San Diego Home Cooking - Mission Valley Cafe

If you live in San Diego County and watch TV, you've probably seen a commercial for San Diego Home Cooking.  I'd never been to any of their 5 restaurants before.  A big reason for not having gone before is that until this past Summer, they had no locations in the city of San Diego, just East and North counties.  Within the past year they have opened the Mission Valley Cafe, so we went to try it out.

I was a bit weary of the location, since it is so close to Hotel Circle.  I have sometimes been disappointed by restaurants in the area, but this is a place that would easily do well without tourist traffic as their other locations have.

When we first walked in, it looked nothing like I had expected.  From the front, it looks just like any coffee shop, but as you reach the entrance which is on the side of the building, you see a good sized covered patio seating area.  While I usually prefer to sit outside if it's available, today was chilly and the covered area was too cold.  The entry looked a bit more like a hotel or apartment building foyer than a comfort food restaurant, with faux aged copper tiles on the floor and a large round mirror flanked with over-sized vases.  We sat in the lounge, which has a bar but is primarily arranged for dining.  All the tables in the lounge are bar-height which I don't normally find comfortable, but one side of the table had a bench which I got used to rather quickly, once I jumped up into it.

The bar is surprisingly large and well stocked.  They offer a number of different versions of Mimosas which I had never seen before.  I tried the "Color Me Red" Mimosa with cranberry juice and my roommate had the "Pink Lady" Mimosa with grapefruit juice and grenadine.  They were both very good.  Although it wasn't on the menu, I thought I overheard someone behind the bar telling some other customers about the drinks and I heard peach.  If that's a Mimosa I'm definitely trying it next time.

I had the Portugese sausage (linguica) and eggs.  It came with a choice of has browns, home cut fries, fresh fruit or cottage cheese and a choice of bread, biscuit & gravy, English muffin or pancakes.  After confirming with the waitress that there would be no cantaloupe in my fresh fruit, I got that and the pancakes.  My roommate ordered the meatloaf sandwich which was served open-face, covered in gravy, with mashed potatoes and hot vegetables.

The portions are ample and the food is good.  The linguica was cooked perfectly; split in half and grilled.  There were grill marks and the skin was crisp.  The pancakes were fluffy and sweet and not too big so I didn't waste too much.  The fruit was fresh, but mostly grapes with just 2 slices of strawberry.  My only gripe was the eggs.  I like my eggs cooked medium but most places get it wrong and this was no exception.  While they weren't the runniest eggs I've ever had, they were definitely runnier than I like.

I tasted the meatloaf, which I don't normally care too much for and didn't care for it, but my roommate loves meatloaf.  Their meatloaf tasted like it had peppers in it, which I really don't like and have never tasted in any other meatloaf.  The portion was huge, with 3 thick slices of meatloaf, no skimping on the gravy.  The potatoes tasted home made with a hint of sour cream and a bit of parsley, but they were a little loose.  When I took a taste some of it fell off my fork in a drop, not a plop.

I am looking forward to going there again, and as my roommate said "maybe we can add this to our Sunday breakfast rotation".  The menu has a lot of variety so there should never be a problem finding something good.  While not fancy, this place is more than just a coffee shop.

Main complaint?  Although I usually enjoy dining on a patio, their patio faces the parking lot.  The only people you'll get to watch are those coming to and leaving the restaurant and the area the restaurant is in doesn't provide any enjoyable scenery.  Perhaps if they enclosed the patio and added plants it would be better.

Review - Lido's Italian Foods

Good, inexpensive comfort food...Lido's Italian Foods

When I walk into Lido’s it’s like I’m walking into childhood memories. It’s like a mixture of places I remember going to dinner and homes of relatives I haven’t seen in years. The décor doesn’t seem to have changed since the 70s. There’s nothing about this place that doesn’t scream family, with the exception of the bar which is small and closed off from the main restaurant. The main dining room is full of booths and most of the people sitting in them are with family. You’ll almost always see at least one group of people dining there who are chatting with the owner’s daughter. So many of the diners here are regulars. There’s another dining room behind accordion room dividers that has tables and chairs and often is filled with large groups. The food is simple and good. In addition to traditional Italian American dishes like pasta and pizza, they offer barbecue and steaks as well as a couple of seafood items.

What do I get?

I always get the Chicken a la Florentine. You can order half a chicken or a whole chicken for just $5 more. The chicken is great. It’s full of spices and lemon juice and is always cooked just right. They even give out the recipe for this dish both posted on a wall in the restaurant and on their website. The dinner comes with soup and salad. The soup is always minestrone and their salad always comes with the house dressing. You also get garlic bread and a side of pasta or fries. I get the pasta with olive oil and garlic. Definitely not date food. I usually only eat one piece of chicken and a bite of pasta before boxing it up to take home for 3 or 4 meals.

What's cool?

Nothing. This place is about as cool as your mother’s housecoat, but that’s what this place is all about, comfort food and family.

Rating...Good anytime. Be sure to bring Grandma when she visits from out of town.