Vagabond: Food to Satisfy Your Wanderlust

If someone asked me how to describe the cuisine at Vagabond, I would explain it like this: If you were backpacking across Europe and stopped off at a small country inn for a bite to eat in the Alps in Switzerland, and then did the same thing in France, Spain, Italy and Germany, the combination of dishes you would have tasted could be placed on the menu and served at Vagabond.

When we first walked in, I noticed some writing in Spanish on the wall that loosely translated to "Here it is!" I asked my girlfriends if this was a Spanish restaurant, and they weren't sure even though at least one of them had been there before. When I looked at the menu, it didn't clear up the mystery. They served a random assortment of appetizers from pita and hummus to mussels and scallops. The entrees varied from pasta to beef with chimuchurri sauce to pork with plantains. Was it actually South American cuisine? Argentinian or Brazilian perhaps? We ordered the hummus and pita bread which came with large grilled shrimp on skewers. Maybe Mediterranean? They served warm crusty break like I remember having in Germany... but with an aioli garlic dipping sauce instead of butter. I decided not to worry about the type of food and just enjoy my meal. I ordered the Slow Roasted Peruvian Pork. The pork was juicy and tender and there was plenty of it. It was served atop sweet potatoes and garnished with thin sliced plantains. I had eaten plantains (a relative of the banana but less sweet), but usually as a side dish rather than as part of the meal. We ordered red and white wine, my preference being for the Riesling which complemented the sweetness of the pork. I ate way too much and felt absolutely stuffed afterward. We would have liked to stay longer, but the place was filling up and we didn't want to occupy a table unnecessarily.

Before leaving, I stopped by the ladies room. The decor reminded me of an old French farmhouse. It was so quaint I had to take a picture of the sink. I felt like I was in someone's home. I will gladly visit this place again, though having been there I'm still not entirely sure what type of cuisine we had. I guess it doesn't matter as long as we enjoyed our meal and left with full bellies.

VAGABOND: Kitchen of the World
2310 3Oth Street, San Diego CA 92104
Tel: 619.255.1035