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

Red House Kitchen’s “Donax Don’t Tell” — a beautiful, scrumptious mess

Look at the pile of bread slices, a mound of ham, bacon, pastrami, a big over-easy egg, and a blanket of béchamel on top

Donax Don’t Tell: It’s a wicked secret
Donax Don’t Tell: It’s a wicked secret

My friend Hank and I are both desperately trying to lose weight. I can’t seem to break 210. That’s why I’m coming to meet Hank at this brekky/lunch place he told me about.

Place

Red House Kitchen

775 13th Street, San Diego

It’s a hot midday as I walk up 13th Street in IB. Just as I’m starting to wilt, I see four white tent tops pointing to the blue sky. Turns out they’re shading a patio in front of a li’l ol’ rusty-red wooden house. “Red House Kitchen,” the sign says.

It’s right on the corner of 13th and Donax.

To get onto the patio deck, you have to pass inside the house. This is where they have their kitchen, counter, wall menus, and a couple of seats at a bar. But the main action is definitely outside.

Bethany Case: schoolteacher-turned-restaurateur

Bethany, lady behind the counter — and the owner, turns out — hands me a menu. I take it out to the deck, where Hank’s waiting.

“Remember, we’re eating healthy, right?” Hank says.

“I guess,” I say. Because now, after all that exercise, I’m craving sausages, eggs, toast, scads of cawfee.

At a long table next door, a group of teachers are eating and talking classroom stuff. I see a plate of French toast, and a black iron skillet loaded with tortillas passing by. And is that béchamel sauce on top? “Chilaquiles,” says the guy with the plate.

Sponsored
Sponsored

First up, though, coffee ($2, with refills). There’s a nice burble going around the deck. Morning-after couples, grandparents, businessmen talking Spanish into cell phones, kids, dogs, Hank, and me.

They do have lunch items like paninis, but I’m looking at the breakfast section, the part that says “Bowls.” Breakfast bowls. But not the açaí-type fruit slush. Most are health-oriented. Like “Kale and sweet potato hash.” It has carrots, sage, garlic, and jalapeños. Plus two fried eggs and grilled onion. All in a bowl, not on a plate. Costs $8.50. Or quinoa pesto bowl. It comes with organic quinoa, eggs, zucchini, red onion arugula, and pesto. Also $8.50. Don’t get much healthier than that. Unless it’s the green smoothie bowl ($7), with spinach, kale, avo, banana, berries, coconut, almond milk, agave, and almonds. I guess you slurp that one, not munch.

Chilaquiles. Egg’s a dollar extra

“Look up at the top, dude,” says Hank. “If you’re looking for real food.”

Oh yeah. Top o’the list is the protein bowl, with scrambled eggs, avo, spinach, black beans, “house-made” chicken sausage. Costs $9.

Or the next one, “Sunrise Bowl.” Has scrambled eggs, roasted red potatoes, bacon or chicken sausage, tomato and toast, also $9.

The other side of the menu has panini and “toasts and oats.” “Cake by the Ocean” is a panini smothered in peanut butter, chocolate Grenache, and banana, plus fresh fruit on the side ($6.50). “Yam Smash” ($6) is yams, feta, arugula, arugula pesto, and onion.

I’m just putting the menu down when I notice a dish on the “Toasts and Oats” listing.

“Donax Don’t Tell.”

Whu?

“Geddit?” says Hank. Well, Donax is this street right here. That’s about all I get.

“‘Donax...’ — oh yeah! That’s good,” I say. Penny’s dropped. “Lessee: sandwich, ‘open-faced pastrami, ham, bacon, egg, béchamel sauce, chives, $10.’”

Hank goes for the Sunrise Bowl. Me, I have to go off-piste and have that skillet of chilaquiles I saw. It’s on a Specials blackboard. I mean, nothing could be simpler. We’re talking chips (thicker chips, to stand up to the liquids), sour cream also, and Parmesan cheese. Amazing how great that taste and crispy combo is. But the killer app is the bowl of black beans that I pour into the skillet. Mmm. That spicy Cuban flavor. So-oo tasty.

The protein bowl, probably the most popular breakfast

The original thing about Hank’s Sunrise Bowl is that it’s a complete breakfast, but it’s in a bowl too. Must be a thing here. Two rough disks of chicken, scrambled eggs, tomato slices, and a ton of grilled red potatoes. Hank lets me steal a chunk of the sausage. Oh wow. Sure I catch a taste of fennel. If I hadn’t stuffed myself so full of chilaquiles, I’d beg Hank for more.

It turns out Bethany is a high school teacher of music and history who got the opportunity to buy this place when it was The Little Red Cafe. (Before that, it had been Que Pasta.) This was a couple of years ago. She saw an opening for a healthy food place in IB that was reasonably priced.

Truth is, it’s hard to leave her oasis. Except, no choice. They close at two.

“Next time,” I say to Hank, “We’re really truly eating healthy. Okay? Like the yam smash.”

“I want to believe you,” he says.

Happens I’m back next morning. Can’t resist dropping in again. This time I’m looking at the “kale and sweet potato hash, because hey, it’s healthy.” Except I hear myself ordering not that, but the “Donax Don’t Tell.”

And OMG, it is something. I look at the pile of bread slices, a mound of ham, bacon, pastrami, a big over-easy egg, and a blanket of béchamel on top, and I think: a mess. Calorie city, but a beautiful mess. And it is scrumptious. Salty, yes, but the béchamel lowers the intensity, and the soft bread somehow sweetens it up. Filling, and with the cawfee so satisfying.

“Tell me you ate healthy,” texts Hank, when I message him where I am. “Which one was it?”

“Donax,” I type. “Just Donax.”

  • The Place: Red House Kitchen, 775 13th Street, at Donax, Imperial Beach, 619-934-3133
  • Hours: 7am-2pm, daily
  • Prices: Kale and sweet potato hash, with two fried eggs, grilled onion, $8.50; quinoa pesto bowl, with organic quinoa, eggs, zucchini, $8.50; green smoothie bowl (with spinach, kale, avo, banana, berries, coconut, almond milk, agave, almonds, $7; protein bowl (scrambled eggs, avo, spinach, black beans, chicken sausage), $9; sunrise bowl (scrambled eggs, roasted red potatoes, bacon or chicken sausage), $9; “cake by the ocean,” panini with peanut butter, chocolate Grenache, banana, $6.50; “yam smash” (yams, feta, arugula), $6; kale and sweet potato hash, with two fried eggs, $8.50; quinoa pesto bowl, $8.50; green smoothie bowl, $7
  • Buses: 901, 933, 934
  • Nearest Bus Stops: 13th and Palm (933, 934); 13th and Imperial Beach Boulevard (901, 933, 934)
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

March is typically windy, Sage scents in the foothills

Butterflies may cross the county
Next Article

Reader Music Issue short takes

Obervatory's mosh pit, frenetic Rafael Payare, Lemonhead chaos, bleedforthescene, Coronado Tasting Room
Donax Don’t Tell: It’s a wicked secret
Donax Don’t Tell: It’s a wicked secret

My friend Hank and I are both desperately trying to lose weight. I can’t seem to break 210. That’s why I’m coming to meet Hank at this brekky/lunch place he told me about.

Place

Red House Kitchen

775 13th Street, San Diego

It’s a hot midday as I walk up 13th Street in IB. Just as I’m starting to wilt, I see four white tent tops pointing to the blue sky. Turns out they’re shading a patio in front of a li’l ol’ rusty-red wooden house. “Red House Kitchen,” the sign says.

It’s right on the corner of 13th and Donax.

To get onto the patio deck, you have to pass inside the house. This is where they have their kitchen, counter, wall menus, and a couple of seats at a bar. But the main action is definitely outside.

Bethany Case: schoolteacher-turned-restaurateur

Bethany, lady behind the counter — and the owner, turns out — hands me a menu. I take it out to the deck, where Hank’s waiting.

“Remember, we’re eating healthy, right?” Hank says.

“I guess,” I say. Because now, after all that exercise, I’m craving sausages, eggs, toast, scads of cawfee.

At a long table next door, a group of teachers are eating and talking classroom stuff. I see a plate of French toast, and a black iron skillet loaded with tortillas passing by. And is that béchamel sauce on top? “Chilaquiles,” says the guy with the plate.

Sponsored
Sponsored

First up, though, coffee ($2, with refills). There’s a nice burble going around the deck. Morning-after couples, grandparents, businessmen talking Spanish into cell phones, kids, dogs, Hank, and me.

They do have lunch items like paninis, but I’m looking at the breakfast section, the part that says “Bowls.” Breakfast bowls. But not the açaí-type fruit slush. Most are health-oriented. Like “Kale and sweet potato hash.” It has carrots, sage, garlic, and jalapeños. Plus two fried eggs and grilled onion. All in a bowl, not on a plate. Costs $8.50. Or quinoa pesto bowl. It comes with organic quinoa, eggs, zucchini, red onion arugula, and pesto. Also $8.50. Don’t get much healthier than that. Unless it’s the green smoothie bowl ($7), with spinach, kale, avo, banana, berries, coconut, almond milk, agave, and almonds. I guess you slurp that one, not munch.

Chilaquiles. Egg’s a dollar extra

“Look up at the top, dude,” says Hank. “If you’re looking for real food.”

Oh yeah. Top o’the list is the protein bowl, with scrambled eggs, avo, spinach, black beans, “house-made” chicken sausage. Costs $9.

Or the next one, “Sunrise Bowl.” Has scrambled eggs, roasted red potatoes, bacon or chicken sausage, tomato and toast, also $9.

The other side of the menu has panini and “toasts and oats.” “Cake by the Ocean” is a panini smothered in peanut butter, chocolate Grenache, and banana, plus fresh fruit on the side ($6.50). “Yam Smash” ($6) is yams, feta, arugula, arugula pesto, and onion.

I’m just putting the menu down when I notice a dish on the “Toasts and Oats” listing.

“Donax Don’t Tell.”

Whu?

“Geddit?” says Hank. Well, Donax is this street right here. That’s about all I get.

“‘Donax...’ — oh yeah! That’s good,” I say. Penny’s dropped. “Lessee: sandwich, ‘open-faced pastrami, ham, bacon, egg, béchamel sauce, chives, $10.’”

Hank goes for the Sunrise Bowl. Me, I have to go off-piste and have that skillet of chilaquiles I saw. It’s on a Specials blackboard. I mean, nothing could be simpler. We’re talking chips (thicker chips, to stand up to the liquids), sour cream also, and Parmesan cheese. Amazing how great that taste and crispy combo is. But the killer app is the bowl of black beans that I pour into the skillet. Mmm. That spicy Cuban flavor. So-oo tasty.

The protein bowl, probably the most popular breakfast

The original thing about Hank’s Sunrise Bowl is that it’s a complete breakfast, but it’s in a bowl too. Must be a thing here. Two rough disks of chicken, scrambled eggs, tomato slices, and a ton of grilled red potatoes. Hank lets me steal a chunk of the sausage. Oh wow. Sure I catch a taste of fennel. If I hadn’t stuffed myself so full of chilaquiles, I’d beg Hank for more.

It turns out Bethany is a high school teacher of music and history who got the opportunity to buy this place when it was The Little Red Cafe. (Before that, it had been Que Pasta.) This was a couple of years ago. She saw an opening for a healthy food place in IB that was reasonably priced.

Truth is, it’s hard to leave her oasis. Except, no choice. They close at two.

“Next time,” I say to Hank, “We’re really truly eating healthy. Okay? Like the yam smash.”

“I want to believe you,” he says.

Happens I’m back next morning. Can’t resist dropping in again. This time I’m looking at the “kale and sweet potato hash, because hey, it’s healthy.” Except I hear myself ordering not that, but the “Donax Don’t Tell.”

And OMG, it is something. I look at the pile of bread slices, a mound of ham, bacon, pastrami, a big over-easy egg, and a blanket of béchamel on top, and I think: a mess. Calorie city, but a beautiful mess. And it is scrumptious. Salty, yes, but the béchamel lowers the intensity, and the soft bread somehow sweetens it up. Filling, and with the cawfee so satisfying.

“Tell me you ate healthy,” texts Hank, when I message him where I am. “Which one was it?”

“Donax,” I type. “Just Donax.”

  • The Place: Red House Kitchen, 775 13th Street, at Donax, Imperial Beach, 619-934-3133
  • Hours: 7am-2pm, daily
  • Prices: Kale and sweet potato hash, with two fried eggs, grilled onion, $8.50; quinoa pesto bowl, with organic quinoa, eggs, zucchini, $8.50; green smoothie bowl (with spinach, kale, avo, banana, berries, coconut, almond milk, agave, almonds, $7; protein bowl (scrambled eggs, avo, spinach, black beans, chicken sausage), $9; sunrise bowl (scrambled eggs, roasted red potatoes, bacon or chicken sausage), $9; “cake by the ocean,” panini with peanut butter, chocolate Grenache, banana, $6.50; “yam smash” (yams, feta, arugula), $6; kale and sweet potato hash, with two fried eggs, $8.50; quinoa pesto bowl, $8.50; green smoothie bowl, $7
  • Buses: 901, 933, 934
  • Nearest Bus Stops: 13th and Palm (933, 934); 13th and Imperial Beach Boulevard (901, 933, 934)
Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Melissa Etheridge, The Imaginary Amazon

Events April 1-April 3, 2024
Next Article

Reader Music Issue short takes

Obervatory's mosh pit, frenetic Rafael Payare, Lemonhead chaos, bleedforthescene, Coronado Tasting Room
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.