A Sconnie Eats San Diego Style

This summer my husband and I took our first major vacation together to San Diego and we had a blast.  We spent a lot of time relaxing on the beach and we also checked out the Zoo, Old Town, and the downtown Gas Lamp District.

The hotel we stayed at was in the Mission Bay Area and it was right on the Marina.  We were right on the ocean and just about a mile from Mission Beach.  The scenery, weather, and sunsets were all beautiful and we could not have asked for a better time.

Now, I may have mentioned before that I have added fish back into my previously vegetarian diet.  So, now I guess I’m more of a pescatarian, but I only eat fish every so often.  While we were in San Diego, I was so excited for some seafood.  In Wisconsin there really isn’t much a fresh fish scene, and when I am in coastal areas I just love the abundance of fresh seafood.

So, there are two places we ate at that we enjoyed. The first was actually a restaurant in our hotel called Firefly.  They have some great outdoor seating with a good view of the bay.  It was a little chilly though and the outdoor heater where we were sitting was broken.  Luckily another table left shortly after we arrived and we moved to their spot and started to warm up.  The service was a little slow.  We needed refills on our drinks halfway through our meal and didn’t get them until we were done eating.  That said, the food was still great.

For an appetizer we had their Bruschetta.  It was delicious.  There were six pieces with three different toppings:  Goat cheese, Mozzarella, and Carmelized Fennel.  It was really fun trying the three different kinds and it worked out perfectly that we each got one of each kind.  I definitely recommend this appetizer for those that go here.  It really impressed me. 





For our entrees, I had the Seasonal Catch which was a rockfish.  It came with Israeli cous cous and seasonal veggies.  The fish was cooked perfectly and seasoned well.  I have had an unpleasant experience with Israeli cous cous in the past and was a little nervous about getting it, but it was actually fantastic.  Everything on the plate just really went together well and the flavors were well balanced. 

AJ had the 1/2 Fried Chicken that came with garlic mashed potatoes and a tomato chutney.  It did seem a little small for being 1/2 of a chicken but AJ said it was pretty good and the potatoes were delicious. 
All in all we had a great time here.  The atmosphere I think could have been improved if the restaurant wasn’t right next to the hotel pool that plays music of its liking from the time they open until the time they close (past 10 pm).  I did however enjoy watching the fireworks from our table that Seaworld put on every night. 


The other place we ate at that we enjoyed while we were in San Diego was called Saska’s.  This restaurant has been around for sixty years and you can tell when you walk in.  The place looks like a sixties supper club and really could use some updating.  We got seated however, in a really awesome booth.  It was like a sweet circle booth with a small table; perfect for two.  We also had a great view of the TVs which made us happy since we had been following the women’s world cup all week.
 
Our service here was a little slow, but didn’t feel so bad because they warned us ahead of time that our server was dealing with a large party and was a little behind.  Here, AJ had a steak stuffed with crab meat that he really really enjoyed.  He kept trying to get me to try it, but I believed him.  I enjoyed an amazing salmon filet.  I just love fresh fish and this was a great way to end our vacation.  I savored every bite of that fish and by the end of our dinner we were so stuffed.  We thought that after dinner we would take a walk and then come back for their late night sushi deals, but we could barely walk when we left we were so full.

I don’t have any pictures of the food from Saska’s but I will just say that it was delicious and we had a great time.  I will however, leave you with a picture of the sunset that night.