My mom and baby sister are here.
Watch out San Diego!
I haven’t seen my family since leaving Atlanta in February. I’ve been looking forward to having my mom and one of my sisters here for weeks! Naturally, the first thing I did way try to kill them with an 8 mile hike in 90 degree temps.
We went up to Potato Chip Rock with some friends. I wasn’t expecting it to be quite so hot and one bottle of watch each wasn’t enough. Vegas and my mom were about to shoot me. My sister tried to steal my water. But we made it to the top!
Mom will kill me for saying this… but the woman is 57 and she did that hike like a boss. I hope I’m in that kind of shape when I’m her age!
See the “potato chip” to the right?
I tired to make it up to them with a beach trip to La Jolla. It was fun… until it rained.
It NEVER rains here. Of course when my family is here not only does it rain, but it stormed – complete with thunder and lightening. So weird.
Still pretty even when it rains.
Thankfully, it only lasted about half an hour and it back back to sunny SoCal.
It’s almost even prettier after the rain!
This WIAW is food I shared with my family. We’re trying to eat our way through San Diego.
Read on for my eats, and then check out Jenn’s blog for everyone else’s delicious creations!
Breakfast:
I had the usual morning cocktail and morning sludge.
Breakfast was all local. I made scrambled farm eggs with local veggies and herbs – green and yellow zucchini, spinach, basil, and dill, plus some raw sheep’s milk cheese. I also toasted some seed bread from the farmer’s market with bacon spread and we had a side of sliced nectarines.
Lunch:
For lunch we went to one of my favorite seafood spots in La Jolla, El Pescador. They have a huge counter for freshly caught seafood. You choose what you want to how you want it prepared. You have have it as a taco, over a salad, blackened, as a plate with rice and veggies… any way you like it!
We started with shrimp and octopus ceviche:
Then we had tacos. Mine was scallops with avocado. I love all the fresh cabbage too!
Extra sriracha, obv.
Dinner:
We represented Atlanta at San Diego’s Juniper and Ivy, an amazing restaurant in Little Italy whose chef/owner is from Atlanta. I’ve been eating Chef Richard Blais’ food for years and he has yet to disappoint! (You may remember him from Top Chef.)
So. This is a little #strangebutgood. But Holy wow. They are doing some amazing stuff there.
Clockwise from the top left:
- Charred sugar snap peas with espelette dressing, mint, and cotija cheese
- Toasts: fig with burrata, fermented honey, and marcona almond and carne crudo asada with quail egg, cotija, and jalapeno
- Biscuit with fois gras butter
- Octopus with black baba ghanoush, crispy chickpeas, pickled peppers, and sweet 100 tomatoes
- Heirloom tomato with feta ice cream, arugula pesto, breadcrumbs, pine nut, and banyuls
- Baja stone crab meat with mango nectarine and corn a la pancha
- Scallop casino with pork belly and breadcrumbs
- Morel mushrooms with green garlic aioli and beer powder
- Deviled eggs – the base was egg white meringue (?!) filled with yolk mousse and mustard caviar seed
It’s hard to choose a favorite. Those deviled egg meringues we so cool. The tomato with feta ice cream was an incredible texture and flavor contrast. And the morels were perfection. But that yolk porn though…
And… Carly came! She just moved to SD too. I’m so glad to have another blogger-friend right down the street! She fit right in my my family craziness. There were drinks and more drinks… by the end of the meal we were BFFs with the restaurant staff.
We can’t forget dessert. The left is crispy pretzel bits with butterscotch, dark chocolate ice cream, and pecans. The right is a yodel with devil’s cake, white chocolate, and hazelnut brittle with a hot chocolate pour over (done table-side).
Brown food sucks to photograph, especially in the dark. Trust me when I tell you it was incredible. They were both that addicting combo of sweet and salty. Melt-in-your-mouth fabulous (that’s what she said).
***
I’m really sad they’re leaving tomorrow… but Vegas and I are trying to convince mamma to move.
What’s the coolest restaurant meal you’ve ever had?
Do you hike? Does your mom hike?
I love Juniper & Ivy! I can’t decide what i like better – the drinks or the food! And on the day we went there, R. Blais was around and took a picture with us! Score! My mom is an incredible hiker and hikes Torrey Pines every single trail and the big hill two times a week. She is bad ass! Also, as a new San Diegan, would love for you to join your fellow FF sisters over at America’s Finest Fitness Bloggers on FB. Do a search and I will add you if you ask!
He was there when we went too. It was so much fun to eat familiar food – his ATL restaurant, The Spence, is just as amazing.
Thanks for the invite! Off to find the group now. Excited to meet for SD people!
I love scallops…and octopus…and burrata…I need to hit that restaurant when I take my first trip to SoCal in September! I’m running the Disneyland Half with a friend who is from San Diego and going to visit her family and SD afterwards so this is now on my list 🙂 Right next to the zoo.
You have to try it out! And everywhere else in Little Italy. The food here is unreal! Believe or or not, we still haven’t been to the zoo…
So much #strangebutgood-ness!!! I want to go there.
I love a good hike, but sadly, my mom does not.
Aaahhaa it al looks so good! Enjoy family time, there is nothing better IMHO
Thanks Trish! I miss them already!
I seriously have dreams where I live in San Diego and eat nothing but fish tacos. Those look to die for! Good for you guys, especially your mom, for dominating that hike!
Hahaha! It is a delicacy here. 🙂
All of this food looks so good!! Next vacation must be San Diego since I’ve never been lol! And bacon spread??!! I’d put that ish on errythang lol! My momma doesn’t hike BUT I have nearly killed here when she’s visited DC & I made her walk around everywhere in our humidity :-D… What can I say I love her lol!! Let’s just say she wasn’t happy haha ;-). She still loves me haha… Now lol
You have to come!!! I’ll make you bacon spread sandwiches. 🙂
i feel so left out. DAmn it, can i be family? Does carly have room for us? GAH! wah!
You ARE family. Duh.
Ceviche, Tacos with fresh slaw, seafood, and eggs with veggies. Basically my dream diet. And I will always be a Blais Groupie (Top Chef and Atlanta love, sad that he ran off to the west coast like someone else. But I will always love Flip Burger). He is brilliant.
I was pissed he went West… but now I’m happy. Haha!
Agh I go to school at San Diego State University, so it is always such a joy to read blog posts from people who are in the town. Potato chip rock! I love everyone’s unique photos they take there. People are always so creative, and I am impressed because after such a long hike, my brain does not want to work.
Awesome! I still haven’t even scratched the surface of the SDSU area. And all the hiking here! I love it.
Awww so fun, I love having guests in town to show them San Diego! So funny, it didn’t rain by me over the weekend at all, but yesterday it down poured for maybe 15 minutes and there was the loudest thunder I’ve ever heard here. It was crazy! And I totally want to meet up with you and Carly sometime!
So yes, it’s WAY hotter inland and that’s something I always watch out for during summer hikes. A few weeks ago it was 75 at my house and like 93 in Escondido where I took my dog hiking…. her tongue was down to the ground in about 5 minutes!
We definitely need to all get together! Maybe the sun will come out again one day and we can all go hiking…
So cool that you got to hike with your mom. Last time we were in CA my mom and I hiked together around Big Sur and it was awesome.
I haven’t been to Big Sur yet… my list is so long!!!
A hike and lots of eating? That sounds like the perfect way to entertain the family. Of course, it all looks wonderful. I love ceviche and all types of seafood, and I know it’s good when you live on the water like you do. Are you going to BlogFest by the way??
All those delicious looking eats!!!! Please entertain me!
P.S. I love your new profile picture, you are glowing and look so happy!
I’d love to entertain you! You’re welcome here any time!
And thank you. 🙂
Wow all your food looks amazing! I would be at that restaurant like a shot if I lived anywhere nearby… Heck even if I lived in the states I would try and find a way to go.
And those tacos at lunch….
Ok I really need to make a trip to SD! #majordrool
It’s definitely worth a trip next time you make it over to the States! I’d love to get inside his head.
As a Top Chef fanatic I’m pretty jealous you got to eat at Richard Blais’s restaurant! He has such a unique style of cooking- everything sounds awesome! Hope you had an amazing time with the fam and get to see them again soon!
Kudos to your mom for hanging in there! Have a great family weekend
Lol damn 90 degree weather though? Yeah your mom is a trooper and she definitely looks good for a woman her age! 🙂 My mom could NEVER hang like that. That yolk porn is killing me I’m hungry!! I love the yolk, it’s the best part of the egg bar none don’t care what scientists want to say about cholesterol and shit. Gimme, gimme, gimme! Have a great 4th of July holiday weekend Laura! -Iva
Aren’t they saying yolks are good now? These scientists annoy me… just eat what you like, I say!
Everything looks so freakish delicious. The tacos would be my favorite though. Aaah! Everytime I was strolling through my instagram feed the last few days I found me drooling at all the colorful and pretty food pics!
So glad you had a good time with the family 🙂
Thanks Juli! I love being able to show people around my new town.
Right, if I come to visit and you make me hike 8 miles in that kind of heat, I will NOT be happy! But I may be happy once again if you give me all that food afterwards. OMG!
Please. If you come visit we will go lift some heavy shit and then take over Little Italy.
Potato Chip rock… Oh my goodness…… Everything reminds everyone of FOOD THESE DAYS! bah aha ha ha!
Have fun with the familyyy! I was wondering where you were. I haven’t been seeing your posts in my FB as much, and my eyes feel naked.
Oh man, they’re gone already. I was going to tell you to take them to Snooze. It’s worth the wait, plus you can drink breakfast cocktails while you’re chilling.
We STILL haven’t been there. We wait too long to eat and the line is always too long for my impatient stomach.
the dishes at that restaurant sound so intriguing, aka so good!!
Thanks! The chef is like the king of #strangebutgood. 🙂
Oh my, I am SO jealous!!
I know, I know, I could move. Stap it.
We’re dying in a heatwave right now – I don’t complain, since it was raining in San Diego too when I was there!
I want bacon spread.
PLEASE MOVE. I’ll bribe you with fresh seafood, drinks, and tattoos.