I’ve actually been meaning to post this for awhile but I want to convince myself that my procrastination actually worked out (just perhaps?). Last year, I was fortunate enough to visit San Diego for Comic Con for my (then) job at Kidrobot. It was a great experience and I ate at some awesome places. Comic Con is fast approaching, so for all those nerds, or rich people who just want to look at the nerds that are going, here’s a couple of spots to hit up.

The first place I ate was Neighborhood, a kind of low key corner spot boasting a large menu of burgers and beers. One thing that surprised me about San Diego was the large selection of beers a lot of restaurants had available. I guess it’s a good thing, but I’m such a noobie that I ended up being like, “Uh..yea bring me a brownish one, I guess? :/” 

I ordered the Neighborhood burger, which had caramelized onions (I’m such a sucker for caramelized onions), blue Gruyere cheese, and pepper greens. It came with a side of fries and I also ordered a side of jalapeño mac and cheese.

From what I can remember (give me a break, ok? It WAS over a year ago!), the mac and cheese was just all right. I wasn’t blown away. The burger was really tasty though. However, the fries weren’t that good. Soooo…if you just want a good, juicy burger and know what kind of beer you like, Neighborhood is a nice place to go to.

The second and my favorite restaurant from my trip was Craft & Commerce. This place was sooooo delicious that I went twice within a few days of each other. If I’m ever in San Diego again, I am DEFINITELY coming back here….so obviously it is HIGHLY recommended.

For some reason, I only took a few photos..probably because I had a Blackberry at the time and the camera looks so crappy.

(Just kidding…that isn’t a photo of food…maybe it is…or balls of yarn. Either way, it was probably taken with a Blackberry camera)

So here are a few things that I actually did order and eat: 

Fried chicken, accompanied with buttermilk slaw, garlic green beans, fingerling potatoes and red chili vinegar.

This fried chicken was GOOD! It wasn’t covered with batter but the skin was really crisp and flavorful. The green beans were yummy and the sauce was interesting but wasn’t a necessary addition to the chicken, since it was already tasty by itself. The slaw wasn’t bad nor good to me; I just am not a huge fan of cole slaw.

I also ordered the mini corn dogs, which are bacon wrapped (bacon makes everything 5483758437432 times better, doesn’t it?) and a spicy mustard sauce and I think some sort of cheesy sauce too? Although these are advertised as “mini,” they are actually pretty big and filling. You could order four and be full. I ordered these on both visits because they were sooo yummy.

Now my FAVORITE item on their menu - the mac and cheese. I don’t know why I was on such a mac and cheese kick while I was in San Diego, but I’m glad I was since it allowed me to discover this. Soooo…this m&c included aged cheddar, roasted garlic, beech mushrooms, and lemon zest.  

Can I just add that I DREAM about this dish? It was THAT good. I think it was the mushrooms that made this mac & cheese stand out from all others I’ve ever eaten. I don’t even like mushrooms! When I think of mushrooms, I think of those big, clunky ones that people put on top of their pizzas. But these mushrooms, these beech mushrooms have a different taste. And to add them to mac and cheese just blew my mind. If you ever visit this restaurant, this is classified as a “must order ASAP!”

Craft & Commerce also has a huge selection of drinks, including mixed concoctions that are unique to the location. I order the Lay Lady Lay, which consisted of raspberry Lambic, champagne, and ginger. It was tasty, refreshing, and I wish I could have one right now.

Other honorable mentions that I unfortunately don’t have photos of are the ribs, mussels with seasoned fries, and the fried pickles. I honestly don’t remember if I ate the dessert, but if I did, it probably was the ice cream sandwich with candied bacon. Gotta love that bacon.