November 2005 – Page 2

Golden City Part 2 of 3 – Late Night Supper

November 17, 2005 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

**** Golden City has closed

*** As of July, 2006 Golden City is under new Ownership – posts on the “New” Golden City, can be found here, here, and here.

After my first visit to the “new” Golden City for lunch; I thought I’d give them a few weeks to get their act together. So after one evening of a few movies at San Diego Asian Film Festival this past October, the Missus and I paid a visit to Golden City to partake of the “Supper Menu” served between 9pm through Midnight. We arrived at Golden City at just past 9pm:

When we entered, just a few tables were filled along with one rather large, raucous party where the Older Chinese Men were pounding a few beers. One of the great things about the “old” Golden City; were the reasonably priced late night specials, and though the prices have gone up a bit at this new location they are still reasonable. Most dishes range from $5.25 – $6.95 from 9pm til closing.

So we started ordering; first with the Roast Duck ($5.95 – 1 piece):

The “old” Golden City made pretty good roasted meats, and I understand that the Chef used to work at Emerald making the roast meats. So I was looking forward to this. The skin was nice and slightly crisp, and the meat was nice and tender. But the flavor was a bit off; it did taste like roast duck, mind you; but the flavor was strangely muted, as if it was a mere shadow of its former self.

Rock Cod with Black Bean Sauce ($6.15):

One of the Missus’s favorites, the fish fillets were cooked to a moist and tender state, and the onions were cooked through perfectly. However, the Bell Peppers were undercooked and very raw tasting. The sauce suffered from a lack of Black Bean taking away any personality from the dish.

Goat with Dry Bean Curd ($5.95):

Per the Missus’s instructions, I’m not allowed to eat this. Between bites, she did say it was just as good as she remembers.

Lastly out came “My” dish; Kwai Fei Chicken ($5.95):

One of my favorite dishes back home in Hawaii is what is called Cold Ginger Chicken; basically cold, Poached Chicken served with a ginger-scallion oil. I’ve never really found a version of this dish that I’ve enjoyed on the Mainland. What I did find was Kwai Fei Chicken. Basically, chicken is rubbed with seasoning, and steamed. This dish is also served at room temperature or cold with the heavenly ginger scallion oil. Golden City used to be a regular stop for this at their old location. Tonight, the chicken was over cooked making it tough and dry. And not even the scallion oil could cure it. So in the end; I ate most of the oil on rice (it is really delici-yoso), and took the chicken home for Frankie and Sammy.

In the end it seemed as if Golden City was literally a “shadow of it’s former self”, as all the flavors seemed strangely muted. Though as we left groups of people started streaming in; searching for reasonable Chinese Food at 10pm.

In the last installment we have a “regular” dinner; and I’ll have the same dish for lunch that I had on opening day.

Golden City Restaurant
5375 Kearney Villa Rd
San Diego, CA 92123

A Quick Post About Hijiki

November 16, 2005 mmm-yoso Blog

A quick note about Hijiki. A regular reader, sent me some links regarding levels of Inorganic Arsenic in Hijiki which I used in one of my Nimono Dishes. So I just wanted to pass them on to you all:

http://www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2004/jul/hijiki

http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/corpaffr/foodfacts/arsenice.shtml

http://www.nzfsa.govt.nz/consumers/food-safety-topics/chemicals-in-food/hijiki-arsenic/

And a few more:

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20040731f1.htm

http://www.inchem.org/documents/jecfa/jecmono/v18je17.htm

This interesting post lists the Brands tested by the Food Standards Agency in the UK; it also reveals that the FSA did not take into consideration the rinsing and cooking:

http://www.simoncox.com/mt3/2005/11/itsu_bean_and_hijiki_lunch_roll.php

As with all info of this type I think the same New Zealand FSA article linked above had the following:

"Does this put my health at risk?

Exposure to low levels of organic or inorganic arsenic is not a health concern. Organic arsenic is commonly found in seaweed and other marine foods but has not been linked to any human illnesses.

Inorganic arsenic, formed from the combination of arsenic with oxygen, chlorine or sulphur, is more toxic and is known to add to the risk of people getting cancer if it is regularly consumed.

However it is not usually found at high levels in food. Hijiki does contain high levels of inorganic arsenic."

And the New Zealand FSA sent out this additional press release that states:

"the New Zealand Food Safety Authority says that it is very unlikely that anyone consumes enough each day to be at any risk."

http://archives.foodsafetynetwork.ca/fsnet/2004/10-2004/fsnet_oct_21.htm#story1

I really don’t eat alot of this; so this won’t stop me from eating the little bit of Hijiki in my Onigiri, or with my bentos. In addition, many people I’ve known have been eating Hijiki their entire lives, and have not suffered any negative effects. But I thought that some sort of full disclosure is necessary. Call it "food for thought".

Thanks for the links Anna!

El Portal Fresh Mexican Grill

November 15, 2005 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants

I pass this little shop almost everyday, but have never given it much thought:

But I’ve always seen Police Cars and Post Office Vehicles in the parking lot. And you know what they say about Cops and Postal Carriers, well maybe not Postal Carriers……not that I have anything against the Post Office mind you, I love getting my mail, and living, and stuff. Well, before I make anymore comments that get me in trouble, let’s proceed.

Doing this Food Blogging thingy has given me alot more courage, I finally gave El Portal a try. The first thing I did was read a little pamphlet that told me El Portal was one of those "Fresh Mexican Grills" that seem to be in every strip mall nowadays. You know, grilled lean meat, grilled chicken breast, no preservatives, no cholesterol, no lard, and many times, no flavor.

I ordered a Carne Asada Torta($4.15):

Expecting to be underwhelmed, I was rather surprised. I mean this isn’t really Mexican food, but it was pretty tasty. A well toasted bollilo, a good amount of very well marinated and grilled carne asada(though I’m pretty sure it was heated up in a microwave), and the sandwich wasn’t over-dressed. So many times I’ve had a torta that’s just smeared in beans or mayo that it’s a soggy mess. On the minus side, the guacamole was fairly flavorless, and what’s with the one slice of tomato right smack in the middle of the roll?

I did enjoy the Caesar Pepita Salad($4.05):

Though a bit short on the Cotija Cheese and Pepitas(pumpkin seeds), the salad was well dressed and tasty. The dressing was not quite the usual Caesar dressing, being alot looser and tangy. But overall a pretty fair salad. BTW, I didn’t take a photo of the chips that came with these dishes; but just let me say, they were really bad; dry and stale tasting.

About a week later I was doing some shopping at Long’s Drugs in Mission Valley, and to my surprise El Portal had opened a second location:

In need for some sustenance, I walked in. No Police; this time it was the Highway Patrol, and one Postal Worker, with a UPS Guy thrown in.

I decided to try the Pollo Asado Torta(grilled marinated chicken $4.15):

Can you say B-L-A-N-D! This tasted like a sour cream and cardboard sandwich. Really not worth my time. But I was comforted by the tomato; I now knew that the single lonely slice of tomato is the standard.

I did manage to get a Carne Asada Taco($2.45):

Though a bit more expensive then what I’m used to paying for a taco; this was absolutely stuffed with, well "stuff". The Carne Asada was just as before, pretty good; but so was the tasteless pasty "guac", and the pico de gallo was the usual run of the mill type. Not a disappointment, but not really great, and pretty consistent as a whole; just what the masses love in a "fast-casual" type restaurant. If looked at in that way, El Portal is pretty good.

Some notes; El Portal is a prime example that "healthy" doesn’t equate to "low fat". For example all Tortas have guacamole and sour cream. El Portal opens at 7am and has a large variety of omelettes and breakfast burritos.

El Portal Fresh Mexican Grill
4101 Genesee Ave
San Diego, CA 92111

5618 Mission Ctr Rd
San Diego, CA 92108

A Nimono Kind of Night

November 14, 2005 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

"You know that I know how to make that stuff, don’t you?"

"Well why don’t you make me some then?"

A typical conversation over the prepared food case at Nijiya. I usually would just go ahead and buy the stuff, but for some strange reason today I was overcome with bravado; and of course the Missus called me on it. I haven’t really made any of this stuff in years. Well I decided to dig out some recipes, and some books and actually cook some of this. So instead of eating out this past Sunday, I had a "nimono(simmered food)-fest"! All these recipes are modifications of those found in various cookbooks I have.

Kiriboshi Daikon when rehydrated has a somewhat nutty taste, and a nice crunchy texture.

Kiriboshi-Daikon Ni
(Simmered Kiriboshi Daikon)

2 oz Kiriboshi Daikon
(Dried White Radish Strips)
3 Fresh Shiitake Mushrooms
3 Chikuwa (Broiled Fishcake)
1 Tb Toasted Sesame Seeds
1-2Tb Vegetable Oil
1/4 Tsp Dashi No-Moto (optional)
1/2 Cup water used for soaking Kiriboshi Daikon
1 Cup Water
2 Tb Sake
1/4 Cup Soy Sauce(not Kikkoman)
3-4 Tb Sugar
2 Tb Mirin

1 – Rinse the Kiriboshi-Daikon in cold water. Squeeze out excess water, and place in a bowl. Add water to just cover radish strips. Soak for 30-40 minutes

2 – Slice Shiitake Mushroom and Chikuwa into thin (1/8") slices.

3 – When Kiriboshi-Daikon is reconstituted squeeze out water, and cut into bite size strips if necessary.Set aside 1/2 cup of strained soaking liquid.

4 – Heat oil in a pot, add in order; the Chikuwa, Shiitake Mushroom, and the Kiriboshi Daikon, stir fry briefly using medium heat.

5 – Add Soaking Liquid and Water, and bring to a boil. Once a boil is reached add sake, mirin, and sugar, and simmer for 5 minutes.

6 – Add soy sauce and simmer until the liquid is almost completely absorbed.

7 – Sprinkle Sesame Seeds before serving.

Hijiki is the black colored dried seaweed that is often seen stuffed into Onigiri (Rice Balls), and is often used as garnish or as a side dish at "Asian-Fusion" restaurants. It is high in vegetable protein, calcium, and iron.

Hijiki Nimono
(Simmered Hijiki Seaweed)

1 oz Dried Hijiki Seaweed
1/3 Carrot sliced into thin "sticks"
1 Sheet Aburage (Thin Fried Tofu Sheets)
1-2 Tb Vegetable Oil
3/4 Cup Water
2 Tb Sake
2-3 Tb Mirin
3-4 Tb Sugar
1/4 Cup Soy Sauce
Salt to taste

1 – Place Hijiki in a bowl, and rinse several times in cold water. Soak in cold water for 20-30 minutes until soft.

2 – Pour boiling water over Aburage to remove excess oil, and cut into thin slices.

3 – Drain Hijiki.

4 – Heat oil in a pot using medium heat. Add in the following order Carrot, Aburage, and Hijiki, and fry for 1-2 minutes.

5 – Add water and bring to a boil. Add sake, mirin, and sugar. Lower to a low simmer. When the liquid is almost absorbed add soy sauce and salt, stirring until almost absorbed.

Some notes; many times you’ll find this dish with Soybeans (Edamame), or cooked black beans, or topped with sesame seeds. You can also add Shimichi Togarashi (Japanese Chili Pepper Powder – actually "seven spice"…) for some zing. This dish tastes better the next day after flavors have had time to meld.

Niku tofu is a real homestyle dish. This version features Shirataki, often called "yam noodles", the noodle form of Konnyaku.

Niku Tofu
(Simmered Beef and Tofu)

1/2 Lb thinly sliced beef – sliced into bite sized slices
1 Block soft tofu
1 medium onion sliced
1-2 packages Shirataki (Yam noodles)
1 bunch green onions green part only sliced
1 Cup water
4 Tb Sugar
3 Tb Sake
3 Tb Mirin
1/4 Cup Soy sauce
Salt
1-2 Tb vegetable oil

1 – Rinse Shirataki under cold water. Then pour boiling water over shirataki to remove bitterness and smell (Shirataki has a very strong and unpleasant odor), rinse under cold water, and drain.

2 – Heat vegetable oil in a sauce pan or wok over medium heat. Fry the beef until slightly browned. Add the Shirataki and onion and fry.

3 – When ingredients are heated through add Water and bring to a boil. Add Sake, Mirin, Sugar, and Soy Sauce. Reduce to a simmer.

4 – Add tofu and mix in, being careful not to mash tofu. Let simmer for 10-15 minutes.

5 – Top with green onions before serving.

I had a blast juggling three "active" pots. I haven’t had so much fun since I worked as a cook in a drive-in as a teenager! In fact I decided to make me a bento, so I made my "Mama’s Eggs", basically a "rustic" Dashi-Maki Tamago (Rolled Egg Omelette):

I scramble three eggs, add green onion, furikake, and 1 Tb Kikkoman Soy sauce.

Made a pretty good bento with all of this:

Tomorrow it’s back to restaurants……

A Get Well Post for Clare

November 14, 2005 mmm-yoso Blog

I’d just thought I’d do a quick get well soon post for Clare of Eat Stuff, who’s been Admitted to the Hospital due to an unfortunate incident. Take care, and best wishes for a complete recovery!

Pearl

November 13, 2005 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Dim Sum

**** Pearl has closed

Having already visited the "Convoy Dim Sum" trinity of Emerald, China Max, and Jasmine, with mixed results, not to mention a horrible experience at Lucky Star. We decided to finally retry Pearl in Rancho Bernardo:

We'd first set foot here back in '04 when they first opened. At that time I thought they took a back seat to their sister restaurant Emerald; but based on recent comments here, I was made to believe that Pearl has overtaken Emerald.

We arrived and were immediately seated:

And in a flash we had tea, ice water, and the first carts arrived! Needless to say, I was impressed. We got some shrimp and chive dumplings:

These were very tasty with a nice shrimp and chive flavor, though the wrappers were a bit dry, but not a bad start.

Vegetarian Bean Curd Roll:

These rolls were filled with bamboo shoots and cloud ears fungus, the soy based broth was so very rich, and the chilies added a mild heat. These were excellent, both in taste and texture.

Fried Chive and Shrimp Dumplings, one of my favorites:

These were cold, which made them taste somewhat greasy, and the shrimp rubbery. I also noticed that these dumplings were somewhat smaller then I'm used to seeing, although there were 4 of them instead of the usual 3.

Shrimp Cheong Fun:

We really noticed the size difference with this dish. Though the noodle was cooked perfectly, slightly chewy, with a nice "pull" to it. These were quite small, and only had 2 small shrimp in each. About this time I noticed something; all these hard working servers were smiling; our water was being refilled on a regular basis. I really only needed to make eye-contact with a Dim Sum Lady, and she would make her way to our table. I was in total shock, was there some mind-altering hallucinogenic substance in my tea?

I was snapped out of my trance by the next cart with the Beef Tripe:

Now this was the tripe I remembered from Emerald, nice and crunchy, with a slight amount of heat from the chilies, in a slightly chicken flavored broth. Very nice!

Chao Zhou Dumplings:

These dumplings are a real challenge. In many cases the wrapper is not cooked correctly, and ends up being a sticky mess, with all the filling(chopped bamboo shoot, etc) falling all over the place. Not in this case, though. These were cooked well, and there were nice whole dried shrimp in each dumpling. Very well done.

At about this time, one of the Waiters came up to use and asked if everything was alright. What!!! In a move that I thought was tempting fate; the Missus mentioned that she hasn't seen any Fried Taro (Taro Gok). The Waiter quickly asked one of the "Ladies" something; turned to us, and said "We don't have any right now, but we can make some for you, how many would you like…." As soon as I was able to pick my jaw up off the floor, I choked out "Just one will be fine…".

As the Waiter left we were immediately scanning the room; this service made us really want to get more Dim Sum. Wait A Minute! That's what it was; Pearl was using "reverse psychology" to try and get us to order more Dim Sum!

Tofu in Chili Sauce:

Beautiful aren't they? But these are best admired from a distance. This had to be the sweetest chili sauce I've ever had. In fact, I couldn't taste anything for a while after eating this. Ick!

The Missus flagged down the dessert cart and got some desserts:

You'll have to ask the Missus how they were.

She said they were "just okay", before inhaling them……

Our blessed Fried Taro Ball:

These were brought to our table piping hot! Though on the smallish side each one of these were topped with Masago (Flying Fish Eggs), which added a nice saltiness, and hid a scallop inside! The pork and taro filling was mixed to the perfect ratio. These were among the best I've eaten – delici-yoso!!!

We also got Sticky Rice Wrapped in Lotus Leaf:

These were also on the small side, though like most everything else; was done very well. About this time the Waiter walked up to our table, and apologized for taking so long with the taro. Welcome to the Twilight Zone! Are we really eating Dim Sum? The Waiter also asked us if he could get us anything else….why? Because if you buy ten dishes you get two free!!! Amazing…. We ended up getting another order of sticky rice to go. The damage? $36.91, not bad really.

The last most surprising thing happened while I was waiting for the Missus, who needed to visit the Restroom before we left.

While I was standing "holding up the wall". One of the Waiters walked up to me. The little voice in my head went "oh-oh, here's where we come back to reality…" But he just wanted to make sure we got our free Dim Sum, and struck up a conversation, telling me to come back for dinner, and started showing me the "specials". He surely thought that I was a bit strange, looking back and forth. I was searching for the "hidden cameras".

Needless to say; this is the best service I've ever had in a Dim Sum establishment. It's as if the Dim Sum God was trying to make amends for all the lousy and mediocre Dim Sum experiences we've had recently. I'm going to have to return, to see if history will repeat itself!

In a nutshell Pearl on this visit provided excellent service, good Dim Sum with a contemporary flair.

Pearl Chinese Cuisine
11666 Avena Place
San Diego, CA 92128

Hawaiian Express BBQ

November 12, 2005 mmm-yoso Local Kine Stuffs in San Diego, Plate Lunch

A few months ago, this Hawaiian BBQ was brought to my attention by Jack & Terry R., two readers of this blog. So one day a few weeks ago I had the chance to drop by Hawaiian Express BBQ.

This Hawaiian BBQ is located in the Food Court of Plaza Bonita Shopping Center in National City. I’m sure you’ll find it; just look for the bright "neon". The menu contains two interesting "characteristics". First, there are no "mini" plates, they have been replaced by "Medium"($4.49-4.99) plates. Call it a marketing move I guess. Secondly, there are a few items on the menu that are somewhat unique. A Fries, Cheese, and BBQ plate(fries, cheese, and BBQ chicken???) and Walnut Shrimp stand out.

Jack and Terry recommended the BBQ short ribs here, so I definitely had to give those a try. I got a "medium" BBQ Short Rib plate($4.49):

This was a pretty large mini…ooops, I mean "medium" plate. It included one scoop of rice, a useless bland egg roll, and the absolute worst macaroni salad I’ve ever had. Note to plate lunch makers; macaroni salad has mayo in it! But the ribs made up for the salad, they were thicker and alot more tender then the usual Hawaiian BBQ ribs. Usually at L&L, the ribs are cut very thin and are tough as a rubber slipper, with pieces of inedible gristle. These were very soft and tender. The marinade could probably be flavored better, these were a bit on the bland side, but overall were pretty good.

I also ordered a Medium Chicken Katsu($4.49):

The first thing I noticed when I opened this, was the lack of any "katsu sauce". Instead there was some liquid poured over the chicken. The fairly large portion of chicken was cooked well, but the semi-sweet sour sauce poured over the katsu made the pieces soggy, and really did not taste very good.

If I’m in the area, I’d try Hawaiian Express BBQ again. I’d lose the salad and egg rolls, and add another scoop of rice if I can. The service is typical food court, manned by indifferent students (unless you’re their friends, they get great attentive service!), but is adequate. Prices of "Large" plates range from $5.99-$7.99, portions are large, and prices are pretty good.

Hawaiian Express BBQ
3030 Plaza Bonita Rd (In the Plaza Bonita Food Court)
National City, CA 91950

Thanks for the recommendation Jack & Terry!

Yuma Part 4 – Breakfast & Tourist Stuff

November 11, 2005 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Yuma

After a great dinner, I spent the evening watching Football in my room at the Best Western Mo(tor Ho)tel. I got up the next morning and walked on over to the office to check out. The Lady at the front counter seemed absolutely shocked that I didn’t take advantage of the "free breakfast" voucher. Honestly, I can get eggs, bacon, and hash browns anywhere. I had something else in mind:

Tacos Mi Rancho, sits almost right across the street from the Best Western, and I was looking forward to getting some Birria(goat). I stepped into this crowded little restaurant and sidled up to the counter and had a seat.

I could see plates fly past me, the breakfast crowd seamed to be a ravenous bunch! Unfortunately, no Birria yet this morning, so I ordered a Lengua Taco($1.99), and a Taco Al Pastor($1.79).

What arrived were two tacos packed with meat, cabbage, onions, salsa fresca, and cilantro. The lengua(beef tongue) taco, is not really what you think. It’s soft and moist stewed and shredded beef tongue. This taco had a mild beef flavor, the cabbage added crunch, and the onions and cilantro gave the taco some "punch". The only challenge with this taco was the amount of "stuff" piled on the little corn tortillas, eating became a real battle as meat and vegetables kept falling out on the plate with every bite. In the end, there was more taco filling on the plate as was in the taco when I started, not really a bad thing I suppose. I guess that’s why they gave me a fork and spoon with the tacos!

The Tacos Al Pastor had a generous amount of meat, along with the same toppings as the lengua. The pork in this case was alot drier then the version I had the day before. The Al Pastor meat was very aggressively seasoned and the "chili" taste came through front and center. I ended up eating half of the taco filling off the plate, as filling spilled everywhere with every bite.

If I were to compare the tacos of the day before with the ones at Mi Rancho, I’d say that Mi Rancho’s tacos have alot more "stuff" and they deliver a much more "polished" product. The taco stands meats were more moist, and I thought the true taste of the source meat (i.e. beef) really came through. Much of it could be due to the "ambiance", but I enjoyed the stand tacos more. That’s not to say that Mi Rancho’s tacos are bad, they’re quite good!

Tacos Mi Rancho
188 S 4th Ave
Yuma, AZ 85364

As I left with a full belly, I decided to take in one tourist site in Yuma; the Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park.

Located on a bluff above the remains of the Colorado River, this facility was in use between 1876 and 1909. The guard tower is one of the original structures still standing:

During the 33 year period of use, 3069 prisoners, of which 29 were women, were incarcerated here for crimes ranging from polygamy to murder.

Even though it was 9am, the temperature was already nearly 80 degrees F. I could only imagine what it would be like here during the summer, when temperatures exceed 100 degrees.

Crime does not pay……..

One final item. If you’re driving East on Interstate 8, say maybe to Tucson, or Sedona, and have a sudden craving for a Spam® Musubi, you’re in luck!

Take the 16th Street exit and turn into the Yuma Palms Regional Center. And believe it or not, you’ll find Yuma’s Hawaiian BBQ. Just goes to further support my belief that Hawaiian BBQ will soon take over the world!

Royal Mandarin – An “Ab-cee-dee” Fry-O-Rama

November 9, 2005 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Chinese Restaurants

We've developed a term for restaurants like Royal Mandarin. We call them "ABCDE", that's pronounced "Ab-cee-dee", otherwise known as "American Born Chinese Dining Establishment". You know those places, no chopsticks to be found; when you ask for them and old drawer will be opened and wooden chopsticks delivered. Royal Mandarin is such a place:

Located on busy Plaza Boulevard, Royal Mandarin serves a mix of ABCDE and Chinoy type of Chinese Food. As is typical with many of these restaurants when you enter, it's as if you've stepped into a time warp; the decor screams 60's Chinese Food. This quite non-descript storefront is deceptive. Many times the restaurant is packed to the gills.

The menu here is similar to other ABCDE restaurants; namely Mandarin Canton and Golden Chopsticks. So today instead of heading over to Golden Chopsticks, we drove one block East to Royal Mandarin. We started with an order of Upside Down Crispy Noodles($7.50):

I've explained my quest for "Cake Noodles" in previous posts, and really didn't expect anything close. And was proven right again. These were just deep fried noodle cakes, with stir fried veggies, shrimp, and beef in a brown sauce, which in this case was pretty tasteless. The broccoli was cooked to perfection, cooked completely through, and still crunchy.

Salted Pepper Shrimp without Shell ($9.95), probably the most expensive dish on the menu:

These shelled and deveined shrimp were dusted with flour and deep fried, instead of being heavily battered like we're used to. So we approached this with some doubt. But the shrimp were very tasty, not overly salty, slightly sweet, and the shrimp were cooked to perfection. A good rule of thumb for restaurants like these; "when in doubt, go for the fried." If they can't do fried well, they can't do anything.

After this visit, I found out that Royal Mandarin is one of the "players" in the Best Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings sweepstakes. In fact we saw trays, and in one case a whole cart of wings leaving the premises while we ate. There is a general consensus(maybe urban legend) that the "original" Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings were first served here. So armed with this info we paid Royal Mandarin another visit.

We started with the Classic ABCDE dish, a favorite of the Missus, Wor Wonton Soup for Two($4.50):

This soup was not half bad, the broth was much better then the usual tasteless watery broth. There was nice plump shrimp and several wonton, bamboo shoots, button mushrooms, and spinach.

And of course those Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings ($6.25):

These have the same "crack-like" addictiveness as the version at Golden Chopstick. This version has less of the garlic-green onion mixture and the chicken is placed on the top of the mixture instead of visa-versa. If I were to do a comparison, I'd say, the RM's wings are more crunchy, obviously from more cornstarch, there are more drumettes instead of wing pieces, and have a more balanced flavor. GS's version has much more "punch", and alot more of the delici-yoso garlic-green onion "topping".

The real hit of the meal was the Salt and Pepper Fish Fillet($7.95):

The batter on the slices of fish had a texture between a beer and tempura batter; crunchy, light, very tasty; and the fish was so moist. Three fried salt and pepper dishes, three different batters. This was by far the best.

Now the guilt kicked in. And in our weakness we went against our normal strategy and ordered Buddha's Delight($5.50):

Blech! This vegetable dish was very bland, though the veggies were cooked well, this was a waste.

Here are a few other fried from other visits.

Salt and Pepper White Meat Chicken($5.95):

Can you say Salt and Pepper McNuggets? Too dry, same batter as fish fillet, but doesn't work here. Very bland. The price – it's cheaper then the Chicken Wings should have been a clue!

Salt and Pepper Tofu($5.25):

Though a textural delight – cubes of tofu are deep fried were nice and crunchy outside, creamy inside; this dish would be better served with a sauce. Served in this manner it tasted rather bland. Can you say Tsoh(stinky) Tofu without the smell! Funny thing, on this visit our waitress thought the Missus was Filipino, but thought I'd want chopsticks because I was "Korean", after she found out the Missus was Chinese, they had some very nice conversations in Mandarin. The Missus noticed that a combination of Cantonese and Mandarin was spoken by the Employees. As we were leaving, we noticed a whole aluminum tray of Wings(60 pieces – just $17) sitting on a Lazy Susan on one of the tables with other dishes. There were 8 people just totally "grinding" on the wings, my kind of people! Why bother with plates – just give me a tray; I can deal with that! Also, as we were driving home, we noticed, no thirst, no swelling, it seemed that the amount of MSG in the food is pretty low, which I found to be strange considering the type of dishes we selected.

So the next time you're at a Filipino party in San Diego and the Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings are brought out, you can be pretty sure they've come from either Mandarin Canton, Golden Chopsticks, or Royal Mandarin. And when faced with an ABCDE, go first with the fried. If they can't do fried, I'm pretty sure they can't do anything!

If I can get some volunteers, I'll be willing to do a Salt and Pepper Chicken Wing tasting. Any takers?

Royal Mandarin Restaurant
1132 E. Plaza Blvd
National City, CA 91950

Yuma Part 3 – Dinner

November 8, 2005 mmm-yoso Memorable Meals, Mexican Restaurants, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

After hitting Ranch 49.5 Market, Ed dropped me off at 315pm to "freshen up", telling me he'd be back at 430 for dinner! And there he was at 430 on the nose. When I mentioned that I'm still a bit full, Ed laughed and said, "I've seen those meals on your site, I know how much you can eat, I've seen the Sam Woo post." I had to remind Ed that the post was actually THREE MEALS, not one! We drove back down 8th Street, scene of the first part of our Taco Truck Crawl. A bit further down the road there was a small stand in what looked like a former garage, across a patch of maybe lettuce, or broccoli – Ed said pick either one and you'd have a 50% chance of being right. The name of the stand was El Nayarita, named after the coastal region of Nayarit.

We got our ice chest out of the back of the car, and had a seat at one of the lawn furniture tables. We were a bit early and Ed's friends had not arrived. So we popped a few cervezas and Ed ordered a dozen Empanadas. What arrived were what looked like deep fried folded tortillas. Though these were bright red in color:

Ed theorizes that achiote, and perhaps some other seasonings were folded into the masa, before these were stuffed with shrimp and deep fried. Topped with some salsa verde and a squeeze of lime, these empanadas were delici-yoso! Crunchy, slightly spicy, with nice plump shrimp, this was simply amazing. The groups on the other tables were having Seafood "Cocteles" and wonderful looking Seafood Tostada's topped with a large amount of chopped octopus and shrimp. I on the other hand, was really busy scarfing down my empanada(s).

Soon Ed's friends started arriving, and the orders started "flying". 2 dozen more empanadas, fish tacos, shrimp tacos, seafood salad, seafood cocteles, all taken by a very pleasant, smiling Young Lady. Ed and I split an order of fish, and an order of shrimp tacos.

In each flour tortilla either a battered shrimp or battered fish filet was placed with some cabbage and salsa. A squirt of white sauce completed the taco.

The tacos were good, though I must say that I've had tacos just as good in San Diego. The tacos were delivered to the table wrapped in foil, causing them to not be as crunchy as they could have been.

Fairly soon the sun went down in the horizon, and in what seemed a heartbeat the coolers were empty and the kitchen had run out of empanadas. As I stepped out to take this picture the Young Lady who did a fine job waiting on us asked me if I enjoyed my meal. My guess is that there aren't to many Asian customers at this fine little food oasis.

I'd like to express my sincere thanks to Greg & Loidene, Chip & Betsy, and Chris for the fine conversation and laughs. None more funny then when Loidene looked at the photo's in my camera and asked me, "Don't you take pictures of anything else, except food?" And of course a very grateful Mahalo to Ed, for ferrying me around and showing me a great time in Yuma.

As we left the stand and drove up 8th Street I could see an ocean of headlights making their way down 8th Street. The long, hard workday over, the customers, mostly Latino, many Migrant Workers and Laborers were finally ready to start their weekend. We passed what was an empty lot with a banner with "Corona" written on it during the afternoon, had suddenly been transformed into a "hotspot". I could hear the music blaring, blue and red disco lights spinning, strobe light blinking, and most of all, see the large Al Pastor turning on the vertical spit.

I turned to Ed and said "This is pretty neat!"

Ed turned to me and said "Damn, I forgot to order the whole fried fish!"

Leave it to him to put things into perspective!

I've got one more post on Yuma, which I'll do on Friday. Tomorrow it's back to San Diego…..