Visit California: Miguel's Cocina

When in Southern California, one must eat Mexican food at least once, right? Especially if you come from a place like Hawaii, where there is a shortage of solid Mexican eateries.

On our last night in California, we dined at Miguel's Cocina in Carlsbad. The atmosphere was festive, loud, dark, but the food was outstanding. 

The complimentary chips were irresistible - served warm and crispy.  

For our starter, the hubby ordered the fried calamari. It's not something I would have ordered at a Mexican restaurant, but they were good enough to hold us over until our entree arrived.

I wasn't super hungry, we split an order of Miguel's Signature Fajitas. Good thing we shared, because the portion was huge! 

It must be intended for family-style (sharing) because I could not fathom eating this entire dish on my own.  We ordered the combination and chose steak, shrimp, and chicken for the proteins, and it came to our table, still sizzling!

We couldn't have chosen a better place for our last dinner in So Cal!

MIGUEL'S COCINA

5980 Avenida Encinas

(760) 759-1843

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Visit California: King's Fish House

One of the best meals I had on a recent trip to Southern California was at King's Fish House in Carlsbad, CA.  We found it while browsing the Yelp app for restaurants near our hotel.  

We were seated outside, which was great, as it was less noisy and had a more spacious feel - families.  

Right after I took my seat, I immediately ordered a glass of Reisling, which was much-needed!

While we were waiting for our food, our server delivered a warm loaf of complimentary bread and butter. It was so hard not scarf it down being that we were famished!

The kid's macaroni with cheese came quickly and our boys loved it. It was a very generous serving for $5.95.

Our starters arrived next - King's Crab Cakes and a bowl of claim chowder. 

Both starters were DELICIOUS! The claim chowder had a good consistency - not too thin, not too thick. 

The crab cakes were one of the best I've ever had - loaded with pieces of real crab, not a lot of fillers .. crispy on the outside, moist on the inside.  

For my entree I splurged with the lobster roll.  They offered it two different ways - with mayo or butter.  I'm not a fan of mayo, so I opted for the butter (which is called the "Connecticut" version) and it was worth every dollar.  

The hubby ordered the Beer Battered Fish and Chips.  

He had the option of ordering two or three pieces .. good thing he ordered just two pieces - just look at the size of each piece. 

Is was definitely sufficient in size for one person (especially after our two starters). 

If you're in the Carlsbad area and yearning for seafood, this place is for you!

King's Fish House

5625 Paseo Del Norte

(760) 431-3474

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