Grilled Red Potatoes

June 11, 2013:  Andy was asked by his boss at the Texas Department of Insurance to attend a conference in San Diego, California. Being a beach lover and always wanting to go on vacation, I immediately asked if I could tag along. Being a nice boyfriend, he said yes, so onto the American Airlines website I went. I booked a seat on his flights there and back, and made sure I could be out from work. All systems were go.

Andy and me on Coronado Island looking back at San Diego

We went to San Diego on the morning of Tuesday, May 28, 2013. Andy didn't have to do any conference-ing that first day, so we went on a few adventures. First, we used our handy dandy Yelp app to find some lunch. We were staying at the San Diego Marriott Marquis & Marina, so we were right on the bay and around the corner from the Gaslamp Quarter.   We went to a highly recommended place called Spike Africa's Fresh Fish Grill & Bar and it was delicious.  I had fish tacos that were incredibly fresh, and quite frankly put other fish tacos to shame. We asked the manager for other restaurant suggestions in the area, and he suggested quite a few and even took the time to write them down for us. After lunch, we stopped by a few clothing stores in the quarter, and I bought two new great dresses.

After lunch, we headed to the ferry to go over to the island of Coronado. We wandered around the shopping village, and then rented bicycles to ride around the island. After pedaling for an hour or so, we started to get chilly and decided to head back to the mainland to change for dinner. One of my co-workers, Linda, had suggested The Fish Market. This was where I had my first of San Diego meals that came complete with red potatoes.

Our pool at the Marriott Marquis on the Bay in San Diego

On Wednesday, I woke up and went to get a massage at Premiere Massage. I had found a Groupon for Premiere Massage, and it ended up being the best massage I have ever gotten. Oswell was fabulous, and I highly recommend him to any San Diego peeps out there! I went back and laid out for a bit until Andy's meetings were over. That night we went to a Padres game. The stadium was beautiful, and it was a cool, crisp great night for baseball!

Andy and me at the Padres Game

Thursday I woke up and went to the shopping village down the boardwalk from our hotel, the Marriott Marquis on the bay. I wandered around and had lunch on a sunny patio- blackened chicken salad complete with a bloody mary. I then spent the entire rest of the day laying out by the pool at the hotel with a berry mojito in hand. We had many recommendations for happy hour and dinner, so we went to Vin de Syrah for happy hour, and it was unbelievably awesome! It is an Alice in Wonderland themed bar with a hidden entrance, fresh rustic bruschetta, and affordable happy hour specials. Then we had an amazing Italian dinner at Cucina Urbana. I was fat and happy- San Diego's food is spectacular.

Petco Park- Go Padres!

As if all of that wasn't enough, Andy only had a half day on Friday, so we got to have a lunch date on the boardwalk. We ate at a restaurant that was adjacent to our hotel, Roy's, where we had an appetizer of Roy's Original Hawaiian Blackened Island Ahi. It was hands down the best fish I have ever had! For lunch, I had the Classic Roasted Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahi Mahi, and Andy had a rice Hawaiian Style Misoyaki Butterfish. We left feeling stuffed, but full of Omega 3s and jealous that California has such wonderful seafood.

Andy and me on the boardwalk on the bay in San Diego

When we got home, Andy was still on his fish-kick, and he wanted more salmon and more red potatoes. I googled a recipe for Grilled Red Potatoes because the grill was already going to be on for Foil Packet Salmon, and I had never grilled little potatoes on the grill before. Stove top, yes- in Spicy Potatoes, but never on the grill. They turned out so well that we had them about once a week since. So we may not have crazy-fresh seafood here in Tejas, but the red potatoes will always remind me of San Diego!


Grilled Red Potatoes
Servings: 2; Weight Watchers PointsPlus Value: 6

• 6 red potatoes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Foil Packet Salmon and Grilled Red Potatoes

1. Wash potatoes thoroughly
2. Slice into halves
3. Microwave for 6-8 mins
4. Combine olive oil, garlic, and salt in a large ziplock bag
5. Add potatoes, toss until coated (careful, they're hot!)
6. Grill on medium heat, 20-30mins (30mins for crispier potatoes)

Keep on cookin'!
-Katherine