After a week away here are a few snippets on the trip, including restaurant and hotel notes. Will catch up on wine reviews over the next day or so.
Red Pearl Restaurant (Gaslamp)
In the middle of the Gaslamp district this Asian fusion restaurant stands out from the steak and seafood joints that accompany almost every corner of downtown. Fusion is not for everyone and if you enjoy spicy twists then this may be the restaurant for you. Neither touristy nor pretentious for that matter, the Red Pearl has a deep selection of house cocktails and spirits. The menu itself is split into small and large, both of which are easy to share.
The Good: The mango fried rice is a pleasant surprise with sweet undertones. The house cocktails are full of flavor, even if they are not on the ‘strong’ side. The chili prawns may be some of the best spicy/sweet prawns I have the world over. Service was the perfect balance of helpful without being over bearing.
The So-so: The dumplings (pot stickers) were the lowlight, but edible none the less. Too meaty and on the light side of flavor, steer clear as the rest of the menu is on the solid side.
Cowboy Star Restaurant & Butcher Shop (Gaslamp)
This restaurant is on the higher end of the scale for downtown San Diego. Do not let the western motif fool you; this is a high end steak house that takes pride in all aspects of the dining experience. Immaculate tables compliment the detailed staff. The menu is broad enough to not corner you into steak, but make no bones about it, this is a steakhouse.
The food was excellent; the wine selection was diverse and allowed for both small and big budget selections. Desert appeared to be delicious, but as normal I prefer my calories to be in the form of red wine. Overall this restaurant will impress your clients, out of town guests or the foodie friend who is willing to go mainstream with a ‘steak house’.
Top of the Hyatt (Gaslamp)
A drink stop only (which is really how the Hyatt markets this top of the sky lounge) at one of the best views of San Diego Bay/Harbour, this stop features overstated wood and trim.
The Top of the Hyatt seems to be torn between hip, cool lounge and old-man parlour motif. If you are looking for a good view and standard cocktails, this is a must, the US Navy ships, helicopters and every day run of the mill million dollar yachts dot the skyline as you sip your drink. Matching the wealthy harbor equipment are the prices, which go hand in hand with the elevation. If you are not use to Manhattan or Toronto cocktail prices, do not take the ride up to the ‘top’ of the Manchester Hyatt as your blood pressure may also rise to the occasion.
All that said, the view more than compensates for the prices and like most major metropolises around the world, it is always worthwhile climbing to the top to have a good view of the sprawl beneath.
Influx Café (Little Italy)
We decided to not go to my regular Caffe Italia on India St. in Little Italy and to try out this ‘newish’ java shop. Cafés were excellent, staff has hip and trendy (maybe a tad ironic), the wifi was free and the oatmeal very good. Worth the morning stroll to sit in the sun and sip your caffeine fix on a leisurely morning.
Buon Appetito (Little Italy)
I took a group of 8 to this Little Italy mainstay. As per normal the food was excellent, the staff helpful and knowledgeable and the wine selection outstanding. If you are looking for a good classic Italian meal while out and about in San Diego, you cannot go wrong with Buon Appetito, not to mention the pricing is fair if not an almost bargain for the quality.
Phil’s BBQ (I-5 & I-8)
I took a group of 7 to Phil’s to engross ourselves in BBQ. The tip steak sandwich was good, and the baby back ribs flawless, from the tenderness, the fall off the bone all the way to the sauce. Our service was even excellent with a very helpful staff member making sure we had all we needed.
This is a BBQ house so do not expect fancy, quiet or gourmet. You are coming here to get dirty and filled full of smoky goodness. Just a good stop all around.
El Pescador Fish Market (La Jolla)
We got this idea for lunch from a top ten list of San Diego. Helpful staff did not make up for the dry fish tacos. While the chowder was quite tasty we will have to come back to try some sandwiches before we write this off our list of future visits. From the crowds we must have just had an off day.
Burger and Beers (El Centro, CA)
Mediocre food was served by a distracted waitress, not on my recommend list unless you must have a hard to find beer (like the Cooper’s Pale Ale I had to have). This is my second and last visit to the restaurant as the food quality is not in line with the pricing.
Manchester Grand Hyatt
We spent seven nights here, our second visit in the past 3 years. Where to start… First off this was for a small conference I organized, bringing team members from as far away as Cobar Australia. The event/catering/conference staff was excellent in their detail and planning. All the days we had exactly what we agree upon and needed. Instead of going into paragraph by paragraph of the minute details, let’s look at the good and the bad:
The Good:
– Perfect location for Gaslamp & the San Diego Convention Center
– Catering team are on the ball and look after you well (Sara Lacro)
– The Diamond/Platinum and Bell desk staff were excellent; accommodating and helpful.
The Mediocre:
– Rooms are not up to Grand Hyatt status. Good beds and average size but very small and below average quality bathrooms. Overall, a below average room when comparing it to Hyatts in Hong Kong, Seoul or even Vancouver. If this was just a Hyatt than I would not be mentioning it.
– Concierge staff was hit or miss on the basics, like making reservations. I never expect miracles, but a decent suggestion and the ability to book a reservation is par for the course the world over, it was challenging here.
– With such a large pool area, the pool itself is actually quite small, and with 700+ rooms can be over-crowded easily.
The Bad:
– Of the 30+ hotels I have stayed in this year this was the worst housekeeping service by far. From failing to refill basics to throwing hotel bathrobes onto our luggage it was well below average.
– Cost for quality, aka value.
– Hyatt Regency Room is the smallest I can remember on record, and with a full hotel for 2 of the 7 nights, it was full to capacity and beyond on the two visits. To have an executive lounge as small as that, for a hotel with two 30+ story towers of rooms, is atrocious.
Would I stay here again? It would depend on the rate for the room, but for $200+ I would not, for $150 I would.
Epilogue Part 2 of the Route 66 Drive: Gertrude
As John continues with reviews I will continue my post Route 66 trip with part two of what appears to be a three part epilogue. A great many folks have asked me how and why I would name the Ferrari Gertrude as most think of the name as old fashion, blah or downright unattractive. They are probably right on most accounts as the name has not aged well over the years. Ethel, Edith and Gertrude simply are from a bygone era where “social media” consisted of hand written or typewriter notes posted on a cork board. Still there is a story to how my lovely red-haired girl came to her present name. When it became known to my family that Mrs.CWG was expecting my father took it upon himself to ask how the potential child was doing on a daily basis by saying “how are Ichibad/Gertrude doing?” (Gender will not be known till birth). Of course he chose those names out of humour and the names latched on to the point where the 308’s name just flowed into being Gertrude (Gerty, Trudy, etc…).
Name aside, what is Gertrude like? Well After the test drive by Steve, the PPI by Rod I got a sense that this car was mechanically sound and cosmetically challenged. What rolled off the back of the trailer that first Saturday morning was definitely latter. The paint is sun-baked on the flat surfaces with a few impressions on the roof with a couple of minor dents elsewhere. The paint aside, the body has no rust and nothing structurally wrong with it outside of the front ground spoiler is cracked and will need replacing. The interior is a mixed bag. The dash and instrument console are in amazing shape for the age, with the only complaint being a few minor blemishes to stitches on the top of the console. The quality of the middle console is also in excellent shape, including all the switches and the parking break (no tears or wear marks). The armrests are in great shape as well. The leather on the drivers seat is worn with a small tear, and overall the seat leather looks 33 years old. The door panels are no different with the leather being less beige and more worn beige/black. The passenger side cover for the manual window crank is missing on top of that. The carpets, despite some dirt are in particularly good condition, while the mats are dirty and a tad tired. Overall the interior is indicative of the age and shows very similar to the exterior. Cosmetically this car will not please the discerning eye.
Mechanically the car is interesting, I will start with the cockpit electricals, move to the ride/feel/exhaust and end with engine.
The A/C worked, then did not, and now works again (Thanks Paul!). The previous owner obviously put decent money into the system as it has been overhauled and when it runs, it blows cold. The issue in question was a loose wire that had caught onto a belt and been pulled from the compressor, so luckily it was very minor. The windshield wipers work well for a 33 year old car and both the speed switch and intermittent setting work, i have not however filled the spray reservoir to test the window washer functionality. The dash illumination light does not function and the turn signal indicators work, but the clicking sound only works when the right turn signal is on. All warning lights worked to start, thought the choke light stopped working mid-trip. The radio is not even connected so you can guess how it works, though with the wonderful noise that is emitted from the engine and exhaust I am not sure how you would hear it anyways. The old fashion lighter will need to be replaced with a modern 12V receptacle at some point. The electric windows work and are not as slow as I expected, though at some point they should probably be cleaned out and re-lubricated. Overall the electrics are what i was expecting from an older car that had spent some time neglected. My first order of business, before trying to troubleshoot anything at all, is to replace the fuse box with the “Birdman” fuse panel. I want to make sure that potential decay/corrosion is eliminated before I start doing anything more. All in all everything electrical is trivial and poses a nice weekend or three of projects to clean up and bring it to spec.
Gertrude is low, not kinda low, but exaggerated low. The second owner (it appears from invoices ) put some good money into the suspension and 328 16″ wheels with fresh Yokohama’s. The suspension is adjustable and it appears he went for low and cool over practical and awesome. Unfortunately it is so low almost everything scraps and the fenders are turning in. This will have to be adjusted and I am going to get it brought up at least one inch. One of the nice features of it being so low is it seems to just envelope the road, the handling is very good. When I say good I should say great, it is responsive to commands as soon as you are rolling and Gerty is beautifully straight (hands off driving is completely possible to grab something, adjust or what not for those few seconds). The ride is stiff but that is to be expected and I have no plans to dampen it. The only work required in the near future on the suspension will be replacing the bushings as most are still original. The braking is responsive and requires good pressure, both as expected, though the brake lines are original and will require replacing in the next few years. As you can expect with a vehicle that has an engine at your head, no real sound proofing and is carburated, the cockpit is noisy. I jest not when I say that a radio is probably a useless accessory for the 308 GTB. Gertrude growls in all gears and the carburetors rumble with a nice pitch. The exhaust notes are distinctive for the after market Tubi; and without the catalytic converter it is a very pleasant sound to listen to. Overall the ride is good and stiff, exactly as I was expecting. All in all driving this girl is just a great experience.
The engine is without a doubt the guts to the styling and handling’s glory. Gertude’s engine has been polished (more about that in the future) and for the most part all the complimentary pieces that make her run have been updated. From the radiator systems new hoses and re-core to the the rebuilt water pump a lot of work has been done to her. All that said, Barrie’s resident carburetor and 308 GTB expert (nodding to you Newman) has identified a few things that need addressing, primarily the move from dual to single distributor. This will get addressed when the car is painted. The most telling part of all this are the 3300 fault-free miles she has been driven over the past 14 days. The engine sings in the 3700-5000 RPM range and you get responsive power when you need it. Overall the engine is operating well, though with some tweaking from an expert I expect her to run better in 2012.
As I finish off today’s post, here are a few more pictures of the lovely lady being wheeled off the trailer and at Five Guys one of the best burger chains in the world.