Fat Mike San Diego, CA

If you’re driving through Del Mar (or biking or hiking) you can grab a decent sandwich at Pacifica Breeze. It’s an order-and-sit-down joint that’s designed to turn their tables quickly. But the setting is still relaxing enough to sit and enjoy a well crafted little meal. The prices are not bad and the service has been friendly and efficient each time I’ve been there. The restaurant is mostly outside so they welcome dogs also. Which could be a nice plus if you are working your way along the coast with family in tow. For a quick stop and a good bite, try this place. I had the gyro type sandwich with lamb and tzatziki on flat bread. But they had some kind of special “Del Mar” name for it. I can’t remember what that was. But give it a shot for sure.

Location, location, location. If you're taking a ride up the coast, on two wheels or four, then this is a perfect spot for breakfast or brunch. I have been here several times. Each time, I was seated without a long wait. The service was good. And the food was well prepared. I favor the omelets (esp. Mike’s special omelet), but I've gotten good feedback all around from my eating companions. My coffee cup was never empty, and the waitstaff was pleasant and efficient.

There is a down side of course; nothing’s perfect. There is no rest room. Yes, you heard me correctly. Like a second rate café in a third world country, the architects have completely ignored the biological needs and sanitary preferences of their clientele.

So my advice is - don’t break the seal at the Seal Rock Inn, but enjoy a great morning sojourn nonetheless. In all seriousness, there’s a publicly accessible bathroom attached to the motel.

Well the worst thing Jack did was add calorie content to the overhead menus. Not only does it make you question your choice of eateries, but it literally depresses you about life in general.

I mean, how many big macs have you eaten in your past? And those fries - seemingly so innocent? It is apparently an honest-to-god challenge to get in and out in under 1,500 calories. Challenge accepted!

And the value menu? The ratio of dollar-to-calorie index is simply amazing.

How do you even pack 1,000 calories into a single sandwich? Holy cow. And for some reason the dining room A/C was turned down to about 30 degrees. So as your body works to digest better than 50g of fat, it fails to correct the blood flow to your frost bitten fingertips.

So I grabbed 1,200 calories worth of greasy goodness and washed it down with a low-calorie diet coke. The bourbon steak sandwich was actually quite the guilty pleasure. Available for a limited time while supplies last. Hurry down.

I'm not sure what to write here. It's Denny's. I had a breakfast. All the menus are the same and really all the breakfasts are the same too.

So maybe I should give it to you on a "Denny's" scale. Think of your best Denny's breakfast experience and benchmark it as a "10". And similarly set your lowest experience equal to a "1". This location would be a nice "8" I would say.

In the grand scheme of things, it was a ho hum meal. But under the calibrated Denny-ometer, it earns a higher rank. A friendly, chipper staff made the visit pleasant. The food was served quickly. My wheat pancakes were fluffy and my hash browns were not greasy. So if you're looking for a quick "8", just off the 101 in Santa Barbara, look no further.

You don't have a lot to select from, in terms of eatery options in Garbersville, CA. There's pretty much one main street, with 8 or 9 different restaurants. Half of them only serve breakfast and lunch. But if every other restaurant were closed or full, I would still not consider the Wheelhouse. You might want to try scraping gum off the sidewalk or dining on beef jerky from the gas station convenience store.

After a somewhat random selection process, I ended up at the Wheelhouse for dinner. I sloshed through a very typical starter salad with wattery ranch dressing. Then I ripped and tore my rubbery 2oz chicken and slurped my mushy carrot slices. My reward for all this effort was an overpriced final check. The server was tired and bored. The local paintings on the wall were a nice decor. but alas, myself and the two other tables of unfortunate tourists had wandered in the redwood forests for perhaps the worst meal of our lives.

Then I was herded quickly out the front door so they could close at 9 o'clock sharp.

There is not much to say about this location out of the Bertucci’s chain. We stopped in for lunch, as a party of four. We enjoyed the bottomless salad, which is a nice touch. The bread was cold, which was a surprise to me considering the tagline of “brick oven” freshness. I guess the bread is imported from somewhere else, like Antarctica. I got the Sporkie pizza. It was good, but not great. I washed it down with a beer. Not much else to say I guess. They didn’t accept the coupon that my companion had, since it was issued by another location in the chain. There was no attempt to accommodate the accounting misunderstanding. Not an issue, since the policy exists for a reason. But certainly a missed chance to create a standout experience for us. I’ll give them a “C”. It’s a typical mall chain restaurant – nothing more and nothing less. Convenient location and it ends there.

Chestnut Hill is a wonderful place to wander around and window shop. And that’s just what I’d suggest you do at the Chestnut Grill. Because from the outside, and even as you enter, you might expect a great American bistro experience. But don’t go near the burgers, or you’ll need the rest of the day to quench your thirst from the excess of saltiness. In fact, I think I almost went into kidney failure after polishing off the signature Chestnut Grill Burger. It was cooked to my specification, and accompanied by a small and wilted “fresh” fruit salad. But between the cheese and the carmelized onions and the burger itself, I simply ate too much salt. My companion had the Kobe Burger and a mimosa; and she seemed reasonably pleased. It was the middle of the afternoon on a rainy Tuesday, and maybe they just didn’t have their “A” staff on duty. But the service and the kitchen were simply sub par in my opinion.

Marseille is an excellent restaurant within a short walk of most theaters. There is outdoor seating when the weather is cooperative, and it makes for a romantic dinner after the show. The wine list has something for everyone, including some very pricey options for the more selective oenophiles. We had escargot as our appetizer, and it was excellently prepared. Both of us had seafood entrees - bouillabaisse for my companion and monkfish for myself. And we followed with sorbet and coffee. All the food was very well done. And the service was excellent. The waitstaff was attentive, but not overbearing. Our wine glasses were kept full, but we weren't constantly interrupted. Our server was personable, yet formal. He really did a wonderful job. Altogether, this was one of the most pleasant dining experiences I've had. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a mid-priced French menu near the theater district or Times Square.

From a value perspective, the Texas Land and Cattle Steak House (TXLC) has some happy hour specials during the week here and there. I suppose I could return to take advantage of those drink specials. But I'm not coming back for the food or the service in particular. My "medium" steak looked and tasted like it was incinerated in the tail pipe of an 18 wheeler during the stretch of I-10 from El Paso to San Antonio. I asked for my green beans side to be crispy - and I got what amounted to wet noodles. My bacon wrapped scallops were fine, but after being cooked they were immersed in BBQ sauce. So any inherent seafood flavor was completely lost to the sauce. On the upside, my wedge of iceberg lettuce was crispy and refreshing. Drink refills needed to be requested a couple times, and water was not offered by the server. Our party of two was seated immediately, and didn't have to wait long for food. I think any intention of raising the bar at this place was long ago suppressed by that assumed mediocrity of pairing a restaurant with a hotel. Why bother creating a memorable experience for a diner who will probably never return? And thus... I will not return.

I looked on Google maps for a quick lunchtime stop. The New York style deli sounded like a great option. It was conveniently located and had a good selection of food on the menu.

I ordered a Diet Coke and the Italian Salad, which was basically a chef’s salad with some cold cuts included in the mix instead of ham cubes. It was ok. There wasn’t a great lettuce-to-non-lettuce mix. So when you get down to it, the salad was a lot of filler. I know that sounds hypocritical since I did – after all – order a salad. Which is – after all – a lettuce based mix of ingredients. But let’s be honest… the best salads are those with a little more flavor. Which comes from a few more non-lettuce ingredients. Whether we all choose to admit it or not, we like a healthy salad laden with non-healthy ingredients. Even vegans buy and make food designed to imitate non-vegan foods like “t-bone stake”, “not dogs”, and “fakin bacon”. I rest my case. This salad would be sub-par to anyone other than manatees or hippopotami.

But I can’t argue with the convenient location. Just because of that, I’m likely to give it another shot and hope for the best. I’ll stick with a sandwich most likely. There’s other ways to manage my cholesterol.

I can be a tough critic from time to time. Well, pretty much all the time. But I have to give credit where credit is deserved.

I was brought to Paesanos by my boss’s boss’s boss. Anyone working in corporate Dilbert-world knows that this situation has the makings of an uncomfortable to disastrous event. There was a 75% chance I could say the wrong thing and get fired. A 25% chance I would get stuck in awkward silence. And a 5% chance that I’d have to administer the Heimlich maneuver to the Senior Vice President. Does that add up to 100%? I don’t know. I’m not a math guy.

But what I do know is that my meal at Paesanos was one of the best I’ve ever had in my life. It really was great. Our server was attentive and pleasant as she dealt with a fairly large group, several of whom were craning their necks to see the Red Sox/Baltimore game on the barroom TV. The specials sounded amazing, but I selected the Roasted Salmon with Polenta and Pomodoro Butter off the menu. It was simply perfect. I enjoyed every bite. Even the adjoining asparagus was expertly cooked. I love it steamed, but still crisp. And they read my mind.

Unfortunately I wish I could give you more guidance on appetizers, but I didn’t have one. (Trying to build my frugal reputation with Management). I didn’t opt for dessert either. But everyone in the party seemed to enjoy their meal quite a bit. I complimented our VP on his choice of venue. It’s a weird experience when you’re trying to kiss the boss’s butt, but you really believe in what you’re saying, but he’s still got a look on his face like he knows you’re kissing butt. Anyway I escaped with my job intact, and I hope to return and enjoy another meal on my own dime.

I highly recommend.

Low carb, high protein... the cave man diet. It's all the rage nowadays. I wonder if the cave men had their own Delmonico equivalent? A bone-in brontosaurus rib eye medium rare? I heard that pairs great with a '97 Opus One cab. Well for all you cave men who are willing to part ways with a week's salary, then take your cave woman to Delmonico. It's a steakhouse without the steakhouse feel. If you're more into the red leather and dark oak accents of a cigar-smoke-filled restaurant, then you might not enjoy the lighter atmosphere of Delmonico. But I actually found it more inviting than the traditional steakhouse feel. When you get to the menu though, you'll remember what you came for. It's very targeted to - well - protein. There's not a lot of other items on the menu besides the various cuts of steak and the typical a la carte stuff.

I started out with an appetizer of truffle potato chips, which was really simple but very well done. I opted for a salad from the daily specials menu, but was disappointed when our waiter returned to say that they had run out of that salad. I won't fault them for this, as we did make a late 9:30 reservation. So I went with my old standby - the wedge of iceberg drowned in blue cheese. It was typical, but tasty. I had a monstrous bone-in ribeye which was cooked exactly as I asked, accompanied by creamed spinach and mushrooms. All of this was washed down with some kind of South African swill that my companion ordered from the robust wine selection. We asked that they pour the entire box of wine into a carafe to ease the embarrassment. Just kidding... the wine selection really was excellent and the one we picked was perfect for 40 bucks. I had a cup of coffee to top it off and then closed my eyes as I signed the bill.

Overall, it was a fine meal and worth the price. If you just got lucky on a hand of black jack at the Venetian and you're looking to live it up at a non-steakhousey steakhouse, then give Delmonico a shot. Emeril has set the bar as the pride of Fall River, Massachusetts.

Je ne jouissent normalement pain cuit. Mais ce restaurant a obtenu de bonnes critiques telles que je ne pouvais y resister. Je n'ai pas commandé de pain, mais j'ai decide de manger le petit dejeuner irlandais a la place. Le hachage corned beef etait excellent. Les oeufs poches etait parfait. J'ai egalement eu une salade de fruits tres bonnes. Ma Bloody Mary n'etait pas special. Mais le cafe etait incroyable. Il n'est pas bon marche, mais il vaut le prix. Essayez ce restaurant à le Venetian, la prochaine fois que vous etes a Las Vegas.

After biting off a bit more than we could chew in terms of Grand Canyon hikes, it was all I could do to slowly shuffle into the hotel bar. In retrospect, I wish I'd have stayed in my room and eaten the leftover beef jerky and trail mix. But instead I chose the Saguaro Lounge's nachos supreme, and quickly spread the post-hike pain from my legs to my entire gastro intestinal system. And trying to get service at this place was like Steven Hawking trying to sing a love ballad. It was just an awful experience and I wouldn't recommend that any tourists or would-be day trekkers try to stomach the atrocities they serve up at the Saguaro Lounge. Not since "127 hours" has a hiker dealt with adversity like this. Maybe I'll write a movie about it. About my post-dining ordeal back in the motel bathroom. I'll call it "127 hours".

There's not much you can do when you're cruising down the highway, in unfamiliar territory, looking for something very quick to fill you up. I recently found myself driving through the high desert, gingerly avoiding sneaky state troopers and possible alien abductors. As you might guess, this can really drum up quite the appetite. All I could hope for was a clean restroom and a decent, quick meal. I found neither in Carl's Jr.

Happily, I stumbled on Carl's as I was getting gas nextdoor. I made a break directly for the restroom. Ouch. Then I ordered my turkey burger and large soda, thoroughly confusing the cashier with my refusal to include the fries and "make it a meal". The staff was actually incredibly friendly and even picked up my trash from the table I was at. I guess overall, I wasn't expecting much. And I got just what I was looking for.

Do you consider yourself to be a pompous, holier than thou, pretentious idiot? Do you spend excessive amounts of time at Starbucks and actually enjoy ordering a drink that's size "venti"? Do you read my misspellings and bad grammar, and say, "this guy's an idiot?" Well then, the Naked Cafe is for you.

The menu is printed on recycled paper, with ink that was cultivated from the excretion of free range squid. And the coffee comes from magical mountains in some third world country that segregates it's population into those that "pick coffee happily" and the others that "pick coffee miserably for some unnamed corporate scourge". Well if you want the happy coffee, then the Naked Cafe is your place. If you want a "regular" meal, made by "regular" people who just want to feed you something tasty, then go somewhere else.

Only the most special, chosen people can dine at Naked Cafe. In fact, I think Jesus used to get crepes there. But for me? I'd rather go somewhere that wasn't so over-the-top. I mean, coffee is coffee. And I don't care if the Dalai Lama pissed on my vegan croutons before they made it onto my salad.

I had the oatmeal because it seemed middle-of-the-road enough that I might not violate the principles of the ultra sensitive staff. It was oatmeal. It tasted like any other oatmeal that I'd ever eaten. It was made from oats. Holy oats? Maybe. My shaman wasn't sure. My companion had some green, burrito looking thing. Well, I made the mistake of calling it a burrito. It is actually a "wrap". And I'm going to yuppie hell now for my blatant heresy.

So I'll see you in hell. Holy oats.

A couple months ago, I was drawn into an argument about where the best breakfast (brunch) buffets are. I was a staunch supporter of the Vegas experience. To me, it's hard to do it better than the Wynn. But the closest competition is around the Las Vegas area - specifically the Vegas strip.

So the other side of the argument was - believe it or not - a local place called Tom Ham's Lighthouse. I resisted as long as I could but eventually made my way down to Tom Ham's.

I can see why they advise reservations. When we (threesome) showed, we had to wait for real estate along the bar. Well our barkeeper - let's call her Karla - was happy to ooblige. She basically addresses a group of dilly dalllying morning customers and ushered them along. We got our space, and made no less than 3 trips to the various food stations. It was literally incredible.

Everything was done very well. The omelette bar was stocked with variety. Everything from lobsterr to ham, to every kind of cheese you can imagine. And super friendly and efficient staff as well. There was a meat cutting station, and oysters on the half shell. There were all te normal breakfast favorites that you could expect. And there was a dessert window too!

I don't think there's another option in San Diego for Sunday brunch. And they don't just open up the limited dining area to hundreds of people. They keep it to a manageable size - so there's no loss of quality. For $30 I couldn't suggest anything better for breakfast in buffet style dining.

And if you're luucky enough to get sassy Karla as your bartender - then all the better. She was awesome, and so fast. The bottomless mimosa's were very wwell attended to. If you wwant more, read @jeph's review. His generous tipping probably secured VIP status for us the next time we get over there! But the experience was well worth it.

Highly recommended.

Cass Street Bar and Grill is one of those places I just keep coming back to. i've never been impressed with the service, if you;ve read any of my other comment cards. But I just love the food. It really does put all other bar food to shame. There's no deep fried crap. Everything is original and well done. The kitchen staff is very consistent with how they prepare everything too. So no matter when you go, orr who you're going with,you know what you're going to get.

The really obvious issue with Cass Street is just their bar staff and doormen. And the wait staff to some extent. They feel like they're god's gift to Pacific Beach nightlife. And they maintain the aloof and uninterested demeanor that used to permeate the beach community bars and restaurants. But in the past few yearrs, there's been a renewed interest (competition driven I'm sure) to provide a good experience for the folks who are kind enough to spend their hard earned money at your place.

let's hope Cass Street gets the picture at some point. Until then, the quality of the menu may just carry them. I'd consider it a reluctant recommendation. The teriyaki steak sandwich absolutely rules. I live for those things! Go get one for yourself!

Arrivederci! Whenever I go to restaurants with snappy names like that, I always thing about the other side of the coin. Can you imagine an American bistro in Rome, called "Goodbye". Not really. It's like something you'd see on engrish.com.

So despite the generic title for the restaurant, I had a very well prepared meal there, and washed it down with a reasonably priced bottle of wine. If you go there expecting the all-around great restaurant experience, I do think you're going to be let down. Because of the food quality, and good menu prices, it does tend to be a popular place. And the dining room is not that accomodating. They really pack the customers in tightly. And the patio offers a little more elbow room but the downside is a rowdy group of walk-ins waiting for seating.

However if your companions are loud talkers (or if you're eating alone) then you won't be concerned with the din. And you definitely shouldn't be concerned with the dinner. I've eaten here twice, and enjoyed my meal both times. There's good quality, great variety, and definitely pride in their product. The menu seems to vary seasonally, or otherwise changes from time to time. So it's a great routine option, even for locals. And if you're visiting from out of town, definitely consider it. And take an interesting walk around the colorful Hillcrest neighborhood afterward.

You know, I'm not really sure why I keep coming back to Rusty's. I've been there several times and each time was the same. The pizza isn't great. The beer selection is squalid. But I enjoy sitting out on the porch and watching the harbor happenings. Vendors, walkers, bikers, etc. I just do it for shear relazation I suppose.

So if you need some pizza and beer therapy then swing by. From Rusty's, you've got a nice walk along the beach or up State Street. But know what to expect - low quality pizza and beer for a good price. And tons of scenery. Enjoy it the next time you're in Santa Barbara.