Restaurant Review

Dirty Birds Bar & Grille
1929 Cable Street
Ocean Beach, CA 92107
619-241-2922

“Positively Negative or Negative Positivity?”

By Judi Curry

Have you ever stood over a sink where one side had hot water in it and the other side had cold water in it and you have your hands in both sides of water? If you haven’t let me tell you that the brain does not really know how to register the sensation. That is how this review will pan out – good and bad equates to what?

It was another get-together of three widows going out to lunch together on a relatively cool, windless day. There are many new restaurants in the Ocean Beach area, and I remember a long time ago eating at a Dirty Birds somewhere in San Diego. As I recalled, the food was good, but we never went back, probably because it was far from our house.
First of all there were over twenty people in the restaurant when we walked in.

By Judi Curry

Ten years ago today my Irish husband of 46 years, Bob Curry, passed away from the ravages of Lung Cancer. He was a smoker for 30 years; he stopped smoking for 30 years.

Before he passed away he said to me that “ . . . if I had known I was going to die of lung cancer I never would have quit smoking.” He missed it every single day. (Strange that he never said to me that he would never have started smoking!)

Supposedly as time passes on, so does the ache of death, and perhaps that is true because it is not with me all the time anymore.

Restaurant Review

Casa Castillo
Mexican and Guatemalan Cuisine
3334 Rosecrans St.
San Diego, CA 92110
619-432-1922

By Judi Curry

Sometimes you luck out and are in the right place at the right time. This particular night Hugh and I had excellent luck and happened into a new restaurant that has only been opened for a month. Casa Castillo is the name of the restaurant, and it is just opposite Loma Square shopping center, near the car wash.

And – what’s more, the three managers/ owners – Juan, Carlos and Jesus – were there planning their grand opening this Labor Day Weekend. They will be offering 15% off the entire tab; there will be FREE APPETIZERS! And there will be music. The “ribbon cutting ceremony” will take place at 11:00am, and it will be fun for the entire three days. They are open from 8:00am to 9:00pm Sunday-Thursday, and open until 10:00pm on Friday and Saturday evenings!

So what’s on the menu? I had never had “Guatemalan” food so I wanted to sample what was available.

By Judi Curry

Although I haven’t stayed out of the fray completely, I have been reasonably quiet about things that are really bothering me lately. I realize that there are many that will disagree with me, and, quite frankly, I have tried to see it your way but have not been able to do so. The first thing are these damn bike lanes.

Today, while driving down West Point Loma Avenue towards Ocean Beach, I saw three near misses of cars almost being hit by other cars and they came out of the parking lane into the flow of traffic. If there had been a car to the left of any of those cars there would have been a head on collision, because all of those cars swerved into oncoming traffic lanes. And the ironic thing about the episodes was that there were NO bike riders in the bike lanes!

Two days ago, while attempting to get to an appointment in Old Town, I was stuck in traffic for almost 45 minutes while lanes changed from 2 lanes to 1 lane. Again, there were no bike riders in the bike lanes.

Fiddler’s Green
2760 Shelter Island Drive
San Diego, CA 92106
619-222-2216

By Judi Curry

I have been to Fiddler’s Green many times. Their Monday night steak special brings many locals to their restaurant when other restaurants have sluggish sales.

But I had heard about their breakfast, served only on Saturday 8-12 pm and 8-1:00 pm on Sundays and decided to try it with Hugh and Hitomi. We were VERY glad that we did.

The menu was extensive, including over 20 items including Burrito’s, Biscuit and Gravy, Eggs Benedict, etc. and many different bar drinks including Bottomless Mimosas ($11); Screwdrivers, Bloody Mary’s, etc.

But what made the decision so difficult was besides having a nice menu, there were 5 additional “specials.” There was a Chorizo Omelet, a Denver Omelet, a Machaca Omelet, Pork Chops and Eggs, and Banana Pancakes. It took the three of us some time to finally decide what to order.

Restaurant Review

Cesarina Ristorante
4161 Voltaire St.
Point Loma, CA 92107
619-226-6222

By Judi Curry

I don’t usually go back to a restaurant with a two month period of time, but I had to make an exception for Cesarina. The first time that I ate there they had only been in business a month or so. That experience was delightful, from the china flown in from Italy, to the foods offered on the menu.

The second time I went back there I went with different people and our experience was the same. The service was impeccable; the food was tasty and authentic.

The pasta was made there – you can watch it being made – and the tiramisu was to die for. It was made for us right at our table.

Farewell to a Staple

Editordude: On Tuesday, July 9th, 2019 Judi Curry visited OB’s Village Kitchen, probably for her last time – under the current management – as it is up for lease.

By Judi Curry

Thirty-two years ago my husband Bob and my three daughters and I had our first meal at the Village Kitchen. Lopez was the owner cook; Esther was the cashier – she later became my beautician – and Liz and Eleana were waiting tables. It turned out that they were the children of Lopez and Esther.

We had so many delightful times there. We had our first taste of “menudo”; our first taste of “albondigas”; some of the best Machaca we have ever had. Bob loved their breakfasts – so much for so little money. The recipes were extraordinary and I even asked Lopez for several of them.

Restaurant Review

Blue Water Seafood Market and Grill
5083 Santa Monica Ave., Suite 1B
Ocean Beach, CA 92107
619-255-8497

By Judi Curry

I bet that I have received over 15 calls from neighbors in the past four weeks asking me if I had done a review of the “Blue Water” restaurant yet. Even though they have been established in another area, I still wanted to wait before trying it out. Today was the day! I called Candy and Irene and asked them if they wanted to join me and we were there shortly after they opened the doors at 11:00 am.

I have to start this review by saying that the food was very good; that the service was excellent; and even though there was a big “screw up” we enjoyed everything we had to eat and can’t wait until we go again to try the other things on the menu.

by Judi Curry

A coincidence? Or a mistake?

I don’t profess to know everyone in San Diego. In fact, I don’t profess to know one half of one percent of the residents of San Diego, but I do know that an inordinate amount of the people I know, male and/or female, have expressed to me the same problem in the past 3 weeks.

It didn’t matter if it was Don in Imperial Beach; Irene in Santee; Hitomi in the Convoy area; Michele on Shelter Island; Lucy in La Jolla; Jackie in Encinitas; Mary on Sunset Cliffs, Larry in El Cajon, Stephanie in Sierra Mesa, or myself in Pt. Loma – we are all suffering from almost debilitating headaches. Some of the people I spoke to said that they have headaches frequently but never like this.

Others, like me, seldom ever get headaches, but these are severe.

Because mine have been so bad in the past month, I have been to my Primary Care Physician; Urgent Care; the Emergency Room; the Ophthalmologist and just last week saw the Ear Nose and Throat specialist.

What did he say?

Restaurant Review

Euphoria XIX Grill
3944 W. Point Loma Ave
San Diego, CA 92110
619-222-0020

By Judi Curry

I try to wait until a restaurant has been opened for 6 months or so before I do a review. I have been to “Euphoria XIX” three times now, and each time with a different person. I have combined our experiences into this one review.

The restaurant is light and airy. Around the windows are individual couches on the side against the windows and chairs in the front. There are a few high tables along the north side of the restaurant, some seating outdoors; and a few tables to the south of the entry door.

I usually don’t go into this much detail about the seating, but feel it is necessary here, because although the couches are comfortable and pretty, there is no way that I can sit in one and be comfortable.

By Judi Curry

Are you safe in the park? At Sunset Cliffs Natural Park? Robb Field; Dusty Rhodes? Dog Beach? Dog Park? Neighborhood playgrounds?

Have you seen many bees this spring? Have you seen as many birds this spring? Do people you know have cancer? Do you know dogs and cats that are being diagnosed with cancer? Do you have any idea what might be the cause?

Do you know what the ingredients are to kill weeds? Do you know what a “carcinogen” is? Do you know what “Glyphosate” is and what products contain it?

Did you know that here in our own “backyard” that glyphosate is being sprayed and there are no signs

By Judi Curry

With every holiday that passes; with every special occasion that comes up, I am reminded how much I miss my husband. It is always traumatic when you lose someone that you love, but I think it is more traumatic when you lose your best friend, your lover, your confidante, your weekly date, your protagonist, your companion, etc. all at the same time.

The heart heals, but the scab always remains. Just scratch the surface a little bit and all the angst returns.

I got so tired of people saying to me, “I know how you feel”. Unless they lost a spouse they have no idea how I felt. Yes, losing a mother, a father, a sister, a brother, a child, etc. is horrible but it is nowhere near the same thing as losing a spouse.