Some San Diego Favs

Whenever I'm near Los Angeles' Union Station I drop by Philippe's, Home of the French Dip Sandwich.
http://www.philippes.com/
My parents used to take me there when I was a child. The menu was a little too mature for my young taste buds, but I loved the atmosphere - the sawdust floors, the signs advertising a cup of coffee for a nickel, the brick and mortar walls, and the bustle of the deli counter.










San Diego has some terrific, reasonably priced food haunts too. Let me take you on a little tour. I'm trying to implant the same memories that my parents gave to me by taking my kids to some of these local San Diego restaurants. Recognize this first restaurant? Let me pull it into focus.










Yes, its Filippi's Pizza Grotto in Little Italy. The name is similar to my L.A. fav, but the food is entirely different. It has all the ingredients to make a memorable experience - a long line through a narrow passage which surprisingly hasn't been cited by the fire department, racks of oddly packaged products direct from Italy, the smell of anchovies and fresh cut parmesan cheese, confusing and dank eating areas, wine bottles wrapped in wicker hanging from the ceiling, waitresses too busy to care, and large portions of simple but tasty Italian food.
http://www.realcheesepizza.com/










Have you ever met anyone who didn't like Karen Krasne's Extraordinary Desserts? This quaint little shop has the permanent smell of chocolate and coffee. You'll get type II diabetes just by looking at the many desserts on display. Extraordinary Desserts is best enjoyed late at night after a play. Head to Hillcrest for the quaint cottage or go to the stark and modern sister shop which serves a lunch and dinner menu. Try the Surfing Goat Ping Pong Cheese Chutney Bruschetta with Maui mango chutney. Yeah, that's a real item and its reeeaaaal good.
http://www.extraordinarydesserts.com/

Nevermind the little boy in the bottom of the photo - focus on the cracker box in the background. Mexican Fiesta looks like a real dive, and it is. But the beef tacos are the unhealthiest and therefore the best tacos in San Diego. They really should be called salty lard bombs in a hardshell. Within 60 seconds they'll turn the brown bag transparent. Heather and I will buy two each and eat them by the wharf. The only problems with these tacos are 1) you can feel your heart struggle as you eat them, and 2) the smell of greasy-goodness stays with you all day.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/mexican-fiesta-san-diego

Can you still make out my image? Forgive my lack of depth of field but my Polaroid lens is a far cry from a professional SLR. I like El Indio. Its more "healthy" than Mexican Fiesta but that's like saying one hole in the head is better than two - there still both bad for you. The only place you'll find any frills at this restaurant are in the ornate sign and the umbrella'd picnic tables. Awkwardly stuck next to two busy streets and Highway 5, its a miracle anyone bothers to try and find a parking spot just to eat at this place. But the food is good, dependable Mexican food. Skip the lunch hour and wait for dusk. The orangy sky just makes the entire experience that much better.

http://www.el-indio.com/

Celadon. The exterior is certainly nothing to talk about, but the interior 's black & white/mod-baroque mix is very cool. Better yet, the bowl of red curry with shrimp is just plain good, good, good. I salivate just thinking about its milky, brothey, spicy mix of crunchy vegetables and jasmine rice.

http://www.celadonrestaurant.com/

Or you could just stay in and eat a bowl of Lucky Charms. The new hourglass shaped marshmallows not only taste great, but they allow you to control time. Don't believe me? Click below.

http://www.generalmills.com/corporate/brands/product_image.aspx?catID=69&itemID=756