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.
Showing posts with label ranchos. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ranchos. Show all posts
Monday, June 15, 2009
Friday, December 5, 2008
Ranchos Natural Market
Now that I have a bit of income coming in, Ashton and I can actually GO OUT TO EAT occasionally WITHOUT WORRYING IF WE CAN PAY RENT afterward. It's not even like we go to super nice places, we just enjoy good meals and going out to eat is more expensive than just going to the grocery store. Now that I've dropped that huge bomb of wisdom on you, let me enlighten you to another tidbit of info. Ranchos Natural Market is, as they say, the "shit".
Last night I was craving Mexican in a bad way, so we decided to ride around North Park and explore some places we haven't been yet. We rode past Ranchos on 30th and enticed by the "Mexican and Vegetarian" cuisine we decided this was the place for us. The outside makes it look much smaller than it really is because there's a small fenced in sidewalk patio with huge plants and vine obstructing the view from the street. Incredibly quaint. The inside is a hodgepodge of religious art and authentic Mexican bean and coffee sacks on the walls with a mishmash of kind of matching tables and settings. Basically it looked just like our kind of place. There were enough people in there with smiles on their faces to convince us this was a wise decision.
The real thing I was craving was the salsa that generally comes in Mexican restaurants, and their salsa was not only unbelievable, it was one of the most unique tasting delicacies I've ever experienced. This is coming from someone who really prides herself on the variety of salsas that I've come across and I can say without hesitation this was a top 3 experience. Extremely fresh and just exploding with flavor. I can't identify what it was that made this so exceptional, but I think the mystery of it is part of the allure.
The staff was incredibly pleasant and basically jumped at us whenever we looked up, whether we needed something or not. They were under the impression that we must get drunk immediately or else they weren't doing their jobs. Apparently it was unacceptable that we were both okay with water. A never ending stream of suggestions of "tequila shots?", "tecate?", "pacifico?" etc., all of which were ultimately refused, but duly noted in case we ever decide to go back and get sloshed.
MENU! Breakfast ALL DAY?? Calamari?? Oh man. As a non-vegetarian, I feel as though I have a greater chance of getting a really interesting and glorious tasting meal simply due to the fact that I don't limit the possibility of anything entering my body (within reason, of course... and minus veal but that's a whole other story). So when I DO find exceptional vegetarian options, I feel as though it's my duty to inform my vegetarian friends so that they have the opportunity for a fantastic meal as well. I'm not saying vegetarians can't have good meals, but especially our age group (the "broke" age) often doesn't have the time or budget to experience really high quality vegetarian options, instead eating a lot of potatoes and Morningstar chicken patties. Not the healthiest, but cheaper to be sure.
I've gotten off track. The menu was phenomenal. A great variety beyond any of that I've seen in a standard Mexican restaurant. I mean, really truly great. It took me a little longer than usual to make my selection, but I went big and got the "Tocho Morocho" (The Works) burrito, which was carne asada, lettuce, tomato, cheese, guacamole, rice, sour cream, beans, and your choice of beef, chicken, or shiitake (I went with shiitake). Ashton went for the Lentil, Avocado, and Cheese Burrito. They came fast, but not fast enough to make me question the freshness. Just the right amount of time. Since this wasn't brunch, I wasn't prepared with the camera, but I feel as though the description speaks for itself. This was a place where the emphasis was on the food, not the presentation. I don't mean that in a bad way, the place just didn't have a swirl of beans or pyramid of tomatoes to catch my attention or anything. It didn't need to. It was love at first sight.
My ungodly burrito was probably the size of my forearm and weighed a good pound and a half. Ashton's was slightly smaller but still in the gargantuan range. I almost wept with joy at the first bite. Heaven. The carne asada much closer resembled shredded beef in the way it was prepared, but since carne asada > beef, it was a tasty addition. I got through about half of my burrito before I was about to pop, but Ashton manned up and cleaned his plate like a champ. So proud.
We tottered back out onto the street, happy with life and with our expectations exceeded by about a thousand light years we rode off slowly but merrily.
Last night I was craving Mexican in a bad way, so we decided to ride around North Park and explore some places we haven't been yet. We rode past Ranchos on 30th and enticed by the "Mexican and Vegetarian" cuisine we decided this was the place for us. The outside makes it look much smaller than it really is because there's a small fenced in sidewalk patio with huge plants and vine obstructing the view from the street. Incredibly quaint. The inside is a hodgepodge of religious art and authentic Mexican bean and coffee sacks on the walls with a mishmash of kind of matching tables and settings. Basically it looked just like our kind of place. There were enough people in there with smiles on their faces to convince us this was a wise decision.
The real thing I was craving was the salsa that generally comes in Mexican restaurants, and their salsa was not only unbelievable, it was one of the most unique tasting delicacies I've ever experienced. This is coming from someone who really prides herself on the variety of salsas that I've come across and I can say without hesitation this was a top 3 experience. Extremely fresh and just exploding with flavor. I can't identify what it was that made this so exceptional, but I think the mystery of it is part of the allure.
The staff was incredibly pleasant and basically jumped at us whenever we looked up, whether we needed something or not. They were under the impression that we must get drunk immediately or else they weren't doing their jobs. Apparently it was unacceptable that we were both okay with water. A never ending stream of suggestions of "tequila shots?", "tecate?", "pacifico?" etc., all of which were ultimately refused, but duly noted in case we ever decide to go back and get sloshed.
MENU! Breakfast ALL DAY?? Calamari?? Oh man. As a non-vegetarian, I feel as though I have a greater chance of getting a really interesting and glorious tasting meal simply due to the fact that I don't limit the possibility of anything entering my body (within reason, of course... and minus veal but that's a whole other story). So when I DO find exceptional vegetarian options, I feel as though it's my duty to inform my vegetarian friends so that they have the opportunity for a fantastic meal as well. I'm not saying vegetarians can't have good meals, but especially our age group (the "broke" age) often doesn't have the time or budget to experience really high quality vegetarian options, instead eating a lot of potatoes and Morningstar chicken patties. Not the healthiest, but cheaper to be sure.
I've gotten off track. The menu was phenomenal. A great variety beyond any of that I've seen in a standard Mexican restaurant. I mean, really truly great. It took me a little longer than usual to make my selection, but I went big and got the "Tocho Morocho" (The Works) burrito, which was carne asada, lettuce, tomato, cheese, guacamole, rice, sour cream, beans, and your choice of beef, chicken, or shiitake (I went with shiitake). Ashton went for the Lentil, Avocado, and Cheese Burrito. They came fast, but not fast enough to make me question the freshness. Just the right amount of time. Since this wasn't brunch, I wasn't prepared with the camera, but I feel as though the description speaks for itself. This was a place where the emphasis was on the food, not the presentation. I don't mean that in a bad way, the place just didn't have a swirl of beans or pyramid of tomatoes to catch my attention or anything. It didn't need to. It was love at first sight.
My ungodly burrito was probably the size of my forearm and weighed a good pound and a half. Ashton's was slightly smaller but still in the gargantuan range. I almost wept with joy at the first bite. Heaven. The carne asada much closer resembled shredded beef in the way it was prepared, but since carne asada > beef, it was a tasty addition. I got through about half of my burrito before I was about to pop, but Ashton manned up and cleaned his plate like a champ. So proud.
We tottered back out onto the street, happy with life and with our expectations exceeded by about a thousand light years we rode off slowly but merrily.
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