My husband and I are self-professed foodies. We were not always that way and I thought it would be fun to share with you my story of how we became smitten with good food.

8 years ago we bought our first house. It’s actually a condo, but it was our first mortgage payment and we were terrified. We went through our budget and tried to cut out any and every extra cost we didn’t need so that we could afford our new home. The first thing to go, was cable. For about 8 months we had 8 local channels and 3 of them were Spanish. We didn’t watch much since we had Netflix, but when we did; it was syndicated shows, primetime if we didn’t miss the beginning and Food Network. We had literally NEVER watched Food Network before. We had always watched sports, HGTV, the Disney Channel for the kids and dramas, i.e.; Numbers, ER, Grey’s Anatomy, The Practice… We were finding out though that after 10 pm there was nothing on, so we would mosey over to The Food Network. We got hooked on shows such as Alton Brown in “Good Eats”, Bobby Flay, “Throwdown with Bobby Flay” and “Chopped”, oh how we LOVED and still love Chopped. Suddenly this new world was opened up to us. We started trying out new recipes like duck confit or squid ink pasta. My husband who had never cooked for us before suddenly realized he loved to cook. Then, that summer for my 30th birthday, we went to Las Vegas.

Before this trip we did not go out to eat much, not only because our budget was tight, but because we had 3 children under 3. We were ok with Applebee’s and Denny’s when our kids ate free. (That’s another blog entry in and of itself) We do not live near grandparents, so date nights were always few and far between. When we go on a trip I do all the planning, partly because I’m a control freak and hate to be disappointed and partly because I’m a stay at home mom… yeah no, it’s because I’m a control freak. In the days before smart phones and Yelp you would just show up to a destination and get reviews and help from the locals. I know, how did we survive? The one thing I really wanted to do was go to the top of the “Eiffel Tower” since it might have been the only time I may ever see “it,” even if “It” was a replica. We got dolled up for dinner and decided we would wing it and find a place as we explored. We went into the Paris Hotel and Casino and asked about going to the top of the tower. It turns out it was almost $20/person to ride up. I was really bummed and wasn’t sure if I wanted to pay that much to take an elevator up only a couple dozen stories. The concierge we spoke with informed us that we could go up halfway and look at the view from their restaurant. We thought, Ok, that works. We got in the elevator and went up a few floors to the restaurant. As we stepped off we were surprised to come right into the restaurant and the host was right there asking if we were there to dine. We sheepishly replied, “No, we were just wanting to see the view.” He asked, “Would you like a tour?” And before we could say no we were being whisked away to the kitchen (which was beautiful by the way) and shown the stunning view of the Bellagio fountain across the way. He offered us to have a drink at the bar and they would seat us when a table was open. Suddenly we were now dining here. I asked for a view of the fountain, but those were reserved. They did however seat us at a nice table overlooking the Planet Hollywood pool and half of the Bellagio Fountain. The next thing I knew I was being swept into a world I had never been and I didn’t ever want to leave. The first course served was cucumber soup. I know, cucumber soup?? It was cold and DELICIOUS!!! Next we had a beautiful pear/blue cheese salad before our main course. I have no idea what I had for my main entrée, but I remember the waiters and waitresses floating around me like a dance. We were served beautiful wine that paired well with our meal and a lovely sophisticated dessert. I do remember the bill and our total was $150 plus tip. I thought Jon would die, but he too was a bit mesmerized and reveling in the experience. To this day neither one of us felt like it was a wasted amount of money. I just remember being absolutely mesmerized by the experience. We spent the next 2 days in Vegas dining the best we could on a budget and trying many new things. We never spent that much again that weekend, but found some great restaurants and some great deals since it was July in Vegas.

Ever since then, we’ve made it a hobby to cook something new and different almost every weekend with our kids who have a way more sophisticated palate then me; who grew up on casseroles and roast beef dinners my whole life. We also have learned so much from the Food Network, even after we actually got cable. Now we try to dine out somewhere once a month in the city we have spent our entire marriage in; San Diego. I am an avid Yelper and love to write reviews. Twice a month a friend or Facebook acquaintance will text me or Facebook me and ask for a recommendation for somewhere to eat. I thought it would be fun to categorize them into a top 20 list. I will share with you our favorite places in San Diego and surrounding communities over the next few weeks. I also want to share some winning recipes we have used. I am excited to share this aspect of our family with you.