La Sierra Cafe - National City

This next restaurant is a local spot I have been going to since I was in the womb. La Sierra Cafe located in National City is where my family likes to go to on a Saturday or Sunday morning for the best menudo in town. It's been family owned since it opened in 1981 and most of the servers have been there since I was a little girl. I love that I now can take my own family and I hope the tradition continues with my boys. I only have had two dishes on the menu because I can't get enough of them. 

The menudo, always fresh not fatty (unless you request the pata of course) and the beef tacos. The best menudo and the best beef taco in my book! Incase you are wondering what menudo is it's.....don't get scared....beef stomach (tripe) and hominy. If your looking to try it for the first time I would absolutely recommend coming here! I love to top the menudo with fresh onion, cilantro, lemon, sprinkled with crushed oregano and crushed red chili peppers accompanied by a rolled up corn tortilla. The taco is crispy and full of flavor fried to order with lettuce, tomato and finally topped with creamy shredded jack cheese. I love to eat this over my menudo bowl, the bits and pieces that fall into the bowl are my favorite. 

Beware, if you do go on Saturday or Sunday morning there will be a line out the door which is always a good sign. Another awesome thing about La Sierra Cafe is that they allow you to bring in your own pot for takeout. My parents would often bring a pot home and we would eat menudo in our pajamas. I hope this post urges you to take a visit soon whether it's to taste the menudo or cure your hangover. ;)

Sushi Ota - San Diego

I cannot believe it has been months since my last post but I guess being pregnant is not the best time to be reviewing food. My palate is just not the same right now, one minute I can’t stand the smell of bacon being cooked and the next, well I’m craving it wrapped around a hot dog. So today I decided to write a review on my very last sushi experience before finding out I was pregnant.

One afternoon my husband and I were in Pacific Beach here in San Diego at the Ford dealership. We decided to take a break from the stress of car shopping and get a bite to eat. Lucky for us I already had Sushi Ota in mind for lunch since we were literally across the street. Everyone I have talked to has nothing but good things to say about this spot and so do I. The only negative is location; if I was driving around looking for a sushi restaurant I absolutely would have avoided Sushi Ota just for the fact that it’s connected to 711. Other than that the food is phenomenal, fresh and full of flavor. My favorite roll had to be the Diego Roll its a spicy tuna roll topped with a cupful of chopped serrano’s oh so ahhh-mazing! I can honestly say their spicy tuna is the best I have had in San Diego. I hope if you are in the San Diego area you stop by Sushi Ota it’s by far in my top 3 San Diego Sushi Restaurants. Below are pictures of the Diego Roll with a Spicy Tuna Roll, Salmon Crunch Roll and the Terryaki Chicken plate.

TJ Oyster Bar - San Diego

I was told by a couple friends that TJ Oyster bar should be on my list of spots to eat at in Chula Vista, Bonita to be exact. If you go before the lunch rush you might miss the line out the door and be lucky enough to get a seat. This place is pretty small but I find most places like these have the best food. If you’re in the mood for some unique tacos this is the spot. For starters some Canadian oysters, I have had an oyster or two in my day and as soon as that oyster hit my mouth I knew it was the best oyster I have ever tasted! We haven’t had the pleasure of tasting an octopus tostada so we decided to order one. The octopus was fresh and not chewy which was exciting. The sauce they used to top it off was sweet so I made sure to add a lot of Tapatio and limeJ. Next was a Shrimp Ceviche Tostada, It was nothing extraordinary but simple and tasty.We make these a lot at home and I love them. The Fish tacos are always $1 each. Jorge ate his in one bite. Crispy texture and the crema sauce was great but I still prefer Brigantine's fish tacos over any, So far. These next two tacos I was really excited to taste. The Sting Ray taco aka Manta Tacos looks like shredded beef but has this unique flavor to it; I could eat a few of these. The couple sitting next to us said they travel once a week from Orange County and the Smoked Tuna was there taco of choice. If you enjoy smoked fish this is something to try. I can’t even describe the flavors but it’s amazing!!! I noticed when the chefs were preparing this and a few other items; they used Maggie which is a Mexican style soy sauce. There are so many more food options but these were just a few I wanted to share. One thing I did not get to try was the Aguachile. Probably one of my favorite dishes my husband makes, it's shrimp, onion and cucumber drenched in this lime Serrano sauce, we will be getting that on our next visit. I most definitely recommend TJ Oyster bar for a flavorful Mexican seafood lunch.

Romesco Baja Med Bistro - San Diego

Romesco is another one of those Bonita restaurants I have been dying to try. I always get a coupon in the mail and one night we decided to finally go. This Bistro is chic with a French ambiance. The chef is using a Mediterranean method of cooking with lots of Mexican flavors. The service is wonderful in the dining area but I have sat in the bar and it was happy hour, full of people and terrible service so I guess it just depends on the night. They have specials going on each night of the week, Tuesdays are half off Tapas, Wednesday they have half off wine bottles and a live Italian accordion player, the last Saturday of the month they even have live flamenco dancing. A couple of my friends suggested the tamarind martini, it was mouth-watering the chili rim was my favorite, they also have a great wine selection with Mexican wines. The menu has lots of Tapas to choose from and one I could not wait to try was the Pulpo Asado a las Brasas which is grilled octopus in olive oil. It was my favorite dish of the evening, simple delicate and delicious. Best octopus dish hands down; I’m drooling just thinking about it. The seared Yellow fin Tuna with ponzu and jalapenos had amazing Asian flavors and was so fresh. The Beef Filet Mignon Carpaccio had shaved Parmesan, fried capers (which were my FAVORITE), extra virgin olive oil and arugula. Beef Carpaccio is a favorite dish of mine but unfortunately as we put our fork into it the fillet disintegrated into the olive oil. It was weird. Alright you fondue lovers next we had the Fonduta Con Chorizo, melted Havarti and Mozzarella cheese with Spanish Chorizo, Onion, Garlic, Paprika and White Wine. It was divine I must say. For an entrée the Tacos de Cachete De Res caught my attention, Beef Cheek Tacos with Cilantro Chopped Onion and Fresh Salsa. It was very flavorful and don’t worry, beef cheeks don’t taste to different they are just very tender. This was quite a big portion and the tortillas were so good! There award winning Paella was next, pretty much everything but the kitchen sink was in this. Over a bed of Spanish rice was Shrimp, Clams, Mussels, Calamari, Chicken, Pork Short Rib and of course some Spanish Chorizo. We loved it and it is most definitely enough for two or even three people. At the end of the night everything was amazing and there were about 20 other menu items I cannot wait to try. Hope you enjoy!

El Take It Easy Pop-Up - Chef Diego Hernandez - San Diego

Last month Jorge and I were excited to spend the evening with good company, food and wine. If it weren't for our friends Kristin and Antonio of lifeandfoodblog.com we would never have known about this event. Located in North Park on 30th street you will find El Take It Easy, which is a Mexican wine country cuisine Restaurant. They have been doing a pop-up Baja Chef series and tonight it was Chef Diego Hernandez from Restaurant Corazon De Tierra in the Valle De Guadalupe which is in the center of the Mexican wine country. From what I hear it is an amazing place and we cannot wait to visit. We started off with a complimentary Michilada. If I am drinking beer there is always clamato in it. First up the palette cleanser, Amuse/ Seafood shot/ Sparkling Clamato/ Beer Foam. It had octopus and clam and we really enjoyed this shot! First course was Corozon de Tierra Garden Salad / Fennel Root / Fennel Bulb/ Turnip / Broccoli / Purple Cauliflower. He added Sunflower petals to the dish and crushed Chicharrones to top it off. This dish definitely gave me inspiration to use Chicharrones in my food for a flavorful crunch. Second course was Chocolate Clam Soup / Smoked Bread & Basil / Pork Belly. Well, The best thing me and Jorge agreed on was the bread. Pork belly was delish but I would have liked it a little crispy. The soup itself was way to strong in flavor for my taste but I know others enjoyed it. Third course, Local Black Cod / Turnip Puree / Fava Beans / Gremolata. The fish was fresh and juicy and I have never had vegetable ash before, it tastes exactly how it sounds. If you have never tried fava beans you must. Fourth course was Leg of Lamb Braised in Black Beans / Carrot / Radish / Arugula / Potato Puree. The flavors reminded me of a pot roast but unfortunately it was dry :/. Fifth course and my favorite was Platano macho/chocolate/saffron. The chocolate was as creamy as a truffle and the Platano complimented the creaminess very well! We had tasty wine from Mexico which I find hard to get here in San Diego. All in all it was a great evening out without our kiddos and cannot wait to see which baja chef is coming next. If you find it hard to travel to Mexico you should definitely keep your eye out for the next pop-up.

Las Cuatro Milpas - San Diego

My husband first introduced me to this place sometime last year. He believes it is the most authentic Mexican restaurant not just in San Diego but anywhere he has been. Mind you, he was in the United States Navy for 11 Years and deployed 6 times not counting the many times he has traveled in the U.S. I personally feel this "taco shop" if you will, is one of a kind here in San Diego. Nestled near Downtown San Diego in Barrio Logan there is nothing like the flavors these women accomplish. If you have never been here expect a long line out the door. They serve Menudo only on Saturday and Sunday but I have never been there early enough to get a bowl, keep in mind they are only open until 3p.m. There are just a few items on the menu, the first I have for you is my personal favorite, Chorizo Chico, which is not on the menu, you will have to ask for it. It’s fresh Pinto beans, homemade rice and chorizo. I recommend eating with their AMAZING ONE OF A KIND salsa and freshly made flour tortillas (included). Their salsa is unique in my eyes because of the chicharrones. We have asked before what is in it (or Jorge has since I do not speak too much Spanish lol) but they insist it is a family secret; all they told us was they put some of the shredded meat broth in the salsa. The Tamales, Beef Tacos and Rolled Tacos all have the same meat and are amazing in different ways, you also can choose to have chicken which is delish. All and all whether you live in San Diego or are visiting this is somewhere you need to try for AUTHENTIC Mexican food.