Mama Kat's Restaurant Great Food in a Fun Atmosphere

by Stacey Kuhns

Restaurant and Pie Shop

 

On 01/09/16, five friends and I met at Mama Kat's,  located at 950 W. San Marcos Blvd, in San Marcos, across from the bowling alley. Mama Kat's is open Sunday from 7a.m.-2p.m. and Monday through Saturday from 6a.m. to 2p.m. Be prepared for a long wait as this is a popular place and for good reason!

The restaurant was very pleasant inside and bigger than I expected. We got there at 8:30 a.m. on a Saturday and were told the wait would be 45 minutes to an hour. We sat outside to wait and were seated within 30 minutes. Someone quickly came over to take our drink order and soon after, our waiter, Todd came over to make sure someone got our drink orders and to answer any questions. 

We all ordered different items and everyone enjoyed their meal. One of my friends said his chicken fried steak was the best he had ever eaten. Mama Kat's serves good home cooking food and a large menu guarantees everyone will find something they want.

They are also super nice about modifying orders. One of my friend's did not want eggs, but ordered pancakes and bacon. Todd made sure that my friend got a double portion of bacon since he was not having the eggs on his combo plate. Unheard of!!!!

Normally, that would be an extra charge. I was amazed. Todd was extremely personable and one of the best waiters I have ever had. Funny and on the ball with everything. I ordered the supreme French toast and it was melt-in-your mouth divine (a cinnamon roll French toast). Someone asked for extra powdered sugar and he brought out a nice sized cup of that. Seems Mama Kat's is there to satisfy their customers.

You can also choose between large and small sized pancakes! These are the large. 

Mama Kat's serves and also sells their homemade jams, jellies, and butters. They serve up to four different kinds to the table for spreading on toast or biscuits. We received the pumpkin butter, carrot cake jelly, and a berry jam.

Mama Kat's sells additional items along with the jams and jellies.

And let's not forget...pies! Mama Kat's is also a pie shop and they have an amazing variety to choose from. We tried the peanut butter and chocolate and the chocolate cream. Very rich and very good. (I had a difficult time getting a picture of the pie counter due to the line of people.)

All in all, I would highly recommend Mama Kat's. Very pleasant and we did not feel rushed at all. We were able to sit and visit after we were done eating. Great place.

Sand Crab Tavern-If you Love Seafood

by Stacey Kuhns

 

My friend and I visited the Sand Crab Tavern  (located at 2229 Micro Place in Escondido, 92029). This is a hidden gem in the industrial area of Escondido, close to Palomar Medical Center.

This was my third visit to Sand Crab and it was just as good as the second time (first time they were new and still seemed to be ironing out the kinks.) The restaurant is pricey, but is a great bargain for what you get and is fun food (will explain shortly).

We used a coupon from the Entertainment.com book which took $25 off the bill (The book is a fantastic gift and investment if you like to try different restaurants, venues, attractions, hotels and more).

When you walk into Sand Crab Tavern, you enter through the bar (and that is it, just a long bar with barstools-no additional seating in the bar area).

There is a lot to look at inside the restaurant; funny signs, model ships, sailor's knots, great photos, and more. They have small booths right after passing the bar (seats 4 comfortably), or plenty of tables and a backroom that can be used for large parties.

There are a lot of dishes to choose from. My friend started with a cup of clam chowder and I started with a cup of the lobster bisque that has a puff pastry in it. Both were delicious, creamy, yummy, and perfect for a cold evening. I would love to take a few containers home to have on a cold winter night.

This is a fun restaurant to go with two or more people because you can choose the crab boil dinners (a variety to choose from). They come in a big bowl with potatoes, corn on the cob, Louisiana sausage, peel and eat large shrimp, and then your choice of crab or other items.

We choose the boil that had Alaskan King Crab and Stone Crab. They bring the items all mixed together in a giant bowl and dump them on butcher paper onto your table. You are given mallets, peelers, and a bucket for the shells.

It is a lot of work, but well worth the effort. You can be a blast with shells flying and everyone laughing. (It may take a while to get served the main meal portion when they are busy, but it is worth the wait).

OMG! So good. The King crab was giant sweet and tender. They also provide you with a basket of fresh sourdough bread, dipping sauces for the seafood such as cocktail sauce and drawn butter. The seafood tastes great on its own. The sausage is a slight bit spicy and is just a juicy perfect bite.

 The aftermath. Definitely messy, but great. They give you lemon towelette at the end of the meal. If you are a lover of seafood, you will not be disappointed -Recommended. Another hidden gem.

One of the San Diego Home Cooking restaurants-Centre City Café

by Stacey Kuhns

Centre City Café is located at 2680 S. Escondido Boulevard in Escondido-92025. They are opened 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. I have visited Centre City Cafe twice, once for lunch and once for breakfast. Both times, the staff have been extremely friendly and attentive. However, the restaurant is old, so do not expect a modern updated place.

The restaurant is fairly large. We got there at 9 a.m. on a Saturday morning and had no trouble with seating; but, by 10 a.m., there was a long line of people waiting for tables. This restaurant seems to have a good number of regulars which is always a good sign.

I went with two friends for breakfast. One friend had the corned beef hash, which is quite a plateful and also comes with your choice of toast or English muffin. She said it was quite good.

My other friend had the chicken fried steak, with hash browns and whole wheat toast. He said the chicken fried steak was very good, but the hash browns were not the best he had eaten. He said they were overdone.

I had the cinnamon roll French toast. I was expecting slices from regular sized cinnamon rolls. Boy, was I wrong! It was humongous! It came with warm syrup, three gigantic thick cinnamon roll slices and homemade glaze/frosting. The slices were almost too thick and I needed a knife to cut them, but it was good and was enough for three meals. I could barely finish one slice and the “to go box” would not even close with two slices in it.

All in all, the San Diego Home Cooking-Centre City Café was a fun a fun place to visit. Food is not outstanding but it is good and there is plenty of it. My friend took half her corned beef hash home also. We never felt rushed even after we paid the bill and were just sitting at the table talking.

Great for all ages. I saw some kids eating pancakes that were twice as big as their heads!

Sunday Breakfast at the Rainbow Oaks

Sunday Breakfast with the family is always so much fun.  This morning we went to a different restaurant.

The Rainbow Oaks Restaurant, originally established in 1946, reopened in April 09, newly remodeled to restore the interior of the historic building to become a gathering place for locals, travelers and bikers to engage in fine, yet affordable dining for breakfast, lunch and dinner serving traditional American cuisine.

Coast Oak - Santas Little Helper.

 

Reef Indy - Before he got in trouble.

 

  Coast Oak enjoyed his first baby peas at the Rainbow Oaks!

Christmas Lights-Candy Cane Lane

by Stacey Kuhns

Candy Cane Lane is located in Poway. It is really Hickory Street (Butterwood Court) and the zip code is 92064. It is approximately three and a half blocks of decorated homes.

I had never been before but according to our driver, it was not as fully decorated in years past. Still, there was a number of amazingly decorated homes to see. There are lots of people out and about, families walking the streets, and lots of slow traffic so use caution when driving the area.

It was raining the night we went so I was unable to get a lot of good photos. Many of the homes have the families standing outside giving out hot cider, hot chocolate, cookies and other Christmas fare. It is a safe, festive place to be for you and your family and seems to have something to make everyone smile.

There was even a home that had a small theater area set up with chairs and they were playing kid-friendly movies. All in all, a cool place to visit that is maybe closer to North County folks than having to drive to the Lights on the Prado in Balboa Park.

(I do wish the photos came out better, but was in a moving car in the rain - Much better in person) 

Roma Market, A Small Treasure

by Stacey Kuhns

I had heard good things about Roma Market in Escondido, so a friend and I went and checked it out. Roma Market is located at 1054 W. Valley Parkway, in Escondido and they are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week.

I was surprised at how small the market is, but it is definitely packed with Italian treasures. The layout is great and the store is extremely clean. They have a small produce section and the produce looked wonderful. They also have a selection of wines and beers. Their displays are beautiful.

They also offer a variety of funny T-shirts.

Their pasta selections are amazing. There is freshly made pasta in their refrigerator/freezer sections along with packaged pastas on the shelves. The items are definitely a bit pricey, but they have many unusual items not found in regular markets.

And of course they have many bottled as well as fresh pasta sauces to choose from. They have a deli counter where you can order a variety of items including coffees, gelato, sandwiches, salads, meats, breads, Italian dishes, and desserts. Everything looks delicious.

We ordered the meatball sub and the hoagie. Both were so good. The counter staff were very friendly and the service was excellent.

Roma Market also has a wide variety of cheeses and salads to choose from.

The deli counter had samples of Parmaggiano Reggiano which was so yummy, we had to purchase some.

My friend tried the marinated mushrooms and I tried the Sicilian salad. Both were lovely.

They have a nice assortment of prepared foods to pick up for a meal, picnic, or anything else. And the foods are quality foods, not just your everyday run of the mill prepared items found at your local grocery store. 

There are plenty of items that would also make great holiday gifts. 

My friend and I decided we will both return here many times. It was fun just to walk the aisles and look at all the different products.