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

Carnitas' Snack Shack: Still Surprisingly Affordable (Plus a Bit on the Global Financial Crisis...)

So, Barbarella pretty much had the first and final word on the Snack Shack at the end of last year and I defer to her assessment as both accurate and concise. Namely, Carnitas' is pork-lover's heaven and there is some serious talent (in the form of Hanis Cavin, formerly of the Kensington Grill) in the kitchen. The place celebrates pork, and celebrates it well.

Now that we're down the road a little, it's worth taking a second look at Carnitas' because the miniature BBQ restaurant has managed to price itself into a fairly unique position.

I just tried the "poutine" the other day. It's not strictly poutine in the French-Canadian purist sense, but there's no doubt that the dish is excellent. With pulled pork, bacon, and white cheddar gravy ladled on top of seasoned french fries, Carnitas' poutine is a pretty lively interpretation of the classic Quebecois dish of fries, brown gravy, and cheese curds.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/may/23/24898/

The radness of the poutine speaks for itself. But, here's the twist: it was only $8.

Were I, hypothetically speaking, to walk into any of the "craft-farm-to-table-sustainable-local" eateries that dot the Uptown landscape, I would expect to pay at least $12 for this dish. And I'd pay it, too. Not every day, but every now and again.

I look at the Carnitas' menu and I see that everything remains under $10, even after the place has been open for a little while and made its initial impression on a very fickle public. This is delightful. Perhaps the market for craft foods has gotten stable enough--now that everyone and his brother is in on it--that smaller players can enter said market and humbly occupy a stable position. Or perhaps it's simply that the minds behind the Snack Shack have enough faith in their product that they are willing to indulge a more long-term business model. If there's one thing that's been absolutely thematic in economic news from industries the world over, it's that faith in markets is sorely lacking since the beginning of the global financial crisis in 2008.

I'm willing to concede it's a bit of stretch to forecast economic recovery based on the price of porky at a diminutive store in Southern California, but it's not a stretch to point out the that Carnitas' menu is worth every penny and then some.

Carnitas' Snack Shack
2632 University Avenue
619-294-PORK

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

Previous article

Gonzo Report: Goose may have indie vibes, but they’re still a jam band

Fans turn out in force for show at SDSU

So, Barbarella pretty much had the first and final word on the Snack Shack at the end of last year and I defer to her assessment as both accurate and concise. Namely, Carnitas' is pork-lover's heaven and there is some serious talent (in the form of Hanis Cavin, formerly of the Kensington Grill) in the kitchen. The place celebrates pork, and celebrates it well.

Now that we're down the road a little, it's worth taking a second look at Carnitas' because the miniature BBQ restaurant has managed to price itself into a fairly unique position.

I just tried the "poutine" the other day. It's not strictly poutine in the French-Canadian purist sense, but there's no doubt that the dish is excellent. With pulled pork, bacon, and white cheddar gravy ladled on top of seasoned french fries, Carnitas' poutine is a pretty lively interpretation of the classic Quebecois dish of fries, brown gravy, and cheese curds.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/may/23/24898/

The radness of the poutine speaks for itself. But, here's the twist: it was only $8.

Were I, hypothetically speaking, to walk into any of the "craft-farm-to-table-sustainable-local" eateries that dot the Uptown landscape, I would expect to pay at least $12 for this dish. And I'd pay it, too. Not every day, but every now and again.

I look at the Carnitas' menu and I see that everything remains under $10, even after the place has been open for a little while and made its initial impression on a very fickle public. This is delightful. Perhaps the market for craft foods has gotten stable enough--now that everyone and his brother is in on it--that smaller players can enter said market and humbly occupy a stable position. Or perhaps it's simply that the minds behind the Snack Shack have enough faith in their product that they are willing to indulge a more long-term business model. If there's one thing that's been absolutely thematic in economic news from industries the world over, it's that faith in markets is sorely lacking since the beginning of the global financial crisis in 2008.

I'm willing to concede it's a bit of stretch to forecast economic recovery based on the price of porky at a diminutive store in Southern California, but it's not a stretch to point out the that Carnitas' menu is worth every penny and then some.

Carnitas' Snack Shack
2632 University Avenue
619-294-PORK

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

A salad from the most unlikely source

Enjoying beets and greens with a side of cholesterol in North Park
Next Article

Cavin snacking, shacking up at El Take It Easy

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