So the ambiance is great here, dimly lit, small and cozy. Once seated I kind of felt like I was back in Italy again. Their menu for the evening was written in chalk on the wall.  The entire place was staffed by real Italians who spoke to each other in Italian and to their tables in Enlish with heavy accents, just like back in Italy. We started out sharing a caprese salad with prosciutto that was absolutely delicious. This was an actual salad-salad (not your regular caprese salad), with greens in an oil and balsamic vinegar dressing, fresh buffalo mazzarella topped with home made pesto and served with some incredible proscuitto. Every single ingredient was at its freshest and that’s a big reason why this salad was so delicious. For entres I had the spicy shrimp  linguine and Steph had the risotta with asparagus. I added some fresh squeezed lemon on my shrimp linguine and I thought it was perfect. The risotta was absolutely loaded with flavor and the asparagus added a nice touch. We had some Chianti Superiore with dinner and it was nice but it’s no Duckhorn Cab or anything. My wife is what you might call a desert freak so of course we had to order a desert. I’m so glad we did because we had a dark chocolate tart served with a bit of coffee flavored gelato on the side and it had to be one of the best deserts I’ve had in quite a long time. Not to sweet, not to heavy….just perfect. We had cappucinos with desert which had to be the best I’ve had since the last time I was  in Rome. All in all…just a perfect meal for our first night out as a family. Damn, I sound a little sappy don’t I? Oh well…when the food is that good it’s ok to be sappy.

• Cream Cheese Wontons (cream cheese and king crab meat wrapped in a puff pastrey)
• Spring Rolls (cabbage, carrots, celery, mushrooms, glass noodles, perfectly wrapped and lightly fried to a golden brown served with a delicious plum sauce)
• Summer Rolls  (steamed rice noodle envelopes sauteed tofu, pickled cabbage & bean sprouts dressed with fried garlic, cilantro, and a special Thai sauce) if you want to go more healthy.
• Tom Yum Soup (Lemon Grass) and Tom Kha (Coconut Lemon Grass)
• Garlic and Pepper (Stir-fried garlic and pepper enhanced with a secret sauce)
• Red Curry (coconut milk, bell pepers, eggplant, bamboo shoots & basil)

So many more I want to try because everything is always so amazing here. 5 stars.

• Phad Thai Noodles……….. Pan fried rice noodles with eggs, bean sprouts and crushed peanuts.
• See-Eyew Noodles …………………………Pan fries rice noodles with eggs, carrots and broccoli.
• Green Curry ………………………………………………..With bamboo shoots, peas and carrots.
• Pineapple Curry …………………………………………………….With red curry and pineapple.

You order your food 0-10 on the spicy level. I love spicy and usually go for 5 or 6. One of the guys orders an 8 and is always sweating during his meal. And of course that’s always attractive. No, that guy is not Chris Valcarcel if you are wondering.

Spices Thai also has a Carmel Valley location and both are outstanding. Now it’s not exactly Rama (best Thai in San Diego in my opinion) but you will be satisfied after your meal, I promise you. If not, too bad.

We didn’t want to fill up but we definitely needed something solid in our bellies so we ordered up the Chips and Guacamole (Fresh Avocado-Serrano Peppers-Tomato-Onion-Panela Cheese-Cilantro-Lime-House Chips) and the Carna Asada street tacos (Carne Asada-Avocado Cream-Cilantro-Onion). The guac was cool, tangy and fresh…awesome. The Carne Asada tacos were outstanding. Soft, fresh corn tortillas with perfectly marinated and tender meat and fresh cilantro/onion/guacamole. 

I need to go back for another meal there to try some more but we all thought the food was great. Yea, yea…I know. We had drinks and everything taste better when your buzzing. I was plenty sober (at least at this point in the night) so my taste buds were not swayed by the adult beverages from earlier in the night. Two thumbs up, try it out and let me know what you think.

This was my our (my wife and I) first trip to NY this year so we wanted to stay somewhere different then the last few times we’ve visited. We’ve stayed in Midtown a couple times, the Upper West side but never Downtown in the Tribeca or Soho area so we chose to stay at the Smyth Hotel, a shiek little hotel that reminds me of a W style hotel.  Modern, clean, great neighborhood and right next to the Chambers St. subway entrance which has 1,2 and 3 trains for easy access to anywhere. But enough about that….let’s get on to the food.

Everything on the menu looked good so we asked our waiter what he recommended for an appetizer to start. He suggested the Sautéed Jumbo Lump Crabcake ($19) served with Corn, Lardons & Chanterelles. It was the most expensive appetizer on the menu if you’re curious (most were around $13 or so) but I had noticed other tables ordering that as well so I figured why not try it. It did not dissapoint. The flavor of every bite was pretty incredible. Lardons if you’re curious are very small pieces of fat (normally pork fat) which are used extensively in French cooking, as well as in some cooking from other regions. Chanterelles are delicious, delicately flavored mushrooms. Those ingredients along with sweet corn kernals and a light creme sauce are what made the crab cakes unique and loaded with  the perfect combination of flavors in every single bite.  After the first taste I was filled with  evil thoughts of greed and no longer wanted to share but my wife is pregnant after all so for my safety I figured maybe sharing was a wise option. I think she enjoyed it even more than I did.

For entres, Stephanie ordered the Herbed Ricotta Raviolini ($19) which were served with Braised Artichokes, Fava Beans & Cherry Tomatoes over a flavorful broth and not a typical thicker sauce which was a nice change of pace to normal pasta dishes. The raviolinis were fresh, cooked to perfection and the ricotta filling was seasoned perfectly. I ordered the Grilled Filet of Beef ($33), served with garlic whipped potatoes, sauteed spinach & crispy onion rings. The filet was incredibly tender and flavorful and it was excellent. It didn’t compare to a Ruth Chris or LG’s Steakhouse Filet where it had tons of butter on it but then again I like the fact that I’m not wondering if my arteries are going to close on me right in the restaurant. I didn’t care for the spinach but the garlic mashed potatoes were perfect and loaded with garlic.

We didn’t order any wines, drinks or desert so I can’t tell you anything about that but the atmosphere was pretty cool . Good looking crowd, great ambiance and excellent service.  Try this place out if you are ever in Downtown NYC and youwon’t be dissapointed. I give this place 4 stars overall.

Blackened ahi tacos (two crispy won ton shells, shredded cabbage, pepper-seared tuna, salsa fresca, lemon wasabi (Japanese horseradish) – Awesome appetizer. I could mow down about 10 of these. 

Lazy Chef Roll (Tempura fried on the outside, topped with spicy aioli and eel sauce and loaded with too many ingredients to mention inside). It is Poway Sushi Lounge’s version of the Kitchen Sink at Sushi on the Rock. The ball and chains favorite roll here. Everyone who I’ve ever tried this with loves it.

El Chapo Roll (spicy krab, cucumber, asparagus, cilantro layered with halibut and avocado, 7 spice powder, green onion, ponzu). Perfect combination of flavors with a nice crunch of asparagus inside.

Chronic Roll (shrimp tempura, avocado, krab, cucumber topped w/ spicy tuna, tempura crunchies, eel sauce) – They serve this same roll at Sushi on the Rock but it’s not on the menu over there.

Tsunami Roll (grilled shrimp, crab, asparagus, avocado, and cucumber layered w/ cajun seared albacore, roasted garlic, chili cilantro ponzu sauce on the side). Awesome seared cajun albacore and the dipping sauce on the side is perfect.

Pepper Seared Ahi Sashimi (ahi coated with black pepper, seared and served over a bed of avocado and sweet onion, garlic ponzu sauce) – It doesn’t get much better than this. If you like pepper seared than make sure you order this dish. If you don’t, order it anyways because I’m telling you to.

Ahi Poke (chef cuts of tuna, sweet onions, sesame seeds, chives, marinated in our special poke sauce, served over a seaweed salad) – Very, very good ahi. The only thing I would add is some fresh avocado slices but still amazingly fresh.

Look, you pretty much can’t go wrong no matter what you order here. The fish is as fresh as I’ve tasted anywhere with the exception of Katana on Sunset Blvd. in L.A. and I promise you will not be dissapointed. A lot of Charger players also go here and I’ve seen a few from time to time. 4 1/2 stars.

They also have veggie burgers for you weirdos out there, turkey burgers for the health nuts and salads as well. There is also a kids menu (hamburgers or chicken tenders) so you can take the kids there. The only negative about this place is the size. It’s very tight and only fits about 20 people or so.

Sorry all you Rocky’s fans…this is the best burger in San Diego. 5 stars.

We were there with our wives and all four of us ordered the filets. None of us were dissapointed. These were some incredibly lean, tender and flavorful pieces of meat, just maybe that best steak I ever had. It doesn’t come in a pool of  hot butter like Ruth’s Chris, but my heart valves appreciate that. The steaks do come out sizzling on hot plates that keep the steak nice and hot the whole time. If fact, they ask you to cover your shirts with your napkin so you don’t get splattered by the sizzling steaks. One bite and I was in love….seriously awesome filet mignon. If your’e a steak man (or girl), you have to check this place out.

The sides are good too, but nothing that I thought was worth raving about. After all, the steaks are the star of this show. Ceasar salad’s are made for you tableside with fresh ingredients so that’s prety cool. I had to try it and it was pretty good but I’ve had better ceasar dressing and the lettuce wasn’t as cold and crisp as I would have liked. Blue cheese wedge salads are also good there.  We also ordered some sweet corn (that wasn’t so sweet) and the garlic mashed potatoes that I do recommend to anyone else except for my wife (the perfect amount of garlic in my opinion).

Price wise, it’s pretty much the same as Ruth’s Chris in case you’re wondering. We spent $250 for 4 of us (that included a bottle of red at $45, 4 filet’s, 4 salads, sides and some ice cream at the end). Overall a great dining experience thanks to how good their filets are. I give it a 4 stars overall.

The food however is not Mexican food but more of a fusion of food from around the world with items like Thai baby back ribs, Tabule rice (sushi rice, avocado, cream cheese, crab, plantain bananas and eel sauce), caprese salad, chipotle fettucini, duck breast with pomegranate and many different ceviches. I’m a big fan of ceviche (when it’s done right) and Tabule ceviches are great. Their selection of ceviches include tuna ceviche, salmon ceviche, white sea bass ceviche, abalone ceviche, caracol ceviche and shrimp ceviche.  They have some pretty tasty drinks as well including a Tamarino martini ($9) which is a little too sweet but still very good. I especially like the candied chili powder they put on the rim…sweet and spicy at the same time. And no, I didn’t get a pink umbrella in my drink if you were wondering.

I was there with a couple buddies and  we wanted to start out with a ceviche so we ordered the White Sea Bass Ceviche ($15) and it did not dissapoint. The ceviche was marinated in citrus juices and was mixed with chunks sea bass, green bell peppers, green tomatos, onions, serrano chili, cucumbers, capers and avocado slivers and served with toasted tostada shells on the side. It was flavorful and perfectly marinated but as excellent as it was, I do have to give the nod to Quero Restaurant in Encinitas  for best ceviche in San Diego. We were trying to eat light since we were going out so we each ordered salads. They both had Caesar salads ($8)  and I had the Heart of Palm and Mango Salad ($10) which was hearts of palm lettuce, goat cheese, mangos, carmelized walnuts,  and tomatos with a chipotle dressing that was phenomenal. The Caesars were nothing special and one of the guys even mentioned that it was light on flavor (but then again this is the same guy who once put boatloads of mustard on chicken marsala dish I made for him before he even tasted it so take that for what it’s worth). I had a bite of the Caesar and I thought it was just fine. Now the Heart of Palm and Mango salad, that was just delicious. I am a little partial to anything with goat cheese in it I’ll admit but everything about this salad was awesome and the combination of flavors were perfect so I highly recommend this salad. We also ordered Arrachera Tacos ($14) which was sliced up skirt steak served with tomatos, red onions, avocado, scallions and corn tortillas. They were pretty good but not amazing by any means. We also ordered the Shrimp and Crab Portabella ($15)  which was a Portabella mushroom stuffed with king crab meat, topped with a blue cheese reduction sauce and topped with shrimp (or “scrimps” if you prefer to pronounce it like that). It was good but not great as I thought it was a little too rich tasting for me.

Overall I give this place 4 stars all things considered including ambiance, food and service. I definitely recommend this place and I’m going to go here again because I still haven’t had a chance to order the entres. As our govornor would say, I’ll be back.