Weekending in Los Angeles

As my previous post indicated, my youngest sister Katherine is in town. The day before her birthday we drove to Beverly Hills for the ultimate 17th birthday weekend. Our trip started with a long drive from USD to the heart of Beverly Hills, with only one pit stop along the way somewhere off the 405 I hope to never visit again.


We checked in (relived to be out of the car and away from Los Angeles traffic for the time being) and hopped right into the pool. A martini, a Shirley Temple and an ice water sipped poolside, we realized this weekend was going to be one of the best of the summer.

Our first evening in Los Angeles we decided to walk down the street to Sprinkles, then wandered around Rodeo Drive and the surrounding streets. After trying several cupcake shops around the country, I think Sprinkles is still my favorite. There is a different taste to a Sprinkles cupcake. Maybe it's the "all natural" ingredients they use, or the fact that it was the first famous cupcake I tasted. Every time I have one, no matter what flavor, I simply love it. Friday night's flavor was milk chocolate, but of course on Sunday I picked up a lemon and chocolate coconut to bring home and share with Glenn. Yum.


Friday evening we decided to head to another famous LA establishment - Pink's Hot Dog Stand. Waiting in line for an hour was part of the experience, and we were only happy to do it. Left to right we had the guacamole dog (Katherine), the Rosie (me), and the 10 inch stretch chili cheese dog (Corrie).




Saturday we woke up moderately early to spend Katherine's birthday at Disneyland! Of course we had to stop by her favorite place - Starbucks - before we went into the park. Seeing as we were celebrating, chocolate croissants and cheese danishes were definitely the way to go.




Once inside the park, we rode our favorite rides, enjoyed a fabulous lunch (see below for pictures!) and ended the day with the new fireworks show. A perfect birthday, if I do say so myself.

Filet Mignon with a tempura onion ring and polenta, served in a simple red wine reduction sauce.

Grilled monk fish in lobster sherry bisque.

Roast chicken with vegetables and truffle macaroni and cheese.


On our last morning in LA we had the driver at the hotel drop us off at a local breakfast spot - Panini Cafe. Corrie and I shared a veggie omelet, Katherine had a breakfast panini with egg and brie and sipped on a latte. A perfect ending to a perfect weekend.

She's On Her Way

My crazy little sister (well, they're all crazy, but she's the littlest) Katherine is coming to visit! She flies in tonight and the first thing she requested was... JV's. Here are the other foods we have planned for the next few days:

1. Sprinkles Cupcakes
2. Pink's Hot Dogs
3. Breaking in the new BBQ at my in-law's
4. Late night California Burritos in our 'hood
5. In N Out
6. Fair food (which includes a cinnamon roll, hot dog on a stick, and those delicious freshly fried chips!)

Fly safe, Katherine, can't wait to see you!

A Story About Saturday Night

Inspired by our good friends Kim and James Buckley, Glenn and I have tried to take turns planning fun things to do together for the past few months. When it's my turn itusually looks something like this:

K's brain: It's Saturday, I have the day off and am feeling super successful because I went on a long run. I'm going to plan something elaborately extraordinary for Glenn and I to do tonight!

G's brain: Wow, I'm sure glad tomorrow is Sunday. It was fun to see Kristin when she stopped by after her run (side note - this post-run Chick-fil-A stop is almost weekly), and I'm excited for whatever she's planning tonight. I hope she realizes how little money is in our bank account and just how tired I am from working x amount of hours this week.

K's brain: Yes, Glenn will definitely be ok with us going to this swanky new restaurant and then driving to Los Angeles for cupcakes. It's going to be so fun!

You get the idea. He slaves away all week so we can live this awesome life; I plan elaborate date nights and vacations for us. Needless to say, occasionally my "brilliant" ideas need some taming before they actually happen, especially on Saturday nights.

One particular Saturday night, however, I was determined to plan something we were both equally thrilled with, and something that would not cost half my paycheck. I was also wanting to experience a restaurant I either had not been to, or had only been to once, for blog research, of course. (A business expense! I could write it off!) And so, I decided we would make the trek up to a small town north of us called Encinitas.

For dinner, I made a reservation at Vigilucci's Trattoria Italiana. I did a tiny bit of research on the Vigilucci family, as I noticed they have several restaurants around town. The Trattoria was the first place they opened, and has won several awards for outstanding cuisine and a great wine list. I should interject here and say that I was never a huge Italian food fan until I spent a semester in Lugano, which is part of Ticino, the Italian section of Switzerland. My roommate was a sweet girl from Milano who had a way of saying Dolce Gabbana that would put Giada's "mozzarella" to shame. She, along with the rest of my friends there, introduced me to the lovely food and wines of Northern Italy, which has since become one of my favorite regions.

Vigilucci's Trattoria Italiana put me right back into the streets of Milan where I sipped an aperitif and snacked on house cured meats, fresh foccacia, and grilled vegetables. We sat outside on the patio (is there any other way to sit when San Diego is your home?) where twinkling white lights surrounded us, local surfers drove by, and our waiter entertained us with stories of all the foods and wines he loved.



Finally, a picture. This was our appetizer - the 'sampler' platter, for lack of a less American phrase. Everything on the plate was delicious, but my favorites were the mozzarella di bufala, the salami, and the olives. For dinner, I had the veal cutlets with a light mushroom and caper sauce, served alongside linguini. I honestly don't remember what Glenn ordered, but I do know it was delicious, just maybe not as delicious as mine. We shared a lovely bottle of crisp Italian white wine our waiter recommended, and at the end of the night the server handed Glenn the bill and me a long-stemmed rose! If that isn't the perfect end to a Saturday night, I don't know what is. Oh, maybe this... my plate at the end of the night.

A Trip to Costco

This has been either my entire breakfast or a large portion of my breakfast for 3 of the past 5 days. A box of raspberries. Why? A trip to Costco.

I LOVE Costco. I have loved it since it was The Price Club and I would go there with my Mom and look at the Cabbage Patch Kids that were stacked from the floor to the ceiling. They have high quality products in huge volume for way less than you could get at any grocery or specialty store. The problem: there are only 3 of us living under one roof. Three people would not consume 8 boxes of raspberries in a week's time under normal circumstances. So I have to eat raspberries almost daily. I have not grown tired of them just yet, but I also probably won't buy another 8 boxes next time I go. Even though they are a mere $6.99.

"I have heard him compare his store to a price club, and the books in it to olive oil." - Kathleen Kelly, You've Got Mail

The Regulars

I have been eating out a lot lately. A lot. I can blame it on Jessica's visit, I can blame it on the gift cards we have purchased and received lately, I can blame it on not having time to go to the grocery store after work... but really, who am I kidding, I love to eat out and so it doesn't exactly take twisting my arm to get me to go.

One thing I have not been doing is eating at new places. We have been spending a good deal of time at the old stand-by's which has given me the opportunity to try new things. Today's post is dedicated to a few 'fall-back' restaurants and new things I've tried there. See, you can teach an old cat new tricks. Or is that dog? I don't know, that's why I write about food.

First up: C Level. You can all join in unison and roll your eyes at me. I KNOW I always go to C Level. It's totally my old stand by. I know the menu inside and out. I know the wine flights inside and out. The wine flights and menu both taste better when sitting on the heated patio on a day other than Friday or Saturday, as this is one place whose quality suffers when super busy. You're sick of hearing about how I'll never get over them getting over the lobster artichoke fondue (cue horrible yet somehow uber popular Expose song from the early 90's), how the seared ahi sandwich and lobster mac and cheese are my favorite items on the menu, and exactly why the regular burger was significantly better than the Kobe burger is. Relax, friends, I know I've said it all before... that is why I bring you: A NEW MENU ITEM!!!!!!!


This is not just any new menu item, it's my new favorite menu item and the dish I have ordered the last three times I have visited C Level. Everything Crusted Ahi is it's name, and Deborah (we're on a first name basis despite the fact that I've only met her half a time. I will introduce myself to her one of these evenings) pairs it with black rice, a lovely pineapple salsa, and a little bit of wasabi. Light, flavorful, and very fresh - this ahi dish is perfect with the eclectic or fruity white flight.

Next on the list, Hash House A Go Go. Hash House, which has become a Matt Hughes staple, is my favorite place to go when celebrating at breakfast time. Whether it's post-race, pre-workday, or the start of a great birthday - Hash House is a fun place to start your morning. My most recent trip was to celebrate my sister Corrie's (picture above) birthday! She turned 24 (which means I am getting old) and we figured, why not ring in this year with enormous amounts of Benedict?




The Eggs Benedict (in this case, Roasted Chicken Benedict) was a new dish for me, as we generally do a hash and a pancake. Glenn, of course, had to get his favorite Snickers pancake in addition to the 3.5 pounds of mashed potato-biscuit-egg-chicken-hollandaise goodness that was on my plate. This may have been the best thing I've ever ordered at Hash House. I thought they had it made with the hashes, but no, the Benedict was out of this world. More food than any man (or horse) should consume in two days, but the thing is, it actually tastes really good, too.



My final restaurant is one I do not have any pictures from, mostly because everything is too good to stop and take pictures of. It is also not a place I have blogged about in the past, but if you follow me on Twitter, you will know that I have been there four (FOUR!) times in the last two weeks. Bronx Pizza. This might be the best pizza I've ever eaten in my life. Actually, I take that back. The best pizza I've ever eaten in my life was in the real New York at a place I am sure I will never find again. It was 2:30 in the morning and we had spent the last several hours in deep conversation at a bar/club we were told was just a fun place to hang out but actually turned out to be a gay bar (yikes is all I have to say about that one...). Seeing as there has never been a time where I haven't been hungry at 2:30am, we all decided to stop in for a slice of pizza on our way home. It was so good.

Bronx is almost as good as that. Post gay-bar when you were expecting fun pub good. In the last 2 weeks I have had: pesto, pepperoni and mushroom, bell pepper and pepperoni, spinach and mushroom, and plain cheese. Pesto and bell pepper with pepperoni are my favorites, and if you can muster up 2 or 3 of your friends to go with you, order a whole pie as they make those super fresh just for you. One thing to remember: bring cash! Bronx Pizza does NOT take cards of any kind, so save up those dollar bills.

Strawberry Ice Cream

As the weather has been getting closer to what summer in San Diego looks like, we decided to have an inaugural BBQ (which, apparently, in the South is called a 'grill out' as BBQ only involves things that actually have BBQ sauce on them) on our patio. Every good BBQ needs at least one 'stand out' item, and my guess was the Kirkland kielbasa and turkey dogs weren't going to rule supreme in that arena, so I had better come up with a clever side dish or dessert.

In comes the huge ice cream maker a friend's Mom gave to me last year. "Why don't I make ice cream?" I asked Glenn. "Of course! Yes!" he cheered enthusiastically. And so it was decided. I would make ice cream for the BBQ and everyone would love it.

We came to the conclusion that strawberry ice cream would be the best route, as it was fresh and summery and strawberries are already available all over town. I purchased a few pounds of fresh red berries, half the dairy section of my local Vons, and a lot of ice. Making ice cream is much simpler than I rememberd, all you really have to do is get the ingredients together, warm them up, and then throw them into the ice cream maker, ensuring ice is covering all parts of the maker for the next 20-40 minutes.

A photo documentary of the steps:




5 cups of pureed strawberries and more lactose than the average cow can produe in her lifetime later, it was time to pour my strawberry cream deliciousness into the ice cream maker. I monitored it fairly closely, adding ice as necessary, and covering each layer of ice with a nice heap of rock salt. Flavorful, fresh, and ready to welcome in summer - our strawberry ice cream was a hit!

Zocalo Grill

When you live in San Diego, Mexican food is as local as you're going to get. Why was it so hard, then, to figure out a place to go to dinner for our friend's birthday? We wanted Mexican, or something with Latin influence, but something unique and maybe a little more classy. Decent atmosphere, good food, fun drinks. I did some research and came up with this list:

Miguel's (our old stand-by)
Ortega's (my boss, who is a picky eater, loves it here!)
Zocalo (owned by the Brigantine, Latin flair, in Old Town)
Kemo Sabe (in no way Mexican, but Glenn wanted to add it to the list)

I texted (oh, I know I'm cool with my texty texting) this list to my good friend Julie so the decision making could begin. Julie is a/Ryan's - whose birthday we were celebrating (picture below) - wife and better half b/a friend of mine since the early years of 1998 when I wore Levi's and a blue hoodie every day, and c/a very talented photographer and the owner of Journey of the Lens. Check out her site, you will not be disappointed. Back to food... the decision was made to hit up Zocalo in Old Town. They had eaten there before, but it had been a while, and we had never been so that was a fun new twist on the evening. Here is Ryan, excited about Zocalo.



Ever since the whole Casa de Pico/Bazaar del Mundo/Old Town dramz a few years ago, I have tried to find other parts of town that had good Mexican food, and as a rule boycott any new Mexican restaurants in the Old Town area. La Pinata and Old Town Mexican Cafe are still ok, but that's about it. Seeing as Zocalo is owned by the Brigantine family of restaurants and has been there for longer than the debacle, I thought it was acceptable to show my face in this tourist trap of a neighborhood.

Zocalo has a great spot - right on a corner in the middle of San Diego Avenue. The Spanish style building fits in with the area nicely, and we really enjoyed sitting on the patio. Atmosphere: check. To start, our server brought us a plate of thinly sliced bread and chimichurri to dip it in. This went over very well, and for a group trying to fit into their swimsuits from last summer, it sure beat the caloric overdose that is unlimited chips and salsa. We also ordered the "queso fundido" which, essentially, is baked cheese with some onions and peppers, and our share of sangria, fruity drinks, and mojito's. Fun beverages: check!

The menu at Zocalo is unique and kind of exciting! Fresh seafood, slowly braised meats, and a good assortment of Mexican and Latin inspired dishes - so far this place seemed like a winner. I ordered the New World Sampler which included smaller portions of carnitas, barbacoa, and "lamb lollipops" which reminded me SO MUCH of the line in Two Weeks Notice where Sandra Bullock says "I've never warmed up to the idea of a flesh popsicle" that I had to order it. The lamb, which I am usually not a huge fan of, was quite tender and had a slight "grilled" flavor to it that added a little kick. The carnitas, flavored ever so lightly with a sweet honey-based sauce, was excellent, and the barbacoa tasted exactly like what it was - a flavorful piece of slowly braised beef short-rib. The trio of meats were accompanied by corn tortillas, which I did not realize were there until about 3/4 of the way finished with my meal, and three lovely salsas. Zocalo calls the salsa's "nuevo latin" - I am not sure what that means but here is what I think they were: one was the chimichurri, one was a spicy red salsa that tasted almost like the hot sauce at Taco Bell, and one was large chunks of a fruity substance that was delicious with all of the meats.

Julie had the seared yellowfin, served with snap peas and green chili rice/risotto. The yellowfin was good, but I think ahi has more flavor than yellowfin - are they the same thing? Either way, it didn't do too much for me. Glenn ordered the skirt steak accompanied by sweet potato fries. I thought this dish was unique, it reminded me of the flank steak at Indigo Grill; served with chimichurri and a sweet quesadilla instead of the sweet potato fries. The steak itself was tender and flavorful, Glenn ate every last bite, and Julie and I were sure to help him with the fries. Ryan ordered the carne asada nachos - a very Ryan meal so it was fitting that he ordered it for his birthday celebration. They looked excellent and he seemed to thoroughly enjoy every birthday bite! Good food: check!


Look how satisfied and happy we were! Also note, I do not have any pictures of food. It could have been the sangria, or maybe I just forgot I was a food blogger for a night.


My only complaint about Zocalo: the service was not fantastic. Our waiter seemed distracted and not interested in his job or us. His distraction, however, did not deter us from having a great night and therefore I would still give Zocalo a high mark. Eat there and be merry!

Zocalo
2444 San Diego Avenue, San Diego, 92110
(619) 298-9840