Down by the Sea

So we got up to the counter and I totally forgot what I wanted to order, so we stepped out of line, to let the guy behind us, place his order. The evil girl said to us, "he doesn't know what he wants....no one ever does." Like really snotty. It wasn't funny or cute the way she said it.

ANYHOO....we settled on half a dozen raw oysters, 2 mahi mahi tacos and the grilled mahi-mahi in garlic, lemon butter with a salad with vinagrette dressing, a beer and a Snapple which we ordered with the fairly nice girl.

We grabbed a table and waited. maybe 10 mins later the grumpy girl brought our food over to our table. YUM! I couldn't wait to dig in.

I can't eat oysters, but hubby said they were wonderful.

The tacos were phenomenal! Fried mahi-mahi on soft corn tortillas with a fresh made white sauce, cabbage, tomato, onions and cheese.
First of all, they were FAT...you literally had to hold them with 2 hands. That white sauce should be sold by the ton...I would put that on everything.

The grilled Mahi-mahi was a real nice peice of fish on a bed of rice, with a side salad. I gotta tell ya...that dressing was great! it's handmade and really surprising.
The fish was grilled to perfection and was totally enough for the two of us to share.
The huge tacos helped with filling us up, as well.

Midway thru our meal, hubby went back up to the counter to order another beer and came face to face with the evil one. He said he would like another beer and her response was, "You didn't order from me, so I don't know what you want."
REALLY? You treat customers like that? WOW.
He ordered his beer, we finished our wonderful food and left.

I would love to go back, but because of the horrible attitude of that one person...it ruined it for us. Guess it's good we don't live there.

Just an FYI about the parking. There are meters in front of the building and a parking lot a little further up the street....but that's reserved for another restaurant. We meter parked about a block up the road.
The place is on a one-way street, so if you pass it, you have to around the block again.

The food was great, but poor service and crappy attitudes is huge turn off for me, but you should all at least try this place.

http://www.bluewater.sandiegan.com/

My favorite salad is the avocado lobster salad. YUMMY! The crab cake appetizer was one of the best crab cakes I've ever had and you can't go wrong with the seared ahi appetizer. We eat here every time we come to San Diego. Our friends always want to take us elsewhere, but this is our favorite place.

Croce's in downtown San Diego has a very eclectic menu, and everything I've tried I loved, especially the Shepard salad with herb-crusted goat cheese. Ingrid offers pasta and seafood entrées, as well as lamb, chicken, filet mignon, and meatloaf. Sunday brunch is also served.

Ingrid wrote her own cookbook titled Thyme in a bottle that has all the recipes from her restaurant and then some.

You won't be disappointed if you visit Croce's. It's right in the heart of the Gaslamp district, down the way from Horton Plaza.

The Westin Hotel is adjacent to the mall, just in case you need a nap afterward. You could spend the entire day here, just wandering around and looking at the architecture, the colors, artwork, and specialty shops.

As an added bonus, around Christmastime, the Westin hotel offers stay-and-shop specials with a special room rate and coupons books to use at various stores inside the plaza. Take a day to stroll through this wonderland. It's so Cat in the Hat-ish.

The skyride has a great view of the park and attractions, but it’s very high over the park. It’s also an extra cost not included in the park ticket. Wild Arctic is a virtual ride that takes you on a mock helicopter ride through the arctic. It's my favorite ride, but it does move and jerk around a lot. The skytower ride takes you over 200 feet above the ground and slowly rotates. This ride also has an extra cost and is not included in a park ticket. On a clear day, you can see a hundred miles in any direction.

Now for the shows: Pets Rule is great for kids of all ages. Cats, dogs, birds, and even a pig dance and balance themselves on beams. Keeps kids entertained. Cirque De La Mer is Cirque De Soliel on water. VERY neat acrobatics. I think that people of all ages would enjoy it.

The Clyde and Seamore show uses live seal lions and is also great for all ages. Last but not least is the Haunted Lighthouse movie. It’s in 4-D and can be a little scary for real young ‘uns, because it’s about ghosts.

The manatee rescue and the penguin encounter were my favorites. Sea World has over 300 penguins, both cold-water species and Magellan penguins, which are from warmer locations like Argentina. The manatee rescue is one of only three such rescues in the U.S. where the mammals can be rehabilitated and returned to the ocean. These mammals are simply beautiful.

In the Wild Arctic exhibit, walruses, Beluga whales, seals, and polar bears are the main attraction. It’s like walking onto the North Pole with all the faux snow. VERY cool--literally--as you pass thru an ice tunnel. Bring a sweater. As far as food, there’s plenty of it, but of course, it’s a little pricey. I suggest bringing a water bottle in with you. Water is upwards of $5, so save yourself a little cash. Shipwreck Reef Café is set up like a cafeteria, and they have lots of choices. It’s in the rear of the park, across from the Shipwreck Rapids ride. Nice seating along the ride.

Dine with Shamu is a special menu for dinner or breakfast where you can have have your meal in the Shamu stadium, next to Shamu’s private pool. This attraction requires reservations and I believe is around $14.95/$11.95 for breakfast and $32/$18 for dinner.

Sea World also has special Shamu ice cream bars available all over the park: vanilla, whale-shaped ice cream covered in chocolate. YUM!