So I started this little series with my first adventure in Berkeley, CA, putting up a little piece about each place that I visit, vacation, and of course eat.  My girlfriend Dianne and I went on a little trip to meet her parents – a big step in the relationship, I have been told.  Anyhow, we drove down to have lunch with her parents for her mom’s birthday.  We went to a place called the Fish Market, a neat old building right on the water.  Now, they have all kinds of goodies there, including fish from all over the world prepared any way you could want it.  They even have a raw oyster bar as you walk in the door; not everyone’s fave, but with a little horseradish and some cocktail sauce they are not all that bad – slurp.

For this meal I must say I went easy, opting for an albacore melt.  It is pretty hard to mess up a tuna melt, and most of the time they are pretty good.  This one was awesome, with fresh tuna making all the difference.  It was light on the mayo, letting the tuna and cheddar do the heavy lifting.  I was the odd man out as everyone else got clam chowder, and when I snuck a spoonful I confirmed that it was tasty.  This was a great place to meet up for lunch, and I will be happy to eat there again.

The next phase of the trip was meeting up with old friends.  Dianne is originally from San Diego, and some of her friends that have also moved away happened to be in town the same weekend, so we made plans to go out and have a few drinks with them that evening.  We met up at a place called The Field, which is an Irish pub in the heart of the Gaslamp District.  They have all kinds of Irish whiskey – the best kind there is – and a slew of different beers.  We started drinking at around seven and stumbled out around 12.  We passed on food while there, but a few of our cohorts took on the pub menu.  From Shepherd’s Pie to Fish and Chips, they had all the standard Irish fare and it all looked and smelled very appetizing.

After a solid night at the pub, we both had pretty stout hangovers the next day, but it was all worth it.  Dianne took me to this little breakfast place called The Waterfront. To be fair, it is not just a breakfast place, but also a sports bar with plenty of places to belly up for food and drink.  We both needed a little hair of the dog, so I ordered up a Bloody Mary with Absolut Peppar and Dianne settled on a Mimosa.  I needed some grease so I ordered up the good old standby, Chicken Fried Steak and Eggs.  I was shocked when the server asked what kind of meat I wanted, assuming that the buck stopped with the Fried Steak, but gladly ordered bacon and went back to my delicious Bloody Mary.  Dianne ordered the Breakfast Burrito, and we both attacked our meals as we stamped out the remains of the hangover.  We both really enjoyed our breakfast at The Waterfront, the perfect recharge to make the trip back to Long Beach.

I had a wonderful time meeting new people, and got to eat delicious food all weekend.  I am looking forward to making another trip to San Diego to take in more of the local flavor.

Until Next Time, Keep Eating Long Beach,

Cliv