DESCANSO JUNCTION: A RESTAURANT WITH COUNTRY FLAIR

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An East County Eater Review

By Ariele Johannson

May 6, 2013 (Descanso) --A visit to the friendly folks at Descanso Junction will amply satisfy your appetite and warm you up inside.

Country music is usually playing in the background. Their Western décor, with antiques and framed photos of historic Descanso, is just what you’d expect in an East County location between I-8 and the Cuyamacas (on Highway 79).  "Big enough to serve you, yet small enough to know you." This slogan for “The Junction" is fitting. Once a store built in 1912 by E.D. and Mamie C. McDonald, this place is a backcountry treasure.

The restaurant has a menu catering to many tastes and seating big enough for a small town and its visitors. I love hamburgers. This time I decided to try something unusual for my tastes but a favorite at “The Junction”: a hamburger with sweet jalapeno cream cheese on top. It was one of the best burgers I have ever enjoyed.

Speaking of hamburgers--there are lots of Angus burgers on the menu. Imagine the Fireman Burger: a blackened Kobe beef patty smothered in Cajun onions, jalapenos, cheddar cheese, and chipotle mayo. Other customer faves are the Chicken-Fried steak and the special for Saturday nights, Tri-Tip Dinner. Descanso Junction offers six chicken dishes, including Chicken Cordon Bleu and Potato Chip-Encrusted Chicken Breast.

Patrons will find three steaks on the menu, including Surf and Turf, and two seafood dishes (not including pasta dishes). Pasta dishes include Cajun Shrimp, Shrimp Fetuccine Alfredo, and Shrimp Primavera. 

Breakfast is also served at Descanso Junction. Interesting breakfast meals, besides the traditional that they offer, are Carne Asada and Eggs, a Breakfast Torta, Eggs Benedict, Biscuits and Gravy, and Healthy Choice breakfasts.

Special note: East County Magazine enjoyed the food here so much that on July 27, the Descanso Junction's new catering service will be wheeling out its barbecue and serving up tri-tip with all the fixings at the Descanso Town Hall for our own Descanso BBQ and Wild West Fest.  (Watch for details soon.)

“Bohemia” is the former place name, established by the storekeepers in 1912, who opened a subdivision in the Descanso division to settle in. When dining at Descanso Junction, one can feel that bit of the unconventional in the menu, and when you are a vagabond wandering the Cuyamacas or driving up to Julian—you belong here!

Location: 8306 Highway 79 in Descanso, CA

www.DescansoJunction.com

619-659-2199

 

 


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