August 2005 – mmm-yoso

Grab & Go Subs

August 31, 2005 mmm-yoso Sandwiches

Want to see what a Fifty Dollar sandwich looks like?

Nice little tease, huh? Well here it is:

It's a wonderful little Italian Sub with Capocolla, provlone, lettuce. tomato, jalapeno, with an oil and vinegar dressing, on a toasted roll. So how did this become a Fifty Dollar Sandwich? Well it started with a phone call from the Missus; "Hey, I'm in Little Italy, want me to pick-up that Spicy Capocolla sandwich from Grab n' Go?" She had immediately gone for "the juggler" here, knowing fully well that one of my biggest weaknesses are Italian Sandwiches. So of course I "went for it". A few minutes later my phone rings and I make my way to the curb, and am handed my sandwich, nice and warm. As I grab my sandwich, a hand goes out….

"You forgot the delivery charge."
"Delivery charge?"
"Yes, how much money do you have?"
I dig into my pocket; "About fifty"
"Well, turn it in, I've got to go shopping!"

There's always a catch. So the Missus turned a $5.69 investment into a fifty dollar return. I think I'll turn over our investment portfolio to her.

Grab n Go subs is a local chain with several locations. I've only been to the cute, quaint, Little Italy location and the staid Murphy Canyon strip mall location. The specialty here are toasted Italian Subs all priced at $5.69, except for the GRAB & GO ®, a mortadella, salami sub priced at $3.99. These are usually prepared ahead and you can just grab one and go, the others are prepared to order. My favorites are the Spicy Capocolla, and the ITALIAN VILLAGE SPECIAL ®($5.69):

This sub has Capocolla, Italian Dry Salami, Pepperoni, Provolone Cheese, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Onions, and Pepperocini's, with a Oil and Vinegar dressing.

Guess I have a "thing" about toasted Italian Subs. Not sure if I'd want to spend another Fifty on one though!

Grab & Go Subs

**** The India Street Location of Grab & Go has closed

2102 India St
San Diego, CA 92101
Monday-Friday:
8:00am-3:00pm
Saturday:
10am-2:30pm

5150 Murphy Canyon Rd
San Diego, CA 92123
Monday-Friday:
10:30am-3:00pm

And other locations.

Que Huong – Completing the Summer Grand Slam

August 29, 2005 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!

*** Que Huong has closed

*** Updated posts can be found here, here, and here.

I'd heard about Que Huong a while back. It was described as "not a pho' restaurant; more of a white tablecloth place." So one Sunday morning we decided to give Que Huong a try.

Tucked in the back corner of yet another generic strip mall on University Avenue(on the corner of Marlborough Ave and University), Que Huong looks somewhat intimidating with the iron bars and grease board menu with specials written only in Vietnamese. You notice an immediate difference upon entrance:

The interior of the restaurant was dark with swap meet artwork on the walls and a definite "pastel" look. How very retro 80's! We opened the menu, and yep, no pho', instead there were many items that I've really never seen on a Vietnamese menu in San Diego; like Jack Fruit Salad, and a whole list of fish listed only in Vietnamese. We placed our order and a "basket" of utensils, napkins, and "wipes" were delivered to our table – a nice change from the usual chopstick and spoons on a plastic holder that we're used too:

We started with the Cha Gio ($4.95), the standard Egg Rolls:

These were among the best I've ever had! They were crisp, not oily, with tasty filling. The garnishes delivered were also outstanding; along with the usual lettuce and mint, were Perilla leaves, tasting almost like shiso, these added a nice flavor. The Nuoc Mam Cam was also outstanding with pieces of garlic, and chilies added for additional flavor.

We also ordered the Duck Banana Salad ($12.95):

A large plate piled high with Basil and other herbs, julienned banana blossom, onion, fried shallots and garlic, this made a refreshing dish. Except for the duck, which was a chopped bland duck leg, with bits of bone everywhere. this made for ponderous dish, after cracking your teeth on a few bone chips, you got downright paranoid about eating this. Also, some of the banana blossom had a distinct soapy taste. At the same time a large soup bowl was delivered. At first I said "we didn't order this", but after some explanation we finally figured out that the soup came with the salad. This turned out to be a wonderful rice porridge. There was a nice salty, somewhat garlicky taste. The flavor of the fried garlic, black pepper, and cilantro stood out, with only a hint of fish sauce.

I ordered the Com Tam 7 Mon – the broken rice with 7 meats($8.95):

This beautiful looking dish was a mixed bag. The julienned pork, not among my favorite things, was very moist and flavorful, the BBQ pork was outstanding, the egg roll was great (of course), the shrimp cake with bean curd was also excellent. However, the steamed egg (my favorite) was dry and separating, the fish cake was tasteless, the pork cake was also dry, and worst of all the Com Tam (broken rice) was very dry and hard, like it had been sitting for a long time.

Que Huong had caught my interest though, and when Ed from Yuma emailed and said he was coming my way for a quick trip, Que Huong immediately came to mind. I thought it would complete our restaurant summer "Grand Slam" that started with China Max in May, and Sakura in July, and earlier this month Buga Korean BBQ made an appearance.

We met and entered the Restaurant and were seated as before. This time though the lighting was very bad – so please excuse the poor photo's. Communication was also a problem this time, as you soon see.

I ordered the Egg Rolls that we loved so much:

But as you see, these were really different(also charge $7.95 this time). But oh what a wonderful mistake this was. It was like the Egg Rolls except with an entire shrimp inside, and the wrappers were much more delicate. I'm printing a picture of this, because I want to make sure I get this next time! Same garnishes along with the excellent Nuoc Mam. Delici-yoso!!!

We also had Roasted Quail ($9.95):

This dish was good, but nothing we hadn't had before.

I had heard the Banh Xeo (crepe) here was excellent, so we made sure we got it ($5.95)

The crepe sure didn't disappoint, nice a crunchy exterior, moist interior with whole shrimp, ground pork, and lot's of bean sprouts. This was the best Banh Xeo I've had in San Diego. Not oily at all – simply delisi-yoso!

Finally the main dish, the Fried Catfish($25.00):

This was a major production and took three people to deliver. A plate of rice paper wrappers, a bowl of warm water, garnishes including banana blossom, pickled vegetables, perilla, pickled onion, bean sprouts, lettuce, mint, and I'm sure I left something out. A plate of bun (vermicelli), and Mr Catfish(medium sized), on a bed of lettuce, covered with cilantro. This dish was a "make your own spring roll" thing. That is, you grab a wrapper, dip it in the warm water and start building your spring roll with the garnishes. Than once completed, dip the roll into a little bowl of shrimp paste mixed with garlic and shallots. Sounds great right? Well not really; the catfish in my opinion tasted extremely "muddy" which spoiled the dish for me. Ed seemed to make the best of it though, being the good sport that he is. The damage a little over 50 bucks. Too bad, we could gotten away with half as much, and had a better meal! But overall a really fun experience.

Some notes; the restaurant was empty, not a good sign on a Friday. I hope this place stays around, there are some very good dishes, and I haven't even started on the soups yet. Communication may be a problem, as in my experience with the Egg Rolls. Parking is very limited as the Mall shares spaces with a Burger King and other businesses.

Que Huong Restaurant
4134 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92105

Open 10am to Midnight Daily

Road Trip: Krua Thai Restaurant – West Covina

August 28, 2005 mmm-yoso Los Angeles County, Thai Restaurants

After our brief browsing and shopping foray at Hong Kong Market, we made our way in the slowly rising heat to Krua Thai.

Though only on the other side of the mall, the heat almost got the better of us, and we almost stopped at other restaurants twice. But after reading Elmo's Krua Thai review on Monster Munching, I really wanted to give this restaurant a try. After what seems like a half hour (it's amazing how the heat can really slow you down) we crawled in through the door at Krua Thai. The first thing the Missus said was "Picturessss, I like pictures!" She has a thing about food photo's, I guess they help her make decisions on what to order. Though they sometimes sent her into complete analysis paralysis. The decor in Krua Thai is nice in a Eighties kind of way – the only thing odd is that the counter area is separated from the dining area by a divider, which has a sofa on one side. I found that a bit odd. I did like the glass exterior of the restaurant, though the view of Glendora Ave is less than thrilling, it kept the restaurant from being too dark.

After seeing the Pad Kee Mao($5.25) on Pam's site Daily Gluttony, I knew that I needed to order it.

The Pad Kee Mao($5.25) was cooked to perfection, the noodles smooth and slightly firm, provided the perfect amount of resistance. The ground chicken was excellent, the chunks not too small, moist, and with a nice taste. The tomatoes were tangy and added a nice sweetness to the dish. I'd have enjoyed the Pad Kee Mao alot more if it was more aggressively seasoned, in my opinion, it was not spicy enough, and there was not enough basil. The menu says mint, but it was Thai Basil that was in this dish. Good, not great.

Green Papaya Salad with dried shrimp and salty crab ($4.75):

I'm a big fan of Papaya Salad, in fact, one of the dishes I had the first time I ate Thai food was Green Papaya salad. I usually don't order Papaya Salad in most Thai restaurants, because I'm usually disappointed. It's usually a sour – salty mess, especially with salty crab. This version was very good, the papaya and beans crunchy; the tomatoes added sweetness, the chewy texture of the shrimp, and the briny crab together created a nice dish. I could've done with a bit more heat, but I'd order this refreshing dish again.

On the other hand, the Nam($4.95), or sour sausage was a complete failure:

Bland and mushy, this almost tasteless sausage was totally over-powered by any of the "garnishes".

We also ordered the Catfish with Chili Sauce($6.50):

The catfish was fried than topped with a sauce that featured Thai Basil, Mint, and Kaffir Lime, this was nice and tasty, though again it could have used a bit more heat. The catfish was prepared well, but you'll have to maneuver around some tiny bones. A nice dish with rice.

The best? The Papaya Salad; the "dressing" was excellent, darker than any I've seen, with sweet, sour, and salty tones. The Missus ended up pouring the dressing over rice to finish up.

You'll be really hard pressed to find anything over $6.95 on the menu, and the hours are great. The Missus first glanced at the hours and said, "so this place is only open for lunch". I had to show her it's 11am to 330am, that's three thirty in the morning. I'd say you get your money's worth here.

Krua Thai
935 South Glendora Ave.
West Covina, CA 91790
Open Daily 11am to 330am

View Larger Map

Road Trip: Shopping and Snackin’ in LA – Hong Kong Plaza Squared

August 27, 2005 mmm-yoso Desserts, Los Angeles County, Markets & Grocers, Road Trip

We had an appointment in Los Angeles this afternoon, so of course there would be some eating involved. And knowing our luck it would also just so happen to be the hottest day of the year. Geez! We left at a quarter after nine, and made great time getting to our first destination at about ten till eleven, too early for lunch (restaurant not open till eleven). So we decided to take a walk around, even though it was stifling hot.

Our destination – Hong Kong Plaza in West Covina. This huge mall didn’t even exist when we moved from LA 4 years ago. So it was quite a shock to see this huge mall here. This outpost of Hong Kong Supermarket was also a shock. We lived down the street from Hong Kong Market in Rowland Heights, and it was basically a Chinese Market. This branch was different and looked to be directed at the Southeast Asian population. It was fun walking down the isles and finding items like the frozen Mangosteen:

One isle was totally dedicated to various packaged seasonings and mixes, many of which I’ve never heard of:

After picking up some nice looking lychee (99 cents/lb – a great price), rejecting the jujubes (dry and looking old), and picking up some packaged snacks I went to the check out, paid and headed for our lunch destination. All the time counting my blessings – I got out spending under twenty bucks.

Hong Kong Supermarket
987 S Glendora Ave
West Covina, CA 91790

After lunch and our appointment, we headed to the "other" Hong Kong Plaza, and our "stinky tofu" destination; Shau Mei Restaurant. While waiting for our tofu, the Missus ordered a Taiwanese Shaved Ice with 3 "items" ($2.50):

Basically 3 items – in this case Lychee, sweet rice balls, and Mango Mousse, covered with a pile of shaved ice with some syrup. You can also order this with condensed milk or juice for an additional cost. In about 5 minutes it looked like this:

The mango mousse was terrible BTW. Standing in the suffocating heat, with a large bag (3 orders) of stinky tofu in my hand was a bit much for me, so I returned to the car to store the tofu while the Missus browsed through a pile of CDs and DVDs. I returned and considered myself lucky; she only bought 3 Andy Lau CDs for $3. She had spotted this sign though:

99 cent Boba – Bargain City! How can you resist a 99 cent Boba? So after a sharp right turn we headed into the snack shop and got a Taro Shake with Boba (Boba in a shake 25 cents). I’m not a Boba drinker, but took a sip. It tasted like a Taro Shake. The Missus said it was a bit sweet, but the Boba was good. So this was obviously worth $1.24.

So done with our short reprieve from the heat, we headed out into the parking lot, and suddenly realized why we like San Diego so much. We miss all of the options available to you in Los Angeles, but really don’t miss the 100 degree plus temps and the psycho drivers and traffic.

Here’s the sign of the day:

You too can go where the "Implants Hang Out"!!!

What about our lunch? That’s for tomorrow, when I’ve recovered from my heat stroke.

Nijiya Market – Our Dependable Standby

August 25, 2005 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Markets & Grocers

The San Diego location of Nijiya Market is our good dependable standby when we’re unable to decide what’s for lunch and sometimes dinner. Though both Nijiya and Mitsuwa Market are within a mile of each other, we usually chose Nijiya. I think the bentos are better and the prices are also better here. It wasn’t always that way though; Nijjiya moved to this location from a really small location across the strip mall (this used to be an Autozone), a few years ago, and the selection and quality has improved.

We’ll just stop by and pick up a bento (or two):

And of course a few snacks; though Mitsuwa has a better selection of snacks, you can’t leave here without getting some Pocky or arare:

This location of Nijiya features a bakery that bakes fresh bread daily, a tempura/fu-rai bar, organic produce, and of course sushi and bento’s. Though I don’t buy any sushi with raw fish from a market, I’ll purchase Kappa Maki (cucumber rolls) or inari sushi on occasion.

There are three bento’s that I’ll usually get here; the Chicken Katsu, the Chicken Karaage:

The chicken karaage has a nice shoyu flavor, and though not very crunchy by the time we usually get it, it still has alot of taste and is pretty moist. I also like the homemade kurobuta (pork) sausage that are sometimes included in the bento. Don’t ask me what the organic rice thing is, I ignore it. After all I can’t taste the difference.

Sometimes I’m in the mood for a combination bento ($6.99), which always includes a few croquettes, some nimono vegetables, and a main okazu(dish to eat with rice). A real quick hint; the best time to “hit” Nijiya is at about 11am, or thereabouts. Most of the varieties of prepared food is available and the crowds haven’t arrived yet.

In our opinion Mitsuwa features a better selection of snacks and other items, and they have wonderful “events and festivals”, other than that I’ll chose Nijiya most of the time.

Pretty clinical post, huh? Well of course I can’t end this way. I’ll add a very shameful secret. Most of the cashiers at Nijiya think I speak Japanese. I’ve fooled them to this point. I understand some Japanese, but will never speak. But 75% of the time I’m there I’m spoken to in Japanese at the check-out. So as they speak to me, I just nod, with an occasional “Hai”, “domo”, or “credit-to no” (credit card), but that’s it! Of course the Missus is standing next to me whispering “you’re such a fake”, and other terms of endearment….but I think I got ’em fooled here! Of course there is shame in living a lie! Go-men-nasai!!!

Nijiya Market
3860 Convoy St Ste 109
San Diego, CA 92111

El Salvadoreno

August 24, 2005 mmm-yoso Latin American Cuisine, Salvadoran Restaurants

*** An updated post can be found here. El Salvadoreno has moved one building over.

I originally heard of this little establishment from fellow Ex-Pat Kama’aina Howard, who mentioned the chicken here. He was kind enough to email me the address, and I ended up taking a drive down here on a recent Sunday.

Located on Imperial Avenue in Logan Heights, it’s not a neighborhood that I’m very familiar with. Needless to say, trying to find this place was a bit of an adventure. I’m so thankful for Mapquest. I decided to come here on a Sunday morning to avoid crowds. I entered the bright and clean interior. This little establishment has but 7 tables.

You see, I know next to nothing about Salvadoran food, so please excuse any inaccuracies, and I welcome any corrections. The only thing I’ve ever had that was called a pupusa was in a little "Latin American" restaurant in Atlanta, it was like a little tortilla sandwich. So I was in for a big surprise. Instead of the recommended Chicken dish, I ordered some pupusas, the Gentleman running the place (Erasmo?) was invaluable in helping me make some decisions.

I asked him how many I should order, and he said "big guy like you, need probably four." Big guy like me???? But I ordered 2 chicken and cheese($1.75) and 2 combination($2.00). I could immediately hear a pat-pat-pat, pat-pat-pat. I could see the Lady behind the counter making my pupusas. About that time this arrived at my table:

So soon it looked my pupusa lesson was about to start. When they arrived, hot, fragrant, tortilla shaped, looking almost like a Da-Bing (Chinese flatbread). So my first lesson was to place the refreshing slaw (sort of like a refreshing coleslaw) called curtido on top of the pupusa and then sprinkling some of the hot sauce on top.

Oh talk about tasty, with a crusty exterior, nice soft chicken and gooey cheese, with the nice refreshing slaw, and hot sauce. This was such a new experience to me! Delici-yoso!!!! The four pupusas were much too filling for me, a family having breakfast had a really good laugh at my leaning back in my chair and letting out a "sigh…". Everybody here was so friendly, and the food so good, I knew that I’d be back. I had brought back the two leftover pupusas, and the Missus chowed them like there was no tomorrow! She even forgot about the slaw and hot sauce.

So this evening we decided to make our way back down to El Salvadoreno. And the same Gentleman was again running the place, and he greeted me with a handshake, and a "welcome back". I guess I stand out in this crowd! Again I timed our visit with the early evening, because I knew that we’d need some help, and again it was gladly given. The Missus went down the menu asking question after question, and getting descriptions of almost all the dishes. We ended up ordering a Jalapeno Pupusa and a chicken tamale, among other things. While waiting the above mentioned "condiments" arrived, and the Missus couldn’t wait; she was taking portions of the slaw, placing them on a napkin, and starting to "chow".

The tamale was alot different from those I’ve had before, the masa was soooo soft and almost sponge-like, and the chicken very moist and tender. The pupusa, was good, though I’d recommend the squash blossom, or another, there was just too much cheese in the jalapeno-cheese pupusa. I had asked about the "chicken" dish and was told that maybe I’d like the special "soup and chicken"($8.99).

First of all a nice Chicken Soup and a bowl of onions, cliantro, and lime was delivered. A basket of hand made corn tortillas was also delivered. The corn tortillas were great, I’ve never had anything like this, really great stuff. The chicken soup was smooth and very "clean" tasting, with nice pieces of vegetables. The pieces of squash in the soup were especially delicious. The next part of the dish consisted of the Fried Chicken.

The fried chicken leg was the closest I’ve had to "broasted" in taste here in San Diego. Nice and crunchy skin, moist and flavorful. Delici-yoso!!! The rice was almost like "pilaf", and the salad was well dressed. All this for $8.99! We also ordered the Shrimp combination ($8.99):

This plate was not as good as the chicken. The shrimp were over cooked and rubbery, and the rice, while very flavorful (I believe cooked in seafood stock) was on the salty side. What was really good here were the beans. Now both the Missus and I pretty much, well let me say, we hate most(all) refried beans. Mushy, gloppy, sometimes watery, yuck! But we couldn’t get enough of these! With a piece of the tortilla, oh man, this was awesome. In fact, I’d go back for the hand made tortilla, a piece of chicken, and beans! We devoured everything, no leftovers! The price, about 24 bucks, in total.

So the "skinny" on El Salvadorena? Good food and great service (if you’re not familiar try to time for slower periods). Don’t be afraid of the neighborhood. Only street parking is available and is limited. The restaurant is moving to the larger building next door next month. I guess demand is increasing, good for them!

We’ll add this to our rotation after a few more visits. This was a great change of pace from the usual Mexican food for us! Howard I owe you one.

El Salvadoreno
2851 Imperial Ave
San Diego, CA 92102

Open 9am to 9pm Daily – Our main man here, I believe his name is Erasmo handles everything from Monday to Friday eves, and all day on Sat/Sunday .

Fusion Food & Boba Cafe

August 23, 2005 mmm-yoso Sandwiches, Vietnamese Restaurants

*** Fusion Food and Boba Cafe has closed.

I guess I'm a bit con-"fused" about Fusion Food & Boba Cafe. A reader of this blog and Chowhound lurker Renee, sent me an Email (Thanks Renee!) about Fusion. She specifically noted that the Banh Mi at Fusion was very good. With this info I made a trip to Fusion. What I found was a "hip" Cafe, doing a brisk business in Boba and other snacks. It reminded me of all those "tea" places that I saw young Asians going to in Los Angeles.

Like I mentioned Fusion was doing a brisk business, people playing board games, watching the plasma television, or just hanging out at the outside tables; eating steamed buns or "banana rolls" , which looked like a take-off on turon (banana lumpia) with ice cream, all drinking various slushies and coffee drinks. The posted menu also said that Fusion offers free wireless internet access with a purchase. So automatically this place was totally what I was not; young and hip. Also, I couldn't find "Banh Mi" on the menu. What there was is something called "Fusion Sandwiches". I figured that this must be it. The prices of the sandwiches ranged from $2.50 (one item) to $3.50(two meat combo), to $4.50 for a Chesseburger Deluxe and Fries(?). Because my Banh Mi "standard" is based on the "Dac Biet" , I thought that I'd order the special with Ham and Pork Loaf, though at $3.50 it would be the most expensive Banh Mi type sandwich I'd ever have ordered.

Sure looks like a Banh Mi, doesn't it? The good; the carrot and radish pickles were tasty and the amount of veggies was generous and I enjoyed the jalapeno. The bad I'm afraid, outnumbered the good. The bread wasn't toasted, the meats were tasteless and disappointing. I pulled out the ham and it looked and tasted no different from the cheapie packaged 79 cent ham I'd buy at the market. The strange? It really looked like this was french roll, but not a baguette, but a french dip roll! Very strange indeed, though it never said anywhere that this was a Vietnamese Banh Mi, did it? At this point I thought that I'd cut my losses and let Fusion fade into the back ground.

What changed my mind was an Email from Renee, and she included a photo! And darn if the photo of the Veggie Sandwich didn't look like a Banh Mi! So I found myself back at Fusion, and this time I ordered a simple BBQ Pork Sandwich ($2.50):

This was a bit more like it! The roll was toasted, though still not a baguette, in my opinion. The pork was tasty and as before the veggies were good and there was a nice piece of jalapeno. Overall a decent sandwich. I especially liked that there was more cilantro leaves than stems, makes for an easier eating sandwich. There was mayo on this version as well, this actually added to the taste. Not bad at all. Unfortunately I ordered the Popcorn Chicken ($2.49):

On the menu it says "spicy & crispy". I can tell you in this case it was neither of those. The crispy I can understand, I live 15 minutes away. But even if the what looked like the corn starch based batter couldn't stand up to a 15 minute drive, all would still be okay if the chicken tasted great. Unfortunately, it wasn't even mediocre. The chicken was really bland with hardly any seasoning. I was hoping for something, give me the slight sweetness of mochiko, maybe some salt, maybe some herbs, chili pepper, anything….. I hate to say this, but KFC is better than this. The aioli included is a must, just to give this some taste. I think something was lost in trying to please all palates on this one.

So what's the verdict? Seems that certain sandwiches here are pretty good, and the snacks seem to be what to get. There are some dishes that are "dumbed down" to make them somewhat con-"fused". The menu is very extensive, everything from vegetarian items, to curry, to noodle soups. It's a really difficult to manage a menu like this. All the drinks here seem to be really popular. The service is really friendly and helpful. Maybe someone has an idea what I should order here?

Fusion Food & Boba Cafe
8038 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111

P.S. Thank You for the recommendation Renee!

Mama’s Bakery & Lebanese Deli

August 21, 2005 mmm-yoso Lebanese Restaurants

Right off of El Cajon Boulevard, on Alabama Street lies Mama’s.

Mama’s serves up some very tasty food from this very humble store front. As you enter and stare up at the menu, you’ll find the area very cramped, only two to three individuals can stand in this area at a time. So you place your order and wait either in the “dining area” or outside. The glass case that is the front counter displays the various pastries available, like baklava and other goodies. The dining area is one of a kind. You’ve heard of “white-wash”, well this is “green wash”. Looks like a bunch of friends got together and had a (more than a) few beers and went crazy with the paint brushes. It’s basically a patio with dividers and canvas tarps attached to create “walls”.

The main reason that Mama’s holds a position on our “rotation” is the Garlic Chicken Wrap($4.99). The flatbread of the wrap is made fresh. When you order the dough is rolled and flattened to order, and placed on the “sajj” which is the bullet shaped oven-grill thing-a-majig, which cooks the bread and adds some nice crusty pieces. Then a generous amount of chicken breast, lettuce, pickles, parsley, and most importantly fresh garlic paste is added. Delici-yoso!!!! Here’s a look inside. You can order an extra side of garlic paste for 50 cents.

We also ordered the Falafel Plate ($7.49). These falafel are made from both chickpeas and fava beans, and have a nice bit of spice. They are crunchy on the outside, somewhat grainy and gritty on the inside, with a nice nutty, savory flavor. If you like texture, you’ll love a good, non-greasy falafel like this one.

The plate comes with 6 good size falafel, hummus, a green salad, pita bread and tahini. The dressing for the salad is nice and tangy with lot’s herbs and very refreshing. Pita and hummus are done well. We usually don’t use the tahini, though creamy, is very weak. Here’s what my “perfect bite” of falafel looks like:

The falafel is nice and crunchy, slightly spicy, the hummus adds the nutty creamy flavor, and the pita, is well, starch, and everyone knows the bite ain’t complete without starch.

On this trip we also ordered the Manakeesh Ultimate($3.99), which is a flatbread with a sumac, thyme, oregano, and olive oil spread, sesame seeds, tomatoes, olives, mint, and lebni, which I was told is like a yogurt-cream cheese:

This was a bit too sour, with too much going on. I’ll stay with the Manakeesh Plus ($3.25) next time. Which is the sandwich minus the lebni; it has much more of a balanced taste.

If you’re thinking this was alot of food, you’re right, it was, though the Missus has been known to “knock-off” two Garlic Chicken Wraps in a single meal. We had enough food for dinner.

Some notes; only street parking is available, with limited seating and space. The service has always been efficient and nice. If you like people watching, this is an interesting place. On any given day you’ll see Native Lebanese along with all the alternative lifestyles represented among the clientel. Hey Mama is an equal opportunity restaurant! And it’s darn good!

Mama’s Bakery & Lebanese Deli
4237 Alabama St.
San Diego, CA 92104

Yoso-silly: Vegemite – Vege-might not….

August 20, 2005 mmm-yoso yoso-silly

I promised Clare from Eat Stuff that I’d go ahead and attempt to eat Vegemite. After her Vegemite-for-non-Aussies post, I’d pretty much committed myself to actually trying some Vegemite from this little bottle brought back by a friend from Australia. So I figured today, with the bright sunny sky shining and nice breezes would be as good a day as any to die…….

But someone had already tried some of the Vegemite. A few days ago I got a phone call from the Missus:

She: "I think there’s something wrong with the Vegemite"
Me: "Ummm, okay, what’s wrong?
She: "Well, I tasted some…."
Me: "You Tasted Some!"
She: "Yeah I tasted some, and it tastes like it’s rotten or spoiled or something!"
Me: "Can’t be, I’ve been told it lasts forever!"
She: "Nothing lasts forever…"
Me: "Maybe Vegemite does, it might be the perfect food."
pause….
She: "So you’ve never tasted this Vegemite stuff…."
Me: "No, I, um.."
She: "So it could be spoiled and you wouldn’t even know it!"
Me: "From what I understand, this stuff tastes so terrible, it really wouldn’t matter if it was spoiled or not!"
click….

On a follow-up phone call, a detailed description of the taste and texture of the Vegemite was passed on to me, to be kept forever in the "bowels" of my mind. In case you want a little history of Vegemite it can be found here.

So this morning I set out to make me some Vegemite toast. For some reason a song kept popping up in my head – "Goodbye Papa its hard to die….. ".

I decided to use wheat toast. I mean, Vegemite is "healthy", right? So I figured wheat toast is the way to go. I spread some butter on the toast, and got a little spoon of Vegemite. At first glance, Vegemite is black and tar-like, with a distinct yeasty smell. I moved the spoon toward Sammy who ran and hid in the bathroom. Not a good sign!

"When all the birds are singing in the sky…."

So I spread the Vegemite on the toast best I could:

I actually tried to make a "smiley face", which failed horribly, so my extreme lack of artistic talent is clearly visible to the entire world. See any apparition on the toast that could possibly make me some cash on Ebay? I then thought, "any black food that I like", "caviar", "yeah, that’s the ticket, caviar is black, caviaaarrrr…", "aaah, who am I kidding, this is about as far from caviar as I can get!"

So I took a bite, than another for good measure. The taste? Well after having my stomach pumped in the ER – just kidding Clare! It’s very salty, and a bit on the bitter-astringent side. I didn’t enjoy the after taste it left, but overall not a bad experience. Not something I’ll ever crave, but I’d eat it if I had to. Thanks Clare, this was fun. That Vegemite would just have continued being a paperweight at work, if not for your encouragement.

Another song just popped into my head:

We are happy little Vegemites as bright as bright can be,
We all enjoy our Vegemite for breakfast, lunch and tea,
Our mummy says we’re growing stronger every single week,
Because we love our Vegemite,
We all adore our Vegemite,
It puts a rose in every cheek!

B & B Catering and Deli

August 19, 2005 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Diner

I’ve passed this place many, many, times. I guess it fascinates me, because of the scope of dishes and cuisines that are covered on the windows:

If you read the windows they make Curry, Teriyaki, Roast Turkey, Country Fried Steak, Chorizo, Machaca, and on and on. At least it doesn’t say “authentic” anywhere. The other thing is that this place is only open from 7am to 3 pm from Monday to Friday, and closed on weekends. Best way to get me into a restaurant? Locate it in an obscure spot, and never be open during the hours I’ll be able to eat! Can you spell S-U-C-K-E-R! The one thing that keeps me going is that for every 5-10 borderline places there’s a “Ray’s Cafe”. So this little place is located on the road leading into Montgomery Field, a small community air field located in the Kearny Mesa area. Today I noticed a police car and several other vehicles in the front of B&B. A good sign!

As I walked up to the door there was a little board with the daily specials. There on the top was Bulgogi(???), along with Pepper Steak, Veal & Spaghetti, Polish Sausage, and Mushroom Burger! Now my curiosity had hit a peak! I had to go in. As I walked in, all became clear. This was a cafeteria type operation.

There were lot’s of hot table items and sandwiches. The people running the operation were Korean, as a matter of fact, the first question when I went up to the counter was “are you Korean?” I told them I wasn’t, but of course I ordered the Bulgogi ($5.99).

This item was actually made in the kitchen and brought out to me. Actually it wasn’t half bad. Sort of a pseudo teriyaki stir fry with sesame oil, a bit too much on the sweet side. Was it Bulgogi, uh, no. But it wasn’t bad. The meat was tender, the veggies not over cooked, not too bad.

So with this under my belt and being in the neighborhood, I decided to stop by for another lunch. As I walk up to the cafeteria line, there’s a huge hunk of meat lying on a board. It’s the roast beef ($5.95). Of course I can’t resist a huge hunk of meat! I order the roast beef to go:

So I watched the roast beef carved, and there must’ve been something “wrong” with how and what I ordered. When the same person I dealt with before asked me what kind of salad I wanted, I asked what kind do you have, he said “look it’s over there”! Ohhh-kay…. So after getting home and opening the dish, here are my observations. First thing I noticed is (“it’s over there look”) is that they served me the scalded rice, the ugly brown scald on the rice portion, looks like someone took the rice and wiped, ooops, don’t go there, yuck. The roast was tough, though it looked good on the board, it was singularly tasteless even with the au jus, the green beans canned, the roll inedible, and the salad had a ton of apple in it, or maybe that’s all I could taste. Then it came to me, this must be the Montgomery Field cafeteria, and I’ve voluntarily eaten here! And by the way, the police car I saw was for the RSVP (Retired Senior Volunteer Police), say no more. You’d think I’d have learned by now!

B & B DELI & CATERING
8690 Aero Drive #120
San Diego, CA 92123

Open 7 am to 3 pm Monday thru Friday