Adams Avenue Grill, University Heights, San Diego, CA

Adam's Avenue Grill

Picture a beautiful Sunday Morning.  The sun is shining, the birds are singing, a faint breeze gently brushes the trees outside my window, and I'm fast asleep.  Let me just say this is not my regular Sunday Morning.  I'm not sure why but for the last couple of years I've been driven to rise at the crack of dawn and get things done, weekday or not.  So it came as a surprise when the clock struck 10 and I found myself still in bed.  My wife on the other hand had no trouble sleeping in, and awoke with a beautiful smile on her face.  Distracting me for a few moments from the fact that it was at least 2 to 3 hours past the time I should have eaten, but only for a few moments.  Dragging my bedraggled body out of bed I threw on some clothes and with my wife started on a journey to one of the best restaurants in San Diego, Adams Avenue Grill.

Tasteful Interior

Of course that didn't start off as my destination, but somehow I found my way over to University Heights.  Once there I considered stopping at a little Mexican place, or for some Southern far with a side of bluegrass, but somehow I made it over to Adams' Avenue and once there I saw it.  Encased in white it fairly growled on the4 warm Sunday pre-lunch hour.  My wife had been here before, and returned with stories of just how great it had been. I saw a parking place conveniently around the corner from the place, a sure sign I was meant to eat there, as parking in the area is not that great, and pulled to the curb.

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Dessert

Upon entering my eyes instantly went to the deserts in a small counter at the front of the store.  then they wandered on to the rest of the interior.  Adam's Avenue Grill was clean but colorful.  Every table encased in white linen, offsetting the hints of color from a variety of art that decorated the walls.  We were quickly greeted by a staff member, and a few moments later by the chef: Jim Klepis.  I didn't know that at the time, but h greeted us with a big smile and led us to our table.  Our waitress, who I actually feel a bit bad about not remembering her name, approached and recited the specials of the day.  Which reminds me, if I don't get anything else across in this review I want to make sure that my readers understand, the service was amazing.  From the busboys to the waiters everyone had a smile on their face and really made my wife and I feel welcome.  After hearing the specials I looked over the menu, and I had a lot to look over as both breakfast and lunch were available.  After a lot of perusing I settled on the Chipotle Marinated Steak and Enchiladas, because isn't that what everyone wants to eat in the morning.  My wife decided to get the Bacon Stuffed Waffle, and Cheesy Grits Stack.  Seriously how did they come up with these combinations?

Chipotle Marinated Steak & Enchiladas (you can glimpse the Enchiladas beneath the egg)

Somewhere between 15 and 20 minutes later they brought out our food, and my first thought was, "This is too pretty to eat."  ow I usually don't go on about the presentation but I could tell somebody had given some serious thought as to how they wanted our meal to look.  Not to much mind you, it didn't look like modern art; it shined just enough for me to tell the chef in the back really cared about the food and what his customers thought of it.  Soon after we dug into what was one of the best breakfasts I've ever had.

Bacon Stuffed Waffle & Cheesy Grits Stack

The steak was marinated perfectly, not burn you moth off spicy, just hot enough to add some flavor, and the cheddar cheese enchiladas were just the right amount of cheesy gooey delicious.  Together they created this amazing pallet of flavors that made the whole dish greater than what was around it.  Needless to say my egg, sunny side up, was perfect.  I glanced over about halfway through my meal to see my wife smile as she took another bit of the cheesy grits.  Now I'm no grit person, so I trust all confer all grit related dishes to my wife for commentary, and the smile on her face said it all.  I snaked a bit before she finished, and found the hollandase sauce combined with the grits and the waffle were another amazing combination of flavors I had not expected.  Seriously how do they come up with this stuff?

That was my first visit to Adams Avenue Grill, but not my last.  I've gone there many times since with friends and family, even for my wife's birthday.  I've left a few pictures below of what I and others have gotten there, including what my sister has described as the best Turkey Burger ever.  I have only one critique, and that is about the Lavender infused Crème Brule.  I didn't think it was possible to over infuse a desert to the point that it taste like soap, but that is what they did.  I will say it was a very novel experience to eat something that taste like shampoo but without the bubbles or soapy aftertaste, but not one I want to repeat.  So avoid that one dish, you can't go wrong with everything else on the menu.

Adams Avenue Grill
2201 Adams Avenue
San Diego, CA 92104
(619) 298-8440

http://www.adamsavenuegrille.com/

One of the Specials but if I remember correctly - Flat Iron Steak with a Burgundy Red Sauce Reduction, Horseradish Gorgonzola Mac and Cheese, and Veggies

 

Carolina Stuffed Turkey Meatloaf & Maple Spiked Sweet Potatoes

Slice of Pie on my Wife's Birthday

Best Turkey Burger Ever!

Maye's Bistro, Bonita, San Diego, CA

So it's a sunny Sunday afternoon, my fiance and I are headed over to her parent's house to help clean up a few things for our reception a few weeks from now. Still a bit tired from my morning run I race down the highway to Bonita, wondering what I can possibly stuff in my face without going through a drive-thru, but that won't take forever to prepare. That's when I remember a little empanada place a friend happened to mention the day before. Sure, I think, it's not like you can really screw up empanadas. Little flaky, pieces of dough stuffed with anything you can imagine, and that is where Maye's Bistro (pronounced Mai yeh according to the friend who recommended it)shines.

You'll have to look hard for it. Maye's is located in a little strip mall off Bonita Rd. While the outside may be nothing to talk about the inside is somewhat quaint. There are only two tables inside, as most people prefer to grab their empanads to go, but the tables are clean and come with a few condiments, hot sauce (first time I'd seen Tapatio in a packet), and BBQ sauce to name a few. A flat screen TV sits above the front counter, and on the wall as you enter are a few pictures of the owner, and a plaque from the city business commission. Behind the counter is a a little oven used to heat the empanadas if you feel like eating them there. Besides that the room is dominated by two refrigeration units with clear glass allowing you to look in at the flavors of empanada that are there that day.

My fiance and I took a seat by the window perused the menu as we waited for the lady in front of us to finish ordering. It was there that we amazed by the sheer number of empanadas available. I was expecting things like the Pollo con Papas and Carnitas, but there was also Hawaiian Rib, Meatball, Scampi and Linguine, even Lobster (if in season). Not what I was expecting at all. When our turn came we decided on a few different empanadas to split between us. We got the Pollo Chile Verde, Carne Con Chile, Shepard's Pie, and the monthly special Corned Beef and Cabbage. For desert we got a Mango Pineapple and the Blueberry with Blackberry. Then we sat down and waited for them to warm.

As we sat a wide variety of people came in and I was impressed with the the customer service. Polite and hard working there was only one woman working the front and another woman, who I believe was Maye herself coming out if things got too busy. Explanations on how to warm up the empanadas at home, and recommendations on what was good, or at least the staff's favorite. Simple things that some of the larger eateries forget are important.
Finally our food came out, and I both took a bite. So the play by play is like this: the Shepard's Pie was good but had a bit too much potato in it for me. The Carne Con Chile was great, just stuffed full of meat, but became perfect with a dash of hot sauce. The Corned Beef and Cabbage was surprisingly good, and I was amazed on how they were able to capture the that taste of the dish in such a little package. Finally Pollo Chile Verde was my favorite. The chicken was perfectly cooked, and the Chile Verde was not too spicy. I even enjoyed the taste of the black olives, and I usually am not a big fan. As for the desert empanadas my fiance's was good. There mango and pineapple were definitely fresh and tasty, but they tasted a bit heavy and lacking in complexity. My Blueberry with Blackberry had just the right amount of tart to it, with the cream cheese smoothing out the flavors to create an ideal dessert.

Satisfied we got up ready to tackle our afternoon of heavy lifting. I will definitely be heading back to Maye's, I have my heart set on trying some of the more unusual empanadas (Captain Kids with chicken mac and cheese or the Nacho Bites with ground beef, seasoning, cheese, and jalapeno), and definitely the Mole. Mmmmmm, mole...

P.S.: Make sure to get there early as they only make so many empanadas per day.

Maye's Bistro
4240-A Bonita Rd.
Bonita, CA 91902
(619) 479-0251
Mon.-Fri.: 6:30 AM to 8:00 PM
Sat.: 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM
Sun.: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
http://www.mayescabistro.com/

The Rubicon Deli, Pacific Beach, San Diego, CA

It is rare that I will ever rave about a sandwich. My grandfather was a master sandwich maker, though he never went pro, and my family speaks of him with an awe reserved for NFL players and Nobel Prize winners. He would pile meat upon cheese upon bread, always applying the prefect amount of condiment (mustard/mayo/ketchup), until there was what could only be described as the perfect sandwich, not too dry, not too wet, and with a balance of flavors and aromas that would inevitably make the mouth water. Unfortunately no one else in my family was able to imitate such genius, and as such I have never had a love for the simple art of sandwich making, until very recently.

While I have no love of sandwiches I do have a weakness for pastrami. As a child my mother would fry some up in a pan and toss it down in front of me. No mustard, no bun, just greasy cuts of deli meat which I would quickly devour. So when I stumbled across the Rubicon Deli on my way home from a particularly long run it crossed my mind that perhaps it was time to rediscover my joy of pastrami, be it in sandwich form or not.

A week later my fiancé and I managed to find a parking spot on Mission Street, a miricale as it was just a bit past noon, and went inside. The interior is what I would call fast food trendy: Bright colors, hard seats, and pictures of surfers on the wall, but definetly clean and inviting. Having slept late I was in no mood for dithering so I got in line and went strait up to the counter to give my order. I knew instantly what I wanted, the Half Pound Dom Pastram, and despite my normal aversion to pickles I found myself holding my tongue and getting them in the sandwich. My fiancé knowing that I am a bit of an ass when I'm hungry quickly ordered the Achin' for Bacon. We also got chips, no french fries at this place, and a drink. Sorry no fountain drinks here, you can either get something from their fridge, which ranges from milk to Mexican Coke, or they have iced tea, sweet tea, which I recommend as it isn't too sweet, and lemonade with free refills. Then we sat down.

I was only halfway done with my chips when the food was brought out. Feeling a bit self conscious about the sheer amount of food I'd consumed over the holiday I decided to order only a half, but as you can see the Rubicon's half is more than most sandwich places' full. I took a bite, waiting for the acidic taste of pickle to overcome the taste of pastrami, but something strange happened. I could taste pickle, but there was a decided lack of brine in the bite. I took another bite , this time making sure to grab a hunk of pickle as I did, and it was the most amazing thing. The pickle tasted good, really good. The pickle added to the overall flavor of the sandwich as opposed to overpowering it. The pickle was so good it actually distracted me from the pastrami for a second, but only for a second. My next few bites were filled with confidence and it became a bit of a challenge to slow down and enjoy the combination of pastrami, swiss, sauerkraut, pickle, onion, and yellow mustard on garlic cheese bread. I paused halfway through to take a bite of my fiance's sandwich. In it was turkey, bacon, lettuce, tomato, mayo, and avocado on pesto flavored bread. Personally I would have added a dash more mayo, but her sandwich was great, with a hearty portion of turkey and bacon in the middle.

I finished off my sandwich and the rest of my fiance's, wolfed down the chips, which also tasted great, and was left with a little chocolate chip cookie. I don't want to sound like a cookie snob, but I like my chocolate chip cookies with a bit more give, or flavor. This in store made chocolate chip was definitely head and shoulders above the stuff you find in the stores, but I still found it a bit dry and lacking in flavor. Still, I'll never complain too much about a free chocolate chip cookie, no matter how small it might have been.

Walking out the front door to a street filled with surfer types and late risers I smiled. Now that was a great sandwich, one even my grandfather would have enjoyed.

-Dedicated to the memory of Robert Brandon

The Rubicon Deli
3819 Mission Blvd.
San Diego CA, 92109
858-488-DELI

http://www.therubicondeli.com/

Cafe Athena, Pacific Beach, San Diego CA

So my sister came down last week, and I decided to try and hit her up for a free meal. This is infinitely more difficult than it sounds as my sister has something of delicate stomach. Gone were my usual go to options: Italian, Mexican, and Thai. I was down to the a hamburger with its magical quality to be both forgiving on the stomach but pleasing to the palate when I remembered a little place that my fiancé and I had found just after moving to our new place. After all what can be more delicious, as well as easy on the stomach, than Greek food.

Cafe Athena is a quiet little place in a pleasant strip mall off of a major street in Pacific Beach. On the outside it appears as a quaint little collection of buildings, but inside is a light airy white washed room with bits of Greek decor here and there, enough to enliven the atmosphere but not enough to distract from the food. We arrived a little after noon, and were seated quickly. Our waiter was both patient and quick to answer questions, the majority of them about how to pronounce the items on the menu.

Thankfully I didn't even have to and after pointing to a couple of names on the menu the waiter left and we fell into an easy conversation until the first dish arrived. My fiancé got her Avgolemono, which is an egg lemon soup with rice Orzo and chicken broth. I took a sip of it and I thought I would love to have this if I had come down with a cold. It reminded me of chicken soup with a strong but not overpowering lemon flavoring to it. After polishing that off we got the rest of the dishes pretty much all at once.

Now ahead of time I apologize if this seems like a lot of description but I believe the combination of flavors and textures are what really sold me on this place, and I think it will help you understand just how complicated great Greek food can be. All right as an appetizer my sister surprisingly chose to get dolmathakia (Grape leaves stuffed with a blend of seasoned ground beef, rice and herbs. braised and served with Tzatziki sauce). After all the stories from my Lebanese friends about how their grandmother made the best grape leaves in existence I expected the Greek version to pale in comparison to theirs, but I was surprised by just how great it tasted. I didn't quite take to the Tzatziki sauce so I quickly found myself gobbling up the dolmathakia dry, before getting to the rest of the meal.

In addition to that my sister got a combination plate, the Macedonian Sampler. In it was Spanakptia (a blend of spinach, onion, feta cheese, eggs and basil between flaky filo), Bourekia (lean ground leg of lamb, pine nuts and onions in a filo roll), beef kebab and chicken Souvlaki (basically chicken and beef on skewers with the bits of zucchini, red bell pepper and onion), Briami (roasted vegetables with tomatoes, zucchini, potato usually roasted in olive oil) and rice pilaf. Again it came with Tzatziki sauce, but maybe this was a different batch because I definitely enjoyed it more. I, of course, took a bite of everything and found all of it cooked perfectly and incredibly tasty. The highlight of the plate was the Spanakptia, as I'm a sucker for anything with spinach and flaky filo, and the low point was the beef kebab. It just didn't taste all that great compared to the rest of what was there.

In between stealing most of my sister's meal I had ordered Papoutsakia (Italian eggplant filled with seasoned ground leg of lamb, onion and pine nuts. Topped with tomato sauce, fresh basil and Feta cheese. Wrapped in Pita bread). At first glance it looked a bit like ground hamburger tossed into a pita bun, but the taste was nothing short of heaven. The ground leg of lamb offset the bits of eggplant, the one thing I wished it had more of, perfectly. The pita was warm but not hot, and the feta cheese added just the right amount of bite to the plate. It was another dish that I would force myself to eat slowly so I could savor each bite.

I also took a bite of my fiancé’s dish. She ordered the Chicken Aioli (Diced chicken breast tossed with fresh pesto sauce and sun-dried tomatoes. Wrapped in Pita bread with spring mix. Served with garlic Aioli sauce.). I'm really not a big fan of sun dried tomatoes, but I love garlic, and the aioli sauce was incredibly garlicy, which I loved. The first time we'd gone there I'd commented that the chicken was cooked perfectly, but this time around it hovered a few degrees closer to overcooked. Still it all came together nicely, and I let her finish it off, showing just how much she liked it as she usually keeps the leftovers for work the next day.

Overall everything was delicious, and not too expensive. The staff is super friendly, and the atmosphere peaceful and relaxing. One of the best lunches I've had in a long time. If you like Greek food or even just good food, you need to check this place out.

Cafe Athena
http://www.cafeathena.com
1846 Garnet Ave.
San Diego, CA 92109
(858)274-1140

Cafe 21, University Heights, San Diego, CA

I eat breakfast, really. I know everything I’ve posted so far has rotated around fine dinner dining or light but tasty lunch items, but I adhere to the saying that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It just happens that I, like most people, have to fit it in those scant moments between waking up and running out the door to work. Yes, I always have it, and most of the time it is healthy and somewhat tasty meal for me, but it isn’t until the weekend that I get to luxuriate in the meal.

This weekend I managed to drag my girlfriend out of bed and head off to a little place in University Heights by the name of Café 21. Not much of a moniker, and looking at it not much of a location. It’s parked in a strip mall and sits next door to a liquor store. No, not the ideal location at first glance, but come in and sit down and you will be amazed by just how nice an atmosphere can be created with some pretty decorations and a friendly server.

Despite a slight chill in the air we sat outside, and instantly the smiling faces of the staff and the other diners put us at ease. Our server Derek (I apologize if I’ve spelled your name wrong), actually seemed happy to see us. Not pretend happy like a lot of servers put on, or efficient happy, but happy happy, like a man who honestly enjoys what he does. My girlfriend ordered a coffee and I got a large orange juice while I perused the menu. It looked smaller than the first time I had been there. Gone were the Green Eggs and Ham, and I noticed the item I’d had last time, the Salmon Diamonds, had been downsized to a sandwich. My eyes were drawn to a series of breakfast cakes, not the sweet kind, but the savory. My eyes were lingering on one with shrimp when I heard Derek say “lobster.” I instantly sat up and paid attention as he told me the special of the month was a Lobster Cake with a brown butter citrus sauce. I resisted the urge to tell him he had me at lobster. I ordered, and my girlfriend surprised me by getting the Monte Cristo.

We waited a short while passing the breeze and taking in the local color. Despite a view dominated by cars and pavement the outdoors area of Café 21 is really quite comfortable, almost homey. There is relatively little noise from the road, a pleasant but not overpowering breeze finds its way through the front dining area, and the music… well that is a matter of opinion. If you find yourself sitting in the front patio area you might hear the not so gentle sounds of techno wafting through the air. It doesn’t dominate the conversation, but it is definitely not something you can tune out. I found it quite pleasant, a needed change from the muzak that you find in the bigger chain restaurants. My girlfriend, well, she was not so much a fan of it. Still it did little to deter our enjoyment of the food.

Which thankfully arrived in a relatively short amount of time. I looked down and was pleased to note there appeared to be just the right amount of food on my plate. I must admit to a moment of trepidation as I saw a distant diner receive their Lobster Cake combined with a shudder that I had been lured into ordering another great tasting meal in a very small portion. Still in my moment of weakness I had asked Derek for a side of grilled prosciutto, which after some consideration was not a bad addition to the meal. My first bite was heaven. The whole thing was like a superbly modified Eggs Benedict balanced on a perfectly made cake with bits of visibly recognizable lobster. That along was the butter citrus sauce culminated into a perfect pairing of complimentary flavors and consistencies. I knew I’d found the right dish when I found myself consciously eating my food slowly, savoring each bite.

I glanced over at my girlfriend’s plate and received a smile that told me it was alright to try some of her Monte Cristo. Now, I should say that I prefer my Monte Cristo’s fried, sometimes even deep fried, and was a bit hesitant to take a bite when I saw what looked like it had just been grilled, but upon taking a mouthful I knew I’d finally found a great grilled Monte Cristo. The center was warm, but not hot, the bread had a nice crust to it, and again I had to stop myself from snatching my girlfriends plate off the table and making a run for it. Still I ended up eating half of her Monte Cristo in addition to my lobster cake, and mopped up the rest with a few pieces of grilled prosciutto.

I would not hesitate to say that Café 21 is one of the best places to pick up a delicious breakfast on a quiet Sunday morning. The staff is friendly, the food is great, and the environment is serene. You won’t notice the electronic soundtrack in the background, you’ll be too busy ooing and aweing over the food in front of you.

Café 21

2763 Adams Ave

San Diego, CA 92116

http://www.cafe-21.com/

Gaglione Bros., Point Loma, San Diego, CA

Philadelphia has created a lot of great things over the years: revolutionaries, the Liberty Bell, and some pretty damn good Stromboli. Still, there is always one word that echoes throughout the halls of food history whenever you mention the city of brotherly love, cheesesteak. Whether you spell it as one word or two, the image always pops into your head of a long loaf of bread, cut down the middle, and stuffed with mouthwatering mounds of meat and cheese, but that is where the commonality ends. Over time this once great monument to unhealthy dining has been perverted by fast food conglomerates, mall outlets, and pseudo Philly restaurants that promise the most authentic replication of the cheese steak outside of Philly. I’ve seen and tasted a variety of combinations, from Steak Escape with its thin slips of steak and layers of American cheese, to Jack in the Box’s semi-long slices of wet bread with large sautéed onion slices and tasteless white goo. Still, I’m not here to condemn or even define what a cheese steak should be, they have enough trouble doing that in Philly. No, I’m here to tell you about the best cheese steak I’ve had a chance to eat, so save the hate mail, especially from you Philadelphians, for another day, like when I complain about the Stromboli.
The place, Gaglione Bros., the time, a few weeks ago, and the food, some of the best cheese steak I’ve ever had. My girlfriend and I pulled up to this very unassuming shop a couple of blocks away from the Sports Arena. At first I thought it was another hole in the wall eatery, and the inside did little to dispel my notion of that, white walls, with the occasional menu and placard depicting a write up in the local paper. A counter, behind which stood a single woman manning (womanning?) the cash register, and behind her five or six people running around putting together cheese steaks and other tasty looking sandwiches. The one thing I did not notice, and was very happy to see absent, was a heating lamp. When the Gaglione Bros. say they make everything fresh, they really do it. Though they also say you can watch them prepare everything fresh, but the counters are a little high for that so watching them put together your food is not really feasible. Still, if I wanted to watch somebody put my food together I would have gone to Subway or stayed at home.
Pulling up to the counter, my girlfriend ordered a Chicken Ranch Sandwich, while I resisted the urge to give her a dirty look for not ordering cheese steak. I ordered the Baja Cheese Steak, and we decided to split an order of cheese garlic fries. I gave my name and then found a seat outside where we sat and sipped on carbonated beverages until our order was ready. I went through two cups of root beer before they yelled my name, but when I took that first bite I knew it had been worth the wait.

My cheese steak was delicious. Not that you can see it, but the Baja Cheese Steak has the usual ingredients, cheese wiz included, along with jalapenos and onions. Now, I was expecting the usual big honking jalapenos you find in most Mexican restaurants, but instead I took a bite and found that the fine people at Gaglione Bros. actually minced the jalapenos and onions into itsy bitsy pieces before adding it to the cheese steak. It was different, and definitely in a good way. No more unexpected pieces of spiciness, instead there was heat and flavor in every bite. After wolfing down my cheese steak I hesitantly took a bite of my girlfriend’s sandwiches.
Now, I’m not a big fan of ranch, but for some reason I couldn’t stop sneaking a bite every few minutes. The Chicken Ranch has chicken, bacon, white American cheese, lettuce, tomato, and ranch dressing, and something about the combination was just magical. I mean, I liked my food better, but not by a whole lot. The only slight downside was the cheese garlic fries. If you look at the picture you will notice that there is a lot of garlic “clusters”, for lack of better words, on the fries, which is delicious at first, but can get a bit excessive before you finish them, besides that everything was perfect.

So ends another sunny day in San Diego, my stomach full of cheese steak, my girlfriend by my side, and thoughts of Philadelphia on my mind. For if the food at this fine eatery was any indication of what could be had there, was that not a land I was destined to travel to? So ran my thoughts as I sipped on root beer and wondered to how to convince my girlfriend that Philadelphia and not New York was the new mecca of rising culture and fashion in America, or at least see if we could stop there on the way over.



Gaglione Bros. Famous Steaks and Subs
3944 W. Point Loma, CA 92110
(619) 758-0646
http://www.gaglionebros.com/

Phil's BBQ, Point Loma, San Diego, CA

It was another beautiful Saturday in San Diego and my sister had just dropped in to visit me. After commenting on the variety of great places I’d eaten since moving here she finally told me to choose a place for us to have lunch. A burning desire to eat BBQ chicken had been nagging me for the last couple of days so I asked my girlfriend, who felt too ill to join us, what the best BBQ place in the city was, and she replied without hesitation Phil’s. Now, this was not my first San Diego BBQ joint, and my past attempts at finding good BBQ were met with mixed results, some really good but not great, others downright horrible, but with BBQ sometimes you have to roll the dice. So after looking up the directions my sister and I departed on what was to become my favorite BBQ joint, ever.

A few wrong turns later we finally arrived at the Sports Arena, and to a very, very long line rounding the corner of Phil’s. We had seen the line before, via a web cam on the Phil’s BBQ website. In fact it was that line that convinced me to go there in the first place, because no place with bad BBQ would have such a long line of diners waiting to get in. It just defied the law of BBQ economics, where-in BBQ can be bought, made, and found in many places, some not necessarily BBQ specific locals, so a line that long could only exist at an exceptional BBQ joint, but I digress.
After a twenty minute wait we made our way to the front of the line. Once there a very friendly server, a trait which I found among all of the staff at Phil’s, explained the procedure for getting our food, a seat, and our eat on. First you order, then you find a seat, difficult but not impossible. In fact there is even a sort of maitre’d whose job was solely to find seats for people. In addition a large group in front of us, six or so, were found a seat ahead of ordering. So even before I sat down the place was already impressing me with their business model.

When we finally got to the counter my sis and I had come to an agreement as to what we would order. As we were both a fan of BBQ chicken, but wanted to try everything we ordered the “Best of Both.” I ended up getting the sweet baked beans and fries with baby back ribs and a half chicken, while my sis got the steamed veggies with Beef Ribs and four boneless chicken chunks, and we split a side of onion rings. While we waited for our food we found a seat in the corner, and got drinks, which they had ranging from the usual self serve soda fountain variety to sweet and non-sweet tea.
Now comes the part that impresses me the most. After being buzzed I went to get our food, only to be confronted by three giant platters. Without a second thought the server on the other side of the counter calls for someone to help me get my food to my seat. I know that may not sound all that amazing, but after sitting in some very nice restaurants with snooty waiters, and hole in the wall places where they wanted you out as soon as you started eating, it was a nice change of pace to have a staff that made it apparent they really cared about the people they were serving.

As for the food, it was amazing. Even the beef ribs, which a majority of BBQ joints seem to overcook or don’t offer at all, were great. The meat on the baby back ribs and the chicken slid off the bone, and was delicious. The sweet baked beans were dripping with sauce, and the fries were just the right amount of crispy. Even my sister’s steamed veggies were tasty. The amount of food was bordering on just right to excessive. Phil’s definitely does not scrip on the serving size. As you can see in the pictures I got about seven baby back ribs, and my sister got 3 gigantic beef ribs, and we both got a fair amount of chicken. All that along with the sides were more than enough to fill me up, though we did get a full rack of baby back for later, I mean for my girlfriend for when she was feeling better. Yeah that’s right. Love you baby.
So, Phil’s now ranks at the top of my BBQ focused restaurants through a combination of customer service, food, and portions. I would highly recommend it to anybody down in San Diego looking for a great BBQ at a great price. Only be prepared, word got out and relatives I haven't even heard of popping in for a visit, popping in, and they all want to stop off at Phil’s.

Phil's BBQ
3750 Sports Arena Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92110
(619)226-6333
http://www.philsbbq.net/

Thanks to all the people at Phil's who made my visit so great. Also thanks to Yelp and whoever took the pic of the front of Phil's, because I forgot to. Finally you'll notice that there is a big ol' bite taken out of the chicken on one of the plates in the picture. Yeah, that's mine. The food smelled so good I couldn't wait.

Lucha Libre Taco Shop, Mission Hills, San Diego, CA

It was a beautiful day in Mission Hills, the sun was bright, there was a slight breeze coming from the ocean, and I felt the need for some tasty Mexican food. My first thought was to stop by Mama Testa, really good but a bit pricey for me at the moment , and who can forget El Indio where everything is dripping with grease but after the first bite you don’t care. No what I wanted was somewhere between those two. I wanted tasty and just a little bit bad for me. I wanted something different a little out of the norm. So there I was coming back from the grocery store off Washington when what should I see on my right but the words, “Lucha Libre” and “Taco”.

My eyes lit up, they had had me at Lucha.

Now I’ve walked into my share of trendy/gimmicky eateries in my time. Ninjas, pirates, medieval wenches (by the way they hate being called that, they prefer pre-enlightened serving maids), but I had never been to a place that so thoroughly screamed luchadore in my entire life, outside of the wrestling rings of Mexico. Upon entering I saw a TV, no plasma for this place but an old fashioned square box, playing classic Lucha films, starring my favorite Lucha actor, El Santo. I glanced at the nearest seat only to find myself staring at a luchadore mask sown into the cushion. To my right I saw a large painting of a luchadore posing triumphantly, looking down at me as if to question if I was man enough to enter this establishment. Putting on my best swagger I approached the counter and looked at the menu.

I was happy to see some of the old favorites on the board, including all manner of taco and burrito with chicken, steak, or shrimp. I’ll admit the surf and turf appealed to me, and it was nice to see a vegetarian option on the board as well, a rarity in a taco shop outside of a bean and cheese burrito. I finally settled on the California burrito with marinated steak, while my guinea pi… I mean good friend who I had brought along to offer a contrasting opinion got a Carne Asada burrito. I usually go for more exotic fare like adobo, but I’ve found many of the smaller Mexican eateries tend to overcook the steak until it is like chewy rubber, and I really wanted to test this place out. I also ordered a TJ dog, wondering if it would be as good as the ones I’d bought in, well, TJ.

While I waited for the food to finish cooking my friend and I wandered around the restaurant taking in the atmosphere. The atmosphere consisted of many pictures of famous and some not so famous masked wrestlers that adorned the walls, a collection of lucha libre masks hanging along the far wall over the window, and a disco ball. I could understand the rest but not the disco ball, unless the place doubled as some kind of 70’s night club after it closed down for the night. Most impressive of all the luchedore swag was the seat in the corner reserved for “The Champion.” As you can see in the pictures it is roped off from the public, and, like a little kid, as soon as I saw it I wondered how I could get my butt into that little polished seat and eat off the gaudy gold utensils there-in. I guess that was for another day though because just after I had taken a picture of it the food was ready.

I collected my order from the counter, this is not the type of place where they deliver the food to you, and brought it back to my friend, but not before stopping at the salsa bar, with a fair selection from red hot to verde mild, where I selected some that were sure to leave me sweating for the rest of the day. First we tried the TJ dogs, which were not bad but would take a little bit of work to be classified as great. The overall taste was good, a combination of onions, peppers, and every condiment in the book except relish. There was also bacon wrapped around it, but it was difficult to see, which my friend pointed out to me, as it was wrapped so tightly and was so thin that it could easily be mistaken for the charred outer layer of the hot dog itself. Other than that it was small, about the size of a 99 cent dog from Weinerschnichel. Despite these minor drawbacks I would define it as a good appetizer to the main course.

My California Burrito was filled with French fries, pico de gallo, cheese, sour cream, and steak. I haven’t had French fries stuffed into my food since I was a kid, but they added just the right consistency and heft to my burrito. The ingredients tasted fresh, and the steak was marinated perfectly. As with all food I enjoy I found myself having to slow down so I wouldn’t wolf it down in six or seven bits. I say six or seven but this burrito was pretty hefty and it actually took me more around 20 bites to get through it, more than worth the price I had paid for it. My friend liked his burrito, which had the same ingredients as mine minus the sour cream and fries but with guacamole.

After dumping our trash I took one last look at the place and smiled. It was gimmicky and very tacky, but there was an undercurrent of respect and tradition, much like lucha libre. The food was tasty, the day bright, and I had found a new shade of Mexican food in which to indulge. Once again, life was good, until later that night when my stomach started bouncing around like a cruiserweight jockeying for the belt.

Lucha Libre Taco Shop

1810 West Washington Street
San Diego, CA 92103
(619) 296-8226

www.tacosmackdown.com