Comfort

Comfort food posts on The Joy of Food blog.

8th and B Poke - miso salmon and shoyu ahi

8th and B Poke

San Diego, CA (The Joy of Food) — 8th and B Poke is a tidy storefront in that part of National City where old meets new, a shiny up-and-coming area sprinkled like pixie dust through Victorian houses and quaint storefronts that have been there forever. Once upon a time you […]

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Café Medina - cassoulet

Café Medina

Vancouver, Canada (The Joy of Food) — I’m not exactly what you’d call a breakfast girl, and I usually say “brunch” is just an excuse to shove down a stack of 25 red velvet pancakes and day drink. If you build it, they will brunch, or something like that. But […]

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Osteria Mozza - mozzarella and condiments

Osteria Mozza

Los Angeles, CA (The Joy of Food) — I talk about Osteria Mozza the way that some people talk about Jesus, lovingly and like it is the center of my universe. As far as Italian dining goes, this Michelin-starred gem is easily the best that L.A. has to offer.  I […]

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Thierry - raspberry yuzu tart

Thierry Chocolaterie Patisserie Cafe

Vancouver, Canada (The Joy of Food) — The older I get, the more I lean toward dark chocolate, and melted bitter dark chocolate can be something like poetry in a cup. At Thierry, an order of ‘liquid chocolate’ is decadent and indulgent, swirled with ribbons of hazelnut, caramel, or coconut […]

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Qin West Noodle - liangpi noodle

Qin West Noodle

San Diego, CA (The Joy of Food) — The namesake noodles at Qin West Noodle have an ethereal, perfect, almost sinful thing about them, nearly as weightless as they are springy, bouncy, slippery, and soft. You will find yourself still eating more of them long after you are full. Qin […]

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Punjabi Tandoor - chicken tikka masala/saag lunch combo

Punjabi Tandoor

San Diego, CA (The Joy of Food) — Eating out is often about finding a bargain. The desire (or need) to eat cheaply often trumps the desire to eat well. Rare is the place that allows you to do both. This is not one of those places.  As you’d guess […]

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La Central - birria tacos

La Central Birrieria & Menuderia

San Diego, CA (The Joy of Food) — The undisputed king of birria goodness in San Diego has long been Ed Fernandez, a place I have visited many times for their life-changing meaty consomé and for my personal favorite, their quesataco, which for me amounts to a magical pot of […]

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Pizzeria Luigi - assorted slices

Pizzeria Luigi

San Diego, CA (The Joy of Food) — Once a small neighborhood place, Pizzeria Luigi came to be known by a wider audience thanks to a segment on the Food Network by that spiky-haired bleached blond dude, the self-proclaimed Mayor of Flavortown who says things like ‘donkey sauce’ and ‘bomb-dot-com […]

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Zankou Chicken - half chicken, hummus, pickled vegetables

Zankou Chicken

Orange County, CA (The Joy of Food) — Zankou, you had me at “garlic sauce,” the Holy Grail in a little plastic container. Known officially as toum, it’s a whipped, thick, white paste that packs a potent garlic punch to start and then finishes with a lemon sting, a happy […]

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