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Bolsa-Mira Mesa (lemon beef salad time)

August 18, 2015 Cathy Vietnamese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Well, well, here you are again, looking at mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Kirk is still overwhelmed with lists of things to do. Ed (from Yuma) has lists of places to see. Cathy is writing today, with a list of favorites.

It's about time for me to rotate locations and cuisine to Mira Mesa and Vietnamese. Bolsa has been located in this same mall that holds the storefronts of QT Pot and Tapioca Heaven at the SouthWest corner of Mira Mesa Boulevard at Black Mountain Road for more than ten years. Kirk wrote one post about Bolsa in 2008 and he didn't like the pho. Let me say that after 7 1/2 years, the pho here still is not the best. But so many other menu items are. The interior is always clean and we've always been seated immediately.The fried squid appetizer ($9.95) can be a meal or can be shared. Lightly seasoned and breaded and properly fried, the crispy batter combined with the tender squid is always a good choice.The version of cha gio ($6.50) are made with my favorite, rice paper skin. The deep fried egg rolls are filled solidly with a variety of vegetables and just bit of pork. Six are served with a good amount of fresh mint and lettuce; more than enough for wrapping. The nuoc cham dipping sauce here really has the sweet, sour, salty, savory and spicy hints of flavor that compliment the rolls.Then again the order of spring rolls ($4.25) are also multi vegetable filled, tightly wrapped in fresh rice paper with my preferred filling of pork ball and the accompanying peanut dipping sauce.Banh Xeo ($7.95) is ordered before opening the menu. The crispy sizzling rice batter, flavored (and colored by) turmeric needs some extra time to make. The filling of sliced pork, shrimp, bean sprouts and mung beans are all part of our 'ritual' of cutting up the savory pancake and placing a bit of everything on a piece of lettuce along with some mint and dipping the wrapped morsel into the nuoc cham sauce.

It's gotten to the point that one of the waiters merely tells us that they have begin preparing the Banh Xeo because they saw us in the parking lot…The version of chicken curry ($6.95) here is excellent. Savory with some sweet, the curry sauce is thick and always has such deep flavor. Served with a warm loaf of banh mi that is used to soak up the sauce after eating the (large amount of) chicken along with the onion, carrot and noodles that are in the bowl, this is a great meal, especially on a cooler day.The turmeric marinaded fish ($13.95) is so good. The accompaniments in the upper photo include lettuce, sesame leaf, cold noodles, peanuts and sesame studded rice cracker…but those are hardly necessary for the first bites of these fried thicker pieces of moist fish with a light turmeric seasoned crust and fresh cooked dill. The flavors of just those basic pieces could be enough, but I end up making small lettuce filled bites using all the other ingredients to continue the enjoyment of the flavors.Last summer, my obsession was lemon beef salad. The version here is called lemon sauce beef ($9.95) and is listed as an appetizer. The salad, with its lettuce, onion and mint along with some crushed peanuts and the lemon cooked thin slices of beef seems to be exactly what I crave on hot, humid days. However, I still seek out other versions, just to be sure I have found my favorites.There's also a 'Stir Fried Egg Noodle' section the menu. You can ask for the noodle to be deep fried instead of stir fried and sometimes (like rainy days) the crispy noodle, topped with a combination of everything ($9.95)…beef, pork, shrimp, squid and vegetables..along with the addictive flavorful gravy is just perfect here.

Bolsa 9225 Mira Mesa Boulevard San Diego 92126 (858) 693-3663 open 9-9 daily

The Village Kitchen (Ocean Beach)

August 17, 2015 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Diner, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping by to read this food blog named mmm-yoso!!! Kirk is again having a busy few days at work and Ed (from Yuma) is having a busy few days staying indoors, avoiding the heat (in Yuma). Cathy is busy writing a few posts about places where she's had a meal.

Late one overcast morning, The Mister and I drove West and spent a considerable amount of time looking for a parking space. We ended up about four blocks from the ocean on Newport Avenue near Sunset Cliffs Boulevard. This bright yellow storefront caught our eye.Standout bright yellow…and such a narrow storefront…but the building is deep. The restaurant has been in that location a long time. Mom and Pop…everyone in here seemed to know each other…a locals hangout. That's the ocean…you can see the American flag on the post that's built into the sidewalk at the edge of the beach, if you squint.Classic diner decor…breakfast is served all day, but there were some menu items that we were more interested in trying.The Monday special- meatloaf ($6.95). The slices of meatloaf were thin, but so flavorful… the color of gravy is a hint- carrot was used in the loaf and therefore the gravy, and there was not much bread filler; it was all meat. The potatoes and veggies were standard (and went well with the gravy) and the grilled toasted dinner roll was just enough bread for the meal.Asking if the chili was made here (and being unaware of the Ocean Beach Chili Cook Off), I was answered with a hearty "of course!". (Mental note: the OB Street Festival and Chili Cook Off occurs during the San Diego County Fair). I ordered a cup ($3.95).

Well. This was more of a soup-chili, which I grew up eating. It had beans, which is how Mom made it. All the right flavors were there. Nostalgia.What really caught my eye while reading the menu was the Stuffed Tomato ($6.75). Stuffed with a generous portion of Tuna Salad. A wonderful, lightly dressed, simple, made with good tuna Tuna Salad. Cutting up the tomato and having forkfuls with the lettuce, cheese and occasional pickle had some food memories triggered. This was a great meal…and I am on the lookout for Stuffed Tomato on menus…my new craving.

Village Kitchen Restaurant 4853 Newport Avenue San Diego 92107 (619)222-0151 Open Mon-Tue-Wed 7:30-2, Thur-Fri 7:30-6 Sat 8-6, Sun 8-2

Ice Blast (shaved ice plus) (Convoy Street)

August 14, 2015 Cathy Desserts, What Cathy Eats!

Ice Blast has closed.

mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. It is just too darn hot for Kirk, Ed (from Yuma) and Cathy to eat much or to write about much. Here's a short post about a local place that's been in operation for about two years.

In the far corner from Phuong Trang, which Kirk and I have written about numerous times, and also sharing the same parking lot with Big Joy Family Bakery (which I've also written about more than once) is a tiny store front…which I thought was maybe a water store that also sold bagged ice. In addition, cc had written about Ice Blast after other bloggers had after it opened and I took it for granted I would be writing a post, yet never got around to it. Until today. It's 5 p.m. and 99 degrees outside. I can't think of any sort of meal at this point. Fortunately, The Mister and I are always adventurous and unafraid to walk into places…or at least peek inside windows. Let me just say that if you are eating by (or ordering just for) yourself, the "tiny" size is more than enough. The outlines drawn on the glass are accurate.

The instructions on the glass and on the wall are there to help you…Alternately, there are flavor combination suggestions on the wall near the register and in the menu booklet. Order, pay, have a seat.Really, I do have too many photos of our orders here, but don't want to bore you. That's Jimmy, the owner, in the photo above. He is patient, professional and very nice. He makes the syrup flavors used here. Tigers Blood (a combination of strawberry and coconut) is a favorite, but really none of the flavors is automatically dismissed by me when we stop here, I take a while to decide what I want to try that day. Above, a small ($3.15) Sourbomb (Lime, Lemon and Pink Lemonade, no toppings). Just a great combination of the more sour flavors offered.

You can have the ices topped with sour spray, sour plum powder (ling hing mui), condensed milk or Hawaiian salt, for free. We've tried all and each has its place, depending on the flavors you choose. The most recent visit had us trying the 'exotic' (to us) combination of cherry, banana and guava. In addition, we paid 75¢ more for a scoop of coconut-pineapple ice cream (and yes, it's Thrifty brand; my favorite-extra creamy, old fashioned ice cream).

Another locally owned, really great place.

Ice Blast 4206 Convoy Street 92111 (858) 430-6104 open Mon-Wed noon-9, Thur-Sun noon-10

Izakaya Kanpai

August 9, 2015 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

**** Izakaya Kanpai has closed

I noticed the sign of this place back in June. They turned the renovation around pretty quickly and opened a couple of weeks ago. I decided to check them out since they're located relatively close to both home and work. One thing I quickly noticed was the removal of the "Yakitori" in the signage….I'm guessing getting that robata thing straight might have been a bit too much.

Nice wide open space……

Cathy recently mentioned that all new restaurants are required to have a wood wall (which CC also mentioned). So of course Kanpai had to have one, right?

My server on both visits was a very gracious, friendly young man, from, if I recall Latvia. He was just perfect, great timing, and for some reason, reminded me of the kind of service we received in France.

It was way too hot for ramen on my first visit, so I ordered a couple of items from the menu.

I started with the Tsukune, because I was curious as to why the "yakitori" part on the sign was removed.

This was on the tough and rubbery side. The flavor was quite mild. The tare was different, sweet with some mild spice, more like teriyaki in texture than a traditional tare.

Like that wood wall; it seems like all "New Japanese" have some kind of Pork Belly Bun on the menu.

In terms of flavor the pork was decent, on the waxy side and cold, but ok. I think heating this up a bit more, getting some caramelization on the pork would make this better. The bun was cold and dry and this seemed a bit slapped together.

I also ordered the Katsudon; you know the iconic katsu (in this case chicken katsu), egg, tsuyu, onion, scallion, and rice bowl. What I got made me laugh…….it was literally "Katsu – Don".

No egg, no tsuyu, no onions/scallions……..just overcooked chicken katsu; hard and dry….and overcooked rice….hard and dry. For some reason I just found this quite funny. Like someone figured out what "katsu" and "don" meant in Google Translate and took it literally.

Overall an interesting meal. I really liked the service, it was so very open, seemed really interested in my opinions, after a while, you can usually tell if someone is sincere when they ask for your opinion of the dishes. I did find out that the owner of Kanpai also owns Fish Attack.

With that in mind, I decided to return for lunch. On the menu there was a "special combination" menu which is ramen along with a rice bowl.

So I went with Tonkotsu Ramen with Karaage Don.

Beyond the standard Sriracha-mayo, this was good. The chicken was perfectly fried, light, crisp, not too salty, with a slight savory backbone. The rice was perfect this time around. I'd easily have this again.

I'd consider this, with consideration as a work in progress, as lower second tier ramen. The egg was fine; in fact much better than what I'd recently had at RakiRaki. The Chashu was decent. The noodles were typical wholesale ramen noodles and were overcooked. The broth was an uneven mixture of tonkotsu base with shoyu. It was much too thin, definitely lacking in richness, though the temperature was good.

I really liked the service, the folks here seem eager to please. I'll check back in a couple of months to see how the menu, and hopefully the food has evolved.

Izakaya Kanpai
5430 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

Ranchwood BBQ and Catering (La Mesa)

August 6, 2015 Cathy BBQ, What Cathy Eats!

You are here: mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Kirk has been working a bit more than usual and Ed (from Yuma) has been enjoying life. Cathy is writing this short post.

It's still unusually humid and hot; neither The Mister nor I want to cook. The other day we stayed close to home, driving on side streets until we got into La Mesa just looking for a small, quick bite. We didn't even use 'air conditioned comfort' as a criterion.

The old brick and mortar location of Pubcakes closed at the end of last year and Ranchwood BBQ took its place. Ranchwood had only been a catering business for years and this location is now the storefront as well as catering. We parked on El Cajon Boulevard and walked in.

(FYI, Pubcakes exists in a way; they sell craft beer cake mix, (you can make cupcakes at home using beer as the liquid). The mix is sold at specialty markets around town, including Seisels and Iowa Meat Farms {Pubcakes website}.The small storefront holds two picnic benches inside and some small tables out front. There are several bar stools strewn around. A lot of the orders are 'to go'.

That is the entire menu above the counter in that second photo. The meat is smoked here, behind the building. We were here one day just after opening (11 a.m.; closed on Monday) and all of the menu was available. Deciding we were going to share and being unable to agree on what, we chose the Cowboy Plate ($13.99). Two meats and two sides…and two slices of white bread.The sides we always choose seem to be cole slaw and baked beans. The slaw was good: fresh, crispy, cool and just creamy enough…no real spices added.

The beans…ah the root beer baked beans. Tasty and different. Two types of beans, onion, celery and maybe some bell pepper… and a creamy slightly tangy sauce which had a faint undertone of the sassafras, vanilla and other flavors of a good root beer. These were different and tasty beans. As you can see, these sides were quite large.

There are other sides we could've chosen: fries, rings, mashed potato, veggies, regular and a chipotle potato salad and house made chips.

Our two meats? Brisket (we would rather have fatty Brisket than lean Tri-Tip) and Pulled Pork. Yes, that portion is large; it weighed more than a pound.

Both meats were cooked low and slow, so the meat was very tender. The beef was lightly covered with a mustard based sauce and the whole portion (pork and beef) with the BBQ sauce.

I was happy trying pieces of meat without any sauce, and got only a light smoke flavor from the pork. The sauce was complimentary to the meats, yet not needed.

We will be returning to this locally owned business to try out other meats and menu items.

Ranchwood BBQ and Catering 7229 El Cajon Blvd San Diego 92115 Website Closed Monday open Sun, Tues-Thurs 11-8:30, Fri-Sat 11-9

Tasty Pizza (no pizza) (inside Parkway Plaza Mall)

August 4, 2015 Cathy Mediterranean Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Here you are, once again checking out mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Kirk and Ed (from Yuma) both don't feel like writing today, but Cathy does, so here's another post about food.

The weather out here has been quite humid the past few weeks, even with the thermometer topping at 84•, it feels miserable. The Mister and I have tried driving to the coast and have ended up inside grocery stores with air conditioning, just to feel cooler. Fortunately Parkway Plaza, the first indoor shopping center in San Diego County, is close to home.

I must admit that it's been years since we really stopped here for anything other than shopping for tools, appliances or parts at the Sears store, so when we walked the mall, it was all 'new' to us. However the Food Court had quite a few of the same old chains…until we took a closer look.This used to be a Sbarro, where I could pick up a stromboli or calzone or pizza slice when the urge hit, so pizza ovens were in place here…but thenclosely reading the menu, showed us so much more than pizza is on the menu here.The bowl of lentil soup ($3) is excellent and quite filling. It was nice to eat something warm in the chilled air conditioned food court. Ordering the 'Spinach Pie' ($2.50) was a nice surprise. Not a spanakopita other than being filled with fresh spinach, the home made bread was stuffed with a refreshing mix of spinach, lemon and spices. The bread was a fresh, hearty and chewy type; the way I like bread to be.The tabbouleh salad ($3). Oh my, this was so fresh and bright. Parsley, bulgur, olive oil and lemon juice.Manakeesh, an arabic flatbread (this is a different dough than used for the $5 pizzas here; see the edges?) is $5. The top photo is cheese topped, the above photo is topped with za'atar (a blend of sesame seeds, thyme and sumac)and olive oil. Both of these flatbreads were excellent in their own way (and purchased on different visits; one is enough to share).Most of the time, we order a hot tea ($2) it's a teabag in a standard cardboard cup and a standard tea I've seen sold at local small markets but one day, I decided we should try a Turkish coffee here. It's $3 and quite a presentation.

So much nicer than we could ever expect. You just never know what you'll find in a mall.

Tasty Pizza 414 Parkway Plaza El Cajon 92020 (619)401-4400

Lil’ Farmers Cafe-fresh. (Kearny Mesa)

July 28, 2015 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Caffeine Fix, Desserts, Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt, Salads, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping to read mmm-yoso!!! Cathy is writing today; Kirk and Ed(from Yuma) are busily researching places and food items.

Some days, I just want a simple meal-sandwich or salad, maybe a coffee. Ending up at Panera, Subway or Starbucks makes for a dull post. I've taken photos of every food item consumed for almost a decade, those don't necessarily show up on the blog but this time, simple foods from a locally owned place are worth sharing. Just a few weeks ago, while driving along 163 South, we noticed this signage over what had been a Starbucks, turned briefly into Pizza Studio (another one of those 'customizable' pizza places) (which, after six months, had a 'Closed for Remodeling' sign on the window). (I did write a post about Pizza Studio, but it was very negative and proven by the sudden closure so it was deleted). Lil' Farmers Cafe is in the same parking lot as Mitsuwa Marketplace, Chopstix Too and (soon to be open) Nishiki.The ubiquitous, hipster, reclaimed wood wall was already there……as was the walk along refrigerated glassed in area.The simple menu (nothing is priced over $5.99 except for the 'to go' organic beverage packs which serve 12) is pretty much all customizable.You can choose your bread and toppings for a sandwich……as well as salad ingredients if you want something added or not included in the menu selections.The beverage selection is interesting (as is the pricing variance between 12, 16 and 20 ounces) and I really like the organic coffee. The concept of a Bacon and Bean salad ($5.49) is interesting. For the first order, I wanted my personalization to be the lettuce choice and the salad dressing (Oil and vinegar, which was mixed thoroughly and in a perfect proportion). Lettuce, bacon, garbanzo and kidney beans, fresh tomatoes and Parmesan. This was very large, very fresh and just right (I am always afraid when the lettuce is already mixed in with dressing, but the technique used here is correct, with no excess 'pooling' at the bottom of the bowl). The Mister ordered a Farmer Panini ($5.49) Roast beef, cream cheese, tomato, onion and (our addition) sprouts. Panini'd and on sourdough, this was a really good sandwich. We ended up speaking with the manager, a very nice lady, who told us the owner is a former San Diego Socker. We've seen him in the restaurant the times we have visited; he is keeping an eye on things and looking for feedback and ways to improve the menu.Another visit had me craving a simple salad. Farmer Greens ($4.49), a nice mix of arugula, spinach, red pepper and roasted tomatoes (I chose sesame dressing) is very good (roasted tomatoes would be a great salad add-on in the future; such great flavor) and hit the spot. The Mister had another menu item in mind, the pesto-chicken flatbread ($5.99). The flatbread (a whole grain dough; very nice) is first warmed, then the items placed on top, then it's all placed back into the small oven for about one minute to melt the cheese and warm the chicken and the flatbread gets a bit crispier. Pesto, chicken, Mozzarella and shaved Parmesan are the only ingredients and truly is all that are needed needed. Again, the flavors are just right.You may or may not have noticed a small area at the bottom of the small menu. Ice cream. 99¢ a scoop ice cream. Only chocolate, strawberry and vanilla flavors (which can be made into a shake). Excellent, extra creamy, 'old fashioned' (to my tastebuds) ice cream. It reminds me of the 10¢ squared/not round scoops of wonderful ice cream from Thrifty's. The bottom of the menu 'flatbread' choice is a sweet version ($4.99). Again, the bread is first warmed, then spread with Nutella and sliced banana, folded over itself, warmed a bit more (the bread is almost toasty) and topped with caramel and chocolate sauce. This was good, if not a bit too sweet (I think a dollop of fatty whipped cream might cut the sweetness, but really have no complaints).

Each visit we've shared a cup of the organic coffee, which is very good. There are no claims made about other organic items here; the freshness on each visit has been remarkable. It's nice to have a local place to enjoy a good, simple meal.

Lil' Farmers Cafe 4240 Kearny Mesa Road San Diego 92111 (between Ross and Trex, just across from the In-n-Out) (858) 430-6554 Website Open Mon-Fri 8-6, Sat 10-6

Sunday Sandwiches: Pacific Time

July 26, 2015 mmm-yoso Cheese, Sandwiches

** Pacific Time has closed

I was driving back from the dry cleaners two weeks back and I saw this shop on Linda Vista Road.

In the same strip mall as Ballast Point Home Brew Mart, Kona Kakes, and J&T. I was fascinated by the "Breads, Wines, and West Coast Goodness" sign. Unfortunately, the hours were really limited, 7am to 3pm Monday to Friday.

I had some times between meetings the following Tuesday so I dropped by. It's a nice shop, wines, what looked like 12 beer pulls….my buddy Candice had told me these guys sold bread at the Little Italy Mercato.

I like the shop; there's a kitchen in the rear, where I think they produce the bakery goods. A cold case which was mostly empty; some shelves or various food products.

I soon found out a bit about the place. The idea is to sell and create food items from the Pacific Time Zone; thus the name. The limited hours? They are still hiring and training employees and will expand the hours.

And then there are the cheeses….

Not a huge selection, but I did appreciate the aged goat cheeses and the washed rind Teleme I did buy. We've been keeping a variety of cheese on hand at home since we've returned from France. It was nice to have another source.

The cheese monger is always on hand for a nice chat….since we tend to ripe washed rind cheese and I really love aged sheep cheese like Ewephoria.

This is a Sunday Sandwiches post, so I'll stick to those for now. A quick read of the menu, Diestal Turkey ranch, Fra'Mani Salumi, and something becomes quickly apparent; this ain't no Boar's Head or Dietz and Watson shop. And the prices, reflect that, which is not a problem for me, the sandwiches are fairly filling and rich for me; but if you're a big eater…..

The first thing I ordered was the Turkey Deluxe ($9):

It was suggested that I get this "hot" which was a great recommendation. The bread became crusty, yet still stood up well. I found this to be much too salty for my taste and would have appreciated a bit of mild sweetness and perhaps something with some acid to cut the sodium. Great texture though.

I returned and asked for a recommendation and was told to try the Spicy Italian ($9).

This was my favorite of the three sandwiches I had. I loved the crustiness of the toasted baguette. The proteins really balanced out well and unlike the turkey sandwich this one wasn't too salty, bolstered by the pickled peppers and the vinaigrette. The spicy capicolla was really good…..I'm a guy who loves proportion and this did just fine by me.

Again returning from meetings and having even more conference calls and meetings through lunch I dropped by and got the Veggie Delight ($7), which I requested on a baguette.

This was a nice, light sandwich. The roasted red peppers, goat cheese, and sprouts do it for me….I think I'll ask for some garlic aioli on this next time.

As you can tell. This is more of a artisan product versus a "super stuffed" sandwich. If you're about quantity, this might not be your thing. It does fill the bill for a nice light lunch for me. I'm hoping they expand products and hours soon. I've enjoyed the bread here so I'll probably be buying some when they extend their hours. I'm quite happy to have a shop like this fairly close to where we live.

Pacific Time
5277 Linda Vista Rd
San Diego, CA 92110

I Sometimes Make Questionable Choices – Original Tommy’s

July 23, 2015 mmm-yoso Burgers, Chains

**** This location of Tommy's has closed

You might recall that I mentioned how uninspired and unmotivated I was when trying to decide what to eat after returning from our trip in an earlier post. I mentioned aimlessly driving up and down Clairemont Mesa Boulevard with no objective in mind….yes, here I was…the Missus was working and I was just going up and down, back and forth….wasting gas.

So finally I made a choice.

A very questionable choice……..

It had been a while since I'd been to Tommy's and even longer since I'd actually had a chili burger.

We had an Original Tommy's down the street from us in Rowland Heights. When the late night munchies would hit; maybe once every couple of months, we'd go grab a chili burger. The Missus used to love the chili but it gave Her heartburn….I was fine. For some reason, I don't recall the chili being as bland and gluey as this. In fact everything seemed to have the same texture except for the tomatoes. I asked for extra onions and even that didn't help. It was like eating mush……. The best thing about the burger was the generic bun.

I'm certain that something has changed here….that or this location does something different from the locations in LA. When did the food here get so bland? Perhaps I should have gotten the Caliente Burger.

On the good side; this was like hitting rock bottom…….the only way to go was up.

Original Tommy's
7415 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111

Sunday Sandwiches: Dudley’s Deli – Kearny Mesa

July 5, 2015 mmm-yoso Sandwiches

**** This location of Dudley's has closed

I recall Cathy's post on Dudley's Deli's expansion into Santee back in the winter of 2013. During the end of last year, I noticed that Dudley's Deli had also opened on Clairemont Mesa Boulevard, next to Bangkok West.

For some reason, the place kept slipping my mind. I'd pass by and tell myself, "oh, yeah, I gotta grab a sandwich there…." And promptly forget about the place.

Finally, I tattooed, Dudley's Deli on my forehead, backwards of course, so everytime I stared in the mirror, Dudley's stared back….well, not really. I wrote myself a post-it note and put it on my computer at work. A couple back to back lunch hour meetings means I'll need to grab an early lunch. Perfect for the early hours (open at 7am) that this place keeps.

The place is simple, a counter to order, a sandwich prep area, a cold case, soda fountain, and a couple of shelves with a few loaves of Dudley's breads.

All the "Premium" Sandwiches are $8.95 and as you can see above fairly hefty. As was the Corned Beef Reuben.

The rye was nice, the sandwich is press toasted making the exterior crisp. Lots of sauerkraut, perhaps a bit too mild for my taste but passable….thousand island(of course), and decent corned beef; I saw Dietz and Watson signs, so figure that's what's being served. This was perhaps, too much of a good thing for me on this day.

After recovering, I paid another visit and had the Italian.

This was my favorite of the three sandwiches I had during my visits. It looked busy, but it was the combination of the sourdough and the pepperoncini, with a very nice mild Garlic-mayo that brought it all together. All the rather strong flavors worked well and I preferred this to Lit'l Pepper's, the "Comeback". The one thing that was unnecessary to me in the sandwich was the ham…..but it didn't interfere with the other items. Also, the tomatoes could have been more ripe; there were on the green side and had no flavor.

While I really enjoyed the Western Wheat Bread used for the TBA, I was not a big fan of this one.

The turkey was nicely shaved, but bland, as was the honey mustard, and there was not enough bacon for my taste. Something acidic, tomatoes perhaps, would have brought something out in the sandwich. As it was this tasted like a nutty swiss cheese and not enough bacon sandwich. Like I said, the bread was the best thing about this one.

Overall, I like having choices and Dudley's gives me another one. I enjoy their breads and am thinking about doing a "Build your own", using that Jalapeno Cheddar Bread. Any ideas?

Dudley’s Deli
9119 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92123
Hours:
Mon – Fri 7am – 4pm
Saturday 10am – 3pm
Closed Sunday