San Diego, CA - What to Eat

As you know, our vacations consist of a lot of eating, and San Diego was no different. In fact, it was one of my favorite dining cities, where we had one of our all time favorite meals! I recently was looking through photos to create our Christmas card, and asked Jesse if he thought anyone would appreciate a card of food pictures... ;)
I had a few places picked out ahead of time from Pinterest and other blogs. We met up at the end of the week with Jesse's brother and sister-in-law, who had a few food requests as well. Otherwise, we would search as on the go, depending on which side of town we were on. Here are a few of our favorites:

Chocolat Cafe and Gelato - gelato and ice cream shops are all over, but I think we hit the jackpot at this random stop. The gelato was so beautiful and vibrant. We picked four flavors to split and they were all equally delicious.

Extraordinary Desserts - This place definitely lives up to it's name. I've never seen such intricate and beautiful cakes and pastries! You can dine in for dinner and dessert, or order something sweet directly from the case.

Donut Bar - originated in San Diego, and now has multiple locations. Their donuts are huge! They claim to be the "best," but honestly they were kind of a dud. Until the guy behind the counter started passing out made to order Donut French Toast. This, my friends, is their best kept secret.

Considering you can see Mexico as you fly into San Diego, there is plenty of Mexican food and inspiration! We chose Los Panchos de Charly, in walking distance of our hotel, for taquitos and tostadas. I wouldn't say this is the place to go, but it was fresh and yummy, and really hit the spot.

Okay, now I must tell you about one of our very favorite places we've ever eaten. While on a city tour I overheard a local tell another couple the best place in their Little Italy district is Davanti Enoteca. I honestly had no idea what he said, but I repeated the syllables long enough to pull out my phone and save it. We walked over the next day for lunch and had an amazing Italian beef sandwich with dipping au jus. Such a simple sandwich, but out of this world flavor! We also chose a selection of Salumi e Formaggi (meat and cheese): taleggio cheese, cured Berkshire salami in truffle oil, and duck salami. Freaking amazing. One of the best things I've ever eaten. We returned the next day with Matt and Heidi for brunch and another round of cheese and meats.

After lunch in Little Italy, we returned for dinner that night, and decided on a whim for Buon Appetito. We both really wanted a good bowl of pasta. We lucked out and were seated almost immediately although there was a very long line. We were given a bread loaf and cup of marina. An incredible, fresh tomato marina, that has changed all future marina eating experiences. Few marinas will ever measure up, I'm certain. Jesse opted for the Linguine Boscomare (shrimp, scallops, clams in wine sauce), while I went for the Borsettini di Vitello e Funghi (pocket pasta filled with veal and mushrooms) in their creamy marina sauce. Y'all, if I had only one meal left in this life I would fly to San Diego for this pasta. No regrets. Oh, and let's not forget about the cannoli! We took Matt and Heidi here the very next night.

While exploring La Jolla with Matt and Heidi we made sure to eat an appropriate amount of dessert. One stop was the Baked Bear, a build-your-own cookie/brownie ice cream sandwich. Not a new idea, but we all approved of their flavors!

Another top contender on this trip was Hammond's Ice Cream. You can order in a cup or cone. Or if you're like us and can't decide want to try them all, you can have a flight of mini cones! Very unique and prominent flavors. We would definitely seek this place out again! Check out their website and drool over a few flavors like Vanilla Rose and Lychee Cream.

Lastly, Wow Wow Waffle, which had to be the most unique atmosphere. It was an outdoor restaurant, sort of in a large alley way between two other buildings. It had fun seating with large wooden tables and succulents all around. They gave the food truck vibe without actually being a food truck. But somehow they produced these delicious waffles from behind a curtain. Maybe it was magic. I dunno. They make Belgium yeast waffles (not your typical waffle batter) - is their thing. Since we were there for brunch we both started with something pretty ordinary as far as toppings go. Next we split a bacon/avocado/goat cheese waffle.

There was more food had, but these were the outstanding dishes. San Diego was a perfect trip. So many activities to do. It was a very clean city, and I always felt safe walking around even on my own. The weather was perfect, and the food top notch. We'll be back for you, SD!

San Diego, CA

That one time I took vacation two weeks after starting a new job, flew home, and bought a house the next day. That was August. Let's reminisce.

Back in August, Jesse had a work trip to San Diego and I planned to tag along. Fortunately my new job was very flexible with a trip I already had booked. :) We spent a week in San Diego, and it quickly became one of our favorite places we've visited. First of all, the weather is absolutely perfect. It's a decent size city, but not too congested, with various sub-areas within the city that have their own unique atmospheres. Oh, and there is AMAZING food there, but we'll get to that.

We opted for a multi-day, multi-use pass for 3 main attractions: San Diego Zoo, Zoo Safari Park, and Sea World. (Aside: I had very mixed feeling about going to and supporting Sea World after watching the documentary Blackfish. I still do, but part of me is glad that I went and was able to see the final orca show. We know more about orcas because of their lives in captivity, but some of those findings are extremely sad and unfortunate situations have occurred. I'm very interested to learn of the changes Sea World will make in the future, as their original obtainment and current treatment of the orcas has been questionable.)  All three of these parks are huge, and it takes more than a day to fully conquer each of them (seeing all exhibits and shows)- even as fast as we walk. We still rushed through some parts, but overall, felt we experienced each park to the fullest without being overwhelmed.

(Seriously, my life would be complete if I could hold a koala.)

(A friend recently pointed out that there are only 4 pandas in the United States: Smithsonian in DC, San Diego, Atlanta, and Memphis. She has seen them all, and we're halfway there! Thankfully the other two are closer to home!)

(The Skylift was a quick way to cross the park!)

(The elephant exhibit was incredible! They had a ton of room, and it was so fun to sit and watch them walk, eat, and interact with each other.)

(Even baby hippos are adorable! Look at that smile!)

(I'm not sure what this creature is, but it's eyes were the coolest I've ever seen!)

The Safari Park, although similar, was a completely different experience. As much as I liked the zoo, I personally enjoyed the safari a little more because the exhibits were more open and natural. You also ride a tram through the African "safari" fields where animals are roaming more freely.

(We were able to watch the gorilla feeding, which was fun. The older male silver-back definitely rules the camp!)

There were a couple of days Jesse had to work, and I went out on my own. Balboa Park is an outdoor area of large Spanish-style buildings from the early 1900s. It was a beautiful area to walk around in. There were also museums and gardens to explore.

Since my mom instilled the love of cats in me at a young age, and deep down I would be happy being a crazy cat lady, I had to go to the Cat Cafe. You buy a cup of coffee, then get to sit and play with the kitties! They are partnered with the humane society, so all the cats are up for adoption! They are well loved and well fed (aka - all fat!). 

Sea World was great, but a little dated. And also more difficult to maneuver from one exhibit to the next (even with map in hand, and landmarks in sight). We ran from show to exhibit to show. Then Jesse convinced me to ride a roller coaster, which I'm rather afraid of. However, I thought it a reasonable idea - until it was time to load into my seat. I immediately questioned my decision, but it was too late. The bar came down, my feet were dangling, and I hung to the guardrail for dear life. Forgive me, roller coaster lovers, but it was not fun. I could barely breathe the whole time. The photo that they take and try to sell to you at the end, had me clinging to my chest like I was having a heart attack. 

We watched the dolphin show, the seal/dogs/cats show, and of course, the orcas. I have to say, it was pretty incredible. They are brilliant animals who are trained so well. Again, mixed feelings, but it leaves you full of awe to watch. Before the show, the mom and baby orca willingly came to the splash pad several times without instruction to see the crowd!

Matt and Heidi joined us for the last weekend there, and we saved several things to do and explore with them.

The Ho Chi Minh trial, which starts as a tiny, inconspicuous path in the middle of a neighborhood, and quickly turns into quite the challenge - including sandstone walls, a rope to shimmy down the cliff, and finally the beach!

Coronado Island and Hotel, wear the guys learned to surf!

They also snorkeled in La Jolla cove with sea lions!

We drove around Point Loma and toured the light house.

Walked along the bluff of Sunset Cliffs. (We didn't catch a sunset here, but I'm sure they are epic.)

And walked across a suspension bridge that's nestled right in the middle of the city, over a small valley.

This was a wonderful trip, and I highly recommend San Diego as a travel destination! I'm so thankful I was able to join Jesse on this trip and that we were able to meet up with family at the same time! This post got a little lengthy, so stay tuned to find out what to eat in SD!

San Luis Obispo, CA

In March, Jesse and I spent my final Spring Break week back in California!  Jesse's brother, Matt, and wife Heidi, moved there several months ago, and we were excited to visit their new town.  Most of you already know that we are actually considering San Luis Obispo (SLO) as a possible place to move after my graduation. We haven't made any final decisions yet, but I wanted to share our trip with you in the meantime.

We flew from ATL to LA, then took the Surfliner Amtrak train up the coast. I have always wanted to travel by train, and this experience did not let me down. It was a beautiful ride, right along the coastline. It was so nice to just store our luggage, then relax after a long flight.

We had a full week in SLO, and Matt and Heidi were eager to show us around. We walked around Pismo Beach, took in the amazing view at the pier, and grabbed a snack at ChipWrecked.

Did a little kayaking in Morro Bay, around Morro Rock:

There were lots of great restaurants to try in downtown SLO. Here's a sampling of some of the tasty dishes we had:

(Batch: Snickerdoodle cookie w/ coffee ice cream sandwich)

(Luna Red: Fried Brussels w/ Bacon dust; Bacon wrapped blue cheese dates; Olive oil cake; not pictured- Lamb sausage pizzetta)

(My new all-time favorite restaurant - The Spoon Trade: Rosemary Chicken and Waffles w/ kimchi; Sourdough bread; Halibut sushimi w/ avocado puree; Burrata toast; Sweetbreads with Homemade Fettuccine)

(The central coast's version of BBQ - the famous SLO Tri-tip Sandwich)

We visited the Mission and also hiked Bishop's Peak - one of the mountains that surrounds SLO (which you see in the background below).

Every Thursday the main street of SLO is shut down for the Farmer's Market. I was in heaven surrounded by fresh produce, and I of course helped support the locals by trying some of the foods available.  :)

On one of our last days there, we went tide pooling. We didn't see very many fish, but it's just incredible to stand that close to the ocean and soak up the nature.

And because we couldn't get enough of the outdoors, we walked through Montana de Oro State Park which has trails that line the bluffs. The views here were the most incredible of all! The cliffs are so high and steep, and the ocean is constantly crashing beneath you.

We even got to celebrate Easter while we were there with an awesome worship and church service. We cleaned up a little bit and snapped this fancy photo:

It was so wonderful to visit with family and see how happy they are in their new location. We can't wait to go back! Until next time, Cali....