Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Babycakes--fabulous desserts in Hillcrest

 Photo from the Babycakes website, used for review purposes only.

Babycakes--3766 Fifth Avenue, San Diego, California, 92103.  (619) 296-4173.  To see their website click here

This will be a shorter review as we only had dessert, but we liked what we had and saw and will go back.  Babycakes is a fun and relaxing dessert place that also has a full bar.  Think Truffles on Clifton (For our Cleveland fans.) with booze.  The specialty is, as the name suggests cupcakes, though they had a scrumptious dessert case and also serve quiche, fruit trays, and similar items.  Their website states that they are getting ready to add lunch and brunch soon.

Parking in Hillcrest can be a problem, but Babycakes is far enough down Fifth that there is usually street parking.  If not, the Rite Aid across the street has a pay lot. 

On the approach, I noticed the location has a quaint, antique look and according to the website, the restaurant is situated in 1889 Craftsman home.  There is a front patio with ample seating that allows smoking.  There  a rear patio though I did not see it.  Toni and I went to the dessert case side and were helped by a friendly guy with earlobe expanding earrings in that were about an inch across.  I got a vanilla cupcake with fudge icing and a double espresso.  Toni got a rasperry fudge cupcake with a soy chai latte.  I was immediately impressed that friendly earring boy peeled the cupcake paper for us.  If you are like me, I tend to avoid cupcakes simply because I don't like messing around with the paper.  Then he plated them, added some chocolate sauce for presentation points, and made witty chit chat all at the same time.  While he was helping us, someone else came to make sure we were being helped.  Service is not an issue at Babycakes.

We got our food, 2 cupcakes and 1 double espresso and one chai latte--the damage $14.14--very reasonable I thought.  I was happy to give earring boy a few dollars in the jar.

The cupcakes were good--these were not your momma's bakesale cupcakes--they were moist with thick, rich icing, garnished with little chocolate discs and some sauce.  Wonderful.

We ate on the patio.  A server came by twice while we were out, cleaning and clearing.

Best of all--no dogs and no screaming children.

Babycakes--good food, prices, atmosphere, (Though the view from the front patio is Rite Aid and the taxi stand.) nice looking bar.  For what it is--I gave it a GOOD-GREAT on our scale.  Toni had to refrain from helping with this review as she doesn't feel good, but she liked it too.  We will go back when they expand their food menu.

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Coronado Firehouse Bar and Grill

126 Orange Avenue, Coronado, California, 92118.  (619) 554-2900.

Located at the northern end of Coronado, the Coronado Firehouse Bar and Grill just opened about one month ago.  It is situated in the building which actually housed Coronado's first fire station and is aptly decorated as such.  The walls are covered with photos of fires and fighting fires.  The inside is clean and spacious with cool metal tables, large banquettes, and a small amount of patio seating.  Toni liked it because it had two dalmation wearing fire hat statues.  Also right up front were two vintage cars dominating the dining room. (Didn't make sense to me, It was cool, but didn't really fit--Toni.)

We went in for lunch and were seated promptly.  The people seated in front of us had a small dog tied to the chair under their table.  This seems to be common practice in San Diego, but is one we find ridiculous--in places where we are eating, it's gross to have everyone's mutts staring at you and salivating with every bite you take.  The only thing worse is to be surrounded by screaming, ill-behaved children.

The waitress was perky and everything was 'beautiful.'  They had a fair selection of beer on tap.  I ordered a Dark and Stormy stout, the twenty oz. for $7.00.  As an appetizer, I got a 'rookie' sized 5-Alarm Firehouse Chili ($5.79), which was described as a Texas-style chilli seasoned with Sierra Nevada porter and traditional spices and covered with Frito's corn chips.  For an entree, I ordered a Captain burger ($9.79) which was basically a bleu cheese burger with onion rings and an herb aoili.  Toni ordered a charbroiled chicken sandwich ($9.99).

As I had ordered an appetizer, I expected that it would come out first.  However, after about twenty minutes a food runner brought all of our food at once.  There is a certain understanding that if an item is called a 'starter' that it starts--bring it out first.  I'm sure that they did not have to make the chili fresh, they probably could have brought it to us before our lunch. 

The chili was mediocre.  On the plus side, the meat used was excellent, like tender stew meat.  It was topped with fresh onions and Fritos, which was a nice, homey touch.  On the down side, it was bland and luke warm.  The cheese on top was melted but had cooled enough to re-harden.  The beer taste overpowered the chili, which wasn't spicy at all--when you name your chili 5-alarm chili that's like a verbal contract that its going to have a little kick.

The Captain burger, I had ordered medium and it came out very well done.  It was covered with big onion rings that were quite good and served on a high quality kaiser roll.  The fries were seasoned with a taco-like powder that wasn't terrible.  The fries were limp.

Here's Toni's take on the chicken--What can you say?  It was a chicken sandwich for Chrissakes.  But the bun was delicious; it was like a brioche roll and had a thick piece of avocado on top, which is so California.  My fries were cold, not crispy, and I didn't really like the seasoning.  I miss the days when a fry was a fry.  Stop messing with the potato!  When did french fries become fancy?  Overall, I like the sandwich and some of the other items we saw people eating looked good--potato skins, the pizza looked really good.  I will go back, even though it wasn't perfect, to try some of the other foods.  I also thought the names of the foods were cute--I want to go back just so I can order 'the Hoseman.' (A blackened NY style cheeseburger with jalapenos--$8.79.)  Not that I would actually consume that, I just want to order it (I would wind up having to eat it--Erik.) I just want to call the server a hoseman.

We also have to mention the musical choice, loud techno at 2pm on a Sunday, was stupid.

Other menu items include Hook and Ladder burger (3 kinds of cheese and avocado--$8.99.), pizzas like the Coronado Pizza (Tomatoes, peppers,spinach, onion, artichoke, eggplant, seasonal squash, mushrooms, olives, roasted garlic, three cheese, and avocados--$11.99.)  Go here for their website and full menu.

The consensus is that we would return, in large part because of the atmosphere of the surrounding area.  After we ate it was half a block to San Diego Bay and what we think is the best view of downtown.  On our restaurant rating scale (Gross, So-so, Good, Great) Toni gave the Firehouse a firm GOOD, while I have to go SO-SO.  I would have said that the cleanliness was good, except that I was eating next to a dog.  (I thought it was cute--Toni.)