Juniper & Ivy

Oh heeeeeyyy...

Remember me?

Probably not. 

Don't worry. I didn't quit San Diego. 

Just took a little hiatus from blogging.. 

not by choice either. 

Adult responsibilities got in the way,

and between my busy work shchedule and school (oh yeah, I started my masters),

I hardly have time to do anything fun,

let alone blog about it. 

But it's one of those nights,

when I just can't do any more homework...

So I started perusing through some recent photos (and by recent, I mean photos from like the last six months), 

and I realized that there's a whole lot of amazing things happening in San Diego that you should probably know about.

Like, have you been to Juniper & Ivy yet?

Richard Blais is like a big deal now that he's an official judge on Top Chef and all,

and he has a restaurant in San Diego that's not even that new any more,

but is definitely worth your visit, because his food is a-ma-zing. 

I'm not exactly sure what "left coast edge" means,

but whatever it is, I like it. 

When it comes to cooking, I really appreciate creativity,

and in that category, Blais definitely hits the nail on the head. 

Take his "deviled eggs" for example. 

Not what you would expect.. at all. 

I'm actually not even a fan of the original.. but these? 

These I can eat all day long. 

The egg white meringue adds some sweet texture that is delicately balanced out by the yolk mousse.

The cured ham? A perfect accent. 

Definitely a must. 

Blais is constantly changing up his menu,

and since it's been several weeks.. err.. maybe even months, since I visited this place,

some of the items pictured may not be available any more. 

Like that uni toast up there. 

Give me some fresh uni.. mix it with an egg.. watch a giant smile spread across my face. 

Not sure if the squid ink pasta with lamb meatballs is on the menu any more either, 

but it should be!

Holy moly my mouth is watering as I look back on all these photos. 

Better make a dinner reservation as soon as possible. 

Ah... the Yodel. 

I see that this dessert is still on the menu, so you're in luck, cause this thing is kind of out of this world. 

First of all.. it's basically a giant piece of milky chocolate, 

stuffed with all kinds of goodness like hazelnut brittle and little balls of white chocolate.

It may not look very impressive when they bring it out.. 

"is this just a log of chocolate?"

but then... 

oh baby, then the waiter pulls out a cup of hot chocolate and tells you to hold your breath as he slowly pours that goodness onto the plate to reveal the insides of this great dessert. 

Are you excited yet?

Good!

Go check it out yourself. 

And bring some friends. 

They'll thank you. 

Juniper & Ivy

2228 Kettner Blvd. 

Little Italy, San Diego, CA