I’m going to let you in on a little secret. The best chocolate lava cake isn’t at a restaurant. You won’t have to order it 20 minutes in advance and pay $10 for it. It’s at Trader Joe’s and not only is it the best lava cake, it’s the best dessert, period.
Options for cheap eats near the San Diego Convention Center (and Comic-Con) abound, if you know where to look. Most of the spots on 5th, right across from the SDCC aren’t worth your dining dollar, but there are a few gems right on the strip. If you go a little farther north, or east, that’s where you’ll really strike gold. Here are my top picks for cheap eats near the Convention Center (and in downtown SD, in general).
The 2012 San Diego County Fair opens this Friday. For a sneak preview of all the cheese-stuffed, deep-fried, bacon-wrapped food items, check out my post on San Diego Magazine’s Food & Drink blog, including this deep-fried Trix cereal from Chicken Charlie’s.
The Cravory is one of my favorite cookie bakers in San Diego. From both a technical and creative standpoint, their cookies are excellent. There are a dozen signature flavors, plus 6 additional options that change each month, and you can also create your own. There’s no retail storefront but you can try them at San Diego Farmers’ Markets (La Jolla and Hillcrest), and if you’re not local, order them online. They’ll ship anywhere in the continental USA (with a one dozen minimum).
I haven’t been this excited about coffee cake in… ever. Cookies? Yes. Cake? Uh-huh. Brownies? Ok, now you’re just messing with me, that one’s obvious…. but coffee cake? Until I tried the chocolate chip flavor from Kona Coffee Co. in Hillcrest, I never really craved the stuff. Let me break it down for you: the marble cake is like the inside of the moistest muffin in the history of Everdom and the crumble topping is like chocolate chip cookie dough. Get all the details of this and other flavors on San Diego Sugar.
Doughnut muffins, a birthday cake styled after Momofuku Milk Bar, and a four-layer chocolate concoction are three treats I sampled at Azucar, Ocean Beach’s Cuban style patisserie. Read all about it on San Diego Sugar.
The newest spot to open in the East Village is Lucky’s, where over-stuffed sandwiches, soups, salads, and hot dogs rule. Inside, it’s like a modern take on a drugstore soda fountain. A counter runs the length of the restaurant, with bar tables providing additional seating. There’s even Crater Lake root beer on draft. I tried a hot dog for Everyday Eats on San Diego Magazine.com, plus the mish mosh soup, a bite of a salad, and a doughnut. Some choices were great, others I wouldn’t order again. Find out the highlights (and low-lights) in my extended review.
Did you know April 2nd is “National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day”? Me neither. Still, if you need a reason to treat yourself, doing so on the “official” day is always a good enough argument from me. Check out my post over on San Diego Sugar for two sweet ways to celebrate the classic combo.
It should come as no surprise that I love dessert. So when I dined at Burlap, and saw three desserts on the brunch menu (coconut-lemongrass tapioca, vietnamese affogato, and carrot cake), it was a foregone conclusion that I’d be ordering one. To make room for a slice of carrot cake, I opted for one of the smaller entrees, but when the Twinkie-sized portion was delivered at the end of the meal, I was stunned.
Green beer has never been my thing, but Sprinkles has a few new cupcakes I’d happily devour instead: Irish Chocolate and Green Velvet. Find out more, including when you can get a free cupcake on San Diego Sugar.
