Ribeye Steak Sandwich with Fries @ The Charcoal House in El Cajon
4 March - The Charcoal House - No. 91:
This is one of El Cajon's oldest restaurants.
The red vinyl banquettes, red vinyl booth dividers, red vinyl padded table tops, red sponge painted walls, red carpet and faux red brick all suggest the late 60's or so as the last time it was remodeled. I should also point out the extremely dim lighting (I couldn't read the menu).
Steele Canyon Golf Club held their employee's Christmas party here but I don't do those sort of things so this was my first visit.
We went for lunch after reading a review in a small paper that covers the East County (they mentioned a rib eye steak sandwich on the menu).
As you may know, I've been looking for a local place with a decent steak sandwich for quite some time...
The review also mentioned the French onion soup, a favorite of the wife's...
I ordered the ribeye sandwich, of course (with grilled onions and mayo) and it came with generic plank fries ($7.95, very reasonable).
It was adequate, especially given the price, and I also had the usual iced tea.
The wife had the half pound burger which came with her choice of fries, salad, fruit or a cup (a fair sized bowl, actually ) of soup ($6.50).
Of course, it was the French onion for her and she said it was delicious.
Bonus: there was enough burger and steak bits left over for the dog's lunch as well.
Service was good (the woman had worked at both Steele Canyon Golf Course and La Jolla Country Club) and with tip, it was $21 exactly.
6 March - Great Khan Mongolian BBQ - No. 92:
Bored silly, I was driving around looking for something, anything different to eat when I stopped by the mall to see if the music stores there have a copy of a CD I have been searching for (The Beach Boy's "Surf's Up").
No luck in finding that CD but while I was there, I decided to see if there was anything worth eating in the food court and more importantly, if the lines weren't too long as it was Noon on a nice, sunny Sunday...
I noticed Khan's, a Mongolian BBQ place where you're responsible for putting the meal together so if it's wrong, it's also because of you.
I filled my bowl with frozen, shaved beef, some green onion tops, soy bean sprouts, mushrooms, a few noodles, chose my sauce (some garlic sauce, a mild hot sauce and the house sauce all mixed together), and handed it to the guy at the big round cast iron grill to cook.
At that point, he told me to choose either rice or noodles and thinking it was to be served on the side, I asked for the noodles.
What he did then totally ruined it for me as he added a large bowl of noodles to the beef and veggies I had put together and when it was done, I had a bowl of way too many soggy, oily noodles instead of the healthy veggies and a little meat I had thought I was getting.
No other Mongolian BBQ place has ever done it to me that way before.
And unlike most other restaurants of this type, it wasn't all you can eat so I was fairly disappointed with the whole thing and won't be back.
I also bought a medium Pepsi for a total of $7.53.
Cold Stone Creamery - No. 93:
On my way out of the mall, I decided to have a bit of dessert.
This places advertises a dozen different freshly made flavors and dozens of toppings (cookies, nuts, chocolate, candy & fruit).
Their gimmick is that they hand mix the ice cream with your choice of toppings on a refrigerated marble slab.
I had the banana with walnuts in a large waffle cone and it was very pricey: $4.72 (yes, for one scoop!)...
Casa de Bandini:
We had an out of town guest for the week, Bobby Coma of San Francisco.
Of course, that's not his real name but any of you who have met him know why he's called that...
We've known him for over 30 years now, since the Boy was less than a year old and in fact, met him when he was installing the phone at an old Navy buddy's apartment who we had tracked down shortly after getting back to California in late 1974.
Bob is also the head cheese at one of San Francisco's best known gourmet shops, "Say Cheese".
I picked him up at the downtown bus station shortly after 8:30 PM and we had a couple of hours to kill until I pick the wife up in La Jolla so rather than make the trip all the way to El Cajon and back, we decided to have some good Mexican food at one of our favorite places here.
Bob had the carne asada with rice, beans and tortillas and I had the beef taco / enchilada, rice & beans (my normal).
I had an iced tea, Bob had a Negro Modelo.
We also had a side order of guacamole as well as the usual chips & salsa.
Bob had spent all day on the Greyhound (it's a 12 hour trip) so he was absolutely ravenous by the time we ate, well after 9:00 PM.
Everything was good, service was precise and it also changed Bob's mind about Mexican beer.
The total was $40 with tip.
7 March - The Tin Fish / Miracle Mile 1949 Delicatessen
We spent Monday playing tourist with Bobby Coma and drove down I-5 just short of the border then over to Imperial Beach.
Our destination was the IB pier; more specifically, The Tin Fish at the end of the pier for some great seafood.
To our absolute amazement, when we got there, we discovered that it was closed and the end of the pier was fenced off.
And it was also hazy so the view wasn't very good and you could barely distinguish the Coronado Islands off the mouth of the Tijuana River...
Looking for another option, we headed up the Silver Strand to downtown Coronado and stopped by the Miracle Mile 1949 Delicatessen.
Bob had their kid's dog with mustard and kraut and a side order of potato salad, the wife had the pastrami / corned beef sandwich with fries and I had the Club (no bacon - ham, with very thinly sliced turkey of suspicious origin).
They "dry-bunned" me (not enough mayo or mustard / too much bread), they used green leaf lettuce instead of iceberg and worst of all, my fries were room temperature...
Bob said the dog was too greasy and harsh tasting
To be fair, the wife enjoyed her sandwich and we bought some of all 4 meats (ham, turkey loaf?, pastrami and corned beef) home for Meatwad.
I had a Coke, Bob had a Coke and the wife had her usual glass of water (she doesn't generally drink with her meals).
The total was just over $22 or so but they lost a point or two in my book...
9 March - Vaqueros Carne Asada:
We ordered the normal carne asada burrito (it was cold, again!), the shrimp quesadilla (way too much salsa) and Bob ordered the nachos (well, not really as he asked for some guacamole and chips but)...
This is the last time I'm going to eat there until I talk to Victor, one of the owners, about the cold burrito (how does that happen when the very first step is to cook the carne asada?) and the excessive oil on the tortillas when you order a taco.
Note: The receipt didn't say "Vaquero's" on it and a few days later, the sign was down so changes are evidently afoot there...
10 March - The Brew House in La Jolla:
We stopped by this place to kill a half hour while we (Bob and I) were waiting to pick the wife up after work in La Jolla.
I had seen this place several times before and had made a note to stop by and check it out so...
Bob had the IPA and I had their dark ale (both were very good) and Bob also had a couple of shots of hard liquor.
As I was the driver, all I could have was a small beer and a very small taste of several others.
The beer was all good, their prices were very reasonable and we will be back for another visit when circumstances permit.
11 March - Claim Jumpers:
For appetizers, we started off with their marvelous shrimp taquitoes and a giant plate of onion rings and dipping sauces for both dishes.
And we all shared my side salad of a wedge of lettuce with bleu cheese dressing with chopped tomatoes, green onions and crumbled bacon.
Boy and I shared a ribeye steak with baked potato.
Bob had the surf (lobster tail) and turf with prime rib instead of the filet mignon and a baked potato
For drinks, Bob ordered iced tea, a shot of Jameson's Irish Whiskey, a half bottle of King's Estate Pinot Noir (not bad!), cognac and a coffee.
He didn't touch the tea.
I had the usual iced tea and the Boy had a Coke.
Service wasn't that good as our waitress was fairly haughty (I think she thinks she's a model...) and didn't bother to "check back" after the food was delivered. She was also oblivious to direct eye contact, swiveling heads and never once even glanced at our table...
The total was $150 (Bob's treat, which was a good thing as he did most of the damage himself) and I threw a $20 tip on the table. It would have only been $15 as the service was minimal at best but I didn't have anything smaller than the twenty.
Bob then tossed another $20 on the pile but I persuaded him not to give her that much and take back $10.
We were there 2 and a half hours, absolutely the longest I've ever sat still and the only redeeming factor is that we tied up her table so long...
12 March - Tommy's Italian Restaurant:
I had my usual: a small pepperoni pizza, easy on the cheese and sauce and a side salad with black olives, croutons, pepperoncini, etc.
Both Bob and the Boy had fettuccine alfredo and a side salad.
For drinks, it was a Sierra Mist for the Boy, a Becks for Bob and I had an iced tea, hold the thumb...
Everything was excellent as usual.
Service was pretty good (we told our server about the other one putting her thumb in the pour spout of the pitcher and on the rim of the glass).
The total was $46 plus a $10 tip Bob threw on the table.
13 March - Gaglione Brothers:
This was Bob's last meal with us here and as an old East Coaster, he knew all about cheesesteaks and would appreciate Gaglione Brothers..
Bob had the 8 inch mushroom cheesesteak, garlic fries & soda while the Boy and I split a 12 incher, regular fries and a couple of small sodas.
Everything was great as usual, the garlic fries were amazing with the fresh garlic and Bob was impressed
The total was just over $24 so the Boy popped for it as it was my birthday and I tossed $3 into the tip jar.
As an added bonus, the dog got a nice dinner from the leftovers (meat and cheese are his top two picks).
15 March - The Fishery - No. 94:
This one started with a coupon for $1 oysters on Tuesdays in March (shuckers, apparently, are standing by...).
This is a full scale operation (warehouse, wholesale / retail outlets & restaurant) and it's located in Pacific Beach, a few blocks off of Garnett, a major tourist destination (Party Central) and conveniently, it's also on the way home from La Jolla Country Club (sort of...).
It's a nice building with a very nice little dining room in a nice neighborhood with some very nice sidewalk seating as well.
As the wife got off late, we ran smack into the 6:00 PM dinner rush but fortunately, didn't have to wait more than a few minutes for a table.
The wife and Boy had 8 of the oysters (4 different kinds) on the half shell, with freshly ground horseradish and cocktail sauce.
The Boy also ordered the clam chowder and the wife had a bite (it has a cream base and she's lactose intolerant so...).
And they both wolfed down the ceviche with a base of chips and salsa (I had a taste).
We all shared the fish (halibut), shrimp and calamari with fries and slaw platter
The tartar and cocktail sauces were excellent, the fries were generic (but hot) and the slaw was very good, with a light vinegar and oil base.
The halibut was extremely fresh and had a great texture
I had the usual iced tea (unfortunately all they had was passion fruit flavored), the Boy had a Coke and the wife had water.
Everything was great (we all agree) and we will be back (this is now our favorite fish place here).
And evidently it is also a favorite for four separate La Jolla Country Club members and their wives as they were sitting at the next table...
Service was generally competent with one small exception: I had to ask for more iced tea.
The total with 15% tip was exactly $40
See their web site here: www.pacshell.com
Note: This is the 12th time we've eaten out in the last 15 days, a new record for us...
17 March - Souplantation:
There's not really much to report about our visit this time (other than to report that we did it).
Everything was the same as every other visit; the Boy ate well and I had my usual salad, a piece of their dark bread fresh out of the oven, a very small slice of the cheese pizza a small bowl of soft serve ice cream with chocolate sauce and chopped nuts and, of course, iced tea.
19 March - Chili's in Santee:
Boy and I went to lunch early one Saturday and discovered that they had cancelled their build your own burger campaign (that didn't take very long). I had the Mushroom Swiss Burger and it was the Bacon Cheese Burger for the Boy
And I went for my usual iced tea and the Boy had his regular Coke.
The fries were ice cold when they got to the table and our server Tiara appears to have the metabolism of a tree sloth so we didn't bother to ask for hot fries as they would also be cold by the time they got to our table anyway...
It was also fairly expensive at $19.24 (including tax) for 2 burgers, fries and drinks...
Coming soon to the Santee Trolley Center Mall: www.roadhousegrill.com
21 March - The Tamale Factory:
We (the wife and I) were on the way home from a trip to the Home Depot (in Santee) for a refill spool for her weedeater and since it was also her only day off, I decided we should stop by one of her favorite places for lunch.
This place is just across the street from the aerospace company where the boy works (he's a "regular" there and when we asked if the girl behind the counter knew him, she said "No lettuce, nice guy...") and it's also one of the first places we tried out when we first got here.
I had 2 beef tacos (ala cart), easy on the lettuce and medium (refillable) fountain Coke and the wife had a pork tamale with a side of rice.
The tacos were fairly standard, nothing to write home about (but certainly adequate) but the tamale looked wonderful with the melted cheese (the wife forgot that they put cheese on them there), the Mole sauce was delicious and the rice was fluffy and perfect.
It came out to $10.54 including tax and I tossed a buck into the tip jar on our way out.
22 March - The Fishery II:
For our second visit, we got there just before 5:00 PM so the lunch menu was still in effect. It was just me and the wife this time as the Boy had to work until 5:30 and the wife was off early today.
For appetizers, the wife had a couple of the March Tuesday Special $1 Oysters with cocktail sauce and freshly grated horseradish, while I had the bread & butter (it had a good crust). At another table, we saw a guy down a platter of a dozen oysters and then order another half dozen while the table behind us told him that they had just put away 40 of them themselves. And one of the La Jolla Country Club members (who was there when we made our first visit last week) says that the oysters used to be 50 cents each until they raised the price this year.
The wife had the butter encrusted halibut (her favorite fish) with aioli sauce and side orders of salad with a fair dressing of some pretty good balsamic vinegar, the cole slaw, also with a great, light vinegar and oil dressing, wedge cut potatoes and a glass of water.
I had them make me up a plate of shrimp scampi (it's not on the lunch menu but I wanted to try the colossal prawns) with aromatic rice of some sort and a Coke as their iced tea has the fruit flavoring (which I detest)...
My dinner also came with steamed (al dente) white asparagus, which I traded to the wife for her potatoes, a taste of the salad and the slaw. I also gave her a prawn and some of the rice.
The prawns were great and the sauce was excellent (mainly garlic and butter with a touch of lemon).
Service was fair and the total was $41 including the tip.
25 March - Olive Garden in Santee:
I asked for them to make me an order of Fettuccine Alfredo with Prawns (the "prawns" were tiny, more like 41 - 50's). It wasn't on the menu this time but it's something they do by request any time.
And the Boy had the (all you can eat) Salad and Breadsticks (the salad almost always needs extra dressing there). He also ordered a side of Marinara sauce for dipping ($2.75).
I had the iced tea, he had the Coke.
Service was adequate and the total was $33 with tip.
27 March - Fuddruckers in La Mesa:
It was Easter Sunday and the Boy and I were on our own as the wife has a big Easter function at both clubs today.
I had the ribeye steak sandwich with grilled onions and mayo.
The Boy had their special, a stuffed burger with bacon and cheddar cheese.
I also ordered the Frings (a basket of room temperature, generic onion rings and lukewarm wedge cut fries).
And we had a couple of sodas from the machine.
The steak cut seems to get cheaper and cheaper but at least there was enough to bring home for the dog's dinner this evening.
Our total was $20.54 or so...
Note: The official total is now 18 meals eaten out this month, probably an all-time record for us as we eat so well at home...
