The Hippest Little Grill-Your-Own
Written: Sep 03 '04
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Pros: hipster food in San Diego
Cons: Sometimes, it's just too dark here.
The Bottom Line: The Turf Supper Club - a nice San Diego date restaurant.
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| megugrrrl's Full Review: Turf Supper Club |
1116 25th Street (near C)
San Diego, CA 92102
619-234-6363
In Golden Hill
We all know that preparing your own food is not a new restaurant gimmick ("Mongolian" BBQ, hot pot places, Korean restaurants.) My educated guess as to the origins of carnivorous grilling at restaurants in the US of A goes back to the '50's.
The Turf Supper Club is a tribute to that era -- which incidentally San Diego seems to love more than other cities do. (Greaser/ Swing/ Rockabilly culture is a lot more present in San Diego than the Bay Area - it must the be the ample parking and well-paved streets for those classic cars.)
I first started out at Turf Club just sitting at the bar to imbibe swanky cocktails, but soon I started bringing dates to eat lunch and dinner there - The Turf Club became a litmus test for potential dates. It's dark, even in the middle of the day - which is great for ambiance. Plus, the booth seats and plastic laminate (with simulated wood grain) tables look better in the dark. There is, however, enough light to see the pictures of old San Diego (no, not Junipero Serra mission old, remember, swanky old) and reminders of the time's love affair with things like gambling, horse racing and good times.
Grill Me
In the restaurant half of the Turf Supper club is the star of the show - a stationary communal grill. It's powered by propane (and has propane accesssories, Bobby!) and there's a vent hood and light to assist you in the adventure.
The adventure is actually pretty simple. Sit, order, raw meat arrives, you walk up to the grill, cook your meat, season it, then you sit back down and eat.
Most things on the menu are meant to be grilled - steaks, burgers and kebabs - and everything is relatively cheap - sirloin steak (while not the best cut) is under $10. If you're macho or on the Atkins diet, you can splurge on the ribeye (around $15). All beef carvings come marinated in olive oil with a mild dose of "seasonings" - and all entrees side of garlic bread (which you must toss on the grill alongside your meat so it soaks up that beefy goodness left behind by an evening of grilling.)
There are several spatulas and maybe a pair of tongs at the grill, but not enough cooking tools for everyone to have their own (could you imagine the bbq tool traffic?) This is actually good because you have to talk to the other grillers to share spatulas, but bad for those neurotic types that hate it when different foods touch because you don't clean the cooking tools after each one. Sure a wipe down would be okay, but communal means communal here.
I always go for the burger because grilled burgers are the best. Unforunately since the lighting isn't the best at the Turf Club, I almost always overcook my burger. You'll have to rely on the timed or "touching the meat" method. I also enjoy toasting my own buns and putting the cheese on the burger myself.
Next to the grill is a condiment section, which holds things like salt, pepper, the usual condiments, plus A1 Steak Sauce.
There are non-cow options available, which include swordfish steaks (with teriyaki sauce, I beleive), chicken (although most of the time it arrives cooked), and shrimp or swordfish kabobs (yummy.) Most entrees, cow and non, hover around the $10 mark.
There is no attendant to help assist grillers - you must take care of yourself, just like hunter and gatherer days. On most nights there are few enough people where you can throw on your meat and go back to your booth to sip on your Cosmo, but some nights when it's packed, you've gotta claim your spot and tend to your food or else you might come back to find your meat gone.
Service?
The service is pretty unmemorable - not good, not bad - just blah. The bartenders are pretty cool - sometimes 'too cool for school', but they usually pour stiff drinks.
In All
This is one of those places that you go to because of the extras beyond the food. The food will get a B- but paired with the schtik and ambiance, I'd give it an inflated A-. Go for the fun of it, not the food.
No reservations - full bar.
Recommended:
Yes
Kid Friendliness: No
Vegetarian Friendly: No
Best Suited For: Trendy Crowd
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Epinions.com ID:
megugrrrl
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Location: Oakland
Reviews written: 147
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