Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Rudy's Mexican Restaurant

Two and a half hours after leaving Tustin, we arrived into Santa Barbara famished. So after checking into our hotel (one of the few vacancies on such short notice), we took a stroll to find some grub.


We returned to our hotel room with two gigantic burritos, a veggie and a carne asada. Although the picture doesn't show it, my veggie burrito was slightly larger than Devin's carne asada burrito.


Much to my delight, when I pulled the burritos out of the take-out bag, I discovered fresh tortilla chips! The bag was half-filled with these deliciously light and crisp tortilla chips and they were surprisingly unscathed from being buried by two enormous burritos. Since I had not known we were returning to our hotel with tortilla chips, I didn't package enough salsa from the salsa bar. Luckily, these tortilla chips were lightly salted, so they were flavorful on their own.


The top burrito is my veggie and was filled with ordinary meatless burrito fare: refried beans, rice, cheddar cheese, guacamole, pico de gallo, lettuce, and sour cream. Although impressed by its sheer size, the fillings were bland, requiring a heavy dousing of salsa with each bite.

Unfortunately, Devin's carne asada burrito was also lacking in flavor because it was missing sour cream, his favorite accompaniment to Mexican food.

Rudy's Mexican Restaurant
3613 1/2 State St.
Santa Barbara, CA 93105
805-563-2232

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Zon Baguettes

I told you that I would go back to Zon Baguettes and try something new. This time, BOTH Devin and I tried new items, something that is rare to happen when we've already found winners. These are the kinds of sacrifices we make in the name of blogging.


We grabbed a quick lunch to eat as we made our way up to Santa Barbara for the weekend. I got the #16 Fried Tofu Vegetarian Sandwich which has the same ingredients as the #15 Viet Veggies, but with added tofu fried to a golden brown. As usual, I loved the crunch of the cucumbers and carrots paired with the crispy exterior and soft interior of the baguette. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy the tofu part of the sandwich. The soft interior of the tofu gave the sandwich a strange soggy texture, like I was eating a baguette stuffed with a baguette. I don't think the soft unseasoned tofu pairs well with the hard crunch of the vegetables.


Devin chose a #23 Baked Ham and Cheese Contemporary Sandwich, choosing Swiss cheese on this trip to Zon Baguettes. This sandwich is very similar to his usual fare of the #24 Turkey and Cheese. The tomatoes on this visit look much more fresh than the last time we visited Zon Baguettes.

Zon Baguettes
14081 Newport Ave.
Tustin, CA 92780
714-731-1366