Monday, April 20, 2009

Letter to Studio Diner

Jim Phillips
Manager
Studio Diner
4701 Ruffin Road
San Diego, California 92123

Phone: (858) 715-6400

Dear Mr. Phillips:

Over the last several years, we have eaten at Studio Diner many times. It is one of the best diners in San Diego and thank you very much for being open 24 hours (a rarity in this city). We’ve enjoyed many dishes from your vast menu. Your food and service are consistently good, regardless of the time of day. In short, your diner runs like a well-oiled machine.

There are certain dishes that most good diners serve. A patty melt is among those dishes and yours is a personal favorite of ours. In fact, it is my favorite hamburger in town (not Rocky’s or Hodad’s). The patty melt is just greasy enough to make me feel guilty but tastes so good that I don’t care. When I last ordered it, the juices dripped from the perfectly medium patty into the grilled rye. The thought of this sandwich makes my mouth water even now. The sweet, tender caramelized onions, Swiss cheese and tangy 1000 Island Dressing combined with the buttery rye bread and juicy beef to form a perfectly savory and indulgent burger.

The waffle fries I specially ordered with the patty melt were crispy on the outside and just a little soft on the inside. They were seasoned so well that they were a terrific treat on their own. Condiments were unnecessary.

We also recently had the chicken pot pie, which is the most comforting dish we’ve had in San Diego. The creamy sauce in the pot pie was the star of the plate. I spooned the contents of the pie over my mashed red potatoes (skin on) that were creamy and heavy. Large chunks of chicken accompanied by carrots and peas (that were not at all overcooked or mushy) made this the perfect Sunday morning (or late afternoon) coming down meal. Although unnecessary, the crust atop the pot pie was flaky, buttery, golden and utterly sinful.

On our most recent trip to Studio Diner, we had the beef brisket chili, clam chowder, chili cheese fries and the club sandwich. The chili was bold, smoky, thick, meaty and satisfying. The chunks of brisket were very tender and seemed to have been slow cooking for a week. The sauce was peppery, spicy and had a great tomato flavor without tasting too tangy. It was probably the best chili I’ve had in San Diego.

The New England clam chowder (only served from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.) was good. The pieces of clam were well cooked and had a fresh from the sea flavor. The soup was creamy and tasty.

The chili cheese fries were just what you want from chili cheese fries, although could have used more cheese. The fries would have been remarkable if they would have been served with the beef brisket chili.

The club sandwich was true to the standard club. It was well prepared, tasty and the bacon was even good the next morning (we took home leftovers).

As far as breakfast dishes, my favorite is the Crew Works (eggs with ground beef, spinach, mushrooms, onions and cheese, scrambled and doused with beef gravy, served with hash browns and choice of toast). The gravy and ground beef are homey and great for sopping up the previous night’s excesses. The dish is filling, savory and reminds me of a breakfast I was served as a kid in the Midwest.

We love that you have mimosas on your menu and that you have high quality local beers (Stone Smoked Porter and Stone Pale Ale) and very tasty iced tea. We also appreciate that you stay true to the diner form, with a wide variety of dishes from breakfast to dinner. Everything we’ve tried at Studio Diner tastes like it came from our grandma’s kitchen. If you can’t find something that you like on Studio Diner’s menu, you’re not hungry.

Yours Very Truly,

San Diego Restaurant Review


http://www.studiodiner.com/

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