Sunday Sandwiches: Mama's Grill

** Update: Mama's Grill has Closed

I keep finding little sandwich places I never knew existed.......this shop is pretty close to work, in the same strip mall as Jersey Mike's and Sieu Sieu BBQ. I'm not quite sure why I missed this place, I guess it's overshadowed by the chains....Carl's Jr, Rubio's Test Kitchen, Jersey Mike's.....not places I usually frequent.

If I recall, this place used to be Sima's Grill? Which sadly, I never had the chance to try either.

I wasn't going to let this place go without checking it out. I'd finished up some meetings and had a late lunch...late for me is like 130pm, I usually like to eat at 11....things are less crazy on "the Mesa" at 11.

The placed looked like any of a number of sandwich shops scattered throughout San Diego. The meat is Boar's Head...and like I said in my post on Crossroads Deli; Boar's Head, is Boar's Head. I like to see what interesting items are on the menu. Well, there's no shortage of that here, some of it, like the 1 pound "T-Rex" is a bit over-the-top.

I decided on the "Surf and Turf"($9.95). I didn't expect the hefty sandwich that I got.

This was a two-fisted sandwich. In fact, i only finished half of it. The beef, as expected was on the chewy side and kind of bland. I was surprised how many shrimp were in the sandwich. I like the finely shredded lettuce on this....it gave even more texture to sandwich. For me, what really made this thing tick was the cilantro pesto and the chipotle (I know it's everywhere - but it worked here) sauce. It just gave everything that little umph it needed.

I couple of days later I tried Ma's Muffuletta ($8.95). This I was less impressed with.

The sandwich was basically a pressed panini, the bread toasted a bit too hard. There was a generous portion of capicola, prosciutto (low grad and very salty), and supposedly mortadella...which I couldn't make out. The pressing had rendered a lot of the fat making this kind of greasy.....there wasn't enough bread or anything to balance out the amount of salt in the olive spread and meat. Again, I could only finish half the sandwich, but for a different reason......

Another day of meetings, another late lunch. I decided to stop at Mama's and take something back to the office. I quickly ordered Ma's Veggie ($7.55).

First off, I like the way the bread was "pressed/griddles", it really provided some nice texture. I was also surprised at the amount of avocado in this sandwich. For some reason, the cream cheese seemed like overkill...perhaps if the sandwich also had some sprouts and shredded lettuce to add more contrasting textures and interest.

Still, this wasn't a bad sandwich by any means....in fact I was told they'd make anything anyway I want it....sounds like a veggie minus the cream cheese with lettuce, cilantro and chipotle sauce, doesn't it?

Mama’s Grill
7420 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111
Hours:
Mon - Fri 830am - 5pm
Sat       9am - 330pm
Sun   1030am - 230pm

Comments

[kat]

looks great!

[Lynn @ oh-soyummy]

yum! i've been here a few times since it's near work. the sandwiches are definitely big, especially the double decker turkey one. i also liked one of their salads which is the southwestern style one (don't remember name). i have some pictures buried on my hd too, taken with my old crappy camera.

[Fat Killer]

Dude! How do you go back to work after woofing down these monsters?

I am curious,what you do...seams like a dream gig! Multiple long vacations per year, daily partrols to scope,out lunch joints. Nice!

[Jason]

Great review! Seems like it would be categorized as a decent lunch spot for workers in the area. Probably not worth going out of the way for, but the large portions and decent quality would fit the bill (heck, that would describe my favorite work lunch spot).

[Cathy]

Yes, this used to be Sima's (look at the signage again; they only had to buy two new letters) (Sima's Miramar location is great). Been to Mama's twice now and agree with you; it seems that the heftiness is not on par with an overall ratio of ingredients.

[nhbilly]

I suggest they call one of their sandwich "The Coma"

[Kirk]

Hi Kat - Yes, it was much better than I expected.

Hi Lynn - I'm looknig forward to that post. They do a pretty decent job here.

Mr FK - Simple, when you get older like me, you work within your limits. I know when to stop. As for work, I often do long hours, weekends, and have been in this field (medical related) for three decades. I do "patrol" on weekends, but also keep my eyes peeled.

Hi Jason - Yes, that's a perfect description!

Hi Cathy - Yes, the first two letters look newer than the others. Kind of funny; I didn't even notice that until you mentioned it.

Hey Billy - They should!

[Fat Killer]

Hey Brohan. I hear ya. I Can't also stop before I get that that "point"..

Nice, sounds like a cool set up..keep patrolling and reporting.

How does the Muffaleta compare to the place in Point Loma, on midway?

[Kirk]

Hi FK - You talking about Mardi Gras Café....man that thing was all bread....kinda stale too when I had it:

http://mmm-yoso.typepad.com/mmmyoso/2005/07/mardi_gras_cafe.html

You know, I'm not 15 picking pineapple on a plantation anymore....so I don't need all those calories. So I can stop...plus, hey, if it's good, I can always come back, right?

[Fat Killer]

Ouch! Stale...that's no good. I would love to try one down in N'awlins as- a reference.

Had some organic chicken sausage and red cabbage kraut tonight bro.

Got some oxtail in the slow going all night for tomorrow. Living large.

Maybe we,will do lunch one time bro-sky.