Perry’s Previews Restaurant Review – Sammy’s Pizza & Grill

Perry Chen trying duck taco at Sammy's Pizza in Del Mar (photo by Zhu Shen)

Perry’s Previews Restaurant Review: Sammy’s Pizza & Grill

(4 out of 5 starfish)

By Perry S. Chen

April 14, 2012

It was my parent’s anniversary, and to celebrate the special occasion I took my mom and dad to Sammy’s Pizza, one of my favorite gourmet restaurants in Del Mar which is also family-friendly. We have always loved to go to Sammy’s Pizza to try old favorites, such as Sun-Dried Tomato Pizza and the Chilled Roasted Vegetable Salad. But, on this special day, we decided to try items from the menu that we have never ordered before.

Perry Chen ordering dinner at Sammy's Pizza in Del Mar (photo by Zhu Shen)

The first dish served was the Duck Taco appetizer. The six delectable, crunchy delicacies were artfully arranged surrounding a clump of yogurt based cheese, with feta cheese pieces and shredded lettuce sprinkled on top. When I took a bite, the moist, savory duck gave a perfect contrast to the crisp lettuce and tortilla. The fresh lettuce was really delicious, and we cleaned the plate in less than a minute! The friendly waiters frequently came by our booth to see if everything was okay.

The food took a while to arrive, since it was an extremely busy night, so I took some time to admire our surroundings. I enjoyed the hanging globe light fixtures outside (similar to the ones at their sister restaurant Roppongi which I reviewed for the Jan 2012 San Diego Restaurant Week, http://www.perryspreviews.com/?p=3475) and the plush benches at our booth. Our waiter Tim was knowledgeable and recommended some of the most popular dishes among customers.

Perry Chen trying mini Kobe beef burger (photo by Zhu Shen)

A while later, all of our food arrived and I tried the Grilled Shrimp Salad first. I loved the tender, chewy grilled shrimp that added delicious texture to the crunchy vegetables. Next, I tried the Kobe beef burger. With a piece of juicy, lean Kobe beef, it was great to enjoy a burger for once without worrying about the impact on my health. The burgers were scrumptious, with tasty melted cheese and a side of crunchy fries. But, the fries had lost much of their potato flavor.

Perry Chen taking notes (photo by Zhu Shen)

For entrees, the Goat Cheese Pizza was tasty, with melted cheese, spinach, and a crunchy crust. This pizza was one of the most popular wood fired pizzas in the restaurant, and I could easily tell why (my personal favorite is the Yummy Honey Cheese Pizza with sheep cheese from Macedonia, which can now be ordered as a dessert!). The wild mushrooms were yummy, and the onions cut in thin slices were very good too, although normally I don’t enjoy mushrooms and onions. Another dish was the Grilled Lamb Chops. I loved the succulent lamb chops. The juicy medium-cooked lamb was marinated in herbs with crunchy roasted fingerling potato slivers and green beans.

Perry Chen admiring Butterscotch pudding brought by manager Emma Van Dusen & chef Gerardo (photo by Zhu Shen)

Finally, after my parents and I finished off our delicious meal, we went on to the best part of the whole meal…dessert! We got the Apple Empanadas with sweet cinnamon sprinkled on refreshing vanilla ice cream that melts in your mouth. The delicious Apple Empanadas had a crunchy crust and sweet, crisp apples in sugary syrup. My mom got the creamy Salted Butterscotch Pudding, which was very rich and flavorful and pretty sweet too. Both orders were delicious, as they went well with all the savory dishes earlier.

Perry Chen with mom Zhu Shen & dad Changyou Chen celebrating their wedding anniversary

Most of the food at Sammy’s was delicious, but I found some ways that the restaurant could improve. First of all, the feta cheese in the Grilled Shrimp Salad was a bit too much, and tasted a bit dry and stale. Also, the lumps of goat cheese on the pizza weren’t very appetizing to me. Another thing was that they served their food all at once after a long period of time. It may be more efficient for the cooks, but it leaves less time for people to enjoy their meal dish by dish when it is still hot(although I’ll cut them some slack because they were particularly busy that night). Finally, the menu was a little bit greasy, and I didn’t really want to touch it when I was ordering.

Perry Chen interviewing chef Gerardo at Sammy's Pizza Del Mar (photo by Zhu Shen)

After the meal, I interviewed the chef, Gerardo, who gave some insight on how he works. He was inspired to be a chef because he had always loved cooking. Gerardo enjoys every dish at Sammy’s Pizza, and creates new recipes by studying his recipes and coming up with new ideas.

Overall, Sammy’s Pizza is a “Perrific!” restaurant that I rate 4 out of 5 starfish. My family and I love Sammy’s Pizza, and after trying some delicious new items, we will definitely come here often!

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About Perry Chen:

Perry S. Chen is an 11-year-old award-winning child film critic, artist, animator, TEDx speaker, and entertainment personality, currently in 6^th grade from San Diego. He started reviewing movies at age 8 in 3^rd grade using a kid-friendly starfish rating system, and has been featured in CBS, NPR, NBC, CNN, CCTV (China Central Television), Variety, Animation Magazine, The Young Icons, The Guardian, The China Press, etc. He was a presenter at the 2010 Annie Awards for Animation, and has written restaurant review for DiningOut San Diego Magazine, movie reviews for Animation World Network, San Diego Union Tribune, Amazing Kids! Magazine, and his own Perry’s Previews blog:

www.perryspreviews.com

Perry won an “Excellence in Journalism Award” from San Diego Press Club in 2010 and 2011 for his movie and restaurant reviews, an “Excellence Writer Award” from “We Chinese in America” Magazine in 2010 for his movie review column. Perry is widely recognized as an authoritative spokesperson about movies for his generation, and appears frequently at red carpet movie premieres, awards, and film festivals, interviewing prominent directors from such films as Toy Story 3, Up, How to Train Your Dragon. He was a presenter at the 2010 Annie Awards for Animation in Hollywood. Perry and his mom Dr. Zhu Shen are featured in a new book about parenting and youth entrepreneurship, “The Parent’s Guide to Raising CEO Kids,” published in Aug 2011.

Become a fan on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/ingridpittanimation (Ingrid Pitt: Beyond the Forest official FB page)

http://www.facebook.com/perryspreviewsfan (Perry’s Previews fan page)

Subscribe to Perry’s YouTube channel and watch his filmmaker interviews:

http://www.youtube.com/perryspreviews

About “Ingrid Pitt: Beyond the Forest”

“Ingrid Pitt: Beyond the Forest” is Perry Chen’s first film as the sole animator. The film premiered to critical acclaim at LA Shorts Fest & Comic-Con in July, 2011, acquired for worldwide distribution in Sep 2011 by Shorts International, distributor of Oscar-nominated shorts, won Best Animation Award (8-13 group) at the 2012 International Family Film Festival, a “Special Jury Award” for “Extraordinary Vision” at Flyway Film Festival in Wisconsin in Oct, 2011, featured as a bonus film at the 2011 Animation Show of Shows, and has been touring film festivals around the world. Perry Chen was invited to present this film at DreamWorks Animation in Dec 2011, with introduction by “How to Train Your Dragon” director Dean DeBlois. Become a fan on Facebook:

Subscribe to Perry’s YouTube channel and watch his filmmaker interviews:

http://www.youtube.com/perryspreviews

For more information about Perry Chen, his animation films, and movie reviews, contact Dr. Zhu Shen, bioforesight at gmail.com

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