Back in late 2006 my wife and I relocated from Australia ( where we met in 1998 ) to Southern California to be closer to her family. Initially we stayed at a small vacation rental in Solana Beach ( where we live now ) for a few weeks while we hunted for a place to live. Eventually we found a nice condo in a gated community in Escondido. My American born wife used to live in Escondido and knew where everything was which helped me get to know the huge neighborhood.
We would go out to dinner at local places such as Romano’s Macaroni Grill, On The Border, Olive Garden & Claim Jumper to name a few. All corporate chain restaurants which we don’t have back home. Then one day my wife took me to Rock n’ Jenny’s for lunch. My wife had been here many times before we ever met. The well made Italian Subs tasted great, very friendly service and the place had an original fun vibe. We never went back to any of the chain restaurants.
My wife and I kept coming here for lunch every couple of weeks for the next 4 years. We used to see Rocky ( Jenny’s Dad ) wearing his Fedora nearly every visit wandering around smiling and helping out the customers. Rocky had a smile for everybody. In 2011 we moved away from Escondido and eventually landed in Solana Beach . . a long way from here. We used to reminisce about Rock n’ Jenny’s but Escondido was not in our travel loop. A few weeks ago we had to head to a bike store in nearby San Marcos and I suggested we have lunch here. Gee it had been 8 or 9 years but the place still had the same cheeky character, the same friendly staff and of course the Italian Subs tasted as good as ever.
Soft fresh rolls, quality ingredients and that delicious Marinara sauce. I thought to myself why aren’t there more genuinely great eateries like Rock n’ Jenny’s ? And the answer was because there are very few restaurant owners like Jenny & her family who truly love their loyal customers . . and want to serve them a good honest meal. A few days ago . . last Thursday in fact we had to head back to the bike store in San Marcos and I again suggested we have lunch here.
After parking our car on the lot we sauntered in the front entrance around midday. The place was totally packed out and there was a long line of folks waiting to place their lunch order. We jumped in the line and then I noticed Jenny the owner taking orders along the line during the lunch time rush. I walked up and said hi . . I told Jenny how we used to come here for lunch years ago and truly missed the place. That we remembered her Dad Rocky always having a friendly smile for everybody. Jenny thanked us both the only way she knows how . . with a big hug and a tear in her eye. Jenny took our lunch order before we made it to the service counter. My wife chose a 9″ Hot Pastrami Sub and I went for a 9″ Meatball & Sausage Sub.
I’ve had this baby before years ago and the Marinara sauce is killer good. We found a table for 2 in the center of the dining room and our beautifully presented Italian Subs came out in a few minutes. They tasted sensational as usual . . oh that zesty marinara sauce ! Jenny came by to chat with us some more . . such a genuine friendly lady who is kind to everybody. No wonder her popular restaurant has been serving up great food for more than 30 years. We truly love it !
