{"id":13442,"date":"2013-08-24T18:52:36","date_gmt":"2013-08-25T01:52:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shescookin.com\/?p=13442"},"modified":"2013-08-25T14:39:00","modified_gmt":"2013-08-25T21:39:00","slug":"more-than-horses-at-del-mar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shescookin.com\/more-than-horses-at-del-mar\/","title":{"rendered":"More Than Horses At Del Mar"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Del<\/a><\/p>\n

The thrill of the bet, the roller coaster adrenaline highs of a win and grumbling lows of a loss, the sounds of the track – beating hooves, roaring crowds – every summer, there’s more fun to be had at the Del Mar Race Track.<\/strong> <\/a>But only until September 4th…<\/p>\n

Last weekend I was headed to the races for the Del Mar Grill Fest and joined hundreds of enthusiastic horse lovers on the Amtrak Surfliner<\/a> to Solana Beach. Boarding in Irvine, there was standing room only for a short distance, until one gregarious, tattooed, weekend warrior offered me his seat since he was headed to the cafe car for more beers. He insisted he didn’t mind standing – and as it turned out, standing provided a more captive audience as he entertained his friends and those of us within earshot with a nonstop stream of amusing banter.<\/p>\n

\"Del<\/a><\/p>\n

My girlfriend met me at the station so, thankfully, I didn’t have to scramble to board one of the shuttles to the track. Carmen lives in San Diego, and although the races are very popular, a crowd like this was unusual. Maybe it was because Weezer was playing after the races or the promise of good food and good beer at the first-ever Del Mar Grill Fest featuring some of San Diego’s finest restaurants, or maybe people realized that summer is waning and it was a perfect day for the races – not too hot and with gentle ocean breezes to cool your brow.<\/p>\n

Either way, we headed to the track, hit the Grill Fest to check out the bites and then made a few wagers on the ponies.<\/p>\n

\"Del<\/a><\/p>\n

Here’s a recap of the bites we had – there was no way we could try everything, so we carefully selected from the list of restaurants and dishes. Each bite was a token and you could buy 5 tokens for $10 or 10 tokens for $20. We were pleasantly stuffed after five tastes and three beers. There was a decent selection of domestic beer and some craft beers, many from San Diego – draft beer was $7-$8 and craft bottled beers were $9.00, I think.<\/p>\n

First things first – grab a beer. Then, the pork belly was calling our name.<\/p>\n

\"Pork<\/a><\/p>\n

Pork Belly with pickled radish, onion and cherry gastrique from Uptown Tavern<\/p>\n

\"Grilled<\/a><\/p>\n

We award BEST TASTE to the Grilled Oysters Rockefeller from Oceanaire Seafood Room<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Chimichurri<\/a><\/p>\n

BEST PRESENTATION went to Barleymash<\/a> with their Chimichurri Skirt Steak Torta<\/p>\n

\"Slaters<\/a><\/p>\n

FAN FAVORITE:\u00a0Slater’s 50\/50<\/a> Signature Burger<\/p>\n

\"Hard<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0BEST PERSONALITY with a great taste to go with it: Hard Rock Cafe<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Grilled<\/a><\/p>\n

Grilled Shrimp and Pear Salad from Hard Rock Cafe<\/p>\n

\"Hard<\/a><\/p>\n

Salad Maker Extraordinaire, Hard Rock Cafe<\/p>\n

More smiling faces:<\/p>\n

\"Del<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Del<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Del<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0Beer, and lots of it, is the best complement to robust grilled flavors!<\/p>\n

\"Del<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Del<\/a><\/p>\n

My winning race. Put it all on #1 “Hard Buns” \ud83d\ude42 \u00a0This was one time when the favorite came in and I doubled my $$.<\/p>\n

\"Del<\/a><\/p>\n

Even if you missed Opening Day, Food Truck Festival, Grill Fest, B52’s, Sammy Hagar, Weezer, or this weekend’s Donuts Day and SOJA, you still have Labor Day weekend!<\/p>\n

Tomorrow: $1 Million TVG Pacific Classic and Long Sleeve T-Shirt Giveaway\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Sunday, Aug. 25\u00a0\u2013 Del Mar will welcome some of the country’s top horses for the richest and most prestigious race of the season: the $1 Million TVG\u00a0Pacific Classic<\/a>. Guests attending the races will also receive a fan designed \u201cCool As Ever\u201d long sleeve t-shirt (while supplies last). There will be a special post time of\u00a01 p.m.\u00a0on Pacific Classic day.<\/p>\n

Next weekend is the Del Mar Beer Fes<\/strong>t (August 31st), Rocket from the Crypt and Reggae Fest featuring Bob Marley! Check out the\u00a0schedule of events<\/a>\u00a0for all the info.<\/p>\n

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