Vagabond

Okay, we forgot to take a pic outside the restaurant, so we added one from 2003. Enjoy.

Our February restaurant pick: Vagabond in South Park, just east of Balboa Park.

 

Atmosphere: French bohemian with a cozy vibe. We came here when we first started our monthly dinners years ago and sat in a corner booth seat with cushions. This time around we were at a table.

What we drank: Jen had the Basil Martini after remembering how good it was last time we were there. Elisabeth ordered a Belvedere grapefruit Martini with St. Germaine.

Appetizers: We shared Kung-Pao Style Calamari with peanuts, scallions, and spicy hoisin, as well as the Crispy Pork Belly on a creamy parmesan polenta with chimichurri sauce & a poached egg.

Entrees: Elisabeth had the Double Cut Pork Chop, grilled with creme fraiche mashed potatoes, braised cavelo nero, and a charred tomato coulis. Jen ordered the Braised Colorado Lamb Shank with celery root puree, fennel, caramel apples & a yogurt sauce.

Dessert: We split the Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta with mango soup and the Flourless Chocolate Cake with Ricotta whipped cream and raspberry coulis.

Elisabeth's take: Since there was no drink menu & I wanted something sweet, our server sent over the bartender and he suggested a martini with grapefruit vodka & St. Germaine (magic liqueur words to me!). It was delicious and tangy and sweet and a perfect complement to the appetizers. My second one was a bit stronger and more sour, but not totally unlikeable. 

The calamari appetizer was definitely Asian in flavor, but with such a gorgeous mix of salty, spicy, & sweet that I gobbled most of it. Also evident of its deliciousness: I tried the piece with all the tentacles (which I normally shy away from because, well, its icky!) and when a staff member came to adjust our wobbly table, I didn't bother to pause my eating. Yes, folks... this is good calamari! 

I suppose now I have to write an equally glowing paragraph about the pork belly, because it was also magnificent! Tender, salty, and well-rounded with a bite of the creamy polenta and egg (I'm really liking the poached-egg-on-everything trend) and sweet/tangy chimichurri sauce. I've not been so close to licking a bowl in quite some time.

Entree time: my pork chop was well-seasoned and I'm always a fan of meat & potato dishes that satisfy. This one was juicy & buttery, with enough acid from the kale-like cavelo nero to soothe all taste buds. I hardly ever wrap up leftovers for home, but I left with a box this time!

When the desserts rolled around, I found the mango soup overly sweet but really liked the peanut butter granola that accompanied it with the panna cotta. The chocolate cake was good, but the coulis (which I swear isn't raspberry but couldn't quite place the flavor) was amazing and lent a really nice touch. Added to the quiet, cozy-but-hip vibe of the place, it was a terrific meal and Jen & I lingered quite a while after the last bites. I'm very pleased we returned to an old favorite.


Jen's take:  Elisabeth and I decided to return to this old favorite because we had such fond memories of the food and once again Vagabond did not disappoint. I was a bit worried to start off due to the lack of drink menu and our server not being able to recommend much of anything. The bartender was happy enough to come over and work our drinks out, however, and I settled on the Basil Martini after remembering how much I had loved it the first time around. The only drawback was lipstick on my glass, which was quickly and apologetically fixed. The drink itself did not disappoint!


Our appetizers were two vastly different flavors and I worried how they would taste being eaten together. We solved that problem by eating one and then the other. The calamari was delicious with a tangy, spicy sauce that worked perfectly. The pork belly was a little bit of heaven on a plate. The perfect bite had a bit of pork belly, polenta, chimmichuri sauce, and egg with some of the runny yolk. The chef certainly knew what he was doing creating this dish. Another thing I enjoyed about this dish was that the salt didn't overpower as it has in other pork dishes we've tasted recently. The seasonings and flavors were perfectly balanced.


After the disaster that was my entree last month I was hoping for an amazing dish this time around and, again, Vagabond did not disappoint. The lamb was fall off the bone tender and the sides provided a striking compliment. And the sauce, the yogurt sauce, brought the whole dish over the top. The whole dish was a tender, flavorful, melt in your mouth deliciousness that I would highly recommend!

After all the yumminess that was our meal so far I had high hopes for dessert. Normally I don't go for dishes such as panna cotta but this one made me a believer. I loved the peanut butter granola and mango soup accompaniments. While devouring the chocolate cake all I could say, over and over, was, "This is so good!" It was exactly that, a chocolate cake done well with a delicious coulis. Nice atmosphere and great drinks and food, what more can you ask for on a rare night out?!

The verdict: Dependably varied & delicious food in an inviting atmosphere, with an attentive and charming staff. We definitely recommend Vagabond!

Yelp.com reviewers average 4 stars for Vagabond. We think a 5!

Best Bites,

Elisabeth & Jen

Bankers Hill Bar and Restaurant

Our October restaurant pick: Bankers Hill Bar and Restaurant, located in Bankers Hill, just north of downtown San Diego and west of Balboa Park.

Atmosphere: Barn-meets-garden-meets-glass warehouse. We loved the succulent plant "art" on the wall, which the host told us was grown in the owner's backyard before transferred to the restaurant's patio area. There were a few light fixtures made of wine glasses and glass bottles which intrigued us, and the high-beamed ceilings inside added a rustic touch.

What we drank: Elisabeth had the Rum Ramos martini: rum, lemon, egg whites, sugar, and orange cream soda. Jen had the #5 (gin, lime, St. Germaine, cucumber & basil), followed by the grapefruit martini: grapefuit vodka, lemon, and sciracha.

Appetizers: We split the Deviled Farmer's Market Eggs and the Braised Bacon-Green Apple Salad.

Entrees: Jen had the Crispy BBQ Braised Pork Tacos, and Elisabeth ordered the BH Burger with Truffle Fries.

Dessert: We split the Butterscotch Pudding and Chocolate Cake.

Elisabeth's take: Apparently there's a new trend in cocktails: adding egg whites. Though it originally gave me the shivers to even think about it, it's yummy. It gave my drink the perfect touch of creaminess. None of the ingredients was overpowering, and although I love a sugary drink, it wasn't overpoweringly sweet. So delicious, I had two! Impressive. The deviled eggs were amazing. Little capers everywhere... the texture and taste were such a creamy and wonderful combination I could have happily ordered a few more and had them suffice for my dinner. And the chips that came with them were the size of our heads. The bacon and apple salad was great too, but a bit salty... maybe influenced overmuch by the bacon? Hard to tell, as the bacon sat off to the side and was superb in its own right. I liked the crunch of the apple salad (and more of a slaw, I thought), but the salt needed something else to tone it down...

My go-to at a new place is almost always their burger. I can't resist a good burger, and this one didn't let me down. It was moist and the heirloom tomatoes atop added an elegance I appreciated. The truffle fries were the perfect side: salty but with a depth of flavor from the truffle that was unexpected and really enjoyable.

The butterscotch pudding, much-hyped, was great! A good balance of cream and sweet. The top was almost like a creme brulee, but underneath was very special. I liked the chocolate cake, too; it was denser than I usually enjoy and the chocolate-covered pretzel sticks on top weren't much to note. But what really stood out was the accompanying banana-caramel ice cream. I could have had much more of that deliciousness and been so happy!

Jen's take: I normally love a drink that includes gin but The #5 was a disappointment. It lacked flavor and, for the first time ever, I returned a drink to the bar. But my replacement, The Grapefruit Martini recommended by our server, made up where the previous drink failed. The Absolut and lemon brought a nice sour note that was oddly complemented by the Sriracha. In fact, all of our server's recommendations that night turned out delicious. Second on his list were the deviled eggs with housemade potato chips. I was having trouble imagining how to make deviled eggs fancy but BHBR did an excellent job. They were creamy and flavorful and the capers added a nice element. The housemade potato chips I could take or leave but that may have more to do with my general dislike of chips than the quality of the ones we received. I also loved the bacon and apple salad even with the salty overtones. All the flavors and textures combined nicely on the tongue. If we return I would order it again.

For dinner I was vacillating between the Spice Rubbed Idaho Trout and the Crispy BBQ Braised Pork tacos and again our server came through. Although I imagine both items are superb and will probably order the trout should we return the tacos ended up being an amazing choice. There wasn’t much to them, mostly meat, but the flavors were enough all on their own. A nice added touch was a side of pineapple in mint cherry vinaigrette. I could have eaten a large bowlful of these and highly recommended asking for a few if you eat there.

Dessert was the oddest part of the night. As a chocolate fan I insisted on the chocolate cake figuring the sweet salty combination would be a certain win. I wouldn’t have given the butterscotch pudding a second thought if not for the recommendation of a friend and our server who had already proven his worth. The cake was a disappointment, too salty (seeing a theme here), lacking in flavor, and dry. Unsurprisingly I didn’t care for the ice cream as I don’t like banana flavoring. The butterscotch pudding, however, was all that the hype made it to be. Smooth and creamy, deliciously flavored, I would definitely order it again.

The verdict: In spite of the saltiness of some dishes Bankers Hill Bar & Restaurant is a great place. The food was delicious, the atmosphere just hip enough, and the service superb. Not only would we recommend this restaurant, but we also hope to return very soon.

Yelp.com reviewers average 4 stars for Bankers Hill Bar & Restaurant. We think a 5!

Best Bites,
Elisabeth & Jen