Guest Blogger: The Xainey

Helvetia still in lead. Its hard to top charity. But The Xainey is back again this week with a recount of his trip to the home of Sea World and the former home of Saints quarterback Drew Brees. Boy, San Diegans really know when to hold em and when to fold em, huh.

“It’s a fact; it’s the greatest city on the planet.” – Ron Burgundy

While I strongly disagree with the mustached anchorman from the 70s, I will say that San Diego sports some damn fine cuisine along with amazing weather (high of 66, low of 62 and slight breeze everyday). I made it to the long vacation block on intern year, and week one sees me and two of my former roommates (MX and PX) on a trip to check out the zoo, some baseball, and (most importantly) the food. Here’s the review.

Night one saw us wandering around down 5^th avenue in the Gas Lamp Quarter checking out the various restaurants, bars, shops, and stores. During the stroll, I had many flashbacks to the various places I visited year a little more than a year ago on The Great American Roadtrip (a story for another time), which included the Field, Whiskey Girl, and The Fish Market, which we decided to hit up for dinner.

Located on tuna harbor on the west side of downtown, the Fish Market (http://www.thefishmarket.com/) boasts fresh fish from all over the country, and they print a new updated menu daily based on what fresh seafood they have – a la Tenney Flynn at G.W. fins. Most of the food is very simple here, grilled seafood, minimal seasonings, not drowning in heavy sauce (of which I am a huge fan). Appetizer – split the Ahi Poke and Ceviche tostada. While the Poke was tasty with the wanton; the real winner here is the tostada. Halibut ceviche with avocado on top was amazing; very tough to beat. This stuff is truly awesome.

Main courses – MX had the monkfish with steamed vegetables, PX, the scallops and shrimp with bacon (and fries), and myself - the ono with their fish rice and coleslaw.

All three seasoned perfectly and cooked to perfection. The natural flavors of the monkfish and ono stand out great on there own and require only the proper amount of doneness which this place does so well. MX matched the meal with the 2007 Honig Sauvignon Blanc which was a great pair; however, I had a Karl Strauss Red Trolley Ale draught (http://www.karlstrauss.com/) which is absolutely delicious for all you red ale lovers like myself out there.

Night two, took in the Padres game. This belongs on the Friday classic combinations –

That’s the big dawg with chili, cheese, onions, relish and mustard; partnered by a Budweiser draft – which is both tall and cool. Its tough to beat a hot dog, beer, and baseball, even if the Padres suck.

On a side note, Dr. X recommends the Tilted Kilt for pregame drinks and scenery. Large draft specials, multiple big screens, and a bartender who I swore didn’t have a face; neither did PX for that matter.

Night three, wandered around the Gas Lamp quarter again, wandered around quite a bit checking out the different menus; ended up stopping at Blue Point Coastal Cuisine http://www.cohnrestaurants.com/restaurants/bluepoint/. This restaurant boasts fresh seafood and prides itself on being very light as their dishes are not completely drenched in heavy cream sauces. MX started off with the Pressed Arugula salad, which she said rivaled the ceviche tostada from the Fish Market – I respectfully disagreed; however, it wasn’t too shabby for a salad.

I had the Spicy Mediterranean Calamari with a roasted red pepper aioli. Thick strips of squid lightly battered and fried. I’m always a fan of the strip calamari instead of the rings; you just get more of the flavor of the meat instead of tasting just batter.

Main course, PX had a lobster tail with garlic mashed potatoes; nothing complex here, but perfectly cooked and potatoes which were very light.

Lobster, duh

I had the citrus marinated swordfish served over black thai rice with a light citrus emulsion surrounding it. A great combination; and again, the whole dish was very light. Added to it a Karl Strauss Endless Summer brew.

Swordfish

I’m not a big dessert fan, but there are times when I see things too good to pass up. Blue Point serves a root beer float that they prepare tableside. Wow. For all you A&W and Blue Bell Vanilla fans out there, this thing was great. A squirt of the ginger root syrup, soda water, and the homemade vanilla bean ice cream. Top it with whipped cream, great way to finish up the eating in San Diego.

Root Beer Float

All in all, a great 3 days of eating; Dr. X highly recommends the whale’s vagina for its food and culture – I’ll work on my surfing in Coronado next time.