Emmerson In Boulder: Good Food All Day Long

The concept behind Emmerson, one of the new HOT restaurants in Boulder is this:  create an all-day dining destination that could be a central gathering place for the Boulder community.  That's exactly what the five passionate food professionals who put the restaurant together have done.  Emmerson is a cafe, a cocktail bar, and a neo-bistro, serving from 700am- midnight or later.

Phil, Deborah, Mom and I went there for dinner on a Friday night.  The place was jumping.  It was loud, but not so loud that you couldn't hear.  The food was exceptional.  The menu is divided into small, medium and large plates.  We got a few of each and shared everything.  Is not the place to go if you're thinking about a steak and potatoes.  It's a place for people who like to try new, interesting food combinations.  Portions are small, so you just get a taste of each one.  That will keep people coming back, they'll want more.  Here's what we had.

Dry aged lamb tartare (delicious), atlantic black bass crudo, charred cucumber with pumpkin seed yogurt, pepita crumble and grapes, whole roasted gourd with rutabega noodles, autumn veggies, pine nuts and cream, beet angolotti with carmelized onion, shitake, oxtail jus, horseradish, fresh cheese and poppy seeds.  Perhaps my favorite dish was octopus a la plancha.  Grilled octopus with romanesco, romesco, fingerling potatoes, and chorizo croutons.  Delicious! They do have more traditional things like a pork chop, duck breast, and lamb chops on the menu for more traditional eaters.  For dessert we had fenne and grapefruit sorbet, with apple and celery (beautiful to look at, interesting to eat, but not great) and shiro miso flan with caramel, pear and yogurt.  It was delicious!  This is just their dinner menu.

Emmerson also serves breakfast and lunch, but that's for another time.  Did I mention cocktails?  Their bartender has won all kinds of awards, and they have all types of fancy drinks for those who like mixed drinks.  Often with new trendy places there is an air of pretentiousness, but not at Emmerson.  Staff was friendly and helpful, and I would definitely return for another meal.  If you find Boulder in your travels, consider Emmerson for an elegant, interesting but delicious meal.

608 in Oceanside Means Great Food

I'm always on the lookout for new, interesting restaurants.  My lunch group meets once a month.  We have explored Convoy Street, Little Italy, and now Oceanside.  I'm always complaining about the restaurants in Oceanside, but really, there are some very good choices.  608 on Mission Ave can now be added to the list.

Chef William Eick opened 608 last year.  His goal is to produce classic, comfortale and familiar staples with bold flavors.  He has succeed.  He combines Asian, Mexican, and classic American food to produce some great, unique dishes.  Our lunch group enjoyed everything.  We had a short rib and grilled cheese sandwich with great fries, a fried chicken sandwich (delicious), broccolini, which was fried and mounded on top of a mole sauce, and a beet and strawberry salad with goat cheese.  For dessert we tried the spice cake, served with creamy mousse, jalapenos for a little spice, pieces of honeycomb, and a drizzle of honey.  I loved it.

608  serves a good variety of beer and wine, in fact everyone except me had beer and really enjoyed it.  At night the place is jumping, so make a reservation.  The food is good, the prices are moderate, and the service is great.  Everyone is very friendly and helpful.  It's right on Mission, right near the ocean, so parking can be a bit of a problem.  Try 608 for a new experience.  You  won't be disappointed.

Effects Of Drinking Diet Soda

For years we weight watchers have been drinking diet soda, hoping to eliminate calories and keep our weight under control.  The sad fact is, we've been doing the exact opposite.  On the surface it makes sense to drink diet soda, as the single highest source of calories in the American diet is from regular soda.

First, diet soda might be bad for your kidneys. In an 11-year long Harvard study with 3,000 women, researchers found that diet cola is associated with a two-fold increased risk for kidney decline.  Kidney function started declining when women drank more than two sodas a day.  Researchers feel that artificial sweeteners are responsible.

Diet soda can also mess with your metabolism.  A Minnesota stud of 10,000 adults, found that just one diet soda a day is linked to a 34% higher risk of metabolic syndrome, which include belly fat and high cholesterol.

Probably the biggest shocker is that diet soda may make you GAIN weight.  A University of Texas study found that the more diet sodas a person drank, the greater their risk of becoming overweight.  Artificial sweeteners can disrupt the body's natural ability to regulate calorie intake based on the sweetness of foods.

Drinking diet soda can also damage cells.  Diet drinks contain mold inhibitors, that have the ability to cause severe damage to DNA in the mitochondria to the point that they totally inactivate it.  (look for sodium benzoate in your soda.  It is not your friend.)  Finally, with at pH of 3.2, diet soda is very acidic.  (pH of battery acid is 1, water is 7).  The acid dissolves enamel.  Diet soda drinkers have far more tooth decay than non drinkers.

So, the take away from all this is that diet drinks are bad for you in so many ways, and the negatives outweigh the positives.  I have tried to move from Diet Coke, something I've been drinking all my adult life, to flavored carbonated water, or sugar sodas on occasion.  There are some great carbonated sodas available today, and I think I've tried most of them.  Bottom line is this:  Stick to water, plain or sparkling, as much as you can.  Your body will thank you.

More Restaurant Openings

Who knew a city like San Diego could have so many restaurants?  Every month I find more and more openings, and not so many closings.  I have a few more to tell you about that you may want to try,

The Goods is a bakery in Carlbad Village.  It's known for its donuts, so I have to try it.  I have heard good things about it.  Will The Goods replace VG's as my go to donut shop?  We'll see.

Viewpoint Brewery.  I went by Viewpoint today but couldn't get in.  They don't open until noon.  It's in a big warehouse off of Jimmy Durante in Del Mar.  (near the bird sanctuary).  I hear it is mobbed at dinner, and is listed as one of the 10 hottest restaurants in San Diego.  They have lots of beer choices, and a nice menu.  Burgers, salads, wings, mac n cheese, and beef tartare.  Beef tartare is one of my favorites and it's not on many menus.  Since I originally wrote this blog I have been to Viewpoint for lunch.  It has a limited menu, but the food was good.  Beef tartare is only served at dinner, so I was disappointed.

Republic Brewery is opening soon in Carlsbad is the spot formerly occupied by Claim Jumper.  (Palomar Airport Rd and 5 freeway).  It should be a big hit.I have been there too, but didn't stay long.  I think you need to be 35 or under to enter the place.  So many young people, lots of them just standing around with friends, drinking beer and eating appetizers.  Not for me.

Pisco is the latest restaurant from restauranteur Sami Ladeki.  His chain of Sammy's Wood Fired Pizza have been around for years, so I guess he wanted to try something new.  This restaurant is in Liberty Station, a hot destination for dining, and is Peruvian.  Dishes like lomo saltado and plancha marina are on the menu, in addition to cerviche.  I have not been there, but my friend and fellow foodie Marilyn, loved it.   I'll wait till the crowds die down before I try it.  Since I originally wrote this blog, the Sammy's in Carlsbad has closed, and is now reopened as the second Pisco Rotisserie and Cervicheria.  The pictures look great, I will try it soon.

Crudo is in the new shopping center called Village at Pacific Highlands.  I went to Wokou a few weeks ago and loved it, and Crudo is another one of the very trendy restaurants in this center.  Crudo is light and welcoming, with an open kitchen.  The chef is Pascal Lorange is from Fig and Olive, and diners have high expectations for the restaurant.  It's a moderately priced restaurant, with lots of choices.  For example, they have a menu section called "crudotini," where you pick out three little tastes for an appetizer for just $9.  They also have lots of tapas choices, so you may order a nice meal, with lots of tastes, without ever ordering an entree.  In addition to an interesting menu, Crudo will offer cooking classes twice a month.  Sounds like a great idea.

Mendocino Farms is opening another location in Del Mar.  It's a great place for a casual, healthy lunch.

Grater Grilled Cheese has opened in Del Mar as well.  There are several other locations for this restaurant.  The restaurant began as a food truck.  They were so successful they decided to open brick and mortar locations, and they now have three.  Look for more to come.

I hope I have given you some food for thought, new places to go on your next night out.  I will keep you posted on new openings as much as possible.  Until next time, bon appetit.

Little Known Facts About Rastafarians

I went to the doctor recently for my annual checkup.  I have numerous precancerous spots on my body, so my doctor wanted to do a complete check.  I was lying there, when the doctor says to me, "Next time don't wear nailpolish on your toes."  I wondered why, and he goes on to tell me that he needs to look at my toes and toenails.  Did I know that Bob Marley died from cancer because he refused to have his toe amputated? he said.  No, I had never heard that.  Marley had cancer of the toe, and because of his beliefs, he would not amputate his toe, which may have saved his life.

I couldn't wait to get home and look up more about Rastafarianism after what the doctor told me.  Rastafari is called both a philosophy and a religion.   Most of us think of Bob Marley when we hear people talk about Rastafaris.  The philosophy believes in an Ital diet.  Ital comes from the word vital.  It is mainly a vegetarian diet, with no processed foods.  Rastafarians believe in keeping the body pure.  Long hair, dreadlocks, is part of this belief.  No tattoos either.  The Rastafari philosophy became popular in the 1930"s, in Jamaica.

Rastafaris are not a mainstream religion.  In fact, I was at the dog park talking about Rastafaris, and not a single person there knew what they were.  We had a doctor, teacher, engineer, and social worker present, and no one knew what a Rastafarian was.  I assumed that everyone who knew Bob Marley also knew his religion/philosophy.  Anyway, the doctor gave me a thorough going over, checking toes, bottom of my feet, and my scalp.  If I hadn't been wearing nailpolish on my toes, I never would have found out this interesting tidbit about Bob Marley, and you probably wouldn't have either.

Cooking With Friends

A few of my Italian friends invited me to join them for morning of cooking one of the most popular Italian food items, cheese ravioli.  I joined Regina, Jean and Elaine in Elaine's beautiful home for a morning of laughs and some hard work.  Rolling out that dough is tiring!

I've cooked with Elaine before, but never with Jean and Regina.  Everyone contributed, and the result was over 175 beautiful cheese raviolis.  We froze them, then split them up and took them home for several future meals.

Elaine's neighbor Dan, was our help and inspiration.  It was his recipe that we used, and his advice that we took.  Midway into the making of the dough we decided to call him.  We were not sure the dough was the right consistency, so a few minutes later, he came to take a look.  He assured us we were doing a great job, told us a few stories about his Italian family, and left us to finish the job.  We used a 100 year old rolling pin from Ethel, Regina's mom.  The ravioli makers made the job easy.  All we had to do was put in the filling, put the top layer of dough on, and roll the ravioli tool.  Easy peasy.  In two hours we had 175 ravioli and had learned the process of making ravioli.  So much fun.

Cooking with friends or family is a wonderful activity.  We learned things about each other that we did not know, even though we've known each other for years.  Cooking together creates a bond.  I can't explain it.  We had an experience together that no one else can share or understand.  I've done some cooking with  my Mom,David and Phil in the past, and always come away with a special feeling.    During the course of  our cooking, everyone told stories and shared memories of their moms and cooking with them.

Next time you have the opportunity to share the kitchen with your child, grandchild or good friend, take it.  It will be rewarding beyond your wildest expectations.  Great bonding from your experience together, and some great food to enjoy at the end of the day.

Restaurants To Look Forward To

There are so many new restaurants in San Diego, especially North County, coming soon.  Lots to get excited about, if you like to eat out, like I do.  For the first time since I've lived in Oceanside, there are numerous restaurants opening in Vista and Carlsbad.  I'm hoping they'll be good.  Here's a run down of just some of the new restaurants coming to the area.  Most will be opening in the next few months, several others will open later in 2018.  The Shoppes at Carlsbad, the renovated mall that has the Cheesecake Factory as one of its newest tenants, will be home to several new restaurants soon.  Also, Vista is becoming not only a brewing hub, but will soon house numerous new eateries.  Here's just a sampling of what to look for.

Sammy's Wood Fired Pizza in Carlsbad recently closed for a makeover.  It will reopen in a few weeks as Pisco Rotisserie and Cerviche.  Sammy Ladeki opened his first Pisco in Libery Station last year, and it has received rave reviews.  Now we will have one here in Carlsbad.  It's Peruvian food, which is becoming very popular.  Can't wait.  At Pala Casino, one of the casual dining spots closed, and reopened the next day as Bar Meets Grill.  It's California casual, and should be good.  Better Buzz, the very popular coffee house with several locations around San Diego, will open a 7,500 square foot retail/office center in Hillcrest.  The ground floor will house another Better Buzz cafe.  I expect it will be packed from the day it opens.  In Encinitas, the building formerly housing The Bird House (Turkish food), will now become Buona Forchetta.  This Italian restaurant's other locations are so popular, the owners finally decided to come north.  In Vista, Ciao Plaza Restaurant, is in the process of expanding and remodeling.  Among other things, they will have a 300 seat banquet room.  Also in Vista, look for Dog Haus, a fast casual hot dog chain, opening on Broadway.  Raising Cane's will soon open in Vista, as a drive thru restaurant serving chicken fingers.  It will be in the old Famous Dave's barbeque, which has been empty for years.  Swami's will open it's next location in Vista soon, on Main Street.  When Pigs Fly, a terrific barbeque restaurant that has been in a Chevron gas station for years, will reopen on Main St.  So many new places in Vista, I'm so excited!

In San Marcos, you will soon be able to visit Rio Churrascaria, a Brazilian Steakhouse, with 20 items on it's buffet.  It will be on Grand Ave, where the Elephant Bar used to be.  In the newly remodeled Westfield Mall at UTC, you'll find several new restaurants.  Great Maple, a chain, will soon open.  It's great food, big portions, good service.  Javier's a high end traditional and contemporary Mexican restaurant will also open in UTC.  Now, for more new restaurants at the Shoppes in Carlsbad:  Lucha Librea Taco Shop, Texas De Brazil (all you can eat grilled and roasted meats served tableside), and Wokano, an LA based chain serving Asian fusion, will soon open.

It looks I will no longer be able to say "There's no place to eat in Oceanside and Vista."  What a vast assortment of new places to choose from.  I will never get to all of these new places, but when I do find one I like, I will definitely review it.  Happy eating.