Vegan Zone, Pacific Beach

It still shocks me that for such a gastronomical explorer such as myself the majority of my friends in San Diego have aligned themselves with the vegan movement! Focusing on the glass-half-full mentality, this does offer me the opportunity to dine at establishments that I might tend to overlook, or at least not actively seek out. One of these is Vegan Zone, an all-vegan restaurant in Pacific Beach, somewhat off the beaten track on Hornblend Street just a few blocks from the beach. Our Bostonian friend assured us that though small, the selections were good and prices reasonable for the animal-friendly Asian bistro. We stopped by for snacks and light fare, and with seating for only about 25, at 3 o'clock the place was deserted.

The menu was standard Asian fare sans any animal product, but looked tasty and the prices decent. We shared an order of the Golden Nuggets (fried soy chicken nuggets) with their "barbeque sauce", which tasted like cocktail sauce mixed with BBQ sauce with a dash of black pepper. Not the greatest, or even exciting, but not bad by any means. A clean presentation added some bonus points.


Ashton got the Tom Yum soup (traditional Thai soup flavored with khaffir limes leaves, chili and lemon grass served with soy shrimp, straw mushrooms and tomotoes), which was great! Served hot in a crisp white bowl, it was chock full of fresh ingredients and the perfect amount of lemongrass. The faux shrimp was wonderful and made me believe it was swimming in the sea only a few short hours ago. For $5, it was a lip-smacking delight.


For vegans, definitely a place worth trying. I can't vouch for the quality of the entrees, but based on the solid ingredients and elegant presentation, I'd guess that it would be a nice experience!

Vegan Zone
859 Hornblend St
San Diego Ca 92109
858-272-1913
Delivery/Take Out

Hours:
Tuesday - Sunday
11:30am - 9:30pm
Closed on Mondays

Broken Yolk Cafe- Pacific Beach

As breakfast/brunch enthusiasts, we had yet to experience the oft-recommended Broken Yolk Cafe, which is known throughout San Diego as a great place to grab a diner-style breakfast anytime with an emphasis on quick, cheap comfort food. Quick, cheap, and comfortable- now that's speaking my language! As hunger tore through our insides one fine day in Pacific Beach, we realized our close vicinity to the fabled eatery, and decided to make a long-overdue stop there. The menu offers all breakfast staples, plus some hispanic flair scrambles and omelets, along with burgers, sandwiches, soups, and salads. Nothing out of the ordinary for this place, and I hoped to find some good homestyle cookin' without all the unnecessary trappings.

What I found is pretty much what I should have expected. Nothing extraordinary, basic ingredients and assemblage, and my Rueben was exactly satisfactory. I WAS pleased with the inclusion of a side pepperocini with my sandwich! However, the omelets seemed to be the pride of the establishment, fully loaded with ingredients and toppings to create a mountainous effect of spilling off the plate. Ashton's Rancher Omelet (bacon, home fried potatoes, bell peppers, tomato, green onion, and topped with sour cream) was an experience in delicious, with perfectly beaten eggs, a generous amount of sour cream, and filled to the brim with fresh ingredients, crisp bacon, and some damn good potatoes.

All things considered, not a bad place to snag some breakfast. With 4 locations, they're doing something right, and based on what I saw I'd say it's attracting tourists who want to eat something they can get at home. Their slogan is "We've got Huevos", and it shows. I'd recommend sticking to the egg dishes, and skipping the sandwich/salad options. A perfectly average experience with the potential of being somewhat tasty with quick service.



Rueben Sandwich

Rancher Omelet


Broken Yolk Cafe
Pacific Beach
1851 Garnet Ave. Pacific Beach, Ca. 92109
858-270-YOLK (9655)

Eastlake
*884 Eastlake Pkwy. Chula Vista, Ca 91914
619-216-1144 (Village Walk Mall)

La Costa
7670 El Camino Real, Carlsbad, Ca 92009
760-943-8182

Gaslamp
355 6th Ave. San Diego, CA 92101
619-338-YOLK (9655)

Sushi Ota

I had done some legwork trying to find the best, most authentic, freshest, and all around most incredible sushi place in San Diego for Ashton's birthday. Overwhelmingly the response I got from friends and reviews was Sushi Ota in Pacific Beach. Reservations highly recommended, and listed with $$ I knew I wouldn't necessarily be wasting money on ambiance. Anything comfortable with a focus on the food is A-OK in my book. It's nestled next to a 7-11 and behind another restaurant, so it's barely visible from Mission Bay Drive. Definitely a "destination", not just a wander in kind of place. The majority of the people there were Asian, which is ALWAYS a good sign, and even with a reservation we had to wait for a half hour (very willingly, by the looks of contentment on the patrons).





Let me just tell you this. I've eaten a lot of sushi. I've eaten it in many varieties in many places, and while I still have a long way to go to become a true connoisseur, I feel as though I know what okay sushi tastes like, what good sushi tastes like, what great sushi tastes like, and what out of this world sushi tastes like. This was out of this world. While eating truly amazing sushi, cost cannot be a factor. You just have to go balls out and go for the gold. I don't even like to waste valuable tummy space with drinking. Water is the only liquid to touch my lips in these kinds of situations.

We started with the calamari, which was golden, crispy, with a tangy plum sauce that was divine. Next was the seafood dynamite, with their "secret" dynamite sauce baked over a bed of mixed seafood that was basically heaven in our mouths. Then, the main spread. I got a veritable fiesta of sashimi over a bed of sushi rice, all of which was possibly the best and freshest fish I've ever come across. Ashton got a "sampler" which included a giant baked scallop and clam (both seared in their own juices to plump goodness), shrimp tempura (which came with it, but in my opinion don't waste time with tempura when there is real sushi to be had! Wonderful nonetheless), and a tiny seaweed salad that could have been pulled out of the ocean and prepared to order as far as my tastebuds were concerned. He also got an absolutely stellar platter of sashimi as well, so the mixing and matching was out of control. We lost ourselves in this magnificent feast the likes of which I had dared to hope for but could have not imagined in all its glory.

For as full as we were, we were still tempted by the plum wine and red bean ice cream, which together was an excellent way to calm our full tummies into a final submission. As we tottered away, I think we both knew that words couldn't describe or duplicate this experience. It was something beyond that. I can just say that we will absolutely patronize this place until the day it either burns down or we die, because I can say it certainly won't go out of business.