Says Granite

i’m going to start a weekly entry on saysgranite, inspired by my pal Edwin Real’s blog entry (on ‘Quiet/Loud Observer’) called ‘Being a good San Diegan.’ It’s no secret E and i are SD’s indie business cheerleaders, so what better way than spread our enthusiasm or disenchantment with these locales here on our blogs. i decided to take my ‘consumer report card’ to the next level by assigning a grade for each of the places i visit… stay tuned for the successes and failures!

Following is my first list…

Yes, i have fantastic taste. No, i am not 400 lbs. Yet!

Yakitori-Yakyudori

A

(photo by Edwin Real)

In my top 3 SD restaurants, Yaki never disappoints. Try the beef tongue skewers, fried chicken, wings, beef salad bowl, and DON’T miss the Japanese Rice Porridge. If the BBQ pork is on the specials menu, get it while you can (only about once a week so i’ve found).

Caffe Calabria

A

Get your morning buzz at this North Park roasting house and cafe. Espresso shots are fab, and my drink of choice is the Viennese; espresso, steamed milk, honey and cinnamon. Bella!

Cardamom Cafe

B+

i come here for one reason: the house coffee which Cardomom buys from Bird Rock Coffee Roasters. It tastes like blueberries, and if coffee and berry sounds funky to you, disprove your hangups at Cardamom. i think it’s a bit ridiculous to charge 8 bucks for a croissant breakfast sandwich with black forest turkey of all things, but i’ve been wrong once before, and this could be twice. Call me out if you think so!

Zanzibar

C-

This place is bordering on suck, hiding behind the visage of an aesthetically pleasing storefront and interior (downtown location), sub-par beverages and meals lurk. The breakfasts are over priced and terrible; the desserts look lovely, but if a cup of drip coffee isn’t palatable, ordering confidence for anything else is pretty much shot.

Neighborhood Ale House

A

(photo by Edwin Real)

The tap list fluctuates each week and the spicy cajun burger is something of East Village legend. 2 for 1 local pints Mon-Fri-= score! Cheese plate and chorizo corn dogs are also the y-u-m. My favorite taps on now are The Lost Abbey’s ‘Gift of the Magi’ and The Bruery’s ‘Two Turtle Doves.’

Hamilton’s

B+

The tap list features either a lot of brews i love, or loathe. Christmas day for the Charger’s game there were around 10 Belgian Strong Dark Ales including N’ice Chouffe, Delirium Noel and St. Bernardus Christmas Ale… win! Other times i come here and i’m turned off by an IPA/Pale Ale heavy menu. Look up ‘balance’ in the dictionary and maybe i’d visit more often.

Jack in the Box

B-

i swear this wasn’t the result of a wake-n-bake. i craved a sausage breakfast sammy, and to Jack in the Crack iventured. It was ok.

Coffee and Art

A

Wow, undoubtedly the best coffee i’ve had downtown. They brew Calabria’s roast, the space is inviting with local revolving art work, and the street-side smoking patio caps the whole experience. Do yourself the favor and walk two blocks past Zanzibar for REAL coffee… 6th and F people. Do it.

The Vine

A-

i am a cheese plate hunter. i’d heard The Vine has a good one, but hadn’t the chance to come here til a handsome man took me this past week. Indeed it was one of the better in town with a European or American option to choose from; we went Euro, and the sage white cheddar was divine.

Sunshine Co.

B

Kudos on the Wednesday half price pitcher deals, but the tap list itself left tons to be desired. We settled on a pitcher of New Belgium 2 Below and Bass Ale. Yikes. The smarmy crowd is great for feeling better about your own life and situation; for this, and my hot male company, a solid B. (See examples below)

(Interesting bike seat ornament outside of Sunshine Co. Photo by saysgranite.)

(photo by saysgranite)

(Degenerate mounting the steel horse. Photo by my date)

Saguaro’s

B

The pinnacle (or abyss) of last week’s regretable breakfast choice. Granted, it was one of the tastier burritos i’ve had here ($4.50 for a bacon, egg, cheese and potato variety), but the grease was still kickin’ at 5pm which leaves me a bit apprehensive about that next visit…

Pizzeria Luigi (North Park)

A

(photo by Edwin Real)

YUM. My favorite slice is jalapeno, pineapple, pepperoni and ricotta. On the quick, hot, delicious, and cheap… Love the sauceless pizzas at this joint! Golden Hill/North Park locations.

The Polaroid picture screams nostalgia. As a kid there was little else cooler than snapping photos and watching them develop before my eyes. Recently a friend turned me on to the iPhone application ShakeItPhoto. You can use the built-in camera within the application, or import any of your existing photos for a Polaroid effect picture; your iPhone screen simulates the Polaroid photo dropping down, complete with the clunky old device’s trademark sound, and yes, if you shake the phone you can watch the image develop even faster.

Recently I embarked on a long, strange trip. From Hawaii to Chicago and back to the finest city in America, I saw a lot, ate a lot, and decided that San Diego is where I want to grow up. Following are some of my favorite photos, using ShakeItPhoto’s Polaroid effect.

bugs, reptiles and other hairless/furless creatures do not bother me. On the other hand, it does creep me out to watch a small critter get smashed. The horrible splat and blast of guts is too dramatic to witness; it’s impossible to know what color, smell, or quantity of stuffs will squirt, not to mention, the distance it will travel. These uncertainties scare me far more than the creatures ever could.

My ‘den mother’ (aka nice woman with whom i reside on this island), is the complete opposite. She has such a bug phobia, that she must kill quickly, and with force. When there is a cockroach on the ground, she brings her knee to her chest, and bears down in a swift movement that would instantly kill a squirrel, or even a baby raccoon. The first time i witnessed this, i screamed. Eyes squinted, teeth clenched, and the crunch of bug armor giving way to its soft, creamy center… ack! You won’t be shocked when i reveal that this woman has admitted to hitting insects with a HAMMER.

i can say, that after today i have had enough of the unwanted critters. i sat on my own toilet this afternoon and noticed on the floor:

a gecko, hiding in the doorstop. i politely captured it and released it into the wild. (for the record, my den mother does not kill geckos)

i went to the farmers market again yesterday, and picked up 3 mangoes. One was ripe today, so this morning i stuck it in the fridge for a cool dessert to look forward to later in the evening. When i cut into said mango tonight, i was oh-ing and aw-ing with every gushing bite; the BEST mango i have ever eaten, by far. Its flesh was so delicious and juicy that after about 4 bites i said F it and tore that mango up like it’d insulted my mother. As i began to suck the pit clean of its last remaining fruit, i turned to my den mother and raved about its flavor once more. Just when i looked back at the pit, this beetle broke through a thin layer of mango:

i didn’t squash him, but i did call him an asshole and wash him down the drain.

i’m not there yet, please check back in a couple days. Thx!

’twas a bad ass day on this island. The sun was bright and hot this clear morning, just so when the clouds rolled in an extra layer of heat was trapped, weighing down on our hale. My roommate offered to drive us to the beach, one i’d never been to before. A ’secret beach,’ a couple miles down a dirt road, not far from where the tourists bask, however just ’secret’ enough to keep crowds away. i scold myself for not taking photos, but sometimes phone and camera and technology should be set aside.

(on our way back from secret beach)

i heard a commercial on the radio for a big bikini sale, so we ventured to the east side in search of bargains. First we found a health food store, Papaya, that was not so cheap, but worth every penny of deliciousness. There was a hot, all vegetarian buffet and i chose taro enchiladas, a delicious spicy tomato, squash and pineapple ratatouille of sorts, and a chickpea curry. The soup of the day caught my eye, and upon lifting the lid, aromas of exotic spices i could not place convinced me to spoon out a bowl. Luau Leaf Soup, read the menu board. i asked the cashier what was in the soup, she didn’t know. She asked the other cashier who also did not know. i popped my head in the window near the kitchen, where a woman also did not know the mystery soup’s contents, but told me i could come back in the morning to ask the chef. This is my only beef with Papaya, for Pete’s sake you’re a heathfood store and don’t know the ingredients of your food. Mystery soup it is. Hours later and back on the west side, my bartender DID know the main ingredient of the soup: taro leaf.

(mystery soup: looks like hell, tastes like heaven)

Much like a spinach or split pea consistency soup, it was undoubtedly rich from coconut milk, and the taro leaves were earthy and tea like in flavor. Besides those damn apple bananas i’ve been eating by the bushel, this could be the best thing to grace my palate in Kauai so far.

Driving through the countryside is a treat through and through. It’s hard not to expect a T-rex sighting, thanks to Jurassic Park.

(Headed to the east side, near Lihue)

Back home i dove into the fridge to prepare dinner and first selected my local purple yams. i threw ‘em in the oven on high and moved onto the Ahi we scored from a fish market, caught today, at $9.99 a pound. This has to be the best Ahi i’ve ever eaten. i didn’t want to cook it, but was out-voted.

i seasoned the steak simply with salt and a LOT of coarsely ground black pepper. A touch of oil in a super hot skillet did the trick for an effect pan-sear (at this point i’m scared shitless to go outside after dark, damn mosquitoes). i was nervous as i haven’t pan seared anything in ages, and was quite pleased with the outcome, although my knife skills could use some work.

(good first attempt, thank you endless hours of FoodTV)

The purple yams were utterly brilliant. After roasting, i split one open and shouted in excitement, taken by its vibrant color.

(not the greatest photo, but eh. Purple yam from the Hanapepe Farmer’s Market)

The consistency of this starch is quite different than the yams i buy on the mainland. Whereas orange yams are stringy and juicy, this indigo flesh was dense and velvety; truly a ’starch.’ Its flavor was much more root-like as well, sweet yes, but not as candysome as the other variety can be.

(i would like a dress the color of this yam flesh. If you come across one please email me @saysgranite.com Kthx)