United States

Posts from the United States on The Joy of Food blog.

The House of Cuban Flavor - cuban bowl

The House of Cuban Flavor

San Diego, CA (The Joy of Food) — I’m not well-versed in many things Cuban, unless you count my fangirl crush on the late, great Desi Arnaz. Those of you under 30 probably don’t even know who that is, in which case I have one word for you: Babalú. The […]

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El Rey De Las Fritas - frita original

El Rey De Las Fritas

Miami, FL (The Joy of Food) — In this no-name strip mall in Miami, you can drop off your dry cleaning, hawk your jewelry, get your checks cashed, or bathe in a lather of fried foods all within a few feet. El Rey De Las Fritas is the fried food […]

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Pomo Pizzeria - margherita pizza

Pomo Pizzeria

Phoenix, AZ (The Joy of Food) — By now, everyone’s heard of Franco Pepe, the pizzaiolo making the ‘best pizza in the world’ according to some of the biggest critics, a guy who eschewed the way Neapolitan pizza is supposed to be, did his own thing, and got banned by […]

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Sagmani's Restaurant - chicken tikka, rice

Sagmani’s Restaurant

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 […]

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The Balboa South - the classic

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 […]

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Tandoor - chicken tikka masala, lentil soup, rice

Tandoor

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 […]

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Caffe Calabria - pizza margherita

Caffè 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, […]

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J&T Thai - spicy basil chicken and rice

J&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 […]

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Obicà Mozzarella Bar - schiaffone pasta

Obicà 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 […]

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