After my post on revisiting Farmer's Table, I decided to do more posts on places within walking distance of our home. So, I decided to do a H(angin') i(n) t(he) 'H(ood) revisit to Fast Times. I went and looked for my original post on Fast Times and I couldn't find one. What the heck? I did eat at Fast Times when they first replaced Coastal Crave in the neighborhood, but I guess I never did that post. I remember one old timer at FT told me that the classic Fast Times at Ridgemont High was based on Clairemont High School. And according to this Mental Floss post it was. In fact, you might find this article interesting as well. Anyway, I guess I never did that post. I recall coming up with the moniker "TGI Fast Times", as the food really reminded me of stuff you'd get one of those Chain Bars. Well since I never did that post, I'm thinking I'd better catch up here 6 years down the line.
It's kind of part sports bar, neighborhood hang out, upper level dive bar, with live music a couple nights a week. There seem to be a great many regulars here. Some very "interesting" folks!
There's a dozen brews on tap, nothing fancy or exotic mind you, but a solid selection ranging from, yep, Bud Light to stuff by Harland and Societe.
I had a .394 on this visit.
I recall that the one item I had actually thought was decent on my visits way back when were of all things, just simple Tater Tots, which by todays pricing is a bargain at 4 bucks.
Served with ketchup and ranch dressing; these were light and crisp outside with a creamy interior. Just the way they should be.
Another item I recalled from those visits of yore was the reason I called this place "TGI Fast Times" were the Potato Skins ($11). Sadly, this dish hasn't aged well.
The potatoes had been sliced down the center; I'm guessing to aid in the cooking, but it made the potatoes, which were now like large potato wedges quite dry and hard. In fact, this was really salty and dry.
I knew I should do at least one more visit, but wasn't quite sure what to get. One Saturday, I walked on over to Sprouts to do some quick shopping and noticed that Fast Times was open. The place opens at 11am on Saturdays and Sundays. I suddenly recalled seeing a certain dish on the menu for "brunch". Here it is….
Yep, it's a Loco Moco ($12)….well make that a "loco moco" with those quotation marks. First off, it's topped with bacon, which ain't a bad thing…since of course there are some good locos that have fried rice with stuffs like Portuguese Sausage…..the bacon was a tad overcooked, but heck, at least it was crisp. The item that really threw me off was the slices of toast. This was a new one for me. Which led me to send a Tweet -" Question. Is toast a legit Mac Salad replacement on a locomoco? Methinks not!" It was just kind of odd as there was already rice.
As for the rest? Well, the burger was very lean and dry, the gravy tasted like it came from a "bottle/can", though the egg while a bit overdone was acceptable. Though I'm still fixated on the toast.
Still, I'm thinking that the majority of folks aren't coming to Fast Times for a gourmet experience; they are doing what we call "pau hana time" back home, socializing, hanging out with friends, coming for the nights when there's live music. And to be perfectly honest, I much prefer Fast Times to Farmers Table, just for the unpretentious, neighborhood vibe and the prices which are quite reasonable at this local Watering Hole-Sports Bar-Neighborhood Hang Out. During my visits, it seems that the customer base skews a bit older, but perhaps it's because of when I've visited. There's also some interesting little things I've noticed during my visits. For instance, Fast Times has QR code coasters with menus on each table and on the bar, but they automatically give you a paper menu! I've never seen anyone (but me) who has actually used the QR codes!
You gotta love places like these!
Fast Times
3065 Clairemont Drive
San Diego, CA 92117
Current Hours:
Mon – Thurs 3pm – 9pm
Friday 3pm – 11pm
Saturday 11am – 11pm
Sunday 11am – 8pm
First thing I did was take a sip of the consomme. Which, sadly is the same as it was from the truck. Weak in flavor, greasy tongue feel, in my opinion only good for moistening your taco. The birria itself is a bit better than what I'd had on my visits to the truck. It is less stringy and more tender though still not quite as beefy as I enjoy.
I did enjoy the salsa rojo which had a nice spice and a kick of citrus. The tortillas this time around did not hold up as well, they started to tear as I picked my tacos up. These tacos just aren't beefy-savory-spicy (without the salsas) enough with that flavor which dances with a hint of smokiness from dried chilies. Like I've said before, to me this is "birria not to offend".
Please check out Soo's 
I perused the menu where prices range from $7.99 to $10.99 for sandwiches. Siesel's sells Dietz and Watson products and that's what they use for their sandwiches as well. The gentleman behind the counter saw me checking out the menu, came over and apologized. Apparently, they had just raised prices of all sandwiches by a dollar that week
So, as you can see, there was a lot going on here! From the three meats, Hot Ham (Capicola), Turkey, and Bacon. The "Buffalo" Cheddar was actually a good match in this protein laden sandwich as it added a bit of spice. Loved the sprouts and avocado. The triple threat of sauces, chipotle mayo, mustard, and D&Ws oil-vinegar "hoagie sauce" was a bit too much. I'd probably go without the mustard next time.
I definitely didn't expect anything like what 
I'm glad we headed out early as we spent a good amount of time checking out various galleries and all the wonderful art!
In what was a very classy move, I was brought out a cup of the bisque as well since I had to wait for my next course! Super cool! The bisque was decadently smooth and velvety, but the Missus said there wasn't enough earthy mushroom flavor for Her. Of course, She's become 
Perfectly seared , this wiggly slice of heaven was delici-yoso, with the duck demiglace adding another layer of rich-savory flavor. The "French Toast" teetered on the sweeter side, but the foie gras nicely brought it back to earth.
This was a nice meal, with classy, yet warm and unstuffy service, and worth the price in our mind. The Missus enjoyed the wine pairing. It was a great way to end our time in Santa Fe.
It was a nice day and a good hike, though I was kinda huffing along at the top of the peak. Considering that Santa Fe is at 7,000 feet and adding another 1200, it's no wonder.
This is the 
It's very tender, moist, with a pleasant porkiness, the panko breading crisp and perfect. To us, the fillet is better than the loin when dining in. We usually don't order any rice or soup with this. As we want to keep on going!
I don't know who thought of this one, but to me it's a winnah! Love the creamy, rich, and mild liveriness of the Ankimo paired with the crunchy, smoky, pickled-sour daikon. And adding a bit of the shiso brought out even more complexity. As with the Wagyu Nigiri; I'll be sad when this is no longer on the specials menu.
And life is good! It seems we found a keeper for a casual date night spot.
The Bulgogi was quite tender, perhaps a shade sweeter than I prefer, but not bad at all. Richard enjoyed this as well, telling me that this was better than what had recently had at a Korean place on Convoy! Go figure.
Yes, mini huaraches with adobo rabbit. Loved the mild adobada seasoning with the "corny" huarachitos, the acidity of the salsa verde, and the calming avocado salsa. Even though the rabbit was on the chewy side, the interplay of flavors was quite nice.
The eggs were nice and runny. The chiptole harissa flavoring was interesting, not as acidic, quite smoky. Man, that baguette was quite good as well. This prep really brought out the citrus-peppery tones of the cilantro.
The place had one table going when I arrived. The young lady working was quite cheerful and I looked over the menu. I came to the "rice plate" portion of the menu and realized I hadn't ever tried any of those dishes. So, I figured I'd go for the gusto and have the rice plate with "Bi, Cha, Thit, Dau Hu Ky" (shredded pork skin, grilled pork, steamed meat loaf, and fried bean curd). Which, in the typical Mignon Pho "not to offend" was called ahem, "Yummy in my Tummy" ($15.75) on the menu. I placed my order, did my shopping and returned. After a five minute wait I was food to go. The young man bringing me my order even apologized for having me wait a few minutes!
Well, if you're keeping score this is how it went. I really prefer this dish with com tam, broken rice which lends a nice texture and fragrance to the dish. This one used Jasmine rice which would have been perfectly fine if it wasn't so dry and hard, like it hadn't been cooked long enough.
