Tobey's 19th Hole (Balboa Park) revisits

It's nice of you to stop by mmm-yoso!!! to read about food.  This time, Cathy is writing while Kirk and Ed (from Yuma) are vacationing. 

It's been about two years since I wrote a small post about Tobey's 19th Hole, the coffee shop restaurant inside the Balboa Park Golf Course Clubhouse since 1934.This San Diego Municipal course is located close to downtown and has inexpensive green fees (slightly higher for non-residents of the City of San Diego) and some holes have dramatic elevation changes, making the play here a nice challenge. This is the view from one of the tables inside the Coffee Shop...downtown...Point Loma...and a beautiful part of the course. The menu is simple in a Coffee Shop/Diner sort of way.  I don't recall any other golf course menu offering liver and onions as a lunch entree. 

Usually, we are here for breakfast, the primary reason being that since tee time begins at 7 a.m., the Coffee Shop is open then also.  Being awake early and not always wanting to cook at home nor have fast food or a wifi connection while eating breakfast is very relaxing.  Also, being able to enjoy Balboa Park without tourists makes us feel very 'local'.The Chicken Fried Steak ($10) is one of the more expensive breakfasts on the menu and it is so good.  It comes with two eggs, choice of toast and a choice of potato...and we do vacillate between ordering crispy hash browns or home fries...this day, having some vegetables on the plate was our way of 'eating healthy'.  The steak is thick, tender (fork can cut it; you don't need the knife) lightly breaded and fried to a good crisp.  The gravy has pieces of a mild sausage and some black pepper and is just right.Some days I want French toast.  There is an option of one-one-one ($5.25) or two-two-two ($7.50).  Since I wanted to share some of the Chicken Fried Steak from The Mister's plate, I ordered the two eggs, two French Toast and two (skin on) sausages...if we aren't in a 'sharing' mood, then the one-one-one is an order. Just wanted you to see the 'over easy' egg is really prepared overly easy...and that the eggs here have such lovely orange yolks.When leaving the other day, we noticed this signage...and since The Mister and I have had the 'tradition' of Thanksgiving Day being inconsistently celebrated, we decided this year would also be different.  The regular menu was presented to us, but we said we would like the 'special' dinner.  A choice of soup or salad was offered.  The vegetable beef soup was wonderful!  The salad was crisp and cold and plenty; the Thousand Island dressing was really good.  I'm thinking I had never ordered a salad here...and that I must do so in the future. Each of us receive the same overfilled plates of wonderful food: real (lumpy) mashed potatoes and gravy, a nice flavored (not too salty) stuffing which had crisp celery and onion, much white meat turkey (which had flavor without gravy), peas and corn and a nice helping of whole cranberry sauce (placed in the lettuce cup, which I thought was a brilliant way to ensure non-intermingling of watery sauce flow over). Also, a nice dense yet fresh dinner roll was served on the side with real butter and jam packets. {Yes, I made myself a tiny sandwich, slathering on a bit of everything as part of my meal...leftovers during the meal seemed right} The perfectly sized slice of pumpkin pie was chilled, which I now think is better than being still warm.  The flavors had a chance to mingle and that 'pumpkin spice' was not overpowering as it is with some of the 'pumpkin spice flavored' products offered at this time of year.  Coffee and tea was included in the price and this was just a nice meal for the two of us. 

I hope all of you had a nice Thanksgiving day, too.

Tobey's 19th Hole 2600 Golf Course Drive San Diego 92102 (619)234-5921 Website Open 6-6 daily

#GoBlue

Comments

[caninecologne]

We liked their chicken fried steak and their crisp hashbrowns. We had a great views from our window during our visit.

[Cathy]

There are some great food options in addition to the location, all so very 'San Diego', cc. It's the perfect non-touristy place to take visitors.