As in, yoso-silly, yoso-hungry, yoso-full, or best of all; mmm-delici-yoso!!!!! A San Diego based food and travel blog. An Ex-Pat Kama'aina and Friends explore food, restaurants, and travel from San Diego and points beyond.
My recent visit to Barrio Donas had me a bit shell shocked when it came to prices and had me wondering how much a Huevo a la Mexicana Bolillo was at San Diego Bakery. Surprisingly, it had been over a year since I last visited and over a year-and-a-half since I last posted on the place. So, last Sunday, I decided to head on over to see…..
Just as I drove into the parking lot, another car left, so I managed to get a parking space. The shop was doing steady business when I walked in; like Lucy’s Bakery, all those hard working guys needed breakfast, right?
Looking up at the menu; which, since my last visit has transitioned from the chalkboard to a video display, I saw that the A la Mexicana was now $7.50 (I believe it’s just $6.50 at Lucy’s). It was $6.50 on my last visit here a bit over a year ago and $4.99 back in December of 2023.
Still, it’s less than Barrio Donas which is now $10.50 and with prices these days, this seems almost like a bargain!
The sandwich itself was a bit of a mess; though toasted, crisp, light, and yeasty, the bread was crumbling apart as I opened it.
This was oozy, eggy, cheesy messiness. And those serranos had a “bite” of their own too.
This was actually quite filling for breakfast….at least for me. I do wish there was more beans as there barely seemed to be any. And perhaps less chilies; though it did shake me awake!
With prices these days, it’s good to know you can get a breakfast bollilo or preparados for less than $8. I mean, how much is a banh mi these days?
San Diego Bakery & Café 6959 Linda Vista Rd. San Diego, CA 92111
My recent trip to Imperial and Antojitos Colombianos had me looking at my “list” to see what other places I’ve got listed and have yet to check out. And one quickly popped up…..Lucy’s Bakery & Donuts on 31st. I’m not sure who recommended the place to me…but recently, I decided to head on over.
Lucy’s Bakery & Donuts:
I actually headed over on a Saturday morning after making my usual Farmers Market run. I found parking in the lot next to the shop. I gotta say; it doesn’t seem to be the most inviting neighborhood.
The place was fairly busy when I arrived. Lot’s of working folk….
Most of which were getting coffee or juice and pastries.
I on the other hand was in the mood for a torta……
Being in a “porky” kinda mood; I went with the Pierna…which for some reason didn’t seem cheap at $9.35.
This was a good sized sandwich; though I thought the bollilo was a bit over-baked; the crust crumbly. But the bread was nice and yeasty, held up well, and the shredded pork was pretty good.
It had a decent smokey-savory-earthy flavor, with a hint of acidity. It was fairly tender and the portion was pretty good.
I do wish that it had more avocado and jalapeno….or at least had it evenly spread thru the sandwich.
As it was, the rather sparse avocado was smeared to one side of the torta and the jalapenos stacked on one another. I fixed the jalapeno issue.
Still, a generous amount of pork. If the bolillo was in better shape this would have been a good torta. As it stood; it was decent. I might return someday if I’m in the area. Would you believe this place is open from 5am to 9pm daily!!!
Lucy’s Bakery & Donuts 31 31st St. San Diego, CA 92102 Current Hours: Daily 5am – 9pm
This torta had me wondering how the version at Barrio Donas was doing….and even more so; how much the Torta de Pierna was there now in comparison. It had been almost exactly two years since my last visit and even longer since I’d had the Pierna there, so I decided to head on over.
Barrio Donas Revisited:
I paid my visit the following Saturday. Barrio Donas is quite popular, but wasn’t too busy on this day.
The Torta de Pierna here is now $12.75! The A la Mexicana $10.50 Yikes….
It’s always interesting to visit the place since they always seem to be trying out new items. I guess now they have a Matcha Bar?
Here’s the Torta Pierna.
I’m still not the biggest fan of the Bolillo here as the crust lacks crispness and the bread is on the denser side. Still, it’s always nice and yeasty, with a mild, almost sourdough flavor to it.
The amount of filling is adequate; though after having the version at Lucy’s, I would’ve enjoyed some creamy avocado and some jalapeno for spice to cut the richness.
The pork was a bit more chewy than I remember; but there’s still a nice spicy-smokiness.
Barrio Donas 4714 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. San Diego, CA 92117 Current Hours Mon – Sat 6am – 4pm Sunday 7am – 4pm
It was interesting to see how prices for tortas…well, everything for that matter has gone up. I’m now curious to try more tortas from other places. Any recommendations?
The Missus was so excited to be in Mammoth…She couldn’t wait to take JJ hiking. And so first thing in the morning we headed out. She had decided on doing the Skelton Lake Loop, which started at the large parking lot at Coldwater Creek Road. This was an interesting hike as there was still snow and ice at some parts of the trail. It was only 3 1/2 miles long, but seemed longer. What we did find out on this trail was that JJ loved snow….
And the views of the different lakes we passed were gorgeous.
Including Skelton Lake which we got to at the end.
We then headed back to the Village. The Missus decided that we should hit up Old New York Deli & Bakery again. She had really taken to those Sweet Potato Fries. This time we went with the Vegetarian Sandwich ($16.99) + Sweet Potato Fries ($1.89).
The sandwich was not nearly as good as what we’d had the day before. Very bland and routine, the red bell pepper hummus was not up to the task of adding flavor.
Still, the Missus loved the sweet potato fries.
From this point on, we’d stick with the club sandwiches all the way.
Old New York Deli & Bakery 6201 Minaret Rd. Suite 105 Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546
After a short afternoon “siesta” I headed out to the Earthquake Fault Trail. A place where one could actually see an actual earthquake fissure which was initiated 500-600 years ago!
It’s not really a hiking trail per se, but an amazing thing to see…….
And then we headed back to the Westin to relax before dinner.
For dinner, we decided to walk down basically a block from where we were staying to Mammoth Brewing Company. We weren’t looking for any beer; there’s a restaurant on site called the Eatery.
The Missus went with the Quinoa Falafel Bowl ($18). The looks of the falafel tells it all.
The menu said “crispy falafel”; this was actually overcooked, dry and gritty falafel. That tzatziki tasted a bit odd….then I read that it was coconut tzatziki. The quinoa was fine as the lemon vinaigrette paired well with it.
I saw a Pork Belly Banh Mi ($16) on the menu and I couldn’t help myself.
While there was so much “not right” about this sandwich…starting at the bread which was not a banh mi….so basically this was a banh mi in name only. The cabbage and carrots was basically the shredded stuff you can buy at the market. The pork was hard and dry, though it had a some hints of savory and sweet. At least that egg was decent, crispy edges, slight soft interior.
Totally “con-fusion” cuisine.
The Eatery at Mammoth Brewing Company 18 Lake Mary Rd. Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546
As we crossed back to the Westin thru the Village, we decided to stop at Shelter Distilling. While not being fans of the food there, we had enjoyed their cocktails.
This time; instead of sitting in the front of the restaurant, we took JJ thru to the rear which had four tables with views of the ponds and courtyard.
We had the “Crib” again and also tried out their Old Fashioned. Both of which were really good.
While still on the search for something good to eat for dinner, at least we knew where to get our cocktails….
Shelter Distilling 100 Canyon Blvd. #217 Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546
The next morning, the Missus (and JJ) were rarin’ to go. This time I chose the Sherwin Lakes Trail, which was a 8 1/2 out and back.
There was a 800 foot elevation gain, but JJ had no problems with that at all.
Sherwin Lake is quite beautiful…..
I was just glad to be done with it…..because then we could get some lunch….
Just about a month after we returned from our two week road trip up to Mendicino, we were back on the road again. This time to where the Missus wanted to go, Mammoth Lakes. One great thing I found out was that The Westin Monache Resort, Mammoth Lakes is dog friendly. And it was right across the street from the Village at Mammoth, which had a variety of restaurants. We’d been to the area around Old Mammoth Road before and really hadn’t enjoyed ourselves.
We decided to make an overnight stop in Lone Pine to rest up before heading to Mammoth. So, I got us a night at the Dow Villa Hotel. This was back in June, so it was pretty darn hot already in Lone Pine. We checked in and basically just stayed in air conditioned comfort. When dinner time rolled around we just wanted to eat in the back garden area of the motel. It was too hot for JJ, so I walked the four blocks up to the Tacos Los Hermanos Truck. I was in a rush so I didn’t take photos of the truck which is on the corner of North Main and Willow Streets. I hustled back to the Dow Villa and we had dinner in the shaded public area behind the offices.
I got us four tacos, Adobada, CArne Asada, Buche, and Cachete. The Adobada wasn’t too bad, some good smokiness, sweet tones, and not too tough. The worst was the Carne Asada which was quite tough.
The Buche was pretty chewy, but the Cachete, beef cheek was nice and beefy. The tortillas were no big deal, but the salsas pretty good and spicy.
Not too much variety in Lone Pine, so this was a decent meal.
Tacos Los Hermanos 120 E Willow St. Lone Pine, CA 93545
This is what Lone Pine looked like when I took JJ out for his 430am potty break…..
In the morning I took JJ for a short walk before things got too hot…..
And then we headed out….stopping in Bishop at Erick Schat’s Bakery which I’ve posted on twice before. The Missus ran in and got us some stuffs and we ate at the park across the street, under the trees. JJ needed the shade!
We then headed up the 395. We knew we were going to be early, so we decided to take a detour to Convict Lake and did the easy loop trail.
JJ got to try out his “boots” which we would later find that he really didn’t need.
He even saw horses for the first time and did well when they passed by!
We then headed up to Mammoth Lakes. We were still too early to check in, so we got our parking pass and headed across the road to the Village.
We walked around Village Plaza and found this sandwich and bakery along the side facing Minaret Road.
And as you might know, I’m a sucker for a club sandwich ($18.99) which seemed kinda pricy, but I added sweet potato fries (+ $1.89) which ended up being a good move.
The Missus enjoyed the sweet potato fries, which while not crisp, was quite creamy with a nice sweet and earthy flavor. The sandwich was pretty massive and this was enough for the both of us for lunch! The sourdough was fine, the turkey thinly sliced and quite moist…….. Good crisp bacon.
This would end up being our “go-to” lunch during our visits to Mammoth Lakes.
Old New York Deli & Bakery 6201 Minaret Rd. Suite 105 Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546
Soon enough we got to check in at the Westin. We enjoyed the service there…in fact, one of the Bell men is from San Diego….Bay Park! He was so nice to JJ. To get an idea of how closed we were to the Village; this is the view from our room.
And there was a lot of space for JJ to do “his thing” as well.
When dinner time came along er headed down and across the street. It was interesting to see folks who didn’t want to walk down the steps actually drive their cars around the block! We came across Shelter Distilling, they actually make many of their own spirits, have outdoor dining, and serve food. So, we thought, why not?
Of course we started with some cocktails and man were we hooked!
I think the favorite was the “Crib” which was made with Jalapeno infused Blue Agave.
So good! We actually ordered another one!
We also tried the Beet It, made with Bourbon, honey, lemon, and of course beets! It was a bit sweeter.
We liked the fact that you could actually taste the spirits and it wasn’t overly watered down or overly sweet.
As for the food…well, we weren’t impressed. The Mandarin Orange Salad ingredients were good, but the Ginger-Soy dressing didn’t have enough savory-salty-tangy tones.
Like PF Chang’s lite…..
The Crispy Confit Pork Belly Tacos was fine, but one was served on a pita? The Harissa Shrimp Taco didn’t have much of a kick.
The pork was more chewy than crisp. The pico de gallo was too mild. The Harissa Shrimp was at least served on a tortilla…which fell to pieces quickly. The shrimp was overcooked and rubbery.
On a good note, we’d found a place to have cocktails each night we were here. And I also noticed a back outdoor dining area which we enjoyed the next evening. We’d be looking to dine elsewhere…..
Shelter Distilling 100 Canyon Blvd. #217 Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546
And the Missus and JJ both were really enjoying Mammoth….
It’s funny how things sometimes work out. With the really warm weather, I was thinking of getting some poke. Of course HFS at Centerpark came to mind. But, I thought I should revisit It’s Raw in OB….of course I figured parking might be an issue, but I decided to take a shot and lucky me….I found a spot right on Santa Monica Avenue! My lucky day right? Well, not so fast my friend….
As I walked down Bacon Street….yikes; look at the line in front of It’s Raw!
I felt “raw” all right. So now what? Well, I decided to find someplace to grab a bite and this place was right across the street….
Doughboy’s Grill! I’d had heard of the place….someone; I don’t remember who had told me the Cheesesteaks there were pretty good. So, ok…..that’s plan B. I crossed the street and walked on in.
The really friendly gentleman greeted me and asked what I was interested in. There’s everything from Smashburgers to wings to pizza and even gyros! And this being OB…well, beer of course. There’s even four types of cheesesteaks. I went with the Rib Eye Cheesesteak ($14.99), with “the works” (+ $1.29).
There’s quite a bit of seating available. I decided on the counter facing Bacon Street.
Soon enough, my name was called out and my cheesesteak was ready.
Did not look like an Amoroso Roll, but the bread was soft and yeasty, kept form during the meal and went well with the cheesesteak.
The gentleman was nice enough to give me some of the Garlic-Truffle Aioli to sample. It was pretty good, mild in terms of truffle, but the savory-sweet-tangy richness went pretty well with the cheesesteak.
As for the sandwich itself; I really enjoyed the sweet-pungent caramelized onions and the tender, savory-almost slightly sweet mushrooms. The mixture of both provolone and mozzarella worked so nicely, as there were hints of the milkiness that mozzarella brings, along with a “cheesiness” of provolone.
As for the beef, well, it contributed a bit, but there wasn’t enough of it in the sandwich for my taste. What the sandwich contained was very tender though. I was told that they slice their own rib eye for this.
Still, while definitely not a classic cheesesteak to me; I did enjoy the sandwich. While I wouldn’t go out of the way to revisit, if I’m ever here again, I just might get the veggie version of the sandwich since I really enjoyed those components. A big plus was how friendly the service was.
Doughboy’s Grill 4994 Newport Ave. San Diego, CA 92107 Current Hours: Mon – Sat 11am – 9pm Sunday 11am – 8pm
We had a great night of sleep at the Napa River Inn…and no, we didn’t have any “spooky” visitors as I had heard about earlier in the evening at The Fink. Before we left for our next destination, I decided to grab a quick Breakfast Sandwich from Sweetie Pies Bakery which is right next door to the hotel.
This place has quite a selection of treats for your sweet tooth. We had gotten a sample delivered to our room for breakfast the previous morning.
I ordered a Fried Egg Sandwich to take back to our room.
A basic toasted Ciabatta, with creamy avocado, and pesto.
The bacon was basically a single slice lining the middle of the sandwich, on the burnt side, and a single fried egg. Again only enough to cover two-thirds of the sandwich.
My guess is that “Sweetie” is mostly about the pies as the name indicates?
Sweetie Pies 520 Main St. Napa, CA 94559
After devouring the sandwich, we checked out and headed to our next destination; Santa Cruz. It took us about 2 1/2 hours to arrive at our accommodation, the Hotel Paradox. We were early for check-in so the hotel let us park and we went to explore Santa Cruz for a bit. The hotel was on the other side of the San Lorenzo River from downtown Santa Cruz and we were next to San Lorenzo Park. On the map, it looked like a nice “green space”. Unfortunately, it was taken over by the homeless population while we were in town. So, instead of having a nice green space for JJ to explore, well…..
We did think the Dragon Archway, which faces the last Chinatown in Santa Cruz across the river. And you can see the two folks hanging out under the archway as well. This made the Missus somewhat uncomfortable crossing the bridge at night. We ended up using the busier Laurel Street Bridge when it was dark.
Regardless, the Missus and I really enjoyed downtown Santa Cruz. It had a kind of Hipster-Artsy-Hippy-Surfer vibe to us. Very mellow and laid back; at least when we were there.
We dropped by Santa Cruz Coffee Roasting for our caffeine fix. It was recommended by one of JJ’s Bay Park Coffee “Aunties”, Marissa who used to work there and went to UCSC.
Cold Brew and Latte fortified we headed on to do some shopping.
Santa Cruz Coffee Roasting 1330 Pacific Ave. Santa Cruz, CA 95060
The Missus loved wandering thru the “eclectic” shops.
And bought quite a few items during our stay.
It seems that tarot card reading, and various psychic readings are big business here.
My goodness, check out the name of this shop! I wonder….
Yes, it was quite entertaining here!
We decided to grab an early dinner….by this time, the Missus was sorely missing Asian food…well, Chinese to be specific. I did some research before the trip and found a place that was dog friendly and basically two blocks from where we were staying. Now, I did have my doubts because the place served everything from Orange Chicken to XLB to Chow Fun to Sichuan/Hunan and has multiple locations, named Special Noodle. But I thought we’d give it a shot. Now if I had my doubts…imagine the Missus!
We arrived and I expected us to be seated on the patio; but the very nice gentleman escorted us to one of the back dining rooms!
He also spoke Mandarin….which eased some of the doubts the Missus had. The menu was huge….talk about “Vietnamese Menu overload” times 2!
Yep, this place tries to cover all bases.
It was a huge portion of rice for a single order.
We decided on some typical Hunan style dishes. Starting with the Pickled Beans with Minced Pork.
While kind of mild in the spiciness department, this was a pretty legit dish. Nice soy flavor, the long beans had a nice crunch adding that mild salty-sourness to the dish. The pork wasn’t overly chewy. Nice savory dish!
And of course I had to try the Intestines with Chilies.
Made with a combination of sliced jalapenos and dried chilies, this had a nice smoky kick. Nicely seasoned with soy sauce-garlic-white pepper and a touch of numbing Sichuan Peppercorns. The pork intestine was fairly tender, with a pleasant initial toothsomeness. Nice funky tones and a really good dish.
And of course……
What we did notice as the place filled up was that the Chinese customers were seated in the same area as us. While the “other” customers were seated in the front dining area, which we named “Eggroll Land” ! Kind of funny….
The Missus was pleasantly surprised at the food and even though She got Her “fix”, we’d end up returning the next day for lunch!
Special Noodle 415 Ocean St. Santa Cruz, CA 95060
We were enjoying Santa Cruz. In addition to the “vibe” we had gotten decent Chinese dishes as well!
After my last, rather mediocre revisit to Banh Mi Hoi An, I was wondering how some of my “old favorites” were doing. A few days later I found my self driving on Clairemont Mesa near the I-15 and decided to grab something for lunch. It had been a while since I’d visited Banh Mi Express, so I decided to grab a Banh Mi.
Interesting thing about Banh Mi Express; much like Banh Mi Hoi An they’ve decided to forgo the Vietnamese names of the offerings. I guess it’s the customer base?
This had me wondering how the Pate “Meat Loaf” (aka Cha Lua), now priced at $8.49 (previously $7.75 in April) would be. The woman working was very mellow and sweet.
As for the Banh Mi?
The bread was yeasty, a bit denser than I recall, but enjoyably crusty.
Unlike my previous visit; there was a good amount of pickled veggies this time around. Unfortunately, like my previous visit; there’s still no cucumber. **** I stand corrected – the cucumber detective is correct; there is a thin slice right above the cha lua! Nice slice of jalapeno, which was kind of mellow and a decent amount of cilantro.
Unlike Banh Mi Hoi An, there was a generous amount of funky-earthy-savory pate, which really “drove” the sandwich. In fact, in this case it really got close to too much of a good thing!
Still, I’m not complaining! Still among my favorite Banh Mi in San Diego.
Banh Mi Express 9353 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. San Diego, CA 92123 Current Hours: Mon – Fri 7am – 4pm Saturday 8am – 3pm Closed on Sundays
We headed back down Church Street and headed off until the trail ended with a view of Big River Beach.
We then walked along the bluffs; where the scenery was quite beautiful.
We then took the trail into Headlands State Park.
Even more lovely views….the coastline here is beautiful.
And as I mentioned before, it’s hard to believe the town is but a few steps away.
JJ was enjoying the scenery as well.
As you head toward the rocky end of the bluffs, things get a bit more dramatic.
It’s an easy 5 mile walk.
Did you know that Miasa (Omachi) in Nagano is Mendocino’s Sister City?
After our morning walk, the Missus wanted to drive up to Fort Bragg, which we did. Though once we got there; the Missus didn’t feel like stopping anywhere, though I think the next time up there we’ll take JJ on the Skunk Train. Anyway, I turned and headed back to Mendocino.
Once back, the Missus wanted to do some shopping, so we headed on out. We came across this honor system farm stand.
Pretty cool, huh?
We zig zagged our way around, in and out of shops. This was the Missus’s favorite.
Where She actually did “Spend-o-cino” if you know what I mean.
Even though they must have to deal with many tourists; folks here were very laid back, relaxed, and friendly.
Circling around Ukiah Street we came across and honor system pottery shop.
The town was giving off major quaint small town vibes!
We decided to grab a sandwich from Mendocino Market, a small shop that sells sandwiches, deli items, snacks, and even wine.
It’s one of those places where you check off your order on one of the handy-dandy forms, pay, then pick up your order at the counter.
After our breakfast we just wanted something light; so I got the Hummus Avocado ($9) on Sourdough.
I’ve come to enjoy pesto on my avocado toast, but never thought of having hummus with it! The nutty-earthy – slightly tangy hummus actually went quite well with the creamy-rich avocado.
The lovely alfalfa sprouts and tomatoes made the sandwich complete. Not haute cuisine, but just a nice, light sandwich for lunch.
Mendocino Market 45051 Ukiah St. Mendocino, CA 95460
After which it was time for…..you know what, right?
Recently, I had an appointment in the Ruffin Road area, between the 52 and Clairemont Mesa Boulevard. I’m not super familiar with the location, but there was what seemed to be one of those mom-and-pop sandwich shops nearby, and you know how I have a weakness for those places. The name of the shop also caught my attention….Gourmet Island Bistro! Hmmm……could it be?
Doing that Google thing; it seems like the shop opens at like 6am! So, I drove on over and I arrived at just after 9am. There are several stalls reserved for the shop, which is located in a business building.
The nice woman working greeted me as I entered. There seemed to be several to-go orders ready for pick-up at the counter. Like I’ve said, these are the places that keep workers fed.
I took a gander at the menu and focused on the breakfast sandwich offerings.
I decided on the Bistro Pastrami Sandwich ($10.95). I also noticed something interesting with regards to the menu. Much like Sandwich Island sandwich shop, there were Hawaii influenced names….like the “Big Kahuna”, the “Haoli (which I think is actually supposed to be Hau’oli – happy…not Haole, which means….you know) Hero”. But the nice older woman, who seemed to be the owner did not seem like she was from the islands. Anyway, I got some water and had a seat.
And went to pick up my sandwich when ready.
The croissant of course, was nothing to add to my “Croissant Files“, which I expected. Basically Costco-ish massed produced croissants used as a bread replacement. Which did fine in this case as it added a mild sweet butteriness to the sandwich.
Overall, it was a nice breakfast sandwich. The pastrami adding a salty-savory-light smokiness. The egg was nice and runny, with no off flavors. And I could even make out the milkiness of the Swiss Cheese, which was melted adding some nice gooeyness to things.
This was pretty good!
And then it happened. The woman walked on over and dropped off a cookie for me! Such a nice gesture!
Which gave me an opportunity to ask about the name of the shop and some of the sandwiches. I came to find out that much like Sandwich Island Deli; the previous owners were from the Islands!
When this family bought the place; they added soups and hot dishes, thus adding “Bistro” to the name!
A few weeks later, I decided to make a return visit. This time to try one of their lunch sandwiches. While the Island Club called to me, I decided on the Lucky Roast Beef ($12.30)…..I guess I just wanted some horseradish sauce to clear my sinuses on this day! This time I took my order to-go.
I unpacked things at home. The bread’s crust was quite friable, flaky quite easy, the standard issue roll did fine. The Sysco-ish roast beef was decently sliced, it was lean as advertised and a bit chewy. The portion size was fine as well.
There was a combo of Ranch Dressing and Horseradish Sauce…and not enough of the latter for my taste as I wanted more pungency and too much of the former as it just overpowered everything; especially the mild milkiness of the Swiss Cheese.
Still, I can’t complain about the portion to price ratio….I may try the Club Sandwich next time. Very nice folks working here. I’m glad there are still places like this and will try to keep giving them business. To me, they are the heart and soul of our neighborhoods.
Gourmet Island Bistro 5625 Ruffin Rd. # 140 San Diego, CA 92123 Current Hours: Mon – Fri 6am – 2pm Closed Sat- Sun
Wildflour, another one of Phillip Esteban’s projects opened in Liberty Station opened at the end of February. I’ll head down to Liberty Station if I’m not hitting up Secret Sister for sourdough and I noticed that the place didn’t look too busy.
JJ enjoys walks along the Esplanade and I thought if I got here early enough, I could grab some breakfast with J and then take him for a stroll along the park. So, we headed on over. The hosts stand is on the patio which makes things really great. I often feel bad taking JJ into a restaurant when it’s just the two of us.
There’s an small indoor section with a bakery/deli area for takeout and some seating.
Though the patio is nice and stretches along Decatur Road.
We checked in and choose a table along the end of the patio. We do this to be mindful of folks who don’t like being in the company of pooches.
There was small and pretty limited menu for breakfast.
The two folks waiting on us were wonderful! They treated JJ so nice….like he was a VIP (Very Important Pooch)!
I thought my Americano was pretty good; fairly strong, but smooth.
Of course seeing Beef Tartare on the menu….well, I just had to try the Ribeye Tartare ($15).
The bread, a Country Levain was excellent…wonderful, more airy than I’m used to with Levain, but really good. A mild sourdough like flavor, it was quite satisfying.
The Beef Tartare was quite over-the-top; the Chemoula Aioli; basically a herb mayo, was fine, but there was just too much of it. The rib eye was nicely chopped, but too chewy for my taste.
The Bearnaise sauce was much too thick and gloppy, thicker than the aioli! It was also too sour for my taste. And like the aioli, there was just too much of it. This was like a mayo on mayo open face sandwich. Quite over-the-top!
Still, the service was so nice, that I decided to bring JJ over for an early lunch; arriving just at 11am.
And we sat on the patio; basically in the same location. The young lady working was quite nice, though not as friendly with JJ as on the previous visit. Still, he had no complaints, having a nice area to settle in the shade.
Having already had my caffeine fix for the day; I just settled on Half a Sandwich and some chips.
I really enjoyed the chips…though at $4 a small bag!!!!
Loved the texture and wonderful salty-sour flavor. I think I’ve seen this at Target, so…..
I had heard some nice things about the Mortadella Sandwich (Half – $10) so I ordered that. I cracked up when it arrived. Man, was it a carb load!
Again, the bread, a nice toasty focaccia was my favorite part of the dish, though there was just too much of it. I had really developed a taste for Mortadella while visiting Emilia-Romagna, gaining a fondness for the oinkiness of the salumi. The entire bread to filling ratio was skewed and the mild Stracciatella, of which there was a small amount really didn’t contribute to the sandwich.
I do think that Mortadella already is fairly mild in flavor and given the amount of carbs…well, it was nullified. I vote for “More – Mortadella” please!
I liked the relaxed and friendly service as did JJ, but having a meal where a bag of chips was highlight…… Though if you do need a “carb load”….
Wildflour 2690 Historic Decatur Suite 103 San Diego, CA 92106 Current Hours: Wed – Fri 8am – 2pm Sat – Sun 8am – 4pm Closed Mon – Tues
At least J got to cruise around Liberty Station…..
