Birthday fun with Astroboi - Breakfast @ Brothers Family Restaurant once again, Spring Time Dano paintings & another wellness drink from S3 Coffee

My last weekend of my birthday month...

was spent with my BFF Astroboi...

at a place we went to exactly one year ago...

The bakery at the new Ranch 99 Chula Vista (including cream puffs)

As promised...

a look at my gluttonous pastry purchases at 99 Ranch in house bakery...

The new Ranch 99, Chula Vista (the store)

Signs were up on the old Haggens (formerly Vons) on Telegraph in November of last year...

with progress in late December..

up until late March/early April when the new Ranch 99 in my 'hood opened...

Late lunch @ Trade Winds Tavern

The short-lived Char House is now Trade Winds Tavern...

Our last stop of the day for my birthday crawl...

You can't miss this place due to the striking mural in front...

International Deli and Cafe + shopping break

Before heading over to Fashion Valley to window shop, I wanted us to check out this place that Cathy of mmm-yoso highly recommended...

It's in the same strip mall as Rose Donuts and J & T Thai Street Food...

The Kouch Espresso Bar & Lounge

As promised, another coffee stop...

(my awesome 'drive by' exterior shot)

at the newly opened Kouch Espresso Bar & Lounge in Hillcrest, a neighborhood I haven't been to in awhile...

Birthday Food Crawl with the Educator GF's - First stop...Communal Coffee

This past weekend was spent with my good friends, the Educator GF's...

We did miss TORC who had family business to attend to, but ended up visiting her later that afternoon.

Our first stop was coffee. We were bad and parked across the street in the soon to be vacated stripmall.

Now wowed by my first time here, I wanted to give Communal Coffee another chance...

Mr. Holmes Bakehouse + "Reservoir Dogs" location across the street!

Chicken Boy is watching you...

in Highland Park that is.

Down Figueroa on 59th, you will see this liquor store...

proclaiming, "The coldest beer in town"...

Kindness & Mischief revisit

Pickup up where I left off from our breakfast repast at Penny's Burgers...

we were back on Figueroa Street...

It was time for some coffee and hopefully some pastries at a coffee shop Cathy and I visited earlier that summer...

Birthday coupon @ Chamorro Grill (3x) + drinks from Better Buzz

It seems like we are here once a year...

since birthday coupons are meant to be used you know...

Sometimes It Snows In April - Prince -1 Year Later

"Sometimes it snows in April..."

(from my "Murals at the Redwood Laundrymat" post, Oct. 2013)

Prince Rogers Nelson 
(June 7, 1958 - April 21, 2016)

Mural at Pizzeria Luigi's, Imperial Beach

Over Spring Break, I took out TC and one of her good friends...

They wanted to take photos at the nearby Tijuana Estuary (NOT in Tijuana, by the way), but first lunch...

Cake from 85C, dinner @ Bamboo Garden + another birthday freebie

I've never had an actual cake from here before so...

here we were...

Birthday lunch @ The Purple Mint + a free drink from S3 Coffee

I have so many photos of this storefront...

In fact, I should have just reused an old one, ha ha.

We got the last damn parking spot in this strip mall lot...

Return to Tech Outfitters

Not even two minutes away was Tech Outfitters...

where you can enjoy coffee and also get your laptop or phone fixed...

Mitch's Seafood

Down the street is the popular Point Loma Seafoods. We didn't want to park in their lot (I believe there are fees) which is why we parked near the Dolphin Motel...

Not that much farther away than Point Loma Seafoods is Mitch's...

Easter 2017 - Seaside Buffet + new Easter Pez

Easter lunch was spent at Seaside Buffet in Mira Mesa...

chosen by my dad, we got there before they opened...

Birthday crawl 2017 - The Coffee Hub Cafe

It was great taking a day off for my birthday.

The day was made even better since Bert also took the day off...

Oasis + new floor!

After a foray at the Tijuana Estuary with TC and her classmate (post is forthcoming)...

we headed over to Oasis for dessert...

Seafood Friday 2017 - Week 7: Romesco's and Pho Hung Calli

Everyone in the department was game for Romesco's today...

I already knew what I wanted for lunch...

Birthday Highlights 2017

Another year older...

or shall I say, wiser...

Pre-Birthday Cake

The pink box held a long coveted dessert...

After my coworker had this cake flavor for her birthday a few months ago...

Return to the One-Ten liquor store

During Spring Break, I had some free time while TC was at sports practice...

On my way back to pick her up, I took the long way (no freeways involved) back and decided to go through National City.

I remembered this liquor store from last year after stopping on a whim with TC...

Mostra Coffee's "Super Saturday" @ The Cork & Craft + a peek at their upcoming store

When I saw this...

I knew we had to go...

It wasn't quite 9 am yet but there was a small line...

Tijuana JR, Tacos y Cocteles (the restaurant not the food truck)

Across from Frutas and Little Kids Wear on Broadway (near Halsey St.)...

is the sit down version of the popular Tijuana JR taco truck...

Seafood Fridays Week 4, 5 & 6

I ended up skipping the past two Seafood Fridays...

so I incorporated them into one post...

Return to Art+Science Cafe & Copenhagen Pastry

[Update: Copenhagen Pastry closed as of late September 2017]

I was so intrigued by the military latte the month before...

so we were here again but this time with TC...

Euro Pane revisit

Lunch was calling...

and it had been awhile since I was last here...

Thai revisits - Tuktan Thai and Bamboo Garden

Here again is yet another compilation post...

featuring food of the Thai persuasion...

The Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens

We were fortunate to have received free tickets as gifts to The Huntington...

from Caren from the Velveteria who is a member and had extra passes...

Return to Lavender & Honey Espresso Bar

This is also another "return visit" post...

We passed by Lavender & Honey on our way to Seed Bakery...

It was such a cute place with good drinks...

Return to Seed Bakery

Another beautiful day in Southern California...

We were back in Pasadena, this time with TC...

Breakfast would be at Seed Bakery...

Spring Break Trip 2017 - Day 8 Highlights

We meant to leave at 6 but left an hour later instead.

It turned out not to matter too much since we would hit crappy traffic later in LA...