January 2007 – Page 2

Everyday Hero Deli-Great food and helping the community too!

January 21, 2007 Cathy Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

Sadly, Everyday Hero is now closed.

mmm-yoso is the blog's name. Cathy is talking about what she ate today. Kirk will talk about his munchings on another day.

Hi. If you've read and remembered everything I've written, you know I try to hit a fruit/vegetable market around town a couple of times a week. Sometimes its just Henry's but then there is Vine Ripe, which I blogged about in October (since there is a restaurant attached to the market) and there are a few others around town. This one, which was named without any imagination or thought whatsoever, is on Santo Road, at the 52, about one mile (its the first exit) east of I-15; so it isn't far away for most of you. Right inside the market area of The Market there has always been a deli/sandwich place, and it was owned by the The Market's owners (heh heh, I love saying that out loud, the The…) and was Mediterranean and good food, some hot plates, lots of different feta's, etc. But it closed and finally, last July, a wall went up and this new place opened…Everyday Hero…. and I figured, eh, Hero sandwiches…no big deal; probably not very good…and I never went in. BIG MISTAKE. HUGE.

The other day The Mister was off from work and we were going to get veggies and stuff from the The Market and it was lunchtime…and I had my camera, and I am now in the habit of documenting all of my eating habits (my physician will love me when I tell her to come to the blog to see how I eat, especially all those fried foods….) so I figured since its still opened after six months, it might be OK and I wasn't that hungry anyhow.

Its nice and clean inside. Casual. Photographs on the walls…of Firemen, Rescue guys, Lifeguards…oh…Everyday Heroes…hmmm.

There is a menu on the wall to the right when you walk in, which photographed badly.

So here is the paper menu, wherein you can read the prices.

and there were some daily specials on the wall also, and everything looked good.

The Mister decided on the Daily Special sandwich, a Pastrami panini, which came with the chips and soda at no extra cost, this being the Special ($7.45). I decided on the "My Big Greek Panini" ($5.95) which cost the same as the "My Big Greek Wrap" and I was interested in how the panini-ized pita would taste. We both were fascinated with the description of the Soup of the Day- White Bean Shrimp Stew, so we got the large size of that also ($3 I think).

When we ordered we were asked if we had ever been there before; we said 'no' and the nice girl at the counter explained that the Deli has partnered with some of the organizations in San Diego, with the goal of assisting them with their "Wish Lists" and that a portion of the profits go to those organizations, and we could choose which organization we wanted our potion of the profits to go to..Fire and Rescue, Lifeguards or a few others. I immediately said "Fire" for many reasons, but maybe will choose a different organization the next time (ah those Lifeguards….<sigh>).

SO ANYHOW, um…let me get my bearings back. While waiting, I was reading some of the stuff on the walls….it seems the three owners were all in the Hospitality Industry; two of them being Professional Hotel Chefs….one of whom teaches at a Culinary institute….and I started thinking…and then the soup/stew arrived.

Tomato based. Hunks of tomatoes. Tomatoes with seeds. Fresh tasting…a little bit of bite (was described on the wall as fra diablo, but wasn't too hot) …white beans that were not mushy. Good sized large pieces of shrimp that were not mushy but still firm and …sweet…fresh…Oh. My. God.

This was a GREAT stew. I mean *really* good. This was made by chefs, from scratch, not from a can. This was wonderful.

Then my panini came out. Hummus, tomato, provolone, cucumber, caramelized onion, roasted red peppers, feta, a spicy cucumber based sauce on a panini-ized pita. Wonderful! Fresh, crispy veggies and the grilled ones were great also. The sauce was a nice spicy heat and this was one of the best "veggie" sandwiches I have had…ever. The side of pickles and peppers was a nice touch and they were good ones.

Also, the sandwich was presented this way, cut and stacked. A nice little attention to detail. I usually have to 'primp' the food for the photographs I post.

The Mister's Grilled Pastrami Panini came out, in this presentation. Beef pastrami, horseradish cheddar, roasted peppers, sun dried tomato pesto, fresh spinach and chopped pickles.

Yes, it was great. The heat from the horseradish cheddar made it unique. The pastrami was not fatty at all, the grilling was just right in that the bread was not overly crispy.

The food here is made *extremely*, unexpectedly good. I could kick myself for walking by here so many times last summer. The whole story, menu and descriptions are on the website along with catering information. If you are on Interstate 15 at 52, just take the exit East; it is the first exit and inside that shopping area to your right, before the first light (you can go to that light and pull into the parking lot there; it is closer to that end anyhow) , but do give it a try. You'll leave happy after a great dining experience and will also have helped "Strengthen the Community One Sandwich at a Time".

Everyday Hero Deli 5950 Santo Road, Suite K San Diego 92124 (858)694-0741

Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

When we were leaving, The Mister and I went to the counter to ask about and compliment that home made stew and we were told we could get on the e-mail list for the daily specials for the coming week. On Saturday afternoon I got the email for this week and I am totally wanting to go back and try the asparagus crab soup on Thursday and the meatloaf hero and…well, everything. You can send them an email and ask to be put on the list: everydayherodeli@sbcglobal.net

Addendum: Went back and got the Tuscan Chicken Hero sandwich…OMG…oh yes…warm chicken breast, tomatoes, olives, capers..and you get a choice of white, wheat or sesame bread for the sandwich. Fresh and, again, wonderful. Totally gourmet. Oh, and the pea soup was awsome…with lots of chopped ham in it.

Local Kine Chili

January 20, 2007 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

It’s quite amusing sometimes, when talking to ex-pat Kama’aina’s here on the Mainland…once you get past all of the initial pleasantries ("Wea you wen’ grad?"), without fail the conversation drifts to food, and what we miss ("ohhh man W and M Burgers"), and where to get what ("eh, you seen Purity Port-o-gee Sausage?"). In these conversations there are a few items that have reach iconic status, I’m talking about eye-rolling, lip smacking(taste memory is an amazing thing), stomach growling, iconic status. And what may seem to be surprising to some, is that one of these items is Chili….really, Chili. More specifically, Zippy’s Chili. Somewhere between 1966 when the first Zippy’s opened, to say 1971 when the second Zippy’s opened, in Kaimuki, just a block from where we lived(in the old Crown Drive In location), Zippy’s Chili had already won the stomachs of many locals. At the time of this article in 2004, Zippy’s was selling 150,000 of chili a month. Not only through the restaurants, but Zippy’s Chili had become a big time fund raising item, and of course there is online sales, and you can even get the frozen version at places like Marukai here on the mainland. Now that’s alot of chili…in Hawaii?

Strangely enough, my favorite "local kine" Chili is from Rainbow Drive In, also pretty close to where I grew up. Even the Missus will get into the action, Her favorite is from Cafe 100. But still, the King of the Hill is Zippy’s chili.

Right about now, all you Chili Purists should probably come back another day…..what you may read in the following paragraphs may be graphically disturbing. I’ve been told by many mainlanders that what Zippy’s serves, "isn’t Chili". In fact if I may digress…..Once while still working back home we took one of our mainland contractors to lunch at Zippy’s. Now this guy was one of those everything is bigger and better where I come from (guess the state? it begins with a ‘T’) kinda guy, the other thing was, he wouldn’t ditch the suit and tie, a big no-no. So we took him to "Zip’s" for some local flavor. And he orders the chili…when he get’s his chili and crackers, he makes a face, and spits it back into his bowl, and goes off on a little rant, "this ain’t chili, You People, don’t know what chili is…." Now we were kind of used to Him, but the very large and muscular Polynesian Dude eating his Chili-Spaghetti Plate(with two scoops rice and macaroni salad) was not amused. So Bruddah with the biceps like coconuts, and trapezius muscles like the Koolau’s, walks over and tells our guest; "eh, maybe wea’ you come from, dis’ isn’t chili, but ova hea’ it is. You think if any of these guys went visit you, and nevah like the food, dey would spit ’em out at the table? How do you say it…..you was raised in one barn!" And thus the nickname, "Barn-ey" was born…….. He did learn what the term "No make A" meant after that.

Back to the Chili I made, to be very clear, it’s not Zippy’s Chili, but I think it’s pretty close to many "local" versions. The best that I can determine, it’s a bit similar to Cincinnati style Chili. And many people enjoy it on top of spaghetti, or with cheese and onions on it. It isn’t very spicy(though we like to add Tabasco), and uses a few different items, like ginger. As with items of iconic stature there has been much discussion as to the secret ingredient in Zippy’s Chili, the items I hear the most often is Mayonnaise, and believe it or not Cream of Mushroom Soup, for this recipe I used some Mayo at the end, and it added a nice rich finish. Another item I used is the liquid drained from the canned Kidney Beans, I think the canning liquid adds great flavor, and you won’t need to add any salt. But, if you suffer from a pernicious reverse post-bean reflux…….I wouldn’t add to your flatulence woes by using the canning liquid, and use water instead.

Local Kine Chili

1 1/2 lb Ground beef
1/4 lb Bacon, chopped into 1/4"x1/4" cubes
2 Medium Onions, Chopped
1 C Celery, chopped
1 Large Bell Pepper, finely chopped
3 Cans Kidney beans drained, save liquid(see below)
3-4 Cans Tomato sauce
1 Can Tomato Paste
1 – 1 1/2 C Bean "liquid" or water
2 Tb Ketchup
2 Tb Red wine
2 Bay leaf
3-4 Tb Chili powder
1/2 Chicken Bullion Cube
1-2 tsp Sugar
1 Tb Oregano
1 Tb Paprika
1/4 tsp Cumin
1/4 tsp Grated Ginger
3-4 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1-2 Tb Mayonnaise(Best Foods or Hellman’s)

1 – Brown bacon over medium heat, when the bacon starts getting crisp add the Onions,

Celery, Bell Pepper, Ginger, Pepper Flakes, and Garlic, stirring to prevent browning.

2 – Once the onion turns translucent, add the Ground Beef, and brown.

3 – When the ground beef is browned add beans, tomato sauce, tomato paste, bean liquid(start with 1 cup), beans, bullion, sugar, oregano,bay leaf, and cumin. Bring to a low boil, than reduce to a simmer.

4 – When chili has been simmering for 5-6 minutes, add in Worcestershire, chili powder(start with 2 Tb), red wine, and paprika. Let simmer for a few minutes, taste and adjust flavor.

5 – Simmer for 30 minutes, and mix in 1-2 Tb Mayonnaise.

Extreme Pita- Ch Ch Chain/Franchise and good and healthy!

January 19, 2007 Cathy Chains, Greek Food, What Cathy Eats!

Unfortunately, Extreme Pita has closed

mmm-yoso is not on vacation, and Cathy is blogging while Kirk is not feeling like doing anything today…except maybe recovering from something exciting at his job.

Hello again. Sometimes I have urges for something semi-healthy and also fast. I also like a good cup of coffee. So, I ran into Starbucks the other day, and there wasn’t even a place to sit down. Next door, I saw this new place- Extreme Pita. I *had* to try it, you know.

It is a newer franchise, started in Ontario, Canada and this location on Convoy, in the parking lot of Dixieline, is the first one in San Diego, there is one in Mira Mesa and more are coming. The menu should be the same at all of them, and I suppose prices may vary a little, since it is a franchise.

The larger, color menu has descriptions and these are the price listings.

Basically, its like Subway in that you walk up and order a pita and then they will be grilling some of what you ordered, asking what vegetables(mushrooms, onions and green peppers) you would like grilled with your meat (or falafel) or not and then what cold veggies you would like, and then what sauces you would like (Tzatziki, hummus, light mayo, light Caesar, light Italian, light Ranch, Greek Feta Dressing, Chipotle-Mayo, BBQ, hot sauce, Hot Cajun BBQ, Honey Mustard, Bistro Sauce, Guacamole). The the pita is tightly wrapped and put into an ingenious double paper/plastic wrapper that will tear off at a perforation IF YOU READ IT the first time, as I didn’t… anyhow, so this is an opened small falafel pita ($4.69) with all the grilled veggies, all the available cold veggies, hummus and tzatziki sauce. Small is 6 inches, regular is 9 inches.

It tasted great and was sloppy. The falafel(s) were the small nugget kind and had been cooked on the grill with the vegetables. I liked it. I read the packaging after I was done eating..

OK, went back with The Mister for lunch and got the small turkey pita (reg $4.99 but on Wednesdays its $3.99…there are daily specials posted at the back of the store; the best day to go is Friday when it is $3.99 for any small pita and a cup of soup).

It looks like this wrapped: and then when you tear at the clearly marked perforation, half of the pita is exposed and you can cut it in half..and viola! Turkey that was sauteed with all the veggies, and I had lettuce, tomato, olives, pickle and light mayo added. It was large enough, juicy, not overly turkey tasting but not weird chemical-ly tasting either. The pita was warm and very, very good. It was a good sandwich.

The Mister decided on an Extreme Classic Flat Baked Pita (its pizza style pretty much, with a pita as a crust)… ($5.29) It’s the larger pita(9 inch), topped with a tomato-y (not spicy) sauce and cheese, then the toppings (4 slices of cooked bacon, pepperoni, mushrooms) are put on top and then more cheese. Then its warmed /melted/nicely crisped in a salamander type broiler. As you can see, its quite large…the mushrooms were good in that they were cooked from raw and not pre-cooked, the sauce was good. It was a very nice and more or less healthy (532 calories, according to the Nutritional Info Guide available at the counter).

This is a newer Franchise in San Diego/the US (many in Canada) and there is another one at 8250 Mira Mesa Boulevard more are planned in San Diego.

I like that you can order online or by fax and that their mission is a healthy alternative.

It isn’t authentic Greek by any means, although they do have gyros (its not on a spit, so its that frozen pre-sliced stuff that is sold in the Mediterranean markets around town..but it is pretty darn good)..and for the most part you can say the ingredients are mostly Mediterranian. Its a unique product that can be extremely healthy. If you think of it as food, it’s good tasting and healthy food and a little bit of something different on Convoy Street. Try it. You will like it.

Website for this location is here.(if you want to order online). The link on that website seems to not have the Nutrition Information link working. The Corporate Link does have the nutritional info working.

Extreme Pita 4898 Convoy Street San Diego 92111 (in the Dixieline parking lot, next to Starbucks) Phone (858) 560-0142 Fax (858) 560-0563

Mid-week Meanderings: Update on Sammy’s, visit to Buga with Ed from Yuma

January 17, 2007 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Korean Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!

Well here’s a few hump-day revisits…not too wordy, I hope, since I’ve posted on these places before.

Update on Sammy’s:

**** Sammy’s has closed

Sam has hired on a new Itamae, originally from Yokohama, via Nashville(ask Him it’s an interesting story), and second generation Itamae named Aki. Turns Aki has some pretty good “chops”, no pun intended. On my most recent visit, all I said was “Omakase shimasu”…and here’s what came out:

It all started out with those two slices of battered and fried fish you see. As I grabbed the fish and was about to bite into it, Aki told me it was Chi-ai, otherwise known as the blood saturated maguro meat that is usually discarded…..of course I jammed on the brakes! There are only a few people I know who eat the “dark blood meat”, and I ain’t one of ’em(tho’ my Mom was…). But what the heck, I said Omakase, right? Turned out to be very tasty, not overly fishy, and for once I actually enjoyed the flavor that Kewpie Mayo added to a dish.

Some Aji(Horse Mackerel):

A very nice presentation.

Everything was quite good, I’m a big fan of the Aji-senbei(fried Aji bones), but the chopped Aji mixed with a touch of ponzu, thinly sliced ginger, and green onions, was especially delicous.

An interesting and very tasty Futomaki(fat cut roll) version of Negi-Toro(fatty tuna and green onion roll):

In addition to the thin slices of Takuwan(pickled daikon radish) and Kaiware(radish sprouts), Aki added in a generous amount of Yamaimo(mountain yam) which added a very nice mild sweet flavor to the roll. When I questioned Aki about his use of yamaimo and takuwan in his negi-toro, he simply said, “it is the way that my Father makes it!” And it was very good!

And a Oshizushi(pressed sushi) to finish off:

I enjoyed the interplay of the salty Ikura(Salmon Roe) and Uni that topped the Oshizushi. Really good stuff, that left me stuffed.

Sam is currently closed for lunch, but will reopen for lunch in the upcoming weeks. His hiring of Aki will allow for lunch service as well as allow Sam to actually work on the business end of owning a Sushi Bar.

Sammy Sushi
7905 Engineer Road
San Diego, CA 92111

Previous posts on Sammy’s:

Sammy Sushi.

Our live uni dinner at Sammy’s(sorry but the photos really suck on this one).

Oshizushi at Sammy’s.

A recent visit to Buga with Ed from Yuma:

Ed from Yuma, and His pal Greg were able to make a quick trip into town, and we met up for dinner at Buga, scene of the first known recorded sighting of Ed’s delici-yoso dance. It had been a while since I’ve been to Buga so I jumped at the chance.

We had the good service as on previous visits, though I thought the panchan were not quite as good as my previous visits.

Not that it was bad, in my opinion it’s still the best panchan around, but today the variety seemed uninspired…must just be me.

We ordered three items, starting with the Samgyeopsal(sliced pork belly):

Pork fat rules…man this was good!

And of course some Kalbi:

Great as always.

On this visit Ed decided to try the Kori Gomtang(Oxtail Soup):

Ed was a bit surprised at the look and flavor of this, but I explained to him that the long boiling process breaks down all the collagen and other items and turns the soup white. We flavored the broth with sea salt that was provided. I’ve had much better versions of this back home, and in LA.

Buga Korean BBQ Restaurant
5580 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92117

Open daily 11 to 11

I’ve kept the text short on this one, much more info can be found on my previous posts:

My first Buga post.

Bibim Naengmyun at Buga.

I try the Yookwe at Buga.

And one from our good friend Clayfu at Buga.

Hope everyone is having a great week!

Road Trip – S Vietnamese Fine Dining – Westminster(OC)

January 16, 2007 mmm-yoso Orange County, Road Trip, Vietnamese Restaurants

*** S Vietnamese has closed

On our recent quick trip to Marukai in Gardena, we thought that perhaps a stop in Westminster would be in order…and maybe we'd try something different. So after hearing about S Vietnamese Fine Dining, and noticing it was right off the 405 freeway, we thought it would be an interesting alternative to the Brodard's, Quan Hy, etc……..

S Vietnamese is located right at the edge of Westminster Mall, in what looks like a highly retrofitted chain restaurant facade.

'S' bills itself as a higher end modern and stylish Vietnamese restaurant, and when you enter and notice all the wood paneling, the grand piano, and the art work lining the walls, it sure does look like the right place.

Strangely enough the restaurant was totally empty, at 1230 on a Saturday! The complete stark lack of customers made us feel a bit uncomfortable, and made the large, airy, spaciousness of the restaurant seem a bit "cold".

This was all remedied by our wonderful, warm, and friendly Server, Linda. As we were seated and handed our menus, we were asked, "have you ever eaten Vietnamese food before?" The Missus and I traded puzzled looks, and the thought "uh-oh, was this a mistake" entered our minds. We managed to choke out, "yes, we've had Vietnamese food before…..", and ended up having a nice conversation regarding the various dishes, and got some recommendations.

Based on the recommendations we started with the 'S' Skewers($12):

6 skewers arrived accompanied with 3 dipping sauces. The skewers were a mixed bag, the Garlic Shrimp Skewers barely had any garlic flavor, though the shrimp were of good quality and cooked perfectly. The Soy and Sesame Beef skewers had the most flavor, and mild sweet-soy flavor, but the meat was on the tough and chewy side. The Curry Infused Chicken was the best overall, with moist dark meat chicken. But again, the flavors were really muted; there was barely any curry flavor, in fact, the chicken tasted like a very mild lemongrass chicken. The sauces were so-so, the supposed "peanut sauce" tasted almost like 100% coconut milk, the sweet chili sauce tasted like bottled stuff, the best of the group was the soy-scallion sauce, which we ended up using on everything.

We wanted something with a little "punch" so we ordered the Bun Rieu($8) as our soup:

Supposedly the most "savory" soup on the menu, we thought of it as Bun Rieu Shadow soup…a mere shadow of the pungent Bun Rieu. It didn't help that the soup was served lukewarm, and that the vermicelli noodles were overcooked and mushy. On the positive side, the crab-shrimp "cake" was the absolute best I've ever tasted, sweet and so very soft. The fried tofu was fine, but the soup was very mild in flavor. The garnishes were on the skimpy side, but I must admit that the julienned banana blossom served was the freshest I've ever tasted, slightly tangy and refreshing. Requesting extra garnishes is a must.

The Missus ordered the Banh Mi Ca($8):

This was a breaded catfish Banh Mi. First off the baguette was excellent, perfectly crusty without being hard and dry. The panko breaded fish did not fare as well. The fish strips were dry and flavorless, and we thought that the use of Honey Panko was not the best choice, making the fish too sweet.

I ordered the Bun Cha($10), a dish of grilled pork and pork meatballs that are meant to be wrapped in lettuce leaves with various herbs and eaten:

This was by far the best dish of the day; the pork meatballs had great flavor and the grilled pork served in a sweet-garlic-soy sauce was very soft and tender. In keeping with the use of high quality ingredients butter lettuce was served for wrapping, along with a very large portion of vermicelli, which I ended up pouring sauce over to finish up….we also dipped the leftover baguette in the sauce, it was that good.

For us S Vietnamese Fine Dining was a real mixed bag; on one end many of the ingredients were of good quality, the restaurant decor is very stylish, and the service was excellent. On the other end, we thought that some of the dishes were not prepared well, the presentation of the dishes are not quite at that "fine dining" level, and that many of the flavors that we consider to be the heart and soul of Vietnamese cuisine were severely muted. We didn't think the prices were really too bad; our entire meal cost $45. It seems that S Vietnamese Fine Dining would be a great pick for someone who is perhaps a bit intimidated by Vietnamese food. The dinner menu is much larger with many interesting almost fusion style dishes like Lamb Nuong Xa, a lemongrass and peppercorn crusted lamb dish.

I think the Missus had a very interesting observation; as we were leaving She turned to me and said, "Why do I get the feeling that we just ate at Vietnamese PF Chang's?"

S Vietnamese Fine Dining
545 Westminster Mall Drive
Westminster, CA 92683

Open Sun-Thurs 11am-9pm
Fri-Sat 11am-10pm

International Market and Grill-Persian Kebabs

January 15, 2007 Cathy Persian Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso is being played by Cathy today. Kirk is elsewhere.

Hi. I met a friend for lunch the other day, we talked a lot and I did not take my camera. She knew I liked trying different types of food and She likes it here. Its close to UCSD, was great Persian food, in a small mall area, run by a husband and wife. So, I went back with The Mister on Saturday.

International Market and Grill. There is that one table out front; there are two more inside and a bar seating area also with a total of 6 bar stools. They seem to do a brisk phone in – take out business on weekdays, and actually on the weekend also.

The menu is fairly simple. You can get a kebab in a lavash bread sandwich, or on a plate or with a salad.

There are 4 types of kebabs: Chicken, Beef Filet (marinated top sirloin), Fish and House (seasoned ground sirloin, ground fresh daily). There is a Garden, Greek or Caesar salad. The plates come with basmati rice and salad. For $1 more you can get herbed rice, which I like a bit better, but was not available on this Saturday’s visit. I got the vegetarian plate (salad and rice and a pita). ($5.45).

The basmati rice is so aromatic and light, with a dollop of olive oil on top. The salad is mostly romaine, with onions, tomatoes, cabbage, feta and two Bar-B-Qued tomato wedges. It has an olive oil/vinegar/herb dressing and is also served with Must-O-Khair (yogurt, cucumber and herb dip; I tasted mint more than any other herb, it was quite refreshing).

The Mister got the Greek Salad ($5.95) with a House kebab for an additional $2.75. The salad is the same, but larger, with no grilled tomatoes but has more fresh tomatoes, feta and onions and also olives. The kebab, with the ground sirloin and grilled, is very moist and flavorful with herbs.

If you look at the menu there are daily specials Monday through Friday for $9.95 each. They are not ready for purchase until about 1 p.m. each day and are limited in quantity. My friend says she will come here for lunch and then order a plate of the special “to go” and they are excellent. I want to try all five, actually. I will, you know….

I also ordered two glasses of hot tea ($1.50), freshly brewed and nice and strong. The owner said we could have a free refill.

Afterward, The Mister saw this storefront, two doors down, and walked inside while I went to the car.

Well, with a name like “Tiramisu”… you know, they had to have something sweet.

It’s just a fresh made cream puff shell with fresh made custard and fresh made whipped cream…and the nice lady even put a fork in there. All for $2.50 and well worth it.

International Market and Grill 3211 Holiday Court, Suite 100 La Jolla 92037

(858)535-9700 M-F 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Sat 11 a.m.-6:30 p.m.

Quick Sunday Post – Teba Shio and Binchotan

January 14, 2007 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Cooking

Just a quick post for Sunday here. We had to make a trip to Marukai in Gardena yesterday to restock on a few things, and ended up spending more time in the area than anticipated. After restocking on Binchotan and other stuff.

If you've never used Binchotan, which is a very hot burning, long lasting, "white" charcoal, it's pretty amazing stuff:

Binchotan has some pretty unique characteristics, first off, when tapped it makes almost a chime like ringing sound, it is also quite hard, and doesn't break up like regular black lump charcoal, though you can break it by tapping it against the ground. There much more information on Binchotan on Wikipedia. There's one more thing about Binchotan, at over $5/lb, it may cost more than the food being grilled. That said, for us at least a little Binchotan goes a long way, since we only us it on our little Hida Konro(small clay grill). Because it is really hard to "start", we'll break a stick into several pieces and place directly on the flame of our gas stove until "white", than place in the Hida Konro.

It's amazing how something so simple as Chicken Wings flavored with salt(and some Togarashi), aka Tebashio will taste so very good.

Because only a few wings can fit on the grill at any one time, it's really not "fast" food, but a nice and slow process…that goes great with a few beers.

Don't forget the Yaki Onigiri!

One Other Item:

We were a bit delayed on our return from Marukai. While waiting at the traffic light to exit Marukai, the Missus, turned to me and said, "oh my God, look". There was a dog weaving in and out of traffic along Artesia Boulevard, and finally into the parking lot of Gardena Plaza. Seeing this poor little Dog just wandering along a busy street and parking lot we knew we had to do something. Unfortunately, the poor Dog was very skittish and pretty much terrified, and I wasn't able to approach Her with any success. So while I kept tabs on Her, the Missus ran into the Burger King in the mall and bought a Whopper Jr. She figured that the poor animal must be pretty hungry. We were finally able to get within a few yards of the Dog in the parking lot of Albertson's, and I started breaking the burger into pieces and slowly getting closer and closer to Her. I could tell by Her demeanor that the chance She would bite was pretty low. After what seems like forever, I got ahold of Her, and managed to get the dog on it's back and calm Her. I then carried Her to the car while the Missus ran into the Mailbox/Postal store to find the number of the nearest animal shelter.

As you can see, She was in pretty good shape, but no collar, no tags:

She was in good shape, in spite of being covered with loose hairs and dust, Her nails were trimmed and Her ears had been plucked recently. And even though She was quite hungry and thirsty, She was well fed.

The Gentleman in the Mailbox/Postal Shop was very helpful in pointing out the nearest animal shelter. We hoped that Her Owners were searching for Her, or at least maybe She was "micro chipped". After standing in line forever, we managed to speak to the desk officer and had Her checked out….unfortunately, she was not "chipped"…..

So we reluctantly left, hoping Her Owners were out searching for Her and She would be found. We did leave instructions that we should be called if the owners could not be found, and no one was willing to adopt Her. If that is the case, Sammy and Frankie will have a sister. She is so mellow and sweet that I have no doubt that we can either keep her, or find her a nice family ourselves. So in case you're looking forward to a sweet Corgi-Shepard(?) mix, and live in the LA area……She can be found at:

Carson/Gardena Animal Shelter
216 W. Victoria Street
Gardena, CA 90248
(310) 523-9566

LA Animal Services

Her ID is – A3620754.

Even though it may seem a bit far-fetched, we thought that maybe someone might recognize her and help find her owners….or maybe someone does want a new family member.

Thanks for reading, I'll be back with another restaurant tomorrow!

Its cold- we want soup- and not Pho! Los Michoacaños

January 13, 2007 Cathy Taco Shops, What Cathy Eats!

Los Michocanos has closed.

mmm-yoso is not on vacation. Kirk is taking a day off and Cathy is blogging. Its been brought to our attention that we are in a rut, as far as blogging about Pho goes, so here's some variety in your day.

Hi. It's so cold today, isn't it? I love this kind of weather, but I need to keep warm also. It is, what we call back East, "soup weather".

You know the main soup/meal Kirk and I blog about, Pho…and I do love the variations we can get around town, with the various ingredients as well as such varying broths and so many variations of add-ins….buuut, today, I'm just not in a Pho mood. I am sort of in a Mexican/taco shop mood…but still I want soup. hmmmm….

Los Michoacaños is on Mission Gorge Road, a block away from where Trattoria Di IV used to be located. They are a taco joint (and a good one; the Mailman and the UPS guy eat there) but they also have a special menu:

with daily soup specials. Perfect! Similar prices to other meal in a bowl places, the soup includes a can of pop along with corn or flour tortillas.

The Mister got the Caldo de Pollo (Chicken soup) and flour tortillas. There were hunks of dark meat chicken (leg (chopped into two pieces), thigh and wing), along with chayote squash, potatoes, carrots, corn cob chunks and onions. The broth was particularly rich. It is also served with a side of rice and lime wedges.

I *had* to try the chile relleño soup. The stock is vegetable based and was rich and definitely NOT the same stock as The Mister had, although I also had potatoes, chayote , onions, carrots, corn cob pieces and tomato chunks. The chile relleños (2) were home made…I took them out of the bowl and cut them up so I could eat with the broth.

Mild California chiles, slit open, filled with a soft Cotija-like Mexican cheese and then dipped in egg batter and fried. There is just a bit of heat in the chilis, making the flavors just right.

The next time you feel the urge for soup, try a taco shop. You might *really* like it.

Los Michoacaños 8001 Mission Gorge Road Santee 92071 (619)449-9032

Kayaba

January 11, 2007 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants

** Kayaba is now Musashiya

As much as I thought Takara served an ok-in-a-pinch ramen, and was rather sad to suddenly see it gone on one of my shopping trips to Mitsuwa Marketplace, I was over joyed to see that Kayaba was taking it's place. If you've ever eaten at the Mitsuwa's Torrance Food Court you'd know what I mean. It's a food court almost only in name……most all the food is served on real plates, bowls, and trays, giving the experience a more refined feeling…..

If you're a connoisseur of plastic food, you'll love the shiny new display of plastic food at Kayaba…it hasn't been around long enough for the dust to settle on them yet. By the way, did you know that the district of Kappabashi is known for being the mecca of plastic food?

The menu at Kayaba is quite simple and easy, but can be a bit complicated if you haven't dealt with the Udon/Soba/Teishoku(set meal) style of eating. Most meals settle around either soba or udon, donburi(rice bowls topped with savory food) and tonkatsu…and a number of combinations of the previously mentioned items with additional items such as tempura, curry, and so forth. It might be better to check out the plastic food and know which "number" you'd like to order…..the sign behind the cash register lists all the items, but for some reason, I have a problem reading it….it's old age kicking in. You pay for your meal and have a seat. You'll be called when your order is ready.

The Missus's favorite at Kayaba? It's quite easy, it's the simple Zaru Soba(Cold Soba $4.00):

The Missus enjoys this so much, that She had it three times when I was on my short trip to LA! I think the draw for Her is the soba, the noodles are a fine al dente, with a nice chew and pull. The broth is light and not too salty, and the addition of Tamago (egg omelette) gives you a shot of protein, with the Shiba Zuke(pickled cucumbers) adding a nice pickled palate cleansing.

I enjoy the way that Kayaba does their Tonkatsu( Pork Cutlet $7.50), though it is still a bit "chewy", it is still better than most of the Tonkatsu I've had:

But not all Tonkatsu is created equal at Kayaba. There are two different Tonkatsu cuts offered, either the Tenderloin or the "Rosu" (Pork Loin). To my surprise the tenderloin turned out to be very moist with a pleasant flavor, while the "Rosu" was tough and tasteless, in spite of the higher amount of fat. Go figure! The breading on the Tonkatsu has always been done well, nice, light, and crisp, and the cutlet is served on it's own little platform to allow oil to drain off.

The Tonkatsu is served with the traditional shredded cabbage, pickles, rice, a potato salad that I love…lot's of onions, so beware…..the one component of this meal that I didn't care for was the miso soup:

Very watery and bland…

Here's the Shrimp Tempura with Hot Soba($6.50):

Again the soba was pretty darn good, the broth tasted like a simple heated shiro…just like the zaru shiro heated, but it was fine. The shrimp tempura was fried well, and had a good shrimp flavor.

On this trip I decided to try out the Curry Katsu($7.50):

I enjoyed the Tonkatsu as always, but I didn't care for the curry, it lacked any depth of flavor, was very runny, and had a "powdery" feel. I ate all the pork trying to wipe off all the curry, and left the curry alone.

Here's a photo of some Sansai Soba($5.80):

Never got a taste, but it's the hot soba topped with various "mountain vegetables", like warabi(fern shoots) and bamboo shoots.

Some notes on Kayaba: All noodle dishes are available with either Udon or Soba. Kayaba does not do take out, in fact there were several people before me who asked. Soon after, a "No take-out" sign appeared on the cash register. But here's a trick, you can ask for containers for your food, and take your tray of food to a table and empty them into styrofoam containers. I saw this done twice. When it get's busy, there might be a bit of a wait to order, in addition to a pretty long wait for your food. Oh, and don't get there right at closing time….they will close exactly at 7pm!

Kayaba
4240 Kearny Mesa Rd Ste 119 – In the Mitsuwa Marketplace
San Diego, CA 92111

Open Daily 11am-7pm

(Rail) Road Trip – Two Landmarks; Philippe the Original & Cielito Lindo- Los Angeles

January 10, 2007 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Mexican Restaurants, Road Trip, Sandwiches

On the final day of my LA Railroad trip, we headed off to find some sustenance for the long and grueling train ride back to San Diego…..a two hour trip on an empty stomach can be pure hell! On this day, Captain Jack and I had decided to walk on over to the one and only Philippe The Original….say that quickly and dramatically "Philippe THE Orrr-iginal", and suddenly pictures of tumblers, clowns, and other circus performers dance in your head…..

Which sometimes ain’t too far from the truth…..it gets pretty crowded at Philippe’s, even at 830 am on a Sunday morning, the line is a good 6 deep. You may need a Ringmaster to maneuver around the 3 ring circus breakfast rush.

Some of Philippe’s fame is based on the claim that Philippe Mathieu(the original Philippe) created the French Dip sandwich by accident in 1918. You can read it all here. In the original "you got peanut butter on my chocolate" moment Philippe apparently came up with a bad case of fumble-itis when making a sandwich, dropping the roll into a roasting pan full of juice (let’s all say it together, ahhhh-jus!), and the rest so they say is history. But as with many of these type of claims, it is not without some controversy…..right up the street resides Cole’s Pacific Electric Buffet, who claim to have invented the French Dip sandwich in 1908!

Philippe04_1 Most of the customers on this morning were having breakfast. But, I wasn’t standing in line on the sawdust lined floors at Philippe’s for breakfast. Though I must say, watching a petite Asian girl wolf down a huge ham steak, easy over eggs, biscuits, cole slaw, and potato salad, is quite a sight to behold.

Not knowing the next time I’d be in the area, I went for my favorite sandwich at Philippe’s…the Double Dipped Lamb Sandwich. ($5.95) Ahhh Lamb, it’s not just for breakfast anymore……. A leg of lamb was removed from one of the heating drawers, the meat cut off, the whole sandwich dipped, twice in jus. Oh, and of course a cup o’ Joe…believe it or not, coffee at Philippe’s is still 10 cents a cup.

And though the lamb was a bit tougher and not as rich as the version I had on my previous visit , the jus was oh so good. In fact I remember telling Captain Jack, that if Philippe’s sold rolls in jus, I’d be tempted to order that. I know I could have gotten the Classic French Dip, but I’d found it to be on the salty side……

Still Philippe’s is quite the landmark…in business since 1908, that says something about a place.

Philippe the Original
1001 N Alameda St
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Open Daily 6am – 10pm

And of course breakfast is just not complete without something from that special food group, taquitos. We made it a point to stop by Cielito Lindo on DietChiliCheeseFries recommendation. According to DCCF, the taquitos at Cielito Lindo was a must eat item.

Much like Philippe’s, Cielito Lindo has a long and interesting history, and has been around and selling taquitos since 1934! That’s alot of taquitos…….

So of course we had to stop by and order some Burritos! Hah, just kidding, I ordered 3 taquitos($3.60). The taquitos arrived, and were very tasty, the "shell" had a nice corn flavor, though I thought the really tightly packed meat to be somewhat tough and flavorless. The avocado sauce, was like a runny guacamole, or maybe a thicker salsa verde? Kind of on the bland side.

Still these taquitos had that "something special", and were about a perfect a taquito as one could come across.

As we ate, we watched taquitos being cooked, and noticed that the taquitos weren’t deep fried in the conventional sense, but fried up in a pan that looked sort of like a wok, without a ton of oil.

As we watched the taquitos cook, I nudged Captain Jack….I had found the ingredient that made these taquitos so good….it was the special, thick, white liquid being poured into the pans from the "coffee pots" lining the stove area! Yes, that magical elixir…Lard! No wonder they tasted so good!

Cielito Lindo
23 Olvera St # E
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Open Sun – Thurs 9am – 11pm
Fri – Sat 9am – Midnight

A Lamb Dip Sandwich, with a taquito chaser…….now that’s a breakfast!