50 San Diego Reader July 21, 2016
Adiós, ethics
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The only other cemitas shop in San Diego Lucy’s Bakery & Donuts, 31st Street, Grant Hill. Having recently discovered the Puebla- style torta known as a cemita, I began a countywide search for the thing that led me to one option — a single devoted shop in Vista called Cemitas Fandanguero. The story I wrote on it even ran with the
headline, “The only cemitas shop in San Diego,” which is true enough if you stick to traditional internet searches. But there are other ways to ply the web for
info. I tend to avoid crowdsourcing because it feels like asking the world to do the work for you. However, memory of that tasty cemita lingered fondly, and I hoped to find something like it within easier reach of my pad in South Park. I put down my antiquated ethics and put out the call on the local foodie Facebook group called “Eating and Drinking in San Diego.” Didn’t take long. Pretty darn quick, foodies
alerted me to the presence of Lucy’s Bakery & Donuts, just off Imperial Avenue on 31st. “Lucy’s all day!” someone said. Lucy’s it would be, then. Nothing left to wait
for except lunch time. Between the barred windows and security
gate, Lucy’s looked closed despite the sign saying it was open every day. Inside, the tiny, cheaply built structure was cramped, with just a couple
of tables squeezed between a service counter and glass case filled with Mexican pastries. Tortas are the main feature of the kitchen, with
FEAST!
photos of the most popular posted next to the hand-painted menu for easier ordering. Other dishes don’t seem so permanent. I noted a relleno and several eggy breakfast options drawn with marker on colored construction paper. I was nearly swayed by a cho-
rizo-and-fried-beans torta and another torta simply topped by
one of the shop’s tamales. Good reasons to go back, but I was on a cemitas mission. Lucy’s cemitas poblanas options are simple,
provided you understand a little Spanish. You get a choice of milanesa (breaded pork cutlet), de pierna (pork leg), or queso derretido (melted cheese), each including slices of avocado and onions. Trying to speak with the friendly staff, my faulty Spanish could only ascer- tain the pierna was shredded and saucy, explained to me as being similar to an enchilada filling. Sounded good.
Cemita de pierna and pan dulce
I picked out a pan dulce stuffed with ch oc ol at e an d cream — kind of like a heavy éclair — and waited. I hadn’t
asked for it para llevar, but they served it in a paper to-go bag anyway. About the diameter of a compact disc, the
fresh cemita roll was outstanding, super soft and sprinkled with sesame seeds. The rich red chi- potle smothering the pork was great considering the $6 price tag, especially with an elastic layer of melted queso holding it together. It reminded me of eating a pulled-pork BBQ sandwich with a Mexican flavor profile. And, yes, I could eat this all day.
by Ian Anderson Caprese salad with heirloom tomatoes and burrata cheese
Staycation chronicles Civico 1845, 1845 India Street, Little Italy. My in-laws took my kids to Florida for a week, so my wife and I decided to do a “staycation” of sorts by eating out every night while they were gone. Some restaurants we had wanted to try for a while, and there was one we wanted to return to: Civico 1845 in Little Italy. The Italian food is authentic and reminds us of our honeymoon and the ambiance is both busy and relaxed, bustling yet intimate. The main reason we like it is that the menu has plenty for both vegans and meat eaters. My wife was vegan when we ate there before,
but she recently added eggs and cheese to her diet. Still, this is a road-tested place and we were excited for at least as good of a meal as we’ve had in the past. For the most part, we weren’t disappointed. The meal started with a caprese salad made
with yellow heirloom tomatoes and burrata cheese ($14). The tomatoes were sliced thin and served with arugula. Both were sprinkled with lava salt, olive oil, and creamy burrata cheese. It was a great start to the evening. So was the cruda salad ($11), which had finely sliced cauliflower, carrots, and asparagus along with strawberries, goat cheese, and a subtle white balsamic vinai- grette. It was a perfect warm-weather dish. Cool, light, and refreshing. The type of salad made for global warming. This is all served with focaccia
bread and olive oil. As an entrée I had
the Scialatielli Civico ($19), a thick-cut hand- made pasta made with chili peppers. It came with cherry tomatoes, pickled cherry pep- pers, and Caledonian shrimp served with the heads still on. I dived right into the shrimp and pulled the tails and heads before mix- ing it with the pasta. I know it’s a seafood dish, but the tomatoes in the sauce and the peppers went well with a $9 glass
of Barbera wine. My wife chose the house special, a ravioli filled
with smoked cheese and served with tomatoes and artichokes ($19). It was meant to be served with mushrooms or eggplant, but my wife doesn’t like either of those. She enjoyed the veggies but not the overall dish. “I’m not a fan of the smoked cheese,” she said. She had some wine as well, and we enjoyed
sitting outside watching people walk through Little Italy. When we ate at Civico previously, we enjoyed the vegan tiramisu. You never would have known it was vegan. We were excited to try the regular version, and we were disappointed. It looked like a scoop of oatmeal. We flagged down the owner who explained they make it in a barrel and scoop it out that way, and we got the last portion. “I can make you more,” he said. We decided
against it, but we’ll go back to Civico 1845 again. We may order both versions of the tiramisu that night to see which one is better. by Patrick Henderson
FOOD & DRINK
Oceanside Food Festival A food festival highlight- ing over a dozen restaurants, breweries, and distilleries located exclusively in Oceanside and benefitting local non-profit organizations in the community. The event is hosted by The Old Mission San Luis Rey, Osider
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