oerdin's Profile
Hangtown Fry.
I'm looking for a place in San Diego which has a hangtown fry on their menu for a Sunday breakfast. Does anyone have any suggestions?
Best San Diego Mexican Food?
"El Comal, Mariscos Isaac, Talavera Azul, Ranas, El Patron, Coop's, Siam Nara, Rendezvous, La Playita, El Sol, Kiko's Place, Fish Boutique, K Sandwiches, Chupa Cabra, Marcy's Tacos, Rudy's Tacos, and Tacos El Paisa. We also got a bunch of stuff at the Mira Mesa food truck gathering. Not bad for one week."
Now that is what I call a tour de force.
Ensenada Olive Oil
You can probably drive down there and buy a large bottle for $10-$12. Make a weekend of it and visit the wineries and maybe do some deep sea fishing.
Food trucks in SD...where are they?
They do have a number of food truck conventions/get togethers which I know of. I believe the largest is "Mira Mesa Mondays" which is every Monday evening in the parking lot of the World Beat Center parking lot (next to the Senior Citizen's Center & the Mira Mesa Rec Center). Usually they have 8-12 trucks.
Most of their business seems to be the lunch trade in places like University City & Sorento Valley and dinner time meals served in allies behind popular bars since the city won't let them park on main roads.
The Super Diners do East County
I know most people here aren't fans of Malarkey but I really did enjoy Gingham. Sure, nothing amazing or truly best in the city but an enjoyable meal and it got us to go to a part of town we don't visit all that much. If someone happens to be in La Mesa it's worth a stop.
Skirt Steak
In years past I used to see Costco sell skirt steak which been topped with feta cheese & fresh basil then rolled up like a cinnamon bun and then cut into circular pieces. It was simple but tasty not to mention inexpensive.
Late Night Eats
On that list I'd try Izakaya Masa, City Deli, Underbelly, URBN Basic, and Bolillo Torta. Unless I was in a pizza mood Izakaya Masa would be my choice.
The Captain's Daughter Sandwich
The link isn't working but Google tells me it is a sardine & pickled egg sandwich on focaccia bread with parsley, capers, and scallions. I'm not sure what sauces or condiments are used as the article doesn't say nor have I ever had one before myself. It shouldn't be very hard to recreate something very close to that at home as long as you're willing to pickle your own eggs.
As for a sandwich shop which serves something like this... I don't know of anything exactly like this though sardine sandwiches are found at dozens of places. Some delis even do pickled eggs so I'd try talking to various delis asking them to make you a sardine and pickled eggs sandwich on focaccia bread.
Best Fish Tacos downtown?
This question has been asked a million times. Use the search function and I'm sure you'll find lots of information.
Where to get a good butter chicken sauce
Honestly, I'd try the Indian markets in Mira Mesa's "Little India" center at Black Mountain Rd and Miramar Rd. There is probably only 20-25 shops in that strip mall but Mira Mesa has a large South Asian population since so many Indian engineers work at Qualcomm in Sorrento Valley. You'll go to those markets and 90%+ of the customers will be South Asian so what they're selling is both very authentic and low in price.
Places that serve snake, gator and other exotic meats
Tioli's Crazy burger serves a gator burger and they used to serve a snake burger but the city health board made them pull the snake from the menu. Supposedly the supplier of the snake meat was certified to only sell in the state of Nevada and there was some sort of problem bringing it into California. They do have several other exotic meats as well though all in burger form.
mira mesa for cocktails / apps
Cocktails aren't really their thing but Callahan's Irish Pub (in Mira Mesa Mall by Target) has some good house made beers and a decent (if a bit standard) pub menu. If you arrive early for happy hour then house beers (which are good) cost only $2 a pint.
On the west end of Mira Mesa the WineSellar & Brasserie has a very good app menu though they're known mainly for their extensive wine list (most can be bought by the glass) instead of for mixed drinks.
Best place forresh fish around Solana Beach?
I second that suggestion. Best fish shop in town. Point Loma Seafoods normally has a pretty good selection too plus they sell a good amount of locally caught fish as well.
fresh lump crab meat in San Diego
Ranch 99 in Clairemont sometimes has incredibly good deals on crab. The only problem is it is usually whole crab not lump meat. Personally, I don't mind cleaning them (it takes like 5 minutes) plus I'm left with the shell and other parts which I can use to make a great seafood broth. Usually, they practically give away stuff like fish heads as well so I'll toss in a fish head or two, the left over crab parts, an onion, carrots, celery, part of a cabbage, with salt & a few herbs then boil the heck out of it. Maybe add a bit of butter to make it savory. Strain out the solids and you're left with a broth perfect for seafood dishes or even boiling pasta to be used with sea food.
Where can I buy smoked salmon?
I'm going to have to go to Costco and pick up a couple of those.
Induction Friendly, Reasonably Priced Pots - Where to Buy in SD?
I'd honestly check at GTM as they sell some pretty good name brand stuff dirt cheap. A word to the wise though GTM doesn't stock stuff direct from the manufacturer and instead they sell remainders which other retailers (often Costco, Walmart, Sears, etc...) carried but discontinued. A lot of times those big chains don't want to carry an item unless they have several thousand of them on hand at once because they need to stock them in all of their stores in the region so GTM will buy the remaining items (a few dozen to around 100) and then sell them for about 50% less then places like Costco were originally selling them for. What you see is what you get so check the box carefully and if you find something you like buy it then as it might not be there when you come back. That said they offer GREAT deals and my girlfriend and I enjoy finding great stuff, brand new, but at half price. It's kind of like a treasure hunt but a very well stocked one.
http://www.gtmstores.com/
The best pizza in San Diego--Urbn in Vista
The North Park location is their second location (if I remember correctly) while their original location is in Vista. I went to the Vista location about six months back and I have to admit they make a pretty darn good pizza; they use coal fired ovens in the Connecticut style with very thin crust. The manager at the Vista location was great and when he noticed that the new cook hadn't made the pizza just right he gave us that pizza for free and made us a whole new pie. I honestly thought the flaw was minor (the new guy made the crust so thin it broke in one spot) but the manager was great and insisted a whole new pizza be made in the correct fashion. I highly recommend URBN Pizza for both their pizza and beer selection plus it's nice to have a coal fired oven option here in San Diego, finally. The coal burns at a higher temperature than wood so the crust gets crisper but still retains it's shape and great flavor. It's well worth a visit.
Heading to Julian
Don't forget to buy some Julian hard cider for the adults, the kids would likely have fun panning for gold at one of the old gold mines (you pay a small fee and they give you a gold pan), and then pick up an apple pie. I like to stop off at Dudley's bakery in Santa Isabella as well.
What Are the Best Places to Eat in San Diego?
Closer to downtown than Encinitas doesn't have good Asian food? Have you ever been to Convoy St? Sure, it's not fine dinning, it's a working class Asian immigrant area, but it's also the single best area for most Asian cuisines in the city so I'm shocked at your claim.
What non-perishable, non alcoholic beverage would you say is unique, or associated with San Diego?
Julian produces a lot of non-alcoholic apple ciders.
Malarkey says burgers at The Counter are better than Burlap
That was my reaction too. Save the "it was medium instead of medium rare" bit for the blog and spend your 30 seconds with the chef asking questions you think the readers of your blog would like to hear the answers to. I figure anyone can write an opinion and while opinion writing is important in food blogs digging up new and useful information which no one else has is what makes a blog great. That's how you bring something unique, new, and good to the table.
Escondido Considering a Move to Wine Production
I'd support any move which helps us produce more foods locally. It will no doubt take decades but it's possible we could eventually get some nice locally produced wines.
Best Rolled Tacos in San Diego?
I like both Mama Testa's and Los Cuatros Milpas. Yes, CM is not fancy stuff and is instead home style recipes from the 1930's but it tastes very good to me. I agree it can be a bit on the greasy side but that's part of the 1930's authenticity in my mind.
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Mama Testa
1417 University Ave Ste A, San Diego, CA 92103
Al Pastor/Mexican Food in NW San Diego
Habaneros is actually pretty good. As you said, not the best in the city, but they're close to home, their portions are large, and the taste is great.
So what do we think of the 2011 UT Dinning Guide?
I just noticed the Union Tribune published their 2011 Dinning Guide on today (or at least I noticed it on the front page today) and I was wondering what the folks here thought about it. I'm only just starting to go through the lists so I can't conclusively say what I agree or disagree with but I am a bit disappointed that their "hottest neighborhoods" only lists a few choices in only two neighborhoods. On the upside, this year they seem to have taken the opinions of supposed experts instead of a popularity poll open to the public (as they've done in years past) so at least Taco Bell isn't listed as the best Mexican food place. ;)
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/oct/26/super-dining-guide-2011/
Busalacchi Speaks
The hard truth is San Diego doesn't have the high end dinning found in other cities because San Diego doesn't have many of the high paying jobs which come from having corporate HQs located in the city. San Diego does do medium level and inexpensive dinning very well though you often have to hunt for the great little holes in the wall. Part of that is because the city is so spread out and part of that is because we have so many chain restaurants here which people seem to support mainly because individual income is lower in San Diego than in other cities.
10 second review of lunch at the Fish Boutique (Scripps Ranch)
We were going to go to Fish Boutique the other night but the girlfriend insisted she wanted sushi instead so we went to Kappa Sushi which just opened in the same mall as Fish Boutique. I have to say I was fairly impressed with Kappa Sushi, it's not as good as the best sushi places in town, but it is most certainly the best sushi place in the Mira Mesa/Scripps Ranch area. The quality and presentation were very high while prices were reasonable especially if you go during happy hour. I highly recommend it for lunch or dinner if you find yourself in the area.
10 second review of lunch at the Fish Boutique (Scripps Ranch)
I walked by the Fish Boutique a couple of times and looked in the window but so far I haven't stopped in to eat though. I have added Bruski's (a few doors down from Fish Boutique) to my list of regular lunch or dinner restaurants as it's right by my house and they have great burgers and beer. Both of these restaurants seem like good additions to the Scripps Ranch/Mira Mesa area.
Your best favorite eatery for Friday nights after work?
Since I live in Mira Mesa and work in Sorrento Valley eateries/bars in that area tend to be where we go on a Friday after work. Callahan's works with those requirements in mind. We can get some good house made beer and a decent food menu (their fish & chips are especially good IMO) though I dislike that they now brew their beer in Mission Valley instead of on premises.
Your best favorite eatery for Friday nights after work?
I order my In 'N Out, 2 X 4 (two beef, four cheese), chopped chillies, grilled onions, fries well done, and a chocolate shake. The fries well done is the key part as the regular fries just don't seem crispy but there has been some variation where sometimes I order fries well and get them perfect (crisp but not burned) and sometimes they arrive burned. I wish there was a medium well category for fries.
