Beer Alcohol Cocktails cocktail recipe Beer Festivals Restaurant Review

My wife tells me that I'm weird since i don't love pizza. Unfortunately because of that, I've generally avoided California Pizza kitchen since I'd always seen it as a pizza joint. Since earlier this year though when I helped them kick off their new location at The Park in Vegas, it's become one of my favorite restaurants.

Breakfast Republic seems to be on the list of every foodie I know in San Diego right now. With lines on weekends that might you second guess stopping by, I know plenty of my friends have simply just passed it by but still wondered what it was like to dine there. Luckily, they continue to expand and now have locations in North Park, Liberty Station, Encinitas and recently opened in East Village San Diego. The menu here is exactly what you'd expect from a California brunch place and in particular one that's growing up in San Diego's modern food scene and we were thrilled to be invited to check it out.

Since moving from San Diego to Toledo, OH there have been a ton of adjustments and among them is the fact that things such as good pho shops are few and far between here in the midwest. Heather and I have been craving Pho Point Loma back home and frankly nothing is ever going to compare - but we might have found an option here in Ohio that will keep our bellies warm and full this winter at Wife's Ramen & Pho.

While many people are out and about again, others of us such as myself are still focused on staying at home as much as possible. It's tough though since frankly, I'm getting tired of the things I know how to make and sometimes you want a restaurant-quality experience that is just easy. Delivery often fails in this regard since that crispy, fresh from the oven experience just doesn't work after sitting in a delivery bag for 20-30 minutes. That's why I love these treats that Porto's Baker from Los Angeles sent us to try out as part of their Porto's Bake At Home experience.

Crabfest^® is back at Red Lobster and we stopped by to check out some of their new creations including the Crab Cakes and Crab-Oscar Salmon and the Crabfest® Ultimate Surf & Turf - both are new this year. Don't worry, your favorites are still here like the Crab Lovers Dream^® and they have limitless cheddar bay biscuits (as long as you ask nicely!). 

One of my favorite things about visiting Las Vegas is the food scene. There's always something new and fun popping up and because of the competition, innovation is constant. On this most recent trip, we were invited to check out Rice & Company, a pan-Asian restaurant located right between Blue Man Group and Carrot Top's theaters inside of the Luxor resort at the south end of the strip. It's the perfect spot for pre/post show drinks as well as a complete dinner to keep you going all night long.

There are two things in life that I love the most (outside of my wife of course!) - Traveling and Food. That's really one bigger thing: exploring new cultures. That's why I love trying new restaurants that work hard to transport you to new times and places like Havana 1920 does. Havana 1920 is a new Cuban-themed cafe and bar in the heart of San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter - very close to the convention center as well as most of the bigger hotels. Here's what we loved about it!

Las Vegas was once the land where everyday people could escape their everyday reality and be whoever they wanted to be for a few days. Today, the strip is dominated by elite restaurants, fancy shops, and pretty much anything expensive that you can imagine. It's a great place, but what's missing is that "Las Vegas Magic". Luckily, that still exists at a few places and others are creating new experiences that make you feel like a celebrity - without spending like it. That's exactly how I felt when Mirage Las Vegas invited me to stop by to check out their Chef's Table Experience at the Cravings Buffet.

Genoa, Nevada is a perfect town to visit for any guys looking for a taste of what the west was like before being tamed. If you venture just around the corner from the Mormon Station and Nevada's oldest bar though, you'll find one of the finest foodie spots in Nevada. The Pink House seemingly doesn't fit here but at the same time it works perfectly. Not only is the building itself one of the oldest structures in Genoa but it was about striking out into unfamiliar territory and trying new things. That's exactly what you'll find here today...

I've been to my share of Indian restaurants around the country - and indeed internationally as well. One major challenge that any ethnic cuisine faces is that in many ways it must adapt to the local population - "Chinese" and "Mexican" - have done this amazingly well but "Indian Food" draws from a much broader collection of ethnicities, flavors, regions, and frankly just isn't as well established compared to Thai, Korean, Japanese, or Vietnamese where a handful of dishes define the entire category for most Americans.

San Manuel has long been a leader at delivering a premium gaming experience to Southern California, including their Asian-inspired gaming room - Lotus 8 Palace where you could find slots and table games not found in many other casinos in the area. Lotus 8 even had a noodle menu, and Asian beer as well as sake. What San Manuel was missing though is a really good Asian restaurant and that's why they created Hong Bao Kitchen!

The San Pedro Fish Market is one of the most famous restaurants in Los Angeles and dates back to 1956 when it opened it's doors as Vista Seafood. It's known worldwide as a fun place serving up huge portions of fresh seafood that people know is worth facing crowds of hungry people just to get a bite of. Now they are expanding into a new concept, delivering the food and fun of the classic Shrimp Tray and other items but now in a fast casual restaurant environment. While still family owned, the San Pedro Fish Market Grille has expanded to multiple locations including Rolling Hills Estates, Wilmington, and Harbor City - where they invited us to join them for a taste.

One of the greatest things about food in the United States is that the best elements of the cuisine from around the world can mash together here. That's what I found here at Shrimp Heads in San Diego when I visited a few weeks ago. On the surface it looks like a fairly typical Southern California "shrimp tray" seafood shop but when you scratch beneath the surface you discover that it's an awesome blend of Asian and Cajun united by a love of good cooking.

Rodizio style Brazilian steakhouse restaurants are my absolute favorite style of dining. It combines everything I love in a culinary experience - endless meat, a variety of flavors, and that sense of being special. Over the past few decades the Churrascaria concept has spread rapidly in the United States and Texas de Brazil is one of the biggest operators to offer this experience. Now they've added Carlsbad, San Diego to their list of more than 50 locations world wide. They invited us to stop by and try their interpretation on the concept and we loved it!

Texas is known for being big and over the top, so I don't know why I was surprised to see a real live Texas Long Horn bull out front of The Ranch at Las Colinas when we arived. Not only was this cool to see, but it was there as a photo op for kids (of all ages!) to sit on as they took your photo. The bit of morbidity that you are quite literally playing with your food before dinner aside, this set the tone for one of the best steak dinners that I've had in a long while.

Father's Day is coming up and I think I speak for most men and we'd love a great big hunk of meat for dinner. There's a wide spectrum of options out there today from high-end steakhouses to grabbing a steak at the diner down the street but the middle space seems filled with marginal options. Sure, these chain restaurants are good but inevitably they miss the mark when it comes to quality, preparation, and atmosphere. That's why I was truly surprised after my visit to Black Angus Steakhouse here in San Diego earlier this week. Despite being part of a chain that's operated in the western United States for more than 50 years it felt like an independent location with good quality food and a fun atmosphere that while kitschy - felt genuine.

How many of you guys are familiar with, Lambanog? Probably not many unless you have traveled to the Philippines or have some Filipino friends, but that's about to change. I'm extremely passionate about the history of alcoholic spirits and especially when it connects parts of the world in new ways. Now some of you may be wondering why Lambanog is something that I am so eager to share with you... after all .. for many folks this is simply known as "Filipino Vodka" but without the distillation heritage of pre-colonial Philippines, Tequila may never have become what we know and love today. So let's raise our glasses to our seafaring Filipino friends... Mabuhay!

You may have heard of Prince St Pizza as an iconic New York City pizza shop that has rapidly joined the ranks of regional favorites that are now available nationwide through Gold Belly. However, they have also been aggressively expanding with retail locations too. Most recently, that list of places that you can get authentic New York pizza now includes San Diego! I don't say this lightly but I was actually pretty impressed with these guys and as any fan of pizza in the Big Apple knows... it's all about the water.

Key West has no shortage of great places to get some awesome food and so when our host (The Florida Keys) sent us to the next island over, I wasn't sure why. As it turned out, this was no mistake - Matt's Stock Island Kitchen & Bar located in the Perry Hotel is an absolutely fabulous restaurant and while we just came here for dinner, the property is a great destination for guys planning a fishing trip since the marina is right there. Plus they are building out a distillery and a music venue complete with pool and bar service. What more could you possibly ask for?

Typically, visiting a steakhouse like Ruth’s Chris is something reserved for special occasions like celebrating a new client or a birthday - but why not plan a “because I love you!” date night for someone you love? That’s what I did with Heather a couple of weeks ago before leaving on another week-long trip.