After our energizing lunch at Lean and Green Cafe, we explored downtown La Jolla and all of its of shops and cafes. Very cute and laid back!
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Then, we headed over to a popular look out point in La Jolla with 360 views of the city and surrounding area.
…and back to the beach!
We realized the sun was about to set, so we raced over to the ocean to try and get some pictures before the sun went down. Sunset lighting is a photographer’s dream! Everything glows :)
There were these cute little birds that we called ‘roadrunner’s’ because they would SPEED RUN across the sand…I’m pretty sure they could outrun me! Anyone know what kind of bird this is?
meep meep!!!
These guys were a bit more chilled out and wondering what the commotion was all about…
There were so many surfers out taking advantage of the waves and lots of women surfers too. So bad ass. I would love to learn to surf, if I could get over my shark fear!
After booting it about 10 minutes, we finally made it to the look out point for a sunset pic. :)
By sunset, there were a ton of seals on the shore and on the rocks. At least 100 or more. It looked like they were retiring for the night! It’s so cute how they all snuggle up close with one another.
After watching the sunset, we headed back to the hotel and decided where to go to dinner. We decided on a Mexican place called Rancho’s.
A peek inside Rancho’s fun decor.
The restaurant has meat, vegetarian, and vegan options…and I even think some gluten-free options too.
We started with the organic blue corn nachos with black beans, guacamole, pico de galo, and Daiya cheese. Both of us quickly claimed them to be the BEST NACHOS EVER! Quite a claim, I know. If you overheard us you would have instantly thought we were nuts because we could not stop talking about them.
Can you see how the nacho chips are flakey and layered?? They were incredible!
I think we managed to eat about half and then had to stop eating so we wouldn’t ruin our appetite!
Eric ordered the chicken and beef enchiladas for his main:
And I ordered the vegan enchiladas with green, mole, and red sauce. One was packed with avocado, another with roasted eggplant, and another with beans.
Don`t judge a book by its cover. ;)
We couldn’t get over how huge the portions were! I could barely finish half my plate.
I must say, this picture wins for OSG food photo of 2011.
Eric said I should submit it in a photo contest, heh.
If that picture doesn’t make you want to eat there, I don’t know what would.
We finished the night with a lil nightcap!
Biscotti Giveaway Winner
A big congrats goes out to Stephanie W for winning the biscotti giveaway! Stephanie, I have emailed you to collect your info. Congrats!
I don’t make nearly enough trips to SD even though I live in Cali. This is inspiring me to take a mini-vacay there sometime soon ;)
And yes, the food is drool worthy!
I LOVE Ranchos- I went there when I visited SD. My family could eat meat, and I had a delicious vegan dish. Glad you’re enjoying California!
Beautiful photos!
What a nice time you are having! You are so close to me…Come to Santa Monica too , k? :)
Love these pics!
Oh the States and the huge portions lol! But that’s awesome value as it sounds like they were really great eats! I know Mexican food is so hard to make pretty but it always tastes just so darn good!
Yay! It looks tome you were on Mount Soledad with the giant cross (unless they took it down). I love going up there. The 360 views is amazing and for two years we celebrated the 4th of July up there. We could see fireworks from all over the county. it was amazing.
Wow. I forgot about Rancho’s! I haven’t been there in a while!! Thanks for the reminder!
The sharks aren’t too bad in SD. Though there was this one year where there were at least 50 sharks lined up just off of Shores (only seen by helicopter) and dolphins were patrolling the area, keeping them at bay, away from surfers. :D OOOh and the green algae! Certain times of the year the algae flourishes and the ocean water glows green at night. :D
Did the restaurant actually sell the tacos with daiya cheese, or did you ask them to add it to your plate? I’m asking because I’m going to a pizza place for my boyfriend’s birthday and am wondering if it’s too rude for me to ask them to add my “cheese” to my pizza.
yes they did :) cool right?
Wow! God bless America… :p
Angela, your photos are absolutely stunning. They are all frame worthy!
Oh and I wish I had those nachos right now!
Beautiful pictures! I especially love the one with the two surfers! Ahh-mazing.
I LOVE THE SURF PICS!! So pretty! Totally magazine worthy! And those enchiladas sound fantastic! I love roasted eggplant….and with all those amazing sides and toppings!?!?! INCREDIBLE!
I love Mexican food places. They sure know how to give you your money’s worth! And they tend to be some of the cheapest options around. Okay, I mostly just love places that offer cheese-less and gluten-free options!
Beautiful pictures as always, and the food looks amazing!
Just wanted to comment on the biscotti recipe from the last post, but it was full. I have made biscotti for years as Christmas gifts. Since I am now vegan for health reasons, I was trying to figure out what else to make. Thank you for posting the recipe, I can’t wait to make it!
Sounds like a great trip! That food looks amazing!!! You should try to recreate the nachos so we can all make them ourselves!
Ahh I looove La Jolla! I haven’t been there for a few years, but it’s absolutely beautiful. So glad that you were able to head out to SoCal! I definitely would love to live there someday instead of this bitter cold in Chicago! lol..
LaJolla is one of my happiest places on earth. I love it there. We went to San Diego in 2008 for my best friends wedding and ended up spending most of our non-wedding oriented time in LaJolla! I keep asking to go back.
Wow! Beautiful photographs…hard to pick a favourite…but I do like the sunsets.
The Vegan Enchelada’s look delish…blown away by the portion size!
What an awesome trip you seem to be having! I’ve never made it down to San Diego before, but it definitely looks like a place I want to go, and soon. I’m so sick of this crappy Oregon weather we’ve been having lately. A little California sun would be nice.
Your enchiladas look tasty to me, despite the somewhat foul picture. Mexican food doesn’t always photograph well, but it sure does taste great! Have fun
HOW do you find all of these great vegan-friendly restaurants while you’re traveling?! My boyfriend and I are heading to Chicago over New Year’s and I would love to try some amazing restaurants that we can both enjoy. Any tips?
Also, I can’t believe you found a Mexican place with dairy-free cheese! I still haven’t tried Daiya yet…I live in a small town that doesn’t sell it, but I can’t wait! Your food looks delicious!
usually I use http://www.happycow.net/ !
I LOVE RANCHO’S! it’s so good :) as are your photos. photographing during sunset is my favorite!