Figaro, Figaro, Fiiiigaro!

What a great evening – a fantastic opera paired with fantastic seats!  I have been waiting for this opera for a year.  Never have I heard so much laughter at the opera than in the first Act of Barber of Seville this past weekend.  This would have been a good opera for a first time opera goer.  I was a little bummed that the second Act couldn’t quite hold to the first.  Either way, we found out some friends had tickets too so we met up for dinner before hand.  Mimmo’s was our destination.  Quite the charming atmosphere, being inside the restaurant, feeling like you’re outside in a quiet bistro in Italy.  Did you catch that?  I know it was a mouthful, sorry about that.  Truly, a lovely night!

A Munching Strolling Date

I’m starting to think that I might not really like Mexican food or perhaps all my tastebuds are dying so I crave savory food.  We started at Jimmy Carter’s for our Bite San Diego Tour in Hillcrest.  What a great date!  Quesadillas, tostados, and calamares tacos.  We walked about 15 blocks, hitting up 6 restaurants; learned a little history of Hillcrest and made some new friends in the process.

Local Habit What pizza can be complete without caramelized onion deliciousness?!  Will and I have had multiple conversations revolving around breweries and their ridiculous ability to have AMAZING food!  I swore I would be back for the Gouda Mac and Cheese.

Empirehouse  was once two little houses that have come together to delight us with food we love with a fun twist, not to mention the owners are fabulous.  It will see a reunion tour from us sometime soon.  The BBQ Bacon Burger casters with the red-miso sauce were so savory.

Brazen BBQ  OH my goodness!  I have not been so happy to have brisket and pulled pork in such a long time.  The owner wasn’t kidding when he talked about ribbons of flavor.  There is no surprise that they have won national BBQ competitions.  Watch out Texas!

Kona Coffee Shop  had a huge variety of delicious sounding coffees, but since I don’t do coffee, not to mention, I have enough perky without the coffee, I opted for a hazelnut steamer with whip.

Will was skeptical of the  Lotus Cafe…you know it being organic, vegan and vegetarian.  It was the trifecta of everything Will has no interest in food-wise.  Those are all swear words by his standards.    What a pleasant surprise.  We enjoyed carrot smoothies, hummus with pita bread and chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting.  We agreed each was delightful, even if the carrot smooth tasted suspiciously like pumpkin pie.

Be Skinless, Be Fearless…Just Run!

So I ran a race with some girlfriends last Saturday.  We had so much fun!  There was some crazy rain and hail right before/after and some wicked wind during.  What a beautiful race in Mission Bay!

Now for the confession…are you worried?  I need to take running more seriously, or maybe just races.  There might have been a point in the race where I stopped to tie my shoe and then turn around to chat with someone behind me.  That said person did go on to take 1st place in her group.  Wahoo, Michelle!  Regardless, it was a delightful day to start the day.  Of course to reward ourselves at the end, for all 4 of us finishing in the top 10 of our heat, we promptly went to a cute litte coffee shop for some warm beverages and then to Sprinkles for the frosted gloriousness that resides in a well-made cupcake.

The Week in Pictures

My nephew Daniel decided to spend his Spring Break in California with us.  Boy was I tickled pink that he wanted to come to San Diego.  Here are a few glimpses into our week with him.  Unfortunately, our trips to In N’ Out, Pink Berry, The Zoo, Old Town and Coronado never got photos .

Wild Animal Park

La Jolla

Disneyland and California Adventure

San Diego Walking Tour

Admittedly, I am a lover of delicious food.  I would rather take a bite of wonderful, tasty goodness over a trough of mediocrity any day.  I actually tend to steer clear of restaurants that tout large portions.  It is a rarity to find good food and lots of it on one plate.  Don’t mistake me for a food snob, because I’m not.  I just don’t want to waste calories on food that is just okay.  So I convinced Will and some of our friends to take a Bite San Diego Tour for his birthday.

Our first and last stops were by far my favorite.  And just to dispel any rumors, no we didn’t try any of the beer samples.

The restaurant stops on our La Jolla tour were:

• Karl Strauss Brewery I will definitely be back here.  Amazing doesn’t even begin to describe my new found love affair.  Just check out the menu and tell me it doesn’t make your mouth water.  The bits and pieces were delightful!

• Extreme Pizza They are known for having pizzas that are “Extreme not mainstream.”  Their Pandora’s Box was a tastebud tickler for sure.

• This lovely little cafe had oatmeal and buttermilk pancakes with a variety of toppings.

• Brick and Bell The brickyard bakery and bistro is famous for it’s scones. It’s a cute little place and their scone selection is quite extensive.

• Cups The hippest cupcake lounge you’ve ever seen, complete with DJs and a culinary school.  The lemon ricotta cupcakes were delicious and the onsies were even cuter.  I tried to buy a few for my sister-in-laws, but the line was too long.

• We Olive I walk into places like this and think, “Look what I’ve been missing my whole life!”  I never would have thought to age a wonderful white peach balsamic vinegar, let alone try a lemon squeezed olive oil.  Oh my, I’ve been converted.