December 8, 2023 (La Mesa) - As a Texas BBQ aficionado, I've been anxious to try the newly-opened Papalo Sonoran-Style BBQ in La Mesa Village. Chef Drew Bent has a legendary pedigree, most recently the founding chef behind San Diego's Michelin-recognized Lola 55 modern taqueria.
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August 26, 2022 (Santee) -- On the road and in Santee-Yesterday I returned to my favorite Thai restaurant. When I have Thai Cuisine, it has to be authentic, fresh and delicious. Thai Thai Restaurant is located at 10251-B, Mast Blvd; Santee. Phone: 619.335.3453. Thai Thai features dine-in and carry-out, offers reservations and has reasonable prices.
What I especially enjoy, too, is the friendliness of staff and willingness to explain or recommend any dish as there are many. I love curries and their yellow, red and green is a pleasant surprise. One month ago, they added a sushi bar to their operation and it looks very popular also. Thai beer is also on the menu.
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April 12, 2022 (Alpine) -- One of the greatest benefits of living in East County is to be able to enjoy our wide open and natural spaces. The best thing to come out of the pandemic is the move of restaurants to open outdoor eating and drinking areas.
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March 6, 2022 (Julian) -- If you live in San Diego, then you have probably enjoyed a country drive to the charming mountain town of Julian and perhaps stopped to have lunch at what used to be the Lake Cuyamaca Restaurant overlooking the lake. It’s now under new ownership and has been fully renovated, reopened as the Pub at Lake Cuyamaca.
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January 10, 2022 (El Cajon) -- It seems that everywhere you look in East County, there is another culinary delight to discover. If you favor the flavors of the Far East, you must visit Busy B Thai Café, 330 Magnolia Ave, in El Cajon.
I spent my childhood growing up in Bangkok, Thailand, when my family was stationed there in the ‘60s, so I have a long-standing appreciation for Thai food and culture.
Visiting Busy B Thai Café is like slipping into a small piece of Bangkok, right in the middle of El Cajon. This charming and cozy restaurant is decorated with images and artifacts reflecting both the rich culture and religion of Thailand.
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Photos by Henri Migala, Miriam Raftery and Sammy’s
November 27, 2021 (La Mesa) -- Having been reviewing restaurants in East County for nearly two years now I have been reporting that East County has become the new gastronomic center of San Diego.
Nowhere is this more evident than the recently renovated Sammy’s Food + Wine in La Mesa. With a full and varied menu that reflects the international background of founder Sammy Ladeki and the rich multicultural nature of our eclectic East County community, Sammy’s offers something for everyone.
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October 26, 2021 (La Mesa) -- East County is quickly becoming the new go-to place in San Diego for the best BBQ in town. One of the most delicious is West Coast Smoke and Tap House in La Mesa, where new owners defied all odds by taking over amid the pandemic and serving up the restaurant’s most successful year ever.
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August 23, 2020 (La Mesa) - After being closed for several months, BO-beau in La Mesa has re-opened with reconfigured sitting areas that not only conform to mandated social distancing guidelines, but in an elegant way actually enhances the sense of intimacy for diners and patrons.
A member of the Cohen restaurant group, BO-beau is located in the historic downtown village in La Mesa. The website describes the restaurant as where “Bohemian-chic meets industrial elegance.” That is probably an accurate description when all sections of the restaurant are open, but with only the outdoor seating areas being available, the full experience of ‘Bohemian-chic and industrial elegance’ is replaced more by a comfortable, delightful and stylish experience of open-air garden dining.
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March 4, 2017 (La Mesa) – I come from a farming family, so I’ve looked forward to sampling the farm-to-table fresh cuisine at Farmer’s Table in La Mesa. The restaurant lives up to its pledge of “honest food done right” with locally grown, organic vegetables and an array of tasty dishes to savor.
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August 17, 2016 (La Mesa) - East County Magazine stopped by Sammy’s Woodfired Pizza (8555 Fletcher Pkwy, La Mesa) to have some lunch. I was pleasantly surprised to see that unlike most pizza places this restaurant has wide variety of foods and was really international--from soups, to tacos, all the way to, of course pizzas. I am pescatarian, so was definitely really happy to see that they have a lot of food options that are for vegetarians or vegans.
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June 20, 2016 (El Cajon) -- Are you out of ideas of what to cook for dinner? Does your palate crave something other than the ordinary salt and pepper fare that comes out of your kitchen? If you answered “yes” to at least one of the questions posed, then pack your appetite, flee your house, and head over to Sajj House (1255 Avocado Ave., El Cajon), a marvelous new Mediterranean style restaurant where you can savor the flavors of exotic spices.
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Update January 3, 2014: Five days after his heart surgery, which wound up being a quintuple bypass, we interviewed Leon in his hospital room. Hear for yourself how energetic he's feeling - and how he's already setting the pace for walking a mile a day around the recovery ward. This interview aired on our East County Magazine Show on KNSJ Radio: http://k007.kiwi6.com/hotlink/1x5gj5h5h7/Leon-HospitalInterviewPost-Surgery.mp3
Editor’s Note: We send warm wishes for a speedy recovery to Leon Thompson, our “East County Eater.” If you were at our holiday party, you'll recall Leon gleefully carving up the prime rib. Tomorrow, Leon is undergoing triple bypass surgery, or as he calls it, “the trifecta.” Undaunted, he asked us to post this message for our readers—including his witty review of hospital food, along with his New Year’s resolution for healthy dining—and a special request for our readers.
By Leon Thompson, a.k.a. the East County Eater
December 26, 2013 (La Mesa)--This is Leon Thompson, otherwise known as the East County Eater to readers of East County Magazine. Today I’m reporting from Sharp Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa. My lifetime of savoring great foods, along with a family history of coronary artery disease, has finally caught up with me. So I’ll be undergoing triple bypass surgery Friday morning—split down the middle like an oyster, with some fancy rerouting of my plumbing by the cardiac surgeon, and then I’ll be trussed up like a holiday turkey, with a few weeks to marinate before I’m back on the beat.
So by the time you hear this broadcast, hopefully I’ll have a healthy heart just in time for the New Year.
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December 10, 2013 (San Diego) -- The Bridges Bar/Grill/Bay at 4800 Art Way (off El Cajon Boulevard near 63rd Street) in the SDSU College area has it all. A spacious sports bar with upscale and delicious food, specialty drinks, great local brews and excellent wines, Bridges is the perfect place for the East County Eater, who expects something special when dining out.
Open for just over a year, Bridges is named for the seven bridges across the San Francisco Bay and delivers on the promise of Bay Area quality dining. The restaurant is so-named because owner/CEO Salvatore hails from San Francisco and most of the seafood recipes come from that region. Palma has a vision of an upscale and friendly sports bar with a menu reminiscent of the Bay Area. Bridges is just a few blocks from SDSU, but the atmosphere is 500 miles away to the north where great dining, seafood and sports combine for an upscale metropolitan experience.
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December 10, 2013 (Santee) -- The Santee Chamber of Commerce hosted its 26th annual Taste of Santee at Union Bank on December 5. The place was packed for this popular event, which was free for guests who brought a new toy or food item for Santee Santas.
Fifteen restaurants, breweries and wineries brought their best stuff. The food was delicious. Olive Garden brought its signature lasagna and salad with creamy Italian dressing. Pinnacle Peak came to let everyone know they are still around and intend to relocate in a year or so (following an impending land sale); they just may be the last genuine, mesquite grilled steak-house in town. The Manzanita Brewery unveiled its coffee brewed Ale. he brew had a hint of rich coffee bean flavor that made me think how natural it was to roast hops, barley and coffee beans together to make beer.
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May 13, 2013 (Rancho San Diego)--Another culinary prize has turned up in East County. Dolci Café Italiano is located next to Ralph’s in the Rancho San Diego Town and Country Shopping Center. At once, the place felt entirely familiar and also seemed rooted in family and history. It has the ambience of the Gaslamp District in Downtown San Diego—and for good reason. George Georges, the owner - also owns three restaurants in The Gaslamp. Chianti, La Fiesta and the Urban Bar & Grill.
George has been a restaurateur for 18 years. He describes Dolci Café Italiano as “Italian-Mediterranean food served bistro café-style...Everything is cooked-to-order, everything is custom, everything is fresh, everything is gourmet…Even the lasagna.”
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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
July 24, 2012 (El Cajon)--An abundance of my childhood memories are focused around food. One memory that stands out is sitting at a black and yellow booth, hot breadsticks in hand, at Pat and Oscars. This restaurant held memories of family dinners, or friendly lunches, so I was devastated when these restaurants closed. Now,with great joy I bring good news: the chain has been transformed into a delectable combination of new and old, a twist of familiarity and contemporary design, reopening as O’s American Kitchen.
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8191 Fletcher Parlway
La Mesa, CA 91942 (next to CostCo)
(619) 462-7809
By Megan McGlamery
Nestled in La Mesa next to the VineRipe Market is Zeytoon, a delicious Persian and Mediterranean restaurant now under new ownership. Zeytoon, which translates to olive, serves a wide variety of flavorful appetizers, salads, entrees and sandwiches, all of which are reasonably priced and generously sized. The market is also a treasure-trove of specialty foods from around the world.
Scroll down for coupons and details.
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By Megan McGlamery (guest host for the East County Eater)
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July 2, 2011 (La Mesa) –When it came time to review Swami’s Café, East County Magazine found a team of eager volunteers. The menu is too vast and diverse for any single “eater” to assess, so we sent in our ravenous reviewers to sample the fare. Each enjoyed it so much that they went back again—and again!
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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
6165 El Cajon Blvd., Suite F, San Diego 92115
(corner of College Ave. and El Cajon Blvd.)
(619)287-2373 www.gardenfreshsd.com
Review by the East County Eater
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Himalayan Cuisine
7918 El Cajon Boulevard
La Mesa, CA 91942-6710
(619) 461-2503 www.himalayancuisine1.com
By the East County Eater
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CALI-COMFORT RESTAURANT & SPORTS BAR
8910 Troy Street
Spring Valley, CA 92077
(619)337-0670 http://www.calicomfortsd.com/
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Spinners Fresh Mediterranean Salads & Grill
2654 Jamacha Rd., Suite 101
El Cajon, California 92019 www.ilovespinners.com
619-825-5151
Open daily 11am-9pm
By Leon Thompson
The East County Eater
October 15, 2009 (Rancho San Diego)—Spinners is a treat for your taste buds--Mediterranean food like you have never experienced before. You won’t see food presented like this in any fast food restaurant anywhere. Each selection is served with colorful and delicious exclamations. My plate had slow-roasted gyros, pickled turnips, olives and rose-cut radishes--along with pita wedges and a spicy jalapeño hummus. On my first visit, I also sampled couscous, an amber-hued bulgar wheat dish, and fresh tabouleh on the side. The only thing ‘fast food’ about “Spinners” is the price.
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September 20, 2009 (La Mesa)--This is a tough job. For instance, how do you choose the best Italian restaurant in East County among so many tasty choices? After considerable (and delectable) research, I’m pleased to reveal my current favorite: Tiramisu Trattoria in La Mesa.
The second you walk in, you feel like an honored guest. Everyone I’ve spoken to tells the tale of how the owner personally welcomed them and came by the table to ask if everything is to their liking. Our experience confirmed the owner’s reputation for not only dishing up fine food, but also warm hospitality.
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July 16, 2009 (San Diego's East County)--East County Magazine invites you to meet the press and join ius for an evening of food, fun and festivities. "Have a Hot Time at Hooleys with East County Magazine" will be held on Wednesday, August 12th from 6-9 p.m. at Hooleys Irish Pub and Grill in Grossmont Center, La Mesa. Reserve space now for the happening event of the summer.
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By Mike Atkinson
On the road with the East County Eater
By Henri Migala
By Henri Migala
Laylah’s Patties & Jerk
Swami’s Café
By Miriam Raftery (guest columnist)
Kaminski’s Sports Lounge Barbeque
Jeremy’s on the Hill California-style Bistro
By the (North) East County Eater
GARDEN FRESH GRILL & SMOOTHIE
Himalayan Cuisine
By Leon Thompson, The East County Eater
Spinners Fresh Mediterranean Salads & Grill
July 16, 2009 (San Diego's East County)--East County Magazine invites you to meet the press and join ius for an evening of food, fun and festivities. "Have a Hot Time at Hooleys with East County Magazine" will be held on Wednesday, August 12th from 6-9 p.m. at Hooleys Irish Pub and Grill in Grossmont Center, La Mesa. Reserve space now for the happening event of the summer.
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