Pubs and Pub Grub – Page 14

Fred’s…Ummm Ed’s Bistro

March 25, 2007 mmm-yoso Filipino Restaurants, Pubs and Pub Grub, Sisig

*** Ed’s Bistro has closed.

I’d heard about Ed’s Bistro in National City a while back…well I thought it was Fred’s Bistro.

Tucked on a side street between 8th Street and Plaza Boulevard in a very unassuming space next to a barber shop and laundromat, I’d say that Ed’s is in a pretty strange location. I was also told, that Ed’s (Fred’s) was well….."a bit different". I kinda got a hint about the name when I saw the Application for Ownership Change posted alongside the front door. As for a "bit different", when we entered, "Ed’s" revealed itself.

And I couldn’t stop smiling! Call it a "lounge", "bar & grill", "pub", or in this case "bistro", Ed’s was an honest to goodness "bar"! The large karaoke set-up, really cheap furniture, 3 "lounge lizards" sitting at the small makeshift bar toward the rear of the dining area gave it away. You see I grew up with what I call the "Pau Hana Time Generation"…in this context, Pau Hana means "finished with work", and Pau Hana Time means basically Happy Hour! So "back home" there would be a "phone chain" of sorts, and without fail a few(or more) times a week, the phone would ring, and the following "conversation" would take place:

"Yeah?"
"So wea?"
"xxxxx"(name of the place)
"wat time?"
"’bout 5?"
"’kay den…."

So whether your pleasure was darts, karaoke, or just having "a few" and some good "grindz"(guess which I was), we had a pretty regular rotation. And it goes without saying that we all had our favorite dishes at the various places; be it the "Fat Fat Chicken" at Fat Fat Bar and Grill(it is a real place lovingly called "8 Fat" by us, RIP Sy – we all miss you), Steak and Mushrooms at Hibiscus Club, maybe something from Anyplace Cocktail Lounge, or some really good grinds from Side Street Inn(also nice post here.) You get the picture, some of the best food was to be found in these, dark, sometimes a bit seedy, neighborhood bars…though Side Street has risen above it all when it comes to "Pupu" culture, with mentions in Savuer and Gourmet magazine.

The preferred language at Ed’s is Tagalog, and the menu is a study in Filipino Bar Food:

There was one main reason we came to Ed’s, it was for the Goat Kaldereta(Goat Stew – $13.95), we both love Kaldereta….though we often have to deal with, "you know this is goat, right?" At first the Missus was somewhat concerned with the price, but when the food arrived we realized the portion size was on the large (as in family-style eating size):

Though a bit short on the nice and gamy goat, this was some reaaal good Kaldereta, a bit salty, the tomato sauce based "gravy" was nice and tangy. The best part were the potatoes, which seemed to have been roasted before entering the stew, and the olives which added a nice briny flavor to the dish…there’s not enough rice in the world for this dish.

Not knowing how large the portion sizes where we ordered some Pancit Bihon (Stir fried noodles – $8.95):

I’ve had better pancit, but this was a nice version with lot’s of black pepper. The photo belies the size of this dish, to this day we haven’t finished all the pancit. We got our money’s worth on this.

I couldn’t leave without ordering what I consider one of the ubiquitous bar dishes(along with garlic peanuts), the Sisig(not the Pampangan Sisig, but the regular – $8.95). Just a side note…I didn’t which photo to use for this. Was it this one?

Or perhaps this one?

The Sisig was good, though I enjoy mine a bit more sour and spicy, but the Lechon Kawale used for the Sisig was plentiful and very good, I’m used to Sisig made with leftovers and lot’s of onions so this was a ncie change. At this time, Ed’s started getting filled up, and Karaoke was going full blast, and every table had a plate of Sisig on it, so I guess I made a good choice. The Sisig tasted better the next day. I also wanted a beer to have with my Sisig, and in keeping with the atmosphere, there’s no frou frou microbrew beer served at Ed’s…don’t get me wrong, I love Stone Brewery, and my trip to Portland was an education in microbrews…but the selection at Ed’s is simple, "MGD, Bud ,Bug Light, Miller Light…and the premium beer, is Heineken!" Bottles, of course……

As we left Ed’s the place was going full blast, there was a large family, with kids in tow celebrating a retirement…..a Gal had come in to help keep everybody in beers and handle the Karaoke. And I felt a twinge of homesickness…….

Some notes on Ed’s: The lady working was very, very, nice, and was the young lady who came in later, and tried to get me to sing. At heart this is a Mom and Pop Bar and Grill, so don’t expect your food to arrive at your table in a blink of an eye, there’s just one guy cooking in the back, and it’s pub grub after all. The portions are pretty large, we made the mistake of ordering waay too much food(of course we ate a lot of rice as well), though leftovers are a good thing. Even though most of the people converse in Tagalog, everyone understands English…what a nice bunch of folks, and I’ll never forget the lounge lizard who made sure to sing 2 BeeGees songs before heading home….sigh. There are times that I miss home!

Ed’s Bistro
933 S Harbison Ave
National City, CA 91950

Open Tues-Thurs 5pm – Midnight
Fri-Sat 4pm – Midnight

We’ll be back…and I think I’ll do a post on our next visit…..

Did someone say Sisig????

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

Mr Peabody’s Burgers & Ale

February 20, 2006 mmm-yoso Burgers, Pubs and Pub Grub

We were shopping at Saks in Fashion Valley Mall this past weekend, um well, the Missus was shopping, I on the other hand was guarding my wallet with one hand, and wiping the sweat off my brow with the other. You see we were in the handbag section, and the Missus was making me squirm and sweat. "Which one do you like better, Dior, or Ferragamo?" "Ummm, how about none of the above?" "No, you have to choose one." "Why?" "Because…. I SAID SO, okay!"

Of course, the Missus was just kind of kidding me (I think), and we made it out of the mall unscathed. As we were leaving, the Missus asked me the most important(at least in my opinion) question of the day. "So, what do you want to eat?" "I’m not quite sure, but how about Peabody’s?" And off we went.

When we moved to San Diego in 2001, we followed what I think is a fairly common migratory pattern. We bought a Condo in Mission Valley, home to a seemingly unending amount of Apartments and Condominiums. On the positive side, Mission Valley is centrally located, and is home to several major malls. Unfortunately, Mission Valley is not known for good eats, and the traffic and crowds can be outrageous. So after a few years in Mission Valley, we finally purchased a home in the Bay Park area, and thus left the Valley. If I were to come up with a list of things I miss about Mission Valley, Mr Peabody’s would be on that short list. Located on the corner of Via Las Cumbres and Friars Road; Peabody’s is a fairly lively Neighborhood Bar, with a pretty diverse clientele, ranging from the Students and Staff of USD to residents of Mission Valley, there is always a variety of people in Peabody’s.

We used to live 2 blocks from Peabody’s which was great for my psyche, but probably not so great for my liver.

We also enjoyed the food at Peabody’s, which is reasonably priced and pretty tasty. And today we took that trip down memory lane and ordered the old usual, a burger, with no cheese ($3.99):

When you order a burger at Peabody’s, the cook will open the reefer drawer and pull out a large ball of ground meat, form it into a patty, and cook it on the griddle. If you’re sitting at the bar you can watch them make it, a nice spectator sport of sorts. No frozen preformed pattys here! The burger is seasoned with "spiced wine", salt and pepper, and served on a sesame bun. You add your own spread. The burgers are very dependable, taste fresh, and are very moist.

We also got a basket of "Fries & Rings" ($3.99):

The fries at Peabody’s are served in a large basket, and are usually enough for two people. In fact, it used to be quite common for perfect strangers sitting at the bar to split a basket of fries. Today’s fries were just as good as we remembered; thin cut, crisp, and nicely salted. The onion rings, were lightly breaded, and also good. We didn’t even have to use ketchup.

The Missus also ordered a Cheese Quesedilla, easy on the Cheese (? – $3.79):

It came just the way she likes it. Crisp, almost crepe like tortilla, with a thin layer of cheese. She particularly enjoyed the Guacamole with chunks of Jalapeno in it.

One thing about bar grub that we often enjoy; is that the food and drink is direct and to the point. Take the Iced Tea, the Missus ordered:

When they brought Her the Iced Tea, they also dropped off a full pitcher refill. No muss, no fuss, no running around asking if She needed a refill, and we don’t have to flag down the Server for more Iced Tea.

Peabody’s features the usual list of domestic bottled beer, along with several draft selections, including Guinness and Widmer Hefeweizen, which tasted very nice and refreshing.

Some notes on Peabody’s: As with any popular neighborhood spot, Peabody’s can get really loud and crowded, especially during the evenings from Wed-Sat. In what I think is a fairly interesting idea; Peabody’s serves breakfast from 9am on Saturdays and Sundays. Parking in the corner lot can be at a premium, but there is additional parking in the lot right past the strip mall on Via Las Cumbres.

Mr Peabody’s Burgers & Ale
6110 Friars Rd Ste 108
San Diego, CA 92108

Breakfast at The Field

November 29, 2005 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Pubs and Pub Grub

This past Sunday I made another morning foray down to the Gaslamp Quarter, the center of San Diego's tourist trade and where many of San Diego's Nightclubs and Restaurants are located. This time I decided to actually have breakfast at The Field. I found parking right in front of The Field, a feat that would be impossible in a few hours, and since it was Sunday, I didn't have to feed the meter either.

The Field is my favorite Pub in San Diego and has a small but nice selection of ales and Porters. My usual beverage of choice here would be either a Draft Guinness or a Murphy's. I also enjoy the "Chips" at The Field, as well as the "Boxty" Dishes, which is a Traditional Potato Pancake filled and rolled with "filling". And we're not talking about an ordinary filling! My favorite is the Shepherds Pie Boxty, with a side of chips, and potato leek soup. So let's see there's the mashed potatoes from the Shepherds pie, the potato pancake, the chips, and the potato from the potato and leek soup – that'll be at least 4 starches! I'm in Carb heaven!

The interior of The Field was supposedly a genuine turn of the century Irish Pub that was moved piece by piece from Ireland. There are many funny and charming signs and memorabilia adorns the walls. Seating nooks and crannies are located through the Pub, which would either strike you a dark and dank, or if you're like me, warm and cozy. Many of the Employees of The Field are from Ireland, and the wonderful Irish accent is heard everywhere here, and definitely adds to the atmosphere.

This morning for breakfast you could start with items like Corned Beef and Eggs, Rasher(Irish Bacon) and Eggs, or what I usually get Sausage and Eggs. Or if you prefer to get an "early start", or need to approach "equilibrium", you could order Hare of the Dog – A Pint of Guinness and a Sausage or Rasher Sandwich. There were a few people having a pint of Guinness and Corned Beef Sandwiches this morning(at 9 am), I guess their watches were set at Eastern Time, following that old saying; "It's noon somewhere in the world."

So what did I get?(Pardon the pictures, it's always night in this Field)

No it's not a burrito, but a Ploughman's Boxty($7.95), which is scrambled eggs with rasher, sausage, and Irish Cheddar, wrapped in a potato pancake, and covered with a white gravy . My arteries shudder in fear at the very thought of eating this. To make this a complete 3 carb meal, Rosemary Breakfast Potatoes, and Wheaten Toast (which I love) are also served. For those worried about the other food groups; a slice of orange(fruits) and some parsley(veggies??, ummm, nice try, but maybe not) are also provided. Overall, I found the boxty to be a bit on the "dry" side, and the flavor of the eggs was not enough to carry through to the pancake. I think I'll stick with my Sausage and Eggs for breakfast; and "save" my boxty's for dinner. The potatoes were fine, well seasoned, and I really enjoy that dense, slightly sweet, and moist bread.

This was a fairly calorie-dense breakfast. I finished the toast and potatoes, but only manage half the boxty, and didn't even eat lunch! But if you're ever in need of a hearty breakfast in the Gaslamp, The Field deserves some consideration. But don't have too many of these, or the next "Field" you see, will be the one you're buried in!

The Field
544 5th Ave
San Diego, CA 92101

Postscript:

One last short funny story. One evening the Missus and I were having Dinner and a Pint at The Field. And the Missus sure was enjoying her Irish Stew(No longer on the menu), but something was obviously missing. Finally, unable to help Herself, She flagged down the Server and asked, "This is so delicious, but do you have any RICE?" The look on the Servers face was priceless! I got a nice sharp elbow when I whispered to the Missus, "And make sure to ask for some chopsticks too……."