May 2010 – Page 2

Niban – Inexpensive. Good. Japanese fast food.

May 17, 2010 Cathy Japanese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Welcome back to the blog called mmm-yoso!!! Kirk is busy on his vacation, ed (from Yuma) is starting his vacation and Cathy is blogging.

Hello again. I blogged about Niban back in 2006, when Kirk was on his 'first' vacation-from the blog, at least.. I thought it was time to take the camera with me on my most recent visit. A lot is the same. It is pretty much Japanese fast food.

The menu is still in the front window, with the daily specials in the display caseby the "in" door.
You walk in, order, pay then sit down. A nice waiter or waitress will pick up our receipt stub and bring out your beverages (hot tea is free).
Miso soup. Standard rehydrated with freeze dried tofu cubettes and a highly reflective quality.
One of the daily bento specials ($7.25). Six California rolls (made with krab), teriyaki chicken, baked salmon and fried fish and fried shrimp with rice, salad, pickled bean sprouts.
Seaweed salad topped with two pieces of pickled burdock ($3.25). I almost always get this. The seaweed is crunchy, not really salty and fresh tasting, served on top of some lettuce, which I end up eating.
Mixed sashimi plate ($12.50). 4 pieces each salmon, tuna and albacore. The fish is fresh, not a bad quality, very good. This is served with the rice, pickled beans prouts and salad. A satisfying quick meal.

Niban 7081 Clairmont Mesa Boulevard (at SE corner of the 805)(the Souplantation parking lot) San Diego 92111 (619)268-0465

GIO. Breakfast. La Mesa.

May 16, 2010 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, What Cathy Eats!

GIO has closed.

This is mmm-yoso!!, the food blog. Kirk isn't writing, because he is on vacation. Really. He is on another continent, visiting, photographing and eating in an exotic and beautiful country. ed(from Yuma) is in Yuma, working diligently. Cathy is in San Diego's East County, eating and blogging about it.

Hi.  The original Drew Ford was on the triangle shaped block in the Village of La Mesa, at the end of La Mesa Boulevard and Allison Street.  It has moved a few miles away, closer to the I-8 location most of you know and is now Drew Auto Center . This original building was preserved, windows and all. It has gone through many incarnations of restaurants, one I remember fondly was called "The Black Forest", which had a weeknight prime rib special (like two for $12) which was very popular and that restaurant eventually moved to the Mission Hills area of San Diego and closed.
When GIO, more or less an Wine Bar and Bistro, is open so are the windows. All of that courtyard you see in the photo is filled with tables and fountains, and makes a comfortable outdoor eating area.
When you walk in, to your left is the bar area. You can see the open window and original industrial wall that used to be part of the Drew Ford Auto Dealership…
  Just behind the counter is the espresso machine. There are about 6 indoor booths and tables to you right and then the majority of the seating is outdoors.

We were here early (9:15) on a Saturday morning a few weekends ago and were seated quickly. It took a while to have our order taken, but once that happened, coffee ($2.75. Each.) was brought out.
It was an excellent French Roast coffee. Both of our cups were refilled, twice, before our food was ready.

When the food came out, it was prepared properly and was hot. I got the "Eye Opener" ($7) . Three poached eggs, rye toast, homestyle potatoes- shredded potatoes sauteed with onions and bell peppers- not plain hash browns- and 3 slices of wonderful thick sliced applewood smoked bacon. This was served with a side of catsup and strawberry jam- a nice touch instead of tossing bottles on the table as condiments.

Here is a good cross section photo of my poached egg. All three eggs were done properly, were placed in the cup with no excess water draining and I was very pleased with my meal.

The Mister ordered a  Breakfast combo plate ($ 11 ). Three eggs, over easy, with homestyle potatoes, two very nice, skin on link sausages and… a golden Belgium waffle, served with loads of butter and warm maple syrup. The waffle batter was very nice and sweet all by itself, without the need to add the condiments.

GIO is more or less a leisurely lunch and 'date night' dinner place, offering wine tastings, happy hour prices for appetizers and good food. Service is spotty- and has been every time I have been here. It is like they don't have enough staff slated to come in at opening time.  The basic meal I ordered was a good value, but I don't think the waffle was worth the extra $4 in lieu of two slices of toast… and in general I don't usually order a beverage with meals, but in the morning I have to have coffee. It seemed kind of expensive…

GIO 8384 La Mesa Boulevard (at Allison, between 3rd and 4th) La Mesa 91941 (619) 462-9100

Website

San Diego Desserts- quick snack

May 15, 2010 Cathy Desserts, What Cathy Eats!

San Diego Desserts has changed ownership as well as its name (it is now Bistro Sixty).

Welcome back to mmm-yoso!!!. This is an online diary. About food. Kirk is still on vacation, ed (from Yuma) is in Yuma and Cathy is here now.

Hi again. Just a quick post. The other evening, I met some friends for dinner which did not include dessert. Driving home, we decided to stop here.
No. Not the pawn shop. San Diego Desserts. ( The outdoor/added on patio area used to be a drive through dry cleaner; an era long gone). I saw the name on the building and remembered I had had a slice of cake at a party earlier this year and was told the cake was made here. I remember the cake was pretty good. That was enough reason to stop; otherwise I don't crave sweet…
However, this almond croissant was delicately flaky and filled with a nice marzipan layer, topped with sliced almonds and very good.
I got the pistachio baklava roll, which was filled with pistachios and not much honey or sugar syrup. It was not soggy and crispy flaky. I liked it.
One of us got a latte and the other a cappuccino. The cappuccino tasted less of milk and more of coffee. Each of these cups was at least 16 ounces and pretty much a soup bowl of beverage.

Total cost was $10.25. It was good and a nice stop. Just enough.

San Diego Desserts has a Sunday bunch and serves lunch and dinner here, in addition there is a wine bar. I didn't know this and will have to come back…

San Diego Desserts 5987 El Cajon Blvd (one block SW of College Ave) San Diego 92115 (619)287-8186

Website

Joe’s Crab Shack-Seafood. Chain. Good.

May 13, 2010 Cathy Chains, Seafood, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is an online diary of food/meals consumed and then recorded for all time here; a blog. Kirk is on vacation (eating a cuisine I have not blogged about since before April 21) and ed(from Yuma) is in Yuma (and not blogging) and today, Cathy is blogging.

Hi. We were back in Mission Valley and hungry. The shopping malls were way too crowded and The Mister (suddenly) declared he had a taste for fried seafood. Even though my favorite place for fried seafood is Crab Hut , I stopped here.
Joe's Crab shack. A chain. Consistent food (and noise levels) and never disappointing.
All the tables have a hole in the middle, with a bucket for your scraps. The roll of paper towels are so necessary. Salt and pepper are the main condiments, others are brought out to go with your food. Pretty much all the food is served in galvanized or camping enameled pieces.
We ordered (your Waiter/Waitress usually sits down at your table to take your order…part of the 'atmosphere) and soon my cup of New England style clam chowder ($3.49)showed up. This was excellent. It did not need any seasoning, had small cubes of carrot, potato and celery in it and a really nice clam flavor. Not so creamy that your mouth got a coating from the soup.
The Mister wanted the calamari appetizer ($7.69). This was done so very nicely. The breading did have a cajun spice in it, was very light, but with corn meal and the squid was *very* tender. There's a marinara in the center of that bucket. It was a good, plain (not spicy) tomato base.
The Mister ordered a "Seaside" platter ($15.79). Scallops, shrimp and fish. Each battered lightly, differently and fried perfectly. You can taste the seafood instead of the batter. It was done right. Served with crispy, skin on fries and a lightly dressed cole slaw.
We got the onion strings as a side dish add on ($2.79). These were so delicately breaded and fried and still the onion was tasty and thick enough to be tasted. I really liked this version.
In an attempt to eat healthy, I ordered the crab cake Caesar ($11.19), with regular Caesar salad dressing (instead of the chipotle Caesar as on the menu). The dressing was not overwhelmingly garlic. The salad had a corn/red pepper/onion sort of salsa and a lot of the corn chip strips, for a crunch. The crab cake was *excellent*. I could taste the crab, a light dressing and light spice-no binder. It was so lightly fried, just enough to impart some heat and give a very very might crispiness to the crust.

Since the restaurant has "crab" in the name, I did think it would be good and was extremely happy with this crab cake. Next time, I will have the crab cake plate with a side salad and stop playing games.

This chain is known for the loud music, waiters breaking into a line dance for an overhead song and alcoholic beverages. We got one iced tea ($2.49) and water to drink. (I'll save you the math: The total bill was $47.24, with no alcohol). The food here was very good. I do like going to more local places when I can and Crab Hut is just as good, if not better…

Joe's Crab Shack 7610 Hazard Center Drive San Diego 92108 (619)574-8617 Website

Corner Bakery Cafe- Franchise/Chain and good. In Mission Valley.

May 12, 2010 Cathy Chains, Diner, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is still blogging. Sure Kirk and His Missus are on vacation (clue: It's a country with cuisine I haven't spoken of since April 21), ed is in Yuma, working diligently and Cathy is just driving around, eating and documenting. Enjoy.

Hello again. I have driven through Mission Valley all this year and never stopped- not to shop, meet anyone or to have a meal. Really.

Corner Bakery Cafe is off of Mission Center Road at Camino de la Reina. They built it, along with a few other restaurants in the spot where the Montgomery Ward Service Center used to be. Sometime in the last two years, I guess. I had not heard of it before, but the name sounded nice.
It is a franchise of a pretty large proportions, but the first San Diego location. I walked in, saw some menus and prepacked bakery items at the door and that you were to walk forward to order.
It is similar to Panera, in that you order and pay, take a number and place it in the wire thingy on your table and you food is brought to you. It is also similar in that you get your own beverages. You also grab your own utensils and condiments. Most similar is that the building has free wifi.
The menu consists of soups, salads, sandwiches, pastas and breakfast (I haven't been here for breakfast yet). This is a bowl of homemade roasted tomato basil soup ($5.59). Large and filling, very hearty with chunks of roasted tomatoes, basil and a slight kick of heat which became more pronounced at the bottom of the bowl topped with toasted herbed bread and served with a chunk of fresh herbed bread. This is a very nice light meal.
Another visit, with The Mister. The Trio- pick any three homemade specialty salads ($7.29). I chose the Greek vegetable, the tuna salad and the seasonal fruit medley. (Other choices include chicken, egg, pasta Caprese, Asian edamame, Caesar or mixed greens). A small mixed greens is on this plate also, under the chunk of bread. All of the salads are very nice. The Greek salad includes artichoke hearts as well as usual Greek salad stuffs(tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, onion, pepperocinis and Feta cheese) It is topped with a light balsamic and very fresh and good.
The Mister got a corned beef Reuben panini (on caraway rye) ($7.29). A very flavorful corned beef with sauerkraut and Swiss. There also was a small amount of Thousand Island brushed on the bread. This was very good and quite filling. It is served with house made 'bakery chips' and a pickle. You can substitute baby carrots for the chips.
This is the chicken Carbonara pasta dish ($7.79). Slices of herb roasted chicken breast are underneath the linguine, applewood smoked bacon and spring peas. All is coated in a light (not made with heavy cream) Carbonara sauce. This was large portion and filling, yet not as 'bad' as far as Carbonara sauce goes. The creamy, buttery flavor is there, but the thick coating of fat that usually stays with you wasn't. A good compromise.

My favorite item here, so far (I've had it three times). The Harvest Salad with chicken (Cafe (smaller) size, $6.79). Mixed greens, with slices of roast chicken, green apples, toasted walnuts, currants and blue cheese. It's topped with a balsamic vinaigrette and served with a slice of crispy harvest bread. I *really* like this salad.
It is bakery and does bake all the breads on site. (There is the caraway rye, sourdough, Harvest, Mom's White, whole grain, Asiago cheese and pretzel bread) and a few sweets- cookies and pastries. This is a "Whoopie Pie" ($1.59). Chocolate cake-y top and bottom, filled with a house-made mocha frosting. Very moist, creamy and not too sweet.

This is quite nice for a chain-y franchise. It is worth a stop.

Corner Bakery Cafe Camino de la Reina (SE corner, at Mission Center Drive) (619) 692-0423 Website

B.H. Chung- Korean and Japanese (Icy Cold Hiyashi)

May 11, 2010 Cathy Japanese Restaurants, Korean Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

BH Chung has closed.

mmm-yoso!!! a food blog with photos, descriptions and observations about meals, condiments and other things a few of us want to write about. Feel free to read about our adventures. Today, Cathy is writing. Kirk is on vacation. If you want to know where He and His Missus are, here's a clue: Since April 21, I have not done any post with cuisine from the country they are visiting.

Hi again. A few weeks ago, I found a parking spot in the Crab Hut /Crepe World /Shabu Shabu House / Yogurt World/Tapioca Express/Tofu House /O'Brien's parking lot and was happy. This mostly food mall area may be referred to as 'The Parking Lot From Hell' by most of you, since more than 75% of the businesses here are restaurants(8 I can think of) with seating capacities for at least 20 inside each. I had to decide what I wanted to eat.
B.H. Chung's won. A Korean BBQ and Japanese restaurant, I have found the food here always to be very well made, tasty and filling. In addition, it could fulfill two cravings at one meal.
So we ordered. Japanese items. Still, we were served panchan.
the mildest, shredded daikon in front. The bean sprouts in back had a nice red pepper kick. The bamboo on the right had jalapeño/green hot chiles. (The far left is the dipping sauce for our tempura appetizer).
Vegetable Tempura ($7.99). Lightly breaded, crispy fried and drained vegetables- onions, squash, carrots, green and red pepper and broccoli.
The Mister ordered the Katsu Fish plate ($8.99). The pieces of fish were standard cuts from frozen, again lightly breaded and fried-the fish itself was a nice flavor and flaky. The rice was good and the salad dressing was house made. The tempura dipping sauce was not sweet and may have been house made. It was not disappointing, but not a "wow". However…
I wanted cold noodles. Hiyashi. I ordered Hiyashi Soba ($8.99). This is what I got. Fresh cooked, really good soba. In broth. Cold broth. See the ice cube?

This was *really* good and nothing like I had ever had before. The broth was rich, did not taste watered down, the noodles were excellent. Just the carrots, onions and bean sprouts, as you can see. Sesame oil definitely in the broth…the half hard boiled egg, no meat. Wonderfully unexpected and really good and filling.

Everything was unexpected and good, if not great.

B.H. Chung 4646 Convoy, Suite 110 San Diego 92111 (858) 495-0059 Website

El Indio – A taco shop for breakfast.

May 10, 2010 Cathy Breakfast/Brunch, Taco Shops, What Cathy Eats!

Welcome back to mmm-yoso!!! the food blog written by a few friends. Kirk is on vacation with His Missus (still) in a faraway land (and eating exotic foods and having adventures you will enjoy reading about), ed is in Yuma working away and hopefully is eating and today, Cathy is blogging.

Hi again. Looking at my posting history, The Mister and I seem to really enjoy going out for breakfast. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and occurs during the least stressed part of the day. I guess that is a good part of the enjoyment factor.

A few days ago, The Mister and I had to be downtown early and only had a coffee before leaving the house. Neither of us considered the no traffic part of the day and we were more than an hour early. We drove over to India Street and stopped.
We have been to El Indio, a San Diego institution for more than 30 years, for breakfast before and I was kind of craving something salty. Perfect.
We ordered, paid and sat down. While waiting I took photos of the Las-Vegas-like decor.

Soon, my name was called and I picked up my tray.
Which consisted of a ham, egg, potato and cheese breakfast burrito the size of my 8 inch plate.
The ham was only slightly salty and complimented by the fresh cooked, crispy edged potatoes and plentiful amount of scrambled eggs. All on the fresh gigantic flour tortilla, at $4, this was more than enough food.
I got what I usually order here, Huevos Albanil ($5.25). Two easy cooked eggs, placed on top of fresh toasted corn tortillas toped with albanil sauce (green tomato sauce-not the salsa, which has onions), shredded Mexican cheese (I think it is Cotija, but maybe not) and served with excellent refried beans and hot corn tortillas.

Excellent and fun breakfast. A wonderful way to start the day.

El Indio 3695 India Street San Diego 92103 website

Mom’s cheesecake

May 9, 2010 Cathy Cooking, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog. Just an online diary, written by some friends, of foods they have had to eat. Whether they bought it or made it themselves. Today, Cathy is talking about her venture into a dessert.

Hi. As I was making "my" cheesecake to bring, on request, to a small get together, I looked at the recipe I was using and realised it isn't mine. It's the cheesecake I grew up with and never altered, because I like it this way. (I was out of college before I even knew that most other people thought cheesecake was made with cream cheese, which I thought was *only* used for bagels, and I still like butter on bagels rather than that stuff anyhow). This is the cheesecake my mom makes. I follow her recipe.
The ingredients make TWO cheesecakes (one to take and one to keep at home). The photograph shows way too much sugar and no flour nor the pinch of salt which are also ingredients.

Mrs. B's Cheesecake (makes two)

Crust: 14 graham crackers

1 stick butter, melted

1 Tbs sugar

Filling: Two Pounds cheese- either Cottage Cheese, Farmers Cheese or a combination of both to get to two pounds.

Two eggs

Two Tbs flour

Two Tbs milk

Pinch salt

1 Tbs vanilla (optional)

Blend, pour into graham crusts, Bake at 325° for 45 minutes, until top is brown.

Making the cheesecake looks like this:

Crush 14 graham crackers-7 doublets per pie plate-with a rolling pin, or just place into the pie plate and crush with the back of a glass. Mix in about a Tablespoon of sugar and about half a stick of melted butter and form the crust to the pie plate. Set aside. (the crust is the only sweet part of the entire dessert)

Farmer's cheese when packaged as above, is wrapped in paper inside that package. You can see it is kind of cottage-cheesy in texture. It has a bit more sharp flavor and also seems richer, even more than full fat cottage cheese (which I usually use and which was not on sale when I was buying cheese for this recipe).
Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl (the Farmer's Cheese shown is only 7.5 ounces, I do buy it by the pound at different Ethnic Markets in El Cajon) so as to have 2 pounds of cheese total and mix with a fork.
This is a photo of a half recipe- with the 7.5 ounces of Farmer's Cheese and about 8 ounces of Cottage cheese.
Pour into the crust and bake at 325° for about 45 minutes. I don't check to see if it is done- I don't know how, except I know when I look at it.
It will have puffed, the top will crack and be light brown. Remove and let cool.
It will collapse. It's supposed to.
Serve and enjoy!

Happy Mother's Day to everyone. Especially my mom!

Seisel’s- Sandwiches from a grocery store

May 6, 2010 Cathy Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

Welcome to mmm-yoso!!!, the food blog. The part usually played by Kirk is being played by Cathy for a while. He is on vacation. Still.

Hi. Kirk has written about Seisel's, one of the best meat stores in the San Diego area, but that was almost five years ago . The other day, The Mister and I wanted a quick lunch.
Seisel's sells really good quality meat. Aged. Prime. They also make sandwiches and sell soup and chili and other things you can grab, pay for and take outside and eat at the tables. You order and the order is written on the bag that your sandwich will be placed.
Seisel's has a small grocery and produce area and you can purchase your beverage when you pay for your sandwiches. The few tables are out front and in the parking area (next to the cow; you'll see it).
The Reuben, served hot, on toasted rye with kraut, is perfect. Not too fatty, everything heated through and the rye bread is very flavorful.
Rare, flavorful roast beef, on a hearty white bread, with everything-lettuce, tomato, onions, mustard, mayonnaise. My usual lunch when I am in this part of town.
The Mister's sandwich had onions on it, which he specifically did *not* order. Oh, all the sandwiches come with a small dill pickle.

Almost all grocery stores sell some sort of ready to eat food. Next time you see something, try it. I bet you won't be disappointed.

Seisel's Old Fashioned Meat Market 4131 Ashton San Diego 92110 (619)275-1234 Website

Breakfast at Bristol Farms

May 5, 2010 Cathy Breakfast/Brunch, Markets & Grocers, What Cathy Eats!

Welcome back to mmm-yoso!!! the food blog written by a few friends who like to eat and write about their respective meals. Kirk usually writes, but he is on vacation (nobody has guessed where yet). ed (from Yuma) is busy with work. VickyL and a few others are apparently merely eating and not writing and so today, Cathy is sharing a nice breakfast with you.

Hi. The other morning, The Mister and I decided to drive to La Jolla to look for breakfast. We ended up at Bristol Farms, just West of the UTC Mall.
Bristol is a High End grocery store. Very close to La Jolla. Albertsons is its parent company, but nothing in here is like your local Albertsons Store. There is a wide selection of prime and dry aged meats, seafoods, deli meats and cheeses, breads, wines, produce and even the regular grocery aisles have some quite fancy items, as well as everyday groceries. The prices here for the higher end items are not bargain basement, but are fair for the quality of the item. The everyday item prices are similar to what you pay at your regular grocery.

Each location has a cafe. There are some steam trays, a by the pound salad bar, pizza, roasted chicken and in the morning breakfast burritos already made to grab and go. You can have plates or sandwiches made, pay and take them to go, or you can sit down and get a menu and have a nice meal.
Starting with a good coffee ($1.65). You can see there are daily breakfast -and lunch- specials. Those specials are about $4 off of the regular price. There are also wine tastings on some evenings. High end, but accessible. Everyone here is very helpful and explains the foods they sell- in the store and in the Cafe.
The Mister got a bacon, avocado and cheddar omelet ($9.49) with seeded rye toast and a fresh fruit cup. The omelet made of two fresh tasting eggs, a very nice, sharp cheddar cheese and the bacon- those 1/2 slices, crispy and maple flavored…really, really good. Topped with ripe, fresh avocado and a side of a fresh roasted tomato salsa. The toast was a thin sliced seeded rye, also very fresh and good. The fresh fruit cup was only cantaloupe and grapes, but both fruits were very ripe and nice flavored.
I got the smoked salmon scramble ($9.99). Again two eggs mixed with a lot of high quality cold smoked salmon, capers and onions. This was accompanied with a toasted "everything" bagel and whipped cream cheese and those…up there on the top right. I like to call those "Bristol Tots"…cubes of potatoes, deep fried so there is an outer crust and the inside is light and fluffy and lightly seasoned. Heavenly little cubes. Maybe because I have not had French Fries in a very long time, or maybe because of the type of potato used, but those little cubes of goodness are addictive.

A special breakfast inside a special grocery store.

Bristol Farms 8510 Genesee Avenue, San Diego 92122 (858) 558-4180 Website