A Few Great Hidden San Diego Restaurants, According to a Boston Restaurant Reviewer
So it looks like another weekend of heavy rain in Boston. This is, what, the 7th or 8th weekend in a row with rain? I love Boston, but this is ridiculous.
With the rain, my daydreams of San Diego, CA, seem to keep popping up more and more (call it California dreaming). The other night, I was listening to a great rock station from Encinitas on Internet radio. It got me to thinking about Encinitas, where my cousins used to live before they moved up the coast to La Costa.
One of my favorite restaurants in Encinitas is the 101 Diner. Located about 4 blocks from my favorite beach in the world (Moonlight Beach), the 101 Diner has everything, from great breakfast and lunch entrees to outdoor seating to a friendly, all-around nice guy of an owner. Almost as good, and just down the street, is Kim's Restaurant, which has terrific Vietnamese food. Better yet, neither of these restaurants is well-known (if you have looked at the site I founded, Boston's Hidden Restaurants, you would know I have a thing for great restaurants that haven't been discovered).
Heading south toward San Diego, another memorable, but little-known, restaurant can be found in beautiful Cardiff-by-the-Sea. Pipes Cafe is a breakfast spot that is mainly frequented by surfers and Cardiff residents looking to show up late to work (word is, Trevor Hoffman, the great reliever for the San Diego Padres, is also a regular here). Pipes has fantastic breakfast plates, and the dining outdoors on the patio is a must.
As you continue down the coast, you come to artsy Solana Beach, home to Fidel's, which is fairly well-known, and for good reason; Fidel's may be the best Mexican restaurant north of San Diego (though I have my personal favorite, which I'll mention in a minute). Fidel's is tough to find, since it's hidden in a neighborhood away from the ocean, but worth seeking out.
Just before you reach San Diego, you hit La Jolla, a tony community that seems to have more investment places than restaurants. I like La Jolla, though, with its spectacular downtown park above the ocean cliffs, and its narrow, crooked lanes. Just south of the center of La Jolla is a little restaurant called Bahia Don Bravo. The owners of this authentic Mexican restaurant have a few branches in San Diego, but this one is special, since you can order the food to go and walk a few blocks down a side street to one of the most spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean that you will ever see. And there is even a bench where the view is, so you can eat in relative comfort. Bahia Don Bravo has the type of Mexican food that you just can't find in Boston. I always go there when traveling to San Diego, and always miss it when I'm back in Boston.
Finally, you reach the wonderful city of San Diego. Where to go for food? Well, there are too many great places to mention here. A couple of standouts are Point Loma Seafood, with its memorable view of the city across the harbor, and the Coyote Cafe in Old Town. But my favorite is a little hamburger joint in Ocean Beach called Hodad's, which is where I had the best cheeseburger I have had anywhere in the country (and I've had a lot of cheeseburgers!). Juicy, thick, hearty, and smothered in cheese, the burgers here are impossibly good. Hodad's is truly amazing.
Well, I guess my daydream of eating my way through San Diego is about done. As I look out my window and see the skyline of Boston, I realize that I do live in a great city. I just wish it wouldn't rain so much.
Copyright © 2005, Boston's Hidden Restaurants. All Rights Reserved.
Boston's Hidden Restaurants is a restaurant guide that features top little-known dining spots in Boston and New England.
Related Articles:
Bob McCandless, CEO of BrightCom, Presents the Future of Telepresence Technology at Enterprise 2.0 June 20th in Boston, Massachusetts
Bob McCandless, CEO and Chief Technology Visionary of BrightCom, adds to the line up of panelists and sessions at this year's Enterprise 2.0, The Collaboration Technology Conference, June 17th through the 21st at the Westin Boston Waterfront in Boston, Massachusetts. Mr. McCandless will be discussing the latest research and technology from BrightCom in the "From the Labs" session on June 20th. His presentation will include his vision of the future for immersive virtual telepresence and how BrightCom's technology is paving the way for enterprise businesses to achieve this state of collaboration in the next five to 10 years.
PreventIt Law, a Law Firm Serving Small Businesses and Nonprofit Organizations, Moves to Boston
PreventIt Law, a law firm representing small businesses and nonprofit organizations throughout Massachusetts, announces its relocation from Beverly, Massachusetts to 92 State Street, 9th Floor, Boston, Massachusetts. PreventIt Law uses a preventive law approach to the law that helps its clients avoid legal problems before they occur.
Boston Based Start Up, SharpBuyers.com, Closes First Deal in California and is Now Helping Home Buyers Pay Closing Costs From Coast to Coast
National real estate referral service, SharpBuyers.com (http://www.sharpbuyers.com), Has now helped home buyers close deals and receive real estate rebates in Massachusetts and California. SharpBuyers.com connects home buyers with local Realtors who provide full service representation and a commission rebate at closing. The amount of the rebate is determined by the number of accompanied showings provided by the Realtor, meaning home buyers can decide exactly what type of services they need, in exchange for up to 50% the Realtor's commission.
Tanglewood Jazz Festival 2007 Presented by the Boston Symphony Orchestra
The Boston Symphony Orchestra Presents the 2007 Tanglewood Jazz Festival in Lenox, MA, featuring the best artists in jazz today. Labor Day Weekend, August 31-September 2 in the Berkshires.
Boston Inventor & Entrepreneur Files US Patent for Next Generation Information Security Technology Based on Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Noted inventor and entrepreneur, Ralph Rodriguez, today announced he has filed for United States patent protection of his method and apparatus for combining artificial intelligence (AI) concepts with event-driven security architectures and ideas. This patent is based on research he conducted during his tenure as a Research Fellow with the M.I.T. Media Lab. The research paper outlining the unvention's scope and technology is also published and available today.
5 Steps to Successful Boston Online Dating
The Boston online dating scene is one of the most thriving in the whole country. In 2006 a Forbes survey actually ranked Boston as the number one city for online dating. There are a large number of people giving Internet dating a try in Boston. It's hard to say why Boston is so open to this new form of dating, but that's not what really matters. Why ask why? All that matters is that the online scene is one of the best ways to meet great singles in Boston, and by following a few simple steps, you can be a part of it, too.
Ravel To Boston: Not Your Grandmother?s Tea Party
Boston has traditionally stood as the beacon of New England thought, culture and historical direction, and consequently has been the major force behind the independent progress of the United States of America. Boston?s well preserved colonial architecture gracing the tree lined streets or the original oak seats of Fenway Park baseball stadium add insurmountable character to the historically indispensable city. With a nickname like ?the Hub of the Universe,? given by Oliver Wendell Holmes, it is impossible to justify not visiting Boston to discover the inspiring source of this pseudonym!
Up-and-Coming Boston Shoe Designer to Showcase Latest Designs at Premier Boston Shoe Club Event
Sole Envie founder Monika Desai will debut 12 new styles at Boston Shoe Club's "Stilettos and Martinis" Fashion Show as part of Boston Fashion Week.
2007's Top Anti-Aging Breakthrough Now available in Metro Boston Fraxel RE: Pair Laser Takes Years Off the Face, Restoring Skin
The Aesthetic Wellness Center in Westborough is the first physician's office in Massachusetts to offer the latest skin resurfacing laser, the Fraxel re: pairTM laser. Named by Web MD and New Beauty Magazine as one of the top beauty breakthroughs of 2007, this new laser quickly removes and eliminates aged and damaged skin without the prolonged downtime or adverse reactions reported with traditional bulk ablative resurfacing lasers (also known as CO2 lasers).
Enjoy Championship Basketball With Boston Celtics Tickets
Boston Celtics tickets are tickets to see real championship basketball. If the NBA was royalty, then the Celtics would be the undisputed king. They have established a firm tradition of playing basketball from the winning side and bringing forth some truly legendary players.
PSI to Unveil their Latest Envelope and Difficult Stock Printer at the ON-DEMAND Expo in Boston (March 3-6th)
PSI Engineering, an industry leader in Laser Mail Printer Solutions, material handling and document automation plans to introduce the Laser Mail 3655 - Full Color Envelope Printer at the ON-DEMAND Conference and Exposition in Boston.
Boston Analytics Unveils Quantitative Marketing Research Services
Knowledge services firm supports successful product launches to customers by collecting, customizing, analyzing and maintaining primary data. Researchers in the U.S. and India will cost-effectively collect, maintain and analyze data about values, demographics and locations of buyers and prospects to help determine optimum pricing, differentiate products from those of competitors and maximize the probability of new product success.
Spira Footwear Wins Again At Boston Marathon
Gino Van Geyte wins Boston Marathon Men's Masters Division in revolutionary running shoes with WaveSpring Technology. Spira Shoes on Boston Marathon's Masters winner for second year in a row.
All Smiles For Boston Dental Veneers
Found in Massachusetts, Boston, a city known for being the setting of a few major events in American History, such as the Boston Tea Party, and home to some of America?s academic firsts; looks like making news is a regular feat And in this age of amazing innovations, it seems that Boston dental veneers are fast becoming a popular buzz everywhere
A High-Tech Audio Walk through the Boston Public Garden. New iPod Audio Tour of the Garden Available for Free Download
There's a new, hip way to explore the Boston Public Garden: with an iPod audio tour. The iPod audio tour features an original musical score, ambient beats, and interviews with local people associated with the Garden. At times the tour becomes almost a meditation, as you walk among the flowers and trees, accompanied by the sounds of progressive strings and rhythms.