July 2009 – Page 2

ABCDE – Panda Country Restaurant

July 20, 2009 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Chinese Restaurants

**** Panda Country has closed

About two years ago, I remember sitting and having some sushi. During the meal, I struck up a conversation with a quiet, somewhat serious, intense young man. And of course, eventually the subject of food came up. As we spoke about Chinese Restaurants in San Diego, the young man asked me, "do you know the best Chinese Restaurant in San Diego?" Now I had this guy pegged as an "ABC" (American Born Chinese), so I immediately offered up places like China Max, Jasmine, Emerald, and Golden City. The young man gave me this strange look, and I suddenly felt like a spaz who meant to scratch his eye but ended up with his finger halfway up his nostril….. "It's Panda Country." Is what he said with total conviction. Not placing the restaurant, and wondering if I've somehow overlooked some hidden treasure, I replied "Panda Country?" "Yes Panda Country, and I should know….." And then the inevitable happened, he uttered the phrase that always makes me shake my head, "because I'm Chinese." And to up the ante, he followed up with, "and I'm from New York, and WE know good food.…" Ah yes, the double whammy, "genetics and geography", I suddenly felt like I was reading a review from that "four lettered" website, full of "I know good xxxx food because I'm (fill in the blank race)." And yet, I still couldn't place Panda Country, until I was making the left turn on Genesee at Clairemont Mesa Boulevard……geeez, Panda Country, I've passed this place thousands of times. The place looked like a typical "ABCDE" ("American Born Chinese Dining Establishment" – pronounced Ab-cee-dee).

Nothing against ABCDEs, in fact I was raised eating at places called Kwok's Chop Suey, McCully Chop Suey, Hee-Hing, and Kapahulu Chop Suey. Eating stuff like Cold Ginger Chicken, Oyster Sauce Chicken, Sweet Sour Spareribs, Almond Duck, Kau Yuk, and Lemon Chicken. Not having much in the way of money growing up, meals from these places marked special occasions. And though I'm not a fan of most of what is served in San Diego at places with names like, "New Eastern Panda Dragon Pearl Garden House Cuisine", many ABCDEs serve good solid fare. And yet, for some reason I couldn't bring myself to enter through the doors of Panda Country for two years.

And of course, I waited until an evening when the Missus was tied up, and not available for dinner.

The fairly dark interior of Panda Country looked like your typical time-warp 70's Chinese Restaurant. The theme was….well Panda's of course.

While waiting for my order, watching folks come in to eat, and pick-up take-out orders, I could make out a typical customer profile. I don't want to sound to age discriminant so I'm only going to say, that there was a lot of blue hair, walkers, and canes. On the good side, I felt like a spring chicken!

And though the carvings looked more like some exotic rodent than a Panda, I really dug the chairs!!!

While waiting for my order, between serving and seating customers, I had a nice conversation with the Server who is from "Canton"……no not Ohio, but the city now known as Guangzhou. He was really nice and friendly. I was told that Panda Country has been around longer than he has, which probably put the place at around thirty years or so. When I asked where the Chef was from, I was told Hong Kong. I quickly brightened and said, "the chef trained in Hong Kong?" To which he replied; "no, the chef is from Hong Kong……" Still I really liked this Guy, and the place was fairly hopping when I left.

Somehow I had remembered what I was told to order here, and even ordered a few more for good measure.

Being a big chicken wing fan, I started with some Fried Chicken Wings ($5.50):

These weren't bad if a bit short on seasoning. Not something I'd order again, but not bad.

One of the items recommended was the "Crispy Beef" ($10.25):

The was more like "candied beef", man was it sweet. It truly hurt my teeth. I was warned about this dish being spicy, which it wasn't. I'm sure if you had eaten this at the restaurant, there would have been a bit more "crunch" to it. The beef was one the chewy side, which is perfectly fine with dishes like this.

The House Special Chicken ($10.25):

If I could rename this dish, I'd call it "General Tso Slept Here" as it resembled versions of the dish known as General Tso's Chicken. In case you're wondering about the story of that dish, you can read Fuchsia Dunlop's version either in her Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook, or read Her article from NPR here. The batter on this was pretty good, it held it's crunch on the trip home. The flavor, for such a robust looking dish was bland.

I also ordered the Shrimp in Black Bean Sauce ($11.95):

This was the best dish overall. I could have done without the frozen peas, and prefer green bell peppers and onions to the zucchini, but this was not bad. Good amount of shrimp, a tad over-cooked, but acceptable. Decent amount of black bean and garlic as well. I think that Mandarin Canton and Mandarin make better versions of this dish. The texture of the sauce wasn't overly gluey and gooey which was also a plus.

OK, before I get a ton of poison pen letters telling me I'm a Chinese Food snob, blah, blah, blah…..do me a favor, and think of something they do really well at Panda Country. And maybe, just maybe, I'll pay them another visit. Maybe not….

Panda Country
4455 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

And the next time the best reason someone can come up with regarding food is their race……think twice.

Roadtrip: 818 Shao Kao aka JN Kitchen – San Gabriel (Los Angeles)

July 19, 2009 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Road Trip

**** JN Kitchen has closed

We've passed the JN Kitchen sign on Valley Boulevard many times during our roadtrips to the San Gabriel area. A while back, we noticed that the place had changed hands, and though the JN Kitchen English name had been kept. In Chinese it said 818 "Shao Kao" which means BBQ. We were finally able to pay a visit on a recent trip.

The shop itself is tiny, with just a couple of two-tops, and one modified four-top (two tables placed together). The walls are lines with the usual paper strips of various offerings written in Chinese. The place screams "snack shop", and with good reason, we found that the folks running things in this little shop are from Tianjin, a region which is known for their snacks.

The menu is a small two sided laminated placard.

The Missus and I immediately saw items we were interested in, though the Missus had to do all the ordering since the nice lady waiting on us did not speak a word of English.

I knew I wanted the Guo Ba Soup ($3.50). I loved the version at the now gone Mei Jia Deli, even though we were dissuaded from ordering it.

For $3.50 we didn't expect much, but this was a pretty hefty bowl of "gravy" topped with slices of "Guo Ba" in this case the crepe portion of the Jiang Bing made from a batter using mung bean and millet flour. For some reason, I really enjoy the sour, fermented flavor of the thick, sickly pinkish-brown broth. This version wasn't as salty as what I've had before which made it even more enjoyable.

It is simple, but substantial fare, as the Guo Ba is pretty heavy and will stay with you for a while. Still, I could have this for breakfast quite often. The thick broth was extremely hot, and stayed that way until we finished the bowl.

Of course the Missus, still full of nostalgia, had to order the Jian Bing Guo Zi. This was a bit of an odd looking Jian Bing:

Instead of being round, and looking sort of burrito like, this was flat.

The odd shape was because of the fried cracker like item which occupied the middle of the Jian Bing, instead of the usual You Tiao (fried cruller). To the Missus, in search of the Jian Bing of Her youth, this made this all wrong.

As did the strange spiciness from the chili paste in the Jian Bing. This was just not very good.

Of course any meal here would not be complete without a few items on sticks. The Missus ordered the Chou Dofu (stinky-tofu – $1.20):

I was downwind when this hit the table, and it was fairly smelly, perhaps not in the "musty, rotten sewage like smell that comes from a dark, damp place" league of Dynasty Plaza or Shau Mei, but it was pretty stink. The Missus, upwind when the plate hit the table wasn't impressed, until a wind shift got Her attention. She declared this ok, but lamented the use of sweet chili sauce instead of the appropriate sauce.

We also ordered a few skewers, 2 Lamb ($1.20/ea), 1 lamb chop ($2.50), and 1 Chicken Gizzard ($1.20):

These weren't really that good, more salty than anything. The meat was tough. I thought the gizzards, and the lamb chop, which had a freezer burnt taste, and was so tough that I felt I was chewing on freezer-burnt flavor gum, was the worst. Extra cumin was provided on the side but was of little or no help.

The lamb flavor was also very mild. Not very good in our opinion.

Still, I'll gladly come back for the Guo Ba Cai…….

818 Shaokao/ JN Kitchen
818 E Valley Boulevard
San Gabriel, CA 91776
Open 10am – 10pm Daily

Saturday Stuffs

July 18, 2009 mmm-yoso Markets & Grocers, Peruvian Restaurants, yoso-silly

Just a few items for a pretty warm Saturday.

Nazca Grill:

Signs have gone up in the old Aji Seco/Nieto's Taco Shop location on Genesee. Looks like this will be a Peruvian restaurant called Nazca Grill.

Sounds good to me!!!

Costco Stuff:

I try not to spend very much, if any time in Costco, because of the crowds. My mission is to time things right, and get in and out ASAP. But on a recent visit, I took some time to look around and was rather surprised at finding a few interesting items.

As I navigated my way into the produce section….one does not stroll in Costco, what one does is push a cart the size of an aircraft carrier, dodging other massive shopping carts or six wheelers, and hope for the best. I've always hoped that traffic lights and turn signals will become standard equipment in Costco, but I don't think that'll be happening in my lifetime. To be honest, Costco is invaluable for stocking up on those necessities, I can always get a pack of toilet tissue that would make my late, TP hording Mom proud. The one thing with Costco is not just buying stuff you'll never use, or don't need, but buying said items in bulk! Luckily, my phobia of ravenous crowds trying to sample stuff in little cups, and crazy folks at the helm of shopping carts (it's a "Long's" story) keeps me away unless we need something. So of course, browsing at Costco cost me a few bucks more, but I was satisfied with what I purchased.

I was surprised to find Donut/Saturn Peaches.

The Missus grew up eating these in China, and She really loves these fragrant, and sweet peaches. I was shocked to see them in Costco, as until a few years ago they were usually only found in Asian Markets. These were huge, and fragrant, though not as sweet. Pretty cheap too, 2 pounds for $3.49.

I was also lured into buying a package of cedar smoking planks. Because of the amount of grilling we've been doing in the last few weeks, I thought I'd try these out. There were 6 thin planks in the package.

I wanted to take these for a test run, so decided to use some shrimp I had in the freezer.

I soaked the boards for about an hour, marinaded the shrimp in Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Garlic, and Salt, for about 15 minutes, lines up on the board, and placed it on the grill at the end of my grilling session (like I said, I want to milk every single bit of heat from my charcoal), and placed the lid on my Weber.

I think twelve minutes was a bit too long for the shrimp, but the flavor was excellent. The Missus loved the smokiness. So maybe this was worth it.

Costco always finds new ways to separate me from my money……

Some interesting links:

I remember reading this a couple of weeks ago, and for some reason I couldn't help but laugh.

This one is not about food, but I found it funny as well!

I hope you're all enjoying your weekend!

Turo Turo Thursday: Ed’s Filipino Take-out

July 16, 2009 mmm-yoso Filipino Restaurants

**** Ed's has closed

A bit under the weather this evening, so I'll keep this one short. Last Thursday it was Olga's in Linda Vista, this week it's a small turo-turo shop in Rolando, on Rolando Boulevard a few steps from University.

I actually first ate here in the late 90's when doing some consulting work in San Diego. I last ate here a bit after 2001, just a bit after moving to San Diego. At that time it was known as Leah's Filipino Food and made some decent Filipino eats. I had heard that "Leah" passed on in 2003, but one of Leah's relatives kept the business going.

So here I was almost eight years later, wondering what ever happened to……… An as I made the turn on Rolando Boulevard, was "Ed's Filipino Take-out", looking pretty much like Leah's. Leah's lettering still resides on the window, as if a memorial to Her. I don't recall the place only being open from Tuesday to Friday, but it is now. The interior looks a bit worn, with no tables, well, there's one sort of table that looks like doubles for a desk. Six items on the steam table, and other stuff can be cooked/heated on request. The gentleman (Ed?) was very nice, and when I ordered my two plus rice ($5.14), he asked me if I wanted the Adobo Sauce on my rice. Now that was a nice touch, which just goes to show the heart of this little shop. I chose Picadillo and Pork Adobo as my mains.

I found the Pork Adobo to be dry, a bit tough, and on the bland side.

The Picadillo was pretty good though. Filipino Picadillo is a ground beef and gravy/broth style dish, kind of homey, the stuff like mom used to make.

Not quite up to National City/Chula Vista/Mira Mesa standards, but hey, it was just a bit over five bucks. So in case you just need a "fix", and can't make it to any of those places………….

Ed's Filipino Take-Out Food
4204 Rolando Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115
(619) 582-0013

Yes, I know it's hard to compare it to stuff like this:

So let's not. I still haven't been able to finish off a plate from Tita's in one sitting……..

Tao Vietnamese and Japanese Cuisine – A first look

July 15, 2009 mmm-yoso Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Japanese Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants

Among the emails I received early this week was one that started "Hey yoso-Dude….." Dude??? Well, I'll take that over other four letter words that I've been called or other various utterances starting with the letter 'D', often ending in "bag' or a word commonly used to describe any animal of the genus Equus…….

Anyway, this email went on to tell me that he really enjoys Dao Son, and first heard about the place through one of our posts. To return the favor, he thought he'd let me know that on his last visit to Dao Son he was told that they opened a new, more upscale restaurant on Adams Avenue called Tao. Tao also made their own tofu in-house…..we were so there!

After scouting about for a bit I found some parking, and we walked over a half block, and entered the world of Tao.

The interior is nicely adorned without going over the top. The menu is a mixture of Japanese, Vietnamese, and fusion dishes. We noticed a few familiar "Dao Son" items. We also noted that the prices reflected the upgrade in decor being about $2 more than Dao Son.

As with Dao Son, we steered clear of the straight Japanese and Vietnamese dishes. We were disappointed to find the Fried Catfish with Eggplant not on the menu, but pleased to see the Red Chicken. The offerings seem on the lighter side, with fewer fried dishes.

After placing our order, we were brought a free "salad", a nice touch.

This was more of a "herb salad" and will wake up taste buds if you aren't familiar with the flavors of Rau Ram(Vietnamese Cilantro), Ngo Om (Rice Paddy Herb – you'll swear there's cumin in the salad), Tiet To (Perilla), and I swear there was Diep Ca in this as well. It also featured a few small cubes of the handmade tofu, which was of the firm variety, and mildly "beany" in flavor.

Wanting to check out the homemade tofu, I ordered the Handmade Tofu with Oyster Mushrooms in sizzling Basil Black Bean Sauce ($12.95). Can you tell that Tao is really into oversized plates? The plates took up large real estate on the tables. Also, the pinwheel arrangement was a far cry from Dao Son.

I enjoyed the whole cloves of garlic, and the rice, a half red and jasmine rice was a nice touch, even though the rice wasn't particularly fragrant. The oyster mushrooms were ok, but nothing special. The tofu was too mild for this dish. For me good home made tofu should go off on one of two tangents. The first would be a wonderful silken tofu, that would be textural heaven. The second would be a firmer tofu that would have a pronounced "soy-beany" flavor. This had neither, and though the sauce, which tasted like basic black bean sauce, wasn't too salty, the tofu was lost in the sauce. For my taste, the tofu would be better served in dishes like the salad as it is very mild. This was not bad, but not outstanding.

The Missus, wanting to compare with Dao Son, ordered the Tasty Red Chicken($8.28):

I enjoyed this much more than the Missus. At Dao Son, the Red Chicken is sometimes served with strips of white meat chicken which can be dry as heck. These were wok seared dark meat chicken which I enjoyed. The "red sauce" here is more like a glaze than a sauce, and seems to be missing something. The heat is provided by dollops of Sriracha-like hot sauce, which tasted out of place. As you can tell, the Missus and I had switched plates. I think we'll have to go back to Dao Son soon to refresh our taste memory with regards to this dish.

The young lady serving us instantly charmed us when she smiled and told us, "I'm sorry in advance, I've just started working here….." She did a good job, and in fact was a bit over-attentive but I'm sure she'll do well. It didn't hurt that she brought us some free "dessert" while we waited for our check.

Overall, we enjoyed the experience, and we'll return to Tao in a few months. As you can tell, the decor is much more refined than the "divey" Dao Son. The folks are very nice, and the menu large. Parking can be a pain. We're glad that Dao Son has done so well, that the "Hot Chef" could open up a place like Tao. Open less than a week at the time of this meal, I think they did pretty well.

Tao
3332 Adams Ave
San Diego, CA 92116

Lunch: Mon -Fri 11am – 2pm
Dinner: Daily 5pm – 10pm
619-281-6888

As for the FOY who emailed me, when I wrote that I'd like to mention him in my post, he requested anonymity. So let's just call him 'Mr X'! So, thanks Mr X!

Copan Ruinas, Honduras: Churrasqueria Momo’s

July 14, 2009 mmm-yoso Honduran Food, Honduras, Travel

There would be no birds singing "ooo-wee" on this Antigua morning, as we woke at 4am for our 5am shuttle to the town of Copan Ruinas in Honduras. Seven hours later we arrived. Dropped off on a side street, and walking to the inevitable Parque Central, we were both overcome with the heat (though not nearly as hot as Cambodia), and charmed by this little town of seven thousand. Yes, tourism is big business here, and hotels line the streets in every direction from Parque Central.

But it's the locals that add color. At Parque Central, you see tourists milling with the local "cowboys" making for an entertaining, and somewhat surreal experience.

Our first mission upon arriving was finding a place to sleep, which was accomplished quickly. The second was getting some Lempiras, Honduran currency. We entered one of the banks across the street from Parque Central….and to our surprise, we found that they didn't change Quetzales (Guatemalan currency) for Lempiras! In fact, only one location in Copan "legally" made these exchanges. But luckily, as we've found in our travels, everyone will most willingly exchange dollars. One bonus was that the bank always seemed to have its A/C turned to "freeze". In the future, when it was getting a bit too hot, we'd often head off to the bank to exchange cash, and cool off. While I was in line, the Missus walked on over to the three guards, each of them armed with shotguns, and started a conversation of sorts. By now She had the rule of decent eats down….all the police officers and security guards know where to grab decent eats. By the time I stuffed the wad of Lempiras in my pocket, the exchange rate was somewhere about 18.5 Lempiras to a dollar, the Missus had gotten a name and directions to our lunch spot.

A place called "Momo's". As we arrived, it turned out that Momo's was a Churrasqueria, basically a steakhouse.

The seating was "al fresco" on a covered porch like area. And the very nice…and patient young man who served us was a joy. We undoubtedly amused him……..

The place was empty, and we sat near the rear of the porch area. It looked like the family lived in the huts at the back of the restaurant, and there were tropical birds in cages enjoying the shade.

The menu at Momo's is mostly comprised of Desayunos (breakfast items), Churrascos (grilled meats), Pinchos (Kabobs), and Parrilladas (combination plates).

After looking over the menu, I went with the Puyazo, a basic grilled beef. (145 Lps – $6.50):

Looking at the meat, I thought it was going to be rather tough, but I was pleasantly surprised. The meat was tender, with great flavor, undoubtedly grass fed. The meat had been seasoned with salt, oregano, and other herbs. The Missus had a taste and declared it delicious. My meal came with the usual sides, and tons of tortillas.

The Missus started with a Licuados(think smoothie). And when She requested a "mixto" of Sandia and Pina, they gladly made it.

Now the Missus wasn't too hungry, and decided to order something "small". Thinking that it would be somthing light, She went with the Honduran calorie bomb called a Baleadas. She ordered the Baleadas con Frijoles, Queso, y Crema, thinking that the non-meat version would be fairly small.

This was as wide as Her forearm. Baleadas are similar to quesadillas, and is a typical breakfast dish. This one was 15Lps – less than two bucks.

We found that huge breakfasts are the norm here. I saw a young man eating a humongous plate of food….the Desayunos con carne. Check out what was on the plate:

I'm glad that I had a pretty hefty lunch….the Missus had one of Her typical "death marches" in store for me after lunch!

Apparently, the Missus had enjoyed this meal. On our last night in Copan Ruinas, the Missus choseMomo's. So we found ourselves back, with the same nice young man serving us.

The Missus again started with Her Licuados….the young man had remembered us (who could forget), and asked Her, "mixto?" Which is what She got…..

The Missus decided on the Filete Mignon (150 Lps – $8.50):

It wasn't much to look at, and the Papas Fritas (french fries) were and after-thought, but it had decent flavor.

I went with the Churrasco Jalapeno (130 Lps – $6):

This large piece of skirt was smothered in a cheese-cream sauce. There was a whole roasted jalapeno pepper partially hidden in the sauce. Though I enjoyed the Puyazo better, this sure wasn't short on flavor. Of course, there were tortillas provided.

I had thought an order of Plantano Frito (Fried Plantains) would make a nice pseudo-dessert.

For the life of us, we could not figure out what the queso (cheese) and frijoles(beans) were for. I tried eating the sweet plantanos with the queso and frijoles and didn't find that a pleasant experience.

Overall, we enjoyed our meals at Momo's. It also gave us a clue as to how substantial meals are. It is not cheap by Honduran standards. We saw the young man one evening when headed back to our hotel, he gave us a shy smile and a wave. We were enjoying our time in Copan Ruinas……

Pho Hiep & Grill- someplace else in the same neighborhood.

July 13, 2009 Cathy Vietnamese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog- a diary of what Kirk. ed (from Yuma), Cathy and a few others eat. We don't "review", we merely describe. Sometimes without a thesaurus.

Hi. Since I saw Kirk just posted about durian fro-yo from Flavaful, I thought I could just finish up talking about eating at the the only place on that corner of town (Linda Vista and Ulric 92111) that we from this little blog have not talked about in the last 12 months.

Yes, Kirk did blog about it a few years ago , when it was called Pho Hoa Hiep, so it's about time for an update anyhow. Pho (Hoa) Hiep (& Grill) has been here since 1991.

It is across from the landromat just around the corner from Flavaful Yogurt , which is next to Thuan Phat, which is next to Yum Cha Cafe, just across the parking lot from Pho Hoa Huong, which is next to LV Sandwiches across the street from Olga's Food Place, which is just across the other street from Sab-E-Lee. {OK, I skipped the taco shop on the other corner, and I can go there and eat again, soon, with my camera this time and let you know about it.}

The reason The Mister and I like this place is because they never skimp on add ins for pho. There are always two pieces of "sawtooth" for beef soups, plenty of bean sprouts, basil, jalapeno and usually a half of a lime (or lemon, depending on the timeof year) to squeeze in.

I have always enjoyed the deep anise flavored, rich, broth here and the fresh cilantro and non-mushy/non-"clump" of noodles served. This is pho tai (rare sliced beef) and it is $5.50 for a small and $6.35 for large.

As an aside, Pho Hiep is the very first place I ever had pho and The Mister and I clearly remember when we first ordered, many, many years ago, pointing to what we thought we wanted (Dac Biet) and our waitress (yes this is one of very very few pho restaurants where women take your order) told us, quite clearly "You no want that" and then directed us to what we apparently did want…

On one recent visit, I got the #52 Bun Thit Nuong Cha Gio ($6.95) Char-Broiled pork and spring rolls on top of chilled rice vermicelli on top of a shredded salad which includes lettuces and mint. This pretty much is my "to go" Vietnamese dish in the summer. Except the other day, I went all wild and crazy and got #57-

Bun Bo Nuong Cha Ngo- Also $6.95 and grilled beef instead of grilled pork. I like the flavor of the grilled pork a bit more than the grilled beef, though. But both are good.

The Mister ordered #63 – Bun Mang Vit (small- $5.95) (large is $6.95)- young bamboo and duck meat soup. Another wonderfully flavorful rich broth, not too oily, and served with

The traditional toppings for duck ,which include cabbage and lettuce, as well as the bean sprouts, jalapeno and lime. The young bamboo is tasty with a good texture and the duck meat is plentiful and flavorful. We were lucky enough to get the liver in the soup today.

Since it was a *hot* day, we each got our own fresh made lemonade ($2.35 each). The one on the right is Da Chanh- regular lemonade-fresh squeezed and the sugar was dissolved with warm water. The one on the left, Soda Chanh, is fresh squeezed with club soda added. You can see the sugar still on the bottom of the glass, needing to be mixed in because it was not dissolved. Much sweeter.

Now you pretty much have our take on all the places to eat at that intersection, where there is, unusually, a good parking situation.

Pho Hiep & Grill 6947 Linda Vista Road, #H San Diego 92111 website (the site only has the Chula Vista menu listed- prices at this Linda Vista location are less; I have a paper copy and can scan it for you)

Happy Birthday to my brother! Happy Bastille Day to all of my friends who celebrate!

More Grilling – Revised Kalbi Recipe & Ono Kiawe Charcoal

July 12, 2009 mmm-yoso Cooking, Local Kine Stuffs in San Diego, Recipes

Was it hot enough for you today? Sheesh…… Of course, the Missus decided that She wanted some grilling done this weekend, so why not?

I originally posted a Kalbi recipe over four years ago, and the recipe has changed a bit since then, so I thought I'd post an update. Since we often use our posts as references, I hope that you don't mind if I do this post. We'll be back with another restaurant tomorrow.

You'll notice that these aren't the usual crosscut short ribs that you see in most places. Nowadays, if I'm going to put out the effort ot make Kalbi, I'll always go for the thick cut ribs, and slice them myself. I can go anywhere and get cheapo "LA Kalbi" which is what they call the perpendicular cross-cut ribs. So I'll always go with good quality thick cut ribs.

You can see how I cut these in this post, though I've gotten a bit better at it.

I've also noticed that higher grade ribs are saved for the thick cut ribs at Zion Market. These were really good, perhaps even good enough for Saeng Kalbi (unmarinated ribs).

Another standard when it comes to making the sauce I use is "Mulyeot" – Malt Syrup. Along with adding a nice sheen to the ribs, it adds a more interesting flavor, and is not as sweet. If you have time search out a Barley Malt Syrup, it has better flavor. I was dodging shopping carts and crowds at Zion Market and was in a rush when I bought this. I also tend to add some fruit, usually Asian Pear to my marinade, but in this case settled for some Kiwi. I've stopped using papaya, not because it's not effective, but because it works a bit too well, and can turn your meat to mush. Be aware that my Kalbi is not on the sweet side, so you may want to adjust the sugar level. You may also want to cut the amount in half for smaller quantities. Remember to taste your marinade. Also, the sesame oil is optional, sometimes I use it, sometimes not. I've pared down my recipe over the last couple of years, of course I kinda like things simple…….

Kalbi Marinade

Marinade – enough for 4-5 pounds of ribs
1 Cup Soy Sauce
3/4 Cup Sugar
1/3 Cup Malt Syrup
1/4 Cup Rice Wine – I used Sake
4 Cloves of Garlic
4 Stalks Green Onion
1 Kiwi or 1/3 Asian Pear
1-2 Tb Sesame Oil

– Roughly chop garlic, fruit, and green onion and place in a blender.
– Add soy sauce, sugar, and malt syrup and blend.
– Add rice wine and sesame oil, and briefly blend.
– Taste and adjust flavor.
– Marinade ribs at least 6 hours, but no more than 16.

The Missus' grilled mushroom of the day was Eryngii (King Mushrooms). Simply seasoned with sea salt and olive oil, thse were really good. I chose mushrooms that weren't too large, large one's might be attractive, but for grilling I've found them tough and dry.

Ono Kiawe Charcoal.

While just taking a quick look at Barbeques Galore…..where I just like to kinda look around, but had never bought anything, I saw this bag:

Wow, Kiawe Charcoal! Man, I haven't even heard the word Kiawe for who knows how long. As I inspected the bag, a salesman swooped in to make a sale. I quickly noticed the "Product of Mexico" on the bag, which is not a big deal since Kiawe is a species of Mesquite . I was more concerned about this being sold as "A Hawaiian tradition". Of course, it was quickly pointed out that it also said "Created in Hawaii", and was told that the wood comes from Hawaii, but is made into Charcoal in Mexico. I wasn't fully sold on that, but what the heck…...

Now, I'm not a charcoal expert, nor an expert on anything really, but this tasted pretty close to what I remembered. It also popped and crackled like crazy, and ashed(makes a good bit of ash) up just like Kiawe. Good flavor though. Also, some of the chunks were more like stumps….they were huge and unwieldy, and needed to be broken down. It lights quickly and burns fast, I'd recommend mixing with another hardwood charcoal.

As you can see, Sammy's still not quite sold…though he did think the rib bones were mighty tasty.

I hope you managed to keep cool over this hot weekend!

Durian Fro-yo anyone? Flavaful Yogurt

July 10, 2009 mmm-yoso Desserts

After a nice meal at Sab E Lee, FOY (friend of yoso) JohnL suggested that some Fro-yo would be the perfect way to cap off the evening. My initial response was, "Fro-yo? Hmmm, I'm not quite sure." It was at that point that JohnL said the magic words, "I think you might be interested, they have Durian frozen yogurt….." Durian fro-yo? You couldn't get me there fast enough! Lucky for me it wouldn't be a long wait. Flavaful Yogurt is less than a block away, in the old Ba Le location.

I had thought this place was a water shop, but they also do frozen yogurt.

And sure enough they had Durian…….

Overall, I wasn't too impressed with the Durian flavor, it tasted more like "off-coconut". Not enough of real Durian flavor. I did enjoy the Coconut, which was just as good as the version at Yogurt Lounge…who it seems is always out of coconut. I also enjoyed the Lychee fro-yo, which if a bit too "icy" was an excellent palate refresher.

The Missus was a bit dubious when I mentioned Flavaful Yogurt to Her. But a few days later we dropped by and got a cup………to digress a moment. Did you ever notice that no matter what you put in your cup, it always comes to at least five bucks???? OK, back to Earth….the Missus really enjoyed the Plain, coconut, and taro. As usual we shared a cup. Any more would have triggered my lactose intolerance. I guess the Missus liked it. We were back a few days later.

The flavor of the plain get kinda close to Beijing style yogurt in flavor if not in texture. This fro-yo has good balance, not too tart, not too sweet. It is a bit sweeter than Yogurt Lounge, but not in a bad way. For me, it's a bit too "icy" on the sorbet side, but it is our current favorite.

I went to Flavaful Yogurt to try the Durian flavor, and ended up coming back for the lychee, coconut, and plain.

Flavaful Yogurt/Avian Fresh Drinking Water
6937 Linda Vista Rd
San Diego, CA 92111

Thanks for having me check out Flavaful, JohnL!

Turo Turo Thursday: Olga’s Food Place

July 9, 2009 mmm-yoso Filipino Restaurants

I've got a bunch of one or two-off sets of photos consisting of visits to various "turo-turo" (point-point) shops all of San Diego. I really didn't know how, or where to place them. I was thinking of just doing a week of these "steam table" shops, which are a staple. I do wish there would be more medium range restaurants like Tribu Grill and Gerry's Grill in San Diego, but alas, whether based on attitudes or local culture it is not to be. So I've decided to do one of these places every week or so until I run out!

You may have seen the sign, so you may think that name of this joint is "Filipino Lumpia". Unless, of course, you've read Dennis's post, which you can find here.

But if you enter through the door…..

You might find a quaint "turo-turo" shop. I say "might" because the first time I ventured through those doors, right after I saw the Filipino Lumpia sign, the place was empty, totally empty, and not even my "hellos" would create a stir in the place.

My next visit would be much, much, different. I happened to walk in when Rocky was working. Rocky, along with his wife Olga run Olga's Food Place and Lumpia Factory. Rocky, originally from Cavite is a jovial and friendly soul. At first glance, he reminded me of retired entertainer Teddy Tanaka, circa 1970's in dress.

There are usually 8 steam table offerings daily, and something even more special on Fridays and Saturdays:

In case you think that Filipino and Cuban food make strange bedfellows, you wouldn't be alone. You see, Olga is Cuban, and the quiet older woman there on Fridays and Saturdays, who I believe is Olga's Mother cooks one or two Cuban Dishes. Rocky is easy to talk to, and if you show any interest or knowledge of Filipino Food, he'll undoubtedly ask you, "are you Filipino"? I saw him ask a somewhat incredulous African-American young man this, when he ordered the adobo; "you know ADOBO! Are you Filipino???" Somehow, coming from Rocky, this is just plain charming, as I've been asked three times, and can't help but chuckle……..

On this day, I went with the two item and starch turo-turo standard($5.00), selecting the just prepared Cuban Arroz con Pollo (Chicken Rice) as my starch.

In one corner, I selected the Fish Sarsiado. This sarsiado preparation used tilapia, which was on the dry side. The tomato-onion based sauce had good flavor, and this was very low on the "patis" (fish sauce) scale.

In the other corner was Cuban Chicken Fricasse (Fricasé de Pollo):

Mild in flavor but very moist, this was a rustic home-style dish.

My favorite was the Arroz con Pollo, in spite of the fact the rice was on the mushy side, was full of flavor.

On other occasions, I've arrived to find the place packed with a swarm of young folks, reading, playing, and just being kids. I think that Rocky and Olga have a huge family, and extended family.

One non-Friday I arrived and just went with the simple two item combo, this time with a version of Tocino and Adobo.

The radiation red tocino was dry and flavorless, and left me unimpressed.

The Adobo on the other hand was pretty good. Notice I say "adobo", not chicken adobo, or pork adobo. This was a combination chicken and pork adobo.

The meats were tender and moist, and the black pepper flavor in the sauce stood out. This was not bad. I'd say this was easily worth the five bucks, not "National City level" food, but I think a bit better than Phil-Am a few miles away.

Olgas main business is in lumpia. At four for a buck, it's pretty much a bargain.

The pork, and the "mixed" is better than the beef, and though not quite as good as FredCel's lumpia, you can get 100 lumpia for $25!

Overall, an interesting Mom-and-Pop-Filipino-Cuban-turo-turo joint. Now that's one of a kind…..

Olga's Food Place
2314 Morley St
San Diego, CA 92111

Please read Dennis's post on Olgas on a Radiused Corner, which can be found here.