Sign up for our eNewsletterIn an age when you can out-bro your fellow bros by broadcasting your love for certain burgers, along comes a chainlet founded in Portland, Oregon that has yet to register on the radar of cool 30-somethings. Teens and fresh-faced college students, however, appear captivated.
A hexagonal aquarium in the reception area coupled with an interior color scheme of teal and salmon bisque are your first clues that Szechuan Mandarin dates back to when CNN first launched and when Michael Jackson’s “Rock with You” hit the Billboard charts.
Carve is a modern, American bistro residing in a unique king-of-the-road location. To the benefit of consumers, it’s easy to find since there are no other retail businesses along this colorless stretch of Aero Drive. In addition, the food is of high caliber, ranging from hearty to wholesome.
I’m guessing that 95 percent of the local population has never heard of Seaglass Restaurant. And here’s why.
It took a second visit to Emiliano’s Mexican Restaurant before I learned who the establishment is named after. Thanks to a meek and informed hostess, she revealed the restaurant pays homage to Mexican Revolution war hero, Emiliano Zapata. Prior to that, nobody seemed to know.
It’s been a while since a meal made me jump into the air with such excitement, especially from a restaurant that isn’t awash in hipster hype or flaunting some multi-million-dollar theme.
I have a couple of solid benchmarks from which to judge cheesesteak sandwiches: Geno’s and Tony Luke’s, two Philadelphia-based eateries where I’ve gobbled down the iconic sandwich in its luscious authenticity.
By Frank Sabatini Jr.
A long overdue niche has been filled in the Lake Murray area with Brew Coffee Spot. The urban-rustic coffeehouse affords caffeine enthusiasts a spacious place to sip, eat and relax, if not spread out with school or work projects on roomy tables made of wood and metal pipes.
Anchored within the Big Lots shopping center at 6101 Lake Murray Blvd. in La Mesa, the business model was conceived in just over the time it takes to swig down a couple of frothy lattes.
By Frank Sabatini Jr. Just inside the entrance, a tiny wooden footbridge takes you over a pond of bubbling water and into the elegantly peaceful dining room of The Purple Mint Vegetarian Bistro. It’s a place where plant-based meals rule the day — and won’t scare off carnivores — and where you’ll actually encounter purple mint, […]
By Frank Sabatini Jr.
The last time I ate at The Trails Eatery was in 2011, when owner Stacey Poon-Kinney was riding a high wave of publicity from the Food Network show, “Restaurant Impossible.”
The San Carlos eatery had been selected for a $10,000 makeover, which meant the show’s domineering host, Robert Irvine, would rescue the business from despair — his way.