by Sean on December 8, 2010
OK, I have started a new category called “Land Meals”, because sometimes, you just need to get out and cook with your wallet. I think a post or three about good places to dine out while in port is totally in keeping with a blog about cooking on boats!
We love sushi. I got hooked on sushi in the early 80′s when I worked on a Japanese trawler. I’ll be following up soon with a post about making your own sushi onboard, but this one is about sitting your bottom down and having your sushi delivered to your table.
Arguably, the best sushi deal on the planet is at Ichiban P.B. in Pacific Beach, which is just a hop and a skip north from where we are currently moored in San Diego Bay. From the San Diego waterfront take N Harbor Drive west to Nimitz, then Nimitz turns into Sunset Cliffs Blvd., at around Sea World take the exit that puts you on Ingraham northbound. Then a left on Garnet and start looking for a parking spot because you are almost there! Ichiban is at 1441 Garnet Ave, San Diego, CA 92109.
Ichiban has really good sushi at a really fair price. Two people can expect to get themselves very well fed, including beverage for $20-$30. It’s not fancy, you walk in and place your order at the counter. Don’t forget to check out the specials on the boards as you come in, particularly if it’s “happy hour”, which I believe is 5-7 pm. Don’t arrive at 4:30, they close after lunch until 5pm.
by Jan on September 26, 2010
We’re not much for a big breakfast, but after a chilly night at anchor, it’s nice to start up the oven and bake something sweet and filling. You know I like easy! I buy pouches of Betty Crocker Blueberry Muffin mix, 6.5 oz, “just add water!” But to make them even better, each muffin gets a fair share of frozen blueberries. It just seems healthier that way!
I use one of those flexible silicone muffin pans. I was skeptical when I first saw these. They work great! Easy to pop the muffin out, easy to clean, and as an added bonus, they stuff into the locker easily and help keep the dishes from rattling.
by Sean on September 21, 2010
Pay attention, this is serious important stuff. You have got to have a good setup for making coffee on a boat. This one is simple, fast and easy to clean up.
This one is a RSVP Maunual Drip Coffee Filter Cone, and we got it from Amazon.com.
With one of these you can use a variety of vacuum bottles as the carafe. One that we use is the Thermos Nissan 32 Ounce Stainless Steel Carafe.
Nissan Thermos
Using a thermos as the carafe is good for not only the obvious reason, but also because you need at least a couple of them on your boat. If you are making a passage that involves traveling through the night, it’s a really good idea to have not only a thermos or two full of coffee or tea for the persons standing the watches, but also some hot soup or stew.
Another underway use of the common thermos bottle is on a passage when you know or suspect the weather is not going to continue to be your friend. Get some hot food and drink in the thermos bottles before anything gets too sporty and everyone on board will be the better for it. Don’t underestimate the importance of keeping the crew fed and hydrated. Saltine crackers and pilot bread often go over big when the sea state is not what you wished for.
We have two large thermos bottles in addition to the carafe above which we use for everyday coffee. The 2 quart Stanley vacuum bottles or the Thermos 61 ounce model seem to be a good choice if you are looking for capacity.
By the way, it’s worth noting that we have some trouble finding the #6 coffee filters that the RSVP cone uses at the local grocery store so we buy them online.
