What Cathy Eats! – Page 82

Nicolosi’s for lunch

May 11, 2011 Cathy Italian Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a blog. Kirk is not blogging; he is on vacation. ed(from Yuma) is not blogging; he is working. Cathy is blogging; she has time.

Nicolosi's has been in San Diego since 1952, serving Sicilian Italian style food. Started by the man who was grandfather to the present owner brothers, Nicolosi's was originally located on Goldfinch in the Mission Hills area of town. The Third generation of the Nicolosi family is still serving the same family recipes perfected more than half a century ago. Then there are the servers. Five of them have worked for this Restaurant and with this family for more than 20 years. I remember when it was on El Cajon Boulevard and 40th, then it moved to Adobe Falls and Waring Road and last year it moved to Navajo Road at Jackson.

This location had most recently been The Fish Merchant and many other restaurants. This building and location are off the beaten path and has been patronized by neighborhood folk. On this lunchtime visit, Nicolosi's was crowded and there were people dining who had never been in this part of town before.

When you walk in, you are greeted by a montage of photographs of family.
Fresh baked bread (and butter) is brought out to your table while you order.

Everything is made fresh for you. The mural was brought over from the Adobe Falls Road location and has a prominent spot in the largest dining room. There are tablecloths, even at lunch time. Every person is treated as if they are a guest in a home. Nicolosi's feels cozy and friendly.

My dining companion chose a charbroiled chicken salad ($8) from the lunch menu. There was a good amount of chicken breast, freshly cooked, moist and good. As you can see, the salad (which had basil as well as mixed lettuces) was topped with walnuts and chunks of gorgonzola. He said the dressing was a very good oil and balsamic vinegar. That's the house dressing, which is sold here.

I had to have the eggplant parmesan sandwich ($7), which I was craving. The marinara sauce here is always fresh and has that sweetness which comes from fresh tomatoes. You can see the fresh baked bread is toasted just right.

In this photo, you can see the eggplant was breaded, fried crispy and then topped with Parmesan cheese, the sauce and more cheese. All of this was just made; you can taste it.

Oh yes, The Mister and I like the pizza here. The pizzas are hand made and the crust is just right; they will make a thin crust on request, but that is just wrong. Pizza toppings are fresh and good, especially the Italian sausage which is filled with fennel. The location may have changed, but the food quality, menu and some of the staff haven't. If you have been to the other locations, the menu is consistent, if you have never been here, you can experience fresh made food and tradition.

Nicolosi's Italian Restaurant 7005 Navajo Road (at Jackson) San Diego 92119 Website

Ami Sushi – El Cajon

May 10, 2011 Cathy Japanese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Yep, you found mmm-yoso!!! Kirk and His Missus are vacationing. ed(from Yuma) is working. Cathy is here today.

Hi again. Kirk and The Missus are safe and very much enjoying their vacation in two countries, one which has a name that is a homonym and the other which has a name that is a homophone.

A long time ago, when I first started participating on this blog, FOY (friend of Yoso) Trent commented to me that to find good restaurants, look for parked mail trucks. I have taken his advice and that is why you see so many 'hole in the wall' places which I post about.

Ami Sushi is in the same location which used to be named Tokyo, just one block West of Parkway Plaza. Tokyo was so disappointing that I posted how much I did not like it. I also titled my post about Tokyo Loha Sushi to distinguish it from this location called Tokyo. Tokyo silently went out of business.

One day about a month ago, I was driving and saw four or five El Cajon Police vehicles parked in front of Ami Sushi. Even though one part of me was telling myself that there may be some sort of Police Action going on and I should avoid the area, another part of me knew all of those Law Enforcement people may be enjoying a lunch break here…because I remembered Trent's wise advice.

Ami Sushi is family owned and operated. I think that may be why it is so efficiently run. The people working are happy, the food has always been fresh, the prices are very good. Consistency is good.

The Ami Bento ($6.50), above, is a large and filling Bento box. The salmon teriyaki and fried salmon are quite large pieces. The fish is fresh, the teriyaki tastes home made and the frying is done right, not greasy and a good deep fried crispy. The California roll is fresh, made with fake crab with tasty sushi rice. A nice touch is the slice of fish cake and tamago (sweet egg). The salad sides are very good.

I put this photograph of the Special Bento ($11.95) so you could compare the two. Again, the teriyaki salmon was a good size, fresh and cooked nicely. This piece also had crispy skin attached. I like that. This Bento comes with two pieces of fried shumai as well as a small piece of fried snapper and a fried shrimp…and the 5 pieces of sushi as well as the California maki, fish cake and tamago and the salads, rice and a very good miso soup.

Edamame ($2.50), is a good size portion, fresh beans steamed and salted and on the Appetizer section of the menu.
Also on the Appetizer part of the menu, the Sashimi Salad ($9.95) is a meal in itself. The 'greens' are mostly seaweed and cucumber, not lettuce. There is a lot of sashimi, in not terribly odd cuts interspersed on the plate. A very fresh sesame oil based dressing is slightly tossed in.

Ami stamina noodles ($6.50) Udon noodles with chicken, fish cake, vegetables and egg, served with two fried gyoza and a tempura shrimp. This also came with a small green salad. The fried items are done properly; you can taste what is inside and the frying of the exterior is there to add texture and not flavor. The udon have a nice 'tooth', the broth is not salty and slightly sweet, the gyoza are nice and meaty and does have some cabbage in the mix.

Though we have only been here twice, we have noticed most people ordering rolls. In fact, the table of ECPD only ordered rolls for their meals. There are daily specials of rolls as well as platters posted on white boards at both doors and the regular prices on the menu are very good.

Ami Sushi 755 Arnele Avenue El Cajon CA 92020 Mon-Sat 11-9:30, Sun 1 p.m.-8:30 p.m. (619)593-7691 Website

Negro Durazo- Mariscos in Lemon Grove

May 9, 2011 Cathy Mexican Restaurants, Seafood, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is not on vacation. Kirk and his Missus are on vacation. ed (from Yuma) is not on vacation and also not blogging. Cathy feels like she is on vacation and is blogging.

Since I appear to be eating all over this large County, I need to include a few more cities in my postings.

Just South of the intersection of Highway 94 and College Avenue is Broadway and Federal Avenues and Sushi Time which Kirk posted about in 2007. This location of Negro Durazo is right next door.

There is another location of Negro Durazo in Chula Vista and I think both locations are related to the Tijuana location. Seafood and Sinaloan is the easiest way to describe the menu and food here. You can tell by the condiments on every table.
The decor is more difficult to describe. There is a bar area to the left when you walk in and the sit down area becomes a dance floor later into the evening. There is constant music from the juke box. Happy, dancing music.

…Fresh chips, fresh salsa and fresh sliced lemons are brought to your table along with the menu.

The Mister and I decided to share a pescado (fish) ceviche tostada ($2.95). This was fresh made. The fish was firm and the lime based marinade had not completely settled into the fish or tomatoes or onions or cilantro. The flavors of each ingredient were crisp and bright. The serving size was very large. We enjoyed this very much.

…

The Mister chose "Popeye Shrimp" from the menu($11.45). A gratin of shrimp, cheese, spinach and bacon. This came with tortillas, rice and The Mister substituted steamed vegetables for beans. This dish was excellent in its flavor melding, because this restaurant is Sinaloan..so the topping was not a thick cheese turned into a sauce, but a mix of aromatics and spices which compliment the shrimp -a flavorful sauce made with onions, garlic, poblano chili, sour cream and Monterey Jack cheese.

The menu Board at the door had Daily Specials and I chose #1- Two Marlyn tacos with rice, beans and beverage ($7.45). I know the beans look pale and the taco shell looks burned. The flavors were good. Really good.

The tacos were filled with smoked marlyn which had been sauteed with green peppers, onion and tomatoes and placed into corn tortillas which were cooked on the grill (not fried). The refried beans had excellent flavor.

The selections at Negro Durazo are plenty. All seafood based. All fresh. All made fresh. It is nice to have this location closer to the East County.

Negro Durazo 6954 Federal Boulevard at Broadway Lemon Grove CA 91945 (619)240-7148

Fresh pea soup

May 7, 2011 Cathy Recipes, What Cathy Eats!

The blog, mmm-yoso!!! is about food. Kirk is off in the world, researching food while on vacation. ed(from Yuma) is in Yuma, researching food while carrying on with life. Cathy is posting about food today.

Of all vegetables, peas may be my favorite. There are many varieties of garden peas, as well as peas which grow in the wild. Some have shells you can eat raw or steamed or stir fried. Some have shells you can't eat, so the peas need to be 'de-shelled' and those spheres from inside the pod can then be eaten raw, by the handful or tossed onto salads or even mixed with other vegetables. Peas can be found frozen, canned and dried.

I especially enjoy raw English peas. A whole portion of my garden is devoted to English peas every year, but as of today they are not ready for picking (they need about 60 days before cultivation) . Costco is selling shelled English peas (from Guatemala) in a 1.5 pound bag for about $5 (in the walk in refrigerator). Here is a recipe I got from the back of the label. I follow recipes the first time, the modify to my own taste after that.

The ingredients are simple, as is the process. The receipe needs 3 cups of peas and the bag from Costco has about 5 cups. Cooking time is only about 15 minutes. You can cut the recipe in half.

Fresh Pea Soup

3 Tbs butter

2 shallots, chopped fine

2 C water

3C peas

3Tbs whipping cream (I used half and half)

1Tbs chopped basil

Melt butter in a sauce pan. Saute the shallots on medium heat about 3 minutes, add the water and peas. Bring to a boil then lower to a simmer and cover. Cook until peas are tender (15 minutes) puree in a blender then add back to the sauce pan with the half and half. Add basil, salt and pepper to taste and serve. This can be re-heated.

Fresh pea soup, tomatoes from the garden, cucumber, jicama and Kirkland frozen pizza (4 cheese pizzas for $10- really good frozen pizza). Lunch outside yesterday.

I hope everyone is having a good weekend!

Pitas and Buns- A California Bistro, in 4S Ranch

May 5, 2011 Cathy Greek Food, Mediterranean Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

The blog mmm-yoso!!! is not on vacation. Kirk and His Missus are on vacation. ed(from Yuma) is not on vacation. Cathy appears to be on vacation, but really her travels are all within San Diego County.

Hi. There is a new place West of the I-15 at Camino del Norte and Dove Canyon, right next to the Starbucks and in the same parking lot as the new Fresh and Easy in the 4S Ranch area.

"Fine Burgers, Tapas and Beer" it says on the sign…but Pitas and Buns has just opened and has not yet received its liquor license. I noticed inside on the large menu that P&B is "By Santorini", a local chain of four authentic Greek and Mediterranean restaurants which I have always found to be excellent, yet never posted about.
Since it just opened, and the liquor license is not in effect, P&B is offering several 'specials' (and pricing) to get you in to try their food. This gyros pita and salad combo was only $6. The salad, fresh, large and topped with cucumber, tomato, onions, pepperocini, olives and with wonderful Feta cheese and a fresh balsamic herb house dressing was excellent on its own. The gyros meat is *really* good. It is thick sliced, fresh tasting, thick cut and surrounded by the most *heavenly* light and chewy fresh baked bread. The "Greek yogurt sauce" is fresh, tangy and complimentary. A basic meal and just perfect.
This cup of "Leni's Chicken Soup" ($3.50) is divine! Creamy, eggy, lemony filled with vegetables (celery, onion, carrot) and chunks of chicken and fresh herbs. This is the home made soup that I strive to make. A bowl is $5 and from what I saw at another table, very much a meal…
The chopped house salad is $6 by itself. Topped with calamari, it was $8. Perfectly fried, tender calamari. Not greasy. A batter which is *so* right. A flavorful crispy tender blend of tastes. An excellent size portion.

The "Buns" part of the restaurant is for the hamburgers. All are 1/3 pound burgers and come with a choice of fries or Mediterranean coleslaw. Yes, we need to go back. The non-burger/Greek/Mediterranean food here is excellent and better than any other fast food place. The take out menu lists that "more burgers, salads, tapas, happy hours, beer and wine are coming soon". Pitas and Buns will become a destination for the people who live in this part of San Diego.

Pitas and Buns 16625 Dove Canyon Road, Suite 205 San Diego 92127 (858)485-6200

The Vine Cottage- A La Mesa Bistro

May 4, 2011 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Fine Dining, What Cathy Eats!

Hello and welcome (back) to mmm-yoso!!! Cathy is blogging today. Kirk is (still) on vacation and ed(from Yuma) is still busy with work.

If you are driving South on Lake Murray, just past the El Paso signal light on the West side of the street, you'll see this new facade on an old building. The Vine Cottage opened in January of this year. I have only heard good things about it, seen it being pretty crowded at various times of the day and decided The Mister and I should give it a try for one of our 'celebratory' dinners. (It does open at 11 a.m. daily and has excellent lunches also). You can't see much in this photo, but there are about 12 outdoor tables, which are filled in the evening and warmed by those six outdoor heat lamps. There are about 10 tables and a small bar area inside.
When you are seated, the one page menu and a bottle of chilled tap water is brought to your table. I've seen this way of water service at several bistros and finally remembered to take a photo. I've even started chilling water at home this way. This place is run like a fine Bistro in Paris would be run, it serves American, local fresh food, wine and beer.
Also a cone shaped vessel, filled with a fresh made cracker-like flatbread and fresh made hummus is brought out to the table. The hummus is excellent.

All of the waitpersons here are very professional and patient and will explain how each dish is prepared, all the ingredients in each dish and will answer all questions you have about the food, wine and beers served here.
As an appetizer, the lamb chops ($12) could be a meal. 'New Zealand lamb chops' it says on the menu, 'served with a Champagne-whole grain mustard sauce'. It didn't say three on the menu, we assumed there would only be two, since the listing was plural. We asked the chops to be cooked medium rare, and they were. This serving size, cooking and flavors were a wonderful surprising lead in as to the dinner which would follow.

For my meal, I chose a cup of the soup of the day ($4). It was vegetable soup. Excellent vegetable soup. Barely any broth, but what I did taste was rich flavored (it was a chicken broth and not vegetable) filled with squash, cabbage, carrot, potato, onion. Very hearty and excellent.
I wanted to try the Pizza Bianco, a white vegetable pizza ($12). A fresh thin bread which was infused with cheese and oil was topped with matchstick cut zuchini and yellow squash, topped with Havarti cheese. This was a very large pizza, easily shared (or reheated for breakfast the next morning). Oh, it tasted heavenly.
The Mister went with the "Sea and Garden" ($17) as his main course-garlic mashed potatoes, topped with grilled asparagus, topped with a (finely ground) nut crusted wahoo fillet, topped with fried leeks and accompanied by a chive oil. The potatoes were subtly flavored (I usually do not like garlic, or any flavor other than butter mashed potatoes), the asparagus was fresh and bright, the fish was firm, cooked just right to stay moist and tender, fresh and flavorful and the flavors of everything worked very well together.

The Vine Cottage is known for its wines and beers (8 on tap and 14 canned), but this evening we were too exhausted to try those. They serve meat and cheese platters, which pair well with both wine and the beers. There are also pastas and wonderful salads on the menu. Most of the items are also available at lunch time, for a bit lower price. Oh. There are desserts. Heavenly desserts. Next time. I'll post about those. Since the menu and ingredients are driven by what is in season, a lot of the menu changes. But that is a good thing. Fresh is always good.

Being in this strip mall as well as in La Mesa, you would not expect such a fancy yet not pretentious, affordable, well run, wonderful addition to the East County. Vine Cottage is fast becoming part of our 'rotation'.

Vine Cottage Bistro 6062 Lake Murray Boulevard La Mesa, CA 91942 (619) 465-0198 Website

Gillespie Field Cafe- Breakfast and Lunch at the Airport in East County

May 2, 2011 Cathy Airport/Airline/Cruise/Rail Food, American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Burgers, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a blog about food. Everybody has to eat. Kirk and His Missus are eating, safely, in another part of the world. ed(from Yuma) is eating mostly in Yuma. Cathy is writing about where she has eaten.

Some people have asked me how I 'find' the restaurants where I eat. Basically, it is drive and stop, looking for where somebody who lives or works nearby would chose for a convenient meal.

The County of San Diego is about 4200 square miles and is home to eight airports in addition to the three airports in San Diego City limits: Lindbergh Field, Brown Field and Montgomery Field.

In El Cajon, Gillespie Field is conveniently located between Highway 67 and a Trolley station. (it's the Northernmost station which has both green and orange lines). It is the oldest and largest of the eight county airports, and the land includes many airport related businesses (flight schools, aircraft storage, repair and maintenance shops, avionics and instrument shops) as well as two Business Parks. About 2000 people are employed nearby. People need to eat.

In the far corner of the automobile parking lot, conveniently located next to the airfield, where private plane owners can also park and walk …

right next to the Control Tower is the Gillespie Field Cafe. It serves breakfast and lunch on weekdays (and is applying for a liquor license and is open from 4 p.m. until about 9 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.)

It is open at 6:30 a.m., Monday thru Friday and 7 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The Cafe closes about 2 p.m. on weekdays. On March 1, 2011, Roxanne and Peter, took over the running of the cafe. Roxanne is the waitress, Peter is the chef. There are both an indoor and an outdoor eating area, with an unobstructed view of the airfield. They serve good, diner food. Not gimicky pseudo-diner food. This is the real thing.

I was fascinated by the description of '4-5 eggs' being used to make an omelet (in addition to the 'comes with two' part of the menu).

A "Build Your Own" Omelet ($9.75) made with 4-5 eggs, bacon,sausage, mushrooms and avocado. Fresh mushrooms, crispy bacon, really good breakfast sausage. Sides of cottage cheese
and a biscuit with gravy. Good biscuit- fluffy and soft, but almost underdone. I didn't mind not having a crispy crust, because I was mostly using the biscuit as a device to eat the gravy. Great gravy- smooth, with sausage bits and a nice, pleasant combination of Peter's special seasoning including black pepper.
Then there was Breakfast Combo #2 ($7.75) (not the weekday specials; the Breakfast menu is four pages, including waffles ). Six wedges ( 3 slices) of French toast, 2 eggs and two bacon. Properly cooked French Toast made with a thicker white bread. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Not quite creamy soft as an egg bread would be, but very good and egg soaked and cooked through. I did not need the syrup. The bacon was crispy and not thin but also not really thick. It had a good flavor and just enough saltiness.

Perfect poached eggs. Fresh eggs. Creamy eggs. My kind of breakfast.

Of course, Farmer John's coffee ($1.95)…always fresh and hot pot, since everyone here seems to order it.

One weekday, The Mister was home and we came here for lunch.

We had to have a side order of onion rings which are lightly battered and perfectly fried to go with our lunch selections, in this case, hamburger based.

All the burgers are 1/3 pound coarse ground beef, hand formed. The menu says Angus beef. The Patty Melt ($8.29), cooked medium (we were not asked the level of doneness) and topped with a lot of sliced fresh grilled, unburned onions and Swiss cheese, on a very good rye bread, which was not greasy, but lightly grilled. There were almost too many onions, even for me…but I managed. The side of potato salad I chose was good, made with skin on red potatoes, finely chopped carrots and celery. I think it was made with a 'Light" mayonnaise, which I don't crave.
The Mister ordered a chili burger on this visit ($9.29) The same 1/3 pound burger, topped with Cheddar and the Cafe Chili on a toasted sesame seeded bun. The chili, made with beans, is really good and I will order it as a meal on another cold day. The cole slaw was fresh and crispy and lightly dressed with a vinegary mayo mix. I added salt and pepper to it.

Even if you are seated indoors, there is a view of the airfield and runway.

Not fancy, not a large place. Good food and lots of "regulars" who eat here. A true diner.

Gillespie Field Cafe 2015 N. Marshall (at Bradley) El Cajon, 92020 (619) 448-0415

Charlie’s Best Bread Cafe- Point Loma.

April 28, 2011 Cathy Bakery, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

Charlie's Best Bread has changed ownership and is now Point Loma Bakery and Bistro.

A food blog, mmm-yoso!!! is written by several friends who enjoy, individually, writing about food they have enjoyed, food they have cooked, food they have not enjoyed. Sharing, much like a meal. A virtual meal. Today, Cathy is sharing. This post is about enjoying.

The Mister and I were driving down Rosecrans Street the other day. At the corner of Cañon, there has pretty much always been a Bank of one name or another-In half of the building, we noticed something familiar.

About nine months ago, half the (closer to Cañon) building began to house Charlie's Best Bread Cafe on the ground floor. It used to be Con Pane, which moved to Liberty Station (a post about Con Pane soon). So, it was a bakery which turned into a bakery…and deli…and cafe.

Charlie's Best Breads has been in Pacific Beach for about 27 years. We buy bread from Charlie's when we are in that neighborhood (which isn't that often). This Roseville/Point Loma location has breakfasts, sandwiches, salads, sweets and the regular artisan and organic breads as the 'up North' location. We decided to had to stop.
It is not too large inside, and there are a few tables out front. The whole menu is overhead, including espresso coffee choices and weekend specials (French toast made on Challah bread and apple crepes). The regular breakfast menu includes quiches and croissant sandwiches as well as one breakfast burrito and some kids choices.

The complimentary water dispenser (on the left) has water infused with fresh cucumber slices, a nice touch.

Since we hadn't planned on stopping anywhere for lunch, we ordered light. The Mister chose the House salad, with grilled chicken breast ($4.95) Yes. The House salad by itself is $3.95. Since they have grills for the panini sandwiches, they can grill a chicken breast. For one dollar. The salad is all Romaine lettuce and tomato and cucumber and croutons (oops…those seem to be missing, my bad) and a very good size meal.

I decided to try a traditional sort of sandwich order….Pastrami on Rye, half sandwich ($4.95).

Not traditional. The organic rye was sliced thin and had a good sour flavor. The pastrami, a good amount, thick sliced and mildly smoke flavored is heated, the rest of the ingredients are cold and warmed only by the Pastrami. As you can see- Swiss cheese. As you can also see, whole grain Dijon mustard. There is also a light shmear of horseradish. Then there is the Gorgonzola.

Never would I have put these flavors together. Never would I have thought they would "go" together. They do. It is good.

There are also panini's on the menu, same prices as the sandwiches (which are $7.95 for a whole). The pastrami panini is on pumpernickel and has sliced apple and sauteed mushrooms. That will be my order next time. If we aren't stopping in for breakfast.
We bought a seeded baguette to go. It is a proper French bread (weighing about 250 grams…and three feet in length) with crispy crust, light yet chewy bread and the sesame seeds add a nice bit of flavor. $2.25.

There are daily breads (see the website) and the Fri-Sat-Sun Portuguese bread, at $5.25, is frequently sold out. Charlie's is a bread shop stop more than a deli, but the deli offerings are really good. We will be back for breakfast.

Charlie's Best Bread, Bakery, Deli & Cafe 1110 Rosecrans Street (at Cañon) San Diego 92106 (619)487-0227. Mon 7 am-3 pm, Tue-Fri 7 am-6pm, Sat-Sun 7am-5pm Website

Gus’s Subs and Pizza- (the #2/La Mesa location; Breakfast)

April 27, 2011 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, What Cathy Eats!

Welcome back to mmm-yoso!!! which is a food blog. Kirk and His Missus are on a vacation, somewhere in the world. As a result, He is not blogging (that whole internet access in a foreign country thing). ed, (from Yuma) is not blogging because of that employment thing. Cathy, who apparently does not vacation nor have employment, is blogging.

On the SouthWest Corner of Baltimore Drive at Lake Murray, a small building has been home to quite a few restaurants which have come and gone. Gus's, a family owned place, with its first location in Point Loma, has established itself in La Mesa for almost three years now.

Gus's is famous for its sub sandwiches, Italian, Greek, Mexican and Portuguese sandwiches and pizzas. However this location also serves breakfast, opening at 7 a.m. daily.
A small inside eating area of about 20 tables, along with about the same size patio area, Gus's has the menu board for its sandwich and pizza selections just above the cash register. There is a separate breakfast menu, with Monday-Friday specials on chalkboards inside, at the door and stickers in the windows and on the menu. All different specials. The portion sizes are larger than you would expect. Gus's serves affordable, filling, satisfying food, just as a good neighborhood place should.
For His breakfast, The Mister chose the Combo, a four egg fritatta. A fritatta is described on the menu as a "Fancy Italian Omelette"   It comes with a choice of two sides. The Mister chose the pancakes…
and the hash browns. You can see a cross section of his fritatta; pretty much all meat filled. Combo  Fritatta is made with the four eggs, ham, bacon, sausage, mushrooms which are combined and then baked and topped with the two cheeses. (The rye toast is one of my sides.) His meal was $7.75.
I had an urge for steak and eggs. Of course, I wanted poached eggs. I asked for home fries (I was asked if I wanted onions and green peppers cooked with my home fries) along with the rye toast. This was a good sized top sirloin, not the thin cut '6 ounces before-cooking' piece of meat I was expecting. I asked for it medium rare and it was.  The grill marks on the steak were real. The meat had been seasoned before cooking and I did not feel the need to add A-1 at the table. Surprising, both in quantity and quality.

Oh, and price. $6.99- the special listed on the outside of one window.
As you can see, coffee was $1.75. Constantly refilled.

I mentioned Portuguese…One 'side' item sold here is linguica (Portuguese sausage). That sausage is rarely seen on menus in East County…the "Neighborhood Omelette" is made with four eggs and has linguica, shrimp, mushrooms, onions, ortega chili, tomatoes and cheese: A fitting tribute to the Portuguese Community which settled in San Diego five generations ago. The 101st Portuguese Festa do Divino Espiritu Santo is June 10-11-12 this year. The oldest Festival in our County.

Gus's Subs and Pizza- East County 5620 Baltimore Street La Mesa 91942 (619)462-4877 Open 7 a.m.-10 p.m. daily

Abraj Mediterranean Restaurant- a first look

April 26, 2011 Cathy Mediterranean Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso is not on vacation; Kirk is. Cathy will be playing His part on the blog today. ed (from Yuma) is unavailable.

There is another new Mediterranean place near SDSU. It is East of College Avenue on the South side of El Cajon Boulevard. One of few places open late in San Diego (until 2 a.m Sun-Thurs and until 4 a.m. Fri-Sat), you'll see it if you are driving in the evening.
During the day, you may not notice, since it is in a strip mall ( next to the check cashing place).
Not very large, very clean, with an overhead menu…you order, pay, have a seat and your food is brought out.
We started with a falafel appetizer ($5.95) (the online menu has changed). These were good. Now that I have had 'real' falafel, made with fresh (not powdered) chickpeas, I look for something superior to the falafel I consider to be the best. The falafel here come in second; I have to do more research. Falafel here are light on the interior, with a good garlic and parsley flavor, light yet crispy fried exterior and not greasy. Served with the fresh (lemony-light garlic) hummus on the plate, I have no complaints.
The gyros plate, with a side of lentil soup (~$9). An excellent rice, Basmati, cooked with toasted angelhair vermicelli and gently flavored with turmeric and something making the rice taste buttery-rich and fresh parsley. The gyros meat was sliced thick and was excellent in taste and in portion size.

The lentil soup. Oh. My. Goodness. Yes, goodness. There was some vermicelli in the soup and it was thick (in a good way) with lentils (both red and green) and vegetables. The deep, rich flavors made me want to be certain to just order this as a side next time I drop in.
A combo plate with a beef Kufta kabob (~$9) and salad. The salad was fresh with cucumber, radish slices and red and yellow bell peppers and a good oil/vinegar/herb dressing. The kabob had a great flavor of spices. I think it was zatar (tarragon, sumac and sesame) but also tasted some cumin and maybe ginger…anyway, it was good, juicy, moist but not greasy. Both of the plates were served with a plate of plain (not baked here) pita bread.
I have been on the lookout for a fresh baked bread, ever since going to Alforon with ed (from Yuma) and Tina and The Mister in December (hmm, one of us needs to post on that). This was just standard pita. However, all the other food was on the edge of excellent and all the food was very fresh.
The Mister had ordered without any beverage, and I asked for a Turkish coffee ($2.50) to sort of have for dessert…The nice young lady ordered it from the Hookah Lounge a few doors down and brought it to our table. A very fresh, excellent cup of Turkish coffee.

The website states they use the "freshest organic produce and meats available". The menu inside has breakfast items, and we will be going back to try those.

Abraj Mediterranean Restaurant 6475 El Cajon Boulevard 92115 (619) 255-3566 Open 10 am, closes 2 am Sun-Th, closes 4 am, Fri-Sat Website (may have old prices)