JACIE LANDEROS / Union-Tribune

When friends heard that we bought a recreational vehicle and took up camping as a hobby, the ribbing started. “That's not really camping, you know,” one said. “That's hardly roughing it,” another chimed in. And from yet another skeptical friend: “And does your butler travel with you, too?”

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If your idea of roughing it on vacation is trying to snag a reservation at one of L.A.'s hottest restaurants, you're not alone. Los Angeles is the No. 1 domestic travel destination for San Diegans, and savvy visitors know to include top restaurants on their itinerary. Already first-rate for shopping, museums and sightseeing, L.A. has also, in the last several years, become one of the most dynamic dining cities in the country.

Carl Schroeder of Market Restaurant + Bar in Del Mar was named “Chef of the Year” by the San Diego County chapter of the California Restaurant Association. He was honored during the 24th annual Gold Medallion Awards Banquet, which raised $54,000 for local high school culinary arts programs, including those at Morse, Mira Mesa, Garfield and San Diego.

Whole Foods Market has earned a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for “Most Parmigiano-Reggiano Wheels Cracked Simultaneously.” Hundreds of cheesemongers broke into nearly 300 wheels of 2-year-aged cheese at 3 p.m. April 12, with official recordings coming in from 176 stores worldwide.