A vintage time in San Diego

I thought I was headed to San Diego last week, but after making my way to the hotel and settling in for my weekend of relaxation, I could have sworn I was in Italy.

I am certainly not complaining.

San Diego's Little Italy was right around the corner from my hotel, and provided several amazing opportunities to celebrate my 30th birthday by eating some of the best Italian food I've ever had.

The vino wasn't so bad either.

Jack had been in San Diego for several days before I arrived for an Environmental Protection Agency annual conference, and he had called me at one point saying he knew I would love the location of our hotel.

"I'm sitting here at 'Sogno DiVino: The Place for Wine and Appetizers,'" Jack told me as I sat at home anticipating my trip. "You will love it."

That was an understatement, and if I saw nothing else in San Diego, I would have been content after visiting this amazing place several times.

The authentic food sampled by Jack and me included pesto goat cheese, roasted garlic, brie and strawberries, and an olive plate with various spreads served with fresh, crusty bread.

The quality of the wine was stellar, and I learned the owners have invested in a system that prevents open wine bottles from getting oxidized. In other words, you can order a glass of wine and know that it will be fresh, as if the bottle was just opened. Typically, keeping 'wine by the glass' selections fresh can be a challenge for owners of wine bars.

Jack and I also visited the famous Gas Lamp District, full of shops and restaurants, and dined at Croce's, which is owned and run by the late Jim Croce's wife, Ingrid. After dining on some wonderful macadamia nut encrusted sea bass, I bought a book there called, "Thyme In a Bottle," and I'll be sure to share some of those recipes with you as I find the good ones.

I can't say enough great things about the food in San Diego, and there isn't enough room in this column to write about all my experiences, but perhaps the biggest highlight of our trip would be my actual 'birthday present,' which was a trip to The Marine Room.

Time and time again, The Marine Room has been voted San Diego's "Best of the Best," "Best Dining with a View," "Best Service," and "Most Romantic Dining" establishment.

Jack was tipped off about the sophisticated restaurant, located on the sands of La Jolla Beach, from his TVA co-worker, who's traveled to San Diego numerous times (Thank you, Jerry).

Jack managed to plan for this special dining experience without my help, and made reservations at 5 p.m., so we could see the amazing ocean view -- while eating several French things I've never heard of -- both before and after sunset. Some of the familiar things we ate included prawns, scallops, lobster, antelope, and squash bisque.

Of course, I had to wash dishes all night to pay for this .... but I was very proud of Jack for giving me such a memorable birthday experience -- and attempting to surprise me.

Believe it or not, we actually did more than just eat while on vacation. I managed to run twice (be it 50 percent less than I had planned), we toured Old Town San Diego and saw the first house ever built in the state, and we hiked down a La Jolla Beach bluff leading to the ocean while watching for whales, sea lions and dolphins. I thought I was in good shape until it was time to hike back up the extremely steep path. My ankles and legs, which are still hurting me today, are proof that I need to spend more time on the stairmaster.

We had tried to go paragliding, but the wind didn't work in our favor.

We did manage, however, to visit the San Diego Zoo, one of the world's best. We spent the whole day awing over the monkeys, gorillas, polar bears and chimpanzees (my favorite zoo exhibits).

I could not believe the intelligence displayed by the chimpanzees, and joked with Jack we should get one to serve as a companion for Lizzie as an alternative to another dog.

The day I returned I heard on the radio that a study had found chimpanzees, at nine months of age, to be more cognitively developed than nine-month-old humans. Interestingly, the day after that I learned of a pet chimp trying to kill his owner's best friend. As human-like as they seem, I believe they do belong in the wild -- or in a zoo.

Overall, my trip was fulfilling and fantastic, and made turning 30 much easier than I had ever imagined.

I did, however, tell Jack we better start saving for my 40th birthday today ... I am thinking Italy (the real one).

-- Sadie Fowler is lifestyles editor at the Times-Gazette. Her column, Sadie Says, runs every Thursday. She may be reached at sfowler@t-g.com or 684-1200 ext. 214.