Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

The Real Deal

Place

Manna Restaurant

600 F Street #C, Chula Vista




You might call this the Russian job. You rush in, chow down, rush out, heh heh. I only have half an hour. Jumped off the 932 bus when I saw these two breakfast places at F and Broadway, Chula Vista. Big Daddy's and Manna. Figured I could squeeze in a desayuno at one of them before I have to get the trolley from Bayfront/E Street.

Manna won out because of their banner sign: "Breakfast $2.99." That was for two eggs, two pancakes, and two bacon or sausage and was a buck cheaper than Big Daddy's Breakfast Special. Of course Big Daddy's is the bigger place. It has the corner lot. Manna's is just this little space between a gas-station convenience store and a strip-mall outlet called Comix.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Actually, when I first got off the 932, here at the crossroads, I couldn't help staring at the view. Quite a chula vista ("beautiful view, right?") when you take a moment. Like, you can see the bay, blue as a distant earth between orange-roofed buildings. Makes you wonder. Like, how come Chula Vista didn't build their main street down there, with shops and squares and cafes facing the water, rather than up here where we're all walled off from it?

I do a quick scan of Manna's windows for the specials. Why? Because you always forget about them once you get inside. There's that $2.99 breakfast, a $3.99 two-egg omelet special (with two pancakes or toast), and a $3.99 Chinese combo plate with fried rice, chow mein, and two items from the buffet display, like kung pao chicken and egg roll. They all sound like good deals.

But the nicest thing, when I fwop through the doors, is the bright "Hi!" I get from Rosary -- yes, that's her name -- the waitress. The room is generic pink 'n' cream, full of maroon booths. Rosary's dressed in white blouse, jeans, and a maroon apron.

Then from one of the booths comes an echo.

"Hi! Good morning. How are you? Take a seat, please."

That's an Asian-American woman looking up from her Korean-language newspaper. She's sitting in a booth near the buffet counter and cash register. Sunny, the boss lady.

I like this greeting thing. I know it's Japanese, Korean, Asian, the custom of greeting the customer when s/he comes and again when s/he goes. Be kinda nice if it became a California thing too.

Rosary brings a coffee ($1.19) and the menu. Oh Lord. I should just order the $2.99 special. Save time, money, cholesterol. But the combos grab you. Two eggs with corned beef hash and potatoes ($5.50). Ham and eggs and spuds, $6.50. Steak and eggs, $7.99. And, for $6.75, "Mam's" omelet, whoever Mam is. It has bacon, onion, Bell pepper, mushrooms, tomatoes, and cheese. And for two bits more, you can get the "Round-Up": three eggs, two sausage patties, two bacon, half a slice of ham, potatoes and toast, or pancakes, or tortillas, or biscuits, or English muffin. What a deal!

All this has softened me up for Number 7: pork chops and eggs and potatoes. It's $7.99. Top price. Maybe I just like the idea that for once I can afford the most expensive damned item on the menu. Also pork chop breakfasts make me think of when I was a rangy kid working summer vacations on rellies' farms. So when Rosary comes for the verdict, I'm ready. "Pork chops with pancakes," I say. "Final answer."

Natch, it's only then that I see they have other interesting pancake combo deals, like the "twin," two eggs, pancakes, and bacon or sausage for $3.50.

But no regrets. Ten minutes later, Rosary brings out this big china plate loaded with two brown-crumbed pork chops, two eggs over-easy, and home fries. She's got another plate stacked with two pancakes with a big blob of butter on top.

And guess what? The chops are great. They're really good with some of that Sriracha hot sauce on them, and they're not mean little cuts like you often see. We're talkin' way big, fat, generous.

But get this: the chops ain't the stars of this show. It's the home fries. They're so fresh-cooked, with sautéed green peppers and onions, they're nothing short of scrumbolicious. Oh yeah -- first I fork-lifted the over-easies on top of them and let the broken yolks leak out all over, like, hey, golden manna.

Maybe it's all those nuts and twigs I've been hogging lately, but the wicked addition of the pancakes melting under the syrup I pour is the perfect side dish. The whole sweet 'n' salty thing works to perfection here.

Then, dong! Time's up. I see that 932 stretch-limo tramping along Broadway. Heck. Just as well I paid up already. A moment later, I leap on board. But as we head down toward that sparkling blue patch of bay, Rosary's and Sunny's farewells are still ringing in my ears.

"Bye. Come again! Thank you!"

I will. Except next time I really am going to try the $2.99 special. I swear.

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Our riparian woodland begins to look like fall, Orb Weavers help decorate

Comet of the century?
Place

Manna Restaurant

600 F Street #C, Chula Vista




You might call this the Russian job. You rush in, chow down, rush out, heh heh. I only have half an hour. Jumped off the 932 bus when I saw these two breakfast places at F and Broadway, Chula Vista. Big Daddy's and Manna. Figured I could squeeze in a desayuno at one of them before I have to get the trolley from Bayfront/E Street.

Manna won out because of their banner sign: "Breakfast $2.99." That was for two eggs, two pancakes, and two bacon or sausage and was a buck cheaper than Big Daddy's Breakfast Special. Of course Big Daddy's is the bigger place. It has the corner lot. Manna's is just this little space between a gas-station convenience store and a strip-mall outlet called Comix.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Actually, when I first got off the 932, here at the crossroads, I couldn't help staring at the view. Quite a chula vista ("beautiful view, right?") when you take a moment. Like, you can see the bay, blue as a distant earth between orange-roofed buildings. Makes you wonder. Like, how come Chula Vista didn't build their main street down there, with shops and squares and cafes facing the water, rather than up here where we're all walled off from it?

I do a quick scan of Manna's windows for the specials. Why? Because you always forget about them once you get inside. There's that $2.99 breakfast, a $3.99 two-egg omelet special (with two pancakes or toast), and a $3.99 Chinese combo plate with fried rice, chow mein, and two items from the buffet display, like kung pao chicken and egg roll. They all sound like good deals.

But the nicest thing, when I fwop through the doors, is the bright "Hi!" I get from Rosary -- yes, that's her name -- the waitress. The room is generic pink 'n' cream, full of maroon booths. Rosary's dressed in white blouse, jeans, and a maroon apron.

Then from one of the booths comes an echo.

"Hi! Good morning. How are you? Take a seat, please."

That's an Asian-American woman looking up from her Korean-language newspaper. She's sitting in a booth near the buffet counter and cash register. Sunny, the boss lady.

I like this greeting thing. I know it's Japanese, Korean, Asian, the custom of greeting the customer when s/he comes and again when s/he goes. Be kinda nice if it became a California thing too.

Rosary brings a coffee ($1.19) and the menu. Oh Lord. I should just order the $2.99 special. Save time, money, cholesterol. But the combos grab you. Two eggs with corned beef hash and potatoes ($5.50). Ham and eggs and spuds, $6.50. Steak and eggs, $7.99. And, for $6.75, "Mam's" omelet, whoever Mam is. It has bacon, onion, Bell pepper, mushrooms, tomatoes, and cheese. And for two bits more, you can get the "Round-Up": three eggs, two sausage patties, two bacon, half a slice of ham, potatoes and toast, or pancakes, or tortillas, or biscuits, or English muffin. What a deal!

All this has softened me up for Number 7: pork chops and eggs and potatoes. It's $7.99. Top price. Maybe I just like the idea that for once I can afford the most expensive damned item on the menu. Also pork chop breakfasts make me think of when I was a rangy kid working summer vacations on rellies' farms. So when Rosary comes for the verdict, I'm ready. "Pork chops with pancakes," I say. "Final answer."

Natch, it's only then that I see they have other interesting pancake combo deals, like the "twin," two eggs, pancakes, and bacon or sausage for $3.50.

But no regrets. Ten minutes later, Rosary brings out this big china plate loaded with two brown-crumbed pork chops, two eggs over-easy, and home fries. She's got another plate stacked with two pancakes with a big blob of butter on top.

And guess what? The chops are great. They're really good with some of that Sriracha hot sauce on them, and they're not mean little cuts like you often see. We're talkin' way big, fat, generous.

But get this: the chops ain't the stars of this show. It's the home fries. They're so fresh-cooked, with sautéed green peppers and onions, they're nothing short of scrumbolicious. Oh yeah -- first I fork-lifted the over-easies on top of them and let the broken yolks leak out all over, like, hey, golden manna.

Maybe it's all those nuts and twigs I've been hogging lately, but the wicked addition of the pancakes melting under the syrup I pour is the perfect side dish. The whole sweet 'n' salty thing works to perfection here.

Then, dong! Time's up. I see that 932 stretch-limo tramping along Broadway. Heck. Just as well I paid up already. A moment later, I leap on board. But as we head down toward that sparkling blue patch of bay, Rosary's and Sunny's farewells are still ringing in my ears.

"Bye. Come again! Thank you!"

I will. Except next time I really am going to try the $2.99 special. I swear.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Codename Stasis found its format at SDSU

Local zine tells a magical local story
Next Article

Happy accidents on the Bob Ross soundtrack

Jason Lee and Dave Klein craft new sounds for a classic show
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader