Save the La Jolla Seals Before the Goons Take Over

Ahhhh, a lovely day in La Jolla.  Where else can you see such beautiful coastline and skies this blue in the middle of Winter?  And the waves, huge!  I've been coming down to this beach for years just to see the seals.  It's nearly pupping season so the beach is full with pregnant moms sunbathing in the warmth. 

But who are those guys on the beach?  Don't they know that they're not supposed to cross the line?

Why, it's the anti-seal group! This group is made up of a few distinct groups.  First, you have the wealthy elitists who believe that this is their beach.  They grew up here, they swam here as kids, they want their kids to swim here, and they don't want anyone telling them they can't do this.  The second group are, ironically, select divers and fishermen.  You would think that divers would love and respect the ocean and its wildlife, but this group is angry that they don't have this launch spot to themselves.  They like entering the ocean here and like the elitists, don't want to share.  The last group are the anti-environmentalists.  These are the ones who believe that this beach is "man made", meaning "for man, not seals".  They like to label the pro-seal group as "vegans" or environmental lunatics. 

They all share one thing in common.  They are all goons who would love it if a seal never set a flipper again on the sand.

There was a lot of propaganda out there from the anti-seal group.  Why, did you know that these seals are from Sea World?  That is why they are so tame and that's why they don't belong here.  Also, did you know that a seal likes nothing better than to be petted on its tummy?  And did you know that Ellen Browning Scripps dedicated the seawall to "the children", and that we owe it to dear old Ellen to remove the seals and carry out her vision?

And look, shared use works!  People shouldn't be kept off the beach.  We should be able to be right in there with the seals because, dammit, San Diego just doesn't have enough beaches.

Idiots.  I mean it, these guys are warped.

How warped?  What causes someone to pour lighter fluid over charcoal a few feet from the pregnant mom seals?  Last year I've seen this same guy light his BBQ a few feet from the baby pups.  You wonder what he would do if his wife had a newborn and someone lit a cigar in its face. 

More goons!  These divers with the spearguns walked right through the seals and chased many of them back into the surf.  The surf, by the way, was high and rough so this was not exactly a great diving day.  In fact, the Ranger said these jerks entered the water and quickly swam around the wall and exited away from the public.  Their goal?  To scare the seals back into the surf.  Just like the asshole with the fishing rod exercising his right to "share" the beach.

Last year I was attacked by an anti-seal person who overheard me talking to my daughter about how much I loved seeing the seals.  This person got in my face and harassed me to the point of me leaving.  I didn't go there to debate.  I just wanted to see the seals.  Because of that I decided to dedicate my latest website, http://www.sandiegohomegrown.com/, to help the seals.  SDHomegrown has local music by local San Diego bands, free for the listening.  These musicians have donated their time and music to help the seals.  The profits from the downloads goes to La Jolla Friends of Seals, a non-profit charity dedicated to preserving this special part of San Diego.

San Diego, it's time to do something!  Don't assume that the pro-seal group will win.  In fact, the pro-seal group is getting smaller all the time due to the tiring antics of the anti-seal group.  But you can help the seals!  Write a letter to your newspaper, email the Mayor and tell him you support the seals, tell City Council member Sherri Lightner to stop pandering to the anti-seal group and uphold the voice of the people by protecting the seals.  Don't assume that someone else will save the seals or the next time you come to La Jolla, you might see the two anti-seal fat chicks on a beach towel instead of the seals.  That would be ugly for sure.

Thank you San Diego.

LOCAL WALLY LOVES THE SEALS AND LOCAL MUSIC:  http://www.sdhomegrown.com/
LOCAL WALLY LOVES SAN DIEGO:  http://www.localwally.com/

Good Eats at the Carnitas Snack Shack

It seems like everyone today is a foodie - ugggh, how I hate that term, perhaps even worse than I hate the term "food blogger".  There are a lot of fake food critics out there, people who come on like experts but don't have the credentials or experience to back themselves up.  So when I read a food blog recently that claimed the food trends that were over were bacon and pork belly, two of my favorite ingredients, I rushed down to the newest eatery in San Diego that focused on both.

The Carnitas Snack Shack is a tiny, unassuming "restaurant" on 2632 University Ave in North Park. It's hard to find but the trick is to look for the giant pig on the roof.

Now don't let the exterior and location turn you away.  I know it looks like a refurbished Porkaberto's or something but just wait.  You order at the front window.

I love it!  Nearly every item has some sort of pork in it.  I also love that there's nothing over $9.  So hard to decide, but in the end I ordered the Pork Sandwich. 

While the front of the restaurant looks like a dive, the back is positively elegant.  It's an open seating patio and a pleasant surprise.  Now I always second guess my decisions when it comes to food so I started thinking I should have gotten something more exciting, especially when I saw some of the incredibly creative food coming out of the kitchen.  The ribeye steak sandwiches were steaming hot and looking absolutely stunning on their cheddar toast and the gal next to me had some sort of crazy tower of pork.  I was starting to fear that my pork sandwich might be a boring pulled pork deal.  But here it comes!

Whoa!  Is it my birthday?  This dang sandwich ($9) wasn't what I was expecting  It has a crispy fried pork tenderloin on the bottom, some pulled pork in the middle, and tons of crunchy bacon on the top.  The bun was nicely grilled to provide even more texture, and the sauces and relish accented the flavors nicely.  How good was it?

Pretty damn good!  In fact, this might be one of my favorite food bites of the past year!  It was creative, sure, but unlike other places where they just put tons of disparate ingredients together and call it gourmet, this sandwich wouldn't be out of place at George's at the Cove's Ocean Terrace.  It was honest, it was delicious, it kicked ass.  And the tiny dish of corn was a sweet contrast to the savory goodness.

The fries ($2.50) were very good, decent, with a nice dusting of spices.  The housemade catsup was less successful, a bit lacking in flavor, but I saw on their website that they also have aioli and that might be the ticket next time.  But I sure like how they serve them up in a paper bag with their pig logo stamped on the front.  It looked homey and gourmet at the same time.

My buddy ordered the carnitas tacos and had equally rave reviews.  Look at them - the pork is moist and succulent, the guacamole fresh, and both tacos stuffed to the top.  If you can find a better way to spend $7, let me know. 

The Carnitas Snack Shack is open from noon to midnight everyday except for Tuesdays.  With food that costs just slightly more than fast food but tastes better than some gourmet restaurants, the Carnitas Shack is destined to become a San Diego local favorite.  Get here for lunch, get her for a cheap dinner, get here after you grow tired of the bar scene, just get in here!

WALLY LOVES YOU:  www.localwally.com
WALLY LOVES LOCAL SAN DIEGO MUSIC:  www.SDHomegrown.com
WALLY LOVES NAPA:  www.NapaTouristGuide.com
WALLY LOVES SONOMA:  www.SonomaTouristGuide.com
FACEBOOK WALLY:  http://www.facebook.com/localwally
TWITTER WALLY:   https://twitter.com/localwally

Cheap Eats & Cheap Beer in San Diego

Beer tasting?  In San Diego?  Whatcha talking about?

Well, San Diego has a vibrant local microbrew scene, and I'm not just talking about the massive Stone Brewery in Escondido/San Marcos.  All around the county are small breweries, tucked away in industrial parks and serving up their eclectic suds.  The other day I happened to be at Iron Fist in Vista.  This is one of many little breweries in the same area, which is cool as you can visit a few in the same afternoon.

Look at this crowd!  Fun, lively, but well behaved.  Unlike Temecula "wine" country where some of the quality is questionable and the crowds often unruly with drunk bachelorettes, San Diego's beer scene is a "don't tell anyone how much fun we are having" local secret.  At most places you can get taster glasses, 4 or so typically for $5.  And if you don't know what to order, just tell them you want to taste from their lightest to their darkest beer.  You can go beer tasting with a ten spot and have a great time.

But didn't I say cheap food?

A lot of the beer places have food set up outside on Saturdays, which is the busiest day.  Sundays are calmer, but harder to find food, so go on Saturdays if you want the best of both.  Today there was a tent set up by Red Oven.  You'll want to check out their Facebook page to see where they are at on any given Saturday and are definitely worth seeking out.  Pizzas are cooked in a wood fired oven (real fire, not like the fake "wood" fire at Pizza Nova) and are $8 to $10.  I ordered the Alsatian, which has fresh ricotta, gruyere cheese, caramelized onions, bacon, and topped with parsley and thyme.  Want to see it?

Oh man, was this ever good!  It was so good that I dropped a piece on the dusty brewery floor and I picked it up and ate it anyway.  I haven't done that since the 3rd grade so you know it was good!  Super thin and crispy crust, tangy with complex layers of flavors, and perfect with the beer tasters.  I was nearly swearing off thin crust pizzas after having so many that had no flavor and no substance, but Red Oven made me a believer all over again.

So think about this - $10 for a pizza for two, $5 for a super good beer (a pint or 4 tasters), and a lively group of people having a good time in an industrial park.  Even if you are not a huge beer fan, you have to check out the beer scene to see why San Diego is quickly becoming known as a destination for beer lovers from all over the US.  And get that pizza!

LOCAL WALLY'S SAN DIEGO INSIDER GUIDE:  www.localwally.com
Beer Guide:  DrinkUpSanDiego.com
Save the La Jolla Seals:  www.SDHomegrown.com 
Napa:  www.NapaTouristGuide.com
Sonoma:www.SonomaTouristGuide.com

Cheap Eats in La Jolla? Yes, at Alfonso's Mexican Restaurant

I've been around the San Diego block more than a few times.  I knew Hillcrest when it was a dump, before the fabulous gays took over and made it all cool and trendy.  I knew Mission Valley when there were still cows grazing in the grass.  And I knew La Jolla when as a college kid I would go there for cheap eats and entertainment.  My friends and I used to get the carne asada tacos at Alfonso's in the late '70's, then head across the street to Bratskellar's to sit around their fireplace with a Zombie (a drink, not a date), and then duck over to Chuck's Steak House for some free jazz.  Well, Brat's is now George's at the Cove and Chucks is Azul's, but thankfully Alfonso is still there.

I like it that they haven't changed it much since it opened in the late 70's.  And here's something else I like.

The chips are solid.  They're thick, they're bold, and they crunch louder than a Corn Nut.  Look, I've been to too many Mexican restaurants where the chips are light and airy.  Give me the crunch!  And the salsa, oh the salsa, my most favorite salsa in all of San Diego.  Behind it is their house margarita.  A small pitcher is $15.50 and one of the best margaritas in town.  Think you need to upgrade?  Think again.  This margarita packs a punch.  Here's the recipe:

ALFONSO'S MARGARITA (recipe courtesy of the bartender)
3 parts sweet and sour
2 parts tequila
1 part triple sec
Fresh lime juice

Try it on the rocks with salt, squeeze a bit more lime on top, enjoy.  Don't waste your money on the upgraded margaritas here.  Even the bartender said that there's no point, not when the house margarita is this good.

BTW, I was watching some dumb FoodTV show where this cooking gal is at a Mexican restaurant and mocking the people eating the baskets of chips and then coming over to their table with a know-it-all smirk and talking about calories and then saying how you should avoid the chips.  Well FoodTV, all I can say is pass them chips my way!

Ahhh, carne asada.  My first carne asada taco was here, 35 years ago, and I still believe they make the best.  Back then you could get 2 carne asada tacos, rice and beans, for $5.90.  Well, my wife says this isn't true but I'm pretty sure.  Anyway, times have changed and if I ate that much food I would be huge (or dead) so I now order a la carte and get one taco and a side of beans.... and more chips.  I love these chips, especially dipped into the beans.  Let's take a bite.

Mmmmmmm, the meat has a nice char-grilled flavor, the guacamole is fresh, the double tortilla keeps everything together, this is one great taco!

Of course, Alfonso's has other good stuff as well.  I love, and I mean love, their garlic shrimp.  They taste like little lobsters and remind me of the days when it was safe to go to Puerto Nuevo.  And they have plenty of other seafood and traditional items here, all delicious.  But get the carne asada taco.  Trust me on this one.

So how much was lunch with the best best carne asada taco, the best chips and salsa, and the best margarita in San Diego?  $30.90?  What a bargain!  Cheap eats in La Jolla is possible - if you go to Alfonso's.

MORE WALLY!

HELP THE SEALS AND KICK THE BAD GUYS OFF THE BEACH!  www.SDHomegrown.com
LOCAL WALLY'S GUIDE TO SAN DIEGO:  www.SanDiegoInsiderGuide.com
NAPA:  www.NapaTouristGuide.com
SONOMA:  www.SonomaTouristGuide.com

The Kebab Shop Kicks Gyro's Ass

I just had a terrific lunch today, so good I wanted to share it with you right now in this quickie review.  The Kebab Shop caught my eye a few months ago in the Gaslamp District, right across the street from Cafe Chloe.  You know what that means - if you're with your wife, the romance of a French Bistro wins every time over a giant hunk of lamb spinning on a horizontal skewer.  Don't even try, there is no way in Hell you will convince your wife to go there. 

So how happy was I when a new Kebab Shop opened in my shopping center in Encinitas.  Today I am flying solo, my wife back to work to keep us in the Top 1%.  So there I was.

The "Döner Kebab" was what I had my eye on.  Now I will admit this, I had never had a Döner Kebab before, though I have eaten plenty of gyro sandwiches, which is kind of the same thing - only different.

I got mine with lamb, but you can get chicken or falafel, though I see no point in that.  You can also get it in sandwich format, or on a plate, or even in a box like it was Chinese food, but again, why?  The sliced meat was piled high on a flatbread that looked suspiciously like a flour tortilla and on went the sauce, the onions, the lettuce, the tomato, and it was all rolled up like, well, a burrito.

For less than $7 you get this giant rolled up meal.  But enough staring, let's take a bite and see how it is.

Oh yeah, this is really good.  The meat had a good spice on it and the tang of the sauce was just right.  I think you could easily split this for 2 but I ate it.  All of it.  Diet starts tomorrow now.  How does it compare to a Gyro?  It's better.  Way better because there's more meat than bread, plus it's burrito friendly to eat, unlike a gyro where you wear half of the sauce down your arm.  Frankly, after eating one of these there is simply no reason to ever go back to a gyro again.

If your experience with shaved meats spinning on giant horizontal skewers stops with places like Daphne's (which I call Crapne's), if you love gyros but hate the mess, if you agree that anything is better if wrapped like a burrito, then get in the car and head over to the Kebab Shop.  I love my wife, I love Cafe Chloe, but man do I ever love The Kebab Shop.

LOCAL WALLY MEANS THE BEST OF SAN DIEGO:  www.localwally.com

Best Bites at the San Diego Food and Wine Festival 2011

There's no doubt about it - The San Diego Food and Wine Festival is the best culinary event of the year.

The week long event featuring cooking demos and wine classes throughout the week culminates with the Grand Tasting finale, featuring San Diego's hottest restaurants and over 175 booths serving up wine, beer and spirits.  Held each year before Thanksgiving on the Embarcadero Marina Park North, the large grassy peninsula behind Seaport Village, there's cooking competitions, live music, and booth after booth of good stuff to taste.

For three short hours you run around like a chicken with your head cut off pounding down as many gourmet bites and drinking as much as you can.... well I guess a chicken would need a head to do that but you get the idea. I went last year and missed a lot of good stuff, so this year I came in with a strategy.  My plan was to race around the entire event and only grab stuff that looked outstanding the first time around, then go around again to taste the wines, then back one more time to try everything else.  But this plan got shot to hell the second someone handed me a crab claw.

A stone crab claw slightly larger than a baby's arm with a spicy remoulade sauce stopped me dead in my tracks.  And then I got distracted and my strategy started to unravel.  All around me was great food and wine.  How was I supposed to pick the best when everything looked so darn good?

See what I mean?  This isn't some crummy "Taste of Downtown" event where everyone is serving up pasta with marinara sauce, these are gourmet bites like this veal cheeks and tongue.  What?  You've never tasted veal tongue?  Well baby, you haven't lived until you've put a veal tongue on your tongue.  So tender, so tasty, you forget that it's a slice of tongue and instead just push your way back into line to get another piece.

That's what's so cool about this event.  The foods are not your run of the mill freebies.  They're the sort of thing you see on a good menu and wonder if you should go for it.  Well, let's go for it!

This might look like a standard piece of short rib but this one is wrapped with a fig and served with  slices of nuts.  Needless to say it was delicious, a nice mix of savory and sweetness.

Behind the scenes you can watch the chef's preparing the food like this is a Top Chef competition, only here you don't get the mean bald guy ripping on the food.  But how could he?  With food this good, even the meanest TV chef judge would be raving.

And Local Wally wasn't the only celebrity there.  Look, that's Sam the Cooking Guy!  I could tell he was trying to get over to me to take my picture, but I quickly took off the other way because I didn't want to cause a big scene - you know, Sam and Wally in the same spot and everyone trying to get our autographs and stuff.  Besides, I smelled pork.  On a BBQ!

Oh my gosh, the pork was succulent and rich and fatty and crispy and oh so damn good.  I'm guessing it was slow cooked pork belly.  I could be wrong, but there was nothing wrong with this pork. 

Of course, there were plenty of wines to taste along with vodkas and beers and just about everything else.  Now I know that San Diego has a vibrant beer scene and a lot of the breweries were there, but how can you turn down a Stella where you get to keep the glass?  I felt like Homer Simpson guzzling down the beer so I could get back in line to get another free glass.  What?  Pour the beer onto the grass instead of drinking it?  Are you kidding me?

As for the wines, wineries from Napa to Paso to Temecula were represented with some very nice selections.  Just like the food wasn't like the crummy free samples at Costco, the wines were equally top notch and you definitely got your moneys worth with the tastings. The big surprise to me were the wines from Baja, which turned out to be way better than I ever imagined.  Of course, I was drunk by this point so who really knows?  As for the Pomegranate wine, well, you decide for yourself on that one. 

But let's get back to the food, like this wonderful piece of hamachi with a bit of spicy vodka, which had to go down as one of the best sushi bites ever.  After this quick bite, I decided to troll the event and find more seafood bites.  Luckily, I didn't have to go far.

Harney Sushi, one of San Diego's hottest and most revered sushi restaurants, was serving up a spoonful of delight.

And Busters from Seaport Village, a place that most foodie's have ignored, knocked it out of the park with their Ahi Poke on top of seaweed salad.  This was so good with the soy and sesame oil flavors mixing with the ultra fresh fish.  I  WANT  ANOTHER  NOW.  Busters, you rock dude!

Now I love scallops but rarely cook them at home because they can get so expensive.  So you know I was happy to find so many booths with scallops on their tasting menu.  Look at it - a thing of beauty, a nice sear, the attention to detail, the.... Hey, where did it go??  Sorry, I ate it.  Don't worry, there's more.  Unlike La Valencia's Sky Room where they served me one scallop as an entree, you can eat as many of these as you like.  And I like them!  A lot!

Blue Point Coastal Cuisine always seems to have something interesting going on.  What is this chef making? Is that a jar of foam?

Look, a bit of shrimp and pork belly topped with foam and a little syringe with sauce that you shoot into your mouth.  It's not exactly first date food, if you know what I mean.  But it was darn tasty and loads of fun.

Three hours goes fast when you're having this much fun.  As the bottles of port were put away, the last scallop dropped, the final fillet sliced, I realized I had missed an entire row of booths!  And I missed the cooking competition!  But I did get to sit on the grass with friends and laugh as we sipped what was described as a "life changing" basil leaf Acai gimlet, which turned out to be true. This event was a good reminder that life really is good.

You don't have to be a big foodie or a wine connoisseur to love this event.  But if you've read this far, you need to get to the San Diego Wine and Food Festival next year.  Make it your new holiday tradition and I'll see you there.

LOCAL WALLY'S GUIDE TO SAN DIEGO:  www.localwally.com
NAPA:  www.napatouristguide.com
SONOMA:  www.sonomatouristguide.com
LOCAL SAN DIEGO MUSIC:  www.sdhomegrown.com
COMING SOON:  SAN DIEGO BEER AND WINE GUIDE www.DrinkUpSanDiego.com

The Search for the Perfect French Fry is Over!

Darn good fries at Blind Lady Ale House on Adams Ave. - but are these the best?

I love fries.  Seriously love them.  When I go to a restaurant if the entree says "with fries" I have to get it.  It could be donkey butt "with fries" and I would want it.

I've searched the world for the best fries.  Here's a short list of San Diego's notable spuds.

Third Corner, Encinitas:  A-
Comments:  Nice, thin and crispy with some Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top, which is good but sort of bugs me.

Cafe Chloe, Gaslamp:  B+
Comments:  Really great thin fries, but they get deducted a half point because you have to pay a buck extra for the dipping sauces now.

Islands, Various San Diego locations:  C-
Comments:  I don't understand why fries that look so good have no flavor.  They look like hand cut beauties, but taste like cardboard.

In N Out:  B
Comments:  Like Mom used to make, which is both good and bad.  I do love the flavor, but they can get a bit limp at times because they don't double fry them.
 

So I love fries, but I also love beer and San Diego has a ton of local breweries, like Lost Abbey in San Marcos.  I found myself surrounded by a bunch of little glasses of beer but something caught my eye.  What is that???  French Fries???

Yes, right outside the brewery on Saturdays is a food stand called Belgium Delights.  They make things like waffles and brioche, but it was the fries that were getting all the attention.  These are not French fries but rather Belgian fries, double cooked for a creamy interior and a super crispy exterior.  Served with Aioli, a garlicky mayonnaise based dipping sauce.  OK, catsup if you want it, but why would you with fries this good?  One crunchy bite and I was sold.  These are great fries, on par with the best I've ever had.  They're cooked to order, rendering each order hot and fresh, and there ain't nothing better than a French Fry right out of the oil.

Best fries in San Diego?  Absolutely!  The crispy crunch, the creamy texture inside, $4 gets you a small cone that's big enough to share, but $6 gets you a large that let's you share without those mean thoughts in your head about how the person next to you is eating all your fries.  My only sadness was that I'd have to wait another week to get them.

But wait!  The next day I found myself at the Leucadia Farmers Market, open every Sunday from 10 to 2.  Whoa, look whose here!  It's a dream come true!  Need.  More.  Fries.

OK, yes, I ate half of them before I remembered to take a photo but that's how good these are.  Look at them, all crispy, golden brown and delicious!

And here they are, the people behind the Best Fries in San Diego.  You see them, you should bow down like Queen Elizabeth is looking you straight in the eye and say "One large order please, with aioli sauce".  And don't hesitate - go to Lost Abbey on Saturday, go to the Leucadia Farmers Market on Sunday, go get these fries!  You won't regret it.

Thank you Belgium Delights. There's a special place in heaven for you, right next to the deep fryer.  I'll be first in line. Every day.

More Wally at www.localwally.com
Visit Napa and Sonoma the Wally way!  www.napatouristguide.com and www.sonomatouristguide.com
Listen to Local San Diego music at www.SDHomegrown.com
Coming Soon!  The San Diego beer and winery guide at www.DrinkUpSanDiego.com