The Food of Carlsbad, California

On November 7, 2018November 7, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn California, Food, Recipes3 Comments

Located on the coast of southern California, Carlsbad has a combination of food styles that makes it a great food destination. First of all, being on the coast, seafood is a staple at many of the restaurants and there are even some that have their own boats that provide fresh fish for the restaurant. Being in California, healthy food is certainly on most menus and there is definitely an emphasis on farm-to-table as well as ocean-to-table. Finally, with its close proximity to Mexico, there are definitely options for authentic Mexican fare as well. That doesn’t mean that you are limited to those choices as there are sushi restaurants, Italian choices, and certainly good old steak and potato places.

Since we live in Colorado, seafood was high on our list of things to eat while we were there and we certainly had our fill. With plenty of places to choose from, one of our favorites was the Bluewater Grill, which sourced their fish from their own boat and also offered fresh fish to be purchased to take home. They claimed to have an award winning clam chowder, so we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try it and truly was delicious. Clearly that wasn’t the only seafood that we had as we enjoyed mussels at Jay’s Gourmet Seafood and Pizza, shrimp tacos and lobster and corn chowder at the Coyote Bar and Grill, and calamari at 264 Fresco.

Lemon Pepper Mahi Mahi at the Bluewater Grill

If you want Mexican food, Senior Chubby’s is certainly a favorite of the locals and features a salsa bar where you can get some really spicy salsa if you want. We also enjoyed the atmosphere and friendly staff at Las Olas where we enjoyed a couple of margaritas and a spicy cheese and bean dip. You don’t have to go to a Mexican restaurant to find Mexican choices as we even enjoyed delicious Huevos Rancheros at Dini’s Bistro, a place we went to a couple of times at sunset as they had great views of the ocean.

Spicy Cheese and Bean Dip with a Margarita

Clearly there are too many choices for the time that we had, but we did our best to visit as many places as possible. Sometimes it was for a quick snack and a drink, other times it was for a full meal (shared of course). There were other times when we just stopped in for a glass of wine or beer at places like the Village Pub, a fun little outdoor place called Crackhead Crafty’s, and a unique place called Campfire. Since Carlsbad Village is so walkable, it easy to wonder around and just explore and find places that sound interesting to you. In addition to food and drinks, there were several places that offered live entertainment, even on weeknights, providing a great atmosphere for people to gather and relax.

We certainly enjoyed the food that we ate while we were in Carlsbad and there didn’t seem to be any bad choices. Being on the ocean, most places provided casual dining, even if the food was upscale. Obviously you can find a formal restaurant if that is what you are looking for, but we enjoy casual, especially when visiting the beach. We will likely return to Carlsbad someday in the future and look forward to trying some new places as well as revisiting some of our favorites.

Pot Roast with Dumplings

On September 12, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Food, Recipes1 Comment

One of the meals that we had many different times in Europe was meat with some sort of dumpling. It would often be beef, but we also had it with pork, turkey, deer, and goose. We have enjoyed this recipe several times and it is easy to prepare and truly delicious. Rather than make our own dumplings, we use packaged biscuits which become soft and gooey when steamed. Because the biscuits are cooked in the same pot that the beef simmers in, they soak up a lot of flavor. This is definitely the type of dish that can be modified easily by adding different vegetables like onions or peppers, but we like the simplicity of the dish as we prepared it. Because it is slow cooked, the meat comes out fork tender and the sauce thickens up nicely, but if you want it thicker, you can certainly add some cornstarch to it.

INGREDIENTS

3 lb Chuck Roast
2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 tsp Garlic Powder
28 oz Can of Diced Tomatoes
32 oz Package of Beef Stock
2 Cloves of Fresh Garlic – minced
8 Whole Cloves
1 tbsp Parsley – chopped fresh or dry
1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1 package of Refrigerated Biscuits
Salt and Pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat a cast-iron Dutch oven with the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Season the beef on both sides with salt, pepper, and the garlic powder. Brown the roast in the oil for about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Add the beef stock, tomatoes, garlic, red pepper flakes, and additional salt and pepper to the pot and stir to deglaze. Heat until it starts to simmer and then reduce the heat to low and cook slowly for 2 to 2 1/2 hours until the sauce has thickened slightly and the beef is tender. Arrange the biscuits over the roast, covering it completely, and sprinkle with the parsley. Put the lid on the Dutch oven, cover tightly, and cook for 15 minutes, shaking the pot periodically. Remove the meat and biscuits to create individual servings, covering the beef with the sauce.

Sampling Food in Colorado Springs

On February 21, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Colorado, Food, Recipes3 Comments

There are a variety of restaurants in downtown Colorado Springs, Colorado, which means you can find something for any taste. Most of the restaurants are independently owned and each of them has its own unique style. We were only downtown for a day, so we only had time to visit a few locations. In order to maximize our experience we went to a Colorado themed restaurant, an Irish pub, and a seafood restaurant.

Historic Building with Jack Quinn’s Irish Pub

Our first stop of the day was at Colorado Craft Social, which was serving Sunday brunch. We ordered the Green Chili Cheddar Biscuits with eggs over easy. As always, we shared our meal as it was definitely a lot of food. As a bonus, the meal came with a free mimosa to help start the day out right and they also served a lot of local Colorado beers. After eating our fill of comfort food, we walked around the downtown area to enjoy a sunny day in Colorado Springs.

In the afternoon, we headed to Jack Quinn’s to listen to some authentic Irish folk music and enjoy a pint of beer and some chips and dips. Chips are obviously the same as French fries and it came with two dips, one that was a curry dip and the other was somewhat similar to a thousand island dressing. The building that houses the restaurant was built in the late 1800’s and is part of the historic downtown district. It was hard to leave the wonderful ambiance of the pub, but we needed to head back to our hotel for some warmer clothes as the temperatures drop quickly once the sun goes down.

For dinner, we ended up at Bonny and Read for an upscale seafood experience. After a half dozen oysters, we shared the Yellow Tail Snapper. It is served whole with a lime ginger sauce and coconut rice giving it an Asian flare. Although we don’t usually like to have to filet our own fish at the table, it certainly tasted wonderful. With all of the wonderful choices to choose from, downtown Colorado Springs certainly is a great place to go for a night out.