chipotle | San Diego, day 2

Today started out at Bali Hai for their brunch. I described the place as "gloriously tacky" to

mordrul, a phrase he found somewhat peculiar -- but, look, it's a tiki temple. The brunch was good, although not extraordinary, but the atmosphere was the point. (And I wouldn't mind going back for some, or all, of their cocktails.)

Afterward, we went down to Cabrillo National Monument and explored a bit, mostly around the tide pools and the Visitor Center. We didn't do the long hike, which we probably should have; instead we went to the Old Town area, and explored the actual historic park rather than the tourist area around it. We ended up eating dinner at a place in Old Town, although toward the other edge of it -- a restaurant called El Agave. I didn't actually see

gatcat's recommendation of the Cafe Coyote until just a few minutes ago, well after dinner, but El Agave proved to be a great choice nonetheless. The mole poblano might be the best version of that dish I've had, and the rest of the menu looked inventive enough that it'd be great to explore over multiple visits.

Between Old Town and El Agave, we explored a bit of the Hillcrest neighborhood on

lynn_onyx's recommendation, stopping for coffee at David's Coffeehouse. There's a place there I'd like to go back to for breakfast, although that'll probably be the day we hit Balboa Park.

I have absolutely no idea what we're doing tomorrow. :)