You know Saturdays around here are usually reserved for Maya and going to the dog park. Well, it was still reserved for her, but instead we went to Harbor Island and walked around near the bay under cloudy skies and windy weather. I like being outdoors when the skies are gray. I prefer to to all the sunny days we get here. Not that I don’t like the sunny days, but the cloudy ones seem so rare. Also, other people tend to stay home and I like being out and about when it’s a little less crowded.

During our walk we watched a cruise ship dock, an aircraft carrier sail out of the harbor, some fisherman, and a crew setting up for an evening wedding and reception. After our walk, we went to Hudson Bay Seafood. It’s about a stone’s throw from the more popular Point Loma Seafoods. It’s much more lo-key, quieter and more laid back. It’s a bit hard to see as it’s dockside to the bay and marina, but if you’re ever in the mood for a more casual, kick your feet up kind of atmosphere, this is the place to go.

I ordered the calamari plate. It was quite tasty. The calamari was cooked just right, not too much batter either so you can still taste the seafood. I even ate some of the coleslaw as it was a bit sweet (I normally do not like cloeslaw). Maya even got her own treats, a bowl of water and some dog biscuits. I was amused that they stuck a little greenry in with her dog biscuits. She did not eat that.

The staff here is super friendly – they made sure I knew that Maya was allowed in the restaurant and catered not only to me but to my dog. I wandered around outside a little before I went into the restaurant (I tied Maya up outside) and the guy behind the counter was a bit concerned and asked where my dog was. I said, “Oh! She’s just outside.” A woman (the owner, perhaps?) who I gabbed with outside about my dog brought Maya inside because Maya was choking a little on her leash, straining to get inside to find me. I thought it was a nice gesture!

All in all Hudson Bay Seafood is a really nice place to relax, get some seafood and watch the boats in the harbor. They also have a breakfast menu and “hot donuts” that I’d like to try sometime if I get the chance. Check out their menu on their website to see what else they offer. Also – if you park in the lot that the restaurant is in, you have to pay to park. Not too bad, $1 for an hour, but just thought I’d throw that out there.

Hudson Bay Seafood
1403 Scott Street
San Diego, CA 92106
(619) 222-8787

Sometimes when my dog is in a deep sleep, she starts to make a noise that is sort of a cross between a hiccup and a growl. I’m sure that’s really hard to imagine, but it is the cutest noise ever.

My birthday is coming up pretty soon (2 weeks!) and I’ve gotten the good idea to look for free things I can get in honor of my birthday. A lot of chain restuarants have newsletter sign ups that will give you free coupons for desserts or discounts for your birthday. I signed up for a bunch using my yahoo email account, since I don’t care what kind of email I get on that one. I signed up at: Olive Garden, Joe’s Crab Shack, Romano’s Macaroni Grill, On the Border Cafe, Rubios, Sammy’s Woodfired Pizza, Dairy Queen, Baskin Robbins, Cold Stone Creamery, Mimi’s Cafe and Daphne’s Greek Restaurant. I also discovered you get a free rental at Hollywood Video (though, I think I just forgot about that one since I’m pretty sure I have done it before). I am pretty sure I will not get to eat at all of these places, but perhaps I can pick and choose the best deals in celebration of my coming into the world. Oh, and there’s this list of birthday deals to browse though as well. Woo, hoo.

I think for my birthday dinner this year I don’t want to go to a chain though. I want to go to The Godfather Restaurant. I have been here once, this past summer, and I had AMAZING spaghetti carbonara and I really want it again. Not to mention they also serve you fried zucchini as soon as you sit down. Mmm.

I don’t cook too much these days since I’ve been working full time, so I keep my cooking to the weekends. This weekend I made a lasagna. It wasn’t that I was craving it, but that we had a whole unopened tub of ricotta in the fridge that had been sitting around and it started to speak to me. It said, “Damn, why haven’t you used me yet? I am delicious.”

We didn’t have any sauce so I made my own with some totato sauce, tomato paste, dried oregano from our garden, fresh basil, onions and a bunch of garlic (along with some ground beef). Whipped up a cheesy mixture with the ricotta and other various cheeses we had on hand (no mozzarella but lots of parmesan reggiano), an egg and a little milk (and always salt and pepper). Layer it all up – you know the rest, don’t you? Lasagna is easy, its just time consuming. But worth the effort! Maya even got a little sampling. I think she liked it.

Yesterday I went to Pepper’s Deli (formely Tout de Suite) for lunch before heading to the dog park. It’s a little deli off Poway Road next to Dixieline Lumber. It must have just been taken over since it still had the old signage above the deli.

I tried the Club Sandwich ($6 for half a sandwich (4oz), $8 for a whole sandwich (8oz), though it was more like a ham sandwich with bacon since they were out of turkey. I also got some of their homemade chips ($1.25 sm, $2.50 lg) which are made fresh on the spot and some potato salad ($2 sm). Everything in the deli is made fresh daily. They get their vegetables daily and roast their own meats for their sandwiches so everything is fresh (and tasty). Even though I didn’t get any turkey for my sandwich is was really tasty – the bread was grilled and not just toasted. The chips were not greasy and very crispy. They salt and peppered them and you can really taste the pepper on them (yum). The potato salad was also pretty simple – very eggy and creamy with not a lot of extra stuff added in. They also have homemade yogurt, which I did not try, and some speciality sandwiches (like Tri-Tip & Grilled Onion or BBQ Pulled Pork), salads, and soups. I’ll try some yogurt next time. Pepper’s Deli has outdoor seating so it also a good place to take your dog with you (Maya sat outside with me while I waited for them to bring me my food).

Instead of yogurt, I got some freshly made ice cream from a local shop called Bucky’s of Boston in Rancho Pensaquitos near the 56 (off Black Mtn Rd). I got some classic chocolate chip cookie dough ($3.25 med) and it was damn tasty. Very creamy with a good amount of cookie dough mixed in. The medium size they really fill it up – the smaller size they do not fill up so high and it is in a smaller cup (for $2.50). The also have a kiddie size ($1.50) and large (sorry, I forgot the price for those). They had a special seasonal flavor called “Pumpkin Pie” which I was wary of trying but maybe I will be more adventureous this week and swing on over to try some. They also make cakes, Italian ices, sorbets, and yogurt.

Pepper’s Deli
13339 Poway Rd.
Poway, CA 92064
858-748-6456

Bucky’s of Boston
13215 Black Mountain Rd. Suite 3
San Diego, CA 92129
858-484-1132

I went to L&L for lunch again today and I got a HUGE mound of Chicken Katsu. It fell out of the container as soon as I popped open the lid. I took a photo to show how much katsu I got and when I was looking at my phone this evening I discovered that the photo did not save to my gallery. Damn! Oh well. Now you get to know that I ate so much chicken katsu today and I did not eat dinner. I so need a thin, light digital camera to carry with me at all times. I want to be more like Alyssa.