liattyy

Aug 11, 20197 min read

A Weekend of Food + Fun in San Diego, California - @liattyy

Last weekend, Austin and I visited our favorite city in California, San Diego... and it is safe to say that I am still full from all of the food I ate. But, I discovered several new amazing restaurants that I cannot wait to go back to. Oh, and tried matcha for the first time (keep reading to see how that went for me). In between all the food, I found some time to relax and soak in some sun along the shores of the Pacific Ocean.

Day 1:

We arrived in S.D. just in time for dinner. We went to Gravity Heights, located in Sorrento Mesa, slightly north of San Diego. This restaurant serves a purpose of "having good beer, good food, and great people"...and we saw just that! It is almost impossible to find a great brewery that also has good food, just as hard as it is to find a great restaurant with good beer. As someone who does not drink beer, I usually have no interest in visiting breweries. On the other hand, Austin loves beer and almost rarely gets to enjoy a high-quality glass of beer. We were so happy to find Gravity Heights which satisfied us both extremely.

Also, this restaurant was aesthetically pleasing with beautiful indoor and outdoor seating areas. I recommend going around sunset because there is a beautiful view and amazing lighting during the golden hours!

To start off, Austin had the "Hoppy flight"...this had four beers: 1. Comet Chaser - IPA 2. Ten Twenty-Eight - IPA 3. June Gloom - Hazy IPA 4. Daybreak - IPA . Although he liked them all, his favorite was the Comet Chaser. Meanwhile,..can you guess what I ordered?.....if you said the "Spritz in Paradise" then you know me so well! This spritz was made with "Cocchi Americano, lemon, grains of paradise, and sparkling rose"...

For appetizers, we had the Bhel Puri, which is puffed rice with peanuts, tomato, mango, red onion, quinoa, cilantro mint chutney, and tamarind date chutney. Then, we had a Caesar salad, Margarita pizza, Falafel burger, and an American Burger. My favorite was the Falafel burger which had falafel, halloumi cheese, tomato, pickled red onion, gem lettuce, tzatziki, and hummus. I also loved the margarita pizza which was made in a special wood fire pizza oven. Austin's fav was the American burger.

Finally, for dessert, we had the "Cast Iron Cookie" and the "Strawberry Shortcake Semifreddo". My favorite, which I HIGHLY recommend if you ever visit the Gravity Heights restaurant, was the Cast Iron Cookie. This dessert was a toffee, white chocolate and dark chocolate chip cookie with a scoop of vanilla gelato and covered in stout caramel sauce, Oreo crumble, and cocoa nibs. MY MOUTH IS WATERINGGGGG!!! Overall, we enjoyed great drinks, delicious food, and amazing service from a super friendly staff...special shoutout to our server Mollee!!

To see more about Gravity Heights Restaurant: Click here!!

Day 2:

To start the day, I decided to give in to the trend and try some matcha. After seeing many pics on my instagram feed of Holy Matcha, I wanted to find out what the hype was all about. I decided to visit the Holy Matcha located in North Park. After a not-so-welcoming greet by the employee, I was a little less excited to try it out. I asked her for a recommendation for a first timer, and she recommended the "OG Matcha". After taking some pictures around the cute, all pink, insta worthy cafe, it was time to taste my drink...No offense to anyone who likes and enjoys matcha, but it had to be one of the nastiest things I have ever tasted. It tasted like dirt, grass, and oats in combination... I couldn't describe it any more than that! Overall, I am not much of a tea drinker and do not like green tea, so that might be the reason I did not like matcha either!

To see more about Holy Matcha SD: Click here!

After surviving my first sip of matcha, it was time to make up for that disturbance with a real good brunch. Where better than "a hidden Little Italy San Diego gem, the Glass Door Restaurant located on Columbia St is where food sharing, drink cheersing, and having a good time is encouraged. Not only is our food memorable, but our atmosphere will be one you’ll never forget! The place is complemented with a panoramic view of the vibrant San Diego city skyline, soothing harbor, and embellished with warm emerald colored lanterns. Glass Door’s staff is dedicated to making you feel welcomed with friendly enthusiasm. " The Glass Door Restaurant was just that. From the moment we arrived, the staff was friendly, caring, and helped make our brunch extra good! (Shoutout to our bartender, Jason!) Also, the panoramic city view was absolutely breathtaking and one I have yet to see from any restaurant in all of San Diego....

Now for the fun part... DRINKS. I ordered a "The Pample Press" cocktail made with infused grapefruit vodka, elderflower liquor, lemon and lime juice, sprite, club soda, and grapefruit rosette. This drink was super light and refreshing, a perfect breakfast cocktail. Austin, per usual, had a "Besos del Diablo" which was infused jalapeño tequila, triple sec, lemon and lime juice, jalapeño slice, strawberry syrup, and tajin...basically a spicy strawberry margarita...which Austin said was one of the best spicy margs he has ever had (this def means something considering the amount of spicy margs he has had) LOL!

To eat, we enjoyed a delicious Cali Breakfast Burrito and an even more amazing French Toast. The French Toast was a citrus cinnamon dipped brioche with maple syrup Grand Meriner drunken berries, and whipped cream....and YES, I did say Grand Meriner drunken barries... YUMMM!

We will definitely be returning to the Glass Door S.D. for another brunch and highly recommended sunset dinner + drinks.

To see more about The Glass Door S.D.: Click here!

Being in Little Italy on a Saturday means you are in for a must-see farmers market. Luckily, this is where we found ourselves after the brunch at The Glass Door. The Little Italy Mercato Farmer's Market takes place every Saturday from 8 AM to 2 PM where over 200 tents line W. Date Street from Kettner Boulevard to Front Street. The options are endless — "you can enjoy an incredible selection of farm fresh produce, flowers, local artisan food and more! Find food purveyors with sauces and relish, oysters, coffee beans, spices and more, and plants including orchids, fresh flowers, and bedding plants. Dine on crepes, paninis, green smoothies, lemonade and local chefs’ specialties best enjoyed with our live music. Visitors come from all over the world to indulge in our farmers’ market, whether it’s to get a taste of the just-caught sea urchin or to simply soak in the beautiful atmosphere." Walking around the market was a the perfect activity for digesting our brunch!

To see more about the Little Italy Farmer's Market: Click here!

After soaking in the farmers market atmosphere, it was time to relax. I could not think of a better place than Coronado Island. In front of the Hotel Del Coronado, lies a perfect beach with chair + umbrella rental options. These rentals are run by the hotel but can be rented by anyone who wishes. Although they are a bit pricey, it is definitely recommended to increase relaxation...If you prefer to save money, bring some blankets + beach chairs to create your own comfortable (+free) chilling spot!

As the evening approaches, so does happy hour. In my opinion, happy hour is just an excuse to drink alcohol and have a good time. Since my bedtime has changed from 2 AM to 10 PM, happy hours are my party hours. One specific club in SD makes it possible for me to party while still being in bed by 10 PM. The Side Bar SD is a boutique nightclub that also opens from 6 PM till 10 PM for an early evening lounge opportunity....This is absolutely perfect for me! A combo of good music, great drinks, and tasty appetizers = a perfect Saturday night.

My first drink, the Lavender Lush, had bombay, st. germain, lemon, and champagne lavender fusion. I also enjoyed the Pillow Talk, my fav one, which had tito’s, chareau aloe, cucumber, lemon, ginger, and bitters. Austin stuck to the Wild Side which has olmeca altos reposado, pink grapefruit, lime, tortilla and tajín rim and The Duchess with cazadores reposado, blackberry, basil, lime, agave, lemon-lime, and a salt rim.

For the apps, we had delicious Heat Jumbo Chicken Lollipops which were really good and really spicy (which Austin and I love) and the Hot Damn Cauliflower which were multi-colored cauliflower tempura covered in dynamite sauce and cilantro. One of our favorites was the Gourmet Fries which was a combo of sweet potato and sidewinder fries, parmesan cheese, and served with truffle aioli and honey mustard aioli...as someone who does not like sweet potatoes, I REALLY loved these fries! And..our other favorite appetizer was the Wild Child Flat Bread which had grilled artichoke, roasted red and yellow tomatoes, olives, arugula, and parmesan. This flat bread is an absolute MUST if you ever find yourself at Side Bar SD.

To see more about the Side Bar SD: Click Here!

Day 3:

Our final day was short, but a Sunday brunch was definitely necessary. Through several recommendations, Austin and I decided to go to the Farmer's Table restaurant. Although there are several locations, we visited the Bay Park location, which is slightly north of San Diego. This restaurant is known to be "San Diego’s food-to-fork destination, where locally sourced organic ingredients are brought together to be savored in an inviting atmosphere". This restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and has a huge menu with a variety of options....

If you haven't figured out how Austin and I start our meals by now, I have nothing to say to you...but if you have, you know we started with some breakfast cocktails. I had the Watermelon Patch, which had tito’s vodka + watermelon juice + fresh mint + fresh lemon juice + agave...had me at WATERMELON!! Austin had the Farmer's cup which had tito’s vodka + muddled strawberry + cucumber + mint + fentiman’s botanical ginger beer...which he said was, and I quote him, "one of the best drinks I've ever had in my life".