November 2007 – Page 2

Peru: Pescados Capitales – Miraflores(Lima)

November 18, 2007 mmm-yoso Lima, Peru, Seafood, Travel

Knowing how much the Missus loves Cebiche, it would have been a crime to leave Lima without another meal at a Cebicheria, restaurants specializing in seafood, especially, well what else, Cebiche! In doing research for out meal, I came across several great sources, one was of course, Peru Food, another being the restaurant reviews in klephblog, and finally, this excellent article written by Jonathan Yardley for the Washington Post. In the end, it came down to meals at either Gaston Acurio's Cebicheria, La Mar, or the highly regarded Pescados Capitales. Interestingly enough, the two restaurants are located blocks from each other, in what is slowly becoming the "Cebicheria district", Avenida La Mar. Another well regarded Cebicheria, La Red, is also located on the same street. Since we had already eaten at Astrid & Gaston the evening before, and since Pescados Capitales takes reservations, we decided on Pescados Capitales. It was a bit tough getting reservations, we could never find anyone who spoke English. Luckily, the very nice Concierge at the Marriott, made reservations for us. She did wonder how I knew about Pescados Capitales since it's according to her a "mostly a local place". Later on, when she saw me, she followed up, curious as to how we enjoyed our meal. So, after a busy morning, we flagged down a cab on Larcomar got a price (6 Soles), and headed off. The young man, who looked part Chinese, was amiable, and he humored the Missus who used her survival Spanish on him. When she mentioned taxi drivers in Lima, he made a clucking sound, and told the Missus, "taxi all loco, allll loco, in Lima!" Of course he was in the process of cutting several cars off, and making a left turn from the center lane without using the turn signal at the time…….

Avenida La Mar, is an interesting street, a mixture of auto repair shops, small industrial businesses, residential, and as mentioned before, several upscale Cebicherias. Cebicherias are strictly lunchtime eateries, so location is not such a big issue. Oh, one more thing, in Lima, lunch can mean any time between noon and 6pm! I had heard that Peruvians like to eat late, and we did notice how Astrid & Gaston got busier as the night wore on. In keeping with that, when we arrived for our 1230 reservation, the restaurant was almost totally empty:

The Missus looked at me and went, "humph, you needed reservations for this?" But by 1 pm, it looked like this:

Before we left….packed to the rafters!

Just after sitting we were brought an Amuse of uber-fresh Scallops with Bloody Mary mix:

So simple, yet so very good. The sweet, tender orbs, was like a spicy-tomatoey kiss of the ocean. When the Missus mentioned how good this was, the Server, brought Her two more!

I had read that the name of the restaurant was a play on words, "pescado" in Spanish means fish, you'd think the word "pescados" would probably be the plural of the former word. But it is not, "pescados" is translated as "sin". So using this play on words, many of the dishes at Pescados Capitales are named for the Seven Deadly Sins or the Seven Virtues. A double order of Paciencia (patience) anyone? On some days I could perhaps use a triple order…….. In addition, the Owners of Pescados Capitales are of Peruvian-Chinese descent, and there are several dishes on the menu that reflect this.

The Aji was brought to the table, and was really good, and a bit different from other versions. It had a distinct smokey flavor to it, almost as if some chipotle was in the mixture. The cancha(fried corn kernals) were nice and salty, though very dry. It was best eaten mixed with the Leche de Tigre(Tigers Milk), the cebiche marinade.

Oh, and how good that Leche de Tigre was! We started with the classic Cebiche de Leguado (sole cebiche s/30 – approx $10).

Though the fish was good, not excellent, the Leche de Tigre was the best we've ever had, just the right amounts of sour-salty that is as bracing as the spray created by waves crashing on a rocky shoreline. Mildly pungent and sweet onions, and very spicy red peppers added heat, and the camote, with the slight hint of cinnamon in the background made this a very pleasing dish. To this day, when we think of Cebiche, this is the version that comes to mind.

We also ordered the Caridad ("Charity" s/ 30, approx $10 US), and interesting Eurasian mix of flavors.

Pacific Rockfish had been lightly studded with sesame seeds, lightly dusted with togarashi, and lightly seared, giving it good texture. The reduction which I read contained mirin, dashi, lime, among several other items was much better than I thought it would be. The combination of sweet-salty-sour was quite good. It was accompanied by a nice green salad, with a mild vinaigrette. The only item we didn't care for was the parmesian cheese, the sour cheese along with very rare fish was not a combination we enjoyed.

I also wanted to try a tiradito, so I selected the Tiradito Capital(s/ 31 – approx $10.50 US):

This was one beautiful dish, and the tuna was really nice and fresh. The rest of it was a mish-mash of confusing flavors…a very strong oyster sauce reduction, that tasted like it had dijon mustard in it on top, Leche de Tigre on the bottom…too many clashing flavors, you really couldn't taste anything. Maybe this was a little bit too over the top for us. I was wishing I could just have that maguro…….. Still you can't blame them for trying.

The menu at Pescados Capitales is fairly large and diverse. Don't let our meal fool you, there are many cooked seafood dishes like "Lust" stuffed squid, grilled over coals, a very popular risotto we saw many people ordering, and a huge plate of Pulpo! I'm sure next time we're in Miraflores we'll be checking out Punta Azul, a Cebicheria we passed several times on a side street, and La Mar…..but I'd come back to Pescados Capitales in a minute!

Pescados Capitales
Avenida La Mar 1337
Miraflores, Lima, Peru

Chung Hing

November 17, 2007 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

What the heck was I doing at a Chinese Fast Food joint on Miramar Road you may ask……

Well, over the last 2 years, I’ve received at least 5 emails extolling the high quality and flavor of the Char Siu at Chung Hing. One of them said, "don’t get anything but the BBQ pork", another perhaps less reliable person said "gotta get that BBQ pork, and really good old school Chinese stuff like egg foo yung and cream cheese won tons." Egg foo yung and cream cheese won tons? Still, when I thought about it, I don’t consider those Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings I love so much, Chinese Food, but that doesn’t stop me from enjoying them. And who knows, maybe the Char Siu at Chung Hing might be really, really, good.

The interior of Chung Hing is cramped, with tables squeezed in to maximize capacity. The offerings at Chung Hing are like an encyclopedia of Chinese Fast Food. Beef Broccoli, Egg Rolls, and yes, a hand written sign, "BBQ Pork, $7.95/lb." I walked up and ordered the pork from the lady who eyed me with some suspicion. "BBQ pork, huh?" "Yes, BBQ pork….." She brought out several steaming hunks of meat and chopped them for me. I headed home, since a large pot of rice was waiting for me.

I must say, the Char Siu was very fresh, still steaming. But, though the meat was soft and juicy, the flavors were much too mild, not sweet enough, not rich enough, not enough fat. It had the texture of a regular pork roast, and lacked the mild beaniness and the complex depth of sweetness of good char siu.

After a few bites, I decided to let the Char Siu "rest" until the next day. And yes, the next day, the flavors were better, the texture of the meat had more of the tighter texture I’m used to in Char Siu. Not bad……not great, but not bad at all. I still miss the Char Siu and Roast Pork at places like Oahu Market and for some reason Island Manapua Factory in Manoa, and several other come to mind……

Chung Hing
7160 Miramar Rd
San Diego, CA 92121

So now what to do? Well, I decided to make one of my carb-loaded easy dishes. Stir Fried Egg Noodles, with Soy Sauce and bean sprouts. Really easy stuff. The only thing I do a bit different, is that I don’t boil those noodles, they get really mushy, and the texture is all wrong. Instead, I give them a quick rinse, than steam them for 8-10 minutes before stir frying them.

Just an easy stir-fried noodles dish…..

Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot & Grill Part 1 – Not the Hot Pot

November 15, 2007 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

We were pretty excited when we first spotted the sign for Little Sheep. Though for some reason, once the restaurant opened we just never made it. Perhaps it was the weather being a bit too hot, or maybe we were just in a rut following our return from Peru. Than came a really hectic period, I got sick, the wildfires struck, I got food poisoning, etc, etc, etc……..

Whatever the reason, we finally got our act together, and made it over to Little Sheep. And though the selection for hot pot items looked very tempting……

A FOY (friend of yoso) had sent me an email regarding the lunch specials listed on the placards at each table. We found the restaurant empty except for one other table. And after giving the regular menu sheet a quick once over, and ordering a few things, we checked out the lunch time offerings.

Cold Pork Jelly ($4.95), this was from the menu sheet. If you’re a regular reader, you already know that I enjoy "jellied meats", tender connective tissue, head cheese, et al…..

This was pretty solid and chewy, served in a little pool of a soy mixture which added just about the only discernible flavor, other than the cilantro, to the dish. The Missus said, that in most versions She’s had, the jellied meat is topped with minced garlic, which would have been a welcome addition here.

Lamb Skewers($4.95), also from the menu sheet.

The lamb meat had some chew, but wasn’t overly tough. What was lacking was flavor, not enough cumin, not enough salt killed this street food favorite. We had ordered these "spicy", but the skewers were still very, very mild.

Beef Noodle Soup with Hand Sliced Noodle (Dao Xiao Mien – $6.95).)

I had been for warned by our FOY, that the Beef Noodle Soup was very bland. But since I love Dao Xiao Mien(Knife Cut Noodles) I had to give this a try. And yes, that broth was lousy, totally devoid of flavor, it was not even salty. I added chili oil, salt, soy sauce….uh-uh, not very good. The 3 thin slices of beef were flavorless, dry, and tough. Too bad, because the noodles were not half bad, much better than the Late Jamillah Garden’s doughy version. This version had a decent chew, along with some pull, and wasn’t shaved too thick. One more thing, we couldn’t believe how much noodle was in this soup……it seemed like an endless amount. Talk about a carb fest…….noodles upon noodles.

The Cumin Lamb Stir Fry($8.95):

This should have just been called Salted Lamb Stir Fry. Again, not enough cumin, and too much salt. Not even close to the version served at Dede’s.

House Casserole($12.95)

A light, but flavorful broth, with "Thousand Layer Tofu"(aka frozen tofu) soaking up the flavor, this was by far the Missus’s favorite of the day. It tasted even better as left overs. The bean thread in the dish along with the Napa Cabbage added substance, though the meat was on the tough side. Still, I’m not quite sure this is worth almost $13…….

I’m sure we weren’t the only ones wondering how Little Sheep will survive the warm, and sometimes downright hot summers. If this is any indication, it may be tough. But for now, as it gets cooler we will enjoy the Hot Pot at Little Sheep.

Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot & Grill
4718 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

Mon-Sun 11:30am -3:00 5:30pm – 9:00pm
Fri-Sat 11:30am -3:00 5:30pm – 10:00pm
Sun 11:30am -3:00 5:30pm – 9:30pm

In Part 2 we’ll do the Hot Pot……

Peru: Astrid & Gaston – Miraflores(Lima)

November 13, 2007 mmm-yoso Fine Dining, Lima, Memorable Meals, Peru, Travel

Would you believe me if I said that this charming little house on side street right off of Avenida Larco is the home of one of the top 100 restaurants in the world?

According to Pellegrino, Astrid & Gaston is one of the Top 100 restaurants in the world in 2007, right up there with Robuchon at the Four Seasons, Guy Savoy, Peter Lugar, Zuni Cafe, and many others. I usually don't do posts on fine dining establishments, but I'm sure you'll humor me in this case. A&G was the one "must-eat" restaurant on my list for our vacation. In fact, I had the Missus call the restaurant from Cusco, and we had no problems getting reservations on a Friday evening. When I first started making plans for our vacation, I had been a bit hesitant about eating at Astrid & Gaston. We'd be traveling light, and I had second thoughts about proper attire. But that was soon remedied after a quick email to Alejandro who does the excellent Peru Food blog. In response to my question about attire, Alejandro wrote; "you'll get cut a lot of slack as tourists". Which we found to be true when we arrived at the restaurant. We were seated in the "Wine Cellar" section, a very warm, quiet, and comfortable area of the restaurant. We could pick out the tourists right away, the sweaters and jeans were the tourists, the sports coats were the locals. I had packed a nice dress shirt, slacks, and dress shoes, and they had traveled unused through our trip until this evening.

Our Server, a very kind and friendly young man brought us our menus….

Written in Spanish! This one was going to be much harder than ordering from a chalk board in a Picanteria! So we ordered some drinks, the Missus had some Chicha, and I ordered a Coca Sour, which was pretty strong:

And tried to go through the menu and figure out what was what.

The wonderful bread basket came out, with the uber-addictive bread sticks studded with Quinoa, when dipped in the wonderful spicy-tart Aji, was fantastic.

Our Server brought the Maitre d' over, who was not only very helpful, but had a great sense of humor as well! There were a few dishes that I was looking for, and he provided some assistance in finding them.

Of course the Missus had to start with some Cebiche, and I managed to find the Dos Cebiche Puritanos, basically the two traditional styles of cebiche, the mixto(mixed seafood cebiche), and the cebiche pescado (white fish).

The cebiche mixto was just plain fantastic. A variety of top notch seafood bathed in a creamy-mild marinade. I was amazed at how tender the calamari was…..literally melt in your mouth.

The quality of the fish in the Cebiche Classico, in this case Corvina (White Sea Bass) was a revelation. It was melt in your mouth tender….it would have not been out of place on nigiri sushi.

If I were to have any complaint at all, it would be that the Leche de Tigre(Tiger's milk – Cebiche marinade) was very, very mild. The strong sour-salty flavors were muted, but oh that fish was so good!

I had been looking for the causitas, which are minature versions of Causa, a classic dish which consist of cold mashed potatoes topped or filled with various ingredients. After looking over the menu, I found it called "La 5 Razas". These beautiful little mashed potato "cakes" were topped with various items. From what I found to be rather mundane(for me) items, such as the mayo-crab mixture which tasted like California roll filling.

To the very interesting….

This interesting causita was topped with preserved fish that tasted like less oily, top notch anchovy. In fact I thought it was anchovy, but was told it was "Atun", or preserved tuna. Salty and rich, this went well with the potato cake.

My favorite by far was the Conchas a la Huacaina (scallop in yellow cheese sauce).

Sweet scallops, in a slightly salty-rich cheese sauce. Really good stuff.

For Her main course the Missus ordered the Cuy in Orange Sauce:

The Missus adored Her Cuy(Guinea Pig), and it was fitting substitute for duck which is usually prepared in this manner. I had a taste of the Cuy, and it really did have a nice pork-dark meat chicken flavor. As for the potatoes and the relleno, I never had a shot, but the Missus said they were excellent. She still mentions this dish in conversations all the time.

I ordered one of Astrid & Gaston's signature dishes, the 3 Week Old Suckling Pig Confit, on the menu it's called "El Cochinillo de tres semanas del invierno 2007":

When it first arrived it was fantastic. The thin crisp laquered skin of the pork leg was amazing, and the meat was melt in your mouth tender and rich. It was a bit mildly flavored, I had expected more of the rich essense of pork. The cocoa reduction added a nice flavor as well. After a few minutes, the pork really got dried out and was not as palatable. The real treasure of this dish was the minced blood sausage, served on a stewed Quince.

After consuming our entrees, we were stuffed, and couldn't even manage to find room for one of Astrid's desserts. The Maitre d' dropped by, and asked if we had room for dessert. The Missus replied, "oh no, we are too full", raising Her glass She told Him, "I'm just going to finish this so I can kill the Cuy." To which he cracked up and said, "yes, yes, you must kill the Cuy…."

So how much did you think this cost? Well, including 10% automatic service charge, the dinner came out to s/250….or about $80 US! Yes, eighty bucks for dinner for two at a world class restaurant. We found the service to be warm, helpful, and friendly. We will be back, there's so much more to explore on the menu, wonderful sounding Tiraditos, Lechon, Foie Gras Tamale anyone? I'm sometimes a bit skeptical when restaurants fuse and modernize traditional dishes, but Gaston Acurio has done a masterful job. He is true to the dishes, uses excellent ingredients, and most of all everything is prepared well.

Astrid y Gaston
Calle Cantuarias 175
Miraflores

Monday to Saturday
Lunch: 12:30 – 15:30
Dinner: 19:30 – 24:00

I've heard that Gaston Acurio may open a branch of his very popular Cebicheria, La Mar in San Diego. If that happens I'm sure to be one of the first in line……

One more thing, just by coincidence, this happens to be our 700th published post. So maybe it's a bit fitting to do something a bit different for a change.

Birrias Chivos & Cheves

November 12, 2007 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants

**** Birrias Chivos & Cheves has closed

Several months ago I noticed little shop while driving on Highland avenue in National City.

With a name like Birrias….I knew the Missus would want to check the place out.

The walls of this little shop feature reproductions of vintage photos of Tijuana. The menu is written in Spanish, but there's a English translation on the reverse side of the laminated menu.

Even though the menu features items like Sopes, Huaraches, and Tacos, with a name like Birrias, was there any doubt as to what we'd be ordering? We placed our orders, a "complete order" of Birria de Chivo(goat) and one of Birria de Res(Beef – $8.95/ea).

All "complete" orders (half orders are $6.95) include Tortillas, salsa, onions, lime, cilantro and consomme.

We found the salsas to be nice and lively, the tortillas had an excellent corn flavor, but was very brittle, tearing and falling apart.

The consomme looked very rich, but was really mild, and served lukewarm. More oily, than flavorful.

The Birria De Chivo:

The meat was slightly tender, but like the consomme, it lacked spiciness and much flavor. The Missus added a hefty amount of salt, garnishes, and salsa. The meat was very mild, and lacked the "wild" flavor the Missus enjoys.

The Birria De Res was much better.

The very tender meat had a good beefiness to it. The Missus agreed, and thought this to be quite good. I'd have this again if in the area. How two almost exact dishes could vary….you got me.

The service was very nice and friendly. Though Birrias won't divert us from La Nortenita, it wasn't too bad. The young man told me that Birrias will be opening a Imperial avenue location in the near future.

Birrias Chivos & Cheves
2401 Highland Avenue
National City, CA 91950

Hours 8am-8pm Daily

Can you guess what this is?

November 11, 2007 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

Here’s a photo… The Missus wanted some Karei Karaage, so I made the most of the frying opportunity.

Most everyone I’ve made this for haven’t been able to figure it out. My Mom used to make it for me every once in a while, maybe as way of getting me to eat more greens??

It’s watercress!

And though I still love fresh watercress with the mayo-soy dip, deep frying watercress really brings the sweetness out of it. You’ll be surprised at the flavor. And as with all of my cooking it’s really simple and easy…..

Watercress Tempura

1 Egg
One half cup cornstarch
One half cup flour
Salt
1 bunch Watercress
Ice Water

1 – Beat egg and pour into a measuring cup. Add ice water so that the total liquid measures 3/4 cup. But liquid in frig or freezer(the colder, the more lacy and crisp the tempura)

2 – Combine cornstarch, flour, and 1 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Fold liquid into flour mixture, mix until the consistency of pancake batter, a few lumps do not matter, do not over mix. Chill batter in refrigerator until ready to use.

3 – Wash watercress and dry. When ready to use, chop watercress into 1 to 1 1/2 inch pieces and mix into batter until completely mixed.

4- Heat oil to 350 degrees.

5 – Form watercress into little balls and place into oil and fry.

6 – Remove from oil and drain. Lightly salt if desired. Serve with Tetsuyu(Tempura Dipping Sauce)

Remember to make the most of the frying opportunity!!!

St George Serbian Orthodox Church Serbian Festival

November 10, 2007 mmm-yoso Festivals & Events

I just got home, and thought I’d post this ASAP. Over the past week, I’ve been driving past the banner(s) for the Serbian Festival/Bazaar at St George Serbian Orthodox Church several times a day. Disappointed that I missed the festival last year, this year, I made a point to attend.

The festival itself is not very large, and is very laid back. There is entertainment, a bazaar, raffles, a wine and beer bar, and of course…..Food!!!

If I really needed motivation to attend….the Serbian Roasted Pig would be more than sufficient. The menu consists of 3 offerings, and as you can see, I choose the pig($12).

The vinegary cole slaw went well with the salty-rich pig, which was very moist and tender. The crisp skin was a bonus. Taking into account that this was festival food, I thought it to be quite good.

Need more motivation?

Of course there are pastries and snacks. The lady who assembled my pastries was very nice, and helpful, and also talked me into getting a Meat Murek:

Filo Dough pastry filled with meat.

And of course I got a nice selection of pastries for the Missus:

There is a $3 donation to enter. You buy tickets for the food and drink at a booth and pick your food up at a window in the auditorium.

The festival runs until 11pm tonight.

St George Serbian Orthodox Church Serbian Festival
3025 Denver St
San Diego, CA 92117

Perry’s Cafe

November 8, 2007 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Diner

**** Sadly after 39 years Perry's has closed

Located below where the I-5 and I-8 freeways intersect, at the point where Taylor Street crosses Pacific Coast Highway, and become Rosecrans. Kitty corner from the Old Town Transit stop, is the place we call the "truck stop". You can call it the "greasy spoon" or the diner, or by any other name, that would be still be Perry's Cafe:

Early in the morning it's not unusual to see Big Rigs parked in the over sized parking lot, later in the morning the lines will usually be out the door. The people who eat at Perry's come from all walks, from working stiffs to people who looked like they've just awakened. And they probably have….this stretch of Pacific Highway is a favorite mooring spot for RVs. Being at the intersection of the 5 and 8 freeways has its hazards as well.

My favorite time to eat at Perry's is at about 11-1130 am, you won't have to deal with the crowds, and I think breakfast for lunch is sometimes nice. Plus, Perry's is just close enough for me to grab a quick bite, and just far enough so I can escape… As you can tell by the facade, Perry's is happily stuck in the 60's and 70's time warp, down to the faux wood grained plywood!

Though the menu is pretty extensive, I come to Perry's for one thing……

The Hashbrowns (a side order $2.25). When you think about it, it is "just" hashbrowns, nothing fancy, probably frozen. But they just do it right at Perry's. Golden brown on the exterior, soft and piping hot in the interior. I call it perfect Sysco-fied goodness.

Everything I order has those hashbrowns on it. And I've learned to keep it simple at Perry's. I've never enjoyed the frittatas, "Mexican" breakfasts, or other items I've ordered. But have always been satisfied with something simple, like the Corned Beef Hash and Eggs ($6.95):

Nothing fancy, corned beef hash(undoubtedly canned), brown and crisp on the outside, 2 eggs, usually either scrambled, or over-easy(better for mopping up with toast), hashbrowns, and whole wheat toast(I find the muffins really greasy….). Whole generations have been raised on this stuff.

If I'm not feeling like eggs, I'll order a basic diner standard, like the French Dip($7.50):

Nothing particularly exciting about the French Dip, the meat was on the tough and dry side…this wasn't going to make anyone forget Phillipe's anytime soon. But there was one thing that made this quite good….

I got hashbrowns instead of fries, and poured the jus all over them……mmm-yoso!!! The waitress told me, "that's a stroke of genius, honey, its going to taste pretty darn good." Yes, Perry's is the kind of place where the waitresses call you "honey", balance 4-5 plates on their arm, and are very efficient.

Funny thing, I started a post on Perry's over 2 years ago, but for some reason never finished it. Other than that first photo of the hashbrowns, the only other thing I kept, was a photo of a waffle. So long ago, I don't even remember it.

But I am sure of one thing….. I had hashbrowns with it.

Perry's Cafe
4620 Pacific Hwy
San Diego, CA 92110
(619) 291-7121

Open Daily 6am-2pm

Peru: Alfresco – Miraflores(Lima)

November 7, 2007 mmm-yoso Lima, Peru, Travel

We returned to Lima from Cusco, and were met by our driver. As we drove to our hotel, we noticed riot police, armored vehicles, helicopters flying above, and soldiers on the roofs of several buildings. When our driver noticed we were staring out the window, he told us: "today Fujimori is coming back to Peru." Yes, not only did we return to Lima, this was also the day that Ex-President Alberto Fujimori was being extradited to Peru. The whole city was buzzing……

The rest of the drive to Miraflores was uneventful, and our driver was a pretty quiet fellow, until we started talking about Cebiche and Tiradito. He ended up making a few recommendations fairly close to the hotel. One of these was Alfresco, a nice restaurant on a side street of a mostly residential area in Miraflores.

The interior of the restaurant was bright, casual, and understated.

In search of just a light lunch, the Missus ordered the Ceviche Alfresco (Alfresco style ceviche – s/28.50 – approx $9.50US). In this case the marinade for the ceviche was of the "creamy" variety, and served with standard sweet potato and corn.

As mentioned before, the Missus has never met a camote(sweet potato) She didn't like. The quality of the fish was excellent, tender and just slightly chewy. The leche de tigre(ceviche marinade) in this case was pretty mild, much too mild for the Missus. She told me it lacked the zip that She enjoys so much.

I ordered the Tiradito Alfresco(s/24.50 – approx $8US). This was a very unique version of Tiradito. The flavors were distinct, yet very delicate at the same time. You could make out the taste of garlic, but the sour tones were not lime, and there was a bit of "fruitiness" to the flavor and fragrance.

The Sole (Lenguado) was very fresh, and the texture was classic Shiromi(Japanese for White fish) firm, light, with a mild, yet tender, chewiness. That marinade had me hooked. We finally inquired about the Tiradito, and our Server, who spoke perfect English, told us the marinade consisted of Garlic, Lemon Juice in place of Lime Juice, and good Extra Virgin Olive Oil. This European treatment of Tiradito suited me well, I truly enjoyed it.

It seemed that so far on this trip, the Tiraditos had the upper hand on the Cebiches. We discussed that as we walked back to our hotel. We had taken a taxi ride from our hotel to Alfresco, but found that Alfresco was close enough to walk, which we enjoyed.

Alfresco
Malecon Balta 790
Miraflores

Miraflores:

In stark contrast to our earlier stay in intense Central Lima, Miraflores was much more laid back and upscale. You still felt like you were playing out a real life version of Frogger, taking your life into your hands when crossing the street, but you could drop Miraflores right into any large coastal city in the US and not miss a beat. We stayed at the very sleek and modern JW Marriott.

The Marriott in Miraflores rises like a monolith over the Pacific Ocean. The hotel itself is built on those cliffs, and every room is supposed to have an ocean view. When I originally booked our rooms, I had thought that a few nights at the hotel would be a nice segue before returning home. The hotel is very modern, with excellent facilities, and like most 4-5 star hotels, the service was superb. There is also a small and modern shopping mall, Larcomar (more on Larcomar in a future post) right across the street, and most of the cafe culture of Miraflores is just a 10-15 minute walk away. The hotel is rather staid and cold looking, and the charm and warmth of a smaller boutique hotel was missing, but we had no complaints.

The view from our room of the Pacific Ocean, and part of Larcomar, which is built into the cliffs overlooking the ocean. I was told that the best time for the beach here is from December through March, when it is more humid and sunny. During other months, the shoreline is usually shrouded in fog and mist.

Taxis are located right across the street, though they are everywhere. For our initial ride to Alfresco, we approached the line-up of taxis, and a woman aggressively walked up to us. We mentioned Alfresco, and she told us "15 soles, it is far….". Fortunately, the Missus had asked our driver about the going prices of taxi fares to get around Miraflores, and we were told, "No more than 3-5 soles", so we tried to bargain. But this woman insisted on 15 soles. As I stood back, I made eye contact with a kindly looking driver, and he walked up and said, "Si, Alfresco 5 soles…." Sold! The woman, had a few choice words for the gentleman, who just shrugged his shoulders……. We found that various taxi rides in Lima can be a bit of an adventure in themselves, more on that later.

I created a category for our Peru posts, they can be found here.

Van Hoa Vietnamese Restaurant Part 1

November 6, 2007 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Sandwiches, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Van Hoa has closed

Were you the same kind of kid I was? My Mom would have fits trying to wake me on most school mornings. I should have trademarked the phrase "just 5 more minutes" since I used it so much…..our alarm clocks didn't have "snooze buttons" in those days, otherwise I'd have worn that out. Once up, I'd dilly-dally, even volunteering to do chores (gasp), in order to avoid school. Finally, worn down by the irresistible force that most Mothers are, I'd be on my way. Lucky for me, I lived only a half-block from my Elementary school….

Unfortunately, there's still some residual "dilly dailiness" left in me. Some mornings, I'll be up very early, but am not very motivated at the prospect of work. I'm trudging around, trying not to wake the Missus up, wondering how I can justify taking my own sweet time (make te-de te-de…). Reluctantly dragging my procrastinating self out of the house and to the car, I eventually find myself on the freeway. But wait, I don't need the freeway to get to work! Taken over by some other-worldly force, I get out on El Cajon Boulevard, and end up at a destination like Van Hoa Restaurant.

There are a few Vietnamese restaurants like Van Hoa, which resides in the shopping complex on the corner of 54th and University, that open early…I mean early, as in 6am early. At 630 am the sometimes psychotic parking lot of the shopping center(which houses a location of Vien Dong Market) is empty, and you need not worry about having to park next to the last demolition derby Ford Fairmont in existence in North America. At 635 in the morning, I'm not sure you can get Pho at Van Hoa, but as you enter the restaurant, everyone is hard at work, making Goi Cuon(Spring Rolls) and various packaged snacks that you see at places like 99 Ranch Market. There are sacks labeled with "La Chef Bakery" lining the tables, and I place my order for the Egg McMuffin of the Banh Mi world, the Banh Mi Trung(scrambled egg banh mi – $2.75):

For some reason the bread feels more crusty in the morning, and the scrambled egg is lightly doused with a soy sauce concoction, that is both salty and sweet. I readily admit, that for some, the combination of pickled veggies, cilantro, and scrambled egg is a bit odd, but I enjoy it. I sometimes just have the sandwich in the car, at the risk of strewing crumbs everywhere…..

But there is one thing that never changes, sustenance puts me in a much better mood, and the world is a much nicer place. I also feel guilty for not being fired up for work after watching everyone in the restaurant working so hard. Maybe I'll be able to face the world today…………

A word of caution; like all other versions of Banh Mi, this one has Jalapenos, so if you do not tolerate hot peppers for breakfast, or not at all, please proceed at a careful cadence.

Van Hoa Vietnamese Restaurant
4016 54th Street
San Diego, CA

Open at 6am Mon-Sat
Open at 7am on Sundays

In part 2, we'll check out the Pho at Van Hoa, along with several of the other Banh Mi.