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Josh "Garcon! Coffee!" M.'s Profile
Chains that don't suck
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1. Sammy's Woodfired Pizza and Grill
San Diego, CA 92108
(619) 298-8222
Categories:
Pizza,
Gluten-Free
Neighbourhood: Mission Valley
"I'm a fan, but."
I love their salads and their appetizers. Almost all their salads are (at least) good, though none of them are particularly unique anymore -- chicken with gorgonzola and pecans, chopped salads, thai salads, etc. Stuff everyone is…More »
2. Tin Fish Gaslamp
Tin Fish serves a great niche for the Gaslamp. Pretty much every crowd likes it, or at least, can agree on eating there. Very few restaurants downtown can cater simultaneously to the health-conscious folk who would prefer some lightly grilled fish…More »
3. Burger Lounge
A textbook example of successfully upscaling an American classic. The menu is focused on burgers and sides made from high-quality ingredients like the grass-fed beef and house-made sauces.
Better still, everything's served in big portions. The…More »
4. Yogurt World
San Diego, CA 92111
(858) 268-1688
Category:
Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
Neighbourhood: Kearny Mesa
It's usually true that the first place you try a new food that you like will always be your favorite version.
Certainly, this is the case for me and tart yogurt. I will accept that Pinkberry has a creamier mouthfeel at the expense of some tartness…More »
5. Stone Oven
The new hotness in the food court. On their separate merits, the various salads and the sandwich fillings (you know the drill: southwestern, asian, goat cheese, too many options with bacon, etc) would be three stars; on par with CBC, for example.
…More »
6. Corner Bakery Cafe
San Diego, CA 92108
(619) 692-0423
Categories:
Bakeries,
Sandwiches
Neighbourhood: Mission Valley
Good to great quick-service food, with favorites being in the breakfasts, salads, and sandwiches. I really enjoyed the brie & chicken stew, but it has sadly been discontinued. It did seem a bit rich for a counter place.
Even without it, you can…More »
7. Islands
Haven't been to an Islands in a long time, and was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food. For a chain burger place, it remains better than it needs to be.
For example: no matter when I've eaten here with friends, cheese fries are always…More »
8. Antique Row Cafe
The east-University Heights diner of record, no more or less. It offers the usual suspects -- decent breakfasts, less interesting but good lunch and dinner (dinner is not always available).
It's more crowded on weekends than it strictly merits --…More »
9. Yard House
Yardhouse has a nicely varied menu, with dinner standards from America to Asia. Better, much of it is prepared well enough. You'll like the food even more by making liberal use of their enormous beer selection.
Assuming, of course, you're only a…More »
10. King's Fish House
San Diego, CA 92108
(619) 574-1230
Category:
Seafood
Neighbourhood: Mission Valley
King's is good entry in the upscale seafood dinner-house chain competition. It'll provide the same basic menu, prepared to the exacting demands of folks who wouldn't be caught dead in a Joe's Crab Shack, Bubba Gump, or Red Lobster. You will be…More »
11. BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse
BJ's was a real go-to place for lunch, back when there was only one in town and deep-dish pizza in San Diego seemed to have died out with the Chicago Brothers (and doesn't that reference just date me).
Of course, in 2009 Chicago-style pizza is…More »
12. The Counter
Carlsbad, CA 92009
(760) 652-5480
Categories:
Burgers,
American (Traditional)
Neighbourhood: Carlsbad
After trying and enjoying the Irvine location, I was happy to see a local branch was on the "coming soon" section of their site. My previous experience had shown The Counter to be a well-polished outfit; a rare good burger chain.
I should've…More »
13. Jersey Mike's Subs
San Diego, CA 92108
(619) 291-1122
Categories:
Sandwiches,
Cheesesteaks
Neighbourhood: Mission Valley
Jersey Mike's has instantly upgraded the stripmall it lives in.
This is a good chain for Italian-style deli sandwiches, available in small, regular, and monster (i.e., a full roll). The bread is decent, the meats are cut fresh, and they focus…More »
14. RA Sushi Bar Restaurant
San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 321-0021
Categories:
Sushi Bars,
Japanese
Neighbourhood: Gaslamp
Ra was a pleasant surprise. Their food is Gaslamp-average; it doesn't taste quite as good as you think it should, given the location and hipster pandering look of the place. The service is adequate.
Average, adequate... pleasant surprise?
Yes,…More »
15. Les 3 Brasseurs
Montréal, QC H3B 1B9
Canada
(514) 788-6333
Categories:
French,
Brasseries,
Gastropubs
Having driven the long jag from southern Maine to Montreal, I checked into my hotel and was pretty much dead on my feet, and several nearby eateries had already closed for the evening.
Luckily, my hotel was around the corner from this. The menus are…More »
16. LION Coffee
San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 299-5466
Categories:
Coffee & Tea,
Breakfast & Brunch
Neighbourhood: East Village
I used to semi-frequent the mission valley location, but now that it's dead the downtown Lion is the closest. I've only ever ordered coffee and snack pastry, which are both fine -- especially when you're jonesing for more Kona flavor than the…More »
17. Luna Grill
San Diego, CA 92108
(619) 516-5862
Category:
Mediterranean
Neighbourhood: Mission Valley
Walking in here, my first thought was: Daphne's is apparently much more profitable than I'd guessed. If Daphne's is the Panda Express of Mediterranean food, Luna is angling to be the Pei Wei.
The place is new, clean, and chain-y, with flatscreen…More »
18. Maria Maria - CLOSED
San Diego, CA 92108
(619) 574-6800
Categories:
Mexican,
Music Venues
Neighbourhood: Mission Valley
As we walked in, the first impression I received was that Prego owned a ton of space, much larger than I noticed from the outside. Quick on its heels was my second: a wave of deja vu for lunch eaten at Frida, so similar is the decor here. The great…More »
19. Five Guys Burgers and Fries
San Diego, CA 92106
(619) 223-1679
I didn't even know there was a Five Guys in town. We stopped in on saturday for a post-party snack. While everyone else went into the burgers, I accompanied my fries (cajun, crisp-fried in peanut oil and served in a cup; reminded me of Boardwalk…More »
20. Cheba Hut
Very collegiate, this place. The beach-y dining area looks like it's on-campus, mural walls and alternative weekly-type literature standing by for your entertainment. The counter service is beyond laid-back.
The menu is named imaginatively enough…More »
21. Roy's Restaurant
San Diego, CA 92122
(858) 455-1616
Categories:
Asian Fusion,
Hawaiian
Neighbourhood: University City
We had dinner at Roy's to cash in a gift card. The gift card went missing, but we stayed anyway. I've been to Roy's a couple of times in the distant past, but I couldn't recall much of anything from the previous visits, so it was a clean slate.
Our…More »
22. Snooze
San Diego, CA 92103
(619) 500-3344
Category:
Breakfast & Brunch
Neighbourhood: Hillcrest
One of the first things your server will tell you is that the menu is more of a list of suggestions rather than set in stone. Aside from a couple of dishes that can't be readily mixed and matched (breakfast burrito and pot pie, if memory serves),…More »
Recently updated lists from Josh M.
My Neighborhood (13)Favorites I can walk to! |
Top Restaurants (1)Some of my favorite dining destinations in the city. |
Anything but steak (6)Steakhouse reviews, minus steaks. |
The Chilaquiles Hunter (47)The breakfast that's simple and exotic, chilaquiles.As the list expands, I've seen that there are three basic kinds of chilaquiles: traditional, upscale, and approximate. I strongly prefer the first two. |
On the Road (17)Spots visited while traveling. |
Three and a half stars (17)Better than most threes, but not a four. |
Respectable Taps (13)Quality, not quantity, on draft. |
The Hall of Meh (24)Honoring the difficulty of the two-star review, because it's hard to write about places that can't leave a noteworthy impression.Like a movie you forget you saw on cable in 1998, these are places you forgot you went to. Last week. |
Near SDSU (8)Grub on and around SDSU |
Good local sandwiches (14)Alternatives to those franchises with the "fresh" "baked" "bread." |
See all 14 lists »
"A bunch of stuff that happened."
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San Diego, CA
Yelping SinceJuly 2007
Things I Lovebalboa park, beaches, coffee, craft beer, current events, football, giant robots, late nights, learning, mockery, movies, political science, reading, road trips, stoicism, sushi, taco shops
Find Me InSan Diego
My HometownSan Diego
When I'm Not Yelping...I'm studying a number of esoteric disciplines.
Why You Should Read My ReviewsYou have something better to do?
My Second Favourite Website The Last Great Book I ReadWhat the Dog Saw
My First ConcertNIN @ Montezuma Hall (actually, some awful, forgotten coffeehaus band in 1992)
My Favourite MovieDepends on my mood
My Last Meal On EarthThe way things are going, probably a mangosteen.
Don't Tell Anyone Else But...I'm all bark.
Most Recent DiscoveryMignonette sauce
Current CrushThat new girl in homeroom.