American/New American Restaurants – Page 19

Pegah’s Kitchen- Escondido- breakfast (again)

May 20, 2018 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, What Cathy Eats!

Back reading mmm-yoso!!! are you? Well it's (another) post from Cathy; Kirk is still relaxing. Elsewhere.

I wrote about Pegah's Kitchen less than 14 months ago, but have been back a few times since, but did not take photos. A few weeks ago, we met up with a friend for breakfast. Since 1987, this family owned business has been thriving (just about one mile East of the Ninth Street exit from the I-15, along with two other locations (in San Marcos and in Vista)).
The family style diner has several eating areas (tables, booths, counter) inside as well as an outdoor patio. There is a white board with specials at the door when you walk in.
The basic breakfast of two pancakes, two eggs and four bacon strips ($8.99) is more than enough to satisfy. The house made batter is slightly sweet and makes thick yet fluffy light crispy edged cakes. The bacon was thick and had a nice, smoky flavor.
On this day, the whiteboard special was chicken and waffle ($10.99) and it was unexpectedly wonderful. A thick (yet not heavy) Belgian waffle-made with a different batter than the pancakes- topped with three freshly fried, crispy light battered pieces of chicken. More than a one meal serving.
I noticed French toast on the menu…with the option of raisin bread… you know I had to. The plate ($9.99) with two eggs and two breakfast sausage patties was quite filling and so very tasty. The breakfast sausage patties were standard, mild flavored, and added just enough of the 'savory' flavor needed to balance out the sweet of the raisin bread French toast.

All in all, a great place to stop for breakfast which is served all day.

Pegah's Kitchen 912 S. Redwood Street (at Ninth) Escondido 92025 (760) 739-9265 Open daily: 6 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Website

Nordstrom-Lunch in the Department Store (again)

May 8, 2018 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Desserts, Pizza, Salads, What Cathy Eats!

Thank you for reading mmm-yoso!!!, this food blog with almost daily postings. Kirk is a bit busy with work this week and Cathy finally has some free time, so she will be posting.

Eating at restaurants located within other businesses has been a longtime way to keep people from leaving a store and possibly not returning to complete a shopping trip. I've written only two other posts about Nordstrom, but have frequented it many times. I do love their coffee and sometimes stop in just to be able to sit down and enjoy a cup.

You can walk up and grab a menu to decide what you'd like to order and your first stop will be some friendly servers who can take your order, or maybe just hand you a cup or bowl of fresh soup. Trays are next to this station. You can walk to the register and pay…perusing other offerings along the way…perhaps your order will change, or have additions.
As in one of the previous posts, the chicken, apple and Goat Cheese salad ($14.25) is a regular choice. Tender, white meat chicken is mixed with baby greens, fresh Granny Smith apple slices, dried apple chips, spiced candied almond slices and onion, all topped with a champagne vinaigrette. This is a satisfying meal.
Next to a display of the soups available was a display plate of this rustic Cheddar chive biscuit ($2.25). I thought this would go with the salad. I was correct. Light, flaky/crumbly (like a savory scone) this biscuit has wonderful, fresh flavors.
A pepperoni and mushroom pizza($13.25) was also an order, since there were three of us this day.
The very thin, fresh crust was still chewy as well as crispy (but not cracker crisp). The fresh, juicy shiitake mushroom slices and thin pepperoni, as well as basil and oregano toppings on the Mozzarella and aged Provolone cheese was so perfect- each item had a unique flavor, even the slightly sweet tomato sauce. This was a great pizza.
Of course a 'meal' of pizza and salad was just so perfect; balanced and with such a variety of complimentary flavors.
You seat yourself here, but have your receipt and there is a waiter who will assist you with beverages as well as other needs (water, silverware, boxing up leftovers). We had ordered the Creme Brûlée dessert ($6.50) and our waiter said he would bring it out, freshly Brûléed, when it was time.
Wow. The fresh vanilla custard (heavy cream, egg yolks, vanilla bean; you can see 'specks' of vanilla throughout) topped with a thin layer of fine sugar crystals which are either heated with a torch, or melted in an oven until a thin, delicate crisp top forms was just so simply delightful. Always a special treat here at the Cafe.

Nordstrom Cafe Website There are different restaurant levels at the various Nordstrom store locations. This one was in Fashion Valley

Even though you have already paid, the traditional chocolate mint stick is given. A wonderful ending to an always great meal.

Bonny’s Cafe-Breakfast in El Cajon

May 7, 2018 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Diner, What Cathy Eats!

Here you are, back reading mmm-yoso!!!, wondering where Kirk has been. Well, he's at work. Cathy is writing this post.

Lately, the days have been busy and going out to breakfast seems the easiest; not too crowded, everyone can order what they want, the day is off to a good start. Of course, local standbys are most interesting (Perry's, Izzy's) compared to chains (although I have a few posts about chain breakfasts, too). I realized that I had never posted about Bonny's Cafe, even though we've been here many times

In this location for about 24 years, Bonny's is a breakfast-lunch diner with a bit of a decoration 'theme'.

Primarily 1950's America. This is but a small glimpse; the dining area was packed at 8 a.m. on a Wednesday.

A short stack ($6.50), add bacon and two eggs (scrambled) ($2.95) is quite enough breakfast. The from scratch pancakes are slightly sweet, fluffy, large and cause cravings. The bacon is thick and meaty.

The chicken fried steak meal ($10.75) comes with a choice of toast or biscuit and gravy…oh and the gravy here is magical- smooth, not salty, containing a lot of house made sausage bits and just enough black pepper. More gravy on the house made fresh, fluffy biscuit was a bonus. The chicken fried steak here is *wonderful*- a crispy, lightly seasoned coating on very tender cube steak, cooked just so perfectly. The hash browns were crispy on the top but fairly raw/plain in the center; only the edges were consumed.
French toast, thick slice of a good quality sausage patty, and eggs over hard ($7.95) Why eggs that way?
The salsa. I've never asked if it is house made or a certain brand, but gosh is it good! With the hard cooked eggs, it's quite a burst of great flavors. I sometimes crave a bit of sweet (the French toast) with a generally savory meal. This combination is just right.

Bonny's is a great, local, fun place. Look at those plates!

Bonny's Cafe 596 Broadway, El Cajon 92021 (619) 579-3464 Open Wed-Mon 6 a.m.-2 p.m. CLOSED ON TUESDAYS

Nutmeg Bakery (return visit; brunch)

March 30, 2018 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Bakery, Breakfast/Brunch, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is the food blog you are reading. Kirk is taking some time off and Cathy is writing a few posts, like this one today.

I wrote about Nutmeg Bakery and Cafe in September, mentioning that I wanted to try the weekend brunch…and finally I did.

Located just East of the 15 at the Poway Road exit then left at the first signal light, this five and a half year old Sabre Springs mainstay has been embraced by the locals. The bakery is excellent, making the baked goods (some gluten free as well as vegan) from scratch. The meals also are made using organic as well as locally sourced foods.

The restaurant style is order and pay first, find a seat and your food is brought out to you. We got here just before 8 a.m. and there was a good line of people waiting for the door to open; by the time we left, around 9, there was a line out the door.The weekend brunch menu changes weekly and has a few 'standard' items. I saw there was a 'special' menu for St. Patrick's Day and suspect there may be a 'special' menu for Easter; if so, I will post it at the bottom of this post. Prices here are reasonable for the quality.

The steak and egg quesadilla ($12) made with grilled skirt steak, grilled onions, corn, cilantro mixed with (local, free range) scrambled eggs folded into a spinach tortilla with a three cheese blend. It was served with a wonderfully medium spicy home made salsa.
The spicy fries ($1.50) were a nice addition and plentiful (I brought the leftovers home).
The Nutmeg Scramble ($13) was excellent- local scrambled eggs with sundried tomatoes and organic spinach, hours made pork sausage and goat cheese, served over herbed potatoes (you see why we had to take potatoes home…so much…) and served with a from scratch buttermilk biscuit (and butter and locally made jam) as well as fresh fruit. This was a really great and special breakfast.
My friend, Ms. C, ordered a small latte which was so pretty. I had a cup of drip coffee- Mostra is served here. It was great.
She also ordered a slice of slice of this cake (I think it was German Chocolate cake, but am not sure; I'm not a 'chocolate' person), to go. She said it was wonderful!

I'll be going back again- soon. Nutmeg is a great place.

Who else has been here? cc, of course.

Nutmeg Bakery and Cafe 12640 Sabre Springs Parkway , Ste 107 San Diego, CA 92128 (858)486-8863 Open Mon-Fri 7:30-3, Sat-Sun 8-2 Website

A return to Charley’s Famous Hamburgers- for a kabob (Lemon Grove)

March 27, 2018 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping to look at this food blog, mmm-yoso!!!. Cathy is writing today; Kirk is taking a break.

I wrote about Charley's in 2006 and again in 2013. This 45 year old (yes, since 1973) mainstay in Lemon Grove has been consistent and pretty much unchanged (other than for inflation and, as you can see, new signage) in all this time.

People seem to use the drive thru as much as the walk up window to order at the small kitchen area.
There are six 'specialty shakes' on the menu( caramel, apple turnover, banana, cookies and cream, peanut butter and black raspberry), as well as five 'traditional' shakes (chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, cherry and root beer) . Even though the apple turnover shake is made with two fried pies, and I enjoy the ice cream with pieces of crust, I seem to revert to my (comfort food) banana shake ($3.25) lately when ordering here.
Well, that and a double kabob sandwich. While the burgers are very good here, the unique kabob meat, served on pita is a particular craving for me.
Two pieces of the lightly seasoned ground beef with shredded lettuce, tomato. onion AND chopped green peppers with sliced radishes served on pita bread with mayonnaise. The flavor and crunch of the green bell peppers as well as the crisp, refreshing radish makes this a refreshing and very tasty sandwich.

Charley's Famous Burgers (kabobs and shakes) 8213 Broadway, Lemon Grove 91945 (619)460-2690 Open 8 a.m.-9:30 p.m.

Santa Barbara – Stearns Wharf and Lunch at Barbareño

March 16, 2018 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Gastropub, Road Trip, Sandwiches, Santa Barbara County

We had driven up to Santa Barbara to relax and enjoy ourselves. It was a bit on the warm side when we visited, but we had really enjoyed the previous afternoon and especially dinner at Yoichi's. On this day; well, I made dinner reservations, but not much else. We woke and decided to drive down to Stearns Wharf; tourist central. But during this time of the morning, it was so peaceful.

Looking around; it's obvious why visitors love the wharf; built in 1872, it was at that time the longest wharf south of San Francisco and North of San Pedro. And the views are lovely.

And on this bright and sunny day, sans the crowds, we got a chance to notice things…..

As we were leaving a vintage car club drove up to the wharf and parked. I loved the license plate on this one……

A lovely visit on a relaxed morning……

We decided to drive around a bit and visited the Santa Barbara Public Market, Gelsons, and Whole Foods. Not very inspiring, but it was a nice way to kill time.

When lunch came around, we parked at where we were staying and decided to walk down to a place on my list, Barbareño. Which was a rather hot and sweaty one mile walk down De La Vina Street. The place only served lunch in the outdoor area, with a limited menu.

Our Server, who was obviously a college student was very friendly, efficient, and really knew the menu. I'm not sure if it's because of the clientele, but the staff at restaurants in SB, really knew their stuff.

I ordered a Tri-Tip sandwich, Brussel sprouts, and "Animal Potatoes" for the Missus and I. I happened to mention that we'd be sharing the sandwich. And when it arrived, we were pleasantly surprised to see that they had split it for us!

This was a perfectly serviceable tri-tip, moist and decently tender, good smokiness, with a pico de gallo type relish and good amount of cilantro. A nice yeasty roll and this was quite good. Don't get me wrong, this ain't Firestone Grill, but it was enough.

It came with a arugula salad.

The Brussel sprouts looked good, but were on the mushy side and a bit too sweet for us. The Missus really enjoyed the Animal Potatoes, the cheddar cheese added a nice saltiness, the caramelized onions a decent sweetness, and the Thousand Island Dressing……not the Missus's favorite, but I enjoyed the creamy-richness it added. The potatoes were nicely crisp on the exterior; though a bit hard in texture.

I don't think Barbareño is serving lunch anymore….too bad, because this was rather nice.

Barbareño
205 W Canon Perdido St
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

What wasn't nice was wanting a nap and having to walk that mile back to where we were staying…..though we did eventually get that nap.

Thanks for stopping by!

The Patio Marketplace at Axiom

February 26, 2018 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Chains, Sandwiches

**** The Patio at Axiom has closed

The ever expanding Patio Group recently opened another location of what Eater San Diego called their "corporate hospitality arm", the Patio Marketplace right up the street from our offices. It's located in the Axiom Office Building. It's pretty much in walking distance, so I decided to drop by for an early lunch.

It's a huge space; like 8,000 square feet; with outdoor and indoor eating areas and a bar.

Since they had just newly opened, there was basically no one around during my two visits. The place features a coffee bar and is only open until 6pm from Tuesdays to Wednesdays right now. I was told…..the staff here was very friendly and chatty on my visits, that breakfast is basically only grab and go stuff from the cold case.

The lunch menu featured three sandwiches, three salads, and two flatbreads, with basically nothing under fourteen bucks

I went with the Carne Asada BLAT Club ($15).

The sandwich was no joke. Quite hefty, a bit too much bread that was a bit too hard for my taste. The thick cut bacon; Nueske's I'm told was thick cut and nicely done; there was a nice single layer of decently done beef. It wasn't overdressed, though the tomatoes were under-ripe. I usually enjoy a certain proportion when it comes to sandwiches; perhaps excluding a smoked beef sandwich from a place like Schwartz's. This was too much bread for me. Though a rather decent "corporate" sandwich.

The fries didn't hold up on the short walk back to the office and were soggy and over salted.

A couple of days later, I decided to visit again. The menu, which is rather limited at this time, left me wondering what I should get…..salads were from $12-14, but if you wanted some chicken it was 5 bucks more, carne asada 6 bucks more. So, I went with the Speck Ham Flatbread ($14).

I enjoyed the crisp speck, nice saltiness, though it was kind of over-kill with the bread again. I'd have preferred this amount of protein on a smaller and more crisp flatbread, without whatever made this very salty and the middle really soggy, keeping the nice, milky, Havarti. The entire middle section was saturated and not pleasant to eat. I appreciated the pungent red onions and the bitter-peppery arugula which also added texture to this dish.

Overall, really nice folks. It's probably better to call if you're doing take-out, both of these took at least 20 minutes wait time. The food is not bad; it's just not something I crave or am searching out; especially with $15…for lunch, without drinks, on the line everytime. I mean I love charcuterie and all, but am not quite sure about having a charcuterie board for lunch ($19), then heading back to work…..but maybe that's just me.

The Patio Marketplace at Axiom
4535 Towne Centre Dr
San Diego, CA 92121
Hours
Monday 7am – 3pm
Tues – Thurs 7am – 6pm
Friday 7am – 3pm

Roadtrip – The Bear and Star (Los Olivos)

January 22, 2018 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Road Trip, Santa Barbara County

**** The Bear and Star has closed

We had a fun time stopping in Solvang and doing olive oil tastings. But it was lunchtime and both of us were getting hungry. I had several places on my "list"; Sides Hardware, Los Olivos Wine Merchant….but it was the menu at The Bear and Star, a rather newish place in the Fess Parker (remember him?) Inn that got us to walk in.

The place was rather full and at first we didn't think they'd have a table for us, but we were seated on the back porch area. It was nice and quiet.

The menu screamed "New American" and in typical fashion we ordered four appetizers for our meal. We really enjoy touring a menu via appetizers, something we really started doing about five years ago. Our Server was so nice and accommodating. She even took time to really describe every dish for the Missus.

First up; the Chicken Liver Mousse ($9). This version was whipped to a very creamy and light texture.

It was bit on the sweet side for us and just pouring the marmalade into the ramekin didn't help things as we'd have preferred to have it on the side. Still, very nice, light offal flavors, if a bit too sweet. I enjoyed the toast as it was crisp and overly hard.

The Missus just can't help Herself when it comes to Devilled Eggs. We ordered two of the Smoked Guajillo ($3) and two of the Bacon ($3).

This was nice; very solid versions of devilled eggs. I enjoyed the smokey flavors of the guajillo version while the Missus enjoyed the more classic bacon flavored ones.

The Missus's favorite item was the deceptively simple Crispy Ranch Squash ($9).

Glazed with a soy-sweet chili sauce that wasn't too salty nor too sweet; the condensed flavors of the different squashes came through. There were a couple of slices that were really outstanding. Our cheerful Server told the Missus those were slices of Mother Hibbard Squash that cam from the vineyard's garden. Surprisingly good.

I thought the Smoked Wagyu Carpaccio ($17) sounded interesting. I will say, it was "different".

It was quite the presentation. The meat seemed to be cold smoked; the texture a bit fibrous and grainy. The smoked flavor on the mild side. The mushrooms were strange as it seemed to be dried and was like eating cardboard. This actually needed more salt….something we rarely say. Kind of a strange dish for us.

Overall, we enjoyed our meal, we'd gladly revisit. We really enjoyed our Server who was friendly, knowledgeable, and very efficient.

The Bear and Star (In the Fess Parker Inn)
2860 Grand Ave
Los Olivos, CA 93441
Hours:
Sun – Thurs 7am – 9pm
Sat – Sun 7am – 10pm

Outback Steak House (Revisits to a place never posted)

December 13, 2017 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Burgers, Chains, What Cathy Eats!

Here you are, at mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Kirk isn't writing today, you know why. Cathy is trying to write an interesting post. Here it goes.

Long story short: I was given a lot of restaurant gift cards this past year. I don't regift. The people who give me cards ask specifics about the meals and what we enjoyed, so I take photos. The Mister and I have been pleasantly surprised so far.

Outback is an Australian inspired steakhouse, founded in 1988 in Tampa Florida by four friends. It is now a Company of restaurants which include Bonefish Grill, Carrabbas Italian Grill and Flemings Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar. Outback's decor is rugged yet minimal. There is an electronic device on each table. You can order and pay for adult beverages, appetizers and even (for $2) play trivia games. You can also pay your final bill without waiting or flagging down your server.When first seated, as the menus are dropped off, a warm loaf of honey wheat bread and unsalted whipped butter is brought out. The bread is 'stabbed' with a serrated steak knife, which is needed to slice the whole (small) loaf.

All of these items are from the Lunch menu, thumbnail at the bottom of this post.
With almost each lunch entree, you have a choice of soup or salad. There is a chicken tortilla Soup (not pictured), or this baked potato soup (wonderfully decadent)or for $1 more, french onion soup (even more decadent). You can either have a Caesar or this, a House salad, with dressing on the side. I was pleasantly surprised with the fresh vegetables, including cucumber on this salad. The House Ranch dressing is very good. The Classic Cheeseburger Combo ($9.49) was cooked to a perfect medium rare, had a nice char to the exterior, served on a wonderful fresh egg bun, had a choice of cheese and of course, lettuce, tomato, onion and pickle. This was an *excellent* burger.
Six Gold Coast Coconut Shrimp Combo ($9.49) I used to order an appetizer plate of these as my meal…but six, along with either soup or salad is a 'healthier' meal. You can see the plump shrimp, light breading and tender coconut. The two two chicken taco combo ($8.99) (substitute steak instead of chicken, add $1). I splurged. This was really good. Different than a taco shop; not carne aside marinade; kind of fancy.
An Aussie Cobb Salad ($9.99) Fresh mixed greens, chopped hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes, bacon, Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheese and freshly made croutons. The Bleu Cheese dressing on the side was quite wonderful. An Outback Burger, ($8.99) with fries…again, wonderful, cooked to a medium rare…and look at that bun. I ordered the 6 ounce center cut sirloin ($14.99) with a baked potato and asparagus (fresh vegetable of the day). It was cooked to a perfect medium rare, had some sort of (tasty) marinade (didn't need any condiments added). The baked potato was so very good; I haven't had a baked potato in forever and all of those flavors triggered good memories. The asparagus was oven roasted and crispy tender with a bit of salt on top-again, needing no additions.

But, this is Outback- what about the famous Blooming Onion? Well, it is $8.49, very large (really, it is a meal) and I just couldn't bring myself to order one, even to share.

Until it was free.

I was listening to NASCAR one Sunday and heard that Outback sponsors a Racer -Kevin Harvick- and if he finishes in the Top Ten in a weekly Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race, you just have to go into Outback the following Monday and say "Bloomin' Monday" and your table gets a free Blooming Onion appetizer for free. Here's a link.

So we did have one Blooming Onion. The crust was crispy, spicy and large. The onion was tender and sweet. We took home leftovers after eating it before and during one of the above meals. I used to be able to eat this much food along with adult beverages and not go into a food coma. Things change.

Overall, the meals at Outback were great.

Outback Steakhouse. Nationwide locations. Website

Swami’s Cafe (La Mesa) (revisit)

December 12, 2017 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog. Kirk usually writes, but He and His Missus are on vacation. Cathy is writing today.

It's been about two years since I first posted about Swami's. There are nine locations of this family owned in San Diego County and La Mesa is closest to our home. Since it opens at 7 a.m. daily, we can get in and out without having to pay the parking meters which surround this location.
There are specials noted on almost every wall, but a 'normal' menu is also available (it has more items). You can read that at your leisure, instead of staring up at the chalkboards. Walk up, order, pay, get a number…
walk back near the front door and grab a cup and a beverage and condiments. Find a table, inside or out in front. Your food will be brought to you.

We were here on a Friday (when I don't eat meat) and the simple Egg Muffin ($5.95) was my order: One egg, mock bacon (or real bacon or real ham), mayo, tomato and mixed cheddar cheese. The mock bacon is smoky and has the right flavor, but isn't crispy. The toasted English muffin was really tasty; the sandwich, with its combination flavors, was *very* good.

The Green Omelette ($9.49)- asparagus, spinach, avocado, green onions, bell peppers, zucchini and feta cheese. This thick, overfilled omelette is really satisfying, flavored with fresh vegetables and the salty Feta, it's just good; you don't need added condiments (or meat). Those potatoes are amazing; no hash browns here.
My order on another Friday was the Veggie Hash($9.95): Sun Dried tomatoes, spinach, red onions, feta, potatoes, with (my choice) over easy eggs on top. This was very, very good. Fresh and so very flavorful; no condiments need to be added.

The pancakes here are craveable (especially the banana walnut) and the bacon is of a better quality-thick and smoky. I have several blurred photos of each.

The week is half gone, I hope yours is going well!

Swami's Cafe 8824 La Mesa Boulevard La Mesa 91942 (619) 668-9030 Open Mon-Sat 7 a.m.-9 p.m. Sun 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Website