San Diego Restaurant Tips by b1bob

Restaurant Name: Churro buggy at San Diego Zoo


Favorite Dish: On seeing the churro buggy, (for those from Roxboro, North Carolina, churros are rods of fried dough sprinkled liberally with cinnamon sugar), I couldn't resist. I don't know why I didn't go after churros at Qualcomm Park the previous Tuesday night. The rest of the lot opted for ice cream bars.

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Theme: Local
Comparison: least expensive
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Directions: At the San Diego Zoo

Restaurant Name: Caffe Tazza

On the way out, Debbie saw somebody coming out of this coffee shop with something like an iced coffee sundae with whipped cream. I got us both one. Mine tasted great. I can’t believe Debbie shared hers with Savannah and Holly. I would have made them get their own! Those two children were fighting over it. I was sure the frozen coffee would end up all over the back seat.


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Theme: Coffeehouse
Comparison: about average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter

Restaurant Name: Los Alazanes

I went to Los Alazanes for lunch. I had the combination platter (2 beef tacos, beans and rice with Coca-Cola). I talked with a guy named Roberto and he was vexed and miffed that they got his lunch order wrong. As I was leaving, he squirted the windows of the restaurant with hot sauce. I got my bohunkus out there quick because it would have been my luck if somebody mistakenly thought I did it.


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Theme: Mexican
Comparison: least expensive
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: H Street, Chula Vista, CA 91910

Restaurant Name: Mary J's

Debbie and I went to Sean's office to "borrow" him for lunch. First, I checked my e-mail from Sean's computer and I had one from James Ayres. I boarded Sean's open-air Jeep "Dukes of Hazzard" style. We decided to take lunch at Mary J's in National City- a DIVE (a bad place) inside a dump (National City is one of the worst neighbourhoods in the San Diego area).

Favorite Dish: I had the Salisbury steak and salad (the latter of which I had to eat plain because they had no oil and vinegar- I hate creamy salad dressings) with a double order of fries. Sean took the Salisbury steak as well, but with mashed potatoes and English peas. Debbie took the ham and cheese melt with potato salad. Holly had mashed potatoes and gravy.

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Theme: Other
Comparison: least expensive
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter

Restaurant Name: Home Town Buffet

We took Sean out to lunch at Home Town Buffet. You could eat all you want for one price. I was in the mood to clean out that place too. I had tacos by the dozen, enough chicken legs to keep Holly Farms on its feet, and a huge salad with everything you can imagine on it topped by oil and vinegar dressing for dessert.

Favorite Dish: Everything. I love buffets because when you go away hungry, it's your fault. It's also hard to find any fault with restaurants of this type.

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Theme: Buffet
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: 1135 Highland Ave., National City, CA 91950

Restaurant Name: Club House at Rancho San Diego

On arriving at the club, I treated Sean to breakfast. He ordered an Ortega omelet (salsa and cheese) and I wanted the Denver omelet (tomatoes and peppers). It took so long for our order to get there I thought Sean's omelet had to be smuggled in from Mexico and mine had to be flown in from Denver.

Favorite Dish: Denver omelet- worth the wait, but the slow service marks the club down to a B.

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Theme: Other
Comparison: least expensive
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: El Cajon, CA

Restaurant Name: Food Court at the Plaza Bonita Mall

My experience at this food court was limited to the Athens Tavern, which I'm told no longer exists at this mall. For the record, I had souvlaki, rice pilaf and dolmades. Having said that, there are plenty more kiosks to choose from, like Sbarro, from which Sean brought back some pizza for Debbie and the girls, as well as The Great Steak & Potato Co., Hot Dog On A Stick, McDonalds (they're sure enough everwhere!), Orange Julius, Panda Express, Rice King, Subway they're everywhere too!, and a couple of others.


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Theme: Other
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Directions: 3030 Plaza Bonita Rd., Plaza Bonita Mall, National City, CA 91950

Restaurant Name: Joe's Crab Shack

We took a late lunch at Joe's Crab Shack near Qualcomm Park. Joe's is Sean's favourite restaurant in San Diego due to the food and the Jimmy Buffett-type atmosphere.

Favorite Dish: I had a nice-sized portion of popcorn shrimp served together with fries and black beans. I wasn't to thrilled with the black beans because they lacked cumin (which rendered them as bland as Al Gore's personality). The shrimp and fries were great, though. I didn't want crab because I didn't want to have to work that hard fighting with the shell in order to get at the meat. Savannah and Holly took the children's portion of popcorn shrimp and Sean and Debbie had seasoned crab. The waitress took two pictures of the whole lot of us together. Sean and Debbie managed room for dessert. The master glutton of 1998 met his match at Joe's Crab Shack. Food was again a four-letter word. The shrimp was good, the beans were not, the service was fine and the atmosphere was great.

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Theme: Seafood
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Address: 7610 Hazard Center Drive, San Diego, CA 92108