On the 30th of every month the restaurants and bars on 30th St. in Sane Diego offer some delicious specials. This one is going to be especially amazing because Monday just so happens to be a holiday! (for me too!).
This is what we have to look forward to so far (says Jay Porter at the Linkery)
Alchemy: A little trip to Bangkok, Thailand with a couple $3 appetizers, Beef Massaman Curry and Chicken Satay. Also a surprise Thai-Style cocktail to boot, only $3 for a taster. We start at 5:00pm and go until we run out or until close.
Sea Rocket Bistro: Sweet Corn Salad paired with Stone Levitation on cask for $8 all inclusive. We’ll dedicate the front room just to 30th on 30th folks.
NEW this month — MIHO Gastrotruck: Will be parked in front of Pat’s Corner (Upas & 30th) with $2 specials. [Ed note: Super stoked to have these guys here!]
Bluefoot Bar: $3 Jack and Ginger’s as well as the $2 Trumer Pilsner !!
The Linkery: In our “North Park Meat Co” room: $2 small house cured bacon & mortadella sandwich, $2 half pour of 30th Street Pale Ale (cash only, service and tax included, 5:30pm to 9pm only). In the dining room, $2 half pours of Linkery cask wine (red or white) with dinner, all nite.
Urban Solace: This month TBD. Last month: On the patio: a taste of shrimp and grits along with $2 and $4 wine and cocktail specials from our outdoor bar.. This will run from 5 pm to 9:30 pm.
Splash Wine Lounge: $2 glasses of Sangria and $3.00 mini cheese plates! Guaranteed not to run out!
U-31: All draft and bottle beers $3.00. We have 12 drafts beers including Stella, Trumer Pilsner, Green Flash 30th street, Blue Moon, Black IPA and more. Food: $1.00 fish tacos and $3.00 Hot Wings.
Toronado: $3 pints of 30th Street Pale Ale; $2 Hot Dogs / Veggie Dogs
Ritual Tavern: the Ritual will continue our popular offering of Niman Ranch 30th Street Tacos at Two for $5.00 on our outdoor patios. Sunday is always all day happy hour at the Ritual, most of our draught beers are available for $3.50 from 3:30 pm until 9:30 pm every Sunday. We also offer most of our wines by the glass for a dollar off all day Sunday. All of this means we are looking at a great party shaping up for this months 30th on 30th Street.
Exciting news! Gastro style catering company MIHO puts their gourmet fair on wheels in San Diego. Most of us have probably heard of these “roach coaches” driving around L.A., New York, Portland and other U.S. cities, selling gourmet food, using local organic, ingredients and serving up one of a kind rotating menus. These trucks move around the city and usually twitter their current locations so the adventurous diners are the ones that find them. And NOW San Diego has a food truck of our very own! Recently launched by North Park residents, Juan Miron and Kevin Ho, MIHO Gastrotruck says they use locally sourced and fresh ingredients to create thoughtfully crafted street food that is convenient, delicious, and easy on the ol’ pocket book (which is alright by me). Their food isn’t the only thing hand made; the truck itself was hand painted by a local crew (http://www.savsec.com/). By looking a the menu I’m thinking “roach coach” would be an insult to the food these guys are peddlin’… I CAN NOT wait to try some the potato croquetas with saffron aioli… but, “How the hell do we find them,” you ask??? Check out MIHO gastruck for the first time: this Sunday 5/30 / @30th & Upas across from Bluefoot / 5-8pm / $2 specials OR you can go here: http://mihogastrotruck.com/ OR HERE: http://www.facebook.com/pages/San-Diego-CA/MIHO-Gastrotruck/101410709902144?ref=ts Excited? Yep.
Turns out culinary school is expensive. Add PLNU loans to that and you got yourself a “recipe” for eternal debt. Therefore I am going to start teaching myself. This book I got today is phenomenal. It has literally every cooking ingredient anyone could ever use with photo illustrations, descriptions, buying and storing tips, and culinary uses. I’m talking every, meat, bird, liver, grain, rice, flour, bean, lentil, cheese, coffee, tea, herb, green, mushroom, oil, mustard, fruit, vinegar, pasta, and sea creature and all of the different variations. I’m in love. I am going to learn the basics of basics; ingredients in cooking from all over the world. I am going to write and memorize and experiment. Yip!
My roommates and I were having a night of wine and late night laughter and cooking pizza and wings seemed like a great idea. One roommate in particular could eat buffalo wings for every meal so I had been promising him I’d make them. It all started with making Vegetarian “No Buffalo” Hot Wings… but you can’t have wings without pizza. I wanted to try another dish that isn’t ever made without the chicken and this one was voted a success by meatys and non- meatys alike. Guaranteed if you are a fan of the original version this vegan version won’t let you down.
BBQ TOFU PIZZA
1 whole wheat dough (trader joe’s/ fresh and easy etc.)
1 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce
1/2 cup of sliced red onion
1/4 cup of picked whole cilantro
1 block of extra firm tofu
Glug of extra virgin olive oil
Dash of red pepper flakes
sea salt and cracked pepper to taste
After letting the dough rest 15-20 minutes at room temperature spread out on a pizza pan. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until it start to harden but not crunchy. Meanwhile, drain all the water from your tofu block and cut into bite size strips. (Make sure the strips are at least 1/2 inch thick on one side or they will fall apart too easily) Coat the tofu in 1/2 cup of BBQ sauce and a glug of olive oil. Let the tofu marinade while you cut the onions and pull the cilantro from the stems. (You should get a your boyfriend to do the cilantro picking job if you have one there. They’re really good at it.) Saute the tofu on medium for about 8-10 minutes; flipping halfway through. Then turn the heat to high to crisp up the bottoms.
The now par cooked pizza crust should be out of the oven now and you can generously spread the rest of the BBQ sauce on the crust, (next would come cheese if you want it), next comes the hot saucy tofu, and finally the red onions. Bake for another 10 minutes or until desired crispiness is achieved. Once the pizza is out of the oven garnish with your perfectly picked cilantro, cut and serve.
there are two reasons I never write in my food blog.
1.) I only have a camera phone.-I am a perfectionist and end up only wanting to put up recipes or things i cook if they can have really great mouthwatering pictures.
2.) I don’t cook with recipes.- I don’t pay detailed attention to measurements while I’m creating which makes telling other people how to recreate what I made is a risk unless I start making the extra effort.
Solution 1- Use camera phone pictures until I can afford something nice
Solution 2.a- Just tell you what I made and with what ingredients
Solution 2.b- Start to pay more attention and write down things I create. Besides then if I ever write a book it will make life much easier.
The Pearl Hotel and Alesmith paired up to entertain and wow everyone in attendance. Peter Zien, brewmaster from Alesmith, was there not only with detailed flavor profiles for the beers and their deliberate pairings with each course, but also he with his very own, life changing, goat cheese to kindly share. Sigh. What an evening.
The Menu
First Course: AleSmith Fresh Goat Cheese Crustini / Roasted Elephant Garlic / Sorrel / Lemon Vin Paired with: Wee Heavy, a gold medal winning sweet and malty Scotch ale
Second Course: Bacon Wrapped Mano De Leon Scallop / Caramel and Blue Cheese Beurre Blanc / Arugula Paired with: Anvil ESB Ale, a Malty slightly hoppy aroma with Caramel and malty flavors
Third Course: Fennel and Strawberry Salad / Citrus Vinaigrette / Candied Zest Paired with: AleSmith X, a refreshing Extra Pale Ale
Fourth Course: Local Halibut / Chino Vegetables / Ginger Sake Butter Sauce Paired with: Horny Devil, a Belgian Strong Ale with a little added twist from coriander seeds, which convey a refreshing citrus flavor
Fifth Course: Baklava Paired with: Speedway Stout, a HUGE Imperial Stout with toasty, roasty and caramel malt flavors
Thank you malted barley. Thank you creative minds. Thank you patient hands.
I’ve made this dish a few times now because its super easy, good for you, cheap, and lets be honest its delicious. I’ve made it when I had time to take on it, but most of the time I make it when I’m in a pinch. My family was driving to visit me in San Diego from Phoenix. They were supposed to get in early enough for us all to go out for sushi, but as life would have it the sun had set, people were getting on freeways I’ve never of, and sushi deli was going to close by the time they arrive. I decided dinner on the table when they walked in would be a nice surprise after a long drive anyhow. This bowl of goodness instantly popped into my head. I actually had all the ingredients around the house except the cilantro which I snagged while I was out. My family, at long last, arrived at my home to long overdue hugs and the smell of asian comfort soup. My mom begged for the recipe, my brother slurped up every last drop and my Dad, I think, longed for seconds. There’s nothing like a bowl of soup and noodles to make everyone feel like their at home.
(PS As I was in a hurry the photos are, sadly, taken with my phone.)
Ingredients:
A bunch and a half of buckwheat noodles (they come pre portioned usually otherwise enough to serve 4)
1 packet of TJ Miso Soup
1/2 cup of mint, basil and cilantro combined
Two boxes of extra firm tofu
1/2 -3/4 cup of TJ Soyaki marinade
Dash of ground ginger (fresh is optional)
Dash of cumin
Dash of cayenne pepper
2 cups of broccoli florrets
1 zucchini in 3 inch sticks or half mooned
1/2 large red onion diced
1 lime
sea salt to taste
olive oil as needed to saute the veggies and brown the tofu
The Creation:
I usually saute the tofu after they marinate but there just wasn’t time for such things. Before I started anything I turned the oven on to bake at 400 and continued the rest of my prepping. I took my drained tofu and sliced into thirds so it would fit in a standard glass baking dish. I poured on a marinade of soy, garlic, sesame oil, rice vinegar, sriracha, and sesame seeds (Trader Joes Soyaki marinade is LITERALLY the same thing) and made sure all the tofu was covered. I topped it with ground ginger, sea salt, cumin, and cayenne pepper. As that sat I continued cutting cilantro and mint for garnish, boiling water for the miso and noodles, and chopping onions and zucchini to saute. Bonus: this recipe can be made a few different ways : different herbs, different veggies, etc. This time I chose to saute some red onions and zucchini in a bit of olive oil and sea salt, but I love doing this recipe with shittake mushrooms and asparagus when I have them. (If you have fresh ginger on hand this is the perfect time to use it!). Once the oven is ready to go throw in the tofu and let ‘em bake!
While the tofu baked and the veggies were getting delicious in the pan I poured a packet of Trader Joe’s Miso Soup (sorry cheater version when I’m in a pinch but its SUPER good!) into my pot of boiling water, stirred, and let it do its thing. After the soup was boiling again I through in some broccoli and the soba noodles. (You have to be careful to take the noodles out when they are done because not only will they get mushy but they will just end up absorbing all the great miso broth for your soup). Remove the veggies you were sauteing when they are done as well.
After 10-15 minuted of being in the oven the tofu should be hot and bubbling in the oven. Take out the pieces, cut them into strips and throw them into the same pan in which you sauteed your veggies. Brown them up and you are good to go. Now for “bowling” everything together. Portion out the soup, noodles, and broccoli into four bowls, split all the veggies four ways right on top, fan out your beautifully browned and baked tofu (5-7 pieces per bowl) and now garnish with your cilantro and mint. It also tastes amazing with basil if you have it. Squeeze a lime over the everything. Serve with chopsticks and a spoon and slurp away.
Exciting news! Gastro style catering company MIHO puts their gourmet fair on wheels in San Diego. Most of us have probably heard of these “roach coaches” driving around L.A., New York, Portland and other U.S. cities, selling gourmet food, using local organic, ingredients and serving up one of a kind rotating menus. These trucks move around the city and usually twitter their current locations so the adventurous diners are the ones that find them. And NOW San Diego has a food truck of our very own! Recently launched by North Park residents, Juan Miron and Kevin Ho, MIHO Gastrotruck says they use locally sourced and fresh ingredients to create thoughtfully crafted street food that is convenient, delicious, and easy on the ol’ pocket book (which is alright by me). Their food isn’t the only thing hand made; the truck itself was hand painted by a local crew (
