Phoenix, AZ

Cupcakes By Design www.AZcupcakesbydesign.com
1528 E Bethany Home Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85014. 602.277.2300
Hours: Tues - Friday 10am-6pm, Saturday 10am-4pm

Hi my name is Katie, and I have a cupcake addiction. To date, my favorite cupcakes have been 1) Hey Cupcake in Austin, TX, 2) Cupcakes Couture Manhattan Beach, CA. I'm still searching for my favorite cupcakery in my home state of Arizona, but until I find something I like more; I was ecstatic to find Cupcake by Design just down the highway from my house.

This isn't the first time I've paid $3.50 for a cupcake (decorative cupcakes are $4), and I liked some things about different cakes we tried.  This is the first time I haven't seen a discount when you buy a half dozen ($21). Mini's are available for pre-order at $2 a mini.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup

The flavors we tried were my signature Red Velvet (red velvet cake, cream cheese filled, with cream cheese frosting), Devil's Delight (Devil's food cake, filled with bavarian cream, and fudge icing), Love My Peanut Butter (peanut butter cake, fudge filled, peanut buyer cream icing), and Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup (Devil's food cake, peanut butter filled, chocolate peanut butter icing).

The red velvet had a pretty deep red color, and a moist cake, but I liked the cream cheese filling (which there could have been more of!) better than the cream cheese icing, which was just a little too sugary. The Devil's Delight was skimpy on the bavarian cream, but had a delicious devil's food flavor and a the fudge icing was a nice balance. This one I ate in the shop, and the owner even had complimentary water and coffee set out for patrons who decided to enjoy her deliciousness before they even left the store. It was a nice touch, and reinforced what a great neighborhood feel you can find in the Uptown area.

The Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup had what seemed like solid peanut butter in the center, and was tasty when you distributed it between bites. If not, you may look a little like Mr. Ed as you eat this tasty cake. I probably should have had the Love my Peanut Butter before the chocolate peanut butter, because I totally lost the peanut butter flavor in the second cupcake. Some of this could be as a result of by tastebuds still lingering in the strong chocolatey peanut buttery goodness from the cake before. And if you're thinking, wait, did this chick really eat 4 cupcakes? Yes and no. I brought them to a friend's house and we cut them up and all had tastes of each one and shared our thoughts.

Final verdict: Would I go back for more? Yes. Is my search over for the perfect cupcakery in AZ? No, I will still be on the lookout for a replacement. Until then, I have found a tasty place for my tastebuds to flirt until I find "the one."

Manhattan Beach, CA - Cupcake Challenge

So often when I travel I have a strange sweet tooth for cupcakes. I’m not a big fan of sweets and desserts, and much prefer the more savory dishes and drinks to something overly sugared. However, the draw of three cupcake bakeries within a half hour walk of each other is something I can’t resist, and it becomes quite easy for me to self sacrifice and choke down a few cupcakes in the spirit of competition.  I think it stems from watching too many airings of cupcake wars. The rules were simple, eat one cupcake onsite (any flavor) for a first impression, but take a red velvet to go and have a side-by-side taste test at the end to determine the winner.

The first stop on our walking tour was:

CAKE Bake Shop 3319 Highland Ave, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266, 310.545.CAKE

CAKE received 3.5 stars out of 31 reviews on yelp, and most of the comments were similar, cute shop, nice owners, but mediocre cake. Being one to judge (but liking to form my own opinions and realizing that a review from a year ago might not be accurate of the experience you’ll walk into today) I went in with an open mind. My first impressions were that they were cute and clean, but a little sparse on the sweets.  You can find their flavor schedule on their website, and on a Tuesday afternoon we had the options of: Vanilla cake and vanilla butter cream, vanilla cake and chocolate butter cream, chocolate cake and chocolate butter cream, chocolate cake with vanilla butter cream, red velvet cake with cream cheese icing, and a yellow cake with some kind of fruit compote.

Price-wise, they sell a Dozen cupcakes for $32 ($2.66 a cupcake) and a Dozen mini cupcakes for $22 ($1.83 a mini) and although I didn’t pay, I remember it being about $3-$3.50 a cupcake sold separately and $2 for a mini. I had a bite of the chocolate on chocolate, and my impression was OK. It wasn’t overly dry or too moist, but the chocolate cake didn’t boast a lot of flavor or richness. At first taste I’d agree with most of the Yelpers with a 3 star rating. However, that could all change with the red velvet challenge….

Next stop was:

Beckers Bakery and Deli 1025 Manhattan Ave, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266, 310.372.3214

Beckers has been a family owned bake shop since 1942. Located 1.2 miles down the beach from CAKE, this little shop is right off the Manhattan Pier and got a four star average from yelpers. The bakery is not strictly a cupcake joint, but all cakes, cookies, donuts, and deli sandwiches.

Beckers had some interesting flavors to offer like a maple syrup and bacon cupcake (which sounds odd, but in my opinion worked!) They had a variety of mini’s ($1.50)and regular cupcakes ($2.50), and while their other baked items were really cute, some of their cupcakes looked a little sloppy. We equated it to a middle class bakery. Not too much fuss, tasty, with a sense of humor (as shown by their Charlie Sheen “still winning,” Beiber Fever, and Sesame Street cookies). Unfortunately for the cupcake challenge, the rest of the bakery was more appealing, but I’d come here first for cookies so far!

Last but not least, we walked down to:

Cupcakes Couture 916 Manhattan Ave, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266, 310.372.9200

Our last Cupcakery is located only 259 ft down the street from Beckers. Modeled after a NYC 5th Street Boutique, Cupcake Couture averaged 3.5 stars from yelpers and had the cutest storefront and most cohesive logo and décor. While those things have nothing to do with the quality of the cupcake (in Texas, my favorite cupcakes come from a trailer park, I’m talking taste only here!) it does have a certain appeal to my inner diva. If I were to throw a party where my guests would see the boxes it came in – Cupcakes Couture would be the obvious winner for straight up cuteness. Lucky for us, the cupcakery's business partner is a Cordon Bleu graduate with a passion for pastry and french dessert techniques. 

Again, while things can look great and have a financial backer that dumped some cash into the shop, will they put their money where my mouth is??? I tried not to be prejudice as I gazed at the cupcake display. 

Oh so pretty!.... The flavor offerings were much more varied than at CAKE, and these cupcakes looked so much more appealing than Beckers. They feature larger "Couture" cupcake ($7) in either Sunday Mimosa, Summer Passion Berry, or Blackberry Cabernet, that are larger than a normal cupcake and are available only on certain days. Other days of the week, you may find a normal size cake ($4) in Vanilla Mint Chip, Summer Peaches, Beer and Pretzels, Apple Cobbler, 24 Karat Ginger, Cookies & Cream, Banana Cream Pie, Sea Salted Caramel, Strawberry Cheesecake, Lady in Red, Black and White, Chocolate Obsession, Tuxedo, or Glitz and Glamour. The mini's have their own unique flavors: Berries and Cream, Lemon Coconut, Peanut Butter, Neapolitan, Strawberry Lemonade, Nutella Banana, or Salted Tuxedo.

You’d think that there would be a vast price difference by the look of the cake and the décor in the shop, however these mini’s were $.25 less than those at CAKE. Can I be in love yet? Oh yeah, not til we compare red velvets! Most complaints on yelp were about price, but I'm willing to pay an extra $1.50 for a bigger flavor variety and super cute decorations! 

On to the competition!!!

The official Wikipedia definition of a red velvet cake or cupcake commonly contains buttermilk, butter, flour, cocoa, and red food coloring, most commonly paired with cream cheese frosting. Red Velvet is not a chocolate cake with red food coloring, but rather a yellow cake with a kiss of chocolate. The red color is often enhanced with food coloring, but comes naturally from a chemical reaction between the cocoa powder and an acidic ingredient like buttermilk or vinegar.

We tasted the cakes in the order we obtained them: CAKE's mini cupcake was cute and lightly chocolately, but had an overly sugary icing that really turned me off to the rest of the cake. Beckers had a better frosting, but the cake was almost tasteless and overall appearance of cake and icing looked sloppy - the sides were spilling over and the icing and chocolate shavings looked slopped on. We all know I favor the Cupcake Couture decorations, but this one also had the best cream cheese frosting, and also had the most chocolate flavor without tasting like a straight up chocolate cupcake. Cupcake Couture Wins!!! Because out of these three shops, this is the one I'm planning on taking a walk down the beach to visit again!

Manhattan Beach, CA

Sloopy’s Beach Café 3416 Highland Ave, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266, 310.545.1373

Some places you visit for the food, some for the atmosphere, and some for the unique décor. Sloopy’s definitely falls into the décor category! It looks pretty unassuming from the outside, just a clean, somewhat organic looking little place on café row along Highland Ave in Manhattan Beach.

Inside however, it’s like you walked into an elf’s kitchen. Orchids are mixed into every surface, the walls are covered with greenery, moss, and hanging plants, there’s a water feature tucked away in the corner, and even the tables look like they’ve been scavenged from an abandoned old barn and re-purposed by some crafty woodland creature. In fact, their big bowls of salad  (that looked delicious as I food gazed other people’s tables) fit right into the décor!  

In alignment with it’s setting, Sloopy’s menu features farm-fresh ingredients, natural meats, sustainable fisheries and organic coffees.  You seat yourself and order from a window where they call your name when your food is ready, as well as bus your own table before you leave. I can’t say the staff was overly impressive with their customer service, but the draw is the kooky atmosphere. This isn’t the kind of place you become a regular at and they remember your name and food order. However, it could become that if you threw in a super friendly, kinda hippie-ish waitress.

I ordered the chicken club, a grilled chicken breast on a honey wheat bun with cracked pepper mayo, cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, sprouts, and cucumber ($9). It came out much differently than I was expecting from the typical club sandwich I’ve been used to: the ratio of greenery to meat and cheese felt a bit unbalanced and there was barely any of the pepper mayo, making the whole thing a bit bland. My friends however, ordered burgers and the Manhattan sandwich and were very happy with the flavor profile of the food, so I think I just ordered the wrong thing on the wrong day.  Next time I’m back in Manhattan Beach, I do plan to come back again and have a picnic in the garden, but I’m thinking some ice tea and a salad might be the next thing I try! 

Gilbert, AZ

Liberty Market 230 N Gilbert Rd, Gilbert, AZ 85234, 480.892.1900

Located in the Heritage District in Gilbert, from the outside, Liberty Market doesn't look like much. In fact if I hadn't found it on google maps with a high rating, I probably would have driven by without ever stopping to go in! Originally when it was built in 1935, the market was 80% retail and 20% restaurant food, however a recent remodel has reversed those numbers and created a hip, vibrant atmosphere that is a pleasant surprise considering the exterior appearance. The market is set up to embrace the take out or dine in concept, where all patrons order at the counter and are given a table number and allowed to seat themselves.

In a very out of character moment I was enjoying the company and conversation and forgot to take pictures of the food! We tried the Grilled Chicken Pasta ($12) with a parmesan cheese sauce, bacon and seasonal veggies was surprisingly light for a cheese sauce. It had a perfect blend of flavor and an airy quality that coated the chicken, pasta and veggies without feeling overpowering or sticky.

Any restaurant that has wood fired pizza is a must try
for me, and we had the Molinari Pizza ($11) with salami, sicilian olives, and basil. It was the perfect size for two people to share and combine with a salad or other entree, and the smokiness of the wood fire oven lent a taste of authenticity that made it feel right at home in this historical area.



One nice touch in restaurants is when the bathrooms continue the theme, and lucky for me I stopped in before leaving! Instead of wallpaper, the walls have recipe after recipe sharpie markered with a few pictures mixed in for good measure. It's like grandma went crazy and wrote her recipe box all over the bathroom walls. But if you're lucky, you just might find the recipe for the delicious dish you just ate so you can re-create it at home! Lucky for me, I couldn't find it, so it looks like I'll just have to come back again!

Kenosha, WI

Frank's Diner 508 58th St, Kenosha, WI 53140, 262-657-1017


Kenosha, WI is a small lakeside community about six miles north of the Illinois boarder on Lake Michigan. Through most of the 1900's it was largely industrial with several plants involved in automobile manufacturing. In the last 20 years, most of the plants have shut down and residents now commute to white collar jobs in Chicago or Milwaukee. My first impression driving through was not exactly of a thriving town, in fact at least 50% of the store fronts we passed were vacant. But Kenosha is home to Frank's Diner, which has a special place in my heart and is a must visit on Sunday mornings whenever I go back to Illinois or Wiscon
sin!

Frank's came to Wisconsin in 1926 and is housed in a old train dining car. Over the years, renovations have been made, but the unique feel of the train car adds a certain historical dive element to this breakfast diner! On any given weekend day, you can expect a line that starts down the center of the car (counter on the right, seating on the left) and out the front door. Really, it's a cool set up because as you wait, you can ogle people's food, enjoy a mimosa, and watch Lynn and Chris work their magic at the grill behind the counter. The diner has some of the elements of a good dive bar, bobble heads and dinosaurs up on a shelf, sassy signs that shout out "Order what you want, eat what you get!" and friendly banter between the staff. It's enough going on that you could come by yourself for breakfast, sit at the counter and be completely entertained the entire meal.

But let's get down to the main business of why that line goes out the door: the food. Since I was introduced to Frank's I've had nothing but their garbage plates (although the non garbage plates I've seen other people order look delicious too). The garbage plate is hash browns, green peppers, onions, jalapeños, eggs, ham, bacon, sausage, or veggie (zucchini, mushroom, tomato, pepper, onion, and jalapeños) with fresh baked toast. A full garbage plate with 5 eggs and three meats is only $10.50 and literally covers the plate. For those of us with normal stomaches who can't win eating challenges, they do serve a 1/2 garbage plate made with only 3 eggs and less meats... But regardless of your quantity, the quality is there and will bring you back for another every time!

Manhattan Beach, CA

North End Caffe 3421 Highland Avenue, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266, 310-546-GRUB

This place has two of my favorite things: a Triple D (Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives) endorsement and a good friend's recommendation! My friends from Chicago take a yearly trip to stay with a childhood friend at his place less than 200 yards from Manhattan beach. Consciously, I know I'm right next to LA. But this beach community feels nothing like I imagined LA to be like. Surrounded by uniquely designed beach condo's there's one little strip of breakfast joints on Highland Ave with about 4 great places all across the street from each other.

North End Caffe serves all meals, and was my friend's favorite, so we started our vacation food journey here, and it did not disappoint! The cafe itself seats about 20 people inside, and about 16 outdoors and boasts a beach view that combined with coffee or a bloody mary could cure any hangover! Being a family run caffe, the fresh baked bread and daily specials attract locals and tourist alike, but they keep coming back for the food that not only looks pretty, but tastes amazing as well! Breakfast joints often tend to be pancake or egg oriented, and this one definitely has an egg based breakfast menu with mexican elements and a witty play on words. Choose from Huevos Divorciados, El Gringo, 13 different breakfast sandwiches, etc, and expect salsa or guacamole with anything you may order!

Bree got Dos Tacos, a breakfast taco on corn tortillas that come with lightly spiced side potatoes. The potatoes were nicely cooked, soft in the middle with a nice crunch on the outside, but could have used either more spice or a different flavor combo to make them memorable.

My Sicilian eggs were a scramble of spinach, capers, tomatoes, and cheese and had a light blend of flavors instead of the power punch of tastes you might expect from the capers. In fact I kept eating even after I was full because it just tasted so darn good! The ciabatta toast was a big surprise for me because I think of ciabatta as primarily a sandwich bread, but with some jelly and
butter it paired perfectly with the egg scramble.

 Not only would I recommend this beachy little caffe for it's breakfast, after my experience this morning I plan on going back to try lunch and dinner as well. The fettuccine carbonara was featured by Guy Fieri, and their extensive lunch menu of salads and sandwiches as well as the lack of dinner menu (there's simple a Facebook link where you can view the nightly dinner specials) has me intrigued. But that may be tomorrow, because even though it's almost 2pm, I'm still full from breakfast!

Downtown Phoenix, AZ

Matt's Big Breakfast 801 North 1st Street, Phoenix, AZ 85004

I'm an avid food network watcher, and heard about this little breakfast joint from both Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives and Phoenix Magazine's "Best Of" issue. I'd actually tried it once before last summer and been only mildly impressed. The breakfast menu is only 9 items long, with Oats and Frosted Flakes as two of the items. My first visit, the lack of variety did turn me off. I'd ordered the "Hog and Chick" which is eggs and bacon, and I think my lack of enthusiasm was embedded in ordering such a basic item. I mean, when it comes down to it, how much different can you make scrambled eggs and bacon?


This trip however was different. The history of Matt's is based on organic, fresh ingredients. In fact, there is not a freezer or microwave in the restaurant. The bread is baked fresh and hand cut because, as stated in Triple D, the owner "doesn't like conformity in his bread." 


The secret to eating breakfast at Matt's is the specials. While we were 

enjoying our 45 minute wait in the hot sun (which just made me anticipate it more), I started to breakfast watch through the windows. Yup, that's right, I blatantly stared at their food as they ate and was obviously trying to match it up with the menu to decide what to order. We discovered the daily specials while I was craning my neck and squawking about how 3 of the 4 breakfasts I could see had steak and eggs, but I don't see that on the menu. Once we got inside and I could really look around, I realized that again, 75% of the tables had one of the two specials on them! 


I had eggs scrambled with spinach, canadian bacon and cheese, and it was a phenomenal blend that I'd absolutely recommend! My girl friend and I order with sharing in mind, and between hash browns  or home fries, I'd go with the home fries. The hash browns, while good, are made crispy outside, soft center, while the home fries are cooked with white onions and rosemary, and have great flavor. They were cooked perfectly with a tender center, and crisp outside. The  toast they offer is cut in thick, delicious slices and tastes homemade. They serve it with a homemade preserve in a ramekin that serves as a great dipping side. We tried both the sourdough and wheat, and both were amazing. 

  
Even the beverages were made with love - the orange juice was thick and seemed fresh squeezed, and the wild berry honey lemonade was delightful. The owner's wife and daughter were working in the counter area and were great for recommendations and had a cute little ruffly apron that said "I kiss better than I cook." Well if she was doing some of the cooking for this little 30 seat breakfast joint (that usually has a wait 15 people deep) her husband is a lucky man - cause I'll be back for more!

Phoenix, Arizona

Spinato's 1614 East Bell Rd Phoenix, Arizona 85022, 602.867.1010

When I moved into my condo a year ago, my parents commented that their Chicago based neighbors swore by a pizza restaurant near my new home. I've been to The Windy City probably between 7-10 times, and while I'm no expert on Chicago style pizza, I try a new pizza place each time I go and consider myself a semi-competent judge. I'm not proud that it took me a year and a half to finally stop in to put this pizza joint to the test, but boy am I glad I did!

Spinato's was started in AZ back in 1974 by two Chicago transplants and has grown to five locations valley wide. When my friend and I came in, there was about a 25 minute wait (which I was delighted about, you know my theory that a place without a wait on a weekend night might not be a place worth eating...) And the first thing you notice is the smell of the sweet tomato sauce. The atmosphere is a homey, family style feel with all the classical visual elements of a italian restaurant (the picture was taken at the end of our visit after the place had cleared out a bit, it really was packed when we arrived!).


I did my homework before my visit, and most reviews mentioned Mama's Signature Spinach pizza or the Spaghetti Calzone, and the waiter also recommended the Spicy Italian Pizza (along with everything else on the menu). Any pizza can be fully customized with either thick or thin crust, and all pizzas can be made as a calzone, which leads to an abundance of choices. We wound up doing half Signature Spinach and half Spicy Italian with a thin crust, and biting into it definitely took me back to the streets of Chicago! In fact Spinato's vs. Oregano's for AZ deep dish pizza eateries, I'd go Spinato's! Some of the things that make pizza unique in that region are a heavier feel with a sweeter sauce and a different crust than the more traditional New York style which is known for a thin, foldable crust with minimal toppings. The Chicago deep dish crust generally has a cornmeal base with a thick layer of dough that almost achieves a fried effect due to the heavy oil used in the pizza pan. The thin crust almost has a thicker feel than NYP because of it's noticeable crunch, layers of toppings and non-chunky sauce, and gets cut into squares (which is called "party style" as opposed to slices. Although it varies by pizza joint, I've also noticed that in Chicago I found the cheese is more often on top of or intermixed with the toppings, while NYP has the cheese as a base, with the toppings obviously sprinkled on top of it. The pizza debate will always have fans for both styles. I find that it depends on my mood, for a light, but tasty pie I'd go to Pizzeria Bianco, but if I'm in the mood for a heavier, hearty, meal of a pie, this is the closest thing to Chicago I've found in Arizona!

Scottsdale, Arizona

Lo-Lo's Chicken and Waffles 2765 North Scottsdale Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85257, 480.945.1920

I heard of Lo-Lo's late one night when I woke up on my couch (sometimes I fall asleep watching the food network, laptop still on my lap, and often transition to my bed around 1 or 2 am). Channel 3 had a show playing on local restaurants where they were talking about their chicken and waffle experience. I first thought it an unappetizing combination; however, Lo-Lo's has been in business since 2002 and has two Arizona locations which means people like it enough to keep them in business! That night, I decided to put my prejudice aside, and be curious enough to give it a go! Almost by fate, my laser hair removal place was in the same corner of the intersection and I decided it might be time to try some soul food.

The origin of combining chicken and waffles is unknown, however, it is viewed as a southern based soul food. Walking into the restaurant, you are struck by the condiment colors of mustard yellow and ketchup red mixed with sheet metal siding and wash bucket light fixtures.  Individually, the items at Lo-Lo's are tasty, I had the "Betty Boop" which is a fried breast chicken and a waffle. In fact I did laugh a little when I was reading the menu because the 10 items on the menu are different combinations and amounts of chicken parts with a waffle! The chicken breast was lightly fried and breaded, and the meat was moist and perfectly cooked. The waffle wasn't something you couldn't make at home, but the combination of the two items in the same bite balance each other in a way I wouldn't have imagined. The meatiness of the chicken makes a sometimes overly sweet waffle into a savory meal. Was this an amazing dish that I'll crave and drive half an hour just to have? Not in the way I do for other dishes, but I might just make it a monthly stop before my appointment, and it was fun to experience a unique combination that was surprisingly delicious together. I would absolutely recommend trying this out some lunch time!

Phoenix, Arizona

Pizzeria Bianco 623 E Adams St, Phoenix, AZ 85004, 602.258.8300

Bianco has been a favorite of mine for the past three years or so, both for the food as well as the experience. Nationally acclaimed by food critics, it has been an Arizona staple since 1987. Bianco has changed location a few times throughout history, but has spent almost the last 15 years is located downtown in the Baird Machine Shop's historic site. The small space has a modern feel and only seats about 40 people, which sometimes means over two hour wait times. In my opinion, that's part of the experience and brings to mind the question "Is a restaurant really any good if you go there at dinner time on a Friday or Saturday and it doesn't have people willing to wait for the food?" To do Pizzeria Bianco properly, make it a late afternoon event where you expect a wait and plan to have a glass of wine (or two) next door at Bar Bianco. Recently, they extended their hours to include lunchtime, which has significantly decreased the wait time for a table. In fact the last time I went (on a Thursday at 4pm) we were able to get a seat at the restaurant bar immediately...which we declined to go spend some time at Bar Bianco because it felt wrong not to wait at least an hour for a table! Several of the wait staff have been at Bianco for years, and it gives a familiar, homey vibe to the experience even though Chris (the owner) no longer mans the wood fired pizza oven.

When it comes to pizza, I'm not die hard for one style over another. There are times where you want the solid heartiness of deep dish, and others (like an Arizona summer) where you want something a bit lighter and not so heavy. What strikes me about Bianco is the freshness and authenticity of the pizza. Chris Bianco, the owner, spent a year in Italy to perfect his pizza, and came back with a pie that features a delightful balance of handmade dough, mozzarella they make onsite every morning, locally grown vegetables, and herbs from the garden in between the restaurant and Bar Bianco. For any Arizona resident who hasn't experienced Pizzeria Bianco - make a point to discover it this summer; it's worth the wait!

The Arrogant Butcher CityScape Downtown, 2 E Jefferson #150 Phoenix, AZ 85004, 602.324.8502

I have a confession, I tend to love the Fox Concepts restaurants, and the Arrogant Butcher is no exception! Located in Downtown across from US Airways Center, I would make a point to stop here before or after and event. The setting is perfect for a girls night out, a dinner date before a game, or a people watching lunch. What I love about the Arrogant Butcher is the elegant spin on comfort food.


If you like pretzels, you must try the Soft Pretzel & Provolone Fondue. I don't even want to know the calorie count, but I would skip lunch before I go here again just so I can eat them all and still have room for dinner!


I crave salty and savory food more than sweets, and the Crab Stuffed Chicken, with it's lemon caper sauce on top of a bed of spinach was so amazing I kept picking at it long after I was full (finally I told the waitress to take it away from me so I'd stop trying to eat more - and I'm not a girl that's afraid to actually eat and enjoy food in front of a guy!). My date had the Beef Short Rib Stew, and what a punch of flavor! There was an intensity to the stew without being overwhelming, and the fried egg on top made it more exotic than just a bowl of soup.

The biggest question in my mind is not whether I'll be coming back to the Arrogant Butcher (you better believe this is the before AND after plan if I can get someone to go to the NKOTB/Backstreet Boys concert with me), but rather what I'll try next even though I still want another bite of the crab stuffed chicken! In fact, I may have to make sure I visit on different days over the next few months so I can sample some of the daily specials, like the Monday Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes or the Thursday Fried Chicken and Honey Biscuits. Next time, I'm also saving room for dessert, because this butcher has a reason for his arrogance, and I'm coming back for more!

San Diego, California - Lunch, Dinner, and Drinks

Osteria Panevino  722 Fifth Avenue, San Diego, CA 92101, 619.595.7959

I never expected to find this gem of Tuscan Italian Cuisine in the heart of the Gaslamp District. The staff was very welcoming and allowed us to bring in our own special dessert and cake topper, and made us right at home. The appetizers seem a little pricey for the size of the food that comes out, but are packed with flavor and worth the money. We started out with the cheese and meat board combo, which was not only a conversation piece as we ate, but created a family style feel. While most of us started with wine, my friend Jen had an amazing alcoholic Black Cherry spritzer that we all highly recommend.

A few of the entree favorites at our table was the Lasagna Bolognese (which sound typical for an Italian place, but this was no Olive Garden grade Lasagna!), the Malfatti al Funghetto, and I wish I could remember the name of the dish that my old college roommate Kara had. Her family is Italian. I've been to Thanksgiving with them in Jersey and will vouch that she has an Uncle Gianni, but the dish she had she said was a good as grandma used to make it. High praise, because like I said, I've had her family's cooking! I had the Linguine Allo Scoglio (Pictured), which was very good if you're a seafood fan - the shrimp had an amazing freshness and were firm, and it was chock full of clams, mussels, and calamari. Would I come back specifically for this dish in the future? Not until I'd sampled the whole menu - there are way too many other handmade goodies to try. Would I highly encourage others to come experience this restaurant with or without me? Absolutely!

San Diego, California - Breakfast Cafes

Beach Break Cafe 1902 S. Coast Hwy, Oceanside, CA 92054, 760.439.6355




The first thing you notice walking into the Beach Break Cafe is the clean, friendly environment. Decorated with a variety of surfboards, old school skateboards, and framed photos of surfers on huge waves, wipeouts, and beaches, the waitstaff perfectly reflects the environment. My friend Sarah, was mildly obsessed with the cute little surfer girl waitress with her perfect blond side braid and cut arms. As you wait for your table, there's an honor system coffee station that allows you to pour yourself a cup of regular, decaf, or vanilla joe - complete with a variety of unique coffee mugs. A former Oceanside resident turned our group on to this cafe, and in the week we spent in and around the San Diego area this was the best place for omelets, homestyle potatoes, and coffee cake!

The trip was centered around two 30th birthdays, and when we asked the waitress to take our picture for it, she also dropped off two complementary birthday coffee cakes that were an amazing way to whet our appetites! The eight of us are not girls that are afraid to eat (or eat off each other's plates) and a few things we'd highly recommend and would bring me back here to eat again was the Vegetarian Omelet (pictured), Greek Omelet, Banana Crunch French Toast (pictured), and the biscuits and gravy had a delicious gravy. Even the bathrooms continued the theme and took us under the sea with humorous leering Lobsters, Octopus, and Star Fish. This is a must stop breakfast shop for any Oceanside stay!

Cafe 222 222 Island Avenue, San Diego, CA 92101, 619.236.9902

Cafe 222 was our hangover breakfast after an amazing night of Champagne Raspberry Mojitos. Featured as one of Bobby Flay's best things I ever ate for their peanut butter and banana french toast, I was really looking forward to experiencing this cafe. The ambiance was funky and fun with the bright colored lime green walls, coffee cup chandeliers, and was popular with about a 45 minute wait. I would come here for the waffles and pancakes, but not the eggs and potatoes. I ordered eggs benedict, and wouldn't order it again, the Hollandaise sauce was bland and the poached eggs were almost hard boiled, and most of our plates that arrived with home fries (sauteed with green bell peppers and onions) left the table with most of the home fries on them. The peanut butter and banana stuffed french toast and pumpkin waffles (after sampling them off my friend's plates), would bring me back to give Cafe 222 another chance to change my initial impression. In fact, my friend Katie S even bought the pumpkin waffle mix so she could take it home and share it with her boyfriend. The biscuits also had great texture, but I'd take the Beach Break Cafe's gravy first. If you're in the mood for waffles and pancakes, this place is a fun, funky option in downtown San Diego!



Richard Walker's Pancake House 520 Front Street, San Diego, CA 92101, 619.231.7777

There was about an hours wait, but boy was it worth it! The posh yet funky interior with the stained glass windows and their multi colored rubber pulley's are the perfect setting for the decadent menu. Katie S literally walked out of the restaurant yelling to the line that they should try the Baked Apple Pancakes (Pictured). Yup, sometimes we got food induced turrets! It really would bring me back a second time...and a third....and a fourth. All the cakes were good, my Northern Bacon Stuffed Flap Jacks had the perfect mix of salty and sweet (there were so many of them I wound up cutting out and eating the areas with the highest bacon concentration), and the blueberry and chocolate chip cakes were delicious as well.


The Eggs Benedict was much better here, and Bree had chicken soup for breakfast (her tummy was a little tender) and it actually had real shreds of chicken breast like mamma made it in the kitchen! Also highly recommended by our hotel's concierge, if you had one morning to eat breakfast in the Gaslamp, this is the place to pick!