LAST STOP!!! Cold Water Tavern...

monks: last post! this place was hidden in the mountains, thanks cat cora!!! a cool, funky bar of bikers and live music and the actual pit master runnin' the grill!

long line of cars for this 'hidden' secret! that's lizoe...

only open for outdoor eats certain days of the week and year, but we came on the perfect day! what a great last stop on our way home!

all fresh homemade sauces- pico de gallo, horseradish with huge mustard seeds!, and a bbq sauce! you could also pour on some au jus!!!

a fresh, grill toasted roll, DELICIOUS tri-tip perfectly cooked... with all the fix-ins!!! sooooooooooooooo good, if i had 3 thumbs they'd all be up, what a perfect ending to a great trip!

Porto's! Bakery Goodness...even for the savory lover in you...

monks: porto's is basically a food stop for sweet, savory, all of the above times ten! it's crowded but efficient and so yummy and fresh! they just pump that food out like a little factory!

favorite items include: (cuban style) potato balls- potato balls filled with their seasoned ground beef mixture, breaded and deep-fried! lots of sweet and savory empanadas, lots of cakes, cookies, cheese rolls- these salty and yummy cream cheese pastry rolls, hmmm what else?!? their guava rolls are good too but i like my savory!

Mambos! Headin' to Cuba!

monks: Another stellar triple d spot! Lots of good eats here...once kinda, coming in after having just eaten, but we brought some folks with us =) Robyn and Pam...here we go...

this cute little spot was on the corner of this one intersection and had beauitful red and black colors and paintings on the inside and out...

Pitcher of Sangria before the long drive home?! Don't mind if we do! Better make it a large!!!

Yummmmmy...so fresh that the fruit had a good amount of wine soaked in and still had lots of fruit juice!

This was the well kinda appetizer sampler...a bunch of Cuban favorites...I know none of the names =( I know the flat yellow things on the bottom right corner are tostones I think-deep fried, smashed plantains! The other items are as follows...I think the far top left was potato and veggies? or seasoning, breaded and deep fried...to the right, potato balls with meat filled potato balls also breaded and fried up!, next to that meat empanadas, at the bottom left corner we have spicy chorizo! and the tostones to the right of that...all were delicious! I'm always a fan of the potato balls (which we were about to get more of at the next spot!) but the start of the show for me was the garlic mojo? basically garlic sauce...pretty much fresh ground garlic and lots of citrus/acid from lemon and limes? and spices...super strong, super tasty! Good on everything! Filipinos would prolly fight over it!

This was by far the coolest thing they had and one of the coolest things on the trip overall...shrimp ceviche...but the cool part was that it was served in tostone cups! The thick cut ceviche with big pieces of tomato, onion, lots of lemon and herbs....placed in deep fried plantain cups!!!! You just can't go wrong!!!

And the main event featured on triple d as well is their several hour roasted pork! Cooked, with marinade or rub of lots of spices, seasoning and that garlic mojo stuff!!! SO tender and juicy on the inside and nice and crispy, salty and yummmmy on the oustide! Great with rice and beans or on bread! Add more lemon and onions and you have yourself a party!!!

My mouth is watering...good idea or bad idea before we take a little trafficky car ride to the next spot?! OF course too good of a spot to pass up!!!!

Brodard! and Tastea!

monks: Another one of my personal socal Asian favs! Brodard! It's Asian name is Nem Nuoc I think...sorry I'm being totally ignorant...I've only eaten the spring rolls here, but I can't ever get past it!

Kinda hidden in this Asian plaza this place is ALWAYS packed...so we usually just get the spring rolls to go...They're kinda like your typical Vietnamese spring rolls...but with these other components...

1. instead of the typical pork and shrimp slices you can have this pork sausage or this 'shrimp paste' (like a shrimp sausage)...I looooooove the shrimp paste...sooooo good...

2. inside are the crispy veggies you find in a spring roll, but I swear better! They even put a whole strand of green onion, but I usually pull out the part sticking out...

3. They take what tastes like deep fried lumpia/egg roll wrapper and make a little ditch of it so you have this extra layer of warm, crispy, fried stuff in there! This is the primary reason why having these even a few minutes less fresh takes away from it's awesomness!

4. THE SAUCE!!! It's orange colored, thick but thin, taste meaty, kinda seafoody, kinda like there's hoisin...egg...I can't quite explain it, but it's amazing...

Afterwards we took our rolls to go and got a delicious cool bev for the hot day at Tastea...some yummy frosty boba drinks =)

I love the shaved ice here too, but c'mon now...there was work to be done on the rolls!

You can get pork, shrimp or combo =) see the green onion sticking out?!

I know I got the green tea blended drink, I dunno what the other one is, they have cool smoothie combos there too...perfect joining of two tasty forces =)

I know what you're wondering...why such a 'small' snack...especially for 'breakfast' which we usually go BIG on...well, Brodard's and Tastea's were just little snacks before the lunch we were about to have, followed up by a bakery and BBQ haha...keep reading!!!

Late night ending with some Albatross!!!

It was our last night I think...and we were staying the night in Irvine...So we went out to a few bars, kinda in the area...and shared some drinks with these kind fellas...

yup that's a volleyball on his head...these folks came from some costume party...

The bar was really an excuse to stay up later and work up our apetite so we could get some late night Mexican food at Albatross'!

Above you have the carne asada nachos (self explanatory) and the socal famous, Carne Asada fries...this plays does it best because the fries are so well done! Crispy and crunchy and full of delicious things! I like the fries the best, but Lizoe loved the nachos! Mitch typically likes the fries but passed out in the car when we were ordering and went straight to bed when we got home...Yummmmmmmmy! Goodnight!

Mochilato!!!!

monks: Not a foodnetwork pick---yet...but a foodie pick. Z introduced me to this place and I love it so much...especially considering I don't like dessert that much...It's in Irvine I think so we stopped on our way from San Diego to Z's...she wasn't home yet...and we needed to get fiber supplements from a pharmacy, we weren't feelin' too hot!

This this dessert place has teas, Boba drinks, tons of gelato flavors, shaved ice with flavorings and such and of course tons of Mochi-both filled with ice-cream and with other mochi thangs...

Look at all the pretty designs and colors...on the left are little birdies!

We didn't try and of the solo mochis, but the prints and pictures on em' were so cute, too pretty to eat...well maybe...

Take your pick...lots of gelato to choose from...
Italian and Asian flavors of course!

Same goes for the ice-cream mochi, lots of different flavors, colors, influences, all fresh, all freakin' delicious! They have the little egg crate packs for you to pick, choose and take home...so cute! Tree would love it! And especially Daddy!!!

This one's for you pops! A shaved ice creation...Of course I got it Japanese style! Red beans (so sweat and salty), mochi pieces (so soft and chewy), soft shaved ice, I think vanilla bean gelato or green tea gelato or both, green tea flavorings for the ice and a whole lot of love! This is the jr. or single size...soooo huge! You can get a huge family tub size to share! They give you these cute frostly, flower-shaped plastic bowls and spoons...

Other shaved ice creations include Italian I think, which has vanilla bean or coffee gelato, I forget, different ice flavorings, I think strawberry...but the big difference is that it comes with LOTS of fresh cut fruit, strawberries, mangos and other things...You can even get infusion which is half Japanese, half Italian, I got this on a later visit, but I think the Japanese is still my favorite! I love this shit!

Daddy would love it...perfect cross between Asian dessert (halo-halo, sagot, shaved ice) and ice-cream desserts...yummmmmmy...I'm drooling...

Mama Testa!

monks: I think this was our one and only "Throwdown" spot! And yes, Bobby lost! I think it was for fish tacos...this place has a huuuuuuuge menu of all different kinds of salsa, meats, items prepared crunch, soft, double fried, on steroids, corn, flour, you name it! So we ventured over since we were still in the San Diego area. Sadly we were filled to the brim from the diner, (we literally went right after)...but we decided to share a small order. IT WAS AMAZING! and if I didn't feel so full that I would die I would have loved to ordered more from this great place!

Really cute, funky, colorful decor inside, mostly the Lucha Libre theme going on...their bathroom was like a paint bomb exploded and a bunch of their newspaper stories were posted up. Such a cool place =)

There they are, so delicious. Deep fried fish, delicious slaw, and fresh, crispy fried tortillas...I wish I had more details, but it's been so long, all I remember is that it was freakin' delicious! Oh yea, the rice was good too but the beans were extra tasty!!! There was also a huge salsa bar with the main staples-pico de gallo, verde, I think an avocado one, a roasted chili one...but the interesting ones were the ones with fruit...Lizoe and Mitch handled that, not my thing...but I think one had mango and maybe one had papaya...both were good they said...

And despite the full belly, Lizoe got rice pudding I think...with cinnamon and raisins on top =) Yummy, but I would have opted for another taco instead =)

These were sooo cool...I wanted to take one! The napkin, salt, pepper holders were little wrestling rings made from wood, string and screws! The shakers were like little barrels, and each table had different colored ones! The sticker is their little logo sticker and saying which goes, "Put some Mexican in you!" Great place! Need I say more?!

Studio Diner! (Open 24 Hours!)

monks: So after a long night of partying and a long morning of hungover eating (well at least for me)...we headed over to some other beaches...I think in the La Jolla area and basically made it home. There was a super pimped out apartment overlooking the water...I called to ask for the rental prices...just to see if Lizoe and I could swing it...yea...not quite.

So anywho...We put down our comforter at the beach and before I could kick off my flip flops to run into the water Mitch and Lizoe were passed out! Geez...So I took a dip in the water and played in the sand while the other two snoozed...They were setting up for a wedding nearby so that was kinda cool too see too =)

After the nap/beach we headed out of the way to Studio Diner....this diner Guy went to in this industrial business area that was kind of the back lot for some movie studios. The person who started this diner picked this odd location and made the place open 24 hours to cater to directors and any of the people on the film set who needed good eats around the clock...

Super cool, super cute looking place...they even sold the DVD of Guy's visit in the front! The place looked like an old school diner and had tons of personality!

See the stage lights above?! Of course there was lots of random movie set memorabilia, for instance the scary monster standing outside!

Ok, so overall, a huuuuuuuge menu with lots of choices...mostly basic diner eats, some with interesting twists, others totally classic. Big portions, pretty good prices...overall comforting. Maybe not amazing, but still a nice stop. Like the filmstrip on the plate?

Above is the philly cheese, but I know it had a weird name...named after the cook?! This was featured on Triple D and was Lizoe's choice...butter toasted bun with this kinda Korean/Japanese marinated steak...with sauteed spinach, mushrooms, and yes, bean sprouts! Oh yea, and tons of melted cheese! It was tasty and huge! Not the craziest or most delicious thing but it was yummy...

Another thing featured on Triple D was the lobster roll. Basically tons of buttery lobster, very little mayo or veggies, just HUGE CHUNKS of lobster on a buttered piece of toast...also we these seasoned shoe string fries. This was good-(cause when is huge lobster not good), but of course expensive because of the lobster...and for that reason, maybe worth it but not worth it in my book. The Stone Pale Ale was a must being that we were in San Diego still, and was still refreshing as ever!

So of course my carnivorous ass got the biggest cut of meat on a roll. Sure I wanted a burger, but after Hodad's I just couldn't! So I got the prime rib sandwich (I think they all had cool names, but I can't remember any of them)...This was basically a huge slice of prime rib on a toasted roll, with lots of au jus and horseradish to go around!
I forget what that other sauce is...I think Chipotle Ranch...I forget. And yes a 3rd order of fries!

Glad we made the stop, don't think we'd go again unless we were in the area...but a really cool place to check out =)

Ocean Beach! Festival Time!

monks: Here's some pictures from the festival...or basically our excuse to eat more! FYI-Mitch got a funnel cake that isn't shown here...We were so stuffed but it was delicious and cripy! Some older couple (like Golden Girl old) dressed in black leather stopped to ask Mitch what it was! They were so cute. I offered them some and in exchange they invited us to the 420 party down the straight at this skate shop/clothing shop/420 club...They said it was a kegger and that it would be starting at 4:20 of course!


That's Lizoe in line for her hot waffle ice cream sandwich!

Prayer box outside of the ice-cream shop...

random girl across the street that had this gigantic slice of pizza! I had to ask her for a picture! She offered to let me take a picture holding it, but I thought that was crossing the line...haha

I don't quite remember what Lizoe got...but waffle choices included chocolate, regular, i think blueberry and apple cinnamon...there were 4... and tons of ice-cream flavors!

MMMMMmmmmmm...waffle, good....ice-cream, good... tummy...ouch...

Hodad's!

monks: I might not be able to do Hodad's justice because I'm 'hurting full' right now, but I think Hodad's was my favorite stop on this trip...is it cause I love burgers? Is it cause I love bacon? Or is it just that damn good?!


Lucky for us it was the Ocean Beach Festival that day which meant: tons of food booths, less people in line for Hodad's, but no parking for Mitch!

Packed inside this tiny place...tons of decor to go around...they sure make places look bigger on triple d!

Of course we all got the signature bacon cheeseburgers! I think we all got singles or smalls, I forget, I know there's different burger sizes or numbers of patties...typically they come with orange cheese...so american in this case?! Geez I forget...but you can 'SAC It' which means swiss, american and cheddar cheese! This one is Lizoe's...she asked for toast since she's allergic to sesame seeds...

Reasons to love the burger...1) huuuuuge, thick slices of raw onion! My favorite! 2) and of course the bacon patty! Delicious thick-cut bacon broiled then clumped and thrown on the flatop to become this thick, crispy, pretty much patty of bacon!!!! 3) toasted bread 4) and everything else...

Maybe the 'quality of ingredients' weren't as fancy as umami and father's office but it was still an A+ to me! Still great quality, flavor, price (cheaper!) ...and the list goes on and on! We also got 'Frings!' which is an order of half onion rings and half fries! I'm not always a huge fan of thick steak fries but these were yummy, cripsy and all peppery seasoned! Don't forget the ranch and ketchup! Yummmmmmy!

More San Diego...

monks: On out way out of San Diego we had to make several stops...the only thing on our agenda today was to EAT and maybe hit up the beach. A little hungover we (I) packed up the room and headed out...but as we we got our car from the valet service we spotted a Garrett's Popcorn look-a-like! We had to stop into Crunck Time Gourmet Quality Popcorn! I think Mitch bought some kettle corn?! I don't remember, I don't have any picture evidence...and of course I had to get ice-cream...breakfast of champions...especially for the lactose intolerant! MMMM Mexican Hot Chocolate flavored!!!! Aren't you jealous?!



Being that you can only load 5 pictures per post, or at least that's what we have it set on, I squished in some of our pictures from the next spot- Hodad's! Recognize him?! He's the owner! He's been on Triple D, Travel Channel, Best Thing I Ever Ate, you name it! All thanks to his damn delicious bacon cheeseburgers!!! Yes...we ARE those creepers that stopped him and asked for a picture WITH him, while everyone else just took pictures OF him...

And being that we're nosy and shameless I asked to take a picture of his burger tattoo...something that I saw on TV as well...only to get one-upped by him asking if I wanted to take a picture of his 'Guy Tattoo!'

Yup! That's Guy! And yes, that's a picture of Liezle by his thigh! So wonderful! So priceless =) I think he said something about a bet being made or something and his tattoo being in Guy's cookbook or Triple D book...or something like that...

And we had to get a picture of the VW bus/table...damn kids took up the seats! Daddy woulda been proud =)

Food pics are next!!!!

Party Time!

Friday night in downtown San Diego!

Altitude Sky Lounge- roof of the Marriot- thanks to Mitch, our hotel for the night! I'm so glad we didn't have to travel far! Cool looking place and tasty cigars!

Petco stadium...too bad Padres! Go World Series San Francisco Giants!!!

Made friends with a dad and son that owned the liquor store down the street...Some kind of European...very cute. Found this delicious Riesling...loved the name, 'Fat Monk.' So fitting for the trip =)