mmm-yoso!!! A blog. Seemingly random posts about seemingly random meals written by seemingly anonymous people.
Hi again. Cathy blogging, because Kirk is in Thailand and ed (from Yuma) is in Yuma. I am here, with a camera inside a phone and a bit too much free time on my hands. 
The Mister and I were hungry the other evening, again, and were in the vicinity of Mission Valley when the pangs hit. We looked around and-there it was- a furniture store!
But, Ikea is not only a Swedish based furniture store, but also serves up some tasty food, ostensibly to keep you in the store and relaxed while shopping for flat packed, oddly named furniture you assemble yourself with a L-shaped tool called a hex key(Allen wrench)and the help of drawings as your instruction.
Hot items are served cafeteria style in a steam tray area. There is always a variety to choose from, (the cooked salmon plate is wonderful) (so is the stew), as are the fresh vegetable side dishes and the macaroni and cheese, but The Mister (and I) enjoy the basic 15 meatball plate.
15 meatballs (mostly ground beef and spices, no fillers) topped with a cream gravy and served with skin-on mashed potatoes and a side of lingonberry sauce. $4.99 and always good.
You can buy a bag of the frozen meatballs and two packages of gravy, as well as lingonberry sauce, jelly and concentrate downstairs in the "Swede Shop" just past the check out registers so you can enjoy this meal at home anytime you get a craving (you can easily make some mashed potatoes, right?).
There is an area of refrigerated glass cases where you can choose from desserts, salads, wraps and sandwiches. I got the gravad lox plate ($4.99) Two slices of excellent gravad lox served with a creamy mustard sauce, lettuce, fresh dill and a lemon wedge.
You can also buy frozen gravad lox in the Swede shop.
We also decided to share a shrimp salad ($3.99). About 50 small, but flavorful-small, shrimp served on a bed of mixed greens, tomatoes and cucumbers. There is a station of sauces and dressings near the beverage area. The ranch seemed to go best, but I tried the Italian and French also.
The dishes and tableware are all sold in the store, as are the chairs and tables in the eating area. Kind of good way to see what you would like to buy. Or not…
Ikea San Diego 2149 Fenton Parkway 92108 (619) 834-1520 website