**** El Sol has closed
Claims of the best burger in San Diego are spoken by the patrons of this little shop on University, just North of Park Boulevard.
The Owner, whose claim to fame is making burgers for former President Clinton at his former place of employment(Danny's Palm Bar), runs this little Mom and Pop shop with a menu full of variety. Serving everything from Chimichangas and Quesadillas, to Veggie Burgers.
The cozy interior is full of knick-knacks and memorabilia, much of which follows "the Sun" (El Sol) motif:
You can figure out what I ordered..... a burger of course. Hamburger with Cheese and Onion Rings($7.99). First up came some chips and salsa:
Nothing special, but for free so who's going to complain?
I ordered some Iced Tea, and for $2.50 expected a large glass......but got a full glass, and a pitcher.
And a Tecate six pack holder also arrived at the same time with the various dressings....mustard, mayo, salsa, etc... nice job of "recycling".
And soon enough my burger arrived.
The onion rings were a 100% pure Sysco-fied, and no big deal. The lettuce, tomato, and pickles are provided on the side, and just as with the iced tea, and dressings, you can add what you desire. Freedom of choice reigns supreme here.
The bun for the burger had been placed on the grill, and was a bit dried out. The cheese was also very mundane. The burger had an interesting taste....mildly peppery, and you could definitely taste the oregano. I found the burger to be dry, and on the mealy side.... I think it had been pressed pretty hard on the griddle, and much of the juices had escaped.
Maybe not the best burger in San Diego, but not too bad. What about Bill Clinton? Well, you gotta remember that 'ol Bubba loved his McDonalds burgers...... Still, not bad.
I returned a few weeks later, earlier in the day, and decided to grab some breakfast. This time I went with the Nopales and Eggs ($5.99). Nopalitos are the prepared pads of the prickly pear cactus.
This was, in essense, a Nopalito Scramble, and was quite a bit of food. From the salsa and pickled carrots and peppers, a bit too mild fo my taste. To the beans, of which a whole plate was provided.... lots of bulk, but a bit short on the salt end.
However, the eggs were not short on salt......
And though the Nopalitos were canned, and much of the mild tartness was gone, the flavor was very much like green beans. I like the way this was cooked, not too runny, and not dry. A perfect amount of salt was used. The corn tortillas were packaged mass produced, but I expected as much.
In the end, this was a lot of food, and bang-for-the-buck, this was well worth the $5.99.
While you may not experience any culinary epiphanies at El Sol, you get a pretty good value for your money. I consider it a pretty solid Mom-and-Pop eatery. I'm still trying to figure out what a "Nayarit Burger" is.......
El Sol Mexican Restaurant
2037 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92104
Open 9am - 9pm Daily.
Wow, you have much more discerning tastes than ole' Bill! The chef should have pulled out all the shots to serve the biggest (food) celeb he would ever serve, Kirk of Mmm-Yoso!! Well, at least you can say that you disagree with Bill Clinton on this issue. :) I remember how President Clinton would go jogging and "stop" by McDonald's for ice water (and probably, another snack or two).
Posted by: Passionate Eater | Thursday, 11 December 2008 at 10:47 PM
LOL PE - A celeb? HA! But good ol' Bubba had a load of charm didn't he?
Posted by: Kirk | Thursday, 11 December 2008 at 11:25 PM
Interesting. If you ever find out what a Nayarit burger is, let me know.
Posted by: ed (from Yuma) | Friday, 12 December 2008 at 08:38 AM
Hi Ed - I think I'll ask the next time I drop by.
Posted by: Kirk | Friday, 12 December 2008 at 08:47 AM
What a letdown. I count on anything the former prez liked to be big on fat and flavor. Thanks for taking one (burger) for the team!
Posted by: Chubbypanda | Friday, 12 December 2008 at 01:06 PM
I'm just jealous you had free salsa and chips, you gotta pay for them in Japan :(
Posted by: kat | Friday, 12 December 2008 at 03:37 PM
Hi CP - It's more like one out of two! You can guess which one! The burger wasn't bad.....
Hi Kat - That's too bad, many places give you free chips and salsa here in San Diego... so maybe it's time for a visit? ;o)
Posted by: Kirk | Saturday, 13 December 2008 at 04:52 PM
I used to go to Danny's Palm Grill for many years....the owner of El Sol, whose nickname is "Nacho", did a great burger there....I think his nephew still works there, check it out for comparison.
The Nayrit burger is fashioned after Nacho's home state in Mexico, Nayarit. I think its claim
to fame on the burger is a special blend of seasonings, salt pepper, oregano, and some other undisclosed stuff
Make sure Nacho makes you the burger next time. He is acutally a great guy! Always his dream to own his own place. Ask him if he still makes the carne asada tacos/burritos with one inch sqaure chunks of meat, man those were good too!
Posted by: PedMa | Sunday, 14 December 2008 at 08:44 PM
Hi PedMa - Thanks for the info.... It was a really nice older Gentleman who made my burger. I liked the flavor.... but it was really "pressed dry"... but maybe that was the intent? I'll give them another shot in the near future!
Posted by: Kirk | Monday, 15 December 2008 at 07:20 AM
Dude, I'd like to know what this Nayarit Burger is, too. My husband lived in Nayarit as a child so maybe he'll know.
Posted by: Sarah Jane | Thursday, 01 January 2009 at 10:09 PM
Hi Sarah Jane - Welcome, and thanks for commenting! If your husband knows what a Nayarit Burger is, please let us know.
Posted by: Kirk | Friday, 02 January 2009 at 07:42 AM