Los Panchos de Charly

Directly following my trip to Peru, I left on a research trip to the West Coast for two weeks.  What was I researching?  Glad you asked: a book on Stadium Eats!  Um, yeah, without a deal in sight currently (hint, hint, anyone reading this who is interested!), I went to preemptively scout out the 6 West Coast stadiums and eat my way up and down the West Coast at the same time, starting in San Francisco, working my way down to Los Angeles, then San Diego, back up to San Francisco and then to Seattle!  Phew!  Tune in at 4:15 EST (or 1:15 PST, lunchtime on the West Coast) for the next 6 weeks to see what I ate and where I ate it… and how I gained 10 lbs in two weeks!

During my minimal time in San Diego, I tried to hit up Gas Lamp Strip Club (no pictures, or even real commentary about the food), but unfortunately, it opened at 5, and that was cutting it way too close to the game.  So I wandered around until I stumbled on this place and decided why the heck not. 

Amusingly, while I was standing there, looking at the menu, I bumped into a friend I haven’t seen in years, who decided to join me for lunch. 

I ordered the horchata, a cinnamon-nutmeg rice milk drink (left).  She had the limeade, which she said was tart and nicely done. 

Chips and salsa came to the table as we sat and looked at the menu.  Nice, with a light kick, the salsa was on the liquidy side. 

Being hungry girls, we opted to order the sampler platter, with cheese quesadilla, nachos, taquitos, and shrimp ceviche (center).  It was all tasty enough – hell, deep fry anything and I’ll probably think it’s ok (unless it’s soggy!) –

but a little strange, with mozzarella in the cheese quesadilla, leaving that a little soft and bland,

and while I like liquid cheese (oh yes I do, as artificial as it is), I thought it was a little out of place on the nachos. 

The taquitos were alright – crisply fried tubes filled with meat (two were beef, two were chicken), and slathered in guacamole and sour cream, yes please! 

The ceviche was also just alright – the shrimp a touch rubbery and nothing fantastic, though the mixture with it was yummy.  Nothing was outstanding, really.  Still, we ate this up and were happy enough to chat away while eating. 

My piggy lil friend opted to get the combination platter, which had an enchilada, fish taco, and a tostada.  It cost extra to get a fish taco, but she didn’t mind.  Though we were busy gabbing away the whole time, I’m positive she enjoyed her food (perhaps she’ll speak up?) because she cleaned her plate.  🙂  Love my piggy friends who eat at least as much as me! 

As for me, I opted for the simple fish taco platter.  The rice and beans were both very flavorful, making me one happy girl already. 

The fish, unfortunately, was a little over-breaded and a soft from the sauce inside with it.  I didn’t like the tortilla part – finding it soggy and a bit lacking what I want from a tortilla in terms of taste and texture.  I wound up eating just the fish part, but that was entirely so I wouldn’t be too hungry later.  Overall, it was just meh.  I contented myself eating the rice and beans.  (Perhaps I’m asking too much from fish tacos?  Perhaps I don’t know what I “should” be looking for?  But I do know what I like, and this was not it.) 

Yvo says: Our server was friendly and attentive, and it was nice sitting outside to eat and enjoy the weather.  Our food was enjoyable, but I wouldn’t say if you’re visiting, you should go here, because that certainly was not the case for me – I could easily have eaten somewhere else and fared better.  Oh well, at least it wasn’t expensive.
middle of the road