San Diego, CA.  - Eight Annual Taste of Hope on August 22nd.

City of Hope’s eighth annual Taste of Hope, presented by the Women’s Council of San Diego County.   It will be both a culinary and wine tasting event that will showcase more than 25 top restaurants and wineries – and of course, there will be a silent auction, music and attendee gift bags.  Zoe Mohler, Thyroid cancer survivor and founder of Three Sisters Jewelry Design will be honored with the Ambassador of Hope Award for her commitment in the fight against Cancer.

Details at The City of Hope website and Three Sisters Jewelry.

I know that my life is better now in San Diego with Heavenly Cupcake just blocks from RealtyV2 headquarters.  Located in the Gaslamp you can find them at 518 6th Avenue.  The phone number is 619-235-9235 or follow them on twitter.

Just the perfect amount to satisfy any sweet tooth without eating a whole cake which I am perfectly capable of.

The cupcakes are baked throughout the day and depending on the time of the week they have Banana, Banana Peanut Butter, Carrot, Chocolate, Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Peppermint, Chocolate Vanilla, Coconut, Dark Chocolate, Lemon, Lemon Coconut, Orange Chip, Peanut Butter, Peanut Butter & Chocolate, Pumpkin, Red Velvet, S’Mores, Strawberry, Vanilla, and Vanilla Caramel.

My favorites so far are Peanut Butter & Chocolate, Red Velvet, and Dark Chocolate – but I’m still working my way through the flavors.

Review disclosure – No connection, unpaid, my own opinion.

While I love Cafe 222 and Richard Walkers Pancake House, I have recently discovered The Mission.  Located at 1250 J. Street in downtown San Diego East Village, this is the place to be if you have a hearty appetite. .  The phone number is 619-232-7662 and it is a short walk from the Gaslamp District.  And trust me the walk back into downtown will do you good!

The Mission is our concept of a café specializing in simple, healthy, tasty food, with a whimsical edge and a focus on artful presentation at an affordable price. The simplicity and fresh ingredients are produced with dedication to the cause of living in a more conscientious world. This modern concept in healthy dining, combined with pleasant surroundings, is our specialty. We hope you will enjoy your experience of eating at The Mission.

Portions are large and the place gets pretty busy on the weekends.  I have tried Chicken Apple Sausage and Eggs which is served with delicious crispy rosemary potatoes, grilled rosemary bread, and eggs to order.  The apple sausage is lightly grilled and excellent.  Other dishes so far have been the Roast Beef Hash and Eggs which features generous chunks of fresh roast beef, and the Desayuno Burritto which is a large tortilla filled with beans, eggs, cheese, scallions, and chipotle cream.  All of them are highly recommended but my favorite continues to be the apple sausage plate.  Here is a link to their full menu including lunch.

Yelp review.

In my opinion one of the best places to have breakfast in downtown San Diego is at Cafe 222.  Located at 222 Island Avenue next to the Gaslamp District this restaurant is excellent for both breakfast & lunch.  One of my favorites is the sweet cornbread waffles made with a crunchy cornbread batter.  Cafe 222 is the winner of the Gold Medallion for Best Breakfast in 2003 to 2006.  I have been told that Cafe 222 has been featured on Food TV with Bobby Flay who is a big fan.

The restaurant was started in 1991 by Terrl Gavre who worked with restaurant designer Perry Jacobs to create a functional but funky restaurant space in the Marina District.  Expect long lines on the weekends as this is both a local hangout and popular with San Diego Tourists.  Your chances are much better during the week, but even then it can be a bit of a wait.  With that said the wait is worth it.

Visit Cafe 222′s website for a complete menu and more pictures.  I like to sit outside on the patio and watch the people go by.  They are also dog friendly on the outside patio.  Telephone number is 619-236-9902.

Head on over to Yelp about Cafe 222 other great menu choices.

Photo Credits – Cafe 222 Website

One of the things that I love about living downtown is there are so many great places to eat.  I never get bored of exploring the city for new and different restaurants, but one place that is a special treat when I am in the mood for a burger is Bare Back New Zealand Burgers and ´Wiches Grill.  This wonderful open air bar/restaurant is located on E Street between 6th and 7th Avenue in the Gaslamp District.  I happen to really like the Kiwilango which is 100% organic beef, bleu cheese crumbles, fresh diced jalapenos, lettuce, tomato, red onion, hot sauce, aioli, BBQ sauce and topped with crushed tortilla chips.  The fries are a huge serving of freshly cut potatoes with special seasoning and served with their sweet wasabi mayo and spicy red pepper sauce.  Other appetizers include Kal Maori which is a freshly made batch of tempura calamari or the onion rings.  If you are not into beef, they have a range of burgers made from chicken including a Meso Tasty – teriyaki grilled all natural chicken breast, swiss cheese, grilled pineapple, sweet maui onion chips, lettuce, tomato, aioli and spicy red pepper sauce.

Head on over to Yelp to see what other folks have to say.

Yesterday after a hard morning work on the computer setting up new Clients I was really hungry.  Of course living downtown one of the big advantages is the multitude of food choices laid out all around me.  Hmmm, should I walk over to Rama, The Cheese Shop, or maybe something in the Gaslamp?  Nope, I was in the mood for a Chicken Döner, and there’s no better place in my mind than The Kebab Shop on 9th Avenue in East Village.  Besides, a nice walk over and back will clear my head and weary eyes from staring at the computer monitor.  Now for me, a happy day is the day the Range Rover is tucked safely underground and I can attend to my needs walking this wonderful City.  

Please don’t let the front of this place scare you away because you are in for a big treat.  They also have them in Lamb and Falafel – plus lots of other great menu items.

Please visit their website for more information and address.

Today was a bit overcast for San Diego, so I headed over to the Brickyard Coffee shop for some lunch and a coffee.  Sometimes it is nice to break out of the Starbucks habit and visit a local coffee shop for some change of pace.  I highly recommend the Brickyard for a nice morning or afternoon coffee on their large outside patio, or inside during those cold days.  It is very dog friendly, outside on the patio, and the food is really good.  Today I had a Turkey Panini on french bread with avocado and cheese served with a salad.  The brickyard is located in the Marina District in downtown San Diego at 674 West G. Street which is between 6th and 7th Avenue.  There phone number is 619-696-7220.  Warning: they do close early at 2 p.m.

I hear from good sources that the breakfast burritos are excellent.  Read more reviews at Yelp regarding the Brickyard Coffee & Tea.

I know that I was happy to hear that the Old Spaghetti Factory has announced plans to re-open in the Gaslamp after leaving some four years ago.  

“We continue to receive calls from families asking when we’re going to reopen The Old Spaghetti Factory in San Diego,” said Chris Dussin, president and son of the restaurant’s founder. “We spent significant time looking for a new location, but in the end we decided it would be best to return to our original location.”

Dussini Mediterranean Bistro will close Feb. 1 and The Old Spaghetti Factory will open Feb. 23. The Dussini Loft Bar will remain open to guests on the upper floor, the restaurant chain said in a news release according to this article on SignOnSanDiego.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XefPiDqZKMg

One of my favorite places in San Diego for happy hour is La Puerta on 4th Avenue in the Gaslamp District.  Currently, everyday from 4 to 7 p.m. they have an appetizer menu and their excellent margaritas for half price. They make their drinks with real lime juice.  I like the Low Rider with salt myself.  With choices on the appetizer menu including Guacamole, Quesadillas, Flautitas,  Carne Asada Fries, and Tostaditas who can go wrong.  My personal favorites are the Guacamole and Pollo Asado Quesadillas, but I want to try the T.J. Dawgs, which is a bacon wrapped turkey hot dog.  Tuesday is Street Taco Tuesday for only $2.00 per taco.  One warning, be careful of the habanero hot sauce, my mouth is still burning.

Check out what Yelp has to say about La Puerta or visit their website at www.taco619.com.