Odd Food in San Diego County

[snort]

I'm looking for something out of the ordinary. Not looking to eat a bug or anything like that, just something either novel or unique. Food from cuisines not typically found would do.
Thanks in advance!

[Ms. Verde]

How about Belgian? I've been wanting to try the Belgian fries place with all the dipping sauces and Belgian Beer stew in Mission Beach. Anyone been? How was it?
I tried Harrar. It didn't do much for me.

[Captain Jack]

Pacific Beach not Mission Beach. West side of Mission Blvd. between Felspar and Emerald. The place is very good. The stew is excellent as are the fries and dipping sauces, For some reason it is struggling for customers. The touists just don't seem to get it. If you have been thinking about going, sooner rather than later would be a good idea. The owners are a real nice Belgian couple.

[Alice Q]

Check out K Sandwiches in Linda Vista - just off the 163 across the fwy from Sharp Hospital. The bahn mi sandwiches are amazing and so cheap - about 3 bucks. (I like the roast pork). They have a little vietnamese market and bakery with all sorts of interesting stuff - jellied fruit desserts, imported drinks, and french pastries. They also make a mean vietnamese milk coffee, which you can get with or without boba. It's my new addiction!

[amyzan]

I love that place, 'cause even when there's a wait, it's not long, and the sandwiches are a steal. I don't think of it as odd, however, because banh mi are so common in that neighborhood, but "odd" is such a relative idea anyway.

[Josh]

You should check out The Linkery in North Park. I think their menu is very creative, and doesn't fall neatly into any particular style.

http://www.thelinkery.com

[Joseph]

Good idea, Josh.
Perhaps, in the same vein, Stone's new Bistro up in North County would be an interesting place, if the OP is a beer lover.

[Josh]

Yes, good suggestion. In a similar vein, the OP might also enjoy The Vine in OB.

[Joseph]

What sort of food qualifies as "ordinary"? We have a wide variety of Vietnamese food in town, and a few interesting Filipino, Korean, Chinese and Japanese places (Indian and Thai are really nothing special here). There are a few more interesting Mexican places, but that may not count if you are a native Californian.

For something more unusual, perhaps an Ethiopian place like Harar in North Park would fit the bill. I have yet to try it myself, however. There are a couple other ethiopian restaurants farther east on El Cajon Blvd, and perhaps a Somali restaurant or meeting hall if you make friends in the community. I have also heard of at least on Chaldean (Iraq Christian) restaurant in El Cajon.

Is there anything in particular you are looking for?

[snort]

Thanks Joseph! Iraqi, Ethiopean and Somalian would fall under that category for me. I left the question open-ended because I was curious to see what others might consider unique in the area. Any odd 'fusion' type place would be welcome too.

[orioninthesky]

Just have to respectfully disagree with Joseph's comment regarding Indian food. My wife is actually Indian and we travel frequently to India. Although San Diego is desparately in need of more great Indian restaurants (especially coastal north county) I think that Monsoon (gaslamp) and Bombay (hillcrest) are perhaps the best Indian in southern california. I'd agree with his other comments.