It's not easy being me. Wait, opposite that. Being Local Wally is the bomb! But it is a lot of responsibility to get out there and do stuff and then get back here to write about it. Today is Monday and I'm taking a day off to get caught up so thought you might like to see some cool pics of my last week as Wally.
ADVENTURE 1: HIKING TORREY PINES PARK
I've been telling you for years to get out here and hike Torrey Pines. There are various trails that all lead you from desert brush to the coastal bluffs. Best yet, none of the hikes are over 2.5 miles so even if you are an Oompa Loompa you can do this. Really, I saw plenty of rolly polly people doing this so you can do it!
San Diego seems like a lush, tropical paradise but turn off the water and it goes back to desert. It's kind of cool to see the natural habitat found in the park.
At the top of the hill is the original Torrey Pines Lodge. At one time this was the only road to get from Los Angeles to San Diego and the cars would need to stop at the top of the hill to avoid overheating. This really is the original lodge. Let's look inside...
Today the inside is a Ranger station with books and displays, but back in the day it was a little restaurant. What's for dinner?
Want a steak or lobster dinner for a buck? Hell yeah!
Hopefully this will get you away from your computer and out onto a trail soon. This really is one of the best ways to discover why San Diego is one of the best places to live.
ADVENTURE 2: SAN DIEGO FAIR
I know, I already wrote about the fair but I didn't show you some of the cool things that make me go back to the fair year after year. This guy is making a chair by hand. No power tools, no hex wrenches, no Sweedish instructions, there's not a pictogram in sight. TIP: Do NOT ask him how much he would sell these chairs for. He seems to get a bit testy about that question, probably because everyone asks him that.
If this food looks terrible, it's because these are actually rocks! You have to love it that someone loves rocks enough to figure out how to make them look like a plate of dorm food. Impressive no matter how you look at it.
No, that's not Captain Crunch, that's Paul Revere and the Raiders! That's what I like about the fair. Really, where else will you hear the band that did such classic songs as Kicks and the original version of Louie Louie?
ADVENTURE 3: PIZZA NOVA
These guys just about invented the whole wood fired pizza thing in San Diego, so I was a bit bummed that the brick oven was fueled by gas. Was it always this way? Oh well, pizza was good, but not as good as I remembered.
But the Chinese Chicken Salad was still good, but there was basil in it. Was it always this way? I still like this place, but there's pretty stiff competition these days for cool pizzas so Pizza Nova moved from top to middle of the pack for me.
ADVENTURE 4: BESTA WAN PIZZA
After the less than exciting pizza at PN, I went to Besta Wan in Cardiff. This used to be a big dump but they transformed it into a cool and hip local joint and the pizza is awesome. This one had lots of meats combined with pineapple and jalapenos. Mmmmm, this is a good pizza.
They let dogs on the patio, which is cool if you are either a dog or a dog lover. Bad dogs are banned. I have banned Andy, my dog, from the patio as I don't want to be responsible for him jumping up and grabbing a pizza and swallowing it in one bite. This is Carly the dog, not to be confused with Carly my daughter.
Do you know this girl? If you live around town you might. She has some stories to tell and let me just say you might not want to be in one of her stories. Her story today had something to do with losing her car but not her keys as she leaves them in the car so she knows where they are. And something else to do with a errant date and a stop at a few local bars and mysterious photos on her phone and there you go, a lost car. Go figure. It's like a live version of The Hangover, BestaWan style.
This guy is from South Africa and guess what, he heard the story of the lost car and got up and walked the block and came driving it into the parking lot. What a guy! In fact, everyone here was super nice. The table next to us even bought us a beer, which really is a cool thing to do. Thanks!
ADVENTURE 6: RIB EYES IN THE BACKYARD
For my final adventure I bought some rib eyes for dinner last night. I am still bummed over that mediocre steak from Roy's so bought a couple of nice ones at Vons. Charcoal, baby!
This is Chimichurri sauce, the best sauce to drizzle on a steak.. period. It's from Argentina and here's the recipe:
1. Take 3 garlic cloves, 1 tsp of kosher salt and 1/2 tsp of pepper and smash it up into a paste. I use a mortal and pestle but you can use a spoon and a dish if you don't have one.
2. Add 1 tbs of dried oregano, 1 to 2 tsp of crushed red pepper, 2 tsp of red wine vinegar, 1/4 olive olive oil, and some fresh lemon juice and whisk. Cut some fresh parsley and add to sauce. Let sit for an hour.
When you are done, this is what it should look like. Delicious, sorry Roy's but my steak is better than your steak.
If you did everything right, your dog should look this sad as he begs for a bite.
Gotta Go, More Wally Soon!
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