No, You Can't Read My Poker Face.

Bonjour! I hope San Diego part 1 was satisfying to your soul, but if it left you wanting more, then more you shall receive. We really had such a blast in SD, and I was reminded that there are actually parts of the world where cool, arid temperatures reign, and hair does not fall victim to humidity and constant rainstorms (ahem, Houston). Nevertheless, aside from the incredible weather, we packed in a lot of adventuring during our short stay. 

Our group rented a quaint little beach house in Mission Beach. The morning after our steak smorgasbord, MainSqueeze and I ventured out for some breakfast and bicycling. I can honestly say this was one of my favorite days ever. 

We started out walking to breakfast at The Swell Cafe. I was craving something sweet, and MainSqueeze is a fan of Mexican style eggs, so he went the savory route. We sipped on delicious vanilla lattes as we waited on our food. I'm no stranger to a latte, and these were superb, I liked them a ....latte. (I had to. I just had to). 

#nomcity

#nomcity

Strawberry Banana waffle. Yes please. 

Strawberry Banana waffle. Yes please. 

Cali Scramble

Cali Scramble

Now that we had sufficiently re-fueled, we were ready to cycle. We rented some rad cruisers at a local shop and started our day. I haven't ridden on a fixed gear bike since fannypacks were in style, so I had a minor incident on the road which involved me not braking in time, jumping off the bike and darn near zooming into traffic. Phew. Crisis averted. 

Once I got the hang of it, we biked up the coast, all the way up to La Jolla. We stopped to look at the amazing views and walked down to some tide pools where I was delighted to see tiny little crabs scuttling around. 

amazing.

amazing.

La Jolla should maybe sometimes be called La Hilla, because those hills had our legs screaming on the bikes. We parked it in a little cove and ran into a local "brah" and asked if he had any recommendations on where to whet our whistles. We ended up ducking into a surf shack type spot and ordered some refreshing cocktails. 30 minutes later, we were playing poker. You just never know what to expect around us!

The luck of the draw...

The luck of the draw...

By this time, we had worked up an appetite, so we zoomed across the street to this amazingly awesome spot that also doubles as a catering company, The Promiscuous Fork. We split an appetizer of lamb lollipops and went on our merry way in search of our next adventure. 

We ended up at a beach side bar, dancing and then once again attempting the lift move from Dirty Dancing. It went really well, and ended in hilarity as I fell on the concrete and dissolved into peals of laughter. Needless to say, we had not a care in the world, and we were loving life. 

Our final days in SD were spent cycling, sunning, watching MainSqueeze and #Guau get housed by the waves and we threw in a couple more delectable nomz. 

Breakfast at The  Mission. 

Breakfast at The  Mission. 

I'll spare more "you had to be there" stories. But the following images will speak for themselves. We had a lovely girl's lunch at La Valencia Hotel while the boys golfed at Torrey Pines, sunset cocktails at George's at the Cove, and a splendid afternoon at Neptune Beach. 

Lobster Bisque at La Valencia

Lobster Bisque at La Valencia

Lunch at La Valencia...with a view!

Lunch at La Valencia...with a view!

Cocktails at George's on the Cove

Cocktails at George's on the Cove

Hamachi Sashimi at George's on the Cove

Hamachi Sashimi at George's on the Cove

Neptune Beach, La Jolla

Neptune Beach, La Jolla

And there you have it amigos. Our San Diego trip in a nutshell. We had a blast, everyone finished the race, we ate ourselves silly and had adventures I'll never forget. 

I actually almost went to college in San Diego but my instincts told me I'd flunk out, become a surfer queen and maybe not have a job. SO I went to Nashville. A decision I'll never ever ever regret! 

Next on TheSizzle, recipes, TV interviews, doggie bags and more! Happy Hump Day!


M is for anything but Mondays.

I love my job, but I love my weekends, so given the choice between fun adventures and being under fluorescent office lights....I'm going to have to pick the weekend gallivanting. Wouldn't you? 

Some weekend snippets/recommendations for your viewing/auditory/olfactory/tastebud pleasure:

VIEWING:

I made it out to Memorial Park on Saturday for a nice 3 mile run, and of course the 'ole ankle isn't up to snuff so it was more of like an injured antelope hobble. But I saw some beautiful Bluebonnets on the way, so that helped. 

Later on, I sunbathed like a desert lizard who hadn't seen the sun in months (oh wait, I haven't seen then sun in months) and ended up with an embarrassing raccoon tan. Beverage of choice: Red Stripe. It's a delicious beer that also tastes amazing with a lime. Highly recommend.

#totes

#totes

Auditory/Ear Snacks:

As I've aforementioned, I'm really into music. If you haven't started following my 'starred' list, please do so; I guarantee you'll like it. Even if it IS a work in progress. 

Here are my current obsessions:

The Wood Brothers- "I Got Loaded" just amazing. In fact, I love it so much here's a youtube vid of them. 

CLICK HERE to see the latest and greatest songs that I'm currently spinning constantly.

OLFACTORY:

Sunday night I made a trip to Central Market and bought some fresh gulf redfish (recipe coming soon!) and couldn't help but buy myself some lovely flowers. Sometimes it's just nice to be nice to yourself. I highly recommend it. If you're a dude...maybe this is like buying yourself a nice six pack? (though I do love that too....) Anywho, these smell phenomenal. Sorry you can't smell my screen.

Garden roses and stock from CM.

Garden roses and stock from CM.

TASTEBUDS/#NOMCITY:

Friday night I headed to one of my favorite gems in Houston, Giacomo's Cibo e Vino

Great menu selection (our friend gave up pasta & bread for Lent and was still totally able to find some delightful options) and their wine list is extensive and amazingly well priced. Amazingly. 

I ordered the torteli di bietola which is ravioli stuffed with Ricotta cheese, swiss chard and finished off with a sage butter sauce. I get the 1/2 order because that means there are no calories in it. You didn't know that? You're welcome.

My friend ordered the pasta bolognese and WHOA. Mind blown. It's probably the best bolognese I've had since I left Italy. I'm not kidding. Perfect perfect pasta, and sauce that was 1,000,000% on point. 

every.last.bite.

every.last.bite.

It's a perfect casual date spot/friend spot/just a great spot in general and when the weather finally decides to be stable, get out on that patio and feast. 

MORAL OF THE STORY/YOUR TO-DO LIST:

1.) Try Red Stripe lager. 

2.) Listen to cool tunes 

3.) Buy yourself something to say "hey, thanks self!"

4.) Go to Giacomo's 

As always, leave your comments/arguments/suggestions below! Can't wait to hear from y'all!