Artful Cuisine at the Museum Cafe

One of the most popular lunch spots in the village, the Museum Cafe offers delicious salads (shrimp and papaya is my favorite), great soups (such as country vegetable), grilled items, and creative sandwiches.

As the name suggests, the cafe is located at the La Jolla branch of the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD) at 700 Prospect Street. Much of the seating is outdoors - a safe bet in sunny San Diego - amidst the white pillars of the building's facade. While the Pacific Ocean is on the other side of the building, it isn't visable from the cafe.

Giuseppe Ciuffa gets the credit for this bistro's success. In addition to being its chef, he's a popular caterer and has just taken over the cafe at the San Diego Museum of Art in Balboa Park. Additional credit goes to a staff of very attentive and genuinely friendly waiters.

Museum Cafe (http://www.mcasdcafe.com/) serves breakfast and lunch Monday - Friday 11 AM to 3 PM, and Saturday and Sunday 9 AM to 3 PM. They also deliver within La Jolla.

In fact, Museum Cafe delivers in every sense of the word. Give them a call 858-581-2205.

Don’t Wait – the Cows Are Mooving On

“Whacky” is not a word usually used to describe La Jolla, but since the arrival of 40 artfully-painted full-size bovines – it’s the perfect descriptor. The colorful fiberglass cows are on display throughout the village and they make me – and a lot of other people – smile as we go about our business.

The mod moo moos were painted by local artists, and will eventually be auctioned to raise funds for Rady Children’s Hospital and the San Diego Zoo. In the meantime, you can go to http://www.cowparadelajolla.com/ for more information and a map of their locations.

My favorite, "Designer Genes" wears trendy denim pants, bright red lipstick, and yellow star earrings. Across the street, on the corner of Girard Avenue and Wall Street, “Digesting the News” appears to have eaten so much newspaper that his body is covered in black-and-white sections. In contrast, “Cowsablanca” has blue legs, a purple face, and a green, red, and orange body.

“Public art” often conjures up images of serious bronze figures that add gravitas to a site, but these fashionistas are whacky – and I love it.

CowParade was started in Chicago in 1999, and since then herds have turned up in 50 cities on six continents, including New York, Paris, London, and Mexico City.

La Jolla’s cows are mooving on June 15, and you really don’t want to miss seeing them. They’re udderly adorable.

La Taverna

La Jolla has lots of “destination restaurants” that serve good food – and sometimes a view – to out-of-towners.

Then there are the restaurants the locals patronize…places that depend on return business and don’t have a vista to distract from other weaknesses. One of these is La Taverna – snuggled between a dry cleaners and a shoe repair shop at 927 Silverado Street (858-454-0100; http://www.lataverna.com/).

The tiny restaurant offers only a half dozen tables inside and about the same number on a sidewalk patio. The menu of Italian comfort food includes grilled salmon on white bean salad (my favorite), pan-roasted shrimp with garlic and arugula-basil pesto, Parmesan chicken on roasted garlic mashed potatoes, and other satisfying dishes.

At La Taverna, everything is made on site, including wonderful bread, sausages, and gnocchi. If you go, leave room for dessert. The restaurant's multi-layer banana cake is the stuff of legends. Lunch is served Monday - Friday and dinner is Monday - Saturday.

Chef/Proprietor Mary Ann Vitale also owns Sorella della Taverna (7420 Girard Ave., La Jolla, 858-866-6400), a deli where locals load up on items such as eggplant lasagna, penne pasta, and grilled vegetables. She also offers salads, sandwiches, and pizza. This gourmet-to-go spot is the perfect place for assembling an extraordinary picnic. They're open 10-5 Monday - Friday during the summer. Best to call for winter hours.

Bon appetito.

The La Jolla Rough Water Swim

America's Premier Rough Water Swim takes place at the La Jolla Cove every year on the first Sunday in September - that's the 7th this year. Not being a competitive swimmer, I'd never made an effort to attend, but having once seen it "by accident," I'm a regular spectator now.

More than 2,000 swimmers churning up the water make for a memorable sight. Most of them follow a triangular one-mile course, but elite swimmers opt for a more grueling Gatorman three-mile challenge. Juniors have a 250-yard option.

This event has been part of La Jolla's history since 1916, and it's taken place almost every year since 1931. (Concerns about polio and sharks caused cancellations in 1948 and 1959 respectively.)

If I hadn't been having Sunday brunch with friends at Azul La Jolla (1250 Prospect, tel. 858-454-9616, www.brigantine.com/locations_azul.html), I wouldn't have realized what I was missing. I still think Azul is the best viewpoint - so book early and request a window table. They open for brunch at 10am.

My other favorite annual event is the La Jolla Christmas Parade - which will take place this year on December 7. More about that later.

For lotso info on the Rough Water Swim, go to http://www.ljrws.com/.