Fairouz Mediterannean Restaurant



Fairouz is located on Midway Drive, in the Sports Arena area of San Diego. From the outside, it is an unassuming little shop. I spied it the other day in the non-descript strip mall where it is located. It is random happenstance that I was over in that area and hungry, and thought an independently owned Mediterranean mini-restaurant might have a few vegetarian options.

When I walked in I was delighted by what I discovered. The sights and smalls were sensory pleasure. They had a large buffet prepared for dinner, with items clearly marked if they were vegan or vegetarian.

The walls were covered with art work using bright colors and sharp lines to depict scenes that captured happiness and intrigue: archway covered streets, styled geometric flowers, lovely faces, wild landscapes of fields and trees. Display cases presented in various cases around the restaurant also showcase a variety of jewelry, both imported and made locally. Other decor is somewhat random and not or particular interest, but the artwork is the real gem of the environs.

The house white wine came in a large and very full carafe, and it complimented the meal perfectly. The buffet had probably forty items, including Lebanese lentil soup, saffron rice that soaks up the vegetable and meat dishes delightfully, hummus, Greek salad, eggplant, green vegetables - both cooked and salad, a plethora of meat dishes including chicken, lamb, and beef.

After two very large plates, a bowl of soup, and a small plate of dessert, I ended the meal feeling stuffed fat and happy. My favorite dish was Mousaka - a delicious combination of baked tender eggplant, fresh mixed vegetables and tomato sauce, baked in casserole with topping of a special béchamel sauce.

Desserts included tapioca pudding, a rose water flavored dairy pudding, baked sweet puddings and cakes, small cookies, and halwa.

The restaurant is owned by a family who came here from Jordan by way of Kuwait. The two brothers run the restaurant, one of them is the painter whose artwork is displayed. The father used to make the jewelry, but had turned to importing it in his later years. The family was warm and gracious, with prompt service and kind words. They have been in business 25 years.

Price is mid-range and good value. The buffet was $12.99 per person. I highly recommend this delightful discovery.

3166 Midway Dr # 102-103
San Diego, CA 92110
(619) 225-0308‎
alnashashibi.com

SipZ

SipZ (stress the "Z"), is a vegetarian Asian-fusion restaurant in Kearny Mesa. The dishes are affordable, usually just under $10 for a full size entree, and they serve up a range os Asian dishes from sushi to curry to noodles to salads. They offer a number of "faux meat" dishes.

The sushi is very tasty, though the flavors of the different rolls don't seem to vary greatly. I love the wonton soup, mostly be cause it is nearly impossible to find vege wonton soup anywhere! You can't go wrong wit ha noodle dish in taste, but they can be a little greasy.

I took my boss and a couple colleagues there a few weeks ago, all of whom eat meat, and they were all impressed by the dishes! This from a group of men with whom the conversation focused on the last hunting trip one of them had taken! And he even got Boba Tea, to boot!

Two Locations:

5501 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117
858-279-3747

9450 #114A Scranton Rd
San Diego, CA 92121
858-457-1103

www.SipZ.com

Spread – revised


After my return to Spread the Restaurant for the first time in about a year, I am happy to report that changes have been made. Not that it wasn’t good to begin with (it was), but now it’s even better.

They have changed their serving style to be more in the tapas approach. Each dish is served individually, set in the middle of the table, and all diners try everything. The menu still changes daily, as the chef-owners shop for fresh produce to feature, as it is available and in season. The highlight of our night was the flowering herbs that were interspersed or sprinkled on top of almost every dish. Who doesn’t like to eat flowers? It’s what they serve in heaven, alongside the milk and honey.

We started with drinks, made with fresh squeezed juice and top shelf liquor. It was citrus season, so we had blood orange juice and oro blanco (AKA grapefruit) mixed with champagne and sweet potato vodka, respectively. Then we had a wilted spinach salad with an avocado vinaigrette and flowering herbs. Divine!

We then had a fresh, house made pasta with wild mushrooms and flowering herbs headlining. Third course was a potpie made with corn bread crouton as the crust, and again featuring wild mushroom and other in season vegetables. I don’t even like mushrooms, and this pie was amazing. For dessert, we had a creamed ricotta (delivered daily to Spread) with a caramelized fruit topping. It was simple, but it was out of this world!

The grand total for this 4-(small)-course meal with drinks: $35 a person (after tax and tip). You really can’t beat it. However, they did stop with their peanut butter samples, it seems. Still, I recommend going to Spread first chance you get for this divine and continually evolving restaurant.

Spread
2879 University Avenue
San Diego, California 92104
Tel. (619) 543-0406

Tuesday through Saturday evenings from 5:30pm-11pm
Sunday brunch 10am-3pm

Spread

This North Park restaurant, located on University Avenue just west of 30th next door to the remodeled theater and across from Clare de Lunes.

This is one of the few locavore restaurants that is also vegetarian. They use eggs and dairy, but not meat. The decor seems to be in transition; it began as a funky pop place, with plastic chairs and flatware, and live DJs on the weekends, even during brunch. They seem to be moving towards something more classic modern, with large square (ceramic) plates that are used to make beautiful food displays.

The food is inspired and fresh, with their daily menu changing as the seasons change. I most recommend the breakfasts, with a few staples like spicy Thai omelettes and almond French toast, and specials like purple potato breakfast tacos. Whatever you order, they serve water fro ma pitcher filled to the brim with the seasons finest fruits and herbs, from watermelon and rose petals to rosemary and citrus.

Did I mention that peanut and other nut butters are their specialty? They actually started out as a gourmet peanut butter company, selling exclusively at farmers markets. Now they include these gourmet nut butters in many of their recipes, like the chili lime peanut butter that makes their omelette spicy and Thai. And the almond butter that makes their French toast nutty.

While you wait for your meal they usually bring out a sampler plate with a nibble of several different flavors of the nut butters to try while you wait. They are fun and delicious, and it's great marketing because I inevitably buy one before leaving.

The prices for the menu are average, though the nut butter are a bit inflated. Overall, it is a highly recommended find in San Diego locavore dining.

Spread: 2879 University Avenue • San Diego, California 92104 • Tel. (619) 543-0406.

Veg-N-Out – San Diego’s Meat Free Eatery


Veg-N-Out is a newish restaurant in between South Park and North Park in the hip area that spreads out on the east side of Balboa Park as it meanders from North to South. The whole area surrounding balboa Park is lined with great options for dining, including Hillcrest, Mission Hills, Downtown, and Golden Hill spread from North to South along the West side of Balboa Park. Even though you may be overwhelmed with options in the urban center of San Diego, don’t dismiss this eatery just because it is meatless.

Of course Veg-N-Out is great for vegetarians. But meat eaters love this healthy, fast dining options as well. The menu is loaded with all varieties of burgers, from the Western Burger, that includes freshly made onion rings INSIDE the burger, to the Hawaiian Girl, which includes hot off the grill pineapple rings!

The burgers are made with two different patties: a Veg-N-Out home made grain patty, and a meaty patty that is made of soy protein. I suggest the meaty patty for anyone who might be skeptical of the meat-free burger. The meaty patty has a great smoky flavor and a chewier texture. I personally prefer the grain patty because it is lighter and nuttier in flavor.

The burgers arrive heaping with toppings, and everything they set on a plate is incredibly fresh. These burgers seriously look like the kind of burger you would see in a photo advertisement – crisp and fresh with little dew drops on the lettuce leaves, ripe red tomatoes, and steaming hot potato wedges. Did I mention that every burger comes with home made potato wedges or a side salad?



The menu has also expanded and improved since they first opened. Be sure to try their amazing starters as well. The delights include tempura avocado (divine!), freshly fried sweet potato wedges, and many others, including a soup of the day and side of the day. They even have home made dressings – the creamy tarragon goes great on a salad OR the potato wedges! Or pretty much anything else.

Jyoti Bihanga

Ahhhh… Perhaps my favorite restaurant in San Diego. Though I’ve been to fancier, ritzier (and more expensive) restaurants, none can replace the role of Jyoti Bihanga in my dining life.

I’m not sure what exactly it is about Jyoti Bihanga that I love so much. It is located in Normal Heights, one of the best neighborhoods in San Diego for wandering around and exploring the shops. Everywhere you go is filled with personality. There are bookstores with huge selections of used poetry, coffee shops filled with teen angst, and magic shops selling oils and potions.


Jyoti Bihanga, or JB as I affectionately call it, is housed in a beautiful corner building, built nearly a century ago, directly underneath the neon “Normal Heights” sign. The ceilings are high, painted light blue with clouds, and the windows are two-story arches that fill the space with natural light.

This vegetarian restaurant serves a variety of American and Indian dishes, including a curry of the day, a special of the day that usually features mock meat, soups and dessert of the day, and their regular menu.

The infinite blue salad is a good option for a filling salad with steamed vegetables in addition to fresh leafy greens. The sandwich menu includes the Buddha Burger, a homemade grain patty of above average quality on a wheat bun with fresh lettuces and tomato. They have a variety of wraps, my favorite being the Shiva wrap which is a wrap with the curry of the day rolled into one with a full on salad, served with their homemade chutney. But my all time favorite is their best-selling Neatloaf. Available in vegetarian and vegan versions (vegetarian is more full in flavor), it is a grain and cheese (if you have it) loaf topped with a homemade barbeque sauce and served with the most delicious mashed potatoes this side of the Mississippi.

Now I must warn the un-expecting: this restaurant is staffed entirely with followers of a guru of a somewhat obscure Hindi-based religion. The servers are friendly, but odd. Many speak English as a second language, and most seem a little spacey. Be sure to check out the picture of the guru hanging on the wall by the bathroom; he is lifting 300,000 pounds with one arm while he levitates. No, I’m kidding. But he is supposedly lifting some absurd amount of weight. If you’re lucky, they are sometimes showing videos of the same unbelievable feat.

There are sister restaurants across the country and even in Paris. I have been to a few and in the United States they seem to offer a similar fare, somewhere in between American and Indian, all with the infamous Neatloaf. However in Paris the food was as Parisian vegetarian is: bland. That aside, though, the San Diego branch offers a delicious, home-cooked, affordable meal with a beautiful atmosphere, in a funky neighborhood. Bon appetite!