Southern Style Kitchen

*** Southern Style Kitchen has closed.

A few weeks ago, we had what is now a pretty common discussion....."I'd like something different to eat, anyplace new?" I recalled seeing a restaurant with an interesting name,"California Style Chicken" on the 6900 block of University. I remember being curious as to what was "California Style Chicken"....for some reason those silly commercials with the "Foster Imposters" came to mind. I managed to convince the Missus to take a drive out to "Cathy country" out in La Mesa. And lo' and behold, no more California Chicken. It is now Southern Style Kitchen! So it was time to ditch the Chicken, and start with the Kitchen. BTW, I think that "New... New... New!" sign looks pretty, um, well, old.

The sign mentioning items like Okra, Chicken Gizzards, and "Cajun Giant"(versus just plain Cajun) Catfish looked promising.

We walked in, and other than two guys eating at one table no one else was around....

Than suddenly, this little whirlwind of a Vietnamese Lady pops up...."WHAT.YOU.WANT?" She kinda caught me off guard, so she repeated herself "whatyouwant..." And the pressure began. After all, she looked like she wouldn't hesitate to slap me across the head if I screwed up. So we started ordering, and found out something interesting; there are two types of sides, "regular ones" like green beans and mac and cheese, that you can order with combo meals, and "Special sides" like sweet potato fries, that you have to order ala carte. I had made a mistake...but no slap across the head, ruler cross my knuckles, nor was I made to go to the back of the line....of course there was no line, so that was a moot point, you see, even if she wanted me too....um lets get on with the story.

I ordered a 3 piece Fried Chicken combo ($6.29):

Yes, there are 3 pieces of chicken here...a wing is hiding behind the dry croissant. As fried chicken goes, I wasn't too impressed, it was hot, the coating was decently crisp, and the meat was slightly moist. But I thought the chicken had no flavor, both the coating and the chicken, was under seasoned for my taste. The Missus thought the flavor was okay, but I just wasn't too happy with it.

Now, if I thought the chicken was flavorless, the Cole Slaw was even worse.

This tasted like package cabbage mix with really thinned out mayo-water, with a few drops of vinegar thrown in.

The Missus ordered the 2 piece Cajun Catfish($8.39).

The only thing remotely "Giant" about this was the price, over 8 bucks. I will say that the fish was well seasoned, though not spicy in the least bit. The corn meal coating was excellent, and the fish tasted moist and fresh. Back to the lady....when I asked her for some hot sauce, she stuck her arm out at a perpendicular angle, pointing to the rear of the restaurant. At first, I thought she was kicking me out of the restaurant. But I went in the direction she pointed and found a red squirt bottle of hot sauce on top of the trash receptacle. There was a young Vietnamese guy standing at the counter when I asked for the hot sauce, all he could do was shake his head and give me a bemused grin. By this point though, I couldn't help but laugh, this lady was the caricature of every surly, grumpy, impatient, terminally annoyed, Asian restaurant waitress.

We didn't laugh at the side of green beans:

Gluey, tasteless gravy, poured on over cooked preprocessed green beans.

On the other hand, the Deep Fried Okra($2.29) was very good:

The Okra had been fried to perfection, the interior soft and almost creamy, the exterior golden brown, nicely seasoned, and crisp. For me, this was the best item we ordered.

In the end, I can't see myself returning. I felt the prices were a bit on the high side for the quality and quantity of food. The service was curt to the point of  laughter....I'm still shaking my head as I type this.

Southern Style Kitchen
6990 University Ave
La Mesa, CA 91941

Comments

[Christine D.]

Haha, I was not expecting this place to be Vietnamese-owned, unless they were offering crawfish.

[Cathy]

It is so much easier to write about bad meals, isn't it? Thanks for taking one for me. So, this is "Cathy Country", eh? It is just a little East...really.

[Omar]

Thanks for taking one for the team, Kirk.

Such a shame about this place. When they opened (last year?) the chicken was really excellent, replacing Popeye's for a while on my "I need to stop and pick up dinner for all these houseguests" list. The service was always brusque, but I chalked that up to cultural differences (the reason I'm able to like France).

Different subject: I have information and photos from KB’s Memphis BBQ in Santee, if you're interested; n.b., it's the essentially the same report you made for Southern Style Kitchen.

Omar

[nhbilly]

What a disappointment. I was excited to hear of some cheap eats.

[Kirk]

Hi Christine - I don't know if they're Vietnamese owned, but that lady was pretty funny.

Hi Cathy - Actually, it is easier to enjoy and love everything. It is harder to be fair and honest......Some things were okay, some items were pretty much terrible.

Hi Omar - Let me tell you.....after living for 5 years in the SGV, I can really talk to you about cultural differences and restaurant service. I'll be in touch as soon as I shake my cold.

Hi Billy - 3 course meal in Cusco for s/12......3 bucks! he-he-he. The Missus is still having sticker shock on her return to San Diego.

[Captain Jack]

Hey Kirk,
At least the fried okra sounded good, crispy outside, creamy inside, mmmm.

[penny]

Ok...so the BOLD NEW FLAVOR (!) on the catfish just makes me think something shady is going on. Catfish already has a pretty distinct flavor-and most of the time it doesn't need to be bolder. blearghh...

[RONW]

same thing with the food at this Cajun place at Holiday Mart (Kaheka St.)....labeled as "Cajun," but poor redition thereof.

[Kathy]

fried chicken + croissant + vietnamese people = what a wonderful/interesting world we live in! lol :)

[yummieyummy]

What a funny post. I heard there will be another crawfish place open up. I'm up for the challenge!

[nhbilly]

I love traveling south of the border. Food is so so so so so so cheap and great. You can feed an army!

[Kirk]

Hi CJ - Yes, that Fried Okra was very good.

Hi Penny - Leave it up to marketing hyperbole.....

Hi RONW - I think there are more renditions of Cajun that good.

Hi Kathy - Crawfish + Vietnamese is a good combination!

Hi YY - I'm sure you are....

Hi Billy - This place is actually in San Diego.