TC was out for sports practice so we made do with this free morning...
making the trek up to the area where Bert used to work, Sorrento Valley. Luckily he does not have to make that craptastic commute any longer. But if he did stay at that particular company, he would have been fortunate at least having Copa Vida nearby. We've been to the East Village location as well as Pasadena. We haven't been to their other location in downtown or Carlsbad...yet.
This time we sat here...away from humanity.
Freddo for me + Bert's winter obsession, the peppermint mocha.
The godly ray of light and sun spots courtesy of the 'effects' feature on my phone. It looks like it can almost be a real shot, eh.
Their peppermint mocha is the best we've had anywhere and believe me, we have tried a lot. Plus, this year, they added festive red sugar sprinkles. Presentation does make a difference.
This is another effects laden photo ("stardust" it's called).
I wanted to try that Freddo again. I'd forgotten that they used Agave syrup in this. Despite that, I really enjoyed this the second time. Chilled and shaken espresso drinks should be offered at more places. To the Point Eatery in Point Loma and Pappalecco in Kensington are two that offer a variation on this theme.
Not a big drink, but more caffeine per ounce than a horribly watered down Americano.
Up the street was another coffee mainstay in these parts, Zumbar. It doesn't say "Zumbar" out front, just this:
They have great drinks here plus their pastries are from the nearby Opera Cafe & Patisserie. Below, Bert's espresso, my macchiato and an almond pastry to share.
Bert's "Defenders" shirt, a Christmas gift, courtesy of TC. It features Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Daredevil and Iron Fist (the guy at the top). Bert kind of wished that he wasn't on there; he wasn't too keen on that particular Marvel character.
Espresso with sparkling water...which you'll need since this stuff is totally leaded.
Leaded but smooth, like my macchiato. I prefer the smaller drinks as you may already know.
It was still too early to have lunch so we drove down to check out Mt. Soledad. While going up the hill, we saw an empty lot and turned around so we could check out these views. It was a pretty clear day and actually feeling kind of warm. Damn these San Diego winters (insert maniacal laughter here).
We hadn't been here in seven years. We wanted to check out a memorial plaque for the father of one of our high school friends. She had posted the unveiling ceremony photos on facebook and we wanted to pay tribute to him. In the mid 90's, our "uncle" was tragically diagnosed with brain cancer. He was at our wedding in 1995 and passed away in 1997, living long enough to see his youngest daughter graduate from high school.
There were many more plaques of veterans, a big change from our last visit.
View of the Pacific Ocean on the north side of the monument.
We did find Uncle's plaque (not pictured); it was on an inner curved wall towards the bottom. It was really nice to see him on the wall. I remembered him in his Navy uniform when I used to hang out at my friend's house back in the days. It was sad to see him deteriorate over the years, but I remember he was always cracking jokes and was a great father to his girls.
After taking in the views at Mt. Soledad, we drove back up again...this time to Pho Banh Mai in Mira Mesa. We hadn't been here in awhile as well. I was craving Nem Nuong (and also ordered some shrimp paste rolls as well). While the rolls were okay, the nem nuong and sauce don't even come close to Brodard's version...
Their banh xeo was also a craving for me. My favorite version in San Diego is the one from Pho Hiep Grill Chateau (it's crisper). Not really a full on lunch, but enjoyable none the less.
Previous visit to Copa Vida (Sorrento Valley)
December 2016
Previous visit to Zumbar Coffee:
April 2014
Previous visit to Mount Soledad:
September 2010 (where it was cloudy that day)
Previous visit to Pho Banh Mai:
March 2014
The sad thing is that it will probably be another year before we return to many of these places again. They're just so far and out of the way. We just wished TC was with us that morning to see the views with us, but next time!
Spring break awaits in a few more months and I already made plans for us all to revisit a certain Pacific Northwest city per TC's request
2 comments:
That would have been an ideal day thing for me. Lots of coffee, views, and Vietnamese food. I haven't tried those spring rolls but am so curious about the sauce. Have you tried replicating the version you like?
Hello Faye
Happy New Year to you! The coffees were really good at both places. The views, lovely too. But Mount Helix has just as spectacular views (just no ocean up close) The spring rolls at Pho Banh Mai are ok, but not spectacular. The nem nuong is all right but Brodard's is way better. Their sauce is more watery and not as "sweet" as Brodard's. I haven't tried replicating the sauce either. Too lazy, haha.
Post a Comment