Review - Hungry Lu's

days and days and days went by that i passed by that random, run down looking sub shop two doors down from lucy's here in OB, and wondered.... "i wonder when thats gonna go under..." and alas. that time came about 4 months ago. and just this past week, its replacement finally opened. Hungry Lu's! its quite the fancy little build out. it looks really nice and clean and what not. its whole deal is that they bake all of their bread in house daily and make lots of fun looking cookies and italian treats in there as well.

now heres my concern with this. this place is FILLED with cookies and pastries and goodies, and yet, i cant imagine this place being SO busy that ALL those goodies will be sold today. or tomorrow. or the day after. so do i think they are baking fresh cookies and shit every day? no. should they? yet. because if youre gonna advertise that you make all this good stuff in house, you might as well do it everyday. well, now that i got that out of the way. onto the good news!

the sandwiches were great! they advertise that everyday they have a 5 dollar sandwich (usually 8 inches) and the past week they have had the torpedo as that deal. jeff got himself one of thems

for 5 bucks, its a helluva deal. it beats the pants off of a subway 5 dollar footlong. i snagged a bite of his sando while he wasnt looking. actually, i just asked if i could have a bite, and he said yes.

now of course for a decent review, i needed to try multiple things. so i got the number 8 sandwich, the Hungry Lu's Special (6.50)

rosemary PORKCHETTA, sweet capocolla, mortadella, havarti cheese, lettuce, tomato, pepperoncinis. this was a yummy sandwich. the meats were flavorful and nicely sliced. the lettuce was crisp, the house baked bread was good. it was soft, a little bit of chew to it, which is nice, and i didnt have it toasted, but i get a feeling that it would be a nicely toasted roll.

it was good.

now also i decided to order one of their 8 inch Personal Pizza's (all 5 bucks), i got the OB Special, it had ham, pineapple, mozz, tomatoe sauce, and a sweet and spicy pepper relish.

it was decent. topping wise it was plentiful and it had good flavor, but it wasnt very crispy on the bottom. the crust was actually fairly soggy by the time i got home to eat it (5 minutes) it felt as if it could have baked at a higher temp for a few more minutes to crisp it up a little more. that woulda been nice. but either way, for 5 bucks, its a good lil personal.

i highly recommend check out Hungry Lu's. i know ill be back and ill bring allison cuz i heard their eggplant parm sandwich is on point. check it out!

Hungry Lu's
4920 Voltaire Street
San Diego, CA, 92107

O.B. Torpedo Tastings

i love me some sandwiches, obviously. torpedoes are a top 5 for sure of all different kinds. now there is a decent amount of places in O.B. that makes these sandwiches, and here is a lil post about some of them! first up is Chris's Liquor. People tend to hail Chris's as the best deli in O.B., some say its the best in san diego. its not my top choice, but its a 5 minute walk and it is pretty good. my favorite part about Chris's is that on tuesdays, between 4:20 and 5 oclock, you can buy any of their sando's for $4.20. so i grabbed a torpedo last time i was there.

it was good. the bread was slightly stale and little bit too chewy for my liking. it was tasty nonetheless. and at 4.20 you really cant beat that for Boars Head meats in a sando. the lettuce was a little wilted so i feel like it was cut the day before sore something, but it was a good sandwich.

then about a week later allison and i were hungry for dinner, wanted something simple, and didnt wanna stray far from home, so we went with our usual Poma's stop. now i havent done a Poma's Meatball Sub post yet...YET. i will. because i firmly believe its the best meatball sub ive ever had. the eggplant parm sandwich is killer as well. allison OBVIOUSLY gets that one. i have heard nothing but good things about the pizza there, yet havent been able to make a trip where i could avoid ordering a sandwich. so i forced myself to get a torpedo here since i had the idea for this blog post.

now i asked that they toast it, which is why it looks a little greasy. the oils and fats in the meats and cheeses kinda gave it that glisten. it was a really good sandwich. at i think 6.50 its a huge one and when it comes on an amoroso roll, you can be upset either way. it was a really good sando.

now my first choice of delis when it comes to OB, is of course the Olive Tree Market. the store and wine shop itself is amazing and the deli is even better. i typically go for the hot sandiwhces here (the james dean on an onion roll is my main shit), but i had to roll with the torpedo to round out the holy trinity of OB delis. now when i ordered it, they informed me they were out of the italian roll that it comes on, but the chick said she usually gets it on ciabatta when she eats it herself, so i said do it. she toasted the ciabatta, and it gave me a few minutes to cruise the store, make my difficult chip choice, then peruse the coolers for which delicious drink i would wash it down with (i went with sour cream and onion kettle chips and a berry yerba mate.)

now i really feel like this was the FRESHEST of the group. the meats and cheeses had been very recently slices, and none of the vegetables seemed old whatsoever. the toasted ciabatta was a good choice and honestly, if i get the torpedo here again i will probably request it as such. this was was also about 7 bucks i believe. AND it comes with a pickle!

so my judgment is this, the best torpedo is O.B. issssss.....


.....Olive Tree Market. they were all good sando's, but something about the Olive Tree one just clicked for me. so get out there and grind on some grub.

Chris's Liquor and Deli
2275 Sunset Cliffs
San diego, 92107

www.chrisliquor.com

Poma's Italian Delicatessen
1846 Bacon Street
San Diego, CA, 92107

www.pomasdeli.com

Olive Tree Market
4805 Narragansett Street
San Diego, CA, 92107

www.olivetreemarket.com

Review - Azucar

Azucar is a Cuban style Patiserrie in the heart of O.B. its been open for just about 3 years now i believe. i remember being stoked when they opened because there really isnt much for pastries in ocean beach, and god knows i hate leaving the bubble when i dont have to. so when you add in the prospect of a cuban kick to everything, im even more enticed. now ive been coming here once every few months since they opened, and the food hasnt changed, its still delicious. i typically get the same thing every time i go, but not all at once haha. i pick and choose between the same 5 things, so that i dont feel like a fucking fat ass. but today i had to get everything, for the sake of the blog. im doing this for you, the reader! anywho, onto the food.

this little ball of yum is one of their famous Pastelito de Carne. little meat pie, if you will. for a believe a buck fiddy you can sink your teeth into the lil fucker and open up a pouch of sweet, sweet, meat. the meat itself isnt sweet, the meat is actually deliciously spiced ground beef, but the top of the pastry itself if brushed with a nice sugary glaze before being baked. mmm.

siiiiiick.

next is the Pastel de Queso y Guava. a cream cheese and guava paste - pastry. this thing is like a toaster strudel on crack. they have other various pastry of this sort, but the cream cheese and guava paste is other worldly.

this one that i had was actually not stuffed to the brim like they usually are, but i digress. still tasty.

keeping with the guava and cream cheese trend, they have multiple different panini sandwiches, and my favorite is the Havana - Roasted Turkey, Guava Paste, Cream Cheese. grilled to perfection, this combination is like the cuban equivalent of a post thanksgiving left over sandwich. amazing. they give you a choice of a green salad of fried plantain chips. i always get the chips, which on this visit, were slightly stale, i was a little bummed. but good nonetheless, served with a side of mojo sauce, which is filled with garlicky glory. after this i decided to try one of the mini desserts they have in the display, they cinco leches cake.

i brought this home to share with allison tonight, but that didnt change the awesome flavor of it. its their take on the classic tres leches cake. its an almond financier cake soaked with 5 different milks topped with a dulce de leche glaze and candied almonds. it was rich, but very good. i was happy with it.

now as i said earlier that the food hasnt changes in 3 years, there is something i noticed today. i really feel that the upkeep of the store front is really taking a toll. the tables were all pretty dirty, the floor was covered in crumbs, the white drapes on the wall were becoming stained at the bottoms. it was just kind of a bummer seeing that they arent putting much pride in the appearance of the shop. i know its OB and its supposed to be rugged and dirty, but come on. have some pride. keep your shit tight. be proud of what you do in all senses of it. at the end of the day you are supposed to be impressing people, make that happen, or live your life being content with mediocrity.

with that being said, i wont stop coming here. its delicious. and i highly recommend it. check it out!

Azucar
4820 Newport Avenue
San Diego, CA, 92107

www.iloveazucar.com

Review - OB Noodle House

Ive been going to the OB Noodle House since they opened a couple years ago, and ive watched it change from the tiny little one room place, into the hipster packed techno blazing sake bar it tends to be, these days. but regardless of who goes there and what the decor is and what music is playing, the food has always bee consistently good. the Pho they do is just right, in my opinion. the broth is deep, the noodles are always cooked right, the meats always are on temp and never chewy, always tender. the prices are right, as well. today allison and i stopped in for a light lunch, i went with the number 4, which has rare and well steaks, tripe, and brisket for 6.45.

allison gave me all her cilantro from her dish because she hates it and i love it, so i got plenty of cilantro. mmm. threw in the basil, lime, and jalapeno, squeezed in my usual load of hoisin, sriracha, and fish sauce, and went to war. absolutely yummy. i typically get the OB special which for 7.25, you get a larger bowl with all the meats they offer, but that was too much for my appetite this morning. allison went with the Veggie and Tofu Honk Kong Chow Fun(7.95)

and this was the first time that i have gotten to try one of the non-pho dishes here. ive never had one. i see people order them all the time, but have never personally tasted them, so i didnt know what to expect. it was really good though. the sauce was tasty, the veggies were all cooked correctly, the tofu was nice, and it was a huge portion. we were both impressed, so i think next time im in i will order something different for a change.

another great thing about this place is the booze. they have lots of awesome shit on tap, plenty for great sake, and always have rocking specials going on. every day of the week between 11am and 5pm you can get a pint of select beer for 1 dollar. today they had a Beach Bum Blonde Ale

which we both agreed was rather good. they usually have some sort of firehouse, or shock top, or something like that one the 1 dollar special, but its always changing. they also have awesome beer towers for fairly cheap. awhile back, we got one of sapporo, we did the math and it holds 7 beers and after we payed it equalled out to about 3 bucks a pint, which is pretty good for sapporo.

so thats my word. ive never had a bad experience here, so i will keep going back. its cheap, its hip, and its always busy. its worth it. check it out!

Review - Surfrider Pizza Cafe

when people ask me about pizza, i tell them Newport Pizza is the bizzness. but that doesnt mean i wont try other places, especially if they are in Ocean Beach. so i never went to this place when it used to be Casanovas, mainly because anytime i went by there, it was closed. so it closed down and reopened as Surfrider Pizza Cafe. offereing pizza by the slice, whole pies, sandwiches, baked goods, and of course, smiles. a few of my comrades have praised this place so it was only a certain amount of time that i could put off going in. so memorial day i rolled over there with Adam The Giant and i wanted to take advantage of their lunch special, which is two slices of any pie and a 16oz fountain drink for 6 bucks. its a pretty damn good deal honestly, so i figured i couldnt be let down. walking in you are greeted with a fatties wet dream

all baked in house, or so im told. so upon perusal of all the pies in the case i decided upon a slice of the Signature "Surfrider Pizza"(right), and a slice of the Roasted Chicken Barbeque(left).

the surfrider consists of roasted garlic, white sauce, gorgonzola, tomatoes and basil. then the BBQ Chicken consists of roasted chicken, gorgonzola, bbq sauce, red onion, and cilantro. so heres the thing, i like my thin crust pizza to be crispy. thats how thin crust should be, if you dont want it crispy, dont get THIN crust. this thin crust wasnt very crispy. it was decent, but it was fairly chewy. so i feel like they tend to overwork their dough. the other thing that bothered me was the sparsity of the toppings. the bbq chicken had maybe 6 or 7 small pieces of chicken on it? and all the toppings were small. so if youre gonna not put alot of topping on something, at least make them bigger toppings. which they werent. over all it wasnt bad pizza, but im very critical when it comes to such things, due to the fact that pizza is very near to my heart and as a pizza cook for almost 3 years back home in the bay, id like to feel like i know a thing or two. now something about Adam The Giant is that he is going one year without eating pizza. so as he goes into Surfrider alot, he has established a relationship with its employees and because of that, they always make him a custom "wrap" everytime. he always requests that whoever makes it, make whatever they want to eat. on this occasion, they made him this.

gorgonzola, chicken, basil pesto, and avocado i believe. now it sounds decent, but damn. picking it up and having pesto oil basically tattoo your entire forearm was definatly a downside. it was just ok. after all that i decided to try the baked goods.

i got a Carrot Cake Cookie, and a Rasberry Cupcake. MEH. yea. i said it. meh. just, meh. they were ok. not the best cookie cupcake combo ive ever had. the cupcake was fairly dry and didnt seem to rise much. it was pretty dense. and the cookie was just ok. so, whatever. overall, it wasnt bad, but im highly critical, so take it how you will. i still prefer Newport Pizza until someone conquers them. but honestly for 6 bucks for two big slices and a soda with free refills, its a good deal, if youre in the area and dont feel like walking to newport.

Surfrider Pizza Cafe
2163 Abbott Street
San Diego, CA, 92107

www.surfriderpizzacafe.com

Review - Mardi Gras Cafe and Marketplace.

while i was home on vacation for the weekend, pops had recorded some show with Art Mann, ive never seen it or heard of it, but apparently he goes to allllll sorts of festivals and parties and shit all around the country and checks them out. so the episode i watched was a crawfish festival in louisiana. as i was watching it, i thought to myself, "is there and good crawfish in san diego???". i was determined to find out. when i got back to SD the other day, i hit yelp in search of that which i so desired. like usual, i found some little hole in the wall that i never would have been to. and lucky for me, it was 5 minutes down the street from my apartment! so with companion Adam in tow, we headed over there for lunch before our screening of Thor at fashion valley. it seems to be a tiny little place judging by the store front, but when you walk in, its surprisingly large. old creole lady working behind the counter making peoples food. few people finishing up their meals sittin at the plastic tables. adam had already decided on the Muffaletta sandwich(8.99 regular, 12.99 large)

muffaletta is a new orleans sandwich based on the large sesame-focaccia style loaf that is used. it typically has an olive relish, ham, salami, capicola, pepperoni, emmantaler, and provolone. i believe this one only had a few of those meats. it was good though. the flavors were all good, it wasnt soggy because of the relish, and the bread wasnt stale or anything. it wasnt the most amazing sandwich ive ever had, but it was good, and HUGE!. now i had already decided upon a crawfish po boy for myself (9.99), but when i ordered it, and she started making it, she informed me she didnt have enough crawfish for a whole sandwich. i though that was a little odd, but i figured it was because she just sold all the crawfish because hey, maybe this place is actually popular? i dont know. but i decided to have half crawfish and half oyster. so this is what i ended up with.

the crawfish were good, they were crispy. not over fried. the sesame roll was toasted. under each fried portion, there was tomatoes and a slam dressed out with a yummy mayonaise based dressing.

the oysters were huge, they were like 3 bites each. once again, fried nicely, not over done. same slaw tomato party that was on the other half. i ate most of the sandwich, but it was pretty big. i saw her pulling the oysters and crawfish out of the freezer, but honestly doesnt bother me with a place like this. if they were some creole restaurant claiming to be fresh and all that jazz, i wouldnt be stoked at all. but they have been open for 23 years, so i guess they are doing it right haha. now onto the main attraction. the WALL OF FIRE!!!!

yes thats right. those are all different bottle of hot sauce. they have a huuuge selection to buy from. i actually found a bottle of one of my favorite sauces that i havent been able to find for the past year because its been on back-order. up on the counter they have a little tasting station for some of their hottest selections. and then on each of the tables, there is random half full bottles of different ones strewn about that you can use freely on your food.

so i enjoyed my lunch. ill be back for sure. it wasnt mindblowingly amazing, but it was good and its a different step from my usual sandwich routine. plus they have a large menu with lots of other options on it. also with the hot sauce options, if i dont like whatever i order, just douse that shit!!! hell yea. check it out!!


Mardi Gras Cafe and Marketplace
3185 Midway Drive
San Diego, CA, 92110

www.mardigrascafesandiego.com

Review - Tiny's Tavern

i like booze. i like food. i like going to bars that have both. luckily the closest bar to me in walking proximity is Tiny's Tavern, in Ocean Beach, San Diego, California, USA, The Planet Earth. Tiny's tavern is owned and operated by i small happy looking hawaiian man named, of course, Tiny. not sure on the back story of how or when he came here and opened his bar, but i am glad that it is here now. the bar itself serves only beer and wine, but has a small kitchen attatched to it that has a fairly large menu, including may hawaiian treats! theres an outdoor patio with many tvs and a foosball table, and inside there is 3 pool tables a shuffleboard table and a few coin operated golf games, you know the kind...there is a rack to hang your hat and everyones got a smile on their face, and 90% of the time if you stop in you will see tiny sitting at the bar himself drinking and socializing. BUT...this is a food blog afterall, and this will be about the food. ive eaten quite a few times but only snapped a few pics the last time i was there. they have lots of different kinds of sliders, burgers, sandies, fried apps, and standard mexican fare, as well as a hawaiian specialty area. i have had their original sliders, the veggie sliders, and the BBQ kalua pig sliders. they have all been pretty tasty and are quite filling. on this latest semi-buzzed not really hungry but food sounds soooooo good adventure, i over ordered thinking my companion jeff would help me eat, but he did not. so i stuffed my fat ass with this. i ordered the kalua pig burrito (7.95):

which features black beans, spnish rice, pico de gallo, white tomatillo sauce, lettuce, mixed cheese, and pulled pork. it was big. really big. and it was stuffed full of fixins, which is always a good thing. the kalua pig had really good flavor and was just slighty salty, which i kinda fancied, personally. it ate pretty good and everything in there appeared to be fairly fresh.

and then on a whim i also wanted somethin crunchy and cheesy to mack on so i also ordered the Philly Cheese Nachos (7.95):

which were pretty awesome. i love cheese sauce. its a weak point. its my kryptonite. put nacho cheese sauce on anything and ill eat it. except for penis. i dont want to eat penis. but these nachos had cheese sauce, grilled skirt steak, and roasted bell peppers and onions. it was like a nacho version of a philly cheese steak. what a lucky coincidence for them! unless they planned that. which im assuming they did...

...yea. so that what i ate there last time. their happy hour is all day monday and 2-7 all other days of the week. 6 dollar domestic pitchers so thats sweet. i regular this place, so if you say "hey travis, wanna go to tinys?" i will most likely say yes.

check it out!

Tiny's Tavern
4745 Voltare Street
San Diego, CA, 92107

Review - Tommy's Tex Mex

oh wow, another taco shop review?!!?!?!LOLZ OMGZ ROLFCOPTORZ!!!1!!1 i like mexican food, okay? it wont be the last one i write about either. anywho. ok, so living in OB for almost 3 years now, i would have thought to have tried this place before. its cheap, fresh, and within walking distance. so why did it take this long?! probably because they close at like 8 or 9 or something really early. possibly. POINT BEING, here i was, allison in tow, ready to nosh out of some of their famous (or so ive heard) flour tortillas. made with 100% vegetable oil, as they proudly proclaim. which is cool, if i want my fatty lard ass tortillas ill head down to las cuatro milpas. but i alread did their post, so nevermind that. its a very small place over by the dominoes on voltare, about a half a block up from the cat lounge. so ive always seen it, but never bothered. we get in there and ther was 3 people waiting for their food, one guy cooking and one guy working the register. theres a few tables out front and a few squeezed inside the little hole in the wall. i ordered the cali burrito, as i usually do, and allison ordered herself...wait for it...a veggie burrito! who'da thunk it?! i got a glass bottle mexican coke and she had a bottled water, i think my burrito was about 6 bucks and hers around 5.

our food took about ten minutes, which is fine, mainly due to the fact that they arent just hashing shit out. everything is cooked to order, fresh, and seemingly well put together. the only bad thing was that in those ten minutes i fought the urge to down my whole coke before my burrito even was dropped. i was able to salvage half of it.

heres what my cali looked like on the inside. gooey, meaty, cheesy, tasty. they tortillas they make in house every day are soft, toasted nicely on the grill, yet fairly think. which i cant say is a bad things. they have a little bite to them, which is nice. like a nice al dente pasta dish. the carne asada was very flavorful and everything in it was seasoned well. it has potatoes, peppers, cheese, guac, cheddar cheese and i believe a thicker salsa in there. it was tasty, i really enjoyed it. but. it was big. haha.

 that is the remaining burrito that i couldnt finish. so i pulled it open so i could get a picture of how full of goodness it actually was. it was like a pinata of burrito stuffings. flowing to the brim. not greasy either! nicely done. allisons veggie burrito, which looked like this:

was the vegetarian equivalent of my burrito. jam packed with all the fixins. guac, cheese, rice, beans, sour cream, more cheese, lettuce. and it all tasted good. she got mad at me becase the two bites i took of hers were filled with guacamole. thats her favorite part apparently. but then i was all like "shut up, i payed for it, ho!" and shit was tight. so anyway, being a salsa/hot sauce freak, i was happy with the options they have at their self serve salsa bar.

top left was a fairly sweet pepper sauce, which was really nice. top right, the really red one was your general red sauce, but it was nicely balance with heat and flavor. the bottom left was their version of pico de gallo. it was fresh, mild, and refreshing. then of course bottom left, was my favorite. it was essentially cilantro jalapeno water. it was super thin, super green, and super awesome fun time! i poured that shit all over my burrito and it was delish. i love cilantro so i was pretty stoked on that one. i could probably had drank that if i hadnt of rationed off the rest of my sugary mexican coke. but oh well. it was good.

i suggest you stop by this place, the menu it extensive and everything is very nicely priced. and by nicely priced i mean cheap as balls. they also sell their house made flour tortillas in singles, or in batches of dozens. they also make them in different flavors, i believe they had sun dried tomato, jalapeno, and one other flavor, i dont recall. so check it out! get out there and try some new shit folks.


Tommy's Tex Mex
4145 Voltare Street
San Diego, Ca, 92107

Taco Shop Tastings

i love tacos. burritos. quesadillas. obviously. so im always eating them. but i gotta try new places and check shit out. so heres a couple places ive done.

first off is my usual spot cuz its right down the block from my house. its Roberto's. everyone has a Roberto's near where they live, cuz its all over the place. its fairly decent. prices are good, and honestly it just gets the job done. usually i tend to go with a California Burrito, and a cheese quesadilla. i typically like their cali burrs because they use crispy shoestring potatoes, which is key IMO. i like the crunch it adds, soggy potaoes in a cali can ruin ones buzz. but on this night i decided to get a number 4, or 5 or 6, i dont remember what number it was but whatever. it was a chicken taco, chicken burrito, rice and beans. the taco was good,  the shell was crispy, not stale. he chicken was moist in both burrito and taco, flavored fairly well, toppings on both were generous. the rice and beans were run-of-the-mill. but what are ya gonna do?

overall after my large horchata, i think it was like 7 bucks, which is chill. i will always go to robertos because its right there, its fast, its cheap, and it gets the job done!

Roberto's Taco Shop
4770 Voltaire St.
San Diego, 92107


NEXT! i wanted something different, so i decided to give another shot at Adalberto's in point loma on rosecrans. i went there probably 3 years ago because all the Nazbo's said it was the place to go. that they have the best cali burritos. i checked it out, it wasnt good. when i ate it then the main problem i had with it was that there was far too much tortilla. hopefully that was just a fluke. i hadnt been since that time, so i figured 3 years later, maybe they dont have 12 foot tortillas for an 8 inch burrito.

WRONG!.......WRONG WRONG WRONG. see all that tortilla bunched up on the top left corner of the burrito? that amount of tortilla follows the burr allllllll the way down. chewy, dry, gross. what else was wrong? oh...just these soggy french fries. which pissed me off more than usual due to the fact that it is advertised as having "home fries" in it. which i interperated as diced crispy potatoes, ya know, home fries? seems they mean its more like when someone who doesnt know how to make crispy french fries, makes them at home. soggy, and stupid. its a pity that these two strikes were such big ones because the other fillings had good flavor and the carne asade was nice. oh well. tough break nigga, theres always FUBU. well that wasnt my only order. i also got a carnitas taco. it looked like this:

looks like a taco bell taco that got chewed up by a rabid corgi, huh? well it sure tasted like it. i could really taste the corgi in this one too...it was greasy, lukewarm, and bland. so much so on the grease-front that as i tried to take a picture with it, the grease from the wrapper made me drop my camera....as it was taking the picture.

D'OH! anywho. allison was all like "get me a potato taco, bitch!" and i was all like, please dont yell at me. so i got her a 'tater taco. it wasnt anything to write home about either. lukewarm, soggy pot's. get out of here!

possibly the only high point of the meal was that they actually have free chips and salsa. a rarity these days that i can appreciate.

 oh well. maybe ill try again in another 3 years. or when i need new sheets for my bed ill go pick up a few 'tillers. heres the 411 if you actually care to try.

Adalberto's Taco Shop
1868 Rosecranse st.
San Diego, 92106