Havisu Hum Drum

Last Week while on vacation with my parents in Lake Havisu we went to a well known place on the water called Barley Bros restaurant and brewery. I was excited as they had a lot of great items on the menu and the location had it all!! The views were amazing. We got there around 6pm and it wasn't busy for a Saturday night, but it is October, so if you go in the summer I can't say it will be that way. I ordered the veggie platter (of course). My mom ordered a chicken and veggie dish. My dad got pizza (yum-o) and my brother got a cal zone. So I guess the waiter dropped our tray as it was coming out to us so our food took an extra 20 minutes to get to us and my food was wrong. BUMMER!! So finally I got mine and it wasn't even that great! Everyone else loved their food. My dad's pizza as great and the chicken was very nicely cooked and seasoned! We were given free dessert, which was ok-kinda dry, chocolate cake. I will try it again. I give it 3 stars. it wasn't the poor guys fault the tray fell. Sometimes the night doesn't go smoothly!

Pizza Anyone?

So this week we tried a pizzeria called Krust...It's a New York Style pizzeria with a funky vibe flowing through the restaurant. The owner even gave us a tour :) We ordered a calzone stuffed with lots of meats and cheeses and a couples slices of cheese pizza. We liked what we got. Yum-O. We came at lunch so the restaurant portion wasn't open, just a little deli-like section in the front of the restaurant with cool sofas to relax on while you gaze out the huge windows and people watch. I would give Krust 3 1/2 stars! I personally wish they had more vegetarian options on their menu, but for you meat eaters, there is plenty to feast upon. So when you're in downtown San Diego, check out Krust!
Krust Pizzeria
820 fifth Ave.
San Diego, CA 92101
619.814.6388
www.krustpizza.com

A hidden diamond!

Welcome to Spaggi's Restaurant in Upland, CA. We pulled in at just about opening time and had no wait. Upon being seated we had waters with lemon put on the table before we even had a chance to ask! I mean I actually never even saw the host/server (they were just opening and only had one person working at the time) put waters on the table. The atmosphere was very inviting and warm. It was like being at someones home. After we got our waters, the waiter brought over some bread with a Kalamata olive spread. That was the first time I have ever been somewhere that didn't just offer the usual cold bricks of butter or the olive oil/balsamic vinegar duet. (Even Spago's only offers butter). Nevertheless the spread was very nice and went very well the two types of warm bread that was served. Very quickly again the waiter came back and recited the specials to us that were probably about the length of the Declaration of Independence... off the top of his brain! Very impressive!





On the specials list we decided to start off with the beet and heirloom tomato salad with goat cheese and balsamic vinegar dressing.



Before our salads arrived the Chef/Owner of the restaurant came to greet us at our table. He was very welcoming and he carried on a simple, yet pleasant dialogue with our daughter. He learned of her age and food she liked and especially wanted to know what she liked for dessert. He made sure that we were always welcome here and appreciated us for coming. It was a great start to our dining experience. Now onto the food!!

I (Brian) had my salad with feta cheese because goat cheese tastes like....well I don't care for it very much. The salad presentation was very nice and was like a sandwich of beets and cheese that was surrounded in blankets of lettuce. My only issue with the salad was that the dressing was not sweet enough to help counter the earthiness of the lettuce and beets. Myndi did not particularly like the "sandwich tops" of mozzarella that encompassed the beets and goat cheese. So overall we rated this salad with 3 STARS.

For the main entree Myndi had the Fettuccine Primavera. (Flat noodles with seasonal fresh vegetables, sautéed with garlic and shallots, in a delicate white wine cream sauce). She couldn't be happier, because usually she gets a mound of noodles with three broccoli on it. This was going to be good and it was... 4 stars!





I decided to get the Cioppino (Slipper lobster tail, scallops, shrimp, calamari and a selection of fresh fish
in a light and tangy saffron tomato broth with white wine) I was so excited to get this. Many places don't serve this dish and it is one of my favorites. The flavors were very nice. I would have like to have had more and larger scallops along with some large chunks of bread to soak up the broth. When I as done eating all the "meaty" parts of the dish I was left with nothing but a bowl of saffron soup. So overall I give it 4 stars.

And for our daughter we ordered the macaroni and cheese. They used rigatoni style pasta and the cheese sauce was very "adult" in flavor and ingredients. It was very nice. She also got free ice cream after dinner, which we thought was very thoughtful.

Overall, this restaurant was sooo pleasant and wonderful and will come back many more times!

SO...our venture out this week was rather local in nature, rustic in flavor, and all together very Italian. It is Antonino's on Vineyard in Rancho Cucamonga. It is an elegant restaurant with crisp linen tables and softly lit dining. Our overall impression was high upon seeing the menu and the array of yummy Italian delectables to try! However our service this night was questionable. Considering there were very few people in the restaurant, to not have our water filled up was irritating. Our bread was also missing for quite some time. It was not the least bit tasty, so the wait was much in vain. If you like very rich, very buttery food, this is the place for you. Both of our dishes (The chicken piccata and the rigatoni Monsanto) were very good. overall I think we may have just had a bad night there. We would give it 3 stars for the food and 2 stars for the service. Ambiance was a 4star.

8045 Vineyard Ave.Rancho Cucamonga, CA. 91730909.941.0047

Promising!

So We drove down to San Diego for Ellie's birthday and I really wanted to find a restaurant that had true vegetarian cuisine. Brian is not a vegetarian. Actually He is far from it. But he said he was game so we found this tiny little place in a neighborhood called North park off the 805 freeway called Spread. From the outside it didn't look like much, but once you opened the door it looked like some one's home! It was small with a few tables placed around and a beautiful tapestry blanketed down the center of the ceiling. it was retro in flavor and had hanging chairs to swivel in as you sat (which Ellie loved). We found out that they had been honored with national recognition on the Today show and in magazines too. They specialize in the rarest fruits, vegetables, and edible flowers, and strive to constantly create new and exciting menu items and tastes for every diner to enjoy. It was such a neat and exciting experience. Brian and I both gave this restaurant 5 stars!!!! So their menu changes daily and we were told to order a few different things and we couldn't make up our minds so we almost ordered everything on the menu and we weren't disappointed. Brian even said he could become a vegetarian if he could eat like this! What a great compliment for this restaurant. Here is some of what the food looked like. You have got to go here and try it for yourself!

One of the dishes we had was a flowering arugula & beet salad
sylvetta arugula, maple croutons, arugula flowers, marinated chioggia (candy cane) beets, fuerte avocado, red carrots, blood orange thyme vinaigrette...-I know crazy huh!!!

Another one was a yummy array of veggies over mashed potatoes with edible flowers and pistachios. it was soooo good. So go ahead and try it. I dare you!!!

Spread

2879 University Avenue San Diego, California 92104

Tel. (619) 543-0406

spreadtherestaurant.com

Breakfast To wait for!

Ok So the dinner we last had wasn't the best. But the breakfast is another thing all together! There is a little cafe known very well by the locals called Cafe 222 that has the best breakfast around! Get there early as the wait is around an hour. What's nice is while you wait they bring you fresh bread and free coffee!! Brian had their stuffed french toast with peanut butter and bananas and I had their bagel with pesto and tomatoes. I know a little strange. But I want to try something different when I go to breakfast places. I have tried pancakes and am bored with waffles so I picked this and it was amazing! Check out the pictures! We talked with some locals and some people even come here after they move away just to get a bite to eat on the weekend as it is that good! We rate this one 4 1/2 stars and if you know Bobby Flay...This is where he likes to have his breakfast!!!!