Happy April!
My friend A just started a new job, and was in need of a new work wardrobe, so she drove down for some shopping at Las Americas Premium Outlets. Do not let the proximity to the US/Mexico border (it is literally the last exit before leaving the US) intimidate you! There are so many stores, the staff is super-friendly (and bilingual!) and there hasn’t been any border traffic any of the times I’ve been there.
8 hours, 5 stores, and many dollars (but less than a month’s rent) later, she came away with 9 pairs of shoes, 5 dresses, 19 tops/blouses, 3 blazers, 2 full suits, 5 cardigans, and 4 pairs of pants*. What can I say, we do good work! We also lots of quality gossip/eating/drinking time, and unfortunately I managed to accidentally delete most of my photos from the weekend, but here are the ones I still have! (P.S. for the rest of my photos, follow me on Instagram @evangelina !)
[blazer: Forever 21 (similar – expensive); blouse; Everly (in mint here); faux-leather pants: H&M; heels: Seychelles ‘Jump at the Chance’]
I wore this outfit to dinner at Searsucker on Saturday night. After shopping all day, we were super hungry (and running really late) so we weren’t too upset that the only reservation left was at 10pm! These Seychelles heels were a godsend after running around the outlets all day in my wedges!
For those of you who don’t watch Top Chef, Searsucker is one of Brian Malarkey’s (of season 3 fame) restaurants here in San Diego, and it’s wildly popular. The menu changes daily, but here’s a rundown of what we ate. Fair warning: we can EAT. Another warning: if you do not like loud noise, sideboob, DRUNK BROS YO, or searching for parking in order to avoid the $15 valet fee, go for lunch.
– Drinks
Indian Summer: I only had a sip of A’s, and it was delicious! Freshly pressed apple juice, grey goose la poire, and leopold apple. I was terrified this would be too boozy (drinks that come in martini glasses intimidate me), so I didn’t order it but I was pleasantly surprised. It wasn’t too sweet, but the sip I had was tasty!
Skinny Jenny: their version of a Moscow Mule. House-made ginger beer, bitters, vodka, and lime. Insanely refreshing.
– Bites
Cheddar Puffers: These are complimentary, and the little tin our server brought out was more than enough for us! They were really good – a little spicy, cheesy, and, true to their name, puffy!
– Small Plates (This is where we did all the damage! For those of you who don’t know me, I’m a food-sharer, and a bad decider. I get anxiety when I have to choose a single entree for a meal, so I prefer to order lots of small plates and share with a fellow foodie.)
Scallop + Pork Belly Caramel: This was AMAZING. We didn’t really know what to expect, but the server recommended it, and we were not disappointed! It was a little spicy, a little salty, a little bit sweet, and the scallop was cooked perfectly. I’d definitely order this again.
Shrimp with Bacon Grits: Also cooked perfectly, and also a little spicy! This portion was pretty big – there were five shrimp, and a huge portion of grits.
Short Rib + Horseradish + Fried Onion: Another pretty big portion, and ridiculously delicious (are you seeing a theme??) The short rib was fork-tender, the onions perfectly crispy without being soggy/oily, and the flavors were balanced well.
Beef Tartare + Quail Egg + Taro Chip: I’m not going to lie, a huge part of what I liked about this dish was feeling like a giant when I picked up the tiiiiny quail egg to pour onto the tartare. (For those of you who don’t know, beef tartare is raw chopped/seasoned beef, and usually mixed with an egg yolk and traditionally served with toast points, or, in layman’s terms, “Beef Salsa^.”) This, in A’s assessment, could have used “a little more acid” but was also pretty good. The taro chips were a welcome change from the usually overly buttery/rich toast points that come with the dish.
Proscuitto with Blackberry, Arugula, and Burrata: This was a salad, and if I were eating here with people who hated sharing (or on a first date and wanted to look dainty) this is definitely the salad I’d get! It’s big enough for two to split, but only if they are ordering many more things (or have quail egg-sized stomachs!) There was a TON of proscuitto, and the burrata (a fresh Italian cheese, which is basically like eating A+++ mozzarella and cream) was to die for. Get this (unless you are vegan, in which case you need to check out my friend’s blog!)
Fried Brussels Sprouts with Walnuts: This is a side dish, but a really hearty serving of delicious fried veggies. I can’t remember what type of vinegar was on them (it wasn’t balsamic) but they were delicious as well.
Brie + Strawberry Compote: I don’t know if it was because we were super-full by this point, or just a little fatigued from all the rich food, but this wasn’t life-changing. I never hate brie, but I’d definitely skip this one and save room for some of the aforementioned superstars.
Duck Fat Fries + Tomato Jam: This was probably the major disappointment of the evening, and I think a huge part of it had to do with how overhyped it was on Yelp. Neither one of us could discern the flavor of duck fat (unlike the delicious duck fat fries at Sessions Public), and the fries were tossed in Parmsean and Bacon, which made them too salty. Skip these too, unless you’re dying to have fries (totally understandable, BTW. The heart wants what it wants.)
– Dessert
‘Shortbake’ with Strawberry Sorbet and Basil (something): OMG this was soooooo good! It was two pieces of shortbread-esque pastry (I say ‘esque’ because it wasn’t cooked crisp like the shortbreads I’ve had in my lifetime), a scoop of sorbet, and a smear of whipped basil cream. The components were good separately (the basil whip was a little overpowering alone) but together they were unstoppable. This is a seasonal dessert, but if it’s on the menu, YOU MUST EAT IT!
Doughnuts and Chocolate: I think we were literally the last table to order dessert, so I don’t know how accurate my review of this will be, since it might have been the end of the night, but these were not life-changing. The chocolate dipping sauce was cold, and the doughnut balls were really dense and tasted pretty oily. Hopefully they were just a victim of last-call blues, but I don’t think I’d order these again. To Searsucker’s credit, they initially told us the kitchen closes at 11, but still served us dessert when we ordered it at 12:30, so I can’t be too mad.
Long story short: the service was awesome, I’d definitely go back, and I think I gained ten pounds. However, this is exactly how we felt after dinner:
[tee: Adidas (boys)]
Stay tuned for the next installment, in which I horrify you with the amount of things I ate at Sunday brunch!
Fat Kid Nation Forever,
*And a partridge in a pear tree, per A.
^Layman = me. I’m clever.
[headband: 
High Hopes...High Heels 