Two Plates and 18 Individual Food Items Makes for One Happy Stomach 

Written By: Sarah Hood
Photographed By: Kambria Fischer J & Tony’s San Diego

What’s the best bite we can make? That is the question that drives Anthony “Tony” Schmidt to create the best appetizers and lunch items at J & Tony’s Discount Cured Meats. Located on the premises of a former juice bar in downtown San Diego, this newly opened eatery and cocktail bar exudes a laid-back, welcoming atmosphere and a sense of camaraderie amongst its patrons. “It’s the most civilized bar I’ve ever been in,” jokes Schmidt, who also compares J & Tony’s to a clubhouse where customers chill around the bar-top and pass the time with good music and even better snack platters.

Meat and Cheese Combo Plate J & Tony’s San Diego

Served with pickled vegetables on the side, J & Tony’s Meat and Cheese Combo plate brings your taste buds into contact with a variety of contradictory yet complementary flavors: the mild spice of saucisson slices, the nuttiness of prosciutto, the creaminess of a rare bleu cheese and the surprising crunch of Kristal cheese, which evokes a sensation not unlike that of Pop Rocks. You can nibble on one item at a time or pile them all on a baguette for a sandwich unlike any other.

Meat and Cheese Combo Plate Ingredients: J & Tony’s San Diego

-Mortadella Laced With Wagyu Fat
-Saucisson Sec Laced With Black Truffle
-Prosciutto
-Honeycomb
-Whole Grain Mustard
-Cornichon
-24-Month-Aged Parmesan
-Aged Balsamic
-OG Kristal Cheese
-Bucherondin Cheese
-Pasteurized Goat Cheese
-Fourme d’Ambert AOP (Bleu Cheese)
-Pickled Cauliflower 
-Pickled Red and Orange Peppers

Native Knowledge: Customers also like to order tomato salads and the house sandwich, which features American and Italian cold-cuts on fresh baguette bread.

Artichoke Tapenade J & Tony’s San Diego

At the suggestion of a customer, Schmidt now serves the meat and cheese platter with a jar of artichoke tapenade. This savory, slightly acidic spread serves as the perfect accent and binder to the other items on the platter. “It’s like a condiment that you can use as a spread, but you can also eat a spoonful right out of the jar, and it’ll taste great on its own,” says Schmidt. The tapenade is also accompanied by a dollop of French butter—topped with extra virgin olive oil—and a slice of toasted baguette on the side.

Artichoke Tapenade Ingredients: 

-Roasted garlic
-Olive oil
-Artichoke hearts
-Parmesan cheese
-Pickled red pepper
-Palmetto olives
-French butter
-Baguette slice

Native Knowledge: Schmidt likes to pair this tapenade and the meat platter with a half-sized Lambo Royale, which contains gin and Italian vermouth. This drink is one of J & Tony’s famous Negroni cocktails and has a “transcendent, if slightly bitter, taste.”

J & Tony’s Discount Cured Meats Warehouse
631 9th Ave
San Diego, CA 92101
855.634.7664
@prosciuttoboyz</a