Angels & Hearts: Harajuku Crêperie

FIRST VISIT

They are not kidding at all with this sign.

Okay...

Taro snow fluff with chocolate sauce.  The whipped cream was really good

Rating: Undecided
Date: 11/19/12

Time in: 8:40 PM

Time out: 9:34 PM 

Servers' recommendations: Taro snow fluff with chocolate sauce

What we ordered: Taro snow fluff with chocolate sauce

Number in our party: 2

Notes: 

• We're coming to the conclusion that we're just not that crazy about snow fluff.  We tried the taro here, but it was watery, flavorless, and kind of boring.  We thought the Up2Yoü snow ice was better (but we would get the honey toast there anyway).
• The girl was very nice and enthusiastic about her recommendations, but the chocolate sauce didn't seem to go all that well with the taro flavor.
• We're going to hold off on deciding on our rating until we try the crepes. 

SECOND VISIT

Whipped cream on the side, because Miko is CRAZY and doesn't like it.  WHO EVEN ARE YOU.

See how charming?

They certainly have an...aesthetic.

Rating: Two thumbs up!
Date: 11/19/12

Time in: 6:45 PM

Time out: 6:57 PM 

What we ordered: Banana nutella crepe

Number in our party: 2 
Final check amount: $5.48
Price per person: $2.74 each

Notes: 

• It's kind of expensive for what it is, but the crepes are so good! They're fluffier than  crepes at other places, and it looks so cute, all rolled into a cone that looks like a flower bouquet.
• They remind me (Jenne) of the crepes I used to get in Japan.  Nostalgia!

RESTAURANT INFORMATION
Address: 4646 Convoy St
Website: http://www.yelp.com/biz/angels-and-hearts-harajuku-crêperie-san-diego
Parking: Craziest parking lot on all of Convoy (and that's saying a lot), although Jenne seems to have good luck
Noise level: 3
Ideal group size: 1-3
Available vegetarian options: So many!!!

Ristorante Kaz/Restaurant Kazu

FIRST VISIT

Shrimp and crab croquette.

Salmon and spinach pasta with cream sauce.

Shishito pepper pasta with mushrooms and yuzu pepper.

Rating: Two thumbs up, gold star potential
Date: 11/4/12

Time in: 6:20 PM

Servers' recommendations: Salmon and spinach pasta with cream sauce; pasta with crab meat and creamy tomato sauce; cod roe, seaweed, and shiso pasta

What we ordered: Shrimp and crab croquette, salmon and spinach pasta with cream sauce, shishito pepper pasta with mushrooms and yuzu pepper

Number in our party: 2

Final check amount: $35.56

Notes: 

• We realize that a Japanese-Italian restaurant sounds odd, but they really do know how to make their pasta. 
• Are they going to follow their sister restaurant (Izakaya Sakura)'s example and not have a sign?  That's so ballsy!
• The restaurant is very pleasant and cozy.  Ideal for nice dates.  The music is super-romantic.
• The olive oil that they serve with the bread is good stuff.
• The servers are enthusiastic, friendly, and competent -- we've come to expect less from a Japanese restaurant!
• The croquettes are so yummy!  I was worried when I saw that they didn't come with a sauce on the side, but they didn't need one.
• The pasta dishes are also delicious, and the flavor combinations are creative and unusual.  They're not greasy or heavy; the cream sauce is nice and light.  The spaghetti is cooked perfectly -- al dente, but not chewy.   

SECOND VISIT

Potato soup (left) and corn soup (right).







Caesar salad.







Caprese salad.







Carbonara (with cream, why?)







Tomato, garlic, and shrimp.

Rating: One thumb up, one sideways
Date: 11/17/12

What we ordered: Fixed lunches: carbonara + corn soup + caprese (Miko), garlic tomato sauce with shrimp + potato soup + Caesar salad

Number in our party: 2

Notes: 

• We know that this place is going to end up with a gold star, but not for their lunch special.  They do pasta beautifully, and they are a perfect dinner restaurant.  It is lovely for an evening date, where you stare into each other's eyes over glasses of wine.  For lunch, I want something easier and less fussy.
• I also just happened to order a dish that I didn't end up liking.  Jenne's garlic tomato sauce with shrimp was delicious!  Their carbonara, however, proved disappointing. Their salmon and spinach in cream sauce is so light that I could happily finish a plate of it every day of my life, but the carbonara was really heavy.  It reminded me of why I don't usually go out for Italian -- it sat in my stomach like a bag of wet cement, and I had eaten barely half.
• Their salads are also kind of meh.  The tomatoes in the caprese were not ripe, and Jenne suspected that the croutons were from a bag.  Surprising in a restaurant that seems to focus so much on detail!
• Also, we would really have liked a little dessert included in the fixed lunch.  Just a single piece of chocolate.  A tidbit of panna cotta.
• They don't have x-factor, which makes a restaurant cozy and homey, but what Ristorante Kaz DOES give us is the feeling that we're on a romantic getaway.  It's a lovely place, and we'll be back again for dinner soon -- I've been eyeing the uni (which is one of my favorites at Izakaya Sakura, their sister restaurant) and the crab pasta.

RESTAURANT INFORMATION
Address: 3904 Convoy St, Ste 105 
Website: Whoa, these guys aren't even on Yelp yet.
Accepts credit cards? Yes
Parking: Shared lot with a good number of spaces
Ideal group size: 1-4
Available vegetarian options: Oil and pepper pasta, tomato and garlic pasta
Who not to bring: People on a budget, first dates
Noise level: 2