Habana Cuba

This entry is out of order, since a bunch of us went to Habana Cuba before Christmas and prior to my leaving for San Diego, but better late than never!

We started out the dinner with a pitcher with sangria which was really good. It wasn't very strong at all, but it was quite tasty. I still got my "asian glow" after maybe half a glass with my cheeks getting warm and pink. We had a big group, but Jeremy, Christina, and I were going to share a few things.

We started with an appetizer of bocaditos or cuban sandwiches which were delicious! The bread was toasted nicely and the slow roasted meat inside as well as the caramelized onions with cheese just melded perfectly! The sandwich seems so simple but they were so delicious! We then split the surtido (?) for 2 which includes 3 types of meat- the famous slow roasted pork, a beef with potatoes dish, and chicken with onions dish. The side dishes were really good with fried plantains being the highlight for me, as well as the white rice (I think loaded with butter) and black beans. The slow roasted pork which is the cuban specialty apparently was really good and recommended by me :)

One of my friends ended up getting some desserts- tres leches cake, flan and arroz con leche. The cake was DELICIOUS, with a great moistness and wasn't too sweet which is a turnoff for me if a cake is too sweet. The flan was a little firmer than what I'm used to, but still creamy and good. The arroz con leche was a bit soupy and on the sweeter side (from the bite I had), but everybody else seemed to enjoy it! Overall, a good first cuban dining experience for me!

Lolitas- San Diego

Another must stop when I'm in San Diego is Lolita's, usually in Bonita for some carne asada! It's not like we don't have good mexican food up here in the bay area, but there's something about Lolita's and the memories!  I usually get a Carne Asada burrito or a Carne Asada taco with an extra corn tortilla to make it 2 tacos :)

My friend is obsessed with the Carne Asada Fries or the California Burrito which is a Carne Asada burrito with french fries, sour cream, and cheese in it.  She also claims that the salsa is to die for, but I'm not a connoisseur so I just use a little of the hot sauce like any other hot sauce! I'm also not a huge fan of the fries and carne asada thing, so I stick with the traditional burrito or taco... oh so good... I usually get it with horchata to wash it down, but this time I just stuck with water since it can be pretty darn sweet sometimes.  We met up with my friends who had never met Jeremy before, so it was a good time of eating good mexican food and catching up on what's new in our lives. I had mentioned carne asada fries to Jeremy (since french fries are his favorite "vegetable") a few days prior to going to Lolita's but he had forgotten about them- for which he still gives me a hard time about! He greatly enjoyed his carne asada burrito but talksa bout trying this carne asada fries business next time we're down there!

Another place I would have loved to go to was Tacos El Gordo for some more of the small street style tacos, but I didn't get over there and decided I could survive without it.  Maybe next time! Man, I love the numerous and delicious mexican eateries in San Diego!

Sushi Ota- San Diego

If you asked me what my favorite Japanese restaurant is in San Diego, I would be VERY quick to say Sushi Ota in Pacific Beach!

Jeremy came with me to San Diego this year for Christmas, and we went to Sushi Ota one night so he could experience the glory. My parents took us and we got the chef's tasting menu of about 7 courses as usual. We started off with a crab wrapped in cucumber dish topped with daikon, dried pomegranate, and a ponzu type sauce on top. My favorite dish was the foil wrapped steamed dish with an excellent broth! It had cod, enoki mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, mizuna greens, napa cabbage, and as I said, AMAZING broth. It was so good that Jeremy, who normally does not drink the soup and only eats the solids in any soup, drank all the broth!

We also had really good sushi such as two different types of Aji (Spanish Mackerel my favorite), and a special toro (fatty tuna). We put Jeremy to the test by giving him uni (sea urchin) and ikura (salmon roe) which even many Japanese people don't like. It took me a long time to actually eat it, but I still don't choose to eat it over other sushi items. He definitely tries everything once, which I think is a great characteristic! We also asked specifically for a salmon skin handroll for Jeremy & I since I love them! I don't think they're as good in a regular roll because you don't get as much of the crunch factor when the crunchy items are distributed throughout a long roll. It was warm, very crispy, and absolutely delicious, especially with the extra salmon pieces added into the roll. Jeremy really enjoyed it too. You can get that roll in other places, and I may be biased, but I love everything about Sushi Ota. The place is pretty casual, not the elegant, snooty feeling restaurant you have to dress up for, but I love the food and Mr. Ota is fantastic. I have and will continue to go every time I'm in San Diego!!