Palmy's

The moment we walked up to Palmy's in Pacific Beach, I was smitten. 

I was also surprised: I wasn't sure where we were going to sit. I definitely wasn't expecting to battle a Sunday brunch crowd on a Monday morning. And yet almost every seat in the expansive outside seating area was taken. 

It was easy to see why: the breezy coastal decor, dappled light and beautiful people gave off the very definition of "good vibes." 

But mostly I was surprised I had never heard of what obviously had to be a PB institution before, especially given the steady hum of influencer-type patrons buzzing in and out. 

As it turns out, the thing is... they've only been open less than a month. 

Saying YAS to the Dress

With less than 6 months until our wedding now, planning is finally in full swing! And I could not be more excited.

Back in January I was tearing through wedding checklists like a maniac. But I quickly realized that this is the only time I get to do this. And I want this planning process to be fun and memorable and stress-free too (or at least as stress-free as it can be for a stress addict like me). I want to indulge in it a bit!

So when it came to shopping for The Dress, I decided to make a weekend out of it. Shanna, Makena, Bonnie and I headed up to Venice Beach the weekend after my birthday with a cute AirBnB booked and two dress appointments: one at Dreamers and Lovers in Torrance and the other at my bridal mecca, Grace Loves Lace.

Miss B's Coconut Club

A couple of Fridays ago I finally visited a restaurant that's been on my list for a while now: Miss B's Coconut Club in Mission Beach. I am a total sucker for all things tropical- and island-themed and Miss B's is famous for its Island vibes. Vibes which were so necessary on the dreary, blustery Friday that my friend Makena and I headed in for some tiki-inspired cocktails.

That's right, San Diego gets March weather too! It may not be three back-to-back nor'easters, but a damp, gray, windy Friday afternoon is still just as much of a bummer.

Which is why we needed tropical atmosphere, comfort food, and giant skulls full of tequila, mezcal, pomegranate and cinnamon to distract us from the weather.

Three Cheers, Three Cocktails: A Toast To Her

Strong women... may we know them, may we be them, may we drink with them.

That's how the saying goes right? ;)

This past Sunday I had a chance to do just that and share drinks with a bunch of strong and wonderful women at a Galentine's brunch event hosted at one of my absolute favorite restaurants, CUCINA enoteca.

The event, which was to celebrate women we love with toasts in their honor, featured three delicious cocktails crafted by one of CUCINA enoteca's mixologists, Korie Rogers, featuring Pomp & Whimsy gin liqueur.

And honestly? These drinks were so delicious that it would be criminal not to share them with the world. Which is why I was super pumped today when the generous teams at CUCINA enoteca and Pomp & Whimsy let me know they were cool with me publishing the recipes.

So break out your jiggers, grab your gals and raise a glass filled with one of these amazing cocktails!

Jake & Eggs

If you've been on the hunt for the perfect biscuits and gravy in San Diego, I have good news for you: I found them.

Jake & Eggs, a pop-up breakfast spot that takes over Ocean Beach's Sundara restaurant Wed-Sun from 8-2pm, has been on my to-do list all summer. When I woke up starving last Saturday morning with no plans, I decided it was time to #treatyoself to a nice breakfast.

There was a 15 minute wait when I arrived, but they text you when your table is ready, which is nice. It gave me time to wander around in Olive Tree Market and score some of my favorite Jackie's Jams.

Once I was seated and it was time to order, I was overwhelmed by how tasty everything sounded and looked. It is really hard to not order everything.

I ended up with some Dark Horse Cold Brew, Jake's Lemonade Sangria (SO GOOD!), a side of biscuits and gravy (SO GOOD!), and their Sweet Potato Hash with avocado subbed for eggs.  Their biscuits and gravy were honestly the best biscuits and gravy I've ever had in my life. The gravy is this fluffy, airy sausage and thyme gravy that is just like getting a warm hug from your food. I don't know how else to explain it.

Next time you find yourself in OB for breakfast, remember this little gem of a secret breakfast spot. I promise you won't be disappointed!

Jake & Eggs
(inside Sundara Indian Cuisine)
(619) 419-1207
1774 Sunset Cliffs Blvd
San Diego, CA 92107

I Love LA: 100 Things To Do In Los Angeles

This is how you know I wasn't born in San Diego: I love LA.

Every time I admit this to a true San Diegan, their response is usually a variation of "Ugh, why???" Which I totally understand because after growing up outside of Manhattan and having lived there for two years, I have the same response when people tell me they heart New York City.

But I really can't help it: I love Los Angeles. I fell in love with that city the moment I got off the plane at LAX. And while I know now that I would never want to live there, it does make for a pretty nice weekend getaway. Which is why for the past two years I've planned at least one weekend per year up there when I tackle a new bunch of items on my LA Bucket List.

This year I thought I'd sit down and actually write that list so that it no longer exists solely in my head. Partly to have a fun way to keep track of my adventures as I complete them and partly to get suggestions from Angelenos on what I'm missing.

Though I don't think I missed much. After all, I did manage to come up with 100 things to check off my list...

Brunch at La Jolla's Catania

If you follow San Diego's food scene at all, you don't have much of an excuse for not knowing about Catania, the latest concept opened by WhisknLadle's hospitality group. For the past 8 months it has attracted rave reviews praising everything from its food to its craft cocktails to its prime sunset-viewing location on the top floor of the La Plaza La Jolla. 

Its primary focus? Italian coastal cuisine. And now? Brunch. 

About three months ago, Catania started serving brunch every Saturday and Sunday from 10am-3pm, offering gorgeous views of the Pacific as you sip your mimosas. And about three weeks ago, they invited local food writers and bloggers (that's me!!) to check out the new menu. 

Tent Camping in Big Sur

Big Sur is a pretty special place. 

When we first went to Big Sur for a wedding in 2012, I was in awe the entire time. Dramatic cliff sides, giant redwoods, turquoise waters, dappled light, and purple sand. Every vista was breathtaking, every moment was special. And ever since then I've been wanting to go back. 

Not willing to let another year go by, I added a tent camping trip to my 30 Before 30 list, hoping that would help me make a trip back to Big Sur a priority. And it did. A few months after I made that list I suggested to Ryan that we celebrate our four year dating anniversary up there with the dogs and a couple of weeks ago we bought a tent, packed the car, and headed out on the 8 hour drive from San Diego to Big Sur. 

Restaurant Review: Kitchen 4140, Clairemont

Brunch saves lives relationships.

Seriously. I mean, relationships are about compromise and what is brunch if not the definition of compromise? Thanks to brunch, all the people out there like me who prefer a blissfully savory lunch can peacefully coexist with their egg-loving, bacon-craving, breakfast-eating better halves!

The only trouble with such a perfect meal is finding a restaurant that does it justice, both in food quality and in atmosphere. Because let's be honest: brunch demands atmosphere. It is meant to be eaten outside, surrounded by leafy greens and sunshine. Lucky for us San Diegans, Kitchen 4140 in Clairemont meets both these requirements with their adorable garden patio and delicious menu created by Chef Kurt Metzger.

Restaurant Review: barleymash, Gaslamp

Real talk: picking out a great restaurant for dinner in the Gaslamp is probably as overwhelming for San Diegans as it is for visitors. Most of the time I can barely pick out a place when I need to for myself, let alone make recommendations. And it definitely doesn't help that restaurants downtown sometimes seem to disappear overnight.

This was exactly the predicament one of my best friends, Bonnie, and I found ourselves in a couple of weeks ago, when we were looking for a dinner spot before having a Scandal night back at Bonnie's place. Then we were invited to try out barleymash's menu... problem solved!

I was familiar with barleymash because, how could you miss it? I've walked and driven past its prime corner location on 5th and Market a billion times. Still, I'd never eaten there because while it had always seemed like a fun spot to drink, honestly I just expected the food to be your typical semi-decent barfare, similar to the other large, corner bars on 4th and 5th Ave.

Which is a shame, because I was completely wrong.

Road Trip Diaries Part III: Ring My Maroon Bells

The view from inside our pashmina-curtained car camping set up

During the last week in August, Ryan and I dropped the dogs off at boarding, packed up the Versa and embarked on a 5-day road trip through the southwest. Thousands of miles and 35 hours of driving took us through 5 states: California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado and Arizona. In Part III, we are waking up in Aspen after a long day of driving through Utah.

When Ryan and I told people we were car camping for the wedding we were attending in Aspen, we got a lot of looks. Looks that said it maybe wasn't the best plan. And that might have scared me off the idea.

That is, if we hadn't done it before.

Similarly, the last time we road tripped to a wedding, we decided to camp. During that trip, to Big Sur in 2012, we also arrived at our campsite in the middle of the night, in pitch black darkness. So this time, just like before, we had absolutely no idea what we were going to be waking up to.

Restaurant Review: Cafe Cantata, Del Mar

For the past six months, it's been hard to leave work at lunch time. There's construction going on in our office park, so if you leave at any point during the day, you're basically kissing your parking spot goodbye. But when I was invited to check out Cafe Cantata, a gorgeous little coffee shop and eatery in Del Mar at the Flower Hill Promenade, I decided it was worth the risk.

Not that I ended up having to worry: my friend Diane and I had been trying to find time to get lunch together and when I asked her if she'd like to try Cafe Cantata with me, she offered to drive. As we walked up to the comfy little shop, I immediately fell in love with the space. 

This is the perfect coffee shop to work in...

Road Trip Diaries Part I: Famous Last Words

During the last week in August, Ryan and I dropped the dogs off at boarding, packed up the Versa and embarked on a 5-day road trip through the southwest. Thousands of miles and 35 hours of driving took us through 5 states: California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado and Arizona. And it all started in good 'ol San Diego.

Back at the beginning of the summer, I found out some very exciting news: my cousin Brett was getting married to his long-term boyfriend Massimo over Labor Day weekend. And the best part? For once a family wedding was closer to me than it was to the east coast! #itsallaboutme 

I was so excited not only to celebrate Brett and Mass and their beautiful future, but also to spend time with family I hadn't seen in a while. Even better yet? My dad (who hardly ever lets himself take vacations) was going too. Needless to say, I enthusiastically RSVPed "Yes!" 

Then I looked at flights to Aspen and lodging options. 

Did you know that Aspen is an incredibly expensive place? I didn't. Flights were like $700pp round trip and hotels were starting at $200/night. Even AirBnB was expensive there. Then it hit me: this was a perfect excuse to take a road trip. We booked the last camp site in Aspen, figured out our route and started to get excited about our long weekend on the open road. 

The day that we left, I got a ride to work from my coworker and had Ryan pick me up at the office after a half day of work. Which, I might add, I spent downloading music and stand-up comedy to my iPad, because you know... we had 35 hours of driving time ahead of us. Ryan got there, we said adios to my coworkers and headed out to the car. 

That's when it happened. 

Restaurant Review: Fig Tree Cafe, Liberty Station

In the midst of all the insanity that's been going on this week between Coachella, starting a new job at my old job (more on that later!) and our friends' wedding in LA, apparently I had my 28th birthday.

Maybe it's a sign of my age now that I've officially entered my late 20s, but I was thoroughly exhausted at the thought of doing anything for my birthday except a nice, lowkey dinner with Ryan. And when he asked me where I wanted to go to eat and celebrate, the first place that popped into my head was the new Fig Tree Cafe in Liberty Station.

I had one of the best meals of my life (a filet mignon on the specials menu) at their Hillcrest location a long time ago and since then, every time I've eaten there, it's been amazing. The food is always just what I'm craving, the atmosphere is just the right mix of casual and special, and the service is quite possibly the best in town. And lucky for me, upon arriving at the new Liberty Station location, we found out that our favorite server, Letizia, was working and we were in her section for the night.

Two things immediately stood out to me about their new space: the parking, which is plentiful in Liberty Station and not so much in Hillcrest, and the festively lit garden patio which is going to be PERFECT for girls nights this summer.

After coming off the Fast Metabolism Diet and then eating like crap at Coachella, I had really been trying hard all week to be good about no cheese or sweets and having small portion sizes, but I completely threw that out the window the second I looked at their mouthwatering menu.

We started off with two appetizers, their baked meatballs and their insane cheeseboard. I mean, insane. It came with two Yorkshire cheeses, one mixed with apricot and another mixed with cranberry, a goat cheese rimmed with cranberry jam that was to die for, some Manchego cheese which I gobbled up before Ryan even knew what happened, and Brie. It also had two types of bread, some mustard, some jam, figs, raisins, and strawberries as toppings. This board is a thing of beauty.

That's not to shortchange the baked meatballs on praise. They were served with fresh Parmesan cheese on a bed of spicy tomato chutney, which was ever-so-slightly too spicy for me. Ryan, however was unfazed by the heat. Regardless, both he and I had to close our eyes with each bite in appreciation of their savory goodness.

For entrees, I decided to go with the Jidori Chicken in Sauvignon Blanc sauce with fingerling potatoes and garlic green beans. Meanwhile, Ryan went with their special for the night which was porkchops with a baked apple Cabernet Sauvignon glaze over it. I mean, their menu is fantastic, but their specials are consistently on point. Like I said, one of the best meals I've ever had in my life was from one of their special menus. That's what makes coming back here so frequently worth it!

We washed all of this down with a bottle of the Canyon Road Pinot Noir. Letizia suggested this would be the perfect pairing with both of our respective wine sauces and she could not have been more right.

Stuffed and happy, I didn't think I'd have room for dessert but I figured, it was my birthday after all. So we split their specialty, a fig bread pudding with vanilla ice cream. Happy birthday to me!

Fig Tree Cafe - Liberty Station
2400 Historic Decatur Road
Suite 103 (Next to Tender Greens and Luna Grill)
San Diego, California 92106
Phone: (619) 821-2044

Wonderland Ocean Pub in Ocean Beach, San Diego

If you're looking for a new place to go out tonight in San Diego or hit up for brunch tomorrow morning ($10 bottles of champy!), look no further than Wonderland Ocean Pub in Ocean Beach. With open air views that overlook the pier and the ocean, two large rooms featuring two bars, a pool table and a performance space, and ocean-themed decor, this spot is sure to blow up in the coming months.

We headed there for drinks last week after a late dinner and had a great time. I sipped their vodka mule, which they call a Street Fair Donkey, while listening to live music, watching the ocean, and enjoying a good conversation with Ryan and our favorite Ocean Beach resident, Ian. This space has so much potential and seems like the perfect place to catch football on Sunday.

Wonderland Ocean Pub
(619) 255-3358
5083 Santa Monica Ave
(between Bacon St & Abbott St)
San Diego, CA 92107

Restaurant Review: Studio Diner, San Diego, CA

Back on the east coast, you couldn't drive 5 miles without running into a diner. Diners were always open 24/7 and the first place you went after a soccer tournament, after prom, after the bar closed, and after you woke up with an unbearable hangover. We love our diners in Connecticut.

Out here in San Diego, before this weekend I'd been to exactly one diner in the past 3 years and it's an overpriced dive in Hillcrest with terrible food. I'd more or less given up on ever eating good or even so-bad-it's-good diner food  again until I heard about Studio Diner in the Kearny Mesa neighborhood of San Diego.

Studio Diner is right next to the only working film studio in San Diego. Veronica Mars is probably the most notable thing that was filmed there, but still it's pretty neat. The diner was built as a 24/7 stop so that the studio workers could have a place to eat into the wee hours of filming. Inside it's a kitschy, 40's movie-themed diner with film strips lining the plates and film reels used as condiment holders. There's old cameras hanging above the tables and a LOT of chrome.

Ever since I learned about it I had been meaning to go there for breakfast, but Kearny Mesa is at least a 15 minute drive from my house and so not a convenient place to go for food in general. But this past Saturday, I was headed to the area for another reason (to buy a new car!) and decided to finally get breakfast there beforehand. I sidled up to the counter to avoid the wait for a table (Comic Con is in town, hence the message on the marquee) and my friends Bonnie and Jason met me there shortly after.

The food was perfection. Greasy, buttery goodness that is just what you need when you go to a diner. I ordered the Cinnamon Swirl Studio Toast (which is their French toast), a side of bacon, and after, the best Chili Cheese Fries I've ever had.

I wish it wasn't so out of the way because this is where I'd want to get dinner with friends after the bar (like the East Coast diner fiend that I am). I definitely want to go back and try some of their sandwiches and items from the dinner menu like their Chicken Pot Pie. This is a San Diego hidden gem! Totally worth the hike for good food and service with a side of kitsch.

Restaurant Review: Beachgrass Cafe, Encinitas, CA

Now that we're only 5 months away from the 3-Day 60 Mile Susan G. Komen walk here in San Diego, our Team Tit for Tat captain thought it would be a good idea to get together for brunch and start discussing training and fundraising. Picking a brunch place that was equidistant to all of us was difficult, but Marisa found a restaurant in Encinitas with great reviews: Beachgrass Cafe.

Usually I'm not a fan of sweet things for breakfast, so I was leaning towards Scramble #3 which has asparagus, green onions, red & green peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, feta and avocado. AKA, all of my favorite things (except avocado, not such a fan, probably an east coast thing). But then I saw their Oatmeal Pancakes with roasted pears and marshmallow cream on top and I was sold.

A full size of the oatmeal pancakes, a side of crispy bacon, and two (large) grapefruit mimosas later, I'd had one of the best brunches ever. But it got even better when we learned that the restaurant had just tweeted the link to our Team Tit for Tat fundraising page in support! Nothing beats a restaurant with good food and drinks that actually cares about its customers. Thanks for having us, Beachgrass Cafe!

My lovely coworkers / half of our 3 Day team!