I was made for lovin' you bay-bay...

There is a small community in San Diego called Old Town.

Old Town is nothing special, per se. It's got some neat history, quaint shops, a few cigar stores, and some great food...

Jeb and I found this to be true when we ate at Rockin' Baja Lobster.

RBL is, as you may have guessed, is Baja-style cooking -specifically: Seafood- and it is Rockin'... The place is tucked back onto one of the side streets and apart from it's big sign, you would never think of it as a restaurant. Seriously, from the street it looks like a big fancy estate with a gate and lots of foliage.

The story goes, that Jeb and I were looking around for something to eat when we last went to San Diego. I had installed the rule that we could not eat ANYWHERE we could eat in Ohio. (No BK, Wendy's, Olive Garden...) As we were walking around, we noticed the sign from about three blocks back and headed towards it. As we crept upon the place, there was actually a debate about going in. Should we or shouldn't we? I really don't know why there was any doubt...

As you enter, the place appears to be like any other mid-range restaurant. Kind of generic, honestly. But as we waited to be seated, I got a better glimpse of the place, and it all started to make sense. The dining room is actually a open-air setting with a big awning over it. There was a fountain and a well stocked bar, plus lots of classic rock music piped in over the speakers. And by Rock, I mean ROCK... None of this Toto/Starship/Fake-Rock shit. Once seated, I ordered a Cutty with Lime and a glass of Ice Water, and sat back with a grin while listening to I was Made For Loving You by KISS.

The menu is pretty decent. Maybe my Ohio-tethered palette was fooled by the obvious. I doubt this was true-according to Hoyle-Baja cooking, but it was fan-fuckin-tastic. Jeb and I split the Big Baja Bucket for 2 and killed it pretty quick. It was overflowing with Lobster Tails, Shrimp, Marinated Chicken, and grilled Carne Asada.

It was a near Zen experience, because to my thinking - THIS is what eating is supposed to be about. Not what's the most expensive, not where you eat it, and not because it's trendy. It was good...

I've made some Baja dishes back here in Ohio, but they're not quite the same. The recipe, style of cooking and ingredients are exact, but there is something about RBL that can't be duplicated. If you ever make it out to California, I highly recommend it. There, ya happy Jeb?






Ray Nagin - Demi-Publican in 2008! Hey, you could do worse...