Toliver

Ah, Torrey Pines is a different kettle of fish, so to speak. There are a couple of upscale eateries in Del Mar (just north of Torrey Pines) right on the beach. They always make the news when storms hit due to the waves washing up against their windows (and sometimes coming in!). There's Jake's Del Mar and next to it is The Poseidon. Both are right on the beach. In La Jolla (about 10 to 15 mintues south of Torrey Pines) there is the Marine Room (they held a James Beard Foundation event there last October) and the related restaurant, The Shores. The views don't get much better than that. I always enjoyed the aquariums at Scripps but then I'm geeky that way. La Jolla Shores (just down the hill from the Scripps Institute) is a nice public beach with picnic areas. You used to be able to rent bodyboards and "rafts" right on the beach though that may be a weekend thing. If you have the inclination, you can also check out the Hang Glider port next to the Salks Institute (across from UCSD) which is just south, down around the corner from Torrey Pines. The hang gliders take off from the cliffs overlooking Black's Beach and it's certainly picturesque. Also note that San Diego experiences a heavy marine layer around this time of year. They nicknamed it "June Gloom" because sometimes the marine layer comes in and doesn't go away so it looks cloudy all day. But normally, the marine layer dissapates around 10 or 11am and then starts to come back in around 4pm or so. So it's possible you may not see great sunsets. Towards the end of June, it may not be much of a concern but could still be around. By the way, you may be running into traffic from the Del Mar Fair which will be going on during your stay. Technically, it's really the San Diego County Fair but because it's held at the Del Mar Race Track & Fairgrounds (about 5-10 minutes north of Torry Pines) everyone calls it the Del mar Fair. It starts June 10th and runs until July 4th this year. A lot of people use Torrey Pines Road as a "backdoor" path to get to the Fair so the traffic may be heavier than usual. It's the 7th largest Fair in the U.S. and is just huge. We always eat our way through. Please post about your trip when you get back so we know how it went.

Owen, I thought I would bump this back up to ask how the java joint is doing. And did Starbucks ever open across from one of your other locations? If so, has it caused any impact? Also, did you ever come up with a satisfactory Home made low fat frozen coffee drink mix and have you added it to the menu yet? Looking back at your preparations to opening and then finally opening, would you have done anything differently? Call me curious!

Exactly my thoughts. There is lots of inspiration and recipes/menus in that discussion. Here is the link: "Weight Watchers, Watch it go down?"

Did you see this thread: "Fried Chicken--Cook-Off V, eGullet Recipe Cook-Off Series" There's a couple recipes posted within.

My local drugstore must be a testing site...I am finding all kinds of new goodies there! At first taste, there didn't seem to be enough of that slight bitterness that comes with dark chocolate. But as I continued to nibble (hey, someone has to take one for the team ) the flavor grew on me. It still has that Nestle's Crunch-essence but with a (too?) subtle dark chocolate taste. I guess if I had to choose between Dark Chocolate Twix Bars and Nestle's Crunch Dark, I'd probably stick with the Twix. But I give them an "A" for their effort.

No listing is meager. Throw it down like a gauntlet! One of my favorite "Dinner!" posts from NeroW...Cheerios & Beer: Tell it like it is.

A previous discussion on this: "My Garlic turned blue!, Turned blue after it was baked on pizza" And inside that discussion is a link to another similar discussion: "Lemon Butter Sauce, question" You are not alone!

You should request they stock it. They're new in town and will be eager to please so it's possible you could have some decent jambalaya in your near future.

Make sure you request a room away from any construction going on (See this previous thread on the Del). In regards to dining, Peohe's (Pee-oh-eez) is on the opposite side of the Coronado Island from the Del. It has a grand view of the downtown skyline. Make sure you request a booth/table with a view (some booths are tucked away and offer privacy rather than a view). If the weather is nice during the day, inquire if they're serving outdoors on the patio. It may be too cold to eat outside in the evening but I'm sure they'd have those portable heaters. For dessert in Coronado, there is the MooTime Creamery. It looks like they have a shop in the Del but the store on Orange Avenue has more atmosphere. It's "hand crafted" ice cream and they make their own waffle cones. Point Loma Seafood in Point Loma has been recommended in previous discussions about eating in San Diego. But it's not very formal dining and though they serve beer and wine it doesn't come across a wine-list sort of place. If you want more view, Anthony's in downtown San Diego is right on the water (actually over the water) on the San Diego bay. I believe the ferry from Coronado lands nearby. If you get to Anthony's when they first open for lunch you can get a window table with a nice view looking out over the Bay and towards Coronado. The down side is that it's very touristy and the food is sort of pricey for what you get. They should have a wine list though and if you want more upscale dining, the Star of the Sea room next door to Anthony's is a little more "chi-chi". The Star of the Sea room used to have a dress code but I believe it may be a thing of the past. Not sure if they're open for lunch, either. For the grandest view of all, have (expensive) cocktails at the top floor of the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego which is next to Seaport Village at the end of the Downtown Gaslamp District. From one side you see the downtown skyline and northern San Diego and from the opposite windows you see the SouthBay and the lights of Tijuana, Mexico. Seaport Village is on the San Diego Bay. It's a touristy collection of stores and a few restaurants but there's a waterfront walkway with a great view of the Bay and of Coronado Island. If you're looking for something the teens can do, there's Belmont Park in Pacific Beach. PB is not close to Coronado and you'd need a vehicle to get there (it's about 20 to 30 minutes to the northwest). It's a small "amusement" area with a great roller coaster almost on the waterfront. On the website, click on "Rides and Other Fun Stuff" for a virtual ride on the roller coaster. In Pacific Beach, there's also the nearby boardwalk with restaurants and homes on one side and the beach on the other side. At the north end of Belmont Park there's a cul de sac that ends at the boardwalk. I believe Hamel's is still there. They rent bikes, rollerblades, etc, so the teens could always do that. If you have money to burn and want another grand view, there's also Bertrand at Mr. A's.. It's actually Uptown. You can see a small picture on the website showing the view from the patio. I don't think I would qualify it as "teen-friendly" since it's more of a "grown-up's" restaurant but the coat-and-tie dress code is a thing of the past and they will definitely have a wine list.

Pshaw on the lot of you! Heinz. The big bottle. Slathered on french fries, hamburgers AND on hot dogs...even ball park dogs. Poured with glee and without shame. So there.

California was one of the first to ban indoor smoking and I've yet to hear of a bar in the state that went out of business because of the law. Of course, it happened in stages so the public was sort of eased into it.

Yes, Jack-in-the-Box used to have them, as well, some 15 to 20 years ago.

I get hot sauces as gifts. Yes, I am a chilehead but enough with the sauces already! I literally have a cupboard overflowing with the jars and bottles I've received for birthdays, Christmas, etc. Out of desperation to get rid of them, I'm trying to think of some sort of "vat o' chili" recipe I can concoct using up all these hot sauces at one time. On the other hand, my sister-in-law gives me a "goodie bag" every Christmas that I always look forward to opening. It usually contains food items from different places like Trader Joe's, (Cost Plus) World Market, etc, and will be things I don't ordinarily buy for myself like tapenades, pickled green beans, good chocolate and so on.

It's sheer decadence on a baked potato, with some butter and salt & pepper.

Funny you should mention this... Col. Klink just answered such a question in the eGCI. He suggested lining the firebox with fire bricks to help maintain and hold the heat, which I think is a brilliant suggestion. So the bricks would sort of do for the fire what the water pan does for the smoker.

This has been discussed at length in another eG discussion which I can't seem to locate at the moment. The problem isn't the gloves. The problem is with the workers not using the gloves properly. Whether this if from lack of proper food handling training or whether these people are mentally just a taco short of a combination platter, I don't know. As was mentioned in the other discussion, if you are being served by someone who is wearing disposable gloves and they're not disposing of them when they should be (like when they go to serve you) speak up. The stomach you save may be your own.

They think of everything eventually, don't they? "Hefty® Serve ‘n Store™ Tableware With Interlocking Rims" They make a dinner plate, lunch plate and bowl. No more scambling for foil or plastic wrap when taking home leftovers from a party... And aren't I the geek for being impressed by this?

You bring up a good point. A true diner is a self-contained restaurant in a "building" capable of being moved. Some places that call themselves "diners" don't meet that qualification. "What is a diner?" from the American Diner museum website: That being said, I've been to the Salinas Black Bear Diner and I can tell you it isn't a diner. And the food wasn't that remarkable.

Well, I am totally bummed. I went to Trader Joe's yesterday and searched high and low for the addictive Tamari Cashews only to be told that they had been discontinued. The clerk suggested I try the sesame cashews. Okay, does anyone have a corporate email for them?

Some communities have turned anti-Wal-Mart because a lot of the Wal-Mart employees don't earn enough money to make ends meet so they end up turning to government services (Food Stamps, Medicare, etc) to make up for Wal-Mart's poor wages and lack of health benefits. Isn't it great that Wal-Mart is employing almost a thousand people but if it also drains state and local government coffers, is this really such a "good thing"? Some communities have decided it isn't.

Carl's Jr (Hardee's out east) started serving "Texas Toothpicks" which are a jumble of deep fried sticks of onion and jalapeño. You get a little container of their "house dressing" (aka Ranch) to dip them in. I was surprised that some of the jalepeños actually had a wee bit of heat to them. I considered them a welcome alternative to french fries. Anyone else have these? edited to add that I couldn't find any mention of them on their website.

In case anyone has missed it, this is Neil's recipe posted/linked to from page 1 of this discussion: "Strawberry Marshmallows" It also includes two variations: Chocolate and Vanilla.

Susan, Leave it out if you absolutely cannot stand it. Life's too short to eat something you don't like. I've eaten many a mole and "clove-like" would never have been one of the words to describe the flavor of the sauces I've had. Like chilis and stews, there are a million and one variations...every sauce maker has their own recipe with their own adjustments. So forgo the cloves if you don't like it. The recipe you linked to seems pretty straight forward though it sort of goes against what a mole sauce is all about...it is usually a melange of many, many ingredients simmered for an incredibly long time to tranform it into the final magic potion that usually doesn't taste of just one ingredient or flavor. It's a true fusion. That being said, in regards to recipes, I say go with what piques your interest. If a shorter recipe achieves a great sauce in the end, then go with it. By the way, the use in that recipe of a crock pot for simmering the sauce is sheer genius. I had one of those "Why didn't I think of that?" moments when I read that. I will peruse the cookbooks I have and post a recipe if I find anything worthwhile.

Thanks for the great blog! I have shop-envy. Oh, and I found butter rulers online, for those interested in them. Is it just a Canadian thing? All the shops selling them seem to be north of the border, eh.

I tried doing a Google search for the book and found only this reference (click here) of a recipe from the cookbook. It looks like the author's name is Ken Horn. He has also written a Chinese cookbook (assuming it's the same author). My online searches through the many online used bookstores also came up empty. Don't give up hope...it may resurface, yet.