What an ordeal, easier to pick which one of your senses you would give up than to pick a restaurant in this area. Let me think, Shall we go to Jasmine, or Tommy's burgers, Ranch 99 for a sandwich or Aladdin...ugh. Just good stuff overload. Sometimes it's a tough gig choosing that right piece of chocolate out of the box.

I finally decided on Pho T Cali, But I believe the name has changed. I used to come here a few years ago and it wasn't bad. As I entered the building I noticed that most of the servers faces seemed familiar at least if they have had a change of ownership the crew looks like they stayed on. Good sign. I was quickly seated and handed a menu. Interesting verbiage on the inside cover. it had an explanation of what to order and expect if this is your first time here. I found that quite amusing, having been eating Vietnamese food for a few years and could remember back when I couldn't even tell you what was in the bottles of condiments on the tables let alone order.

But wait. I still can't really tell you whats in those bottles on the table. Oh well, somethings never change. The reason why I love Asian Cuisine in San Diego is that old theory of mine which is most of the really great Asian places are still run by first or second generation families that cook as closely to they're original style as possible. Hence the usually large numbers of Asians that go to the good ones. But this theory on food and authentication really holds up to all nationalities. It seems that by the time the third and definitely by the fourth generation. The majority of eateries lose that authentic edge as they're core clientele leave or move out of the area and a more homogenized eating public moves in. That I believe is what has happened to Pho T Cali. They lost there nationality cooking compass. Not that the food was bad. It was just ordinary. Like lining up a Tommy's Burger and a McDonald's one. Both are hamburgers but one is great and the other not so great.

I had the Tai Nam Gau Gan Sack ($4.90)

A soup bowl filled with,Rare steak, well done flank, brisket, tendon and tripe.

Also ordered a Lemonade with soda water in it ($2.20)

The Lemonade was exquisite. It had such an intense lemon flavor with a super sweet finish to it. The soda water gave it a nice tonic but clean finish. Great hot day refreshment.

The Soup broth was very mild and lacked any taste, Wasn't bad, but just lacking some flavors. The jalapenos and basil along with a squirt of lime and some Srirachi hot sauce made it come alive. But the broth on it's own should have had a little more oomph to it. Granted, I am not an expert on the nuances of Vietnamese cuisine, I just know what tastes good and what doesn't. The steak, tendon, tripe, flank and brisket were all very tender and done well. Not a lot of fat or harsh gristle. Overall not a bad experience, But in an area that is so rich in great eateries. This is a shame. I don't think I will be back for awhile.

PS. Another reason I like Asian places so much is that they are well lit. Makes even my photography almost tolerable. Someone has to tell those Mexican and Italian places I go to about adding a little more light.

Pho T Cali

7351 Clairemont Mesa Blvd

858-565-6997

Chow

Michael

Pizza Hit List

Wow, Have we been on a hot dog tear lately. But now it's time to get back to our best pizza in San Diego quest. So I have decided to publish the remaining Pizza restaurants that we have chosen to review on our quest for the best pie. If you have any suggestions of places that you feel should be on our list, please let us know and we will add them on.

And here are the chosen few and in no particular order I might add.

Luigi's

Lefty's

Extreme Pizza

Sorentinos

Filippi's

Pizza Port

Sammy's Wood Fired Pizza

Manga Bene

Gus's #1

The Venetian

Hoboken

And there you have the remaining finalists. Again, any suggestions please let us know.

Chow

Michael