We depart South Orange County for La Jolla on Saturday evening for our Memorial Day weekend getaway.  I immediately realize the advantage of leaving at 7pm as traffic is flowing smoothly.  Last year we stayed at the Hyatt Regency La Jolla at Aventine.  We decided to upgrade our location by staying in La Jolla Village and downgrade our accommodations by staying at the Best Western Inn by the Sea (A: 7830 Fay Avenue, La Jolla, CA  92037-4240. P: 858-459-4461. W: lajollainnbythesea.com).

The priority this year is the location which gives us the ability to let our car collect dust while we walk to shops, restaurants and sightseeing destinations.  Upon arrival I would quickly question whether our vacation was in La Jolla or Taiwan.  The humidity levels have been high in our neighborhood and given this neighborhood is closer to the ocean it is much worse here.  In fact when we enter the hotel I feel like I’m in a swamp in the Bayou – gators excluded.  It didn’t help that the back door is open for easy access from the parking lot.  Unfortunately, our room is equally “greasy”.  About a half-hour later we become comfortable as the AC dries our “quagmire” out.

Our dinner destination is Vigilucci’s: Seafood, Steak & Chop House (A: 909 Prospect Ave., Suite 290, La Jolla, CA  92037. P: 858-454-9664. W: Vigiluccis.com).  The ambiance is fancy but not over the top with high-backed booths against the wall and a dining room that has the indoor/outdoor concept with our table on the cusp of the outdoor balcony.  Normally this would be highly desirable seating but given the “swamp effect” outside I’d prefer they keep those doors closed.

We opt for the calamari fritti e gamberi as our appetizer.  It is pretty tender and not rubbery with a marinara sauce for dipping.  I find it slightly above average.  Bella chooses the 10 ounce prime rib for her entrée and I go with the rack of lamb in rosemary sauce.  I add a side of “gnocchi tartufo” (in a truffle sauce) while Bella chooses a side of spinach.  The lamb seems to be unevenly cooked and not as tender as I’d have liked.  The rosemary sauce is light and could use more zip of rosemary flavor.

The prime rib is good but I doubt I’ll remember it a month from now.  The gnocchi is a step away from the packaged gnocchi you get at your local Italian deli or Cost Plus.  A glass of Altocedro Malbec wine packs a decent punch of fruit with a little too much alcohol aftertaste.  For dessert Bella goes with vanilla gelato and I always look forward to trying a new cannoli.  I feel the cannoli is simply too sweet and don’t care for the three mini cannoli’s versus one normal sized one.  Bella enjoys her gelato thoroughly.  Overall rating (Food, Service, Ambiance, Value) = B-. After dinner we walk the streets and browse the shops…the majority of which are closed.  Even though this is late summer, La Jolla Village seems to close down stores in the early evening hours.

In the morning we walk to breakfast at The Brockton Villa (A: 1235 Coast Blvd., La Jolla, CA  92037. P: 858-454-7393.  W: brocktonvilla.com).  They are located just down the street from La Jolla Cove (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Jolla_Cove).  I chuckle a bit when Bella notices this is a sister restaurant of Beaumont’s in Bird Rock (nearby community).  Last year we dined at Beaumont’s and Bella had a pizza with truffle oil which she absolutely hated.  She said that all she smelled was “tire, tire and more tire”.  I hadn’t really thought about it but truffle oil does have a sort of “Michelin-like” smell to it.

We prepare ourselves for a lengthy wait after reading restaurant reviews online.  About 45 minutes later we are seated on the outdoor patio.  I choose the world-famous “coast toast”, soufflé-like French toast with a hint of orange.  Bella goes with the blueberry pancakes.  My toast is un-be-live-able!  Undoubtedly this is the best French toast I’ve ever had and it is very soufflé-like.

Bella’s cakes are thick whereas she prefers almost crepe-thin cakes.  As she often says to me, “too much bread – no interest”.   I request some vanilla bean ice cream for her cakes and Bella’s breakfast has improved dramatically.  Given that we’re on vacation I wash my toast down with a glass of my favorite zinfandel, the rarely found on a restaurant wine list Minassian-Young.  It is a big, bold jammy wine which overpowers the alcohol aftertaste that most zins are well-known for possessing.  Overall rating (Food, Service, Ambiance, Value) = A.

Brockton Villa: Exterior

Around the corner I pick up a marble penguin figurine (made in Peru) from the Sunny Jim Cave Store (A: 1325 Coast Blvd., S. La Jolla, CA  92037.  P: 858-459-0746. W: cavestore.com).  They sell snorkeling gear and they have a cave museum you can peruse for $4.00 per adult.  Afterwards, we check out the photography gallery of Thomas D. Mangelsen, “Images of Nature” (A: 7916 Girard Avenue, La Jolla, CA  92037-4232.  P: 888-238-0285. W: mangelsen.com).  He’s one of the most talented wildlife/nature photographers out there.  If you enjoy Mangelsen’s work, check out Richard Jackson’s work at http://www.soulcatchingimages.com/home.asp.  Then we relax back at our room for a couple of hours.

For lunch we venture to Burger Lounge (A: 1101 Wall Street, La Jolla, CA  92037.  P: 858-456-0196. W: burgerlounge.com).  They serve organic grass-fed Tall grass beef hamburgers on home-style baked buns.  I know this sounds a little too healthy but these are delicious burgers and the always packed venue reaffirms that.  I choose the white cheddar cheese and grilled onions version.  These truly are yummy burgers.  I wash it down with a rich, fairly thick vanilla shake as Bella hammers a Coke float in record time.  Afterwards, we return to the room to watch some college football games.  Overall rating (Food, Service, Ambiance, Value) = A.

Our dinner locale is a five minute walk from our hotel at George’s “California Modern” at the Cove (A: 1250 Prospect Street, La Jolla, CA  92037. P: 858-454-4244. W: georgesatthecove.com).  George’s has two dining rooms: the Ocean View Room and the California Modern.  We chose California Modern since it is easier to get reservations and features Trey Foshee’s inventive California cuisine.  The ambiance is five-star and the cuisine matches.

We open with our waiter Brandon’s recommended “appetizer special” of baby octopus.  Brandon reminds us tremendously of our friend JB from Cinci…even his mannerisms are dead-on.  I’ve had adult octopus many o’ times and never really cared for it given the rubbery, chewy consistency.  This is a WHOLE new ball game and succulent to the tenth power.  It is so tender and tasty I nearly forget I am eating octopus.

Bella goes with the hanger steak and I choose the seared local yellowtail.  Her steak is perfectly cooked and charred beautifully with terrific flavor.  My fish takes a close second as it is very good and well prepared.  My wine choices for the evening are glasses of Pascual Toso Malbec (Argentina) and Bennett Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley).  Surprisingly the less expensive Malbec is the better of the two with bold fruit and a nominal alcohol aftertaste.  The Bennett cab is pleasant enough but nothing spectacular and not worth the extra money.  Overall rating (Food, Service, Ambiance, Value) = A+.  My only issue is that you will definitely need to order an entrée, an appetizer and dessert to insure that you are satiated by night’s end.

After dinner we walk a couple of blocks down to the La Valencia Hotel’s “Whaling Bar & Grill” (A: 1132 Prospect Street, La Jolla, CA  92037.  P: 858-454-0771.  W: lavalencia.com).  This is a classic hotel built in 1926 and a former hotspot of Los Angeles celebrities from days past.  Bella gets the cherries jubilee and I jump all over the limoncello cannoli’s.  The cannoli’s are freshly prepared with mascarpone cheese, a crunchy shell and a bright lemon taste.  Our waiter fires up the cherries and Kirschwasser liquor tableside in a large stainless steel skillet.  Bella thoroughly enjoys the spectacle given this is her first experience having this delicacy.  You have to eat quickly since it melts away the delicious vanilla bean ice cream.  Bella would prefer less liquor but I advise her that this is how it’s done and you need the alcohol to achieve the end result.  Overall rating (Food,

Service, Ambiance, Value) = A.

It’s Monday morning and we drive to Harry’s Coffee Shop (A: 7545 Girard Avenue, La Jolla, CA  92037. P: 858-454-7381. W: harryscoffeeshop.com).  In business in La Jolla since 1960 this is a classic coffee shop with a large menu.  We go with fairly routine breakfast fare.  I choose the oatmeal pancakes and Bella has eggs over easy, sausage and toast.  This place is chock full of locals who continuously filter in and stop to chat with friends.  Be forewarned, this is a Monday morning (granted it is Memorial Day) and the wait was about 30 minutes.  Regardless, I enjoy the rustic look and the local charm.  After breakfast we are on our way back to South Orange County.  Overall rating (Food, Service, Ambiance, Value) = A-.