Restaurants

Domo in San Francisco

We are all trying to save our money these days while looking for the right balance between an inexpensive meal and healthy foods when we eat out. Having menu items like Firecracker Balls and Sexy Mama Rolls is a nice touch to the experience. Check out the sushi bar called Domo in Hayes Valley.

We found Domo while wandering the neighborhood looking for something healthy to eat that wasn’t too expensive.  While standing in front of Suppenkuche, we noticed a small billboard near the telephone pole highlighting the lunch specials at Domo. We followed the sign then grabbed a seat at the window.

I was immediately tempted by the a la carte choices like nigiri sushi and the appetizer menu. I love the fresh and vinegary taste of cucumber sunomono, and real Hawaiian style tuna poke is the best!

Sashimi over rice

We kept to our budget and went for the lunch special. For $10 we had our choice of sushi combo, sashimi salad, maki (roll) combo, open face dragon roll (eel, tempura shrimp and avocado over rice) or sashimi over rice. These all came with miso soup and a salad. We also had delicious real ocha (green tea), not the stuff in a tea bag.

For San Francisco this is a bargain. We ate plenty of food that was fresh and healthy. I would definitely go back for dinner. The more exotic rolls like the Spicy Hulk, the Kobe Beef, the Fire Cracker Balls and the Sexy Mama (broiled asparagus topped with sliced lemon and salmon) looked delicious.

Don’t forget to try their seasonal specials highlighted on their wall near the bar and ask the waiter for help if you like sake – our guy recommended a cold sake that went perfectly with our lunch!

511 Laguna St
(between Fell St & Linden St)
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 861-8887
www.domosf.com

Mon-Fri. 12:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Sat-Sun. 5:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.

Now that the Big R word officially hangs over our economy, no doubt New Year’s resolutions for many of us hinge on saving money.

New year, same goal: eat out

Because I’ve always been a contrarian, my 2009 goal is to damn the recession and continue my daily habit of eating out. I might be talked into sacrificing the dry cleaners, washing the car myself and buying fewer songs on iTunes. I’ll pare down scrapbooking, reduce my trips to the salon, cut back the heat and perhaps even say no to Indiana University basketball tickets if we hit rock bottom. But restaurants and I will remain fast friends for a number of sanity-saving reasons:

1. Nutrition. I can’t cook, and that situation won’t change while I’m alive. After all, I’ve owned a home business for baker’s dozen years now, and lunch still consists of a string of P words: Pringles, Pop-Tarts, popcorn, peanuts (sometimes pistachios) and pretzels, washed down with a Pepsi. Sugar cereals like Peanut Butter Crunch and Golden Grahams also rate highly with me. If this were a Sesame Street routine, preschoolers could instantly pinpoint what these items have in common: You open the lid and start eating.

Once in a great while, I’ll heat a can of soup on the stove without burning it, and my husband taught me how to pour shredded cheese and beans on top of tortilla chips to make instant nachos in the microwave. What a treat.

Ugh

2. Sanitation. Do-it-yourself meal prep creates never-ending stacks of dirty dishes waiting for space in the dishwasher. My husband and I experimented during December to see how this eat-at-home concept would work. He first fixed a pot of chili, which meant I spent the next three nights scrubbing tomato stains from the sink and trying to melt the cheddar cheese ring from the side of the bowls. Bacon left nasty grease to dispose and required a big honking skillet that didn’t fit in the dishwasher. I like it much better when restaurants fuss with the cleaning, as my patience level for sticking my hands in gooey, dirty places is exactly 4.6 seconds.

Although I will confess, anything involving hot water during an Indiana winter has an up side.

3. Communication. During what we have now dubbed “the kitchen test,” the Mr. and I found ourselves in the middle of such riveting conversations as, “Don’t you dare pepper those eggs” and “Why is the dog begging table scraps?” I’d use prep time to squeeze in another email or two on the computer; he disappeared to balance the checkbook during clean-up.

Meanwhile, we overspent the Christmas budget because I forgot to mention I’d already bought his dad a gift, and he got caught up sharing the tidbit that just crawled across the TV screen and skipped over the news that I contributed to our church’s latest project. Without time spent staring at each other in a booth, no responsibilities except talking, we were too distracted to truly share.

4. Justification. Let’s face it: if someone doesn’t keep restaurants in business, Uptake won’t have enough room on the Internet to post another good-bye list in 12 months.

So I’ll resolve to say hello to the hostesses instead.

Photographer credits: Damien Roue, Julie Sturgeon

Great, Budget-friendly Food at the Stout Public House in San Diego CA

A vacation in San Diego, California can’t be missed. There are some fun activities for children, of course (like SeaWorld), the weather is nearly always warm and sunny, and the Gaslamp Quarter is makes for a lively, travel-friendly town center. But these are difficult economic times, and trip planners are keeping sharp eyes on their travel budgets. Thankfully, there are some inexpensive, easily affordable restaurants in San Diego. These are not the dives (and yes, San Diego has its share of those): Instead, these are the best restaurants that manage to serve decent food at a great price.

Best Cheap Restaurants in San Diego

Kono’s Surf Club - Who here loves all-day breakfasts? I sure do. Nothing like coming up to this boardwalk-located restaurant after an afternoon of surf and sun, and ordering a big stack of french toast. There are plenty of cheap lunch items on the menu too. Kono’s in Pacific Beach is Hawaiian-themed, and most menu items are $5 and under. No website: Kono’s is at 704 Garnet Ave, across from the ocean. (858)

Ocean Views and Cheap All-Day Breakfasts at Kono's, San Diego

483-1669

Sammy’s Woodfired Pizza isn’t just pizza – although its oven-baked pie really is a local legend. There are also salads, pasta, and over 20 different types of tapas. Sammy’s was voted the #1 pizza in San Diego a few years ago, and is among this year’s Most Popular Restaurants in Zagats.. Check out the children’s menu – kids ages 10 and under eat for just $5.95. Gaslamp: (619)230-8888 La Jolla: (858) 456-5222 Mission Valley (619) 298-8222

Stout Public House is a terrific Irish pub – not necessarily child-friendly, but it’s got everything an old fashioned Irish pub needs. The atmosphere is jovial, the location in downtown, and Happy Hour is all the way from 4PM to 8PM every day. Inexpensive pub food like fish and chips and chicken pot pie are here, needless to say, along with burgers, tuna melts, grilled pork chops, and much more. Most menu items are $10 or less. (619) 702-7933

101 Cafe is the oldest restaurant in Oceanside (in San Diego’s North County). Named for historic US Highway 101, Cafe 101 faces the original location of the highway. It’s a 1950’s style diner – although it has been renovated since it originally opened! – and, like most diners, has all-day breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Come get a photo taken of your car with the ’50’s style waitresses, and the photo might show up on the restaurant’s website! Most menu items are under $10. (760) 722-5220

El Pescador is in high-end La Jolla, but manages to serve great, fresh seafood at low-end prices. It’s popular because it’s a relatively cheap restaurant for the area, hence is usually bustling. There are really affordable seafood salads and sandwiches for lunch, and it won’t bust a vacation budget to get the grilled yellowtail sandwich or Scottish salmon salad. (858) 456-2526

Point Loma Seafoods is located right in the middle of Point Luma’s fishing docks. This ultra-casual setting lends itself well to the full-service fish market restaurant. It doesn’t get much fresher than this: Cheap eats right on the dock include sandwiches, fried seafood, soups and chowders, and shrimp cocktails. (619) 223-1109

Bay Park Fish Company is a Best Cheap Restaurant in San Diego

Bay Park Fish Company, like Point Luma Seafoods, is a full-service market and restaurant. It overlooks Mission Bay, a lovely view. Tourists likely aren’t interested in buying seafood retail, but the menu is extensive and the dining area has been recently expanded. Most entrees are $10 or less yet come in large portions, unusual for a fresh seafood restaurant. (619) 276-3474

San Diego CA has a wide variety of restaurants, ranging from high-end, formal dining experiences to the lowliest of greasy spoons. These restaurants are the best cheap restaurants in the area – good food in casual settings – and you’ll leave without having busted your vacation budget.