In early January, 2002 we stopped by Smith Brothers' but it was temporarily closed. We were told they were simplifying the menu and making some other changes, and they'd reopen in a few weeks. In February we went back and found that the grand re-opening had come and gone, and now the place was closed for good.

Original review follows.

Restaurant: Smith Brothers' Bistro and Cafe Location: 3202 Governor Dr. #110 San Diego, CA Phone: (858) 453-7168 Price Range: $5.95-$17.95

Number of visits: many
Last visit before review: Sept 22, 2001

Randy has had: Caesar salad, Cobb salad, barbecued beef sandwich (special), chicken sandwich, grilled salmon, chicken breast, chicken & tortilla soup, iced tea.

Jeff has had: Chicken salad sandwich, chicken quesadilla, porterhouse steak, rib eye steak (special), barbecued beef sandwich (special), fiesta salad, beef lasagna (special), French onion soup, broccoli cheese soup (special), iced tea.

Rating 8 (of 12) Good

Randy says: The Caesar salad isn't bad. The dressing is a bit overly garlicky as Caesar dressing often is. And it's very thick whereas Caesar dressing is supposed to be thin. On the Cobb salad they dice up the chicken into minuscule pieces so there's no taste or texture to it. I also get it without the ham and bacon.

Jeff says: The chicken salad sandwich was pretty good. It came on sourdough and had crunchy celery and cashews for nice texture and flavor. The chicken quesadilla is really good, but very greasy. The barbecued beef sandwich was very good with a tangy slightly sweet sauce. These sandwiches come with a salad or French fries. The salad is good with nice greens, diced tomato, and cabbage which of course I eat around. They have a ranch dressing that is very flavorful.

Randy says: The barbecued beef sandwich was good. I think the flavor Jeff describes in the ranch dressing is garlic. The balsamic vinaigrette is very good but is packed with a surprising amount of garlic. Bad if I have afternoon meetings.

Jeff says: The fiesta salad has chicken or steak along with colorful tortilla strips over greens, beans, corn, and cheese. With all that it's very... festive. It was good and had a good dressing. The beef lasagna was ok. The cheeses were nice but the tomato sauce was not rich and flavorful; it was thin and tasted canned.

Randy says: I like the chicken sandwich. It comes with grilled peppers on request, but I like mushrooms so I've been ordering it with grilled mushrooms. The first time it came with a grilled portabello mushroom which was really delicious. The second time I specifically asked for grilled portabello but it disappointingly came with regular American mushrooms.

Jeff says: On to dinner. The porterhouse steak was kind of tough and dry. The rib eye steak, though, was moist and tasty. The dinners come with garlic mashed potatoes which I think are too garlicky so I avoid them, and steamed vegetables — usually broccoli, carrots and/or zucchini slices — which are pretty good (I give the broccoli to Randy since I don't go in for it).

Randy says: The grilled salmon was disappointing in that it wasn't very flavorful. Once I got them to make me a grilled salmon Caesar and unfortunately it wasn't any better on that day. The chicken breast was good. It had a nice marinade. The rice and vegetables were alright.

Jeff says: The dinners come with soup or salad. One soup they always have is French onion which I like but is greasy, as is normal for French onion soup. Also there is a soup du jour and one jour it was broccoli cheese. Even though I don't like broccoli, this soup was good. The broccoli was pureed, and combined with the cheese it made a nicely flavored soup. The iced tea is very good.

Randy says: The chicken & tortilla soup is good. I also like the iced tea.

Smith Brothers' Cafe and Bistro is located in a strip mall in University City and has tables indoors and outside on a patio, and there is a bar area. Rarely have we seen many people in the dining area; the place must survive on the bar revenue. But the food is pretty good. Each meal comes with hot fresh-baked sourdough, which is very tasty. The soups are very good.

The staff is usually very friendly. On the few times when there have been errors either in delivering the wrong food or on the bill, they were immediately corrected and apologized for. The only objection we have to Smith Brothers' is that the doors to the patio are kept open and flies become bothersome. One time when we were sitting next to the window where the flies are especially attracted, like something out of the setup to a stupid joke a fly landed in Jeff's French onion soup just as he was about to dig into it. That waiter was pleased to bring a replacement. Since then we sit away from the window but although not as bad we are still sometimes menaced by the presence of the flies. The Smiths need to either keep the doors closed or equip them with air curtains that keep insects from flying in. Maybe we will confine our visits to cooler times of the year, when flies are less of a problem and hot bread and soup are especially welcome.