Hey Mama

Moms are awesome.  I've been feeling increasingly exhausted over the past 3 months as the newfound annoyances of becoming and being a homeowner added a new layer to an already challenging work-life balance.  The "you made an error in my documents, again" emails, "when are you actually showing up to fix my appliance?" phone calls, one sketchy plumbing company, and countless hours spent ironing out the wrinkles of transaction and habitation that a past, and naive me thought would be insignificant, had incrementally been chipping away at my faith in humanity.  Thankfully, my mom's visit to San Diego came with excellent timing and was instrumental in ushering out the tail end of this long, dull headache.  Moms are great because they don't just help, they want to help, and they do it with patience, without expectation, and out of love.  I'm typically very independent, so it was a luxury to chill out and feel taken care of for a week.  I wanted to ensure that the mama guest was well-fed on her vacation, and San Diego is full of tasty and unpretentious treats.  She toured the local coffee roasters and satisfied her annual quota for tacos and burritos.   We targeted places that were casual and markedly different from what's available in Hawaii.

The following is just a sampling...

BEST MUFFINS EVER from Thyme in the Ranch in Rancho Santa Fe.  Chunks of fresh fruit moisten the batter that is allowed to spill over the pan to create extra-large muffin tops!  Everyone knows the muffin top is the best part.

Two plates from D Bar in Hillcrest, a dessert-focused eatery run by Keegan Gerhard from Food Network. 
Southern Fried Belgian- buttermilk fried chicken/cheesy waffle/honey mustard/sweet potato waffle fries:

I like to sit at the bar and watch the pastry chefs turn the desserts from ingredients into art!
Tropical Fandango- key lime custard with graham crust/pineapple mango salsa/white chocolate cream/tropical granita/candied lime zest:

Late night smoked fish and scallop, spicy shrimp, and battered fish tacos, with fish stew from Oscar's Mexican Seafood in Pacific Beach:

Afternoon artery-clogger of carne asada fries from Tacos El Paisa in Barrio Logan: