We celebrated our holiday MR at Woodstock Pizza in the college area last night. In over five years, it's the first time we had pizza. The food was pretty good and the eavesdropping was even better!
The gifts exchange was better than ever. we had some good stuff this year. I really wanted to Alicia's array of lip color and snatched it from Mara only to have to taken away by Deb. So I went for the one enormous gift left. It was the gift that Mara brought. In true Mara fashion, her gift included 20 awesome and unusual items from the Dollar Store. It wasn't mine for long because Tracy snatched it from me. I ended up with scented air freshener oils, which, with two kids and two cats, will come in handy. I actually opened them last night when I got home. I decided to refresh our bedroom, where the kitty litter resides these days, with Chai Spice. Now our bedroom smells like Chai Kitty Poop latte. Mmmmmm....Coming soon to a Starbucks near you!
Boo to Alicia and her recounting of the paranormal show on A&E. Thanks to you, the ghosts woke me up at exactly 3:00 AM!
Happy Holidays!
Steph
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Friday, August 17, 2007
Cafe Luna
By Deborah
Food: I’m not a big Italian food fan, but my meal was delicious. The salad was tasty and my entrée was delicious. I had the Linguine Di Matteo and even had left overs for the next day for lunch. Yummy! Agree about the bread. Not so good. Coffee was good though...and I did get a second cup ;-)
Service: Not bad, but not great. BTW, aren’t we supposed to rate the cuteness of the waiters? ;-)
Ambiance: I liked the décor. I thought it was cozy, and I liked the fact that it was a small intimate restaurant. I didn’t actually notice the chairs.
Overall, a thumbs up from me.
I like the idea of a "sex and the city" theme for the next MR!
Food: I’m not a big Italian food fan, but my meal was delicious. The salad was tasty and my entrée was delicious. I had the Linguine Di Matteo and even had left overs for the next day for lunch. Yummy! Agree about the bread. Not so good. Coffee was good though...and I did get a second cup ;-)
Service: Not bad, but not great. BTW, aren’t we supposed to rate the cuteness of the waiters? ;-)
Ambiance: I liked the décor. I thought it was cozy, and I liked the fact that it was a small intimate restaurant. I didn’t actually notice the chairs.
Overall, a thumbs up from me.
I like the idea of a "sex and the city" theme for the next MR!
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Monthy Rag Restaurant List
By Steph
Here's a list of all of the restaurants that we have visited over the past five years. Feel free to comment on the most memorable (or least memorable) ones. I'll try to repost this list every few months.
I'll just use the UT's form of classifying the prices of each restaurant:
$ - <$20 per person $ - $21-30 per person
$ - $31-40 per person
$ - >$41 per person
2002
Tapas Picasso $$ (Spanish)
Trattoria I Trulli $$ (Italian)
Ashoka The Great $ (Indian)
The French Gourmet $ (French)
2003
Great News Cooking School $$$$ (Cooking School)
Sassafras - NO LONGER IN BUSINESS (...for a reason. Service was terrible!!)
Cuvee $$$ (Wine shop, Asian, Mediterranean, California, Eclectic)
*we went to the La Jolla location, which is no longer in business. They still have a restaurant in Del Mar.
El Zarape $ (Mexican)
Jimmy Carter's $ (American)
Cantina Panaderia $$ (Healthy with an Asian flair)
Bird House Grill $ (Turkish)
Assaggio - The Union Tribune said that Assaggio closed
Rhinoceros $$ (American Bistro)
Parallel 33 $$$ (Eclectic)
Dumpling Inn $ (Chinese) - *no website or profilink, but I hope they're still around. I liked this place.
Fratello's $ (Italian) *It was here that Mara announced that she was pregnant with Casey.
2004
Hash House A G0 Go $$ (American) *We met here for brunch.
Kitima $$ (Thai)
Go Greek Cafe and Grill $ (Greek)
Kensington Grill $$ (Eclectic)
Savory $$ (Italian)
Girard Gourmet $ (Sandwiches)
Huddle $ (American) *no website or profile. It was here that Mara didn't meet us because she had delivered Casey that morning.
The Abbey - CLOSED - A restaurant called Russo's house is there now
Hill Street Coffee House $ (Coffee House, Eclectic)
Pho Cado $ (Vietnamese) - *no website or profile
La Veche $$$ (French)
Extraordinary Desserts $$ (American/California Cuisine) *I'm giving ED two dollar signs because you can't have dinner without coffee and dessert. That would just be wrong!
2005
Chef Lau's Asian Tapas - CLOSED
The Red Sea $ (Ethiopian)
Mesquite $$$ (American/California Cuisine)
Ana Maria - CLOSED
The Linkery $$ (American)
Cafe Chloe $$ (French)
Come On In Cafe $ (American/California Cuisine)
Just Fabulous $$ (American/California Cuisine)
Trattoria Aqua $$$ (Italian)
Med Grill $$ (Mediterranean)
Blue Ginger $$ (Asian)
Jolly Boy Saloon $ (Mexican)
2006
The Prado $$$ (American/California Cuisine)
Thaigo $ (Thai)
Miami Grill $ (Cuban)
Bud's Food Shoppe $ (Southern)
Rannoosh $$ (Lebanese)
Kemo Sabe $$$ (Asian & American/California Cuisine)
JUNE 2006???
JULY 2006??? (I was too pregnant to pay attention!)
Sipz $ (Vegetarian Fusion)
Pattaya - CLOSED
Kous Kous $ (Moroccan)
Piati $ (Italian)
2007
January 2007???
February 2007???
Sole Luna Café $ (Sandwiches)
High Dive Grill $ (Burgers/Bar) - * No website or profile
Jamroc 101 $ (Caribbean)
India Princess $$ (Indian)
Bondi $$$ (Australian for food)
Cafe Luna $$ (Italian)
Here's a list of all of the restaurants that we have visited over the past five years. Feel free to comment on the most memorable (or least memorable) ones. I'll try to repost this list every few months.
I'll just use the UT's form of classifying the prices of each restaurant:
$ - <$20 per person $ - $21-30 per person
$ - $31-40 per person
$ - >$41 per person
2002
Tapas Picasso $$ (Spanish)
Trattoria I Trulli $$ (Italian)
Ashoka The Great $ (Indian)
The French Gourmet $ (French)
2003
Great News Cooking School $$$$ (Cooking School)
Sassafras - NO LONGER IN BUSINESS (...for a reason. Service was terrible!!)
Cuvee $$$ (Wine shop, Asian, Mediterranean, California, Eclectic)
*we went to the La Jolla location, which is no longer in business. They still have a restaurant in Del Mar.
El Zarape $ (Mexican)
Jimmy Carter's $ (American)
Cantina Panaderia $$ (Healthy with an Asian flair)
Bird House Grill $ (Turkish)
Assaggio - The Union Tribune said that Assaggio closed
Rhinoceros $$ (American Bistro)
Parallel 33 $$$ (Eclectic)
Dumpling Inn $ (Chinese) - *no website or profilink, but I hope they're still around. I liked this place.
Fratello's $ (Italian) *It was here that Mara announced that she was pregnant with Casey.
2004
Hash House A G0 Go $$ (American) *We met here for brunch.
Kitima $$ (Thai)
Go Greek Cafe and Grill $ (Greek)
Kensington Grill $$ (Eclectic)
Savory $$ (Italian)
Girard Gourmet $ (Sandwiches)
Huddle $ (American) *no website or profile. It was here that Mara didn't meet us because she had delivered Casey that morning.
The Abbey - CLOSED - A restaurant called Russo's house is there now
Hill Street Coffee House $ (Coffee House, Eclectic)
Pho Cado $ (Vietnamese) - *no website or profile
La Veche $$$ (French)
Extraordinary Desserts $$ (American/California Cuisine) *I'm giving ED two dollar signs because you can't have dinner without coffee and dessert. That would just be wrong!
2005
Chef Lau's Asian Tapas - CLOSED
The Red Sea $ (Ethiopian)
Mesquite $$$ (American/California Cuisine)
Ana Maria - CLOSED
The Linkery $$ (American)
Cafe Chloe $$ (French)
Come On In Cafe $ (American/California Cuisine)
Just Fabulous $$ (American/California Cuisine)
Trattoria Aqua $$$ (Italian)
Med Grill $$ (Mediterranean)
Blue Ginger $$ (Asian)
Jolly Boy Saloon $ (Mexican)
2006
The Prado $$$ (American/California Cuisine)
Thaigo $ (Thai)
Miami Grill $ (Cuban)
Bud's Food Shoppe $ (Southern)
Rannoosh $$ (Lebanese)
Kemo Sabe $$$ (Asian & American/California Cuisine)
JUNE 2006???
JULY 2006??? (I was too pregnant to pay attention!)
Sipz $ (Vegetarian Fusion)
Pattaya - CLOSED
Kous Kous $ (Moroccan)
Piati $ (Italian)
2007
January 2007???
February 2007???
Sole Luna Café $ (Sandwiches)
High Dive Grill $ (Burgers/Bar) - * No website or profile
Jamroc 101 $ (Caribbean)
India Princess $$ (Indian)
Bondi $$$ (Australian for food)
Cafe Luna $$ (Italian)
Cafe Luna
(By Alicia)
Here's the 411:
Cafe Luna
11040 Rancho Carmel Dr # 2
San Diego, CA 92128
(858) 673-0077
Food: Pretty good Italian food. I agree with Steph, foccacia was dry and had a low earning potential (Heidi!), sun dried tomato oil dip was good, loved the summer salad (greens, red onions, strawberries, gorgonzola and proscuitto). I had the ravioli with spinach and cheese in a light cream sauce. It was good, not too heavy. We didn't have any dessert, but the coffee was good, even though *somebody* (cough, Eric, cough) never asked me if I wanted more. Hmp.
Service: Okay. It started off pretty good, our server, Eric seemed pretty nice, but then he started in with the whole "ma'am" thing. Tip-o-meter: low
Ambiance: Eh. The decor, nothing too fancy, didn't really notice it one way or another. The chairs sucked: 90 degree angle on the back with a metal/wrought iron back. Very uncomfortable. And the A/C was too high most of the meal.
Overall, a moderate thumbs up. Good food, great company. We laughed, we cried, we talked some smack. What more do you need?
Looking forward to our 5 year anniversary dinner! I'm thinking we should go all "sex in the city" and get all whored up and stay out past 10:00!
Here's the 411:
Cafe Luna
11040 Rancho Carmel Dr # 2
San Diego, CA 92128
(858) 673-0077
Food: Pretty good Italian food. I agree with Steph, foccacia was dry and had a low earning potential (Heidi!), sun dried tomato oil dip was good, loved the summer salad (greens, red onions, strawberries, gorgonzola and proscuitto). I had the ravioli with spinach and cheese in a light cream sauce. It was good, not too heavy. We didn't have any dessert, but the coffee was good, even though *somebody* (cough, Eric, cough) never asked me if I wanted more. Hmp.
Service: Okay. It started off pretty good, our server, Eric seemed pretty nice, but then he started in with the whole "ma'am" thing. Tip-o-meter: low
Ambiance: Eh. The decor, nothing too fancy, didn't really notice it one way or another. The chairs sucked: 90 degree angle on the back with a metal/wrought iron back. Very uncomfortable. And the A/C was too high most of the meal.
Overall, a moderate thumbs up. Good food, great company. We laughed, we cried, we talked some smack. What more do you need?
Looking forward to our 5 year anniversary dinner! I'm thinking we should go all "sex in the city" and get all whored up and stay out past 10:00!
Cafe Luna
by Steph
Janet chose Cafe Luna for August MR. It wasn't bad. The bread was a bit too crusty for me but the olive oil dipping sauce was double dippable (very good). We all shared the summer salad, which I thought was very tasty. My food was decent for the price (free thanks to Heidi -- Thanks Heidi) and the coffee was good. On the negative side, the chair that I sat in was extremely and the air conditioning was on too high.
The highlight of the night had nothing to do with the food or the ambiance. The highlight was when the men sitting at the bar behind us were curiously silent when our conversation turned to adult toys and accessories. I love accessories. ;D
Next month will be our five year MR anniversary. I can't think of six other people that I'd rather have SIXTY (yes, 6-0) meals with.
Janet chose Cafe Luna for August MR. It wasn't bad. The bread was a bit too crusty for me but the olive oil dipping sauce was double dippable (very good). We all shared the summer salad, which I thought was very tasty. My food was decent for the price (free thanks to Heidi -- Thanks Heidi) and the coffee was good. On the negative side, the chair that I sat in was extremely and the air conditioning was on too high.
The highlight of the night had nothing to do with the food or the ambiance. The highlight was when the men sitting at the bar behind us were curiously silent when our conversation turned to adult toys and accessories. I love accessories. ;D
Next month will be our five year MR anniversary. I can't think of six other people that I'd rather have SIXTY (yes, 6-0) meals with.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Bondi - Downtown S.D.
(by Tracy)
How do you say 'yummy' in Australian???!!!! I cannot rave enough about this place personally. From the moment I sat down (which was slightly late) the service was EXCELLENT! The company is always good, but my experience here made it extra special. There were so many things on the menu that I was interested in (even as the 'ovo-lacto-pesca-vegetarian' - HA) that I seriously couldn't decide what to get. And what Tracy tends to do in a situation like this (remember Hash House where she had a giant bowl of hot granola AND a goat cheese and sun-dried tomato breakfast plate in the same sitting) she orders multiple items. First I went with the Peach Bellini beverage. Then I appetized myself with the Aroncini (sp?) Balls -- so delicious I 'forced' Heidi to eat some so I wouldn't eat them all myself. Then I ordered the Australian Open-Water Trout? That's not the proper name of it. The waiter described it as the Australian Salmon and one of their best sellers. I understand why! It was accompanied by fresh asparagus, artichokes and this au gratin potato wedge that was delicious. I have recommended this place to about 10 people already, and it was only a week ago!!! Atmosphere was great. Servers were kind enough to relocate heavy smokers away from us and the baby in company, and they were very attentive and polite. Draws in a euro-traveler crowd, which I always enjoy a cultural experience. I will go here again as soon as I can manage to stay in town long enough to get there!!! Great job Heidi! Oh, did I mention the waiters weren't too bad either...wink wink...
Cheers....
How do you say 'yummy' in Australian???!!!! I cannot rave enough about this place personally. From the moment I sat down (which was slightly late) the service was EXCELLENT! The company is always good, but my experience here made it extra special. There were so many things on the menu that I was interested in (even as the 'ovo-lacto-pesca-vegetarian' - HA) that I seriously couldn't decide what to get. And what Tracy tends to do in a situation like this (remember Hash House where she had a giant bowl of hot granola AND a goat cheese and sun-dried tomato breakfast plate in the same sitting) she orders multiple items. First I went with the Peach Bellini beverage. Then I appetized myself with the Aroncini (sp?) Balls -- so delicious I 'forced' Heidi to eat some so I wouldn't eat them all myself. Then I ordered the Australian Open-Water Trout? That's not the proper name of it. The waiter described it as the Australian Salmon and one of their best sellers. I understand why! It was accompanied by fresh asparagus, artichokes and this au gratin potato wedge that was delicious. I have recommended this place to about 10 people already, and it was only a week ago!!! Atmosphere was great. Servers were kind enough to relocate heavy smokers away from us and the baby in company, and they were very attentive and polite. Draws in a euro-traveler crowd, which I always enjoy a cultural experience. I will go here again as soon as I can manage to stay in town long enough to get there!!! Great job Heidi! Oh, did I mention the waiters weren't too bad either...wink wink...
Cheers....
Friday, June 29, 2007
India Princess (by Tracy)
Howdy. The vegetarian in the group. I have to admit, I wasn't completely thrilled about going to Indian food since I've been eating a "Navy" ton of rice and cheese and vegetables and similar stuff over the last 8+ months and eating Indian/Middle Eastern food more than I imagined; HOWEVER, I began to get myself in the mood on the way over by thinking of naan and curry and samosas....the list could go on and on. As usual, I make every effort to grab something a little new, a little different at each restaurant. This place offered a large selection of naan to choose from. My personal favorite the raisin and something. (It's been a long week.) Choosing to share the two person meals was a great plan, and as Alicia said there was enough leftovers for my lunch the next day. Bonus! I was so full I didn't even get dessert...that's really saying something for me.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
India Princess - part deux
(by Alicia)
I really liked the food here. And the location was pretty good, like Deb said, within walking distance to several coffee shops for some post dinner gossip. Too bad Peet's closes so dang early though!
Janet and I (and Steph and Heidi and Tracy) shared their "dinners for two". We had two dinners for two, for the five of us. Anyway, it was tons of food. We all ate until we couldn't eat no more, then had tons of leftovers. I liked that they didn't charge for rice like some other restaurants do. *cough, cough. Ashoka! cough, cough.*
In the "meat lovers" dinner for two, we got 2 curry dishes of our choice, chicken or lamb and a tandoori chicken and lamb sizzle platter, for lack of a better term. I didn't have any of the tandoori chicken, but the lamb was GOOD. Very tender and flavorful. I had some of the vegetarian lover's dinner for two, and the cheesy curry was good. I don't know what those are called, but I like those cheese cubes. Mmm... cheese.
The only downside was that Tracy and I didn't realize that there was validated parking, so we hoofed it. I wouldn't mind checking out India Princess' buffet on Sunday, Monday or Tuesday (vegetarian). http://www.indiaprincess.com/indiaprincess/
Oh and the other highlight, other than the good food and good company, was getting to hold Haley until she fell asleep. Not an easy thing to do in a loud restaurant. (Okay, we were the loud ones...) Anyway, she's really cute.
Oh and don't forget to bring your KPBS card to receive a discount!
I really liked the food here. And the location was pretty good, like Deb said, within walking distance to several coffee shops for some post dinner gossip. Too bad Peet's closes so dang early though!
Janet and I (and Steph and Heidi and Tracy) shared their "dinners for two". We had two dinners for two, for the five of us. Anyway, it was tons of food. We all ate until we couldn't eat no more, then had tons of leftovers. I liked that they didn't charge for rice like some other restaurants do. *cough, cough. Ashoka! cough, cough.*
In the "meat lovers" dinner for two, we got 2 curry dishes of our choice, chicken or lamb and a tandoori chicken and lamb sizzle platter, for lack of a better term. I didn't have any of the tandoori chicken, but the lamb was GOOD. Very tender and flavorful. I had some of the vegetarian lover's dinner for two, and the cheesy curry was good. I don't know what those are called, but I like those cheese cubes. Mmm... cheese.
The only downside was that Tracy and I didn't realize that there was validated parking, so we hoofed it. I wouldn't mind checking out India Princess' buffet on Sunday, Monday or Tuesday (vegetarian). http://www.indiaprincess.com/indiaprincess/
Oh and the other highlight, other than the good food and good company, was getting to hold Haley until she fell asleep. Not an easy thing to do in a loud restaurant. (Okay, we were the loud ones...) Anyway, she's really cute.
Oh and don't forget to bring your KPBS card to receive a discount!
June MR: A Full Plate
(by Deborah)
This month we headed to Hillcrest for my favorite food - Indian. It was the first time in almost a year that we had a full group...plus a tiny, adorable guest. Welcome back Officer Gallagher and goo goo gaa gaa Haley! The restaurant, India Princess, was a cozy spot with a friendly ambience. It got a thumbs up for paid parking, and their helpful staff even took care of Mara’s parking stub since she had her hands full. The menu had plenty of variety, so there was something for everyone, although Mara thought that her dish was a little too spicy. It was moderately priced, and the service was fine. The great thing about eating out in Hillcrest is that there are always plenty of coffee places to choose from afterwards. We went to, no surprise, Starbucks where we discussed heavy topics like scantily-clad women waiting on guys, secret blogs, and nipples and nursing ;-)
This month we headed to Hillcrest for my favorite food - Indian. It was the first time in almost a year that we had a full group...plus a tiny, adorable guest. Welcome back Officer Gallagher and goo goo gaa gaa Haley! The restaurant, India Princess, was a cozy spot with a friendly ambience. It got a thumbs up for paid parking, and their helpful staff even took care of Mara’s parking stub since she had her hands full. The menu had plenty of variety, so there was something for everyone, although Mara thought that her dish was a little too spicy. It was moderately priced, and the service was fine. The great thing about eating out in Hillcrest is that there are always plenty of coffee places to choose from afterwards. We went to, no surprise, Starbucks where we discussed heavy topics like scantily-clad women waiting on guys, secret blogs, and nipples and nursing ;-)
Thursday, June 21, 2007
First Blog
(by Alicia)
We've been meeting once a month, without fail for the last 3-4 years. Mara has been great about keeping track of the restaurants, in her high tech daily planner, but we haven't been that great about keeping the legacy MR site current. Steph did a great job for us in getting one off the ground, but with two little ones to keep track of, it's too big of a job for one person. Hence the birth of Monthly Rag Girls Blog. Now we can all contribute to the reviews.
India Princess review to follow by Deborah, the restaurant picker for the month of June.
We've been meeting once a month, without fail for the last 3-4 years. Mara has been great about keeping track of the restaurants, in her high tech daily planner, but we haven't been that great about keeping the legacy MR site current. Steph did a great job for us in getting one off the ground, but with two little ones to keep track of, it's too big of a job for one person. Hence the birth of Monthly Rag Girls Blog. Now we can all contribute to the reviews.
India Princess review to follow by Deborah, the restaurant picker for the month of June.
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