Say Cheese to Graters Grilled Cheese in MV
Plus: Kearny Alumni Car Show Announcement, USD Baseball, Odyssey Fitness Grand Opening Announcement, Linda Vista Desert Commentary, TB Prevention Education, USD Sign Repaired, and One Act Plays
This week we decided to try a restaurant we have been eyeing for some time. It is not in Linda Vista, but close enough at Friars Mission Center. It is called Graters Grilled Cheese and you will find it in the food court area next to Mr. Moto Pizza which we previously reviewed. Growing up Catholic in the era when you could not eat meat on Friday, and before I became a non-meat eater, I ate my fill of grilled cheese sandwiches as a kid. My favorite meal was a grilled cheese sandwich and a bowl of tomato soup (now they call it tomato bisque). Well, if that is your idea of a grilled cheese sandwich, you will be pleasantly surprised when you see the menu at Grater Grilled Cheese. Their website states they are making the world a grater place by melting the hearts of Southern Californians who love a gourmet chef-inspired twist on the grilled cheese sandwich. And they are not kidding.
The restaurant is a nice casual place that we thought would be grate for lunch. There are many tables in the food court area, but you could eat inside also. The menu hangs on the wall, and you give your order at a counter and wait to have your name called. Their most popular items are grater fries, basic grater 5 cheese sandwich, also Philly grilled cheese, avocado grilled cheese, lobster grilled cheese, chicken pesto, Carnivore grilled cheese, Nashville hot grilled cheese, birria, and more. They also have burgers, mac and cheese, tomato basil soup, and many types of loaded fries. You can see the entire menu on their website.
When I saw they had a Carnivore Grilled Cheese Sandwich, I immediately notified our very own Carnivore Sidekick, and surprise of surprises, he was willing to accompany us. I believe he lives by the motto…”Anytime, anyplace, for a free meal.” I was so sure he would try his namesake sandwich.
Steve and I decided to try the Lobster Grilled Cheese Sandwich which the staff told us is their most popular. It includes the basic 5 cheeses with butter, fried lobster, krab, and signature pale ale beer chipotle aioli. We thought we would split it since it seemed like a lot. It comes on artisan sourdough bread along with a pickle with chili flakes on it.
The Carnivore Sidekick disappointed me grately by not ordering the Carnivore sandwich which included two hamburger patties. Instead, he went for the Nashville Hot Grilled Cheese which included the basic 5 grilled cheese with buffalo chicken tenders, coleslaw and diced pickles.
The sandwiches are made to order, but came in good time. We ate outside as it was a beautiful day. Steve and I really liked the lobster cheese sandwich. It was sweet, rich, and extremely tasty and a half sandwich was just enough. Carnivore said his Nashville hot was not too spicy, the chicken breaded nicely, and the coleslaw gave it a good crunch. Unbelievable as it may sound, he only ate half and took the other half home for another snack
The sandwiches run from about $10.00 and up. They have some add-ons and children’s meals and I think something for everyone. Head on down to Mission Valley and try it; I think you will enjoy it. You too will think it’s grate. The five cheeses in the sandwiches are Colby, Swiss, Monterey, Provolone, and Cheddar. Their hours are 10:30 am to 8:00 pm, Monday through Sunday.
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I hope some of you tried the cauliflower recipe published in last week’s issue and that you will come to the Love, Linda Vista Farmers Market today and purchase some of their great veggies and fruits.
Car Show this Saturday
USD Torero Baseball Begins Season
Are you a baseball fan who is getting anxious for the San Diego Padres’ season to begin? Do you not have the time to drive all the way out to Arizona to take in a spring season game? If so, I suggest you travel down the mesa and check out a baseball game on the University of San Diego’s (USD) beautiful campus. What you will find there is a high quality NCAA Division I baseball team that serves up some exciting playing time at a ball park (Fowler Park) that is the envy of just about any college program in the country.
Though the new baseball season is young, the Toreros have wasted no time in displaying their talents. They began this year’s season on February 16 in big time fashion with a three-game series (away) against the University of Texas—a perennial collegiate baseball power. Since that time they have taken on other highly competitive programs like the University of Arizona, UC Irvine, and San Diego State University. They currently have a 6-5 win/loss record.
The early season non-conference games may seem to pose quite a challenge, but the team has welcomed this level of competition According to USD head coach Brock Ungricht, “It starts in the recruiting process. We tell all our players that if you come to the University of San Diego you will be playing the toughest non conference schedule in the country. If you want to be the best you must beat the best. It is a challenge week in and week out but it will all be worth it at the end.”
During this past weekend, the Toreros participated in the Dodger Stadium College Baseball Classic. The Classic culminated in a game against the University of Michigan played at Dodger Stadium. The Toreros were victorious in that game by a score of 9-1. As explained by Coach Ungricht, “We have a lot of players from the LA area and to be able to get the opportunity to play at the historic Dodger Stadium was unbelievable. Our players came out fired up and showed really well against a great team. It was a moment that none of us will forget.”
This past Tuesday night the Toreros played an away game against cross-town rival San Diego State University at Tony Gwynn Stadium. The game was a defensive struggle for most of the game with pitchers on both sides successfully keeping runners off the base paths, but USD was eventually able to take advantage of an exciting eighth inning rally to score an impressive 9-2 victory over the Aztecs.
This weekend the Toreros will visit the state of Texas to play a three-game series against Dallas Baptist University. But they will return next Tuesday March 12 (6:05 pm) to play a home game against Cal State Northridge University, and then travel the following weekend to the University of Michigan to play three games against the Wolverines at Ann Arbor. The Toreros will begin West Coast Conference (WCC) play on Friday March 22 with three weekend home games against St Mary’s University. After going through a tough pre-conference schedule, the Toreros should be more than ready by that time for taking on conference opponents. As made clear by Coach Ungricht, who is in his third season of coaching the team, “Our goal still remains the same every year and that is to win the WCC and advance to the NCAA regionals.”
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We wish the USD Toreros good luck on their baseball season, and we thank Coach Ungricht for taking the time to answer our questions.
Commentary
Is Linda Vista a Desert? Kinda Sorta
You may view Linda Vista as a place with a beautiful, temperate Mediterranean climate, but I have recently come to associate the term “desert” with our wonderful community. Now, by mentioning “desert” in the same sentence as Linda Vista, I don’t exactly expect to see Lawrence of Arabia navigating a camel up Ulric Street—I am, however, talking about different kinds of deserts….the ones without sand. Let me explain.
A recent article in the San Diego Union Tribune explained the possibility that families in Linda Vista may someday soon be able to enjoy greater access to affordable day care centers. The article detailed how the City of San Diego’s new Office of Child and Youth Success has been working with City Recreation Centers to determine which ones could be adapted to host child care facilities for underserved communities. Linda Vista’s Recreation Center, located at 7064 Levant Street, has been identified as one of 5 sites throughout the city that can best serve its underserved community by hosting a child care center. Unfortunately, the article mentioned the City has yet to identify the money needed to fund such an ambitious venture.
We hope such funding can be found. However, in addition to the possibility of giving the LV community greater access to child care, what I found interesting about the article was the reference to the term “child care desert.” Linda Vista was identified as being one such “child care desert.” Up until the time I read the article, I had never heard of the term “child care desert,” much less the news that I happen to live in a “child care desert.” The Center for American Progress web site defines a “child care desert as “a ZIP code with at least 30 children under the age of 5 and either no child care centers or so few centers that there are more than three times as many children under age 5 as there are spaces in centers.” According to the web site, the term “borrows its terminology from the frequently studied problem of food deserts—what the government defines as communities in which residents do not live in close proximity to affordable and healthy food retailers.”
Speaking of deserts, did you know that Linda Vista has also been designated as a “food desert?” According to a web site that uses SD County data, swaths of our community fit the criteria of a “food desert” which the site defines as an urban area where it is difficult to buy affordable and quality fresh food. The site further explains that San Diego County has about 13% of its population living in food deserts.
All this talk about deserts got me thinking the other day about what other possible ways our community of Linda Vista can be described as being a desert. In other words, how else are we deficient? What do we seem to be lacking? In what ways do we live a barren existence? After much thinking, and drinking of water, and while listening to the 70’s rock hit A Horse with No Name for inspiration, I came up with the following list of Top Ten Ways Linda Vista Can Be Described as a Desert:
Pie Desert: We need a pie shop in Linda Vista. I read a recent internet article that listed the top ten pie shops in San Diego. Unfortunately, Linda Vista didn’t make the list, though Arely’s in Clairemont is located nearby.
Good Deli-style sandwich desert: We are in need of a good, New York style delicatessen in this community….a place to get a pastrami sandwich, or a Rueben sandwich. And such a Deli should be staffed behind the counter by a person possessed of a thick NY accent and an attitude.
Statue desert: There is a statue of basketball player Bill Walton at the Mission Valley Y. And there is a stature of R.E. Hazard at the nearby Hazard Center Mall. But there are no statues of famous people in Linda Vista. Why not?
Tall building desert: No skyscrapers for us. LV doesn’t have a building higher than five stories. Most residents want to keep it that way.
Suspension bridge desert: The Bankers Hill community has the famous Spruce Street Suspension Bridge to cross Kate Session Canyon. Linda Vista has plenty of canyons, but no suspension bridges. I’d like to see a suspension bridge going from one side of Tecolote Canyon to the other. Or maybe even a zip line.
Art gallery desert: How can LV ever be a hip, trendy community without an art gallery? Where are the LV bohemian, creative people expected to hang out?
Body of water desert: We have the San Diego River to the south of us, and Mission Bay to the west. However, we are exceptionally dry when it comes to water within our community boundaries (of course, being dry is a feature we normally associate with a desert).
Celebrity resident desert: Are there any famous Hollywood celebrity people who live in Linda Vista? I don’t think so. Any famous professional athletes? Any members of the Khardashian family? We are sorely lacking in celebrity residents.
San Diego Historic Landmark desert: According to Wikipedia, there are 150 Historic Landmarks in San Diego, but not one of them is located in Linda Vista.
San Diego Padres World Series Championship Desert: Perhaps this will be the year the Padres go all the way and claim their first World Series championship. I wouldn’t go so far as to bet on it. In fact, chances are good we will remain a desolate desert in this respect.
I am now going to go drink another glass of water. In the meantime, I want everyone to understand that in the immortal words of that famous 70’s song, “In the desert, you can remember your name,'cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain.”
Upcoming Community Event
Linda Vista/USD Monument Repaired
We noted a couple newsletter issues ago that the USD/Linda Vista monument that lies at the foot of Ulric Street (near the Friars Road intersection) had long been in need of repair (check out the broken part of the monument in the photo (left) below). The subject of the damaged monument and the need for repair was originally raised at a recent Linda Vista Town Hall session hosted by District 7 Councilmember Raul Campillo.
We are happy to see that the University of San Diego took action on the repair request.
You can see how the monument was repaired in the photo on the right.
Looking good, Linda Vista!
LV Recreation Center Egg Hunt Coming Up
One Act Plays by LV Resident this Friday Night
LV resident Janet Tiger will have two of her one-act plays performed on Zoom this Friday March 8 at 7:30 pm. The plays are being presented by The Stripteasers, a San Diego organization that supports local playwright development. The two plays are THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED (A nice younger man comes to an older woman’s house for the census. An ordinary interview. Or is it?), and BANNED IN BOOKSVILLE (A librarian won’t take a book off the shelf – but is it worth going to jail?).
The plays can be viewed on Zoom by clicking here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85470233317
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