Who Left The Oven On?

If this is what Spring looks like, I'm not even gonna bother exercising come Summer time. I'll just sweat off the 30 pounds I want to lose. Probably more.

As I sat at an intersection on my way home from work, I (fortunately) noticed the engine temp needle starting to slowly rise. And rise. And rise. Right before it hit the red line, I smarted up and kicked off my A/C and cabin fans. As the engine temp slowly came back down, I thought to myself, Ok I checked the fluids last week, everything was cool. The A/C isn't making funny noises, so it's probably not that. The hell happened?

Then I looked at my outside temp. meter.

ONE HUNDRED AND ONE DEGREES

Come on San Diego, really? I'm still trying to adjust to the fact that it's May, but not raining every day, or still being cold at night. I do not need you reminding me what the next 4 months are gonna be like.

I can't wait for next week. It's supposed to have highs in the 60's. Now THAT's my kind of Spring. Let's keep it that way.

Lamb, Cow and Pig, Oh My!

As I neared my lunch hour today, I casually glanced at the lunch I had packed for today. Leftover homemade pizza, and a yogurt. Worthy of a lunch, no doubt, but it was lacking....oomph. I wanted something hearty and juicy. 

It's Friday, and as such, I deserve a reward for making it through the week without falling asleep at work. So I decided to head over to Company Pub and Kitchen for a bite. I hadn't been there in a while, and was keen to try their fish and chips. I tried to convince a few coworkers to go with me, but they said no on the grounds that they have yet to go their without enjoying a martini, and wouldn't ruin that streak by going there for lunch on a work day. 

My meal made them regret their decision.

Upon sitting down, my waiter asked me if I was interested in today's lunch special. I had already planned on getting fish and chips, but out of curiosity I asked him what is was. I'm so glad I did.

Behold, the Glorious-ness of the Farm Burger!

THAT, my friends, is a Farm Burger. The name is deceptively vegetarian sounding, but I assure you, this burger packs a meat trifecta. A beautifully cooked 1/2 pound patty, equal parts beef, bacon, and lamb,
topped with a sunny-side-up egg, grilled onions, roasted tomatoes, lettuce, mayo, and drizzled with an amazing garlic aioli, in between a toasted ciabatta bun. This burger... it was... it was so good... I think I shed a small tear on my first bite.

The aioli had permeated the patty, making every bite a blessedly juicy, with a hint of garlic, and a punch of tender, meaty flavor. The combination of these 3 meats was pure genius, and I wish to kiss the shoes of the chef that came up with it. Not to mention this restaurant's notoriously delicious Company Chips that just sealed the deal, and brought me to food-coma bliss just an hour later.

After I had consumed this amazing dish I had been blessedly recommended by my waiter, he made my day even better.

"Yeah, it's been getting such good feedback, we're gonna make it a regular menu item starting next week."

I must remember to renew my gym membership this weekend... I'm gonna need it

But it's a DRY heat!

Those are the words I keep hearing from my coworkers. They keep looking at me like I'm nuts, that I just don't understand. Wrong. They don't understand.

90 degrees is hot. Period.

Sure, I won't be drenched in sweat when I step outside, or feel like I'm walking into a sauna. The locals actually look forward to this kind of weather, saying it's soo much better for outdoor activities.

Tell that to my hands sizzling on my freaking steering wheel. Or the sunburn I got in my arm while walking to my car.

Turns Out, Some Things Should NOT Taste Like Bacon

One of the shops inside the Old Town park was called the House of Jerky & Root-Beer. Original, I know, but hey, you know what your gonna find. Or so we thought. Turns out they're cashing in on the current national bacon-craze and baconifying everything. Bacon jerky, Bacon soda, Bacon-jerky flavored soda. And this piece-de-resistance:

I highly doubt Lester "fixed" this

Yup, that's a thing. Bacon cotton candy. Naturally, I'm sure you're thinking "Mine! Mine-mine-mine-mine!" And like you, we thought it was worth our moolah.

Let me save you the trouble. DON'T BUY IT. Cotton candy is good. Bacon is good. But good things do not always mix to make good things. Sometimes they make disgusting things. whose taste doesn't like to leave your mouth. For hours...

We also got jerky and root-beer. If you're wondering, it tasted like jerky and root-beer.

I Felt Like a Cowboy. Only Without The Dirt, Grime, and Lonelines-

One of the last days my girlfriend was visiting, we went to Old Town State Park in downtown San Diego. The park is a monument to the "birthplace of California," the first European settlement of the western coast. I'm not usually one for museums and monuments, but I'm glad I went. There were mock-ups of some of the original buildings of that era, with 19th century clothing, furniture, and in one case, overpowering tobacco smell (put there on purpose).

The smells coming from the various authentic Mexican restaurants were deliciously intoxicating. Fresh tortillas, carne-asada, and grilled peppers filled the air (and made me constantly hungry). We didn't eat at any of them, but we did indulge in some other "authentic" fare (see bacon post).

One of the cool, old-style buildings they had was an old tobacco shop. And boy, was it authentic. We made it about 2 feet into the doorway before promptly turning around and walking out. The smell was like a hammer on my nostrils. And it was on purpose!! They actually had a machine that pumped out thick, gut-wrenching tobacco stench throughout the entire store. I'm all for accurately depicting history, but DAMN.

The one thing that struck me incredibly strange about Old Town is the incredible emphasis on Mexico's Dia de los Muertos. Every souvenir shop was at least 75% covered in skeletons. Painted skulls, skeleton figurines, paintings of people covered in skeleton make-up. You name it, they had it covered in skulls. 

It's not that that particular holiday isn't cool and all, but isn't there more to Mexican culture and history than one holiday? Is the skull and the celebration of death a recurring theme in 19th century Californian and Mexican history? 

Awesome Rides, Great Themes, and Snoopy Hunting

On Monday, we went to Knott's Berry Farm amusement park up near Los Angeles. Quite possibly one of the most awesome themed theme-park I've ever been too. There was a diverse and well-divided group of subjects that the park covered, from Peanuts to the Wild West.

We choose Knott's Berry mostly for the cheaper ticket price, compared to the likes of SeaWorld or DisneyLand. And man, did we get a bang for our buck. Very similar to Darien Lake near Buffalo, NY, Knott's had rides ranging from a 100mph magnetic "Xcellerator" roller coaster to a tame merry-go-round.

When we first went through the gates, we saw Lucy and Linus mascots greeting the park visitors. This made us think, "There's got to be a Snoopy here." And we wanted a picture, damnit. So we went Snoopy Hunting. And that dog is a sneaky one. We covered the entire park TWICE before we saw the guy, and when we did see him, he was walking towards the exit. For the record, we probably didn't look like the most mature couple, cornering him and asking for a picture, especially after a 3 year old just got done looking extremely bored next to him. No regrets.

So Burger. Much Delicious.

After our completely lazy day, my girlfriend and I decided we needed to leave for a while and seem like active members of society, instead of the couch potatoes we'd been all day. So we went to one of the many restaurants around here lauded by Guy Fieri on the show, Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. 

Tioli's Crazee Burger, from the outside, looks like a very small, under-lit street food restaurant on a side street. But then you walk inside, and you realize it was all a ruse. numerous tables surrounded the order stand, extending into the building next to it, all very clean and full of happy families. The employees were extremely polite and there was local art hanging on every inch of the walls, giving the place a hip, but homey vibe.

And then there's the burgers...

Never again will I be able to eat Clarkson's Servery burgers, nor any fast food burger. Crazee Burger has spoiled me with the most delicious, juicy, and fresh tasting burger I've ever had in my life. And their menu is clever and exotic, with choices like Nutella-Bacon-Plantain, 1/2 lamb - 1/2 beef w/ tsatsiki sauce, and numerous exotic meats like gator, buffalo, ostrich, antelope, and others. And I plan on trying them all. Or at least until I go broke from eating out so much.

I mean, look at this stuff!

1/2 Lamb, 1/2 Beef with Tzatsiki sauce

Those are fried plantains under the bacon, and the bun is slathered with Nutella.