Restaurant Review: Pizza Gourmet Express

I'd driven by Pizza Gourmet Express a bunch and it looked cute, plus I am always on the lookout for tasty pizza be it NY style joints like Bronx and Luigi's, Chicago style like Lefty's, or Sicilian like Venice Pizza. Our office has a bi monthly outing to check out San Diego lunch places and do some office bonding over food. This outing did NOT disappoint. PGE is cute and clean with outdoor and indoor seating. There isn't too much space but we comfortably had 8 people in our party and there was room for more customers. This place is definentely diffrerent than the beloved places above, KNOW THIS. There are pies that range from the classics like pepperoni and Hawaiian to BBQ, Mediterranean and even a Duck, Pesto, Gouda, fig one (I was going to try this but they were out of duck, great excuse to return!). The service was AWESOME and I was delighted to find they had beer and wine as well as Coca Cola, in the glass bottle! You can order a personal sized 10" pizza or a 14" pizza to share and you can build your own pizza with the many many ingredients they have on hand. I was suprised to find that the first pizza hit our table about 8-10 minutes after ordered!! They have convection ovens so you don't have the loooong wait I associate with pizza. They did have two different pizzas available for by the slice if you can't even wait 10 minutes. I had the BBQ pizza which had smoked gouda, shrimp, cilantro, carmelized onion, and delicious BBQ sauce. BOOOOOOMB!!!!! SO GOOD!!! Dude, their ingredients are off the hook. I was very impressed and I'm a foodie. You can either get a traditional crust or a flat wheat crust. I tried the flat crust and adored it. Since the ingredients are delicious and adventourous the crusts purpose here is really only to hold them, not to be the showcase and that's how I like my pizza, incredible toppings and a great crust that doesn't usurp. Did I mention the owner was a sweetheart? Check this place out, University Heights has some incredible food choices so make this one of your stops. You won't be dissapointed!! Try and branch out if your a cheese/pepperoni type of person, everything is delicious!

Pizza Gourmet Express
4615 Park Blvd
San Diego, CA 92116

(619) 546-7430

Check Out The Menu

Library Literary Gem: Confederacy of Dunces

This book can be read over and over again, word on the street is, Will Ferrel is going to play Ignatius in the movie version. Cept I've heard that for yeeeears so maybe not....

From Wikipedia:

A Confederacy of Dunces is a novel written by John Kennedy Toole, published in 1980, 11 years after the author's suicide. Toole posthumously won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1981.

The story is set in New Orleans in the early 1960s. The central character is Ignatius J. (Jacques) Reilly, an intelligent but slothful man still living with his mother at age 30 in the city's Uptown neighborhood, who, because of family circumstances, must set out to get a job. In his quest for employment he has various adventures with colorful French Quarter characters.

Bronx Pizza FAQ's- Funny Stuff

I would never go into Bronx Pizza in Hillcrest high, way to stressful. You gotta know what you want pretty much the minute you roll in, which sucks because they have all sorts of delicious pizzas to look over and come to a decision on. It's a NY pizza joint and the dudes there still operate as if I took the 6 from Manhattan just to get a slice of their delicious goods. I ordered two pies last night for the girls and we were in heaven (we called in the order, picked it up, THEN got irie). We laughed over the frequently asked questions as we were looking up the website to the place. We had the Whitestone with pesto and the pepperoni pizza. They have delicious super thin pizza with fresh, incredibly flavorful ingredients, and a crunchy end crust. The pizza's were enormous and reasonably priced. They don't deliver but well, you can read what they DO do, below.

BRONX PIZZA FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Who's from New York?
Matt, Anthony, Peter, Nick and Dennis are from New York. Smity's from Pittsburgh. Everyone else is from different places. We love it when people come in asking who's from the Bronx. We can't wait to hear your story about what neighborhood you're from.

Is this really New York pizza?
Not going to respond to that. Taste it!

What size pizzas do you have?
One size- 18 inch thin crust. If ya can't eat the whole thing, we sell it by the slice.

How much are the slices?
Cheese slices are 2.00. All the others with toppings are 2.50 (tax included). We charge 50 cents for extra toppings on slices that are already available, but please be considerate and limit requests for custom-order slices when the line is running down the sidewalk.

What kind of calzones do you have?
They come with mozzarella, ricotta & parmesan cheese. You name a filling and we'll put it in for you. 50 cents each until we run outta room.

Do you make Sicilian?
Hell no! It is enough work keeping the place going without having to deal with the hellish process of making Sicilian pizza. No wonder those Sicilians are all nuts.

Do you guys serve beer?
We have root beer.

Do you accept debit or credit cards?
No. We take cash and business checks with proper identification.

Do you deliver?
We will deliver it to the counter for ya. That's a NO! If we delivered, we would not be able to give our in-store customers the best possible service. Besides, our customers know where to come for the BEST pizza.

Is that feta cheese on the pizza?
No. And it isn't goat cheese either. It's ricotta cheese. You see, this is not a Greek joint with Greek dancing, and our goat died after he ran into the middle of Washington Street to avoid getting milked.

Is that pizza fresh?
Do you really think we'd sell you pizza we made yesterday? We make so many pizzas in one day that there are times when we can't keep the slice case full. Sometimes we put a pie in there and as quick as an ambulance goes by, the whole pizza is gone.

Who's the boxing fan?
That's Matt, the thin guy with light brown hair and plenty of tattoos. He acquired them (the pictures & tattoos) over the years and was actually a fighter long ago.

Can I park over at the laundromat?
You can only park there for the 30 seconds it takes the tow truck driver to hook up your car. Seriously, AVOID THIS LOT AND THE LOT BEHIND THE SHOP!

How long will it take for my pizza?
It usually takes 10-20 minutes. We are very busy on certain nights and getting more crowded; although, we've managed to stay in that time frame for the most part. Best to call it in! Sometimes we have one in the oven before you order it. That's the "Psychic Friends Pizza" a 2-5 minute wait.

Who designed your website?
Former employee Daniel Martinez. Daniel has no personality.

Anybody notice that Subway tastes gross again?

I never liked eating at Subway until they roared back with their new breads and sauces. Oh my god the SMELL of Subway when you'd breeze through those doors was heavenly. Baking bread, veggies, roasting sandys...I was hooked! The breads were great, the ingredients were actually fresh and you could get stuff toasted if you wanted to. There were even great new sandwich flavors. Then they hit us with the $5 foot longs and that's pretty much where everything ended....You can't make $5 foot longs in a recession era for five dollars unless you cut something out, and since the veggies are sorta Subways thing the bread had to go. And go it did....it totally blows now!! The wonderful bread baking smell is almost nonexistent as the weak chemi-loaves spawn in those creepy oven trays. The bread on my Subway pretty much melted to my veggies before I could get a bite. The bread is mostly air that deflates when they wrapped it up. The cheese tastes even MORE fake too. Luckily I don't eat the meat there but I can only imagine. Shit, its like I totally would love one feet of sandwich joy for $5 for sure but not at the cost of melted bread on my lukewarm mass produced veggies over the chemi-cheese.......
Some of my fav Sandwich shops: Mona Lisa, Mimmos, Krakatoa, 1st and Ivy Deli and most other slightly dirty non-descript liquor store delis.

Very Funny: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

If the episodes of 30 Rock, The Office, South Park, etc are coming to slow then switch over to "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia." I discovered this laaaazy holiday weekend at my Aunt's. When I wasn't busy explaining to my family I thought you really could survive in NY on a dream and prayer or how being single and dating is NOT the same as being a slut I'd retire to Hulu.com with a plate of leftovers. I like Hulu because all my favorites are on there,the picture quality is awesome and there are NO commercials. Sweet. There are four seasons of "It's Almost Sunny..." on Hulu and because the internet here blows at my Aunt's I've only been able to watch the first few episodes. You can also watch full episodes on the FX website, the network airing the show.
NOW HERE THIS: It is hilarious!! It's about four friends at the end of their twenties running an unsuccessful Irish bar in South Philadelphia. They aren't afraid to find humor right of the bat in the scary land of political incorrectness. The first few episodes are called The Gang Gets Racist and Charlie Wants an Abortion. Try the first few episodes and you will be hooked. I hear the pilot cost $85 to make which means to have been picked up for this long in television the acting, humor and writing has to be ON IT. And it is. Check out the clip below then find It's Always Sunny... on Hulu.

(Dosen't the guy in the clip look like Dave Chappelle???

CBS Show filming in Ocean Beach: The Ex List

So what's the plot of this CBS Comedy-drama that aired it's pilot on October 3rd?
"A woman explores all of her past relationships after a psychic tells her she's already dated her future husband. She is told she has one year to re-find her future husband otherwise she will spend the rest of her life single."

To be honest the plot sounds lame but I'm picky with my humor and I don't even have cable much less a tv. Oh and I'm pretentious and quick to judge when it comes to sitcoms. Oh and I don't want to get married until I'm 50. But I love psychics...I heard leading lady Elizabeth Reaser is great in it though in this review I read in the Los Angles Times that was pretty upbeat about the whole thing. If you're looking for a show to tide you over until Lost starts maybe you'll check it out huh?

My point though is that is so rad that it's filmed on location in Ocean Beach with parts of it done in Imperial Beach!! This means lots of fun getting excited about seeing places we recognize. I watched a couple clips and I saw Poma's Sandwhich shop and the salon where one of my friends worked for a long time. Hell the pilot start right in the middle of Newport Avenue!! This might be just the type of show to put on when I drag my butt home wasted and need to put something on to pass out while I chug water.

Original Shows air on Friday at 9 PM but check out the CBS Website for past episodes and clips

Go See Glasser at The Casbah Tonight!!!

Glasser sounds like an LA style Bjork with back up singers, interesting Icelandic style dream pop with American vocals and harmonies. Word?? Word. Oh and she performs with experimental dance troupe Body City. They blew us away at one of the San Diego House Parties and we can't wait for more. They open for fellow Matador Records roster folks Bright Black Morning Light for Tim Pyles weekly Anti Monday League Casbah show.

Pictures from The House Party:

Art Show Review: David Adey and Graham Caldwell

Right off the bat: A great show, interesting, highly impressive craftsmanship and one of those shows you can bring your "I'm only going for the cheap wine" friends you know and love. The Luis de Jesus Seminal Projects gallery is a small but warm space and it helped that the majority of the people were from Point Loma Nazarane University, where Dave Adey is an art professor. This transalates to lots of hugs, lots of smiles and lots of good art. I hadn't been aware there were two artists showing their work in the space, what a treat. Graham Caldwell had some amazing glass blow installations. I love glass art, so shiny and smooth that it's dynamic, always looks like it's moving or changing as the light catches it in diffrent places. Sometimes it looks like it's dripping or twisting, a la, some sort of tame shroom trip. He had this awesome peice that looked like a GIANT glass drop of wine splattering on the wall that I stared at for quite some time.

Dave Adey's work was just as thought provoking and masterfully crafted (haha that made me think of mstrkrft). He takes large pictures of real like celebrity photos and punches shapes of all sizes in them, then puts them back together . I'm talking TONS of cutous. And everything from little hearts and farm animals the size of a mustard seed to stars and leaves the size of half your iphone. There's a crab there, a wrench here and together they form this picture that from across the room, just looks like Posh Spice. Oh the things you see when you get your nose close to the glass and pay attention. I recomend this show for anyone. There were kids there (yes, the PLNU baby factory is still hoppin' even during the reccession) and they loved it, the adults loved it, apathetic young adults loved it. The show ends on November 20th, see the information below!!

Who Knew? Indigo Cafe Rules

(I'd like to preface this review by clarifying that Indigo Cafe should not be confused with Indigo Grill in Little Italy, one of those fancy shmancy "fusion" joints with cool decor and expensive food. I will say, I've had some great meals there though)

If you look at the front of Indigo Cafe on 6th Avenue (between Beech and Ash) it totally looks like a Greek Restaurant. The tell tale blue, white, lace, that font...it's is all over the facade. But one of the few things this place DOESN'T serve is Greek Food (well they do have a Caesar Wrap...). My friends and I were looking to get out of our India Princess, Lotus, Krakatoa rut for a Bon Voyage lunch and I'd driven past Indigo many times, hell I sorta actually wanted a gyro. The first to arrive I walked through the door and the sound of blues jazz, the smell of cajun seasoning, and pictures of jazz greats all over the walls greeted me. Greece was replaced by New Orleans. And they had a bar full of hard alcohol to prove it just inches from the door. I forced myself to order one glass of wine instead of my one and only cocktail: Tequila OJ, I was on my lunch break after all...I was helped right away by a very kind gentlemen who led me and my glass of wine to a table by the window. The menu was off the hook!
There was a a great twist on a standard for those less adventurous friends with marinated chicken, melted pepper jack cheese, guacamole, lettuce, tomato and ranch dressing wrapped in a cilantro tortilla for only 5.99 and lots of tasty cajun/creole picks like the Shrimp Po Boy consisting of Popcorn shrimp, cajun cole slaw, pickles, tomato and chili aioli on a french roll. They had burgers like Blue Cheese and Bacon and even a great sounding veggie black bean burger. There were many wraps and deli sandwiches to choose from along with specialty sandwiches that would make your mouth water. And this was just for lunch!! They serve breakfast and dinner as well!! My friends joined me and we ordered an array of different items to share.The shrimp Po Boy was recommended by the kind waiter and did not disappoint. The wrap was a bit paltry but tasted great. One thing, the food took forever...led to my getting another glass of wine and subsequently getting buzzed...Hey no problem there! I'm a big fan of Indigo Cafe, it's close to my house, cozy, warm and serves alcohol. Mmm, like the Casbah with food, haha. Check it out!!
INDIGO CAFE
435 Sixth Avenue
There is a Clariemont Mesa location as well, check out their site!

Tartine: European Bistro on Coronado's Coast

I got a text from one of my best friends, Sarah, this morning a bit after 7 AM. My alarm had gone off but I was doing what we call goooing in bed (i.e. rolling around in bed, in and out of sleep, with little intention or desire to wake up). All she had to do was put the word "Coffee" in her text and I was at Tartine on First and Orange (right across the street from the Ferry Landing on Coronado Island) in no time. Only four of the many tables were taken, the place was serene with great soft lighting and seating indoor and out. There was a huge case of the most delicious pastries and baked goods you've ever seen and all your favorite coffee drinks, exotic and classic, ready for your ordering. I always choose salty over sweet so I went with a Spinach and Tomato slice of quiche and a drip coffee. Sarah sat down to join me and I dug in.


Right off the bat: Best Quiche of My Life. I don't even SUPER like quiche but I've had it a lot. It looks like pizza...sometimes I get confused...BUT this slice made me a believer. Two reasons: It had equal parts of delicious gruyere cheese and egg and the crust was exceptional. Somehow they made a thick, dense crust flaky? I dunno, but I tore right through it and I'm a person weary of eggs, especially coupled with morning grogginess and only into the first 1/4 of my coffee. I also loved the fruit salad that came alongside. I work right under the Coronado bridge so I got to hang out and enjoy the view of the harbor skyline and wake up without being late for work. Tartine is open for three meals a day and features tasty Euro Cafe items ranging from an assortment of paninis to Roasted Duckling! Whether it's for coffee and creme brulee in the morning or Curry Chicken Salad and Steak at night, Tartine is a great place to dine alone or with friends any time of the day. Say HEY! to Sarah if she's working there :)