San Francisco to San Diego

[Octaveman]

If you stop in San Jose, I'd suggest Original Joe's downtown for Italian and steaks. Very nice italian decor with waiters in tux's but diners are informal. Very good food IMHO.

[Alchemist]

The Madonna Inn in San Luis Opismo (SP) Is a MUST SEE. I would reccomend it for breakfeast. But dinner in the all pink dining room is an experiance that would send Alice running fot the looking glass. The web site is madonnainn.com. It's a great place to stay. I like the Daisy Mea.

[mizducky]

Yeah, San Diego's restaurant scene isn't anywhere near as exalted as the Bay Area or LA, but you can still find some charming dining. I'd suggest you check out restaurant listings for La Jolla, the (very ritzy) town just north of San Diego. La Jolla's downtown is very charming, very walkable (rare in Southern California), right near some extremely beautiful shoreline, and studded with cute shops and galleries as well as extremely nice restaurants (or so I'm told about the restos, as I hardly ever get up there to dine myself).

A bit more low-budget and funky, but also charming in its own hippy-surfer way, is the San Diego seaside neighborhood Ocean Beach. There's a whole little photo-essay on Ocean Beach, as well as a sampling of cheap-but-good eats around San Diego, in the foodblog I did a couple of months ago.

If you stay in downtown San Diego, you'll be in close proximity to the Gaslamp District, where there's lots of restaurants, bars, and clubs--I don't go down there very often, though, due to the crowds. If you head a little north from downtown, you'll get to Hillcrest, another neighborhood with a goodly stock of restaurants--I am especially fond of Khyber Pass, specializing in Afghan cuisine, but there are several other nice ones in that area.

Oh, and as you work your way up the coast to LA, there are a number of charming seaside towns, each of which have restaurants that strive to take advantage of those seaside views. I had a really nice dinner once at White Horses in San Clemente, which was definitely augmented by the pretty view of the shore.

[Kouign Aman]

Breakfast/brunch at Brockton Villa, La Jolla.

Check the tide tables. high tide is extra nice at The Marine Room.

Rapongi La Jolla.

The Fish Market, downtown. Its a fish market. Its good. It sits on pilings above the water.

[ludja]

San Luis Obispo is a lovely town if you end up stopping here.

A famous (casual) dish from the area are tri-tip sandwiches (a beef steak sandwich). We had a great version at a place in downtown San Luis Obispo (SLO) called Firestone. I'd be cautious on the Madonna Inn for dinner--but breakfast, as mentioned by Alchemist might be a fun idea. The do have an incredible bar with good cocktails/wine by the glass which would be a fun place to people watch in the evening.

As mentioned earlier, Madonna Inn is an interesting place to check out for its outrageous decor. The California Spanish Mission in the center of town should also be on your list of sights to see if you have the time. If you'll have more than one day, you may want to check out some wineries in the area. The area just south of the town has good examples of chardonnay.

Here is a previous thread on SLO dining options: San Luis Obispo

Not sure how natives to the area feel about it, but we enjoyed one of the prototypical San Diego foods--fish tacos at Wahoo's Fish Tacos in La Jolla. Funky atmosphere as well in this casual place with plenty of surfers, skateboarders, etc.. I guess you'd say the food is Southern Californian-Mexican. Wahoo's Fish Tacos in La Jolla

Edited March 24, 2006 by ludja (log)

[HVRobinson]

I live in San Diego, lived in Los Angeles and San Francisco (for a while both at the same time)---

In San Diego I would go to George's in La Jolla for a good menu and great view (not the George's on Fifth Street), I really liked Viggilucci's in Encinitas, and would send you to Pampas Do Brasil for a mainly meat dinner in Tijuana. Don't forget that there are some good buffets if you do that sort of thing attached to the Indian casinos on the East Side of town (Barona, Viejas and Pala are very nice).

Los Angeles has many, many places. If you want a very "American Experience", I love taking my guests to "Dr. Hogly Wogly's Tyler Texas BBQ" on Sepulveda just south of Roscoe Blvd off the 405. This is probably the best BBQ outside of Texas, and it is exactly what you describe-- a place for locals. Save room for the sweet potato pie for dessert. For another locals only type experience you might have breakfast (although this is a 24 hour operation) at The Original Pantry on 9th and Figueroa, there is almost always a line 24 hours a day, but the food is very much the typical American fare, great streaks and chops for dinner, perfect pancakes and other cholesterol busters for breakfast.

In San Francisco set some time aside for Chinatown, and I usually go to New Asia for Dim Sum, on Pacific off of Stockton (take the 30 bus). I echo most of the choices alread made for the city- and want to add one-- take the Ferry to Tiburon and there is a wonderful place named "GUYMAS" right at the dock. Very good Mexican food and Tiburon is a cute little (EXPENSIVE) community with wonderful views of the city. Even though I like McCormack & Kuletto's in Ghiardelli Square, you can do better. Avoid eating at Fisherman's Wharf at all costs. It's tourist food at tourist prices, and also at tourist quality. If you go to wine country do check out Dean & Delucca's, and I like Tra Vigne.

I really hope this helps... Have FUN and take pictures.

Edited to remove SpelIng Errorz

Edited March 24, 2006 by HVRobinson (log)

[Kouign Aman]

Alberto's on Convoy for chicken burritos, if you like a bit of spice.

Its a drive-thru, with a table or two in the parking lot.

Try horchata, tamarindo or jamaica (sp? "ha-mike-a") to drink.

Drive your goodies to the coast somewhere and enjoy a picnic.

(San Diego is all about location)

[kalypso]

Ah............the food in San Diego only seems less interesting than other parts of CA because it's in transition and flying under the radar at the moment. this is my hometown, but I spent 18 years in the Los Angeles area and 10 years in the Bay Area, and I can say without hesitation that San Diego does breakfast better than either L.A. or S.F.

As Kouign Aman noted The Marine Room in La Jolla is fabulous, right on the beach, spectacular view, spectacular food and a pretty spectacular price tag too, for a buffet - $40. At the other end of the spectrum is the Pier Cafe on the Ocean Beach pier, spectacular view, decent food, reasonable price tag But seriously, the best breakfasts can be found at (in no particular order):

The Cottage in La Jolla

Girard Cafe (or maybe it's Girard Grill, I can never remember) also in La Jolla

Rancho Bernardo Inn

Cantina Panaderia in Pacific Beach, this is my particular favorite

The Broken Yolk also in PB, cheap, high volume, funky, and the food is pretty decent, except, do NOT under any circumstances order the eggs benedict, they're pretty awful.

The Mission Cafe - 3 locations, North Park, Mission Beach or La Jolla

Terra- in Hillcrest, love this one too

The Original Pancake House on Convoy St. in Kearny Mesa

Ricky's for waffles in Mission Valley

Rudford's on El Cajon Blvd. in University/City Heights

Brian's on West Washington Blvd.

If you're staying in the Gaslamp District you're in luck. There are probably more restaurants per square inch in the Gaslamp than anywhere else in the city. Surprisingly, a lot of them are really quite good. Since there are really far too many to even attempt to list, here are two links you might find helpful for the -- San Diego Reader and theSan Diego Union-Tribune restaurant reviews. You can search all the Downtown/Gaslamp listings for preferences, both sites have pretty complete listings of what's available. In the Reader, pay attention to the Tin Fork reviews, they generally cover smaller, funkier restaurants, and are usually pretty well on target as far as the food goes. Unlike San Francisco's tourist mecca, Fisherman's Wharf, local San Diegans do frequent their tourist mecca, the Gaslamp, in large numbers and the food there can be very good. Tin Fish, Cafe Chole, Cafe Cerisse and Chive are among the standouts.

Contrary to popular belief fish tacos are not indigenous to San Diego, but Wahoo's as mentioned earlier does produce a great fish taco. Even better is El Zarape in University Heights. For Mexican food try Mama Testa's in Hillcrest or Super Cocina in City Heights. Super Cocina is the real deal and about as close to Mexican home cooking as you're going to get in San Diego. For Asian food - which you will find better in L.A. and S.F. - head to Convoy St. in the Kearny Mesa area

For drinks and appetizers C Level Lounge on Harbor Island works. Best view of the city, interesting drinks and appetizers. I'll also second the recommendation for Roppongi in La Jolla where their appetizer menu is half price every day from 4 - 6 PM, and it's an interesting, well done, quality app menu. This offer can also be found at Fresh in La Jolla as well since both places have the same owner.

Edited March 24, 2006 by kalypso (log)

[kalypso]

I echo most of the choices alread made for the city- and want to add one-- take the Ferry to Tiburon and there is a wonderful place named "GUYMAS" right at the dock.  Very good Mexican food and Tiburon is a cute little (EXPENSIVE) community with wonderful views of the city.

←

Ummm..........when was the last time you went to Guymas? I agree the view is terrific, but I lived in Marin County for 10 years and found the food inconsistent, especially towards the end, not to mention terribly overpriced for what you got. But, it's been around a long time and restaurants are cyclical, so it certainly could have gotten significantly better since I moved, especially if they've got someone really good in the kitchen.

I used to take visitors there, but the food got so bad even the view wasn't worth it.

[Trishiad]

May I suggest that you also take some time to explore some of the lovely Farmer's Markets, pick up some local cheese, fruit, bread, whatever and just find a pleasant place to sit? While it's true we have some great restaurants, we have so many because we have such great ingredients. I love the Ferry suggestion above but I'd grab a backpack full of yummies from the outdoor/indoor market before getting on the ferry. Still hungry when you get back? Chow down on a juicy burger at Taylor's Refresher.

[rjwong]

kai-m,

Willkommen zu eGullet!! Bienvenue au eGullet! Welcome to eGullet!

NB This is not the cabaret.

Now Iam planning a trip through california and could need some recommendations for good restaurants in the citys I intend to visit.

I included some weblinks to various discussion threads. Perhaps you have already read through them. If not, please proceed accordingly.

-Our journey starts in San Diego.

San Diego

Fine Dining in San Diego, Help!

-Next stop Santa Monica/Venice/L.A.

Los Angeles Area Restaurant Threads

Santa Monica

Food in Venice

Joe’s Restaurant Review

-After that a little detour to Las Vegas/Grand Canyon.

Las Vegas is located in the state of Nevada, not California. There is nothing like it in Europe.

Dining in Las Vegas

-Then we are headed to San Francisco, with one or two stops on the way (haven't decided our route from Vegas to SF yet. One possible stop is San Louis Obispo, if we take Highway No 1 and don't take the route through Death Valley/Kings Canyon).

La Super-Rica (Santa Barbara)

Best Dining in San Francisco

Important note: We are not only looking for "high end" fine dining (can't afford that each night), but also for some nice little diners, ethnic food or good "streetcorner restaurants" (as we say in german).

Moment mal, bitte. Wie sagt man "streetcorner restaurants" auf Deutsch?

Anyhow: Thanks a lot for any recommendations, advices, tips (or warnings)!

If you don’t know already, in California restaurants (not “fast food” places), the diner pays for:

Listed menu price, PLUS

California sales tax (8.25% of “listed menu price” in Los Angeles County), PLUS

Tip or gratuity (usually 15-20% or higher of the “listed menu price” total, which is NOT written on the bill and is expected. This is, in general, common practice here in the United States.)

kai-m, here are some questions so that we can get a better idea what you (and others) want to eat:

What types of restaurants you do want? Quiet & refine? Places with loud music & the “Hollywood scene”? Restuarants with younger people? Mature people? Oder das macht nichts?

What kinds of ethnic foods do you want to eat? Chinese, Japanese? Mexican? Thai? French? Italian? German? Austrian (z.B. Wolfgang Puck)?

Do you want to buy your own food at farmers’ markets? Trader Joe’s? Whole Foods Market? Typical American supermarkets?

I hope this helps. Enjoy your vacation in California!

[Pan]

I'm a New Yorker, but I want to say, first of all, that you should listen to mizducky because she's a person of good taste. I had an excellent meal at Khyber Pass with her, and there's no reason why you shouldn't eat tasty food when you're in San Diego. SD is also a pretty city; enjoy it.

If you do go through Santa Barbara, La Super-Rica is not to be missed! You should try taquerias throughout the state, but I doubt you'll find any others as good as La Super-Rica, let alone better.

When you look at the thread on Joe's in Venice, you'll see that I had one of the best 10 or 20 meals of my life there. Maybe I lucked out on the season or something, but man, was it great!

If you're interested in Chinese food (and you should be, because there's terrific Chinese food in California), pay attention to where rjwong tells you to go in LA. He recommended CBS Seafood in Chinatown for dim sum, and it was by far the best dim sum meal I've had in the US. For the San Francisco area (and Sacramento, should you have occasion to drive through), pay attention to what hzrt8w has to say. Have a look at his thread on Chinese restaurant dishes in the China forum and the various threads he's started on SF-area establishments (in Millbrae et al. as well as SF proper).

[Kouign Aman]

high end, and a pretty drive

Mille Fleurs in Rancho Santa Fe, about 45 min from downtown San Diego.

I agree on Khyber Pass.

[Alchemist]

I would also reccomend a cheeseburger at In-N-Out Burger, with "Animal style Fries".

A burrito In the Mission, SF, El Toro was always a favorite.

A scallop, black bean and avocado burrito at Senior Fish in LA. (Bring on the gout)

A dinner at Firefly Bistro in South Pasadena (SP?) Chefs King/Rosenbluh were just featured at the Beard House, and whip up some of my favorite food in the world. eatatfirefly.com

I'm not sure if it's rude to piggyback on someone elses thread, but I'm going to the French Laundry end of April, and would love some up to date info about other resturants. All price ranges. Mexican food a plus. I allready have the In-N-Out Urge, so will be visiting the Napa location. Thanks

Edited for boneheaded mistake

Edited March 25, 2006 by Alchemist (log)

[Carlsbad]

On a nice day, you can't beat the open-air rooftop Ocean Terrace Bistro of George's at the Cove in La Jolla for a lazy, casual lunch. It's what Southern California is all about, and relatively inexpensive. The website has menus. I also agree that George's fine dining restaurant is one of the best in the area, and walking around La Jolla is very pleasant.

[ed davis]

Again, depending on what you like, Kai (Wo in Deutschland wohnen sie?), you have tons of wonderful choices. But throughout California there is wonderful Asian food. In San Diego, for example, you can get truly authentic and unbelievable Szechuan Chinese at Ba Ren, great Korean at Buga, outstanding Japanese and sushi at Sakura or Sushi Ota. And it is hard to beat a steaming bowl of pho or a banh mi sandwich from a Vietnamese place. Of course, San Francisco and LA have thousands of fine Asian places as well. I'm not sure if comparable restaurants exist in Germany - I know they didn't 40 years ago when I was there. If you have more questions, just post.

ed

[hzrt8w]

-Then we are headed to San Francisco, with one or two stops on the way (haven't decided our route from Vegas to SF yet. One possible stop is San Louis Obispo, if we take Highway No 1 and don't take the route through Death Valley/Kings Canyon).

←

Kai: If you pass by SLO (San Louis Obispo), you are only 10 minutes North of Pismo Beach. We love Rosa's Restaurant (Italian). Family style. Has been around for 30 years(??). Great Italian food and reasonable prices (US$10-$15 or so for entrees). I love their Chicken Masala.

Rosa's Italian Restaurant

Address: 491 Price, Pismo Beach, CA 93449

Phone: (805) 773-0551

If you go by San Clemente, go eat at Fisherman's right at the San Clemente Pier. Dining right on the pier watching California West Coast sunset. Can't be better than that! Prices are reasonable. I love their ciopinno! Something like US$18? Their grilled fresh catches are very good too. Prices vary.

Fisherman's Restaurants

Address: 611 Avenida Victoria, San Clemente, CA 92672

Phone: (949) 498-6390

[kai-m]

Thanks alot for all those great replies!

@rjwong: "streetcorner restaurant" would be something like "eckkneipe" in german. But thinking about, that is more a word for a drinking place...but judging from your post you get what I mean, I think...

@Ed: Iam from frankfurt.

To specify -as requested- what we are looking for:

Generally we like nice, relaxed restaurants/diners/bistros/trattorias, not too expensive with solid food and a younger to middle-age crowd (we are 33 years old, looking far younger). Places, where the local residents hang out, not only tourists and business-diners...

They don't need to be "fancy", but "special" in one way or the other would be great - be it for a speciality/dish only they serve (from "terrine de foie gras" to the "best cheeseburger with fries in town"), a certain idiosnycratic cooking style, a unique tasting menu or a great location/view and solid food...

We are also looking for good asian food, as we mostly have bad asian restaurants in germany; esp. chinese food is extremely bad here...

We are not really into mexican food (but that maybe because mexican restaurants tend to be pretty bad in germany, too...)

In S.D., Santa Monica and S.F. we will stay 3-6 nights, one of which always will be reserved for a "fine dining" restaurant...

By the way: which area in S.F. is the best to stay in?

Thanks!

Greetings from frankfurt

kai

PS. I hope I'll be able to give some recommendations in the germany-restaurant-threads some time...

[Kouign Aman]

Queeg's in Ocean Beach (near downtown San Diego). Excellent view.

Local hangout. Very short walk to the beach.

[ed davis]

It's nice to have more information about you. That makes it easier to give you good advice. Kalypso is in my mind most knowledgeable about San Diego restaurants in general, but you seem interested in Asian food, I thought I would add a couple more good options and discuss a couple that I have already mentioned for Asian choices there.

Convoy Street is the center of a large Asian restaurant area north of central San Diego. It runs north/south in the triangle north of where Hwy 805 and 163 cross over each other. Thus it is easy to access via the freeway net. Balboa exits will take you to the middle of the street; Claremont Mesa which also has exits is the east west cross street at the north end of the Convoy Street area.

On Convoy itself is a fine stylish Hong Kong style restaurant called China Max. The food, atmosphere and service are all good. Jasmine is a huge Cantonese style place that is not my favorite, but still good. Emerald, harder to find at the southern end of Convoy is better in my opinion and I have had good dim sum there as well. Convoy also has two excellent Vietnamese places. Phoung Trang is perhaps San Diego's finest all around Vietnamese place. Not much atmosphere, but great prices and a large selection of Vietnames dishes. Convoy Noodle House focuses

more on noodle soups, but a good bowl of pho makes a wonderful quick lunch. There are numerous other good Asian restaurants along Convoy as well.

But I wanted also to mention two that are not on the street, but are in the area. Buga Korean is at the Claremont Mesa exit off of the 805. It has a wide range of Korean barbecued meat choices (some excellent beef is served there) all accompanied by many side dishes of pickles and prepared vegetables. I don't know whether you have ever had kimchee, but imagine really spicy sauerkraut made with large pieces of Chinese cabbage. Yum!

A little further west (on Diane just to the north of Claremont Mesa) is Ba Ren. This is not a stylish restaurant, but it serves some very authentic Szechuan style food. The owners and chef are from Szechuan, so expect many different kinds of spicy dishes lit up with the taste of chilies and the tingly Szechuan peppercorns. Also of interest there are the cold appetizers, including such items as sliced pig's ear and husband and wife (two kinds of beef with chilies and Szechuan peppercorns).

If you like Thai food, most folks in town think that Celadon in the Hillcrest district serves the best in town and I have had many good meals there.

Hope this is some help. Have a great vacation.

ed

[mizducky]

Emerald, harder to find at the southern end of Convoy is better in my opinion and I have had good dim sum there as well.

←

Hi Ed! Say, our buddy Kirk/mmm-yoso recently reported on his blog that Emerald, once his favorite dim sum place in town, has not really been the same quality-wise since re-opening after the fire they had several months back. Instead, Kirk now recommends Emerald's sister restaurant, Pearl, up in Rancho Bernardo. I never got to Emerald before the fire, but I dined at Pearl just recently and thought it was terrific. Anyway, just tossing in my dos pesetas here.

[ed davis]

You (and Kirk) are no doubt right. I've been with him to Pearl and it is outstanding. But Pearl is way the heck out of the way and I am pretty sure that Emerald is still better than Jasmine and much better than anything Kai can get in Frankfort. I also don't believe Kirk has been back to Emerald recently, so it is possible that Emerald has worked out the post-fire kinks. After all, it and Pearl share ownership. I didn't notice anything awry on my one visit to Emerald since the fire though I am not as demanding as Kirk when it comes to dim sum.

But mostly I was trying to steer Kai in the general direction of excellent Asian food. A visitor could spend a couple of weeks in San Diego eating on or about Convoy every day and still not try all the interesting places thereabouts.

ed

[Carlsbad]

In San Diego, there are more than enough restaurants for three free nights. In addition to the Asian restaurants noted above, I like Phuong Trang, 4170 Convoy St., for Vietnamese food. It's nothing fancy, and ordering can be a bit of a challenge, but the food is very good.

The Downtown/Gaslamp has a lot of restaurants. Many cater to the the crowds generated generated by the convention center. It's not difficult to get a good meal at many of the places that have sprouted up in recent years, although most are not particularly distinguished. They can be fun, and many have a younger crowd. We have our share of steakhouses and too many Italian places to count, many serving the same dishes. There are a few places that come to mind that are less tourist oriented and slightly off the beaten path: Athens Market, 109 W. F St.; Cafe Chloe, 721 9th Avenue; La Gran Tapa, 611 B St.; Cafe Cerise, 1125 6th Ave. I think Region, 3671 5th Ave., is one of the better places in town these days. If you are looking for one fine dining restaurant in San Diego, I think you can do better away from the downtown area: George's at the Cove, Tapenade, The Marine Room in La Jolla; The Rancho Bernardo Inn in Rancho Bernardo, but those are a good drive from downtown. Most of these places have websites or at least reviews on signonsandiego.com.

In San Francisco, I think the Union Square area is the best place to stay. If you check websites, you can usually find a deal at one of the big hotels or one of the smaller boutique places. The Orchard Hotel is well-located and comfortable, and The Kimpton Group has a number of hotels in the area, and you can often get deals at the big chains like Westin, Hyatt, and Starwood.

[kalypso]

They don't need to be "fancy", but "special" in one way or the other would be great - be it for a speciality/dish only they serve (from "terrine de foie gras" to the "best cheeseburger with fries in town"), a certain idiosnycratic cooking style, a unique tasting menu or a great location/view and solid food...

←

For a really great cheeseburger in San Diego check out Hodad's in Ocean Beach or Rocky's in Pacific Beach. The interior of Hodad's can only be described as beach funky, kind of a hold over from OB's seedier surfer/hippie days. But the burgers are pretty darn good. San Diego also has a homegrown burger chain called (okay, Ed, are you ready for it ;->) Boll-Weevil, which is really pretty good as well.

In addition to the downtown/Gaslamp options listed by Carlsbad there is also Tin Fish for a good, quick casual meal. Oceanaire downtown does exceptional seafood in a fine dining environment with prices to match.

I think Region is inconsistent, but it's a little like Chez Panisse you either get it or you don't. I've not had great meals there (at Region) but I've been at the very same table where the meal or individual dishes have been superb. And if you go, whatever you do, do NOT order the Let the Chef Decide option, the kitchen randomly sends out dishes that are already on the menu. Did that one night with a friend, her meal was great, mine wasn't.

And don't worry about skipping Mexican food in San Diego, it's not very good here. You can find much better in the Los Angeles area.

Edited April 3, 2006 by kalypso (log)

[Octaveman]

Oh for the love of pete...Bol Weevil is not that good at all. Just thinking about it makes me want to hurl. It's a very basic chain burger joint that uses tasteless costco-ish pre-formed-pre-frozen-bland-tasting burgers. Ho Dad's in OB is so much better. In-N-Out is so much better. Hamburger Hut in Escondido is so much better. Western Steakburger with their charbroiled burgers is so much better. Claimjumper burgers are so much better. Mimi's French Quarter burger is so much better. The list goes on.... Bol Weevil, phphphttt....blech...patewie.