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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Sheldon’s Service Station

A new cafe opened up last month located in Historic La Mesa Village, Sheldon’s Service Station. Being the coffee lover (snob) that I am, I was eager to check them out. SSS has a Coffee and Tea bar, pastries, a full breakfast and lunch menu, and later in the day they serve of beer. On the weekends, they offer a mimosa bar and live music.

SSS Coffee Bar Menu

SSS Coffee Bar Menu

Sheldon’s Service Station serves up Cafe Moto, which is a local favorite of mine. You can get a regular cup of coffee, latte, mocha, cold brew, etc. And for non-coffee drinkers, tea, hot chocolate and juice.

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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

Brunch at Bottega Americano

Every Mother’s Day we go to brunch with my whole family because moms, brunch and mimosas just pair together so well. This Mother’s Day we made a brunch reservation at Bottega Americano located in downtown San Diego’s East Village neighborhood. Bottega Americano is a charming Italian restaurant and marketplace with lots of wood, marble and copper accents, which made it a perfect setting for celebrating us moms.

Bottega Americano

Bottega Americano

Bottega Americano offers brunch every Saturday & Sunday with a seasonal food menu, a full coffee menu and an option of bottomless mimosas for $15 per person. Major selling point for me! Continue reading

Jean Philippe Patisserie

My husband and I were really terrible about taking a kid free vacation until two years ago. My best friend planned a couples vacation for us at Aria Resort & Casino. Since then we have made sure we get to Aria at least twice a year along with my BFF and her husband. Every trip involves multiple stops at Jean Philippe Patisserie, which is conveniently located in the casino of Aria.

Jean Philippe offers  gelato, crepes, macarons, fine chocolates, coffee, tea & espresso drinks, pastries, paninis and many other decadent treats. It didn’t occur to me until I started working on this post that we order anything and everything Nutella at Jean Philippe. Just wait, you’ll see.

Most mornings on our Vegas vacation we will start our day by sharing a Nutella crepe topped with strawberries and raspberries. They do not hold back on the Nutella and I don’t hate them for that. We prefer getting the fruit on top, but typically they make the crepes with the fruit inside. Jean Philippe isn’t all about chocolate and sweets, they also have a wide array of savory crepes.

Nutella Crepe

Nutella Crepe

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