Convoy Tofu House

Panchan!  We love panchan!

Hot pot bibimbap.

Dumpling and rice cake stew (Miko's favorite!)

Dumpling soft tofu stew (Jenne's favorite!)

Kimchi sausage soft tofu stew.

Rating: Two thumbs up (+ up from Elise and sideways from Laura)

Date: 5/18/12

Time in: 7:05 PM

Servers' recommendations: Tofu stew, beef ribs, bulgogi chicken/pork
What we ordered: Dumpling soft tofu stew - mild (Jenne), dumpling & rice cake soup (Miko), kimchi sausage soft tofu stew -- very spicy (Elise), hot pot bibimbap (Laura)

Number in our party: 4Final check amount: $41

Notes: 

• Although we didn't order it, the curry soft tofu stew is one of our favorite dishes in all of San Diego.  It's delicious and comforting, and we crave it whenever it gets cold.  (Well, cold for San Diego.)
• Actually, all the tofu stews are quite delicious.
• The dumpling and rice cake soup is also yummy.  It's a little on the blander side, but it's exactly what I want when I feel like I'm about to get sick.  (Miko)
• The rice is excellent.

RESTAURANT INFORMATION

Address: 4229 Convoy St
Phone number: 858.573.2511
Website: http://convoytofuhouse.menutoeat.com
Accepts credit cards? Yes
Parking: Very crowded lot
Ideal group size: 2-4
Available vegetarian options: Vegetable soft tofu stew, soybean soft tofu stew, fried rice

Noise level: 4

Thai House

It's very pink in here -- so much so that I had to color-correct all the food photos!

"Mild" curry with mixed seafood.  The squid was very tender and flavorful.

"Spicy" noodles which were exactly as spicy as the curry was mild -- e.g. not very. 
Both were entirely medium-spicy.
The chicken was also tender and flavorful, but the dish was kind of bland overall.

I (Jenne) had to get Thai iced coffee for old times' sake --
I used to come here with my parents years ago and always ordered it.

Rating: Two thumbs up

Date: 5/4/12

Time in: 2:17 PM

Time in: 3:00 PM

Servers' recommendations: Evergreen, Spicy Noodle

What we ordered: Spicy Noodle (with chicken), Choochi Curry (with seafood) 

Number in our party: 2

Final check amount: $17.14

Notes: 

• The food is simple and not fancy -- the vegetables in the curry are the cubed, frozen kind, which is actually better than the big crinkle-cut carrots that are always in the curry at other Thai restaurants. The seafood is surprisingly good -- soft and flavorful.
• I (Miko) like the noodles, but Jenne finds them a bit one-dimensional.  Thai noodle dishes are usually a lovely combination of sweet, spicy, salty, and sour.  This is only salty and spicy.
• The staff is very nice.
• The decor is very late 80s/early 90s. The color scheme reminds us of our 80stastic library -- teal and mauve. Hideous, yet nostalgic and strangely comforting.

RESTAURANT INFORMATION

Address: 4225 Convoy St

Phone number: 858.278.1800
Website: www.sandiegothairestaurant.com

Accepts credit cards? Yes
Parking: Crowded lot with itty-bitty spaces
Ideal group size: 2-6

Available vegetarian options: Evergreen was recommended, but anything on the menu can be vegetarian.

Noise level: 2.5

Emerald Chinese Seafood Restaurant

Shrimp dumpling, other dumpling, fluffy bun (not pork).

Yet another dumpling.

Sticky rice dumpling that we liked.

Mysterious bun.

Sweet egg yolk bun.

Shrimp-stuffed tofu.

That beef noodle thing that Miko likes and Hildie hates.

Pork bits of some kind--tastier than it looks!

Fried dumplings--UNACCEPTABLY thick wrappers, dude.

Sesame balls--I always have to get them!  These were just okay.

Rating: Two thumbs down
Date: 4/15/12
Time in: 9:40 AM
Time out: 10:45 AM
Servers' recommendations: N/A -- they recommend everything on their carts

What we ordered: Any number of buns and dumplings
Number in our party: 3 (Hildie as a guest judge today)
Final check amount: $41.05
Notes: 

• A few of my friends swear by Emerald.  I had dinner there once, but it was so unimpressive that I can't even remember which entree I chose.  A sub-par experience in all, but I was excited to go for dim sum.  (Miko) 
• It's always nice to try lots of different things at a meal.  And we LOVE buns and dumplings!
• I especially liked the shrimp dumpling that was covered in sticky rice.  (Miko)
• Dim sum carts are fun in theory, but we'd rather go to China Max.  When the food gets pushed around in carts, the food tastes older or staler, and your conversation gets interrupted a lot.
• The service was rather incomprehensible.
• Hildie noted that the teapot was inexcusably dirty.
• Bottom line: the food was okay, but if anyone wanted to go to Emerald, we'd try to talk them out of it.  We'd rather go to China Max or Jasmine instead.  Maybe it's because we went so early in the morning, but the place was empty and kind of depressing.  And the clincher: there was a bug crawling around in one of the carts!  It looked alarmingly roach-like.  Jenne and I couldn't stop staring at it!  We're not germophobes, but that is quite the turn-off.

RESTAURANT INFORMATION
Address: 3709 Convoy Street, Ste 101
Phone number: 858.565.6888
Website: http://emeraldrestaurant.com/index.htm

Accepts credit cards? Yes
Parking: Private lot

Ideal group size: Any
Available vegetarian options: Vegetable and tofu dishes, desserts
Noise level: 2

The Gold Star and the X-Factor

So how does a restaurant get a gold star? And what's this x-factor, anyway?

First, a bit about our food philosophy in general. Food is a very subjective thing, and we all have our own opinions.  And Miko and I luckily have pretty similar tastes.  We're fairly adventurous eaters -- we'll try most things, although Miko has a higher tolerance for things like fish guts or gray curly snails, and I have more of an ability (i.e. ANY AT ALL) to handle spicy or bitter foods. 

But we don't consider ourselves hard-core foodies -- for example, we are nowhere near as picky as mmm-yoso (Hi Kirk!), and for us, the experience of dining is almost as important as the food itself. We tend to shy away from fancy/fine restaurants; we prefer a cozy hole-in-the-wall.

The gold star is the Convoy Conquest's highest honor!  These are the restaurants that we truly feel love for.*  Usually, this requires a combination of great food AND x-factor.

We first realized the importance of the x-factor when we found Big Joy Family Bakery -- when you walk inside, you just have this feeling of being loved and taken care of.  Or Chilies Thai Gourmet, where we originally wanted to give it a gold star because the adorable cook made us so happy, even though the food was maybe not that amazing.

Our gold stars so far, with approximate percentages of deliciousness vs. x-factor (I think if it's less than 50% deliciousness, it can't really qualify as a gold star):
 Sage French Cake: 70/30
Wa Dining Okan: 80/20
Yokohama Yakitori Koubou: 50/50
Parsian International Market and Grill: 60/40
Izakaya Sakura 80/20
Phuong Trang 70/30
Big Joy Family Bakery 50/50
Crab Hut 70/30
Tapioca Express 80/20
Jeong Won Korean Buffet 60/40
Yakitori Yakyudori 90/10

This is not to say that, e.g., Big Joy is necessarily less delicious than Sage, but that its x-factor is a larger part of its appeal.  We are measuring the RATIO of deliciousness here, not the AMOUNT of deliciousness.  (Because that would be a giiiiant can of worms to open.)

This is, of course, extremely unscientific, and the numbers are not really quantifying anything specific -- this was the best we could do to explain a concept that is terribly nebulous and subjective. 

 *We decided that we have to go to a restaurant at least twice to give it a gold star, to make sure we aren't being overly influenced by unfair factors like being grouchy or STARVING. 

Convoy Conquest Awards Season! - West Side

We are now done with Convoy's West Side! Since it's Awards Season, we thought it would be a perfect time to recognize the best (and worst) restaurants on Convoy!

THE BEST OF THE WEST: WA DINING OKAN

Why?  Okan has countless outstanding dishes and pays careful attention to detail.  The interior is cozy and their staff is very pleasant.  We feel that Okan has a vision that they are striving to achieve, whereas most restaurants just make food.  (By the way, our affection for Okan does not extend to their lunch menu -- go for dinner!)

Nominees: Sushi Dokoro Shirahama, Big Joy Family Bakery

Best Chinese: China Max

Why?  They have charming service (adorable old men!), and their dim sum dishes are yummy.
Nominees: A Cafe, Spicy House

Best Japanese: Wa Dining Okan

Why?  For all the reasons it won Best Restaurant.
Nominees: Izakaya Sakura, Sushi Dokoro Shirahama, Yakitori Yakyudori

Best Korean: Jeong Won

Why? Jeong Won is such a fun place to eat.  A buffet barbecue where you can decide how much or how little to take of so many kinds of meat, fish, vegetables, and more!  They also have incredible rice and surprisingly good soft-serve.
Nominees: No contenders against Jeong Won, which is the clear winner.  Besides, most of the non-BBQ Korean places are on the east side.  We shall see!

Best Thai: Chilies Thai Gourmet
Why?  There was only one other Thai place so far.  But Chilies Thai Gourmet does have the most charming chef who won our hearts.  And truly delicious coconut ice cream.

Best Non-Asian: Parsian
Why?  Parsian was such a pleasant place to eat.  Lots of natural light, and a little fountain outside.  Their food was perfectly seasoned, and the ice cream sandwich was so good!  (We speak in past tense because Parsian has moved and is no longer a Convoy restaurant.  Sniffle.)
Nominees: Crab Hut

Best Dessert: Sage French Cake

Why?  These cakes are scrumptious.  The fruit tart is like nothing we've had before.
Nominees: Big Joy Family Bakery

Best Date: Crab Hut
Why?  It's so fun and interactive!  Great for a date with someone you really like and get along with.  But if you're going on a fancier, more romantic date with someone you barely know, go with Koon Thai Kitchen, which has low lighting, attractive décor , and a generic menu that's not too intimidating. Nominees: Koon Thai Kitchen

Best Service: Yokohama Yakitori Koubou

Why?  The staff at Yokohama Yakitori Koubou look genuinely happy to see us.  (A quality that is utterly lacking in, say, Yakitori Yakyudori's servers.)  We are also charmed by how they give us a milk shot before drinking alcohol, and green tea to end the meal.

Nominees: China Max, The Original Pancake House, Wa Dining Okan

Hottest Staff: Sage French Cake
Why?  The Handsome Pastry Chef.  So stern and reserved, and he takes genuine pride in his work -- rather Mr. Darcyesque.  His rolled up sleeves!  The way he expertly pours melted chocolate!  How he smiled when we exclaimed over our gorgeous Valentine's Day tart! Dreamy sigh.

Nominees: Koon Thai Kitchen, B.H. Chung

Best X-Factor: Big Joy Family Bakery

Why?  The sweet smell of fresh-baked goodness envelops you as you walk in the door.  The classical music is quiet and soothing.  It's neat, yet cozy, and you get the feeling that you're being taken good care of.  It's like heaven.
Nominees: Parsian

Best for Kids: Phuong Trang

Why?  There's a long menu, so you can probably find something that a picky kid will eat.  They have big tables for large families.  It's a huge place and on the louder side, so you don't have to worry so much about children being on their best behavior -- a little noise isn't going to disrupt your neighbors. Plus, the food is pretty delicious.  
Nominees: A Cafe, Sage French Cake (but take-home only)

WEST SIDE'S WORST: TSURUHASHI

Why?  You know what's more annoying than something that's outright bad?  Something that's just mediocre that gets a lot of hype.  Tsuruhashi has 4 stars on Yelp and was recommended by friends, but it just proved to be disappointing and expensive, especially compared to Korean barbecue places on Convoy.

Nominees: Sunrise Buffet

Worst Service: Shabu World

Why?  There is such a thing as too much service.  We were the only ones there, and the staff kept hovering over us, asking us the same question multiple times.  We need a chance to relax and talk to each other without servers listening in!  

Nominees: Yakitori Yakyudori

 

Most Confusing: Manna Bakery

Why?  We are still terribly puzzled by our experience at Manna Bakery...  Seriously, what?

Nominees: Cafe International

Sunrise Buffet

Some of our guest critics mid-meal.
The orange soda got rave reviews.

Jenne's first round...

Some other people's...

The egg drop soup was popular.

The orange chicken was extremely weird.

Broccoli and...jello?

Dessert was far and away the best part, especially the doughnuts!

Kate said she got a little overexcited with the sprinkles.

Thumbs up on the jello, thumbs down on the chocolate pudding.

Really, Miko?  That is disgusting.

The whole gang!

Halfway Celebration!

Sunrise Buffet is the last stop on Convoy's West Side! We invited lots of friends to celebrate with us! (Too bad it was kind of gross, but hey, still fun!)

Rating: 7 thumbs down, 5 sideways thumbs, 1 thumb up

Date: 2/4/12
Time in: 7:40 PM (Jenne and I were late)
What we ordered: Buffet, tea, Cokes, Diet Cokes, orange sodas.
Number in our party: 13 (Carling, Ryan, Sarah H., Sarah M., Tracie, Elise, Keith, Laura, Gerry, Nick, and Kate as guest critics today)
Final check amount: $15.07 each for the buffet and a soda
Notes: 

• Carling -- Likes: crab puffs.  (Thumb down.) 
• Elise -- Likes: crispy chicken, Brazilian beef.  Dislikes: anything with scallop or shrimp.  (Sideways bordering on down.)
• Gerry -- Likes: jello. Dislikes: everything else.  (Thumb down.)
• Jenne -- Likes: egg drop soup, fried fish, seafood delight.  Dislikes: orange chicken and stuffed shrimp.   (Thumb down.) 
• Kate -- Likes: crispy chicken.  Dislikes: spring rolls.  (Thumb down.)
• Keith -- Likes: fried chicken, crab puff, crispy chicken.  (Thumb up.)
• Laura -- Likes: frog legs, boneless spare rib, salmon.  Dislikes: lots of overly salty dishes.  (Sideways bordering on down.)
• Miko -- Likes: crab puffs, doughnuts, mei fun.  Dislikes: pork bun, orange chicken, crispy chicken, chocolate pudding (it was sour!).  (Thumb down.) 
• Nick -- Likes: coconut shrimp, doughnut.  Dislikes: orange chicken.  (Thumb down.)
• Ryan -- Likes: shrimp on ice, fruit, broccoli.  (Sideways thumb.) 
• Sarah H. -- Likes: crispy chicken, sushi, mussels, oysters.  Dislikes: seaweed salad, stuffed shrimp.  (Sideways thumb.)
• Sarah M. -- Likes: anything fried (crab puffs, egg rolls), dumplings, fish.  Dislikes: orange chicken, green beans.  (Sideways thumb.)
• Tracie -- Likes: hoisin clams "but I might regret these later."  Dislikes: pork bun.  (Thumb down.) 

RESTAURANT INFORMATION
Address: 3860 Convoy Street
Phone number: 858.715.1608
Website: http://sunrisebuffet.menutoeat.com/
Accepts credit cards? Yes
Parking: Crowded lot with teeny spaces.
Ideal group size: Any 

Available vegetarian options: Salad, doughnuts, soft-serve
Noise level: 3

Shabu World

Lots of condiments.  Ponzu, peanut sauce (too sweet), 
grated daikon, minced garlic, etc. etc.

Lots of vegetables, and more cabbage than even I (Jenne) can eat, and I love cabbage.
 Nobody needs this much cabbage!

Seafood assortment.

Pork and beef.

Simmering nicely, with LOTS of assistance from the staff...they
wanted to be very involved in the meal, apparently.

I asked for sesame sauce because I didn't really like the peanut sauce.
You can also get a raw egg to mix in, which unsurprisingly Miko did.

It becomes udon at the end...but the broth had no flavor whatsoever.

During the grand opening month, they give you free green tea ice cream.

Rating: Two sideways thumbs
Date: 1/20/12

Time in: 1:30 PM
What we ordered: Seafood combo (salmon, scallops, shrimp) + egg, meat combo (beef and pork), 2 teas.

Number in our party: 2
Final check amount: $15.09 + 11.85

Notes: 

• I couldn't write detailed notes while eating because (1) there was no table space for writing at a shabu shabu place, and (2) the staff was constantly hovering over us. There were like 6 of them waiting on just us, and they'd ask us the same questions over and over.  Kind of annoying.
• Also, there was one server who looked incredibly out of place.  She was the only non-Asian, and she had an accent (Russian?  European of some kind?).  Her outfit was straight out of a high-fashion magazine, and her makeup made her look like a creepy marionette doll.  We both wondered why they hired her...
• The salmon was pretty fishy; the scallop was tasteless; and the shrimp tasted a bit like dirt.  Plus...they added the egg into the udon soup when it wasn't hot enough.  So instead of the nice egg-drop I'd have liked, it became raw egg broth.  Ew.
• The sign looks like it says Swab World.  Haha!
• We would give this place a thumbs down, but we felt it might be unfair to a restaurant that just opened.  We would probably never go back though.

RESTAURANT INFORMATION

Address: 3904 Convoy St, Ste 117
Phone number: 858.715.1188
Website: http://www.shabuworld.net
Accepts credit cards? Yes
Parking: Crowded lot, especially when The Original Pancake House is open
Ideal group size: 1-3
Available vegetarian options: Vegetable combo

Noise level: 2