San Diego Archives - Page 2 of 5 - Food, Booze, & Baggage

Discovering San Diego: July 2015

August 13, 2015 by Mariah 12 Comments

Welcome back summer! The weather was so much better this month, than in the last few months. I’m happy for the warm weather and sunshine again. Of course the week that T visited, it rained…it’s our curse, when B&E visited in May, it rained too. So this month was not so great for Discovering San Diego, again since T was here there were a lot of repeats this month, and P and I were out-of-town for one weekend. We need to get back to trying new places. These were the ones we were able to cross-off in July….

Wow Wow Waffle

Is a food truck, that has a space for a few days a week in North Park? It’s hard to exactly describe the situation, other than it’s tasty, and you need to order the lemonade. It was a bit of wait for our food, not stressful, just a wait. We want to go back and get one of their more traditional waffles! I had the brie and jam, so good, and P had the avocado, candied bacon, and goat cheese, and that was good too. I think P’s would have been better with a little drizzle of something, like the fig balsamic maybe 🙂

Burnside

Had such high hopes for this place, the menu looks amazing. It was good, but not great. I think it might be partly the bread, just not as high quality as we would like. I had the Po Boy which had good flavor, watch out because the spice grows on you. By the end, my mouth was on fire. I wasn’t as impressed with the Buttermilk Fried Chicken sandwich, it just seemed dry and lacked flavor. I think some blue cheese would have helped perk it up. I was pretty disappointed with the Street Fries, there wasn’t a whole lot of the aioli on them. While the food could be better, the space is the cutest! I think we will be giving them a second chance.

Breakfast Republic

This is the newest hot spot for brunch in the Hillcrest hood. Lines have been out the door, for this place, that has only been opened a few weeks. Lots of buzz. Another place that falls under, it was ok, but not great. I ordered the breakfast mac and cheese, and while nothing was wrong, it just didn’t pack the same flavor punch the Urbane Solace version. I’m glad I went with the regular bacon, and not the jurassic because I think the hint of sweetness would not have done the dish any favors. P got the Rob Benzon burrito, which I enjoyed more. You can also order a pancake as a side, which I’m such a huge fan of. I got the pineapple upside down one, and it was ok. I liked the flavor, but nothing about it was really upside down, it would be better if they caramelize the pineapple. I liked Snooze’s version better. We would probably give it another try, so nothing was a deal breaker. We went and there was a line, but we didn’t have to wait for a table. If you are willing to sit at the bar or communal table, you may be able to skip the line, so don’t walk away without checking.

Bearito Republic

A cute little casual burrito spot in Hillcrest. Great pick for those of you who are vegan or vegetarian…and for those of you that are neither one. The bowls and the burritos are both very generously portioned. I tried the BBQ Chicken Bowl. It had very nice flavor and hit the spot. More california burrito than Mexican inspired. This is a great pick for a casual lunch or dinner. No fuss, no muss 🙂 Also the soda was tasty!

Supernatural Sandwich

A mostly seafood orientated sandwich shop. A small place tucked into a shopping center, that also happens to be just up the street from Saint Archer brewing. We got the Kirin, the shrimp Bahn Mi and the Kraken, the red curry crab cake. They were both good, but the bread on the crab cake one was crumbly. I liked the bread on the Bahn Mi much more. Good flavor on both, we would seek it out again. Next time the lobster roll, I wasn’t feeling garlic:)

Bettego Americano

S & I tried this for lunch one day, it was ok, but not great. Now the dessert it was great 🙂 I had the ravioli, and it was a bit bland, nothing too special about it. S got the special of the day, a seafood stew which was good, but could use a bit more seasoning as well. When not completely satisfied with a meal, I tend to need dessert, so we ordered the strawberry napoleon, which did not disappoint.

Project Pie

Kind of like a subway for pizza. It was actually much better than expected though. You go through the line and pick what you want added to their pizza, then they pop it in the oven, and dinner! It was neat decor, and we can say we tried it now. There are so many pizza places in San Diego, I’m not sure that this will be one that will come back up again. Of course it would be a good option for a evening you are starving and want to skip the drive-thru.

Booze

Saint Archer

Glad we got to cross this off before their buy out was announced. Good selection of beer, with some not widely available. Large space, but not a whole of seating space.

Greenflash Brewing

One of the big dogs in San Diego brewing. Nice outdoor space, but no seating inside. Broad beer list with a few seasonal beers. Nice spot, I was happy to cross it off the list.

Other

We got two hikes in this month too, I’ll be sharing those later this month!! I also tried Paddleboard Yoga, which was enjoyable. I was the first one to fall off my board. I’m wanting to try it again. P and I also finally made it to Los Angeles this past month as well!!

What was your favorite adventure from July?

Mission Trails Regional Park: Grasslands Loop Trail

July 27, 2015 by Mariah 8 Comments

The Grasslands Loop is one of the many trails, available in the Mission Trails Regional Park. Cowles Mountain is also part of the Mission Trails Regional Park. The Grasslands Loop was much less crowded than our Cowles Mountain hike (much less). There was still a good amount of people, but not as many where you were always with other hikers. The Grasslands Loop is 1.2 miles, and open to mountain bikers as well as hikers.

We parked at the Old Mission Dam parking area. You walk right past the Dam, which was neat…and yes there is water 🙂 The trail is fairly easy, mostly flat, with a slight climb in the middle. We may have wondered off the loop onto the lower part of the Oak Canyon Trail, but we were not 100% sure. The Grassland loop was not all that clearly marked, and it intersected with a few other trails. Most of it was wide and smooth, the lower part of the loop (which I think was the Oak Canyon part) was very rocky, and took much more effort to navigate.

A nice hike, not quite challenging enough, hot, and not as interesting change in landscape as some of the other hikes we have been on. My favorite part was the lower rocky part. I’m sure we will go back to the Mission Trails Regional Park to try another trail, there are plenty to choose from and it’s a much shorter drive to start our hike.

Notes

Wear and bring sunscreen!
Parking is plentiful, though you may have to park alongside the road, the actual parking lot at Old Mission Dam is small.
Dogs welcome
Bring water!
I could see how this trail might be very muddy if it has rained recently, and it is red dirt towards the top.

If you hike, what do you look for when choosing a trail: view, distance, climb?

Cuyamaca Rancho State Park: Stonewall Peak Trail

July 20, 2015 by Mariah 8 Comments

The Stonewall Peak Trail at the Cuyamaca Rancho State Park was a lovely hike, great views, and different flowers/vegetation along the trail. It gives a fairly good workout too. I was feeling it in my legs by the time we got to the top. The trail has switchbacks so the climb is not overly challenging, you do have a 900 feet elevation gain to the top. It’s 4 miles total, up and back. According to the brochure, this is their most popular trail in the park. We saw other hikers, but they were spread-out. Lots of children along for the hike, so not overly difficult. Make sure to bring plenty of water, it gets hot!

The entrance to the Stonewall Peak Trail, is to the right (if driving from San Diego) of Hwy 79, right across the street from the entrance to the Paso Picacho Campground. Parking in the campground is $8.00. P and I took advantage of this since it was our first time there (we got a brochure out of it). The parking fee can also be applied the same day to the Green Valley Campground. If you are still looking for a bit more of a hike you could head down to the Green Valley Falls trail (¾ mile each way).

The Stonewall trail starts out wider, and narrows as you climb. Some sections are wider than others. There are warnings of wildlife, but we only saw birds, bugs, butterflies and lizards. YAY no snakes!!! Oh and one chipmunk.

The top has quite the view, though we had a little trouble figuring out how to get to the very top. You need to stay to the right and go over and around. We went more left, and clambered up some fairly big rocks near the edge. The top has quite the view. I’m not 100% comfortable with heights and it made me feel a bit shaky. Also, it was taken over by flying ants, which did not make me hang around for too long.

Overall, it was a great hike and we had a lot of fun. The Cuyamaca Rancho Park has over 10 hiking trails to choose from. Ever since we took a drive to Julian, I’ve said I wanted go up here for a hike, I was so happy to cross one off the list! We will certainly be back to tackle one of the other trails in the area.

A few notes:

It’s about a 45 minute drive to get to Cuyamaca Park from San Diego.
Bring water!
Wear sunscreen & bring some, there is very little shade.
Make sure you have gas before HWY 79.
Parking is $8, bring cash.
Address for Paso Picacho Campground: 13652 Hwy 79, Julian, CA 92036

I’ve been bitten by the hiking bug 🙂 How about you? Hiking, yay or nay?

Discovering San Diego: June 2015

July 7, 2015 by Mariah 9 Comments

Another month, more adventure in eating and drinking. This month was much slower in terms of dining out at new spots. We had a few dinners with friends so I know that was one cause, and I guess a lot of repeats this month. Overall, it was not a wow month in terms of food for us. We did have a few good breweries and coffee shops though. One repeat worth mentioning and I’ve been happy with all my meals from is Jayne’s. P and I went twice this past month, and I love it.

Adams Avenue Grill (Brunch)

We went twice this month for brunch, both times before our hikes. This place is near our house, so it makes it easy to pop up and grab a bite. Overall, pretty good. I really liked Prosciutto & Caprese Eggs. Though the second time, I was a bit disappointed with my order of the Bacon Stuffed Waffle. The waffle had a very artificial vanilla flavor to it, that was quite off-putting, especially with the savory components. Plus the grits were on top of the waffle, which made it soggy. I think it would have worked better if the grits were on the bottom, then waffle, then egg, then sauce. The Santa Fé Hashbrown Bundle and the Chipotle Chicken Benedict were both tasty too, so I’m not putting it in the bad category

Queenstown (Brunch)

I’ve heard good things about their brunch for a while now, but we had not made it there yet. I had also heard brunch gets busy fast, so P and I took advantage of an early Sunday morning, and got there around 10. We got a seat right away, no problem. It was good, but I’ve had better brunch. I think I ordered the wrong dish. Their Oink is one of their signature dishes, but I just was not feeling it that morning. I should have went with that. I got the chicken and waffles, and they were ok. The waffles were not my favorite, though better than Adams. The chicken was good, but weird, since it was just wings. I expected a breast. There was not a lot of meat on the wings either. P’s was good. He got a huge chicken breast with his dish. We might go back to try the Oink, but it would not be worth a long wait for me. See more pictures of Queenstown great outdoor area from our first visit.

Waypoint Public (Brunch)

P swore we had not eaten here, but we had been for dinner before 🙂 Waypoint is a popular spot for brunch in the North Park neighborhood. They have a great open space, with roll-up garage doors, perfect for people watching. They also sport an extensive draft beer list. The brunch was good, solid offering, but not the best in town. I really like their take on a BLT. That dish is the winner.

Karl Strauss Brewery (La Jolla)

Crossing off another brewery on our quest to try them all, this one happens to have a large food offering in addition to their beers. Karl Strauss Brewery (or brewpub) in La Jolla, is a very expansive space, with burgers, salads, and other classic pub fare. I was super impressed with the salad. The burger was good, but not a top San Diego pick. I really liked the parmesan bites, and the waitress even gave us a little taster of the Amber to pair with it. It paired very well. Next time we are going for the pretzel though. I would certainly go back for a nice casual lunch and good beers. Karl Strauss is one of San Diego’s founding breweries, so they have their beers down 🙂

The Islander

This was one of our stops for You & Me Day, which was P’s date day he organized for us this past month. I have the best husband 🙂 We have heard lots about this place located in Coronado, so we stopped in after a few hours of soaking up the sun. The Islander is seafood focused in a casual order-at-the counter environment. Meaning we felt ok going after beach lounging. We had the Tacone, which is sort of like a poorly constructed burritos; delicious, but a total mess. I got the grilled shrimp and P go the Yellowtail, which were seasoned well. My favorite part was the slaw on the Tacone, and the pickled veggies. If you are looking for a casual seafood fix, this is your spot.

Heartwork Coffee

The cutest little coffee shop in the Mission Hills neighborhood. Very minimal and cleanly designed. They offer coffee from three different local roasters, which is a neat selling point. It’s a great spot to try some local beans. I did go with tea at the last minute, since they offered a house version of a London Fog, and I just couldn’t pass that up!! It was a good call, very good. This was a great kick-off spot for our You & Me Day. We then headed across the street to Farmer’s Bottega for breakfast, it was good, but not as good as our first visit.

James Coffee Co.

Since we heard about this local roaster from Heartworks, we had to make a trip straight to the source. They have the most awesome space in Little Italy!! It was so neat. Their coffee was tasty too, I tried the latte with condensed milk and cinnamon and it was so smooth, good balance with the coffee, and not bitter. Tasty! If you are in Little Italy, you should check them out!

The Not So Good

Barbant
Another place that we had high hopes for, that didn’t really deliver. P had the bratwurst, which I hated. Now to be fair I’m super picky about my sausage, and I do not like when it’s mealy in texture, and this one was. I also thought that it needed more kraut on there, the whole thing just seemed dry. I had the Bouncer sandwich, and it was not good. The texture was all off, and it was covered in a very thick layer of aioli. The description said hollandaise, but it was more mayo in texture…not even close to a hollandaise. I did not like it. We also ordered the donuts, which were dry and a weird texture too. We probably will go back to give the mussels a try, maybe brunch just is not their thing. The guy sitting near us ordered the mussels and they looked good.

Cueva Bar
We had heard great things about this place from a few different people, but it just did not do it for us. Maybe our expectations for tapas are just too high 🙂 I wasn’t wowed by any of the dishes. It wasn’t terrible, but it also wasn’t great. I felt like the menu needed to be expanded, no seafood offered at all. What is tapas without a seafood dish? The stuff dates were super dry. The avocado tower dish was very tasty, but that was the only dish I was really happy with. The empanada was dry and overcooked. The potato dish was ok, but seemed to lack seasoning. So disappointed 🙁

Booze

Park & Rec

This is a new cocktail bar in our hood (University Heights), that we were excited to try. It’s a beautiful space, very unique concept and the pictures does not do it justice. They have multiple outdoor areas, a ping pong table, shuffleboard, pinball, and neat seating. More importantly they have wonderful cocktails and great bartenders. The bartenders were half the entertainment and all their drinks were balanced and yummy. Even drinks that would not be my go-to. So happy to have this addition to the hood!

Pacific Brewing Co.

What a great find!! A new go-to brewery. Their beers are so well-balanced and true to style. We have liked all their beers we have tried. It doesn’t hurt that the couple running it are super friendly too. Great find!!

Duck Foot Brewing

LOVED it here, beautifully designed, open space, and super friendly owner and staff. So the twist to this brewery is that all their beers are gluten-reduced. The even better twist is that you can’t tell!! I would never lie to you about beer 🙂 We got to meet one of the founders, and he was as awesome as the beers we sampled. He actually is not just jumping on the next food trend, but suffers from Celiac disease. He has a graphic design background, that shows in the space, and a passion for the product that shows in the pint.

The Not So Good
2Kids Brewing
So, this brewery resides in the same parking lot as our beloved Pacific Brewing Co, however they are planets apart in quality. We got all of their beers in tasters to share, and did not finish half of them 🙁 The best beer we did try was their Blonde Coffee Stout, brewed with Dark Horse coffee (our neighborhood local roaster), and it tasted exactly like iced coffee. The other beers were just so off. This is the worst since our experience at Groundswell. Skip this and go straight to Pacific.

Other

Cinema Under The Stars

Ok, this one was on my San Diego bucket list and it’s kind of a big deal. This is the first movie P and I have ever been out to see as a couple!! We never go to the movies! Now I can say the first movie we ever saw together was Ferris Bueller’s Day off 🙂 This was a fun night out, and I liked the feel of it. My biggest complaint is the “concession”, which was just microwave popcorn, candy, and bottled soda. They really need to step it up in this department, or let you bring your own in. I was so upset they didn’t have a real concession. The chairs were very comfortable and it was a nice viewing experience. We got a double recliner so we were nice and cozy. It was a bit of a snug fit for us and we are on the smaller size, just to throw that out there. I would consider going back, though you are paying about the same as for a traditional movie at around $15 a person.

Hiking
We did make it on two hikes this month!! Go us 🙂 I’ll be sharing those in separate posts, so I can show tons of pictures.

I know June came off as a meh month, but it really wasn’t. We just can’t bat 100 on all our picks, all the time. We need to step up our dinner game though, that’s one thing I noticed.

What was your favorite meal you had out last month?

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