American/New American Restaurants – Page 48

(Rail) Road Trip – Two Landmarks; Philippe the Original & Cielito Lindo- Los Angeles

January 10, 2007 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Mexican Restaurants, Road Trip, Sandwiches

On the final day of my LA Railroad trip, we headed off to find some sustenance for the long and grueling train ride back to San Diego…..a two hour trip on an empty stomach can be pure hell! On this day, Captain Jack and I had decided to walk on over to the one and only Philippe The Original….say that quickly and dramatically "Philippe THE Orrr-iginal", and suddenly pictures of tumblers, clowns, and other circus performers dance in your head…..

Which sometimes ain’t too far from the truth…..it gets pretty crowded at Philippe’s, even at 830 am on a Sunday morning, the line is a good 6 deep. You may need a Ringmaster to maneuver around the 3 ring circus breakfast rush.

Some of Philippe’s fame is based on the claim that Philippe Mathieu(the original Philippe) created the French Dip sandwich by accident in 1918. You can read it all here. In the original "you got peanut butter on my chocolate" moment Philippe apparently came up with a bad case of fumble-itis when making a sandwich, dropping the roll into a roasting pan full of juice (let’s all say it together, ahhhh-jus!), and the rest so they say is history. But as with many of these type of claims, it is not without some controversy…..right up the street resides Cole’s Pacific Electric Buffet, who claim to have invented the French Dip sandwich in 1908!

Philippe04_1 Most of the customers on this morning were having breakfast. But, I wasn’t standing in line on the sawdust lined floors at Philippe’s for breakfast. Though I must say, watching a petite Asian girl wolf down a huge ham steak, easy over eggs, biscuits, cole slaw, and potato salad, is quite a sight to behold.

Not knowing the next time I’d be in the area, I went for my favorite sandwich at Philippe’s…the Double Dipped Lamb Sandwich. ($5.95) Ahhh Lamb, it’s not just for breakfast anymore……. A leg of lamb was removed from one of the heating drawers, the meat cut off, the whole sandwich dipped, twice in jus. Oh, and of course a cup o’ Joe…believe it or not, coffee at Philippe’s is still 10 cents a cup.

And though the lamb was a bit tougher and not as rich as the version I had on my previous visit , the jus was oh so good. In fact I remember telling Captain Jack, that if Philippe’s sold rolls in jus, I’d be tempted to order that. I know I could have gotten the Classic French Dip, but I’d found it to be on the salty side……

Still Philippe’s is quite the landmark…in business since 1908, that says something about a place.

Philippe the Original
1001 N Alameda St
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Open Daily 6am – 10pm

And of course breakfast is just not complete without something from that special food group, taquitos. We made it a point to stop by Cielito Lindo on DietChiliCheeseFries recommendation. According to DCCF, the taquitos at Cielito Lindo was a must eat item.

Much like Philippe’s, Cielito Lindo has a long and interesting history, and has been around and selling taquitos since 1934! That’s alot of taquitos…….

So of course we had to stop by and order some Burritos! Hah, just kidding, I ordered 3 taquitos($3.60). The taquitos arrived, and were very tasty, the "shell" had a nice corn flavor, though I thought the really tightly packed meat to be somewhat tough and flavorless. The avocado sauce, was like a runny guacamole, or maybe a thicker salsa verde? Kind of on the bland side.

Still these taquitos had that "something special", and were about a perfect a taquito as one could come across.

As we ate, we watched taquitos being cooked, and noticed that the taquitos weren’t deep fried in the conventional sense, but fried up in a pan that looked sort of like a wok, without a ton of oil.

As we watched the taquitos cook, I nudged Captain Jack….I had found the ingredient that made these taquitos so good….it was the special, thick, white liquid being poured into the pans from the "coffee pots" lining the stove area! Yes, that magical elixir…Lard! No wonder they tasted so good!

Cielito Lindo
23 Olvera St # E
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Open Sun – Thurs 9am – 11pm
Fri – Sat 9am – Midnight

A Lamb Dip Sandwich, with a taquito chaser…….now that’s a breakfast!

The heck with your New Year’s Resolution!-Anthony’s Sea Grill

January 9, 2007 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Chains, Seafood, What Cathy Eats!

Unfortunately Anthony's Sea Grill has closed.

mmm-yoso is not on vacation. Cathy is blogging and Kirk is apparently traipsing about, probably researching someplace new and different.

Hi. There should be a "seafood" or "fish" category for me to select from, but there isn't…and Anthony's is technically a San Diego chain, so I categorized it that way…but, well, if you've lived here for any length of time, you know Anthony's. The Star of The Sea Room downtown..fancy schmancy…they used to require all men wear a jacket or suit coat to eat there…can you imagine? Its good seafood. The Ghio family has had restaurants in San Diego since 1946..Anthony's Fish Grotto. The three Grotto's are less expensive and still have great seafood. Then a few years ago, Anthony's Fishette's opened…and one remains. Now, to meet the needs of today's guests, Anthony's Grill has opened. Its in the mall at the SE corner of 805 and Clairmont Mesa Boulevard, next to Niban.

So, there are healthy, grilled items on the menu and quite a variety. You order, pay and they bring the food to your table.

There is a take out counter near the door, with "Grab and Go" wraps and salads and a few Anthony's products (the basting butters, spreads, dips, seafood salad, and smoked fish).

The 'old' Fishette that used to be in this location had an appetizer of smoked fish which The Mister and I used to always get. This time, we had to buy a vacuum sealed, 4.5 ounce hunk of smoked albacore for $3.79. Of course, we have a bowl of New England style clam chowder also ($2.95). There is a "sauce bar" with a variety of sides…tartar, cocktail, pesto salad dressing, louie dressing, catsup, lemons…everything you could possibly need to add to your meal.

The clam chowder is made with real cream…a skin forms on top . The flavor of the broth is nice and with clam juice and there are many larger pieces of chopped clam, some celery and small diced potato. Its excellent clam chowder, as always, served with oyster crackers.

The smoked fish was excellent. There is an expiration date n the back of the package. Its smoked fresh here in San Diego. The Mister got the Fish and shrimp plate with fries ($8.95) and a side of cole slaw ($1.75). I love the cole slaw here. Not too much dressing and a tiny bit tangy with the cabbage chopped finely. There are five large shrimp, lightly breaded and fried perfectly…juicy and sweet. The piece of cod is light, flaky, fresh and classic. The fries are not bad. Crispy and light. Not greasy.

I got the fried calamari salad ($7.50)

Mostly iceberg with some romaine lettuces, tomatoes, avocado slices, cucumber slices, onion, homemade croutons and a slice of garlic ciabatta bread (which is used for the sandwiches here) . Oh yes, and the fried calamari. Light, slight seasoning and perfect. There is quite a bit of food here.

Oh, the grilled stuff…we haven't tried it. We like the "original" Anthony's flavors.

Anthony's Sea Grill 781 Clairmont Mesa Blvd. San Diego 92111 (858)244-0228

Click here for website

Rose Parade Preview…and food at Tops

December 31, 2006 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Burgers, Los Angeles County, Road Trip, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!, yoso-silly

mmm-yoso is not on vacation. Cathy is blogging while Kirk rests. This one is interesting.

Hi. Its the end of the year and there are still some traditional things The Mister and I do. One of those things is going up to Pasadena, having breakfast and either helping or watching Tournament of Roses parade floats being decorated. Since I have this wrist injury and repetitive stress is out of the question, this is a year to watch.

So, we went to breakfast first at the Historic Green Street Hotel. The Hotel is now a Condominium Complex for the most part, but the building was built in 1898 and has been declared a Historical Site. …The food, its a brunch and not much selection.

Fruit, muffins, pastries, scrambled eggs, sausage and ham…as well as juice and coffee. We were not there for the food.

We ate quickly and waited to get onto the tour bus that took us about 1 mile south….this was the view, waiting to get to the top/overview area of one of the four float building company warehouses.

This is the Farmers Insurance entry for this year's parade. The little owl on Mother Nature's shoulder moves his head. They took the float out of the warehouse to make certain the mechanics were working and to do last minute touch ups before judging was to take place at about 1 p.m. today. Every square inch of the float that is visible has to be covered in something that is, or was alive.

Once you are inside you get a view of the nine floats that have been being assembled in this 'barn' for, really, the last year.

The City of Glendale float is the one with the bear, the Optimists have the one with the cat and dog being friends,

The City of Long Beach

made the one with the lighthouse and sailboats, the City of Pasadena did the birdhouse. McDonald's sponsored the one with the honeybees …

The Lutheran Hour has the one with the church, Lions Club International did the one with the cane for the blind.

Anyhow, these floats are essentially done, and beautiful. People talk about what they are made of…the living parts. But this isn't a good vantage point…HOWEVER…I have friends in High Places….oh, and I'm kinda sorta one of them….

Here is a photo from a few days before the parade last year, with a float still in the assembly stage. See the orange slices used so they look like goldfish scales?

(click on it and it will enlarge)

So, anyhow, here's some closeups..you can tell some of the materials without my help.

OK, so that was the majority of my day…but The Mister and I were tired and hungry and in Pasadena..and of course I *must* always have my camera with me.

Tops, 50 years in business, 'Voted Best Fast Food in Pasadena, Corner of Walnut and Allen'. Gotta try it.

Hmmm, similar to The Hat but with a larger menu….

So, we got what we know is good: the 1/2 pound burger ($3.89), pastrami dip($6.39) and small chili cheese fries($3.59)…

Simple, basic and pretty darn good…the burger is served with lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles and Thousand Island sauce; the pastrami was peppery, had a nice amount of fat and in a nice french roll…

OK, the burger looks, eh, smallish for 1/2 pound…here is what it looked like in my hand after I had eaten a LOT and was almost full….

Tops 1792 East Walnut Street Pasadena (626)584-0244 M-Th 7 am-11 pm; Fri/Sa am-midnight, Sun 9 am-11pm

I'll talk to you all next year, and thank you for making this one my most interesting in my lifetime! Watch football on January 1st… There's this game that is played in Pasadena….

It’s Burger Week – Longhorn Cafe-Howdy Pilgrim!

December 20, 2006 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Burgers, Pubs and Pub Grub, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso is not on vacation. Kirk is just taking the day off (from blogging, anyhow) and Cathy is blogging. Stay and look.

Hello, again, and welcome back. I'm just going to talk about a great sort of neighborhood place that has been there forever and has an All-American type of ambiance…by that, I mean burgers and beer….

In the Vons/Rite Aid Shopping Center where Mission Gorge turns into Friars Road, next to Kaiser Hospital at Zion…at night, well, its the faded sign..

You walk in, the bar is along the wall to your left, booths on the right and televisions blaring. Lots of cowboy memorabilia on the walls. Walk straight back to the room on the left- The John Wayne Room…

Trust me, this is nowhere near all the memorabilia collected here.

You can read about John Wayne on the menu also.

So, you sit down and the table is set, with menus, plastic wear, condiments…

The menu is fairly simple; burgers, steaks salads, appetizers. Bar food.

(You can read, at the bottom of the John Wayne story, the breakfast menu)

We ordered basics. The 1/2 pound Longhorn burger ($6.25), cooked medium rare, with a side of onion rings ($4) and the 6 ounce top sirloin steak dinner ($8.50), served with salad or coleslaw or soup, freedom fries and garlic toast. The Mister also ordered a Red Trolley Beer, which was $2.25- the Happy Hour price-cheaper than the draught beer.

The salad arrives in a paper plate atop a plastic plate with a real fork (there are plastic forks on the table). Standard, iceberg lettuce, fresh tomatoes, a pretty good blue cheese dressing. Nothing extraordinary, not bad.

The Top Sirloin steak, cooked medium rare, also. The steak was very flavorful and tender. The garlic toast was nice. The fries were standard, cooked well.

The side of Onion rings is quite large. They were crispy and made with whole onions, not the minced ones.

My 1/2 pound burger, done medium rare, served with ONION and tomato and lettuce. You saw that condiment tray up there…I added pickles and mayonnaise. Oh, the bun is toasted.

Excellent food, great atmosphere, close to Qualcomm and friendly people..everywhere…

Longhorn Cafe 6519 Mission Gorge Road San Diego 92120 ( in the Vons and Rite Aid Shopping Center)

(619)283-0831

Hancock Street Cafe-hmmm

December 2, 2006 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso is NOT on vacation. Kirk is taking a day off and Cathy is blogging.

Hi. This is gonna be a bizarre post. The Mister and I have been here only this one time,and I usually don’t make a judgment on the first visit… I don’t like to say much bad about any place. The food isn’t "bad", per se…it just isn’t that good…

OK, say you are in the area of the Sports Arena, perhaps on a weekend, wanting to go to Kobey’s Swap Meet, and you got off the I-8 at the Rosecrans exit and were trying to get there from the ‘back way’, making a right at Les Girls (for those of you who don’t know the area, use your imagination)…that’s Hancock Street…its one way…and you see this on your right:

As you pass, you see the front of the building, the Elvis and Marilyn statues..and the "live Jazz and Blues" signage. Well, you know me. I had to stop.

OK. its *tiny* inside. TWO chairs and one table, and those three tables with no chairs out front…

The decor is kind of interesting…

Here is the menu: simple, this two sided paper. We ordered, said we would eat there and we were not asked to pay up front. Mario, the owner and sometimes cook, is a very honest and trusting man.

There were cars pulling up in front, people walking in, ordering something simple-like two pints of chicken soup, one cold and one hot (the soup is fresh-made on the premises), chili (also fresh made) or a candy bar and leaving. One guy ordered a Stromboli and I thought that sounded good. I saw the large Gyros sign out on the side of the building, so ordered one of those..and a coffee. Mario asked if I wanted cream and sugar in it…hmmm…

The Stromboli came out first. It looked a little too perfect; like it was was not made there, but was heated nicely and tasted very good. It was stuffed with ham, sausage, pepperoni, mozzarella, mushrooms and onions.

The gyros took longer to make, and we were told it would be about 5 minutes. The gyros meat was the kind you buy already frozen and the pita was a standard kind you can also buy…nothing fresh here but the tomatoes, lettuce and a lot of onions..well, no, I don’t think the sauce was made there.

Hmmm…

It wasn’t bad, but the lunches were kind of an ode to Smart N Final, or Sysco.

Many people have told me the breakfast croissants are great and made to order. We have to go back from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m., when it opens, to see if this is true.

The owner, Mario, plays seven instruments and goes out front and plays music when there is nothing to do inside. Every evening at 9 pm, he plays music out front also..whether anyone is there or not. He looks like a cross between Benny Hill and Charlie Chaplin… and he is playing that look up, by dressing that way ..with the small mustache and funny hat. He has also gotten a copyright for the name "Benny Chaplain"…and he is going to walk from San Diego to Washington, D.C., next year…doing 20 miles a day, leaving on April 1st and arriving on September 11, recording the walk…all while walking like Charlie Chaplain and playing his music along the way…(You know I could not make this up) to raise money for the American Cancer Society. Mario’s wife died of cervical cancer 7 years ago.

He is trying to get sponsors in every state and is also contacting all the Governors of each state he will walk through… His son is going to run the restaurant while Mario walks. He is selling t-shirts to raise money.

You will notice on the menu that he will be opening a location near Petco park downtown in 2007. I wonder if the name will be "Hancock Street"…I will try this place again, for the breakfast sandwiches, to be fair.

Hancock Street Cafe 3354 Hancock Street, San Diego 92110 (619) 296-2060

Episode16/week3-Charley’s Famous Hamburgers, Shakes, Kabobs…and bacon!

October 16, 2006 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Burgers, Diner, Mediterranean Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso is on vacation. The part usually played by Kirk will be played by Cathy in the interim.

Its been there since 1973. No advertising. Word of mouth. You probably have seen it… Click onto the picture…you are on Broadway in Lemon Grove, heading east, toward Sweetwater Springs Road. They have *finally* finished all that construction…there…sort of to the left, the red sign…Charley's Famous Hamburgers.

It isn't a sit down restaurant, although there are picnic tables in the back and out front. Most people seem to drive though. They all know to order, drive up and shut off the engine. You have to wait for the food to be cooked.

This is it- you drive through on one side of this small building, or walk up to the front and order. All the cooking goes on inside there.

The menu, as seen via the Drive Through.

You will notice bacon on here, a lot.

I will admit to not bothering to having bacon on most items at restaurants, because I just can't taste it…its usually thin and fairly flavorless. Not here….The bacon is always thick, always not greasy and wonderfully flavored. This, combined with the fact that not much food is frozen, makes Charley's one place I will continue to patronize.

Lets take breakfast, for example. This is the breakfast croissant ($ 3.39) egg, bacon, ham and cheese on a fresh, fluffy croissant. {The extra charge to make a breakfast a combo is worth it if you like OJ-you get a large prepacked container along with a hash brown patty}

There is the famous Kabob-seasoned ground beef patty grilled and in a pita with lettuce, radishes, green pepper, onions and mayo.…and bacon, of course…

This one is the single kabob with bacon ($4.49)

This one is the double kabob with bacon ($5.49). I really like the idea of radishes and green pepper on a hot sandwich. It's a wonderful flavor combination.

Then of course there is the famous hamburger.

This is a the double cheeseburger ($3.29) The hamburger meat is more coarse ground than I have had, more flavorful and definitely not frozen.

There are of course, sides to order.

This is the small Chili Cheese Fries ($2.49) and the onion rings ($1.99)

The chili here is unique and has a nice spice to it. They use those spicy chili beans and not much ground beef. (The cheese melted into the chili before I got a good photograph)..and the onion rings are made of whole real onions, in a cornmeal batter…nice crunch! The plain fries, I am not overly thrilled about, but they have good potato flavor.

OOOH- Look behind the onion rings. That is the plain old, simple BLT ($3.69)…SIX (6) yes, six slices of bacon on that seeded burger bun, with lettuce, tomatoes and mayo…the *absolute* best BLT …EVER.

The part of the menu you may have missed and no photograph could do it justice are the milkshakes…Oh, you *have* to try them. Fresh made to order…my favorite is the banana, made with a real banana, of course… that peanut butter shake…salty and sweet…..absolutely wonderful shakes….the root beer float…just get that as a treat one evening. Its wonderful. The one I haven't tried yet is the apple turnover shake. But, since there are apple turnovers on the menu…well, I can imagine how the shake is made and pretty much what it tastes like…that can be for next time.

So, the next time you are driving, please don't just pass by. Stop. It *will* be the best food you have had in a long time.

Charley's Famous Burgers, Kabobs and Shakes,

8213 Broadway, Lemon Grove 91945 (619)460-2690

Open 7:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m., until 10 p.m. on Friday

Episode 15/Week 3-Crispy Fried Chicken

October 15, 2006 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso is on vacation. The part usually played by Kirk is being played by Cathy in the interim.

So, say you are driving on El Cajon Boulevard, and you see, like, 40 places Kirk has mentioned and there is so much Pho and Bahn Mi and you are almost overwhelmed…then at the SE Corner of El Cajon Blvd and 49th..you see:

Crispy Fried Chicken

oh…you have to stop….

(as long as its still daylight)

menu on the front window…

menu inside….along with television..note "truth in advertising" in the 2nd column up there on the wall- taped up are boxes for the fried mozzarella, jalapeños and zucchini.

and the convenient menu to use for phone ins…

You will note on this menu, the coleslaw, potato salad, corn bread, corn and steamed rice are the non-fried items, along with beverages of course, and possibly the biscuits….

Now, have you been paying attention the last three weeks? The name of the place is "Crispy Fried Chicken"…Get the chicken!

The three piece mixed chicken meal:

with cole slaw and hush puppies as sides ($4.79). Excellent cole slaw, light fluffy hush puppies and really *really* good fried chicken. Light, crispy batter, lightly seasoned. Large pieces, compared to most chicken places.

The seven piece fried oysters with cornbread and onion rings. ($5.49). The oysters were large in the sense that there were more than one in some of the fried pieces. They were very juicy and in a cornbread-based batter. The cornbread was with a sweet flavor, not too fancy but fresh. The onions rings were made with diced onions…all the same size and passable: not great.

So, if you get that fried food craving again and are on El Cajon Boulevard, stop in. The fried catfish is really good, better than the snapper. If anything, get the popcorn chicken…that will satisfy your craving for a while.

Crispy Fried Chicken 4919 El Cajon Boulevard San Diego 92115 (619) 582-3938

Mon-Sat 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Episode 13A/Week Two-Happy Chef, Happy, Happy!

October 14, 2006 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Greek Food, Mexican Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso is on vacation. The part usually played by Kirk will be played by Cathy in in the interim.

*** Update. The name has changed to Kayson’s. The people who work there all seem to be the same (even the husband and wife who I thought were owners) including Aurelio, the Chef. The walls don’t have photos of famous Channel 8 ex-personalities. The tables and chairs all match now. There is a wide screen TV and new flooring. The menu has the same foods, but the prices all went up by about $2 per item.

Update of the Update: Happy Chef and Kaysons are now closed.

Ahh, its a weekend and, well…there is this place The Mister and I have been going to since about 1984 and its still there, and I think the tables and chairs are still the same and, well, nobody has ever had a mention of it. YET, Kirk has mentioned Sammy Sushi as being his favorite place and here, Happy Chef is technically in the same building, sharing the same parking lot.

Its only open from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday thru Saturday and is busy most of that time. The sign says "Home Style Cooking" and if your home is American-Greek-Mexican, then yes, it is.

The menu has American, Greek and Mexican breakfasts and for lunch, Greek Food, Mexican Food, Charbroiled burgers, salads, sandwiches, two "Oriental Plates", seafood and combo plates. Note that there is gyros listed under "Mexican Food" and under "Old Favorites" in the breakfast section, the shrimp and mixed cheese omelet….I suppose I grew up deprived…

Here is a better photo of part of the lunch menu (the descriptions are difficult to read on the paper menu because its kind of grey ink on yellow paper) :

The Mister got himself the souvlaki and eggs breakfast with pita ($6.35) and I got my all time favorite- chilaquiles with shredded beef ($4.99). The souvlaki was excellent- tender and served on a kabob with a side of tzatziki. (Those are poached eggs in the cup on the plate). I do *love* the chilaquiles here, some places only make them vegetarian style but you have the option of getting them with shredded chicken or beef and the shredded beef is excellent. Chilaquiles are tortilla strips cooked in a sauce, kind of an enchilada sauce, and then mixed in are meat or eggs or vegetables.

For lunch one day, the Mister wanted the Fish and Chips, which came with 1/2 of the plate covered in salad, the other half with in store cut potatoes and three large pieces of fish, covered in a cornmeal batter. All very tasty. The tartar sauce is made here and is very chunky with jarred relish, kind of tart in taste. I opted for the gyros with onion rings, which were whole slices of onions covered in the same cornmeal batter. The gyros was way overfilled in the pita, nice and thick sliced and had chopped onions and chopped tomatoes in it. The tzatziki is a good one, made without dill.

Now the place is called Happy Chef and the clock on the wall has been there forever. …you know I don’t have photos of people in any of my posts. But when I saw how Aurelio was dressed on this day, I just *had* to ask permission. He did not want to have his photo taken and I told him it was for my mom to see. She will see it…(click onto the photo for it to enlarge and look at the clock). Doesn’t he look happy, just like the guy on the clock?

Anthony’s Happy Chef 7905 Engineer Road San Diego 92111 (across from Pacific Honda) (858)569-1582

Monday-Saturday 6 a.m.-3 p.m.

Episode 12/week two- Mrs. Rice’s Teriyaki Grill and Gourmet Wraps and Hawaiian BBQ

October 12, 2006 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Mrs. Rice is closed.

mmm-yoso is on vacation. The part usually played by Kirk will be played by Cathy in the interim.

Oooh boy, did I have a tough time trying to put a category on this one…Mrs. Rice's…It's right there on the southeast corner of Clairmont Mesa and 163…in the same parking lot with Golden City. We first tried it because Golden City was so crowded one afternoon. The menu says it is "Teriyaki Chicken, Gourmet Wraps and Hawaiian BBQ"…"a unique quick serve restaurant that specializes in fresh, healthy and delicious rice bowls and gourmet wraps". The word "healthy" is always bothersome to me. Usually it means "flavorless". But not at Mrs. Rice's!

Click here to see the website.

So, the Mister works near the 163/Clairmont Mesa/Balboa area and in the lobby at work, he saw this coupon page, and remembered we had tried Mrs. Rice's when it first opened and were not overly thrilled with it, but it wasn't bad..and now there were coupons! (Oh, and the Mister is really getting into this whole blogging thing too, trying to help me with ideas of places I should talk about ).

So, this is the regular menu.

and this is the new Hawaiian BBQ menu.

I do think Kirk could give a better eval of whether or not the Hawaiian menu is good, and besides, the coupon wasn't for those items…

So… the regular menu:

We tried the #12 (sweet and sour chicken and BBQ pork) $4.99. Lots of good rice. The sweet and sour chicken is a bit too sweet I think. (All the chicken is skinless here, by the way… part of that "healthy" way of cooking). The BBQ pork was excellent, especially dipped in the sauce that came with and the vegetables were steamed and still a bit crispy. Quite good, quite filling.

Ah, but the #7 (teriyaki chicken and teriyaki steak) $5.49…oh that steak…nice and tender, thick enough and sooo tasty (they only use USDA choice steaks). The teriyaki sauce was nice and not overly sweet..it went well with the chicken and the steak. Same veggies, and lots of good rice.

Mrs. Rice's does serve healthy (no shortening, butter, lard or MSG) food, makes their own sauces and salsas fresh daily, and the food always is fresh. The veggies are not over-steamed or mushy..and if someone is a rice addict out there (Hello Kirk), well, this is a good fix.

As it says on the ads: Always fresh! Always Great!

Mrs. Rice's 5375 Kearney Villa Road, #101 San Diego 92123

(858)278-0618 fax: (858) 278-9801

Mon-Fri 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. (closed weekends…I bet that is when they do most of the catering)

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Just a reminder: The San Diego Asian Film Festival started tonight, and ChiliCheeseFries has his movie playing (Asian Stories Movie) this weekend. For more info: Click here.

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Episode Eleven/week two-The San Diego Chicken Pie Shop

October 11, 2006 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso is on vacation. The part Usually played by Kirk will be played by Cathy in the interim.

Hi. Sometimes I *need* to eat food using chop sticks. Sometimes I *need* to eat food with some type of red, spicy sauce. Sometimes, it has to remind me of my childhood.

The San Diego Chicken Pie Shop has been around since 1938, moving from location to location but with the food remaining consistent….a kind of cross between school cafeteria food and what my mom used to make. Simple, hearty, tasty and economical.

When we went here in 1988, with my dad, the "Pie Dinner" was $3.10 and included the beverage…now it is $5.50 and does not include a beverage. My, how times have changed…but the food tastes exactly the same….and that is all that matters.

The top menu is the sit down restaurant one and the bottom menu is for the take out.

As part of my stating the obvious, the name is the Chicken Pie Shop. Get the chicken pie. The "Pie Dinner" at $5.50 is the best deal. We also opted for a cup of pea soup ($1.25)and a bowl of the "soup of the day"- Oriental Chicken-which was the regular in store made chicken soup with rice in it. ($1.50)( please…I said school cafeteria already…)

The chicken soup has celery, carrots, a bit of onion and bay leaf as seasoning in it. It seems to be a bit creamy, but that could be because of the added rice.

I really like the pea soup- chicken stock based with carrots added to the peas. It is quite unique, thick and flavorful. No ham.

So here it is- the pie dinner:

You get a hearty, chewy fresh made dinner roll, some really nice, finely chopped, fresh made basic cole slaw ( I usually add pepper to it), the pie, institutional mashed potatoes, some lovely congealing gravy and the vegetable of the day, in this case..mixed, previously frozen.

Is that, like, a Swanson’s frozen pot pie you ask…NO!

Look at the innards. Its chicken and gravy, no vegetables…oh and that crust is made fresh also…and the pie is kind of really large…

and also included in this $5.50 price tag is dessert…a slice of in store made pie.…oh the shortening crust…!

There is a "cream pie" of the day, in this case it was banana…I know on Tuesdays it is coconut cream other days have chocolate cream and pineapple cream….which is topped with yet more industrial "whipped topping"…and the "usual" pies of the day are two crusted (with sugar sprinkled on top) and fruit filled- The one the Mister chose was rhubarb, but they also have cherry and peach and I have seen pumpkin and lemon on occasion.

This restaurant takes cash ONLY, no credit cards, no ATM, no checks.

It is good, basic food, served quickly (if you order the chicken pie and then get up to go to the restroom, the food will be on the table by the time you get back) (the chicken liver meal takes the longest to cook and I do order it on occasion).

San Diego Chicken Pie Shop 2633 El Cajon Blvd. San Diego 92104 (619) 295-0156 fax in an order (619) 295-0216

10 a.m. -8 p.m. 7 days