Local Ethnic Foods I Miss

If you're like me and moved to San Diego from a big multi cultural city like New York, Los Angeles or Chicago, you're probably missing the same thing I am. Good, neighborhood ethnic restaurants are few and far between in our area. I just came back from Los Angeles, and had a chance to go to a little Thai restaurant in Hollywood, the kind of place you would drive right by if a local didn't tell you how great it was.

The restaurant is called Bamboo House (www.bamboohousela.com) and borders on the areas known as Little Armenia and Little Thailand. Sunset and Normandie are the major cross streets. My sister lives in the neighborhood, and knowing that I love Thai food, she was anxious to introduce me to her newest find. I was not disappointed. First, their food is beautifully presented. Every plate has a hand carved vegetable ornamentation on it. My Tina Rolls had a sculpted carrot garnishing the plate. Tina rolls are steamed chicken breast rolled in thin skin with noodles and vegetables, served with a hoisin peanut sauce. I just loved it. So fresh and healthy. Other dishes I sampled were Fried Tofu with a sweet and sour dipping sauce. The extra firm tofu is cut into triangles, then deep fried and well drained. It was crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, just perfect. Other wonderful dishes were pineapple rice and cashews, which is so good and can be eaten as a main course. Pad thai noodles were delicious, as was the spicy salmon with onions, carrots, chili, mushrooms and basil leaves. Prices are moderate, most dishes in the $7-$10 range. If you're ever in the area, stop by for lunch or dinner.

This restaurant is on Hollywood Blvd, and within a 6 block radius there are probably 30 different Thai restaurants, and about the same number of Armenian restaurants. They're all family owned, they each seem to have a different speciality, maybe a grandma's secret recipe to entice customers. Also in the area are numerous ethnic bakeries, both Thai and Armenian. I've got lots of other places to visit in the future, including the bakeries, and Koreatown is only a few blocks away, so I'll have to try something there, too. San Diego, will we ever get this type of restaurant? If you know places like the one I just reviewed, please post it so others can enjoy.