SoCal Veg Munchies

My favorite continental U.S. vacay spot is by far Southern California- can you really argue with beaches and perfect weather and surfing? Though I usually manage to find something vegetarian no matter where I go, I'd love to share with you two places in the San Diego/La Jolla area that stood out most!

First on my list: Kitima Extrordinary Thai in La Jolla Cove. We arrived in La Jolla late on Saturday night, and we were in desperate need of some filling munchies beyond the truck stop crap we encountered along Interstate 10. And though Thai restos are a dime a dozen, a Citysearch award for Best Thai in 2008, a note on the menu promising that any entree could be made vegetarian to order, and an empty stomach was all I needed to decide on a dinner spot. With cute albeit kitchy Thai-style decor, the staff was quick to accomodate us, and we subsequently quickly devoured vegetarian Drunken Noodles and Pad Thai. Though not as spicy as I would've liked, my drunken flat noodles were not clumped together as in many versions of the dish and were served up with plenty of tofu! And for the budget-minded beachgoer, the inexpensive prices at Kitima resemble that of Thailand instead of chic La Jolla.

Next on my recommended SoCal list is Cafe 976 in Pacific Beach, San Diego. The cafe has a comfortable college-y boho feel with prices and plenty of veggie options to match. My spicy eggplant foccacia sandwich hit the spot- a fair amount of chili sauce and filling, but not enough to weigh you down before swimming along the shore. A delish chai frosty and an amazing in-house brewed blood orange tea later, I was ready to watch the sun turn that same shade of blood orange as it set over the surfers on Pacific Beach.

Ah, I miss the West Coast already. At least the NYC weather will warm up soon and present some fun al fresco dining opportunities!