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Some of my earliest -and fondest- childhood memories are of FOOD: my mother baking bread and slicing off the end of a fresh loaf right out of the oven; coming home from school and smelling freshly baked pie (mmmm–Apricot-my favorite!); the special treat from the Ice Cream truck or better yet, homemade ice cream hand-cranked by my father or grandfather –on our birthdays. Oh, and the delicious permeating aroma of turkey cooking on Thanksgiving Day while Mother set the table with china & silver and sparkling crystal glasses into which she poured apple cider for us children….presentation making the experience of food, and eating, even better!

And then there are the memories of the special Sunday outings with my grandparents during our summer vacation visits.  Growing up in a small farming community in southern Idaho with minimal choices and rare opportunities for eating out, my visits to southern California were like a dream come true – the sights and sounds and places right out of story books. And so it was during our vacation visits to San Diego that I was introduced to the joys of classy and delicious eating experiences.

One of my favorites and a must do for ANY of my visits to San Diego is Anthony’s  Fish Grotto Harbor Side, or as it is now advertised as: Downtown on the Bay.  Definitely a family tradition!  The Ghio family started the line of restaurants over 60 years ago and my grandparents treated us to dinner at one of the many locations each summer when we visited as I was growing up. My first memory is of the  location on Pacific Highway across from the old airport terminal.

The current harbor location is my favorite for obvious reasons, especially if I have limited time, as it offers views of the harbor activities – Navy ships, sail boats, tour boats, the Star of India, planes landing at the airport, and helicopters at the Coast Guard station. Besides,  the restaurant sits right out over the water!

Window seating is optimal of course, and I don’t mind waiting for an available one if needed. However, the dining room is bright and cheery and offers views of the harbor from any table.

The menu has slowly changed over the years but Fish ‘N Chips is still their signature entrée.  One of my all time favorites is the Louie Salad with both shrimp and crab…and ALWAYS the house dressing! I don’t know what it is, but their fried fish and salad dressing each have a distinct ‘Anthony’s taste’ that brings back fond memories of my childhood visits!  And now, I also include the  tasty sun-dried tomato butter  which accompanies the tempting warm bread delivered to the table as an additional favorite  ‘Anthony’s taste’!

For those of us preferring a lighter healthier meal, grilled fish is offered and the kabobs are a nice serving size. I  appreciate the opportunity to have a smaller meal for just a ‘light’ lunch (and still get to have a ‘taste’ of Anthony’s)

This time, I splurge on the bread AND Fish ‘N Chips just to see if the the fish is still as good as it used to be especially since I can now substitute the ‘chips’ for a green salad and get the house dressing — best of both my favorites in a smaller serving — and yes, still as good as ever!