Tag Archives: sandwiches

Thousand Oaks Elks BBQ For The Community

by Brian

Hey Everyone!  Mikey and I hope you had as memorable a 4th of July as we did.  But now, we’re back to the business at hand: bringing you good food that you might not have known existed.  Occasionally, I also like to spotlight organizations that give back to the community.  After all, EatMeCalifornia.com is all about the little guy. (Mikey, that wasn’t a fat joke)

Elks BBQ – On Conejo School Rd. north of T.O. Blvd, Thousand Oaks

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As the sign on the right of this picture says, they BBQ every Saturday.  The 4th of July was no exception.  I’ve known about these guys for years, but am always surprised that a lot of people don’t.  They are really close to where my Mom lives and on a breezy day, I swear that the delicious, smoky scent can be detected from her front door.  Yesterday, I had a craving for the one thing they make that I always fall back on: the tri-tip sandwich.

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For six bucks, you too can have a fist-sized portion of juicy, tender tri-tip, on a garlic roll and slathered in their own sweet barbeque sauce.  It’s fantastic and the other great thing about it is that all the profits from your indulgence go back to the community.

The Elks are the third largest provider of college scholarships in the United States, behind only the federal government and the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation.  Mikey and I are all for education, especially when it seems that people nowadays are only getting dumber. (Except those of you who read our site, of course.) Continue reading

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Filed under Thousand Oaks, Ventura County

How Not To Make A Monte Cristo.

by Brian

This isn’t a review of a restaurant.  It’s more of a public service announcement for all the restaurants out there that serve monte cristos.  My dad always used to tell me, “If something is worth doing, it’s worth doing right.”  Actually, I think I got that from a movie.  My dad was too busy yelling “Do you think I just fell off the back of a turnip truck?” at me.  I still don’t know what that means, but now, thanks to the generous contributions of readers like you, I know what a turnip is.  So regardless of where I got that first quote, here’s my point:  If you can’t make a dish right, take it off your menu.

Nico’s Cafe – Kanan and Lindero Cyn in Oak Park (next to Starbucks)

First of all, let’s lay down some ground rules on what makes for a good monte cristo.

  1. It’s fried and crispy on the outside.
  2. It doesn’t fall apart while you’re eating it.
  3. The jam is spreadable.

I could make more rules, but these three are the basics.  For those of you who need a refresher on what the monte cristo is, see our posts on Jack’s Deli and The Blue Bayou.  That will give you a good idea of what the sandwich is all about and if I’ve done a good job, you’ll probably want to eat one after reading.

My friend Melissa and I found out that Nico’s had a monte cristo on the menu and got all excited about going to try it.  Unfortunately, it was not a real monte cristo that we were served.  Yes, all the ingredients were there.  But this impostor gave all other monte cristos a bad name. Continue reading

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Filed under Oak Park, Ventura County

The Perfect Pastrami

by Brian

For those of you who live in a cave, and tell time with a sundial, let me be the first to tell you that today is Cinco de Mayo.  Today is a day of drinking giant margaritas, ice cold cervezas and gorging on carne asada street tacos by the armload.  Of course, that is what is going to happen tonight.  Meanwhile, Mikey and I still have work to do and therefore my review this evening will have nothing to do with Mexico, Mexican food or booze of any kind.

What you probably don’t know is that Germans make up one of the largest foreign groups in Mexico.  The German people are also the reason why Dos Equis is so awesome, thanks to the import of their lager style beer.  It is in honor of that contribution, on this largest of Mexican holidays, that I give you this review: a genuine German deli.

Meats, Cheeses and so much more...

Meats, Cheeses and so much more...

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Meat Locker for the masses.

by Brian

Today I had the opportunity to finally visit one of Thousand Oaks most revered BBQ restaurants:  The Thousand Oaks Meat Locker.  Unbeknown to me, this little shack is within walking distance of my Mom’s place.  I had no idea.  It took me two attempts to find this place today, and I had a google map.  It’s a little restaurant and you can only read the sign from right in front, which makes it hard for people who drive (i.e. Everyone in L.A.) to find it. Continue reading

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Filed under Thousand Oaks, Ventura County