San Diego, CA.

Ah San Diego!

Of all of the cities I have traveled to for business and pleasure this has to be one of my favorites. Sea World, Old Town, Gas Lamp District, Coronado, The Zoo and on and on there is enough to fill a few weeks.

I already mentioned my favorite restaurant The Boathouse in a previous blog so I will give a few places from all over the greater San Diego proper. Don't worry, none of them are in Tijuana! Although I miss being able to park your car atthe border and just wander into the city to buy a bunch of cheap authentic merchandise, especially Chic-Let gum. Ah the memories!!!

The Poseidon     http://www.poseidonrestaurant.com/

This awesome place just up the road in Del Mar is just awesome. Did I stutter? I love sitting right on the beach and eating seafood. You just have to do it when you are on the coast. Start with the Crispy Moroccan Calamari. Unlike any calamari that you will have had. It is crispy yet very tender on the inside. Then go with the Miso Glazed Mahi - Mahi and instead of the Orzo Pasta go with the Garlic Mashed. I'm a sucker for mashed tate-ers. The Tempura Asparagus is such a bonus to this meal. For those that do not like sea food I also tried my co-workers Tequila Lime Tortellini with chicken which was really good. I probably would've got it with the shrimp however.

Cafe Coyote y Cantina     http://www.cafecoyoteoldtown.com/

You have to visit Old Town when you are in San Diego. It's like stepping back in time. There are a dozen places to eat but I'm glad I picked this one as the Mexican food here was award winning. Get the Guac and chips to start. Their Guac was insanely good. Then go for the Pollo a la Crema which is chicken breast on Mexican rice and a creamy jalapeno cream sauce. Very different and very good. I tried the Chili Colorado as well and the pork was as tender as the chicken. Then after topping it off with some Banana Quesadilla for desert leave plenty of time to walk around and do some shopping. It's Tijuana without the drug cartel!!!

Nicky Rottens     http://nickyrottens.com/

I stumbled on this place walking from the Gas Lamp district on the south side of the city on my way to Petco park for a Padres game. I saw this huge burger this guy was eating and new this was a place for me. It is a great atmosphere before a Padres game and probably any other time of day as well. I went with the Famous Rotten Burger....what else would you go with on the first try. I loved the sauce they put on it and the bacon really accentuated the patty. It was like two burgers in one. I love to see what burger places come up with to put on burgers and there is more than enough choices here to satisfy any taste. Needless to say I didn't get anything to eat at the park and was grateful I parked a ways away so I could walk it off a little.

Daphne's Greek Cafe     http://www.daphnesgreekcafe.com/index.html

You knew I would have to throw some Greek on here. This is a chain that has a few locations in the area so just enter the zip of the place your staying at to find the nearest location. There menu items are traditional Greek with some neat twists. The Pita Burger with their fire feta and fries was awesome and out of the ordinary. I had never had a burger like that one. We went back the next day for lunch again and their Gyro/chicken kabob platter was heavenly as well. Good feta makes a good eating experience in my book and they had some great feta.

These are only a few of my favorites. A co-worker of mine just returned from San Diego and was raving about Hashhouseagogo http://www.hashhouseagogo.com/ . He had a picture of his dinner on his cell phone so you know it is memorable when you are snapping pictures of your food. I can't wait to try it when I'm back down there.

Until next week "Stay Classy San Diego".....