San Diego Dining: An Unconventional List

The holidays found me living a Merle Haggard song minus all the drinking. We rambled all over the western United States. First we traveled to southwest Nebraska. Then we headed to Boulder, and finally we ended up in San Diego to watch the University of Nebraska play in the Holiday Bowl.

While I prefer to stay put during the holidays and the bowl game didn't end the way I wanted it to, I'm still grateful to have had the opportunity to travel.

Even though I've been to San Diego three times, I haven't sampled a lot of the food the city has to offer. On my trips to the city, most of my meals were provided for me or we packed picnic lunches consisting simply of sandwiches. Since this a food blog, I thought I'd share my favorite places. It's an unconventional list. I don't think you'll find most foodies raving about any of these places or dishes, but it's what I ate when I was in San Diego:

• The Cheese Shop: Our first full day in San Diego was rainy and cold. We plodded our way through the Gaslamp Quarter looking for breakfast. We were a bit crabby until we entered this warm, friendly establishment where they served a good breakfast at a reasonable price. The Cheese Shop also packs picnic baskets. On my next trip to SD, I plan on having them pack my lunch for a picnic in one of San Diego's great parks.
  

• Mystery Ice Cream Novelty Treat: On a day trip to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, I stopped at a gas station an purchased an ice cream treat. It resembled a drumstick on steroids (I should avoid such trite phrases), and it was the greatest ice cream novelty I've ever eaten. However, I can't remember its name. I thought it was called The Matterhorn, but a Google search turns up no such product. I'm beginning to think this treat is a figment of my imagination.
  

• Fried Cabbage at Camp Pendleton: Once I spent a week in San Diego as a guest of the United States Marines. I was part of a group of educators who spent a week observing how the USMC trains soldiers. We ate all of our meals at various mess halls at Camp Pendleton and the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego. My favorite thing I ate all week was the fried cabbage.

• Point Loma Seafoods: I've eaten at Point Loma Seafoods more than any place in San Diego. When a Kansan has access to fresh seafood, he goes a bit crazy. I think I've eaten at this place five or six times. When I traveled there as a guest of the USMC our hotel was within walking distance. This is a seafood market that also prepares meals. Grab your meal and sit outside and overlook the bay.
  

• The Broken Yolk Cafe: They have various locations around town, but we ate at their location in the Gaslamp. The service was friendly, the menu was varied, and the food was reasonably priced.

This is a weak post, but I'm just trying to grease the ol' wheels to get this blog rolling again.

take care,
muddy