which was pretty dead the night of our visit...
This place is called the Old Mill Cafe and it used to be called the Lumberjack Cafe. It has it's own parking lot which one half was being used as "paid" parking ($5, what!). However, since we were actually going to eat there, we didn't have to pay.
You can't see it, but behind the specials board is a painting of the restaurant's namesake. You can see it in full color with the link to Cathy's post at the end. When we arrived, that room was originally dark but a large party came in and were seated there later (the photo was taken on our way out).
It was pretty dead. Maybe two tables occupied. It had a totally old school feel. The one guy working there (besides the cook) was pretty friendly and apparently not very "hovery". We had to flag him down to take our order .
They still had Halloween decor up...
I didn't take a photo of the exterior sign for Old Mill, but underneath it the sign, it actually said "Ramen". I remember seeing it as Bert and I drove by weeks earlier. I was baffled because, really? Ramen? There?
As soon as we were seated, the server asked if we wanted to see the ramen menu. At first I said no but later I did ask for it out of curiosity. Here it is.
Look at the last line.
The owner of Old Mill is Korean (Kim is his last name); perhaps that explains the kimchi and radish add ins.
Broccoli and tomatoes in ramen didn't seem right either.
In any case, we weren't there for noodles. If we wanted ramen, we'd go to an actual place that specializes in it.
According to the server, they've been serving it for a couple of months already. I wonder if they're trying to jump on the ramen trend.
Anyhow, we were here for diner food not hipster food. They even have breakfast served all day.
but breakfast for dinner was not on our radar.
Knowing we would have leftovers, we got the fried clams appetizer.
Bert wanted the Grilled Pork Chops special while I got the...
yes...Chicken Fried Steak. I had to. Research.
Both of our entrees came with sides. Bert chose the green pea/ham soup while I had the salad.
Bert's soup was really tasty. I normally don't like pea soup anything, but this was so smooth and smoky and rich flavored. My salad was a large portion (I took home more 3/4 of it). The side of the plate not facing me had A LOT of sliced black olives. Not a few pieces, but more like 1/4 of the CAN!
The Fried Clams....
The marinara sauce was kind of watered down but the strips were decent. The fry cook did a good job with this as well as my chicken fried steak.
Bert's pork chops had a small side of applesauce, a baked potato (the other choice was mashed) and corn. The chops had that perfectly grilled look (it was real) and was juicy. We saved the other half for our wayward vegetarian teen, heh heh.
My mashed potatoes with corn (the vegetable of the night) and the chicken fried steak. The gravy had bits of meat in it which I liked it. I liked that they didn't completely smother the steak with the grav either since I'm not a fan of overly wet food.
Peter Brady would approve of this meal.
Perfectly fried breading (still crisp on the edges) and a tender ground steak patty.
For you tender young ones who don't get the Peter Brady reference, here's the "Brady Bunch" episode which references this food pairing (don't forget the Humphrey Bogart inflection):
Peter Brady was the middle boy of three and he was trying different personalities because he thought his own was "boring". My brother, sister and I still crack up whenever we hear the phrase, "pork chops and applesauce"!
Who else went to the Old Mill Cafe?
Cathy and her mister went here late December 2012 but posted on it January 2013.
*If you look at her photo of the sign, there is a picture of pancakes with $3.99 next it. The pancakes have been replaced with the words, "Ramen"!
Old Mill Cafe
3939 Ohio St.
San Diego, CA 92104
(619) 294-3804
Fb page plus reviews from that four lettered site and tripadvisor
Would I ever try the ramen? Most likely not judging from the limited choices. Perhaps this place is trying to ride the ramen trend to stay afloat? Bert and I will have to come back to try their Meatloaf Special and maybe the Grilled Liver and Onions...
2 comments:
Thought I had commented on this, but apparently only in my head. It's so nice to see a place like this, local owned and simple menu in the midst of hipsterville. The real neighbors can enjoy normal meals out within walking distance. Need to stop in for breakfast again.
It's so much bigger inside than it looks cathy. I love the retro-ness. Although I'll pass on their ramen, their chicken fried steak was pretty damn good here.
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