Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Fusion is foremost

Al Reef, Koon Thai, Bully's East, Izakaya Masa, Grass Skirt, Prep Kitchen, La Bonne Table

Lamb gyros. Prepkitchen exalts comfort food by making it seasonal. - Image by Matthew Suárez
Lamb gyros. Prepkitchen exalts comfort food by making it seasonal.
Place

Prepkitchen Del Mar

1201 Camino del Mar, Del Mar

Prep Kitchen is quintessentially Californian in that it exalts comfort food by making it seasonal, and in that fusion is foremost. On this menu, you’ll find fish tacos (tomatillo salsa, cabbage, cilantro, avocado crema: $14.95) right next to the lamb gyro (hummus, cherry tomatoes, onion, greens, tzatziki sauce, on thick, soft naan: $14.50). The salads are always changing but consistently delectable, as with the roasted beet and spinach ($13.95), with mandarin orange, goat cheese, almonds, balsamic vinaigrette, and avocado. Located just a few blocks from the beach, you can sit on the patio and enjoy the ocean air wafting over you with each bite.

Al Reef’s beef tikka to-go
Place

Al Reef Restaurant

130 S. Mollison, El Cajon

It seems everything you get at Al Reef comes with a little “extra.” One dish, such as the chicken tikka ($8) easily fills two famished adults. In addition to giant hunks of grilled chicken or beef ($12), you get soup (choice of potato curry or bean), pita, pickled vegetables, fresh tomatoes and onions, and a heaping bed of rice topped with slivers of almonds and golden raisins. A $5 falafel dish comes with six sizable and pleasantly crispy balls floating atop a pool of hummus. The bountiful portions, along with the fact it travels well, make this Middle Eastern fare ideal for takeout to please a hungry party.

Sponsored
Sponsored
Place

Koon Thai Kitchen

3860 Convoy Street, San Diego

Named for the national flower of Thailand, Koon Thai Kitchen is a perfect place to start if you’re ready to delve past American Thai favorites such as pineapple fried rice and yellow curry. The Pad Cha Pork Wing ($17) is fall-off-the-bone tender from being slow cooked and then stir-fried with hot and spicy garlic sauce, lime leaves, green peppercorns, onion, bell pepper, basil, and wild ginger. For a twist on Massaman curry and pad Thai, try Khao Soi ($13), a northern Thai dish with egg noodles and chicken swimming in a spicy-sweet curry and topped with a nest of fried noodles.

Place

Bully's East

2401 Camino del Rio South, San Diego

Though Bully’s has been known for 50 years as a reliable purveyor of steak served with a side of family-like friendliness, its brunch menu has been flying under the radar. Served from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekends, offerings include the standards, such as the Gameday Breakfast (two eggs any style, country potatoes, choice of meat and choice of french toast or pancakes, all for $7), but the real excitement is in the Mexican-style dishes, such as the chilaquiles ($11), a formidable iteration of the popular San Diego dish; this one comes with roasted poblano chili strips and shredded, seasoned chicken mixed with tangy tomatillo sauce and served atop corn tortilla chips with a drizzle of crème fraîche and two eggs any style.

Place

Izakaya Masa

928 Ft. Stockton Drive, San Diego

Entering this Japanese bar and restaurant feels like you just stepped in from off a side street in Shinjuku. I start with a red can of Funaguchi (premium sake, $13) and an appetizer to share, such as the agedashi tofu ($5) or Masa’s fried chicken ($6). My soba noodle-loving man says Masa’s tem zaru ($12), or cold soba noodles served with dipping sauce and mixed tempura, is the closest he’s come to finding a version as good as those he’s tried in Tokyo. My favorite bowl is the Nabeyaki udon ($10.50), a complex dashi/chicken broth with fresh, thick udon noodles, shrimp tempura, a poached egg, tofu, and spinach cooked right in the clay pot in which it’s served. And like any proper izakaya, it’s open late, till 1 a.m.

Place

Grass Skirt

910 Grand Avenue, San Diego

This hip “speakeasy tiki bar” offers kitschy-but-cool decor and enough entertainment to make an event out of your meal. Delightful diversions include a hidden entrance through the kitchen of another restaurant, drinks on fire, intermittent flashing lights, and animated volcanic eruptions. As with any tiki joint worth its molten rock salt, the Grass Skirt has an extensive array of exotic cocktails, each served in an over-the-top glass with outrageous garnishes. For example, the Tipsy Tentacle ($14) — with black rum, biscotti liqueur, lime, pineapple, coconut, and banana — is served in a palm tree mug and topped with an entire banana, its peel sliced to create tentacles, above which is a smiley face, with cherries for eyes. The food is largely Korean-inspired, from the soft and chewy bao buns ($5 each) to the kimchi fried rice ($13), all of which is as enjoyable to eat as the space is to be in.

Place

La Bonne Table

3696 Fifth Avenue, San Diego

A charming and cozy mix of elegant and casual, La Bonne Table’s concise menu offers favorite French classics with flawless execution. The trout almondine ($24) is a ten-ounce roasted trout served whole with wax beans, almonds, and a lemon-butter sauce that is both rich and refreshing. Mandatory French food such as the l'escargot ($9) is also rich, with an exceptional depth of flavor derived from the herbs and garlic butter. Appetizers to share on a hot date include the plateau de fromage ($13) and Ménage à Trois ($14). The first is a selection of luscious cheeses imported from France, and the second is a decadent terrine of foie gras, duck liver mousse, morel mushroom, and black-truffle shavings. Both go well with the freshly baked demi baguette, a sip of burgundy, and a dining experience that transports you to Provence.

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

NORTH COUNTY’S BEST PERSONAL TRAINER: NICOLE HANSULT HELPING YOU FEEL STRONG, CONFIDENT, AND VIBRANT AT ANY AGE

Lamb gyros. Prepkitchen exalts comfort food by making it seasonal. - Image by Matthew Suárez
Lamb gyros. Prepkitchen exalts comfort food by making it seasonal.
Place

Prepkitchen Del Mar

1201 Camino del Mar, Del Mar

Prep Kitchen is quintessentially Californian in that it exalts comfort food by making it seasonal, and in that fusion is foremost. On this menu, you’ll find fish tacos (tomatillo salsa, cabbage, cilantro, avocado crema: $14.95) right next to the lamb gyro (hummus, cherry tomatoes, onion, greens, tzatziki sauce, on thick, soft naan: $14.50). The salads are always changing but consistently delectable, as with the roasted beet and spinach ($13.95), with mandarin orange, goat cheese, almonds, balsamic vinaigrette, and avocado. Located just a few blocks from the beach, you can sit on the patio and enjoy the ocean air wafting over you with each bite.

Al Reef’s beef tikka to-go
Place

Al Reef Restaurant

130 S. Mollison, El Cajon

It seems everything you get at Al Reef comes with a little “extra.” One dish, such as the chicken tikka ($8) easily fills two famished adults. In addition to giant hunks of grilled chicken or beef ($12), you get soup (choice of potato curry or bean), pita, pickled vegetables, fresh tomatoes and onions, and a heaping bed of rice topped with slivers of almonds and golden raisins. A $5 falafel dish comes with six sizable and pleasantly crispy balls floating atop a pool of hummus. The bountiful portions, along with the fact it travels well, make this Middle Eastern fare ideal for takeout to please a hungry party.

Sponsored
Sponsored
Place

Koon Thai Kitchen

3860 Convoy Street, San Diego

Named for the national flower of Thailand, Koon Thai Kitchen is a perfect place to start if you’re ready to delve past American Thai favorites such as pineapple fried rice and yellow curry. The Pad Cha Pork Wing ($17) is fall-off-the-bone tender from being slow cooked and then stir-fried with hot and spicy garlic sauce, lime leaves, green peppercorns, onion, bell pepper, basil, and wild ginger. For a twist on Massaman curry and pad Thai, try Khao Soi ($13), a northern Thai dish with egg noodles and chicken swimming in a spicy-sweet curry and topped with a nest of fried noodles.

Place

Bully's East

2401 Camino del Rio South, San Diego

Though Bully’s has been known for 50 years as a reliable purveyor of steak served with a side of family-like friendliness, its brunch menu has been flying under the radar. Served from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekends, offerings include the standards, such as the Gameday Breakfast (two eggs any style, country potatoes, choice of meat and choice of french toast or pancakes, all for $7), but the real excitement is in the Mexican-style dishes, such as the chilaquiles ($11), a formidable iteration of the popular San Diego dish; this one comes with roasted poblano chili strips and shredded, seasoned chicken mixed with tangy tomatillo sauce and served atop corn tortilla chips with a drizzle of crème fraîche and two eggs any style.

Place

Izakaya Masa

928 Ft. Stockton Drive, San Diego

Entering this Japanese bar and restaurant feels like you just stepped in from off a side street in Shinjuku. I start with a red can of Funaguchi (premium sake, $13) and an appetizer to share, such as the agedashi tofu ($5) or Masa’s fried chicken ($6). My soba noodle-loving man says Masa’s tem zaru ($12), or cold soba noodles served with dipping sauce and mixed tempura, is the closest he’s come to finding a version as good as those he’s tried in Tokyo. My favorite bowl is the Nabeyaki udon ($10.50), a complex dashi/chicken broth with fresh, thick udon noodles, shrimp tempura, a poached egg, tofu, and spinach cooked right in the clay pot in which it’s served. And like any proper izakaya, it’s open late, till 1 a.m.

Place

Grass Skirt

910 Grand Avenue, San Diego

This hip “speakeasy tiki bar” offers kitschy-but-cool decor and enough entertainment to make an event out of your meal. Delightful diversions include a hidden entrance through the kitchen of another restaurant, drinks on fire, intermittent flashing lights, and animated volcanic eruptions. As with any tiki joint worth its molten rock salt, the Grass Skirt has an extensive array of exotic cocktails, each served in an over-the-top glass with outrageous garnishes. For example, the Tipsy Tentacle ($14) — with black rum, biscotti liqueur, lime, pineapple, coconut, and banana — is served in a palm tree mug and topped with an entire banana, its peel sliced to create tentacles, above which is a smiley face, with cherries for eyes. The food is largely Korean-inspired, from the soft and chewy bao buns ($5 each) to the kimchi fried rice ($13), all of which is as enjoyable to eat as the space is to be in.

Place

La Bonne Table

3696 Fifth Avenue, San Diego

A charming and cozy mix of elegant and casual, La Bonne Table’s concise menu offers favorite French classics with flawless execution. The trout almondine ($24) is a ten-ounce roasted trout served whole with wax beans, almonds, and a lemon-butter sauce that is both rich and refreshing. Mandatory French food such as the l'escargot ($9) is also rich, with an exceptional depth of flavor derived from the herbs and garlic butter. Appetizers to share on a hot date include the plateau de fromage ($13) and Ménage à Trois ($14). The first is a selection of luscious cheeses imported from France, and the second is a decadent terrine of foie gras, duck liver mousse, morel mushroom, and black-truffle shavings. Both go well with the freshly baked demi baguette, a sip of burgundy, and a dining experience that transports you to Provence.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Drinking Sudden Death on All Saint’s Day in Quixote’s church-themed interior

Seeking solace, spiritual and otherwise
Next Article

Escondido planners nix office building switch to apartments

Not enough open space, not enough closets for Hickory Street plans
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader