Astounded By The Tugboat

In Sacramento, California, there's a restaurant that my in-laws have long claimed is better than Long John Silvers.  It's called Tugboat Fish and Chips.

They serve up great tasting Alaskan Cod in gargantuan portions.

In fact, the atmosphere is so delightful and whimsical that even long-term customers are often overcome with anticipation and joy as they await their meal.

My wife and I split a two-piece fish basket, which included chips (fries). We might have finished it all, had not one of the owners come over to talk with us.  When he learned that we hail from San Diego, and that we had wanted to try his restaurant for years, he left and returned a few minutes later with a large basket of tempura vegetables.

Here I am, midway through my meal, with a few bites left of my tempura mushroom and onion ring, a whole zucchini slice, and half my fish.  I managed to finish my fish, but I was super-stuffed afterward.

Sadly, we never did finish all of their delicious fries.

While I love Long John Silvers, the closest restaurant to my home is a forty-five minute drive.  Finding a great place like Tugboat Fish & Chips reminds me that there might be several non-chain Fish & Chips restaurants closer to home.  Perhaps I should seek them out.  

One thing is certain.  The next time I visit Sacramento, there's a new restaurant at the top of my list!

Dragon Dave

Related Internet Link
Tugboat Fish & Chips

The Dragon’s Burger Habit

Every time we visit the in-laws, one place we have to go is The Habit.  Their Charburgers overwhelm the taste buds.  While the wife orders Sweet Potato fries, I prefer their Onion Rings, which are always so moist and tasty.  

This time, I heard that they’ve recently opened a location closer to home.  I’m going to have to check this rumor out.  For even if I have to drive a ways to get there, I’d love to make eating there a more frequent habit. 

After all, writing is demanding work, and I need to take good care of my inner dragon.

Dragon Dave

This Bob’s Big Boy Cares

I’ve had so many great experiences at Bob’s Big Boy.  When my parents lived in the house next to the church, where we cared for my dog Sport, there was a Bob’s Big Boy located on the other side of the church.  We went there after church on Sunday evenings, during the week, for dinners, desserts, or even just a mug of cocoa.  Bob’s Big Boy was a bigger chain then, and I remember going to lots of different Bob’s restaurants with family and church friends, and eating lots of great food.

A few years ago, it struck me that I hadn’t visited a Bob’s Big Boy in a long time.  So we looked them up, and started going again.  Sometimes we had a nice meal, while other visits proved less pleasant.  Usually, this had less to do with the quality of the food and more to do with the attitude of the staff.  One time, when a friend asked if she could get a salad with less yellow lettuce, the waitress responded, “You want to go into the kitchen with me?  I’ll show you: it’s all like that!”  That’s the problem with a chain: a few poorly run restaurants can ruin you on the entire chain.  But I liked their food so much that this time, I decided to persevere with them.  After all, they weren’t located next door to me any more.  In fact, the closest one was an hour away.  So the occasional journey to a Bob’s was worth looking forward to.

Two of the Bob’s restaurants I’ve visited in the past few years have closed, but one still remains.  It’s located in El Cajon, California.  Most of the times we’ve been there, we’ve had pleasant experiences.  This particular restaurant started a birthday club, which I joined.  They sent me a coupon for a free dessert during my birthday month, so as it was the last day of January, I had to visit them.  We had a great meal—the food and service were excellent—and then they surprised me with a specially made variation on their famous hot fudge cake.

If there’s a Bob’s Big Boy in your area, and like me, you have fond memories of the chain, you might want to pay your local restaurant a visit.  After all, restaurants can only stay open if customers eat there.  And if you live in the San Diego area, give the one in El Cajon a try.  Take it from me: this Bob’s Big Boy cares.

Dragon Dave

Related Internet Links

Bob’s Big Boy