If you step in Tuscany Steakhouse in Midtown Manhattan, you would never guess that it is a Steakhouse and would more be inclined to think that it is an Italian restaurant, the masculine decor of classic steakhouses being totally absent. But it will stop there: as soon as you get the menu, you understand where you are but cannot not help but notice some Italian dishes here and there that set the tone. But then you are not sure what to do: Italian? Steak? Both?

As Jodi was part of an exhibit in Henry street in Brooklyn, I proposed to have dinner nearby and found Sociale, an Italian restaurant that has been opened since 2013 and serves a contemporary cuisine. The place is not big and has the kind of atmosphere that makes you think it is your typical neighborhood restaurant, an atmosphere that I love. Food wise, we were there for a treat; here is what we had:

We recently ate at Saju Bistro, a French restaurant located in Times Square. Nice decor, warm, I truly appreciated that some of the tables have space in between so you do not have the impression to dine with the neighboring table, even if I would not mind if they would pick up our check.

Hoboken has great places for brunch. The last one we discovered in December was Grand Vin Kitchen and Bar. It was the same day as Santa Con and we were glad to see that they barred people participating in this annual pub crawl event, making this place quiet and enjoyable. Serving Italian and American fare, Grand Vin has a very interesting menu for brunch that makes it interesting and the kind of place I would go back to for sure!

Named after a popular shopping street in Singapore, Bugis Street serves pan-Asian cuisine as well as some classic American dishes. Located in the Millennium Hotel in Times Square, it was our destination as we were looking for a restaurant not to far from Port Authority.

Named after the famous Japanese actor Toshiro Mifune, Mifune is a Japanese restaurant located Midtown East that serves an interesting menu. Yes you can get sushi and sashimi there, but I encourage you to try their other dishes that show a certain creativity.

We were walking on Jackson avenue in Long Island City, on our way to a restaurant when we noticed Bierocracy, a Central European beer hall. As it started to rain hard, we changed our plan and thought it could be nice to go there for lunch, dinner being probably packed and noisy. And we were half right: the place started empty but they had two parties: one on one side of the bar room and another one in the back, where they have a private room.

Our last meal in San Diego was at Salud! By San Diego Taco Company, a popular Mexican restaurant located in Barrio Logan. Crowded inside with a long line outside, I was really excited to try it. And I was even more when inside, the decor being really beautiful with its murals that are tattoo inspired and the car hoods on the wall.

For our last lunch in San Diego, we decided to go light as we planned an early dinner with our friends Ciara and David, before our flight home. So I found this seafood place that had a couple of vegetarian options for Jodi called Ironside Fish and Oysters. Located in Little Italy, this restaurant is quite big and has a beautiful sea themed decor, especially the wall full of piranhas…

We were really excited to be able to get a reservation at Juniper and Ivy, the restaurant of Top Chef alum Richard Blais where Executive Chef Anthony Wells creates a very creative menu that would for sure excite the culinary curious...unless vegetarian. I wish restaurants were keeping their menu online up to date because Jodi was excited to try their pasta with truffle, but unfortunately it was not there, their menu changing on a regular basis and the waiter did not really come back with options besides what was there written. So I left glad I got to try that place; Jodi was less enthusiastic than I was...Here is what we had:

The Donut Bar was our first target for sweets in San Diego, but, at 4:15pm on the Thursday we arrived there, they were already closed. A quick check on the hours mentioned 8am to sold out. What? First time I saw that besides at food trucks. Is it a way to create some sort of demand? I do not know, but what was sure was that we would go back as their menu looked really good, made of classic and innovative donuts. So we went back on our last day, at 8:45am thinking that, being a Sunday, lots of people would still be asleep. Wrong: there was a line from the moment we arrived to the moment we left.

Our next stop during our trip to San Diego was Lucha Libre Gourmet Taco Shop simply called Lucha Libre by the locals. This restaurant that has 3 locations was opened in 2008 by the Rojanos brothers who celebrate Mexican wrestling in their colorful restaurants.

We were looking for a Mexican restaurant on Opentable, when we stumbled upon Puesto at The Headquarters. Little did I know that the Headquarters referred to The San Diego Police Headquarters (some of the cells are still there), that has been transformed to a shopping and restaurant area.

In-N-Out burger is not new to me as tried it few years ago in San Francisco. At the end of the post, I even wrote at the time: “If I went back to California, I would definitely go get a good burger there!”. So here we were with our friends David and Ciara. When we arrived, the place was packed, but, lucky for us, people right next to us left and so we got a table, granted that we could have sat outside.

Ice cream sandwiches are not a novelty and places proposing them have been popping up all over the place, whether in trucks or brick and mortar places. The Baked Bear is one of them. Created in San Diego in 2013 by Shane Stanger and Rob Robbins, this place is a bit overwhelming. Yes, there are so many combinations between cookies, brownies or doughnuts to the variety of ice cream and topping that it is endless. And they make their own cookies.

Serving Tijuana style tacos and burritos, The Taco Stand in La Jolla is the sort of casual eatery you would want in your neighborhood. When we went on a Thursday evening, at around 7:15pm, it was as if people gathered at the same time, filling the entire place, until the time we were ready to leave: no, when we arrived it was so crowded. After eating their food, I understood why: it was simply delicious. And cheap.

When you go to a place called Extraordinary Desserts, you have high expectations. With two locations in San Diego, this is where we landed as soon as we arrived there.

What would vegan Mexican cuisine taste? No meat is easy to imagine as you can end up with cheese enchiladas or mushroom tacos, but how do you make an entire menu without cheese? Vegan versus vegetarian can be so different. With its vegan menu, crafted by Chef Chandra Gilbert, Gracias Madre succeeded to offer a delicious meal and when a carnivore like me is excited by the experience, it probably tells you something.

Hard Rock Café is the quintessence of Americana: Rock, burgers and shakes are what comes to my mind when I think about this place. It is a fun place for sure that mesmerize amateurs of music, going around the dining room to look at some of the artifacts being a must do before or after a meal there. We went there with our friend Amy and her two kids, Bodie and Jaxon as we met in LA. It was that or Umami Burger that unfortunately closed in NY, but was further away and it was already late.

Located inside the W on Hollywood Boulevard, Delphine Eatery and Bar offers a contemporary American menu. This was our choice for dinner on Christmas Day as we were looking for a place to go not to far from our hotel that would be open that day. Big, I admit that the entrance of the restaurant made it look like a casual eatery, surprising for the W hotel, but then, inside, it has a bit more cachet. Not that it is an elegant place, but the space has some warmth with decor that is supposed to be reminiscent of Provinçal cafés. Not sure how, but it is apparently what they went for.