Quick Stop in San Diego

The wedding we went to in California in the spring was actually in La Jolla – a beautiful sunset ceremony near the ocean.  I just decided to add the extra days in LA for fun since I had the time, and then took the train down to meet Greg in San Diego.  He grew up right nearby in Del Mar, and the trip also gave us time to spend time with his family.  Between the wedding and family time, there wasn’t too much time for much else, but here are quick highlights of what did have time to eat and see:

Greg and his parents picked me up from the train and we headed straight to lunch at Pamplemousse Grille. It's one of the best restaurants in the San Diego area, and I'll admit that I felt a little underdressed in my loungey traveling clothes, but it was a very exciting surprise. 

One of my favorite thing about this restaurant is that this dishes are elegant but can also playful, like this Asian Style Tuna Tartar that mixes wasabi caviar and taro root chips.

This plate of grilled shrimp, scallops and sea bass with field greens and ratatouille was delicious without being heavy. It was the perfect antidote to all the heavy meals I had in L.A.

My In-Laws say that they've tasted Pear Tarte Tatins all over Europe and have never found a better one

(You can see more pics here.)

Our favorite taco stand in the area, Roberto's, happens to be very close to Greg's parents house, which makes it easy to stop off every time we're in town.

My mother-in-law and I had a lovely lunch at Crab Catcher in La Jolla. My Blackened Fish Sandwich was good and the Key Lime Pie was delicious, but the real star was the spectacular view.

 It's pretty hard to beat that.

(See more pics here.)

One afternoon we had free, Greg and I decided to explore the San Diego Botanic Garden.

I love Botanic Gardens. They're usually beautiful and exploring one is almost always a chill way to spend an afternoon. This one is a nice, compact size and had a cool focus on sustainability and local plant life.

 
Whenever we're in town, I try to take advantage of the beautiful scenery to hike and run outside.
This is one of my favorite running routes near Torrey Pines State Beach.

There will be another round of Cali coming up again soon as we'll be heading to another wedding out there next week. This time we're headed to Palm Springs.

If you've got favorite spots to eat and drink in San Diego, please share. We go fairly often and are always looking for something new.