American/New American Restaurants – Page 28

Cafe Cantata- Del Mar

May 31, 2015 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Caffeine Fix, What Cathy Eats!

Cafe Cantata has closed.

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog. Today, Kirk is not writing, Ed(from Yuma) is not writing and it's Cathy's musings you will be reading.

The Mister and I were in the Torrey Pines area before Memorial Day and decided to drive along the coast, turning onto Via de la Valle to check out if the County Fair was being set up (so, you know, I could take photos and stuff…). Unfortunately nothing was going on in that sense, so we continued under the 5 and turned into the shopping mall on the North East corner (where there's Whole Foods, which has the inside the store restaurant, Trifecta Tavern) and I had our default lunch in mind.

Walking through the rest of the mall, we noticed Cafe Cantata, and I recalled reading about it on cc's post from almost a year ago, when she met Kirbie for lunch. Turns out it was during the County Fair and they both were still able to find parking, so that's something good to keep in mind. Here's a link to a more recent visit from cc.Cafe Cantata is on the second floor and used to be a location of Pannikin Coffee & Tea, a San Diego institution since 1968. Pannikin holds fond memories; it was our first 'real' coffee shop experience.Walking in, the wall to your left emphasizes the food. Seeing one person per table emphasizes free wifi. The coffee bar area is well utilized. Pastries are located in a couple of places, there is a chalk menu board as well as paper menus on the counter. It is the standard, order, pay and your food is brought to you. Breakfast and Lunch are served from 6 until 3 each day. I really like that.Ordering a large cup of (plain, regular, fresh)(certified organic, free trade, custom blend) coffee ($2.15) it was served in this asymmetric cup. Think about trying to drink it from the 'wrong' side…Since it was a Friday (when we don't eat meat), the Greek Scramble ($8.95) from the 'Breakfast' side of the menu was my choice. Eggs, Feta, tomato, onion and finely minced olives were expertly (and by that, I mean evenly; a skill which seems to be lacking at some breakfast establishments) scrambled. Served with whole grain toast and fresh fruit (or roasted potatoes), this was a wonderful meal.The Mister ordered a Caprese Panini ($7.95)- roasted and sun dried tomatoes, fresh Mozzarella and (giant) basil leaves on grilled sourdough, along with a bowl of tomato soup (add $1).

Cafe Cantata is a very nice place for a coffee or a small meal. You aren't required to use wifi and can have a nice visit here.

Cafe Cantata 2670 Via De La Valle Del Mar, CA 92014 (858) 925-7297 Website

Breakfast at The Lunch Box (La Mesa)

May 25, 2015 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, What Cathy Eats!

Here we are once again, mmm-yoso!!! and you, the reader of our food blog. Kirk is still having a good time in Europe (enjoying a long needed vacation). Ed (from Yuma) is planning to paint the town red (not in Yuma) and Cathy is delighting in places available in San Diego County and sharing with you.

During certain months of the year, it's easier for me to meet clients elsewhere than an office. Usually that place ends up being a Starbucks, but sometimes I am offered a meal and am asked where I'd like to go. Being aware of their financial situations, I have tended to recommend The Lunch Box, a small, family owned place on the Southwest corner of La Mesa Boulevard at Jackson in a strip mall anchored by a 7-Eleven. It's been here since 2009 and the food is great.The Lunch Box opens at 7:30 daily (closed on Sunday), closes by 2 (at 1 on Saturday) and starts serving the lunch menu at 8:30 in the morning, for those true 'early birds' among us. The seating area is filled with tables and chairs (no booths) and people who arrive in larger groups can make their own size seating area.

I finally decided to bring The Mister here one day, so he could see the menu and I could take photos of a meal.

The raisin French toast, topped with bananas ($4.95). The toast consistently has a lightly crisp exterior and soft, fluffy interior. I think I've mentioned only one time ordering raisin bread, as well as paying the extra 10¢ for a raisin filled cinnamon roll. However, if I ever am given a chance to order raisin filled anything, I just do it. Adding two eggs and a sausage patty ($2.95) balanced out the French toast, making it a meal. The sausage is mild in flavor, the eggs are always perfectly made.The Mister opted for the $5.95 weekday special with 2 bacon, 2 eggs and 2 pancakes. Again, very nicely made and just right. Coffee is $1.75 and constantly refilled.

All in all, this is a nice, local place which, again, has withstood the test of time. I tend to post more about these sorts of places because they are comfortable and comforting. I bet you have someplace in your part of town that is similar.

Hope you are going to have a good week. Thanks for reading us all these years!

The Lunch Box Cafe & Deli 8751 La Mesa Blvd La Mesa 91941 (619)463-4013 Open Mon-Fri 7:30-2, Sat 7:30-1 Closed Sunday

Red Sails Inn (Breakfast) (Shelter Island)

May 21, 2015 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, What Cathy Eats!

Hello. You are looking at the food blog named mmm-yoso!!! and we thank you. As you read this, Kirk is being conveyed, Ed (from Yuma) is planning transportation and Cathy is pretty much stationary.

Yes, The Mister and I are enjoying the sights of San Diego and having our own 'Staycation'.This overcast day brought us to Shelter Island. At Shelter Island Drive aand Anchorage Lane-the first intersection when you enter the island-there is parking on your right (and if you head way back, there are no meters) and the restaurant, to your left, is unmistakable. The Red Sails Inn, which has been serving breakfast, lunch and dinner in this same location for almost 70 years. It is uncrowded at the 7 a.m. daily opening time until about 9 a.m. We are breakfast people.Nautical decor, unchanged for possibly decades, somehow is comforting and nostalgic.The outdoor patio area is a perfect place to bring visiting friends. The Mister ordered the chalkboard special ($7.95), an omelet with ham, bacon, sausage and cheese. It came with hash browns (or breakfast potatoes or cottage cheese or refried beans) and toast. This was an amazingly large overfilled omelet. The sage-flavored breakfast sausage is made here, and it is good. (Coffee is $2.25).However, this day, I was recalling my catfish breakfast at Smokey's Lake Wohlford Cafe in Escondido and ordered the Fish & Eggs breakfast ($10.99). Two quite large, meaty sole filets, lightly floured and fried along with (of course) poached eggs, rye toast and more hash browns (I wanted the crispy edges). This was wonderful, fresh and so good.

A great start to another beautiful San Diego day.

Red Sails Inn 2614 Shelter Island Drive San Diego 92106 (619)223-3030 Open 7a.m-10 p.m. dailyThe tartar sauce is made here, with wonderful dill pickle pieces. It's the only tartar sauce I will eat straight from the container.

Board & Brew (Pacific Beach)

May 17, 2015 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Salads, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! a food blog. Right now, Kirk and His Missus are out and about, researching another group of fascinating posts. Ed (from Yuma) and His Missus are hanging around Yuma, contemplating where to visit so He can write some captivating posts. Cathy and Her Mister are in San Diego, sharing a less intriguing Stay-cation post.

We live so close to the Pacific Ocean and rarely stop to admire it. Some people specifically vacation and stay here, at the Crystal Pier Hotel. Located at the West end of Garnet Avenue at… Mission Boulevard, where the newest location of a San Diego mainstay (since 1979), Board and Brew, is now located. Yes, skateboards -not surfboards- are the main decor here. Notice the backing at the bar stool area; those mosaic 'tiles' are pieces of skateboard decks.The counters and tables appear to be made of recycled wood. We decided to keep it light, ordering a salad and sandwich to share.

The Cobb salad($7.95) was served with freshly grilled (i.e., still warm) chicken breast and topped with bacon, Cheddar cheese, hard boiled egg, tomato and cucumber on top of green leaf lettuce. The house made salad dressings are all quite good; Caesar was our choice this day. This is a very large salad and could have been shared as a meal…very fresh ingredients; quality. However, we were curious about the "Left Coast Pastrami" ($8.50), which was warm/grilled pastrami, Swiss cheese, pepperoncini slices and grilled onions with Dijon mustard on a toasted fresh French baguette. A few different ingredients with an excellent, lean, smoky pastrami made this sandwich unique and surprisingly good.

We are enjoying parts of San Diego taken for granted, before the tourists show up.

Board and Brew 4516 Mission Blvd San Diego 92109 (858)270-2739(BREW) website open 10-9, daily

Louisiana Fried Chicken and Waffles (Logan Heights)

May 14, 2015 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Cajun, Southern, and Soul Food, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! the food blog with a rotating subject matter (as in style of food) as well as rotating bloggers. Kirk is, again, busy today. Ed (from Yuma) is, reiteratively, busy (in Yuma). Cathy is, once more, writing a post.

It was one of those days when I was driving and The Mister was randomly saying 'left', 'right', 'take this exit' or straight' and somehow we ended up here.The end building of the new mall anchored by a drive thru Starbucks on National Avenue between 28th and 29th street, just East of the 5 freeway.

I had been craving the whole 'Chicken and Waffle' experience, since our visit to Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles in 2013, wondering about other iterations. So, we stopped.The fairly simple menu made our decision of what to share on this first visit pretty easy.We were here around 9:15 in the morning, at opening and everything was fresh. We had to wait for the waffle to be made while we watched a batch of chicken being placed in the steam trays and a pot of gumbo being brought out from the back.The freshly made waffle had a crispy exterior and fluffy interior. It was not as sweet as a breakfast waffle (and it shouldn't be; maple syrup is a condiment here).The spicy crust on the fried chicken was perfect: crisp, not greasy, just enough spice all while leaving the dark meat tender and juicy. The thigh and waffle plate ($7) is a perfect size for a meal. {Side note: they make their own Louisiana Hot Sauce here; grab one or two to have with your meal: it is great}Our return visit had us curious about the "Fantastic Fish Sandwich" (combo,$7.25, includes fries and a drink). There was a choice of catfish, snapper or tilapia as the fish. Catfish it was! Wonderful cornmeal breading, seasoned and fried, topped with a house made remoulade and some raw onions, on a very nice, fresh French roll (crispy crusted exterior). This time, we ordered a small side of collard greens ($1.50). These were so good. The recipe/flavors of vinegar and smoked ham complimented the greens, which stood out in flavor. I watched as the Young Lady working here carefully drained the greens and packed them into the small container, which amazingly holds a lot.Returning to the third photo…on our first visit, we ordered a quart of Gumbo ($8.99). This was the best Gumbo I think I've ever had (we lived in the South for five years).

There was rice in the bottom of the container, topped with this wonderful Creole stew that had the flavors of the mirepoix of celery, green pepper and onion combined with not an overpowering of filé/sassafras powder which melded with the chicken and sausage in such a delightful, hearty way. This Gumbo was a meal in itself, and would be perfect on a rainy day.That first visit, so early in the morning and uncrowded, had the gentlemen behind the counter offering us a sample of the fresh made peach cobbler. We were so full, and took it home for a snack later that day. The crust was still crispy (a good sign) and the peach filling was not too sweet at all.

This is a great place and I'm so glad we have it here in San Diego. Looking back, I see that Mary visited here early last December. She liked the fish here, too.

Louisiana Fried Chicken and Waffles 2850 National Avenue San Diego 92113 Website (there is music on the site) (619) 233-0670 Mon-Th 9-9, Fri-Sat 9-10 Sun 10-7

Malta: The Best Tuna Sandwich, Tarxien Temples, Hal Saflieni Hypogeum, and Who is Joe Frendo?

May 2, 2015 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Malta, Maltese Food and Restaurants, Pizza, Sandwiches, Travel

We arrived back in Valletta nice and early. I had quite a bit planned for our last full day.

Unfortunately, the apartment we really enjoyed staying in wasn't available for this night, so we were staying in the Osborne Hotel which was on the opposite side of the peninsula.

We dropped our bags off and started on our way.

The first item was to get some espresso for the Missus and something for me to eat.

We saw this little shop along the way.

The little place was full…of locals……having coffee, reading the paper, talking about…well, I dunno. We entered and they quickly made some room for us.

While the Missus was having Her espresso; with a Diet Kinnie chaser, I saw something. Along the counter, there seemed to be makings for sandwiches. A couple of guys came in to pick up sandwiches while we were having our drinks. I couldn't help it. I just had to find out what this big seller was…..tuna sandwiches. I was raised on tuna sandwiches, but truly believe there's only one brand of canned tuna that shall pass these lips. Us old timers from Hawaii have some major brand loyalty. I had my doubts, I really wasn't thrilled with the version I had earlier in Valletta. But nothing ventured, nothing gained. And this was a major win.

It didn't look very inspiring. But man, this was good. The bread….what's with the bread in Malta (I'd learn soon)? It was crusty, but not too hard, nor chewy. The tuna wasn't the greatest, but it was the sum of the parts which made this fantastic. In perfect proportion; ripe, tasty,tomatoes rubbed on the bread, briny olives, I tasted mint (!), which tasted so good, boiled eggs, lots of black pepper, red onion for that touch of pungent flavor.

I wish I knew the name of this place. We returned for some espresso on the way out of Malta…but duh, I forgot to get the name of the place!

We caught the bus, and with some cryptic instructions got off in Paola. We walked to Tarxien, it was hard to know where Paola ended and Tarxien began….it seems that the borders of these small villages just blend into one another.

We arrived at our destination. There was a graveyard and church next door.

For some reason, the Missus was taken with the tranquil environment and decided just to lie down on one of the benches and listen to music.

I walked on over to the Tarxien Temples next door.

Discovered by some farmers plowing a field a field in 1914. This complex of temples, dating back to 3150 B.C. this site was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1980.

The excavations have indicated that the site was used extensively for rituals.

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It was a fascinating visit. The island of Malta has long been inhabited, some estimate all the way back to 5200 BC.

Leaving the site, I got the Missus who was just having a great old time listening to music, staring at the tree and the statue of the Virgin Mary.

It was time to head back to Paolo and our destination.

But first, we got distracted by this little shop on a side street that was doing some nice business. Cars kept stopping, folks running out; sometimes holding up traffic, to go in and grab…well, who knows what.

This is the spinach-olive, with a touch of ricotta version.

Frankly, I preferred what I had before to this. Though it was quite hearty and stuffed.

And so, we searched for our destination. Which we found with this discreet sign.

When I knew we were going to Malta; one of the first things I did was make reservation for Hal Saflieni Hypogeum. Discovered by workers digging for a cistern in 1902, the story of its revelation is quite amazing. Due to the damage done by carbon dioxide exhaled by visitors, only 60 visitors are allowed a day (it's actually closed right now while a new environmental management system is put in place).

Of course, photos aren't allowed; but you can see some here. Let me just say, at least for us, it was an amazing experience.

Making it back to Valletta, the Missus wanted Her Quinoa Salad from Piadina Caffe. So we headed over. This time I had the prosciutto with provolone, which was light and refreshing.

And I got a chance to read the local paper.

After a light snack it was finally time when we could check in. Along the way to the hotel we saw this doorway.

Which is how we ended up in the lair of Joe Frendo.

Who is Joe Frendo? I'm still not sure. I looked down those stairs and saw some bottled water, which is just what we needed and wanted at that moment.

We had somehow ended up in the shop of a Maltese bread maker. Huge wood burning oven going…..I was told; "go take a look….the best bread in Malta is here."

I looked at the bread which looked familiar. So I asked, and my question was answered with, "yes, Il-Horza, that is our bread."

And so we thought, "why not order a pizza?"

Having ordered our dinner, we got back to the hotel; checked in, and freshened up.

Walking past the Grandmaster's Palace, we noticed a demonstration happening. It was for women's rights. We saw a gentleman walk out to talk to folks. I asked who this was and was told, "well….it's the Prime Minister of course." The Prime Minister!

It was soon time to pick up dinner, so we retuned to Joe Frendo's Bakery. Walking down the stars we saw Joe's family having dinner at a table in an adjacent area and Joe at work on our pizza.

We loved this place. So the Missus asked Joe Frendo as simple question; "when did you start making bread" which turned into an 45 minute monologue of Joe Frendo's life….punctuated with many a "mey-lah". Which I still don't understand. It was an amazingly funny slice of life. Along with the pizza, we decided to get a bottle of wine, but requested that they open the bottle. At which time Joe walked over to a table, pulled out the corkscrew which was being used to level the table out and opened our bottle. Only in Malta!

We got the "Maltese Pizza"("mey-lah")and Joe Frendo gave us a couple of really good rolls.

The pizza…the crust was quite nice….had artichoke hearts, olives, and a nice tangy tomato sauce.

Which is what we had….watching the roof tops of Valletta.As dusk approached I took this photo.

And waking right before the sun rose, I took another.

Like most places, Malta had been much more than what we had expected……

La Mesa Craft Kitchen (first look)

April 26, 2015 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Beer, Gastropub, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for continuing to drop by to read mmm-yoso!!! Today, Kirk and Ed(from Yuma) are taking breaks and Cathy is writing.

Over the past six months, whenever we'd stop at Carnitas Uruapan (which is far more often than I've posted), The Mister and I watched the progressing construction of this new La Mesa Gastropub, which opened about two weeks ago. (cc has been here recently; here is a link to her post)The location of Craft Kitchen La Mesa used to be a 7-11. (Look into the distance of the above photo, you can see the new 7-11 location, directly on the other side of Spring Street).Stepping into the front door, the menu board and ordering area are in front of you. There are also menus on the counter and some chairs if you need to peruse. The menu is short.

Order, pay, find a seat…Perhaps decide on a beer or wine to accompany your meal… Then again, there are tasters ($2 each) when you can't decide. Julian Hard Cider and Karl Strauss Mosaic were our choices this day. Other difficult choices were deciding what we wanted to try on this visit (while planning what we want to try on future visits…did you notice there is breakfast…daily breakfast, not just a weekend Brunch…). So, the "Greens " flat bread ($10) was our mutual choice. Fresh made chewy (with a bit of bottom crunch) flatbread topped with Mozzarella, sun dried tomatoes, artichokes, fresh chopped garlic and basil…the flavors all melded wonderfully and went well with each beverage choice.
This quite large (despite the photo) "Strawberry Fields" salad ($11) with added chicken ($2) was also a mutually decided choice, primarily because of the cheese –Burrata– and our general tendency toward trying to have a 'balanced' meal. Spring mix greens, whole almonds and a very nice strawberry vinaigrette combined with the Burrata and good portion of warm/just cooked marinated chicken (the flavors of the chicken were good enough not to need any seasoning additions) made this salad an excellent meal…well, half the salad plus half the flatbread was a great meal.

La Mesa (and its border) is gradually becoming the East County version of 30th Street, with a few stumbles and successes, with established gastropub/regular pub type restaurants. The concept of breakfast at Craft Kitchen will be thoroughly investigated.

La Mesa Craft Kitchen 4253 Palm Avenue (at Spring Street) La Mesa, CA 91941 (619)461-4887 Open 7 days Mon-Fri 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Sat 8a.m.-11 p.m. Sun 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Website

Utah: The Copper Onion (Salt Lake City)

April 17, 2015 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Travel, Utah

After a light lunch (and interesting beer) we checked in at the Residence Inn, SLC. This room was even bigger than the Provo location and things looked new. We then had a nice short nap. The staff here was quite friendly and nice. The location is right on 300 South aka West Broadway.

The Greek Orthodox Church is right across the street as is Pioneer Park.

The location was quite convenient. Our dinner destination was just a half mile walk down the street. A couple of things we noticed right away…..there are tons of chain restaurants in SLC. And in spite of all the cars parked; the streets looked empty.

I had made dinner reservations at The Copper Onion. The menu looked perfect for us. Man, in spite of how the streets looked; this placed was packed to the gills. The dining room seemed on the hot and stuffy side, so since the weather was mild we asked if we could get a table on the patio. They only too happy to oblige.

Our server was a really gracious, friendly, and knowledgeable young man named Michael. He made the meal a seamless process except for the time they took our plates and silverware away then brought us our next course…leaving us stranded. But other than that, we enjoyed the service.

We started with the Wagyu Beef Tartar ($11).

Man, look at all that crostini. This didn't quite do it for us. The beef was too chewy, it was under seasoned…I really missed that velvety egg yolk which adds richness without interfering with the refreshing aspect of the beef, which the salsa rosa did. The arugula, fresh, crisp, not overly bitter, dressed simply was the best part of the dish.

The Escarole Salad ($10) looked quite sloppy.

The greens were really nice and crisp, but I wasn't a fan of the balsamic they used which was extremely sour, lacking the rounded balance, and touch of sweetness that we love in a balsamic vinegar.

The best item of the night was the Wagyu Roasted Bone Marrow ($18).

Man, that marrow was awesome….simply prepared, rich, smoky, with a touch of salt which was provided on the side. The Missus made sure to have every single little morsel.

Luckily, we made sure to keep the salt provided for the bone marrow. We needed it for the Griddled Duck ($23).

Funny thing; several items seemed in need of salt…which led the missus to say, "hey, this is SALT Lake City, right?" The duck, with a light sprinkle of salt tasted fine. It was cooked a nice medium rare. It was cut a bit too thick. also, the plating seemed a bit dated and ponderous. That red stuff you see on the butternut squash puree is actually duck blood……I don't think the duck rested long enough after prep. Loved the upland cress, peppery and refreshing. The Portobello was totally under-seasoned and the gills hadn't been cleaned, so it left a huge black blotch in the orange-blood tinged, plate.

The Missus did love Her order of Beets ($4), though.

The service here was excellent. The food however, seemed a bit uneven to us; in terms of flavor, presentation, and finesse. Still, I'm glad we tried the place.

The Copper Onion
111 E Broadway
Salt Lake City, UT 84111

After dinner, the Missus decided we needed to burn off that bone marrow so we walked all the way to Trolley Square, then back to the Residence Inn.

We passed the modern looking public library and the City and County Building along the way back.

Man, so this was Saturday night, huh? We finally passed a couple of groups of people as we walked up South Main Street. As we got close to the hotel, we stopped by Squatters Craft Beer, which was packed in spite of the empty streets (strange, I know) and picked up a couple of bottles to try as a nightcap.

The Squatters Bumper Crop Honey Ale was fine, nice head, hints of citrus and honey (of course). The Wasatch Evolution Amber Ale is pretty blah…..

Still, the weather was nice…we kept the windows open all night and the Missus sure slept well!

Tomorrow, we'd have one last chance for a good meal in SLC before heading to the airport. Would we find it?

Stay Tuned!

Phils BBQ (Santee)

April 12, 2015 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, BBQ, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping to read mmm-yoso!!! today. Kirk is out and about, enjoying the beautiful countryside. Ed(from Yuma) is out and about enjoying the Yuma countryside. Cathy is here, blogging and noticing the sky out the window.

Phils BBQ. On weekends, lines form and snake outside the door at each of their (currently) three locations from 11 a.m. into the evening. Visitors from back East mention Phil's as one of their 'musts' when asked where they would like to eat…They've heard of it. Even Ed(from Yuma) and a friend have stopped at Phil's to enjoy a meal. These rare (both because of no line and there was rain) photos were taken in January on a Monday, because 'back then', Phils was closed on Mondays, but now Phil's is open an extra 52 days a year.Really. Mondays.That's the whole menu. You should be able to order quickly and efficiently when you get to the front of the line, yet many people seem overwhelmed. Hence, the line moves slowly.Many people just call in 'To Go' orders and get in and out quickly. We like to sit and eat inside.There is much visual and auditory stimulation. Mentioning that beer is available here is redundant. Beer is San Diego. Other beverages and to-go containers are self serve and self explanatory.Any condiment you might need is on every table.

On to the food!

While not open pit smoked/authentic BBQ, the food here is very good. With the constant influx of customers, every item is fresh.Starting with the only item I order, the 'Beefy Rib Tickler'($8.95). One BBQ'd beef rib bone with 2 onion rings, cole slaw and fries. Your choice of BBQ sauce on top or on the side.

The beef rib is (as always) from a cow and therefore very large, meaty. It is falloff the bone perfectly cooked after being seasoned with a dry rub and good by itself or dipped in the sauce. The fries and onion rings are perfectly fried/not greasy and the cole slaw recipe here is one of my favorites; crispy and a bit tangy. This plate is perfection and, really, after trying the entire menu, my only choice.However, I digress. For those times (or guests) wanting something lighter, you can choose a small or large salad ($2.95/$4/95) and for an additional $3, top it with seasoned BBQ chicken. (The option of a small/large Caesar salad is $3.95/$5.95)(The amount of chicken for $3 is the same on either size salad).There are small ($1.75) and large sides($3) available. Above, a small side of sweet baked beans, another version that I enjoy because it is both sweet and tangy. Other small sides are cole slaw, fries, potato salad and macaroni salad. Large sides include all of those plus steamed veggies, a baked potato and corn on the cob.One item most people seem to order here is the "BBQ Broham sandwich"($6.95), seasoned and then char-grilled pulled pork on a toasted bun served one top of (or placed on the side, as above) cole slaw.For those who prefer pork ribs, the "Baby Back Ribs Tickler" ($6.95) is a good choice. Three baby backpork ribs, parboiled then grilled (using the same dry rub as on the beef ribs) and served with 2 rings, fries and coleslaw.

Sauce on the side for me! A unique (sweet, tangy and peppery) sauce and to fully appreciate, I think tasting the meat first, then the sauce by itself, then the meat with the sauce is the only way to appreciate sauces (and salsas).There is no need to run to the restroom or deal with disposable wipes to clean up when you are finished eating…

Phils BBQ 9816 Mission Gorge Road Santee 92071 (619) 449-7700 website 11-10 Sun-Th, 11-11 Fri-Sat

McGregor’s Grill & Ale House (near the Stadium)

April 10, 2015 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Pubs and Pub Grub, What Cathy Eats!

Thank you for stopping to read mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Kirk is out and about today and so is Ed (from Yuma), so Cathy is writing a short post.

Continuing my quest of stopping at bars and pubs near the Jack Murphy San Diego Chargers football stadium, McGregors was noticed one weekday.The frontage faces North and around noon, the sun is just right above the buildings in this mall, located a block West of the San Diego Mission and in the first block East of the football stadium.During the week, you walk right up to the end of the bar area (above), order, pay and have a seat; the food will find you.There is a billiard/pool table area with shuffleboard and darts. Plenty of seating inside and out in front.Above, the 1/2 lb corned beef sandwich ($11.25) on grilled rye with Swiss cheese and a spicy (horseradish) mustard. Really good, lean corned beef; this sandwich could be shared (and it was).One Friday during Lent, I was alone and decided the 'Seafood Combo' ($8.95) would be a good choice. Homemade clam chowder bowl (excellent) and aBaja fish taco (fresh, crispy with a light beer batter), made this a perfect meal.Another visit had me trying a bowl of the homemade chili ($6.75) which was a really filling, tasty meal. The spices were perfect, and even the black beans were complimentary along with the meaty chunks of coarse ground chuck.The half spinach salad ($6.25) is also a perfect size for a meal. Baby spinach leaves and plenty of crispy, thick chopped smoky bacon pieces topped with a house made Dijon based salad dressing made this a very good choice. The other day, The Mister and decided to share a McGregor Burger ($8.25). A 1/3 lb burger made with fresh (never frozen, as are the burgers at all the bar-pubs in this part of town) ground beef, served with lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise, grilled onion and pickles as well as a choice of sides (you can see we chose the onion rings). This was a very good burger and was cooked to a medium-rare, as requested. The beer battered onion rings were excellent…whomever works the fryer here is an expert.