Turf Supper Club - Stay Classy San Diego

Turf Supper Club

Grill your own steaks

Last Saturday I had dinner with some friends at the Turf Supper Club in Golden Hill. This restaurant has been a mainstay in San Diego for as long as I can remember. Before the idea of grill-your-own steaks became trendy, the Turf Club was there, unassumingly and quietly creating a legacy. I'm pretty sure the decor hasn't changed since then either. From the wallpaper with horses wearing suits to the Pepto-Bismol pink walls in the ladies room, this place screams campy. The red leather booths up the ante when it comes to old-school lounge decor. But that's what makes it cool. A lot of new restaurants spend good money to achieve this aesthetic - the retro-chic look. But this place isn't "decorated" retro, it is retro. If Ron Burgundy were a real person, he would definitely be a regular at the Turf Supper Club.

The menu is limited, but the food is good and surprisingly cheap for what you get. We had a group of 8 people and we all had entrees, salads and at least one drink and the bill was under $200. The filet mignon was flavorful and tender, and since I grilled it myself, it was cooked just like I like it. The bloody Mary was just spicy enough and was served with two big green olives in it. Our waitress was even kind enough to bring us a few extra blue cheese stuffed olives to snack on. The salad was average, but then you don't really come to a steak place to eat salad. Everyone seemed to enjoy their meal and we all agreed that if you live in San Diego, you have to visit this San Diego classic.

Turf Supper Club
1116 25th St
San Diego, CA 92102
(619) 234-6363
http://www.turfsupperclub.com

Vagabond: Food to Satisfy Your Wanderlust

If someone asked me how to describe the cuisine at Vagabond, I would explain it like this: If you were backpacking across Europe and stopped off at a small country inn for a bite to eat in the Alps in Switzerland, and then did the same thing in France, Spain, Italy and Germany, the combination of dishes you would have tasted could be placed on the menu and served at Vagabond.

Cheeburger Cheeburger may be missing an "S", but satisfies nonetheless

Cheeburger Cheeburger

Burgers

During Lunch Week (the week between Christmas and New Year's), my coworkers and I went to a burger joint in Rancho Bernardo called Chee Burger Chee Burger. Apparently it's a chain, but there is only one in California. It's located in a strip mall on Carmel Mountain Road. The place is small and was really crowded so we had to wait a long time to get seated. It's decorated 50's style complete with a giant Betty Boop outside holding a serving tray.

There were a bunch of high school kids there that day, so perhaps they had a soccer game and were celebrating a win or something. By the time we were seated we were starving. We all ordered burgers and a big basket of French fries and another one of onion rings. There were 6 of us and it was plenty to split 6 ways. I ordered the bacon burger with grilled onions. It was big, meaty and delicious. Their burgers come in 3 different sizes, and I got the smallest one (1/3 lb.) It was plenty of food. Some of my male coworkers got the larger size and some got the smaller one with a shake. The burger was extremely messy which usually means it's greasy, but in this case I didn't mind. It really hit the spot. The fries and onion rings were good too, although I could only eat one onion ring due the amount of oil dripping off of it. Cheeburger Cheeburger is definitely not for the health conscious diner, but if you are really hungry and want a big, satisfying meal, then you won't be disappointed. Just be prepared to wait a while if you have a larger party.

Is it the best cheeseburger in San Diego? Perhaps not, but maybe the best in North County. Stay tuned for reviews of other burger joints that claim to have the best burger in San Diego.

Cheeburger Cheeburger

12002 Carmel Mountain Road

San Diego, CA 92184 

(PERMANENTLY CLOSED)