My 12 year old daughter’s birthday is in July. Because it’s in the summer, many of her friends are out of town or engaged with some type of summer activity. She took it upon herself to celebrate it early this year and when I found out she was inviting 15 other “tweens” to our house, I decided to spend the night elsewhere.
San Diego became my destination because of a restaurant that I had been watching. The owner of one of my favorite ramen shops, Rakiraki Ramen and Tsukamen recently opened up a fast casual concept serving sushi burritos and poke bowls. Named Pokirrito (for poke and burrito), it was located immediately next door to Rakiraki Ramen and Tsukamen.
The counter is set up similar to Chipotle. The first station is responsible for poke bowls and the sushi burritos are handled at the far station. The poke base can be choice of two of the following: tuna, octopus, seared albacore, salmon, scallops or spicy tuna. A variety of different toppings like seaweed salad and green onion and sauces ranging from spicy aioli to red miso can be added to the base.
I ordered the Pokirrito Classic and a small poke bowl The Pokirrito Classic contains handline-caught tuna, crab meat, tamago, broccoli slaw, butter lettuce, lotus chips, masago, cilantro and shiso and tempura flakes. It is wrapped in fresh nori, cut in half and served “Instagram ready” where the insides of both halves are attractively displayed.
Biting into it, the nori was crisp and the seafood was fresh. The tempura flakes gave the sushi a delightful crunch and I was surprised to find that these ingredients worked so well together. After finishing the sushi burrito, I was full, but I had to taste the octopus and scallops poke bowl. The octopus wasn’t chewy and the scallops were very tender and I liked the combination of masago and the spicy aioli which gave the poke some spiciness and a little originality over the LA poke bowls.
Because I was headed back the next day, meals were the priority for me. I woke up early to ensure that I wouldn’t have to wait in line at Snooze located in the Del Mar Town Center. Despite a 7:30 a.m. arrival, there were only a couple of tables open and so I decided to sit at the bar. I had sufficient amount of coffee at the hotel and so I splurged and ordered from their “morning cocktail” list, a Palomimosa.
The Palomimosa is a sparkling version of the Paloma. The primary difference is adding sparkling wine to the cocktail. While I enjoy the combination of grapefruit juice and tequila, I prefer the standard mimosa over the Palomimosa.
For breakfast, their corned beef hash called my name. It is made with artisan corned beef, caramelized poblanos, onions and topped with two eggs. The corned beef was extremely lean and had crispy edges. I left Snooze quite satisfied.
I stretched my stay a bit so that I could get one final meal. After finding my lunch location, I had to laugh out loud because like Snooze, the restaurant, Carnitas Snack Shack, was located at the Del Mar Town Center.
Named after the co-owners pet pig, “Carnitas”, the walls are adorned with pig cartoons. One of them is a cartoon with a pig’s head and the words “Vegan Gone Bad”. This is a pork-centric gastropub featuring local craft brews and wine.
The Triple Threat Pork Sandwich seemed to be the item to order here. Made with pork loin schnitzel, pulled pork, bacon, pepperoncini relish and shack aioli surrounded by a fresh brioche bun, I immensely enjoyed the combinations of flavors. The brioche bun was fresh and was dense enough to hold the mighty sandwich.
After returning home, I glanced at my Fitbit and quickly realized that I needed to make up for my fun. Ahhh, but it was worth it.
- http://pokirrito.com/
- 4646 Convoy Street, San Diego, CA 92111; (858) 573-2400
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pokeritto/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Pokirrito1
- http://snoozeeatery.com/locations/del-mar/
- 3435 Del Mar Heights Rd. Suite D3, Del Mar, CA 92130; (858) 703-5300
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SnoozeDelMar
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/SnoozeAMEatery
- http://carnitassnackshack.com/
- 12873 El Camino Real, Suite M4, Del Mar, CA 92130; (858) 350-PORK
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarnitasSnacks
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/CarnitasSnacks
Wow! Looks like you had quite the eating adventure there! I’m disappointed I couldn’t meet you, but the food looked excellent!
The Pokiritto looks delicious, and the hash & eggs too. Yum!
Seems like you had a good “escape” from your daughter’s get together.
Great write up Bryan!
Thanks for your long continued support! Everything on this trip was delish and I didn’t have any second thoughts.
I hope to see you next time!
Bryan