A Tip Top Lunch in Carlsbad?

 Tip Top Meats

6118 Paseo Del Norte

Carlsbad, CA 92011

We were in Carlsbad, so you know what that means. It means it's time to get Katie a new purse from Coach at the Outlets of Carlsbad for her birthday. This has been our tradition for the last eight years now. First, we do a little shopping, and then I find a place for us to eat. This year we had my parents with us as well, and I decided it was time to cross another restaurant off of my restaurant wishlist. So we headed a couple blocks south of the Outlets to Tip Top Meats. 

The man behind this spot is John Haedrich, known to his guests and employees as Big John. He escaped from East Germany in 1949, leaving everything behind to come to West Germany for a better quality of life. While in West Berlin, he got his masters butchers certificate, and when he answered an ad requesting a master sausage maker, it brought him to the US. Not wanting to get stuck in the middle of the country, he ventured out to California, opening Tip Top Meats in Glendale. After a ten-year run there, he was on the move again, relocating his successful business to its present location in Carlsbad.  

Tip Top Meats has become a Carlsbad institution. They have been fixtures in this spot since 1967, which is way longer than I've even been alive. Okay, not by much, but still, it's an impressive feat to be in business for 55 years. Not just a restaurant, they are also a full-service European market, butcher shop, and deli counter. 

We arrived at half past one on a Sunday and were met with a pretty long line of people ahead of us. The line moved fairly quickly, though, giving us a little bit of extra time to decide what to have. Ordering is done at the register, and then you are given a number to display at your table. They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days a week. 

The menu is one of the bigger ones I have seen recently. They have plenty of sandwich options, pork, veal, lamb, chicken, and beef entrees, plus German favorites. They also have an option where you pick out your steak from their butcher counter, and they will prepare a full dinner for you for the price of the steak plus $5.98. Speaking of prices, nothing on their menu is over $15, with most items right about the $10 price point. We were all pretty hungry, and lucky for us our food came out way quicker than I had imagined. Let's take a look. 

I went a little out of my comfort zone but embraced my German heritage by trying something I had never had before, the Rouladen ($12.98). This is a round steak stuffed with bacon, mustard, onion, and pickles with brown gravy. Not bad, but I was expecting a little more from the inside ingredients of this dish. The meat was pretty tender, and the gravy added a nice homey feeling. This plate also came with all the fixings, mashed potatoes and gravy, red cabbage, sauerkraut, a roll, and a salad (not pictured). This was enough food for two meals, which I took home and ate later for dinner. The mashed potatoes were fine, and the sauerkraut was one of the most pungent versions I have had. The red cabbage was the best of the three sides, with a slightly sweet and sour flavor. 

My mom is not one to try German food, so she went with the Turkey Sandwich ($9.98). This rather large turkey sandwich was parceled into three parts and included a good amount of freshly sliced turkey but no lettuce or tomato. My mom got this on toasted sourdough with light mayo. The fries are your typical frozen variety, but they did the trick for my mom. 

Tossing aside his German roots, my dad went with a French Dip Sandwich ($9.98) for his midday meal. This sandwich came on a glossy french roll with swiss cheese and a good amount of sliced roast beef. The roast beef was okay on its own but was much better when dunked in the provided au jus. Next, my dad went with the German potato salad instead of fries. He liked this vinegar-based potato salad better than the American mayo-based version. So maybe his German roots did peek out a bit this afternoon. 

Katie was pretty hungry after her birthday shopping excursion, as she got the Reuben ($9.98) and a Side of Spaetzle ($4.49). This traditional Reuben consisted of corned beef, sauerkraut, and swiss cheese on rye. You can see from the picture that they used rye for two sections of the sandwich and swirl bread for the third portion. I'm sure it was a mistake, but Katie did not complain. She might not have even noticed it. I'm not sure if Russian dressing was included here, but it was not mentioned on the menu board, and from the picture, it does not appear like it. None of us were big fans of the spaetzle. It was very bland, and after two bites, I did not really see the point of eating this German pasta. We'd skip it the next time we visited. 

Tip Top Meats is much better than any subpar food options at the Carlsbad Outlets. The meals here are moderately priced, and the portion sizes are very generous. Something that is very rarely seen these days. The plates we encountered this afternoon did not blow us away but were still pretty solid. Our experience here does warrant a return visit, maybe to try their sausages, stuffed pork chops, or breakfast plates. Ordering was a pretty slow process, but we might have hit them during a rush. Once we ordered and sat down, our food came out relatively quickly, and the food runners were continuously circulating to ensure our needs were met. Another successful birthday outing to get Katie a new purse and try a new restaurant. 

Out of five Big Macs (because, like this restaurant, 1967 was also the year that the famous McDonald's burger debuted), five being best to zero being worst, Tip Top Meats gets 3 Big Macs. 

For more information about Tip Top Meats, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.tiptopmeats.com/index.html

Guten Tag From Mattern’s Sausage and Deli

 Mattern's Sausage and Deli

4327 East Chapman Ave. 

Orange, CA 92869

German restaurants are disappearing from OC at an alarming rate. Last year, we lost one of my favorites, Jagerhaus, and I have been hearing rumblings that the Phoenix Club and Old World in Huntington Beach could close soon as well. It's probably due to my heritage, but I enjoy German food. It's not like we had it a lot while I was growing up, but my numerous trips to Oktoberfest venues for various sausages, schnitzel, stuffed cabbage, pork chops, and, of course, beer lend to the positive feelings I have towards the comforting food of my forefathers. 

It happened that it was dentist time again, which meant I would be in North OC around lunchtime, which does not happen too often. When these two things occur, I find a lunch spot not usually open later in the day when I'm around these parts on my way to a Ducks game, on a dinner date with my parents, or out with friends. It suddenly came to me that Mattern's Sausage and Deli would fill the bill on this fine afternoon. 

I've been meaning to swing by Mattern's for quite some time. They were named one of the top 100 restaurants on Yelp back in 2014, and the OC Register Restaurant Critic Brad A. Johnson called their sausage one of the best things he ate back in 2017. Over the years, they have supplied the Orange International Street Fair with well over 600,000 bratwursts, a few of which I have eaten. 

Mattern's has been around since 1983 and was owned and operated by Willie and Ann Mattern. In 1997, they realized a dream by opening a factory where they could make their own meats. Five years ago, they sold their beloved deli to Uwe Saler and his daughter Emily, who have kept things relatively the same since they took ownership. The Matterns still operate the factory, churning out award-winning meats.   

Located next door to a Weinerschnitzel, Mattern's still brings locals through their doors with sandwiches made while you wait, sausages, and a couple of sides. They also have a good selection of German groceries and stuff from Europe. Ordering is done at the counter to your right as you enter, and then you pay at the register deeper into the store. There are some tables here, but I took my food to go. Let's see how it all turned out for me this afternoon. 

I started things out with this Pastrami Rueben ($11.99). It was excellent from start to finish. Plenty of very solid pastrami that was accompanied wonderfully by sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and a touch of mustard. The sauerkraut was not too overpowering like some tend to be, which made this sandwich more enjoyable to me. I'm always partial to Russian dressing on my Reubens, but the mustard was a nice change of pace. The biggest surprise with this sandwich for me was the rye bread. It was lightly toasted and was unlike any rye I have ever experienced on a Reuben. It had a garlic tinge and reminded me of the cheese bread from Northwood's Inn. This sandwich is definitely something that you won't want to miss when visiting Mattern's. 

I asked the girl behind the counter which bratwurst she preferred, and she steered me towards the Smoked Bratwurst ($9.99). This was a good choice. The bratwurst had a subtle smokiness to it, which paired nicely with the mild, but still tangy sauerkraut. A little mustard and a sturdy French roll made this sandwich pleasurable. This might have been my first time having authentic German potato salad. It's served warm; there's no mayo, but it's studded with pieces of bacon and onion, and a tart dressing is used in it. I'm still a fan of the American version I grew up with, but this version was nice for a change. 

I rather enjoyed my first visit to Mattern's. Both sandwiches I ate this afternoon were solid, but the Reuben was the better of the two. It's definitely in the running for one of the better Reubens I have had in OC and might be one of the most reasonably priced. The service was nice and friendly, and even though I was here during the lunch rush, my sandwiches did not take too long to make, and I was on my way home rather quickly. With the scarcity of German restaurants around here, I will definitely visit Mattern's again soon. 

Out of five airplanes (because the most famous Mattern I could find was Jimmie Mattern, an American aviator who unsuccessfully tried to fly around the world twice, both times resulting in a crash landing), five being best to zero being worst, Mattern's Sausage and Deli gets 3.5 airplanes. 

Mattern's Sausage and Deli does not have a website, but you can click here to visit their Yelp page for more information: https://www.yelp.com/biz/mattern-sausage-and-deli-orange-7

German Food That Will Make You Say Oom-Pah! - CLOSED

Jagerhaus

2525 East Ball Road

Anaheim, CA 92806

We are always on the hunt for places to eat before we go to a Ducks game, but coming from South OC, we are usually relegated to picking up fast food and eating it in the parking lot quickly so we can make it inside to see the puck drop. The traffic gods were incredibly kind to us on this particular Wednesday early evening, as we made it up to Anaheim in a record 35 minutes during rush hour, which allowed us plenty of time to try Jagerhaus.

Jagerhaus has been here for as long as I can remember. I did a little research and found out that this restaurant has been in business since 1979, so this year marks its 40th anniversary of serving the people of Anaheim, a significant milestone for any place of business. At that time, they only had two owners. The original owner retired in 2000, and Sandra Schwaiger has been at the helm ever since. She mainly handles the front-of-the-house duties, while three chefs, trained by the original owner, take care of the cooking duties.

With only a handful of German restaurants dotting OC, I always found it odd that Jagerhaus and the Phoenix Club, another restaurant serving German cuisine, are within two blocks of one another. Still, there must be a market for it since they have been in business for so long. Breakfast is the busiest meal at Jagerhaus, with their most popular items being the German pancakes and an omelet that features sauerkraut and bratwurst, something I will definitely need to come back for.

For now, it was dinner that I needed to help give me the energy to cheer on our hometown Ducks. Jagerhaus, which sits at the end of a long strip mall near the Ball Road exit of the 57 Freeway, has quite an impressive menu. They offer plenty of German favorites and items you don't see on menus anymore; think rabbit, elk, deer, boar, and a roast ham hock you need to call a day in advance to have it held for you. It had been a long while since I last had a proper German meal, so I was excited to see how I'd enjoy Jagerhaus and its German cuisine.

I always get excited when a bread basket arrives at our table, usually because I'm famished and this is not something that I have to buy. Okay, I'm a little cheap. The bread, or rolls, were delicious and soft, but what made these for me was the European butter that came out with them. European butter, with its richness, always makes everything taste better. They were nice about asking if we wanted refills of the rolls, but we politely declined because we had our food coming, and I did not want to be overly full at the Ducks game. 

You can't get more German than a Large Soft Pretzel ($3.50). I'm not really into pretzels because I find them stiff and dry, but this was not like an American pretzel. It was soft and pliable, lightly salted on top, and made even better with its unique blend of mustard. This pretzel will ruin you for anything you call a pretzel from your local mall.

Entrees come with two sides, and Katie selected this Dinner Salad as one of her selections. For being such a simple salad with iceberg lettuce, some shredded carrots, and red cabbage, this was very tasty. It came out very cold and was good-sized. What I liked the best was that it was dressed well, with plenty of blue cheese incorporated into each item. One of my biggest pet peeves about salads is that there needs to be more dressing. I know I'm probably in the minority on this point. Dressing just makes veggies taste better, and this was a very well-made blue cheese dressing. 

We might as well finish with Katie's meal this evening. She selected the Stuffed Chicken Breast ($20.95). This tender, fried chicken was filled with broccoli and cheese and then perched on gravy. Katie was pleasantly surprised with how great this tasted. For her side item, she went with Spatzle. This was both of our first times having this German staple. Spatzle is pasta; at Jagerhaus, it's covered in mushroom gravy. Katie said it took some getting used to, but it was very comforting once she did.

I'm usually drawn to it when I see something on a menu listed as the most popular. That happened when I spied this German Combo ($21.95) listed as their most requested entree. I had to have it. This plate contains a trio of sausages, a Nurenberger bratwurst, knackwurst, and Polish sausage, and is rounded out with a grilled pork chop. All the meats were delicious here, with their different flavors and textures. I liked the Polish sausage the best, with its rich meatiness and slight smokey tinge. The other sausages were terrific as well. The pork chop was nicely grilled and tender, unlike what my mom cooked for us growing up. Those chops were fried to a crisp. I went a very traditional route with my two side items, sauerkraut and German potato salad. The sauerkraut was okay and helped cut the richness of the meats. This was my first time having authentic German potato salad, served warm with bits of onion and bacon. This has ruined me for the cold potato salads I've had my entire life. This warm version is so much better. I'm now a convert.

Dessert was our last hurrah at Jagerhaus, and I needed to give their German Chocolate Cake ($6.95) a whirl. This was fine, obviously homemade, but like many desserts from around the world, it was less sweet than I would have liked. The cake was moist, but the icing is where it lost me. It was drab and did not have the sweetness I was looking for. Maybe apple strudel or bread pudding next time?

Even though we did not finish with a bang at Jagerhaus, we will definitely be back before the Ducks games, traffic willing, and for sure breakfast sometimes. After our visit, it's easy to see why Jagerhaus has been around for so long. German food is the real deal of comfort food, with its delicious sausages, gravy, and side dishes. Service this evening was very attentive, and things kept progressing well enough that we had plenty of time to see the puck drop at the Ducks game.

Out of five hunting lodges (because the name of this restaurant translates to hunting lodge), five being best to zero being worst, Jagerhaus gets 3.5 hunting lodges.

For more information about Jagerhaus, head to their website here: http://www.jagerhaus.net/index.html