Ever since I heard the news about Boiling Crab making its way down to San Diego, I've been waiting with baited breath. Okay, that's a lie, but I have been semi-interested to see what the big deal is (I've had friends tell me the ones up in Orange County are great and always have long lines).
The Mira Mesa location
opened up a few weeks ago, but I wanted to wait it out for a bit so
they could get their newly opening kinks worked out. Their idea is
strikingly similar to Crab Hut; cajun inspired seafood with an Asian
flair. Think plastic bags full of steaming seafood and butcher paper
covering the table to catch all the sloppy goodness. You get to choose between 4 seasonings: rajun cajun, lemon pepper, garlic butter, or the whole she-bang (all of the above), and 4 ranging levels of spiciness. I went with my
family this past Monday around 5:45, with almost no wait.
I had date night with the bf at Prepkitchen in Little Italy this past Friday and I totally forgot how crazy it can get to find parking on a summer Friday evening down there (well anywhere in San Diego, I guess). After looking for a solid 10 minutes, we decided to just fork over the $5 for a spot in the parking lot right next to Craft & Commerce. Well worth the money.
Our reservation was for 6:45 and we didn't get there until almost 7, but our table was ready for us in a cozy corner by the kitchen. On a beautiful day like that (who am I kidding, most days here are beautiful), it would have been nice to sit by the open windows to people watch, but I'll just remember for the next time we go.
We started with the stuffed braised calamari ($10.50). It was meaty and flavorful and even though it was sitting in a little pool of oil, it didn't taste the least bit greasy. The breadcrumb salsa gave it that extra crunch that made the dish really memorable.
I met up with some girlfriends for happy hour at Flavor Del Mar (4-7pm everyday and all day Sunday and Monday), and while we had a fun time catching up and laughing, I'm glad to report the food and drinks were also awesome.
This restaurant is located on the top floor of the Del Mar Plaza and has some great views of the ocean (though the happy hour was limited to the bar and lounge area, so I didn't get to enjoy the sights). I was slightly worried about the parking situation, as it can get a little hairy trying to find a spot on the street (especially during summertime), but I was pleasantly surprised to find the restaurant would validate parking in the garage beneath it.
Some places have limited happy hour menus, but Flavor Del Mar has quite the selection, for both cocktails and food. In addition to a Karl Strauss summer draft for $3, they have 6 different cocktails for a solid $6. I started off with my go to libation, a sangria. Even though there wasn't any fruit in it, minus the obligatory maraschino and orange slice off the glass, the sparkling acai sangria was still good and had just the right amount of booziness for me.
We also ordered the pickled fingerling potatoes ($6), which were SO good. We definitely went through the small pot of creme fraiche before the potatoes were gone. If you enjoy salt and vinegar chips, this is like a grown up version of the snack.
After we polished off these potatoes, we ordered some more, in the form of duck fat fries. These were just as good, and there was enough to feed 4 girls with some serious appetites. Did I mention these guys were only THREE DOLLARS? Man I love happy hours.
