Taste of Point Loma 2016 - recap

I'd like to think I've been to all the "Taste of" events by now but it's my first time attending Taste of Point Loma! Mary from This Tasty Life asked me to be her plus one for some tickets she had won. You wanna feed me yummy food for free? I'M GAME girlfriend.

It's always fun going with another food blogger too. We think and do things a certain way. Here's a sneak peek of how some of us food bloggers roll!

Ticket will-call was outside of The Portuguese Hall and we entered the building for our first samples. I got to try Portuguese cheese and TWO variations of octopus (pickled octopus and grilled octopus), all delicious! The pickled octopus had a great marinade that was not sour. I tried to convince her but Mary still would not partake in ANY pickled things. We also sampled refreshing Sumol fruit juice. I need to buy some for Dennis to drink!

Less than a block away was our next stop Pomodoro. We were given a choice between a penne pesto or a pasta with pink sauce... both of us gravitated toward the girlier colored pasta. We were quite pleased with the mix of mushroom, sun dried tomato and chicken and gobbled that up quick!

Around the corner was The Elegant Truffle. We were thinking this would have been PERFECT as a last stop but hey, it was right here, right now time. We got to sample three of their items: classic crunch butter caramel, chocolate omg cake (mini version), and lemon ricotta cookie. Us girls were dreaming of that OMG cake afterwards, which was like a Reece's peanut Butter Cup in cake form! I also adored the lemon ricotta cookie but Mary was partial to her homemade version. I need to verify this... when can I come over for dessert? hehe.

One of my favorite samples was from Pummaro. Every last bit of that light perfectly salted carby goodness went into my belly. We had a choice between two or three pizza flavors though I want to come back to explore more.

At Old Venice we tried their yummy margarita pizza with feta and their penne de Kathleen pesto tomatoes which was a tad oily.

At Westy's was comfort food: Angus beef with three chili peppers chili and a peanut butter brownie with white chocolate. Plus they offered a red wine sample of Reckless Love. That's a whole meal right there in sample form!

Seaside Pho and Grill was the trendiest looking Vietnamese restaurant I've seen in a while. The back room had these gorgeous wall paintings of women in the traditional dress ao dai. My favorite sample was their meaty chicken wings with a lovely textured batter (not stiff or oily). Other samples included tasty Vietnamese chicken salad, mussels in broth and a vegetarian egg roll. I've now got $5 off $25 for my next visit.

The lady working at The Living Room was super cute and friendly. Even the decor made me smile, especially their Audrey Hepburn walls in the back room.

For their samples, we had a flavorful salad, tasty lemon dessert bite, a mango tea sip and my favorite, the savory cheesey quiche. How is it possible that I'm loving so many stops already? I guess I gotta come back to Point Loma soon!

We began circling back to the areas we missed near ticket pickup which led us to Miguel's Cocina. I've visited their old town location so was familiar with the cheesy sauce on the chips. The barbacoa taco with white sauce was juicy with guac-like sauce and left a spicy tingle in the back of my throat.

The Wine Pub had an outdoor patio which Mary had visited before with her dog Maya. The Tomato Basil Soup was served with Sandy's Melt Crostini. The next place, Point Break Cafe, is easy to miss because the sign is super high up. Luckily Mary had been here before and stopped me before I went too far! Inside, we were served chicken pot pie which disappeared right before my eyes... into my belly. I guess I was just feeling it that day.

Mary unfortunately does not eat raw tuna so it was just me sampling the ahi taco at Brigatine. I love this type of shell with the tuna pieces.

There was a shuttle stops throughout the taste but we decided it'd be quicker to get in the car and drive to the remaining locations from here.

We took a quick breather for pictures (and belly digestion). Mary is correct that the moon reflecting off the water is a beautiful thing.

Back on the food adventure, The Vessel Restaurant also served ahi tacos with more sesame oil and guac, which kicked it into high gear for me.

We stopped by Blue Wave Bar & Grill to sample the guillo mild dry chili and coffee braised brisket. This concert menu item is cooked in the oven for about 4 hours but was a bit chewy. Our other stop was Quarterdeck at Bay Club which had some ok pasta.

The last island stop was Bali Hai which I last visited during SDRW. I didn't really care for the fried rice but the chicken seemed ok.

 I've heard good things about Mitch's Seafood but since there were only paid lots around the restaurant, we decided to skip it. We also skipped The Pearl Hotel because a recent instagram showed a type of vegetable salad...

For our final stop at Point Loma Cafe, the chef gave us these short ribs, mashed potatoes and shredded vegetables. At that point I was too full to have more than a tiny bite but the meat itself seemed to be fairly tender and fatty enough. Mary gave me her sample too which made for a really yummy lunch mixed with leftovers from home. I'm considering going back now.

Overall, this taste event was relaxing and we hit almost all the places in the allotted time. Over 60% of the restaurants were within close walking distance with the last couple dabbled throughout. Taking a car for the rest (or even healthier, with a bike) seemed the easiest thing to do. I'm most happy to have discovered a few new gems in this area. You bet I'm gonna drag Dennis back to a few of them if we get the chance!

Official event information:

Sip and savor your way through Point Loma and Shelter Island during the annual Taste of Point Loma. This event gives San Diego food lovers and visitors a chance to sample fresh seafood, decadent desserts and a variety of ethnic cuisine from an array of restaurants, cafes and bakeries in San Diego’s Point Loma peninsula. For one ticket price, attendees will be able to taste the best that Point Loma has to offer, as participating restaurants will offer samples of their finest and most popular menu items. New to this year’s event is a celebration of Point Loma’s Portuguese Heritage with the United Portuguese S.E.S. Inc. (U.P.S.E.S. Inc.). The Point Loma Portuguese community grew in the early 1900s around the tuna industry. U.P.S.E.S. Inc. will be providing samples of traditional Portuguese dishes along with entertainment.

Attendees will also have the option to purchase a drink that complements the restaurant’s food sample for an additional fee. Dog-friendly patios will be identified with a paw print next to a restaurant’s logo on the ticket. Shuttle services will be available to attendees throughout the night. In addition, a discounted ticket will be offered to students, military or anyone going by bike. For more information, visit www.peninsulachamber.com or https://www.facebook.com/TasteofPointLoma

This event is partially funded by the City of San Diego's Small Business Enhancement Program.

• When: Wednesday, April 20, 2016 from 5:30 PM to 9:00 PM (PDT)
• Where: United Portuguese SES Inc. - 2818 Avenida De Portugal, San Diego, CA 92106, United States