I started my second day of covering an action sports trade event in San Diego with a plate of fresh fruit and a bowl of yogurt from Strauss Creamery at my hotel's restaurant, Rice. The blackberries were too tart for my preference and the melons weren't ripe enough. But the mangoes were just right and the raspberries packed the right amount of acidic punch in my mouth.
The blueberries floated in the thick yogurt, which struck the right balance between sour and sweet. Now I know why some people are such fanatics for the whole milk (there's a thick layer of cream that clots on the top), yogurt and other dairy products made by the family-owned Strauss Creamery.
While yesterday I ODed on protein, today I stocked up on dairy products. But I did add a bit of meat to my diet, sharing a charcuterie plate with Max at Cafe Chloe. I always try to eat at Cafe Chloe at least once whenever I'm in San Diego. It's that good! The French-style eatery is cute with its marble-top bistro tables and cheese stands. But the location in downtown San Diego is a little too grungy for a pleasant al fresco experience. Vagrants walk by screaming expletives and dump trucks chug up the street to yet another construction site. I've had my share of charcuterie, but I liked that Cafe Chloe included some pickled Brussels sprouts. They weren't as tangy as the cornichons.
Max had eaten at Cafe Chloe the previous night, when he eyed another customer relishing the gooey macaroni and cheese. The Italian-style elbow macaroni was drowning in a rich sauce of milk and gorgonzola. The macaroni was spared a too mushy fate by pieces of nearly burnt pancetta.
Max and I also shared a salad because we knew that our arteries needed a bit of break from the charcuterie and macaroni and cheese. The most basic salad on the menu, the mix of butterleaf lettuce, cucumbers and radishes reiterated the rule that you need only three ingredients to make a salad. I couldn't quite figure out why the cook sprinkled paprika on the salad. Perhaps for a pop of color against the pale green lettuce leaves and light yellow mustard vinaigrette?
Max accused me of trying to get him fat when I ordered the bread pudding for dessert. Since I was sharing the dish with him, I also risked turning myself into a tub of lard. But I told him that we were going to burn half the calories from the bread pudding on our walk back to the convention center from the restaurant. Besides, today's my sister's birthday (Happy Birthday, Tu!). So we were celebrating her naissance with the bread pudding, which was more like a bread souffle. I think the chunks of bread soaked in an egg mixture overnight. Having fully absorbed the eggs, they baked light and fluffy. I thought the thin layer of bananas squeezed between the bread was delicious but too soft. It might have been nice if the chef had sprinkled ground almonds in that middle layer.
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