Category: Sandwiches

Sunday Sandwiches – Kearny Mesa Deli and a Revisit to The Sandwich Place

Sandwiches

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

Road Trip – Revisits to Industrial Eats (Buellton), Vaquero Bar, and Good Seed Coffee Boutique (Solvang)

American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Caffeine Fix, Cocktails, Pubs and Pub Grub, Road Trip, Sandwiches, Santa Barbara County, Travel

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”.

We had enjoyed the coffee at Good Seed Coffee Boutique on a previous visit and decided to drop back in.

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.

The clock was ticking!!

The Peruvian Spot Revisited

Peruvian Restaurants, Sandwiches

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

Road Trip – Raven Hill Bagels, Idyllwild Nature Center, Atomic Cow Revisited, and Lumber Mill Bar & Grill

American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Diner, Dog Friendly, Road Trip, Sandwiches, Travel

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.

On a positive note, we enjoyed the item that was our favorite on our last visit.

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.

Thanks for stopping by!

Italian Beef Sandwich from Rosati’s Pizza Pub and Sports Bar (Grantville)

Chains, Sandwiches

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

Sunday Sandwiches – Mali’s Deli

Sandwiches

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

Hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Friday Fun – Fish With You is Now Yonny Hot Pot, Spicy House For Sale? And Jersey Mike’s Coming to Bay Park

Chinese Restaurants, Sandwiches, yoso-silly

Well, here we go….time to prep for the weekend, right? Anyway, just a couple of quick things…..

Fish With You is Now Yonny Hot Pot:

So, remember my last post on Fish With You? Where we noticed that all the hot pot equipment was going in? Well, back on Tuesday, as I was driving to Nijiya I noticed that the sign for Fish With You had changed to something like “Yonny Hot Pot”. Sigh…. Anyway, that same day “FOY” Xiāng Jiāo texted me saying that Fish With You had closed! And then “FOY” An commented on that last Fish With You post, mentioning that the name of the place had changed, but the logo and the blow up fish was still the same. Sooooo…….on my latest trip to Nijiya, I stopped by to take a look:

And yes, it’s now Yonny Mini Hot Pot. I went and parked the car and walked over to take a peek…..the posted menu on the door looks the same, as did the menu at the counter. I couldn’t take a photo of that with all the reflections and such.

Hmmm……. So, I did some digging and found that Yonny Hot Pot has three locations. One in Irvine and two in Texas. Now for the interesting info…looking at the Yonny Hot Pot website for the Plano Texas location…it looks quite familiar, right? And then the website for the Sunway Square Mall says:

“YONNY is a flagship brand under Beijing Fish With You Brand Management Co., Ltd. Founded in 2017, YONNY pioneered the fast-casual suancai fish market, quickly sweeping across China and leading the suancai fish industry to become a well-known Chinese fast-casual chain brand.”

And even though I might be an online dinosaur….on occasion, even I can do AI…..

So, there you go. It seems like the place has expanded the offerings and concepts. So, at least for now, I can “Fish With Me” at Yonny. For now…..

Fish With You
3904 Convoy St. #101
San Diego, CA 92111

Thanks so much for thinking of us An and XJ!

Is Spicy House For Sale?

While at Nijiya the other day, I saw a guy on a ladder putting up some finishing touches to the sign at Spicy House. When I finished shopping and walked back to the car the new sign was up.

I don’t know why I took a photo…I think it was just for the Missus to see if the Chinese name of the place had changed. But no, it had not. Ok, time to delete the photo, right? Luckily, I didn’t do that too quickly as my good “FOY” YummyYummy sent me this screenshot!

Screenshot

Looks like Spicy House is for sale? So weird that I just decided to take that photo, huh?

Times are really hard on restaurants right now…..

Anyway, if you’ve got an extra 280k lying around and want to own a Sichuan Restaurant…perhaps now’s your chance?

3860 Convoy Street #105
San Diego, CA 92111

Thanks for letting me know about this “YY”!

And lastly……

Not a big deal and I’m not too excited about this as I’d prefer more local based eateries in my ‘hood. But the former dentists office in Clairemont Village is becoming…..well, Jersey Mike’s…..

You can read more here at ExploreClairemont’s Instagram.

3065 Clairemont Dr. #C
San Diego, CA 92117

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Sunday Stuffs – Coco Bomb replacing Juewei, La Perla has replaced Super Mario, and Gourmet Artisan has closed

Chinese Restaurants, Mexican Restaurants, Sandwiches

A couple of things I’ve noticed while doing my “rounds” recently.

Coco Bomb is now replacing Juewei:

Well, while doing a recent takeout revisit to Eastern Dynasty, I noticed that the “coming soon” sign over what used to be Juewei had changed. Back in March, I noted that LA Hot Duck was replacing Juewei, but I guess that’s gone awry. Now it says that Coco Bomb….which I believe has a location in Linda Vista is replacing Juewei.

Which leaves me wondering if the opening of Spicy Duck in the 99 Ranch Market Food Court affected this decision? Kind of a bummer, because personally, I think we need more of those types of businesses here.

4690 Convoy St. #103
San Diego, CA 92111

La Perla has replaced Super Mario’s:

On my most recent shopping trip to Nijiya, I noticed a “Under New Ownership” sign over what was….for a short time Super Mario’s…and for what was for a longer time Palomino’s. Kind of a bummer….

So, it looks like the La Perla empire is expanding. We’ll see how this goes; because it seems, at least to me that La Perla has been quick to open….then suddenly close their shops….

3860 Convoy St. Suite 10
San Diego, CA 92111

Gourmet Artisan has closed:

It had been a while since I’d been to Gourmet Artisan…so I thought I’d order a sandwich; but strangely, their website wasn’t working. So, I thought I’d drive past to see what was up….well…it seems that they have closed.

I guess I shouldn’t be overly surprised as the last time I visited, they were using their location as a pseudo commercial kitchen of sorts. Still, it’s a place that I had visited on a regular basis before….but I guess just not often enough.

7094 Miramar Rd.
San Diego, CA 92121

Idyllwild – Atomic Cow, Idyllwild Brewpub, and Pure Bean Idy

American/New American Restaurants, Caffeine Fix, Cocktails, Pubs and Pub Grub, Road Trip, Sandwiches, Temecula/Idyllwild/Palm Springs - Riverside, CA, Travel

We had basically one full day in Idyllwild and the Missus wanted to get a hike in. After searching around a bit, we picked the Ernie Maxwell Scenic Trail, which was about 5 miles, but was also shaded…..since JJ doesn’t care for direct sunlight much.

Idyllwild is so peaceful in the morning……

We got to the trail early so had no problem with parking. There’s some inclines and such, but it’s a lovely trail.

I enjoyed some of the rock formations.

As did JJ….but for different reasons……

He seemed to like jumping on the rocks to taunt me….as in “hurry up daddy, you too slow!”

We took about 2 1/2 hours to complete the trail then headed back to the room to freshen up, then headed down the street to grab an early lunch.

There were a few choices….I guess we could have gone to the Red Kettle again….but we’d been-there, done-that and wanted something different.

Right past the Red Kettle is a little alleyway/lane called the Village Lane.

I had noticed an ice cream shop named the Atomic Cow the previous day, but taking a closer look, we saw that they did sandwiches as well.

While the Missus watched JJ, I went in and ordered us some sandwiches. I got us an Italian Sub and also the Cubano which featured an interesting ingredient.

The Italian Sub was typical, shredded lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, dressed with a vinaigrette.

I did like that they used Amoroso Rolls, very mild in flavor. This was your basic ham-pepperoni-salami-provolone sandwich.

The “wildcard” was the Cubano.

You see, this “Cubano” features; in addition to the ham, “Kalua Pork”! Say what?!? We actually enjoyed this sandwich.

This didn’t have all the veggies and was also toasted. The provolone cheese had melted, adding a nice milkiness! The “Kalua Pork” was basically pork made with liquid smoke, but was smoky, tender, salty, and savory….and it went really well with the ham! Who’s have thought, right? We enjoyed the pickles and mustard in this as they helped balance out the rich saltiness.

Well, this was a pleasant surprise. We polished off the Cubano, which was enough for the both of us, and saved the Italian Sandwich for breakfast.

Atomic Cow
54200 N Circle Dr.
Idyllwild-Pine Cove, CA 92549

We then headed back to our room….it was time for a nap.

Upon waking we decided to get an early dinner and slowly made our way down to our dinner destination. Located in the Strawberry Creek Shopping Plaza is the Idyllwild Brewpub. You see the sign and then head down the flight of stairs…..

We had a nice table on the patio.

Where JJ could just chill. The Servers were quite friendly. Since this is a brewpub, my initial thought was to grab a beer, but the cocktail menu was intriguing.

All the syrups and fruit juices are made inhouse…..so we had cocktails.

The Missus had the Devil’s Slide….She does enjoy Her Tequila and this was pleasantly stiff.

I got the Smoked Old Fashion.

And while this won’t make me forget about The Alchemist’s Garden or even Shelter Distilling, it was very nice; aromatic, smoky, not overly sweet.

As for food, we just got two dishes. Starting with the Mountain Wedge Salad.

Nice and refreshing; the bacon bits and the blue cheese crumbles make this salad.

And I wanted to try the Fried Cheese Curds…..

The batter wasn’t particularly crisp, though the cheese was nice and gooey. A bit short in terms of flavor…I think horseradish might have been a good “dip” for this. Still haven’t found anything that matches up with what I’d had at the Old Fashioned in Madison.

Overall, a decent dinner. We’d return on a follow-up trip a few months later.

Idyllwild Brewpub
54423 Village Center Dr.
Idyllwild, CA 92549

I know “FOY” Junichi also visited the Brewpub! Junichi, I’m wondering what dined on?

Walking back to our accommodations; I could tell that J was pretty tired. He’s had a busy day after all.

The next morning, I saw something while walking JJ at 5am in the morning. I saw what looked like 3 dogs roaming down North Circle Drive. They basically walked past us…Coyotes! Walking down the main street like they owned the place.

Later in the morning, we decided to walk into town to grab some coffee and then finish up the sandwich from the day before. This is Idyllwild at 7am.

We walked down to the little mall that houses Pure Bean Idy.

JJ hung out with the Missus while I went in and ordered our coffee.

Very nice service and I enjoyed my Cold Brew.

Pure Bean Idy
54245 N Circle Dr.
Idyllwild-Pine Cove, CA 92549

After finishing up, we packed up and headed home. The two nights went by in the blink of an eye, but we’d be returning id a couple of months.

Thanks for stopping by!

A San Diego Bakery Price Check

Bakery, Sandwiches

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