Awhile back, I faced a very exciting challenge: find the best exotic cookies in San Diego. The discoveries became part of “Cookie Crazed” a 1-page spread in San Diego Magazine. Click through to read more, and find out the best spots to stock your cookie jar.
Barrio Logan is quickly becoming my default Saturday morning destination. Like clockwork, our coffee supply runs low, and because it’s so close (and home to several coffee roasters) the Barrio is our main fuel station. While my husband selects a bag of beans, I typically peruse the drink menu. Cafe Virtuoso has all of the beverage options you’d expect: iced coffee, lattes, frappes, and three varieties of mochas, but when the barista on duty told me about the Polar Bear latte ($3.75), a special drink that’s not on the menu, I was sold. The triple-sweet drink features espresso, white chocolate, peanut butter, and caramel.
Black coffee isn’t my thing. When it comes to my morning joe, I need a serious splash of milk, and ideally some sort of flavoring. Until I visited Ryan Bros Coffee in Barrio Logan, I thought I’d exhausted all of my options for flavored coffee (aka “baby coffee”), until I noticed the Cookies and Creme Frappe. For about the same price as my usual place ($5), I scored a huge cup of creamy goodness, made with two fresh-pulled shots of espresso, milk, ice cubes, and powdered oreo cookies, topped with real whipped cream.
It’s pretty tough to really mess up a mocha. When you’ve got three ingredients (espresso, milk, and chocolate) — all of which are good on their own and even better together, generally you’re either going to create a great drink, or a really great one.
Cafe Bassam, an artsy cafe in Banker’s Hill, makes a great mocha. The cup of creamy steamed milk and espresso was covered in froth and bubbles, and topped with a dollop of whipped cream and a surprise — a drizzle of buttery caramel syrup.
Sunday morning at the Hillcrest Farmers’ Market inevitably means a visit to Joes on the Nose — a roving coffee truck that is one of the many food and beverage vendors at the market. The orange truck offers a variety of beverages, several of which are heavy on sugar and caffeine (a good thing for anyone with a sweet tooth, especially in the early morning!)