Monterey Bay Grub

Two New Sandwiches To Try At Jack In The Box!

I wanted to just post a quick one this week, so I fell back on an old standby – fast food experimental item reviews! This time around, we found ourselves in the local Jack in the Box, and spotted not one, but two new sandwiches to test out. One is the Sourdough Patty Melt, and the other is the aptly-named Fish Sandwich. Yep, the marketing department really earned their salaries that day.

Look…

Going Old-School in watsonville at taylor bros hot dogs!

We recently found ourselves in Watsonville, and decided to take a look around for an interesting place to eat. After driving around a bit and seeing a ton of options, we looked online, and every result pointed to the same place – according to the internet, if you’re looking for the must-stop place for cheap eats in Watsonville, you have to stop by Taylor Bros Hot Dogs. So we headed downtown to…

Mediterranean munchies Move to marina!

Over the past year or so, there have been rumors and reports that one of our favorite pre-movie dinner spots, Dametra, was supposed to be opening a new spot in the Dunes Shopping Center in Marina. Over the following months, we observed construction in the proposed location, then saw them installing an interior…then nothing. The glass exterior was covered in paper, and the place sat there,…

Located in the building previously occupied by the old beach-themed Burger King in the Edgewater Shopping Center in Sand City, is a new burger joint. Well, new to the area, at least. As some may recall, we covered another Habit Burger a while back, that one a little ways away in Gilroy.

Both places are very similar in how they’re run – both have the same menu…they both use the little beeper…

Jack In The Box New Munchie Meal Mash-Ups…And A Surprise?

I decided that it has been a while since I stopped by a Jack in the Box, so when I did, I was happy to see that they had several new items to surprise me with. The first (second and third) item was the new Munchie Meal option, the Mash-Up. The interesting thing about this new item is that it is not one, but three items, all centered around a common theme: crush up a few hash browns, then add a…

Taco Bell’s New Beefy Potato ‘Rito!

Stopped by the Taco Bell in Marina the other day to check out their new special, the Beefy Potato-Rito, mainly because I have fond memories of eating their old Half-Pound Beef and Potato Burrito, which they pulled off the menu a few years ago, to bring on their more affordable Grillers selections. That was my go-to burrito for a good few years there, so I was really looking forward to this…

Checking Out Chipotle! (Marina)

Stopped by the new Chipotle over in Marina a while ago (sorry it took so long – totally forgot I’d been there). I must admit, I was a bit hesitant – with all of the great taquerias in the area, it feels wrong to go to a monster chain, but I figured I’d at least give it a shot. One thing that helped convince me to visit was the free burrito coupon.   So, we swung over and checked it out – the…

Checking Out Deli Delicious In Marina!

As I mentioned in my last post, I recently headed over to one of the new offerings that have sprung up at The Dunes in Marina, this time focusing on the sandwich shop, Deli Delicious. Like a lot of the new food places at this shopping center, DD is a mini-franchise, with about 50 locations, all found in central California. It’s like they’re working in a fish tank! As you can see in the photo…

Recently did the rounds, looking up some old favorites, as I’d heard that things were in the works. Unfortunately, they were, and it’s all over for two of my favorite food spots. Both Reds Burger Joint in Salinas and Crazys Sandwich House in Marina have unfortunately closed. I did a post not too long ago about Reds upcoming sale and possible closure, so that was not a huge surprise, but Crazys…

Carl’s Jr Specials – Sadness and Disappointment.

Stopped by the Carl’s Jr over in Seaside a while back to check out their new specials, the Baby Back Rib Burger and The Jalepeno Double Cheeseburger (yes, the misspelling of “Jalapeno” is official – check the website – this is pretty telling of the burger as a whole). We also decided to try one of their “budget” combos, the Western Burger Combo, which comes with onion rings (or fries) and a soda.…

Unexpected Finds at Jack in the Box!

I’ve gotta admit – I’m not a big fan of Jack in the Box. I used to hate their old burger patties, mainly because they reminded me of the ones they used to serve us in school – the infamous “Soyburgers”…then they changed their patties, making them a bit better, but covering them in “seasoning”, i.e., encrusting them in a coating of salt and pepper. It was like choking down a slightly beef-flavored…

Randy’s Sandwich Shop – Hidden Grub Gem!

This is a review I’ve been meaning to get to for a while now. I had initially intended to write it up months ago, but wanted to wait until I had a chance to try more of the menu…and I also had forgotten to take a photo of the exterior…and interior…and some of the food… The counter and menu. I tried to get more detail, but a light positioned just above the sign was casting a wicked glare, so this…

Trying out the new Burger King Steakhouse King!

Stopped by the local BK the other day to try out their new specialty burger, the Steakhouse King. It’s pretty much the same as an older offering, the Bacon King, with two quarter-pound patties, a slice of cheese and some bacon (three strips this time), but with the addition of fried onion strips and A-1 steak sauce. I guess the “steakhouse” part is just the steak sauce? It’s a bit of a weak…

Reds Burgers Closing?! WHAAAT?!?

Stopped by an old favorite, Reds Burger Joint, last week and spotted a little sign posted by the front door: Say it ain’t so! We immediately ran inside to ask what was up – the employee we spoke with explained that they were simply “tired of doing it”, and that the new owners have expressed an interest in keeping the Reds name and continuing on as usual, but they then said that “we’ll see if that…

The saucy, smoky scoop on Little Caesars Smokehouse Pizza!

Sorry for the gap in posting lately – back to the food! Recently had the opportunity to try another new fast food limited-time item, the Smokehouse Pizza from Little Caesars. According to the advertising, it has three smoked meats on it – beef brisket, pulled pork and Applewood-smoked bacon, along with BBQ sauce and a BBQ crust. With the overarching BBQ theme this thing has, it’s surprising that…

Taco Bell Naked Chicken Chalupa…and a request!

(For the request bit, scroll on down a bit, to the break.) Checked out the new Naked Chicken Chalupa at the local Taco Bell yesterday. Yeah, I know, I’m kinda late to the party on this one, but I figured it might be of interest to anyone who hasn’t had one yet. Actually, I had one about two weeks ago, but I had a touch of the stomach flu, so my impressions were a bit…tweaked, to say the least. We…

It’s Time For Sushi Time in Seaside!

We recently found ourselves in Seaside, checking out the ever-popular Sushi Time. One really wouldn’t expect to find a sushi place on a dirt-cheap grub food list, would they? Well, I’ll admit that this is a bit of a special case. Y’see, on a regular night, or if you go overboard, it’s gonna cost you (hence my including this place in the “Special Occasion Splurge” category), but if you plan it…