Kono's

My favorite burger in all of San Diego is at this tiny lil' hole in the wall at the end of Garnet Ave, just before you walk down Crystal Pier and into the ocean.



Kono's has been a staple of my families diet since I was a kid. There was a time, in fact, that for about a year in High School I was a vegetarian. It was the hip thing to do I guess. The day I walked by Kono's, was the day I crossed back over to the meat side and never looked back. I suppose it says something about the quality of the burgers here.

Breakfast is served all day and a favorite of the patrons, but I've never had it. I prefer the Cheeseburger and fries. Luckily today it was on special.

Once you snake yourself through the line outside, you'll enter to find a very easy menu. Breakfast, burgers, sandwiches, fries. It's easy to figure out what you want. Everything here is delicious.

The "Quote of the Week" blackboard is one of my favorites. I just love landlocked tourists.

They have seating inside, but one would be foolish to pass up the "secret" outdoor patio. Just outside to the left, past what used to be the shell shop, you'll find a great little seating area with an amazing view.

I've always loved Kono's because they just do good burgers, well. There isn't anything fancy schmancy about these burgers, just nice big hand packed meat patties, grilled and piled high with condiments. I got my burger pretty plain; ketchup, mustard, pickles and grilled onions.

My friend got the works, with bacon and avocado added.

We shared a HUGE order of hot crispy steak fries.

Pair the view with a Kono's burger and some of the best steak fries ever had, a beautiful 75* San Diego day, and you've got a perfect afternoon.

JRDN

Mmmm...

723 Felspar St.
San Diego, CA 92109
858-270-JRDN
866-86...

It's called JRDN, which is a fancy way of spelling Jordan. I came here last week for a nice glass of afternoon sangria.

At $5, it was super yummy and totally worth the price. I don't go out to drink often because of the ridiculous prices people think their drinks are worth, but JRDN really hit the spot. It's got great ocean views of Crystal Pier, the boardwalk and North Pacific Beach.

Nick's at the Beach

So I got a text earlier commenting that I have been slacking on the blogging. I didn't realize there were people who counted on my posts, so here comes a flood of them starting with Nick's at the Beach.

809 Thomas Avenue, Pacific Beach
San Diego, CA 92109
(858) 270-1730

Nick's is in Pacific Beach and is a *mostly* seafood restaurant. I know I said I would never post about seafood, but I got steak.

It came with some basic sauteed vegetables and some pretty garlicky mashed potatoes. If you are not a fan of garlic, it's best to pass on this side.

Nick's has been voted "The Best of..." a few times and came highly recommended by San Diego's Unknown Eater. For steak it was so-so, but for seafood I assume it's probably pretty boss.

I ordered mine "medium" and it came with a nice pink center.


My friend ordered the Chilaquile Seabass.

It came with the same sides, which were just a little boring for me for a "nicer" place. Not bad at all, just kinda boring.

For dessert we opted to skip Nick's and head down to Mission Beach to an old standard favorite of mine as a kid.

It's just a plain old ice cream stand. But inside...

The closest thing to Hawaiian Shave Ice I've had since being IN Hawaii.

Complete with Ice Cream in the bottom. Om nom nom.

Cafe Athena; Greek in PB

Josh took me out to lunch this week in exchange for a haircut. We perused Yelp for awhile, trying to decide between Greek, Thai, and BBQ. Greek won.

We drove down the street to Cafe Athena, located at 1846 Garnet Ave in the heart of Pacific Beach. Josh is a total foodie like me too, so we tend to order a lot and share everything. We started out with the hummus.


Very very good hummus, actually some of the best I've had at a restaurant in San Diego. For our entrees Josh and I ordered the Gyros Plate and the Riganato.


I started mine with a Greek salad. Their dressing is on the creamier side of a vinaigrette, but still very good, while their feta had a less "crumbly" consistency which I really enjoyed. I would have preferred a grape or cherry tomato instead of the sliced hot house ones I got, and a few more olives could have helped, but overall a decent salad.


The Gyros plate arrived with beautiful long strips of meat, tender rice pilaf (though I saw no orzo) and Briami, which is basically Zucchini and Eggplant in a tomato sauce. The Briami was a first for me, but really good. Their tzatziki was TO DIE FOR, thick with lots of cucumber shreds in it to give it a nice rustic texture.


The Riganato was fall off the bone tender, and came with these very interesting "Lemon Potatoes" which are kinda like home fries with lemon on them, the Briami and a garlic aioli on the side that was delicious. I hate mayo, so aiolis are very hit or miss with me, but this hardly felt like a mayo. In fact Josh and I forgot what it was until we double checked the menu.

As far as Greek places go, this one is near the top of the list and a definite must try if you like Mediterranean food. I will totally go here again and get a bit more adventurous with my choices next time, but we felt for a first time place, if they can get the basics right, they deserve another shot.

A Night Out in Pacific Beach

Last night I went out with my friend to PB for dinner, drinks and hookah.

We started off at Fred's Mexican Cafe for dinner and margaritas.

I got the house margarita, frozen with light salt, cuz it was on special.



It was so freaking cold outside that something warmer, like Mexican Coffee would probably have better suited me, but how can you eat carne asada tacos without a margarita?!

Which brings me to my meal...



Carne Asada taco plate with rice and black beans, and a side of guacamole. Yummy! I couldn't finish it all, but it was super tasty nonetheless.

We then ventured over to Sinbad's for some Apple Hookah. We got the Sinbad Apple, which is green apple tobacco inside a red apple bowl. We also added ice to the water to make the smoke nice and cool.



The service at Sinbad's is always really excellent. They come by and check coals and the bowls often and regularly so you can enjoy the hookah for almost 2 hours. I also love their presentation!

We then each got a pint of Guinness, and as our nights end cap, we went over to visit my sister at her bar where we got ANOTHER Guinness.



I used to really HATE beer. I mean I totally despised it. Then I lived with Michelle, and she LITERALLY (:P ) made me like it. In fact, we would drink beer as if it were wine, and taste the different hops and notes and flavors and really just enjoy it together. I fancy her, because she makes me more awesome on a daily basis.