September 2009 – Page 2

Rudford’s Restaurant

September 17, 2009 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Diner

Rudford's has always had a strange pull on the Missus, as light does a moth. I'm not quite sure what it is about the place……

Rudford's does have one thing going for it, in a town where most everything except chain restaurants close by 10 pm, Rudford's stays open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

And having been around for sixty years does say something about staying power, though I must say that many of the customers(and smells) eating at Rudford's seem like they've been coming here since 1949.

If you look up the definition of the word "Diner" in the American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, you'd read: "A small, usually inexpensive restaurant with a long counter…..

and booths……."

Say what you will, being around so long says something about staying power…… We found the staff to be mostly really nice folks, patient with the wide range of customers, from cranky old folks, to people obviously fighting psychological demons, to drunk, post nightclub kids. We found the younger Servers to be much more flexible than the two older women, with chain smoker complexions, who called everyone "honey" in a raspy voice……. tough birds both of them. Half the fun is the atmosphere.

The food ranges from good honest fare, to stuff that harkens flashbacks to the stuff I ate in my Junior High and High School Cafeteria. As I often say, "it's a fine line between comfort and really bad food".

So for better or worse, here's a rundown of a couple of dishes we've had at Rudford's…..

The Hot Roast Beef Sandwich ($9.25):

When I requested Fries with Gravy instead of mashed potato, the young man told me "no problem", and that's what I got. Perfectly fried steak style fries smothered in brown gravy….Sysco heaven! Ever since I visited Canada back in the 90's, I've loved Poutine. The roast beef was tender, but stringy, and reminded me of cafeteria fare, but it was not inedible. There's something about old fashioned white bread soaked in gravy that I enjoy as well….

The Missus ordered the Chicken Fried Steak and Eggs:

Though the pounded beef was very tender, it was super bland. The country gravy was like eating paste. The Missus did enjoy the O'Brien potatoes, and of course She rarely meets an egg She doesn't like.

One quick thing….what is it with these places and toast? They all seem to do toast right, dry but not crumbly, a good tool for sopping up egg, or other stuff…..

On another visit, I wasn't too happy with my Turkey Club Sandwich ($7.95)…. funny thing, to the day She passed on, my Mom always called this a "Clubhouse Sandwich", never a Club Sandwich:

I appreciated the perfect smear of mayo. It's a funny thing, I eschew mayo on most sandwiches, but must have it on my Club(house). I wasn't too happy with the processed turkey and for some reason the American Cheese threw the entire sandwich off.

Lucky for me, I requested and received this for my fries (crinkle cut Sysco-fied this time):

Yes…..brown gravy. Given to me, no charge… a meal saver…..

The Missus got the Monday thru Friday 2 Eggs, Potatoes, and Toast special ($3.79):

No complaints from the Missus……

On Sunday there are two dinner/lunch specials. Like all of these type meals it starts with soup. In this case a pretty decent chicken noodle soup. Noodles kinda mushy, but okay…..

The Missus ordered the Chicken and Dumplings.

Let's just say that for us, this was an example of the worst that restaurants of this ilk put out. Bland, poorly prepared, purely created for the "dead tastebud society". Ick………

I had the Turkey Dinner, which did look kinda cafeteria-like, down to the little thingy of cranberry sauce:

But the turkey was decent, moist and tender enough. I didn't care for the stuffing, which was very mushy. And of course, I got you-know-what-with-you-know-what. Do you see a common thread????

Stay away from the cooked vegetables if you can though, unless you just had dental surgery, or perhaps forgot your dentures. The veggies were also artificially sweet…..

Remember the peas you squished between your teeth with your tongue to gross people out???? Perfect candidates here…..

On one occasion, I tried the Chili and Scrambled Eggs with potatoes and toast ($7.95):

It turned out that the Missus really enjoyed the chili….. so She ordered it on a return visit, and got a bit of "chili revenge"…… She still wants more though……

At the end of the day, the food may ride the mediocre line, but the characters(on both sides of the counter) and attitude can't be beat. I think there's a place for Rudford's, a place where you don't concern yourself with words and phrases like "non commodity", "organic", "sustainable", "free-range", or "fair trade", and for some reason I find that kinda well, refreshing…… in a retro kinda way. I'll concern myself with those other issues on another day.

To quote one of the Server's when asked for Honey-Mustard Dressing; "I can give you honey, and I can give you mustard darlin', but we can't do honey-mustard…. we're old school!"

Rudford's Restaurant
2900 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA

Open 24 hours everyday

Mariscos y Birria Los Tokados – the Birria de Chivo

September 15, 2009 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants

**** Mariscos y Birria Los Tokados has closed

Years ago, while driving down Main Street in Chula Vista, I noticed a shop in one of those ubiquitous strip malls. What grabbed me was the large "Birria" sign. Recently, I happened to be in the area, and drove by to see if the place was still there. And it was……with even more lettering!

Is there anything that's not on the menu??? They even say they serve Menudo Blanco!

This being about 930 in the morning, I peered into the dining area….. where not a soul was stirring!

Not knowing if the place was empty, I saw two women behind the counter, and asked with some hesitation, "abierto?" The two woman cracked up, and said "Si" in unison, and one of them walked me to a table and handed me a menu.

A few seconds later, some still sizzling tortilla chips hit the table:

Along with two salsas, one of which was pleasantly spicy and tart.

On his visit, I was really interested in only one item, the Birria de Chivo (spicy stewed goat – $9.25), which arrived soon after ordering.

The Birria was very mild in flavor, and wasn't very spicy or herbaceous at all. It was very rich though, mildly gamey, and quite filling. I should have asked for that little shaker of oregano that these places always have hanging around.

Of course the Birria arrived with all the usual accompaniments. The tortillas were routine, but nice and hot. Onions, cilantro, and lime are a must. The beans were terribly bland though.

The Birria was so rich, that I couldn't finish it off, so I hesitantly asked the young lady, "para lleva por favor….." To which she replied laughingly, "muy bueno Espaniol." I'm sure that the two women found me amusing. I ended up having the rest of the Birria with rice later that night.

Not the best Birria I've ever had, but the menu at Los Tokados is very extensive, and I might return one day. So if you're a regular customer, I'd like to know what you recommend.

Mariscos y Birria Los Tokados
2638 Main St.
Chula Vista, CA 91911

Hours – Daily 9am – 8pm

Copan Ruinas, Honduras: Comedor Ikchel and Copan Ruinas Archaelogical Site part 1

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

There was of course one reason for our visit to Copan Ruinas. It was to visit the Mayan ruins of Copan. There was just so much, that I'll do it as a "two-parter ". Because of the length, I'll do it in two parts, but I'll start this post with Comedor Ikchel, a little Comedor we noticed on a side street away from Parque Central.

When we arrived, the rustic looking comedor was empty.

The reason we chose this comedor was the menu, which was small, and interesting in spite of the over-abundance of Espaguetis (spaghetti) and Hamburguesa type dishes.

We placed our order, and I requested some "Encurtido", except this itme the lady running the place had no clue as to what I was saying. Finally, with some hand signals, and the word cebollas (onions), and some laughter, she figured out what these bozo customers were requesting, and a nice refreshing bowl of pickled onions, peppers, and carrots made its way to the table.

As we had learned from our meal at Las Tejitas, many of the dishes are made from scratch to order. And from this experience, it is the same with Almuerzos (lunch). We sat back, and watched the Honduran soap opera on the tube, while we waited for our meal. About forty-five minutes later, our meals arrived.

The Missus had trumped me, and ordered what I had been looking at, the Pollo a la Cerveza, chicken braised in beer. And it was a fine looking piece of dark meat chicken.

The chicken was full of flavor derived from the oregano, onions, cilantro, celery, and peppers used in cooking. It was without a doubt a "rice" dish. As is typical with these type of lunches, the multi starch trio of rice, fries, and tortillas were present and accounted for.

I had ordered the Pollo a la Plancha, which is usually a grilled chicken, but in this base a sauteed piece of white meat chicken.

It was pretty dry, and the sauce tasted much like bottled American BBQ sauce. Strangely, the Missus liked this….or more likely knew I enjoyed the other dish more, and gave me what She ordered.

Along with a large bottle of water the damage came out to about $10/US. That's it for the food on this post.

Copan Ruinas Archaelogical Park Part 1 – The Museum of Sculpture:

Having gotten our feet wet with a visit to the Museo Regional de Arqueología Maya, and having done some research the Missus and I knew that having a guide would be a necessity. Great Mayan scholar and Archaeologist Sylvanus Morley once called the Ruins at Copan the "Athens of the New World". While dwarfed in size by grand Mayan sites, such as Tikal, the ruins at Copan manages to squeeze in some of the most intricate and fascinating Mayan sculptures.

After paying our admission, and hiring an English speaking guide, a former school teacher with ten years of experience as a guide, who turned out to be very knowledgable. We were on our way.

It was decided that we should first visit the Museum of Sculpture, just across the parking lot, and we were so glad we did. To enter the Museum, you enter through the mouth of a serpent into a dark tunnel, which represents Xibalba the "underworld". You walk out of the tunnel, and the first thing that grabs you is the reproduction of the Rosalila Temple at the center of the museum, it is quite a site to behold. And to think, this temple was built, only to be buried by the next ruler, who would build on top of former temples.

From here, it's mostly photos, of the displays, along with signs that provide information about the various pieces.

This wonderfully intricate sculpture was one of my favorites. The amount of detail was amazing, and I can only imagine how surprised and overjoyed the Archaelogists were at finding this treasure.

This sculpture is called "The Scribe" and I was told it represents the God which protects the Mayan scribes and artists who were held in high esteem in Mayan civilization.

You can see the paintbrush in the Scribe's right hand….

The Missus's favorite sculpture in the museum was the "Old Man". It is believed that this was a representation of Pauahtun, the Elders who "held up the skies".

The Missus spent a good amount of time in front of this sculpture. I guess it "spoke to Her" in some way…..

In fact, after our morning touring the ruins, we returned to the Sculpture Museum, so the Missus could look at this scultpure one more time…..

I'll cover the ruins in our next Honduras post. For those who hung on until the end, thanks so much!

Sunday Silliness

September 13, 2009 mmm-yoso Local Kine Stuffs in San Diego, yoso-silly

It's been a pretty long day for me, so just for a little levity, here's what I found while doing some shopping:

Unbelievable….. Primo Beer in my neck of the woods. For those who don't know anything about Primo, here's some info. For many years Primo was THE Local beer in Hawaii. Several generations of "locals" were raised on the stuff, and most of my friends have watched "Uncle get all 'yota'" after over imbibing on a six pack or two, or three…… I remember Primo being the "secret ingredient" for an Uncle's Chicken Hekka recipe, of course by the time the Chicken Hekka was being started he's already completed a couple of cycles…..

I had read the Honolulu Advertiser article mentioning Primo's return, and Pomai's post , but the last thing I expected was to see this stocked on store shelves in San Diego.

But there it was, and I'm glad they kept the original logo…..

Actually, I remember thinking that this was pretty heinous stuff that was best suited having a brown paper bag wrapped around it. But I hit drinking age during Primo's waning years, I believe Primo was on the decline from the early eighties. Still, for old times sake, I made sure to grab a couple and this on the other hand was not bad, very light, mildly sweet, nothing to write home about, but like the old Primo slogan went – "chance 'um"……. or was it, "no can hea, get beer in my ear"….. or something like that…..

I hope everyone had a great weekend, I'll be back with something a bit more substantial tomorrow!

Spicy Chinese Steamed Eggplant with Sizzling Soy Sauce

September 12, 2009 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

Do you remember the Steamed Eggplant dish from Hunan Chilli King ? Well apparently it's been on the Missus's mind. Because of work, and our just plain busy schedules, it doesn't seem like we'll be able to get to the SGV for a while. So the Missus ~~ordered~~ requested that I try my hand at making the dish. It's really not that difficult, this is just your basic Chinese steamed fish dish, using eggplant instead of the fish. There are some nuances, but you'll spend most of your time waiting for the eggplant to finish steaming.

I made this twice over the past week, and what follows are mostly notes, and guidelines.

First off, I used four Japanese Eggplants, the main reason being I don't have a very large steamer, and I could arrange the eggplants in the shape of the plate. Making the first recipe, I added five whole cloves of garlic, one thumb size piece of ginger sliced into a thin julienne, and 2 tablespoons of fermented black bean that had been rinsed. I found that the ginger pretty much got lost in the whole steaming process. So making the second recipe, I placed the eggplant into the steamer with just the black bean and garlic. The garlic becomes soft and tender, and really tastes very sweet eaten whole.

So what of the ginger? I end up adding the ginger during the last ten minutes of steaming, along with 4 sliced serrano chilies. I tried adding the serranos at the end, but they tasted a bit too "green". The ten minutes of steam time softens them, and makes them sweeter. Those red chilies are added after steaming. I bought them frozen at Lucky Seafood….. they are pretty spicy.

The eggplant was first sliced in half lengthwise, than half again. They steam for about forty minutes.

While the eggplants are steaming, you can make the sauce. I start with a basic recipe of 1/4 cup superior or premium soy sauce to 1-1/2 tablespoon of white sugar. In this case, I did a double recipe. After mixing well to dissolve the sugar, I tasted and adjusted the sweetness. To finish, I drizzled in about 1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil. Add the sauce to the eggplant during the end of the steaming process.

Meanwhile heat peanut oil until smoking. Bring the steamed eggplants to the table a pour the hot oil over the eggplant. You'll have some nice "sizzle-vision" going on…..

I noticed that the skin on the Japanese Eggplants are very soft and tender, the eggplant is creamy….. you'll need to good amount of rice as well.

Quick Midweek Crab Cakes

September 11, 2009 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

I had bought a pound of lump crab meat to make something relatively quick on Wednesday. A frittata, or even some quesadillas. When the Missus found out about the Crab meat, She put in Her two cents. She wanted Crab Cakes. Crab Cakes? I didn't even think She liked Crab Cakes, and She hadn't requested that before. I still pushed the fritatta issue, but in the end, you know what happened, right? She got Her Crab Cakes. And it took me less than 20 minutes to put together and get to the table. Not the prettiest Crab Cakes, but the Missus really enjoyed them:

I also knew that I needed a sauce, so looking through the fridge, I came up with a Wasabi Mayonnaise, it's so simple, I don't dare call it an aioli. It really turned out to be easy, and I used only items I had on hand. I placed the Crab Cakes on Purple Perilla leaves I had leftover from the Missus's Bun we had two days earlier. I first made the Wasabi Mayo, mixed the ingredients, and placed it in the refrigerator to allow the flavors bind. Not wanting to wrack my brains with too many measurements I kept things simple as you'll see. I think you can stretch the recipe by adding more panko, and even put other filler/flavoring items, smoked corn, minced jalapeno, and celery come to mind.

Quick MidWeek Crab Cakes:

1 lb lump crab meat
1 cup Panko
1/2 cup Mayonnaise (Hellman's or Best Foods)
1 Egg slightly beaten
1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp Malt Vinegar
1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
Canola Oil

– Gently combine ingredients.
– Gently form the mixture into about 6 patties
– Heat 1/2 cup Canola oil over medium heat.
– Fry the crab cakes about 2-3 minutes each side.

Wasabi Mayonnaise:
1 cup Mayonnaise
2 Tb Wasabi Paste
1 clove garlic finely minced with some salt into a fine paste
a squeeze of lemon juice

– Combine ingredients and place in the refrigerator to set.

Funny thing, the Missus and I eat a pretty good variety of foods. But since we usually stick to the Asian end of things, we found the Crab Cakes to be delicious, but very rich. I could only eat 1, so perhaps I'll need to cut the mayo and increase the panko next time.

Chinese Breakfast at Quik Wok in Rancho Bernardo

September 9, 2009 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Niu Rou Mian

**** This location of Quick Wok has closed

In my post on Manila Fast Food, "Roland" inquires about a place in Rancho Bernardo serving "Chinese Breakfast". Having seized my attention, I immediately tried to find out where this Quik Wok place was. Once I had the address firmly in hand, all I had to do was wait for the weekend……

And we made our way up the I-15, taking the Bernardo Center Drive exit and driving past Pearl and Hunan we found ourselves at one of those jumbo sized spread out strip malls. After driving around a bit, I found a sign with "Chinese Cuisine" written on it….I guess we were here.

The interior looked just like one of those pseudo fast food wok fresh kinda places that have popped up everywhere, except the crew here spoke Mandarin. You sure won't find that in Hillcrest! Still, there was no "secret menu" in sight. I guess that's why they call it a secret menu????

Actually, what most places call a secret menu, is not really a secret menu… it's not hidden, you don't need a decoder ring, or a special handshake….. you just gotta read the language. And Quik Wok is no different, I finally located a paper menu written in Chinese.

And we were off…. just like your favorite Fast Food Chinese joint, you order at the counter, pay at the register, if you're eating in you take a number and amble over to your table. Eventually food will make its way over to you……

First to arrive was the Spicy Tendon ($4.25):

This was a good amount of sliced tendon for the price, and turned out to be the best dish of the day. A good amount of beef flavor, along with a passable (could have used more) amount of Sichuan Peppercorn made this a decent dish. On the negative side, the tendon was cut very haphazardly, and some pieces weren't prepared well and was very hard. The tendon was topped with scallions, which added some pungency, but it would have been better served with Chinese Celery.

Next up was the "Beef Roll" (Niu Rou Chuan):

The Beef had a decent five spice-soy flavor, but the bread felt, and even worse tasted unpleasantly greasy.

Next up, a huge bowl of "stuff" arrived. The Missus had ordered the Knife Shaved Noodles (Dao Xiao Mian) with Pork and Egg ($4.95).

The photo doesn't do the portion size justice. Overall the dish was bland and oily, and the Knife Shaved Noodles were too hard, not doughy, but hard….. Too bad, good, fresh, knife shaved noodles, where dough is formed into a sort of an oblong-log shape and strip of dough is sheared off by a sharp knife or other cutting implement is a fairly rare thing, even in the San Gabriel Valley. Slightly doughy, with a nice chew, it seems the uneven edges of Dao Xiao Mian tends to pick up sauce and broth a lot better than other types of noodles. To bad this wasn't it. It was a humongous amount of food for five bucks though.

The last item was the Niu Rou Mian – Beef Noodle Soup, with Dao Xiao Mian ($4.95):

I don't know if it was the broth, but the Dao Xiao Mian did better in the soup. To be honest, this NRM was way better than the version at Hunan in everything but the meat, which really isn't saying much. Like the previous dish had a ton of noodles in it, almost as if there was a fire sale on noodles on this day. On the bad side,the broth was barely mediocre, weak and lacking in beef flavor, with just a hint of heat, and needing an injection of richness.

We polished off the tendon, but ended up with a ton of leftovers, for just over twenty bucks.

Quantity just won't make it over quality in this case. And though the Americanized stuff coming out of the kitchen for the non-Chinese customers like the fried rice looked pretty good, nothing really compels me to return.

On the positive side, it's good to see places such as Quik Wok opening and making a go of it. And just the existence of such restaurants will have us up in North County a bit more often as well.

Chinese menu is only available on weekends.

Quik Wok
11967 Bernardo Plaza Dr
San Diego, CA 92128

Grilled Shrimp two ways – Tamarind Glazed Shrimp & Lemongrass Shrimp

September 8, 2009 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

Well, summer has just left out the door, and we decided to make the best of Labor Day by doing a bit of grilling. The Missus wanted some Bun (rice vermicelli) for dinner with grilled shrimp. She wasn't quite sure how She wanted the shrimp prepared, and just told me "try not to make it suck", which is better translated into "I'm craving this, so whatever you make better not suck……" So when I offered two possibilities, either Tamarind Shrimp or Lemongrass Shrimp, the Missus said to make them both.

I was kinda glad She chose the Tamarind Shrimp, as I had this bottle of Tamarind concentrate lying dormant in the cupboard waiting to be tried out. It had been an impulse buy God knows how many months ago. I usually will do the tamarind pulp thing, reconstitute in hot water into a paste, and strain out the pulp, and I really wondered how this would measure up. It actually did pretty well. It is perhaps a bit weaker than the stuff I make from scratch, but it worked perfectly fine on the shrimp.

The Tamarind Glazed Shrimp is a riff of Alan Wong's Tamarind Glazed Shrimp Tacos recipe in his book, Alan Wong's New Wave Luau. I added fish sauce and sriracha to give it a more savory and spicy kick. BTW, for those who think that Kalbi Tacos is something new, Alan Wong's been serving that stuff up since the late 90's, and there's a recipe in his book.

The Lemongrass Shrimp was based on a recipe from Mai Pham's Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table but has been modified to our taste, more garlic, fish sauce, and chili paste.

I realized when the shrimp were done that although they taste very different, it's hard to tell them apart:

The Tamarind Shrimp (on the left) have a nice shiny sheen from the basting, while the Lemongrass Shrimp (on the right) looks a bit drier. In the end, the Missus preferred the flavors of the Tamarind Shrimp. If you're using wooden skewers, don't forget to soak in water for about a half hour before using.

Tamarind Glazed Grilled Shrimp

1/2 Cup Tamarind Concentrate or Tamarind Paste
1/2 Cup Water
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/4 Cup Lemon Juice
2 Tb Honey
2-3 Tb Sriracha
3 Tb Fish Sauce
Sea Salt
1 lb 16-20 Shrimp, shelled, deveined, tail left on – skewered

– Combine all ingredients except salt and shrimp until sugar has dissolved.
– Lightly salt shrimp with sea salt.
– Place shrimp on the grill over direct heat (I use combo hardwood and Kiawe charcoal), and brush with Tamarind Glaze.I was surpised at the amount of basting liquid, but did use it all up with constant basting.
– Grill for about two minutes on each side. Baste one final time with glaze just before removing from grill.

Lemongrass Shrimp

4 Stalks of Lemongrass outer layers removed, pounded with the knife to release oils, and minced (about 1/4 to 1/3 cup).
3 Cloves of Garlic minced finely
1 Tb Soy Sauce
2 Tb Fish Sauce
1 Tb Chili Paste
2 Tb Sugar
2 Tb Canola Oil
1 lb 16-20 Shrimp, shelled, deveined, tail left on

– Combine all ingredients except shrimp in a bowl until sugar has dissolved.
– Add shrimp and gently mix until all the shrimp are coated with marinade.
– Place in refrigerator for 15-20 minutes to let shrimp lightly marinate.
– Thread shrimp onto skewers.
– Grill over direct heat for about two minutes each side.

You really don't have to do the "Bun thing", but the Missus really enjoyed it…….

Monday Meanderings……

September 7, 2009 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Local Kine Stuffs in San Diego, Taco Shops, yoso-silly

I hope everyone had an enjoyable Labor Day. Here are a few tidbits……

New Taco Cart:

This one in an interesting location. The Shell Station on the corner of Clairemont Drive and Denver Street. Because gas at this station is usually more expensive than other station in the area, I really don't pay much attention to the place. But on this day, feeling awfully lazy, I decided to grab some gas here. And to my surprise……..

Unfortunately, I'd already had lunch. Now you can get some Cabeza with your smog check! I'm sure to be trying out the tacos soon.

2606 Clairemont Drive
San Diego, CA 92117

Leilani's Restaurant Closes:

On September third, FOY JenniferB sent me an email informing me that Leilani's Restaurant in Serra Mesa had closed. Earlier this weekend I dropped by and noticed that the Leilani's sign has been removed:

As "Right Cow Left Coast" mentions in a comment on this post, August 25th was the last day of business in this location. The Cass Street location in Pacific Beach is still open. I'm kinda sad that Leinlain's couldn't make a go in Serra Mesa, this strip mall really needs a shot in the arm. I can't say I'm surprised though, during my last few visits, the place was empty, and Leilani was not to be found…. busy with the PB location I guess.

Bummer…..

Chin's on Convoy looks almost ready to go:

The termite tent is off, and a new sign is on…..

This is one I'm looking forward to.

Speaking of Chin's:

I had lunch with some FOYs this past weekend at Chin's on Miramar, and noticed this sign. They'll now be opening for Chinese Breakfast at 930 am on Saturdays and Sundays. I guess they're doing pretty well!

Chin's Seafood & Grill
9355 Kearny Mesa Rd
San Diego, CA 92126

Other Stuff:

I've been kicking back and enjoying reading a couple of other blogs this weekend. It seems everyone is traveling; Judy of Tinker with Food has just returned from New Orleans, and shares some of her eats with us. Foodhoe shares her Alaska Cruise with us. And Kat is sharing a whole passel of posts of their Palau trip with us. I know I'm missing someone……

It's been a nice weekend for reading blogs……..

Sunday Sandwiches: Mona Lisa Italian Foods

September 6, 2009 mmm-yoso Markets & Grocers, Sandwiches

Going through my photos I was surprised at the amount of sandwiches we've been consuming lately. It's probably due to the weather, we don't really feel like cooking, and grabbing a sandwich on the way home from work fills the bill. Mona lisa works pretty well for us, since the Missus enjoys the Imported Prosciutto, and I stock up on San Marzano Tomatoes, while waiting for our sandwiches.

The usual drill is, grab a number and wait. When your number is called, place your order with the folks behind the counter. This is your chance to wander around the fairly crowded aisles and grab stuff you need.

I'll readily admit that I'm always afraid that I'll have a moment of motor disfunction which would end up in my wiping out the shelves of the tiny store.

I'll usually get the Deluxe ($6.75), which is comprised of Mortadella, Ham, Salami, and Provolone. We also always get our sandwiches sans mayo and mustard, which we feel gets in the way of all the other flavors.

We both think the sandwich does just fine with the Italian Dressing. Proportion-wise, I think this sandwich is set-up pretty well. Not over-stuffed, but put together well. The one thing we noticed, was the bread. I swear that Mona Lisa used to use a different Italian style bread, this was overly doughy, dry, with a crust that was hard and tough.

The Missus usually goes with the Imported Prosciutto, at $8.50, the most expensive sandwich on the menu.

The sandwich contains a nice amount of Prosciutto di Parma sliced paper thin. The imported Prosciutto at Mona Lisa is vastly superior to the domestic version, which has a strange, almost plastic-like taste. As mentioned before, the bread really wasn't up to par.

I recently made a return trip to Mona Lisa to pick up some prosciutto for a dinner of antipasti, and just wanted to see if the folks at Mona Lisa had run out of their usual rolls and had used a back-up source. I had initially thought of grabbing the Caprese Sandwich, but ended up ordering the Capicolla ($6.75):

Well the bread was the same, too doughy, tough crust. The Capicolla was fine, a bit milder than anticipated, and ended up being a bit bland overall.

I think we'll look at other options for sandwiches unless Mona Lisa changes their bread. We'll stick to getting the prosciutto and make our own sandwiches.

One last little story about Mona Lisa. A few years ago, when all the condos were being built in Little Italy, while waiting for my sandwich, two construction workers walked into Mona Lisa. One of the guys pulled his shirt up, over his rather considerable gut, forming a "basket" of sorts. The other guy started grabbing these premade little sandwiches stacked up on the side of the counter and placing them in the guys shirt. I hadn't even noticed all those little sandwiches! He turned around and unloaded his bounty onto the cashier counter. He had nineteen sandwiches…..the lady rang him up…..and it came out to less than twenty bucks! The little sandwiches were 99 cents each!

Curious I bought three……the sandwiches aren't very big…..

But two of them left me sufficiently satisfied. Two slices of meat, a slice of cheese, a smear of butter…….just like mom used to make.

I bought one recently and it's still just 99 cents. I'm thinking this is great for kids, or maybe if you're kinda "short" before payday….. I still wonder how many guys that construction dude fed with twenty bucks.

Mona Lisa Italian Foods
2061 India St
San Diego, CA 92101

Hours: Monday-Thursday 9:00-10:00
Friday & Saturday 9:00-11:00
Sunday 10:00-10:00

You can read Cathy's post on Mona Lisa here.