One of the better dining experiences I’ve had in some time came Wednesday night in a most unexpected fashion — while searching for a place to watch the San Diego State-BYU basketball game.
After spending the day at Torrey Pines for the Farmers Insurance Open, I joined a couple friends at the La Jolla Hilton adjacent to the golf course to watch the game. One problem. The hotel didn’t get the game on any of its channels.
It had been a most memorable day for my friends Ron and Steve. Ron played in the event’s pro-am with Steve as his caddie. It was 18 holes of golf both will remember forever. The capper was going to be watching No. 4-ranked SDSU (20-0) put its undefeated record on the line against No. 9-ranked BYU (19-1).
The search was on to find a place to watch the game, which was tied 6-6 when we left the grounds at Torrey Pines.
We pointed the car south on North Torrey Pines Road and a couple of miles later found ourselves at the La Jolla Strip Club – A Steak Place in the University Towne Center area that was among the establishments participating in San Diego Restaurant Week. Walking into the restaurant we saw 16 televisions located throughout the place. All tuned to the game. We were good to go.
Dinner was a bonus.
We were seated promptly and then our waitress Chrissie explained the process. Pick your meat from the menu. They bring it out. We grill it. Uh, oh. I’m one of those people who could burn water while bringing it to a boil, so I was a little uneasy with such responsibility. Fortunately, Chrissie was very reassuring.
We had some salad that came with the meal as the first half came to a close. Halftime was the perfect time to cook our steaks. And there were instructions next to the grill on how many minutes to cook each meat. Medium rare for my 14 oz. Bone-In Ribeye required 5-7 minutes.
I tossed my steak on the grill located in front of our booth, sprinkled one of the rubs on it and enjoyed the sizzle and smell for seven minutes. My mouth watered as I plated it. It tasted great from the first bite to the last. My compliments to the chef — me.
Ron and Steve also had Ribeyes and were just as impressed as I was with the meal. The basketball game, on the other hand, was a disappointment. San Diego State fell behind midway through the second half and never came back. Oh, well. Rest assured, there will be a come back at the La Jolla Strip Club.