I chill at White Castle ‘cause it’s the best/but I’m fly at Fatburger when I’m way out west ~”The New Style” by the Beastie Boys 

One Fatburger and an Oreo shake/my tummy’s so empty it’s like an earthquake! Yeah, I went there. And I’m probably going back next week- because there’s a wall of folks who braved the Triple King and I’m feeling like joining them in their food coma. Pretty fly for fast food, yo.

There’s more to life than chocolate, but not right now. ~Anonymous

Between stints of exploring, I’ve been all about chocolate. Breaking open the bars my friend Hema gave me, picking out other flavors at my local Whole Foods as well. If you can find B.T. McElrath’s where you are, I highly recommend it.

The only kind of seafood I trust is the fish stick- a totally featureless fish that doesn’t have eyeballs or fins. ~Dave Barry

Headed to the local multiplex to see Avengers 3D and lookie- even the fast food version of fish tacos is good out here. Burros & Fries even has beer and a selection of hot sauces to go with… whatever fish that is.

“Mmm… Unexplained bacon.” ~Homer Simpson

Ocean Beach Ice Cream makes waffle ice cream sandwiches in several flavors. For an extra 85 cents they’ll add, of all things, bacon. Not that I have a problem with bacon, just that it’s the most perfect thing ever with ice cream, and why don’t more ice cream places do this? I got a maple walnut sammie on a plain (hot!) waffle with bacon. Mmm…

We’ve been on the run
Driving in the sun
Looking out for number 1
California here we come
Right back where we started from ~”California” by Phantom Planet

So after weeks of driving, I cruised into California and there were shrimp and fish tacos and locally brewed beer at the beach just like I’d been hoping for. And an email from my cousin back in Minneapolis about how my grandparents met in San Diego. So here I am, right back where I started. Yum.

npr:

If you want to see the strength of America’s beer industry, you may want to look past beverage giants like Anheuser-Busch and MillerCoors. According to the Brewers Association, nearly 2,000 American brewers operated during 2011 — the most since the 1880s.

(via U.S. Craft Beer Brewers Thrive, Despite Small Share Of The Market : The Salt)

Photo: Bill Chappell / NPR

My first reblog, because it’s too epic not to share- local brews rule!

Too few people understand a really good sandwich. ~James Beard

Probably because so few places make a really good sandwich. A little lunch at Board & Brew in Del Mar: Spicy Beef Dip with jalapenos, Swiss cheese, and onions on a toasted baguette with a side of au jus. A little lunch at Boudin in UTC: Fra’ Mani rosemary ham, brie, dried cranberries, and arugula on sourdough with a side of spring salad. The secret, as far as I can tell, is fresh ingredients and really good bread. What’s so hard to understand about that?