Jimmy's - Family style good food.

mmm-yoso is the blog about food that talks about meals and foods from around the world.  Usually Kirk blogs, but sometimes Cathy, ed and even Vicky help Kirk out.  Today is a Cathy day.

Hi. Kirk was in Peru, yes...and he started blogging about it, yes...and right now he is a tad exhausted from the travel and having to go back to work, blah blah, blah...so I am doing a short post about local (San Diego) food.  Sure there are no photos of scenery nor of much exotic fare, but think of this as the 'vacation from the vacation'.

Jimmy's.  There used to be a lot of these in San Diego and are still a few around.  Mainly known for the broasted chicken and bread pudding and as an alternative to Denny's, Coco's and Carrow's.  Jimmy's happens to be in the mall of single named restaurants (Michael's and Wendy's as well as the new L&L all share the same parking lot).

There is one in Santee and, yes, it is a part of our "rotation".   We had not been here for a while to eat and then one day I was craving, of  all things, the salad dressings, which they make from scratch.  I mean, I usually like a light vinaigrette or House Italian style dressing (oil, vinegar, lots of fresh herbs; that is enough to keep the lettuce flavors clear and vegetables lightly seasons) but this time, I wanted- needed- that creamy, eggy, rich and gooey Thousand Island they make in the restaurant.

Served as a choice with every meal, with crackers and croutons (which I dip into the extra dressing) with a salad mix of dark and iceberg lettuces, chopped cabbage and slices of tomatoes, there is something about this rich and creamy, egg and pickle seasoned salad topping I can't get enough of.   

The House made blue cheese dressing has garlic in it and sometimes, that is The Mister's craving.

However, on the day we went, the 'soup of the day' was Cream of Mushroom, and it was something he 'had' to have.

This was the best Cream of Mushroom soup, ever.  We try this flavor whenever and wherever we can and...wow. Again, made from scratch.  At least three different types of mushrooms in there, fresh thyme.  Real cream.  Excellent.

At some point, I was thinking that I could have just had a couple of salads and a bowl of this soup and been satisfied, but then there was another reason we came.  

The 4 piece broasted chicken dinner ($9.99 M-F includes dessert and beverage).  You get your choice of soup or salad, potato, rice or fries, one of two types of bread and the 'vegetable of the day' which in this case was green beans and carrots.  The carrots were cut into various size chunks, indicating they were fresh and not a standard mixed vegetable.  I believe the green beans had been fresh frozen, not canned.

If you don't want to read the link above, broasted chicken is pressure fried using a unique, patented machine and certain herbs and spices, so the crust is crispy, never soggy and flavorful, as well as the meat also being moist, juicy and flavorful.  It is a unique type of chicken.  This year happens to the 50th anniversary of the Broaster Company.

The other thing I always get to eat here is liver and onions($7.99)(does not include dessert or beverage; only the daily specials listed on the chalkboard and the 4 piece broasted chicken dinner are inclusive ).  It is just a beef liver (OK- three or four sizable slices of beef liver) dusted in flour and light spices and fried to a crispy crust and served with lightly burned and sauteed onions on top. I can sort of duplicate this at home, but not quite and, of course, in addition, The Mister does not like to eat onions in many forms (yes, he will eat good onion rings and French onion soup, but 'that is different' according to him...), so when I do cook at home, I have to cook those separately and anyhow it gets to be a mess in the kitchen...

Ah, the choices of breads are either the yeasty roll made fresh and served with butter or the cornbread served with butter and honey, also made fresh.

The leftover yeasty rolls are used to make the bread pudding dessert, which was sold out that night.

Since The Mister's meal included dessert and beverage, and we really don't indulge in sweets as much as we do in salties, we shared the tapioca pudding, which was generously topped with whipped cream. This was, of course, our second choice because the bread pudding here is fresh made and all...

All in all, a higher quality, family style, great meal.

Jimmy's Family Restaurant Santee 6935 Mission Gorge Road, Santee 92071 (619) 448-8994 other locations on Third Avenue in Chula Vista,  Campo Road in Spring Valley and on Midway Drive in San Diego

Comments

[RONW]

that's a fabulous homestyle restaurant, and brings back memories. Desert and beverage included style. Choice of breads, though, is new to me! 4 pieces of chicken on the same plate?

[cathy]

Hi, Ron. Yes, the 4 piece meal is a real bargain during the week. They have a 2 and 3 piece chicken meal choice without beverage/dessert available, but I have never turned down broasted chicken, ever...I always enjoy bread in whatever form it comes in, and fresh made here is a delight. The only thing I really don't like is their regular coffee, although they did get an espresso machine a few years ago.

[nhbilly]

I still haven't had broasted chicken. I need to find a place around here. Looks and sounds awesome.

[Bri]

I always liked Jimmy's. This is a little bit of 'Old' San Diego. When we used to have a small community feel.

We had three in the South Bay. That's been reduced to one, now.

The one closest to me closed after nearly 30 years to be replaced by a pancakes house.

The broasted chicken looks good! I remember them having that when we'd go to Jimmy's as a kid. I'd always end up with something like roast pork or something (quite good that was!)

Jimmy's was really a breakfast joint for us. We'd go and I'd have probably the best Mexican Breakfast in town! The Machaca Omelet was out of this world!

I don't know if they ever had this outside of South Bay, but if the one in Santee still cooks it, you and your Mister might want to try one morning, Cathy.

Good Deal! Another great post and strangely complementary to Kirk's amazing Peru footage. Kind of a touch on Home Base after the long journey!

Bri

[cathy]

Hi, Bill- I will try to research some places in your county soon, looking for broasters.

Hi, again, Bri-We do go here sometimes for breakfast, but the coffee factor is a sticking point for me...and almost every breakfast place. However, I love the food. I almost always get machaca at 'my' Jimmy's, too. Yes, the roast pork 'sandwich' is sometimes a craving, as is the hot turkey sandwich. This just happened to be the salad and broasted chicken craving day. Glad to bring back some memories for you. Thanks for the nice comments.

[MessyJessy]

Mmmm...liver & onions is a childhood favorite of mine. My husband can't believe anyone would order it, but I love it with a little shake of hot sauce!

[cathy]

Hi, MJ- yes Liver and onions sometimes, after those initial bites, sometimes can use some kind of spicing up. I usually just use pepper, but everyplace has hot sauce, so I will try that next time. The Mister will get liver with bacon but never onions. It's so sad...

[Omar]

Hi Cathy,

My wife and I returned to Jimmy's last Saturday night after having not been there for years.

The photo you posted of the 4 piece broasted chicken dinner drew me to the place. What I got didn't match the picture: the chicken pieces I was served were skinny, dried out and greasy. Must have been a bad night for the broastmaster.

On the other hand, my wife shared tastes of her beef vegetable soup and twice-baked potato with me, and we agreed that both were among the best versions of those things that we'd ever eaten.

I'm interested now in trying the homemade beef stew; I imagine it's rich and delicious, with lots of beef and vegetable chunks in it, and those dinner rolls will be tasty tools for sopping up the gravy.

Thanks for the reminder about this place!

Omar

[Cathy]

Hey, Omar...The Mister has commented that they seem to be using baby chickens lately, but the broaster-ing has always been done correctly. I'm sorry you hit a bad batch. I am, however, glad that at least part of your meal was really good. They do seem to know what they are doing. Jimmy's has always been a really neat, homespun place.