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| Photos of celebrities who have dined at DZ Akins |
Editor's Note: Due to a family member's illness, the East County Eater has been eating mostly hospital food for the past month. So guest columnist Denise Di Mascio fills the Eater's shoes this month with a review of a local favorite.
DZ Akins
6930 Alvarado Rd
San Diego, CA 92120
(619) 265-0218
www.DZakinsdeli.com
By Denise Di Mascio
March 1, 2009 (La Mesa) — I spent over twenty years in San Diego before moving away in 1992. I can't even count how many times I drove on Highway 8 and saw the big red sign inviting passersby into DZ Akins. But it was not until a recent return visit to this wonderful city that I decided to go in and see what this DZ Akins was all about. What a treat my visit proved to be! My husband and I were lucky enough to find a nearby parking space and entered the restaurant. We looked at each other and wondered, "Where we should go first? The gift shop? The bakery that looks and smells fabulous, or should we just go ahead and get a table?" We chose option three. Our kind host explained the menuand invited any questions we might have. He then told us what seemed to be the most amazing thing – he had tried everything on the menu. One look at the menu, and you will realize that this was an incredible feat. We think one could eat at DZs three meals a day, for about a year, with NO repeats. "Wow" is the only comment that came to mind, other than wondering if this gentlemen had ever eaten anywhere else.
The DZ Akins experience is in a class unto itself. When I read the menu, I was a bit frightened. What if I choose wrong? What if the server gives me that lookas if to say ,"Oh boy--I can't believe you ordered THAT?" I knew it was going to take me longer to decide than to finish my meal. The first thing that caught my eye was the Leitner. Too much food for me to handle. But I remember Ted Leitner, the sportscaster who boasted about "my Padres." Now I wondered if this experience would be one I remembered as being from "his restaurant" or one that I would now be able to affectionately call as being from "my restaurant." Hmmm--this was going to be an adventure.
To maximize the chances of success for this becoming "my restaurant", my husband and I decided to try two different meal selections. I went for breakfast: corned beef hash and eggs. He opted for one of the sandwiches that could not be found elsewhere, the #8, a turkey, pastrami and corned beef. Whew, I thought, the hard part is over. Now I can just sit back and enjoy the dill pickles in a jar on our table. Then--our meal came. Oh my, it was starting all over again--the question of "Where do I begin?" My breakfast looked and smelled fantastic. My husband's sandwich: indescribable. It was at this point I was wondering if we should have stopped off and invited a local Little League team to help us eat this meal. Unfortunately we did not and it was up to us. What we could finish was absolutely perfect, with healthy portions of each element of the meal. My husband and I each ate as much as we could, but neither of us could completely knock it out. This was somewhat regrettable, but there was also a sense of anticipation; we looked at each other and rejoiced in the fact there would be more for later!
We packed up our extras in a to-go box, and went on our way. I did remember to wave at Mr. Leitner's photo on my way out, acknowledging that this was now "my restaurant," too. On our way out of town, we packed up our DZ Akins leftovers and our one-year-old Labrador. Not unexpectedly, we ran into some traffic on Highway 5 through Oceanside and had to hit the brakes rather rapidly. Oops. There went the breakfast onto the back seat floor. Oops. There went the Labrador--who enjoyed my breakfast just as much as I did. Luckily, the three of us were able to all later enjoy the rest of the sandwich. It just goes to show: everyone loves DZ's! It is has affectionately become "our restaurant" and we will make it a point to revisit it as often as we can.
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