June Restaurants of the Month in San Diego!

Phil's BBQ and In-N-Out Burger!

Phil's BBQ
My adventures in California have taken me to areas I've always wanted to see and some that I hope to never have to visit again.  The past two weeks I traveled to 7 different areas of California in a 9 day period -- San Francisco, Orange County, Irvine, San Diego, La Jolla, Davis, and Woodland.  Boy, I was exhausted. In and out of hotel rooms, constantly hauling luggage around, and of course, trying to find the best places to eat while I traveled to each new spot.  This past corporate travel I had the opportunity to see a dear friend of mine, Casee Kulp; we interned together in Washington DC back in 2006! My, how time flies.  It's funny to see where life takes those that you hold near and dear to your heart.  5 years later and I'm still in Washington DC, whereas Casee blazed a new trail and moved out West to one of the most beautiful areas, San Diego.  Needless to say when I found out that 50% of my corporate travel would be in San Diego, I was elated. I get to work in a beach town? Heck yes! 

I was able to stay in La Jolla - a beautiful town just outside of San Diego. Casee and I made plans to hang out and see each other, since the last time we really had a chance to get together was more than a year ago!  Knowing that I am a lover of all foods, she had the idea of taking me to the famous Phil's BBQ, a restaurant where the line is so long, that it spans outside the restaurant and around the corner.  Phil's BBQ appeared on the ever-so-popular, Man VS Food, so I knew this was going to be a place I would like.  We got there on a Friday night around 7:30ish and the line was definitely around corner.  Casee reassured me the food is worth the wait.  Honestly, the line didn't seem that long - I think it took us about 50 minutes, but when I asked what I should order, I got a solid response of "Baby Back Ribs and a side of Onion Rings" - no excuses.   Everything on the menu looked so good...what if I wanted a pulled pork sandwich? What if I wanted boneless ribs? Nope, all or nothing. Full on Baby Back Ribs. 

The interesting part about this restaurant is you stand in line and then place your order.  I decided to go with the Half Baby Back Ribs with a side of steamed vegetables.  Don't worry, as my "welcome to San Diego gift," Casee ordered us a side of onion rings.  While I travel, since I eat out all the time, I try to do what I can to eat healthy and incorporate as many vegetables as I can.  Once we placed our order, we looked for a table hoping to find one! Casee and I landed one right next to the fireplace and waited for our meals.  About 6 quick minutes later, my buzzer goes off and there are my baby back ribs, looking so delicious I almost felt like heaven's lights were shining down on them.  Drenched in sauce, perfect temperature, I couldn't wait to dig in.   

My Meal!

The first bite of these baby back ribs were beyond anything I could have imagined. The meat literally melted right off of the bone - I licked those bones dry, haha, and I didn't leave one ounce of meat. (My grandmother would have been proud!) Eating baby back ribs always makes me laugh - there is nothing classy or sophisticated about them. Thankfully, I was with Casee who didn't care if I ate like a 4-year-old and had sauce all over my mouth. I could fully dive in without holding back. Along with ribs, there are a few other foods I would never eat on a first date - corn on the cob and watermelon are two of them. Apparently, I'm a sloppy watermelon eater; and my mom always warned me against not eating watermelon while trying to impress a guy.  Although, on my mom and stepdad's first date, Roger ordered baby back ribs and didn't care one bit. That screams confidence and maybe that's why my mom fell for him in the first place. Sorry, I digress. Back to the food.   

Me eating my ribs

I don't know how one describes ribs, per say.  They were perfectly tender, soft, and drenched in amazing BBQ sauce. No wonder this was on Man VS Food!  There's not much to report on the steamed vegetables - they were very colorful and were sort of my way to justify me gorging out on ribs and onion rings. :) Now, onto the onion rings. I'm normally not a big fan of them in general; they always fall apart, are way too fried, or the onion is undercooked.  But Phil's BBQ onion rings.... oh boy... there is and will never be any competition.  They tasted like they were fried almost in a donut-like dough, as they had an element of sweetness to them.  The best part was after one bite, they didn't fall apart; they stayed in tact and were so delicious. Also, for a girl who dislikes small portions, Phil's BBQ didn't let me down - the onion rings were bigger than the size of a donut.  Every bite of my meal was worth the near-hour wait, and every second I got to spend with Casee was appreciated and valued.  We enjoyed a good old fashioned, excellent, comforting meal while strengthening our friendship and catching up on life. 

The best part about my time in San Diego is that it won't end.  For the next year at least, I'll be traveling down there around once or twice a month.  Each time I go, I plan on visiting a new restaurant, seeing more of the beautiful sites, and spending quality time with my friends.

Next Stop: In-N-Out Burger...