Babycakes in Hillcrest, YUM!!

We had an office birthday yesterday and I decided to upgrade our usual Albertsons Disney Themed Cupcakes to gorgeous gourmet ones (the birthday girl was our office sweetie). Cupcakes Squared in Ocean Beach was too far away and The Daily Scoop in South Park was closed, Babycakes in Hillcrest it was!! This place is beautiful and right in the heart of Hillcrest on 5th and almost Robinson. There is a large outdoor patio to enjoy a cup of coffee and ample seating indoors as well. It has an elegant look that is still fun and fresh. They make exquisite wedding and party cakes and also, DELICIOUS cupcakes of all types. We loved the Red Velvet and Pistachio the most! They also serve a few lunch style items, other sweets and tarts and wine!! If you're looking for a new coffee shop check it out. They are open from 9am-11 pm!!

ALSO, TONITE!!
Babycakes Happy Hour Tuesdays!!
From 5PM Till Close you can buy a glass of wine ($5-$7) and receive a FREE GOURMET CUPCAKE!!! These delicious delites are normally $3 each so head over and get your indulge your French side!!
BABYCAKES WEBSITE YELP

Hillcrest Italian Food Gem: Bacione

It doesn't help that Bacione is in a shopping complex slapped up against a Radio Shack and Pick Up Sticks (It's by Ralps and Trader Joe's on University). Also doesn't help that the font on the sign sort of looks like you'll be eating fancily prepared musaka and not home style tortellini. We walked into Bacione and found a laid back atmosphere and friendly no frills service from the daughter of the cook herself. Ok so I had overdressed but I felt instantly at ease and even had a fun conversation with our server (who was also our host) about what to order. She recommended the rigatoni which was the house specialty but we got the Eggplant Parmesan instead and we started with wine, bruschetta and ordered a pesto basil tomato pizza for dinner as well.

Ok right off the bat, I'll just cut to the chase: This was the best Italian food I have ever had. And I dine! And I've been to Italy! Bruschetta is a basic italian starter but easy to mess up. This bruschetta was perfect because of the ingredients, the ingredients make or break an Italian dish. I have never tasted such flavorful exquisite olive oil, oh and the crunch of the bread!! Then the eggplant parmesan comes out and I died and went to heaven again. I'll say the eggplant was just normally awesome but the side of spaghetti that came with it was FUCKING INSANE. And this is just your basic noodles and red sauce spaghetti you guys. Its just the noodles were sent from god, perfect, and tasted like I was sitting in some house kitchen in an Italian Villa. The sauce, perfecto. Ok and then the pizza with pesto, mozzarella, tomato and basil. It followed suit and was incredible. Crunchy light crust that was still somehow soft and intensely flavorful ingredients in their perfect amounts. I think I exclaimed and hummed happily through the entire experience, yes EXPERIENCE. We had a gift certificate to pay for most of it but found out we were $10 short of the required amount we needed to spend. At this point I was so full I was about to sleep in the booth so we ordered the rigatoni, house specialty to go. We ate it for lunch the next day and fucking died and went to Italian food heaven. Mushrooms, garlic, roasted red pepper and herbs in a spicy marina sauce over the best rigatoni pasta I've ever had. We flipped out and tried to make it last, savoring each morsel....WHEN CAN I GO BACK? Best 4000 calories I've ever eaten in all of San Diego. Please try it, they are family run and cook like you'd never believed. The Yelp reviews are mixed but at least try for yourself!!

Sushi Fix Review

Sushi can be a volatile meal. As can any fare that includes raw fish, seaweed and an assortment of marine life eggs. If you grew up in a typical American, pb&j eating family you started eating sushi during college mostly to keep up with your friends. You all were swallowing it down whole so as not to taste the slimy lump of fish atop who knows what rolled in who knows what. But then you got used to it, you started enjoying it and know you crave it. You have your fav sushi place, you order rolls with even crazier stuff in an effort to continue impressing your friends who are still only eating cali rolls. Ah, sushi.
If youre in a sushi slump, youre still trying to reconcile with it, or you love it and want to try something new, check out Sushi Fix in Little Italy. It’s definitely a sushi experience unlike any other. It’s basically fast food sushi, which yes I know, I don’t want my raw fish anywhere near the American invention of speed preparation and consumption but this sushi is BOMB. It’s just unnerving at first to see a bunch of young white people wearing whatever they want under a Sushi Fix tee-shirt preparing my sushi. But all it took to change my mind was tasting the sushi. It was their incredibly delicious and my now favorite roll The Spicy Crunchy Cali Roll.

It’s an insane twist on the much familiar cali roll. A creamy red sauce and spicy Siracha are added to the favorite cali roll and tempura crumbles are all over the top. Add on some of their delicious signature eel sauce and you've got an explosion in the mouth. They even have great sides and basics such as their fine miso soup and green tea ice cream. The cost is about the same as a sushi restaurant but you don’t have to add 20% tip unless you want to and you can order it to go if you don't want to chill inside the restaurant or outside on the smoking patio. Check out the Sushi Fix website to get an idea of some of the great rolls they have and then try it out for yourself! Bring your snobby sushi friends and watch them enjoy the laid back sushi eating experience.

SD Band to Watch: Tape Deck Mountain

I knew that no one arriving after 9 PM to San Diego Sports Club (ugh, Ruby Room) would get into Grand Ole Party and Jamuel Saxon who I love was playing free at The Whistlestop, no brainer. Plus it was the CD release party for Tape Deck Mountain who'd I'd been wanting to check out. Jamuel Saxon was great again, you guys need an EP or something! Tape Deck Mountain was awesome too. Maybe because I love music made in the Northwest? Ok they make the music here but it's reminiscent of The Microphones, a scaled back Death Cab during Transalanticism and they even had a bit of artsy punk in there. It's got all the longing distant vocals and distorted rock riffs of other music made in Olympia, Seattle or Bellingham. Oh and Tape Deck Mountain is a drum/guitar two piece. I've stopped being skeptical of two pieces because of the White Stripes and have raised the bar high for the same reason. These guys were on it. Paulie is a great drummer, very intricate complicated drum beats is a MUST for a two piece. And Travis has those smooth and angsty Northwest vocals over more simple but no less interesting guitar work. Using the power of the pedals they worked together to produce a lush sound from two instruments (and sometimes a beat maker). They had all the controlled yet experimental distortion of the Microphones and enough catchy rythm and melody to provide energy and familiarity . I thought their show was rad and I can't wait for the next one. Check out Tape Deck Mountain on The Local Pyle 94/9 FM radio show on November 16th for an on air interview and music set.