Bud's Louisiana Cafe, Kearny Mesa, San Diego, CA

My wife and I were heartbroken after the Gulf Coast Grill was shut down.  I took a break from Cajun food for a while, but there is something about that spicy flavorful stuff that I just ignore.  A quick glance through The Reader brought to my attention a little Cajun place hidden in an industrial park in Kearny Mesa.  I sweet talked my wife into making our way out there, and am I ever glad I did.

Bud's is everything that comes to mind when I think about what a Cajun/Creole restaurant should be, well minus the location.  My wife and I showed up for a late lunch, expecting it to have settled down some, but Bud's was still plenty busy when we got there.  We were quickly shown to a seat outside, and settled down to look over the menu.  It took a fair bit of restraint but I resisted the urge to order pretty much everything on it.

Side of Jambalaya

I saw they had pretty much every one of my favorite dishes: gumbo, jambalaya, po boys, soft-shelled crab.  Just looking over the menu made my mouth water.  After much contemplation I decided on a cup of jambalaya, and a po boy... but which one?  I turned to our server and sought advice, he gave a couple of recommendations, mostly what was popular, but then he mentioned his personal favorite, fried catfish.  Which is one of my most favorite Cajun dishes, but not always the easiest to cook.  I don't know if it is just me but it seems near impossible to find good catfish.  I've had it overcooked, and under-seasoned, but rarely have I had it just right.  I guess I could have gone for something easy but I wanted to see just how good Bud could cook.  My wife settled on the Louisiana Chicken, and surprised me by ordering a Caesar Salad then we sat back to enjoy the atmosphere.

Awesome Caesar Salad

 We didn't wait very long, but as we did our waiter was quick to refill water and tea without having to be flagged down, one way to ensure a good tip from me.  Finally our first dishes arrived.  I looked over my jambalaya, noticing the chunks of sausage, smoke ham, and what i believe was some type of fish, and smiled.  The rice was cooked perfectly, spicy but not too hot, the meat was warm and filling.  My wife quickly noted I had a stupid happy grin on my face the whole time I was eating.  I couldn't help it, it's been too long since I had really good jambalaya.  My wife's Caesar salad came out at the same time.  I don't know if it was the atmosphere or my good mood, but even the bite of my wife's Caesar salad tasted better than any Caesar I'd ever had, and Caesar is my go to salad. 

 

Gigantic Catfish Po Boy

Just as we finished the first dish our main dishes came out.  The first thing I thought upon seeing my Fried Catfish Po Boy was, how am I going to finish all this.  It looked like they used an entire catfish in the thing.  My first bite was perfect, it was an amazing type of crunchy, smooth, hot, and just the right amount of spicy that I remember Catfish is supposed to be.  The bread was firm but giving.  The fries were flavored, and came with a side of this spicy ketchup that I wanted to add to everything.  My wife's food was also pretty impressive looking.  I stole a few bites of it, even tried the mushrooms which I usually avoid, and it tasted great.  Definitely the right amount of spice for my wife.  I probably would have eaten more but like I said that Catfish Po Boy was gigantic.

Louisiana Chicken

 So ended a memorable and very enjoyable lunch at Bud's Louisiana Cafe.  I already have plans to return on a Wednesday or Thursday for dinner as that is the only time they serve beignets.  Which if I remember from my youth, at Disneyland, are little puffy pieces of doughy goodness that you got if you were a good boy, so at Disneyland I was always a very good boy.  See y'all there.

Bud's Louisiana Cafe
4320 Viewridge Ave, "A"
(In the Balboa Business Center)
San Diego, CA 92123
(858) 573-2837

http://www.budscafe.com/

Big Kahuna's, Pacific Beach, San Diego, CA

Big Kahuna Cheese Balls, so good almost forgot to take a picture.

I rarely go to a restaurant based on advertisement or publicity.  For me it is all about taste.  Well there was one place that had this pop up where they had a slow jazz song about their chocolate cake, but that is the exception rather than the rule.  Let's say I rarely go to a restaurant based on publicity, but I guess I had to make a an exception this once.  After all if Samuel L. Jackson says "Mmmm-mmmm, that is a tasty burger" in Pulp Fiction, well I've got to give it a try myself.  Which is how I found myself stepping into Big Kahuna's.  (Disclaimer: It isn't really the same place as in the movie, but that didn't stop them from putting a sound bite from it into their web page.)

Basket of Fries

It was Sunday a little before noon and I was feeling the need for something simple but tasty.  The wife and I had been to Big Kahuna's once before.  I'd been looking for something a little more authentic Hawaiian and was really not impressed by what they had served me, but I wanted to give this place a second chance.  I decided I'd go with something they were known for this time, their burgers.  We were greeted warmly and told to take a seat anywhere.  We chose a seat near a window and started parusing the menu.  I already knew what I wanted but after looking through the menu I thought we'd try an order of Big Kahuna's Balls too.  I wasn't too impressed with the name but anything with garlic, butter and cheese baked onto it can't be all bad.

Big Kahuna Burger

The balls came out first and on my first bite I knew I was going to love them.  We only ordered six of them but despite not being that hungry I had to stop myself from finishing them all off before our burgers came out.  I was amazed these little balls of dough packed such amazing flavor.  As I was finishing off my third ball our burger's came out.  I had opted for the Big Kahuna Burger.  It was a one and a half pound burger with Monterey Jack, Chedder Cheese, tommato, red onions, cabbage (which was a nice change from lettuce), Mayo, Ketchup, and Mustard.  Despite the size I wouldn't say it was the biggest burger in town (as noted on their website), but it was no small fry either.  In addtion I ordered fries and they brought out a large basket of them, more than enough for my wife and I to share.  The first bite of my burger completely redeemed Big Kahuna's for me.  The burger was cooked perfectly to order, the ingredients were fresh, and it was full of flavor.  The soft toasted bun is what pushed it over from very good to great for me.  My wife ordered the Teriyaki Pineapple Burger.  I managed to snag a bite and found it to be one of the better Terryiaki burgers I've had.  Again, a good melody of flavors, and none of that cloying Terryiaki aftertaste that keeps me away from those types of burgers.

I was pleasantly surprised on my second trip to Big Kahuna's.  The next time I feel the need for a quiet, well relatively quiet, restaurant to enjoy one "tasty burger" Big Kahuna's will definetly be at the top of the list.

Big Kahuna's
3780 Ingraham Street
San Diego, CA 92109
(858) 270-9200
http://bigkahunaspb.com/