Breakfast from Legal Grounds in Jersey City, NJ

Grabbed some bagels from Legal Grounds.  Since it was so early, there was absolutely no line, which is unusual on the weekends.  I changed things up a bit by getting a bagel and adding avocado to it.  The steam from the bagels in the foil and bag softened up the bagel, and made it perfectly chewy.  Sometimes the Wonder Bagels seem a tad hard, but they were perfect today.

My plain bagel with bacon, egg, cheese, and avocado.  Hit the spot

Turkey bacon, egg and cheese on an everything bagel

Dessert from Eataly in NYC

Dan and I stopped by Eataly in the new WTC site for dessert post poke.  We walked through a bit at the shops and got some pastries at the dessert part.  The desserts were tasty but very rich.  My baba al rum tasted like a soft bowl of rum.  A little much but glad to have tried it and that it was less than $2.

Cannoli filled with pistachio cream (orange zest flavor too) and Cannoli filled with vanilla cream

Little Baba Al Rum in huge box.  Soaked in rum crazy

Chocolate covered profiteroles - delish

Dinner from Pokeworks in NYC

Dan and I finally made it to Pokeworks in midtown for dinner.  It closed at 8pm and we got there at like 7:30 p.m.  It actually worked out perfectly because we barely waited on line.  The only negative was that they ran out of fried lotus root chips.  Otherwise, we got our food quickly, still tasted fresh, and we got to eat it outside at nearby tables near 34th St on a beautiful summer night.  This made me want to try all the different poke spots in the city, and has also again made me super excited for Hawaii.  Poke erryday!

Built my own bowl - white rice, ahi tuna, salmon, cucumber, edamame, umami shoyu sauce, seaweed salad, crab salad, masago (fish roe), green onions, wonton crisps,  and garlic crisps.  Sooo amazing

Dan got the Hawaiian Classic Sushiritto, plus added salmon: ahi tuna, green and sweet onion, ogo seawood, cucumber, hawaiian salt, chili flakes, roasted sesame oil and the added salmon

Hawaiian drinks and my bowl

Lunch from Taqueria Viva Mexico Kitchen Cafe in Jersey City, NJ

I picked up lunch from Taqueria Viva in JC.  I didn't realize just how close it was, as it was the first time I actually walked by and came inside.  Food was tasty and came out quick, and since I did pickup and didn't have to pay delivery fees, it was pretty cheap.

Grilled Skirt Steak Burrito Bowl with cheese, black beans, pico de gallo, guacamole, rice, and lettuce

Shredded Chicken Enchiladas - three corn tortillas filed with shredded chicken, smothered with green sauce and topped with Mexican cream, cheese, red onions, and avocado.  Served with rice and refried beans.  Dan's go-to order.

Dinner at Wurst Bar in Jersey City, NJ

Dan and I went to try Wurst Bar in JC, which had only been opened for a week, so I guess it makes sense that there would be a line.  The food was really delicious, although portions were kind of small.  Would definitely like to come back to try a few other things on the menu.

First time having pineapple cider and it was awesome!  Bought some afterwards at Cool Vines

I got the New Delhi Curry Wurst - kielbasa, masala curry, pickled vegetables, and toasted cashews.  So tasty and I loved the taste of the bun with the sausage

Poutine - legit with curds and gravy.  Wishes the fries were a bit thinner and there were more curds, but at least it was genuine and not just melted shredded cheese

Dan got a Frank Brat, which came with kraut, mustard, pickled onions, and relish

Dinner at Greene Hook in Jersey City, NJ

Dan and I went to Greene Hook for dinner.  As usual, food was delicious, but unfortunately the service was mediocre.  It was pretty crowded as it was a Thursday evening, so maybe that explained the ehhh service since lots of people were there for happy hour.

Charred Spanish Octopus - dashi aioli, shishito peppers, yuzu-compressed cucumber, avocado, tempura.  Delicious and everything worked so well together.  Octopus was very tender

Cheesesteak with mushrooms, onions and peppers, swiss cheese,toasted ciabatta roll and fries.  Super tasty and not too greasy.  Fries were perfectly crisp

Crispy Duck Breast with sunchokes, pickled grapes, baby turnips, cashew crumble and white verjus.  Great flavors and everything worked so well together.  I at first thought the portion of duck was small but it was so thick and filling

Dinner at Barbusa in San Diego, CA

Our last meal in San Diego was again in Little Italy - at Barbusa, a new trendy hot-spot with a beautifully decorated interior.  All the food was delicios, and drinks were super tasty as well.  Great ending to a great trip.

Complimentary foccacia

Fiori Di Zucca - tempura squash blossoms, quattaro formaggio, apricot chili jam.  Delicios though perturbed by the fact that it looked like a mouse ha

Granchio - spaghetteni, northern crab, shallots, serrano chile, and rosa sauce (basically vodka).  DELICIOUS.  It was very rich so I couldn't finish but thankfully everyone helped me out

Pomodoro - rigatoni, fresh tomato sauce, ricotta brulee, sweet whole leaf basil

Vongole - linguine, clams, squash blossoms, garlic, olive oil

Breakfast from Mexican Fiesta in San Diego, CA

We went to Mexican Fiesta - a hole in the wall place in Little Italy for breakfast burritos.  The place had no seats, and had bars where you order/pick up food.  We had to wait a bit, but the food was delicious.  Tortillas were super fresh with great char.  Inside simple combo of eggs, ham, potatoes, and cheese.  Perfection.  And under $4 each.

Dinner at Chorus Karaoke and Cafe in San Diego, CA

We went to karaoke in a very Asian area in San Diego and had some pretty delicious, authentic Korean food.  We got lots of different dishes and only spent about $30 per person, including the costs for drinks and the room.  We came during happy hour and so the drinks were cheaper.  Overall, a great meal.

Fried Pork Dumplings

Kimchi Fried Rice with spam and fried egg

Kimchi Bulgogi fries with mozzarella and spicy mayo

Half CK Wings

Spicy Rice Cake with ramen

Brunch at Queenstown Public House in San Diego, CA

We had another delicious brunch at Queenstown Public House in Little Italy.  The place is New Zealand inspired and looks like it's straight out of Stars Hollow from the tv show Gilmore Girls.  Food was amazing and definitely good after a night out.  Very rich and afterwards, all I wanted to do is lay and lounge, which is exactly what we did.

The Cure - housemade biscuit, gravy, tots, scrambled eggs, and fried chicken.  Insanely rich and good.  Had to get the gravy on the side otherwise wouldn't have made it through as much as I did.  Lots leftover

Pooja also got The Cure

The Oink - jalapeno corn bread, hoisin pulled pork, poached eggs, jalapeno cayenne hollandaise sauce, and garlic kale.  Sus took one for the team and it was delicious, esp the corn bread

Debbie got the Double BLT with egg -double amount of bacon, butter lettuce, tomato on sourdough, dijonaise, cheese, side of grits

Dinner at Full Moon Sushi & Kitchen Bar

For dinner we decided to go grab sushi at a nearby restaurant in Gaslamp.  The food and drink were delicious.  Glad we got to try so many things and discovered how much I LOVE crispy tuna.

Assorted Tempura

Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice - my fav. Everyone loved it so much we got a second order

Miso Egg Plant - Susie's fav

Lots of sushi rolls

More sushi.  Can't remember what they were

Shishito Peppers

Brunch at The Cottage in San Diego, CA

After hiking Torrey Pines, we went to The Cottage in La Jolla for a delicious, fresh, and quintessentially Californian brunch.  They had a no-wait app so we knew approximately when the table would be ready and walked around at some shops while we waited.  All the food was delicious and pretty healthy and fresh.  Some said this was their favorite meal during of the whole trip.  Definitely one of my favorites.

I got the Monterey Scramble - chiles, bacon, jack, scallions, egg, salsa, black beans, and corn tortillas.  Also added avocado.  Plus side of potatoes

Debbie got a special - crab cake benedict.  So delicious

Susie got the Baja Chicken Hash - tortilla, poached eggs, hollandaise, chicken sausage, pepper and corn with added avocado

Both Pooja and Julia got the Chilaquiles - eggs, queso fresco, onions, tomatoes, tortilla strips, salsa and sour cream.  Plus a huge delicious scone on the side

Breakfast from Donut Bar in San Diego, CA

We picked up some delicious donuts from Donut Bar.  It opened up at 8am and by 8:15 when we arrived there was a line down the block!  It moved kind of slow; I think people were having a hard time deciding what to get.  Everything was delicious and I think the sugar actually helped us with our ensuing hike.

Donut Bar-mobile

Line down the block

We got the salted caramel on the bottom.  Huge and perfectly balanced between salty and sweet

Harry Potter donut!  Didn't get it but looked awesome

Lots of filled donuts.  Pop tart I think?

We did get the strawberry shortcake donut on top

Creme Bruleee on top (actually had a hard shell) and nutella below

(Clockwise) Birthday Cake, Strawberry Shortcake, Creme Brule, Salted Caramel, and Strawberry Cheesecake

French Toast donut was awesome!  Both plain and with various dipping sauces