San Diego eats

P went to San Diego recently with the spousal unit and sampled the local cuisine. Some highlights:

Roberto's (Miramar Rd near Carl's Jr.)
Carne Asada Burrito (steak, guac, pico de gallo)
Chorizo Plate (chorizo, rice, beans, flour tortillas)
Verdict: Awesome. First food after getting the rental car. Could only eat half it was so filling.

Vallarta Express (Genesee Ave just north of Balboa)
4 rolled tacos (beef) with guac, sour cream, cheese, and lettuce
Chorizo Burrtio (chorizo, egg, cheese)
Verdict: Not bad. Impulse purchase after shopping at Ralphs grocery store at Balboa and Genesee Aves. Drive-thru was a plus. They also have call-ahead ordering. Very good salsa verde on the side. Salsa roja was a bit volcanic (not bad, just h-h-h-h-hot).

Mimi's Cafe (Auto Circle Dr, just north of I-8)
Omelet with Avocado and Crabmeat
Verdict: Another impulse visit, since it happened to be across the street from Best Buy in Mission Valley. Excellent. Again, could only eat half due to volume. Good quality and value (under $10)

Cotija's (Jackson Dr.)
5 rolled tacos with guac, cheese, lettuce
Verdict: Very filling. Massive amount of cheese and guac (very light colored, apparently the same way for decades).

Sardina's Restaurant (Morena Blvd., Linda Vista)
meat calzone (really, a stromboli since there was no ricotta cheese, but I won't quibble)
spaghetti carbonara
white chocolate macadamia cheesecake
cannoli
Verdict: Attentive and welcoming staff, large volume of tasty food, great desserts. I'd recommend this to anyone looking for good Italian in San Diego. Lots of "to-go" boxes. Didn't have pizza, but saw lots of other customers eating it. Next time.

Mimi's Cafe (Mira Mesa)
Panini with Bacon, Ham, Tomato, Cheese and Garlic Spinach
Verdict: Very light-tasting yet filling. This mini-chain has a lot going for it.

Extraordinary Desserts (5th St., Hillcrest)
Lemon Meringue Cheesecake
Verdict: Very tall. Very lemony. Very good.

Cotija's (Clairemont Dr.)
Carne Asada Burrito
Verdict: Could only eat half due to volume. A huge amount of steak. Next time I'll try the shrimp burrito. Hard to believe I never went to this place before. Shout-out to mmm-yoso (their review from 2005 is here).

Marie Callender's (Alvarado Rd, off 70th St.)
Bacon Spinach Quiche with Salad Sampler
Blueberry Cream Pie
Verdict: A limited menu on the day we went, due to their kitchen being renovated. Bummer, since their full menu is really good. Having said that, the quiche was good and the pie was excellent. Note to self: pie does not travel well to the east coast.

Overall verdict: Hopefully business takes me to San Diego soon. Philly is limited when it comes to San Diego-style Mexican food, though small taquerias are spreading through the Italian Market and Northern Liberties sections of town. A taco truck in Center City wouldn't hurt, either.

- P