Next Food Network Star

One of my guilty pleasure channels, Food Network, has a show called The Next Food Network Star and a La Mesa native just one the whole thing. That means she gets her own TV show on Food Network. Amy lives in La Mesa and I believe her show is going to be called, Gourmet Next Door. She claims her favorite restaurant is Tandor here in San Diego which means I have to try it. It's Indian food which I've never had at a restaurant before. It's always been prepared by a friend so I'm intrigued. Plus every Saturday they have a buffet dinner for $7.99. Can't beat that.


http//www.tandoorsandiego.com/

Next weekend

There is going to be so much going on next weekend.

1. San Diego Comic-con International is going to start on Thursday and run till Sunday. Stars like Jessica Alba, Dane Cook, the cast of Heroes, Nicholas Cage and many others are going to be there plus people from all over the country flock to San Diego for this event. This is the first time there's been a cap on addmittance which is odd. Leaves me to believe that the rumors about the "Con" leaving San Diego is true in that they can't fit the crowd anymore.
2. American Idol's first stop at San Diego happens on Saturday. I've heard a few of my friends are going to be auditioning. I've said this many times, since I don't have a chance and don't plan on embarrassing myself on national TV I'm going to steer clear of that area as I'm sure it's not only San Diegans who are going to audition. It's going to be at Qualcomm Stadium
3. Also for those of us that need our fix of Chargers, Saturday will be the begginning of their training camp. I definitely want to go to at least one just to get pumped up for the season but I think I'll hold off for the later dates as it runs till August 22nd.

Hodad's

I'm finally completely done being sick. So much so that I decided to celebrate by heading to OB beach. OB beach was particularly crowded on the day that I went and of all the days, there was an overcast. That didn't stop me and plenty of other people to enjoy the beach. I went boogie boarding in the frigid water then laid out enjoying the day. After enjoying the waves, hunger inevitably hits hard. So we went to Hodad's which has been argued to be one of the best burger joints in town. They certainly have a lot of accolades to prove their title from San Diego magazine to News reporters eating there to find good eats in San Diego. The hole in the wall has a great vibe to it and you'll be kept busy while waiting for you food by just staring at all the license plates on the wall. But back to the burgers; huge and excellent. Plus the price doesn't hurt your wallet which makes it an even better place to stop after the beach. I'm definitely going back before the summer ends.

The Prado

Sorry I've been gone so long. Just finished being sick!

I recently ate at The Prado Restaurant for the first time the other day. We had reservations on a Friday night and I thought it would be more upscale than it was. The prices are definitely above average but it's not as up tight as I thought it would be. This restaurant is smack dab in the middle of Balboa Park which seems like it would be a great place to take a date. A very intimate setting and the lights are turned down low.

As for the food. They had very nice presentation with the food. I started off with tortilla soup as whenever I see it on the menu I order it because it is my favorite soup. Their version of tortilla soup was OK but it needed to be a little bit more hearty. Seemed like they were trying to make the tortilla soup fancy. Then I had Colorado Lamb. Overall the lamb was great. It tasted good throughout the whole thing. The polenta was very creamy and I loved the peas. I ended the night with a cream cheese flan. Usually flans are very sweet or the ones I've tried but this wasn't as sweet as other so I enjoyed it.

Overall this restaurant is great for it's intimate setting and is a great place to take a date or a loved one.

San Diego County Fair

Today is the last day of the fair. I went on Sunday which was reported as one of the hottest days. Great. I went with a group which I have to say is the way to go. You get to try a lot more food at a cheaper price since everyone can split the costs and have some. The first dish I tried was a BBQ Sundae which was mashed potatoes, bbq pork, bbq sauce in a sundae cup topped off with a cherry tomato. As a side dish I had some fried zucchini which is probably my favorite deep fried vegetable at the fair especially when dipped in ranch dressing. After that I had to take a break from food and walk around. I saw the monster trucks, swimming pigs and really beautiful flowers. There was a blossomed artichoke which looked amazing. A friend of mine got the Krispy Kreme Chicken Sandwich. I was shocked that they actually give you a packet of honey as if it's not sweet enough. He said it as good but I couldn't get myself to eating one. We passed by the rattlesnake stand but no one was willing to share with me as I knew I couldn't finish one whole thing. Instead we decided to go for something a bit sweeter, a Mexican funnel cake which is basically one gigantic churro in the shape of a funnel cake topped off with your choice of whipped cream or strawberries. It is really good and will definitely get it again.

After that we decided to take a break from eating and watch more shows until we felt like we could eat again. We opted for the air conditioned rooms displaying rings and precious stones. We also rode the water slide ride to cool us off. Afterwards we finished our day off with a fair classic, corn.

Overall, the two things I suggest everyone bring to the fair; an antacid and a sealed bottle of water. Antacid for obvious reasons and the sealed bottled of water because water is completely over priced but essential. Till next year!

Wags for Wishes

If you like dogs I suggest going to this event. I went last year and it's really fun. From July 6 to the 8th the Wags for Wishes event will be at the Del Mar Horse Park. There will be dogs competing in competitions such as obedience and those obstacle courses. There is also a pet adoption area. It's tons of fun and best of all the proceeds go to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. So for only $5, dog lovers can get a full 3 days worth of enjoyment.

Next American Idol

Is the next American Idol in San Diego? Are you the next American Idol? Well if you think you got what it takes then you should definitely go to American Idol's first San Diego audition at Qualcomm Stadium on July 30th. I can only imagine that it's going to be madness and am going to steer clear of that area that day because I have no chance of being on that show...well maybe for humiliation.