martha

Thank you! Any input on these? Bui Bistro Fume Bistro Celadon Bistro Jeanty Ristorante Allegria Etoile at Domaine Chandon

Is Brix good? Our concierge says it's lovely and the website looks promising. A quick look at the SF gate site indicates a lot of changes over the long term, but nothing in the past few years. Any input or tips? We live in san diego, and were planning for thsi to be our farm-to-table california evening of the trip.

I just reread the OP and wanted to add: Blue ribbon has craft beers and amazing butterscotch pudding--sounds dull, is great. Bull taco does not have beer in Cardiff, just in Oceanside (no view there). Whisknladle and Cucina Urbana are great, but make sure you get a reservation. Have a Racer 5 and a Sculpin if you're comfortable with hops. You're coming to a great craft beer town! And do go to Pizza Port just for beer. It's right on the 101 in Solana Beach. Find a designated driver if you can't walk--you're going to be in heaven. If you need brunch, there is a lovely locals place called claire's on Cedros right in Solana Beach. They even have some good beer.

See the recent San Diego Eater interview for more on George's. Its the place you send all the guests because it's beautiful and tasty. http://sandiego.eater.com/tags/trey-foshee George's is good. There is a closer version of Urban Solace in Encinitas called Solace and the Moonlight. If you're driving all the way to North Park, there are many interesting choices, but I will warn you that El Take it Easy (which was great) just closed. It will be back in a new incarnation with the same ownership soon. There is a better place in Encinitas called Craftsman, in a really dull location on El Camino Real. It's the same couple that run Blue Ribbon, which really is delicious. If you need a covenient meal, there is a nice new place called Real Food and Spirits in Solana Beach right near I-5. Yummy and inventive pizzas and salads, nice buildout, boring shopping center. Don't be tempted by Pamplemousse in del Mar. As for places I might not send guests but go myself: Bull Taco inside the San Elijo campground. (because it's hard to find) http://www.bulltaco.com/site/ is a great lunch choice--the other combination of stunning view and really quality food besides Georges. Eden Gardens neighborhood in Solana Beach. There are very old mexican restaurants that have been serving local families for generations. You'll hear ceaseless debate about which is better: Fidel's and Tony's Jacal. http://www.fidelslittlemexico.com/days-a-hours http://www.tonysjacal.com/ Yu Me Ya in Encinitas--right on 101, Japanese izakaya style appetizers and comfort food, not sushi. Lovely inside, just looks uninviting from the outside. Only open at dinner.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a restaurant to host 125 people for brunch?

good suggestion, but that wasn't okay from a friend standpoint. we went and it was good. All 6 people were generally happy with their food. The truffle fries were fresh and very crispy, and two of the three items in the foie gras trio were quite delicious. Additionally, the service was vastly better than i remembered from many years ago.

One of my friends made a reservation for pamplemousse. i haven't been there in years--anyone tried it recently?

I believe there is also an In N out burger on the other side of I-8. Cheap and good. Also, the Reader reviewer, Naomi Wise, seems to really like Roseville in Point Loma. It's certainly on my 'to do' list this year. We tried the blue plate special at the better half a few weeks ago and it was great. We had a delicious meatloaf and a game-based chili with tons of flavor.

We live in San Diego now, but here are some places we go when we visit. Caveat emptor: our friends who still live there sometimes don't want the same things we do. i can get fresh fish and towers of pretty veggies here, so i may want fried chicken livers when i'm in memphis for a weekend. Cozy Corner BBQ is the best. it's a little north of downtown, near st jude. not luxury atmosphere. very good, long smoked meat, white bread, nice folks. 745 N Parkway, Memphis, 38105 - (901) 527-9158 Do not make the mistake of only visiting the famous place right downtown, you'll miss out. i also like Saigon Le in midtown, the lemongrass chicken, noodles with sliced beef, and mussels wih french butter are great. ask for the extra salt/pepper/lemon mix with the mussels. Boscos is great too, we were just there last month and it's much better than it was when we lived there and it was new. i don't like breakfast, but i agree on brother juniper's--quality, local food. The cooper young area in midtown is a good place to get a meal and a drink. the beauty shop is very good and funky (i will confess one of the owners is a friend) and Soul Fish is great for catfish/southern specialties. If you live far from Memphis, it's interesting to note that Memphis has different tamales than other places (perhaps places with more long-settled hispanic populations). they do weird things like put chili on top, and for some reason, they're great. Belmont Grill (east memphis--also has chicken livers) Corky's BBQ, and P&H cafe have the good tamales. P&H is a dive bar with food, local history, and sometimes live music, on madison in midtown, and i haven't been there in a few years, but i have fond memories.

Forgive me if this is a slight deviation, but has anyone had this experience recently? I was at a Houston's restaurant in Orange County for lunch with 4 other people from work, our boss was hosting. We had a normal meal, appetizer split, 5 entrees, 3 deserts. service was quite good. when the bill came, an 18% tip had been handwritten in. Not added officially, as many places do when you have more than a certain number of people (usually 8, not 5) and not suggested, as in those annoying calculations some restaurants print at the bottom, but handwritten, as if the server had done it himself. Our host was so surprised he asked us if we'd ever seen such a thing and none of us had. He said he had intended to tip more but now wondered if he should tip less in protest. I'm inclined to beleive him, he's a fairly generous guy. He stuck with the 18. I wish we had asked about the practice, but we were eager to get on with our day, and it wasn't a situation where one would invite conflict. Please tell me self-tipping isn't a "new black".

Thanks guys! I haven't been since 1991, so I'm sure I'm in for a surprise. warm water--I won't need to pack my wetsuit.

The trip will be May 19-25. Some places in San Diego think a mojito has sprite in it. and vodka.

How about places with fresh local seafood? or anything else special about the area--local produce, unique recipes, house made salad dressings and deserts? An upscale option sounds great, but we're not particularly looking for anything fancy unless it's also really good. we don't want to dress up for the same seared ahi you get all over the world. We'll be visiting from southern california, so we're not dying for sushi, pretty plates, barely cooked vegetables, or mexican food. But on the other hand, that's what we're used to, so after a few days of "everything battered, fried, and covered in sauce" we really want something like the grilled grouper mentioned above. Especially if the battered items come frozen from national distributors. Also, we're driving over from N.O., so if anyone knows where to get great gulf shrimp on the way, if they still exist, that would be a huge treat!

Lat night--two Racer 5's and a few Stone Pale Ales. Tonight--low cal miller lite. i believe the lighter dos equis is lager, the dark amber. I always remember i like the one in the green bottle. Lager i believe. both are quite good w/mexican food, esp on draft. I also like bohemia.

Our family will be making a road trip from New Orleans to Destin in May (a celebration of the baby's graduation from Tulane). I became a devotee of this site as a direct result of the articles by Fat Guy on Northwest Florida. I was imaptient to visit Sandor's' on this trip and I am very sorry to hear the latest. Is there any way we could use the occasion of updates on Sandor to spark a 2005 update on the whole area?