BBQ in Southern California??

If you are not familiar with Phil’s BBQ in San Diego, you are missing out on one of its key landmarks of San Diego and of course missing out on arguably the best bbq in Southern California. Adam Richman and show Man vs Food would be attracted to this restaurant and would go to critic their food. I was really shocked that Adam did not evaluate the ribs because as of now that was the only thing I’ve ever thought was worth order at Phils; he ended up ordering the El Toro (a Tri Tip Burger).
I’ve decided to take my food pallet to Phils to try this “mouth watering sandwich”. When arriving to Phils, you are always expected to wait in a 20-30 minute line. It doesn’t seem that long especially with the long awaited anticipation and the coolness the barn shaped restaurants brings to your eyes. If you are starving you can’t bear to wait in line, a secret is to go inside and order togo and just eat on the hood of your car. It can get messy but you can always go back inside and wash your hands. I was really reluctant to order the El Toro because I didn’t feel waiting in line for 30 minutes was worth one sandwich but I did it. It was served very simply: tri tip, bread, and bbq sauce given to you on a red serving basket.
I dove right and I was surprised with the texture of the bread, very soft and warm and complimented the meat quite nicely. The meat was very tender and juicy but had a very sweet and tangy taste due to the bbq sauce.

My thoughts on the sandwich compared to Adam:
He calls it a “bite of heaven”, I would have it say that it’s a “bite of Disneyland”. It’s a terrible analogy but it’s probably 2nd to the amount of fun one could have. I have to agree the meat was good but I feel the sauce was just too much sweetness. I hear you can order the sauce on the side so you can get a full taste and actually appreciate the quality of the meat. I definitely recommend if going to Phils order the beef ribs, but I guess if you want a lighter yet filling snack go with the El Toro. I give the El Toro a 3.8 out of 4 stars, it’s just too simple and complexity rocks ones socks.

Unfortunately my phone died and was unable to take a picture but here’s a picture from Google.

The Battle for best Breakfast in San Diego

Man Vs Food has become one of my favorite food television show. I like Adam Richman’s choice in restaurants; they tend be affordable and serve classic, simple, delicious foods. Adam Richman filmed an episode in Las Vegas, Nevada and went to the restaurant Hash House a Go Go; where he ordered their famous one pound stuffed hamburger. The burger looked amazing and stuffed with ham, egg, and cheese it seemed like a burger I could eat for breakfast. While watching the episode with my roommates I was ecstatic to hear that there was a Hash House A Go Go in San Diego (that rhymes), and I knew it was the next place I had to check out.
Breakfast is arguably the most important meal of the day and in my eyes the tastiest. I’ve visited the Broken Yolk and feel that the Hash House can put up a fight.
The Hash House A Go Go is located in Downtown, San Diego that means finding parking coould be semi-hectic. But, when finally reaching the restaurant's front steps, I was really surprised with how “cute” it looked. I expect the restaurants in downtown to give off this corporate/fancy look but the building gave off this homey feel. The burgundy/dark reddish paint job gave the restaurant it's classy look. We had to wait around 25 minutes to get seated but it was a really nice day and didn’t mind. We got seated the inside, and décor matched the outside of the restaurant. They had mahogany style and colored furniture with wood-like panel floor to continue with the flow of elegance. The menu was presented on this long laminated page but it was filled with interesting, complex, and intrinsic dishes, they definitely know how to remix the typically breakfast platter. I was going to order the same dish as Adam, but seeing that I was on a date I didn’t want to get my hands and mouth all dirty with hamburger grease, and the egg Benedict plates really caught my eye. I ordered the Adam’s sage Fried chicken egg Benedict with an orange juice and my date ordered the roasted chicken dish with a coffee. When our food arrived we were surprised with large the portions were and how they were decorated with a 12 inch garnish. The food was spectacular; it had various ingredients and made it rich in flavor and taste. The Egg Benedict definitely strayed away from the classic style as it was served with mashed potatoes, fried chicken, and a very creamy chipotle sauce. It was an enormous serving size and my date and I were definitely content.
Even though I did not get the one pound hamburger, I agree with Adam in that Hash House a Go Go integrates different style of cooking to provide you a unique and different yet pleasant dining experience. The food is great and even though you’re paying $15-$20 a dish, you can definitely share with someone else or take leftovers home. I’d say pass on the $7 home squeezed orange juice because it’s not worth it. Other than that I give Hash House a Go Go 4 out of 5 stars and I’d “Go Go” to Hash House over Broken Yolk any day.

The massive 12 egg omelet!!

When Adam Richman (Man vs Food) decided to bring his show to San Diego one of the restaurants he visited was the Broken Yolk. There are a few scattered throughout San Diego, however they all have the same menu and are all infamously known for their “12 egg omelet challenge”. Adam Richman took on this challenge and completed it. I’ve decided to also take on this challenge and provide my own thoughts and judgments on this monstrous task.
This was my first visit to the Broken Yolk, located in Pacific Beach. I felt the only way I could be well prepared for this, would probably be after a night of drunkenness and debauchery aka throwing up and having an empty stomach. After waking up at 1 in the afternoon with nothing in my stomach and slight hangover I decided to head over to the Broken Yolk. The restaurant was clearly in view with its long light blue tarp and Broken Yolk flags evenly lined up on its roof. The restaurant is nicely put together, nothing to outrageous or overwhelming, it looks like a higher end I Hop or Denny’s. As I placed my order for the 12 egg omelet, I was informed that I would have one hour to complete this six pound dish, and if I complete it I would get it for free, get my name on the wall of fame, and receive a free t-shirt, however if I could not complete this dish I would have to pay for it ($25.99)
After anxiously waiting the dish finally arrived, it was served on a pizza dish. The omelet consisted of onions, mushrooms, cheese, and chili and a large portion of home fries served with two large rolls. I’m not the biggest cheese fanatic and asked for it on the side to distribute it evenly amongst my food. After about 30 minutes of stuffing bite after bite of potatoes and egg into my mouth I realized that I could not finish this challenge. 12 eggs were just too much to handle and food had won.

My thoughts on the challenge compared to Adam:
He said it was a delicious omelet, I have to disagree. It a massive omelet served with potatoes and bread two items that drain all of the moisture out of your mouth.
I definitely agree with his tactic to order guacamole at the end to help disguise the consistency of the omelet, unfortunately I was no way near completing the omelet and didn’t want to pay extra for guacamole. However, I did use plenty of ketchup and hot sauce.
My tips on completing this challenge is eating the biscuits first because they will get cold and become hard and stale, actually the entire dish gets cold, and cold eggs are no good. My overall experience at Broken Yolk was subpar I feel that the food wasn’t great, they charge too much for their food. A 12 egg omelet with simple ingredients does not cost $26 plus tip and tax. I give this experience a 3 stars out of 5.