Pinnacle Peak-Meat!

mmm-yoso is not on vacation.  Kirk apparently did not eat today and Cathy did.

Hi again.  I'm out in East County.  Hungry.  No frills.  Craving for some steak.  The Mister wants ribs.  Sure, we have a grill.  Sure, we can cook.  Heck, Pinnacle Peak is right down the road. That big ole' cow on the roof.  The dark wood siding...the huge parking lot in front.

The simple menu, printed on the

take home Bone Bag.

Although I fully appreciate the Trail Boss (22.99), a 30 ounce Porterhouse, mainly because I cannot decide between the flavor of the New York Strip combined with the tenderness of the Filet which are both present on either side of the bone of the Porterhouse...30 ounces is a *lot* of meat, no matter what the size of the bone ,so I usually say  'Why play games?' and get the Cowboy($18.99), a 22 ounce T-Bone (as opposed to the sissy-ish Cowgirl($14.99), a 15 ounce T-Bone.  But, there is something new on the menu- the Kansas City(16.99), a 16 ounce bone-in New York Steak...labeled as New York Steak, not T-Bone...must try. 

The sides that come with everything are a salad, Buttons (baked beans) and Bows (sliced of white bread and butter).  Baked potato , corn on the cob, sauteed mushrooms or onions are an additional $1.99 each.  Nope, not today.

NOTHING IS FANCY HERE.  The plates are plastic, as are the tablecloths...the utensils, except for the steak knives, are not very high quality.  If you come in wearing a necktie, it *will* be ceremoniously cut off, to the ringing of a cowbell, and then stapled to the wall or ceiling, as part of the decor.

I had my steak cooked medium rare on the open grill- it was perfect.  They put a nice dry rub/seasoning on it and its just right (did not need the A-1 sauce). It is mesquite wood that is used.

The Mister ordered the full Rack-O-Ribs ($17.99). It is brought out on two plates.

...and so we ate our food.

and that 'bone in'  part of  the description of my steak was true...but, not really anything to write home about.

The Mister had far more bones left over than I did!

Website here Pinnacle Peak Steakhouse 7927 Mission Gorge Road Santee 92071  (619) 448-8882

Mon-Thurs 5-9 p.m., Fri-Sat 5-10 p.m., Sun 4-9 p.m.

Comments

[elmomonster]

Oh gawd. The sight of that steak has got me salivating...and it's 6 o'clock in the morning!

[Cathy]

Heh heh, Elmo... I did order it as "rare or medium rare"... :D

[Beach]

Cathy,
Is this the same Pinnacle Peak Steakhouse that used to have a restaurant in GG on Trask Ave.? It is now Brodard Chateau. It still look good though. I am soooo hungry now.

[nhbilly]

the one in OC shutdown about 2-3 years ago :-( I miss the cheap piece of meat.

[Cathy]

Both of you are right, Beach and Bill-there were as many as 10 locations about 20 years ago and now only three. Apparently they were popular before Dr. Atkins was...

[kingkong5]

Same as the one that used to be on Trask in the OC. Great place for inexpensive steaks, I always got the Cowboy as well. I miss this restaurant, but Brodard Chateau is in its place so I guess that's an OK substitute.

[Wandering Chopsticks]

Hey Cathy,
Does this one have that no-tie policy where they make a big show of cutting off the tie of anyone who comes in wearing one? The one in San Dimas does that. There's always a wait and there's lots of Japanese tourists. In San Dimas of all places. Go figure.

[Cathy]

Hi KK5- I might try to stop in and compare the Brodard Chateau some day...when I get into that 'gotta have steak' mode, not much can stop me.
Oh, yes WC- ties everywhere. I suppose I could have taken a photo of the wall next to me, or the ceiling above me, but decided to just dig in...Its a fun place and we have mostly locals for regular nice dinners out,some special occasion celebrations also, but...nope, nobody really tourists in Santee...even though we have one of the largest Water Reclamation Projects in the US right here- known as the Santee Lakes Water Reclamation Project- and aparently named by someone with no imagination or creativity. :)

[Amy]

I live outside KC, and it's nice to hear that a SD area steakhouse menu describes it with reference to its favored name here, a Kansas City strip. (Also known as NY strip, but no one would dare order it as such here.) I never had that cut until I moved here, as I always preferred the tenderloin side of a T-bone, but I was missing out! Lots more flavor than tenderloin, IMO, so long as you keep it somewhat rare. Looks good, thanks for the photos!

[Scott J.]

Looks pretty good! I've never been, but I remember hearing the ads when I first moved to San Diego - especially the bit about cutting off yer tie.

[Cathy]

Hi Amy- Glad someone noticd the KC reference... of course, I was hoping it wouldn't be someone from the Midwest...Glad you liekd the photos..
Hey, Scott- long time no talk! It is good here; just not fancy...and you know we all are really going for the food...

[Joe M]

I remember going to it when it wasnear the airport in El Cajon. It had picni tables and evryone ate family style. The grills were in the middle of the room and you could watch the cooks preparing the meat. There were thousands of ties hanging everywhere. We used to take friends there with cheap ties on to get cut off. That place was way mor fune than the replacement.

[Cathy]

Gosh Joe, yes. We know we are getting old when we call the Santee location the "new" Pinnacle Peak...its been there more than 22 years. :)
Thanks so much for dropping by and commenting.

[pw]

after 25 years of regular patronage, i will never step foot into this restaurant again. the awful management has ruined it for everyone!

[Cathy]

I just sent you an email, pw. I don't want to have any unclear statements on the blog. I'm sorry you had a bad experience. This doesn't mirror my experiences here at all.