Fresh stuffed sandwiches and lots of extra touches make these two delis something special.
While sandwiches are seemingly all around, a really good deli sandwich is surprisingly hard to find in San Diego. Enter the Cheese Shop, a local mini-chain with two locations that does things a little differently than most. While there are some differences between their Downtown and La Jolla branches, happily they both serve up a mean sandwich.
The first thing you’ll notice when you walk into the La Jolla shop, on La Jolla Shores Drive near the beach, is the pork roasting in the ovens, right there by the door. It’s a mouthwatering aroma that leaves little doubt as to why they’re famous for the pork loin sandwiches. (There’s even a sign outside that says “Home of the Porker.”) They also roast their own turkey. The second thing you will probably notice is the huge selection of British candies and food products that line the left-hand wall, and the selection of forgotten favorites on the shelves below the checkout stand. Big League Chew, Bit O’Honey, Chick–a-Stik, even bubblegum cigarettes -- if you’ve been missing it, chances are they have it here. They also carry a wide selection of bottled sodas, juice drinks and beverages and several kinds of fancy chips, including my favorite, Poore Brothers.
The La Jolla shop is small, with no seating indoors and just a few tables outside. It’s actually a great place to pick up a picnic to take to the beach or one of the local parks. The sandwiches are huge overstuffed monsters -- I generally only tackle a half -- stuffed with their house-roasted meats and whatever else you like. They will pull the meat out of the case, slice it, and make the sandwich to order there on the spot. I can wholeheartedly recommend the Turkey, Jack and Avocado, which is something of a specialty; the roast pork loin; or the roast beef (though it’s not for folks who like their meat well done -- it might be the rarest beef I’ve ever seen.) They also have two types of cookies -- a chocolate chip spiked with a bit of cinnamon, and an oatmeal that is almost more like candy -- chewy and caramel-like, loaded with butter. Good pickles too.
The Downtown shop is more like a cousin than a sibling to the La Jolla branch. It’s a full sit-down restaurant with table service and offers a full menu of hot sandwiches, including a burger, in addition to the deli sandwiches. They also serve breakfast, which I haven’t had a chance to try but I have heard is very good. For some reason, probably because of the volume of their business, I don’t think the sandwiches are quite as good at this location, but they more than make up for that with the fact that they deliver.
Just recently, I discovered a new reason to love them even more: the “Café Chips.” When we asked what they were, they said “Like Lays, only we cook them here.” That’s right, house-made fresh potato chips. Oh my. They were still warm and perfectly crisp -- not a soggy one among them. Between that and the two oatmeal cookies they threw in this time, I might never go back to a chain deli again.
I do not have any connections with this business. I've been here dozens of times.
Fresh stuffed sandwiches and lots of extra touches make these two delis something special.
While sandwiches are seemingly all around, a really good deli sandwich is surprisingly hard to find in San Diego. Enter the Cheese Shop, a local mini-chain with two locations that does things a little differently than most. While there are some differences between their Downtown and La Jolla branches, happily they both serve up a mean sandwich.
The first thing you’ll notice when you walk into the La Jolla shop, on La Jolla Shores Drive near the beach, is the pork roasting in the ovens, right there by the door. It’s a mouthwatering aroma that leaves little doubt as to why they’re famous for the pork loin sandwiches. (There’s even a sign outside that says “Home of the Porker.”) They also roast their own turkey. The second thing you will probably notice is the huge selection of British candies and food products that line the left-hand wall, and the selection of forgotten favorites on the shelves below the checkout stand. Big League Chew, Bit O’Honey, Chick–a-Stik, even bubblegum cigarettes -- if you’ve been missing it, chances are they have it here. They also carry a wide selection of bottled sodas, juice drinks and beverages and several kinds of fancy chips, including my favorite, Poore Brothers.
The La Jolla shop is small, with no seating indoors and just a few tables outside. It’s actually a great place to pick up a picnic to take to the beach or one of the local parks. The sandwiches are huge overstuffed monsters -- I generally only tackle a half -- stuffed with their house-roasted meats and whatever else you like. They will pull the meat out of the case, slice it, and make the sandwich to order there on the spot. I can wholeheartedly recommend the Turkey, Jack and Avocado, which is something of a specialty; the roast pork loin; or the roast beef (though it’s not for folks who like their meat well done -- it might be the rarest beef I’ve ever seen.) They also have two types of cookies -- a chocolate chip spiked with a bit of cinnamon, and an oatmeal that is almost more like candy -- chewy and caramel-like, loaded with butter. Good pickles too.
The Downtown shop is more like a cousin than a sibling to the La Jolla branch. It’s a full sit-down restaurant with table service and offers a full menu of hot sandwiches, including a burger, in addition to the deli sandwiches. They also serve breakfast, which I haven’t had a chance to try but I have heard is very good. For some reason, probably because of the volume of their business, I don’t think the sandwiches are quite as good at this location, but they more than make up for that with the fact that they deliver.
Just recently, I discovered a new reason to love them even more: the “Café Chips.” When we asked what they were, they said “Like Lays, only we cook them here.” That’s right, house-made fresh potato chips. Oh my. They were still warm and perfectly crisp -- not a soggy one among them. Between that and the two oatmeal cookies they threw in this time, I might never go back to a chain deli again.
I do not have any connections with this business. I've been here dozens of times.
Indulge yourself with some of the freshest cuisine San Diego has to offer.
San Diego has no shortage of restaurants where you can drop a pretty dime to eat, but some might argue that it is short on “interesting” fine dining options -- a problem that distinguishes us from Los Angeles or San Francisco. Market doesn’t exactly solve this problem single-handedly, but it surely does help. With its indulgent and inventive combinations at relatively moderate prices, this place manages to please just about everyone, from die-hard local foodies to ordinary folks just looking for a good meal.
Opened in 2006 by Carl Schroeder, the former chef of Arterra in the Marriott Hotel, Market takes its name from the fact that the chefs use local seasonal ingredients. While many of the items are indulgent and rich (foie gras, lobster, duck confit, prime filet and short ribs all made an appearance on a recent Saturday evening) there are opportunities to eat light for those inclined, with several seafood dishes, salads and vegetarian choices.
Though I do have a slight connection with the restaurant, in that I have taken classes from James Foran, the restaurant’s pastry chef, they did not know this when we dined there and I’m confident it had no effect on our experience. On both occasions, the restaurant was packed. On the first visit it was so crowded we were forced to sit in the bar even though we had a reservation. As I understand it, they no longer seat patrons in the bar for dinner reservations, but reserve that for their lounge menu service. This isn’t a bad idea if you want to sample the cuisine and a couple of cocktails, but the atmosphere is a bit lacking. The dining room is on the other side of the bar, and has a warmer and more inviting atmosphere, but I still can’t help but think the restaurant itself isn’t laid out as well as it could be. There’s just something about it that doesn’t quite do the space justice. When the food is set down in front of you though, you’ll forget all about that.
Chef Schroeder’s menu features familiar flavors with an upscale twist -- call it “modern comfort food.” Highlights among the starters include the Oyster Cobb Salad with crisp fried oysters, house-made remoulade, bacon and avocado; the Heirloom Tomato Salad, with fat wedges of sweet heirloom tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil; a bleu cheese soufflé served with apple accompaniments; and my very favorite, a perfect duck confit paired with grapefruit wedges and marmalade. Entrees include an over-the-top “surf and turf” of Brandt Farms filet and Maine lobster, Kobe beef “flat iron” steak, a miso glazed sea bass, and a milk-fed veal “two ways” -- as a house-made Bratwurst, and a scaloppini.
Market’s pricing is in line with most fine dining destinations in San Diego, with starters in the teens, and entrees from mid twenties to high thirties. Portions are adequate -- even a bit large -- and presentation is artful but not overly precious. Though it is “fine dining,” it’s really the kind of place just about anyone should feel comfortable, with friendly but efficient service and interesting but uncomplicated food.
In short, Market is just what San Diego’s dining scene needed -- and with apologies for the terrible pun, local foodies are eating it up.
I have a connection with this business: I have taken classes at Grossmont College taught by the restaurant’s Pastry Chef, James Foran.. I've been here once or twice.
If there’s a type of food that is emblematic of San Diego, for better or worse, it has to be taco-shop style Mexican. Some refer to this as “Berto’s” style because of the ubiquity of the Roberto’s taco shops and all of the names that mimic them. Alberto’s, Rolberto’s, Humberto’s, Adalberto’s -- you get the point.
In this sea of sameness though, there are a few shops that stand out above the crowd. I’m not talking about the “fancy” ones, like El Zarape with its scallop taco specialty and mosaic tile décor, or Mama Testa Taqueria with its gourmet salsa bar. (Though those are both pretty good.) I’m talking about regular old ordinary taco shops. Taste is subjective of course, and there are as many opinions about taco shops in San Diego than there are taco shops themselves -- but by any standard Sarita, and a few others we have found along the way, are doing it a little better than their “Berto’s” bretheren.
For several years now, my husband and I have made it a tradition to stay in on Friday nights and celebrate the end of the work week with an evening of Mexican food and trashy television. In each neighborhood where we’ve lived, we’ve found a favorite taco shop and patronized it religiously every Friday night. In Hillcrest, where the tradition started, we went to La Posta No. 8 on Washington, which is justifiably popular and most crowded between the hours of 12:00 and 2:00 a.m. Moving east to Kensington, we switched to Rolberto’s on Adams Avenue. Our standard order is five rolled tacos and a carne asada burrito, which we split between the two of us. There, the tacos were always crisp and the burrito stuffed to the gills. We knew (or thought we knew) that we’d miss that place when we left. (I do still miss Mariposa Ice Cream next door.)
You might think bad Mexican food would be like bad pizza -- really not that hard to take, since it’s just meat, guacamole, cheese and salsa in different formats. Unfortunately that’s not always the case, at least in my experience. I’ve had tortillas that were greasy or dry (or even -- somewhat amazingly -- both), hard little nubbins of over-salted carne asada, sloppy guacamole full of mayonnaise, and salsa that is mostly onions. After trying a taco shop in a strip mall in the new neighborhood that was a little closer to this description than we would have liked, we noticed a much busier shop at the end of the block. As soon as we tried it, we knew we’d found our new place.
Sarita (we know it as Sarita’s) is family owned, and yes, there is actually a Sarita -- the owner and “mom” to the gang. The shop is a little brighter and more cheerful than your average stand, but it’s definitely still a taco shop. The ample burritos are stuffed with carne asada, salsa and real guacamole. The pork in the carnitas burrito falls apart and soaks the tortilla with grease; it’s served with a lime wedge to give it a little tang. The rolled tacos are crisp and topped with a generous serving of guacamole and cheese. If you like spicy carrots, this is your place: Sarita’s “gimmick” -- if you can call it that -- is that they give them away for free. They offer a standard red hot sauce and a really good green one, which is especially good on the carne asada burrito. (I also like to add some Sriracha sauce to the red and use it as a dip for the rolled tacos.)
Their catering orders are enormous -- in fact, we’re convinced they basically have one size. Whether you ask for food for ten or fifty you’ll get the same amount, as we found out the hard way. Suffice it to say, they are quite generous.
What Sarita’s serves may not be haute cuisine or fancy food, but I will say this: it’s the first thing our out-of-town visitors ask for when they come to town, and the first thing people who grew up here want to eat when they come back. It’s what my girlfriends insist on when we do our “girls nights” and it’s what we look forward to all week. It’s good old-fashioned comfort food -- San Diego style.
I do not have any connections with this business. I've been here more than ten times.
Because sometimes, nothing but a killer milkshake will do.
If you grew up in the East County, chances are you have probably already been to the Beef n’ Bun. If you didn’t, chances are you drove past it about a dozen times before someone told you how fantastic their milkshakes are. At that point, if you’re like me, you immediately made a bee-line for the drive-thru and ordered a Chocolate Peanut Butter Shake. Sipping the heavenly concoction of vanilla ice cream blended with chocolate syrup and flecks of salty peanut butter, I felt a deep pang of sincere regret for those unfortunate folks who happen to be lactose intolerant -- and immediately went back to sucking that milkshake down just as fast as my personal brain-freeze tolerance would allow.
Beef n’ Bun sits on Fletcher Parkway, just East of 125. It’s one of the few remaining independent stand-alone drive-thru burger joints in town. In fact, I can only think of one other one and it’s also in the East County – Charlie’s Best Burgers in Lemon Grove. The stand itself is fairly unassuming. It appears to have been re-decorated in the mid-70s or thereabouts, which probably didn’t do the interior atmosphere any favors, but the drive-thru is really where it’s at. You should be aware however, that if you do order your milkshake in the restaurant, you’ll get a mound of whipped cream about five inches high on top. Drive-thru milkshakes come with a lid, for obvious reasons – and therefore, no whipped cream. Personally, though I like whipped cream just fine, I think the unadorned milkshake is plenty rich enough without it.
Though the milkshakes are enough of a reason to go, the “real” food is pretty darn good too. The menu offers standard fast food fare – including big sloppy burgers with all the trimmings, a decent grilled chicken breast sandwich, and my personal favorite – the B.L.T. with six slices of perfectly crisp bacon, served on toasted bread instead of a bun. Perhaps because it’s not a standardized chain, the food tastes a little more “real” -- it doesn’t have that strange sweet taste I’ve noticed at McDonald’s, or the hyper-seasoned flavor of the food at Jack in the Box. I’d describe it as more along the lines of an In ‘n’ Out or Rally Burger - though I am quite certain that they don’t make their fries from fresh potatoes as In ‘n’ Out claims to do. In fact, the frozen crinkle fries are the weakest part of the dining experience here. Soggy and under-cooked, they reminded me of the ones we had in school lunches, but you can easily skip the fries in favor of the giant batter-dipped onion rings, or zucchini sticks. If you’re consuming a veritable bucket of milkshake and a sandwich though, you might want to do your arteries a favor and skip the side orders altogether -- I’m just saying.
The milkshakes are made with a base of soft-serve vanilla ice cream, which gives them their super-smooth, creamy texture. The added ingredients are blended in with a mixing machine you can see just inside the pickup window. You can watch them make your shake -- adding salty creamy peanut butter, chocolate syrup, malt powder, bananas -- whatever you’ve requested. They have a knack for putting in just the right amount. Thus far I’ve tried Chocolate Peanut Butter, Chocolate Malt, and Peanut Butter (which is particularly good with the B.L.T.) The chocolate malt packs a wallop of rich malt flavor, the peanut butter chocolate is salty, sweet and creamy all at the same time -- and the peanut butter really does slide down to the bottom if you leave it to sit for long. It occurred to me on my last visit that I should go ahead and just combine these flavors, in a Chocolate Peanut Butter Malt. I think I’ll save that for one of these nights when the East County summer weather is too oppressive not only to cook, but to eat anything more substantial than ice cream. It would be a meal in itself.
I do not have any connections with this business. I've been here five to ten times.
This chic little café in North County dishes up light vegetarian meals and some of the best home-style desserts in town.
You probably didn’t need one, but I’m about to give you yet another good reason to visit the South Cedros shopping district in Solana Beach -- especially if you like egg salad. Inspired by Alice Waters’ Café Fanny in Berkeley, Café Zinc serves breakfast, lunch and afternoon coffee/dessert in a rustic garden setting, complete with fountain, café chairs, metal tables and a ivy covered pergola. It’s an order at the counter and seat yourself type of place -- the food is casual but refined, and perhaps most surprisingly, 100% vegetarian, though they really don’t tout this fact.
During college in Orange County, I was a fairly frequent visitor to the original branch in Laguna Beach, (the other location is in Corona Del Mar). It was there that I first encountered the restaurant’s service quirks, which have somehow carried over to the Solana Beach location. First of all, they don’t make their sandwiches to order -- they are made in the morning and wrapped, and then sold first come first served. They run out early, and they don’t make more. It can be very frustrating, especially when it’s only 12 o’clock, and they act like it’s completely reasonable for them to be out of sandwiches. They serve salads, quiches, soups and chili too, but I for one just have to have one of those sandwiches.
At first it was the “mixed vegetable” sandwich -- thinly sliced fennel, peppers, radish and celery, with aioli, hardboiled egg, tapenade, arugula and vinaigrette, all piled in thin layers onto a focaccia roll. At some point when they were sold out of those, I tried the egg salad -- just like that, it became my new favorite. It’s a very classic egg salad, with mayonnaise, mustard, Tabasco, butter lettuce and sliced tomato, served on a brown bread. Somehow, it’s incredibly delicious -- just the right amount of sweet and creamy, with a nice zing from the mustard and Tabasco. Other sandwich options include the Brie, with arugula and horseradish mayonnaise on a French baguette, the Buffalo Mozzarella with tomato, basil and mayonnaise, and the Mediterranean, which somewhat inexplicably features smoked gouda, arugula, roasted tomatoes and pesto.
Another quirk: the service is generally aloof, though I’m not sure why. I’ve had servers who’ve treated me like I’m lucky to be there. It doesn’t really bother me much, but it is a little amusing sometimes. The clientele tends to be a little “demanding” too, which can make for some interesting people-watching -- or eavesdropping, as they case may be. Anyway, I digress . . .
Breakfast is actually very similar to what is served at Café Fanny in Berkeley. They serve poached eggs on toast in the same manner, but without the prosciutto that Fanny offers. Their coffee and fresh squeezed juices are excellent, and they offer a quiche, a scrambled egg dish, huevos rancheros, and a boiled egg with toast and fruit, in addition to a fabulous house-made granola, which I’ve purchased many times to take home.
Where Café Zinc really excels though, is with their indulgent, homestyle desserts. I have yet to taste a better chocolate cookie than their Double Chocolate Walnut, and that includes the ones I make myself. This is probably a good thing -- if I actually made theirs myself and knew how much butter and chocolate were in there, I fear I might not be able to eat them. They also have killer brownies, cheesecake, carrot cake, lemon bars, and a few other types of cookies. They feature three cakes daily to choose from, and the bars and cookies are fairly constant. They may not always have my sandwiches, but they have yet to let me down when it comes to getting my cookie fix.
If you find yourself in the Laguna or Corona Del Mar area, the cafes there also feature the Zinc Market -- a small attached takeaway shop selling fresh salads by the pound, soups, the desserts, some dips and snacks, and a case of ready made meals like stuffed potatoes, lasagna, quiche, macaroni and cheese, etc. (The fresh guacamole is especially good.) They also sell cookbooks, kitchen textiles, and some really nice gift and décor items.
I do not have any connections with this business. I've been here more than ten times.
If they don’t already know your name, go and you’ll wish they did!
The first time I went to Dobson’s I was in law school, and my head was filled with grandiose ideas about what the practice of law was going to be like. Dobson’s fed right into that: a glamorous clubby bistro, right in the thick of it, populated by important-looking people. I couldn’t really afford it, but that didn’t stop me from taking every chance I had to slide sideways into one of those little tables on the ground floor and order a bowl of mussel bisque. Student loans are like monopoly money anyway, you know. I actually went often enough back then that Paul Dobson, the owner, started to recognize me. Lest you think this makes me special, you have to understand this man knows everyone, and he never forgets a face. He’s a fantastic host and consummate restaurateur.
I hadn’t been around for a while when I popped in for lunch recently, and found myself transported right back to the past. Practicing law may not have turned out to be as glamorous as I had hoped back in the LA Law/Ally McBeal days of the early 90’s, but Dobson’s hasn’t changed a bit.
In my opinion, Dobson’s is really best experienced at the bar. The place is small enough that you can’t get lost, and there’s a camaraderie that you don’t find many places in San Diego. The bartenders are friendly and professional, and you shouldn’t be surprised to strike up a conversation with your neighbors, especially if you’re sitting near the corner. Some might complain that the space is cramped, but I would describe it as cozy. There’s something about the patina on the place that feels like the big city, maybe even Paris -- with the bentwood chairs, mirrors, wood and cracked tile floors.
If you eat at the bar, the bartenders will set a place for you, draping a napkin over the bar like a little tablecloth. It’s a great place to enjoy a bowl of the mussel bisque, or as I recently discovered, a “baby bisque” -- a smaller serving at a slightly reduced price. This soup -- a lobster bisque with mussels, topped with a large dome of puff pastry -- is one of my very favorite things to eat. When it arrives, your server will dramatically puncture the pastry and add a generous slug of sherry. Truly, it is to die for, and at $9.00 a bowl ($10 at dinner) it’s an affordable meal in itself.
That’s not to suggest you should limit yourself, by any means. The salads are terrific -- fresh, interesting and perfectly composed. They also make a mean burger, and great sandwiches, with all the good stuff you’d expect. At lunch, sandwiches are priced between $11 and $14, with entrees in the high teens. I recently enjoyed the chicken sandwich with grilled red peppers, lemon aioli and avocado, served with perfect shoestring fries.
The dinner menu offers familiar favorites with an upscale twist, such as a fried oyster Cobb salad with avocado and bacon, and pork chop with white beans, braised cabbage and apple jus. I am partial to the house-made chicken liver mousse, with clarified herb butter and spices. While the bar is great for lunch and drinks, the upstairs dining room is a good spot for dinner, especially if you can snag a perch overlooking the bar from the railing. Prices at dinner are in the high twenties to low thirties, comparable to most other fine dining venues in town.
Paul Dobson (known as “Pablo” to the regulars) attracts plenty of local power brokers to his little restaurant, but one of the secrets to his success is treating everyone like a regular, right off the bat. As his website says, “If you think you have no place here, polish your shoes, show up and be proven wrong.” So belly up to the bar, order a bisque and a glass of wine, and let the conversation flow. Whether you’ve got stars in your eyes like I did, or money in your wallet like most of the other customers, you’ll feel right at home.
I do not have any connections with this business. I've been here more than ten times.
Tired of waiting in line at Hash House a Go Go? Give Café on Park a try.
There’s something really cool about discovering a hidden gem that’s been right under your nose the whole time. Sure, you might have missed out on some good meals, but it’s almost like a new place opened up -- new to you, at least.
We stumbled on Café on Park a few weeks ago while looking for breakfast near the Sunday Farmer’s Market in Hillcrest. When we lived in the area I think we made our way through most of the other breakfast joints and cafes in North Park in Hillcrest -- but somehow we managed to miss this one. As I recall though, back then Café on Park always had a crowd. If there’s one thing my husband hates to do, it’s wait for weekend breakfast, so that’s probably what kept us away.
If the crowd has moved on, they might want to think twice. Café on Park serves up hearty, creative, home-style food in an inviting atmosphere -- a perfect combo with your morning coffee and Sunday New York Times. Its close proximity to the Farmer’s Market also makes it a great stop for a pre- (or post-) shopping meal.
The dining room is a cheerful mix of artsy-industrial funk and retro-country diner, with concrete floors, a cast concrete bar with varnished wood top, and butter-yellow walls. The art exhibits on the walls change frequently and lend the place a cosmopolitan vibe. Beverages other than coffee are served in glass mason jars. The coffee is good and strong, and they keep it coming.
If you’re like me and have a hard time deciding between sweet or savory breakfast, the good news is you can’t go wrong here. The scrambles and hashes are every bit as satisfying as the French toast and Cap'n Crunch pancakes. Wait a minute -- don’t those sound familiar? Cereal in pancakes, where have I seen that before . . . ah yes, Hash House a Go Go! In fact, I noticed several similarities between this place and the Hash House, such as the artsy/industrial décor, quirky ingredient combinations, pots of homemade jam on the tables, and last but not least, pancakes the size of bicycle tires. It turns out the owner and chef of the Hash House actually worked at Café on Park for five years before moving on to open his own place. He may have taken them over the top, but arguably some of his best ideas are still here in their original form.
We especially enjoyed the French toast (pay extra for the real maple syrup, it’s worth it!), poached eggs with pan-fried potatoes, thick bacon and toast, and the bacon, avocado, tomato and cheddar scramble. Another friend recommends the Bugs Benny – a stylized eggs benedict with artichoke hearts, spinach and basil hollandaise.
Café on Park serves breakfast and lunch daily, and Thursday thru Saturday they offer dinner as well. (On the days they are open for dinner, they close between 2 PM and 5 PM, other days, they close at 2.) I haven’t tried them for lunch or dinner, but if I lived nearby I’m sure I’d drop on in. I’d be willing to bet that they fly even further under the radar in the afternoon and evening hours, and if their way with a burger is even close to the breakfast, it would be well worth a visit.
I do not have any connections with this business. I've been here once or twice.
Do some good and feed yourself well at this student-run café at the Toussaint Academy downtown.
I am always on the lookout for new places to eat lunch downtown, since it’s a meal I reliably eat out at least a couple of times per week. When I read about Pierre’s Place I knew I had to try it - not only because it sounded like a place to get good grub close to my office, but because the proceeds are going to a good cause.
Similar to Jamie Oliver’s “Fifteen” restaurant in London, Pierre’s is run by students and recent graduates of Father Joe’s Toussaint Academy, a licensed group home that provides shelter and education for homeless college-bound teens. In the few months that it’s been open, it has become one of the busiest lunch spots around, with good reason.
The atmosphere of the café itself is very welcoming, with lots of wood tables and chairs surrounding a living room area furnished with red leather sofas and a fireplace. It’s a nice combination of a coffee-house and café sort of vibe. You order and pay at the counter, and the food is brought out to your table.
The food is a definite cut above your average deli fare -- fresh salads with lots of toppings served in oval porcelain bowls, overstuffed deli sandwiches on panini-toasted bread, pizza, espresso and gelato. Some standouts we’ve tried from the menu include the grilled panini sandwich with chicken, provolone and roasted red peppers; the club deli sandwich made with turkey and ham; the chopped salad with bacon, avocado and tomatoes, and the house salad with dried cranberries, walnuts and bleu cheese on baby greens. The pizza also seems to be quite popular -- I’ve seen several people eating slices and picking up pies to go, including Father Joe himself. The coffee is also nice and strong -- perfect with a rich, gooey cup of gelato.
The presentation is quite fancy, and I love the fact that they use few disposable products. Sandwiches are served on cool triangular chrome racks lined with paper -- with a green salad in a glass bowl on the side. Silverware is wrapped in little bundles tied with string and propped in a vintage mason-style jar on the table, and beverages are served in recyclable clear plastic cups.
The good news is that all this extra quality and presentation doesn’t cost any more than your average deli. The sandwiches and salads are around six or seven dollars, with pizza by the slice for a little less. The service is also extremely fast, friendly and efficient -- far better than I’ve encountered in most quick-service restaurants.
Given all this, it’s not surprising that they have been very busy this summer, with lots of students pouring in from the language school around the corner, and lots of workers from the nearby offices. I’m thrilled that they are doing so well -- but the downside is it can sometimes be difficult to find a seat at lunch time. At least for the summer, it’s probably not a bad idea to come a little on the early or late side, just to make sure you get a table.
I do not have any connections with this business. I've been here once or twice.
This “tres francais” patisserie dishes up precise French pastries in a charming atmosphere.
A few years ago I was out for a stroll in the Fillmore neighborhood of San Francisco and wandered into the Bay Bread Boulangerie on Pine. In the case were these cute little colorful sandwich cookies that came in at least a dozen flavors. I picked lemon, caramel and chocolate, and I must have bought some other stuff too -- but I don’t remember exactly what. What I do remember is how I swooned when I bit into those cookies. They were delicate, light and rich at the same time, and had incredible flavor. In an instant, I was hooked on Parisian macarons (not to be confused with the moist coconut confections by the same name.)
After returning to San Diego, I tried to mail order some to give as gifts, but it turns out Bay Bread won’t ship them, believing they are too fragile. Searching for local sources, I discovered Opera Patisserie, then a commercial outlet located on Aero Drive. For the holidays that year, I ordered several items to give as gifts, including boxes of the macarons, some truffles and flourless chocolate cakes. They were a huge hit, and I made a somewhat regular habit of picking up sweets for parties and gifts.
Driving down 6th Avenue on my way to work a few months ago, I was thrilled to see the awning announcing Opera Patisserie’s new café downtown. Located dangerously close to my office, the café offers breakfast pastries, coffee and light lunch entrees, as well as the company’s fabulous desserts. Everything I have tried has been good -- but the caramel mousse, lemon tart and raspberry mirror desserts are particular standouts. For lunch they offer quiches, salads and sandwiches, many with a rich combination of ham and cheese. Most lunch offerings are served with a green salad dressed with balsamic vinaigrette.
The café itself is sweetly decorated with pastel colors and white wrought iron. A door opens into the European antique store next door -- where the gregarious owner will be more than happy to sell you a French-Provincial dining table that seats twenty, a set of 18th Century church pews, or perhaps a Rathskeller beer barrel bar. (He wanted to put that one on a truck and deliver it to my co-worker’s house that very afternoon!)
The menu is posted on a large board behind the counter where you order, and the food is brought out on china plates with silverware. Prices are in the $8.00 to $10.00 range for lunch, and $3.00 to $5.00 for pastries and desserts. Everything is also available to go. I have a hard time leaving without some macarons, packaged in a charming pink box with a picture of the Eiffel Tower. They don’t make a caramel flavor (yet), but the flavors they do have are delicious, with a rich cream filling sandwiched between two airy meringue domes. They also often have boxes of assorted tiny pastries which would make great dinner party hostess gifts. Note though, that they are only open during the day, until 4pm –- hopefully after-dinner coffee and dessert will be available soon.
They use top quality ingredients -- no ersatz shortcuts here -- and you can taste the butter, chocolate and authentic fruit flavors in the finished products. Their classic French style has won them a number of commercial catering gigs, so you might recognize the products in the case as something you have seen at a local hotel or restaurant. Though they don’t generally have whole cakes available for purchase at the restaurant, they can handle orders for sheet cakes or round cakes for special occasions. The cakes are decorated in classic French patisserie style, so don’t expect buttercream or gum paste flowers. They will even make you a croquembouche, the classic French wedding “cake” made up of a tower of cream puffs tied together with spun sugar. (I’m still waiting for the perfect occasion to order that one -- seeing as how I eloped!)
Thierry, the owner, is lovely and charming (and very French) and his Opera Patisserie brings a welcome sophisticated touch to the downtown dining scene.
I do not have any connections with this business. I've been here five to ten times.
This unassuming Linda Vista sandwich shop serves up delicious, exotic, inexpensive and satisfying sandwiches, along with some of the best coffee drinks in town.
From the first time I heard about Vietnamese bahn mi sandwiches, I was fascinated. With marinated grilled meats (or deli meats and pâté) and sweet tart pickled veggies piled on a crisp French baguette -- I couldn’t imagine how they could not be absolutely fantastic. The first one I tried was a “fancy pants” version from Out the Door -- the takeout branch of the much-celebrated Slanted Door in San Francisco. While it was good, I was pretty sure it wasn’t the authentic experience I was looking for. I had heard that “real” bahn mi are smaller than traditional American sandwiches, and quite inexpensive. (The Slanted Door’s version cost about $8.00.)
Back at home and determined to satisfy my curiosity, I made it a point to visit K Sandwiches in Linda Vista, just off the 163 freeway at the Mesa College exit. On my first visit, I was a little intimidated by the unfamiliar menu and surroundings, but I quickly got over it when I took the first bite of my grilled pork bahn mi (bahn mi thit). On that visit, I also ordered a boba milk tea. Vietnamese milk tea is similar to Thai tea, but not quite as sweet. It was good, but on my next visit I discovered the Vietnamese milk coffee (café sue da) and I’ve never looked back. In fact, I’m addicted.
The sandwiches are made with a somewhat thin but long baguette -- crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. For the grilled meats, the bread is smeared with a very light coating of slightly sweet mayonnaise. Thin slices of your choice of meat are added, along with slivers of marinated carrot and daikon, sprigs of cilantro and a few slices of jalapeño. The sweet-savory combination of the meat and marinated vegetables is unusual and delicious. Be warned though: the slices of jalapeño can sneak up on you. I like to take them out and nibble them on the side. If you order one of the “lunchmeat” versions, the bread is smeared with pâté before the meat is added -- then topped with the same marinated vegetables, cilantro and jalapeño. They also have tuna and vegetarian versions. My personal favorites are the above-mentioned grilled pork and the grilled chicken (bahn mi ga). At around $2.50 apiece, all of them are bargains.
The restaurant is counter service -- when you walk in, you'll see the various sandwiches pictured over the cash register. A self-service bakery offers bins of the baguettes they use for the sandwiches, as well as croissants and rolls. Next to that, a refrigerator case displays rows of plastic cups filled with exotic desserts made with fruit, coconut, rice, beans and various multi-colored jellies. The middle table is stacked with sweets, including crepes filled with deep purple rice and blocks of brightly striped jelly candy. Another wall is occupied by a cooler offering dozens of soda selections.
At busy times, ready-made takeout containers are stacked on the counter, filled with Vietnamese specialties from the nearby steam table. A large case filled with flaky pate chaud -- pastries filled with pork pâté -- sits on the other side of the cash register area, and on my most recent visit an elderly woman was turning out stacks of fresh waffles from a Belgian waffle iron.
While waiting for your food, you may notice patrons sipping brightly-colored drinks through thick straws. These might be shakes made with mango, avocado, green tea, jackfruit, sugar cane or lychee -- for a small fee, you can add jelly, boba or coconut. I myself am partial to the tea and coffee drinks, but the shakes are popular and look like they would be especially fun to try on a hot day.
The central location of K Sandwiches and easy freeway access make it a snap to stop by for a quick lunch or beverage. Parking is usually easy, even when there’s a crowd, and the service is unfailingly friendly, helpful and fast. With all that going for it and delicious, satisfying sandwiches to boot –- how could it not be absolutely fantastic?
I do not have any connections with this business. I've been here five to ten times.
We call them ‘recommendations’ and not ‘reviews’ for a reason. We only write about restaurants we would want a friend to enjoy. Your recommendations should be truthfully positive. If you don’t like a place, just don’t write about it. Period.
We write about places we know well enough to know why we like them. You should be a familiar face at the restaurant you choose to recommend.
As regulars, we have insider tips and we share them. Tell us stuff only a regular would know: the must-order dishes, the prime times to go, the best seats in the house, the parking situation.
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Cheese Shop, Downtown-Gaslamp
09/21/07Fresh stuffed sandwiches and lots of extra touches make these two delis something special.
While sandwiches are seemingly all around, a really good deli sandwich is surprisingly hard to find in San Diego. Enter the Cheese Shop, a local mini-chain with two locations that does things a little differently than most. While there are some differences between their Downtown and La Jolla branches, happily they both serve up a mean sandwich.
The first thing you’ll notice when you walk into the La Jolla shop, on La Jolla Shores Drive near the beach, is the pork roasting in the ovens, right there by the door. It’s a mouthwatering aroma that leaves little doubt as to why they’re famous for the pork loin sandwiches. (There’s even a sign outside that says “Home of the Porker.”) They also roast their own turkey. The second thing you will probably notice is the huge selection of British candies and food products that line the left-hand wall, and the selection of forgotten favorites on the shelves below the checkout stand. Big League Chew, Bit O’Honey, Chick–a-Stik, even bubblegum cigarettes -- if you’ve been missing it, chances are they have it here. They also carry a wide selection of bottled sodas, juice drinks and beverages and several kinds of fancy chips, including my favorite, Poore Brothers.
The La Jolla shop is small, with no seating indoors and just a few tables outside. It’s actually a great place to pick up a picnic to take to the beach or one of the local parks. The sandwiches are huge overstuffed monsters -- I generally only tackle a half -- stuffed with their house-roasted meats and whatever else you like. They will pull the meat out of the case, slice it, and make the sandwich to order there on the spot. I can wholeheartedly recommend the Turkey, Jack and Avocado, which is something of a specialty; the roast pork loin; or the roast beef (though it’s not for folks who like their meat well done -- it might be the rarest beef I’ve ever seen.) They also have two types of cookies -- a chocolate chip spiked with a bit of cinnamon, and an oatmeal that is almost more like candy -- chewy and caramel-like, loaded with butter. Good pickles too.
The Downtown shop is more like a cousin than a sibling to the La Jolla branch. It’s a full sit-down restaurant with table service and offers a full menu of hot sandwiches, including a burger, in addition to the deli sandwiches. They also serve breakfast, which I haven’t had a chance to try but I have heard is very good. For some reason, probably because of the volume of their business, I don’t think the sandwiches are quite as good at this location, but they more than make up for that with the fact that they deliver.
Just recently, I discovered a new reason to love them even more: the “Café Chips.” When we asked what they were, they said “Like Lays, only we cook them here.” That’s right, house-made fresh potato chips. Oh my. They were still warm and perfectly crisp -- not a soggy one among them. Between that and the two oatmeal cookies they threw in this time, I might never go back to a chain deli again.
Cheese Shop, La Jolla-Downtown
09/21/07Fresh stuffed sandwiches and lots of extra touches make these two delis something special.
While sandwiches are seemingly all around, a really good deli sandwich is surprisingly hard to find in San Diego. Enter the Cheese Shop, a local mini-chain with two locations that does things a little differently than most. While there are some differences between their Downtown and La Jolla branches, happily they both serve up a mean sandwich.
The first thing you’ll notice when you walk into the La Jolla shop, on La Jolla Shores Drive near the beach, is the pork roasting in the ovens, right there by the door. It’s a mouthwatering aroma that leaves little doubt as to why they’re famous for the pork loin sandwiches. (There’s even a sign outside that says “Home of the Porker.”) They also roast their own turkey. The second thing you will probably notice is the huge selection of British candies and food products that line the left-hand wall, and the selection of forgotten favorites on the shelves below the checkout stand. Big League Chew, Bit O’Honey, Chick–a-Stik, even bubblegum cigarettes -- if you’ve been missing it, chances are they have it here. They also carry a wide selection of bottled sodas, juice drinks and beverages and several kinds of fancy chips, including my favorite, Poore Brothers.
The La Jolla shop is small, with no seating indoors and just a few tables outside. It’s actually a great place to pick up a picnic to take to the beach or one of the local parks. The sandwiches are huge overstuffed monsters -- I generally only tackle a half -- stuffed with their house-roasted meats and whatever else you like. They will pull the meat out of the case, slice it, and make the sandwich to order there on the spot. I can wholeheartedly recommend the Turkey, Jack and Avocado, which is something of a specialty; the roast pork loin; or the roast beef (though it’s not for folks who like their meat well done -- it might be the rarest beef I’ve ever seen.) They also have two types of cookies -- a chocolate chip spiked with a bit of cinnamon, and an oatmeal that is almost more like candy -- chewy and caramel-like, loaded with butter. Good pickles too.
The Downtown shop is more like a cousin than a sibling to the La Jolla branch. It’s a full sit-down restaurant with table service and offers a full menu of hot sandwiches, including a burger, in addition to the deli sandwiches. They also serve breakfast, which I haven’t had a chance to try but I have heard is very good. For some reason, probably because of the volume of their business, I don’t think the sandwiches are quite as good at this location, but they more than make up for that with the fact that they deliver.
Just recently, I discovered a new reason to love them even more: the “Café Chips.” When we asked what they were, they said “Like Lays, only we cook them here.” That’s right, house-made fresh potato chips. Oh my. They were still warm and perfectly crisp -- not a soggy one among them. Between that and the two oatmeal cookies they threw in this time, I might never go back to a chain deli again.
Market, Del Mar
09/08/07Indulge yourself with some of the freshest cuisine San Diego has to offer.
San Diego has no shortage of restaurants where you can drop a pretty dime to eat, but some might argue that it is short on “interesting” fine dining options -- a problem that distinguishes us from Los Angeles or San Francisco. Market doesn’t exactly solve this problem single-handedly, but it surely does help. With its indulgent and inventive combinations at relatively moderate prices, this place manages to please just about everyone, from die-hard local foodies to ordinary folks just looking for a good meal.
Opened in 2006 by Carl Schroeder, the former chef of Arterra in the Marriott Hotel, Market takes its name from the fact that the chefs use local seasonal ingredients. While many of the items are indulgent and rich (foie gras, lobster, duck confit, prime filet and short ribs all made an appearance on a recent Saturday evening) there are opportunities to eat light for those inclined, with several seafood dishes, salads and vegetarian choices.
Though I do have a slight connection with the restaurant, in that I have taken classes from James Foran, the restaurant’s pastry chef, they did not know this when we dined there and I’m confident it had no effect on our experience. On both occasions, the restaurant was packed. On the first visit it was so crowded we were forced to sit in the bar even though we had a reservation. As I understand it, they no longer seat patrons in the bar for dinner reservations, but reserve that for their lounge menu service. This isn’t a bad idea if you want to sample the cuisine and a couple of cocktails, but the atmosphere is a bit lacking. The dining room is on the other side of the bar, and has a warmer and more inviting atmosphere, but I still can’t help but think the restaurant itself isn’t laid out as well as it could be. There’s just something about it that doesn’t quite do the space justice. When the food is set down in front of you though, you’ll forget all about that.
Chef Schroeder’s menu features familiar flavors with an upscale twist -- call it “modern comfort food.” Highlights among the starters include the Oyster Cobb Salad with crisp fried oysters, house-made remoulade, bacon and avocado; the Heirloom Tomato Salad, with fat wedges of sweet heirloom tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil; a bleu cheese soufflé served with apple accompaniments; and my very favorite, a perfect duck confit paired with grapefruit wedges and marmalade. Entrees include an over-the-top “surf and turf” of Brandt Farms filet and Maine lobster, Kobe beef “flat iron” steak, a miso glazed sea bass, and a milk-fed veal “two ways” -- as a house-made Bratwurst, and a scaloppini.
Market’s pricing is in line with most fine dining destinations in San Diego, with starters in the teens, and entrees from mid twenties to high thirties. Portions are adequate -- even a bit large -- and presentation is artful but not overly precious. Though it is “fine dining,” it’s really the kind of place just about anyone should feel comfortable, with friendly but efficient service and interesting but uncomplicated food.
In short, Market is just what San Diego’s dining scene needed -- and with apologies for the terrible pun, local foodies are eating it up.
Sarita Taco Shop, Spring Valley
09/02/07One step beyond the “Berto’s.”
If there’s a type of food that is emblematic of San Diego, for better or worse, it has to be taco-shop style Mexican. Some refer to this as “Berto’s” style because of the ubiquity of the Roberto’s taco shops and all of the names that mimic them. Alberto’s, Rolberto’s, Humberto’s, Adalberto’s -- you get the point.
In this sea of sameness though, there are a few shops that stand out above the crowd. I’m not talking about the “fancy” ones, like El Zarape with its scallop taco specialty and mosaic tile décor, or Mama Testa Taqueria with its gourmet salsa bar. (Though those are both pretty good.) I’m talking about regular old ordinary taco shops. Taste is subjective of course, and there are as many opinions about taco shops in San Diego than there are taco shops themselves -- but by any standard Sarita, and a few others we have found along the way, are doing it a little better than their “Berto’s” bretheren.
For several years now, my husband and I have made it a tradition to stay in on Friday nights and celebrate the end of the work week with an evening of Mexican food and trashy television. In each neighborhood where we’ve lived, we’ve found a favorite taco shop and patronized it religiously every Friday night. In Hillcrest, where the tradition started, we went to La Posta No. 8 on Washington, which is justifiably popular and most crowded between the hours of 12:00 and 2:00 a.m. Moving east to Kensington, we switched to Rolberto’s on Adams Avenue. Our standard order is five rolled tacos and a carne asada burrito, which we split between the two of us. There, the tacos were always crisp and the burrito stuffed to the gills. We knew (or thought we knew) that we’d miss that place when we left. (I do still miss Mariposa Ice Cream next door.)
You might think bad Mexican food would be like bad pizza -- really not that hard to take, since it’s just meat, guacamole, cheese and salsa in different formats. Unfortunately that’s not always the case, at least in my experience. I’ve had tortillas that were greasy or dry (or even -- somewhat amazingly -- both), hard little nubbins of over-salted carne asada, sloppy guacamole full of mayonnaise, and salsa that is mostly onions. After trying a taco shop in a strip mall in the new neighborhood that was a little closer to this description than we would have liked, we noticed a much busier shop at the end of the block. As soon as we tried it, we knew we’d found our new place.
Sarita (we know it as Sarita’s) is family owned, and yes, there is actually a Sarita -- the owner and “mom” to the gang. The shop is a little brighter and more cheerful than your average stand, but it’s definitely still a taco shop. The ample burritos are stuffed with carne asada, salsa and real guacamole. The pork in the carnitas burrito falls apart and soaks the tortilla with grease; it’s served with a lime wedge to give it a little tang. The rolled tacos are crisp and topped with a generous serving of guacamole and cheese. If you like spicy carrots, this is your place: Sarita’s “gimmick” -- if you can call it that -- is that they give them away for free. They offer a standard red hot sauce and a really good green one, which is especially good on the carne asada burrito. (I also like to add some Sriracha sauce to the red and use it as a dip for the rolled tacos.)
Their catering orders are enormous -- in fact, we’re convinced they basically have one size. Whether you ask for food for ten or fifty you’ll get the same amount, as we found out the hard way. Suffice it to say, they are quite generous.
What Sarita’s serves may not be haute cuisine or fancy food, but I will say this: it’s the first thing our out-of-town visitors ask for when they come to town, and the first thing people who grew up here want to eat when they come back. It’s what my girlfriends insist on when we do our “girls nights” and it’s what we look forward to all week. It’s good old-fashioned comfort food -- San Diego style.
Beef 'n Bun Whistle Stop, El Cajon
08/26/07Because sometimes, nothing but a killer milkshake will do.
If you grew up in the East County, chances are you have probably already been to the Beef n’ Bun. If you didn’t, chances are you drove past it about a dozen times before someone told you how fantastic their milkshakes are. At that point, if you’re like me, you immediately made a bee-line for the drive-thru and ordered a Chocolate Peanut Butter Shake. Sipping the heavenly concoction of vanilla ice cream blended with chocolate syrup and flecks of salty peanut butter, I felt a deep pang of sincere regret for those unfortunate folks who happen to be lactose intolerant -- and immediately went back to sucking that milkshake down just as fast as my personal brain-freeze tolerance would allow.
Beef n’ Bun sits on Fletcher Parkway, just East of 125. It’s one of the few remaining independent stand-alone drive-thru burger joints in town. In fact, I can only think of one other one and it’s also in the East County – Charlie’s Best Burgers in Lemon Grove. The stand itself is fairly unassuming. It appears to have been re-decorated in the mid-70s or thereabouts, which probably didn’t do the interior atmosphere any favors, but the drive-thru is really where it’s at. You should be aware however, that if you do order your milkshake in the restaurant, you’ll get a mound of whipped cream about five inches high on top. Drive-thru milkshakes come with a lid, for obvious reasons – and therefore, no whipped cream. Personally, though I like whipped cream just fine, I think the unadorned milkshake is plenty rich enough without it.
Though the milkshakes are enough of a reason to go, the “real” food is pretty darn good too. The menu offers standard fast food fare – including big sloppy burgers with all the trimmings, a decent grilled chicken breast sandwich, and my personal favorite – the B.L.T. with six slices of perfectly crisp bacon, served on toasted bread instead of a bun. Perhaps because it’s not a standardized chain, the food tastes a little more “real” -- it doesn’t have that strange sweet taste I’ve noticed at McDonald’s, or the hyper-seasoned flavor of the food at Jack in the Box. I’d describe it as more along the lines of an In ‘n’ Out or Rally Burger - though I am quite certain that they don’t make their fries from fresh potatoes as In ‘n’ Out claims to do. In fact, the frozen crinkle fries are the weakest part of the dining experience here. Soggy and under-cooked, they reminded me of the ones we had in school lunches, but you can easily skip the fries in favor of the giant batter-dipped onion rings, or zucchini sticks. If you’re consuming a veritable bucket of milkshake and a sandwich though, you might want to do your arteries a favor and skip the side orders altogether -- I’m just saying.
The milkshakes are made with a base of soft-serve vanilla ice cream, which gives them their super-smooth, creamy texture. The added ingredients are blended in with a mixing machine you can see just inside the pickup window. You can watch them make your shake -- adding salty creamy peanut butter, chocolate syrup, malt powder, bananas -- whatever you’ve requested. They have a knack for putting in just the right amount. Thus far I’ve tried Chocolate Peanut Butter, Chocolate Malt, and Peanut Butter (which is particularly good with the B.L.T.) The chocolate malt packs a wallop of rich malt flavor, the peanut butter chocolate is salty, sweet and creamy all at the same time -- and the peanut butter really does slide down to the bottom if you leave it to sit for long. It occurred to me on my last visit that I should go ahead and just combine these flavors, in a Chocolate Peanut Butter Malt. I think I’ll save that for one of these nights when the East County summer weather is too oppressive not only to cook, but to eat anything more substantial than ice cream. It would be a meal in itself.
Cafe Zinc, Solana Beach
08/18/07This chic little café in North County dishes up light vegetarian meals and some of the best home-style desserts in town.
You probably didn’t need one, but I’m about to give you yet another good reason to visit the South Cedros shopping district in Solana Beach -- especially if you like egg salad. Inspired by Alice Waters’ Café Fanny in Berkeley, Café Zinc serves breakfast, lunch and afternoon coffee/dessert in a rustic garden setting, complete with fountain, café chairs, metal tables and a ivy covered pergola. It’s an order at the counter and seat yourself type of place -- the food is casual but refined, and perhaps most surprisingly, 100% vegetarian, though they really don’t tout this fact.
During college in Orange County, I was a fairly frequent visitor to the original branch in Laguna Beach, (the other location is in Corona Del Mar). It was there that I first encountered the restaurant’s service quirks, which have somehow carried over to the Solana Beach location. First of all, they don’t make their sandwiches to order -- they are made in the morning and wrapped, and then sold first come first served. They run out early, and they don’t make more. It can be very frustrating, especially when it’s only 12 o’clock, and they act like it’s completely reasonable for them to be out of sandwiches. They serve salads, quiches, soups and chili too, but I for one just have to have one of those sandwiches.
At first it was the “mixed vegetable” sandwich -- thinly sliced fennel, peppers, radish and celery, with aioli, hardboiled egg, tapenade, arugula and vinaigrette, all piled in thin layers onto a focaccia roll. At some point when they were sold out of those, I tried the egg salad -- just like that, it became my new favorite. It’s a very classic egg salad, with mayonnaise, mustard, Tabasco, butter lettuce and sliced tomato, served on a brown bread. Somehow, it’s incredibly delicious -- just the right amount of sweet and creamy, with a nice zing from the mustard and Tabasco. Other sandwich options include the Brie, with arugula and horseradish mayonnaise on a French baguette, the Buffalo Mozzarella with tomato, basil and mayonnaise, and the Mediterranean, which somewhat inexplicably features smoked gouda, arugula, roasted tomatoes and pesto.
Another quirk: the service is generally aloof, though I’m not sure why. I’ve had servers who’ve treated me like I’m lucky to be there. It doesn’t really bother me much, but it is a little amusing sometimes. The clientele tends to be a little “demanding” too, which can make for some interesting people-watching -- or eavesdropping, as they case may be. Anyway, I digress . . .
Breakfast is actually very similar to what is served at Café Fanny in Berkeley. They serve poached eggs on toast in the same manner, but without the prosciutto that Fanny offers. Their coffee and fresh squeezed juices are excellent, and they offer a quiche, a scrambled egg dish, huevos rancheros, and a boiled egg with toast and fruit, in addition to a fabulous house-made granola, which I’ve purchased many times to take home.
Where Café Zinc really excels though, is with their indulgent, homestyle desserts. I have yet to taste a better chocolate cookie than their Double Chocolate Walnut, and that includes the ones I make myself. This is probably a good thing -- if I actually made theirs myself and knew how much butter and chocolate were in there, I fear I might not be able to eat them. They also have killer brownies, cheesecake, carrot cake, lemon bars, and a few other types of cookies. They feature three cakes daily to choose from, and the bars and cookies are fairly constant. They may not always have my sandwiches, but they have yet to let me down when it comes to getting my cookie fix.
If you find yourself in the Laguna or Corona Del Mar area, the cafes there also feature the Zinc Market -- a small attached takeaway shop selling fresh salads by the pound, soups, the desserts, some dips and snacks, and a case of ready made meals like stuffed potatoes, lasagna, quiche, macaroni and cheese, etc. (The fresh guacamole is especially good.) They also sell cookbooks, kitchen textiles, and some really nice gift and décor items.
Dobson's Bar & Restaurant, Downtown
08/12/07If they don’t already know your name, go and you’ll wish they did!
The first time I went to Dobson’s I was in law school, and my head was filled with grandiose ideas about what the practice of law was going to be like. Dobson’s fed right into that: a glamorous clubby bistro, right in the thick of it, populated by important-looking people. I couldn’t really afford it, but that didn’t stop me from taking every chance I had to slide sideways into one of those little tables on the ground floor and order a bowl of mussel bisque. Student loans are like monopoly money anyway, you know. I actually went often enough back then that Paul Dobson, the owner, started to recognize me. Lest you think this makes me special, you have to understand this man knows everyone, and he never forgets a face. He’s a fantastic host and consummate restaurateur.
I hadn’t been around for a while when I popped in for lunch recently, and found myself transported right back to the past. Practicing law may not have turned out to be as glamorous as I had hoped back in the LA Law/Ally McBeal days of the early 90’s, but Dobson’s hasn’t changed a bit.
In my opinion, Dobson’s is really best experienced at the bar. The place is small enough that you can’t get lost, and there’s a camaraderie that you don’t find many places in San Diego. The bartenders are friendly and professional, and you shouldn’t be surprised to strike up a conversation with your neighbors, especially if you’re sitting near the corner. Some might complain that the space is cramped, but I would describe it as cozy. There’s something about the patina on the place that feels like the big city, maybe even Paris -- with the bentwood chairs, mirrors, wood and cracked tile floors.
If you eat at the bar, the bartenders will set a place for you, draping a napkin over the bar like a little tablecloth. It’s a great place to enjoy a bowl of the mussel bisque, or as I recently discovered, a “baby bisque” -- a smaller serving at a slightly reduced price. This soup -- a lobster bisque with mussels, topped with a large dome of puff pastry -- is one of my very favorite things to eat. When it arrives, your server will dramatically puncture the pastry and add a generous slug of sherry. Truly, it is to die for, and at $9.00 a bowl ($10 at dinner) it’s an affordable meal in itself.
That’s not to suggest you should limit yourself, by any means. The salads are terrific -- fresh, interesting and perfectly composed. They also make a mean burger, and great sandwiches, with all the good stuff you’d expect. At lunch, sandwiches are priced between $11 and $14, with entrees in the high teens. I recently enjoyed the chicken sandwich with grilled red peppers, lemon aioli and avocado, served with perfect shoestring fries.
The dinner menu offers familiar favorites with an upscale twist, such as a fried oyster Cobb salad with avocado and bacon, and pork chop with white beans, braised cabbage and apple jus. I am partial to the house-made chicken liver mousse, with clarified herb butter and spices. While the bar is great for lunch and drinks, the upstairs dining room is a good spot for dinner, especially if you can snag a perch overlooking the bar from the railing. Prices at dinner are in the high twenties to low thirties, comparable to most other fine dining venues in town.
Paul Dobson (known as “Pablo” to the regulars) attracts plenty of local power brokers to his little restaurant, but one of the secrets to his success is treating everyone like a regular, right off the bat. As his website says, “If you think you have no place here, polish your shoes, show up and be proven wrong.” So belly up to the bar, order a bisque and a glass of wine, and let the conversation flow. Whether you’ve got stars in your eyes like I did, or money in your wallet like most of the other customers, you’ll feel right at home.
Cafe On Park, Hillcrest
08/04/07Tired of waiting in line at Hash House a Go Go? Give Café on Park a try.
There’s something really cool about discovering a hidden gem that’s been right under your nose the whole time. Sure, you might have missed out on some good meals, but it’s almost like a new place opened up -- new to you, at least.
We stumbled on Café on Park a few weeks ago while looking for breakfast near the Sunday Farmer’s Market in Hillcrest. When we lived in the area I think we made our way through most of the other breakfast joints and cafes in North Park in Hillcrest -- but somehow we managed to miss this one. As I recall though, back then Café on Park always had a crowd. If there’s one thing my husband hates to do, it’s wait for weekend breakfast, so that’s probably what kept us away.
If the crowd has moved on, they might want to think twice. Café on Park serves up hearty, creative, home-style food in an inviting atmosphere -- a perfect combo with your morning coffee and Sunday New York Times. Its close proximity to the Farmer’s Market also makes it a great stop for a pre- (or post-) shopping meal.
The dining room is a cheerful mix of artsy-industrial funk and retro-country diner, with concrete floors, a cast concrete bar with varnished wood top, and butter-yellow walls. The art exhibits on the walls change frequently and lend the place a cosmopolitan vibe. Beverages other than coffee are served in glass mason jars. The coffee is good and strong, and they keep it coming.
If you’re like me and have a hard time deciding between sweet or savory breakfast, the good news is you can’t go wrong here. The scrambles and hashes are every bit as satisfying as the French toast and Cap'n Crunch pancakes. Wait a minute -- don’t those sound familiar? Cereal in pancakes, where have I seen that before . . . ah yes, Hash House a Go Go! In fact, I noticed several similarities between this place and the Hash House, such as the artsy/industrial décor, quirky ingredient combinations, pots of homemade jam on the tables, and last but not least, pancakes the size of bicycle tires. It turns out the owner and chef of the Hash House actually worked at Café on Park for five years before moving on to open his own place. He may have taken them over the top, but arguably some of his best ideas are still here in their original form.
We especially enjoyed the French toast (pay extra for the real maple syrup, it’s worth it!), poached eggs with pan-fried potatoes, thick bacon and toast, and the bacon, avocado, tomato and cheddar scramble. Another friend recommends the Bugs Benny – a stylized eggs benedict with artichoke hearts, spinach and basil hollandaise.
Café on Park serves breakfast and lunch daily, and Thursday thru Saturday they offer dinner as well. (On the days they are open for dinner, they close between 2 PM and 5 PM, other days, they close at 2.) I haven’t tried them for lunch or dinner, but if I lived nearby I’m sure I’d drop on in. I’d be willing to bet that they fly even further under the radar in the afternoon and evening hours, and if their way with a burger is even close to the breakfast, it would be well worth a visit.
Pierre's Place, Downtown
07/29/07Do some good and feed yourself well at this student-run café at the Toussaint Academy downtown.
I am always on the lookout for new places to eat lunch downtown, since it’s a meal I reliably eat out at least a couple of times per week. When I read about Pierre’s Place I knew I had to try it - not only because it sounded like a place to get good grub close to my office, but because the proceeds are going to a good cause.
Similar to Jamie Oliver’s “Fifteen” restaurant in London, Pierre’s is run by students and recent graduates of Father Joe’s Toussaint Academy, a licensed group home that provides shelter and education for homeless college-bound teens. In the few months that it’s been open, it has become one of the busiest lunch spots around, with good reason.
The atmosphere of the café itself is very welcoming, with lots of wood tables and chairs surrounding a living room area furnished with red leather sofas and a fireplace. It’s a nice combination of a coffee-house and café sort of vibe. You order and pay at the counter, and the food is brought out to your table.
The food is a definite cut above your average deli fare -- fresh salads with lots of toppings served in oval porcelain bowls, overstuffed deli sandwiches on panini-toasted bread, pizza, espresso and gelato. Some standouts we’ve tried from the menu include the grilled panini sandwich with chicken, provolone and roasted red peppers; the club deli sandwich made with turkey and ham; the chopped salad with bacon, avocado and tomatoes, and the house salad with dried cranberries, walnuts and bleu cheese on baby greens. The pizza also seems to be quite popular -- I’ve seen several people eating slices and picking up pies to go, including Father Joe himself. The coffee is also nice and strong -- perfect with a rich, gooey cup of gelato.
The presentation is quite fancy, and I love the fact that they use few disposable products. Sandwiches are served on cool triangular chrome racks lined with paper -- with a green salad in a glass bowl on the side. Silverware is wrapped in little bundles tied with string and propped in a vintage mason-style jar on the table, and beverages are served in recyclable clear plastic cups.
The good news is that all this extra quality and presentation doesn’t cost any more than your average deli. The sandwiches and salads are around six or seven dollars, with pizza by the slice for a little less. The service is also extremely fast, friendly and efficient -- far better than I’ve encountered in most quick-service restaurants.
Given all this, it’s not surprising that they have been very busy this summer, with lots of students pouring in from the language school around the corner, and lots of workers from the nearby offices. I’m thrilled that they are doing so well -- but the downside is it can sometimes be difficult to find a seat at lunch time. At least for the summer, it’s probably not a bad idea to come a little on the early or late side, just to make sure you get a table.
Opera Patisserie, Downtown
07/22/07This “tres francais” patisserie dishes up precise French pastries in a charming atmosphere.
A few years ago I was out for a stroll in the Fillmore neighborhood of San Francisco and wandered into the Bay Bread Boulangerie on Pine. In the case were these cute little colorful sandwich cookies that came in at least a dozen flavors. I picked lemon, caramel and chocolate, and I must have bought some other stuff too -- but I don’t remember exactly what. What I do remember is how I swooned when I bit into those cookies. They were delicate, light and rich at the same time, and had incredible flavor. In an instant, I was hooked on Parisian macarons (not to be confused with the moist coconut confections by the same name.)
After returning to San Diego, I tried to mail order some to give as gifts, but it turns out Bay Bread won’t ship them, believing they are too fragile. Searching for local sources, I discovered Opera Patisserie, then a commercial outlet located on Aero Drive. For the holidays that year, I ordered several items to give as gifts, including boxes of the macarons, some truffles and flourless chocolate cakes. They were a huge hit, and I made a somewhat regular habit of picking up sweets for parties and gifts.
Driving down 6th Avenue on my way to work a few months ago, I was thrilled to see the awning announcing Opera Patisserie’s new café downtown. Located dangerously close to my office, the café offers breakfast pastries, coffee and light lunch entrees, as well as the company’s fabulous desserts. Everything I have tried has been good -- but the caramel mousse, lemon tart and raspberry mirror desserts are particular standouts. For lunch they offer quiches, salads and sandwiches, many with a rich combination of ham and cheese. Most lunch offerings are served with a green salad dressed with balsamic vinaigrette.
The café itself is sweetly decorated with pastel colors and white wrought iron. A door opens into the European antique store next door -- where the gregarious owner will be more than happy to sell you a French-Provincial dining table that seats twenty, a set of 18th Century church pews, or perhaps a Rathskeller beer barrel bar. (He wanted to put that one on a truck and deliver it to my co-worker’s house that very afternoon!)
The menu is posted on a large board behind the counter where you order, and the food is brought out on china plates with silverware. Prices are in the $8.00 to $10.00 range for lunch, and $3.00 to $5.00 for pastries and desserts. Everything is also available to go. I have a hard time leaving without some macarons, packaged in a charming pink box with a picture of the Eiffel Tower. They don’t make a caramel flavor (yet), but the flavors they do have are delicious, with a rich cream filling sandwiched between two airy meringue domes. They also often have boxes of assorted tiny pastries which would make great dinner party hostess gifts. Note though, that they are only open during the day, until 4pm –- hopefully after-dinner coffee and dessert will be available soon.
They use top quality ingredients -- no ersatz shortcuts here -- and you can taste the butter, chocolate and authentic fruit flavors in the finished products. Their classic French style has won them a number of commercial catering gigs, so you might recognize the products in the case as something you have seen at a local hotel or restaurant. Though they don’t generally have whole cakes available for purchase at the restaurant, they can handle orders for sheet cakes or round cakes for special occasions. The cakes are decorated in classic French patisserie style, so don’t expect buttercream or gum paste flowers. They will even make you a croquembouche, the classic French wedding “cake” made up of a tower of cream puffs tied together with spun sugar. (I’m still waiting for the perfect occasion to order that one -- seeing as how I eloped!)
Thierry, the owner, is lovely and charming (and very French) and his Opera Patisserie brings a welcome sophisticated touch to the downtown dining scene.
K Sandwiches, Linda Vista
07/14/07This unassuming Linda Vista sandwich shop serves up delicious, exotic, inexpensive and satisfying sandwiches, along with some of the best coffee drinks in town.
From the first time I heard about Vietnamese bahn mi sandwiches, I was fascinated. With marinated grilled meats (or deli meats and pâté) and sweet tart pickled veggies piled on a crisp French baguette -- I couldn’t imagine how they could not be absolutely fantastic. The first one I tried was a “fancy pants” version from Out the Door -- the takeout branch of the much-celebrated Slanted Door in San Francisco. While it was good, I was pretty sure it wasn’t the authentic experience I was looking for. I had heard that “real” bahn mi are smaller than traditional American sandwiches, and quite inexpensive. (The Slanted Door’s version cost about $8.00.)
Back at home and determined to satisfy my curiosity, I made it a point to visit K Sandwiches in Linda Vista, just off the 163 freeway at the Mesa College exit. On my first visit, I was a little intimidated by the unfamiliar menu and surroundings, but I quickly got over it when I took the first bite of my grilled pork bahn mi (bahn mi thit). On that visit, I also ordered a boba milk tea. Vietnamese milk tea is similar to Thai tea, but not quite as sweet. It was good, but on my next visit I discovered the Vietnamese milk coffee (café sue da) and I’ve never looked back. In fact, I’m addicted.
The sandwiches are made with a somewhat thin but long baguette -- crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. For the grilled meats, the bread is smeared with a very light coating of slightly sweet mayonnaise. Thin slices of your choice of meat are added, along with slivers of marinated carrot and daikon, sprigs of cilantro and a few slices of jalapeño. The sweet-savory combination of the meat and marinated vegetables is unusual and delicious. Be warned though: the slices of jalapeño can sneak up on you. I like to take them out and nibble them on the side. If you order one of the “lunchmeat” versions, the bread is smeared with pâté before the meat is added -- then topped with the same marinated vegetables, cilantro and jalapeño. They also have tuna and vegetarian versions. My personal favorites are the above-mentioned grilled pork and the grilled chicken (bahn mi ga). At around $2.50 apiece, all of them are bargains.
The restaurant is counter service -- when you walk in, you'll see the various sandwiches pictured over the cash register. A self-service bakery offers bins of the baguettes they use for the sandwiches, as well as croissants and rolls. Next to that, a refrigerator case displays rows of plastic cups filled with exotic desserts made with fruit, coconut, rice, beans and various multi-colored jellies. The middle table is stacked with sweets, including crepes filled with deep purple rice and blocks of brightly striped jelly candy. Another wall is occupied by a cooler offering dozens of soda selections.
At busy times, ready-made takeout containers are stacked on the counter, filled with Vietnamese specialties from the nearby steam table. A large case filled with flaky pate chaud -- pastries filled with pork pâté -- sits on the other side of the cash register area, and on my most recent visit an elderly woman was turning out stacks of fresh waffles from a Belgian waffle iron.
While waiting for your food, you may notice patrons sipping brightly-colored drinks through thick straws. These might be shakes made with mango, avocado, green tea, jackfruit, sugar cane or lychee -- for a small fee, you can add jelly, boba or coconut. I myself am partial to the tea and coffee drinks, but the shakes are popular and look like they would be especially fun to try on a hot day.
The central location of K Sandwiches and easy freeway access make it a snap to stop by for a quick lunch or beverage. Parking is usually easy, even when there’s a crowd, and the service is unfailingly friendly, helpful and fast. With all that going for it and delicious, satisfying sandwiches to boot –- how could it not be absolutely fantastic?