She's back

There must be more pictures of this Oktoberfest Girl on the net than any other. Oktoberfest Dude thinks she's worth the attention. P.S. Thanks Dr. Beer Love on the advice. At least one beer or one dirndl required for all photos on Oktoberfest Girls.

lunch today

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the most happy bagel sandwich in all the land.

Crest Cafe

After a week furlough from brunch (possibly the longest week in my existence), we resumed our vigilant weekly quest for the best way to start a Sunday. This week brought us to the Crest Cafe on Robinson Street in Hillcrest. The small but determined crowd outside again reaffirmed our decision. As if there was a need for further confirmation, there was a menu hanging in the window that tantalized us with its promises of tastebud delight. We waited for about 10 minutes until we were informed that there was no wait at the bar. Obviously we jumped at this offer, and pored over the menu in exciting indecision until my final selection was the Artichoke and Ham Strata for $8.95. Freshly baked casserole of artichokes, ham, gorgonzola, monterey jack, sourdough bread and unique blend of herbs, served with fresh fruit. GAHHH. Artichoke, meat, cheese, and sourdough. Delightful. Ashton settled for the Machaca, and at $8.50 it consisted of chopped onions and tomatoes with scrambled eggs and your choice of freshly baked turkey, shredded pork, shredded top sirloin or chorizo, served with salsa fresca, beans and tortillas. (He went balls out and got the chorizo).


In my enthusiasm upon its arrival, I gobbled a few bites before I remembered my duty as a blogger to snap a photo. It reminded me of a strange egg-y lasagna, with meat and cheese and artichokes but with bread instead of noodles. It was wonderful, and unlike many restaurant artichoke experiences these seemed to be above average. I find many times the artichokes are soggy and canned, and while I don't doubt the can-ed-ness of them, they were prepared magnificently. And the fruit! What a pile was offered to me. Pineapple, strawberries, melons, grapes, and oranges spilled over half of my plate, and added just the right light counterbalance to my coma-inducing main selection.
Ashton's machaca fulfilled in flavor what it lacked in presentation. Basically it looked like someone had puked on his plate and then served it with a side of corn tortillas and an unidentifiable cheese on his beans. Once you took a bite, however, it was a smorgasbord of yummy that would have been ideal with a little more spice. The corn tortillas weren't great, but my personal preference with corn tortillas is that they be cooked past the norm to a piping hot crispy stage, or else they are just too chewy and hard to tear with your teeth. Flour tortillas are always a safe bet in that aspect, but sometimes corn just provides that flavor that one craves. Regardless, the tortillas in this case were, in my opinion, unnecessary but provided.
Another point I'd like to mention was that I've found OJ in restaurants is a hit or miss in terms of quality. Some restaurants skimp and get the cheap-o carton stuff, but I commend the Crest Cafe for their insistence on quality. I was treated to a BRIGHT orange glass of yummy that was clearly picked out by someone with an eye for detail. Kudos.
I'd rate this a "definite go back" situation. From what I saw of the rest of the menu, they have a lot more to offer in terms of sandwiches and entrees. Sounds like my kind of place. I'll end this post the way we left brunch.

I hope they appreciated our enthusiasm, but considering they were working brunch instead of eating it, probably not.

Beers to you

Man it's been too long since I've posted. Work is really starting to get in the way of my amateur beer blogging goals. Nothing too exciting lately in my world of beer except that I brewed a freaking ridiculous west coast pale ale recently. Usually I don't brag about my beer, but this pale ale is all one could hope for. Lot's of citrusy hop flavor, a nice malt body, and only about 5% ABV. The funny thing is that I kind of threw it together haphazardly when I was brewing a Belgian dubbel (still fermenting).

So here's to beer and here's to you!

HolzBrew

Apologies

I'm sorry to build everyone's hopes and dreams up so high with promises of a brunch post on Sunday. Unfortunately, I had to (sob) pass on brunch this week due to a volunteering obligation at the San Diego Museum of Art. As I do not have any more Sunday volunteering shifts coming up, there is no reason why the normal brunch experience will not go on as usual this week.

I think to prove that skipping brunch in order to volunteer was a terrible idea the gods of brunch punished me by making me dehydrated at the Museum. Now I am recovering from the nausea, weakness, sore throat, and loss of appetite associated with the affliction. Thanks a lot, gods of brunch. It won't happen again!

Adjustment

Time for an adjustment.

I have always tried to include these key elements in all the pictures featured on Oktoberfest Girls: pretty girls, beer, Munich and/or Oktoberfest. This week is the first time I feature a photo without the key element of beer. Let me know what you think. Are there some pictures worthy of sharing despite the absence of beer?

Meet Basil

This is Ashton and I's first pet in California, albeit a stationary one. Meet Basil, the basil plant. Don't be fooled by his name, it's actually pronounced "bahhh-zil", like the friendly English butler, or the sound a sheep makes followed by the first half of zilch.

So far he has proven to be quite delicious and we have added him to a number of our experiments with food. He's actually part of the tomato/toast bite you see above. I think he will have a female friend soon by the name of Rosemary. I know it's a bold step for them to move into the same windowbox together so soon, but when you're in love, you're in love, right? I think it will be a blessed union.