1. Chemjobber on April 6, 2009 11:22 AM writes...

If you like a burger and you have a rental car, HoDad's(sp?) in Ocean Beach is excellent. Do be sure to get the bacon on your burger -- a bacon patty is great!

2. Derek Lowe on April 6, 2009 11:34 AM writes...

Thanks for the tip! I'll try to check 'em out. Even a trip to In-and-Out is worthwhile for me, living on the East Coast as I do.

3. Sili on April 6, 2009 12:30 PM writes...

Hope you have a great time.

I'd hate to see your blog shut down due to industrial espionage. I'm not smart enough to infer anything from your writing, myself.

4. Cloud on April 6, 2009 12:44 PM writes...

It's spelled Hodad's, and yeah, their burgers are good. I personally find parking easier in Pacific Beach, although this might just be because I used to live in PB. Anyway, you could head to the Bare Back Grill, which also has good burgers. They're not far from the pier in PB. They have another branch downtown. If you're at the conference I suspect you're at, you also have the original Rubio's location not far away (if you like fish tacos).

5. Ed on April 6, 2009 12:46 PM writes...

Derek you could always try the double bluff!

"Here at Vertex our nano-sphere delivered dual CETP/CB1 program is going great guns..........low nano-molar potency.....efficacy in gold-standard animal models"

6. Derek Lowe on April 6, 2009 1:39 PM writes...

Cloud, I think you've got me pinpointed pretty well. Fish tacos are fine by me, too!

7. Anonymous on April 6, 2009 2:15 PM writes...

if you like fish tacos, check out Point Loma seafood in Point Loma. It was featured on Rachel Ray's eat on $40/day show. It also has other awesome sea food options but they only take cash!

8. CMC Guy on April 6, 2009 2:27 PM writes...

I bet you can get your fish tacos at Petco Park and take in a ball game although tomorrow night more likely to still have seats available. Otherwise in SD you should head over to Old Town section for Mexican food you can not get in Boston area.

9. Chemjobber on April 6, 2009 3:03 PM writes...

Whatever you do, don't go to Petco. For God's sake, he's been watching high-quality baseball for the last three or four years. Whatever it is that the Padres have been doing, it ain't that.

10. drug_hunter on April 6, 2009 6:02 PM writes...

When I'm in SD, I like Las Olas Mexican restaurant up the coast highway between Del Mar and Encinitas. The food is pretty good but the location right on the ocean is spectacular if you catch the sunset. Plus the whole experience of driving up the coast highway is pretty amazing for us repressed East Coast folks.

A question for the SD locals - Isn't Old Town only for stupid tourists? Isn't the food kind of mediocre? That's been my experience at least. Maybe I went to the wrong places.

11. Anonymous on April 6, 2009 6:31 PM writes...

you are right about old town. the best places to get good mexican food are the little hole in the wall joints. Unfotunately, you have to live in an area for sometime to discover the good ones in any particular location. There are lots of good places along the coast in La Jolla, Del Mar and Encinitas where you can catch the sunset while you chow down on seared ahi and other goodies.

12. Chemjobber on April 6, 2009 7:39 PM writes...

@drug_hunter: Yeah, I got that feeling. But Old Town Mexican Cafe was acceptable, IMHO. (Mole chicken was my go-to.) Their corn tortillas were very high quality and got praise from my TJ-native coworker.

As for hole-in-the-wall Mexican joints, I don't know if Pokez counts, but it's supposed to be great. It's a little downtown; dunno if Derek is staying in MB, but it sounds like it.

13. Anonymous on April 6, 2009 7:48 PM writes...

Roberto's on Carmel Valley Rd near Torrey Pines beach is the place to go for some cheap mexican food.

14. NJBiologist on April 6, 2009 8:09 PM writes...

@10 et al.: Most of Old Town's offerings aren't very impressive, but Berta's is different. The menu is Central and South American, as are the wine list and beer list. That beer list alone makes it worth the trip.

Of course, if your meeting is at the Convention Center, Bandar Fine Persian is also worth a visit....

15. Old San Diego Postdoc on April 6, 2009 9:05 PM writes...

Some of the best Mexican Food in San Diego is at Casa Guadalajara in Old Town. It is off the main drag and so it is less touristy, but the food is to die for. I agree with #11, Robertos is some of the best fast and cheap Mexican food in San Diego.

Finally Derek, the best Fish Taco you will ever have is at South Beach Bar and Grill in Ocean Beach. You will find all locals in there and the beer selection is great. Forget Rubios it is crap in comparison.

I am jealous I wish I was still in San Diego, but good pharma jobs there are few and far between!

16. Derek on April 6, 2009 10:16 PM writes...

Indigo Grill on India Street or any of the other Italian restaurants close by

That just a fragment of the hits you could join together for a good meal

17. qetzal on April 7, 2009 10:13 PM writes...

#13,

Definitely Roberto's. Carne asada burrito, an order of rolled tacos, and a beer. Then park on N Torrey Pines and eat on the beach.

My favorite place during grad school, and the one place I always make sure to hit when I'm back in SD.

18. Hap on April 8, 2009 8:07 AM writes...

#9: Who plays good baseball in the NL West? Arizona, LA. and the Padres aren't horrible, but they aren't much good either. The Giants and Rockies - meh. At least they have nice ballparks. Besides, you could be a football fan - both the AFC and NFC West suck. AZ is OK, but if being one game over .500 can win you a division consistently, perhaps you should try soccer's method - swap out the worst team for USC or FL.

It does warm my heart slightly to know SD didn't change the name of their baseball park despite PETA's entreaties.

19. Hap on April 9, 2009 12:12 PM writes...

What's the point of eating good food at a Padres game? One look at the home team and it'll all come back up, anyway. (Do they actually have a professional that comes up with those uniforms? I can suggest a reasonable place for the Padres to save money if the answer is yes.) The dark brown/green was almost as good as their camo-pattern uniforms, at least at inducing vomiting.

20. reisen on April 19, 2009 3:16 PM writes...

I think the Fish Tacos very good to me!

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21. reisen on April 19, 2009 3:17 PM writes...

I think the Fish Tacos very good to me!

www.urlaubantalya.com
www.urlaubside.de
www.urlaubdatca.com