San Diego: Rekindling of an old flame

My lady and I are in San Diego on a 50/50 (B/P) trip. it has been a long while since we've been to SoCal, and we almost forgot how much we like this place.

We're lucky enough to be right in the heart of downtown in a nice waterfront hotel that's minutes from everything. To make things even better, it's restaurant week!

So far, we have sampled a small amount of places like Nobu at the hard rock hotel, Frank's mexican food joint on Fifth, and a corner diner on G street next to a mall. we also checked out a local pancake place called Richard ... pancake house. the place has lines that reach around the corner, even on weekdays. it's a small place, but they don't skimp on the portions. the pancakes were good, but I liked ones from the diner to be better IMO. the corned beef hash (guilty pleasure) was different than what I'm used to, and didn't kill my stomach as usual. They blended everything more, and I think that made a big difference.

Nobu was an odd experience. I'm used to California wait staff being laid back and a little slow compared to the people in the east coast. My waiter was a little loopy and more in pace with east coast guys, so we felt a little rushed (the place wasn't even 50% full). The food was mostly good. there were some rolls that seemed average like the spicy tuna roll, and others that were just perfect, like the yellowtail jalapeño roll. we also ordered their signature dish (black cod miso) and it was spot on. the waiter suggested the vegetarian version of the same dish, and that was disappointing. The eggplant lacked the saltiness of the cod, crucial to the balance of the dish.

We also visited the nine-ten restaurant in La Jolla to sample their restaurant week menu. I skipped the first course to get their truffle risotto appetizer, and it was a good choice. They did not skimp on the truffles, but the rice was a little under-cooked. the flavors were well balanced, however. It reminded me of a similar (but better) dish I had in Paris.
The second course was a braised short rib with baby vegetables that was well executed. It paired nicely with the California Pinot suggested by the staff. Although we're about to burst at this point, we decided to try a bite of the third course. I chose the lime semifreddo, and the picked the milkshake and beignets. it was so good, we managed to somehow make room for it :)
We have plans to visit the restaurant at El Coronado this thursday. I'll report on it later,