Boyfriend and I spent the Fourth of July weekend exploring San Diego, from Poway to Coronado Island and from the Gaslamp Quarter to Ocean Beach.  I knew from early on in the trip that we were going to kick back, have a killer time, and take advantage of opportunities for fun and excitement we could.

And what better way to start the weekend off than with some bubbly at breakfast?  Check out my wake-up call here at the Denver Chophouse at the Denver International Airport.  Not a bad way to start a weekend – or any day for that matter!

San Diego, Day 1 – Friday, July 2, 2010

Chris and I wandered around the Gaslamp District (the neighborhood in the city where we’re staying), and decided on this cute little Italian place called Asti Ristorante.  He had mimosas while I sipped on a Sauvignon Blanc, and enjoyed a cheesy Margherita pizza while I devoured a shrimp and artichoke fettuncini dish.

I’m playing with camera effects and photography apps on my iPhone.  All three photos were taken with my iPhone 3GS and edited with the effects in Camera Bag [iTunes link].  I used Helga for the food photos and Cinema for the restaurant sign.  I don’t think Helga’s the right effect for food, but I’m playing, so we’ll see what happens next time.

Today?  Fish Market!  Hopefully I’ll remember to grab a video of that.

The San Francisco Bay Area is a massive expanse, with not only diverse people, but diverse eats as well. It is a foodie’s dream locale; one will never run out of cool places to explore and new foods to try. If you are reading this blog, clearly you like to explore and eat; well, I am no exception. My name is Jeremy Orr and I came to the Bay Area at ten years old. I went to high school here and went to college just over the hill in Santa Cruz (go Slugs!). After a little travel in my first career, I have settled in the East Bay as a teacher. I have made friends all over the Bay, leading an active life, and in the process have come across some great dives, hidden gems, and eateries that are known by all, but are so good I have to rave about them anyway. If you live in the Bay Area, or are just here for a brief time, there are a few places that you have to try if you want to get a Bay Area food education.

My Home, My Heart, My East Bay

1. Zachary’s Pizza. I have been to Chicago. Their deep dish wasn’t as good as Zachary’s. It’s been voted best pizza in the Bay Area something ridiculous like ten years running. They are located in Berkeley, Oakland and San Ramon. For the true Zachary’s experience, you have to go to the Rockridge location in Oakland (it’s right on the Berkeley border). Get the “Stuffed” with your favorite toppings, you won’t be disappointed.
2. Fenton’s. You know the end of the movie “Up,” when they are sitting on the curb eating ice cream and counting the cars? Yea, that’s Fenton’s. Pixar’s nod to the famous creamery that is just around the corner from their offices. It’s right on Piedmont Ave in Oakland. You can go for dinner, they have a huge menu of all the classic diner food (I recommend the grilled cheese!) but don’t forget to leave room for dessert- the banana split is the perfect cap to a clear night up at the Chabot Space and Science Center Observatory after gazing at the stars with your beau.
3. Taco’s El Unico. Yes. You heard me. I am sending you to a taco truck. Best burrito in the East Bay. Not only are they tasty, they are big and cheap. Only problem: the ambiance of 98th Ave in downtown Oakland. DISCLAIMER- if you are female, do not go alone. They are parked in a lot with a car wash/mechanic two blocks east of San Leandro- perfect for picking up and taking to an A’s game, but not for the faint of heart.

We’re Going Down, We’re Going Tech, the South Bay

1. Trials Pub. Not a whole lot of room for dining and not a large menu, but if you are in downtown San Jose, you have to stop in at Trials. The sausage rolls are to die for. Decent curry, burger, and fish and chips round out the perfect pub menu. But, the real reason you go is the sausage rolls. Don’t cheat yourself. And of course, great atmosphere and beer selection.
2. Maggianos. Great Italian food located in Santana Row, an upscale outdoor shopping center. Always a wait for a table, but so worth it. Huge portions and super authentic. Take it from a guy who lived in Italy for a time before moving to the Bay. If that weren’t enough, right next door, Kara’s cupcakes. Perfek.
3. Google. Seriously. If you know someone that works for Google, be nice to them. They have cafeterias and restaurants all over their South Bay campuses and best of all, it’s free. Problem: you have to have a Googler (Goog? Googlator? A Google employee!) escort you. Thankfully I know two. Last time I met JB for lunch, I had the chef rolling me a burrito when she pointed out black pepper encrusted filet medallions topped with goat cheese. Then for dessert, ice cream sandwiches with the Google logo imprinted in the chocolate. I know.

Up and Around, Commuter Towns, the Peninsula

1. Fleming’s. A steak house with several locations, but the one I have been to several times is in Palo Alto. So if you are ever visiting Stanford (smarty pants) check out the “Beef Filetmington.” Yea, that’s right, an 8oz filet done like a beef wellington. Oh. My. Word. Who never thought of this!? Wrapping a steak in puff pastry?! What?! Yes, Please!
2. Mr. Pickle’s. Hands down my favorite sandwich shop in the entire world (and conveniently located for me to pick one up on my way to go sail out on the Bay). They use a pesto sauce on their turkey, bacon, cheddar (The Tom Turkey) that is killer. Pick up a Mr. Pickle’s t-shirt while you are there. They are classic and everyone will think you are a cool kid who is in the know.
3. Duarte’s. Ok, technically not the Peninsula, or even in the greater bay area, but so worth the drive, especially if you are an adventurous foodie. This restaurant is in Pescadero, 20 minutes south of Half Moon Bay. This town is a food anomaly! It’s one block long and has the best food in the world, I am not exaggerating. Norm’s market makes fresh artichoke bread that you will slap your mama for. Yea. Duarte’s is the real draw though; primarily a seafood restaurant but they have something for everyone. What you must get is the soup. My friends all call it “THE SOUP.” They make a cream of green chile or a cream of artichoke soup; get it mixed together- called the half and half. Ah-mazing. Served with a basket of warm, homemade bread. Stop at the beach a mile away and make a day of it.

The City.

1. Taylor’s. If you are on the Embarcadero, make sure to stop in. Located in the ferry building- Pier One at Embarcadero and Market- Taylor’s always has good beer on tap, great burgers, and monstrous onion rings. Sitting outside on a sunny day is essential, as the location of Taylor’s makes for great people watching.
2. Cha Cha Cha. A fantastic tapas restaurant, with a full bar and great vibe. Jerk chicken, platanos, and of course a big pitcher of Sangria are musts, but go with a group so you can sample it all! It’s right on Mission in “the Mission” (caution! Hipster crossing!). It can be super crowded and hard to move, but that’s why you go there and a sign of how good it is. Great service too: the Maitre D’ took such good care of us the last time we were there.
3. That Takes the Cake. What? Cupcakes aren’t just for girls! I’m a man and I love cupcakes! And being that I do, I am going to make a bold statement…best cupcakes in the Bay. So freaking good. Plus, on Saturday nights, they do cocktails from 7-9. The cupcakes have liquor in them! It’s on Union St. in the Marina. I recommend the double trouble. It’s got a rolo on top.

I could go on, especially in the city- like if you are at a Giants game, SBC pizza is the place to be for cheap slices and large pre-game beers- I love living here. The weather is wonderful, the people are pleasant, and the food, the food is fantastic.

If you are ever in the Bay Area and would like some private tutoring, Mr. Orr is available. FYI, I drink on the job.

I left out one of the most crucial details of my second LA trip, not because I forgot about it or didn’t like it, just because I didn’t want to post this without the proper photo.

Oh trust me, it’s worth it.

What I failed to mention was this crazy phenomenon LA kids know of as “Taco Truck.”

Yes, TRUCK.

Apparently there are these various TRUCKS that show up at specific locations around the city after [bar] hours and serve up some delicious Mexican fare to the drunk and hungry masses.  Nico made sure I didn’t miss out on this during my visit last month, god bless him.

We’d spent the previous couple of hours at a bar in Nico’s neighborhood (Shooters?  Sneakers?  Help me out here, Nico) after I’d landed at LAX and by the time we left the bar, I was HUNGRY.

Enter: taco truck.

Patrons order at that little window and we waited probably 10 minutes or so from the time we put in our order until the time we were sitting on the median in the middle of the four-lane road, enjoying our little taco truck picnic.

I had chicken tacos and a cheese quesadilla and yes, my taste buds were totally blown away.  It was the perfect amount of carbs and cheese for this weary little nomad, and a phenomenon certainly worth NOT missing.

Thanks, Nico!

I was fortunate enough to get to the LA area not only twice this summer, but over back-to-back weekends.

I spent a Friday night at the start of August catching up with one of my best girlfriends. Nicole lives (I use that term loosely in that at the time this is being written, she is currently packing up and prepping to move out) in an LA suburb, and we wanted a night to catch up on all the ridiculousness that had transpired in our lives over the summer so far.  So I abused the flight benefits I have access to and headed out to her place for the night.

SLEEPOVER WIN.

The second weekend, I randomly decided to join a new friend – a blog friend – as his plus one to a wedding of a friend of his. Both weekends were fabulous, and of course, included delicious dining that will be highlighted below.

Weekend One -
We did dinner in Malibu on Friday night (I just love saying that. Doesn’t dinner in Malibu just roll off your tongue a little? No? Just mine? Ok FINE.) at a place on the beach called the Paradise Cove Beach Cafe.

We had giant margaritas and I enjoyed the seafood tacos (two fish, one shrimp) that were HUGE and delicious and spicy and nearly perfect.

The setting of the Beach Cafe was great, in that it was – naturally – on the beach.  I’m not accustomed to ocean outside my windows so I basically just sat and stared off in daydreamland while we ate.

On Saturday morning, Nicole took me BACK to this bagel shop – East Coast Bagel – we’d stopped in prior to our Vegas trip back in June. As you can infer from the name, they’re all East-Coast-style and stuff… not sure what that means exactly except for two things:

• they are fucking DELICIOUS
• they actually make chocolate and/or chocolate chip bagels, which I haven’t found elsewhere YET. So when I get chocolate chip bagels, toasted with peanut butter and the peanut butter gets all warm and amazing because the bagel was just toasted… my heart does a little song-and-dance routine that not many other food combos can elicit.

(Rachel promises me that their available on the East Coast and when she comes in from Jersey this weekend, I’m getting a suitcase full. What a great friend )

Weekend Two -

I joined Nico out in the Hollywood Hills area the following weekend as his plus one for his friends’ wedding. It was kind of fun to tell people I was from the Internet (and since Nico and I met because of 20-Something Bloggers, that’s what we told people), until we realized that the people seated with us at our table – Nico’s friends – were also major social media nerds so that wasn’t as impressive as we thought it’d be. Anyway, Nico writes a lovely recap of the event here (and says some sweetheart things about me). But let me talk about the food at two different places.

Breakfast.  We did breakfast at what apparently is a famous little eatery.  And by famous I mean it was in the movie Reservoir Dogs, or so I’m told (I actually haven’t ever seen that movie, whoops!).

We enjoyed multiple cups of coffee at Pat and Lorraine’s in (on?) Eagle Rock.  I had classic French toast that was the perfect amount of comfort breakfast food to start the day.  It was a really cute, diner-ish place with a great patio and friendly staff.  Seems like the kind of place that the locals frequent and that certainly has it’s “regulars.”

Then, after a few hours of tooling around Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and other nifty little neighborhoods, we did a late lunch at The Alcove.  It’s a gorgeous little bistro/deli place in the Los Feliz neighborhood of the LA area.  We sat outside, drank mimosas, and I ate the most ridiculously amazing crab cake sandwich in the history of crab cake sandwiches.

Here’s what they say about it on their menu:

crab cake sandwich
maryland style crab cake made from sweet blue crab meat on a caramelized onion bun, caramelized bermuda onions, wild arugula, tomato and chipotle aioli on the side

Don’t even tell me you’re not salivating.  That aioli?  AMAZING.  And you really can’t go wrong with arugula; it’s one of my favorite greens of all the greens.

So, mid-afternoon outdoor lunch plus good company plus champagne plus crab?

Le swooooon.