You could stand on a corner and look around until a restaurant sign draws you in. But we've got a better idea. Each week, Santee Patch picks a great restaurant, either in town or nearby, that is worth checking out. Here's this week's choice:
Overview: A local sports bar and brewery chain in southern California and Arizona. The extensive menu is American food with something for everyone, from salads to burgers, pizzas to calzones. The food is fresh, with scratch dressings, soups and pizza dough made fresh daily. "Oggi's is proud to be the official pizza of the Chargers."
Decor: The large outdoor patio is beautiful with dozens of tables and heat-lamps for the winter. Inside there are large plasma TVs and jerseys on the wall. A large wrap-around bar with at least 20 stools stands in the middle of the dining area. Lots of comfy booths and tables make it easy to seat the whole family or team. There is an arcade game room in the back so bring quarters.
Entrees and Sides: The menu is too long to represent here, though their signature seems to be the pizzas and calzones because they take up almost half of the menu. We ordered a feta and shrimp salad, beef sliders with fries and an Italian calzone with salami, pepperoni, several cheese and sauce on the side (how they serve it).
The salad was large, though it was a half order, but the shrimp were sadly much smaller than the picture. The house-made honey-mustard dressing was delicious. The burgers were standard fare, the fries crispy and well-seasoned. The calzone was bursting with meat and cheesy goodness, with soft and flavorful dough that tasted very fresh (made in house daily according to the menu).
Service: Friendly, reasonably timely, we felt comfortable and well taken care of. They offer a shorter to-go menu, check out their website to call and order for pick-up.
Signature Dish: Their award-winning beers, cold and fresh flowing from the tap every day... and pizza of course.
is located at: 9828 Mission Gorge Road
