Sigo Journeys-- Where to Next?

Say the French, 'See Paris and die!'
Make your home at La Jolla and Live, say I.
The San Diego Union
May 5, 1887

Fri, 12/7- We arrived in San Diego at 8:00 PM. The airport is surprising close to the city—about 3 miles! We headed towards downtown. We were staying at the W in the Gaslamp district. Such a hip hotel... they turned their lobby into a hip bar. They even have a bar on the second floor called Beach, adjacent to the pool, complete with sand floors.

Sat, 12/8- We decided to head north to spend the morning hiking at the Torrey Pines National Reserve. On the way to the reserve, we stopped in La Jolla for breakfast. The Cottage restaurant serves a famous French toast that is stuffed with strawberries and marscapone cheese. After such a hearty breakfast, we were looking forward to a long hike.
Torrey Pines National Reserve is only 15 minutes from San Diego and offers some of the most amazing views of the coast line. The trails were fairly short and we were able to hike several trails.

There were some amazing sand formations!

We decided to grab a light lunch at George’s Bar back in La Jolla. The bar sits on the coast and we enjoyed shrimp and fish tacos while enjoying the view. We spent the afternoon walking along the coast. There was a small beach where a flock? of seals resided.

La Jolla reminded me so much of Monterey, CA. I lived in Monterey for a couple of years and always wanted to return and live there some day. La Jolla, the Spanish term for "The Jewel," was beautiful in its own right; it was breathtaking.

On our travels we are always seeking a place for great steak. One of the “best” lists names Donovan’s as the base place in San Diego for steak. At the last minute, we found a Bradley Ogden restaurant and decided that we could have steak back in Texas! Arterra just completed one million dollars in renovations. The place was beautiful and included a sushi bar and an outdoor patio complete with couches and a fire pit. We had a beautiful salad that consisted of the freshest ingredients from a neighboring farm drizzled with a light vinaigrette. E had the Kurobuta pork sampler that consisted of crispy confit, homemade sausage, and roasted loin. I had the trout stuffed with chorizo and lobster. For dessert, we had the Valhona Chocolate Bouchon, that consisted of a brownie, Smores ice cream, and toasted marshmallows. The meal was wonderful!

Sun, Dec 9- We headed back to La Jolla to spend our last day. We had brunch at Brockton Villas, where they serve their world famous Coast Toast, similar to a soufflé (see recipe below). I had “steamed” scrambled eggs with chorizo. It was the best eggs I had ever eaten! We spent the rest of our hours walking around the town and along the coast. We had reservations to Ortega’s, a place that serves lobsters cooked Puerto Nuevo style. Puerto Nuevo-style lobster has been a phenomenon since 1956, when several women in the tiny fishing village south of Rosarito started dropping fresh lobsters into pots of bubbling oil and serving them to a few outsiders. We decided to forego Ortega’s and just enjoy La Jolla and it beautiful surroundings.

The U.S. Weather Bureau describes San Diego's weather as the most nearly perfect in America. The average year-round high temperature is 70ºF (21ºC). The yearly rainfall is light, averaging only 9.45 inches. To put this in perspective, Houston averages 50 inches of rainfall a year. I think we experienced 2 inches of rain during the time we were there. And it was rather chilly—a cool high 50s degrees; I had to buy a light sweater! Despite the “inclement” weather, we had a wonderful time. San Diego is a place that we would like to spend more time. Well, we need to come back to try Puerto Nuevo style lobster!

Brockton Villa's Coast Toast Recipe

1 loaf soft French bread (sliced)
1 qt. whipping cream
10 eggs
¾ cup orange juice
½ cup sugar
a pinch of salt
2 tbs. vanilla
2 tbs. orange flavoring

Combine liquid ingredients. Pour over bread slices. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour.

Remove bread and discard liquid. Spread butter on flat grill.

Cook bread until golden brown, then bake at 450° for 5 -7 minutes or until bread is puffed up like a soufflé. Dust with powdered sugar.

Serve immediately.

Serves 6