We left Thursday around 11am and drove down to San Diego (about a 2 hour drive down the 5 freeway-easy peasy). Our first stop most definitely had to be lunch. The Best Of app on my iPhone (a great, app, I highly recommend it) said that Point Loma Seafoods was the best seafood in San Diego. So, my navigator (hubby extraordinaire) pointed the way. It was indeed delish. Not at all what I expected. It is not a restaurant but more of a deli counter that sells seafood but also sells lunch items made from that seafood. Once you order, you grab a table and when your number's called you pick up your food. I loved how casual it was and that seating was outside so that there wasn't a fishy odor the entire time we ate. The tables overlooked the marina so the view was quite nice as well. Husband ordered the Crab Cake Sandwich and some Clam Chowder, I got the Soup of the Day (tomato based fish soup with celery, carrots, etc.) in a Bread Bowl and some Unagi (Eel sushi). I have decided that unless the soup is really really thick, like Clam Chowder, you shouldn't get it in the bread bowl. The bowl absorbed all of my broth and I was left with all the stuff in the soup without the soup! But otherwise really really good seafood. Will absolutely return to Point Loma Seafoods.
Okay, my mistake. The Yelp app on my iphone said that there was a Babycakes on our way to our hotel so I insisted we stop (husband did not put up a fight ;) ). I was excited because the Babycakes in New York is a famous vegan cupcake shop and I am always super happy when there's something I can eat a bakery/cupcake shop. Alas, when we arrived at San Diego's Babycakes there was not a single vegan flavor...it was a different shop all together. Ugh!
We stayed at the Glorietta Bay Inn on Coronado Island. What a little paradise this part of San Diego is! This little island is famously home to the Hotel Del Coronado , it has beautiful beaches, lots of fun shops and restaurants to try. We walked, literally from one side of the island to the other (a mere 1.5 miles) on Orange Ave (the main drag). The Glorietta Bay Inn was a lovely hotel to stay at, not nearly as fancy as the Hotel Del Coronado but very affordable and comfortable.
We sat on the beach, walked in the water and watched the sunset until our tumblies rumbled again. Dinner was at the Rhinoceros Cafe & Grille . By dinner time our feet were tired and we decided to go as local as possible. Just two blocks from our hotel this restaurant looked elegant and had the Italian slant we were looking for. I don't know if I would recommend this restaurant. It was fine...that's it, fine. There were so many places on the island and I think, had we had more energy, we should have ventured out further. I got the Cioppino (I must say, my soup at Point Loma Seafoods was ten times better and a quarter of the price) and hubster got the Penne A La Vodka, which he asked for without mushrooms and with meatballs. He got the meatballs AND the mushrooms, so negative points for not following directions. All in I'd say, MEH.
Husband redeemed his palette at Mootime Creamery with an Ice Cream Sundae. I got candy at one of the many candy shops (not the one at the Hotel Del Coronado -- way pricier than the ones down Orange Ave. ) We ate our sweets and soaked our aching footsies in the jacuzzi at our hotel.
The next morning we got some juice from our hotel's continental breakfast buffet and then scurried off on our adventure. We, of course, stopped at Starbucks which held us over until we got to Balboa Park. What an amazing area! I had never been to Balboa Park before and was blown away by the different things to do. I will have to take a separate trip out there for art museum and little artist village.
We decided it was time to bid farewell to fare San Diego and head up the coast. We stopped in Oceanside where we Yelped and found Felix's BBQ, an upscale joint 10 miles inland. We didn't know what to expect as we journeyed East but were delighted with the results. The staff at Felix's were beyond accommodating (I ordered their Fried Catfish Sandwich grilled instead of fried and they graciously obliged). Hubby got his red meat fix with the beef ribs, potato salad and sweet potato fries. My husband is the ultimate BBQ snob and Felix's beyond made the grade. The BBQ sauce was so good we asked if we could buy some and they gave us a big ol' To Go container. So delicious.
Bellies full and rearin' to go we headed to our last stop on our mini-break, Laguna Beach. We parked and walked up and down the main drag, taking in the art and shops. Many of the art galleries have closed but the ones that are open seem to be doing just fine. We got our 3pm caffeine fix at none other than Starbucks...now before you wag your finger or guffaw about skipping over the local joints lemme tell you what we got! Starbucks is testing out a new drink in Southern CA (perhaps elsewhere) called a Refresher. While it looks like another iced tea, its not, its clear coffee...clear coffee you say? Why yes, its made from real fruit juice, B Vitamins Ginseng and the extract of green, unroasted coffee beans. Its low calories (around 70 from what I've read) and tastes just like juice (we got the Very Berry Hibiscus flavor). Its yummy and the Hubster wanted one...so there.
After two hours of sitting on the beach, reading and taking in the coast we got a light dinner at a vegetarian restaurant called the Zinc Cafe and Market. It was beautiful fare and quite good. The one draw back was that nearly everything had dairy in it. I know that vegetarians use dairy as a main stay but it would have been nice to have been able to order more. We shared the Gazpacho, my meated out sweety got a Pesto Pizzette and I got the Whole Artichoke with Basil Aioli minus the goat cheese.
Our final adventure in Laguna was Pageant of the Masters. I can't believe I have never been to such a remarkable show. It is 90 minutes of "Living Pictures" called Tableaux Vivants. Essentially, paintings recreated with actual people posing like their counterparts. This year's theme was Only Make Believe chock full of dragons and magic. Truly exciting.
We drove home from Pageant of the Masters, a 45 minute drive at 11 o'clock at night, so quite easy. We figured, as lovely as an overnight in Laguna would be, we like our bed better than most anyway. What a wonderful adventure and great way to feel like we got a real vacation for less time and money. I would do it again in a heartbeat. My husband is back at work this week and I miss him, but that's life. Maybe in a few weeks I'll kidnap him for another little mini-break. Stay tuned.
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