Rimel's

Getting a group together for dinner where everyone can find something they really like is hard. If I had to pick one place in N. County, San Diego where anyone other than a vegan or a vegetarian would leave raving about the food it’s Rimel’s.
 

Rimel’s exemplifies the sort of menu that I often pondered for my own hypothetical restaurant: grilling of fresh meats and seafood, with a south of the border flare, served in a way that makes it like healthy comfort food.

At first the menu can be a bit overwhelming; although they improved the design/presentation of it, but we used to joke it was like an encyclopedia. To simplify it there are three main sections: tacos/burritos, wok bowls, and grilled plates. The burritos are huge, the tacos are served on local made stone ground corn tortillas that hold very well (it’s awful when you make the perfect taco and it breaks before the first bite), with pico de gallo, cabbage, and a spicy aioli.

The wok bowls are sautéed veggies (with a touch of soy sauce- tamari if you’re gluten free- and some of their homemade chicken stock) with your choice of fish, chicken, or steak, on top of brown or white steamed rice.

The grilled plates are a choice of market fresh fish, chicken, or steak, and all of the above come with 2 sides….mac n cheese, sautéed veggies, sweet potato fries, steamed white/brown rice, house salad, mashed potatoes, or beans.
 

Believe it or not, I’m listing all of this from memory- that’ll tell you how many times I’ve been at Rimel’s :)

Their image is of a rotisserie so anything with their free range chicken is incredible and their homemade soups which are all butter and gluten free are made with the chicken broth. I’ve had the lentil and the tortilla ones and loved them!

Rimel’s has one of the cleanest (nutritious) overall menus I’ve come across. They even offer some sushi items from their sister restaurant, Zenbu (next door). As well, they have a few randoms like dumplings and burgers.

Arguably, these are the best fish tacos in San Diego- or anywhere. I know some will disagree but let me argue my case. First off, I’m Mexican so I know real tacos. Other than the aioli, which I specify I don’t want on mine, these are authentic. Let me clarify Mexican food: we don’t use sour cream, we don’t use cheese in tacos (American/yellow cheese is never in anything!), rarely will flour tortillas ever come into the picture (burritos are American), and we don’t use mayonnaise (in most American Cali-Mex, Tex/Mex tacos for “dressing”). I digress, but want to note that Mexican food is actually very healthy. Americanized Mexican food is NOT.
 

Rimel’s star ingredient is their green sauce. I’ve tried to sneak the recipe out of the cooks when I sit at the “open kitchen” bar, but they’ve only disclosed the ingredients: sesame oil, garlic, cilantro, jalapeno, lime juice, onion. Simple, but it’s the quantity of each that makes or breaks it. Besides, I’m sure they’re leaving out the secret ingredient.

Their consistency and portion size is awesome. The only times I’ve been bummed is when they took the roasted rosemary potatoes out of the Cardiff location (they only have them in La Jolla), and yesterday the mahi in my fish tacos was overcooked. Each time I've ordered a steak though, it's been perfectly cooked medium rare and that's key to judging the experience of the cooks.

Rimel’s wine/beer list is fantastic, and you can also get Sake from Zenbu. The staff is awesome, and even though they don’t take reservations, there’s rarely too long a wait, and most often a spot or two is available at the bar, which I prefer because I love watching the cooks in action.

Muzita Bistro- University Heights, San Diego

Wednesday I was feeling rather spontaneous and as usual was spending some time in the morning researching restaurants. I've been doing this since high school. Sometime during sophomore year I became fascinated with the Food Network and cooking. My mom could barely scramble an egg until recently (now she's quite the little wanna-be Martha Stewart), and my dad mainly enjoyed eating out unless he was manning the grill. He can make some insane lamb chops!!

This new hobby coincided with my interest in health/nutrition as I sought to loose some weight that had appeared once I hit puberty- ugh! I grew up eating quite healthy (not the typical "Merica" way), but I'd never really cared about, nor understood, the impact of nutrition on our health and the degree of processing and modifying the majority of our foods undergo. A few months later, I was so into it that I went through a handful of books every couple of weeks and even convinced my mom to drive me to Orlando (I was in Tampa at the time at Saddlebrook Tennis Academy) to visit Le Cordon Bleu :)

Anyway, back on point...I was looking for a unique place that also served healthy food. Enter Muzita Bistro. One look at the menu http://www.letseat.at/muzita/menu and you quickly realize why other countries don't have the obesity problem the US does. Muzita serves Eritrean/Ethiopian food, which is very similar to Indian food, in my opinion- lots of spices yielding a ton of flavor, and concentrated on vegetables and rice. Their "bread" called injera is somewhere between a crepe and a pancake and often used as a utensil. The entrees are meant to be "family style" but they will also accommodate personal selections.

If you're a vegetarian or vegan this place is definitely for you. They even have a key on their menu highlighting meat free dishes. For the rest of us, they have a variety of options: lamb, free range chicken, "natural" beef, shrimp, and fresh fish.

I ordered the beet salad which was pretty straightforward- too much so, actually. Other than the cute presentation, it was nothing more than steamed beets with a subtle hint that they'd been marinated with onion and something else. It was good, but I wouldn't order again as I can make that at home in 5mins.







My entree, however, did not disappoint. Normally I would've tried the lamb, but I'm still seriously full from Franklin's that I can only handle seafood right now :/ So, I went with the prawns....

If you've ever dined with me you probably noticed my love for salt. Thank goodness I have low blood pressure and am an athlete! It runs in the family though- any meal with us leads to a fight over the salt shaker until one of us finally gets up and grabs more from other tables. Yes, I'm that person at the snobby restaurants with 5 different size forks that "insults" the chef by asking for the salt. Sorry, not sorry.

Well, at Muzita I didn't need a sprinkle of salt at all!! Dare I say it was a bit on the salty side? Nonetheless, I was very pleased with the taste and portion size. Four prawns, with a side of stewed vegetables, steamed white rice, and house salad. You must mix the four components of the dish to get the most of it- especially with steamed rice. Everything was well cooked, and the lettuce was crisp with a light dressing.

My overall opinion is that I would return to Muzita but only for lunch. My entree was $16 and the beet salad $9. The lunch prices in the $10-15 for entrees are much more appropriate. That salad should be $5 and the prawns $10-11.

The place itself is quaint. As the picture shows, it's a little cottage, very clean and "modern" on the inside with a bar area as well. The waiters all seemed happy and attentive so no complaints on the service.