San Diego Restaurant Week Fun: Del Mar’s CUCINA enoteca + Taste of Thai

Last week was an exciting time for a San Diego foodie who enjoys a good deal like myself: the city’s 2015 Restaurant Week!

Over the course of 7 days, diners can enjoy discounted prix fixe lunch and dinner menus at the more than 180 participating eateries in 12 regions throughout San Diego County. Every year that I’ve been in town for it, I love taking the opportunity to grab a bite at a few of the participating restaurants that I’ve never been to before for a few bucks cheaper.

The first restaurant that I dined at during Restaurant Week was Del Mar’s CUCINA enoteca — an eatery featuring California-inspired dishes with an Italian flair. CUCINA enoteca opened in 2013, and I had heard good things about it. Zagat recently called Cucina Enoteca one of the hottest restaurants in San Diego. I got to see what all the hype was about when I met with two girlfriends of mine for dinner there last Tuesday night.

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When I arrived at the restaurant around 7:30, it was totally packed. The ladies and I headed to the bar for a drink while we waited for our table to be ready. CUCINA enoteca features a great selection of wine, brews, and specialty cocktails – including liquor infused with fresh produce in-house, like ginger vodka and cucumber gin. I tried a pear sage martini, which was strong and tasty.

My friends are I were commenting on the decor of the restaurant, which is a unique and interesting style that seems to work well in SoCal. It’s very artsy, sort of bohemian, and most definitely charming. What caught my eye the most was the area by the stairs, which featured these dangling animal charms:

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It’s funky, and I like it.

Even though I had made a reservation, we wound up waiting awhile for a table because the restaurant was packed. I never make a big deal about this kind of thing, especially since I worked in restaurants for a bunch of years and know how things get, but the manager was so sweet and brought us a round of champagne and a few complimentary appetizers. I can’t argue with that hospitality!

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I had been planning on choosing from their prix fixe Restaurant Week menu, but once we sat down, a certain dish on their regular menu caught my eye: squash blossoms stuffed with herb ricotta, basil pesto and lemon aioli. I wound up deciding to just order a la carte, and was not disappointed with my decision. The squash blossoms were awesome!

For my entree, I chose their artichoke + roasted red pepper pizza. While it wasn’t crazy amazing, it was good. The dish was light on cheese but the veggies had nice flavor. I was already getting full from the apps, and wound up noshing on 2 slices and bringing home the rest for my hubby.

I didn’t get any dessert, but my girlfriends both got a warm chocolate torta, which I obviously tasted, and we all gave it a thumbs up.

Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first.  How cute is that?

My second San Diego Restaurant Week experience this year was a lunch date with my friend Trish, a fellow fitness lover and blogger who I met after moving back to SoCal last year. We got together last Saturday for a mani (her) + pedi (me) date, followed by lunch at Taste of Thai — another restaurant in Del Mar.  It’s coincidentally right next to to CUCINA enoteca, which is funny considering I live 30 minutes away from there. I had been to their location in Hillcrest once before, but this was my first time at Taste of Thai’s Del Mar location.

I never was a big Thai food fan until I vacationed in Thailand and ate my weight in Pad Thai and vegetable rolls (I talked about some of my favorite eats in Thailand here!), and now every now and then, I crave a good Thai meal. Once I saw Taste of Thai on the Restaurant Week menu, I was all about getting my Thai food fill – especially for a two-course, $10 lunch.

First up was a Thai salad with peanut dressing, which tasted delicious because 1.) I was starving and 2.) I love a good Asian peanut dressing. It did have one weird thing: a single Pringle placed on top of the bowl… I kid you not. If you can explain that, please leave a comment telling me why! It did make me laugh though.

For my entree I chose a vegetable + tofu Pad Thai…. which was nothing short of delicious. Taste of Thai didn’t have any vegetarian entrees listed on its prix fixe menu, but they were happy to sub out the shrimp Pad Thai for a veg friendly one. It totally satisfied my Thai food craving, and I even had some to take home too (which my hubby again wound up eating because he’s the leftover king!).

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed both of my 2015 Restaurant Week meals. Next time I have a Thai food craving, Taste of Thai is where I’ll be. And while I didn’t wind up even going with the CUCINA enoteca prix fixe Restaurant Week menu, I was really glad that I got to check out the restaurant last week. It was definitely my type of place, and I can’t wait to go back with my hubby so I can hang out on their second-story outdoor lounge and try their ginger vodka!

Questions: Do you have a Restaurant Week in your city? Thai food – yay or nay in your book?