San Diego Area, California 2013 (various eateries)

I took a trip down South last weekend to visit a fellow foodie friend and we had a fantastic gastronomic experience. San Diego may have more breweries than people, so of course, I enjoyed many...many pints of beer. Here are some of the things I ate...and drank.

Break of Dawn
24351 Avenida De La Carlota #N-6, Laguna Hills, CA 92653
http://breakofdawnrestaurant.com/
I saw this place on a show called "First Look". The owner is Vietnamese and he puts his own spin on Asian, Soul, Latin and American cuisine. He does a great job of it. Located in a shopping center, this place is a little hard to find and a bit of a drive from San Diego, but once there, I immediately got excited when I saw some of the dishes on the tables of patrons already eating. Here is what I enjoyed.

Passion Fruit Mojito. This was a sweet cocktail that had just the right balance of flavors. It was a bit light on the Soju, which they use in all their cocktails, but it was very refreshing.

Braised Bacon. Two of my favorite words in the English language. "Braised" and "Bacon". I didn't know what to expect with this side dish, but I was completely blown away. This was a thick cut of bacon that was expertly prepared, down to the little tomato sauce on top and the slightly sweet and tangy (perhaps pomegranate?) sauce on bottom. The flavor of the bacon was the star and it went very well with their homemade hot sauce that's on every table. Fantastic.

Mac and Cheese. They gave one of my favorite dishes a breakfast spin by serving a huge cube of mac and cheese with a fried egg over it as well as including sicilian sausage, short rib and a Parmesan Cream sauce over it. All this over another tomatoe-y sauce that was quite tasty. It was delicious.

BBQ Pork. When I saw this dish came with Egg Tempura, I had to have it. Tender pulled pork was on a plate with a moist piece of corn bread, crunchy cabbage slaw and perfectly soft-cooked eggs dipped in Tempura batter and fried. Wow.

Sundried Tomato

31781 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675
http://sundriedtomatocafe.com

In the historic downtown area of San Juan Capistrano, there are little boutiques and antique shops, as well as some tasty dining. We visited this establishment during happy hour and took advantage of some of their discounted dishes and drinks.

Pomegranate Martini. A nice balance of tart pomegranate juice and liquor. I couldn't remember what else was in it, but it was good...maybe a little too good.

Baked Brie with Cranberry and Mango. This was an ingenious dish in its simplicity. Crushed pecans encased a block of brie, baked until oozy on the inside and topped with a tart and sweet cranberry mango chutney. Very tasty.

Bacon wrapped Scallops. These scallops were cooked perfectly and the bacon was nice and crisp. The teriyaki glaze was a bit salty for my taste but the dish as a whole was good and paired well with a nice glass of dry white wine.

Heavenly Yellow Toffee Cake a la Mode. Yes, the word "Heavenly" is in the name of this dessert; as it should be. This was a dense and not too sweet toffee cake that melted in your mouth. The Salted Caramel Gelato was also rich and creamy and really pulled the whole thing together. A great way to end a meal.

Triple Chocolate Martini. A nice dessert beverage with vanilla vodka, dutch chocolate liqueur, white crème de cocoa, and whipped cream. Very well balanced between sweet, boozy and chocolaty.

Stone Brewing World Bistro

1999 Citracado Parkway, Escondido Ca 92029

http://www.stoneworldbistro.com/

I was finally able to visit one of my favorite breweries. They also happen to have a restaurant, and the food did not disappoint. We sat outside under heat lamps right next to a beautiful fire pit nestled in the middle of a koi pond. The ambiance of the beer gardens made this place a very relaxing place to visit in spite of being quite crowded.

CoCoNut PorTeR by Maui Brewing. I love coconut and I love Porters. I never knew this beer existed and now it will be something I will have to find back home. Very full-bodied, thick and rich with a toasted coconut flavor on the exhale. Very nice.

The Really Stinky Cheese Plate. Unfortunately I'm not well-versed enough in the world of cheeses to identify each of these cheeses but they were all delicious. They came with a small bucket of Brewer's Barley Cracker Bread that were multi-seeded, thin and crunchy. Everything went very well with the apple and marmalade.

Brussels Sprouts. These were cooked just the way I like them. Sauteed with bacon and topped with Parmesan cheese. Still a bit crunchy and utterly delicious.

Spicy Almond-Crusted Tilapia. Well cooked pan-roasted tilapia coated with mildly spicy lime-infused crushed almonds with organic honey butter sauce. On the side were stir-fried green beans and maitaki mushrooms, and a toasted barley and quinoa tabbouleh. All was fresh and all was tasty.

Artisanal Sausage Platter. Two locally made sausages braised in Stone Smoked Porter with herb-roasted potatoes, braised greens, and a side of Carlsbad Gourmet's Stone Pale Ale Whole Grain Mustard. The sausage was meaty and hearty and everything else on the plate satisfied every craving.

Bread Pudding. The best thing about this dessert was the caramel crisp on top of it. It was nice and crunchy with that toasted buttery flavor that lingered on my tongue. Mmmm-mm. The bread pudding was good too.

It would have been great if I could've stayed here for the whole day eating my way through their brunch, lunch and dinner menus all while washing everything down with their own beer offerings as well as the beer they have from other wonderful breweries. This will definitely be a destination every time I visit San Diego.

Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits

10051 Old Grove Road, San Diego Ca 92131

http://www.ballastpoint.com/whats-on-tap-old-grove/

Ballast Point is another brewery that has gotten pretty big in the San Diego area. They have a tasting room that offers many wonderful varieties of beer. Below are two of my favorites.

Tongue Buckler (left). An Imperial Red. Nice and hoppy with a clean finish. I can drink this beer with almost any food.

Victory at Sea (right). A Coffee & Vanilla Imperial Porter. This is a meaty beer with a great balance of mild hops, a full mouth feel and a nice subtle aroma of coffee and vanilla.

 

Lost Abbey Brewing

155 Mata Way #104, San Marcos, CA 92069

http://www.lostabbey.com

This is also one of my favorite breweries that distribute their beer in the East Bay Area. This was my friend's first time here so we got a tasting of pretty much all of their year-round beers and some of their seasonal beers.

These are:

• Avant Garde
• Devotion
• Inferno
• Judgment Day
• Lost and Found Abbey Ale
• Red Barn Ale
• Serpent’s Stout
• The Ten Commandments

 All were tasty.

Lez Eat (food truck)
Various locations
https://twitter.com/lezeatfoodtruck
This was a food truck that was outside of the Lost Abbey tasting room the day I visited. Of course, I had to try them out and they were super tasty.

Cajun Shrimp Fries. This was an amazing little snack. I really wanted to try their other items like the oyster po'boy sandwich but I had a big day of eating ahead of me. The shrimps were fresh, coated with a cornmeal batter, fried perfectly and were very crispy on the outside. The seasoning they used was what really created the "wow" factor. Very flavorful and a bit spicy. Fantastic.

Flavor del Mar
1555 Camino Del Mar, #322 (3rd floor in The Plaza), Del Mar, CA 92014
http://www.flavordelmar.com/
A short drive from San Diego, this was a very upscale restaurant right next to the beach. The service is exceptional and the two items I had there were very good. I also enjoyed the decor.

Mint Lemonade. Made with gin, simple syrup, muddled mint, lemon juice and soda, this cocktail was refreshing as well as flavorful. Very nice.

Spicy Crispy Shrimp. The description of this dish was spot on. It was spicy and crispy. Lightly battered and fried, this was a hefty portion of shrimp (for an appetizer) that really hit the mark with flavor and texture. A mountain of large shrimp coated with a spicy chipotle, yuzu vinaigrette with a smattering of frisee and arugula underneath. Delicious.

Overall, my San Diego experience was a good one. I will definitely come back to visit. There is still more for me to taste!

Gorilla Barbeque--Pacifica (BBQ)

I had a hankering for some barbeque, and it was also my boyfriend's birthday, so I thought some good smoked meat would be in order. I saw this place on the Food Network a couple years back and thought I'd give it a try. Now I'm a once-yearly regular. It's quite a trek for me but completely worth it.

http://www.gorillabbq.com/

Located right off the highway at 2145 Coast Highway in Pacifica, it's surprising they even have a house number. It's basically a train car with a big smoker in the back and they only do take out. This is not the cheapest place, but they serve high-quality meat with huge portions. Below are a few of my favorite things, which is pretty much their whole menu.

My absolute favorite item here is actually not meat at all. It's their Mac N' Cheese, which is a side. I usually get an extra side of it. The pasta is perfectly al dente, it tastes like it's all cheddar, but it's a sharper one so it has a nice bite and they sprinkle the top with some garlic bread crumbs. It's so cheesy; when I take a fork full, the cheese will stretch a few inches before it breaks. So yummy.

Let's talk about the meat. This is the three meat combo with chicken, hot links, and beef ribs (hot links were buried but in another picture below). Everything is smoked. The hot links taste homemade and had that nice snap when bitten into. The ribs are great. Very meaty, with that wonderful smokey-ness and a good texture. Not falling-off-the-bone moist but just the right pull to get it off the bone.

Chicken can be a little tricky since it can dry out easily but this one was not dry. It also had that nice smokey flavor and any leftovers can make a great chicken salad.

Hot links

They sell their bbq sauce by the bottle and I wish I bought some. It's a little tangy and a little spicy with a very complex flavor profile. This can be poured over anything.

This is a two-meat combo with beef brisket and pulled pork. Each combo includes two sides, beans & rice, a corn muffin and bbq sauce. I opted for mushroom as one of my sides and they were surprisingly good. Also nicely smokey and fresh. The beef brisket has that nice pink smoke ring around it and makes a really good sandwich and their pulled pork is tender and delicious. The corn muffin is also very moist.

I would highly recommend giving them a try at least once, even if it is a bit of a drive.