MIHO Gastrotruck

Date of Dining: 3/23/2012 
Price: $8-10 per item
Location: Two trucks, various location - check website

The Quick Bit:

+ high quality restaurant food in a food truck

+ rotating selection of menu items

+ most items made fresh

Δ some items were unbalanced

Δ restaurant quality food is still at restaurant prices

I've quipped about MIHO in the past in relation to what I viewed as their shortcomings (namely the small portions), but I never really did give them a fair shake. The reality is that MIHO was San Diego's first Gourmet Food Truck in the real sense of the word, and they are who many of the other food truck operators look to as the "top dog" of San Diego food trucks. 

MIHO is the brainchild of former Linkery Chefs Juan Miron and David Ho. Leaving The Linkery, they sought to establish a mobile restaurant in the same spirit of the restaurant where they worked; fresh, local, organic ingredients are used and everything that can be made from scratch is made from scratch. 

When I decided to visit MIHO for the blog, I decided that I would remove any past preconceptions from my mind and approach the food truck like any other first timer would. I enlisted the help of a coworker to make sure that I remained unbiased.

The Food

shrimp tacos - chipotle aioli, slaw

The shrimp was cooked to perfection, and the aioli was flavorful. Unfortunately, I felt that the dish did not quite come together in spectacular fashion. I was hoping for the sweetness of the shrimp to contrast with the spice of the chipotle and sing in my mouth, and those flavors did combine in such a way, but the resulting chorus was more of a pianissimo sound than the fortissimo.

fried chicken biscuit - free range chicken, local slaw. house made buttermilk biscuit

As people are starting to get to know, my guilty pleasure is fried chicken. Coupled with the biscuit and I knew I had to order this. The biscuit was made to perfection as it was moist, crisp, and full-flavored. The chicken was fried perfectly to retain moistness and tenderness. This was the best dish of the visit, and not just because it was my guilty pleasure. While I normally never order chicken from a restaurant, I was happy to have this dish and would readily order it again.

Perhaps most importantly, the serving size of the sandwich was a full portion. Eating this alone is enough for a normal person to get full.

Lamburger - all natural lamb, harissa aioli, goat cheese, caramelized onion, local arugula, local ciabatta

We ordered the lamb cooked medium rare and the chef complied to cook it exactly as per specification. The lamb was super moist and the medium rare cooking caused all the juices to overflow throughout the ciabatta. The combination of flavors really worked well in the context of the sandwich and was satisfying. While I was ready to anoint the lamburger the best dish, my co-worker pointed out that he was really put off by the bread to meat ratio in that the flavors of the ciabatta really muted the flavor of the lamb. Instead of being the best dish, the lamburger will have to settle for a close second.

bacon chocolate chip cookie

We finished with a dessert item. Other than the bacon chip visible on the top of the cookie, we detected no other flavor of back throughout as the chocolate seemed to overpower the flavor. Further, thought the price of the cookie did not justify what we received. This was easily the worst dish, and we both recommend against anyone ordering it in the future unless the price is dropped.

Conclusion

Overall, there were some hits and misses at MIHO, but I came out of the experience with a much higher opinion of the truck than I held previously. Most importantly, MIHO is now offering true restaurant quality food out of the truck in the proper portion sizes to be full. While the price isn't any cheaper than a restaurant,  the location of the truck in certain certain culinarily desolate locations may trump the higher price point - the food out of the MIHO Gastrotruck is easily better than most restaurants.

For the high quality restaurant food out of a food truck, MIHO is awarded the bit award.

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The Boathouse - Lobster Night - Flash

Date of Dining: 4/25/2012
Price: $11.95 lobster with purchase of additional item
Location: 2040 Harbor Island Drive, San Diego, CA 92101
website

The Quick Bit:

+ cheap lobster dinner

+ bang for the buck

Δ extra menu items could be more reasonably priced

Δ sides could be less an afterthought

Δ recent price increase

I thought I was going to be covering a quick deal where the lobster was $9.95, but it turns out that by the time I made it to the boathouse, the weekly special price had been increased to $11.95. 

A long running deal in San Diego, locals will tell you that going to The Boathouse restaurant on Wednesday nights gets you a lobster dinner for a discounted rate. The deal is simple - order any other item on the menu (like a soda) and you can enjoy a 1 pound lobster dinner at the discounted rate. Unfortunately, every other menu item is increased in price to make up for the cheaper lobster meal.

pear and gorgonzolla salad - candied walnuts

I figured I would order a real item to get more of an extra picture than just a lobster. The candied walnuts were and pears were nice in the salad, but the flavor was somewhat uninspired. Rather than really integrating the elements of the salad together, the flavors were disjoint.

1 pound lobster dinner

The lobster dinner comes with a side of rice pilaf and a tub of clarified butter for dipping. The lobster is simply steamed and arrives steaming hot at the table. Ultimately, lobster is lobster so if you enjoy breaking down your own lobster (albeit somewhat a small one), then this dinner is for you. The meat was sweet and succulent as can be expected from lobster.

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Jade: Thai and Mandarin

Date of Dining: 4/13/2012
Price: $5-7 appetizers, $11-16 entrees
Location: 10330 Friars Rd Suites 104-105, San Diego, CA 92120
website

The Quick Bit:

+ high value per dollar

+ no-MSG in all menu items

+ authentic Thai and Chinese flavors in dishes

+ good and friendly service

Δ menu could be simplified

Δ beverage selection could be expanded

When I received a tip that there was a good Thai/Chinese restaurant in Mission Valley, I thought the tip was akin to discovering a Hunger Games winner out of the Twelfth District. However, I was assured that the food was well prepared and that the restaurant was a hidden gem waiting to be found.

While the restaurant was described to me as "Jade Thai," I was somewhat surprised to pull up to the restaurant and see the restaurant was actually named "Jade Thai & Mandarin." I didn't really know what to make of the development: on one hand, the improper language suggested a foreign owner who was likely intimately familiar with authentic flavors, but on the other hand having a single restaurant that served both Chinese and Thai dishes separately seemed a bit unfocused.

When I sat down in the restaurant, I was greeted with an extremely helpful server who explained the concept of the restaurant. Apparently the restaurant is under new management. The previous restaurant had a very talented Thai chef, who was retained for the transition, but the owner really wanted to operate a Chinese restaurant, so they brought in a second Chinese chef. While I had been recommended the Thai dishes, the rarity of such good and helpful service at a Chinese restaurant convinced me to try some Chinese dishes as well. 

Thai tea

I started with the Thai tea at the waitress's insistence. The tea was a good rendition of the Thai tea with the milk tasting especially creamy. Somehow, I felt that the helpfulness of the waitress was akin to currying favor with sponsors.

satay - chicken, peanut sauce, cucumber salsa

One of the signature dishes of the restaurant was the satay, so I decided to try it. Being used to overcooked chicken on satay skewers, I was extremely surprised to find an extremely moist, flavorful, and well-cooked chicken satay. I tried the satay with each sauce individually and together and was impressed as well. The cucumber sauce was especially refreshing, but the combination of the peanut sauce with the cucumbers was a big triumph. There was a great mix of sweetness, complexity and crunch well all the sauces were combined together.

bowl of tom kah soup

Since it was a cold and rainy day, I decided that a large assortment of soups was in order. We started with the tom kah soup. While I've never really been a fan of coconut milk based soups, I enjoyed the flavors present in this bowl. There was a good balance of coconut milk, lemongrass, and fresh vegetables to give a complex bowl of soup.

beef with cilantro soup

Following the Thai soup, a Chinese soup was brought to the table. While I don't want it to be, I would be lying if I didn't admit this was my favorite dish of the evening. I probably drank about 2/3 of this large family-sized bowl of soup in addition to the other dishes I ate.

The soup was the epitome of good Chinese cuisine - none of the elements were overcooked, there were delicate just subtly complex flavors, the entire dish was balanced, and the ingredients were fresh. The fresh cilantro in the soup really brought out a freshness to the dish stimulated both my palate and appetite. 

Note: For those who don't normally order Chinese soups, ask for white pepper and add it to your bowl. The soups are purposely under-seasoned, but some white pepper really brings out all the flavors.

Overall, this soup was coursed properly in the progression that it was almost like a parachuted care package.

larb pork

With the Thai chef claiming to specialize in Northern Thai cuisine, I ordered the pork larb as a measuring stick against some other versions of the dish. While the result was not quite a home run, it was probably a 2 RBI triple. The larb was cooked well and much better than most versions of the dish I've had in the past. It is certainly a dish that I wouldn't mind returning to eat regularly.

cumin lamb

The cumin lamb is one of my favorite Szechwan preparations of lamb. I found this rendition interesting as it used cumin seeds as opposed to grinding the seeds. The result was a lamb that was not so strongly cumin flavored, but it was not necessarily bad since it allowed the flavor of the lamb to be featured more prominently.

pad talay

I decided to finish off with a Thai seafood dish. The technical execution of this dish was impressive as each of the seafood elements were cooked perfectly. Further, the resulting sauce of all the seafood and vegetables was an extremely flavorful combination that really enhanced the dish.

mango sticky rice

For dessert, another signature dish - the mango sticky - rice was served. I really enjoyed this dessert as the rice was not overcooked or overly sweet. The mango was ripe, fresh, and flavorful. This was a great way to end the meal.

Conclusion:

While I don't want to go overboard and attribute any sort of "best" labels to Jade Thai & Mandarin, I had an extremely enjoyable time with my experience there. The Thai food was well prepared and contained authentic Thai flavors. I consider the Chinese food to be in the edible category, which places the restaurant in the upper echelons of San Diego ranks. I am anxious to return again in the future and try some more dishes to see if the quality holds throughout the menu. Finally, the price for a meal at Jade Thai & Mandarin was extremely economical and affordable. If the flavor doesn't do enough to convince you, let the prices seal the deal.

For the tasty authentic food at tasty and affordable prices, Jade Thai & Mandarin gets a bit award.

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Flavor Del Mar

Date of Dining: 4/18/2012 
Price: $72 for tasting menu, $39 for wine pairing
Location: 1555 Camino Del Mar #322, San Diego, CA 92014
website

The Quick Bit:

+ great products and ingredients used for tasting menu

+ well executed and flavor packed french-asian fusion

+ high caliber wine pairing for the price

+ great view of the ocean from the dining room

+ great knowledgeable service staff

Δ the parking validation only lasts for two hours

Δ tasting menu only available Sunday-Thursday

When I last mentioned Flavor Del Mar, I actually wrote a review about the adjoining wine bar Sip. While I had been hoping to try the tasting menu at Flavor Del Mar after dining at Sip, the menu took a little longer to materialize than expected, and some other obligations prevented me from getting back to Flavor until recently. I finally found some time to check out Flavor, and I was excited to see what Chef Redzikowski had planned.

As mentioned before, Flavor is run by Chef Brian Redzikowski. To quote myself from the SIP story:

Chef Redzikowski graduated first in his class from the Culinary Institute of America where he worked at Alain Ducasse and Le Bernadin during his monthly stages. He competed on Iron Chef America in 2008 and was named StarChefs Rising Chef Nominee in 2010. Chef Redzikowski previously worked at Nobu Matsuhisa in Aspen and Joel Robuchon at the Mansion in Las Vegas. Chef Redzikowski was largely influenced by Asian flavors after a trip to Southeast Asia - his cooking style is to use the freshest seasonal ingredients and combine French and Asian flavors using modern techniques.

 I was excited to finally put myself in Chef Redzikowski's hands and experience the best he had to offer.

prosecco

To start off the meal, we were given a complimentary glass of prosecco to stimulate the palate.

tangerine jalapeno - peligroso reposado tequila, cointreau, fresh squeezed tangerine juice,
lemon, lime, jalapeno puree, chili-lime salt rim

I followed up the prosecco with the house special tangerine jalapeno cocktail. The cocktail was the house take on a margarita. Overall the cocktail was good and paired well with some of the seafood courses that was offered, but I thought a stronger jalapeno component for spice would have elevated the cocktail even more.

First Course:

tuna crisp - red onion, shiso, white truffle oil, nasturtium

leth gruner veltliner

The first course was a feast for all the senses. The white truffle oil (powder) carried the scent of truffle to the nose, while the plating was a work of art. If that wasn't enough the flavors of this dish outshone my expectations. You would probably expect me to say that the tuna was awesome (and it was), but it was not the star of the dish; the real star of the dish was the soy crisp below the tuna. The soy crisp was a play on a Chinese scallion pancake - fried to crispy perfection and infused with the flavor of green onions. This flavor was contrasted by a pickled red onion and topped off with the white truffle oil. The tuna served as a balancing agent to keep the onion and truffle flavors from overwhelming the palate.

Second Course:

grilled hiramasa - shiitake, brussel sprouts, onion, mustard miso

domaine lb chenin blanc

This fish tasted so fresh that I felt it must have still been swimming two hours before. The fish was lightly grilled and was a perfect amalgamation of the fresh oily raw flavors of hamachi with the cooked buttery savoriness more similar to a chilean sea bass. The shiitakes added some earthiness while the brussel sprouts added a peppery contrast. The miso mustard sauce added some extra umami oomph to really brighten the dish, but may not have been required as the fish alone was the star of the dish.

The Domaine LB was my favorite white wine pairing and had a lot of the buttery sweetness more usually associated with a chardonnay. However, the LB also had a more complex finish than most Chardonnays, which made it really work. The pairing with the fish really worked as the sweetness played well as a counterpoint against the mustard.

Third Course:

lobster tempura - serrano chile, sweet ponzu, cilantro

von hovel riesling

The lobster was the one item we enjoyed that can also be found on the regular menu. I previously enjoyed this course and was happy to see it back in a more refined state. The spice of the serrano was still present to really surprise and elevate the flavor of each lobster, and the other elements remained as well. Each lobster fritter was fried to perfection and contained a fresh succulent morsel of maine lobster.

Fourth Course:

wagyu A-3 ribeye - pickled ramps, wasabi kazomi, tosazo

becker estate pinot noir

Even with the recent trip to Totoraku, I am a sucker for really high quality beef. The a3 designation on the Wagyu indicates the tenderness and quality of the beef. Getting real high quality Wagyu beef was a real treat and this beef was cooked very rare to perfection; with each bite of the beef, it was so tender that I almost felt as if the beef would melt in my mouth. When I did chew, it was only with the most minimal amount of effort. I was especially a fan of the preparation, which included the wasabi kazomi, which is a pickled preparation of fresh wasabi. This was a pickling of fresh wasabi, which still contains the spice, but at a milder level, which allows more depth to develop in the flavor. The grilled ramps added some garlic flavors to round out and unify the dish. 

The Becker Estate Pinot was a surprise as the pinot carried a really long finish that was almost more reminiscent of a syrah, yet retained the bright fruity nose of a pinot. 

Fifth Course:

skuna bay salmon - hedgehog mushrooms, garlic and parsely puree, spinach, fennel

bergstrom cumberland reserve

This was my favorite dish of the night. The salmon was perfectly cooked and all the side elements of the dish really worked in harmony to advance the salmon. My favorite element was the olive oil pudding. At first I found it hard to identify what the flavor was as it was so familiar, but came in a different form. The sauteed vegetables added individual elements of brightness and contrast to the dish, which really showcased how versatile the salmon was in holding up to the contrasting flavors. Further, the salmon was paired with a pinot that happened to also be my favorite wine of the evening. The minerality and flavors of the bergstrom really highlight what I appreciate in pinots and the pairing worked really well against the wild salmon.

Sixth Course:

flat iron steak - potato, shallot jam, sorrel,  brussel sprouts, soy-garlic glaze

chateau roques mauriac

This steak showed off the technique of sous vide followed by grilling to finish. This technique really allows the beef to cook perfectly and epitomize the pure flavors of beef. This beef was made special due to the shallot jam. The shallots were actually caramelized to the point where they caramelized and there was actually a sweet flavor from the shallots. This pairing really worked well with the beef (although I personally prefer the wasabi pairing). 

The wine was an excellent bordeaux pairing and displayed why bordeauxs generally pair well with red meats. While the wine was still young and contained a lot of tanins, this actually seemed to work in favor of the pairing as the tanins provided some extra contrast that seemed to be absent from the dish.

Seventh Course:

foie gras doughnut - acacia honey, tangerine, arugula, chive

chateau rieussec

The foie gras was cooked perfectly medium rare and the doughnut contained a warm fluffy interior while maintaining a slight crunchy exterior. In short, the technical execution was perfect. The foie gras was cooked to perfection and really came through in flavor of a seared foie.

Eighth Course:

butterscotch budino

krocher auslese

The butterscotch budino was really the perfect way to end the meal. The caramel was slightly hardened to almost give a creme brulee crunch in some areas, yet the pudding retained a really smooth and rich texture and flavor throughout. I thought that this take was even superior to the budino I enjoyed at Pizzeria Mozza.

Conclusion:

Chef Brian Redzikowski is cooking some great food at Flavor. He is really showcasing the combination of French techniques, asian flavors, and modern technique to present high quality cuisine. The ingredients used are of the highest quality and that is reflected in the end product at the restaurant. While San Diego has had some really talented chefs leave recently, I really hope that Chef Redzikowski has found a great home and is willing to stay. As San Diegans, we should show our support for Chef Redzikowski so we don't lose another great chef.

My experience at flavor really as excellent as the cuisine was tasty, the plating was artistic, and the service was very good as well. For the entire experience, I give Flavor Del Mar the terrabyte award.

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Tsujita LA - Interrupt

Date of Dining: 3/31/2012
Price: $10-15 per bowl of ramen
Location: 2057 Sawtelle Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025
website

The Quick Bit:

+ 60 hour tonkotsu broth for the ramen base
+ best ramen I've had outside of Japan
+ strong flavored tsukemen
Δ food could have been less salty


During my trip to Los Angeles, I resolved to dine that the finest ramen establishment the city had to offer. At first, I thought the destination would be somewhere in Little Tokyo like Daikokuya. However, a quick search resulted in Little Osaka being the new destination of choice. While 2008 may have been the food truck boom in LA, 2011 was the year ramen took off.

A relative newcomer, Tsujita only started serving ramen around October 2011, and then only for lunch. Tsujita is the child of Chef Takehiro Tsujita, who set about creating the perfect bowl of ramen ten years ago. After developing his recipe and opening his first ramen-ya, Tsujita now owns 7 restaurants globally (4 in Tokyo, 1 in Beijing, 1 in Bangkok, and 1 in Los Angeles). His ramen is styled as tonkotsu gyokai, or a mixture of both pork and fish broth. 

sauces at Tsujita

Tonkotsu Ramen:

char-siu tonkotsu ramen

The ramen came steaming hot with a generous amount of wood ear mushrooms, bamboo, negi, and pork. The first thing I noticed about this bowl was the color and texture of the broth. The broth was so rich that the consistency seemed thicker than water. The soup was amazingly flavorful; each spoonful of ramen broth was akin to drinking some sort of savory pork consume that embodied the essence of pork flavor. While the toppings were appreciated, they were really there more to provide some textural contrast as the star of the dish was easily the broth.

If I had a small complaint, it was that the noodles were thinner than I am used to. I'm probably cultured to having the wrong type of thick ramen alkaline noodles, but the noodles that accompanied this bowl were so thing that they reminded me of somen. While the noodles themselves were quite good, it was just a bit of a shock to me.

Tsukemen:

char-siu tsukemen

While the regular ramen at Tsujita is good, it is the tsukemen that makes the restaurant special. While I'm not sure that the ramen was styled as tonkotsu gyokai, the tsukemen was definitely styled that way. Tsukemen is ramen that is dipped into the broth, which is extra thick and extra reduced. After consuming the dipping noodles, one can ask for hot water to be added to the broth, so it is enjoyed as a soup.
With my first taste of the ramen with the tsukemen broth, my mouth experienced an explosion of flavor. Not only did I get all the pork flavor, but I got an underlying seafood complexity that was the fish broth flavor. The combination of these flavors was so good that it almost induced me to cry with happiness. I have to agree with Jonathan Gold that the experience was life-changing. I also agree that the dish is centered entirely around the broth and that the noodles are simply there for textural contrast while the pork ensures that you stay full after consuming the meal.

Conclusion:

I set out to find the best ramen in Southern California, and I dare to say that I did find it. Not only was Tsujita the best ramen I've had outside of Japan, it beats many of the places I visited in Japan as well.
For having such good ramen, Tsujita is awarded the megabit award (the first recipient too)!

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Wich Addiction - Grand Opening

Date of Dining: 4/12/2012 
Price: $3-4 sides, $8-11 entrees
Location: 6625 Flanders, San Diego, CA 92126
website


The Quick Bit:
+ Great technical cooking temperatures
+ Diverse menu of sandwiches and salads
+ Braised short rib flavors
Δ Seating can be difficult during rush hours

I previously covered the Wich Addiction soft opening, so it was only natural that I made my way back for the grand opening. When I first started covering food trucks, I mentioned that many of the early food truck pioneers entered the business because they wished to own their own restaurant, but otherwise did not have the money to do so. Those owners either made the food truck into their version of a mobile restaurant, or used it as the seed to eventually establish their own storefront.

As the bubble of food truck popularity begins to burst, the long term viability of food trucks will ultimately lie in the abilities of their owners to convert to brick and mortar locations. While a few more successful trucks may continue to always operate, the more secure path to a future lies in the establishment of a successful restaurant. 

Dyann and Mark Manning, owners of the Devilicious Food Truck, are the first in San Diego to make the jump from food truck to brick and mortar restaurant. In a little more than 15 months of operation, the Mannings have been able to use the seed money from the food truck to fund their own restaurant.While the restaurant isn't a huge Cohn monster in terms of space, it is the next step in a potentially larger future.

For those that don't remember Dyann Manning (or those who remember her as Dyann Huffman), she went to the CIA and honed her skills with Tom Colicchio at Grammercy Tavern. When I spoke with her, she stated that once the business gets going, she plans to hold some special events at the new restaurant where she may show off more of her fine dining skills. Stay tuned for some of these future updates. In the meantime, she is constantly adjusting the menu at Wich Addiction and gearing it up for both delivery and catering services to the surrounding Sorrento Valley area.

The concept of Wich Addiction is a casual American eatery; it will offer both sandwiches and salads and primarily focus on lunch and early dinner. All the meats for the sandwiches are roasted on site and everything is made fresh, including the chips that accompany each sandwich order. In addition to the salads and sandwiches, there are some "other" entrees including a poutine (which speaks to Dyann's Canadian roots) and a grilled penne.

Salads:

fennel salad with crispy pork belly

The fennel salad had a nice flavor as it integrated the flavor of fennel with the manchego. The cherry tomatoes brought some sweetness and acidity that brightened up the dish. My only complaint with the dish was that the crispy pork belly didn't seem to integrate well with the other elements of the salad. 

panzanella salad with seared scallops

To this day, the panzanella salad I ordered from Devilicious was one of three best things Dyann has ever served me. It is with great pleasure that I can report the panzanella salad is back and to stay at Wich Addiction. In fact, this version of the panzanella salad is superior to the previous because it is made more freshly. However, the mix of the balsamic with the cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers and arugula is still a winning combination that carries the core flavors that I previously experienced at an even more elevated level. 

beet and citrus salad with seared sea scallops

Perhaps the biggest surprise to me came with how much I enjoyed the beet and citrus salad. The sweetness of the beets is really emphasized against the sweet acidity of the oranges in this dish, and I was really pleasantly surprised with the intensity of flavor. This is definitely a salad for beet lovers. I would never want to pick between this salad and the panzanella salad as they are both really good. However, if you are in the mood for scallops, I would advise more towards the panzanella as the sweetness of the scallops is lost a bit when held against the beets.

Sides:

I previously covered the friend yummies that also fall into this category, so that really only leaves the deviled eggs.

deviled eggs

Note: I ordered the deviled eggs while they were fried, but I believe they have now been changed to not include the parmesan panko crust

The deviled eggs were very well done. This was the classic deviled egg with the twist of the small crunch when biting into the egg white. I really felt that the frying worked in heightening the flavors of the deviled egg, but it does seem labor intensive to make them.

Non-Wich Entrees:

I already covered the poutine previously (which is utterly amazing), and the only other item I've tasted is the penne:

short rib penne - grilled asparagus, cherry tomatoes, spinach, parmesan 

The penne uses the same brasied short rib as the poutine, but perhaps with less of the gravy. The savory braised sauce of the short rib really carries through,  but the stars of this dish was the perfectly grilled asparagus. The asparagus gave a textural contrast while also being cut in roughly the same sized chunks as the pasta, and really carried the dish to success. 

Sandwiches:

house roasted beef - lettuce, tomato, onion, sharp cheddar, bloody mary aioli

The bloody mary aioli really made this dish work - it helped the beef retain moistness and provided a seasoned contrast to the flavor of the beef. The beef was well roasted and tender. Perhaps the most important part was that the roast beef didn't contain any of the connective tissue bits that get stuck in between your teeth.

stuffed burger - angus patty stuffed with gouda, lettuce, tomato, onion, dill pickle aioli

This is Dyann's take on the jucy lucy. As usual, the patty was cooked to a perfect medium rare and the flavor was definitely in the patty despite it not being grass-fed beef. I was a little worried at first at the size of the bun, but the added thickness of the double-patty held up to the thicker bun (and the thicker bun looks way better for presentation).

house roasted turkey - provolone, lettuce, tomato, onion, jalapeno aioli

This was easily the best sandwich dish I enjoyed. The jalapeno aioli was the star of this dish - it made my mouth sing and complemented the roast turkey perfectly. The aioli was the perfect blend of flavor and spice, and really enhanced the flavor of the roasted turkey.

Conclusion:

Dyann is off to a great start with Wich Addiction, and I can't wait to see how the menu evolves over the next few months. The quality of the sandwiches is really high as all the meats are freshly roasted on premises, and there is the added extra flair of a professionally trained chef cooking in the kitchen. As with any new restaurant, there are still some kinks to work out so don't expect a michelin starred experience if you go. However, I believe the Mannings have adapted their winning food truck formula into a winning restaurant formula. I also look forward to the special events that Dyann may have in her mind.

For the great food with excellent technical precision, Wich Addiction is awarded the kilobit award. 

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