Little Italy in San Diego

Yes! We actually got out of the house early today.  I'm sitting outside Starbucks in Little Italy.  

We drive through this neighborhood (that borders downtown) every time we come to San Diego, but I've never really noticed it. 

Last week when dropping Smita at the airport we stopped at this Starbucks and we walked down the street.  Although none of the shops were open, I fell in love.  I can't believe that we never came here before! (or maybe I can, many trips, but always short, so having 2 months here has been perfect for discovering all the places we have been missing)  

Ernesto had a meeting and dropped me off with my computer at 10am.  I'm 2 minutes  from the airport and right under the flight path.  Dammit!  Delta just flew by. I couldn't get my camera out fast enough.  I had to settle for this one.  Northwest really is Delta.  It just hasn't been painted yet. 

Sitting outside with the sun shining on me, planes flying above and a view to the harbor and downtown.  What can I say? Life is good.  oh! here comes another plane.  Its a good picture, but...it's Southwest.

Anyhoo, Little Italy is only a handful of streets filled with restaurants, boutiques, shops and bars. From what I could see it's a nice mix of modern and tradition too.  This fountain is beautiful covered in hand painted Italian tiles.  

Old brightly painted cottages  (apparently were once fisherman's homes) are now cute little boutiques.  This one made me laugh....maybe a bit too Italian?

There seemed to be "community" here as well.  People out and about.  Boldly colored contemporary condos, many of them  live/work spaces.  I really loved that all the restaurants had seating spilling out on the sidewalks...and people were actually sitting out. Oh! The abundance of cute places was overwhelming, I wanted to sit down for an espresso at each one. Never too hot to sit outside in San Diego.  Is there anything bad about this city?  Oh yes, the price of a house...I forgot.

Also in Little Italy is Architectural Salvage.   I visited once 8 years ago, and I never forgot how cool it was.   This unique store is jam packed with antiques and salvage items.  Grates, gates, glassware, doors, door knobs, door knockers, stained glass, keyholes....Its worth a look folks.

I am so hooked on San Diego!  To see what others are hooked on this week visit Hooked on Houses.

Also Check out Melissa's Beautiful Life posts over at the Inspired Room....I would say this qualifies as a beautiful life, wouldn't you?

Old News But Good News - Shrimp Ceviche Recipe

One day about 7 years ago I was reading the food section in the Atlanta Journal Constitution and saw this:

Who are the best cooks? We're looking for Georgia home cooks who deserve recognition for their talents and who have interesting recipes to share. Give us your name and phone number, as well as the name and number of the cook you'd like us to consider. And tell us a little about what makes this cook special.

So I did, and a few weeks later Ernesto was featured in the paper.   This was back in 2002.  The interview really made me smile.  A few things are outdated, but the Ceviche recipe he chose to share the is still the best i have ever tasted.  If you have ever tried it, you know what Im talking about.  If you look at the original article you will see that they advised cooking the shrimp because they did not want to recommend uncooked shrimp to the public.  I took that part out below and want to clarify that by NO MEANS should you cook the shrimp for this recipe. There was a great picture that the newspaper took of Ernesto in our tiny tiny kitchen, but unfortunately it's not posted online. So I added this one.

[ The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: 10/10/02 ]

IN THE KITCHEN WITH... 

ERNESTO ESPINOZA, 30, ATLANTA 

How cooking becomes 'great source of pleasure'

Nominated by Cindy Espinoza:

"My husband, Ernesto, grew up in a Mexican household and, fortunately for me, brought with him a delicious style of cooking. I grew up with meat and potatoes, and my idea of Mexican food was Ortega taco shells and salsa from a jar. Ernesto has introduced me to the great variety of Mexican foods and the wonderful signature of fresh ingredients.

"He does all the cooking and makes unique recipes that are now my favorite dishes. Some are passed on from his mother; others he creates himself. He doesn't limit himself to just Mexican cuisine, either. He loves to experiment and try new things. I love it when our friends come over and try something they have never had before and then tell me that [it] is now their favorite thing to eat."

What happens when a young lady from the Midwest meets a young man who grew up in a Mexican household? After they fall in love and marry, the young man, Ernesto Espinoza of Atlanta, begins to enjoy cooking for his wife and friends and experimenting with varied cuisines. The young lady learns that there is a whole lot more to Mexican food than Taco Bell.

 Family/background: "I was born in Mexico, but my family moved to San Diego when I was a baby. That's where I grew up. My family is still in San Diego. I moved to Ohio to go to school, and then moved to Atlanta. I met my wife at the airport in Columbus, Ohio."

 Career: "I work for Corwin Robison State Farm agency."

 What are your hobbies? "Cooking, of course; travel; dining; Rollerblading; jogging; biking; movies. Would like to get my master's."

Who taught you to cook? "I had to learn how to cook while I was away for college. I'd call my mom a lot for recipes and advice."

How did your love of cooking develop: "I didn't care for it at first; it was just something that I had to do. But after a while, and lots of practice, I actually began enjoying my food. Then I started to experiment, and cooking has since become a great source of pleasure."

Culinary roots: "I mainly grew up on Mexican food. We had a lot of salsas, guacamole; there was a lot of grilling, and a lot of fresh ingredients. My mother got her cuisine from her mother, who was from Guadalajara. After we came to San Diego, my mother started experimenting and started introducing us to other things."

 Cooking style: Spicy south-of-the-border.

 Early food memory: "It was on one of our family trips in Michoac‡n, Mexico -- the western central highlands. We took a small dugout boat to an island on Lake P‡tzcuaro, where we had an enormous feast. I remember sitting outside on homemade benches under a large homemade shade with food coming at us nonstop. The fish was served and prepared in a variety of ways, shrimp skewers were being passed around with lime wedges and hot sauce, and huge trays of shellfish were also served. The best meal was the sea turtle soup. It's not legal to hunt anymore, but . . . it has to be the best meat I've ever tasted. Delicious!

 For whom do you cook? "I like to cook for my wife and friends. When I'm home visiting my parents, I'll help out and keep my ears open to pick up new ideas and tips."

 Most enjoyable aspect of cooking: "Waiting for the final product."

 Specialties: "Seviche, fish tacos, salsa and posole, which is a staple Mexican dish. It's a stew that varies from region to region. The name refers to the hominy that is soaked in lime to remove the outer skin and to puff them up. It is slow-cooked and can be made with beef, pork or fish."

 Culinary ambitions: "Lately I've been experimenting with Thai and Asian food. I love the smell of it."

 What is your favorite thing to eat? "Anything spicy."

Culinary pet peeve: "If someone asks for a recipe and I give it to them and then they modify it."

 Most memorable meal you've ever prepared: "My in-laws were coming to visit, so I decided to make something new: beer-battered amberjack tacos. It was the first time I had ever made them, and it was a difficult project. I wasn't sure they were going to turn out, but to my surprise they were a hit. Not one was left over. I must admit they were pretty good."

 Do you favor a particular ingredient? "Dried peppers and cilantro."

 What's the magic ingredient that makes some cooks turn out great food? "Using the freshest possible ingredients makes all the difference."

 Do you have a tip for today's cooks? "Try to expand your horizons. Try different things and use new ingredients."

 Favorite cookbook: "The recipes passed down from my grandmother are the ones I treasure the most."

 When I eat out, I like to order: "There's nothing better than a tender, juicy filet with a side of grilled asparagus."

 If you could prepare a fantasy meal for anybody, who would it be and what would you cook? "There is this Mexican singer named Pedro Infante. He was very popular in the '40s and '50s. He had the most beautiful voice. I would love to have him for a big Mexican feast and then afterward have him play the guitar and sing."

Ernesto's Shrimp Ceviche|

Preparation time: 20 minutes of chopping , plus 1 hour to marinate

Ceviche is raw fish marinated in citrus juice. Though the fish is not technically cooked, the acid in the marinade turns the fish opaque and firms it up so that it does not appear raw. Serve with tortilla chips or as topping for tostadas.

1 pound large raw tiger shrimp, peeled and deveined

4 roma tomatoes, diced

1 small white onion, chopped

3 serrano peppers, seeded and chopped

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1 tablespoon Clamato juice

1 teaspoon olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

6 limes

 Peel, devein and cut shrimp into 1/4-inch pieces. In a bowl, combine shrimp, tomatoes, onion, peppers, cilantro, Clamato juice and olive oil. Season with garlic salt and pepper to taste. Squeeze lime over combined ingredients and mix well in large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Drain excess lime juice before serving.

Happy 4th of July from San Diego

HAPPY 4th OF JULY!

Our sobrinos Cruz and Maia get in the spirit

I have celebrated 4th of July in San Diego many times, but this was the first year that I went to the Coronado Parade.  

8 of us rode our bikes there, and we weren't the only ones.  Orange Street was packed with people.  I love big crowds!  Smita flew in from Atlanta for the weekend and she really got to see what a cool city San Diego is. The parade was fun to watch, even though we arrived late (imagine that!) and only caught the last 30 minutes of it.  I loved all the old cars, this was my favorite. 
I also loved that most of the cars were driven by veterans and everyone stood up and clapped when they drove by.  It was touching. 
Although I am infatuated with ANYTHING & EVERYTHING outside of the US .....I am glad that I am Americana. 

Seaport Village & City Tour via Bicicleta

The latest bike ride included a tour of San Diego.   Actually a huge loop.  Ernesto was the guide and Jordi (Neto's brother-in-law's cousin who was visiting from Durango, Mexico) and I followed the native through different roads connecting Bonita, a southern suburb of SD and downtown.   I wish I could tell you the route we took, but alas, I was only a follower.  It was a wonderful ride though.  I was happy when we entered Seaport Village, right on the edge of downtown.   
"Seaport Village is built on landfill over Punta de los Muertos (Point of the Dead) where the Spanish expedition of 1782 buried those who had died of scurvy. In later years it was a railroad yard where goods and other products were unloaded from ships and loaded aboard trains for shipment east. Seaport Village broke ground in 1978 and opened in 1980." (via Seaport Village)  Over dead bodies? What?  I just learned that, but trust me,  you will not get the creeps here!  Seaport Village is a waterfront shopping, dining and entertainment complex with 54 one-of-a kind shops and 17 restaurants.  My favorite store:  The Tile Shop Oh, how I dream of a talavera tile kitchen.Although we just passed through the village on our bikes this time, I have eaten here before.  If you would like great seafood  and good draft beer in a unique old building that sits over the water, head for Harbor House.

Not too far down the boardwalk is the infamous Star of India, the world's oldest active ship!  This boat also houses the  Maritime Museum of San Diego which has a worldwide reputation for restoring, maintaining and operating historic vessels.  The Star of India has quite an interesting history, dating back to 1863.
Our bike tour continued as we loaded them onto the Coronado Ferry  which took us across the San Diego Bay.  To Coronado it leaves every hour on the hour.  (from Coronado on the half hour)  The ferry takes all of 10 minutes and cost only $3.25.  

The San Diego skyline is so beautiful looking from Coronado.  

From Coronado, it took us 2 hours to reach Ernesto's parents house on our bikes, and we were going fast.  We flew down the Silver Strand Trail and then through Imperial Beach, Chula Vista, National City and back to Bonita.  This was no leisurely ride for me, I was peddling my hardest to keep up with 2 guys.  I did a damn good job too!

Biking the Silver Strand in Coronado

We have really been into biking this summer.  And even though Neto's parents have an extra car for us to drive all summer, I would rather us bike everywhere.  

Mi Papa here is big into biking and was telling us about a great trail in Coronado.  Coronado is sometimes

 referred to as an island, but as you can see in the map to the right, it's not. (Coronado is in the upper left corner and downtown is across the bay to the left) There is a long thin strip of land that connects it to the mainland, and this is called the Silver Strand.  It is actually a State Park and has nice beaches and quite a few parks along the trail, which is great because there are several restroom stops.  We loaded the four bikes in the van at 11am and headed to the Silver Strand trailhead at Imperial Beach.  

**To reach the trailhead, take Interstate 5, take the Palm Ave exit and go east to 13th st. and turn right (AutoZone on the corner) and there is free parking. 

The Silver Strand State Park covers acres of land, and as far as trails go, it doesn't get much better than this.  There are succulents (my favorite) and palm trees lining the trail and stunning views of the Pacific, San Diego Bay, the Coronado Bridge and the downtown skyline.

The trail runs about 9 miles from Imperial beach and it is frequented by bicycles, in-line skaters, walkers and  runners.  Along the trail you pass through San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge which contains the majority of the remaining wetlands and so as you'd imagine, there were a lot of birds. 

It was a leisurely ride, there was nowhere to be at a certain time and we took advantage of it.   We stopped several times just to look across the bay. Below is the Coronado Bridge. 

At one point I asked mis padres "Do you know how lucky you are to live in this city?"  Their answer was 

"Yes, everyday we feel lucky!"

By the time we reached Orange Street in the center of Coronado, we were hungry and thirsty.  The area is filled with cute restaurants with outdoor seating, great shopping (just window shopping for me) and houses to die for.   It didn't take Neto long to spot the place he wanted to sit.  The Coronado Brewing Co had an extensive beer list we felt so accomplished sitting outside with our pints of beer.  

Ernesto and I rode our bikes a lot faster on the way back, and since we were ahead we went a bit further than where the car was parked...and we ran into this:
salt flats in San Diego?  This city never ceases to amaze me...ha!