Brian’s 24

I was invited to check out Brian’s 24 in Downtown San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter for brunch. I had heard good things about Brian’s 24, so I was more than happy to accept the invitation. Brian’s 24 is a family owned business located off the lobby of the historic St. James Hotel. They are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Brian’s 24 is a true diner, serving up breakfast 24/7 in addition to sandwiches, pizza, burgers, dessert, drinks, late night grub, and so much more.

Brian’s 24, Downtown San Diego Gaslamp Quarter

We were greeted by Andrea, Brian’s sister, who was the most gracious and helpful host. Andrea gave us some background on her family’s restaurant and showed us around their redecorated dining room and bar. There is definitely a fun diner vibe happening!

Brian’s 24 Dining Room and Bar

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BASIC Bar/Pizza

I was invited to a pizza party hosted by Kirbie of Kirbie’s Cravings at BASIC urban kitchen + bar in Downtown’s East Village. Kirbie put together an intimate party of foodie friends. I happily attended because 1.) pizza and 2.) it gave me a chance to meet some online friends in person.

BASIC Pizza

BASIC Pizza

BASIC is located in a converted old warehouse dating back to the early 1900s with the coolest industrial garage doors. What I think is really neat about BASIC is the original brick walls are still intact. BASIC is a massive space that is divided with one side being the restaurant and the other half a lounge.

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Asado Grill

I received in invite to check out Hotel Karlan, a DoubleTree by Hilton located in North San Diego, which recently went through a re-imaging. The invite was specifically to check out their flagship restaurant, Asado Grill and enjoy a family-friendly movie on the lawn after dinner. This sounded like the perfect night for my family!

Asado Grill offers sustainable seafood, gourmet culinary creations, cocktails, local craft beers, and wine. They had a spacious indoor dining area located off of the hotel lobby and an outdoor seating area. We opted to sit outside and enjoy the nice late-Summer night.

Asado Grill, Outdoor Seating

Outdoor Seating at Asado Grill

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Mom’s Pies in Julian

Every year we make at least one trip to Julian in the Fall to experience the leaves changing, cold crisp air, and grab some warm apple pie. There is an abundance of pie to be found in Julian, but one of my favorite spots is Mom’s Pies.  Mom’s Pies have been around since 1984. All of their pies and baked goods are made fresh daily.

Mom's Pies

Mom’s Pies

Outside of Mom’s you are wafted with the scent of apples baking. On the weekends, I have always found the line out the door. While you wait, you can catch some pies being made from the front window. The line moves pretty swiftly so don’t get too comfortable. Continue reading

Julian Pie Company

Yay, it’s the first day of Fall! Bring on all of the apples and pumpkins! I must say Fall is my favorite season. The problem is living in San Diego, we don’t really get Fall weather or season changes, but luckily Julian does. Julian is a mountain getaway, an hour northeast of San Diego, located in the Cuyamaca mountains.

San Diego also doesn’t really offer cider donuts like I was always seeing all over my Instagram feed in the Fall, so one year I did an internet search to track down cider donuts in town and found Julian Pie Company offers them. It makes sense that Julian would be the place to find cider donuts since every September they have a two-day Julian Apple Days Festival, not to mention Julian is famous for apple pies.

Julian Pie Company - Santa Ysabel location

Julian Pie Company – Santa Ysabel location

I got my husband on board for taking a day trip to Julian by fitting in some off-roading in his prized Jeep in the Laguna Mountains after. We set off in the morning on a Saturday and decided to drive through Ramona and stop at the Santa Ysabel location because I knew they had a bigger selection of donuts, in my experience than the Julian location. Continue reading