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.
Back in May, I went and had my K(orean) F(ried) C(hicken) fix at Bonchon. While the prices were pretty good, $12.99 for 6 wings for lunch, I noted that the wings and the sauce; the garlic-soy had always been my favorite, was not as good as what I’d had on previous visits. In the comments of that post “FOY” Franklin mentioned that he enjoys the K-Chicken Sandwich there. As a whole; I haven’t really been into the Hot Chicken – Fried Chicken Sandwich thing that has been going on for a while now. But, since I was in the area; I decided to see how this chicken sandwich measured up.
I arrived for lunch on a Wednesday, a shade past 11 and there was only one other table occupied. The woman working was very friendly and I was handed a menu with specials and such. I went ahead and ordered the K-Chicken Sandwich; soy-garlic (of course) flavor. It seemed nicely priced at $14.99 as it came with fries.
It was a bit of a wait; but my sandwich soon arrived. It looked like a decent amount of food for lunch.
The fries were the type that’s “dusted” so it stayed fairly crisp during the entire meal. They automatically included ketchup as well.
As for the sandwich….well, after ordering I had some reservations about ordering the soy-garlic flavor as the sandwich came on a brioche bun. The wings I’d had the last time almost seemed too sweet to me. But this wasn’t bad.
I didn’t think the brioche bun would hold up for the entire meal; but it did fine. The chicken breast was somewhat chewy, but wasn’t overly dry and I think thee bulk of it really tampered the sweetness. Hints of savory garlic, not over sauced……the woman told me that they don’t “dunk”, but rather brush on the sauce which I think makes a difference. And the circumference and thickness of the chicken helped to tamper the sweetnesss as well.
I enjoyed the palate cleansing oi muchim kimchi which added some tanginess and additional crunch. The brioche bun did have a mild butteriness which, along with the kimchi-slaw complemented the chicken.
No, it’s not spicy…this ain’t “hot chicken”, but it was sweet-savory-crunchy-buttery with the oi muchim, more of a quick cucumber kimchi adding almost as refreshing component.
Not bad at all; decent pricing as a lunch special for $14.99, I’d have this for lunch again.
Bonchon Convoy 4690 Convoy St. San Diego, CA 92111 Current Hours: Sun – Wed 11am – 10pm Thurs – Sat 11am – 1am
I guess once the weather starts getting balmy….I start wanting some banh mi? Ok, enough with the dad jokes…for now. And to be honest, it’s been much more than balmy ’round these parts. So, I decided to revisit a couple of my favorite banh mi shops. And kind of rank the three….so here goes.
Banh Mi Express:
I’ve been wanting to return to Banh Mi Express ever since “FOY” Sage mentioned that they were closed for a whole month! And even thought Sage mentioned that the banh mi was the same….well, I just had to get my “fix”.
The banh mi here are basically all over nine fifty these days…..
The young man working the front of house was very nice and I placed my order. I find it interesting that they don’t list the Vietnamese names of the banh mi.
The bread size here is a “tweener”…between the usual small banh mi and the long bread that some places feature. So crisp and lightly crusty….good yeastiness.
This might be my favorite banh mi right now. I enjoy the amount of cilantro…with some, but not too many stems, the thick slices of jalapeno. Nice slice of cucumber, crisp pickled veggies.
Good amount of well placed. cha lua, mild and savory…the earthiness of the pate comes thru nicely….there might be almost too much pate, but I enjoy it.
I agree with Sage who said that the ban mi here are as good as they ever were.
Banh Mi Express 9353 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. San Diego, CA 92123 Current Hours: Mon – Fri 7am – 4pm Saturday 8am – 3pm Closed on Sundays
Thanks for letting me know what was happening with Banh Mi Express Sage!
Like the Midway location, most of the banh mi here are priced at $7.45. Though there’s an extra 25 cent addition for using charge cards for purchases under ten bucks.
Wanting to keep things consistent; I went with the “Pork Roll” (cha lua – $7.45). And unlike what happened at the Midway location; where I ordered a Cha Lua and got Nem Nuong….I’m thinking it was grand opening jitters…I did get what I ordered here. It came off the assembly line fairly quickly.
Fairly long and thin in length, the bread was nice and “crackly” as I remembered; though it did seem a bit more chewy.
Nice stack of cha lua, the flavor of the pate seemed a bit muted….in fact, it looked like it had more mayo than pate?
No cucumber and I could have used a bit more cilantro and that jalapeno had barely any spice.
Still, a good amount of cha lua and for being under eight bucks these days…..I’ll take it.
Paris Sandwiches 10606 Camino Ruiz San Diego, CA 92126 Current Hours: Mon – Fri 730am – 630pm Saturday 730am – 6pm Closed on Sunday
So, there you go….my first two “balmy – banh mi” visits. I actually have two more to post….can you guess where I went after these two places?
If this ain’t sandwich time with all the warm weather…well, I don’t know…..
As I was heading back to Mercury Street after checking out Kearny Mesa Deli, I passed another sandwich shop basically just a block away on Vickers Street. I noticed that the name of the place was Surf n Sub Deli, so I went and checked the hours and such….and decided to head on over for an early lunch.
Much like many of the sandwich shops I’ve visited, this one is in a business park/mall. There was a lot of parking when I arrived.
The interior is the typical “lets feed the workers” design. Chips and grabbables, a fridge with drinks……
The menu here is huge……with the usual suspects and many other “themed” sandwiches with Surfer and San Diego – beachy names like the “Spicoli” or the Wind n’ Sea….perhaps you’d like a “Bird Rock”……you get the idea, right?
After a bit of analysis paralysis, instead of my initial plan of just trying a “basic” sandwich, I went with one of their “Epic” versions, the Fiery Beef ($13.49). When asked what kind of bread I wanted, I let the nice woman working choose and she told me to get it on Squaw Bread.
This is a one woman operation….at least on my visits, so she went ahead and made my sandwich.
The squaw bread did add a touch of light sweetness and an almost nutty flavor to the sandwich. I was warned about this being “spicy”, but the chipotle sauce wasn’t very hot. I was thinking that cheddar cheese might be a bit much for the sandwich; but I could barely make it out.
The bacon added a nice salty flavor and the avocado some additional creaminess. Not a bad sandwich at all!
So, a couple of weeks later I was in the area and decided to return.
This time I got the “All About the Bacon” ($13.49)……just because the description included something called “crispy chicken”? Was it like a fried chicken sandwich with bacon? I got it on Sourdough.
I wish the bread was a bit more toasted as it got soggy fairly quickly. The chipotle sauce was a bit of overkill on this. I was also told they used bacon flavor mayo….nut I really couldn’t make things out. The crispy chicken was a breaded chicken cutlet. The chicken was surprisingly somewhat crisp, though the breading was falling off.
There was a good amount of fairly crisp bacon on this and this time around I really enjoyed the creamy avocado.
Overall, I enjoyed my sandwiches from Surf n Sub and the woman working is so nice. I also got two of the most expensive items on the menu. They also do half sandwiches and breakfast sandwiches/burritos as well. If I worked close by I’d grab a sandwich here every so often.
Surf N Sub Deli 8340 Vickers St. Suite C San Diego, CA 92111 Current Hours: Mon – Fri 730am – 330pm Closed on weekends
I know you might find these sandwiches posts fairly boring; but I enjoy these little mom-and-pop shops that keep the folks working in these business parks fed.
We slept in a bit during our one full day in Carpinteria. At around 7ish we decided to head on out. Like I mentioned in my previous post, we were staying about three quarters of a mile from downtown Carpinteria. On this morning we decided to do sort of a loop……we headed down what we thought was the strangely named Dump Road. At the end of the road is a lovely view of the ocean and the Carpinteria Bluffs Trail. Turns out that there was an actual garbage dump here until the mid-1950’s! Before that there was Asphalt Mining done.
I know….you look at this and think “what the heck”?
We could see traces of it during our walk along the trail and also in Tar Pits Park.
Though we weren’t going to do any intense “hunting” for tar…..
Use of the tar goes back to pre-European times as the Chumash people, some of the original inhabitants of the area had many uses for tar.
We kept walking along the trail, finally coming to a parking lot, road, then an RV Park…all along the shoreline.
We crossed over Carpinteria State Beach which ended at Linden Avenue which we consider “main street” of the town. We then headed up to Carpinteria Avenue passing all the little businesses…most of them closed at this time, along the way.
I was sad to note that one of the few businesses that I had heard about in Carpinteria, Robitaille’s Fine Candies had closed at the end of 2024.
We made our way back to our room freshened up for a bit and then headed out. I know of a few people whose family had property or would always go to Summerland during the winter. So, I thought it would be interesting to take the drive up there. We took the short drive up and parked on Lillie Avenue. The street is full of little boutiques, shops, and some charming buildings.
The Missus enjoyed stopping in and doing some shopping. Things seemed quite mellow, if a bit gentrified.
We decided to stop at Field + Fort and have lunch at the Cafe there named Feast. Field + Fort had some pretty upscale and expensive stuffs to sell…..it was fun to browse and of course, the Missus got JJ some stuffs from here.
The Cafe is right next door. The Missus looked over the menu and had a seat with JJ…..
While I went in to order.
The menu seemed quite “hipster – upscale” in offerings……
Anyway, I ordered a sandwich and one of the salads from the very nice young lady and we sat…and waited…and waited….20 minutes in, the Missus went and did more shopping….She came back out and I was still waiting. 45 minutes later our order was ready.
The Broccolini and Romesco Sandwich ($16) sounded interesting.
This place loves their pickled onions…the actual salad was our favorite thing about this…though the bread….a simple levain was nicely toasted, though it really lacked the flavor of a decent sourdough.
The “crispy” broccolini was just roasted and while slightly crunchy not crispy…and there were two stalks lying in the middle of the bread for the whole sandwich. This was more like and arugula, crisp broccoli leaf sandwich with a overly sour Romesco sauce.
The Missus does enjoy Her cauliflower; so we got the Roasted Cauliflower Salad ($15).
This was fine, though the cauliflower seasoning was on the bitter side. It’s like something I could make at home.
Well, the food Feast was nothing to go out of the way for. Things looked pretty simply put together so that 45 minute wait? But at least it wasn’t a overly heavy lunch! And the Missus enjoyed shopping at Field + Fort.
Feast: The Cafe at Field + Fort 2580 Lillie Ave. Summerland, CA 93067
We headed back to the car. And there was one more stop I wanted to make on the way back to Carpinteria!
Well, the recent hot weather has me hitting up those sandwich shops again. But this one was quite random as I’d never heard of it before.
Kearny Mesa Deli:
I was cutting thru Ronson Road to Kearny Mesa Road when I saw this sign.
Hmmm……if you’ve been reading our little blog long enough you know that I have a fondness for these business park type sandwich places. They keep the masses fed. I was thinking it might be nice for an early lunch so I went and parked in the one of the complex’s stalls and walked on over.
Like many of these type of shops, it is a bit cramped, with drinks, chips, and breakfast items being offered in addition to sandwiches.
You know what I decided to go with, right? Yes, I’m so predictable…..I got the California Club, which for these times was priced at a reasonable $11.49.
I took sandwich to the table outside. It seemed a bit “light in the wrap” if you know what I mean.
Two slices of Swiss, a nice amount of thinly sliced turkey, bacon, a smear of avocado, a larger smear of mayo, and lettuce on fluffy, mild sourdough. I do prefer my bread at least slightly toasted, but it held up well.
Nothing really stood out and though the bacon was crisp, there just didn’t seem to be enough of it. So, I went and opened up the sandwich.
Well, yes maybe one whole slice of bacon with some crumbs…..
Overall, just an average, by-the-book sandwich, but enough for a light lunch. Convenient and reasonable prices if you work in the area, but not worth a special trip.
Kearny Mesa Deli 8125 Ronson Rd. San Diego, CA 92111 Current Hours: Mon – Fri 7am – 2pm Closed Saturday and Sunday
I thought the prices at Kearny Mesa deli was quite affordable for these days. But it had me wondering about some of the inexpensive little sandwich places I used to visit. And the Sandwich Place came to mind. Even though I only did one post on the shop…like over 12 years ago…I did visit on a fairly consistent basis until our offices moved a few years later. It was the definition of a little mom-and-pop sandwich shop discreetly positioned on Convoy Court.
Revisit to The Sandwich Place:
So, I decided to head on over to grab lunch.
The same really sweet couple still run the shop. And prices, while it used to be under $6….most things are still under $10.
I was just going to order a Clubhouse Special which at $9.85 is now priced in “Banh Mi territory”!
There is one personal, ongoing issue I have here though. I even posted on the results all those years ago. I get distracted by the “Today’s Special” board.
And yep…being so easily distracted, I ended up getting the “Bulgoki” Wrap, which happened to be the most expensive item in the whole shop at $13.65. It truly didn’t hurt my wallet much!
Opening the wrap, well lookee here!
Don’t you look like a darling carne asada burrito? Perhaps I need to name you “El Bulgogi”?
Anyway, the mass produced flour tortilla had been decently heated. And wouldn’t you know, other than the meat there’s avocado, a fairly spicy pico de gallo, shredded lettuce….
Not a whole lot of meat in the middle; there was more at each end of the “boo-rit-to” (부리또) umm wrap.
As expected, the meat wasn’t caramelized as I could hear that microwave pinging in the background while waiting. It could have used more sweetness and some sesame oil. But honestly, what would one realistically expect from this little mom-and-pop shop.
At least this wasn’t bland and was quite filling, mainly due to that wrap. In this case, I had a bit of fun trying this out. Now it’s time to move on.
The Sandwich Place 7112 Convoy Ct San Diego, CA 92111 Current Hours: Mon – Fri 6am – 3pm Closed Saturday and Sunday
For our last road trip of 2025, we chose to spend most of our time in a city in Santa Barbara County that we had never visited before. We also decided to visit some of our “favorite” places to dine and drink on the way there as well.
So naturally, the Missus wanted to have lunch at Industrial Eats. Which I’ve posted on several times already! We arrived in time for lunch and along with the Missus’s favorite, the Smoked Duck Salad, She wanted to try something new; so I finally had a chance to try the Reuben, the salami is made inhouse, which interested me.
The salad, with a simple vinaigrette, was as good as ever.
The Reuben was quite large.
It had a bit too much cheese for my taste; the sauerkraut was crisp and assertively sour, though a bit too salty. Which combined with the generous portion of somewhat chewy pastrami really made this a sodium bomb.
Still, not a bad sandwich….though a bit too much for lunch for me!
Industrial Eats 181 Industrial Way Buellton, CA 93427
I’ve mentioned how much JJ enjoys Solvang before……so, we decided to stay the night before heading further North. It was a Sunday, so things were a bit hectic.
But we enjoyed walking around the town.
The Missus got to do some shopping.
And JJ….well, got to do JJ things.
We settled into our usual accommodations. When it came time for dinner, I wanted to try a place we had been to twice, but only for drinks, Vaquero Bar. The bar is attached to Coast Range Restaurant and on my last visit I found out that the bar features the same menu as the restaurant! So, I figured since it’s dog friendly and quite relaxed that we’d have dinner there.
I had a Medicine Man, a version of a mule that had both Tequila and Mezcal. Nice and stiff!
The Missus had a glass of wine.
We ordered two appetizers which proved to be enough for dinner. Starting with the Crispy Pork Belly.
This was interesting as the Gochujang Sauce had a sweetness to it. Came to find out that they actually put Coca-Cola in the sauce! The pork belly was more chewy than crispy by the time it got to our table.
We also got the Bone Marrow, which was quite good and a rather large portion to boot!
Nice fatty-rich bone marrow, tempered by a not overly sweet marmalade, with grilled bread. That pickled shallot vinaigrette would make for a heck of a salad dressing, but was a bit too much for the marrow.
We enjoyed this meal and it seems we’d finally found a place we enjoy having dinner at in Solvang!
Vaquero Bar (In Coast Range Restaurant) 1635 Mission Dr. Solvang, CA 93463
Weekday mornings in Solvang is usually nice and relaxed. This morning was no different.
We took JJ for a nice walk, where he even made a “friend”.
Even though the shop sits right on the corner of Atterdag and the 246 it’s easy to miss.
It was very quiet and mellow on our visit.
The Missus enjoyed Her latte.
And I found the cold brew quite refreshing.
Looking over the breakfast offerings; I decided on the Pesto Bagel with Tomato and Balsamic Reduction…this was quite good. The Mozzarella added a meaty-mild milkiness, the savory nuttiness of the pesto, and the acidity of the tomato. The bagel had been toasted and was nice and crisp.
Good Seed Coffee Boutique 1607 Mission Dr. Solvang, CA 93463
Well, it looks like we’ve found our coffee place in Solvang as well!
And after hamming in up a bit more……
We headed back to our room to relax a bit, then pack up, and headed on out……
To our next stop…..to a small beach town where we had enjoyed a nice dinner on a previous visit.
Recently, I was hankering for a Cubano….but of course Havana Grill in Clairemont had closed! So, I decided to go for something else…..maybe a sanguche? I know a lot of folks really like Sangucheria…but to be perfectly honest, I’ve been underwhelmed by the sanguches there on my three visits….they use telera rolls….nothing like the traditional Peruvian Pan Frances like they do at places like Dona Paulina in Lima. And while the Sanguche at The Peruvian Spot was pretty massive, I did enjoy the Sanguche de Chicharron there when I visited back in February of last year. They also open at 10am, so I could beat any crowds in that rather small parking lot on the corner of Mesa College Drive and Ashford.
It was pretty quiet during my visit. With only one other customer….who seemed like a regular coming in for an order.
I was rather surprised to see that the Sanguche de Chicharron was still priced at $14.95….it hadn’t gone up in the last year-and-a-half. Of course, there were some alarm bells going off in mi cabeza, wondering if what I’d get would be radically different from my previous visit.
I was happy to see Bottled Inka Cola, which is vastly superior to the canned and plastic bottled versions. If I recall, the nice woman, who if I recall correctly is the owner told me this was imported…which means it uses cane sugar instead of corn syrup….it also is much cleaner tasting with an awesome light “fizziness”.
As for the sandwich….well, it’s still quite large!
But it has definitely changed! Instead of a variety of pork cuts, thinly sliced, and decent fat, with good porkiness, this version had three thick, tough, and dry slices of pork.
Only that middle slice had a decent pork flavor, the other two thick and dry chops was definitely in the “other white meat” category. The roll was still very nice, fairly light and yeasty, and held up pretty well. Nice layer of camote slices added a good sweetness. The salza criolla tasted more like straight-forward pickled onions, really sour, and lacking in a touch of spice. And there seemed to be a bit too much of it.
If you’d like to see what the sanguche de chicharron looked like before, here’s a photo.
Hmmm……..
Well, in terms of price….you do get quite a large sandwich….but in my opinion, it’s nothing like what it used to be. It’s not bad mind you; it’s just not as good in my mind.
The Peruvian Spot 7510 Mesa College Dr. San Diego, CA 92111 Current Hours: Sunday, Tues – Fri 10am – 8pm Closed on Saturday and Monday
On our last visit to Idyllwild many businesses were closed. We were here on Tuesday and Wednesday so that seemed odd. It’s during our meal at Ferro that our wonderful Server explained that weekends are the busy times for Idyllwild, so many businesses use Tuesday and Wednesday as their weekend so to speak. So, I took that into consideration when planning this road trip. We were visiting on a Sunday and Monday, leaving on Tuesday morning. So, all of the businesses seemed open during our visit.
That made the short walk from our accommodation to Raven Hill Bagels so easy to grab some breakfast and coffee. The shop is indeed closed on Tuesday and Wednesday.
It’s a small shop with some outdoor seating. You order at the counter….it’s basically a deli and then take your food.
There were some tables outside and the Missus waited with JJ.
A simple order, two Americanos, and a Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Bagel Sandwich ($13), with Avocado ($2).
I chose a Jalapeno and Cheese Bagel, which was fairly dense, but tasty.
It would have been on the saltier side; but I added avocado which was a nice buffer. This was also quite large….I saved half for the next morning’s breakfast.
I also noted that the shop also sells various cheeses and deli meats by the pound as well.
Raven Hill Bagels 54440 North Circle Dr. Unit A Idyllwild-Pine Cove, CA 92549
Heading back to the Fireside Inn, we got into the car and headed up to the Idyllwild Nature Center.
There are several easy trails here and also ample parking on this day. We took the super easy Idyllwild Park Trail.
There was some interesting signage along the way with some interesting things to see; like these Bedrock Mortars used by the Cahuilla, the Indigenous People who settled in the area.
There were also some nice views along the way.
Which JJ enjoyed.
It was a nice way to spend a few hours.
Back in town, we parked at our cottage and walked down North Circle Drive, stopping at what is probably the Missus’s favorite shop in the town, Idyllwild Gardens.
Though this time the Missus resisted the urge to buy a bunch of stuffs!
Idyllwild Gardens 54385 North Circle Dr. Idyllwild, CA 92549
Our stop for lunch would be where we had what was our favorite meal on our previous visit….yes, it was at Atomic Cow.
The Missus and JJ hung out on the patio and I went in to order.
This time the Missus also wanted to try the Chili Cheese Fries. Which turned we turned out to not really enjoy.
Soggy dry fries…really weak, but salty chili, and gooey, but tasteless cheese.
Yes, it was the Cubano, which had Kalua Pork as one of the ingredients. Nicely toasted bread, nicely melted provolone cheese, pickles helping to cut the richness of the tender, smoky, porky, but not overly salty “Kalua pork”.
I’m glad we still enjoyed this. We had also learned that the sandwiches are pretty large here, so one plus a side is more than enough for our lunch. In fact, we needed a nap after this.
Atomic Cow 54200 North Circle Dr. Idyllwild-Pine Cove, CA 92549
We then had our afternoon “break” before heading back out to grab an early dinner and headed down North Circle Drive. It was nice to be here when most places were open. Right next to the Mountain Paws Pet Supply store was this lovely Gallery – Gift Shop.
The owner was super friendly and the Missus ended buying some small “stuffs” as gifts for folks.
Artspresso Art Gallery 54380 North Circle Dr. Idyllwild-Pine Cove, CA 92549
We kept heading on down the road and before you knew it, we had reached the Market, where North Circle Drive meets the 243…….
Right across the street was this place, called the Lumbermill.
Which had a patio, so we decided to head on in. We were led to the patio….which we really didn’t take to.
But the stools at the rail seemed nice and the place had a pleasant view of the street.
Looking at the condiments provided, you just kinda knew this was one of those burger-sandwich family diner – bar kind of places. And the menu, with burgers, burritos, nachos, hot dogs, sandwiches and such confirmed things. With this in mind, I went simple with regards to my cerveza….
And we just ordered two apps for dinner….which we were happy about since the portions were pretty large.
We got the boneless wings ($16.95).
Which looked over-sauced. It was pleasantly crunchy, the Buffalo sauce was on the sour-puckery side, but it did go rather well with the Blue Cheese Dressing. The really nice Server told us that they make their own dressing inhouse.
Of course, I just had to try some Cheese Curds ($15.95).
A bit too gooey with the batter not crisp enough…the menu said Wisconsin White Cheddar, but I really couldn’t make out any of the cheddar “sharpness”. Of course, it’s probably mass distributed young cheddar. I wasn’t expecting what I’d get at say………..The Old Fashioned in Madison, but it was still mediocre.
Still, not a terrible meal. JJ got treated nicely’ they brought a bowl of water for him. Service was welcoming….very nice folks working here. And it was enough food for our dinner.
Lumber Mill Bar & Grill 25985 CA-243 #243 Idyllwild-Pine Cove, CA 92549
It closed up a nice short stay in Idyllwild for us.
Well, it was time to take my car in for service again. I guess going on those road trips with JJ really puts in the mileage! I’ve mentioned previously that I’ve been searching for places to grab a bite in the area. But on this day I was in closer to lunch time and it was a weekday. After dropping my car off, I headed on out for a walk and noticed this place.
Hmmm…..wasn’t this the former location of Szechuan Mandarin….the ABC restaurant? Now Rosati’s Pizza, a fairly large chain, which, if I recall is out of Mt Prospect, Illinois? I’m fairly certain this location has only been open for a couple of years, but it looks kinda run down already.
Still, there was one sign that caught my attention.
I had to think back to when I last had an Italian Beef Sandwich here in SD and figured it was probably at Chicago Fire Grill….like almost 8 years ago! It’s been that hard to find a decent Italian Beef Sandwich here. Well, I guess the time was right for me to have one, right? So, I crossed on over and walked in. It was right past 11 and the cheerful young lady working greeted me with a smile and told me to have a seat anywhere.
The restaurant is pretty large and they even have some outdoor seating. I finally took a seat by the bar area.
I was provided several menus and was glad to see that the Italian Beef Sandwich with Fries is offered as a lunch special on weekdays between 11 and 2.
By this time, several folks had come into the restaurant and I’m guessing they were regulars as the young lady seemed to know them.
I ordered the Italian Beef Sandwich ($15) and when asked about Giardiniera and I said “of course” and the young lady cracked up. Soon enough my lunch arrived.
Man, this was quite a bit of food for lunch!
The crinkle cut fries were standard issue.
As for the sandwich…well, even though Rosati’s roots are in the “right place”, I obviously wasn’t expecting anything like Mr Beef or Buona, or even Portillo’s, nor especially not like my personal favorite Johnnie’s Beef in Arlington Heights.
It was interesting as the sandwich already comes “dipped”…in Chicago I loved ordering “beef – juicy – hot”.
The bread had been saturated and was quite mushy by the time it hit the table. When I picked the sandwich up I could squeeze it like a sponge….. At least it held together for most of the meal.
There was a very generous amount of Giardiniera, which I actually liked, nice and pickley-spicy, it wakes you up! Also adds some textural contrast.
Of course I didn’t need any additional jus…..which lacked the beefy- mildy herbal-pungent tones I enjoy. It was mainly very salty. I enjoy versions that have good garlic-oregano tones in addition to some beefiness. This wasn’t it.
The beef was thinly sliced, making it quite tender…and of course with all that jus……
The overall flavor was mainly salty, just mildly beefy, still quite a generous portion, and better than some other versions I’ve had here in San Diego.
The young lady working was so nice and friendly….she was working the front of house by herself and handled everything so well. The place had a few tables filled when I left and she seemed to know those folks too….so Rosati’s might be a real local place. So, perhaps I’ll return and try the Chicago Dog the next time I bring my vehicle in for service?
Rosati’s Pizza Pub and Sports Bar 5855 Mission Gorge Rd. San Diego, CA 92120 Current Hours: Daily 11am – 9pm
A few weeks back, I was in the Balboa and Ruffin Road area. I decided to grab something for an early lunch. Bud’s immediately came to mind, but I just wanted something smaller and I think I’d like to bring JJ along for brunch there. I also considered getting a sandwich at Unique Deli, which I believe is now named Unique Sandwiches….. But, I was at the intersection of Ruffin and Sky Park Court and recalled having read about a deli nearby? So, I drove to a parking spot and did that “Google” thing. Which led a bit farther up that parking lot; where I saw a rather discreet outdoor dining area. Turns out, it was the place I was searching for; named Mali’s Deli.
It is a rather hidden looking shop.
The interior was quite spacious.
And the menu vast; from breakfast items to burritos, burgers, quesadilla’s, and of course sandwiches.
And it must have been my lucky day as Mali’s does half sandwiches! I wasn’t really very hungry and the prices for half sandwiches weren’t bad for these times. The names of some of the sandwiches have a San Diego link; like the Coronado Chicken Club (probably raised in a Coopacabana), California Girl Veggie (a “Hippie Dippy Cali”?), or the Top Gun…..which I didn’t really “feel the need” for at that moment.
Regular readers know that I have a special place in my heart for club (older locals would call it “clubhouse”) sandwiches…so, I went with a half California Club ($7.49). My sandwich only took a few minutes. Opening the package, you immediately knew what kind of deli meat they used.
The half sandwich was enough for a light lunch for me. I had picked sourdough, which had been decently toasted and held up fine.
I enjoyed the pickle spear. Appreciated the fact that the sandwich wasn’t over dressed…a good amount of mayo and mustard for me. I actually liked the pepper jack cheese which added a mild milky-spice to things.
The turkey was as expected, though nice and moist. The bacon was cold and on the chewy side, but overall, pretty much what I expected, which was a good thing.
I do appreciate spots like this; located in an office park, they keep all the working folk fed. Plus, I did think that $7.49 for lunch was a bargain for me!
A week or so later; I found myself in the area and decided to drop by for another half sandwich.
Wanting to see how their hot sandwiches were; I went with half of a Reuben ($9.99) which was on the higher end of the half sandwich price scale.
This one was a bit disappointing. First off, the rye bread was not toasted and it quickly became a soggy mess.
Too much Thousand Island which nullified the flavor of the coleslaw and Swiss cheese and sogged things out rather quickly. The pastrami was as expected for this brand, mildly peppery, decently salty, et al….. But not toasting the rye was a no-go for me.
I am glad that I tried Mali’s. If I return; I might even go for a breakfast item….or stick with a basic sandwich.
Mali’s Deli 9265 Sky Park Court Suite #105 San Diego, CA 92123 Current Hours: Mon – Fri 7am – 3pm Closed on weekends
