Category: Sandwiches

Road Trip – The Sando Truck (Santa Barbara)

Food Trucks, Japanese Restaurants, Road Trip, Sandwiches, Santa Barbara County, Travel

JJ had done so well on our road trip to Morro Bay and Cambria that when the Missus had another string of days off, we decided to try it again. This time, we'd head to Santa Barbara. Granted, we have kind of mixed feelings about the city; it's kind of touristy, we hadn't always enjoyed our stays too much, but I had an idea. This time we'd stay in the Funk Zone…..at the Moxy Hotel and just kind of see how we like it this time around.

As with our previous road trip; JJ was a champ and we made it to our destination in no time. We even managed an early check in! Our room was interesting, but comfortable; I'll go into a bit more detail a bit later.

The Funk Zone is located across the 101 from the busy portion of State Street. It was a nice short walk to Stearns Wharf.

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This was a Sunday and we were shocked at how "quiet" things were….more on that later.

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We enjoyed the walk as did JJ who got a lot of "pets" from folks.

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We even had a photo-op or two…..

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What I had found interesting was that there weren't reservations available for many places or various restaurants were closed. We looked for a place to grab lunch and I had noticed this food truck just around the corner from the hotel.

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And we thought "what the heck"? We weren't too hungry, so this sounded good. We got a Pork Katsu (that's what it is on the menu…I guess folks wouldn't know tonkatsu???) Sando – 3 piece (which I think is one sando) $11 and an order of Potato Salad ($5). The guy working was very nice; he pointed us to a table we could use.

We liked that shokupan was used for the sandwich and yes, the crust was trimmed off!

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The "sizing" was a bit off as the tonkatsu was significantly smaller than the bread and had been over-fried a bit. The pork was toothsome and not tough; a bit too much katsu sauce as well. Overall, an ok sando…..in Santa Barbara!

The Potato Salad was actually quite good.

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At first glance we thought it might have a bit too much mayo; but this was nice and refreshing. The potatoes nicely mashed, a good amount of egg in this, but our favorite ingredient was that instead of just plain cucumber, kyuri asazuke, pickled cucumbers were used. This added a nice sour-acidity which helped to balance out the mayo.

This was pretty filling and a nice start to our stay in Santa Barbara.

The Sando Truck
210 State St.
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

We decided to take a stroll after our meal. We headed under the 101 and over to the main part of State Street…..usually busy with tourists, today it was totally empty.

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We actually enjoyed this…..

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Many of the businesses were closed as were the restaurants I'd tried to reservations at. What was going on? 

Well, I guess that many places don't open on Super Bowl Sunday? The bars were open, but there didn't seem very full. I guess this is what SBS is like in downtown Santa Barbara?

Sunday Sandwiches – Gnarly Girl Pizza

Cheesesteaks, Sandwiches

Recently, while finishing up on some errands on a Sunday, I was craving a Cheesesteak. I decided to had to the Wise Ox since I was in the area. I thought it would give me some other options in case I changed my mind….yes, I still remember the recommendation for the bologna EW and Dave! I should have known better; it was close to noon on a Sunday and of course, there was no parking to be found; sigh. So, I needed a plan B. I had recalled reading that a pizza shop on the corner of ECB and Louisiana named Gnarly Girl that served up cheesesteaks. So, I decided to see if I could actually find some parking. Which I did rather easily on Mississippi…there's some huge building going up on ECB, but there was a ton of parking right past it.

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I walked over to the colorful shop, it was five til noon, and there were a couple of groups; all with kids in tow waiting outside. I thought about doing an about face, but in the end, I decided to stick it out. Apparently, there were two large parties, one with reservations for 20 waiting! So actually getting in a placing an order was a breeze because all the pizzas had been preordered.

The interior is quite colorful….Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles rule one wall, this guy is on the fridge.

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I walked up to the register and the friendly guy, who was soon overwhelmed with kids running around took my order.

There's an interesting sign at the register.

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And then I walked over to the corner and watched the action!

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My order took about 15 minutes. The woman, who I think runs the place handed me my sandwich and I wished her "good luck"……which cracked her up! She replied, "yes, thanks, we're going to need it!" As another party of at least 8 walked in with kids in tow!

The cheesesteak ($15) was quite hefty and long. And this is what it looked like when I opened it up.

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A lot of meat. Which had been chopped too finely; it was headed toward "hamburger land". It had been seriously mixed with the White American Cheese. Didn't care for the mushy-mealy texture, though the flavor was ok…..mostly beefy, couldn't really make out the cheese or the onions.

The bread, faced with a daunting task of surviving all the mushy-damp protein had held out quite well.

Gnarly G 05  Gnarly G 06 I prefer my cheesesteak to have thinly sliced beef, not chopped too finely like this was. One could not complain about the portion size nor price. Looks like a great neighborhood place to take the family for some slices and maybe enjoy the art, but perhaps not for a cheesesteak. Looks like I'll be headed to Evans or Wise Ox soon…..boy do I miss Monkey Paw and Pop's. And if you'd like a good laugh, you can check out this this old cheesesteak collection from almost 15 years ago! Man does time fly!

Gnarly Girl Pizza
2302 El Cajon Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92104
Current Hours:
Sunday, Thurs 12pm – 9pm
Mon – Wed       3pm – 9pm
Fri – Sat            12pm – 10pm

Mama G’s Kitchen & Sauces

Peruvian Restaurants, Sandwiches

There seems to be a sort of Peruvian Renaissance of sort going on. Since August – September of last year no less than three Peruvian spots have opened in San Diego. I've already posted on Chimpum Callao and The Peruvian Spot, though it was Mama G's that I actually first visited, but wanted to do multiple visits before posting. So, here we go…..

The actual location of the restaurant is interesting; along Camino del Rio South, past the Benihana. I also recall that a TGI Fridays used to be nearby? 

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The restaurant actually faces the street and has a small indoor dining area and an outdoor patio.

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I've actually sampled Mama G's sauces at the Hillcrest Farmer's Market, which I'd never really taken to, a bit too mayonnaisey for my taste, but I was quite interested in what the dishes produced would be like.

Service was quite laid back and friendly. Things did take a while, but heck, it's a mom-and-pop kind of operation and they had just opened.

Of course I was going to order the Lomo Saltado. It was the first Peruvian Dish that made an impact when I tasted it back in 1997 at El Rocoto in Gardena (if you want to see a revisit post, we visited back in 2010). Before that it was basically Pollo ala Brassa from El Pollo Inka. So of course I had to order that, along with some Chicha Morada.

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Well, this was the bottled stuff I can get at Tropical Star and even at Andres, it's a bit too sweet for me.

Soon enough, the Lomo Saltado ($17) arrived.

Mama Gs 05  Mama Gs 06 Soon enough my lomo saltado arrived. Quite a bit of onions and papas frita in this. The rice was fairly dry and chewy, but edible, and seemed to have been seasoned a bit.

The beef was a bit on the chewier side; but not as bad as what Soo had, nor as drenched in sauce. A bit on the salty side, mild sour – savory tones, it was not bad.

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Wish it had a bit more tomato to balance out the saltiness, but this was not bad.

I waited a couple of weeks and returned. It was a nice and unseasonably warm day for San Diego.

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So I thought it would be great to try some Ceciche; sadly they were out of fish! I then tried to start with some Yucca Frita, but the fryer was down! Well, I didn't come here for a cheeseburger or Caesar salad. 

I had an Inca Cola to think things over.

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I'm not one for soft drinks; but like I've mentioned before, there's something about that "bubblegum flavor" of the drink that takes me back to Peru.

In the end I got a Causa Rellena ($11) and Beef Empanadas ($12).

Mama Gs 10  Mama Gs 11 The presentation was lovely; though the boiled egg was overcooked. The chicken was fairly bland, stringy, and there was a bit too much mayo. The potatoes were nicely done though.

The Empanadas came with a side of Mama G's Sauce, which I enjoyed with the empanadas.

Mama Gs 12  Mama Gs 13a Loved the crust of the empanadas. Even though it wasn't slightly flakey, it had a nice crunchy texture. I didn't care much for the dusting of sugar as I think it detracted from the overall flavor. Like I mentioned earlier, the sauce did well with the pastry, deflecting some of the sweetness and helping with the texture of the beef which was pretty chewy.

I probably wouldn't order this again.

And so I was ready to do a post. But then, I went and visited The Peruvian Spot and couple of times. I then decided to see how the Pan Con Chicharron ($16) was.

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It was interesting, that they didn't call this a Sanguche. Perhaps it was because it was served on a brioche instead of a typical Pan Frances? The fries were dry and got quite limp quickly.

Mama Gs 15  Mama Gs 16 This was a lot less stuffed than the version at The Peruvian Spot. It had a drizzle of Mama G's sauce which did a pretty nice job of adding a creamy, mild spice to things. The ratio of camote and salsa criolla to meat was quite balanced.

The pork seems have been roasted and was decently seasoned, though there were some hard bits.

Mama Gs 17   The young lady working asked me if I wanted to try the spicy versions of Mama G's sauces and brought some over when I said yes. The verde was quite nice, not overly spicy to me. I added a tad more to the sandwich and used it to dip the very dry and limp fries.

The one thing that this sandwich had in common with the version at The Peruvian Spot was that the roll did not hold up. It got soggy and fell apart after one bite!

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Still this was not bad at all. In fact, with the two versions of this sandwiches, I no longer have a desire to revisit Sangucheria Peruvian Street Food. The folks working has always been welcoming. Food can take a bit of time at this mom-and-pop restaurant, but I'm looking forward to having the Ceviche when things warm up.

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Mama G’s Kitchen & Sauces
407 Camino del Rio South
San Diego, CA 92108
Current Hours:
Tues – Thurs 1130am – 730pm
Fri – Sat 1130am – 830pm
Sunday 1130am – 530pm
Closed on Mondays

Sunday Sandwiches – Poppy Boba Kitchen

Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Banh Mi, Sandwiches

**** Poppy Boba has closed

I was driving home from Nijiya the “back way”, via Stalmer, then Beagle Street when a shop caught my eye.

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This is on the Beagle Street side of the mall that houses The Pad Thai Stand and Carnival Market. This seemed like a new shop as I didn’t recall seeing it before. Since I’m not much of a “boba” kinda guy I wouldn’t have given the place much attention; but I noticed the bottom of the sign said “banh mi”. Hmmmm………  I went ahead and added the place to my “list” to check out when the weather got warmer; which was just about a week later. So, I decided to drop by. Checking the hours I noticed that unlike many shops that do banh mi; Poppy opens at 11.

I walked on over and entered the elongated shop which was a counter and all kitchen.

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A very nice young woman was working. I had a quick glance at the liquid refreshment based menu.

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Basically baos and various snacks, alongside banh mi and rice bowls. Sadly, only three different “fillings” are available; Grilled Pork, Grilled Chicken, or Lemongrass Tofu. Obviously “Poppy” is more of a westernized “Asian” snack shop. As I looked over the menu, a woman walked in with two large bags of banh mi….so, I figured what the heck, at least my bread will be fresh, right?

I went and ordered the Grilled Pork Banh Mi ($10.50). It was fairly sizeable.

Poppy Boba 04a  Poppy Boba 00  The bread was very crusty…it was indeed quite fresh, though it didn’t hold up real well because there was a bit too much mayo. The menu said the banh mi has pate in it; but I could not find, nor taste any. There was a good amount of pork, in chunks, fairly chewy, but decently savory-sweet-salty.

It was kind of unevenly put together as the “chunk” of cucumber only covered half of the width of the sandwich. Not enough pickled carrots and daikon, nor cilantro. I’ve always stated when confronted by over-stuffed banh mi that I appreciate proportion when it comes to these type of sandwiches. The jalapeno was sliced fairly thick and it was fun playing “jalapeno roulette”.

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It was an ok “Americanized” banh mi.

During my visit, I had seen something on the menu that caught my attention. There was something called “Japanese Egg Sandwich” on the menu. So, I decided to drop in on my way home from Nijiya a few days later. Same nice young lady working. Based on the price; $5.75, I didn’t expect this to be too large and it wasn’t. Which was a good thing since I wasn’t very hungry.

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Here’s what it looked like scaled against a quarter.

Poppy Boba 08 Poppy Boba 09a I had noticed that it was toasted, which was a clue that the folks here weren’t using Shokupan, the classic Japanese Milk Bread; a must for a egg salad sando, which this was definitely not. I missed the light, fluffy texture and the slight sweetness that the proper bread brings to the sando.

Just making egg salad with Kewpie Mayonnaise does not make it a proper Japanese egg salad sandwich.

The dill added some refreshing anise tones, but was unevenly distributed. There was a nice layer of egg salad.

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Not a terrible sandwich; but definitely not a Egg Salad Sando! Poppy Boba 11

Overall, the young lady working was very nice. The sandwiches ok, but not worth going out of your way for…it’s Americanized – Asian to me. Still, it’s interesting to see these businesses slowly making their way into the area. I’m interested to see what’s coming next as there seems to be some vacancies in this strip mall.

Poppy Boba Kitchen
3538 Ashford St.
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Tues – Sun 11am – 8pm
Closed on Mondays

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Dos Palmas Cafe

Breakfast/Brunch, Dog Friendly, Sandwiches

During our visits to Bica, we noticed this rather low-keyed shop across the street.

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It seemed to be doing some rather steady business. So, after our coffee and sandwich, we took JJ on a walk all the way to Kensington and then back over to this shop.

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We took a look at the menu and a gentleman was walking out with a package. We had noticed that folks in this area and Kensington seemed to be rather friendly, greeting us as we passed, some coming over to pet JJ. The gentleman said "you'll like this place; I drop by four or five times a week!"

So, we took a look at the menu.

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Which we put in the category of a neighborhood coffee and sandwich shop. And there seemed to be a cute little patio in the back.

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We also noted that the place opens at 7am, so we made a note to return when we took JJ "exploring" which was a few days later.

Dos Palmas Cafe is a cozy little shop, there was only one woman working when we arrived. The Missus ordered a Pour Over, I got an Americano and we also got two sandwiches and proceeded to take JJ to the quaint back patio.

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I expected things to take a while since it was just one person working but our Avocado Toast ($10.75) with Bacon (+$2) and Truffle Grilled Cheese ($11.50) was ready fairly quickly.

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There was a generous amount of tender, buttery avocado on the nicely toasted bread.

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The bacon, which added that salty component could have been a bit more crisp, but was fine.

My Truffle Grilled Cheese was nicely toasted.

Dos Palmas 09 Dos Palmas 10   Though I really couldn't make out truffle. This was bit too much for me in terms of cheese….yes, I know, it's a grilled cheese, but this really needed more than rich-milkiness. The tomatoes weren't ripe enough to add the sweet acidity to help cut the richness and there wasn't enough onion to add pungency. If you just want gooey cheese-land, this might work for you.

The Missus didn't care for Her pour-over, but I thought my Americano was fine. We did like the patio, the woman working was so nice, and of course, JJ enjoyed himself.

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So, we decided to return. We'd take JJ for a nice walk in the neighborhood, do some shopping at Stehly Farms, the Missus would pick up a Cortado from Bica and I'd get my coffee and order a sandwich from Dos Palmas.

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This time I went with the Turkey Pesto ($12.75).

Dos Palmas 13  Dos Palmas 14 This was a pretty good sandwich; nothing fancy mind you, the turkey was totally Sysco stuff; but the bread was nicely toasted and held out well. The herbaceous-savory-nutty pesto, the sweetness of the roasted red peppers, the bitterness of the greens, the creamy, slightly sweet avocado all worked well together. And this was enough for both the Missus and I for a light brunch. I think we'll go ahead and add the bacon for an upcharge next time.

I've mentioned "threads in the fabric of a neighborhood" in previous posts; you know, the corner bakery, coffee shop, and yes, the neighborhood sandwich purveyor. I think we just found this area's "sandwich – coffee shop". 

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Decent prices, decent food…..

And it seems that JJ was "praying" for more treats here…..

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Dos Palmas Cafe
3562 Adams Ave.
San Diego, CA 92116
Current Hours:
Daily 7am – 2pm

The Shed and Sidecar Bar

American/New American Restaurants, Cocktails, Pubs and Pub Grub, Sandwiches

I'm sure you've noticed that we've been taking JJ everywhere…..looking for places the little ball of energy would be able to hang. I'd been wanting to check out the latest food stand that's opened next to Sidecar Bar, a favorite of the Missus, which we hadn't been back to in a while. It's called The Shed and took over the "shed" next to the bar back in the middle of 2023 if I recall.

The Shed 01

It's basically a burger stand, but I'd been told that the tri-tip sandwich was quite good. So, with JJ in tow, we thought it was time for him to hang at Sidecar.

The menu is brief; but covers burgers, chicken sandwiches, fries, and such.

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To order, you basically press that little button, right under "Anthony Bourdain's Middle Finger Salute" and the friendly guy will come out to take your order.

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And for a modern touch, you're given one of the buzzer/beeper contraptions.

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And you go to the counter and press that "button" again. I think it would just be perfect if the button would be on a plastic "half-peace sign salute" thing. It would just make the experience complete, right?

I ordered the "Just the Tip" ($17.70) and an order of Garlic Parmesan Fries with Chimichurri ($8.30). The portion of fries was generous.

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This was a bit disappointing for us as the fries were gummy and dry and for some reason, the savory-saltiness of the Parmesan was quite muted. We'll pass on this in the future.

The tri-tip sandwich on the other hand…..

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Was pretty good! The trip-tip, though not smoked, was very tender, beefy, nicely seasoned. The brioche bun had a touch of sweetness that complemented things nicely. The fried onion rings…well, that's always a great touch. The chimichurri sauce was fine, though both the Missus and I noted that something a bit more pungent, like perhaps a horseradish based sauce might be really good with this. Still, we'd gladly have this again.

And of course, the Missus loves Sidecar…..

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And since we needed to…ahem, work on our "immune system", well, we thought some Penicillin would do the trick. Prices have gone up $2 since our last visit and this cocktail is now $12.

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I like the combination of Scotch, Mezcal, and Ginger in this. And also the fact that it isn't overly sweet.

Now that Sidecar has the Shed to provide some eats, I think the three of us will be dropping by a bit more often.

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Sidecar Bar
1310 Morena Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92110

The Shed
1312 Morena Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92110

The Peruvian Spot

Peruvian Restaurants, Sandwiches

It seems that Peruvian Cuisine is going thru a bit of a renaissance here. In the last 7-8 months three places have opened; Chimpum Callao, Mama G's (that post is coming up), and just last month The Peruvian Spot in the strip mall by Mesa College that houses Homestyle Hawaiian and Cuscatlan Salvadorean Cuisine. In checking out the hours; I really liked that the shop opens at 8am during the week and 830am during weekends. Because that parking lot can be a bit crazy and I like early lunches these days.

Peruvian Spot 01

On my first visit; I arrived at 945 am and easily found parking. I believe this used to be a Boba – Tea place if I'm not mistaken.

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Walking in I noticed how large the space is. There are just 5-6 tables, a sofa, and an area with children's toys (more on that later). The process is "fast-casual"; you order at the counter. I quickly noticed this sign as I walked in.

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Whoa…well, that's interesting since I've not been a big fan of the Sanguches de Chicharron I've had in San Diego.

The woman working the counter was so nice and friendly. As was the gentleman, her husband who was working on some signs and tables. I had a blast talking to them; they were living in Lima and we had a fun chat about places that were favorites of ours.

I decided to try out the Sanguche de Chicharron ($14.95). And also got a Chicha Morada, which was a bit too sweet for my taste.

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As for the sandwich…my goodness, this was huge!

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First thing I noticed was that the roll did resemble a Peruvian Pan Frances, the appropriate roll for a sanguche, slightly yeasty, with a touch of saltiness. Places like Sangucheria uses a Mexican Telera style roll. There was basically a huge amount of hog in this. Various different cuts as well; tender, juicy, gelatinous "porky" belly; also some leaner, slightly crunchy, even more "pork forward" cuts as well. While my arteries were perhaps having a bit of a mild protest, I enjoyed the pork flavors…..this tasted like swine; not the typical "other white meat" that is prevalent these days.

I was provided two different aji; a rocoto and an amarilla. Both were fairly weak and more mayonnaisey.

Peruvian Spot 06

Both were too mild in my opinion.

As for the large sandwich. Well, that roll didn't make it intact for the entire meal. 

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There was a layer of camote, which added some starchy sweetness and some salza criolla, which I wish was a bit more spicy like the version I make at home. Still, this was all about the pork….a lot of pork. I really did enjoy it, but obviously my Cardiologist would recommend that I not have it too often. Still, it's a nice guilty pleasure.

And I really enjoyed chatting with the wonderful owners. I did look over the menu before I left.

Peruvian Spot 03b

It's not very large; but since it had lomo saltado on it; you know I had to return to try it right?

So, a week later I returned. This time the couple introduced me to their lovely 1 1/2 year old son….no wonder they had a little children's play area! Can you imagine running a restaurant with a little one in tow?

I ordered the Lomo Saltado ($18.95) and it arrived in a takeout container.

Peruvian Spot 08 Peruvian Spot 09  Some Aji Verde was provided, which was much better than the other two I tried on my previous visit; somewhat creamy, tangy, some decent spice.

The rice was on the drier side, but accepatable. This version had quite a bit of beef; on the chewier side, but nicely seasoned, and quite beefy. Decent acidity from the tomatoes…more on that later. The papa fritas were quite large and on the dry side.

Peruvian Spot 10 Peruvian Spot 11  Speaking of acidity; man, this version was on the sour side. At least it wasn't overly salty. I think it could have used more onions for an added sweet-pungency.

Overall, not bad, but I'll stick with the Sanguche de Chicharron.

I really like the warm and friendly folks here; loved talking to them about places we know in Lima like El Veridico de Fidel and Dona Paulina. They were also quite interested to hear about my experience at Maido. It really makes me miss Peru!

On an interesting note; I was going to do my post on Mama G's before this one; but they were out of their Sanguche de Chicharron when I last visited; so I think I'll need to try that one before doing a post.

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The Peruvian Spot
7510 Mesa College Dr.
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Tues – Fri  8am – 330pm
Sat – Sun   830am – 4pm
Closed on Monday

Road Trip – Ojai Rotie Revisited (Ojai)

Dog Friendly, Lebanese Restaurants, Paso Robles/Cambria/San Luis Obispo County, Road Trip, Sandwiches, Travel, Ventura County

We just got back from a short two night road trip with JJ. It was actually going to be longer, but then the wildfires that have ravaged SoCal happened, and with me monitoring things (Watch Duty is a awesome app), we cut two nights out of the trip (donated the funds to fire relief) and just decided to do Morro Bay and one of our favorite towns in SLO County, Cambria.

We always regretted not taking Sammy and Frankie on Road Trips and we wanted to make sure to have no such regrets with the "J". JJ also seemed to do really well during car rides though he barks and whines like a banshee when waiting for the ride to begin and once the car permanently stops. We're not sure how he knows we've reached our destination, but he strangely does. Hopefully his puppy classes will ease that. However, during the drive he is a perfect angel!

Well, we were amazed to find that JJ handles the drive quite well. In fact, we made one stop at a usual place, which I've posted on three times already in Oxnard. Traffic on the 101 seemed quite typical and while there was haze and smoke it didn't seem too bad. I was concerned about the Auto Fire, but it was fully contained before we left and we really didn't notice much smoke or ash when we stopped at The Collection and took JJ for his "break". He was such a champ.

In fact, when we were back on the 101, the Missus saw the exit to Ojai, another town we enjoy, and requested a detour for lunch. So, off we went. It was Sunday, so the Ojai Farmers Market, another favorite of ours was taking place. Man, the town was packed! I had forgotten that it was MLK weekend! Anyway, we found parking down one of the side streets. We quickly noticed, that unlike our previous visits, with the friendly locals, this was tourist heaven, many of whom were quite pushy and plain rude. The Missus did a quick walk thru the Farmers Market while I took JJ for a walk….dogs are strictly not allowed at the market, folks would be waiting for their partners at the entrance with their pooches.

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And then we headed off to find a place for a dog friendly lunch.

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We noticed that Ojai Rotie, which we visited before (remember that cool shirt the guy gave me?) was just opening, so that would be it for lunch. I did wish I had brought my "Ojai Psychic Friends Network" t-shirt. Folks and families were cutting in line to get in and all.

Folks didn't know that once in, unless you had reservations you needed to order at the counter. Once in, I headed right to the counter, only to have folks cut in front of me again. When I casually mentioned this to the four guys who cut in front of me they told me "we were in front of you in the other line, so f-off".  Nice, huh? The folks A really felt bad for were the locals working, who were just as nice as on our previous visit.

Anyway, I just went and ordered a Grilled Eggplant Sandwich ($19). I told them to pack it to go "just in case", though the Missus and JJ did find a two top.

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As before, the sourdough bread was wonderful. It was grilled nice and crisp, slight yeastiness, mild yogurty-sourness, very pleasant.

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As for the rest? Well, the pepper-bitter arugula sprouts really dominated the sandwich. We really couldn't make out the pesto. The texture of the eggplant was good, but again, the seasoning-flavor was nullified. At least the milky-nutty Manchego cheese did come thru.

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Not terrible; good bread, but if we return we'll try something else next time.

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Ojai Rotie
469 E Ojai Ave.
Ojai, CA 93023

We then got the heck out of town as quick as we could. We were really thinking about doing a road trip here. If we do, we'll make sure it's in the off season and also not during a holiday weekend!

The trip to Morro Bay took a bit less than 3 hours and JJ did perfect. We booked the Harbor House Inn which was described as being dog friendly, which it was indeed. They even had a little welcome bag for JJ. It was just a few blocks from the Embarcadero. After checking in, we took JJ right down to the harbor and strolled past all those familiar places.

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And had a photo-op or two…..

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Before taking a short pre-dinner break. JJ seemed to be enjoying things; which made us happy.

Thanks for stopping by!

Lunches with JJ – The Crack Shack (Little Italy)

American/New American Restaurants, Chains, Dog Friendly, Sandwiches

So, now that we have JJ I've been looking at places that are pooch friendly. I quickly noticed something; there are several places that I had actually visited years back, but really weren't too impressed. In those days I would always try make at least two visits before doing a post. These places were pretty much a "one-and-done". So those photos just ended up in the recycle bin. These days, with prices and such, I feel less tied to having to make multiple visits. Plus, with JJ in tow, it makes for additional points of interest, right? I did my one visit to the Crack Shack in Little Italy probably somewhere back in 2015, I recall the portions being large, but not being too impressed with what I'd had and not bothering to return (BTW, even Juniper and Ivy met that same fate as well).

But now, with JJ in tow, perhaps there's a new wrinkle to my priorities. And perhaps the food has improved? Plus, since I go to the Little Italy Mercato almost every Saturday, parking on Ivy Street, this location is in my view every week.

I liked the fact that the place opens at 10am daily, so I decided to see how it would be at 10 on a Sunday. I found parking on Kettner and was surprised how quite things seem. Perhaps folks were still recovering from New Year?

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So, it was time to finally return to see how things were. I was greeted as I strolled up to the ordering window by a very cheerful young lady, who also smiled and greeted JJ when she saw him. She was very nice and friendly.

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Looking at prices, I was pretty surprised that they hadn't gone up too much since my visit way back when. It looks like about a $2-$3 increase in like 9 years? 

In the end, just wanting an idea of the how the chicken sandwich is compared to what I recalled, I went with the Coop DeVille ($14) and the Fries in Schmaltz ($4.50), which I didn't order last time. JJ and I had a seat overlooking Kettner.

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The gentleman who delivered our tray to the table was very nice and even said hello to JJ…..so this place is obviously dog friendly, at least it was on this day. JJ of course, just wanted to play with everyone!

Crack Shack JJ 04  Crack Shack JJ 05Man, those were quite a bit of fries! Unfortunately it was over fried and super salty…way too salty to enjoy. I love the richness of schmaltz, which also has a savory component to it; but this was just too salty. I couldn't finish the fries…..

As for the sandwich. Well, the brioche handled the mayo ridden slaw well; I do wish for a bit more acidity and the cabbage was chopped too thick for my taste. More pickles would have also been a nice touch. The batter did well and held up even with the generous amount of slaw.

Crack Shack JJ 06 Crack Shack JJ 07  Now I understand that Jidori chicken is a bit chewier, but this was very tough and rather leathery. Also, having had my share of Jidori, which flavors differ from region to region, I expected some interesting poultry flavors. None were to be found.

It was a good size sandwich, priced reasonably, though I think the version I had back in 2015 was better! With locations in Las Vegas and the OC, has CS taken on the chain restaurant model?

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Though JJ did enjoy the service! The staff was wonderful and it was a nice, sunny, San Diego winter day.

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Still, unless my "FOYs" can come up with a recommendation of what to order….and please; no "Mexican Poutine" which is basically pollo asado fries and has no cheese curds! I think I need to find other options to check out.

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The Crack Shack
2266 Kettner Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92101
Current Hours:
Sun – Thurs 10am – 10pm
Fri – Sat        10am – 11pm

Bica

Breakfast/Brunch, Caffeine Fix, Dog Friendly, Sandwiches

Recently, the Missus mentioned a place in Normal Heights that was pet friendly and supposedly made good coffee, named Bica. JJ enjoys riding in the car; but gets major FOMO. He does enjoy the walks, so recently I headed on up to Normal Heights and easily found street parking a couple blocks away from Bica, which is basically across the street from White Rice Bodega.

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Indoors there's a counter for ordering; the Barista working there on both visits was very friendly.

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Prices aren't too bad either.

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There's a small menu of "tartines" – open face toasts and sandwiches. It was different on both visits.

I went and ordered a Cold Brew and Mushroom Tartine ($12), paid and walked over to the patio area.

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While the furnishings in the patio area were pretty packed in; it was not fully occupied and was quite nice and relaxing. 

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The place just gave off a nice vibe and JJ did well, just hanging while I enjoyed my Cold Brew, which tasted lighter, but had a nice caffeine "kick".

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As for my Tartine; well, it looked lovely.

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Loved the bread. Wish there was more mushroom…more savory-earthiness would have been appreciated. A bit too much stracciatella cheese. A bit too much sour-acidity, but overall a decent breakfast.

JJ enjoyed his pre and post breakfast walk as well.

A few weeks later, the Missus decided to join us on another visit to Bica.

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I told the Missus to just order me a Cold Brew and order a sandwich for us to split. JJ and I then just headed over to the patio.

The Missus had gotten Herself a Cortado which She loved.

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As for the sandwich; well, I was surprised that She ordered a Cubano ($17)!

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Once again, we loved the bread, which was perfectly toasted, crusty and crisp, sturdy enough to hold up thru our entire meal.

The pork was tasty, as were all the individual parts. Though when taken as a whole, there was a bit too much pork in this for us. Of course, I'm sure all the swine lovers must love this. For us, proportion matters and more acidity and pungency would helped to balance things out.

The Missus loved the pickled veggies.

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We again enjoyed the vibe and walked JJ all the way to Kensington. Funny how people react differently when you have a pup in tow. Folks were wishing us a "good morning", several women stopped to pet JJ….and being the little ham that he is, we would roll on his back to get his tummy rubbed! 

Overall, we enjoyed Bica. Heck, if they were in our 'hood we'd be regulars. Plus, the Missus enjoyed Her Cortado and we actually returned just for that a week later.

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I also noticed another place during our time in the neighborhood that we'd end up visiting and enjoying as well!

Stay tuned!

Bica
3569 Adams Ave.
San Diego, CA 92116
Current Hours:
Daily 630am – 4pm