GopherBroke

Azucar is a recently opened Cuban bakery in Ocean Beach. From the light and breezy atmosphere to the delectable treats in the display cases, this places fills a much needed niche for high quality sweets in OB.

There is little space to eat-in, but that’s not a problem since a large portion of the business is to-go. Latin jazz plays in the background while you try and decide what to order.

While the menu is primarily pastry, there is a small selection of nice well made sandwiches using typical Cuban and Spanish ingredient, including a version of the famous Cubano sandwich. Sandwiches are heated and pressed in a panini and served with a choice of nearly greaseless plantain chips or tender baby spring mix. Perfect if you want to take it down to the OB pier to eat with a view.

Other Cuban specialties include a pastry of guava and cream cheese, papa relleno (mashed potatoes stuffed with picadillo), pastel de carne and Cuban toast.

The real stars here, though, are the baked goods. Almost everything is in the $1.25 – $2.75 range, which is a very fair price for the size, quality and taste. And so far I haven’t had anything that wasn’t over-the-top delicious.

Thank god I don’t live near Azucar or I would be a regular customer, not to mention the size of a beached whale. Run don’t walk to OB and give this bakery a try, it’s fabuloso. And while you’re there don’t for get to try a Cafe Cubano, an espresso shot with sugar added as it’s brewed. Strong, sweet and satisfying

Whoever posted that Mister A’s is closed provided misinformation. Bertrands at Mister A’s is alive, well, open and fully booked for the foreseeable future.

It was cold, it was rainy and a friend and I were jonesying for lunch before plunging into the hordes of Christmas shoppers at a nearby mall. We huddled at the corner of Allison and La Mesa Blvd. trying to make a choice between Gio and Johnny B’s. Gio won by default since we wouldn’t have to cross the street and get any wetter than we already were.

Hmm…the hostess – please wait to be seated – station was out on the sidewalk. A novel placement for a restaurant in La Mesa, perhaps we’d made a mistake. We were greeted promptly, and promptly led through a small section of booths to the right of the entrance and out onto an enclosed patio. Perhaps we’d erred in our selection. We were cold, we were damp we weren’t exactly sure sitting on the patio was the best option. Covert and concerned glances were exchanged. The hostess parked us at a table immediately under an outdoor heater radiating gobs of soothing warmth. Since the tables beside the outdoor fireplace were taken, this would have to do. And do it did, within minutes we were warm and toasty and shrugging out of our jackets.

Our waitress showed up, took our drink orders and then just disappeared. This was to be her pattern throughout our meal. The menu consisted of both breakfast and lunch and the usual (egg dishes and pancakes or waffles and burgers, sandwiches and salads) selections on each. I chose a patty melt and my friend a cheeseburger. The table next to us had opted for breakfast – omelets and pancakes – and their plates looked quite enticing, and, in fact, they left nothing and even ended with a wicked looking brownie sundae.

Our food took a long time to come, luckily we were not disappointed. While neither burger was truly outstanding, they were, however, certainly better than average. The waitress had asked me how I wanted my burger cooked. My choice was medium rare, what I got was somewhere between medium and well done. There was not a trace or tinge of pink anywhere in the meat but neither was it incinerated and dry. There was a generous amount of golden sauted onions and oozy melted cheese to more than make up for the meat that was more well done than ordered. The only flaw in the patty melt was that, like most sandwiches at Gio, it came between 2 slices of Parmesan encrusted sourdough bread. The parm bread was good, but I would have preferred the more traditional rye bread. The patty melt was large and I ended up not being able to eat the whole thing, nor could I wade through the heap of decent, though frozen, french fries that came with it.

The cheeseburger my friend ordered came with the same hamburger patty on a soft roll and fries. He made short work of his burger, pronounced it “not bad” but was done in by the mountain of fries. No brownie sundae for us!

It took way too long to settle the bill…our waitress dropped the check and then disappeared. Food was decent to a little bit above average, ambiance was pretty good, though I think the patio would be far more enjoyable on a warm, sunny day than a cold stormy one. Service was a little too casual for a place that tries hard to project an image that is more than casual.

On our way out the door, we peeked into the bar (looks comfortable and inviting) and at the dinner menu (a lot of tapas). Prices for breakfast and lunch are moderate, $7 – $15, prices for dinner (shrimp, steak, lamb) are high , $20+, especially for Gio’s location.

La Mesa Blvd. is a quaint street with a small town feel. It’s lined with more than it’s share of antique and bric-a-brac stores. It sorely needs a respectable place to eat that isn’t a coffee shop or a Mexican joint. Gio could turn out to be that place. The potential is there, Gio just hasn’t reached it yet.

Los Alazanes is out of business. Los Primos has taken it’s place and is heads and shoulders better

Tivoli’s has been in the Kiel’s (formerly Big Bear) shopping center since dirt. It’s been hit or miss, usually a pretty safe bet for a quick meal at a fair price.

About 2 years ago the original owners sold the place. The new owners haven’t changed much about the interior, but they have changed the pizza…for the better. The new pie is a thin crust with a nice sauce and plentifu toppings. While it may not be the best pizza in SD, there is something rather addictive about it, especially if you like a nice, tasty, thin crust pie.

Staff is nice, food is ready quickly and they run a ton of pizza, lunch and dinner specials which are a great deal in today’s economy.

This drive through coffee place is in back of my dentist’s office. It’s a high volume location but the coffee is very good and the gals inside running the joint are friendly and service is quick and efficient. The location may be somewhat out of the way, but if you’re looking for that elusive good cuppa joe in San Carlos, drive through and give Cup ‘n’ Go a whirl

Cramped, frayed around the edges, I have never understood the allure that Megan’s Cafe has. The food is standard issue cheap-line Sysco product. A good breakfast place should have great coffee, Megan’s Cafe fails (miserably) on that account. Some of the worst coffee I’ve had in the neighborhood. Both Cup ‘n’ Go and Cowles Mountain Coffee serve FAR superior coffee. Portions at Megan’s are enormous, more than most can eat or need. Prices are fair, quality is low.