Currant- San Diego restaurant

Taken by the Currant
Hands down, Currant (140 W. Broadway) has the best onion soup I’ve ever eaten…and it didn’t even have cheese! What it did have was tender morsels of beef short ribs surrounded by the liquid essence of caramelized onions. Some of that richness could also have been attributed to black truffles and marrow toast floating in the center….mmmm, marrow.

I ordered the lobster potpie for my entree and it was PIPING hot (for about 30 minutes), scorching the taste-buds with every bite. It didn’t really have the creamy bechamel background it promised and was more of a reddish broth. I do have to say that once it finally cooled down, I did realize the multitude of Maine lobster chunks mobbing the ceramic dish. Worth the wait.

Fish and chips spilled out across the plate from their paper sack in a greasy wrestling match. The fish were clearly outnumbered by their fry counterpart, leaving my hubby hungry for more.



The special of the evening was fresh fettuccini with shredded duck and chanterelle mushrooms in butter, white wine broth. My only complaint was I wanted a little more sauce to coat the pasta, but otherwise it was divine.

Wine bottles ended up being half off (the entire list) and we ordered a Cabernet, while my mom ventured for the raspberry lemon drop. It was a success- in full. The sophisticated French flare mirrored black and white on embroidered booths and along the checkered tiled floor. It was upscale enough for a special night out, with their use of indulgent ingredients, but homey enough to stop in for a bit of soup at lunchtime (which I intend on doing very soon...maybe to-marrow.)

Julian pie Company

Apple of my eye
I have to start out by saying that usually I like my sugars more savory than sweet (like pasta and breads), so right away I knew Julian Pie Company was special. Those sly devils had me eating pie by 11am... and even ordering a scoop of cinnamon ice cream on top.

With an air of Willy Wonka splendor, an assembly line of workers piled pies high with apples. A hand-cranked, fruit-peeler churned furiously in a blur of twisting arms.

My hubby started out our order with his favorite - pecan pie. It was a bit too gelatinous for my liking and he agreed. My mom got the last slice of strawberry rhubarb- man, that was good! Our mouths puckered from its tart perfection, but it was my pie that took the cake. Boysenberry/ apple with crumb topping formed a symbiotic blend of soft berry and crisp apple.

The (literal) fruits of Julian Pie Company’s labor showed that sometimes the old-fashioned approoach was still the best. Oh, and did I forget to mention that they make hot, apple cider donuts?