Tag Archives: awkward turtle

Bankers Hill Bar and Restaurant

25 Jan

It’s me. Would you expect anything less than me posting about a restaurant I ate at several months after the fact? Especially when I haven’t posted anything at all in a month? Yeah. So maybe I’m not the most consistent or “on top of it” blogger, but, hey, I’m me. That’s what counts, right? RIGHT?

Happy New Year, by the way.

So, Bankers Hill Bar and Restaurant. Wow. I found this little San Diego gem while trying to find something to eat before our theater evening. We were down in SD to see Allegiance: A New American Musical - a musical about the Japanese internment in the US during World War II, featuring George Takei. I think this musical is headed to Broadway. I thought it was a lot of fun, and if it makes it to Broadway, I recommend seeing it. Although I was incredibly distracted by how much the chap who played Sammy Kimura SPITS!! I mean, I could see it from the BACK ROW. EWW!

Anyway, after that lovely imagery…Bankers Hill was great. We got there more or less when they opened, since we were trying to eat before the show, so it was nice and quiet. Our server was very attentive (although, I can’t say that this wasn’t because we were like the only ones in there) and universally our group thought the food was GREAT. Now I think these guys make seasonal adjustments to the menu, so I can’t promise any or all of this stuff is still on the menu, BUT, if the food WE had is any indication, I’d be more than happy to eat there any time.

Crispy Buttermilk Fried Chicken “Oysters”
Yellow Corn, Ranch, Sweet & Sour Watermelon, Chipotle Honey Glaze

Fried Chicken

“BLT” Bruschetta
White Cheddar, Crispy Bacon, Tomatoes, Tarragon-Avocado Dressing

Crispy Duck Confit
Creamy Polenta, Corn, Swiss Chard, Cumin Glazed Carrots, Smoked Duck Jus

Crispy Duck Confit

Cast Iron Seared Hangar Steak
Crispy Onions, Grilled Tomatoes, Gorgonzola, Black Peppercorn Relish
(This was my entree, and it was stupid delicious. BTW, Bankers Hill peeps, if you want to tell me how to make that bomb-dot-com Black Peppercorn Relish, I’d love you forever and ever and ever. I mean FOREVER!)

Cast Iron Seared Hangar Steak

Spice Seared Local Red Snapper
Succotash, Potato Puree, Cherry Tomato & Fennel Salad, Saffron Beurre Blanc

Spice Seared Local Red Snapper

Apple Crostata

Apple Crostata

If you live in San Diego, or you’re headed down there for any reason and need a dinner rec, I suggest hitting up Bankers Hill. And if you’re down there to see some theater amazingness at the Old Globe, it’s a little bit of a walk from the park, but it’s definitely walkable. We did it. And some of us are old. And have bad knees. Or hips. Yeah.

Oh and here’s a little something extra special for you. Due to a tense and dramatic lost wallet moment I got to meet, in person, the illustrious George Takei himself! (By the way, if you can’t tell, I’m totally geeking out here. I mean, this uber-nerd -aka me- was like, OMG IT’S SULU!!) SO here it is…a gratuitous picture of Mr. Takei and I.

IMG_1899

Yep.

Bankers Hill Bar and Restaurant
2202 4th ave
San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 231-0222
Bankers Hill Bar and Restaurant on Urbanspoon

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Meme Bandwagon

21 Feb

Okay – totally burnt out my brain in the last few hours, so I took to a mindless project, and jumped on the “What I Really Do” meme bandwagon by making one. So in case you were wondering:

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The Perfect Steak

20 Nov

Okay, I know, I know. Everyone has their own opinions about steak, but you pick up a few things when you work with food, and I’m CONVINCED that what I am about to share with you is the perfect steak.

Start by picking a steak. I’m a classy kind of gal – I chose a filet here. Then mince a clove or two of garlic, a bunch of thyme leaves, and rub the steak with olive oil, a pinch of salt and pepper, and the garlic and thyme. Now there are some who say seasoning a steak before you cook it tends to dry it out, but I’ve never had that problem myself. Preheat your oven to 375.

Heat up a cast iron or stainless steel pan on the stovetop. (Warning: Do NOT use non-stick – I’ll get to that in a minute.) You want to make sure the pan is pretty hot. Between the oil on the steak and the high heat, the steak should not stick to the pan. Drop the steak in the pan and sear for about 90 seconds, turn and sear the other side. Then stick the pan in the oven. THIS is why you should not use a non-stick pan. NEVER put non-stick in the oven. I know that some brands are now saying they are oven safe, but my thinking is, really? Why risk it? 5-6 minutes for medium rare and 9-10 minutes for well done, depending on thickness. But my expert opinion is you should never cook a steak past medium rare – otherwise you lose the flavor of the meat.

Remove the steak from the pan when it’s done (otherwise it will continue to cook on the hot surface) and allow to rest 5 minutes before slicing. This allows the juices to be re-integrated into the meat, so they don’t spill out all over the place when you cut into it, creating a dry steak. Then, enjoy!

One more piece of advice… That pan, when it comes out of the oven will be PIPING hot. And will stay that way for awhile. 375 degrees is hot. After I finished photographing and then eating my steak I went to put the pan in the sink…and grabbed it with my bare hand. A significant amount of time had passed at that point, and I still ended up burning myself. It also didn’t help that I panicked when I did it and then DIDN’T PUT DOWN THE PAN! I kind of ran back and forth between the stove and the sink, not knowing what to do, with the pan still in my hand like a bad cartoon…::sigh::  You would THINK I would know better. But sometimes…

::face palm::

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