Diner – Page 4 – mmm-yoso

The Village Kitchen (Ocean Beach)

August 17, 2015 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Diner, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping by to read this food blog named mmm-yoso!!! Kirk is again having a busy few days at work and Ed (from Yuma) is having a busy few days staying indoors, avoiding the heat (in Yuma). Cathy is busy writing a few posts about places where she's had a meal.

Late one overcast morning, The Mister and I drove West and spent a considerable amount of time looking for a parking space. We ended up about four blocks from the ocean on Newport Avenue near Sunset Cliffs Boulevard. This bright yellow storefront caught our eye.Standout bright yellow…and such a narrow storefront…but the building is deep. The restaurant has been in that location a long time. Mom and Pop…everyone in here seemed to know each other…a locals hangout. That's the ocean…you can see the American flag on the post that's built into the sidewalk at the edge of the beach, if you squint.Classic diner decor…breakfast is served all day, but there were some menu items that we were more interested in trying.The Monday special- meatloaf ($6.95). The slices of meatloaf were thin, but so flavorful… the color of gravy is a hint- carrot was used in the loaf and therefore the gravy, and there was not much bread filler; it was all meat. The potatoes and veggies were standard (and went well with the gravy) and the grilled toasted dinner roll was just enough bread for the meal.Asking if the chili was made here (and being unaware of the Ocean Beach Chili Cook Off), I was answered with a hearty "of course!". (Mental note: the OB Street Festival and Chili Cook Off occurs during the San Diego County Fair). I ordered a cup ($3.95).

Well. This was more of a soup-chili, which I grew up eating. It had beans, which is how Mom made it. All the right flavors were there. Nostalgia.What really caught my eye while reading the menu was the Stuffed Tomato ($6.75). Stuffed with a generous portion of Tuna Salad. A wonderful, lightly dressed, simple, made with good tuna Tuna Salad. Cutting up the tomato and having forkfuls with the lettuce, cheese and occasional pickle had some food memories triggered. This was a great meal…and I am on the lookout for Stuffed Tomato on menus…my new craving.

Village Kitchen Restaurant 4853 Newport Avenue San Diego 92107 (619)222-0151 Open Mon-Tue-Wed 7:30-2, Thur-Fri 7:30-6 Sat 8-6, Sun 8-2

J&M’s Family Restaurant (and the Chili Extravaganza)

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

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog. Kirk and Ed(fromYuma) and Cathy are the usual bloggers. Things pretty much work out that when one doesn't feel like (or can't) blog, one of the others has something they can post. Today, Cathy is writing.

A few weeks ago, The Mister and I were headed to the Vallarta Market in Escondido, planning to eat lunch beforehand either in the store (link is about a different location of Vallarta; but the food court inside all stores have the same food selections) or at the Farmer Boys, which shares the same parking lot…However, seeing this signage at J&M's (also sharing the same parking lot)…well…had to stop. The week after we had been here, this small ad appeared in the Union-Tribune. It looks like a June-only promotion. When looking at the regular menu, chili is not listed anywhere.The interior decor is newer, neat and clean, there is a separate closed room for meetings and wonderful friendly waitresses.

Some of you may remember there used to be a Spires Restaurant (a small Southern California chain of Traditional American Diners, since 1965) in Escondido which burned down in 2012. J&M's opened here in 2013 with the same owner and many of the same employees.

The regular menu is straightforward and has two 'added value' menus at the back for both breakfast and lunch (these special menus are served anytime).Therefore, breakfast it was. The #3 ($6.99). One and a half slices of French toast with two eggs and bacon. This was great, just enough and everything fresh, tasty and quality (and perfectly poached eggs).From the 'regular' menu, the appetizer of onion rings ($4.99). One size only. 20 fresh breaded and perfectly fried whole slices of onion. For the first time ever, The Mister and I did not fight over who got the last one; we were full from sharing this giant serving. THE chili bowl ($5.69). If you know, or care much about chili…this is great. No beans, tomato, peppers (just a hint of the typical mild/red bell pepper flavor and possibly Anaheim chilis), onion, spices of cumin and garlic with a bit of chili powder heat. This would be perfect on a cold day.

We will be going back soon, in case the Chili Extravaganza really is over at the end of the month.

J&M's 1215 E Valley Pkwy Escondido, CA 92027 (between Harding and Ash) (760)745-3710 website open 6-11 daily

Sunday Sandwiches: Spice House Cafe

May 10, 2015 mmm-yoso Diner, Sandwiches

**** Spice House has closed

Like I've mentioned many times before, I have special place in my heart for those 60's and 70's diner type items I grew up eating. I recently got my yearly itch….so I decided to just go ahead and scratch it. Last year, my visits to Troy's Family Restaurant just didn't do it for me. So this time, I headed in the opposite direction to the Spice House Café.

This place has been around for over 50 years. And I even did a post on breakfast here back in 2005. 2005……seems so long ago. Sadly, I didn't see the Portuguese Sausage Breakfast on the menu anymore.

Anyway, this place is no frills, it doesn't try to be anything its not……just simple burgers, sandwiches, breakfast……

So it just seemed right to get one of my diner favorites something I get a craving for every so often, the Club House Sandwich ($8.95). Man, this thing was huge.

Man, look at all that processed turkey. Actually it wasn't an overly processed mystery meat product. And who doesn't love bacon and a decent smear of mayo.

The bulk steak fries were ok……when fried well, it's passable, and on this day it was.

And of course, who can forget that other diner favorite…the bottle that refuses to give up the ketchup? Tried the "jerk, the shake, the knife strategy, all to no avail. Finally, I just held it upside down and let gravity do its (slow) work.

This was way too much for me. I ended up having half of it for dinner.

Even though I took care of my club sandwich craving for another year, I thought one visit wouldn't be enough for a post. So I decided to return.

Not sure what to get; I went to the top of the sandwich listing and got the "Super Bird Melt". Good lord, this was just a bit too much for me.

This was just a bit too greasy for me, rom the griddled and greasy onions, the griddled sour dough, and the drippy cheese. All things I enjoy, but in this case it was just too much.

The fries this time were barely lukewarm therefore dry and cardboard like.

In terms of price point and quality, you get what you pay for here….maybe even more. In terms of quantity, well, I couldn't finish either sandwich. On my visits I thought the servers here represent Spice House quite well, they are polite, sometimes friendly, efficient, with little wasted motion, and no pretense. Sometimes that's just what you want…..

Spice House Cafe
9035 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92123
Hours:
Mon – Fri 630am – 230pm
Sat – Sun 700am – 230pm

WOW Cafe (ON the Ocean Beach Fishing Pier)

October 19, 2014 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Diner, Seafood, What Cathy Eats!

This is mmm-yoso!!!, a blog about food. Kirk, Ed(from Yuma) and Cathy are the usuals who write posts here. Today's writer is Cathy.

If you've lived or are living in or visited San Diego and gone to the Ocean Beach area, you may have seen this font. Most likely, you saw it from this vantage point. It's way down there, a building sticking out of the pier.Walking up the stairs at the end of the pier, you are greeted by the gates and various signage.
You begin your walk on the longest cement pier on the West Coast. Enjoying and appreciating the views North and the surfers waiting to catch the next wave, the walk is windy, chilly, invigorating.Finally, it's so much closer… There are public restrooms, a Bait Shop and the Cafe within that building. A lot of people call it the Ocean Beach Pier Cafe (which is the old name and where it is)… But this is the real name. The same family, the Fishers (ha), have been the owners since 1993. Another San Diego Institution.
There are tables out in front as well as bar stools and a table railing on the pier opposite the doorway; plenty of seating. Indoors, there is no wind. Nautical decor, fresh flowers on the tables. The Pier Plate ($10) herb battered pollack and shrimp on top of fresh fried potatoes and cole slaw. The batter was fried properly, had good flavor; the fish was moist, thick and flaky; the slaw was fresh cut and lightly dressed (just the way I like it) and those potatoes…yes they look limp and they are limp and they have the *best* flavor, are cooked through and are wonderful!
{Note: The menu states that each plate has an "O.B. Pier Sinker" (jalapeño popper) on it, which neither of our plates had, and each of our plates was $1 less than the menu price of $11.} Since it is lobster season, I ordered the lobster taco ($6) and made it a plate ($4) – with slaw and a "bun o'chowder" (instead of ordering a sourdough bowl). This was nice. Plenty of sauteed lobster meat and the topping was basically the slaw with tomatoes, sauce and jalapeño bits. The bun o'chowder was fascinating…a toasted hamburger bun topped with a good amount of house made clam chowder. The toasting of the bun meant not much absorbtion of chowder into the bread. The chowder had a great flavor, with clam bits and potato.
When you are finished, the walk back doesn't seem to take as long.

Prices are fair (not expensive but not dirt cheap), the food is fresh and good quality. The view can't be beat.

Walking On Water Cafe 5091 Niagara Avenue (at Bacon Street) San Diego 92107 (619)226-8653 Open 7 days 8-8

Troy’s Family Restaurant

June 20, 2014 mmm-yoso Diner, Greek Food

**** Sadly Troy's has closed

I have a special place in my heart for those pseudo-diners I grew up eating in….places like Like Like Drive In…you know, no pretense, good unhealthy grub. A couple of months ago I was lamenting the lack of diners that served that type of grub in our area……sorry folks, Denny's, IHOP don't count and I tried Country Waffles a couple of times when we first moved to the area and had some terrible meals. When Troy's Family Restaurant came up in the conversation…..yikes, I'd totally forgotten about the place. I'm not sure why, perhaps it's the location in Clairemont Square next to the Von's we never shop at…..

So I headed over for lunch one day.

The place looked very old-school, in fact all the customers were at least a decade older than I was….the Servers seemed to know them all.

The style of service is also a blast form the past…..they ask if you want coffee the minute you sit down, you pay at the register, the waitresses….yes, here I'll call them waitresses call you "sweetie", "hon", and other terms of endearment. They move with little wasted motion….you'll get an old school handwritten paper check placed on your table when you're nearly done with your meal…you pay at the register. No muss, no fuss…..

Every once in a while I really like a Club Sandwich….or as my "local" friends back home call it….Da Clubhouse ($7.95).

Processed turkey, American cheese, perfect bacon……and I really liked it. This did take me back to "small kid time". Good amount of mayo, dinner fries, bottle of ketchup, bread (white of course) toasted adequately. There are no airs in this shop and the food shows that as well.

A couple of weeks later I returned. One of my guilty pleasures is a nice open faced turkey sandwich.

On the good side, the turkey wasn't that processed stuff they put in their sandwiches, on the bad side…it was dry as the Grand Erg Oriental, that would be the Sahara. That chicken gravy was bland and gluey, tasting just the way you'd think based on the photo. There's a reason this is just $6.45.

So here we were, two down, should I go for three? I asked for a recommendation and was given the Souvlaki ($7.45).

Man, this just didn't hit the spot. The pork was really tough and dry, the "garlic bread" dry and crumbly. The seasoning was really subpar.

I do get why people come here; service is relatively friendly, all my food came out quickly, the prices are very reasonable, the portions hearty. The term, "you get what you pay for" is very true here. I'm thinking breakfast here might be pretty good. Still, rather than feeling satisfied and nostalgic about the dishes, I felt the whole thing was dated. There is something to say about having "your" neighborhood place, where they know what you want, where you like to sit, how you take your coffee, that's great. This ain't "that place" for me.

Troy’s Family Restaurant & Coffee Shop
4827 Clairemont Dr
San Diego, CA 92117

Howard’s Lemon Grove Deli & Grill (Breakfast)

February 20, 2014 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Diner, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!!, the food blog you are reading, is being posted today by Cathy. Kirk and Ed(from Yuma) are really, really busy-too busy to write.

Lately, The Mister and I have had to make time to share meals out. One day, we wanted to return to Howards, a Lemon Grove Diner, which has been here for decades. Our fondness for this place began on our first visit, after the San Diego County Fires of 2003, when we were driving around looking for a place to eat and find some normalcy in our ash filled world.

Located on Broadway (the main drag) on the West side of the street along the feeder road just a block North from the Lemon Grove Trolley stop, it's convenient. From this view of the front, you may notice the doorway is a bit stepped back- there are about eight tables outside, which are covered and in front of the door to the inside eating area.

You can see the deli/sandwich/grill menu on the wall back there. Many people call in orders to go, or walk in and wait for to go orders at lunchtime. But we were here for breakfast.

This is the breakfast menu, although there are about five items listed on the wall above the door inside.

I ordered the carne asada plate with over easy eggs ($9.25). This came with corn tortillas, rice, beans, salsa, avocado and chopped tomatoes. The eggs were perfectly cooked and the steak was plentiful and seasoned well and just plain good.

The Mister ordered the chicken fried steak plate($9.25). The coating was crunchy and not the least bit greasy and the meat was thick and juicy. This came with a from scratch country gravy, which was delicious. The Mister chose home fried potatoes as his side.

Poached eggs also came with this plate. As did rye toast.

All in all, this is a great local place that has withstood the test of time. I hope all of you have such a gem in your part of town.

Howards Lemon Grove Deli & Grill 7860 Broadway Lemon Grove, CA 91945 (619)464-2928 Mon-Sat 7-4, Sun 7-2

Tobey’s 19th Hole Restaurant (Balboa Park)

December 29, 2013 Cathy Diner, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

Yep, you are reading mmm-yoso!!!, the food blog. Kirk, Ed (from Yuma) and Cathy usually are the ones who share writing posts here. Today, Cathy is writing and the guys are resting.

I've taken the 28th Street exit from the 94 freeway on many occasions. My ultimate goal has always been to get to North side of the Naval Hospital without getting on the I-5 or 163 and, as you know, I enjoy 'getting lost' and discovering places. That's what happened the other day. I continued North then West from the exit and was suddenly driving on a two lane road, saw a few parking lots along the road and a small building with parking in front of it.

The Balboa Park Golf Course. Look carefully to the left the the photo- the red neon "OPEN" sign. All the way at the end is the Pro Shop, where you pay for your Green Fees and begin (and end) your golf game.

Here's a view of the same building from the Pro Shop. You can see it looks like it's been there forever. It sort of has been, if 1934 means forever ago to you.
Inside the building, there are photographs, awards and architecture spanning the years. If you zoom in, the little sign above the open door is "Tobey's 19th Hole Cafe".

A quick look inside and the architecture screams "Diner"- there is a row of 12 permanent stools for counter service just to the left, pie slices in that glass display case and three television sets, one you can see in the above photo and there are two more to the right seating area.

Which has booths, tables and an outdoor patio. The hat and coat hooks near each table are part of that long ago decor.

The menu, water and coffee (botomless cup, $2) are brought out as soon as you seat yourself. That drawing? Pretty darn accurate, I'd say. If you look carefully in my photo you can see Balboa Hospital to the right and beyond the buildings (to the left, just between the third set of buildings and the black building)…that's Point Loma. What a view.

My order: BLT with egg ($6.25) on rye toast with my chosen side of a salad with Thousand Island dressing. Great sandwich, crispy bacon, fresh lettuce and tomato and a nicely fried egg. The salad was quite large and the salad dressing was very good.

The Mister ordered a large bowl of chili ($3.75) with onion on the side (for me) and a small (yes, that's a small; I saw a large) order of Tots ($2.75). The chili, made with beans and good ground beef, was quite good. The spice mix was complex and really nice. The Tots were perfectly fried, crispy, not greasy and plentiful!

When friends visit, this humble, great diner with a view is going to definitely be a stop from now on.

Dennis was here a few years ago. Here is a link to his post.

Tobey's 19th Hole Cafe 2600 Golf Course Drive San Diego (619) 239-1660

Feeling Lucky? Revisits to Lucky’s Golden Phenix and Pho Lucky

August 3, 2013 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Diner, Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

I didn't even notice the connection until I sat down and tried to decide what to write about tonight. As you can probably tell, by all my grammatical errors I do things "stream of consciousness" style. Most of the time, I have no idea what keys I'm gonna hit on the keyboard. The photos of my meals drive the blog post…..and apparently this one is no different! So here goes….

Breakfast at Lucky's:

**** Sadly Lucky Wong passed away at the end of 2024

There's nothing really outstanding about the food at Lucky's. SYSCO sausages, rehydrated hashbrowns…..though he does know how to get the eggs right for me.

The key ingredient, other than the really low prices….everything under five bucks, is Lucky himself. If this were a play, it would be a one man show…..on most days, Lucky does it all himself, serving, cooking, busing, all the while leaving us pearls of wisdom, some of which I've noted in my previous posts on the place. Yet, if you visit enough times, you'll start to notice the humble person behind all of this. You'll also start noticing other things……my buddy Candice noticed that Lucky has a thing about waste…..leave one piece of toast uneaten and he'll make sure you finish it, or take it home with you. Very telling…. As the Chinese Philosopher Cheng Chan-Pao said, "Know you that your bowl of rice each grain from hardship comes?"

Lucky's Breakfast (Golden Phenix)
3804 Grim Ave
San Diego, CA 92104

Pho Lucky:

I just recovered from a rather prolonged bout with laryngitis…I felt fine in the mornings, except for some major hoarseness, which kind of wore me down by the end of the day. All I really wanted was something salty, soup, and noodles. There were just so many times I could have ramen…..so one evening, the Missus told me She was craving Pho. It's strange, the Missus was never a big fan of Pho….but something changed this past year.

So we headed up to Pho Lucky and the Missus got Her bowl.

I was a bit torn, would it be Pho or my favorite Banh Mi Bo Kho. I really wanted the tendon, anise, and tomato tones of the beef stew, but I wanted noodles. The solution, Pho Bo Kho……

I'd always kind of avoided this because I thought it would be kind of a halfway, non-committal kind of dish. Which it was in a way….but on this evening, it was just what I wanted and needed.

Pho Lucky
9326 Mira Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92126

So whaddya know. I got "Lucky" twice in a row!

San Marcos Family Restaurant-quick lunch

July 18, 2013 Cathy Diner, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is the food blog you're reading. Kirk and Ed(from Yuma) usually write about places and items they've enjoyed. Today, Cathy is is doing that job.

Last Friday around 11:15, I received a time-dependent request from a friend and needed to deliver some paperwork to an office located either in downtown San Diego (i.e. pay for parking) or at City Hall in San Marcos (free parking for two hours). So I headed North with The Mister in tow, planning to go to lunch after my chore was handled. We got to the Service office at 12:31, only to find a sign they were closed for lunch until 1:30. Off to lunch we went…not knowing what was around. Taking a right on Mission Road, in less than a mile we saw this storefront in a mall on the North side of the street…

Of course I decided this would be a perfect choice…been in business since 1987, cars in front, lunch time…oh and that writing on the far window is advertising home made cinnamon rolls, available until sold out. (They were sold out by the time we got here…Mental note…)

Pretty much a typical, family run diner, open daily 6 a.m.-2:30 p.m.. Neat and clean, two rooms of tables, booths and a counter eating area. There's a really neat tapestry design on all of the seating. Coffee cups, with local advertising, are on all the tables.

Condiments for use at breakfast or lunch are on every table.

Soup of the day-clam chowder-it was Friday. Of course it was made in house. More clams than potato or celery, stock made with real dairy, not water; you can see the skin formed on top. Really good.

My meal was a cup of soup and the half sandwich ($6.99)-tuna on rye toast. Good tuna mixed lightly with mayonnaise and not much else. Plenty of it with lettuce and tomato and pickles on an excellent, seeded rye.

The Mister ordered a Chili Size ($8.99) (with soup instead of fries). This was a nice, coarse ground burger, 1/3 lb (or larger) which had a good flavor by itself, topped with a house made chili with beans, cheese and onions. This was excellent.

If we are in the area closer to breakfast time, we will stop by here again.

San Marcos Family Restaurant 576 East Mission Road San Marcos 92069 (760)744-3710

Oahu: Leonard’s and Oxtail Soup from Kapiolani Coffee Shop

August 5, 2012 mmm-yoso Bakery, Desserts, Diner, Honolulu, Oahu, Travel

During my visits home, mornings are "my" time. I'll take a drive, fill gas, pick up stuff for lunch/dinner, find a wi-fi connection, and basically just drive around……..at 5-6am. I really wanted the D's to enjoy some of the "local" food I grew up eating. Of course, being raised in the Kaimuki/Kapahulu area, Leonard's is on that list. I'm still quite flabbergasted when I see tour buses and even a limo pull up to the very non-descript bakery that is Leonard's and the lines we experienced on our last trip home were just not fun. I'm sure you can go later in the evening…..but for me, malasadas were made to be eaten early in the day. The Missus and I tried the malasadas from the Leonard's wagon in Waikele and really didn't care for what they sold….cold, greasy, somewhat gummy. So it had to be a trip to Kapahulu. I didn't expect to encounter too many lines at 530 in the morning…….

There was a line, but only four folks in front of me. It seems that Leonard's is popular with the military as two groups of men in fatigues dropped in while I waited in line. There's something about the heavenly smells when I walk into Leonard's that just takes me back to "small kid time".

Over the years, Leonard's has expanded their line of malasadas to include filled versions. Being the old fuddy-duddy that I am, I still go for the original plain sugared version. Though I also bought a half dozen haupia filled as well.

Man, these always take me back…… MrD enjoyed having his with soy milk for breakfast, telling me it was like a sweet youtiao! You know, I never thought of that…..

Leonard's is one of those iconic places that you should check out at least once if you're ever in or around Honolulu. Here's a neat little trivia thingy, Leonard's is celebrating their 60th anniversary this year. Did you know that the original location that Leonard Rego opened his bakery is actually in the building where Ono Hawaiian Food (another iconic eating establishment) is located?

Leonard's Bakery
933 Kapahulu Ave
Honolulu, HI 96816

The trip for the day was Dole Plantation. Maggie seemed to really enjoy the maze……

This is the Ohia tree and the blossoms are called Lehua. I stopped Maggie from picking these, by telling her the legend of Pele and Ohia.

The story goes that Pele (the Godess of fire) fell in love with a handsome man named Ohia whom she wanted to marry. Ohia, however told Pele that he was in love with a maiden named Lehua and turned her down. Well, as you imagine, this didn't sit well with Madam Pele….she turned Ohia into the twisted looking Ohia tree. Lehua became heartbroken and the gods took pity on her by turning her into the Lehua blossom, so that she and Ohia would be inseparable. To this day, it is said that picking the Lehua blossom will cause rain…..tears falling because Ohia and Lehua cannot bear to be separated.

The late afternoon meant another shopping trip and my in-laws took the D's to a luau. I dropped them off and went to pick-up dinner. I had been wanting to check out Kapiolani Coffee Shop for their oxtail soup a long time favorite since reading about it on Reid's blog back in 2004. Never let it be said that I'm not a patient person…..since that time, Kam bowl has closed down and the shop is now located in Waimalu Shopping Center.

Based on the menu, I'm pretty sure that this is one of the originals when it comes to oxtail soup…..

Funny thing is, I remember having my first bowl of oxtail soup at a restaurant on Kapiolani, next to where Aloha Motors was……could it be? I couldn't find any information on that.

The restaurant is quite small and very, very, old school.

The oxtail soup ain't cheap, almost $14 for a bowl, which comes with two scoops of rice….oh, as old school at KCS is, they did ask me if I wanted brown rice! Man, my soup arrived at my table in like two minutes…..

The standard condiment is some grated ginger and shoyu(soy sauce). I thought the broth was a bit too salty, even for me, very mild anise tones, and frankly, I prefer a bit more "fat" in my broth. This one was very clear. Lots of cilantro and green onions…..

The oxtails were excellent….not falling to pieces, but just tender enough. Personally, I prefer some nice fatty bits and gelatinous goodness, these had been prepped to remove a good amount of that stuff.

I still prefer the oxtail soup I had at The Alley to this and the portion to price ratio seemed a bit on the small side. Still it was good to be able to finally get that oxtail soup off my "list". Plus, I enjoyed the old school feel of the place.

Hey…..is that waitress calling me an Ox?

Kapiolani Coffee Shop
98-020 Kamehameha Hwy
Aiea, HI 96701