Restaurant Review
19 Jan 2007

Extraordinary Desserts – San Diego

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January 15, 2007
Cuisine: Desserts

1430 Union Street
San Diego, CA 92101

Phone: 619-294-7001
Website: www.extraordinarydesserts.com

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Dessert I: Passion Fruit Ricotta Torte – ricotta cake layers, soaked with passion fruit juice and layered with passion fruit whipped cream, kiwis, strawberries and bananas ($7.50)

Dessert II: Lemon Fruit Tartlette – a crisp buttery tart shell filled with lemon cream and topped with fruits of the season ($7.50)

Dessert III: Chocolate Truffle Loaf ($5)

Dessert IV: Caribe – chocolate mousses infused with mangos, bananas and passion fruit layered between dark chocolate lilikoi soaked chocolate cakes and finished with dark chocolate and topped with fresh tropical fruits ($7.50)

Dessert V: Apple and Berry Croissant Bread Pudding with Cinnamon Ice Cream ($10.95)

Dessert VI: Lemon Bar ($3)

Dessert VII: Hot Fudge Sundae ($10)

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After reading and hearing good things about Extraordinary Desserts, a group of friends and I headed over to see if their sweets were truly as “extraordinary” as their name implied. Besides serving desserts, the restaurant also has gourmet teas, panini, salads, and bruchetta on the menu. The atmosphere in Extraordinary Desserts is relaxed, trendy, and modern.

Kellie and Justin started the evening with some warm drinks. Kel ordered the White Hot Chocolate ($6), while Justin had a mocha ($4.50). Kellie thought her drink was “the best thing ever.” I took a sip and found it awesome as well. The flavor was strongly vanilla and had a light sprinkling of cardamon. Kellie’s hot chocolate came with a side of whipped cream and an extra serving of cocoa. Awesome. Justin liked his mocha too.

The presentation at Extraordinary Desserts is gorgeous. Pureed fruit sauces and fresh flowers accompanied all of our dessert selections. The Astronomer and I shared the Apple and Berry Croissant Bread Pudding with Cinnamon Ice Cream and a Lemon Bar. The cinnamon ice cream was excellent, but I was too busy chatting with my old friends to give the desserts my full attention. The Astronomer thought both the lemon bar and bread pudding were great, but quite pricey. I agree, eleven bucks is a bit high for dessert. In regards to the lemon bar, the ratio of lemon to crust was 1:1. I prefer more lemon and less shortbread.

Kellie ordered the Passion Fruit Ricotta Torte, which I thought was the best dessert of the evening. The tropical fruit flavors were explosive and refreshing! The fruit purees further intensified the flavors. I will definitely order it on my next visit. Mike ordered the Lemon Fruit Tartlette.

Justin, a huge fan of chocolate, ordered a hot fudge sundae. He was expecting Hershey’s chocolate syrup, but instead got actual fudge! Imagine that! He disliked the copious amount of whipped cream atop the sundae and yearned for nuts. Justin couldn’t finish his sundae because the chocolate was too intense toward the end. Regardless, for $10 Justin was hoping for a larger serving. I agreed.

Even though Cousin Phil is not a big fan of desserts, he ordered a chocolate loaf. He liked it as much as a non-dessert lover could. Tannia ordered the Caribe, which she and Phil both really enjoyed.

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Restaurant Review
18 Jan 2007

In-N-Out Burger – Pacific Beach

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Photo by Joyous!

January 15, 2007
Cuisine: Fastfood, Burgers

2910 Damon Ave.
Pacific Beach, CA 92109

Phone: 1-800-786-1000
Website: http://www.in-n-out.com

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Entree I: Double-Double ($2.75) with Fries ($1.09)

Entree II: Cheeseburger, Protein Style, Animal Style ($1.85)

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Ever since reading Fast-food Nation, I’ve wanted to eat at In-N-Out Burger to support their high food standards and fair employment practices. The Astronomer and I met up with his friend Jason (AKA San Diego H8R) from JBS for a quick lunch at In-N-Out before exploring the wonders of UCSD.

The Astronomer ordered the classic Double-Double and a side of fries. He thought the burger was delicious, even with the Thousand Island dressing. The fries were “nothing special,” but he liked how they were free of nasty trans-fats. Me too.

I normally order a Double-Double, but wanted to try the “secret menu.” I ordered a cheeseburger “Animal Style” (A mustard cooked beef patty served on a bun with pickles, lettuce, tomatoes, extra spread and grilled onions) and “Protein Style” (Instead of a bun, the burger is wrapped in lettuce). The burger was very messy to eat due to the extra spread and lack of buns. The grilled onions were fabulous and the burger overall was very good! The secret menu is quite a novelty, but next time I may just go for a plain old Double-Double with grilled onions.

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Restaurant Review
18 Jan 2007

Nacho's Taco Shop – San Diego (La Mesa)

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January 14, 2007
Cuisine: Mexican

7589 University Ave
La Mesa, CA 91941

Phone: 619-462-9414
Website: none

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Carne Asada Burrito ($3.50)

Horchata ($0.99)

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While Filiberto is my Mexican fast-food standby in La Mesa, Cousin Michael recommended the Astronomer and I try Nacho’s for great carneasada burritos. We took his advice and headed to Nacho’s after the Chargers suffered a devastating lost to the Patriots.

We ordered a burrito and a horchata to share. Cousin Michael was right, the carneasada burrito was excellent. The tortilla was warm and the meat was very flavorful. There was just enough guacamole to keep things interesting; too much meat and tortilla can get boring fast.

The horchata, which is rice milk flavored with cinnamon, was great as well and SO refreshing. I wish Horchata was more readily available on the East Coast. Even though I normally don’t drink my calories, Horchata is the worthiest exception.

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