Food Friday - San Diego and the Tale of the Three Burritos

There aren't really THAT many reasons to go to San Diego, other than some nice beaches and maybe Shamu if you like captive orcas.  However one thing you can sample there is a San Diego style burrito.

A San Diego style burrito is something I only learned about recently.  Down there, they like their burritos very basic: just meat wrapped up in a tortilla.   Beans are not included, and don't even think about rice.   The "San Diego" style burrito can be found around here if you go to Tito's and get a "Meat Only" burrito.

As you move north, more things are added.   The LA area burrito has meat, pinto beans (usually very soupy or refried) with some onions and cilantro, perhaps pico de gallo.   The classic LA burrito is what you will get at just about any taco truck.  Now of course it being LA there are 8000 other kinds of burritos around, but the standard kind is the one described above.  (This is also in my opinion the best kind of burrito.)  To a San Diego purist, the presence of beans in a burrito is offensive.

Then of course, there is the San Francisco burrito.  Here, many things are added in: rice, lettuce, tomatoes, guacamole....  The beans are now black beans.  Sometimes things like corn or roasted peppers are added.  These burritos become so big they have to be wrapped in aluminum foil.  To some, these burritos are fantastic as they have so much stuff in them.   Others feel there is too much going on in there, like an overdecorated Christmas tree.  In any event, the San Francisco style burrito can be sampled locally at any Chipotle or (in a way) Baja Fresh, though Chipotle is a pretty low quality example.

Anyhow.....I decided since I was visiting San Diego I would sample a truly authentic SAN DIEGO style burrito.

So I googled and found the most popular place was called Luche Libre.  It was the top find on Yelp and a few other places.

Here is what it looks like from the outside.

I was very glad I was there off-peak, because judging from this Disneyland-esque sign, it looks like the line can be quite lengthy.

Luckily there wasn't much of a line.

Entering, I noticed a very heavy Mexican wrestling theme going on.

To call out the orders, there was even a microphone that pulled down from the ceiling, just like in the middle of a wrestling or boxing ring.

So now it was time to order.  Should be simple because the San Diego burritos are so basic.

But.....this place was apparently not following the San Diego rules.  The menu listed all kinds of burritos, all of which had so many ingredients, they made a San Francisco burrito look like a supermodel's lunch.

No problem, I figured.  So I decided to just get the signature burrito, which was listed as having been featured on "Man Vs. Food."   I noticed it had shrimp in it, but didn't look much past that.

Strangely, the burrito came with fries.  Don't usually get fries with your burrito.

As I waited, I got my drink.  I would say this drink dispenser alone means you have to go down there.  (I am referring to the one on the left.  If you get this joke, you are officially old by the way.)

Finally get the burrito.  But wait, where are the fries?

Guess they forgot.

But no.  Fries are not WITH the burrito, they are IN the burrito.

Yes, this burrito is filled with steak, shrimp, FRENCH FRIES, avocado, cheese, "special secret sauce," lettuce, and sour cream.

This is not a San Diego burrito, it is a San Francisco burrito on steroids.

Of course, this being San Diego, there are still no beans.

Was it good?  Actually it was, yes.

(By the way, the salsas were very different down here.  The one on the bottom right was the best.)

New and Improved Super Shortcut

As you may know, I was very proud of my super shortcuts I've been developing, especially the one between Carthay Circle and Mar Vista.

However I found that it did not work well going in the other direction: from Mar Vista to Carthay Circle.  This was because of the terrible backup problem on Olympic going eastbound.

I tried an alternative, going on Venice then up Fairfax.  Wow, do NOT try that one yourself.

But then, I tried this route, and wow, it is superb.

This just completely bypasses any eastbound afternoon traffic.

Now here's a funny one.  If you use google maps and type in Mar Vista and Carthay Circle, this is what they suggest.  Have fun with this one:

Food Friday (On Saturday): Tiptree Jam

This is the most delicious jam in the world.

It comes from England, and used to be available at Gelson's.  (At $8 a jar!)  It was worth it, though.

Sadly, Gelson's stopped carrying it, and online, I could not find anywhere to order it.

On a trip to England, I saw that this jam is commonplace, and only costs a pound or two. They also have all kinds of odd jams there that I never saw at Gelson's, such as Tawny Orange, Ginger Fruit, East Anglian Strawberry, Danson, Quince, and Timperly Early Rhubarb with Vanilla.  I am not even sure what some of those are, really.

I always spread the word to people visiting England to pick me up a jar, and luckily somebody did this summer.  So I'll soon be opening this great jar to enjoy on some English muffins.

4000 Views!

Wow, my website counter says I have 4000 Views!  (Not including me editing it.)   Pretty cool.  The guy I am paying to hit "refresh" is doing his job well.  ;)

The Lost Sun Mural

For as long as I can remember, this wall had a really cool mural on it of a sun.  It was perfect because it was situated just at the corner of Culver Blvd. and Vista del Mar, where you turn to head down to Manhattan Beach.

The other day I was driving by, though, and noticed it had been painted all yellow!  No more sun.

I tried to find a picture online of the old mural, but was unsuccessful.

Super Shortcut Safari

One thing about tutoring is that you have to do a lot of driving.  I have become a super shortcut sleuth lately, avoiding construction, traffic abatement, and just ordinary congestion with lots of research and experimentation.

Above is the magical shortcut that gets you from Carthay Circle to Mar Vista during rush hour in only 15 minutes.  It avoids both the purposely long red lights on Motor AND the single lane merge on National near Coop Pizza.  And no this map doesn't go to and from anyone's exact house!

Weather Rock

Food Friday (On Saturday): The Godmother

This is Bay Cities Deli in Santa Monica, where they make the best sub in L.A., called "The Godmother."

If you have not had one of these, you really need to go get one.

The above picture is of course before they painted the place yellow, and I don't think that pay phone is there anymore.  However inside it looks the same, and the sandwiches are the same.

The problem with Bay Cities is that everyone knows about it, and the wait can be eternal.

Luckily, if you know about on-line ordering, you can bypass the line:

Someday I should try something other than the Godmother.  But I never do and probably never will.

Here, there is a dilemma.  Mild Peppers are very dull.  Hot Peppers will overpower the sandwich and turn it into an endurance contest.

The solution is to type in "Mix of Hot and Mild Peppers" on the request screen, even though it says NO REQUESTS.   (In person, you just say "mix peppers.")

Now you can drive over and get it.

And instead of waiting in the huge line, you go to the secret back room.  (It's not a secret back room but it feels like one.)  There, your sandwich will be waiting for you.

The Godmother is a perfect monster sandwich.  The bread is the perfect amount of crunchiness, the toppings expertly balanced and always in the right proportions.

Of course if you find yourself there and have not ordered ahead, there is another secret tip.  Go to the hot food counter and get a meatball sub.  (The only other thing I ever order.)  There is never a line at the hot food counter.

Thar She Blows

Today I was bodysurfing some massive tiny waves at Manhattan Beach, next to the pier. Looking back I noticed this huge thing floating, at about the 6th pylon back in the above picture.  It looked like a log.  But then the log blew up some steam, and I realized it was a whale.

It is pretty strange to have a whale come in that close.  I wondered if it were sick or something.

I caught a few more waves and got out to take a picture, telling the whale to remain where it was.  However he (or she) swam off, followed by a flotilla of stand up paddlers and lifeguard boats.  When I left, it was still close to shore, about 200 yards north of this picture.

Cactus Cooler

Today's blog post is about Cactus Cooler.

I first heard of Cactus Cooler while reading Peanuts.  I used to see Snoopy's cousin, Spike, (who lived in the desert) drinking something called a "Cactus Cooler" when I was a kid.  But I never thought it was a real drink.

I essentially forgot about it until I moved to California and one day saw a can of Cactus Cooler in a soda machine.  Wow, it existed!

Turns out the reason I had never seen it is that it is mainly a Southern California drink, sold mostly around here and in a few surrounding states.

A little googling reveals the drink actually came from the Flintstones - I now vaguely remember Fred drinking a "cactus cooler," but his was in an actual cactus.

Looks like the people who live up in the foggy north do not get Cactus Cooler, and want some!   This is a website petitioning Cactus Cooler to return to Northern California.  http://rspress.home.comcast.net/~rspress/cactuscooler.html

Even around here, they are hard to find.  Here's a website talking about the rarity of Cactus Cooler.
http://www.retroland.com/cactus-cooler/#.UEdqmanhA6g

Check out the much cooler graphics on the original can.

Or maybe THIS is the original can.  I am not even sure how one would OPEN this can!












I just had to include this photo I found of a guy's lunch.  It says "carne asada fries with a Cactus Cooler."   Can you believe the carne asada fries?  I am doubtful the guy survived this lunch.

Backbone Trail

Now that I have the daytime free, I can check something off my to-do list, which is to hike the entire Backbone Trail.

It's kind of like the AT, except wayyyyy easier, and you can go home at night.

If you aren't aware, the Backbone Trail stretches continuously from Pacific Palisades all the way to Ventura.  Well almost - it reaches Point Mugu State Park.  It is 67 miles long. I will be hiking end to end this Thursday!  Just kidding, I will do a little bit each day.

The Backbone Trail was a dream of local hikers for many years.  The original goal was to have an uninterrupted trail from Griffith Park, but too much of that land was private property that could not be wrested from the owners.  The same problem existed in Malibu, however through many years of purchases and negotiations, they finally got the entire trail finished.   Work began officially in 1980, and it was only finished quite recently, so it has been a long time in the works.

If you feel like going hiking for part of it, and are free on weekday mornings, let me know!

By the way, those of you who hiked to Eagle Rock a weekend ago did part of the trail.  The Eagle Rock (which must be visited by every local hiker in my opinion) is along the route.  Scroll down to see a picture of the Eagle Rock.

Here's the starting point!