San Diego Rants and Raves

So I was in my local Trader Joes the other day and this woman with 3 kids (including a baby) were checking out.  She had $100 to spend and had to put back a few things.  She wasn't mad or anything, it was just life.  Well the checker behind her saw this and had the bagger put the things she put back into her bag, then whispered to the manager that she would pay for it.  Who does this?  I mean, that almost made me choke up like I was watching the ending of Brian's Song.  The woman was very appreciative but never knew that the cashier took care of it.  Bravo to Trader Joes!

On a different topic, I was trying out a local hotspot called HapiFish the other day.  I heard that the happy hour was the-bomb-dot-com (LOL, isn't that the dumbest thing?  I heard that one on TV the other day and was so stupid I wanted to use it ironically so hope you forgive me).

 

I got their happy hour special taco, a California Roll "taco".  It was, well, weird.  I mean, it was good enough but I think this creative fusion has gone too far.  When we watch the various cooking competition shows like Chopped and they bring out the weird ingredients, you can always tell the chefs who are punting because they either make a quesadilla or a taco.  "Your secret ingredient is sheep eyes and Red Vines - you have 20 minutes!"  How about a deep fried eyeball taco with a Red Vines quesadilla??  What is this?  Next Food TV Network Star?

I also got their special fries.  Here they are.

Lots of locals really do believe these are the-bomb-dot-com (there I go again with the irony!) and while the idea of fries coated with chili oil and bleu cheese was tasty, the overall result was a bit soggy and a bit greasy.

Last but not least the waitress went on about how it was "tuna night" and how I could get nigiri for $2.  I ordered "two" and a plate arrived with 4 pieces.  Cool.  I chowed down thinking it was good, not the best, but for $2 an order definitely worth it.  The bill came and it was $10!  I asked why and she said that if I said "two orders" they bring out the standard plate of two pieces for $5.  I waited for her to say "my bad, let me just charge you the $4" but it became the waiting game for who spoke next and I crumbled under the pressure and said "no problem".  But it IS a problem when a restaurant messes up an order and doesn't fix it.  So not hapi at HapiFish.

Later I was telling the story to my younger and more hip nephew who said all of his friends LOVE the HapiFish HapiHour - then added that they all just get bombed there so maybe that's why.  There you go, the-bomb-dot-com again!

ONE MORE STORY

The Linkery in North Park is one of those cool, hip restaurants that you might find in Portland.  I love local foods and love sausages so popped in for some lunch.  Their specials were either a fish taco (weird for a sausage place, am I right?) and a sausage taco!

My buddy got the taco and I was not impressed.  You can find some great fish tacos in this town and this one just didn't have that much going for it.  My buddy gave it a 3 out of 5 stars, said it was good but I could tell he wasn't raving about it.

My lunch was even weirder.  The sausage was good but seriously, a sausage does not belong in a taco!  Take this same sausage and put it on a grilled ciabatta roll, that makes sense.  This did not.  I ended up eating the second taco without the tortilla and cabbage and the sausage was good, but not Portland good.  The fries were fried in beef fat which sounds disgusting and really just made them heavy.  Duck fat yes.  Beef fat no.  Deep regrets for not going down the street the the Carnitas Snack Shack.

GOOD CATCH IN ENCINITAS

Union Tap and Grill in Encinitas is a cool place and yesterday I was lucky enough to get a table overlooking the sidewalk with the cool ocean breezes.  I got the Fish and Chips and a beer.

OK, now this was pretty good!  They use bass for the fish and the flavors were nice and subtle.  I hate it when you order a fish dish and the tables around you all look as your food arrives thinking "what is that smell??" and not in a good way.  But this fish was piping hot and delicious and the portion size big enough for two.  When was the last time that happened???  The fries were good enough, not really a good example of kennebec fries (which should be super crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside) but decent.  Really good dish, I would get this again.

Well, my wife is calling me to come outside as it's daytime and beautiful.  It's just another day in San Diego, the-bomb-dot-com (no irony this time).