*puts on sweater, old lady glasses and white wig*

Picture it: San Diego, 1998.  Two young college chums arrive in a new city after 10 days on the road from Florida.  Not knowing a soul and without a dime between us, Aimee and I stayed with the only person we knew in California (a former student of Aimee’s) who lived in the San Diego beach community of Pacific Beach, or “PB” as the locals call it.  Its got a personality all it’s own and while PB is not my favorite place in the city, I will always reflect fondly on it as the first place in San Diego that I called home.  PB is also the location of this weeks challenge, Fat Sal’s.

The deli was the vision of 3 New York guys: Sal (The aforementioned Fat one), Jerry (The guy from HBO’s Entourage) and Josh (The guy with no easy description).  They wanted to bring over-the-top food to the masses.  With 4 locations (2 in Los Angeles, One in Texas and I forget where the other one is…), oddly enough none of them are in New York.  With the promise of such over-the-top food, I needed over the top company, that’s why I brought these folks with me:

Aimee-Roommate since the 90’s, BFF, allergic to hot dogs and therefore labeled a commie by many

Chris-Attorney, lifelong food snob, loves good Scotch and gay jeans

Dylan-The newest addition, the 2014 model.  A Kate & Joe production.

Joe-Theatre and beer enthusiast, podcast co-host, Co-Creator of World’s Cutest Baby

Joe “Bish”-Computer wunderkind, Husband of Kate, a tall drink of water

Kate-Costume designer, Comedian, Once starred in a church rap video

Lily-World’s Cutest Baby (a Joe & Nicole production)

Nicole-Stage Manager, Cupcake diva, Co-Creator of World’s Cutest Baby

Sebastian-The coolest kid in Kindergarten.  A Kate & Joe production.

We’re eatin’ sandwiches ovah here.

Joe ordered the “Fat Anthony” (Chicken fingers, mozzarella sticks, fries, marinara sauce, ham, genoa salami, pepperoni, shredded lettuce and tomato) minus peppers and vinaigrette.  The sandwich was not as big as Joe was expected, but still a very appropriate size.  The chicken, fries and cheese seemed to get lost in the fold and it was closer to a cold cut sandwich.   Nicole had the Tenacious Turkey (Oven gold turkey, melted provolone, lettuce, tomato, balsamic vinaigrette and basil) minus roasted red peppers.  She thought the sandwich was splendid, with the vinaigrette & the basil being standouts.  Even though her sandwich was also smaller than expected, she felt it was satisfying.  Nicole had a side of seasoned fries, which she dubbed spicy but delicious.  Lily did not have a sandwich as her parents have refused to let her eat food that is more than half her size until she’s older.

Chris ordered the Phenomenal Philly Cheesesteak (Thinly sliced rib eye, yellow American cheese, and grilled onions).  He said it was not the greatest Cheesesteak he’s had in the city.  Chris was yet another person who felt the sandwich would be bigger, going so far as to suggest it’s a bit pricey for what you get.  He felt that this place would be an amazing stop after a night of drinking (which is why it’s one of the only places in PB open til 3am)  Aimee ordered the “Fat Jerry” (Cheesesteak, chicken fingers, bacon, fried egg, fries, mayo, ketchup, salt and pepper) minus the mozzarella sticks.  She was also expecting a larger sandwich and felt it was overpriced.  She felt the sandwich had so much going on flavor-wise that after the 1st two bites, she felt there was no taste difference in any of the components.  The ingredients seemed to cancel each other out.  She also gave positive notes to the seasoned fries.  Aimee also ordered the #5 milkshake (Vanilla ice cream, a slice of NY cheesecake, strawberries and graham cracker crumbs).  She felt it was over priced but decent.  I, on the other hand, loved this milkshake.  Definitely coming back for that one.

Joe Bish had the “Fat Buffalo” (Chicken fingers, mozzarella sticks, melted cheddar, fries, Buffalo hot sauce & blue cheese dressing).  He really enjoyed the Buffalo sauce.  The sandwich was also a hit with Joe, with him calling it the “Frat Boy Bro” version of a California Burrito.   Kate ordered the “Fat Banh Mi-Ki” (Soy marinted steak, pickled vegetables, Szechuan slaw, onion rings, tomato, jalapenos, cinlantro, Teriyaki glaze, sriracha, & mayo).  She felt the sandwich was good, if a bit over sauced and could do with more vegetables.  Her side of a fries were cold and a bit stale.  She also ordered the special shake feature, The Butterscotch, fudge brownie, walnut.  She felt it was lacking butterscotch but the brownie was delicious.  Sebastian worked on some chicken tenders, which he enjoyed about as much a 5-year-old enjoys anything involving eating dinner.  Joe and Kate gave positive second opinions.  Dylan had “The Kate” (Kate’s left boob, available for a limited time), which seemed to do the job.

I ordered the “Fat Buffalo” as well.  I found the sandwich to be (much like everyone else’s assessment) smaller than promised but I really enjoyed it.  The flavors were on point.  The chicken was good, the sandwich was hearty.  I agree with Chris that this is prime drunk food but I was also impressed with the sandwich while sober.  I would come back.

At last, a decent late night sandwich option that isn’t Denny’s or wrestling roadkill away from a homeless person.

I also ordered the #1 milkshake (Chocolate Ice Cream, Peanut Butter, Marshmallow Fluff, Roasted Peanuts & Sea Salt).  While the shake was good, I wouldn’t say it was $6.50 good.  Tasty to be sure but nothing Earth shattering.  Overall a great dinner.

They tout the fact that their shakes are so thick, you won’t need a straw. Clearly, Fat Sal’s wildly underestimated my ability to suck! Oh, stop it. You know what I mean.

Closing thoughts from the group were mixed.  Chris felt he was “far too sober to be here” as a Fat Sal’s sandwich might seem like an oasis in the desert after a night of binge drinking (which is VERY easy to do in PB).  Aimee was underwhelmed with the size of the food and the value.  Kate pointed out that there is only one bathroom in the place and it had no changing table.  I imagine that must be bothersome for the many parents bringing their infants with loaded diapers into Fat Sal’s at 2am.  Joking but that’s a serious practical note.  I would like to add that we had no problem being seated for the time that we were there and early dinner time seemed to be pretty kid-friendly.

As for me, I really liked it.  I would absolutely come back and am eager to enjoy another Fat Buffalo before or after a trip to the beach.

Further reading: http://www.fatsalsdeli.com/Default.aspx

To see all of the pictures from this week’s restaurant, be sure to follow The Boy who ate San Diego on Instagram!

These days you can pretty much find a new restaurant cropping up on every corner in San Diego.  While it’s always fun to play with the new toy, there’s also a ton of classic eateries that have been here since forever.  This week’s challenge is one of those places.  Family House of Pancakes dates back to 1964 and is pretty much an institution for anyone who grew up in the Southern San Diego neighborhoods of National City or Chula Vista.  In an effort to side step any nostaligic bias, I brought with me 5 San Diego transplants and a girl from Santee.

Abby-Swim instructor, Disneyland buddy, Stresses about making food for my other food-savvy friends

Aimee-Roommate since the 90’s, BFF, allergic to hot dogs and therefore labeled a commie by many

Amy B-Vegetarian Belle, Author, Event Planner

Amy J-Rocky Horror performer, Michigan football loyalist, a common floozy

Joe-Theatre and beer enthusiast, podcast co-host, Co-Creator of World’s Cutest Baby

Lily-World’s Cutest Baby (a Joe & Nicole production)

Nicole-Stage Manager, Cupcake diva, Co-Creator of World’s Cutest Baby

We were comforted by the comfort of comfort food. It was all very comfortable.

This place instantly reminded me of every family restaurant my parents ever took me to when I was growing up in Rhode Island in the 70’s.  Wall-to-wall wood paneling, hotel art on the walls, giant booths, coffee urn on the tables, a sweet waitress who you could tell had worked there for a minute.  Hopefully the food would be as good as I remember from this place I’d never set foot in before right now.  The stakes, they were high.

Aimee had Chicken Fried Steak  with grits and a side of pancakes.  She liked her steak a lot and praised the really good gravy, which was peppery with big chunks of sausage.   She also approved of the grits and said her pancakes were awesome.  Abby ordered the Southern Style Eggs Benedict with a side of sausage and an orange guava juice.   She ordered her eggs medium but they came out hard.  She also felt the gravy didn’t really compliment the sausage patty and there biscuits weren’t that great.  The bright spot of her meal, however, was the grilled tomatoes with breading.  Great concept and flavor.  I tried them and they were pretty damn good.

Imagine a pork chop and a tomato had a baby. and then we ate the baby. and it was delicious.

Joe had the Bacon Breakfast Burrito with home style potatoes and cheese.  The burrito was “so effing huge” it defeated him.  It had lots of bacon and was very good.  Here’s hoping Joe’s next battle with his breakfast will work out in his favor.  Nicole ordered the Biscuits and Gravy with a side of potatoes and scrambled eggs.  While she very much enjoyed the sausage, she said the biscuits and gravy failed to impress.  Lily had Banana, potatoes and egg because she is a baby.  Also her 3rd attempt to steal Joe’s bacon turned physical.  The little lady is a biter.

Amy J had the Pecan Belgium Waffle with an over-easy egg & potatoes.  She was a big fan of this dish.  She said it was really well flavored with LOTS of pecans.  The potatoes met with her expectation (the accompanying salsa was a nice touch).  She mentioned that she ordered her eggs over medium with the thought of dipping her waffles in it but the waffle was so flavorful, she didn’t need to.  Amy B ordered the Banana Pecan Waffle.  She loved the fact that pecans were included in the waffle batter.  Next time she will order extra whipped cream (Her prediction, not mine.  That would be weird.)  The portions were also huge.

I was happy to see my favorite breakfast thing ever on the menu; Strawberry Belgian Waffle.  It’s hardly unique but it’s something I love and this whole place had me feeling nostalgic so I went for it.  First off, they COVERED the damn thing in whipped cream and for me, that’s pretty much the best way to consume anything served with whipped cream.  The waffle itself was really great.  It was soft, mildly sweet and really fresh.  The only not-so-awesome note for me on this dish was the strawberries.  They were not fresh and slathered in sugary goo.  I know this is pretty standard but I prefer less glaze with my strawberries.  Aside from that, the whole dish was really tasty.  The side of bacon and eggs were top notch.

CREEEEEEAAAAAMMM. Sha-boogie-bop.

So overall, I have to say I don’t have a hard time understanding why Family House of Pancakes has been a staple in San Diego for so long.  The place had charm for days, the staff was nice, I never saw the bottom of my coffee cup & the food was inexpensive and tasty.  I look forward to going back.

Further reading: http://familyhouseofpancakes.com/

To see all the pictures from this week’s restaurant, be sure to follow The Boy who ate San Diego on Instagram