Petrushka

Last night VT and I decided to check out Petrushka, a new Eastern European restaurant that just opened up between Pomegranate and Dao Son last night before heading up to Stone Brewery for a birthday celebration.  There was a guy manning the skewers of meat on the grill outside of Pomegranate.  My tummy growled in response.  What a great advertising technique. There was a long wait for Pomegranate as we walked by.  We got seated as soon as we walked into Petrushka.
The decor is very rustic trendy with a warm, welcoming feel.  Artisan lamps at every table.  The menu hinted that Petrushka was somehow related to Pomegranate, which serves Georgian-Russian dishes.  There are plenty of good vegetarian options on the menu that sounded so good that even carnivores like me would enjoy with out missing the meat.  Main dishes ranged from $10-20.

Our server made sure we knew that this was a cash only establishment as he filled our water glasses, which looked like a smaller version of mason jars, with ice water and lemon wedges.  When I asked if they had a drink menu, he replied: "Yes, that is me."  All 30 selections of Eastern European beers, California wine and Australian Malbec was stored inside his head.  Or so he claims.  I was tempted to ask him to list all the beers from light to dark.  As this thought entered my head, he started naming all the countries of beers they had.  That list alone overwhelmed me.  I told him I liked dark beer.  He started his detective work to figure out how dark by asking me if I wanted something like a stout or a porter.  Obolon Okcauumobe, the 5.3% Ukranian beer he recommended to me had a sweet, caramel malt flavor.  I wonder where I can get a whole case of this.

VT got what I think is called the Balkan coffee.  It seems more like an espresso drink than just coffee.  It came in a cute little metal pitcher and she was brought a little espresso cup and saucer.  It had a hint of sweetness and wasn't as bitter as regular espresso.  Very yummies.
We munched on some sweet and dense darkly colored pieces of bread and a mini loaf of soft white roll with a crusty outside that came with herbed butter.
VT was going for a sliced steak dish, but got talked into the chicken special instead.  I ordered a chicken dish that I couldn't pronounce.  A different server delivered our food and I think that he might have given me VT's dish and vice versas.  I got a plate that consisted of two skewers of seasoned ground chicken with couscous, savory tomato sauce and slices of green bell peppers.  VT got a plate of pita bread w/ a piece of skinless boneless fried chicken thigh (?) and thick slices of roasted red bell peppers sitting on a mix of green peppers and onions.  VT thought her chicken could have used more seasoning.  Since the piece of chicken from her plate that I tried was cooked to a golden brown on the outside and juicy on the inside, I thought a little salt and pepper would have saved it.  Or maybe the idea was to put a little of everything on the pita bread so that the flavors would be mixed together.

My chicken skewers were very flavorful and moist.  The only other time that I've had couscous was when I tried to make it from a box.  What I made tasted like cardboard.  Petrushka's couscous was much better.  It was seasoned with what looked like finely chopped dill and cilantro.  I felt fine afterwards, which leads me to believe that I was wrong about my dill allergy.

After about my second bite, I realized that the menu description of my dish included roast red bell peppers.  I mentioned to VT that I think we might have gotten each other's dishes, but she rejected my theory.  Since I was happy with what I ended up getting, I didn't disagree with her.
When I asked for a box, I got a styrofoam container.  The menu boasted the restaurant's sustainable food policy and I had expected one of those biodegradable to-go containers.  Other than that, the food, service and atmosphere was great.  On our way back to the car, the guys manning the grill outside of Pomegranate asked us what we got and what we thought of the food.  I still have yet to try Pomegranate, but this is becoming my favorite block in this town.

2312 El Cajon Blvd.
(between Louisiana St & Texas St)
San Diego, CA 92104

Live Uni - Sushi Lover's Envy

Everyone knows that when it comes to seafood, the fresher the better...
Just alive yesterday: I used to work for a subcontractor and one of the guys there would always go out on fishing trips on the weekends. He would always pack an extra large lunch to share after his fishing excursions. Sometimes, vendors would rent out those big fishing boats and take our project managers out on a day long fishing excursion off the coast of Baja or even Alaska! There would always be a company BBQ when those guys came back with a bounty of fish caught and frozen just the day before (catches from fishing boats are all thrown into the gigantic freezer on the boat as soon as the fish comes out of the water). Besides grilled fish, there would also be the occasional dish of sashimi set aside for the few sushi lovers there.

Iron Chef Michiba once presented the King of Indonesia with the written word "Fresh" ...
Never frozen: At another previous job, I worked with a guy who grew up in Hawaii. He used to tell me about catching fish straight from the ocean and cutting it into sashimi right there on the beach.

Still kickin'
All the above sounds like a sushi lover's paradise, right? How's about uni that is still moving as you're eating it? Last night, discovered a place that offered the option having your sea urchin served live or made into a bisque. Guess which one I went for?

Our server made a comment about how much she loves the fact that it is still moving when she set the bowl down in front of me. I looked down and sure enough, the spikes were moving and continued to do so even as I was spooning the roe into my mouth.
How does it taste? The texture is smooth and light. Similar to custard. The only way I can think of to describe the flavor is for you to close your eyes and picture yourself being out in the middle of the open sea (it has to be the open sea, not the beach). Imagine taking in a deep breath as a cool ocean breeze washes over your senses. That's what it tastes like.
If that's still to vague, well, you're just gonna have to try it for yourself. All I can say is that all the uni that I've ever had at sushi restaurants cannot hold a flame to this one. Where did I go to sample this euphoria for my taste buds? I'll give you a hint: It is NOT a sushi restaurant.
Give up? Here's another hint

The Linkery

A couple weeks ago, I went to The Linkery with a friend of mine who just moved to North Park. Sorry about the text-only post, I didn't have a camera with me at the time. According to their website, The Linkery menu changes from day to day. Their kitchen creations feature produce from local independent California farms. The meats are all-natural and the veggies are often organic. Believe me, you can taste the difference. If you don't believe me, go to the grocery store and buy the organic grass-fed ribeye and compare it with the other ribeye. I shun hormone injected beef, I shun thee.
To all the beer snobs out there, you will find no Budlights or MGDs at this restaurant bar. The beer list features local breweries. I'm not a big wine drinker, but the wine list was a mile long and includes wines from all over the world.
This cozy neighborhood restaurant was packed when we arrived at around 7pm. There was also another sign in the waiting area that explained their No-Tipping policy (18% gratuity is automatically added to your tab.) My dinner buddy and I went to the bar for a beer while we waited. We were promptly seated before the bartender even got a chance to pour our beer (Mission Helles Lager for me and the Coronado Red for Dinner Buddy), I was pretty impressed considering there were two parties ahead of us. The nice waitress made sure our beers would be delivered to us. I ordered the Goat's Leg with Butternut Squash Gnocchi. Dinner Buddy went with a Picnic Platter of links. She decided on two Chicken links, Chicken Cordon Bleu and another one that was mixed with a variety of herbs.
The waitress also brought us a carafe of water for our table. She informed us that the water is infused with sage. Dinner Buddy pointed out the sage leaf resting on the bottom of the carafe. It was refreshing and a nice palate cleanser, which is great because we sampled everything on each other's plates.
Something was a little off when our dinners arrived. We finally switched beers and all was well. Her chicken links went much better with my Mission Helles lager and her robust Coronado Red matched the gameyness of my goat. I normally like my meat a little rare (this was cooked well-done) but I loved the flavoring. Slightly sweet and savory, didn't overpower the natural game flavor of the goat. The Butternut Squash Gnocchi was delectable, though I didn't care for the white sauce that accompanied it. It was way too sweet for my taste. Dinner Buddy's links were a major hit (duh, it's called The Linkery.) I'm not a big fan of Cordon Bleu, but I think I might have eaten most of Dinner Buddy's plate. I couldn't remember the name of the other link that she had ordered, but that was just as fabulous. The combination of herbs complimented the flavor of the chicken nicely. The Picnic Plate also came with a small plate of breads and a side of sauteed spinach, garlic and onions. The bread was nice and crusty on the outside, soft on the inside. I didn't care for the sauteed spinach. All I tasted was garlic, which I love but I also would have liked to taste the other ingredients. Dinner Buddy enjoyed the spinach very much and pronounced her love for garlic.
The dessert menu also listed beers that would match well with some of the items. I've heard of dessert wines, but dessert beers are ingenious! We split a Grilled Pound Cake, which was served with whipped sweet cream and fresh raspberries. The slightly charred outer layer of the chocolate pound cake my taste buds to a different level. Dinner Buddy also ordered a cup of Dragonwell tea, served hot. It arrived in one of those tea-mugs that had a removable part that holds the tea leaves (filled to the brim with loose leaves) and a cover so that you can let your tea steep to the strength of your liking.
Overall, the food was great. More emphasis on the flavor and quality rather than quantity. I was left satisfied, but not full. The service was prompt and attentive, well worth the 18% tip that was automatically added onto the bill. The starters ranged from $6-11, salads $6-14, mains $12-19, and desserts $6-13. With my student loans kicking in, I couldn't afford to eat here every week. But this is my new favorite splurge eatery.

Hours:
7 days a week
5pm-11pm or whenever

3382 30th Street
in North Park
San Diego, CA
(though they are going to move to a new location on University Ave soon)