by Guy Fieri
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Luigi’s red sauce is made with ground tomatoes, red pepper flakes, Greek oregano, salt, black pepper, granulated garlic, Parmesan cheese, and basil. There’s a nice bright flavor, good tomato and herbs. But he’s also got pesto and barbecue sauce for his barbecue chicken pizza, or no sauce at all. The white pizza has fresh mozzarella, Parmesan, fresh spinach, fresh garlic, and hunks of creamy ricotta cheese. Biting that salty mozzarella and that little bit of spinach, and then that sweet ricotta—awesome.
If I lived in San Diego I would have a signature account here.
SMILE, SON, THEY’LL LEAVE US ALONE SOON.
Pizzeria Luigi Mona Lisa Pizza
ADAPTED FROM A RECIPE COURTESY OF LUIGI AGOSTINI, CHEF AND OWNER OF PIZZERIA LUIGI
You may not be able to throw it like Luigi, but you can aspire; just keep the dough thin and keep the oven hot.
Pizza dough
MAKES ENOUGH DOUGH FOR TWO 16- TO 18-INCH PIZZAS
Oil, for the bowls 1½ cups warm water
Pinch of sugar ½ ounce active dry yeast
Pinch of salt 3½ to 3¾ cups all-purpose flour
Pizza
MAKES ONE 16- TO 18-INCH
Flour, for dusting the work surface and the pizza peel, if using
Oil for a pizza pan, if using
1 piece pizza dough (½ of recipe above)
14 ounces pizza sauce
12 ounces whole-milk mozzarella cheese, shredded
4 ounces Italian sausage, cooked
4 ounces sliced pepperoni
4 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1 small red onion, sliced
1 small green bell pepper, sliced
¾ cup sliced black olives
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[CREW ASIDE]
Chico: “My favorite thing—the food that is the ‘if you were trapped on a desert island and only had one food, what would it be’ food—is pizza, and possibly the best pizza I’ve ever had is at Pizzeria Luigi in San Diego. This coming from a guy raised in Brooklyn, New York. But Luigi’s is the thinnest, crispiest crusted, most delicious pizza you may ever have…classic true Italian–New York thin-crust pizza.”
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1. FOR THE DOUGH: Lightly oil 2 large bowls. Put the warm water and sugar in a medium bowl, sprinkle over the yeast, and stir until the yeast dissolves. Let the yeast activate for 2 to 5 minutes. Add the salt and 2 cups of the flour and stir until blended. Stir in another 1½ to 1¾ cups flour until the dough is too stiff to stir with a spoon.
2. Divide the dough in half. Knead each half about 7 times; don’t knead too hard or the dough will rip at the top. Shape the dough into rounds and put in the oiled bowls. Cover the bowls with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place until doubled in size, 30 to 60 minutes. Put the dough in the refrigerator for 1 hour after it rises to gain elasticity.
3. Preheat the oven to 500°F. If you have a pizza stone, heat that too. If not, lightly oil a pizza pan or baking sheet.
4. FOR THE PIZZA: Put 1 piece of dough on a floured surface and push down on it with your fingertips to get rid of any bubbles. Use a rolling pin to flatten the dough to the size and thickness you choose (16 to 18 inches). Transfer the dough to the pizza pan, if using. If using a stone, sprinkle a wooden pizza peel with flour and place the dough on top.
5. Spread on the sauce, then sprinkle on the cheese and toppings, leaving a 1-inch border. Put the pan in the oven or slip the pizza off the peel directly onto the stone. Cook the pizza for approximately 15 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
WINDOW-SHOPPING HERE IS DANGEROUS.
WEST AND SOUTHWEST
SCHOONER OR LATER
EST. 1985 DIVE INTO SCHULTZIE’S MESS
I cruise in—let me correct myself, I boat in to a place called Schooner or Later. Now, a schooner could be a sailing vessel or it could be a nice cold chalice of fermented hops, but in my world Schooner or Later is an off-the-hook eatery in Long Beach.
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TRACK IT DOWN
241 N. Marina Drive
Long Beach, California 90803
562-430-3495
www.schoonerorlater.com
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It’s a big experience. There’s a big line, but also a big group of fans who say it’s worth the wait. Then you sit outside by the big boats, with big plates of food. Owner Denny Lund and his sister Denise grew up coming here, then bought the place from the original owners, Earl and Helen Schultz, whose signature item, Schultzie’s Mess, is still on the menu. As one regular stated, it’s everything you want in breakfast thrown on a plate and ready to roll. Head chef Tony Galope has been making the Mess for twenty years, up to sixty in one day. He starts with potatoes, then adds in a mix of bell pepper, ham, and onion, then two eggs are mixed in, and some shredded cheese is melted on top (recipe on Schultzie’s Mess). That is good stuff; I like the crust on it, and the onions, and the bell peppers still have a little crunch to them. I can see why they call it the Mess. They also do a crab omelet, eggs Benedict, and an Italian omelet with marinara sauce and sausage.
People come from all over to eat at this place—Oregon, Kansas, Florida. Between the visitors and the regulars they can serve up to a thousand people on an average Sunday. A whole lot of them go for the Belgian waffles with bananas, strawberries, and blueberries and whipped cream on the top. Tony’s like the Energizer waffle bunny. It’s all real, fresh-cooked, and even more important, what you want the way you want it. Egg whites and spinach? Sure. They’re even roasting fresh turkeys, stacking them high with ham, turkey, cheese, and tomato, and serving a massive turkey club melt. The fresh turkey makes all the difference; you don’t need any mustard or mayo.
If he won the lottery tomorrow, Denny says he wouldn’t change a thing about this place. It’s a piece of him and Denise and they truly enjoy it—no pretending. Over time they’ve become an institution. Denise notes, “People come for the day and stay.”
This place is so busy…you can get a schooner and get seated later.
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[GUY ASIDE]
My first job out of college at UNLV was at Parker’s Lighthouse in Long Beach; it was a big seafood restaurant, and I worked night shifts. So in the morning my buddies and I would get up and go to this breakfast joint, wait two hours to get in there, and get some mimosas or schooners (frozen glass mugs of beer). I wasn’t there for the breakfast, so I’d order the club sandwich or the French dip, whatever, and sit on the cement tables. I’d take my rottweilers Rocky and Sierra over there in my big four-wheel-drive lifted truck. Sunday morning tailgating at its finest.
The highlight of this place is Denny and his sister Denise. Denny’s the nicest guy, could be my brother; he let me drive his boat for the intro of the show. It was a really awesome time. And I still wait in line. Ha ha ha.
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WHERE DID I PARK MY YACHT…? (HAPPENS ALL DA TIME.)
OWNER’S NOTE: A little history.
When we bought this café, the name was not Schooner or Later; it was called the Little Ships Galley, owned by Earl and Helen Schultz. Our most famous dish is called Schultzie’s Mess, created by Helen and Schultzie (Earl’s nickname). Schultzie continued to be very much a part of Schooner or Later. He made chili from scratch for us every week until he was eighty years old and we got too busy for him to keep up. He was here every day, enhancing the lives of the old and the new. The Schultzes owned the Galley for twenty years, and customers still sometimes come in and ask about them. Helen lives in Oklahoma since Schultzie passed away in 1989.—Denny Lund
Schultzie’s Mess
ADAPTED FROM A RECIPE COURTESY OF DENNY LUND OF SCHOONER OR LATER
Keep in mind, at Schooner or Later this might be one serving.
MAKES 2 GENEROUS SERVINGS
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1½ cups plain frozen shredded hash browns
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
½ cup finely chopped cooked ham
¼
cup finely chopped green bell pepper
¼ cup finely chopped onion
3 large eggs
¾ cup shredded Cheddar cheese
2 slices sourdough toast
Chili, fresh salsa, avocado slices, and sour cream, for serving
THEY’VE ONLY HAD TO USE THIS A COUPLE TIMES.
1. Heat a griddle or large skillet over medium-high heat. Heat the oil and then add the hash browns, season with salt and pepper, and cook, tossing occasionally, until brown and crisp.
2. Scatter the ham, bell pepper, and onion over the hash browns. Toss the mixture with spatulas—go “Benihana” with it, spreading the whole mixture out thin so it can cook.
3. Break the eggs over the potatoes and toss and scramble them into the mixture. Once the eggs are cooked, scatter the cheese on top of the whole mixture and cover it to speed up the melting process. When the cheese is melted, serve with the sourdough toast, chili, salsa, sliced avocado, and sour cream.
WEST AND SOUTHWEST
STUDIO DINER
EST. 2003 STU’S EAST COAST ON THE WEST COAST
When I’m thinking 24/7, I’m thinking diners. You know, whatever you want, whenever you want it. Like the Studio Diner—they’re handling the dinner crowd, getting ready for the overnight crowd, and waiting for those who want breakfast, well, any time at all.
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TRACK IT DOWN
4701 Ruffin Road
San Diego, California 92123
858-715-6400
www.studiodiner.com
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Owner Stu Segall is an original. This former Bostonian and TV and film producer missed the diners he grew up with back east (and was looking for some good grub between shoots), so he built one here in San Diego. He was looking to buy a twenty-stool place and it “turned into a monster.” Everything he has in the place is top-notch; Stu says that’s the “Stu didn’t know when to stop” kinda thing, and there’s also the “Stu didn’t know how to cook” kinda thing, so he went and found a veteran diner chef: John San Nicolas. He knows how to make everything. John was born in Guam, learned the restaurant business in the mainland United States, and now he’s East Coast cooking for a West Coast crowd, rolling out Philly cheesesteaks, a pastrami Reuben, huge fish and chips, and a turkey, ham, and cheese sandwich called a Monte Cristo that’s battered, deep-fried, and dusted with powdered sugar. It was like a sandwich fell into my French toast, and frying it opens all the flavor of the ham and turkey and cheese.
John does Maine lobster rolls the real way, with celery and just a little mayonnaise. But that’s just the start of Stu’s New England thing. He’s got whole belly Ipswich clam rolls. Ipswich is in Massachusetts, where these clams come from and where Stu grew up. He has them flown in three times a week. They are really somethin’. Unleash the clam! John drains and rinses them, soaks them in buttermilk for thirty minutes, then drains them and tosses them in corn flour for a light dredge. Then it’s hot and fast in the fryer and served with tartar sauce, full belly and all. It’s sweet and has a mild flavor; it’s a good clam.
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[GUY ASIDE]
Being a producer, Stu wanted to build a little diner to have food available when they shoot, but he ended up building a mac-daddy of a diner. He’s got stuff from different films, props from airplanes. He did some battle movies, then got into consulting with the military on tactical training. He has the lot built to look like an Iraqi village. He’s very pro soldiers and the nicest guy in the world.
We found the place because I spend two hours every week tracking the show doing the voice-overs, so we were there doing voice-overs and we ate at the diner. I said I really liked the place, so we checked it out and went back eight months later to shoot. One of the things I was blown away by: never have we seen Jewish Penicillin on a menu, and I had to ask the question. Turns out that it’s chicken noodle soup. Another one was this crazy Philly cheesesteak meets teriyaki sandwich—he slices the steak so thin he could make carpaccio, and the kicker was the bean sprouts.
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In the SamSon steak sandwich, Philly cheesesteak meets teriyaki—see the recipe on SamSon Steak Sandwich and the backstory on SamSon Steak Sandwich—it’s crazy. I mean, stir-fry meets Philly cheesesteak is a funky good combination; I’d order that fifteen more times.
Whether they’re ordering New England seafood or eggs after dark, all kinds of folks have adopted this joint as the place to hang out—military personnel, pilots, musicians, policemen; at any hour it’s the food they’re coming for.
AT STUDIO YOU CAN ARM WRESTLE FOR YOUR DINNER…JUST TRY ’EM.
SamSon Steak Sandwich
ADAPTED FROM A RECIPE COURTESY OF STU SEGALL OF STUDIO DINER
The steak needs to marinate overnight, so start this recipe a day in advance.
MAKES 6 SANDWICHES
Marinade
½ cup pineapple juice
¼ cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1½ teaspoons minced garlic
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
3 pounds boneless rib-eye steak, sliced about 1/8 inch thick
½ cup olive oil, divided
1 Spanish onion, diced
8 ounces bean sprouts
4 ounces mushrooms, thinly sliced
4 ounces spinach, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 French bread rolls
1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese
1. Whisk the pineapple juice, soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, garlic, and black pepper in a baking dish until the sugar dissolves. Put the meat in a large zip-top bag, pour the marinade over the meat, seal the bag, and knead a bit with your hands to work the marinade into the beef. Refrigerate overnight.
2. Preheat the broiler on low.
3. Heat ¼ cup of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bean sprouts, mushrooms, spinach, and salt and pepper to taste and cook, tossing, until the mushrooms are just cooked through and the spinach wilts.
4. Heat another large skillet over medium-high heat. Heat the remaining ¼ cup olive oil. Add the meat, in batches if necessary, to make a single layer; cook, pressing with a spatula and stirring occasionally, until the meat reaches the desired degree of doneness; medium-rare is best.
5. Slice the rolls, leaving them attached on one side. Put them open-faced on a baking sheet and top with some of the meat. Add a layer of sautéed vegetables and top with some mozzarella. Broil just until the cheese melts, and serve hot.
THIS? YEAH, THIS IS MAGIC BATTER.
A short story about the SamSon Steak Sandwich:
The owner of Studio Diner, Stu Segall, lived in Los Angeles and was producing TV shows in the 1980s. He used to eat at a little diner up there and fell in love with this sandwich. So he moved to San Diego in 1991, and in 2003 decided to build Studio Diner and said, “Man, I have to get that sandwich on the menu.”
He sent somebody to the restaurant in L.A. to see if he could get the recipe—but the restaurant had closed! Stu really wanted that sandwich, so he hired a private detective to track down the old restaurant owner. A few weeks later the detective found the owner and got the recipe. Soooo the diner was getting ready to open, and the cooks were making everything on the menu in order to get the kinks out. They made the SamSon, and it didn’t taste like Stu remembered it back in L.A.!
He got back in touch with the guy and said, “Hey, what’s going on here…it’s not the same!” The owner, who was Chinese, said with a thick accent, “Oh, you don’t have secret marinade sauce, that’s why. Only my wife knows that part of recipe. We divorced now, I not know where she lives.” Oy! So the detective was hired again, and they finally got the complete recipe!
It’s called the SamSon because Stu’s father’s name was Sam and he is Sam’s son. So, there you are…the SamSon Steak Sandwich! —Jim Phillips, general manager
WEST AND SOUTHWEST
TOMMY’S JOYNT
EST. 1947 STEP UP, STEP IN—COME IN AND WIN AT THIS LONGTIME LEGEND
When I roll into San Fran for a concert or a game or to just hang out with the krew, one of my favorite places to go is Tommy’s Joynt. It’s been a local neighborhood favorite for more than sixty years, definitely one of mine, and you’re so gonna dig this.
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TRACK IT DOWN
1101 Geary Boulevard
San Francisco, California 94109
415-775-4216
www.tommysjoynt.com
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Pastrami, brisket, ham, corned beef, turkey—you can have an à la carte sandwich or a dinner plate. Tommy Harris was a radio star and wanted to be in the restaurant business, so he opened this joint, and a few years later his cousin Billy and his cousin’s wife, Tootsie Veprin, joined. It’s been in the family for more than sixty years. Now Tootsie’s daughter Susie’s keeping the tradition and rolling with her two sons—Zach behind the bar and Sam behind the meat counter. Everything has stayed the same—same beef, turkey, stews; that’s what the Joynt is all about.
