mmm-yoso!!!

Rudford's Restaurant

Rudford's has always had a strange pull on the Missus, as light does a moth. I'm not quite sure what it is about the place......

Rudford's does have one thing going for it, in a town where most everything except chain restaurants close by 10 pm, Rudford's stays open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

And having been around for sixty years does say something about staying power, though I must say that many of the customers(and smells) eating at Rudford's seem like they've been coming here since 1949.

If you look up the definition of the word "Diner" in the American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, you'd read: "A small, usually inexpensive restaurant with a long counter.....

and booths......."

Say what you will, being around so long says something about staying power...... We found the staff to be mostly really nice folks, patient with the wide range of customers, from cranky old folks, to people obviously fighting psychological demons, to drunk, post nightclub kids. We found the younger Servers to be much more flexible than the two older women, with chain smoker complexions, who called everyone "honey" in a raspy voice....... tough birds both of them. Half the fun is the atmosphere.

The food ranges from good honest fare, to stuff that harkens flashbacks to the stuff I ate in my Junior High and High School Cafeteria. As I often say, "it's a fine line between comfort and really bad food".

So for better or worse, here's a rundown of a couple of dishes we've had at Rudford's.....

The Hot Roast Beef Sandwich ($9.25):

When I requested Fries with Gravy instead of mashed potato, the young man told me "no problem", and that's what I got. Perfectly fried steak style fries smothered in brown gravy....Sysco heaven! Ever since I visited Canada back in the 90's, I've loved Poutine. The roast beef was tender, but stringy, and reminded me of cafeteria fare, but it was not inedible. There's something about old fashioned white bread soaked in gravy that I enjoy as well....

 

The Missus ordered the Chicken Fried Steak and Eggs:

Though the pounded beef was very tender, it was super bland. The country gravy was like eating paste. The Missus did enjoy the O'Brien potatoes, and of course She rarely meets an egg She doesn't like.

One quick thing....what is it with these places and toast? They all seem to do toast right, dry but not crumbly, a good tool for sopping up egg, or other stuff.....

On another visit, I wasn't too happy with my Turkey Club Sandwich ($7.95).... funny thing, to the day She passed on, my Mom always called this a "Clubhouse Sandwich", never a Club Sandwich:

I appreciated the perfect smear of mayo. It's a funny thing, I eschew mayo on most sandwiches, but must have it on my Club(house). I wasn't too happy with the processed turkey and for some reason the American Cheese threw the entire sandwich off.

Lucky for me, I requested and received this for my fries (crinkle cut Sysco-fied this time):

Yes.....brown gravy. Given to me, no charge... a meal saver.....

The Missus got the Monday thru Friday 2 Eggs, Potatoes, and Toast special ($3.79):

No complaints from the Missus......

On Sunday there are two dinner/lunch specials. Like all of these type meals it starts with soup. In this case a pretty decent chicken noodle soup. Noodles kinda mushy, but okay.....

The Missus ordered the Chicken and Dumplings.

Let's just say that for us, this was an example of the worst that restaurants of this ilk put out. Bland, poorly prepared, purely created for the "dead tastebud society". Ick.........

I had the Turkey Dinner, which did look kinda cafeteria-like, down to the little thingy of cranberry sauce:

But the turkey was decent, moist and tender enough. I didn't care for the stuffing, which was very mushy. And of course, I got you-know-what-with-you-know-what. Do you see a common thread????

Stay away from the cooked vegetables if you can though, unless you just had dental surgery, or perhaps forgot your dentures. The veggies were also artificially sweet.....

Remember the peas you squished between your teeth with your tongue to gross people out???? Perfect candidates here.....

On one occasion, I tried the Chili and Scrambled Eggs with potatoes and toast ($7.95):

It turned out that the Missus really enjoyed the chili..... so She ordered it on a return visit, and got a bit of "chili revenge"...... She still wants more though......

At the end of the day, the food may ride the mediocre line, but the characters(on both sides of the counter) and attitude can't be beat. I think there's a place for Rudford's, a place where you don't concern yourself with words and phrases like "non commodity", "organic", "sustainable", "free-range", or "fair trade", and for some reason I find that kinda well, refreshing...... in a retro kinda way. I'll concern myself with those other issues on another day.

To quote one of the Server's when asked for Honey-Mustard Dressing; "I can give you honey, and I can give you mustard darlin', but we can't do honey-mustard.... we're old school!"

Rudford's Restaurant
2900 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA

Open 24 hours everyday

The San Diego Chicken Pie Shop- a revisit...pretty much the same.

mmm-yoso!!! is the food blog.  Cathy is writing today, because Kirk and ed (from Yuma) aren't.

Hello again.  Everyone seems to be feeling under the weather lately.  The 'rain' (we measure in 1/100ths of an inch out here) and 'cold' (there was frost on my car windows this morning, but is 71 now) seems to have wrecked havoc with everyone.

The other day, The Mister was starting to come down with (what now is) a massive head cold and cough and He wanted some comfort food.   I did not want to cook.

So we went down El Cajon Boulevard. In front of one of the colorfully decorated utility boxes, was the old standby,  

The San Diego Chicken Pie Shop.

It has been in various locations since 1938, with this location unchanged since 1986 or so...

I did blog about this place  in 2006, and we do eat here fairly regularly (Tuesdays and Saturdays if I can manage it, because the Pie of the Day is coconut cream...) and I figured I could take my camera and do an update.  So here goes...

 

The cole slaw is the same, as always.  Finely chopped cabbage and carrot in a light sauce that needs salt and pepper.

 

The dinner rolls are the same, as always.  Fresh baked in store,  hearty white bread.  Soft crust.  Fluffy insides. Served with real butter.

  The Mister's meal came with a cup of soup.  He chose the pea soup.  Fresh made, with carrots, kind of lumpy.  Very thick and chicken broth based.

 

The Mister got the chicken liver dinner (it includes the soup, rolls and dessert as well as the vegetable and whipped potato).

This meal takes the longest to prepare when you order it.  The livers are lightly breaded in a flour and spice mix and then pan fried.  Lots of  juicy livers. Wonderful, fresh, tasty.  As always.

 A slice of fresh made pie comes with each of our meals.  I got the coconut cream and The Mister got rhubarb.  His had two crusts, mine had whipped cream.  The crusts are different than the chicken pie crust.  Flakier. 

The interior is the same, the food is consistently the same (they sell between 2000 and 3000 pies a day- you can buy cooked or frozen to go. 

 

There is one difference.  Back in 1984, the Pie dinner was $3.10.  Now it is $6.50.    The liver dinner is now $7.00. Otherwise, nothing has changed.

Apparently time has moved on.  Two years later, our orders, including dessert choices were the same as in my original post.  Comfort food. 

 

San Diego Chicken Pie Shop  2633 El Cajon Boulevard 92104 (619)295-0156 Open 7 days 10 a.m.-8 p.m. 

In case there was any doubt, I got the pie dinner.  Same as always- chicken, turkey and gravy inside the freshly made pie crust.

Perry's Cafe

Located below where the I-5 and I-8 freeways intersect, at the point where Taylor Street crosses Pacific Coast Highway, and become Rosecrans. Kitty corner from the Old Town Transit stop, is the place we call the "truck stop". You can call it the "greasy spoon" or the diner, or by any other name, that would be still be Perry's Cafe:

Early in the morning it's not unusual to see Big Rigs parked in the over sized parking lot, later in the morning the lines will usually be out the door. The people who eat at Perry's come from all walks, from working stiffs to people who looked like they've just awakened. And they probably have....this stretch of Pacific Highway is a favorite mooring spot for RVs. Being at the intersection of the 5 and 8 freeways has its hazards as well.

My favorite time to eat at Perry's is at about 11-1130 am, you won't have to deal with the crowds, and I think breakfast for lunch is sometimes nice. Plus, Perry's is just close enough for me to grab a quick bite, and just far enough so I can escape... As you can tell by the facade, Perry's is happily stuck in the 60's and 70's time warp, down to the faux wood grained plywood!

Though the menu is pretty extensive, I come to Perry's for one thing......

The Hashbrowns (a side order $2.25). When you think about it, it is "just" hashbrowns, nothing fancy, probably frozen. But they just do it right at Perry's. Golden brown on the exterior, soft and piping hot in the interior. I call it perfect Sysco-fied goodness.

Everything I order has those hashbrowns on it. And I've learned to keep it simple at Perry's. I've never enjoyed the frittatas, "Mexican" breakfasts, or other items I've ordered. But have always been satisfied with something simple, like the Corned Beef Hash and Eggs ($6.95):

Nothing fancy, corned beef hash(undoubtedly canned), brown and crisp on the outside, 2 eggs, usually either scrambled, or over-easy(better for mopping up with toast), hashbrowns, and whole wheat toast(I find the muffins really greasy....). Whole generations have been raised on this stuff.

If I'm not feeling like eggs, I'll order a basic diner standard, like the French Dip($7.50):

Nothing particularly exciting about the French Dip, the meat was on the tough and dry side...this wasn't going to make anyone forget Phillipe's anytime soon. But there was one thing that made this quite good....

I got hashbrowns instead of fries, and poured the jus all over them......mmm-yoso!!! The waitress told me, "that's a stroke of genius, honey, its going to taste pretty darn good." Yes, Perry's is the kind of place where the waitresses call you "honey", balance 4-5 plates on their arm, and are very efficient.

Funny thing, I started a post on Perry's over 2 years ago, but for some reason never finished it. Other than that first photo of the hashbrowns, the only other thing I kept, was a photo of a waffle. So long ago, I don't even remember it.

But I am sure of one thing..... I had hashbrowns with it.

Perry's Cafe
4620 Pacific Hwy
San Diego, CA 92110
(619) 291-7121

Open Daily 6am-2pm

Episode16/week3-Charley's Famous Hamburgers, Shakes, Kabobs...and bacon!

mmm-yoso is on vacation.  The part usually played by Kirk will be played by Cathy in the interim.

Its been there since 1973.  No advertising.  Word of mouth.  You probably have seen it... Click onto the picture...you are on Broadway in Lemon Grove, heading east, toward Sweetwater Springs Road. They have *finally* finished all that construction...there...sort of to the left, the red sign...Charley's Famous Hamburgers.

It isn't a sit down restaurant, although there are picnic tables in the back and out front.  Most people seem to drive though.  They all know to order, drive up and shut off the engine.  You have to wait for the food to be cooked.

This is it- you drive through on one side of this small building, or walk up to the front and order.  All the cooking goes on inside there.

The menu, as seen via the Drive Through.

You will notice bacon on here, a lot.

I will admit to not bothering to having bacon on most items at restaurants, because I just can't taste it...its usually thin and fairly flavorless. Not  here....The bacon is always thick, always not greasy and wonderfully flavored.  This, combined with the fact that not much food is frozen, makes Charley's one place I will continue to patronize.

Lets take breakfast, for example.  This is the breakfast croissant ($ 3.39) egg, bacon, ham and cheese on a fresh, fluffy croissant.  {The extra charge to make a breakfast a combo is worth it if you like OJ-you get a large prepacked container along with a hash brown patty}

There is the famous Kabob-seasoned ground beef  patty grilled and in a pita with lettuce, radishes,  green pepper, onions and mayo....and bacon, of course...

This one is the single kabob with bacon ($4.49)

This one is the double kabob with bacon ($5.49). I really like the idea of radishes and green pepper on a hot sandwich.  It's a wonderful flavor combination.

Then of course there is the famous hamburger.

This is a the double cheeseburger ($3.29) The hamburger meat is more coarse ground than I have had, more flavorful and definitely not frozen.

There are of course, sides to order.

This is the small Chili Cheese Fries ($2.49) and the onion rings ($1.99)

The chili here is unique and has a nice spice to it. They use those spicy chili beans and not much ground beef.  (The cheese melted into the chili before I got a good photograph)..and the onion rings are made of whole real onions, in a cornmeal batter...nice crunch!  The plain fries, I am not overly thrilled about, but they have good potato flavor.

OOOH- Look behind the onion rings.  That is the plain old, simple BLT ($3.69)...SIX (6) yes, six slices of bacon on that seeded burger bun, with lettuce, tomatoes and mayo...the *absolute* best BLT ...EVER.

The part of the menu you may have missed and no photograph could do it justice are the milkshakes...Oh, you *have* to try them.  Fresh made to order...my favorite is the banana, made with a real banana, of course... that peanut butter shake...salty and sweet.....absolutely wonderful shakes....the root beer float...just get that as a treat one evening.  Its wonderful.  The one I haven't tried yet is the apple turnover shake.  But, since there are apple turnovers on the menu...well, I can imagine how the shake is made and pretty much what it tastes like...that can be for next time.

So, the next time you are driving, please don't just pass by.  Stop.  It *will* be the best food you have had in a long time.

Charley's Famous Burgers, Kabobs and Shakes, 

8213 Broadway, Lemon Grove 91945 (619)460-2690

Open 7:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m., until 10 p.m. on Friday

Western Steakburger

I'm not quite sure if Western Steakburger is a franchise or a chain, but I know that there are at least two of them in San Diego(the other in Serra Mesa). I'll often stop by the shop on University Avenue when I'm in the area and grab a burger. Though with this food blogging thing, not often enough, since I haven't been here in a while......

This Western Steakburger, which an acquaintance of mine calls "Western Steakburger West", has a real Mom-and-Pop feel to it.

The Owners are usually hard at work, with Maria(I think that's Her name) manning the counter, and "Gus" manning the grill, at this Greek-Burger joint. The drill goes like this; you order at the counter, pay, and grab a seat. When your order is ready, you pick it up, and proceed to devour it. Here's part of a menu for RONW's reading pleasure. I know I haven't posted one in a while.

Bring the "stick in the mud" that I am, I usually go for the same thing. 1/2 pound Western Deluxe($5.85), no mayo, no ketchup, with grilled onions(add $1.25). Today it dawned on me that I'd never had the fries here, so I added fries(add $1.35), as the Missus says; "whoa, living on the edge, huh?". All burgers are grilled, and you can sometimes watch the flames rising in the air, I keep what it would take to set off the Halon(or whatever they use nowadays).....

The patties here are formed into a sort of oval shape, and the meat is course ground. And yes, that is Gyros meat on the burger. The burger is always fairly moist, in spite of the grilling, though I sometimes find the burger very under-seasoned. I enjoy the taste of the grilled onions, but on this visit I found the Gyro meat to be very bland. Though this burger beats any mass produced burger by miles....

It is quite a mouthful. I found the fries to be nothing special, and they were not salted. I don't think I'll have them in the future. One last item, I enjoy the well toasted bun. Still that flavorless Gyro meat gave me some concern, since I saw them cut it fresh.....

So on my next visit, I ordered the Gyro Sandwich($5.65).

I don't think I've ever had a Gyro Sandwich with so much meat in it. The sandwich itself must have weighed in at three-quarters of a pound. Unfortunately, the meat was on the mild side, and the flame grilling left it dry and hard. The Tzatziki also wasn't to my taste, being quite mild, with no herbs, and very little flavor.

So I think I'll stay with the burger. During my visit, almost everyone ordered the Teriyaki Burger, which I guess is a popular choice.....

I think that Western Steakburger really isn't worth a special trip, it's not the best burger in San Diego by a long shot. But if you're in the area that I call the "Dead Zone", the area between Hillcrest and North Park, Western Steakburger isn't a bad choice.

Western Steakburger
2730 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92104

Brians' American Eatery

The Missus isn't really a "breakfast person" in the conventional sense. That is, She sometimes craves breakfast for dinner. And on a recent evening She had a craving for Wheat Germ Pancakes from Brians'. And Brians' serves breakfast all day.

Yes, it's called Brians', not Brian's, after the two Owners, who are both named Brian. I did a quick "handbag check", the Missus had rotated out the "Dior" and replaced it with a Fendi, so hopefully the Dior curse hadn't followed us. We drove up to Brians' which is located on busy Washington Street in Hillcrest, and is one of those popular and sometimes very crowded neighborhood diners.

We have always had very friendly service at Brians', and today was no exception. Since it was still fairly early for dinner, and the sun was out, we decided to sit on the patio.

The Missus ordered Her Wheat Germ Pancakes, but they were out, so She had the Whole Wheat Pancakes instead($5.99).

The full stack of whole wheat pancakes consist of 3 plate sized ground wheat pancakes. The pancakes were slightly nutty, and not overly sweet. The texture was slightly dense, but not as "chewy" as regular pancakes tend to be. With whipped butter, and maple syrup, the Missus stated that these were delici-yoso!!!

I've had a few dishes at Brians', and have found that the portions are always generous, but it's been hit and miss. Though today I decided to pull out all the stops, and order something interesting from the menu.

Yep, I got a Frankie Burger($9.89)! A 1/2lb burger topped with bacon and jack and cheddar cheese. But most of all it's got peanut butter on it! The menu says; "Don't be afraid!"

I'd say that you'll either immediately like or hate this burger, there's no middle ground. Though I'm not a peanut butter lover, I enjoyed the burger. The not overly sweet peanut bitter added a nice creamy richness to the burger, which was pretty darn good on it's own; seared on the outside, moist and tender in the interior. The peanut butter balanced out the saltiness of the bacon and cheddar cheese. The acid from the tomato helped cut through the richness.

The burger came with two sides and I chose fries:

The "natural style" fries, were "bleh", okay, but they got real soggy very quickly and needed alot of ketchup.

I also got the potato salad.

Red potatoes with a light coat of mayo, the salad had a huge amount of "pickle juice" that would have been off-putting on it's own, but in this case, the vinegar helped cleanse my palate of the peanut butter-cheese-bacon richness. I don't think I'd enjoy these as much with anything else. After eating all this I was stuffed silly!

I have always enjoyed the service at Brians', I also like the no-nonsense stuff. For instance we ordered coffee, and of course had ice water. And instead of having to flag someone down for refills they always leave a pot and a pitcher for our refills.

There are items on the menu at Brians' that I do not enjoy, but overall I consider Brians' to be a pretty good neighborhood diner, and the Missus loves those pancakes.

Brians' American Eatery
1451 Washington St
San Diego, CA 92103

Postscript: In case you're wondering why I ordered a Frankie Burger, it's because of our own little "Frankie Burger" - meet Frankie(burger....):

Broken Yolk Cafe - And the Curse of Dior....

I'm not a a very superstitious person. Although, I wouldn't do anything that would bring me "ba-chi", Local Kine Japanese slang for "bad luck" or "bad karma". I also will not remove lava rock(really bad luck), cut my toenails at night(Dey goin' rob your house), and as a child wouldn't touch a match ("you play wit match, you goin wet da' bed, so I goin know you play wit matches!"). But other then that, I'm really not superstitious at all! Except, that I think the Missus's Christian Dior Handbag is cursed. You see, we've never had a really good meal whenever she's brought that darn bag along. And the curse seems to extend to anything related to food; once we went shopping together (pretty rare event in itself, the Missus hates grocery shopping), and the simple act of finding a dozen eggs took me like 15 minutes. I sorted through carton after carton of cracked and broken eggs, finally finding what seemed like the only carton of "intact" eggs in the market.........

Broken Yolk Cafe, has always had an odd attraction to the Missus. I think it's the long lines, and crowds of people crowding the sidewalk during weekends. After all; all these people must know something, right?

Broken Yolk Cafe, is a very popular Breakfast and Lunch destination open from 6am to 3pm daily. Crowds of people Young and Old feast on omelets and burgers, and sip mimosas. The numerous  Omelets and Burgers have names like, The Cisco Kid (Four Egg Omelet with Ortega chilies and jack cheese topped with guacamole and sour cream), and Patty Melt Down (Ground beef, American cheese, and grilled onion on rye).

On this sunny, mild, weekday we arrived at about 1pm, after all of the breakfast chaos, and were seated upstairs.

We were served quickly and professionally, and our orders were taken, coffee and water quickly provided, and we were on our way.

The Missus decided on a Rosarito Beach Burger($7.19):

The slightly oblong burger(supposedly 1/2lb), was served on a French Roll, and topped with 2 slices of bacon and guacamole. The Missus, as is Her norm ordered the burger with no mayo, She wants to taste the "beef". This was a bit of a mistake; the burger was very dry. I took a bite and darn if I didn't bite into a "toenail".... that's what I call a piece of bone or other inedible hard piece of "something". The burger came with a pretty large portion of crinkle cut fries:

I really felt like these had been "re-fried", the interior were cold and the fries were very dry.

I ordered the Omelet called the "Border Check"($8.29):

This was a 4 egg omelet with Beef Chorizo, Jack Cheese, Jalapeno Peppers, and topped with guacamole and salsa. I thought the omelet was decent, and enjoyed the heat of the jalapenos, though the Missus thought that the flavoring of the chorizo over-powered everything else. I ordered the "Home Fries", that was more like scalloped/gratin potatoes; pretty bland stuff. I'm taking the Blueberry Muffin home; to use as a paperweight.

Not all was bad about Broken Yolk; I thought the service was good. Our coffee and water was kept refreshed, and our Server was the epitome of efficiency and professionalism. I felt really quite guilty about Her having to walk all the food up the stairs. When I mentioned this to Her, she told me "It keeps me in shape". If you're feeling especially ambitious, Broken Yolk serves something called the "Broken Yolk Café Special"($18.99). It's a dozen-egg omelet served in a pizza pan, with mushrooms, onions, American cheese and smothered with chili and cheese. On the other half of the pan is homefries and two biscuits. Eat it all within an hour and it’s only $1.98 and receive a complimentary T-Shirt. Angioplasty not included..... Good Luck!

In the end, I think I'll blame it on the "bag". Not that I'm superstitious, right?

Broken Yolk Cafe
1851 Garnet Ave
San Diego, CA 92109

Olympic Cafe

Sometimes, no, change that to many times, some really good eats can be had in one of those little neighborhood diners. Maybe you've passed them many times, next to the coin laundry, the Chinese fast-food joint, or maybe next to one of the many "Hair/Nail" places. Olympic Cafe is located on the busy corner of University Avenue and Texas street, and though we've always noticed the cafe, we really never paid much attention to the modest storefront.

That all changed after a recent conversation with Ed from Yuma. The topic of all things was Ed's "delici-yoso" dance. Ed was telling me a story of how He had dropped by a former employer of His, and the one of the "Old-Timers" still working there mentioned Olympic Cafe, and said that "the food is so good, you'll close your eyes and do that hand-thing of yours". (AKA the Delici-yoso dance!!!) Well anyplace that would make Ed do the delici-yoso dance, is a place worth trying.

So the Missus and I arrived on a Saturday at about 1035am, during that strange period that is the transition between breakfast and lunch. The Restaurant looked to be emptying out, and we went in and sat. The interior was as expected cheap furniture and very spartan. But the menu was indeed interesting; everything from Diner favorites like Grilled Cheese Sandwiches to Greek favorites like Avgolemono Soup. Because we had arrived before 11, at the "dead" time, I wasn't sure if we'd be able to order lunch. But my question, was answered with a very pleasant, "Of course, you can order lunch, no problem."

This being Saturday, the Missus ordered the "weekly special" for Saturday, the Lamb Shank($9.25):

The plate came with rice pilaf, a Greek Salad, Lamb Shank, and basket of pita bread. The one item the Missus fell in love with was the mattress of Feta Cheese on top of the salad.

Though the rice and the salad did not particularly thrill Her, I got the distinct feeling that she would have loved another thick slice of feta, to stick some lamb between, making a feta-lamb "sandwich".

The Lamb was well braised, very moist and tender, and mildly flavored.

I got the Gyros and Souvlaki Combination($8.65):

This plate also came with rice pilaf, which I probably enjoyed more then the Missus, because all the drippings from the Souvlaki had gotten into the rice. The greek salad, with a mildly creamy greek dressing was okay, though not very memorable, as was the pita bread, and the tzatziki. The gyros meat was very moist, most of the time gyros meat is cut and refried and ends up being quite dry. In this case it was very moist and the edges were nicely crisp. The Souvlaki was very nicely flavored with lemon and garlic. Though the meat was a bit on the tough side, the cubes of beef had been grilled well, and a nice tasty crust had been developed. Overall, pretty good food, and an excellent value.

Good portions sizes along with good prices(nothing over $10) and pretty good food means we'll be back to Olympic Cafe. I'm especially interested in breakfast with Gyros and Village(Greek Sausage, Mushrooms, &Feta) Omelettes, and Souvlaki and Eggs. Now that sounds really good. Service is also very efficient and friendly. Olympic Cafe is the type of Restaurant that every neighborhood needs. The Restaurant serves everything from Burgers($3.55-$4.55) to Greek Style Pork Chops($8.65). Maybe no delici-yoso dance, but good food at affordable prices.

Olympic Cafe
2340 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92104

Open 7am - 930pm Daily

Sun Cafe and a Little Walking Tour

Ah, yes, another beautiful Seattle morning:

Just kidding...although the drizzly weather this past Sunday sure did remind me of Seattle.  When I'm on vacation I enjoy getting up early and watching the City "wake", I especially love going down to Stockton St in San Francisco, or Pike's Place Market in Seattle, early in the morning, and just watch the area slowly come alive. So this morning I decided to head down to our own Gaslamp District and give it the "tourist treatment". Also, I'd received this little brochure and map during one of the movies at the San Diego Asian Film Festival, and took some time to read it. I'd known that San Diego once had a "Chinatown" but didn't know that it had been declared a Historical District. There's also a Sunday Farmer's Market in the same area, so that sealed the deal.

I had no problem finding parking on this misty Sunday morning; but I'd arrived at about 830, so the Farmer's Market stalls were still getting set up. I just decided to grab some breakfast and take a short "tour". I started at the corner of  3rd and J Street, at the location of the San Diego Chinese History Museum.

The Museum is located in the former Chinese Mission Building. As I walked up the street I was fairly surprised at what I noticed; like the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association Building:

These buildings really stood out, standing beside all the downtown Condominiums and development. This area at 3rd and Island Street was the heart of Chinatown in the late 1800's and early 20th Century.

As I walked up Market Street, my stomach started growling. It was time for some grub. It was my intention to grab a bite at the The Field, my favorite Irish Pub. I'd been looking at trying one of their "boxty" breakfast's. But Sun Cafe on Market Street caught my eye:

According to what I read this building was built between 1873 and 1883, and is one of the oldest buildings in the area. The Obayashi family ran a shooting gallery and confectionary at this location, but by 1926 the soup that was served here became so popular that Sun Cafe became strictly a restaurant. The Jeong Family bought the business in 1963, and still runs the Cafe. When you enter you quickly notice the old Soda Fountain counter and the old wooden booths, it's like entering a little retro time capsule diner, circa 1950's:

I sat in one of the booths and ordered Two Eggs, Hash Browns, and Corned Beef Hash ($4.90). The food is strictly diner, and carried out in efficient form. The eggs scrambled, and there was a nice crust on the Hash. And of course, I had to have a good diner quality Cup O' Joe (70 cents):

A bit of trivia; Sun Cafe is featured in several scenes in the movie Almost Famous.

I left refreshed and ready to head over to the Farmer's Market, and so I headed back. On the way  back I noticed another Museum on the corner of  4th and Island. It was the William Hearth Davis House, a saltbox style house that was built in 1850. William Hearth Davis was one of San Diego's early pioneers; but did you know he had ties to Hawaii? Well it seems that Mr Davis was 1/4 Hawaiian, his grandmother Mahi was a ward of Kamehameha I. In fact he was known as "Kanaka" Bill. His full given name was William Hearth Ko'olaupoko Mahi-Davis. Amazing what you learn by reading brochures.

At this point, I headed back to the tiny Farmer's Market:

There really wasn't much going on, and only 2 vegetable vendors, and one flower vendor, though the Crepe booth was doing good business.  I did get some Dog Biscuits for Sammy and Frankie:

By this time it was almost 10am, and I started seeing alot more people. It was time to leave.

Isn't it amazing what a little pamphlet can provide. I'm looking at the stuff I usually discard quickly, a bit more closer in the future! (Except those that are handed to me in Vegas!)

Sun Cafe
421 Market St
San Diego, CA 92101
Open Daily 7am-230pm

San Diego Chinese Center Sunday CFM
4502 33rd St
San Diego, CA 92116

B & B Catering and Deli

I've passed this place many, many, times. I guess it fascinates me, because of the scope of dishes and cuisines that are covered on the windows:

If you read the windows they make Curry, Teriyaki, Roast Turkey, Country Fried Steak, Chorizo, Machaca, and on and on. At least it doesn't say "authentic" anywhere. The other thing is that this place is only open from 7am to 3 pm from Monday to Friday, and closed on weekends. Best way to get me into a restaurant? Locate it in an obscure spot, and never be open during the hours I'll be able to eat! Can you spell S-U-C-K-E-R! The one thing that keeps me going is that for every 5-10 borderline places there's a "Ray's Cafe". So this little place is located on the road leading into Montgomery Field, a small community air field located in the Kearny Mesa area. Today I noticed a police car and several other vehicles in the front of B&B. A good sign!

As I walked up to the door there was a little board with the daily specials. There on the top was Bulgogi(???), along with Pepper Steak, Veal & Spaghetti, Polish Sausage, and Mushroom Burger!  Now my curiosity had hit a peak! I had to go in. As I walked in, all became clear. This was a cafeteria type operation.

There were lot's of hot table items and sandwiches. The people running the operation were Korean, as a matter of fact, the first question when I went up to the counter was "are you Korean?" I told them I wasn't, but of course I ordered the Bulgogi ($5.99).

This item was actually made in the kitchen and brought out to me. Actually it wasn't half bad. Sort of a pseudo teriyaki stir fry with sesame oil, a bit too much on the sweet side. Was it Bulgogi, uh, no. But it wasn't bad. The meat was tender, the veggies not over cooked, not too bad.

So with this under my belt and being in the neighborhood, I decided to stop by for another lunch. As I walk up to the cafeteria line, there's a huge hunk of meat lying on a board. It's the roast beef ($5.95). Of course I can't resist a huge hunk of meat! I order the roast beef to go:

So I watched the roast beef carved, and there must've been something "wrong" with how and what I ordered. When the same person I dealt with before asked me what kind of salad I wanted, I asked what kind do you have, he said "look it's over there"! Ohhh-kay.... So after getting home and opening the dish, here are my observations. First thing I noticed is ("it's over there look") is that they served me the scalded rice, the ugly brown scald on the rice portion, looks like someone took the rice and wiped, ooops, don't go there, yuck. The roast was tough, though it looked good on the board, it was singularly tasteless even with the au jus, the green beans canned, the roll inedible, and the salad had a ton of apple in it, or maybe that's all I could taste. Then it came to me, this must be the Montgomery Field cafeteria, and I've voluntarily eaten here! And by the way, the police car I saw was for the RSVP (Retired Senior Volunteer Police), say no more. You'd think I'd have learned by now!

B & B DELI & CATERING
8690 Aero Drive #120
San Diego, CA 92123

Open 7 am to 3 pm Monday thru Friday

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