Win 2 Dinners for San Diego Restaurant Week 2013!

I started the year on a crazy detox Paleo thing where I couldn't eat beans (so long Roberto's), rice (see ya sushi), grains (oh no, no more Honey Bunches of Oats!), and any sort of pasta or breads or even, gasp, French Fries.  Yes, I went healthy since my blood pressure is skyrocketing and my cholesterol climbing faster than a monkey in a banana tree. But life is about balance so when I heard San Diego Restaurant Week was back (Jan 13-18), I decided to screw the Caveman diet and get back to where I once belonged - even if only for a night.

But if I was going to splurge the calories, where to go?  After all, San Diego Restaurant Week features some our best restaurants serving up delicious food at affordable prices.  It's a great time to try new places and new things but where or where shall I go?  Well, if you know me you know that making big decisions like that drives me nuts so since I live in North County it's back to my favorite, Del Mar Rendezvous.  And guess what, you can win a couple of free dinners there thanks to Local Wally and Rendezvous!  Yea!

So let's talk about the Restaurant Week offer at Del Mar Rendezvous.  They have three dinner options - pick from the $25, $30 or $38 menu.  All three offer the same appetizer and dessert options with the difference in the entree selection.  But before you start, you'll want to join their free Loyalty Program because that's how you get half-off bottles of wine and $.88 glasses of wine, beer or sake on your second round during Restaurant Week.  What??? That's right, half off - and it's good stuff, too - Rendezvous has a great wine selection.  The loyalty program also gets you a free entree on your birthday month, free dessert on your anniversary month, and lots of other free stuff.  Hey, free is good!

Dining with crazy vegans or glutton free fanatics?  No need to compromise your dining experience as there are special menus just for your picky friends.  But I eat everything so let's go.

I started with the BBQ short rib slices over a nice spring mix salad.  A bit like Kalbi Ribs, it has a nice flavor but without the bones.  A bite with the salad topped with a bit of chili oil and it was a winner.

The second appetizer we ordered was the dumpling sampler.  Del Mar Rendezvous' chef is Tony "Cu Jung" Su, the son of the same people who own the crazy popular Dumpling Inn, a hole in the wall place in the Convoy area that attracts lines of foodie-centric fans.  So yes, I will have the dumplings.  Let's pick one up... darn they are slippery!

Splash!  Dang it! Oh well, the chili oil went nicely with the fresh dumpling and I understood why people line up for these at the parent restaurant.  The Ha Gow dumpling filled with shrimp was my favorite, a bite size pop of delicious freshness.  I could eat a dozen of these on my own.

The Chilean Sea Bass was a crispy explosion of flavors with a distinctive sweet chili sauce over a bed of bok choy.  Sweet Chili Sauce is so popular that you can get it at Trader Joe's now but there's nothing like the real thing that doesn't come out of a bottle.  It's more complex with deeper flavors and without the cloying sweetness.  The fish had great texture and flavors and the dish was another winner.

I was lucky enough to get invited to the kitchen to watch my lobster dish being prepared.  Things get fast and furious back in the tiny kitchen and these guys were hustling to make sure no one had to wait very long for their food.  That's the lobster before it hit the fire, a nice portion.

Here's the lobster dish all done.  It's a salt and pepper lobster with a nice five spice flavor and a chili pepper seasoning.  The onions and bell peppers were so delicious that by the time we were done there wasn't a speck of food left on this plate.  Go ahead, pick up the lobster tails with your hands and dive in.  There's no elegant way to eat this dish but it's so tasty you won't care!

Finally it's time for dessert.  As I've said before, Chinese restaurants are not known for their desserts so it's easy to dismiss them as an afterthought.  And Del Mar Rendezvous even allows diners to skip dessert during Restaurant Week and get $3 off their tab.  But why?  Why, why, why??  The Xiagjiao is one of all time favorite desserts.  It's surprisingly simple, a banana wrapped in a thin dough wrapper and deep fried until it's soft and sweet, served with fresh whipped cream and drizzled with chocolate and caramel sauce.  Every time I have this I swear it's one of the best things I have ever eaten and I'll swear it again - get this dessert!

In the end, a fabulous dinner and experience at Del Mar Rendezvous.  And now, it's your turn to dine there on me, compliments of Dan Schreiber, the managing partner at the restaurant.  Here's how you win!

LOCAL WALLY DEL MAR RENDEZVOUS CONTEST RULES
Win a dinner for two at Del Mar Rendezvous, a $76 value, good through the end of Jan. 2013.  To enter just do the following:

1. Like my FB page and get one point:  http://www.facebook.com/localwally
2. Like my San Diego Beer Guide page and get another point:  http://www.facebook.com/drinkupSD
3. Like Del Mar Rendezvous's FB page and get another point!  This is so easy!
4. Post this blog on your FB page and get 2 bonus points!  Make sure you add the url of your FB page below in the comments section so I can give you credit and let me know when you "like" my pages.
5. I'll pull the winner on Jan 23rd and get the card to you. 

Good luck, and thanks for reading Local Wally's Blog to San Diego!

www.localwally.com
www.drinkupSanDiego.com
www.SanDiegoHomegrown.com