March 2008 – Page 2

A Revisit to Dede’s

March 15, 2008 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

*** Dedes' has closed

Whew, it's been a long day of running around, so just a real quick post tonight.

Ever since I had what I considered to be a very mediocre version of Cumin Lamb at The "New" Spicy City, I've been pining for my favorite local version of the dish. Finally giving in to the craving we headed over to Dede's. And of course I ordered the Cumin Flavored Lamb($9.50):

Other than the price, which has gone up $1 in the last few months, it is the same dish that I posted about in 2006. Perhaps a lighter hand was used in regards to the salt this time around. One of the benchmarks of a good version of cumin lamb requires left-overs. If the Missus walks into the kitchen while I'm in the process of reheating the cumin lamb with fingers pinching Her nostrils telling me; "ewwww, that smells like really bad B.O., open the windows!" I know it's good.

We also tried the Chung King Hot Pot($13.99):

While the broth had the required "ma-la"(numbing hot) thing down, this fiery caudron lacked the flavors of herbs and other spices that we enjoy in in this style of Hot Pot. In other words it was only spicy….. The bean curds sheets added a nice texture, as did the tender chicken, but the tripe was very bad, I don't think it had been prepared properly, it had a dank odor, and the flavor was on the bitter-unpleasantly milky side.

Still, I was more than satisfied with my Cumin Lamb…and was more than satisfied with the Missus's reaction to my reheating the dish. I think I'll need another Cumin Lamb fix again soon……. I've been told that cumin is addictive, I'm starting to believe that there's some truth to that statement.

Dede's Teajuice City
4647 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

My previous post on Dede's can be found here.

Nico’s Taco Shop – Linda Vista

March 13, 2008 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops

This location of Nico’s, tucked away on Morena Place is sort of the forgotten "third wheel" of taco shops in the area. When I think of Taco Shops in the area, usually JV’s or Santana’s that comes to mind, and poor little Nico’s is forgotten. But not on this day……

The shop itself is pretty small, and fronts a group of apartments out back. When I mentioned Nico’s to several folks, I got wrinkled noses, and comments about dirt and grime, but I’ve never encountered that at Nico’s. The woman who works the front counter is also quite nice as well.

There are bascially only 2 items I get from Nico’s, the CAB(Carne Asada Burrito), and Rolled Tacos. And it had been years since I’ve eaten here, so I thought I’d give Nico’s a go.

Now I had thought that after attending the "Battle of the ‘Berto’s" that I’d be laying off the Carne Asada Burrito’s for a while…but I guess I was wrong. The interesting thing was….that I really couldn’t recall whether I enjoyed the burrito or not…I’ve had CABs from Nico’s several times, but for some reason I just didn’t remember them.

The Carne Asada Burrito at Nico’s is priced right at $3.50, and it is not the huge monstrousity of a burrito that’s served elsewhere, but I find it to be a perfect size for my usual appetite. The Carne Asada in this burrito was moist, and fairly tender, if a bit short on the flavor end. It was very "generic" in flavor….maybe that’s why it had never registered in my memory banks. The Pico de Gallo had too much under-ripe tomato, and I’m not a fan of the very bland Guacamole, nor the Hot Sauce, which is slightly "picante", but nothing else.

I do remember the other item I usually get at Nico’s….the Rolled Tacos($2.50):

After I had placed my order I remembered how I usually get them…without the cheese and guac, and as I recall, I would take them home and use some other bottled hot sauce. Oh well, these are still much better than those from a very popular, but a bit over-hyped restaurant. The rolled tacos are crunchy, and you can actually taste the filling, chicken in this case, and the proportion of meat to fried tortilla is good. And the meat isn’t the mini-me minced stuff. As a whole, I’m not the biggest fan of rolled tacos, but I don’t mind Nico’s version at all.

On the rolled taco visit, I noticed something written on the greaseboard called a "Conga" Burrito…so I inquired, and was told Carne Asada, Rice, and Enchilada Sauce. Hmmm, I don’t recall seeing that anywhere before. So on a follow-up visit, I decided to order the Conga Burrito($3.75):

I cut the burrito in half, and noticed that there was also beans in this. As I ate it, eight letters came to mind T-A-C-O B-E-L-L…..it did taste like something you’d get from Taco ~~Smell~~ Bell. You could put any type of meat in this, and it would taste the same. Not my cup of tea I guess…….

I’ve heard that the Newport Avenue location of Nico’s is good, but I’ve never been. The prices are quite reasonable, the food arrives fast, and the woman behind the counter is nice and friendly. Note to self…stick with the rolled tacos.

Nico’s Taco Shop
5151 Morena Pl
San Diego, CA 92110

Jiaozi in (mostly) Pictures, and some Housekeeping…..

March 12, 2008 mmm-yoso Cooking

I thought long and hard about posting, or attempting to post, my Mother-In-Laws recipe for Jiaozi….but have failed each time. Being from the city of Qingdao in Shandong Province, Jiaozi is a way of life. Having made these dumplings by hand for Her entire life, there are no measurements, and the dough is done by "feel". She knows when it is "right", making adjustments for temperature and humidity. The filling is done by "nose" something covered in a post by FOY(friend of Yoso), CAB, in a post you can find here. My "nose" has improved over the years, so nowadays I will often make the filling(plus there’s one more hint I’ll reveal at the end), but leave the dough making to my Mother In Law. So I guess you could say, my MIL’s recipe, is no recipe, but a process so deeply rooted, and ingrained, that it is beyond second nature. I often kid the Missus, telling Her that "dough is your destiny", as you can see here She does a pretty good Jiaozi Herself(and there’s even a recipe for the Shrimp and Chive filling someone requested….I forgot that I posted that). The one thing the Missus lacks is the "staying power"….once tired and distracted, Her Jiaozi gets bigger, and bigger, until it is literally bursting at the seams. After making one batch, She announces Her "retirement" from making Jiaozi…this latest retirement has lasted over 2 years!

I attempted to at least capture a few photos three times. The first attempt was a bunch of blurred photos. What you see are combined photos from the second and third attempt. It is hard to keep up……

Note on the dough; my MIL really likes working with High Gluten Flour, but will use All-Purpose Flour. Unlike most Jiaozi recipes, She prefers room temperature water.

One key point on rolling out the wrappers. The edges of the wrappers are thinner than the center. This is done to ensure that the thickness of the wrapper is more even when the dumpling is made.

One quick tip; get a small pot of water going at a low simmer when beginning to roll out the wrappers. You can check the flavor of your Jiaozi by creating a "test dumpling".

So there you have it……how a dumpling "army" is created.

The best part is, I get to choose what kind of Jiaozi I want….3 Treasures perhaps(pork, shrimp, and sea cucumber)?

And maybe a batch of Pork & Dill as well?

Sometimes, life is good! I know some of the readers kid me about being really picky when it comes to Jiaozi….you can see where it comes from, right?

The "Rotation" page:

By request, I’ve redone our "rotation". This time, I made a "Typepad Page" with our rotation. You can find it in the sidebar, under "Pages"…or here. Thanks to Ed and Mizducky for posting and freeing up some time so I could build the page. I’m still thinking about the best way to divide up the restaurants based on location (hang in there Anna!), I hope to get that done soon.

Vampire Tacos: Taqueria El Chipilon

March 10, 2008 ed fromyuma Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

The blog is mmm-yoso!!! Sometimes (like today) Kirk lets one of his friends do an entry at the blog. Today ed from Yuma writes about his cross-border pursuit of the elusive VAMPIRE taco. It really won’t be scary at all – I promise.

Beginning last November, a friend of mine who teaches English as a second language began hearing from his students about vampiras — vampire tacos. He kept regaling me with stories about these mysterious treats, so soon I was driving down to the southern terminus of US Hwy 95 in San Luis (a city of well over 250,000 mostly located in Mexico, but with a smaller Arizona extension) on a mission to locate and sample the elusive vampire taco in its native habitat.

When I describe these tacos as elusive, I am really speaking of my difficulties in locating, tasting, and photographing them. My friend had convinced me that they were objects worthy of pursuit. However, my first two trips to a purported purveyor of bat tacos in San Luis Arizona (Nuevo Asaderos los Jarros) only convinced me that this was an establishment not open during the day – which I suppose is fitting for a place serving tacos vampiras:

When I finally tracked down vampiras in San Luis Mexico, in my excitement I must’ve hit the wrong button on my camera because I mostly ended up shooting a movie of my right knee. Oops! I’m sure it had nothing to do with the Cervezas Pacificos. Then, a nighttime visit to Los Jarros in San Luis Arizona was a great adventure that resulted in some tasty vampire tacos, but few usable pictures.

Finally last weekend, four of us descended into Mexico just to taste and photograph tacos vampiras – and some other goodies – at Taqueria El Chipilon, a huge taqueria (two outside seating areas and one inside) located on Revolucion near 22nd:

As the menu indicates, this taqueria serves a range of different tacos, but at the bottom of the menu lurks the dark shape of the vampiras’ namesake, a vampire bat:

In a matter of minutes, four vampiras arrived at out table – three of them having corn tortillas, the other flour:

At first glance, these tasty treats look much like ordinary carne asada tacos over stuffed with carne. However, a closer inspection shows that the marinated beef pieces lie atop a thin layer of white melted cheese. Also distinctive are the browned scalloped edges of each of the tacos:

A single bite makes instantly clear the difference between these and ordinary tacos. Instead of the soft tenderness of a regular tortilla, these tacos are crunchy.

Since they are filled with carne asada and not blood or bat flesh, why do vampire tacos carry their distinctive and unusual moniker? The answer to this question and the key to a vampira is the preparation of the tortilla. The tortillas are not just warmed, steamed, or deep-fried. Instead they are griddled until they are completely desiccated and charred and have begun to shrivel up, giving them the appearance of a bat’s wing (hey, use some imagination here, help me out) — hence the name vampira:

Sometimes when I describe vampiras, someone will say, "oh, that is just a tostada." And yes, the vampire taco shares the crunchiness of a tostada, but they are not tostadas. First, they have a concave shape, perfect for holding meat and toppings. Second, vampiras do not shatter as one bites into them, so they are intended to be eaten with one’s fingers. Every tostada that I have tried to eat by hand has sent tortilla shards and various toppings cascading down whatever shirt I was wearing, leaving an avalanche of guacamole, sour cream, and frijoles resting in my lap. So very not good. That does not happen with a vampira.

Another tasty feature of El Chipilon that improves the taste of their vampiras is the wheel of condiments served with the tacos:

In addition, grilled chilies and charred scallions along with cucumber and radish slices and an excellent spicy house salsa are also brought to the table:

The first time that I ate a vampira, I left it very plain so that I could savor the lightly marinated tender beef chunks, the mild cheese, and the tortilla. Later, thinking about the experience, I realized that vampire tacos have another distinctive quality. Because of their concave shape and because the crunch of the tortilla is protected by the layer of cheese, one can load up the taco with lots of various goodies. This one, for example, is covered with two kinds of salsa, guacamole, chopped onion, and chopped cilantro; if I wanted to, I could have added even more stuff. Nothing oozed out of either end, and a fiesta of flavors hit my tongue:

One of my fellow culinary adventurers even put some of the grilled green onions on hers.

So some vampires do come out during the day. My flying taco hunt was no wild goose chase. Maybe my karma intended for me to return again and again to seek out and eat these tacos. I hope so; that’d be good karma.

* * * * * * *

Sometimes, disappointments and frustrations can have positive results. In my search for the wonderful and rare vampires of the taco world, I was reminded of the tremendous culinary resource that is San Luis, Sonora, Mexico. Back in the 80s, when I was merely a visitor to Yuma, a trip to San Luis was a part of every visit to the area. And no trip to San Luis was complete without a meal or two at local restaurants. By the time I moved to Yuma, however, the road between here and San Luis seemed to be in constant repair, and the 20 minute drive more often took 35 minutes with detours and stops. At the same time, the overwhelming majority of the local American tourist trade rerouted itself to the convenient tiny border village of Algodones, Baja California. Now, though, the road to San Luis is in good repair, and the return border crossing on foot at San Luis runs about 10 to 15 minutes (compared with over an hour at Algodones). Even more important for me is that San Luis Mexico is really Mexico. It is not overflowing with American tourists, and a walk along Obregon – the main street – exposes one not only to the sights and sounds of a truly foreign city but also to all of the fragrant and enticing smells of al pastor tacos, tortas de lomo, and birria. Large Chinese and mariscos restaurants abound. I will be back. I feel like somebody living in Mira Mesa who just remembered the existence of El Cajon Blvd and University Ave. Yum.

Offshore Tavern & Grill

March 7, 2008 mmm-yoso Burgers, Pubs and Pub Grub

It seems that this strip of Morena Boulevard is undergoing a slow but steady gentrification of sorts. It pretty much started with the addition of Bay Park Fish Company a few years back. Soon enough, the seedy Rosarina’s Pizza, was replaced by High Dive Bar and Grill(a post is upcoming). To complete the tri-fecta, the fire engine red location of Bollweevil, which has since taken it’s blood red colors further up Morena Boulevard to the Bay Ho Shopping Center. As this is being written, KFC is either being renovated or replaced…..

Yes, Off Shore is located right next to Morena Welding……

One day, I decided to grab a bite at Off Shore. I found the interior to have quite a "corporate" feel, which kind of makes sense since Off Shore is owned by MJE Incorporated, who run the Sandbar, and other Bar and Grills in San Diego, and elsewhere.

The bar has a sports bar feel, with plasma televisions mounted everywhere. The patio area is brighter and breezier….with plasma televisions mounted everywhere….

So how’s the view? Well, this is the "offshore view", from the patio at Off Shore:

You can watch the waves….of traffic swimming upstream on Morena Boulevard and the I-5. In spite of the whooshing traffic noise, the vibe is very laid back, as is the staff.

The menu is corporate pub grub, a collection of burgers, wraps, fried items, and items like ceviche and salads marked as "healthy". The prices seemed quite reasonable, and I decided to order the Offshore Burger($6.95). Being, a basic-burger kind of guy, I eschewed the bacon($1), and cheese($1). I was mainly interested in how the burger tasted. I was asked the usual "how would you like the burger cooked". I had doubts that my burger would actually be made, the "medium" that I ordered…still, I gave it a shot. The very nice young lady who took my order, seemed somewhat disturbed that I didn’t want cheese, mayo, mustard, bacon……. But soon enough, my burger arrived, and it looked pretty good:

The burger was nice and moist, but of course, even though the menu says "grilled your way", which would have been a nice slightly charred burger with a rare streak……it was cooked well done. Not grilled to a dry crisp, but still well done. The burger was bland and tasteless, not that I expected anything more for a 7 dollar pub burger. What I did enjoy was the tater tots…now who doesn’t love tater tots? And an added plus…these were Garlic Tater Tots. Now I’d really love some tater tots with enough garlic punch to kill Nosferatu, but I understand that not everyone….or perhaps no one would enjoy that. These were mildly garlicky, with just the right amount of salt, and cooked perfectly.

So, not bad for $6.95, and I enjoyed the Tater Tots. Which was enough ammunition for me to drag the Missus to Off Shore. We took a table on the patio, and soon enough the menus arrived, and we ordered shortly thereafter. The Missus decided on the Grilled Shrimp Wrap with Fries($8.95):

Dry and tasteless, this was not very good at all. The fries are nothing special, nor particularly good.

I ordered that latest darling of the corporate pub-grub menu, "Sliders"(mini-burgers). The Bay Park Sliders with Garlic Tater Tots($7.95):

Boy, talk about a 180 degree turn, the burgers were way too dry, as were the rolls. The garlic tater tots were just as good, or maybe even better than before.

Alas, the Missus is not interested in another visit. Though I may drop by during Happy Hour for some of those Tater Tots(at half price):

We had good service at Off Shore, perhaps a little on the slow side, but our waters, and Iced Tea($2) were constantly refilled. The prices are pretty reasonable, and the place is much less the eye-sore that Bollweevil was. It’ll be interesting to see what else will be happening to Morena Boulevard in the future.

Offshore Tavern & Grill
2253 Morena Blvd
San Diego, CA 92110

Open Daily 11am

Aji Seco

March 5, 2008 mmm-yoso Latin American Cuisine, Peruvian Restaurants

*** Aji Seco has closed and is now Nazca Grill

When I first heard about Aji Seco, I was over-joyed! More Peruvian in San Diego…wonderful! Problem was, I couldn't find the darn place. When FOY(Friend of Yoso) Candice finally gave me some instructions on the location, I was dumbfounded……the restaurant was located practically under my nose:

So of course I headed up to check out Aji Seco…..than headed back up, again, and again, and again, with no luck. It seemed like the place was never open! After having such a great time in Peru, we decided that there would be no better way to spend V-Day, than at a Peruvian Restaurant. So we thought we'd try and see if the place was open…and hit paydirt!

The tiny restaurant was pretty full, and all the clientele looked Peruvian. The first thing I noticed was that Aji Seco, and the neighboring Taco Shop, Nieto's was connected by this large gaping entranceway:

For some reason, the phrase, "like brothers from different Mothers" was silently uttered…. Nieto's and Aji Seco, though not affiliated(at least that is what I was told), and with separate kitchens, was connected by this umbilical doorway, and 2 other things; the Taco Shop's salsa bar is located on the Aji Seco side, while the restrooms are on the Taco Shop side. It was quite interesting to see, Guys in flip-flops and shorts strolling past the tables of the more well attired customers on his way to the salsa bar.

The menu "Del Dia", I was guessing that the menu will differ from day to day, featured a good array of standard Peruvian specialties, ranging from Aji de Gallina to Cebiche de Pescado. The Missus was in heaven…..She saw one of Her favorite dishes, Pescado a lo Macho($11):

When the plate arrived the sauce was cold, so we flagged down the Server, who was very apologetic, the plate was returned a short time later, the problem corrected. The Missus enjoyed the moist, and well seasoned fish. There wasn't much seafood in the cream based sauce, which had less tomato and was less spicy than what I was used to, but the Missus enjoyed it, and thought it well flavored.

Of course, I ordered the Lomo Saltado($10):

This was a solid rendition of what many consider to be Peru's National Dish. The beef was fairly tender, and the ratio of ingredients was excellent. The flavoring was less tangy than some versions I've had, but the flavor was still good. What I didn't care for was the rice, which was very hard.

Overall, not a bad meal…the Missus had considered getting the Cebiche, but thought the weather was just too cold to order it…which of course meant another visit. Before we left, we asked about the hours of operation, and was told, "maybe 5 or 6pm, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and today we're open."

So a few weeks later, we arrived to get the Missus her Cebiche de Pescado($8.50) fix:

The Leche de Tigre(Tiger's Milk – the cebiche marinade) was nice and "picante", lower in citrus, so not as sour. The fish was very fresh, and had a nice "chew". The Missus really enjoyed this, it may just be Her new favorite. The only thing that we weren't pleased with were the Cancha(toasted corn kernels) which were dry, crumbled like sawdust, and tasted like the cheap, mass produced packaged stuff we had in Lima. The camote (sweet potato) had been overcooked, thus making it mushy, and all the flavor had been leached out of it. Still, the Missus really enjoyed the Cebiche!

The Missus also ordered a "small" portion of Aji de Gallina($5.00):

The Missus didn't enjoy this very much. The chicken was stringy, the sauce pasty, the potatoes lacked flavor, and it was just very bland overall.

I ordered Seco de Carne(Beef Stew – $9):

This was excellent, and hit on all cylinders; the beef was stewed to a perfect texture, and the nice meaty flavor came through. The cilantro, and I'm guessing, vegetable based "gravy" was wonderful as well. The Missus kept attacking my plate… I also really enjoyed the Frijoles a la Nortena – the creamy and tasty Canary Beans. The only thing I didn't care for was the rice….again, really hard, and dry.

We finished off the meal with some Lucuma(Egg Fruit) Ice Cream:

We were given a huge bowl of Ice Cream! I thought the ice cream tasted kind of "old" and the Lucuma flavor was very faint. Still, it sure was a generous amount.

The service on both visits, while a bit disorganized, was very friendly and accommodating. It looks like they're still some "kinks" to work out, both food(the side dishes) and service wise, but both the Cebiche and Seco de Carne gave us reason to return. The prices are very reasonable for Peruvian food. I'm sure that things will improve as the restaurant opens with more regular hours. One of the Owners; Carlos Gonzalez, told us that Aji Seco's Grand Opening will be on March 15th! We may just check it out.

Aji Seco
4310 Genesee Ave
San Diego, CA 92117

Why you shouldn’t ask for recipes from relatives in China…….

March 4, 2008 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes, yoso-silly

Years ago, when we were living in Rowland Heights, I loved the Dao Ko Chicken from, of all places the deli case of Hong Kong Market. Wanting to make this, and unable to find any recipes, the Missus asked Her Mom to ask relatives in China for a recipe. And this is what we received. this may be the only time you’ll see me use the word "Authentic" in a post………say hello to an "Authentic" Chinese recipe!

道口烧鸡做法
将鸡宰杀，放在60-70`C热水中烫5分钟去毛挖去内脏将翅膀和鸡嘴插在一起将鸡腿插在鸡肚里，凉干水分后进油锅炸，油温80`C左右炸1-2分钟使鸡颜色变浅黄色，如是小鸡炸前涂上糖色时间要多炸1-2分钟，炸完后
放入煮过鸡的老汤里煮2-4小时煮的其间要翻个，汤要浸过来，盐糖根据口味（如第一次做加水加佐料）
煮鸡用的料（中药房应有卖的）这是每30只鸡的用料量可按比例加减。
陈皮二钱肉桂冠五钱白芷五钱良姜五钱草果一钱半砂仁一钱豆寇一钱丁香半钱毕卜一钱大桂香二钱莳梦子二钱做成料袋。盐度18-21`糖度21-24`（化学方面）

50克=1两 1两=10钱 1钱=5克

Just for your entertainment, it starts out with "kill the chicken", "put into hot water for 5 minutes", "get rid of the feathers and innards….", "fold the wings and beak together, fold the legs into the stomach"…. you get the picture. I guess this assumes you’re able to "catch the chicken in the first place." It even goes into "degrees of salinity", which is what happens when you ask Chemists for a recipe…… I love my In-Laws dearly, they know I enjoy Dao Ko Chicken so much, that they went through the effort to hunt down the Missus’s "Uncle in Law" for the recipe.

We actually tried making this……step by step, shopping for all the strange herbs, making a dark medicinal broth which created a potent toxic cloud(good thing we were still renting at the time)….and then the Missus read the part about the recipe being for 30 chickens!

All to create the elusive Dao Ko Chicken I love so much……anyone have a recipe, where I don’t have to "kill the chicken"? To add insult to injury, shortly after we tried making this, Hong Kong Market discontinued their cold deli. And though we’ve had other versions of the chicken, they were never quite as good. But of course, there’s always a "silver lining", the Missus was taking a creative writing course, and wrote an essay about this debacle…..and got an "A" for her class! I never got the chicken though……

Stat tuned for more restaurants tomorrow!

Babylon Cafe

March 3, 2008 mmm-yoso Greek Food, Mediterranean Restaurants

*** Babylon Cafe has closed.

Got home late tonight, so just a quick post…….

When I saw the sign for Babylon Cafe on one of my trips to Ba Ren, I was intrigued.

Just what would be served at this little restaurant. I was pretty sure it would be Middle Eastern, but just what, exactly….would it be Babylonian-Assyrian inspired food? So a few months ago, I decided to check it out.

As I walked up to the door the Kronos Gyros poster gave it away. Babylon Cafe, was a neighborhood Kabob Shop. The menu a simple mix of the standards: Gyros, Kabobs, Greek Salads, and the like.

Trying to hide my slight disappointment, I quickly took in the positives, the restaurant was well lit, clean, and the folks very nice. The prices, especially for the "sandwiches" weren't bad at all….all under 5 bucks. Unfortunately, there was no lamb on the menu…..

So I just decided to have the Beef Gyros Sandwich($4.59):

The meat was cut fresh from the spit, and was moist, the amount was on the generous side. I'm thinking that this is decent pre-fab Kronos meat. Some tomato and onion finished up the sandwich, and no lettuce filler. The pita was nice and warm.

One thing I didn't care for was the Tzatziki, it is runny, and lacks flavor. Hummus, which was on the pasty-bland side, and even more pita was provided to complete the meal.

This is pretty much the equivalent to "casual-fast" food, think Daphne's. The Gyros Sandwich is easily worth the $4.59, and provides some variety in the area. As mentioned earlier, the folks running the place seemed very nice, and I think they are related to the folks running the liquor store next door. Entrees run from $8.59-$10.99, Sandwiches $4.59-$4.99, salads come in 2 sizes, small($3.99 – $5.59 for a chicken salad), and large ($5.99 -$7.59). Probably not worth going out of your way for, but if you're in the area and need something quick and cheap, that's not chain fast food, or a taco shop…….

Babylon Cafe
4937 Diane Ave
San Diego, CA 92117

Pho Hoa

March 2, 2008 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

It has been a fairly "schizoid" winter, temperature close to 80 and sunny one day, cloudy, cool, with sprinkles the next…..and forget about following the weather reports. Storms that should arrive in 3 days, arrive in 2, upon hearing sunny, you automatically pack your umbrella. And what to do about conflicting reports, one website says sunny and high 60’s, the other says cloudy with showers, temps in the high 50’s? The Missus simply told me; "sigh…you’re so glass half empty! I just believe the report that looks better." Okey, so following the Missus’s lead, I wore short sleeves to work for the first time since mid-November. I think I can stop right here….you know what happened to the "glass half-full", it became totally filled with freezing rain. Man, I just needed a bowl of Pho……

I hadn’t been to Pho Hoa in over 4 years, so I decided check them out. Now first off, just to be clear, this is not a "retread" post(coined by an FOY, who once wrote me, "when are you going to do posts of your retreads….." I think He meant revisits, but I’ve used the term retreads once in a while), this is Pho Hoa on El Cajon Boulevard, not to be confused with Pho Hoa Hiep, or Pho Hoa Huong, whose sign reads just Pho Hoa(confused enough?) both in Linda Vista. So I hope that clarifies things……

As you can see….just plain Pho Hoa! And you can’t miss the sign…all they need is a slogan, "Pho Hoa where Happy Cows ~~Eat~~ Are Eaten!" Or something like that.

The years haven’t been kind to this well respected Pho establishment, the cafeteria-like interior is starting to look very seedy. And for some reason, I feel that the ceilings of the place are closing in on me. For once I feel somewhat satisfied being "vertically challenged".

Lest you be mistaken that Pho Hoa has mellowed over the years, let me tell you right now. Pho Hoa still runs like a highly oiled machine; you are seated, a menu dealt to you, like you are playing a game of Texas Hold ’em, the Waiter stands at attention, pencil at the ready….."menus, you don’t need no stinkin’ menus!" You frantically point out what you want, it’s better to do this right now, otherwise you’ll end up ordering a bowl of "Fo". Any request for more time is met with a disapproving look, and the possibility of not seeing your waiter for quite a while. In contrast, I’ve found the Young Man who runs the register to be very pleasant.

Soon enough, the garnishes arrive:

Not very generous, but ok…..though the Ngo Gai(Saw leaf herb) looks like it’s trying to escape!

I ordered the Rare Steak, Tendon(of course), Brisket(double of course), and tripe – extra large($6.25) since I was extra cold, and slightly wet….

The broth is darker and mildly rich, with a mild beefy punch, and hints of anise and clove. It runs on the salty side(MSG?). The rare steak is okay, slightly tough, but okay, the tendon is soft, not the wonderful, almost buttery tendon that I enjoy in my Pho, but close enough. The brisket is slightly chewy, but has a nice beef flavor.

The noodles were in the usual clump, and a bit on the soft and mushy side.

Overall, this was a nice remedy for the weather.

Just as a quick entry on how Pho can vary from visit to visit…….I dropped by a few weeks later and got a bowl of the Dac Biet (special – large – $5.85).

This time the broth was not quite as dark, and not as salty…and that beautiful piece of tendon that graced the bowl! Unfortunately, the rare steak(Tai) tasted "off", metallic, and kind of rancid…so I pulled them out. The rest of the bowl was fine, and this time the noodles were not too soft. I should have got the rare steak on the side…….

Service here is usually fast and efficient, and the "guys" are a bit less stoic than I remembered. Not bad, I’d gladly eat here again, though I’ll dance cautiously around that rare steak, though I think it was a "fluke".

Pho Hoa Restaurant
4717 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115

Cleaning the Cupboard Bean Salad

March 1, 2008 mmm-yoso Recipes

Is it March already? Man, that was quick…..even with the flaky weather, it's getting to be the time of the year, when we start up our "spring cleaning". It's a good thing that we aren't charged interest on shortfalls during previous spring cleanings! We'd be cleaning for the rest of the year.

One of the items is to clean out the canned goods in our cupboard….decided what to do with all these…beans….well, we had to think of something. This is what we came out with….it's a bit more "pungent" than the usual 3 Bean Salad, so be warned. I know, it's a lot of canned goods, but we rotate this stuff out of our disaster kit….quick show of hands, how many of you keep Spam®, or some other "necessity" in your disaster kit?

Cleaning the Cupboard Bean Salad

1 Can string beans, drained
1 Can chick peas, rinsed and drained
1 Can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 Can sweet corn, drained
1 Can Black Beans, drained
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Tb dry oregano
1 large red onion, sliced
1/2 Chopped Jicama
Salt and pepper
Crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 Cup Extra Virgin olive oil
1 Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup red wine vinegar

Mix together canned items and Jicama in a large bowl.
Add garlic, oregano, onion.
Add salt and black pepper to taste.
Whisk together olive oil,lemon zest and juice, and vinegar, and combine with salad ingredients.
Let sit for 1/2 an hour, taste add crushed red pepper, and adjust other flavors, and mix well.
Chill for at least 1 hour and serve.

A quick drive through the old "neighborhood."

I had to drive on up to City of Industry for an appointment this morning. Arriving early, I decided to just drive around a bit, and noticed a few changes. These places might have been around for a while, but I didn't notice them until today.

An interesting thing has happened to Rowland Heights/Hacienda Heights over the last…hold on, I almost said "few", but it has been 7 years since we moved to San Diego…. Many American "chains" have moved out of the neighborhood, and replaced with Asian businesses. Case in point, the Von's Supermarket has been replaced by SF (Shun Fat) Supermarket. Here are a few more….

Can you tell me what this Pho' Restaurant on the corner of Otterbein and Colima Road:

Yes, it was a Taco Bell! Hmmm, I wonder if the drive-thru is still in use? Drive thru Pho….just make sure you don't drop it into your lap! At the least, I know what the "numbers" in the name of this restaurant signify…it's Pho 2007!

Can you guess what this one was?

This one was a combination KFC – Taco Bell(Taco ~~Smell~~ Bell's aren't doing too well in the area, are they?) in the same area as Hong Kong Plaza. It's now a HK-style Cafe(at least that's what I've been told) called Boston Kitchen.

Why Boston Kitchen? Maybe someone will let me know……

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!