December 2007 – Page 2

Monday Meatfest: Buga and Tsuruhashi

December 17, 2007 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Korean Restaurants

Since Typepad's having, ummm, a few "issues" tonight, I thought I'd do a real quick post.

I've been asked more than a few times, which I prefer better Buga Korean BBQ or Tsuruhashi Yakiniku Restaurants. I always answer, "it's like asking me which one of Da' Boyz, Sammy or Frankie I love better. We love them both equally….but differently!"

Buga is of course, Korean BBQ, serves up Coleman Beef, and for my money uses the highest quality meat of any of the Korean BBQ's in San Diego. One of the complaints I've heard is that the meats are under marinated, but why disguise good meat? The marinades are mild, though flavorful…my only wish? Charcoal! Portion sizes are not humongous, but as I mentioned back in 2005 this is a Duk Bossam style restaurant, and the intent is to eat the meat with some greens, wrapped in either a rice paper or daikon radish wrapper. So without further ado, just a bunch of photos:

Another complaint I've heard were that the prices were on the high side…and I had kind of agreed. Until our last visit to Seoul BBQ. The Bulgogi was $18.99…..this order of Bulgogi we had a few nights ago was $18.95! That said, if you enjoy a sweeter marinade Seoul BBQ might be for you.

And of course….there's the Panchan, all those wonderful small dishes….

The Panchan are prepared well, and though the portions are small, we're always asked if we want more. There's usually an interesting variety of items that change from day to day. One of the Servers at Buga, remembers us, and especially remembers Ed from Yuma, she had a fun time showing Ed how to eat Bossam style. She always makes sure to ask us if we want more Panchan….

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

Open daily 11 to 11

On the other side of the coin is Tsuruhashi, which is a Yakiniku restaurant. Though Yakiniku draws its influence from Korean BBQ, it has become its own unique style. Many of the meats are served unmarinated, and dipping sauces are served. Binchotan is used in addition to the gas for grilling. Meat is served in smaller portions, approximately 4oz or so, and in many cases, the lowest grade of meat available is prime. No Panchan is served, though in most cases you can purchase Kimchee if desired. Among the marinated items, are some interesting things like the Beef Tongue topped with minced onion and garlic:

And Miso Marinated Beef Tongue:

And when an item like the Pork Belly is served:

It is seasoned with a dusting of salt and pepper, and served with a plate of lettuce for wrapping, and some hot bean paste.

When the beef tongue is served, again seasoned with salt and pepper, a little dish of lemon juice(which we never use) is served.

It can be pricey, but we've found that we enjoy some of the more inexpensive cuts, like the prime skirt steak(harami):

You can end up spending a good amount of money, but we've found that the usual tab for the Missus and I is about $40. Still, it's not for everybody. FOY RobW, was kind enough to send me a "review" from Yelp, that had me rolling, you can find it here, how a self proclaimed "fabulous cook", direct quote, can complain that no one explained how to cook the meat……….

Tsuruhashi Japanese BBQ
3904 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Hours: Thurs-Tues 5pm-Midnight

Closed Wed.

From the aren't you glad you live in San Diego Department:

One thing I find a bit embarrassing is the part of the weather report where they show what we call the "aren't you glad you live in San Diego because every place else sucks…." portion. If you've watched the news, I think you know what I mean. The latest flood, tornado, or other extreme inclement weather clip is shown with a quick cut away to tomorrows forecast of mid 70 degree temperature as if they need to make us feel better at another's expense……..

Earlier today, Cathy sent me a photo, courtesy of Her Brother, that I had to post:

Doesn't "Bob" look like he's serving up a plate of shaved ice? Ok…where's the red beans, lychee, taro, tapioca balls, and condensed milk?????

Somerton Tamale Festival

December 16, 2007 ed fromyuma Festivals & Events, Mexican Restaurants, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

Believe it or not, Kirk is letting ed from Yuma do another post on mmm-yoso. Any rumors of my death were greatly exaggerated, though I have been buried under stacks of student papers for the last three months. I finished grading on Friday, and (seredipitously) on Saturday, the south Yuma county town of Somerton was hosting its first annual Tamale Festival.

It’s always a little scary going to the "first annual" of any event; sort of like showing up the first day a
new restaurant has opened. Do they know how to do this right? Are they ready for what is going to happen? But this was a tamale festival. Me miss a tamale festival that’s only a few miles from where I live? Not gonna happen – which explains why I was pulling into the first annual Somerton Tamale festival, a little after noon on Saturday.

The central two blocks of downtown Somerton had been closed off, and both sides of the street were lined with little tentlike coverings under each of which there was one or more tamale vendor happily selling single tamales, combination plates, and bags full of dozens of tamales. As advertised, there were well over 20 vendors, far too many even for the intrepid stomach of mmm-yoso to sample. What’s more, not a single restaurant name could be found; these were all the real deal, homemade tamales prepared according to traditional family recipes.

To pay for the tamales, one had to purchase tickets,and since this was for a good cause (college scholarships for local youth) I bought a few more than I needed.

My first sample came from this nice young woman. At first the rich chili flavor seemed deceptively mild.The long shreds of abundant beef were full of meaty flavor accented by a deep red chili sauce – all complimented by the slightly sour stuffed green olive. After I was half way through, I realized that there was a distinctly picante note of hot chile flavor probably from the thin shreds of green chile mixed in with the meat and sauce.

Then I went across the street to try one of the few tamales de puerco. This was another rich, succulent, spicy, treat. This one was slightly doughier andsaltier than my first tamal. The porky goodness of the meat was a perfect match to the dried red chile sauce.

As soon as I saw these women standing over their tamale kettle, I knew I had to sample their wares. They were having a good time and showed me the festival’s largest tamal.

When I said I wanted a sweet corn and cheese tamale, they insisted that I also had to have one of their tamales de res. Who was I to argue with two abuelas? The beef tamal had more of an upfront heat than the first two I had sampled earlier.

Along with two un-pitted green olives (twins) , there was one additional secret ingredient. Yes, that is a french fry, so maybe California burritos truly have along history.

The corn and cheese tamale was perhaps a little doughy, but the sweetness of the corn and the mild cheese flavor made a nice contrast to what had come before.

The next beef tamal that I purchased came from a couple guys who were hawking their product like carnies outside a sideshow. Theirs was the mildest of the afternoon and contained the most potato. Nonetheless, it was full of beefy goodness, and the beef flavor was nicely balanced by strips of green chile.

By now, I was full enough that I could wait in a line for the spicy beef tamal.

At first bite, I was disappointed; it hardly seems spicier than the previous mild version. However, two or three bites into it, I became aware that yes, indeed, this one packed some fiery punch.

My last tamal (and dear reader, by now I was eating for you rather than satisfying any hunger that I might have had) was made by using a different approach. Not only was this beef shredded, but it seemed to have been sliced or chopped at some point as well, so there were no long shards of beef.

This one also had no potato and the least amount of chili flavored sauce (if any at all) – excepting of course the cheese and corn tamal. It also had a very thin layer of masa, so all together it was extremely beefy, but perhaps a little greasier than its predecessors.

Throughout the festival, music was playing, and as I was getting ready to leave, one of my favorite local bands, the Chuckawalla Rhythm Kings, began playing.

It is certainly a unique group. Probably the only group named after a lizard of the Desert Southwest performing Celtic folk music. Certainly the only one performing this day at a tamale festival, that’s for sure.

When I went to get my half dozen tamales to go, the purveyors of my two favorites from the afternoon had already run out, so throwing caution to the winds, I got my tamales to go from a completely different vendor. Who says I’m not a risk taker? Right now, I have no idea whether they are any good or not as the last thing on my mind is eating another tamale today.

Seeing the turnout and tasting the tamales, I am convinced that the Somerton tamale Festival is going to become a new tradition (now that’s an oxymoron). In any case, it’s also a good thing.

Quinoa Salad

December 15, 2007 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

Since returning from Peru, the Missus has been a bit obsessed with Quinoa. To the extent that we’ve been making Sopa de Quinoa(Quinoa soup) or Lamb and Quinoa Soup almost every week for the last 2 1/2 months! In fact, during that period we’ve been noticing that the price of quinoa has slowly risen; from 89 cents a pound….to $2.19 a pound. I believe that the Missus is the cause of this increase, her incessant demand has caused world-wide supplies to dwindle, a one woman quinoa consumption machine!

A few days ago, the Missus asked me to make something different. I recalled a quinoa salad we had about 5-6 years ago….yes it is true, I can never remember where I parked my car….but ask me about a quinoa salad I had half a decade ago, and I’m "money".

This was very easy, but there a few items of note; I used less water than usual for quinoa, the normal ratio is about 2 to 1, but because I wanted my quinoa to be "dry", I lowered the ratio. Also, when I tasted the "salad", I thought that I needed something with a bit of sweetness to balance out the flavors. Rather than adding sugar, I sliced some jicama that I had on hand which were used as "chips" to scoop up the salad. Also, the Missus wanted some seafood, so I sauteed some shrimp I had, and used that as a topping.

You might find this surprising, but quinoa is quite calorie-dense at 693 calories per cup. Quinoa is also a good source of complete protein 24 grams per cup, and carbs at 109 grams per cup. You can see why quinoa is sometimes called a "super food". What I find most interesting is how quinoa looks when cooked:

As is duly noted in What we’re eating.

Quinoa Salad

1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed
2 cups water
1 cucumber, diced
1 small red onion, diced
3 tomatoes, cored, seeded, and diced
1 bunch radishes diced
4 Tb cilantro chopped
mint leaves, chopped
2 cloves garlic finely minced
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
juice from 1 lemon
Salt and Fresh Ground Black Pepper to taste
Slices of Jicama
Arugula

1 – Combine rinsed quinoa and water in a medium pot and bring to a boil. Stir once, lower to a simmer and cover for 8-12 minutes.
2 – When quinoa is cooked remove to a strainer or colander, "fluff and mix" to remove all moisture. Let cool.
3 – When the quinoa has cooled and is "dry", transfer the quinoa to a large mixing bowl and add cucumber, onion, tomato, radish, and cilantro. Mix well.
4 – Add olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, salt, garlic and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning.
5 – Chill for at least 20 minutes
6 – Top with a chiffonade of mint, and serve on a bed of arugula, with slices of Jicama.

Road Trip-Las Vegas!- Dae Jang Keum Korean BBQ

December 13, 2007 Cathy Korean Restaurants, Las Vegas, Stuff, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is the blog…all about food…sometimes with some interesting tidbits thrown in for variety and written by a small group of friends. Today, it is Cathy’s turn.

Hi. It is that time of year again-
Yes, The National Finals Rodeo is in Las Vegas -49th Annual, Best of the Best…and Ms. T and I drove there (and are back) and we had a wonderful time. We were here last year, you may recall.

We went shopping on Monday, to the Cowboy Christmas -an art, craft, gift and accessories show at the Convention Center, and then wanted lunch, and knew that the "main drag" for Asian restaurants was on Spring Mountain Road, so we just drove, looked and…stopped.Dae Jang Keum is in a Pagoda Themed Strip Mall on the South Side of Spring Mountain along with two other restaurants advertising "tofu" on their signage. We just picked this one at random and hoped for the best. (There was a sign on the front door advertising 20% off from 11 pm to 8 am, daily…it is open 24/7…for BBQ!…cool)
The interior is neat, clean and each table with a heat source has the ubiquitous fan (and table number) far above. The fans are extremely efficient-and quiet. I did not even think ours was on.We decided to play it safe, and ordered bulgogi beef and chicken-this is half of the serving.
and this is the other half. We could not finish all of the meat…(which was well marinated, tender and with a very slight malty-sweetness, which balanced well with a salty kick) because we got the wonderful side dishes:

lettuce salad, bean sprout salad, broccoli, rice, rice paper, various kim chees, oyster mushrooms cut in chunks, sauces, raw garlic and jalapeno slices…all refilled when they were emptied and all very fresh, very, very tasty, spicy and wonderful.
When we first ordered, we were hungry and also asked for the fried dumplings-and we devoured half of them immediately. Ten in a serving.
This is cross section of the juicy very flavored pork filled delights, which were fried to a very light crisp.
The whole bill-less than $53 and worth it. We did not know the servings would be so large or that we would get refills of kim chee or any of the other sides, or would not have needed to order the fried dumplings, but they were very tasty.

Dae Jang Keum 3943 Spring Mountain Road, Las Vegas 89102 (702)638-2222 Open 24 hours

We went to the Rodeo later that night. Very Bucking Broncos…

Midweek Miscellanea

December 12, 2007 mmm-yoso Plate Lunch

Da Kine’s Mira Mesa Closed:

Seesh, first the Pacific Beach location, now the Mira Mesa location. I do know that the Liberty Station location in Point Loma is open, I ate there a few weeks ago, and the National City location is still open as well.

It’ll rot your brains….

A familiar little phrase my Mom used…as in "watching all that television will rot your brains!" Geez, how many times did I hear that growing up. Nowadays, it seems like the Internet is the root cause of degenerative grey matter….."mindless entertainment", "wasted time", "mind numbing", aka – The Internet Will Rot Your Brain….. And in some cases I almost agree. For example just how many silly tests and quizzes can a person take? Stuff like Could You be A Vampire, What Carnival Ride Are You, What is Your Biblical Name, and stuff like that. And truthfully, I’ve been able to resist most of them….until I came across a post on FOY’s, Christine’s blog….it was the What Donut Are You quiz……and I just couldn’t resist. I pretty much had it pegged all the way….I’d be an old fashioned glazed…dependable, consistent, classic. Little did I know, after filling in little dots I was a:

You Are a Powdered Devil’s Food Donut

A total sweetheart on the outside, you love to fool people with your innocent image. On the inside you’re a little darker, richer, and more complex. You’re a hedonist who demands more than one pleasure at a time. Decadent and daring, you test the limits of human indulgence.

What Donut Are You?

Gasp!!! I’m a frou-frou donut…..I’m crushed. A hedonist! Say what!! This’ll teach me to take these silly quizzes. Humph, I’ve never really liked donuts anyway………and what’s that smell….could it be???

From the archives:

I was looking through some older digital photos….and was surprised how many had food in them. Surprised, because these photos, like the one directly to the right were taken in 2002! I guess I’ve been doing this unconsciously for a really long time.

So where was this lovely fish from?

It’s from Lotus of Siam in Las Vegas….I gotta get back soon!

Hope everyone is having a great week!

Maharlika Cafe & Grill

December 11, 2007 mmm-yoso Filipino Restaurants, Sisig

*** Maharlika has closed

Sisig……isn't that a lovely word…say it again…Sisig….. There are very few things that will increase my pulse rate than the phrase, "really good Sisig." And I've received a few emails, and have been told that Maharlika in National City made the best Sisig bar none, in the San Diego area.

My previous experiences with Maharlika had not been very successful, but now with the possibility of Sisig dangling in front of me, I was hooked. Just to be clear, most Sisig in San Diego is not the traditional Sizzling Pig Head dish, but simply leftover Lechon Kawali stir fried with chili peppers, vinegar, onions, and green onions. Motivated by Sisig possibilities, I headed on down to Maharlika. If you've ever taken the 805 freeway south, and have gotten off at the Plaza Boulevard exit, and drove west, Maharlika is hard to miss.

On this visit, I found Maharlika to be much cleaner, and free off the abundant amount of Musca domestica encountered on my previous visit. I had arrived at about 1030 in the morning, on the prowl for Sisig. But as I headed for the steam table, no Sisig was to be found. When I inquired, the lady behind the counter clucked in disapproval, "no, no Sisig, until 11." Making me feel like I was the only person in San Diego County who didn't know that Sisig wasn't available until after 11.

Not quite knowing what to order, I decided on a 2 item combo($5.75). And because I had a steaming pot of rice waiting at home, I started with some pancit.

Which I thought were on the dry side and pretty bland.

The two items I selected?

The choices were pretty large and varied, but I settled on Ampalaya(Bitter melon) and Eggs, and Pork Adobo.

The portion sizes were quite generous, each taking up it's own container, which I found to be nice….no sauces overlapping, and less of a mess overall. I'd had Chicken Adobo at Maharlika before, and the pork suffered the same fate……waaaay to greasy, even for me. The Adobo was very mild in flavor, and lacked the sour-salty-peppery points that I enjoy. I could only handle a few pieces. Usually the oil from adobo is great over rice, but this version was too mild even for that.

And though the Ampalaya was also heavy on the oil, I enjoyed the bitter and salty flavor provided.

Not a very successful visit……so knowing how obsessed I get about these things, a few weeks later I found myself on the doorstep of Maharlika once again……looking for that Sisig.

I walked in, and surveyed all the items in the steam table……and no Sisig! But being under the watchful eye of the young lady manning the counter, I knew I had to order something, and went with the Lechon Kawale.

This version of Lechon was also on the "heavy" side, and the skin was not as crisp as I would like. The flavor was also very mild. What was good was the Lechon Sauce, just the right amount of sweet that I enjoy. A combination of guilt, fat induced dizziness, and waxy richness made me unable to eat more than 2-3 pieces.

So that's how the story ends, right?????

Well not so fast, you see, after the young lady had piled the lechon kawale on my styrofoam plate, I spotted a pan out of the corner of my eye (isn't peripheral vision wonderful?). And there it was Sisig. So I ordered Sisig, which caused the young lady to purse her lips and frown, "you want lechon and sisig….together?" Which when I come to think of it, is sort of like ordering French fries with your baked potato, since the Sisig here is made with lechon kawale. Still I did get me Sisig……

In the end, I was a bit disappointed with the sisig, first, the lechon had been cut into large chunks, that didn't go well with the smaller chopped onions and green onions. Though the sisig wasn't as greasy as I thought it might be, the flavor was very mild…not enough vinegar, and not spicy in the least bit. I added my own dose of vinegar at home.

Still, I did finally get my Sisig!

As you probably noticed Maharlika is a Turo-Turo(point-point) steam table joint. Though the place is never full, there is a steady stream of customers, and the portion sizes are rather generous. The Ladies working the front are very nice and accommodating. I still think the food at Maharlika is a bit too greasy for me….in spite of the sign which says, "We use no transfat." Which I found to be a bit ironic……

Maharlika Cafe & Grill
1819 East Plaza Blvd
National City, CA 91950

Caribbean Taste Jamaican Restaurant

December 9, 2007 mmm-yoso Jamaican Restaurants

Man has it been wet and cold(for SoCal) this past weekend….it’s during those times I tend to day dream about crystal blue waters, white sand, and lying on the beach, warmly roasting my internal organs….. So how much is that flight to Jamaica? Egads $900…..well, maybe I’ll just move along to day dream #2, that would be, what else…..food! Granted food is usually number 1, but this weather has moved it to number 2 for a while. Ah yes, a nice "food vacation" would do just fine, and this would usually mean a short jaunt to Island Spice for some good Jamaican grinds. But not this time. About 6 months ago, I received an email from a FOY(friend of Yoso) letting me know that Island Spice doesn’t have a monopoly on Jamaican food in San Diego. The email mentioned a restaurant called Caribbean Taste located in Encanto.

After driving along on Imperial Avenue, I found Caribbean Taste located in, what else, a strip mall, right past the Encanto sign and almost directly across the Encanto Trolley stop.

Though the exterior of the Caribbean Taste appears large, the interior is not very large. The interior is bright and sunny enough to warm me even on a cold and damp winter day.

There’s also a small area in the restaurant with Jamaican food stuffs for sale….I picked up a few bottles of Grace Hot Pepper sauce for only $1.50 each.

Even though the menu is just a single sheet, very concise, and all plates come in two sizes, small and large, I had a difficult time deciding what to get. So many tempting entrees…should I get the Curry Chicken, or maybe one of my favorite items; Oxtails, perhaps Brown Stew Fish? I finally settled on the Curry Goat (small – $8.00):

All plates come with Jamaican beans and rice, steamed vegetables, and fried plantains. The curry goat was excellent, with a light spiciness, mild creaminess….the goat had been cooked perfectly, fork tender, and moist. Good stuff. I was not a big fan of the bland rice and beans, and I thought the vegetables were also bland.

The curry goat was enough to get me to return, this time I got a variety of dishes, starting with the Jerk Chicken (small-$8).

As Jerk Chicken is concerned, I really enjoyed this. There was a sneaky amount of mild heat, and the chicken was very moist, even the piece of breast. A good mixture of spices, a very mild sweetness, and a decent salty component. The best piece by far was the wing piece. Like my previous experiences with Jerk Chicken, it was not as spicy as I would expect, but I enjoyed the nice roasted skin.

At last, Oxtails (large – $12):

The portion size for the "large" size…was just that, pretty large and generous. Like the other dishes, this was well seasoned, fairly tender, and moist. I prefer my Oxtails to have a good amount of gelatinous bits, these fell short a bit in that aspect.

As I mentioned before, I find the steamed vegetables, a combination of cabbage, corn, beans, and a bit of greens to be on the bland side in comparison to the main course.

I guess that this is where the Grace Hot Pepper sauce comes in. The hot sauce has a initial flavor similar to Tabasco, but it is sneaky hot, and the heat increases with time and quantity.

If I had to compare this to the version at Island Spice, I’d say this was more meaty, salty, and well seasoned than the version at Island Spice, but I enjoy the depth of flavor and velvety smooth textures of Island Spice’s "gravy" better. This doesn’t mean I won’t have this again…….

This is the large size Curry Goat($11.00) – a generous serving, which made us happy, since leftovers are much appreciated in our household. On this day, the goat had a good amount of gamey flavor, and the generous amount of meat was soft and tender. As I mentioned before, if you’re not familiar with Jamaican Curry, you may find yourself surprised at the mild flavor, but it is still good stuff.

I guess one can’t help but compare Island Spice and Caribbean Taste….so if I were forced to, I’d say that in most cases Caribbean Taste’s food (except for the sides) are much more aggresively seasoned. The atmosphere is also quite different; while Island Spice is much more of a raucous, lively, place. Caribbean Taste, is much more mellow, like a nice, sunny day on the beach, nice folks at both places……. I’m just happy that we have not one, but two Jamaican Restaurants putting out good eats in San Diego.

Caribbean Taste Jamaican Restaurant
6171 Imperial Ave
San Diego, CA 92114

(619)795-1772

Hours Mon-Sat 9am-8pm
Sunday 9am-6pm

“An Event”. With food. At Nordstrom.

December 8, 2007 Cathy Stuff, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso. A blog about food. Mostly, written by a Kirk and occasionally some friends. Today, an occasional day and Cathy is blogging.

Hello, Cathy again. So…..My dear friend, Ms. T., has been able to acquire invitations to the two annual "Events" that Nordstrom Stores hold for "special" customers..one in the Spring, just before Mother’s Day and one in the Winter, just after Thanksgiving but before Hanukkah and Christmas.(For those who don’t know, Nordstrom is a more upscale store selling mostly clothing and accessories for men, women and children.)

These events happen at 7:30 in the evening and a particular store is closed down, candles are lit, alcoholic beverages are brought out, caterers brought in and the Store Employees greet you by applauding down either side of the main aisle when you walk in… and there are small gifts with purchase, double points given when you use the Nordstrom Credit Card to pay for your purchases and a few giveaways here and there that ‘regular’ shoppers may not get to take advantage of. (OK, lets get real here: you get invited because you have indeed charged more than X dollars at Nordstrom throughout the year and they reward you this way-just before some major holidays, when you are likely to be spending money anyhow…).

Yep, I bypassed the beer and wine and went straight for a Cosmopolitan. Let’s just say the vodka hit me as I was paying for my first (and actually only) purchase of the night. A strong mixed drink. I could feel a blush on my cheeks and up to my ears…A nice touch is the stem removed from the maraschino cherry-less for others to have to clean up. {Note: I was very sober before I left to drive home}
Pasta with peas in a vodka marinara sauce. (Let’s keep that vodka theme going, people!) served in red Chinese take out boxes. A very nice flavored sauce, more just tomatoes, which I like. The peas were still firm and tasty.
Baby new potatoes, stuffed with an artichoke filling. Even though small, these packed some great flavors; I could taste the potato and then the saltiness of the artichoke puree. Interesting and in the small bite, just the right amounts of each. I am unsure if I could do this with ‘regular’ sized new potatoes.
Basil chicken salad in a pocket. Not a pesto sauce, but basil and a touch of mayonnaise and pecans and quite a bit of white meat chicken. Wrapped in a wonton skin and tied with a piece of chive. This was a three bite appetizer; a good size.
Corn and black beans in a lime chipotle dressing which Nordstrom sells and offers in their Cafe. Topped with a piece of avocado and a corn chip. The idea was to sell the dressing. This was quite refreshing.
Small mixed green salad, topped with the Nordstrom Brand champagne vinaigrette. Very nice.
A Prosciutto wrapped fresh fig, stuffed with goat cheese that had a bit of chive in it. Wow. The sugar from the fresh fig, and saltiness of the Prosciutto and cheese…perfect combination. Perfect. If I can buy a lot of the proper sized and aged figs, I will do this at home.
There, of course, is a coffee bar…but you know, a Nordstrom in store-for-special-clients coffee bar…self serve.
The only "sweet" I got- hot apple cider. They also had some very thin, densely cocoa flavored brownies, maybe one inch square, that I didn’t care to try. Ms. T said it was good, though.
and, so, we left…Christmas gifts in tow…a very nice experience with some fun treats and ideas to try for at home.

A quick word from our “Eastern Bureau”…..

December 7, 2007 mmm-yoso Festivals & Events, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

That would be Ed from Yuma:

"Guess where I will be on Dec 15."

"You also might want to announce the festivities at the
blog. After all, now’s the time to come to the Yuma
area. Plus the chance to taste 20 different vendor’s
tamales is unprecedented, at least in my experience.
Also what could be a more traditional food for Xmas? I can’t tell you how much I am looking forward.

Somerton is between Yuma and the border."

Somerton’s First Ever Tamale Festival

WHEN: Saturday, Dec. 15th-2007

TIME: 11am-10pm

WHERE: City of Somerton-Main Street (Highway 95). Traffic will be detoured through local traffic.

BENEFIT: Proceeds will benefit scholarships to first generation college students attending Arizona State University.

Click on the poster to enlarge.

And just in case you haven’t had enough turkey yet….

This is something called "The Gobbler"($5.99) from Sandwich Emporium. Turkey, cranberry sauce, and potato salad(!), on "stuffing bread". All you need is some gravy! It actually tastes pretty good. I’ve been told it’ll be available through Xmas.

Have a great weekend!

Van Hoa Vietnamese Restaurant Part 2

December 6, 2007 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Pho, Sandwiches, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Van Hoa has closed

I hadn't had much more than the breakfast Banh Mi at Van Hoa for the longest time, but recently, I was able to grab a couple more sandwiches from Van Hoa. And what's more fun is I now have a fellow Banh Mi lover in the office. Mr 'B', originally from Jersey, first had Banh Mi a few months ago when I made a short drive to Saigon Sandwiches & Deli. Since that time Mr B has become quite the connoisseur…with observations like, "man, it's about the ratio of bread to fillings, right?" and "it needs to be nice and toasted, it ain't nothin' without the bread done right…" Though he is often the unwitting victim of hot pepper roulette, he remains undeterred…. I gotta give him some props. Mr B has also allowed me to purchase 3 Banh Mi at a time, which I split between us, so now I get to sample a wider range of sandwiches. Lucky me…….

So here are a few more sandwiches from Van Hoa, starting with the BBQ Pork($2.75):

The pork was nicely marinated with good flavor, though on the tough side. The bread was nicely toasted, and crusty. There was a nice amount of pickles, which a bit on the mild side. I don't care for overly stringy cilantro stems….it's just a pet peeve of mine, I'd rather use dental floss, thank you very much….. Not a bad sandwich…even with the recent price increase from $2.25 to the now unheard of price of (gasp!)$2.75.

The Banh Mi Xiu Mai(Meatball – $2.75):

This was the standard issue meatball Banh Mi. And it was fine, except for one thing, the fishy tomato sauce that is used for the meatball really doesn't do anything for this sandwich. When I recently mentioned the addition of tomato sauce to the Miu Mai Banh Mi to FOY Beach, he wrinkled up his face in disapproval. I wrinkled up my face too, the flavor was like a tomato fish sauce, with sour tones from the pickles thrown in.

As is my general rule, I'll usually try the Dac Biet(special – $3.50) whenever I have a chance. Just to see what a particular restaurant has to offer.

As with most versions of Banh Mi Dac Biet, this one had Cha Lua(lean pork sausage), which in this case had some flavor, and the Thit Nguoi in this case was more like BBQ pork belly, and had a nice porky-sweet flavor. Mr B didn't even mind the smear of pate, which was rich, but mild. And even though I saw mayo being smeared on the sandwich, it was done with a light touch, and didn't over power all the other ingredients. While eating, I heard Mr B exclaim, "Holy…….." (fill in the blanks), sounds like he's discovered another hot pepper land mine! he-he-he…..

Recently, we've been having Pho weather…..cool , with some precipitation. So I dropped by Van Hoa with Pho on my mind. As I was seated in the rear dining area, I realized I had never seen this part of the restaurant. It is pretty clean, compared to the rest of the strip mall.

Can you guess what I ordered? I'm sure I'm really predictable…..if I've never had the Pho at a particular restaurant before, I'll get the Dac Biet(special), just to see which cuts of meat they do best. In this case it was the Extra Large Bowl($5.25)

This was indeed an extra large bowl….probably the most broth I've ever had. The broth itself was low oil, and on the salty side, pretty generic as a whole. The herbs provided were very fresh, and sufficient in quantity. The Ngo Gai(saw leaf herb) was really fresh, and added a nice peppery flavor to the Pho. The noodles was the usual clump in the bottom of the bowl.

As for the meats, the rare steak was tough and dry, even when served on the side. The tripe had a soapy flavor, and the tendon was hard and crunchy. The winner here was the brisket, soft and moist, with a mild beefy punch.

The folks at Van Hoa are very low-key, and once they recognize you, very nice. The menu is comprised of the standard Com Tam, Bun, and such. The parking lot can be an adventure….

I'm kinda craving an scrambled egg banh mi right now…….

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