Restaurant Review: Marina Kitchen in San Diego

One of the secrets of ComicCon: the nearby hotels are some of the coolest places you can hang out. We spent several evenings lounging in the Marriott Marquis and Marina bar, surrounded by bustling attendees and celebrities, and we loved taking a break from the Con to lunch at the Marina Kitchen, also located at the Marriott. 

For lunch, we couldn't help ourselves but start with their warm potato chips, which are covered in cheese and crispy prosciutto, with a chive crème fraiche on the side. The warm housemade chips in and of themselves were excellent, but add all that other goodness? Forget about it. It was love.

(warm potato chips)

We had the flat iron steak salad with butter lettuce, arugula, and roasted tomatoes. The touch that made it above and beyond: a house-made balsamic bleu cheese dressing.

(flat iron steak salad)

We also had a mahi mahi sandwich. It was simple, with avocado, lettuce, remoulade, and fries. The piece of fish was large, juicy, and perfectly cooked, with a lovely bun and crispy fries.

(mahi mahi sandwich)

We highly recommend visiting the food establishments at the Marriott Marquis and Marina during ComicCon. There are always celebrities, interviews, and people ready to make friends. But the place is also a great destination during the non-ComicCon season. The Marina Kitchen is streamlined and comfortable, with a beautiful view of the ocean. And the food has an attention to detail that makes it far above what you'd expect from a seemingly simple menu.

Chicken Thighs with Mushroom Wine Sauce

We love chicken thighs. They're usually pretty inexpensive, and it's a nice, rich piece of meat that's difficult to screw up. They're also smaller than chicken breasts, so they cook faster and you can get more of a crispy surface area on the outside.

Here's what you'll need for chicken thighs with a mushroom wine sauce:

1 1/2 Lbs boneless chicken thighs
Salt and pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp butter
8 oz sliced mushrooms
1 clove garlic
3 Tbsp flour
1 C chicken broth
1/3 C chardonnay
1/2 C cream
1 Tbsp parsley (or Italian seasoning mix)

Take your pretty chicken thighs and sprinkle with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add chicken and brown the outside (about 2–3 min a side) until it has a gorgeous golden crust. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside. Brown mushrooms in skillet and then add the garlic. Stir in flour until blended. Then stir in chicken broth and chardonnay. Add that chicken back to the skillet, reduce to low heat, and simmer for 20–30 min. Stir in the cream and heat through. Sprinkle with parsley or Italian seasoning before serving. Get ready for a party in your mouth.

*Note: we served this with baked asparagus. So easy: place asparagus with salt, pepper, and olive oil on a baking sheet at 400 degrees for 15–20 min. Done.

Travel Post: Rama in San Diego

After a long first day at Comic-Con, we debated whether to brave the superhero-clad crowds in the Gaslamp Quarter in downtown San Diego or just call it a day and order room service. Let us tell you, we were so glad we decided to go out and experience this awesome thai food.

The atmosphere was dark, nice, and romantic. Large french doors opened to a cool night patio and the place was doused in lots of warm, inviting colors. And the best part: it wasn't too crowded, and the service was fantastic.

We had several simple dishes that were handled with care. The crispy calamari was indeed crispy, coated in a tempura and panko mix. The genius part: they served the calamari in a funnel with a doily, so any excess oil spills off and allows the full crispiness of the calamari to shine. The zesty dipping sauce was good, too.

(crispy calamari)

We also ordered the garlic-crusted chicken. Now, this isn't a dish we would've picked off the menu, but here's another sign of a great restaurant: the servers are actually helpful. When we asked for a recommendation, our server suggested the garlic-crusted chicken, and though the dish sounds simple, it was flavorful and fantastic-- not at all oily or greasy. It was a perfectly balanced dish.

(garlic-crusted chicken)

We're big fans of all things duck, so the other dish we ordered was not such a hard decision. We got the drunken noodles (flat rice noodles with Thai basil, tomato, chili garlic, and kai lan) with duck. It was unbelievably satisfying. This place knows how to go easy on the sauce and let the flavors of the meat and veggies be the star.

(drunken noodles with duck)

We can definitely see this place becoming a Comic-Con tradition. Rama is located at 327 Fourth Ave, San Diego and their website is http://www.ramarestaurant.com/ .

Best Burgers and Fries

The secret to the best burger and fries, just like any dish, is in the ingredients. With an American staple like a cheeseburger, it's easy to slap meat on a bun and call it good. But with a little extra effort, what ends up still being a very easy meal can be lightyears better. So, here are some suggestions.

As you can see, we don't kid around. We use American cheese, baked and crispy bacon, grilled mushrooms, buns from a bakery, and romaine lettuce. Simple things make it mind-blowing. We toast the buns in the oven and we're not scared to use a huge, flattened patty ('cause the thing shrinks in the pan). We also have a secret weapon: Red Robin seasoning.

We put a dash of this seasoning on both sides of our patties, and it makes a world of awesome. We refuse to make burgers without it.

For fries, we cut potato slices as thin as we can, and we love using russet potatoes or sweet potatoes. We coat the fries in olive oil, give them a nice cover of Red Robin seasoning, and put them on a non-stick baking sheet. Bake them at 425 degrees for about 30 minutes, and make sure to stir them up halfway through baking to make sure they get nice and crispy golden on all sides.

The other secret to our fries and burgers: the Utah original creation, fry sauce. We often buy Hire's brand (pictured) or Stephen's (we do not like Some Dude's Fry Sauce-- it's chunky and weird). We can't explain the magic behind fry sauce. It's a delicious concoction of ketchup, mayonaise, and zesty mystery.

Now we've given you all our secrets. Go forth and make good burgers, young padawan.

Travel Post: The Paramount in Boston

When we travel, our vacation largely centers around food. We think a big part of exploring and experiencing a city is tasting it. So, before traveling, we research online, compare menus, and collect restaurant recommendations from friends. This led us to one of Boston's most-loved breakfast spots: The Paramount.

This place doesn't have a lot of frills. It's simple, good food. You bask in the glory of a giant chalkboard covered in delicious descriptions, order at the counter, and have your food brought to your table.

The menu item that really stood out to us: the banana and caramel french toast. Behold it in all its glowing beauty. The french toast was cooked to perfection, and it was a wonderful excuse to have dessert for breakfast. We couldn't have asked for anything more.

Check out The Paramount at http://www.paramountboston.com. It has a couple locations in downtown Boston: one in Beacon Hill and one in South Boston.

Chicken Divan

In reality, this isn't quite chicken divan; it's our more delicious version of chicken divan.

What you'll need:

3 pounds chicken breasts
3 C fresh broccoli (or frozen broccoli if you prefer)
1 box quick rice (we use Rice-A-Roni chicken and broccoli)
1 C mayonaise
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 C dry white wine (we use pinot gris)
1 C grated cheddar
2 Tsp lemon juice
Dash of curry powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 C breadcrumbs
1/2 C fresh grated parmesan
Butter for greasing pan

Bake chicken breasts at 350 degrees for 25–30 min on a baking sheet. Once it's done cooking, cut into chunks or shred. Cook fresh broccoli in a vegetable steamer for 7–8 minutes (or cook frozen broccoli if you prefer). Cut broccoli into chunks. Make your quick rice according to the instructions on the box.

Mix soups, mayo, white wine, cheddar, lemon juice, curry powder, and salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add chicken, broccoli, and rice to the mixture.

Grease a 9x13 inch glass baking dish. Add the mixture to the baking dish and spread evenly. Sprinkle breadcrumbs and parmesan on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Then broil for a couple minutes to get a nice golden brown crust on top.

Enjoy ecstasy.

Lamb's Grill

If The Wild Rose is the shining example of how to use sauces to enhance a meal (and it is), then Lamb's Grill is the example of how not to use sauces. This restaurant has a certain amount of charm-- it's been open since 1919 and it has a charming old-timey bar with leather chairs. Unfortunately, beyond the bar, the restaurant looks worn and run-down, and its dinner menu leaves a lot to be desired. Not only that, but when we went for dinner, the place was empty, and we still had way below-par service from our waiter.

Now, the food here isn't awful by any means, but for the price, it doesn't do it for us. These dishes are fine, but they lack any sort of finesse, and they don't really require any cooking talent. Every dish is smothered in a similar gravy sauce that's greasy and tastes like it's been sitting around, waiting to be poured over various dishes throughout the day. You can even see the grease and staleness in the pictures below.

Also, just for the record, we ordered beef bourguignon, but what Lamb's calls beef bourguignon is not actually how we imagine the dish. Traditionally, beef bourguignon is a meaty stew with vegetables, but we were served a piece of meat with gravy over it, masking and overpowering the flavor of the meat.

(beef bourguignon) 

(braised lamb shank)

Yeah... we won't be back. We would love to support such a long-enduring Salt Lake institution, but we can't bring ourselves to support this food.

Lamb's Grill is located at 169 S Main Street, SLC. Their website is www.lambsgrill.com.