Tag Archives: restaurant

Foodie Fever: Fresh Catch Fish Market & Grill

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I’ve been to a few great places to eat recently, and I attended one of my first restaurant openings at the end of April.   I went to the media preview prior to the grand opening of a new restaurant in the Hillcrest area called Fresh Catch Fish Market & Grill, along with Zach, my good friend and fellow food enthusiast.

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The restaurant is quaint and casual, and our choices for the day were very visible upon entering, both on the board and in the refrigerated display case next to the register.  There is such a wonderful variety of options to have your very fresh seafood served up: from tacos & burritos, to grilled in either a salad, sandwich or plated with rice and vegetables.  I opted for one of the house specialties, which was the Crab Mac n Cheese, and Zach had the Ahi Tuna in a Cajun crust and soy glaze.  The Crab Mac n Cheese was so creamy and had crab in every single bite.  The Ahi Tuna was seasoned perfectly and was absolutely tasty.  Zach and I had a great time and we each thoroughly enjoyed these amazingly fresh selections!

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IMG_5412 (2) (1280x1280)Thank you Delicious Buzz and Fresh Catch Fish Market & Grill for the invitation and I will definitely be back with my family and friends to enjoy the rest of the menu!

Fresh Catch Fish Market & Grill

3650 5th Avenue, San Diego CA| (619) 295-9590

Instagram: @Fresh_CatchSD | Facebook: FreshCatchMarketGrill | Twitter: @Fresh_CatchSD

(FTC Disclosure:  I was offered the opportunity to attend this event as a courtesy, but not necessarily for the purposes of a review.  Although I received a courtesy meal for myself and my guest at this event, the opinions in this post are strictly my own.)

Bonne Bouffe à Bo-Beau

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Merci again to Bing Translator for the translation of the title of my post (I used the same translator for my post about Paris last summer).  It should roughly translate to “Great Food at Bo-Beau”.  This is another catch-up restaurant post from a dinner out with Janice and Regi.  We’re always ready to try out new places, and Regi heard Bo-Beau in Ocean Beach was a great new French bistro.  We have had great luck with French cuisine, so Janice and I trusted Regi with her choice.  We had been to this location before when it was Thee Bungalow.  I remember that night well because it was when I announced to Regi for the first time I was pregnant (Janice had found out the week prior).  Now, here we are five years later at the same location, but different restaurant.

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Already I fell in love with the locks on the grid right outside of the entrance.  It reminded me of Pont de l’Archevêché (Archbishop’s Bridge) in Paris from my trip last summer with Janice.  We both said at Bo-Beau that we should have bought padlocks and placed them on the bridge out there. C’est la vie!  The interior reminded me of a little place my husband and I had dinner at, also in Paris.  It was a tiny bistro where we knew only locals frequented because it was quite tucked away and accessed by unpaved roads that were down the street from our hotel.  With this kind of atmosphere, I expected and anticipated only great things once we were ready to have dinner!

Janice arrived about 20 minutes after I did, so Regi and I started off with drinks and an appetizer.  Both drinks reminded me of creations at Callooh Callay in London and were très fantastique.  The Charcuterie Board appetizer was very simple, but quite filling and great for more than two people.  Once Janice arrived, we ordered our dinners.  As usual, we made sure to order different dishes for sampling purposes.  I’m glad we waited because Janice and I nearly ordered the same dish, which was the Mac n Cheese.  That allowed me to order the Burger Royale with Cheese, and I made sure to add the fried egg.  Regi ordered from the Moules & Frites menu (mussels and fries).  I thoroughly enjoyed my burger, which I can safely say was the best restaurant burger I have ever had.  I loved the pork belly patty with the fried pancetta, but loved it even more with the fried egg.  The fries were cooked with rosemary and the aioli sauce completely complimented them.

We ended our food love-fest with the Ménage à Trois for dessert, which prompted a flurry of funny posts on Facebook that I won’t share here.  My two favorite parts of the dessert involved chocolate, which is not normally the case.  I was pleasantly surprised that the peanut butter brittle was light, crisp and sweet and went wonderfully with the chocolate ganache, so it was like a really fancy Butterfinger.  Just the mention of “sea salt caramel house made marshmallow” made the Amaretto pot de crème already sound absolutely delicious and did not disappoint.  The cheesecake was more tart than I’m used to, but the fresh fruit atop took the edge off.

After telling my husband about Bo-Beau, he wants to head out there to enjoy the Burger Royale in person, while I try the Brown Butter Gnocchi.  Hopefully they will still have the Strawberry Shortcake on their dessert menu because I really was torn between that and the Ménage à Trois.  I guess Bo-Beau has secured a future visit, and I promise to wear better shoes than I did that night because parking is at a premium in that area.  Overall, delicious dining in a lovely French inspired atmosphere.  Bon Appétit!

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Janice and I had Le Romantique – Belevdere black raspberry, pomegranate, rose petal nectar, champagne and a rose petal; Regi had Le Esprit de la Saison – Absolut Mango, citronage, sage, cucumbers, lime juice and orange bitters. 

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Charcuterie Board:  Five meats, three cheeses, salad and two mustards.

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Regi’s dish:  This is either the Bier n Brat Mussels (racer 5 IPA, bratwurst, red chilis, caramelized onion, whole grain mustard, scallions or the Moules a la Espana (chorizo, potatoes, tomato, shaved fennel, smoked paprika, red bell peppers)

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Janice’s dish:  Leek “Fondue” Mac N Cheese (cheddar gratinee with the works, pancetta and lobster)

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My dish:  Burger Royale with Cheese (pork belly patty, gruyere cheese, green peppercorn aioli sauce, pomme frites with a fried free-range egg and I had them add the pancetta.)

Menae a triois collage

Our dessert: The Ménage à Trois (chocolate ganache with gluten-free peanut butter brittle; tart cherry cheesecake with graham cracker crust; Amaretto pot de crème, with sea salt caramel house made marshmallow).

Dinner at Bellefleur

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I’m playing catch-up with some posts about restaurants I have visited in the last month, and this will be a quick one.  When my mother-in-law came to visit at the beginning of May, we wanted to eat dinner close to where she was staying prior to the Carlsbad Village Faire.  I remembered there was a restaurant I had not eaten at yet at the Carlsbad Premium Outlets called the Bellefleur, and we agreed it would be a quick and easy way for a nice sit down dinner with the family.  Happily enough, we came at a great time because they had a 3 course chef special, celebrating their 15 years in Carlsbad.  The special was just $15, so we all chose to eat from their prix fixe menu.  My choices are all pictured below, and were all fantastic.  Because we arrived quite late for dinner, we saw the set up and asked our server about the brunch.  He described all of the wonderful food and we decided that when my mother-in-law returns to San Diego, we plan on going to their Sunday Champagne Brunch.

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Tomato bisque soup

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Blackened chicken pasta

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Chocolate mousse

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Dominic with Grandma

Deal of the Day: Pacifica Del Mar

My friend Angi and I went out to dinner last week at Pacifica Del Mar in Del Mar, California.  I had eaten there before with my friend Janice, so I knew it was a great place to have dinner.  The atmosphere is very California cool and they have a beautiful view of the ocean from their outdoor seating.  The food is fresh and flavorful, and their dinner prices range from $25-$50.  My favorites were the appetizers: Angi had the Ahi Tuna Tartare (pictured below) and I had the Dungeness Crab Cakes.  Tasty! 

Ahi Tuna Tartare

They also have a great rewards program that you can sign up for and immediately receive a $25 gift certificate, which is why this is the deal of the day.   Click on the link below to be taken to their website so you can view their rewards program.  Scroll all the way to the bottom of the page on their website to see the listed information below.  Happy dining!  

Pacifica Del Mar 

Rewards Program 

Sign up and instantly receive $25 off your next visit 

Some EXCLUSIVE member benefits 

–         Receive a $25 gift certificate on your birthday and membership anniversary 

–         Earn points for ever dollar spent and redeem for gift certificates 

–         Your points are tracked automatically 

 SIGN UP AT PACIFICA DEL MAR OR PACIFICA BREEZE