San Diego's Love Affair with the California Burrito

June 29, 2015Local Wally1 Comment

Carne asada burrito from Roberto's in San Diego.

The California Burrito is magic, a giant flour tortilla stuffed with carne asada, salsa, cheese, sour cream, and french fries. It's so simple yet so addicting and the ability to remove a hangover as well as fight hunger has been proven time and time again. The history is vague but most people believe that it was invented in the 1980's at Roberto's Taco Shop. Or maybe not. Maybe it was Jiliberto's. Or Rigibertos? Santana's? It doesn't matter, what matters is that if you are here in San Diego you need to try this burrito because nothing except the Fish Taco screams San Diego like a California Burrito.

Fast food faker California Burrito - is nothing sacred?

Don't fall for a fast food or chain Mex imposter! Look at the real California Burrito on top and pretend this is one of those puzzle games you played as a kid where you have to figure out what's different - Hmmmm, let's see, the fast food burrito seems to glow in the dark for one thing. The tortilla looks like it will have the texture of cardboard versus the chewy freshness of a real taco shop tortilla. And the guacamole looks - wait! THERE'S NO GUAC ON A CALIFORNIA BURRITO! GEEZ, IDIOTS! OK, some very credible taco shops do put guac on them but it's not on mine and if it was it's not supposed to be florescent green.

Bite into this California Burrito when you are in San Diego. See how moist and succulent the meat is?

Calm down everyone (I'm talking to myself). This is the California Burrito from Roberto's - perfectly cooked carne asada, a fresh tortilla that did not come from a factory, this is legit, the real deal. Get yourself to a taco shop, preferably one where English is the second language and see what I mean. The California Burrito was invented in San Diego and is right up there with the fish taco as our top culinary contribution to the world.

Local Wally

Kona Kai Resort Gets a Makeover

June 18, 2015Local Wally1 Comment

Hotels are like movie stars. Sometimes they need is a bit of a makeover as they get older. A couple of years ago the Kona Kai Resort was in desperate need of a refurbishing, a lovely resort in a gorgeous setting but looking just a little tired. Noble House came in and sunk more money into the refurbish than they spent on the entire resort and recently unveiled their new flagship restaurant, Vessel. Was it a success or is Kenny Rogers saying "I told you not to do it?" Let's see.

Sorry Kenny, this facelift is a winner! The Kona Kai Resort looks fresh and modern, the pool is now a tropical paradise and the bar is simply beautiful and lively with live music most nights. The rooms are also fresh and contemporary and the things we loved about the Kona Kai - the fire pits on the beach, the marina view on one side, Point Loma on the other - still remain but no longer overshadowing the resort itself. Total success!

That said, dining in even the best resorts is sometimes disappointing so when Kona Kai sunk their faith into Vessel and chef Roy Hendrickson you wondered if they bit off more than they could chew. But let's see how they did with their summer tasting menu.

Dinner at Kona Kai's Vessel Restaurant

48 Hour Pork Belly with plantain powder, sweet potato spaetzle, anise, bitter chocolate was melt in your mouth delicious and the presentation stunningly beautiful. I would marry it if I didn't eat it first, that's how much I loved it. This was paired with a nice Maui Brewing Co. Coconut Porter. Wait, you want to see the beer?

That's what I'm talking about. Kona Kai has a lot of great beer and cocktail offerings as well as a wonderful wine list so don't be shy, try them all.

So beautiful that I didn't want to eat it.  But I did. — So beautiful that I didn't want to eat it. But I did.

Next up was the Roasted Pear with borage flower, Cowgirl Creamery Smoked Bleu Cheese with a fine herb medley and a caramelized black pepper vinaigrette, paired with an Alesmith .394 Pale Ale. This one was so beautiful I didn't want to disturb it. Is it just me or does that look like a painting? Whoops, ate it all.

Wonderfully cooked albacore and a crazy jar of jam with crunchy corn on the bottom. Weird, but delicious.

That pear was going to be hard to beat but the Corn Dusted Albacore with Serrano custard, bacon powder and onion jam was a fine follow up. I'm sorry pear, I've loved you but already forgotten you once I took a bite of this albacore. It's not you, it's me. What was it paired with? Sorry, I totally lost track since I drank all the beer out of order by this point.

How do you not love this one?  A ribeye steak with foie gras butter? — How do you not love this one? A ribeye steak with foie gras butter?

I'm getting pretty full and then they have to put down a Dry Aged Ribeye topped with foie gras butter and a bordelaise cause, cooked perfectly and decadently indulgent. Now I know you're thinking "where are the frites?" because that's what I was thinking but look at this oddball side they brought.

Crazy idea that worked - popcorn with the steak.

That's right, popcorn to go with the steak! And not just any popcorn but a Blue Cheese popcorn that was so incredibly delicious that I hope they offer it as a side in the bar. Please listen to me, I want more popcorn! I really liked how the chef took a huge risk with this one and knocked it out of the park.

Perfectly cooked and seasoned Confit Game Hen.

As if this wasn't enough there was one more dish, a Confit Game Hen with anise scented couscous and roasted grapes. So. Full. Must. Lay. Down.

In the end it was an amazing meal and proof that Kona Kai Resort is back on the right path and quickly establishing itself as one of the top resort destinations in San Diego, thanks in a big way to Vessel Restaurant. Good job!

And here he is, Chef Roy Hendrickson. All I can say at this point is thank you for a great meal - I'll be back soon!

Local Wally

Come try Vessel Restaurant at the Kona Kai Resort and Spa for yourself and let me know how you liked it - 1551 Shelter Island Drive, San Diego, 619 221-8000.

Will Anthony's Fish Grotto Close?

June 14, 2015Local Wally1 Comment

Can it be true? The Port of San Diego is seriously thinking of kicking Anthony's Fish Grotto out of the location it's had for over 60 years claiming that they have been shoddy tenants? I don't know nothing about that but if Anthony's closes where will we go when we have an urge for our deep fried seafood? Locals sometimes mock Anthony's as a tourist trap but face it, the fried seafood there is iconic, maybe even epic, and no one fries fish and shrimp better than Anthony's. I will risk being banned from Yelp! and say that no other restaurant in San Diego does fried seafood better than Anthony's.

Sure, Anthony's is old fashioned and yes, the retro 70's feel is not part of a cool theme but the result of their "never ever remodel anything" policy. But that also goes for the food, which has bucked the trend to go fancy and modern and to stick with the basics and do them well. So what if the waitresses all look like they used to work at Woolworths? If you let them all get tattoos would that make Anthony's cooler? I vote for keeping Anthony's just the way it is. OK, they can shampoo the carpets but that's it!

So I hope it's not true because San Diego has a habit of tossing out the old before realizing that someday we will truly miss them. We have a lot of new restaurants with trendy food and hipster menus. Someday we're going to get tired of deconstructed molecular gastronomy and just want a plate of fried fish and chips and then where will we go if Anthony's is just a memory?

Fair Food To Remember (Or Not!)

May 31, 2015Local Wally1 Comment

THE FAIR IS COMING! HERE’S A RETRO ARTICLE FROM 2015 TO WHET YOUR APPETITE!

I'll admit it. I have been called a foodie, even a food snob. I just love food. It doesn't have to be expensive, it doesn't have to be weird, it just has to be good. And with that in mind I enter the San Diego Fair 2015, A Fair To Remember, to taste all the new things the fair has to offer this year.

The usual suspects are there. Tasti Chips, the ultimate just fried potato chip, still fresh and crispy. Australian Battered Potatoes, a tempura dipped potato slice dipped in nacho cheese sauce or ranch dressing, a decadent favorite. The excellent cinnamon rolls, the grilled corn on the cob booth, all there and all still serving up fair food that's comforting and doesn't disappoint. Stick with these old favorites and you don't leave with Midway Food Disappointment.

But you can't resist, can you? You have to try to newest, the weirdest, the fair food that everyone is talking about just so you can talk about it when you get back to the office. So let me guide you to the New Things to Eat at the San Diego Fair, 2015.

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Chicken Charlie Fries Again

Deep fried pickle with peanut butter inside

Chicken Charlies is an enigma to me. On one hand the produce one of the best things at the fair, the Maui Pineapple which is a full half pineapple stuffed with rice and teriyaki chicken, nearly restaurant quality. They make a decent chicken kebob with breast meat that is a solid healthy option.

And then they fry a Slimfast bar.

That's right, the shock food this year is a deep fried Slimfast bar that's surprisingly tasty, a bit like a deep fried brownie. That should be no real surprise as Slimfast tries to taste like real food so deep frying it makes it taste just like real fair food.

The Krispy Kreme burger returns in a triple decker and it's better than I remembered it from a couple of years ago when I gave it a huge thumbs down. I'm not sure why it was so bad before but so not bad now, but I sort of liked it. I'd eat it again. Maybe one more time.

But not the deep fried pickle stuffed with peanut butter, which was a disgusting mess and simply terrible. Some people seemed to really like it but I think it's more shock than anything. Think about it - do you normally put peanut butter on top of a dill pickle? Does that even sound good?

Bacon A Fair, Oh No, Seriously???

First let me start by saying I had high hopes for these 3 new items. Sigh. Bacon A Fair seriously strikes out three times in a row, first with the Wasabi Bomb which was a soggy, messy dough ball filled with wasabi sauce (cheese?) and wrapped in bacon. It sounds like it would work but the execution failed.

The chocolate covered pork rinds were just not pleasant, not tasty. Not bad, but nothing that makes you want more. Same with the Deep Fried Starbucks which was another soggy ball of dough with ground up coffee beans inside. Texturally it was just weird. I've read some Instagram posts from others who loved all three of these items but no one in my party liked these. Taste for yourself at your own risk!

From the Original Grilled Corn Booth

The guy on the left is the owner of the Original Corn Booth.  He's much bigger in person. — The guy on the left is the owner of the Original Corn Booth. He's much bigger in person.

Sweet Corn Ice Cream. Yes, it's ice cream that tastes like corn wrapped in a corn husk. Gimmick? Silly? Perhaps, but it's also one of the tastiest things at the fair this year. Foodies will agree, this is the sort of thing you would order at a cool hipster restaurant in North Park and gush all over. It's sophisticated, it's creamy, it's the sort of thing that you think wouldn't work but does. Big thumbs up!

Some people around me were less enthusiastic but you can't deep fry everything! Trust me, if you are a foodie you will love this ice cream. Find it at the original grilled corn booth, the one with the giant inflatable corn cob display.

Pinks Hotdogs from Hollywood

Pinks is the famous hotdog joint in Hollywood, the place where people stand in line for an hour to get a chili dog. I've done that, at midnight, so I was very happy to see them at the San Diego Fair. But can a hotdog compete with the crazy deep fried creations from the other food vendors?

Yes. In fact it kicks their butts. That's because Pinks uses ultra high quality dogs that pop when you bite them and tops them with creative, but quality, ingredients. The chili on the dog is so good you want a bowl of it and the sauerkraut and pastrami dog goes beyond the weird factor and into the wow. I know, getting a hot dog at the fair seems somewhat anticlimactic but not when it's a dog from Pinks.

Best Thing to Eat at the San Diego Fair, 2015 - The Gingerbread House

Just look for this guy.  You know this guy! — Just look for this guy. You know this guy!

What? A dessert wins for the Best Thing To Eat at the Fair, 2015? I don't even like desserts but this is twice in the past 5 years I've given Best of The Fair to the Gingerbread House. I had a delicious 7 layer S'More sundae, melted marshmallows with crispy graham crackers dusted on top, it was absolutely decadently delicious! It was simple, it was well executed, and the melted gooey marshmallow was a nice textural surprise. The Gingerbread House proves that you don't need a deep fryer to make great food at the fair.

I know it's not sexy like a deep fried sciracha pickle wrapped in bacon but in the end it's all about eating something that makes you smile, a treat that makes you want another bite, and that's exactly what the Gingerbread House does. You go ahead and order that deep fried whatever, you'll find me in my bliss spot at The Gingerbread House happily eating desserts.