I recently took a trip to Southern California with my boyfriend, and had a great time. There was the wonderful San Diego weather which mixed nicely with a packed schedule (more to come on activities) and great dining. I definitely did my research before, turning to San Diego Magazine and friends who were familiar with the area for advice. Here are a few reviews of the places we ate.

San Diego & Coronado Island

Fatburger - This deserves the title as the best fast food burger. With a crispy slightly charred crust and bun that wasn’t overwhelming, Fatburger delivers in juicy grilled goodness. The fresh onion rings and rich homemade chocolate milkshake (made with Blue Bell ice cream) really took the cake. I thought it was light years better than the other West coast burger staple, In-n-Out Burger.

Overall Rating: A-

Rockin’ Baja Coastal Cantina - Probably the worst meal we had the whole trip, we wandered all through the Gaslamp District (and passed a ton of great looking places) and stopped here in favor of cheapness. The mix of seafood and Mexican was a good choice for us (since I love Mexican and he loves seafood), so we tried it out. The guacamole was good, not amazing, but the salsa bar was pretty good. I ordered the dirty tacos with steak instead of carnitas, which came with a wicked spicy chipotle sauce and grilled onions. The boy got suckered into a Baja Bucket with weirdly flash-fried shellfish, which was pretty gross.

Overall Rating: C

Peohe’s - Part of the Chart House restaurant group, we went to Peohe’s for the view and Hawaiian fusion. It’s a bit of a cheesy, touristy destination, but the food was better than expected. The coconut crusted onion rings are amazing. The rest of the menu is quite similar to the Chart House. My only complaint was that the main dessert had macadamia nuts, and I’m allergic. We ate on a covered patio on the water and were really amused by the birds that literally divebombed into the water to get fish.

Overall Rating: B

Ortega’s Mexican Bistro - This was a great Mexican place in the Hillcrest neighborhood. We started with some tasty guacamole, made table-side with grilled lime. BF had some chicken mole enchiladas and the huitlacoche and portabello taco trio. It’s pretty funny how huitlacoche (”corn smut”) is marketed, when it’s really just corn fungus (like a tumorous mushroom). I had the Kobe beef burrito for my entree, which was really simple and delicious. Stuffed with Kobe beef strips, charro beans, jack cheese and avocado (I declined the huitlacoche-porcini mushroom sauce), I thoroughly enjoyed this upscale burrito.

Overall Rating: B+

La Jolla

Brockton Villa - The home of the infamous “coast toast” and a fantastic view, this was one of the best breakfasts ever. We shared a coast toast, and I ordered blueberry pancakes while BF had the “bagel tower”. The pancakes were huge, lightly dusted with powdered sugar and had hints of orange and vanilla. The fresh blueberries put it over the top. The bagel tower was amazing and full of house-smoked lox. A bagel sliced in three with alternating layers of cream cheese, tomato and onion. Kind of like a breakfast club sandwich. A seriously delicious start to the day.

Overall Rating: A

Powell’s Sweet Shop - A very cool little candy shop in La Jolla (with multiple locations), Powell’s features candy from all over the world. They also have rarely seen U.S. candies (cherry bombs for example) and an impressive wall of Jelly Bellies and M&M colors. In addition, they have homemade gelato, specialty sodas, and Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory on infinite loop in a mini kids “theatre” in the back (complete with Wonka Bars). It’s everything fun and whimsical should be. As a candy lover, this is going in my book as a favorite spot to stop for something sweet, along with Fiona’s Sweet Shoppe in San Francisco.

Overall Rating: B+

George’s California Modern - I searched and searched for the best restaurant in the area, and George’s At the Cove consistently came up. Add in that friend of mine told me how amazing their casual menu was, and I had to check it out. I’m so glad I did. The recently renovated restaurant had a hip but calming ambiance, and service was superb. We started with appetizers and drinks. I ordered a bee sting which was colorful and refreshing with kumquats floating in the drink and a slight sting of honey. I had the romaine, celery heart and fennel salad which was amazingly fresh and included a delicious white-bean olive bruschetta and freshly shaved thick curls of parmesan. I practically licked the plate it was so good. BF had a special which was spotted prawns lightly grilled, which he declared the best shellfish he had ever eaten.

We ordered the Niman Ranch 28 day dry aged Cote de Boeuf for two, which took a bit of time to come out. After a 20 minute wait, our waiter brought out a quick almost amuse bouche for us, compliments of the chef. We were treated to a wild mushroom house made ravoli with spring peas. Absolutely amazing. By the time the actual entree arrived we were both stuffed. The beef was delicious, perfectly seasoned with salt and boasting a delightful crispy crust.

And we couldn’t resist dessert. The stuffed donut holes with dip came out with a trio of sauces and were filled with caramel, strawberry or rubharb. The meyer lemon sauce was tart and light, the dulce de leche decadent, and the choloclate was rich and smooth.

I’ve eaten at a number of fine restaurants in the DC area and have to say that this was one of the best meals I have ever had. But, I’ll let you know my thoughts after Citronelle and The Inn at Little Washington (one day).

Overall Rating: A+

Del Mar

Roberto’s - Hands down the tastiest casual Mexican place I have ever been. I would eat there every day if I could. I got the rolled tacos (basically a crispy little taquito) with beef and sour cream. Amazing and with a side of guacamole a perfect fit. Weird as it is, the refried beans were my favorite of all. BF got a combo fish taco and beef burrito. For a unique side, he tried the jalapeno marinated carrot slaw.

Overall Rating: A

Malibu

Geoffrey’s - we stumbled upon Geoffrey’s thanks to a Zagat Guide iPhone search for a place with a view. We were definitely not disappointed. I had the roasted corn chowder which was sweet with corn and lumps of crab meat and a spicy kick from roasted pasilla chiles. Followed up by a really great casear salad with parmesan croutons. BF had the lobster cobb salad with the best avocado he’d ever had. The food was good but not anything special, but the view made it all worthwhile. Along with the gorgeous ocean view we enjoyed checking out the super expensive vehicles in the valet and on the drive down the 101.

Overall Rating: B-