By Judi Curry
Giorgino’s
1237 28th Street
San Diego, CA 92102
619-234-9141
In keeping with the Golden Hill neighborhood focus, Jim and I went to Giorgino’s for dinner this evening. You might remember that Jim is a man that I met on-line and has become a good friend. (Don’t confuse him with “Joe”, who has also become a good friend.)
Because Jim lives in Oceanside, he met me at my house early to beat the traffic on Highway 5. It was too early to eat dinner, so we stopped off at Shades in OB for a drink and watched the rough waves break on the pier. The drinks were not real good, and the appetizers left something to be desired, so we decided to go to “the Third Corner”, for a quick snack and another small drink. I wish I could say that the service was wonderful, but, alas, it was not. Jim finally went to the
front desk and asked if there was someone there who could help us. Like an apparition Jared appeared to take our order – a beer for Jim and a glass of rose for me. We also ordered an appetizer plate of cheese and meat.
Giovanni & Gabriel
But here is the most surprising thing – we mentioned that we had been at Shades and the waves were really roiled. Jared said that he had only been in San Diego a month or so, having come down here from Santa Cruz. I asked him if he went to high school in Santa Cruz and he said “yes.” I asked him where he had gone and he said “Santa Cruz High School.” I asked him if he had ever taken physics and he said, “Yes, from the best teacher I have ever had.” I asked him the teacher’s name and he said “PRC”. I just about fell off my chair, for “PRC” is my step-son. We talked a little more about Patric, and by the time we were finished neither Jim nor I were unhappy with the waiting time!
It was time to leave for our dinner at Giorgino’s. In all honesty I have to say that I was not looking forward to the meal. I had eaten at a near-by restaurant just yesterday and was not thrilled by it. In fact, I told Jim not to expect much. Were we surprised!
Giorgino’s is run by three brothers – Mario – who has owned the restaurant for 6 years; Giovanni and Gabriel. In addition, friends and other relatives work there at various times during the week, and it is a truly family run business. Unfortunately, Mario was not there this evening.
“Works” Cheesesteak
The menu is very extensive. They boast of the “Best Cheesesteaks in Town” and they feature Amoroso Rolls – so soft an succulent they melt in your mouth; Dietz and Watson Meats and Cheeses, along with John Taylor’s Pork Roll and Wise Chips and Tastybakes. They also have beer on tap. Because there are so many items on the menu, I would like to mention only a few besides those listed above, there are hot sandwiches, pork rolls, cold sandwiches, wings, tenders, burgers and dogs with salads, antipasto, pasta dishes, and desserts. They also do catering.
Jim ordered the Works Cheesesteak cooked with grilled onions, mushrooms, green bell peppers and melted white American cheese. It was served so hot that Jim burned his tongue on it. But it was absolutely delicious. Every flavor came through, the Amoroso Roll added to the perfection of the meal, and the most surprising part of the Cheesesteak was the $7.80 price. It was well worth the price, and it was huge!
I asked Gabriel what he recommended and he gave me two choices – the Hot Meatball Parm Sub ($7.80) or the Reuben ($7.31) that was served with grilled corned beef, grilled sauerkraut, melted Swiss and 1000 Island dressing on toasted rye bread. I chose the Reuben and it was wonderful. There was no fat on the corned beef, the sauerkraut was not over whelming and the rye/pumpernickel bread was fresh and added to the overall taste of the sandwich.
Reuben Sandwich
There are a few other things I would like to mention: The restaurant was spotless, including the bathroom. And in the time that we were there, we watched the two brothers constantly washing their hands after making a sandwich, filling a cup or shaking hands with a patron. When we were leaving I mentioned that to Giovanni and he said, “that’s the way it is supposed to be.”
The other thing that always annoys me in restaurants are the dual televisions. In the area where the ordering takes place and where Jim and I ate the hockey game was being played on a wide-screen television with the volume turned up high. In the second dining room, a very small area, a smaller television was blasting the basketball game. The louder the televisions the louder people have to talk to be heard. I learned a long time ago in my classroom that if the music/tv was played softly, people did not have to speak as loudly to be heard, and the din was not deafening as it is in loud playing situations. The restaurant is small – only seats about 30 people for both dining rooms. I would have liked to have a little more quiet.
But…the key question – again – is would we would go back, and I have to say that without question we would return. Jim said that he might even drive down from Oceanside to try something else. There is nothing more I can say about Giorginos – except that it was delicious.
Judi Curry
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Sounds really good. Maybe you, Irene and I should go there one day.