San Diego, CA (The Joy of Food) — If this were 1980’s sitcom television, Sagmani’s would be that place where everybody knows your name, a low-key, no-frills local joint serving some of the best homemade Iraqi food in San Diego to a dedicated and loyal clientele. Your GPS will route […]
Read MoreUnited States
Posts from the United States on The Joy of Food blog.
The Balboa South
San Diego, CA (The Joy of Food) — Picture it. COVID 2020. After months of quasi-convalescence at my own version of Shady Pines during the apocalypse, here I sat in a cordoned-off parking lane over hot asphalt with cars whizzing by ten inches from my arm. I was only half-focused […]
Read MoreTandoor
San Diego, CA (The Joy of Food) — Tandoor, in the heart of gridlocked Mission Valley traffic hell, has the same Punjabi-inspired menu as almost every other Indian restaurant in San Diego at a slightly lower price point with the quality to match. You could do better, but you could […]
Read MoreCaffè Calabria
San Diego, CA (The Joy of Food) — You can take the girl out of Naples, but you can’t take Naples out of the girl. I knew Caffè Calabria was legit the first time I stepped inside and the scent in the air was a swirling mix of coffee, coal, […]
Read MoreJ&T Thai Street Food
San Diego, CA (The Joy of Food) — Those who frequent Thai eateries in Linda Vista have their picks: Thai Papaya for Isaan-style cooking and innards galore; Sab-E-Lee for more Americanized but still traditional eats; and now J&T Thai for fast-casual Thai street food. J&T has pretty much everything you […]
Read MoreObicà Mozzarella Bar
Los Angeles, CA (The Joy of Food) — A trough of cheese is the happiest of lunches for me, but some accompanying tapenade, pestos, vegetables, and salumi can make the meal more well-rounded. They use the good stuff here. Obicà achieved a small reputation as the world’s first mozzarella bar […]
Read MoreTacos El Gordo
San Diego, CA (The Joy of Food) — I always arrive at Tacos El Gordo wearing my stretchy big girl pants, eager to enjoy a feast of adobada tacos in all their greasy, spicy, juicy glory. When I say “feast,” I mean four tacos, since any more than that and […]
Read MoreEnriqueta’s Sandwich Shop
Miami, FL (The Joy of Food) — Perhaps the most famous of Cuban sandwiches is the Cubano, a layered crunchy yet soft pile of stuff pressed down to the size of a pancake. The Cubano is everything you could want between two slices of bread: generous layers of garlicky crisped […]
Read MoreFranklin Barbecue
Austin, TX (The Joy of Food) — For many, Franklin is barbecue mecca, the promised land where you’ll find a magical pot of brisket, pork ribs, and other delicious delights at the end of a double rainbow. For a long time, Franklin has been considered the best, since 2009 really […]
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