How to spend a weekend in San Diego

Ashton's mom came into town for her first San Diego visit on Thursday night, so of course we had a multitude of fun, awesome, and DELICIOUS things for us to do. Let me just tell you that 75% of what we had planned was where to eat! Thursday night she got in late, so the only edibles she encountered were the cookies upon check-in at the Doubletree. We more than made up for it over the course of the weekend. I missed the first part of the festivities on Friday as they experienced Hodad's in Ocean Beach, which I am incredibly envious of. I'd previously blogged about it here, and will someday fulfill my life goal of eating there. Until then, I will rely on their assurances that it was superb. Luckily, we had a great dinner planned at Ranchos on 30th, blogged about here. One of the reasons I love this place is the great salsa they have, and they had actually switched it up a bit this go. We got a more orange-y dollop which was interesting and a tiny bit sweeter than the original. A pleasant and unexpected change! It didn't seem to be permanent since our 2nd bowl was the darker red original, so who knows what is going on there. I got the fish taco combination which was absolutely stellar.

Saturday morning we got seated pretty quickly at The Mission in North Park, where we assured her that her first weekend brunch would be fantastic. Of course it was (like this time). I got an okay chai and a fabulous soy chorizo scramble, with their unbelievable rosemary toast instead of tortillas. A fortuitous decision, because their bread is the best rosemary bread I've had to date. Marylou opted for the Roast Beef Hash at our suggestion, and loved every bite. It was a 100% success. After waddling away from The Mission, we headed up the 101 to show her the north county sites like Swami's, the garden at the Self-Realization Center, a bit of Encinitas, Carlsbad, Leucadia, and the more picture-esque, quintessential California beach towns. After seeing the sites and stopping by the Hotel Del Coronado for a few drinks at their Sun Deck bar, we were ready to eat again, this time at our favorite Thai place to date- Amarin on Richmond Street in Hillcrest. It's hard for me to get something that's not a noodle dish, so I got my standby of Drunken Noodles with Squid and it was of course spectacular. Ashton got HIS standby of Green Curry, and it is just always first rate.

After all this food, I don't know how we managed drinks, but we made it all the way next door to Alibi for a few beers. Where it fit in our bellies, I'll never know. Fast approaching never-before experienced food coma levels, we called it a night, only to awake the next day starving as though we've never eaten before. We had made the strategic decision to make Sunday brunch at Urban Solace (again) to take advantage of the bluegrass band on Sunday mornings. The wait was a little longer than usual, so we seized the opportunity to run to Henry's to snag a few essentials for the dinner we had planned that evening. Our first choice was the Hillcrest Farmer's Market, but it was so woefully packed that we couldn't find a parking space within 500 miles and with a tight schedule had to make a quick stop elsewhere. However, brunch was definitely worth the wait, and my Portabello Mushroom Benedict was as the waiter promised, fantastic. I had been deciding between that or the Steak Benedict, and at his suggestion got the mushroom option because it supposedly sopped up more of the flavor. Well, he was right. Marylou and I went halfsies on one of each, and I thoroughly enjoyed the portabellos much more than the steak. Sadly, the bloody marys were pretty bad, and after having enjoyed an unbeatable one at the Sun Deck at the Hotel Del only the day before, I would have to pass on Urban Solace being a hot spot for them.

The rest of the day consisted of going to the Botanical Garden at Balboa Park, which is unmissable for anyone in San Diego. The indoor exhibit is lush, beautiful, and very well maintained and well planned out. Even someone not incredibly enthusiastic about flowers and plants will enjoy themselves. Next up was the obligatory downtown/Gaslamp excursion, with a stop at a curbside bar called Toscana with local beers on tap and $3 pints all day. There is nothing like a cold beer after a long weekend of entertaining to refresh one's palate! We'd had about enough of the exploration at that point, so we headed back to North Park to make dinner- not before stopping at the Greek Festival on Park Avenue to score some tasty additions to the meal!!! We got boxes of everything made by the hands of Greek women, so it was sure to be excellent. Dolmades, Moussaka, Spanikopita, it was a feast of epic proportions, and we hadn't even made the Tomato Pie yet.

Marylou has an amazing recipe for Tomato Pie which is possibly the most unhealthy and most delicious thing ever. I can't even blog about what goes into it here, because I need to recover for a year by dieting on lettuce and celery. Then, and only then, can I even begin to fathom it. Let's just say it was a hit with our friends who joined us for the home-cooked-plus-Greek dinner.

Sadly, all good things must come to an end, and this concluded our weekend. I think we hit all the highs that San Diego offers, and got to experience some of our favorites once again. This is a pretty good guide for what to do and where to eat, so the next time you have an out-of-towner stopping by, considering trying some or all of these places! You have my stamp of approval.

Best Burgers in town

CNN is often the voice of despair, of war, of crime... but sometimes it's the voice of tasty travel tips! Today's article seen on CNN/Travel is about 5 of the best and most unique burger places in the country. Pay extra special attention to Hodad's in Ocean Beach- I've yet to go, but with a CNN blessing I am far more motivated!

Speaking of burgers, I've got a bombshell for you all. I have never, in my entire life, had a Big Mac. For as much as people poo-poo McDonald's (and for good reason), the vast majority of people upon hearing this revelation are shocked and urge me to drop whatever I'm doing and run to the golden arches as fast as I can. Well my friends, I think this weekend will be BM-Day. I will have a Big Mac. And also a Bowel Movement. Of that I am sure.

Kaiserhof!

OH MAN! This week's brunch was un-freaking-believable. Our friends from New York were in town, so before hitting up the zoo we decided to finally go to Kaiserhof in Ocean Beach. We've driven past it many times and the reviews were glowing, so with a bonified German visitor with us, we figured she could point us in the right direction of deliciousness.

From the outside, it looks pretty plain, and the inside was traditionally bland. Still, the biergarten looked stellar and the smells wafting from the kitchen were madly drool-inducing, so I was pretty stoked. Basically everything looked insane, so I went for the Wurstplatte (small bratwurst, bauernwurst, and knackwurst, with sauerkraut and red skin potatoes) because when something gets recommended by a German person WHO DOESN'T EVEN EAT MEAT you know it will be delicious.


Course 1: GOULASH. YUM. I've never had this German soup before, and I was informed that it tasted "exactly like it should". It could been served spicier, but the flavor was hearty and well-balanced. I especially liked the small bowl it was served in.


This is Ashton stealing some of my goulash.


I LOVE A GOOD HEARTY WURST. The sauerkraut absorbed all of the delicious meat juices and provided an excellent addition to the plate. I especially liked the spicy mustard provided, and the potatoes were yum-tastic.


Ashton got something I have no idea how to spell or pronounce, but it was a tender liver in au jus, topped with grilled onions and drowning in yum.


On Sunset Cliffs Road, see you for happy hour?


We finished it up with splitting the Black Forest cake and a homemade Apple Strudel a la mode, which was crispy, flaky, hot, and apple-y good. No pictures of those because by then we had reached Glutton Level Omega and tore into it like wild beasts. Let me just leave you with the promise that you won't find a better strudel anywhere but Germany.

OB brunch

Sundays really are the best. Here it is, less than a week before Christmas, and we've spent our day outside in the sun with short sleeves on buying awesome things at the Swap Meet at the Sports Arena, and then washing everything down with a giant fish burrito about a block from the water in Ocean Beach. It really doesn't get any better than this.

We were scoping out OB for a good brunch spot, and it's strange to think that such a laid-back place has such slim pickin's for brunch. Maybe we were in the wrong area, but there wasn't a lot of emphasis on the majestic meal. We wound up at El Rodeo taco shop on Newport Ave. underneath a tattoo parlor almost on the sand. As you can see, OB is all prepped for the holidays...






Ashton and I both got the "giant" fish burrito, which lived up to the name. Cabbage, salsa fresca, guacamole, fish, and white sauce all wrapped up in a perfectly formed tortilla, with no breakage or spillage. Wonderfully crunchy white fish with excellent salsa on the side (could have been spicier, but the flavor was first rate), and the salsa fresca and cabbage added just the right amount of crunch in the soft tortilla. An excellent spot for an excellent meal, offering only outside seating and great people-watching opportunities. This spot is definitely recommended.

To round out the meal, we stopped at Pirate's Cove "coffee ship", a large coffee hut in the parking lot of a grocery store but it's shaped like a giant ship! They had a a VERY reasonable selection of coffee for a parking lot java hut, and even offered smoothies and blended coffee! I got the Chai Freeze, which was basically magic in my mouth. Ashton just got a regular coffee, but it came with a chocolate covered espresso bean on top! The cashier was a wonderfully pleasant girl who obviously has a wonderful life. This place is also highly recommended for its EXCELLENT cup o' joe and EXTREMELY reasonable prices.

All in all, a good Sunday!!! Coming soon, our 99 Ranch Market experience, sushi rolling, and Vo's Cafe of North Park!!!