For the love of food

Food Club is the joy derived from all things delicious. Whether that be dining out at a new or favorite restaurant, cooking a delicious meal to be shared around the family table, or recipe ideas that you just have to share. Food Club is the community that comes from sharing a good meal together.

Dumpling Inn is the ultimate comfort food

Oh, how I love dumplings! They may be my favorite comfort food. And how amazing is it that they are becoming more commonplace in American cuisine? Finally, what took so long?

Dumpling Inn serves my favorite Xia Long Bao in San Diego. I realize saying this may cause a little controversy, I know there are a lot of Din Tai Fung lovers out there, so hear me out. I’ve been going to Dumpling Inn since well before it moved into this giant location with the Shanghai Saloon. If you’re local to San Diego and familiar with Convoy Street (where pretty much all of the amazing Asian food in San Diego resides), you may remember long ago when Dumpling Inn was located in what is now a little Boba Cafe in the left-corner of the shopping center where the current location resides. There were about 6 tables in the old location, and you would walk up and add your name to the list hanging from the door. Gaging by the number of names ahead of you would determine how many beers you would need to tailgate with in the parking lot as you impatiently waited for your turn. Ahh good times! My point to this little trip down memory lane, is that Dumpling Inn was the introduction to my love affair with Xia Long Bao. I absolutely love these morsels of love that burst with flavor (and soup) in your mouth. Along with the Xia Long Bao, the food here is consistently delicious, and there is really not a bad option on the menu — have you tried their fried rice? Best fried rice ever.

Long story long, here are some of my favorite options at Dumpling Inn:

Xia Long Bao (AKA Soup Dumplings, AKA Xiao Long Bao)

Not pictured is one of my favorite dishes - the Green Bean Fish with Black Bean sauce. It’s a fabulous and savory dish of flash fried sea bass with perfectly crunchy and bright green beans in one of the best black bean sauces I’ve had. It’s delightful and makes for some really tasty leftovers. Try it!

The potstickers are maybe just as exciting as the Xia Long Bao. They come out hot with a perfect seared crust on the bottom. they also make for some great leftovers if you don’t finish. Surprisingly, they travel well!

I highly recommend using the dipping sauces for your dumplings and be sure to ask for the spicy oil if it’s not on your table. I like to blend 2/3 soy sauce, 1/3 rice vinegar and add spicy oil + red chili flakes to your spice level of delight.

Warning: The Pork and Chive Dumplings (or choose any dumpling you like) with spicy soup is not for the faint of heart. It’s spicy, like the kind of spicy that gets ya if you inhale too quickly — unctuous and garlic-ey and delicious. This one will clear your sinuses and make your nose run, but it’s worth every savory and spicy bite!

A tip for devouring your Xia Long Bao is to scoop it onto your Chinese soup spoon, swoop some dipping sauce and take a bite — that way if the soup spills out of the dumpling it lands in the spoon and not the table. This is the suggested method for polite eaters that don’t want to gobble the whole dumpling down in one swift bite (I don’t really get how it’s possible, but for those that can actually restrain yourselves, give the spoon a go).

Dumpling Inn is one of my FAVORITE restaurants in San Diego, and is a fantastic spot for brunch or dinner, or your favorite sporting event. You can post up at the bar, munch on dumplings and your favorite craft beer and catch up on the game. I mean, does it get any better? I invite you to explore everything on the menu here, there is not a bad option, but don’t forget the dumplings!

Dumpling Inn

4625 Convoy Street

San Diego, CA 92111

Jenifer Clark 11/14/22 Jenifer Clark 11/14/22

Matteo is pure heart and deliciousness

Matteo is a non-profit restaurant from the Buona Forchetta family
**Neighborhood:** South Park
**Price:** $-$
**Vibe:** Beautiful open-concept restaurant and bakery with seating inside and out. This warm and energetic neighborhood joint just feels like home with a bit of an edge. Dine here on Sunday mornings with a DJ spinning great music.

I love the South Park neighborhood of San Diego. This charming urban neighborhood is home to some fantastic restaurants in San Diego (a couple of really great vegan restaurants which we will blog about later!), not to mention some of the coolest indie boutiques and vintage stores in the city. Situated in the heart of the ‘hood’ is Matteo, a beautiful open concept eatery with a little market inside, in case you want to take home some homemade Bolognese sauce and fresh pasta for later. The staff at Matteo just bubble with warmth and smiles, and immediately make you feel happy you stopped in. And did I mention that it’s a nonprofit restaurant from the Buona Forchetta family, with 100% of the profits benefiting community-based charities and causes? I haven’t even gotten to the food yet, and already, I love it here.

Love the indoor/outdoor vibe of this amazing spot

Patio seating outside is perfect for San Diego weather, and you can bring your furry friend

To make things even more amazing, the food is just fabulous at Matteo! The menu focuses on breakfast dishes and Italian baked goods — so try the bread! Do it, you won’t be sorry.

As I tend to do at a new restaurant, I asked our friendly waiter what dishes he likes best and I’m SO glad I did. Though, based on our first meal here, I don’t think there is a bad item on this menu, I’ll let you know, because I plan to go back as soon as possible. Here’s what we tried during our first brunch excursion at this lovely spot:

One of the recommended dishes was the Breakfast Combo which is perfect for someone that wants a little of everything for breakfast. Served with homemade sausage and fresh fluffy pancakes, even the potatoes were flavorful with fresh herbs and rosemary. This was a big hit at our table as half the group got this option!

The dish that I ordered was another recommendation by our fabulous sever - the Porchetta Panini. The focaccia bread and the porchetta were both made in-house — I cannot recommend this enough, try the baked goods here. Just, wow! The panini was served with arugula, provola cheese and fresh sliced tomatoes. I don’t think pictures can do this panini justice because there isn’t really a way to capture the deliciousness of these ingredients in an image.

Not only did we love our food and enjoy the indie vibe of the South Park neighborhood, but there is also something so special about this being a restaurant 100% dedicated to giving back the community. A huge kudos to the Buona Forchetta family for this thoughtful and truly enjoyable experience, and for doing something we don’t see often enough — showing love for your city and the people in it.

Matteo

3015 Juniper Street

San Diego, CA 92104

Jenifer Clark 11/4/22 Jenifer Clark 11/4/22

Great Maple is San Diego brunching goals

Neighborhood: Hillcrest, San Diego

Price: $$

Vibe: Lively and bustling brunch spot with great decor, we recommend the outdoor patio for a little less noise, and why not eat outside in San Diego?

After way too long, we finally visited Great Maple for brunch. I have heard such great things about this restaurant, but there does always seem to be a bit of a wait and a line, which probably deterred us from visiting sooner (what can I say, we’re lazy!).

We did wait, but it was a short wait and totally worth it. We were seated outside on the back patio which was lovely and seemed a little less loud and bustle-y compared to the seats inside. We started with the mimosa flight, because, why not? The “samples” in the sampler were substantial and definitely got our morning buzz going before the food arrived.

There were three of us brunching and we each ordered something completely different, which was fun to get a good sampling of what they have to offer. The portions are large, probably shareable, but who wants to do that — trust me when I say, you will not leave hungry!

Here’s what we tried: