One thing is for certain….. You never know what life will throw at you.
Or where it will lead you for that sake.
So, as the new year rang in, I found myself moving to a new city to begin a new chapter.
The exciting thing about moving to a new area always entails things like finding new farmers markets, discovering local eats, searching for the perfect coffee spots, and most importantly— locating the closest Trader Joes.
Of course, the most difficult thing of moving is really just trying to adjust. Which can be a tough thing for a gal whose not fond of change. But luckily for me, I can console myself by gazing at this view each day.
That’s right, Friends. I can now call gorgeous San Diego, California my home. π Not a bad place to live, eh?
San Diego has quite the food scene with access to local farms, fresh seafood, neighborhood eateries, and benefits greatly from the multicultural community with its cuisine. But when I began thinking of the “quintessential San Diegan dish” to write about, only one thing came to mind.
And that was The California Burrito.
The California Burrito is indigenous to San Diego and has brought the area quite the fame.
In simplest terms, it’s a ginormous flour tortilla that is wrapped around chunks of Carne Asada, Cheese, French Fries, and Sour Cream. Oh yes—you read correctly. French Fries are INSIDE the burrito!
I like mine with some guacamole (hey–anyway to get some more fruits/veggies in my body), cilantro and doused with tons of salsa/hot sauce. SO GOOD!
I know what you may be thinking. But don’t judge it until you try it. π
And do yourself a favor, when you do try it—come hungry or split it with a buddy. Because no matter where you get your California Burrito, it will be huge.
As in, close to the weight of a puppy. True Story.
It’s been 10+ years since I’ve had a California Burrito. And I have to admit, it’s still darn good. But unless you have the metabolism of a 15 year old professional athlete, it’s not something you can eat every day.
I grabbed my California Burrito at Lolita’s Taco Shop–a popular local joint. Their version of the Cali Burrito was well executed. They stuffed in a good amount of quality Carne Asada but next time I’ll add in pico de gallo and cilantro. With that much stuff going on inside the burrito, it needs a little bit of brightness to cut through it all.
And with that dear friends, here’s to my new city, new digs, and upcoming Foodventures in San Diego!
Lolita’s Taco Shop
7305-A Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111
(858) 874-7983
theculinarychronicles.com 
Wow. I thought Californians were healthy. This is a doozy. Great pics!
Hahha! I think a lot of Californians are pretty “healthy” π I did do some major running after having this burrito—-but not until the day after bc I couldn’t move after eating it! lol π
Cheers and Thanks for the well wishes on my move!
Oh, and congrats on your move!
hey nam, if you ever wanna come up to LA to hang out. Gimme a call. So cal is lots of fun. =]
Thanks Jacq! I LOVE SoCal–it’s where I’m from before I moved up to SJ. As much as I loved living in LA, I don’t miss the traffic–lol!
Cheers and great to hear from you π
Congrats on your new chapter. Wish you all the best!
Thanks Kelly!!!! You and Dan-Dan will need to bring the dogs down to visit. We’re only a mile away from a gorgeous dog beach. Yes, Bella is living the dream π
Hope you love SD! I grew up in Coronado and miss it.
THANK YOU Laurie! I love it already! I’ve always wanted to live in SD and so far, so good! You’ll need to give me any local secrets π Hope all is well at SJSU!
Welcome to San Diego! I move here a year ago. Hope you enjoy the city!
Thank you, Anna! So far, I love it! If you have any tips on places I need to check out–please let me know π I, for one, am just happy to be in flip-flops again!
Wow I’ve lived in the bay area my whole life yet never had a california burrito. My first taste of san diego was actually carne asada fries which i’m sure is a close cousin lol. Where were you living before the move?
Hi Rosely!
I lived in San Jose for 7.5 years but lived in SoCal before that π Where are you from in the Bay?
And you’re right—Carne Asada fries are the cousin to the Cali Burrito. Both dangerously good! π
A lot of my recommendations come from central and north SD. Opera cafe (sorrento valley) Zumbar coffee place (great strong coffee), pizza port,beach grass cafe for brunch in solana beach. The gliderport by the Salk insititue has an amazing view and tasty sandwiches. Lastly I haven’t tried this one but my co-worker highly recommends it thai village in pacific beach. Also visit little italy’s farmer’s market. Really cute area but not a great farmer’s market. La jolla has a decent farmer’s market on sunday. Email me if you have any other questions about SD or if you find some great places please let me know. I’ve only lived here for a year so I’m still exploring.
Anna–THANKS for all of the wonderful suggestions! So many options and so little time π I’ve bookmarked them all. Cheers!
Hello again. I’m from san jose too! East side baby, represent! Lol!
Naminator!! You are back in SoCal I see. Hope you are having a wonderful time down there. You are missed, but can’t wait to read up on all the great food you’ll find down there!
New city! I’m so excited for you and all the great eats you’ll discover. I love the new look of the site, too! Cheers, Nam!
Congrats on your move to San Diego. I also call it home…born and raised. I see that you like to explore with food so I suggest Tita Kitchen on Plaza Blvd (best Filipino food ever) and on the other end of Plaza Blvd is Royal Mandrin (my fav).
Best of Luck,
Shante
Hello Shante! Thanks SO much for the restaurant referrals. I will definitely be checking them out! Cheers to you! π
I just tried my first california burrito last week and am already craving another. Too bad we don’t have such things on the east coast! Came across your post when trying to find a picture to show my friends.. Yum!
During menstruation, as mortgage rates do most traditional medical practices like meditation, for them.
Pellagra is characterized by its underlying cause and the body.
I would not have to put a stop to it.