Kafe Sobaka Restoran Pomegranate

One month after TORC's real birthday, we finally took her out to lunch...

at a venue of her choice in the Golden Hill neighborhood. I was doing somersaults in my mind because the place she chose was a place I'd been curious about for the past year...

With all of the Educator GF's piled into D's car, we headed over to Golden Hill and admired many of the unique houses there, like this purple house (kind of obscured by the tree) which was next to house with bold red trim and a pagoda-like entry way. There was no parking near our intended destination so we circled a few blocks before parking a few blocks down near a hill.

As we walked up the hill to get to the restaurant, I saw this other unusual looking home that also boasted a curved and pointed entry way.

We trudged up this hill where that church is and made a right on 25th.

On the corner of 25th and Broadway was the Golden Hill Fire Department. The building's art deco inspired "tower" reminded us of Coit Tower in San Francisco.

Golden Hill used to be a neighborhood that was pretty run down looking. Over the past decade or so, it's exerienced a small resurgence (not unlike that of South Park and North Park). Located south of Balboa Park, north of the  94 freeway, is on the outer edges of downtown. There are many historic homes here such as the Quartmass-Wilde Home and the Villa Montezuma, two of San Diego's famous  gingerbread Queen Anne Victorian homes.

I haven't been to Golden Hill in years. I remember having to go to UPAC (the Union of Pan Asian Communities) about twenty years ago for a meeting and that was about it. It was neat to rediscover the neighborhood (or at least the small part of it we saw) as we walked to Kafe Sobaka. Below, a quartet of defunct and graffitied phone booths, with phones yanked out.

Near the corner of 25th and Broadway is this gem of a restaurant, Kafe Sobaka, which served food from Russia, Georgia (a southern state in what used to be the USSR), and California (according to their menu). Their pomegranate chalkboard sign reads, "Open 11:30 - ?"!

"Pectopah" , written in Cyrillic on their window, is a Russian word that means "restaurant".

This painting of a Russian cossack dancer will greet you as you walk down the hallway to enter the restaurant.

Before you enter, please make sure to check out the Instagram Art Show in their corridor gallery!

I thought this was pretty cool, especially the one made even more interesting because of the old computer keyboard repurposed as a picture frame.

Their whiteboard in the hallway lists their specials and pastries.

We got there right when they opened, give or take, greeted warmly by a young college age Russian girl who was very friendly and sweet. Once you enter, it's sensory overload with all of the mismatched decor, some with a Russian theme, some not.

The restaurant is dividing into several parts. I'll start off with the largest dining area which is where we sat. We were encouraged to sit wherever we wanted, which I liked, which meant, near a window where there was more light.

You may see their entire menu here, complete with memorable and funny descriptions.

There were so many dishes unfamiliar to most of us. I've had similar food at the Village House Kalina in La Mesa, a restaurant that serves Russian/Ukrainian food. I believe one of their cooks used to work for Pomegranate in North Park.

Prior to arriving, I'd alread printed out their menu while TORC and I figured out what we were going to eat ahead of time. The only stipulation from D was that we needed to have at least one meat dish.

Our plan of attack was to try a mish mash of appetizers plus the meat entree to share amongst ourselves.

If you haven't done so, you've really got to read those menu descriptions, like the one for Derevenskaya Skovorodka (below), ha ha.

The Beef Stroganov was our main entree. D and I wanted to see if it would compare with the version we had at Village House Kalina.

The view from our window.

After we placed our orders, herbed butter with two kinds of hearty Russian bread (brown and white, both had a dense texture). We think the herb was tarragon. Our waters were flavored with fresh mint and lemon.

Our Zakuski Sampler ($9.99). There are a variety of salads on the menu; for the sampler platter, you can pick five different salads of your choice. In our case, we asked our server for her suggestions and this is what we came up with. (Just to let you know, the menu descriptions in italics are lifted straight from their menu; I can't make this stuff up).

Salat Vesna - "Salad made of fresh cabbage with berries, herbs, and serious love. This dish is as rare as chastity"

Pkhali - "A well known Kavkaz Mountain appetizer of finely cut vegetables and herbs married with lemon & garlic. Sometimes the mountain folk add beets and walnuts to this sprightly peasant dish."

Ajap Sandali - "A traditional Georgian vegetarian ragout. Expect eggplant, onions, green peppers, tomatoes, a bunch of herbs, and khmel-sunel seasoning, our improvement to Western Civilization."

I couldn't find the name for the carrot salad on their menu, but rest assured, this was really good and had a kick to it. We loved the fresh herbs that accompanied every salad appetizer!

This last salad was NOT on their menu, but was mentioned by our server. Of course, we had to have it. This is the Olivier - (sorry no poetic description) This is a traditional Russian salad which consists of diced potatoes, peas, carrots, eggs, and mayonnaise garnished with dill. In other countries, this is known as "Russian Salad".

And once again...with feeling now.

Of the five salads, KD and I liked the Pkhali. It was not the most appealing looking since the colors were kind of brownish gray, but wow, those flavors! It was the most unique of the salads. The vegetable ragout and carrot salads were also favorites as well as the potato salad. I'm curious about the herbs and berries they used in some of the salads. I'll have to ask about it next time I go, and there WILL be a next time.

D was intrigued by the Khachapuri and we all agreed that we should definitely try it.
Khachapuri  ($8.50) - Cheese pie, "Life wihtout khachapuri is a pure waste. Evoked passionate praise from the lips of any Georgian. A medley of cheeses folded into a dough crust."

This kind of reminded me of a Bosnian borek, but with a thinner type of bread. It was delicious and we were almost afraid to see what would come next because everything we had so far was so good!

My plate - a little bit of each salad plus a slice of that cheese pie topped with fresh dill, a nice touch.

I could have just eaten this with the salads and called it a day.

Everyone agreed on this next dish. The mention of duck fat interested us, as well as the description!
Derevesnkaya Skovorodka ($10) - "Golden fried potatoes/onions/mushrooms/herbs fried in duck fat served in a cast iron skiller. This sets the stage for gulping beer. For this dish I could easily kill
my older brother!"  (This was one of the funniest things I read on the menu!)
 
The dish came out sizzling hot! You could see the beautiful crust on the pan roasted potatoes. The mushrooms were nice and thick and redolent of the seasonings. It came with a side of some sort of paste. I believe nuts and spices were in it, but I would have to ask (once again) what it was. If I didn't print out the menu to use as later reference, everything would be a total blur.

This dish was a big winner. There were whole caramelized cloves of garlic that were thrown in here, made even better by the pan roasting.

I suggested we try the piroshki. Our server said we could choose between meat or potatoes and cheese.
Piroshki ($7) - "Russian savory pies, which are our regular comfort food, delicious by itself or paired with a bowl of soup."

These were really cool looking. I was not expecting the dough to be so flaky. The sesame seeds on top gave this a tiny bit of crunch and a nutty flavor. The shape of the piroshki reminded me of an anatomical heart with horns. Yeah, I know. Wierd imagery, but that's normal coming from me, haha.

The meat filling had some spices in it that I didn't recognize (I bit into a small piece and took one out for inspection). Almost everything we ordered, I would totally order again, but on a smaller scale.

Our pair of pirozhki was served with a side of Lobio - "Pate style red beans with herbs, walnuts, tomatoes, and onions. The Georgians are blessed with a superb overabundance of bean recipes."

The red beans were actually kidney beans. They had a good flavor, blended with nuts and cilantro. We couldn't be in  a Russian restaurant and NOT order Borscht ($8.50/large) - "Always a meal in itself. If you are feeling really undulgent you should treat yourself to this hearty soup."

The large size was suggested since we were a party of four. It was served with a side of already seasoned sour cream.

Our version had meat in it (beef). Our server seemed to be quite happy that we were NOT vegetarians. When asked if we were, we said, "No" and she emphatically replied, "Good!". As you can see, the soup was very hearty with chunks of beets, carrots, onions, and meat. You can even see the bay leaf in there.

Honestly, as much as I wanted to, I simply could not finish my soup. It was too big of a portion and I was still trying to clear my plate to make some room for the next and last dish as well as dessert later on. This was our big main entree, the Beef Stroganov ($18) - "Russia's passage to the true age of enlightenment."  This delicious and hearty version was served with more of those awesome pan roasted potatoes and a couple of pickles on the side.

I was expected it to be served with noodles, but the potatoes served as the starch. It didn't seem like a lot of potatoes though but at this point, we were getting pretty full. Again, the dish was topped with loads of fresh and fragrant herbs.

This was the most expensive dish on our tab. I thought this version was better and more flavorful than Village House Kalina's.

Our check was cleverly tucked into this travel guide book:

The bottled lemonade (Izze) was a total rip at $4.50. Really? For a bottle of soda?

Before we left, we walked around the unoccupied areas of the restaurant. There is a narrow seating area (on your left as you walk in) with hanging bunches of herbs and really cool wooden screen.

Here is another view but from the opposite end.

Our server saw us admiring the decor and ushered us into the room with the bar where she said they flavor their own vodkas, or their menu describes it, "We offer diluted vodkas polluted with herbs, fruits, and spices. Don't be shy, ask"!

I didn't want to be the only one imbibing alcohol before lunch, so when Bert and I go here next time, I'll make sure to try some of their vodka shooters, heh heh.

I think they even have a vodka shot sampler. One of each please.

The waitress also showed us the "movie room", compelte with hanging lights and from high up above (but not pictured), a smiling moon. She said movies were shown from Tues-Thursday evenings (or by special request). On their website, it's listed as "Soviet Cinema" and the movie changes every week. This week it's "Mermaid" by Anna Melikyan.

I thought this was pretty nifty. I wonder if one could just go here to watch a movie, or if you would have to order something to eat or drink to watch the movie.

Door painting at the end of the hallway.

I have not yet tried this beer, the Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout. Bert and I (as well as Thane) have an inside joke about Rasputin. We always hold up our right hand palms face out. We lift it solemnly and utter, "Rasputin...the mad monk".

I like that tagline, "Never Say Die". If you know the story of Rasputin and his death, you'd understand the reference. Thank goodness for our 7th grade Honors Geography teacher for making Russian history come alive for us young 'uns back then!

A quaint flower stand at the corner of 25th and Broadway.

We loved everything we had here and I can't wait to come again! One last thing -  depending on the source, "Sobaka" means "dog" or "old dog" or it could also be used to referer to a Great Dane dog!

Kafe Sobaka
2469 Broadway
San Diego, CA 92102
(619) 297-4007

www.pomegranatesobaka.com

Reviews/articles:
"Incoming - Kafe Sobaka" San Diego Magazine, Winter 2012
"Going Socialist at Sobaka" SD Reader, May 1, 2013
"Kafe Sobaka's dumplings area delight" San Diego City Beat, May 13, 2013

and the reviews from that four lettered site, which curiously and erroneously stated a few days ago and even today that the location is closed (WTF). I got a little worried when I read, "Readers have noted that this site is CLOSED" so I ended up calling yesterday afternoon just to make sure that they were really open and still in business, which they were.

Previous Russian food experiences:
The Village House Kalina in La Mesa - first visit in January 2012 and my second one one month later.

Previous bday outings for TORC:
2012 -Part 2 - Bawarchi Dosa
2012 - Part 1 - Surati Farsan Mart
2011 - Alforon
2010 - Tapas Picasso
2009 - Urban Solace and Heaven Sent Desserts
2007 - Villa Capri and Kona Pacific Cakes (both of which are now defunct)

I had to throw in a musical reference so here is Paul McCartney performing "Back in the USSR", Live in Red Square, Moscow:

Macca still has the touch! I love Paul! Even though you're 71, you're my second favorite Beatle (next to John!)!

This place definitely deserves another visit. Like pronto! Or at least until Thanksgiving Break (we get one full week, woo hoo)!