If you've ever driven down Van Ness avenue in San Francisco you've probably spotted Tommy's Joynt. It's a hofbrau style restaurant, decorated wildly with memorabilia of all types and packed with red-checked tables. Inside it looks a bit like someones crazy attic or garage. It's definitely not "upscale". And it's menu is anything but trendy. I don't think it's changed at all from when it opened some fifty years ago. If you're looking for a "fun" restaurant I'd choose this one over Hard Rock Cafe anyday.
The menu is all about meat. While platters come with a choice of vegetable or deli salad, the house specialty is buffalo stew and they always have roast beef, corned beef, ham and turkey, all carved to order. What amazes me the most about the place is the prices. While I am sure they have gone up over the years, the huge deli sandwich is still under $5. You can eat an enormous meal there for under $10, easily.
Lately Lee and I have been going to the movies and looking for the perfect snack to sneak in. With soft drinks starting at $3 and I-don't-even-know-what they charge for popcorn it occured to us that splitting a sandwich and a drink was the perfect way to enjoy a movie. Tommy's Joynt also happens to be almost across the street from our local movie theater making it our purveyor of sandwiches.
I'm curious as to what is served in other countries for movies snacks, but in the meantime I'm bringing high quality chocolates, a sandwich and a soda with me.
