Khorasan Restaurant Offers a Great Coupon Deal
Plus: Mayor for a Day Contest, Inside SDPD event, Science Symposium at Kearny High, Message from Councilmember Raul Campillo, Observing LV's Little Details, and Local Fundraising Event.
Do you get those monthly “Get 1 Free” booklets each month in the mail that list San Diego restaurants and other services, where it promises deep discounts if you use their coupons? We’ve been getting them for years, but have rarely used them except maybe for oil changes. However, one restaurant coupon caught our eye a few months ago, and we had been wanting to try it. The restaurant is called Khorasan Mediterranean Cuisine on Genesee Avenue, across from Sprouts Market. It advertises $10 off any purchase of $50 or more or $15 for $30 worth of dining. We love Mediterranean food so thought we would give it a try.
It is in a little shopping center which also houses Red Tacos, which we reviewed some time ago. An El Pollo Loco is located there, as well as a number of small establishments. We went there for lunch with coupon in hand. Although it looks small from the outside, it is actually large inside with plenty of seating.
Khorasan is a family owned and operated restaurant and their website says they are committed to creating healthy meals. And, it states Mediterranean cuisine includes food from Greece, Rome, Turkey and several Central Asian and Mediterranean cultures. They have an extensive menu including appetizers, entrees, desserts and drinks. Although many of their dishes include meats such as lamb, chicken, and beef, we found many items we could eat that did not contain meat and sounded delicious.
We decided to try a variety of the items, so we could report on more than just one entrée. Unfortunately, the Carnivore Sidekick was not with us, so we had to go at it alone. This proved to be a lot less expensive as an added bonus. We ordered Salad Shirazi which included diced cucumbers, tomatoes, onion and cilantro with house lemon and virgin olive oil dressing. We shared it and there was still some left over. We both liked it a lot and paired it with warm pita.
Steve ordered Uyghyr Pumpkin Manta (a dish from western China) which include steamed buns stuffed with finely cut pumpkin, onion and red bell pepper seasoned with black pepper and house spices. (5 buns) It was accompanied with a chili sauce which was a little spicy for me,but Steve enjoyed the dish very much.
I ordered two dishes. One was eggplant (Borani Badenjan) which was cooked eggplant with tomato sauce and fresh tomatoes served on a bed of garlic yogurt and dried mint. It was outstanding and I used the pita to clean up the yogurt sauce. There were four nice sized eggplant pieces so I gave Steve one to taste and although he doesn’t like eggplant as much as I do, he thought it was quite tasty. The garlic yogurt gave a definite boost to the dish. Delicious.
I also ordered a Pumpkin Samsa which is an oven baked bun stuffed with minced pumpkin. Since I ordered too much as usual, I asked for a box to take the Samsa home, so cannot comment on it, but it looks very good. We also had a couple of small pieces of pistachio baklava which were wonderful.
The servers were very friendly and the restaurant was quiet as it was early Wednesday afternoon. They explained how to use the $15 coupon via download, which I did. The meal therefore was a real bargain getting over $33 worth of food for $18. So, take advantage of the coupons and I’m sure you will want to come back for more. We left feeling satisfied but in a very light way. The food was healthy, tasty, and economical. What more could you ask for?
Mayor for a Day Contest Announcement
The office of San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria has announced that the 2023-2024 “Mayor for a Day” contest is now live! The “Mayor for a Day” contest aims to foster and encourage leadership in young people living in San Diego.
City of San Diego K-12 students are invited to submit a brief essay (approximately 500 words) or short video (no more than 3 minutes) on how you would make the City of San Diego a better place if you were the Mayor. The selected winner will be given the opportunity to shadow Mayor Todd Gloria and other City Departments for a day and will be included in the State of the City address in January of 2024.
Please submit an essay or video by 11:59 p.m. Dec. 15, 2023
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We encourage our readers to get the word out about this contest to students, teachers and school administrators.
Community News
Inside SDPD Educates the Public
The officers who work out of the San Diego Police Department’s Western Division headquarters are a familiar presence who engage daily with members of the Linda Vista community. This active community role means that all citizens will at some point interact with a police officer in some manner or situation, whether it be to resolve a simple traffic issue, the threat of/or an actual physical conflict, or a more complicated SWAT team situation.
Nevertheless, due to the infrequent nature of the contact experienced at the individual level, much of what police officers do on a daily basis remains a mystery to many people. The tactics they employ are typically taken for granted until such time that an arrest or some other type of engagement with a citizen results in controversial news headlines. When such occasions occur, the pursuit of the truth related to the proper/improper employment of police procedures can sometimes become muddled by different perspectives, misinformation, and/or a basic lack of knowledge of police policies and procedures. This gap in knowledge can result in driving a wedge between the police department and the community it is sworn to protect.
Fortunately, the San Diego Police Foundation—a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded with the mission of helping the SDPD receive the equipment/training and out-reach programs it needs to fight crime—wants to let San Diego residents become well-informed when it comes to knowing how a police officer is expected to perform in the line of duty. In conjunction with the San Diego Police Department, the SD Police Foundation recently held one of its most popular activities—Inside SDPD—to help citizens understand what it is like to walk in the shoes of a SD police officer. The three-hour Inside SDPD program of events was held on Saturday November 18 at the SDPD Police Plaza off of Murphy Canyon Road (the complex that formerly housed the San Diego Chargers training facility). Approximately 70 San Diego residents were on hand to observe and participate in a series of activities that allowed them to get a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into police training, tactics, and procedures.
The participants initially received instruction from a police officer on “Use of Force”. This instruction reviewed all the factors that go into determining if a police officer has properly used force, such as reaction time, camera angles, perspective, fear/anxiety, the need to gain or maintain control, and the “totality of circumstances.” Participants were subsequently divided into small groups that rotated through different stations in the complex manned by enthusiastic, experienced police officers who instructed on such subjects as vehicle stop procedures, SWAT team equipment/tactics, Taser use, use of force reaction time, and K-9 employment. At each station, participants were encouraged to interact and temporarily experience what a typical police officer encounters in such situations. In the process, San Diego residents learned, for example, a little about how K-9 dogs are trained and what motivates them, the advantages and disadvantages of employing a Taser (with some participants actually getting to shoot a Taser), and all the detailed observations a police officer must make during a vehicle stop. At the end of the day, each participant left the Police Plaza with a greater appreciation for what the typical San Diego police officer does on a daily basis, as well the importance of a well-trained force.
The San Diego Police Foundation holds Inside SDPD events once or twice a year. San Diego residents interested in attending should stay tuned to the Foundation’s website to learn about registration details for the next event. Local residents can register with a $20.00 donation that goes toward the SD Police Foundation’s support of the SDPD.
Community Event
Science Symposium at Kearny High
District 7 News
From the Office of Councilmember Raul Campillo
Dear Linda Vista Update readers,
Wishing you all happy holidays. In the spirit of the holiday season, my office did our annual Turkey Giveaway event, where we partner with Bayside Community Center and the Carpenters Union to give out free turkeys to low-income Linda Vista families. Thanksgiving is all about caring for each other; everyone deserves a good Thanksgiving meal, and I'm proud to have helped make that happen for more than 100 families. Not only did we give out the turkeys, but families received bags of fresh produce and pies as well.
On my Instagram, I posted a video with some of the local TV stations’ coverage of the event, including an interview with one of the women receiving the turkeys; you can watch that here.
Thank you to Bayside Community Center, San Diego Carpenters Local 619, the office of Assemblymember Chris Ward, and others for helping out with this event. I look forward to doing this again next year!
All the best,
Councilmember Raul Campillo (District 7)
Commentary
Observing Linda Vista’s Little Details
The famous New England intellectual Henry David Thoreau once said “It’s not what you look at that matters. It’s what you see.”
I recalled this memorable quote the other day while taking a leisurely walk through our Linda Vista community. Though I often walk around the various neighborhoods and constantly observe the familiar scenes, objects and structures that make up Linda Vista, on this particular walk I found myself seeing a few otherwise mundane things I had never clearly noticed on previous excursions. What got my attention prompted me to see and think of these things in a different way. Let me go over some examples with you.
First, I discovered the unusual artifact shown in the above photo above while walking past the grounds of the former Linda Vista Post Office (located off of Linda Vista Road). As I stood there, taking a photo of this ancient object, a teenager walked up to me, a cell phone in his hand. He lifted his head long enough to ask “What is that?” He then quickly returned his focus to playing a video game on his cell phone.
I responded “That is a pay phone. Many years ago they used to exist everywhere. I can’t recall the last time I saw one of these in Linda Vista.”
He once again looked up from his cell phone. “What were they used for?”
I said, “You would put coins in them, which allowed you to talk to people for a certain amount of time. If you wanted to talk for a longer time, you would put more coins in.”
“How strange,” the teenager said, shaking his head. He then walked away along Linda Vista Road, his attention devoted once again to playing a video game on his cell phone.
Second, let me tell me about a “Bike Lane Closed Ahead” sign I saw on the side of a street and how it made me think profound thoughts. A koan in Zen Buddism is defined as a succinct paradoxical statement, question or story used as a meditation discipline. Koans are designed to ready the mind for initial insight and to spur further development Some of you readers may already be familiar with the following traditional koans:
What is the sound of one hand clapping?
A monk asked Zhao Zhao to teach him.
Zhao Zhao asked “Have you eaten your meal?’
The monk replied “Yes, I have.”
“Then go wash your bowl,” said Zhao Zhao.
At that moment, the monk was enlightened.
For some reason, gazing upon the “Bike Lane Closed Ahead” sign positioned near the Friars Road and Via Las Cumbres intersection inspired me to compose the following non-traditional koans.
Does a closed bike lane attract more or less riders than an open bike lane?
What sound does a cyclist trapped in a closed bike lane make while peddling furiously to get out?
The monk asked his pupil “Why are you late to monk Zumba class?”
The pupil responded “Because the bike lane was closed.”
The monk said,, “When life throws closed bike lanes at you, you must make lemonade. Then you will achieve enlightenment.”
The pupil replied, “I would rather just throw away my bike and buy a Tesla.”
At that moment, the pupil attained enlightenment.
Finally, I spotted an unusual looking concrete bench (see photo above) situated next to the Linda Vista Elementary School campus. As I approached it from afar, I initially thought someone had discarded a worn out old couch meant for the dump, but upon closer inspection I determined it to be a bench intended for young school bus passengers. What makes this bench unusual is its crumbling condition--it looks so old and dilapidated that I can only assume it was installed during the presidential administration of Ulysses S. Grant. That means the bench was originally intended for use not as a school bus bench, but as a school stage coach, buggy, and/or waiting-for-a-horse bench.
Why hasn’t this bench been replaced in all this time by something more modern? Could it be that it possesses some kind of historical or sentimental value? Is it owned or sponsored by the Linda Vista Antiquarian Bench Preservation Society? Did First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt sit on this bench during her 1942 visit to Linda Vista? If so, I think it is deserving of a plaque that provides some historical context. However, based on the condition of this bench, I believe it is necessary to go way back further in history and assume Eleanor’s famous uncle—President Theodore Roosevelt—used this bench as a young school kid.
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I can’t wait to see what other interesting things I notice on my next walk through Linda Vista.
Local Fundraising Event
Bree Partington of Linda Vista’s Mission Heights neighborhood wants to let our readers know of a fundraising event for local dog rescue Del Mar Dog Rescue that is taking place on December 10th, from 12-3 at Hopnonymous Brewing Company in Kearny Mesa. There will be a live band, lawn games, silent auction/raffle, food trucks, professional photographer, dog adoptions, a Porsche display (Porsche owners are encouraged to drive their Porsches to the event and park in a Porsche only parking lot) and more.
Check out the flyer below for details.
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Great commentary this week. I feel enlightened already!