Shogun
Japanese Fare

photo courtesy of Joyce Knight

Although Shogun is located in a well-isolated spot in the dark corners of Kearny Mesa, its popularity is astounding, as same-day reservations for teppanyaki dining here is almost impossible to secure. Walk into the restaurant, and the atmosphere brims with excitement. Chefs at each open grill put on an exhilarating show, lighting fiery volcanoes, juggling knives in the air, and tossing food into hungry mouths of patrons, like the little, eager seals they are. It's an amazing spectacle to be seen... (click here for more information...)

 

 

Amarin Thai
Thai Fare

Amarin Thai is like an old friend to me. Always welcomed with open arms, I can disappear for months or years at a time and re-connect with Amarin Thai to a throng of rowdy, fun personalities, great service, and excellent food. Came here with a friend last night to enjoy really good food in a fun-filled environment before a night out in the city. The Yum Nuah salad was brought out first. On a bed of greens, well-seasoned steak strips were served with an assortment of vegetables and drenched in a citrus dressing that was both spicy and tart: a delicious and refreshing start to the meal. (... click here for more information... )

 

Cafe Zucchero  |  Trattoria Fantastica
Italian Fare

Yesterday evening, the hubby, John, and I headed to Little Italy for a nice, relaxing dinner. Little Italy is a great community, with cozy cafes within walking distance of each other, each one serving an extensive menu of pastries and espressos. We hadn't dined at a fancy restaurant in quite awhile, so I was really looking forward to dinner at Trattoria Fantastica; since dinner begins at five, and we arrived in LI at four, we decided to start with dessert at Cafe Zucchero. This warmly-lit cafe showcased beautifully-crafted edible art, like traditional tiramisu, cannolis, and cheesecakes, and a rainbow of gelato flavors, like hazelnut, espresso, and vanilla-chocolate chip. To quell our sugar fix for the day, we decided on both a pastry and gelato, which totaled $7, a great discount to comparable pastry restaurants that charge much more. The gelato comes in three serving sizes: large, medium, and small- with the smallest, offering two scoops of the Italian ice cream. I scanned the selection for my favorite, chocolate, and John picked out raspberry because it looked tasty. Not only did the two small scoops turn out to be quite a lot of gelato, we weren't charged for picking out different flavors. How great is that! The chocolate gelato had the luxurious feel of a rich and creamy custard; it was incredible, the best chocolate gelato I have had in all of San Diego. The raspberry gelato, on the other hand, was more tart than sweet, and the texture reminded me less of a custard and more of a sorbet. I may have been mistaken, and the scoop of raspberry was indeed a sorbet... Moving on to the Banana Napoleon, this was yet another incredible dessert. I really liked that, unlike others I've had, this particular napoleon didn't crumble to pieces as my fork cut through layers of real banana slices, flaky cake wafers, and thick pastry cream. Yum! Despite the delicious treats served here, the beginning of our evening was slightly ruined by the cashier, who scoffed at our timid request to enjoy our desserts inside the restaurant, citing their restaurant table policy of "dinner guests only." This encounter soured us on Cafe Zucchero, but we made our peace with this strange policy and took our desserts to the patio chairs outside the building. Looking forward to an authentic Italian pasta dish, we checked our watches and walked over to Trattoria Fantastica, also owned by the Busalacchi restaurant group, right next door... (click here for more information...)