Man that took a while. But as I’m sure you’ve been on the edge of your seat wondering WHEN I was going to tell you my picks for the Union Tribune’s Reader’s Poll: Best of San Diego… here goes.
RESTAURANTS
RESTAURANTS
Best Romantic : The Coronado one my now husband took me to on our first date. It over looks downtown San Diego and makes chocolate lava cake that puts you into such a chocolate fantasy haze you go out and marry the guy four months later. Alright, one Google search and confirmation with my husband later: Peohe’s
Best Italian : Rafaela’s (and we will soon feature Rafaela’s all on its own).
Best Chinese : Panda Country Restaurant on Clairemont Mesa Blvd. (Go North Clairemont!) It got to the point that I’d go in there during lunch and the owner lady would go “orange chicken?” Yeah lady, orange chicken.
Best Mexican : Jesus Christ it’s San Diego, it’s all good Mexican Food. The best is Cotixan’s on Genesee.
Best Seafood :
Best Thai : There’s this one place, it’s on Convoy street. I think it’s called Thai Palace. But you really can’t go wrong heading to Convoy Street for the good Asian eats. Like they have this one spicy Chinese restaurant, which by the way, is SPICY (so warned).
Best Pizza : Pizza Chicago Pacific Beach and not just because we sat out on the deck, drank a gallon of beer and ended up passing out on the beach for two hours after that.
Best Vegetarian Menu : That would be, Spread? Is that the name of it??? Lori and I went there once and if that actually IS the name of it I totally missed an opportunity to make very lewd jokes while at dinner.
Best Steaks: Lori doesn’t eat red meat and the rest of the time I lived in SD I was on a writer’s salary.
Best Brunch Lips, Gospel Brunch… not the food but the all you can drink mimosa’s and hot Drag Queens…
Best Budget Dining : The Café Bar Europa
Best Late-night Dining : The Café Bar Europa
Best Family Dining : at your mom’s house. I’m sorry, the joke was bound to work its way in there at some point and gimme some credit this is TAME by industry standards (the industry of bad your mom jokes that is). Perhaps the family dining at your Mom’s house really is the best… I know your Mom was last night (sorry I did it again, forgive me).
Best Hotel Restaurant : The Marriott in Coronado has a good restaurant buffet that’s outdoors and everything. Great views of downtown San Diego too.
Best Coffee Shop Café 976 on Cass Street. Take dates there, you know the ones that insist on the “I want to have coffee and see if you’re worth a real date” dates, because it’s pretty there and because then you can make them buy you nicely priced good food… so there we’re actually on a REAL DATE any way! (And girls, tip, don’t keep dating that guy. Find the guy that really DATES you… it does happen.)
Best Fine Dining : WRITERS salary
Best Dessert : That could quite possibly be the chocolate lava cake I mentioned before. However, Extraordinary Desserts in Little Italy and Hillcrest, that’s an experience. Though it kind of looks like Ikea sponsored the one downtown… man… is that some good cake.
Best Catering : The last party I had catered was done by Vanessa, she’s excellent. You should hire her for sure (except she’s mine!)
Best French: The French Gourmet, also best croissants, best chocolate croissants, best am and cheese croissants, best shortbread cookies (they also made my wedding cake which was the best). Man I miss San Diego eating.
Best Japanese/Sushi Surprisingly there is a Sushi place in this little shopping center across the street from the original Rubio’s on Mission Bay Drive, however I DO NOT know the name. I typed it in to Google and came up with Sushi Ota. A beautiful Japanese gal (my technical step mother in law) took me there. So it got that stamp of approval. You really can’t judge a book by its cover as it is located right next to a 7-11 and across the street from my old gynecologists office (seriously!). When my husband and I showed up he immediately said something like “what is my Dad thinking?! We can go get something else after this if you want.” But, ya burnt Husband! as the sushi was very good.
Best New Restaurant : I haven’t been back in a year… oh god I’m gonna cry.
Best Buffet : Writer’s Salary so I never had the chance to experience the buffet at the Hotel Del, but I’ve heard rumblings that it’s pretty darn good.
Best Tapas That would be Café Bar Europa or “The Turquoise.” (Look, we used to hang there all the time. The bartenders are hilarious and low key, the chef is friendly and likes to experiment with this choices for the menu, the menu is reasonably priced, the atmosphere is excellent, the live music rocks, and the owner is hilarious. I took first dates there, had birthday parties there (they provided pink balloons!), celebrated holidays (really important ones like Mardi Gras), did my engagement dinner and wedding reception there… I’m not trying to give away the secret to a good time in San Diego (because at one point word of mouth got around and the place got SO popular on Friday and Saturday night, I stopped going for fear of being rubbed down by one of the many sweaty bar guys you usually only find in downtown PB. This bar/ restaurant/ café RULES).
Best Indian That would be Café Bar… okay just kidding. Never really did the Indian food thing.
Best Greek A big fat question mark from yours truly.
Best Breakfast The Mission in Mission Beach. Rosemary Potatoes…
End of part I. Will work on the next segment. Sheesh, Sign on San Diego sure does expect a lot from their readers!
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