Su Casa

The sun continues to be hidden by clouds and fog here in not-so-sunny California. But the temperature hovers in the 60’s and it’s much better than the cold and snow they’re getting at home in the Bogs.

I walked about 4-5 miles yesterday on the beach and the boardwalk. Spent some time sitting and reading (and wave watching) on the beach. I’m still recovering from the cold I brought with me. I figure at the rate I’m recovering, the cold should be gone by the time we head home on Saturday. Heh.

M presented his poster at the conference yesterday. It’s a big conference. 22,000 Neuro-nerds are in town for this meeting. That means finding a place in town to eat isn’t easy. We had originally planned to go to Old Town for dinner. However, most of the places were booked until about 9:00pm. Since we were having dinner with a friend, E, who used to live in this area, we left it to him to pick a place.

We ended up in La Jolla at Su Casa. It was already dark when we drove through La Jolla. Nonetheless, I got some idea of what a lovely place it is (with all those homes worth millions!). I’d like to go back and see it in the daylight, especially the beach areas.

E used to eat lunch at Su Casa when he lived and worked in La Jolla so it was a nostalgic visit for him. Our waiter, who has worked at Su Casa for 25 years, was quite a character and extremely helpful when it came to making food and drink choices. We started with margaritas, one called “The Perfect.” It was indeed perfect.

For appetizers we had guacamole which was made at our table. I swear it was the best guacamole I’ve ever eaten. We also split a fresh fish ceviche cocktail. Ceviche, for those unfamiliar with it, is fresh fish “cooked” (cured) in lime juice. It is never touched by heat. Cubes of raw, fresh fish are marinated in lime juice, and then tossed with tomatoes, cilantro, onions, and avocado. This was my first encounter with ceviche. It was delicious. I wouldn’t hesitate to order it again.

For entrees, E had fish tacos, M had the Verde crab enchilada, and I had the Succulent Seafood Tamal.  The food was fresh, well prepared, and the tamal was as advertised:  succulent.

For dessert we had another round of margaritas.  This time our waiter recommended the El Patron as he thought it would make a good dessert margarita.  He chose well.  After delivering our margaritas to the table, I thought the waiter was out of ear shot when I raised my glass and said “Happy Birthday” to E (whose birthday was on Sunday).  I was wrong about the location of the waiter.  As soon as the word “birthday” was out of my mouth, I heard the waiter pipe up with “Birthday!?!”  The next thing you know, the waiter and a waitress were at our table with a dish of flan with a candle in it and some maracas, singing “Happy Birthday” to E.  It was fun.

The whole evening was fun.  I enjoyed the company, the conversation, the food, and the drinks.

Today’s plans include some more walking.  I’m going to go explore the bay side.  After that, I’ll probably go sit on the beach for a while.  For dinner tonight we’re hoping to meet up with another friend and go to the Fish Market.  M and I had dinner there twice the last time we visited San Diego so we know it will be good.