While looking at the SD Reader for new eats, I saw a coupon for this new place in downtown Chula Vista...
It seemed promising. I was going to meet my former student, The Activist for lunch and it was near her work...
Although it wasn't a "Buy One Get One Free" coupon, I still wanted to check it out.
Ugh, you can see the dry skin on my thumb!
Anyhow, Indulge Contemporary Cuisine was just a few minutes away from her work. It's in the cute downtown area of old Chula Vista (on 3rd Ave past F) right next to a crosswalk. Parking is metered but we parked at the free structure near Fuddruckers and walked the half block to get there. Oh the agony....
I read online that Indulge has a location in La Jolla and that they also cater. This location is fairly new, having opened this May. They use local ingredients from local companies and farms. All the buzz words were used (farm to table, sustainable, slow food, yadda yadda), you know the kind that make some some pretentious "foodies" pee their pants with excitement. I think that's all very nice and proper but I was also here to support a new local business and was happy to see a new quality restaurant in the area.
Some of their specials..
Decor is very cute and Country French'ish. There's a big table in the middle which would be great for large parties like the one below.
Otherwise, there are booths that seat four along the side with tables that seat two near the front windows.
I loved the fork and spoon decor. If you don't know, I collect those Filipino carved wooden fork and spoons. I have about eight to ten pairs (some were given away) and find them at thrift stores once in a while.
This was kind of different since it was a really detailed wooden carving with a negative space for the fork and spoon image. This obviously, isn't a Filipino design, but I loved seeing the fork and spoon decor at Indulge!
We were both excited to try this place. We kept seeing the waitress walk back and forth to the large party, carrying their plates of food. The Salmon Benedict seemed to be a very popular choice that day...
The menu changes according to what's in season.
We tried their iced teas. TA had the Mint tea (which is decaffeinated) while I had the Jamaica. Our waitress was supernice and kept coming back to freshen our glasses throughout our meal.
She chose a salad while I chose a sandwich. OMG, look at my skewer!
My Grilled Vegetable sandwich was billed as a 'panini' but the bread used was a multigrain bread (from Bread and Cie) that didn't look like the filling was grilled within. Looks like it was done separately. But hey, I'm not complaning! This was a really tasty sandwich filled with grilled yellow squash, flavorful eggplant, and portobello mushrooms. I loved the texture of the crisp grilled bread with the vegetables.
The salad was also excellent - mixed baby greens with sliced red onions and drizzled with a very light citrus dressing. I normally don't like dressing at all and was leary of tasting it but once I did, I didn't regret it. No vinegar taste at all. Just olive oil and lemon. Very nice and fresh! The portion was also perfect.
TA had the arugula salad with grilled stone fruit (nectarine) and housemade burrata drizzled with balsamic dressing. She really liked it but didn't finish all the greens because towards the end, the arugula taste got to be too much for her. But otherwise, she seemed to enjoy it.
\We also wanted to try their desserts...
TA had their Oatmeal cookie which was dusted with powdered sugar. She said she could taste the oats. The cookie was also a bit thick and not overly sweet which she liked.
The other dessert offerings were the Crema Catalana (a Spanish style creme brulee) and a Pumpkin Praline Pumpkin cheesecake. I chose the latter since I'm not into creme brulee. I was pleasantly surprised to find this cute crumb and nut topped mini cake.
I was expecting a big triangular slice of your normal cheesecake but pumpkin flavor. I normally don't like pumpkin anything but this was really quite good. The pumpkin filling was very light, like moussee. The topping was delicious with bits of pecans and toffee from the praline. I loved it and ended up returning with Bert a few days later so he could try it for himself (that will be a later post)!
Service here was great. Our waitress was attentive and took the time to explain various items on the menu as well as ingredients when I asked. I liked the chill vibe at this place as well. I'm definitely coming back...
The last time I went out with TA was when we went to Asia Cafe and Heaven Sent Desserts last year. She was the one who said I looked "fly" at her baby sister's graduation earlier this year (heh heh). It was fab catching up with her again and enjoying a leisurely lunch at a terrific new place!
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