(Originally posted on April 21, 2008)
During the weekend monthliversary celebration down in San Diego, we hit up this Guamanian joint in San Diego just north of the Balboa Park. What, a, GEM. Why do I LOVE island folk??? Learned about Pacific Island geography - Melanesia, Polynesia, and Micronesia.. so many nesias! Chilled in this joint that had a totem head in the front made of upside-down coconut tree root and trunk. There are posters of Master artists of the Guamanian tradition, and various culture-specific spiritual objects. Anyway, the host was down-to-earth and nice. Family feel the moment you walk in. That island music just makes your shoulders sag and chill. Simple menu allows you to make a decision in seconds, and everything on the menu is ballin so deciding can't be that hard. In terms of pricing, let me just say if one meal of ~$9 can feed me for 2 whole meals. Holla at the economy.
So let's get to answering: what did yall have? Well, psh - what DIDN'T we have? jk. Even fat kids have limits. We had a Combo #1 - red rice (Guamanian staple), chicken kelaguen (like a chicken cerviche with a spicy kick), macaroni salad (shoutout to the islands once again), BBQ chicken, BBQ short ribs, and Assam black tea (shoutout to Guam). The food comes in a to-go box (even if you order in) - nothin' fancy - and trust me when I say it is heavier than you would expect. We grubbed madd style on a large wooden table while our backs buttress against bamboo chairs. The chicken was tender, the short ribs were a bit hard, the mac salad was not too overwhelmed with mayo, the red rice was very good, the kelaguen was hello!, and the black tea definitely served its purpose as a nice refresher of the palate.
Would I go back? HELL YEAH. And we already DID. The second day! We were in a hurry and they were so nice they rushed our order and we were chowing down this delectable business in a matter of 10 minutes. In the car, in the airport waiting for security, and then at the terminal. See how long it took the both of us to finish just that? Think about how much food there is, for 2 foodies to actually take a significant amount of time to consume.
If you are ever in SD, drop by this joint. It is part of the Embassy Hotel and you do not need a reservation. Meat lovers - I guarantee satisfaction. For those of you in the Yay Area familiar with Back-A-Yard - this joint is like the Back-A-Yard but for the Pacific Islanders.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/islander-grill-san-diego
http://www.islandergrill.sdcausa.com/
(may look ghetto but I guess the staff is too chill to do an actual website - whatever the food makes up for it)
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