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Two shows that I’m totally obsessed about are No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain and Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern. After watching a recent episode of Bizarre Foods in which Andrew Zimmern bombs around Mexico looking for the strangest, wildest, and most exotic foods, I developed a huge hunger for authentic Mexican food. I’m talking the real deal, not the usual carne asada burritos and fajitas. My quest led me to a tiny, family owned and operated establishment in Escondido. I give you, La Cocina de Maria.

La Cocina de Maria
168 W. Mission Ave., Escondido, CA 92025

The exterior of the restaurant is rather bland and unassuming, but what’s served inside is anything but. Family owned and operated, the tiny eatery prides itself on quality, authentic Mexican & Oaxacan food. The menu barely resembles anything you would see at any other Mexican restaurant; and that’s a good thing. The pollo en mole was incredible - tender chicken smothered in a rich, dark mole sauce accompanied by rice and beans. The camarones rancheros were as flavorful as they were colorful. A generous portion of shrimp mixed in a rich bed of onions, cilantro, tomatoes, peppers, and spices were also accompanied by rice and beans. The homemade corn tortillas were extremely unique tasting, nothing like the store bought kind. Sweet and slightly earthy, the tortillas had an aroma and taste all to its own. The watermelon aguas frescas was extremely refreshing and naturally sweet. Large pictures of various dishes adorn the windows. The gorditas looked especially inviting and will definitely require another visit. The service was friendly and the prices moderate. If you are looking for authentic Mexican food with strong Oaxacan roots, then look no further than La Cocina de Maria.

Now that the fires have subsided, I’d like to just thank everyone who called in, texted, and emailed their concerns. It meant a lot to me. My parents’ place survived the fires by the skin of its teeth. Our pool deck was partially burned, entire backyard burned, and my mom’s window was smashed. Our pool was nearly drained of all its water, which means firefighters were pumping our pool water. Huge kudos to all the firefighters, police, sheriff, and National Guardsmen risking their lives to protect life and property in SD. I can’t thank them enough. All in all, 29 homes burned in my parent’s neighborhood. Here are some pics of the aftermath and neighborhood taken with my parents’ camera (my old Canon G5). For those of you that know my neighborhood, the large white house with the tennis court completely burned down, including 2 Mercedes parked in the garage.

Better late than never…

Hanie and I took a trip to the Bay Area a few weekends ago. Hanie had a bridal shower to attend and I hitched a ride, and we made an awesome trip out of it. I stayed with Johann, while Hanie stayed with Ju Yon and Stella. Johann lives right in the heart of the Marina District, while Ju Yon and Stella live literally at the corner of Haight and Ashbury. Both places are totally pimp. I can definitely see the draw and charisma of city living. Overall, the weekend was a total blitzkrieg.

• Oktoberfest By The Bay - Held at Fort Mason, it was a pretty awesome Oktoberfest. The only other Oktoberfest I’ve been to was at an outdoor park in Carlsbad, so this massive indoor one was a new experience for me. A little pricey, but you can’t beat the atmosphere and company. And beer.
• Ju Yon & Stella’s - After Oktoberfest, we all hung out at Ju Yon & Stella’s with a few rousing games of Taboo and a run to Escape From New York Pizza. I am bad at Taboo.
• Cal/OSU - Before the game, we toured the campus a little bit, gorged on beer and killer nachos at Raleighs, then made an obligatory and necessary stop at Top Dog. I then proceeded to attend my very first college football game, and partake in my very first college football game loss. =( Regardless of the outcome, it was a killer and memorable experience.
• Brandon & Cat - After the game, Johann and I met up with Brandon & Cat for some more gorging with some deep-dish goodness at Zachary’s. We went back to Brandon and Cat’s place, just down the street from Zachary’s, to digest and shoot the proverbial shit. After some deliberating, we decided to end the night with some ice cream at Fentons in Oakland, which will put you into a certifiable food coma. Good food, great times.
• The Rock - Johann and myself met up with Hanie, Stella, and Doris to check out Alcatraz. It was an awesome experience, highlighted by the need for Johann and I to bastardize The Rock quotes the entire time. The prison cells were surprisingly smaller than I had imagined. The cells were narrow, dank, and lacked any sort of privacy. I was also surprised by how aged and weathered Alcatraz was as a whole. The walls were worn, dirty, and even moldy sometimes. Most the windows were frosted with dirt, scratches, and fingerprints from both tourists and former residents. On the way back on the ferry, we all passed the time by flicking unsuspecting, annoying flies into oblivion, which turned out to be an extremely hilarious and pleasant experience.
• Pompei’s Grotto - After Alcatraz, we all had lunch in the bar area in order to watch the Chargers/Raiders game. The food was fairly decent. The highlight of lunch was the bartender. He was friendly and charming in the loud, wry, talks-to-you-like-he’s-known-you-for-25-years way. The lowlight was also the bartender. He was a huge Pats fan and couldn’t stop gushing over how good they were. I wanted to shake his hand and punch him at the same time.

The only photos I took over the weekend were at Alcatraz, so enjoy.