A Taste of San Diego

This past Saturday my sister Megan, our friend Rhiona, and I all went down to the Gaslamp District of downtown San Diego for an event called "A Taste of Gaslamp".  None of us had ever done something like this, but in essence you are given a wristband and a map and let loose on dozens of restaurants, bars, and lounges in the Gaslamp district to have a taste of their cuisine- it was a BLAST!

Official with the wristbands!

We each had 25 "tastes" in which we could have our map stamped for each of the places that we stopped for eats and drinks.  Well, we thought we would put a good dent in our collective 75 tastes, but with so many delicious and diverse places to test out, we only made it through about 8 tastes each! CRAZY!

Instead of running these down in order, I will give your the HIGHLIGHTS and the unfortunate LOWLIGHTS in no particular order.

LOWLIGHTS {get the bad out of the way!}:

Dussini Loft Bar at the Old Spaghetti Factory had potential- we were STARVING when we arrived there but were quickly put off by the insane long line and slightly below average cuisine.  Between revolving dishes that ranged from spinach and artichoke ravioli to garlic cheese fries that acted as filler when everything else ran out {which also, sadly, were the best thing on the table}this place had such promise and DID NOT deliver! Meg and Rhi partook in the adult beverages while we stood in the infinite line.

Meggy and Rhi waiting at Dussini

Asti Ristorante was also sort of a bust. Completely out of food when we arrived {which does not actually count very heavily against a place as you will see later} and the chicken caccitore that was eventually served was only average. VERY. Heavy. Italian.  Now, I do need to note that I am NOT an Italian food fan- kinda despise the stuff if we're honest- but both Meggy and Rhi agreed this was not quite the business.

Blue Point Coastal Cuisine SHOULD have ranked high- it hit all of the potential marks as the food was: A) Fresh, B) Fish, C) Fast {no line!} and yet they ruined the experience by trying to up-sell us on their uber-tiny {maybe 1oz.} margaritas. Sorry guys, we already paid for the event AND there were plenty of other restaurants that were serving drinks for FREE!!!

Ahi and Poke Sashimi at Blue Point

BIGGEST upset of the day?? My friend Kari's restaurant, Revolver/Voyeur, was CLOSED even though the event website said they would be open and serving on Saturday- so sad. I guess we will just have to go back soon for the amazing brunch!

HIGHLIGHTS {there were so many!}:

Rockin' Baja Lobster had a terrifically yummy and wide variety of choices- we each had the pork tacos with mango salsa and loads of cilantro.  On the side was a shrimp ceviche with a cotija cheese dressing. HEAVENLY. Loved this place- even though it is nowhere NEAR authentic Mexican, it was just truly yummy!

Hoofin' it Meggy-style to Quality Social!

Next up was a newbie for all three of us- Quality Social. This place was far more "bar" than "restaurant" but even as the resident tee-totaler I felt so comfortable. Quality Social had a fantastic atmosphere, at least 20 beers on tap, and a super-nice but not overbearing bartender.  We went for the famed pretzel bread, and it DID NOT disappoint! They were out of "tastes" when we arrived, but with such a cool vibe the wait for more pretzel bread was nice and we passed the time just chatting and hanging out. When the pretzel bread with salami and mustard dip arrived it was delicious.

 

Pretzel bread!

Salami meets Pretzel bread

Drink approved!

The most delicious place we stopped into was the Quarter Kitchen.  Upon arrival we were met by a very nice sous chef making fresh mozzarella for our basil pesto Caprese salad- oh yum!  Further down the line was another happy chef creating pulled pork sandwiches on the softest, sweetest bread I have ever tasted!  I would go over and eat at this place again today based on their tastings. Oh man- my mouth is watering NOW just thinking about it!

Fresh mozz garnish for my pulled pork slider

The best surprise was the last place we stumbled into in our food coma on the way back to the car!  We were met out front by the coolest puppy I have seen in awhile:

Gotta get past the pup!

Analog was an absolute surprise- we were ushered toward the open kitchen at the back where the tastings included mini lobster corndogs and mini "Totchos" which is white trash treat! These are Tater-tot-nachos created by layering tots smothered in cheese topped with chilaquile sauce and an egg! So random, and they really trailer park them up by serving them in metal TV trays circa 1963. The whole place is slathered with albums, musical quotes, and a special board reserved to honor the karaoke super-stars of the week. I LOVED this place! So retro- and sooooo fun!

I know that San Diego has these events in all of its neighborhoods and boroughs {North Park, Hillcrest, Pacific Beach} and I would absolutely attend another one- so fun finding new places and trying new dishes all at once!