2010 | Ocean Beach, San Diego County, California
The photographers I know gravitate to Ortega’s Cafe. It used to be just four tight booths and a few stools, but when the storefront next door became available, they blew through the wall and reworked a bright and comfortable space for many more patrons, and they were miraculously serving again after just a few days’ downtime.
My favorite dish is not always on offer, but you might imagine a very thin and broad slice of lightly-fried eggplant wrapped around mahi-mahi and its trimmings for a remarkable enchilada. No tortilla!
▷ The rest room is very clean and was always charming, but sadly the column was removed; I guess they thought it superfluous, as it wasn’t load-bearing.