June 2011 – mmm-yoso

Troy’s Greek Restaurant-breakfast

June 30, 2011 Cathy Breakfast/Brunch, Greek Food, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a foodblog wherein Kirk writes most of the postings here, but he can't write today because he is busy. ed(from Yuma) also writes quite a bit, but he isn't writing today, because he is lazy. Cathy writes a good part of the posts here and apparently has some free time today.

Hi. A few months ago, when I was going to Kaiser Hospital, I saw a guy spinning an arrow sign on Mission Gorge Road at Zion at the far corner of the mall. It's the same mall as Carl's Jr., Ra Ka De Ka, San Diego Brewing Company, Saigon Star, the newest Gaglione Bros location, Starbucks, Rubios and Einstein Bagels. The sign was advertising breakfast at Troys Greek Restaurant (which is not to be confused with Troy's Family Restaurant, which is in the Clairmont Square).

While The Mister and I have enjoyed several lunches and dinners at Troy's, breakfast wasn't one of those meals.

The restaurant looks 'dressed up' for breakfast, with a fresh flower on each table.

The menus are under the glass covering the table cloths. One thing I noticed was the price point. None of the breakfast choices is over $6.95.

Greek gyros and eggs ($6.95). Eggs were poached perfectly. There was a good amount of gyros. The accompanying warm pita bread, tomatoes and Feta cheese made this a nice breakfast, or early lunch.

I do realize that Kirk will be posting about his vacation in Greece and that breakfasts there are nothing like this. In fact, after having a 'sneak peek' about the Greek part of His and His Missus' vacation, I may never bother with this common restaurant gyros again. However, I do want to stress that this meal at Troy's Greek was very good, very fresh food.
The Village Omelette ($6.45). I was curious as to the description of the omelette including sausage. It was sausage links that were chopped and added along with Feta cheese, tomatoes and onions into the nicely cooked eggs. This was accompanied by home fries and a side of warm pita bread. I never have considered adding chopped sausage links in with my omelettes at home, but now I will. The sausage with Feta, onions and tomatoes was a nice blend of flavors.

Coffee was $1.95 and fresh, kept constantly refilled.

If you have occasion to be in the neighborhood, breakfast is served Monday through Saturday and there is a buffet brunch here on Sunday. Being able to get a sit down breakfast here is a nice addition to the neighborhood.

Troy's Greek Restaurant 10450 Friars Road, Suite T San Diego 92120 Website

Taco Loco- a little taco shop with Mexican food- in Santee

June 29, 2011 Cathy Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops, What Cathy Eats!

Taco Loco has closed. It's now a similar yet different taco shop.

Thanks for reading mmm-yoso!!! Cathy is blogging today. Kirk is very busy and ed (from Yuma) is busier.

In an obscure location on Fanita Drive just past the first signal light South of Mission Gorge Road (one block North from Goa Way, a private street) next to an unimaginatively named Liquor Store in Santee, this small building has always housed a taco shop. The latest incarnation, Taco Loco, is, by far, the best.

Yes, that's the building… behind the drive thru menu.

You can park and walk inside and will find five tables and 14 chairs. The tables are covered with happy colored table cloths and there are some interesting (a few Mexican) beverage selections in the cooler, although homemade aguas frescas are also available. Specials are written on a white board, there is a menu behind the cash register.
Also are some more specials on the wall to your left if you are standing at the cash register.

After seeing the sign, I had to try the cabeza and lengua tacos ($2.45 each)(cabeza is on the left, lengua is in the front in this photo). If you eat in, your items are brought out to your table on a tray with a real plate. The tacos are each served with two corn tortillas which are topped with meat, cilantro and onions. Nothing more was needed, even though a green and red hot sauce were offered and salt packets are on the table. The cabeza (meat from the head of the cow) was more game-y tasting, almost like goat. There was a nice, sticky fat on some of the diced pieces; carnitas-like fat is a good description. The meat was chewier/had more texture in comparison to the lengua (beef tongue) which was very smooth in texture and had milder hut distinct flavor. Both taco meats still were more flavorful than even carne asada/marinated meat. I suppose I should have tried a carne asada taco to compare further but these two tacos filled me up.

As mentioned in the title and signage, Taco Loco serves Authentic Mexican food. Above is Camarones Culichi ($7.99) Shrimp (plump and good tasting) served in a green sauce with cheese along with rice and refried beans (good and made with lard). Culichi is a traditional Sinaloan sauce made with poblano chilis and cheese and is a flavor I crave. The preparation here is great.

Well. This sign is on another wall. One day I had to.

This is the large Shrimp Cocktail ($7.99). It is served in a large salad bowl. Bowl.Of. Fresh. Shrimp. Cocktail. The photo is a bit perspective challenged. I counted 23 shrimp, but think I may have miscounted and probably 24 were in this large bowl which included lime juice, tomato, onion, cucumber, cilantro, avocado. Wonderfully perfect and so fresh. [The small cocktail is $6.99; I haven't bothered ordering one to see the size difference for only $1.]

Of course, Taco Loco is a taco shop and burritos are on the menu. Large burritos.

Cross section of the chile relleno burrito ($4.69). This was an excellent fried chile relleno. A fresh poblano chili filled with melty cheese, battered in an egg-flour mix and fried light and crispy. The burrito included beans, lettuce, sour cream and salsa.

The carne asada burrito ($4.69) is very good in its simplicity. The meat is tender, mildly flavored and wrapped in the giant tortilla with guacamole and pico de gallo salsa. Not as good as the other meats here, in my opinion, but not horrible.

The chile verde plate ($7.59) also is substantial and topped with a very, very good home made tomatillo sauce. The carnitas meat was tender and flavorful. This is served with tortillas, rice, beans, guacamole and some lettuce.

The shredded beef taco salad ($4.69) is a good meal. The shredded beef has an excellent stewed flavor which is complimented by the beans, cheeses, salsas, guacamole and crispy cold lettuce.

Here's a good size comparison photo of a plain cheese quesedilla ($3.19) and a chicken adobada taco ($2.59). The marinated chicken is moist, flavorful and, as you can see, a substantial serving size, simply served on two corn tortillas with guacamole.

Taco Loco is an exceptional hole in the wall that you may want to seek out if you are in the neighborhood. Try some of the items that aren't served at your regular taco shop.

Taco Loco 8667 Fanita Drive Santee 92071 (619) 562-6060 (Call ahead for faster service) Open 8 am-10 pm Mon-Thurs, 8 am-11 pm Fri-Sat and 9 am-9 pm Sunday

Website

The little note under the drive thru menu? "When ready to order, move forward please."

Sushidokoro Shirahama

June 28, 2011 ed fromyuma Sushi and Sashimi, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!

Usually Kirk or Cathy post at this foodblog. They are busy today, so ed (from Yuma) is posting on a sushi bar (in San Diego).

It was about 6:30 on a Tuesday night and I had no firm plans. I wanted sushi (as usual) but I also was looking for something different — because I had eaten with Sammy at Yaro on my previous visit to America's Finest Urbation, and I have been going to Sakura for nearly 10 years now. With the Fair jamming traffic heading north out of town, Kaito was out of the question. So I was driving through strip malls on Convoy just looking for something, anything interesting and different.

And then I saw it — Shirahama — with an open parking place right by the entrance. Nervously, I pulled into the parking spot, made sure I had my camera, and walked up to the door (the photo comes from later in the evening):

When I entered the tiny restaurant (10 seats at the bar and 4 small tables), it was empty except for the wizened itamae and his younger assistant. I had heard stories that the chef could be very rude and intolerant, particularly to people who did not speak Japanese. However, he gave me a friendly smile when I told him that I had heard that he served the best and most authentic sushi in San Diego and asked if I could be seated. I was allowed to take a seat at the sushi bar — but not one of the seven prime places, which were reserved. Having been to Sakura, this seemed routine.

I let the older gentleman know that I was putting myself in his hands, that I liked everything and was particularly interested in what was different and special. I then remembered to say "Omakase," in very poor Japanese I am sure.

Soon after the young man had brought me my glass of ice water, the chef set two pieces of nigiri in front of me. "Bluefin and fluke," he said. I was happy right away. Instead of serving only pairs of items, most of the time I was given one piece of two different nigiri. It was also nice that he was speaking English to me. Made me feel more welcome:
All of the sushi was served to me on this tray with gari (natural color, of course) on the side. There was like a mini teapot with shoyu that poured a thin stream into a small bowl. No wasabi:

As soon as I began chewing the hirame, I understood why there was no wasabi available. It was spiced perfectly – the strong wasabi flavor burst in my mouth and complemented the mildly flavored flatfish perfectly. The maguro had a deep and full tuna flavor with just a light hint of wasabi in the background. It was a good start.

Next came "amberjack and sea bream":

I was happy already. I don't recall ever encountering these before (at least not by those names). As I put each piece into my mouth, I closed my eyes and concentrated on the taste. The bream was both meaty and fishy – if that makes any sense. In a pleasant contrast, the amberjack was rich and creamy, suggesting hamachi, but with a more sophisticated and subtle flavor. Like many items that evening, the taste lingered in my mouth for a long time. I was smiling. "Very rich; better than hamachi," Kotani-san said to me, and I nodded in agreement.

Next up were salmon and Spanish mackerel:

Because of where I was sitting, I did not get to watch the chef's preparation, but he seems to have cut into the aji and stuffed it with sliced green onion. I don't normally think of scallion as a major flavor ingredient, but it was a perfect match with the fish and contributed much to the overall result.

The sake didn't look like anything special, certainly not as fatty as what I have been served at Sakura and Sushi Yaro. Nonetheless, it was still very rich and the flavor intensity pleased my palate. The finish was long and lingering. I have no idea how Kotani-san can make ordinary looking salmon taste so good.

By this point in the meal, the little restaurant was filling up. The seven reserved prime seats were filled with what seemed to be Japanese salarymen. Two of the small tables were full and the two chairs to my left were occupied by a younger couple who seemed more American and artsy – though he grew up in Tokyo, she in Hokkaido. You can see my empty seat next to her at the bar:

Around this time, I decided some sake – no beer being available – would be a nice complement to the meal, so I ordered the second least expensive bottle on the menu, Kikuizumi ($26.50 for 350 ml):

The back label of the bottle gives the English name for the chilled rice wine, "Fountains of Joy," and describes the flavor, "Silky and elegant at first sip, then a touch of peach and muscat at mid range, concluding with a soft and lingering finish." My thoughts exactly :-). It was a fountain of joy full of complex flavors. I even preferred it to the small glass of more expensive sake offered me by the couple on my left.

At about this time, the next two pieces of sushi arrived,"Crab and something like scallop but not really scallop from Japan":

I have no memory of ever being served what was virtually an entire crab leg as sushi. To be honest, I'm impressed when a sushiya serves shreds of real crab in a California roll. The flavor of the crab leg was somewhat like Dungeness, being firm and sweet, but not as stringy in texture.

The who-knows-what-it-is from Japan was unique. While the texture was somewhat reminiscent of a toothsome scallop, the flavor was like neither scallop nor clam. Instead, the seafood had deep underlying tones that suggested earthy loam. Like nothing I have ever put in my mouth before.

Now came the tuna belly and the yellowjack:

Again the chef was playing with contrasts and similarities. The yellow Jack was firm and rich and complex with a touch of fishy tang in the background. The toro was all about rich, smooth, buttery flavors. And like many other items that evening, the taste stretched out over my tongue and lingered there.

Fresh sweet shrimp was next. After Kotani-san selected one for my sushi, its compatriot decided it was time for a jailbreak, but got no further than the tamago:

Being so gigantic, the ama ebi became two pieces:

Unlike much ama ebi, this was fully packed with shrimp flavors. The firm texture made it chewy as well, a texture almost like lobster. Very good.

Shortly, the shrimp's head arrived, light, salty, and crunchy:

By this point I was getting full and my palate was almost exhausted from focusing on such complex, unusual, and interesting flavors. But the nice couple on my left said that my visit would not be complete without having some of Shirahama's famous raw octopus sushi.

It was served beside a piece of kohada (gizzard shad):

The shad was excellent with a depth of fishy flavor that filled my mouth until I washed my palate with some sake. The nama tako was amazing. The texture was both firm and soft and the flavors were clean, moist, clear, and octopussy. Words escape me and my notes at this point are hard to read.

The last item I was served was sea urchin:

Ooops, no picture, I'll blame that on the sake. Or on my memory. Or both.

I am so used to San Diego uni that I was surprised and pleased by what I was served this evening. It was darker and less granulated in appearance than what I am used to. It was also less moist, like a thick custard, but the flavor of the uni was deeply concentrated and long-lasting, the texture dense and smooth. A wonderful conclusion to the meal.

As you can probably tell, I had a truly fine experience at Shirahama. Even though I was the only customer that evening who could not speak Japanese, I was treated well by the itamae and his assistant. Some people at yelp complain about the decor and ambience at the restaurant, but the understated interior and the Japanese music in the background seemed appropriate and met all of my requirements. There were no distractions. I go to art galleries to look, to sushi bars to eat.

Honestly, I think it would be a waste to come here with a group to discuss business or politics. This was food that begged for my full attention and rewarded my concentration.

So, if you have some extra money sitting around and want to have real Japanese sushi in a Japanese environment, this place is for you. Sometimes that is just what I want, and I hope to return — next time I'm in San Diego and have some extra money sitting around.

Sushidokoro Shirahama, 4212 Convoy, San Diego, 92111, (858) 650-3578, open daily 12:00-2:00 and 5:30-10:00. Reservations accepted and encouraged.

A Hiyashi Chuka Comparison: Yakyudori, Santouka, and Izakaya Sakura

June 26, 2011 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants

This seems like something my good FOY Dennis would do. But with the recent warmer weather, I noticed that I'd been eating this quite a bit recently. Hiyashi Chuka literally means "cold chinese noodles", and looking at it, I can see a slight resemblance to liang mian, Chinese cold noodles. Of course, like just about everything else assimilated into Japanese food culture(i.e. Tonkatsu, Yakiniku, Curry) there are some major twists and turns that makes the dish uniquely Japanese. In some versions, there's the almost western addition of sliced ham. The broth is usually thinner and lighter than Chinese cold noodles. What is has in common with liang mian is the "aaahh" factor on a hot day; the pause that refreshes. I recently tried three different versions, all seasonal, and my favorite was almost unanimous, it was the version from….

Yakyudori Ramen and Yakitori:

Which was also the most expensive at $9.50.

With regards to portion size, this was the largest. A nice portion of chopped ham didn't hurt, though the chashu was really waxy and greasy in texture. The noodles had a nice chew, but it was the sauce that made it my favorite. This one had personality, an "umph", tangy and slightly sweet.

Yakyudori Ramen and Yakitori
4898 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Santouka:

Was my second favorite, basically because I really enjoy the firm, al dente noodles. The portion size was ok for the price of $8.50 (the sign say $9.23, but that's with tax included).

Another plate holds the rather sparse "toppings", as if the folks at Santouka know that placed on top of the noodles it would look rather minuscule. There were two slices of the fatty and rich toroniku, the braised pork cheek on top of the noodles….which looked a bit out of place since everything else was on another plate. In his post, Dennis calls this a tease. The pork was served slightly warm, which was quite nice…. but like Dennis said, this was pretty much there for the "drool effect". The sauce had a strange artificial aspect to it….frankly, I expected more.

Santouka Ramen
4240 Kearny Mesa Rd(In the Mitsuwa Marketplace)
San Diego, CA 92111

Izakaya Sakura:

I thought Izakaya Sakura's version was pretty mediocre. Priced at $8.50, this was the smallest in terms of portion, though the chashu was surprisingly much better then Yakyudori. It was also served at room temp which helped.

The noodles were mushy, which pretty much made this a non-starter for me. The shiro was very bland, I even added a bit of shoyu, and it still wasn't very good. I did enjoy the corn which added some much needed sweetness to the whole thing. Much like my experience with the ramen, this one fell short. To me, this is not what Sakura does best…..

Izakaya Sakura
3904 Convoy St #121
San Diego, CA 92111

Saturday Stuffs: Shufeng Garden (Rowland Heights) and updates on MIA San Diego Food Bloggers

June 25, 2011 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Road Trip

I was going to do something titled a "quick road trip", but that would be inaccurate…… I had an appointment in our old neighborhood of Rowland Heights, and usually the Missus would accompany me. We'd get things done early and hit up one or two (or maybe three) places. Because of work, this was a solo drive for me…. and it was a darn good thing. I got out of my appointment at 1pm. Now I don't know how many of you notice that we like to eat early to avoid the crowds…. but by 1pm on a Saturday… well, good luck. So I did some quick shopping at Marukai in West Covina, man has this area changed since we moved to San Diego. Someday, I'll do that post. Anyway, I decided to just do some take-out and head on home. I decided on something from Shufeng Garden which I've posted on before. By the time I got home it was 430…… so I guess I had a kinda late lunch, the Missus and early dinner.

**** Shufeng Garden has closed

I wanted to check out the tea smoked duck again($12.99), and this time it was even better.

Though the smoked flavor is still not as pronounced as I would have enjoyed, this was one meaty, and surprisingly moist duck.

I went with a favorite from our previous visit, the Sliced Pork with Garlic Sauce ($7.95):

I gotta say, even though I really enjoyed it on our previous visit, it was even better today. I think sitting in the chili-garlic-vinegar-sugar mixture on the drive back to San Diego gave the thinly sliced pork belly, and the cucumber slices below it time to soak up the flavors. Mildly spicy, pungent, sweet with a mild tangy finish, this was nice. Sitting in the sauce also gave this a more "back of the throat" heat. The pork holds form without being too waxy or mushy….. It is one lovely dish.

Wanting to try something I hadn't, I went with the Lamb with Hot Chili ($7.95). Consisting of lamb rib bones and meat… this was almost finger food, though you don't want to be touching your eyes after. Hints of cumin, Sichuan peppercorn (not quite enough), and the flavor of scalded chilies were the key players in this dish.

This could have been a bit more spicy, but was a nice dish overall….. I'd have it again.

The folks working here have always been nice to me….. so I'll probably go back and try some different items. Perhaps the Rabbit with hot sauce, or maybe the Steamed Toad?

Shufeng Garden
18459 Colima Road
Rowland Heights, CA 91748

An update on some MIA San Diego Food Bloggers (aka I've been looking for you on milk cartons):

I guess I've been doing this for a while. And over the years, I've met and traded emails with many of the food bloggers in San Diego….. to paraphrase fellow food blogger Marie, "it's almost like I've known you for ages." Like the tides, there seems to be an ebb and flow…. food blogs come and go, and it's always nice to come across a new one. But there's always a sense of loss when a food blog seems to fall by the wayside and I do tend to wonder what happened. So I will often email folks after seeing no posts for a while…. or even call them if I have their number. Such as the one and only Captain Jack of San Diego Restaurant Reviews Blog. I spoke to Jack recently and he's doing well, still taking photos of food, but has been occupied with work and other hobbies (is World of Warcraft a hobby?). Having a nice stash of food photos, I'm thinking it's just a matter of time before Jack is posting again. I also received an email from Masa Assassin who told me he is doing well, perhaps a bit too well having gotten a promotion at work, leaving him little time for the blog. I'm just glad that he and the Missus are doing well. So there you go, a couple of updates on some MIA fellow San Diego food bloggers.

Hope to see some new posts from you fella's soon!

Going out to eat and craving SPAM™

June 24, 2011 Cathy What Cathy Eats!, yoso-silly

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog. Kirk is busy, ed(from Yuma) is busy and Cathy has some free time.

The other day, after posting about America's SPAM™ Championship at the County Fair (at the bottom of the post), I was wanting more than a simple SPAM™ breakfast, even though I now had some ideas for a more complicated use of the delightful canned pork and ham product.

The Mister and I were at Westfield Parkway Plaza, out here in East County. I saw this sign at Hula Hawaiian BBQ, in the Food Court.
$1 for SPAM™ musubi. I think there were restricted days or hours. Anyhow, I was in the right place at the right time and ordered two pieces (the regular price is two pieces for $3).

The warm rice topped with a nice teriyaki sauce, topped with a thick slice of grilled SPAM™ and wrapped with a strip of seaweed- a perfect combination of flavors and texture and great food at a crazy inexpensive price. Satisfied my craving…
Until two days later, when I went with a friend to Chopstix Too and was told to order "anything I craved".
So, I chose the tofu salad ($4.25) (A very good size lettuce salad with par-boiled broccoli and shredded carrots and red cabbage as well as chopped tomatoes topped with about half a pound of a very silken tofu. There is salad dressing on each table here and I added it to the lettuce after enjoying it plain.)
as well as SPAM™ roll ($3.95) (apparently a 'log' of raw SPAM™ with radish and avocado rolled in seaweed then rice and sesame). This was excellent, and exactly what I wanted.

I hope everyone gets to fulfill a craving when they are out and about. It's a great way to live.

Chopstix Too 4380 Kearny Mesa Road San Diego 92111 (858) 565-1288

Midweek Munching: Cha Soba Tororo…. and SPAM Katsu Curry

June 22, 2011 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes, yoso-silly

I've been kinda bored with things lately, so over the last week I decided to play with my food a bit. My pantry is a bit too heavily stocked so I picked an item or two to liquidate, a would pick up some ingredients on the way home….often with little idea of what I was going to do. This is what I ended up making.

Cha Soba Tororo:

I enjoy Cha Soba, basically soba with green tea powder added. I enjoy the flavor; it seems to have some inherent saltiness with hint of green tea in the background.

A little actually goes a long way. I only made half of the bundle which was enough for two small servings. I know you can't see it but there's a bed of grated yamaimo(mountain yam) adding some refreshing…. well, snottiness to the whole dish. I picked up some ikura and benishoga on the way home. Both were on sale at Mitsuwa.

A bit of mustard and a drizzle of Chiba Shoyu and this was good to go…. the Missus didn't think much of it at first, but really enjoyed it.

I finished up my smoked duck legs, added some hiyakko tofu and konnyaku sashimi, and I had a nice refreshing summer meal.

I had also picked up some quail eggs, but really didn't know what to do with them. So I decided to take the easy way out and made some:

SPAM® Katsu Curry……something that I've posted on before. A while back Marukai had SPAM® Singles on Sale. And while the internal me cringes at how expensive this stuff actually is compared to a can of SPAM®, at least I won't feel obligated to eat the whole can of SPAM® after I open it…… wait a minute, I'm going back to cans after this!

Anyway, 1 package of singles cut in half made two panko breaded "cutlets" if you will. Two packages of Japanese Curry from the pantry, benishoga, and four quail eggs later….. You got crunchy breaded and fried SPAM® over rice appropriately formed by my musubi mold on a bed of curry, topped by some fried quail eggs.

Not something I'm particularly proud of…….. but it was tasty….. and one of my favorites. Hey maybe if Curry House had served this, they might still be open in San Diego? Nah…..

I hope everyone is having a great week!

Asian Star in Yuma: The Rest of the Story

June 21, 2011 ed fromyuma Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Japanese Restaurants, Thai Restaurants, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

mmm-yoso is a food blog usually written by Kirk, sometimes written by Cathy, but today written by ed (from Yuma).

Except for chain restaurants, I am usually willing to try any dining establishment at least once. But I do have a certain skepticism about restaurants that try to do too many things. I've never been tempted, for example, to stop into the Mexican Greek restaurant I see somewhere on the east side of San Diego County. Places that promise "oriental" or "Asian" food always make me want to ask if the chef is from somewhere close to the capital of Asia. In any case, that's my excuse for not going to Asian Star the first month or two that it was open. Better late than never.

I've already posted about the Chinese food at the restaurant, so this post is going to look at the other stuff available, such as this lunch sized order of pad thai ($6.55):

Overall, pretty boring. The sauce reminiscent of a sweet and sour sauce. The noodles and chicken also nothing special. Not nearly as good as the same dish at Highway 95 Café.

On the other hand, the Thai basil chicken is okay (dinner, $8.95):

Mildly spicy, the dish has a true Thai basil flavor. The vegetables add crunch and variety. I would happily order it again.

And recently for lunch, I tried the Thai curried chicken ($5.95):

It is really good. For one thing, look at all the chicken. This isn't curried vegetables with chicken; the focus is on the numerous tender slices of chicken. At the same time, strips of onion add flavor and crunch. Just enough peapods, carrots, and mushrooms in the background. The curry sauce is excellent – balanced spicy creamy flavors. And just enough sauce to flavor the entire dish without becoming soupy or goupy.

The Japanese food here can also be quite good. My favorite cup of soup is the miso(free with lunch special):

The broth usually has a good flavor with some depth and I am always impressed by the number of tofu cubes, seaweed pieces, and green onions slices. I have been served much worse in San Diego.

The baby squid salad ($3.95) looks nothing like I thought it would:

Though the mini mollusks have little flavor in themselves, their slightly chewy texture is nice and the tangy sauce is also pleasant. It just gives me a good feeling that I can order something this weird in Yuma.

On another occasion, we ordered poki ($7.95) and were served this:

The cynic in me noticed that a huge plate was being used to present the amount of poki that a Hawaiian would put in a small bowl. And a lot of daikon and slivered cucumber for the amount of tuna. But once I started eating, my cynicism melted away. The tuna was absolutely fresh. This was not the sashimi from three or four days earlier that had been marinating in the refrigerator. The ponzu sauce was nicely balanced. Tina and I loved the appetizer down to the last thin thread of radish.

Fresh raw fish is also my favorite part of the sashimi bento boxes ($7.95):

While the California roll is decent, many of the other items in the box are pretty ordinary. I really do not like the lettuce with the flavorless gloppy dressing. The deep-fried shu mai are meh and the eggroll contributes little beyond crunch.

But the sashimi itself has been good every time:

On this occasion, the salmon and tuna were perfectly adequate, and the tilapia was very fresh. By the standards of Yuma, Arizona, this was good raw fish, particularly for a bento box.

On another occasion, the same bento box came with only tuna and salmon as sashimi:

I was impressed. The sake was rich and flavorful, and the tuna tasted like decent sushi bar maguro.

On another visit, I decided to put Asian Star to a real test. Without looking at the raw fish case, I ordered some random items from the sushi menu. The few times that I have ordered sushi by the piece at other restaurants in Yuma – from fancy fine dining locations to Japanese chain restaurants – the results have been pretty disastrous.

However, at Asian Star the squid and eel were perfectly fine ($3.95 for each pair):

The unagi wasn't drenched in sticky sauce, and the ika was tender and mild. I had also ordered mackerel ($3.50) and hamachi ($3.95). We were served these:

The mackerel was quite good; better than I expected. The pale pinkfleshed fish was also very tasty, perfectly fresh and clean flavored. It was not, however, hamachi – at least not like any hamachi I had ever eaten before. Instead, it looked and tasted like light tuna (shiro maguro). My guess is that the sushi chef simply made a substitution without telling anyone. I suppose I could've gotten upset, but the fish was quite good, and it was being served to me in Yuma.

The shrimp tempura ($12.95) is also worth ordering:

It is not greasy and the portion is adequate. On the other hand, notice that the shrimp have a different coating, more like a panko, from the vegetables. Overall, though, a pleasant enough dish.

Similarly, the seafood yaki udon ($12.95) is okay as well:

The broth is very light in flavor, but the noodles are perfectly cooked and wonderfully juicy. The soup also contains shrimp, fish, and bay scallops, along with the noodles, fake crab, and poached egg.

And to my surprise, they even have togarashi seasoning:

This udon is very far from the best I've ever had, but it is the best I've had in Yuma.

The menu specials also include something called "Amazing Veal Chops, Korean Style" ($15.95). That puzzled me because I have never seen veal listed on any Asian menu before. Usually, veal dishes are native to countries with a strong dairy tradition – like Holland, Italy, Switzerland, and Austria. Not Korea. So I had to order it, of course:

This is dang good. The chop is large enough to be a beefsteak, more substantial than any vealchop I've ever seen in a local supermarket. Although this picture does not show it, it is cooked to a perfect medium rare – with a nice pinkish interior. The Korean barbecue sauce and the sliced peppers and onions add flavor. I can't imagine a steak loving carnivore not enjoying it. And in Yuma, most families include at least one steak loving carnivore.

Overall, I understand why Asian Star has become a very popular restaurant in Yuma. The prices are fair. The chefs tackle a wide range of Asian dishes and don't embarrass themselves. Some things, in fact, are quite good. Many are the best you can find locally. If you're in San Diego, don't hop in the car and drive over for this food. But if you are living in Yuma, like me, this is a restaurant you will enjoy.

Asian Star Oriental Cuisine, 276 W. 32nd St, Suite 1, Yuma AZ 85364, 928-317-9888, Open daily 11 am – 9:30 pm

Chicken Wing Thing: BBQ Chicken, Golden City, Homestyle Hawaiian, and Empirehouse Urban Palate

June 20, 2011 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Chinese Restaurants, Japanese Restaurants, Korean Restaurants

Wow, it’s almost been a year since I did my last “Chicken Wing Thang” post, I guess I better do some catching up. Here’s a round-up of some (but not all) of the chicken wings I’ve had since then.

BBQ Chicken:

As a whole, I’m not a big fan of B(est of the) B(est) Q(uality) Chicken, I’ve found the the flavor, and Q(uality) just wasn’t the B(est) I guess. I’ve been back a couple of times since my post back in 2008, and am really just not wowed by the chicken.

However, a couple of years back…… yes, I can’t remember where I park my car in the morning, but when it comes to food my memory is sometimes quite sharp. I recall a conversion with my good FOY (friend of yoso) Howie, who passed on a terrible tale of having to eat the Sweet and Spicy wings from BBQ Chicken. He likened the experience to being helpless in the grasp of sticky napalm, unable to move with sauce burning a hole on his face and his fingers in fire. I laughed so hard I almost fell off my chair…. sorry Howie, I know it ain’t right to laugh at someone else’s misfortunes, but the expression on your face as you told us the story was priceless!

And after all those years, I decided to give those wings a try. First off, you gotta remember, this ain’t fast food, even though it looks like it. It’ll take a good 20-30 minutes or more for your chicken…..which is why I thought it was really funny when they actually had a drive-thru. They don’t have one any longer do they? It was pretty late when I got there, so I didn’t notice. Anyway, the wings aren’t cheap at almost ten bucks…..at ten wings, they’ve crossed into “Kyochon” pricing territory.

I will say the wings are pretty large and the bright red color looked quite impressive. Though I’m fine with smaller wings since the skin to meat ratio is sometimes better.

The chicken had retained a good deal of crunch on the drive home, and as I mentioned before these were some pretty hefty wings. In terms of flavor, these are more spicy and sticky wings……upfront spicy, kind of sweet, but lacking in any real savory component. The lack of of complexity in the flavor really makes this a one trick pony…. it is spicy (though not even close to Quaker Steak and Lube), but that’s about it in my opinion. It just seems to need something more and lacks that “I need to keep eating because I think they put crack in these wings” factor.

At a dollar a wing this really ain’t worth it in my book.

BBQ Chicken
4768 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Golden City:

**** Golden City has closed

You know after all my posts on Golden City you knew that someday I’d have to relent and actually try the salt and pepper chicken wings here, even though I really didn’t have a good feeling about it. So here it is, in its bitter garlic, kinda soggy, dry meat glory.

Not enough salt, or I daresay MSG, hardly any spice……… it won’t keep me from ordering Kwai Fei Chicken that’s for sure…..

Golden City Restaurant
5375 Kearny Villa Rd.
San Diego, CA 92123

Homestyle Hawaiian:

Say what? Yes, according to the sign it said Salt n’ Pepper Chicken Wings. And Mo couldn’t wait to have me try them…..

At the time I tried them; this was late last year, about the time I had the Roast Pork Loco Moco, I thought they needed a bit more leavening since they got soggy fairly quickly. The flavor had an interesting sweet tone, but not enough salt…. Mo did tell me, that at that time he wasn’t using MSG….. Needed some kick to it as well. I believe that the price is now $7.50, but I did see these still on the menu.

Homestyle Hawaiian Island Style Food
7524 Mesa College Drive
San Diego, CA 92111

Empirehouse Urban Palate:

**** Empirehouse has closed

A FOY asked me to check out the Red Miso BBQ Wings ($7) at Empire House Urban Palate, a newer restaurant located at 127 University, a location that has been through several restaurants in recent years. Ed from Yuma did a post on The Better Half which was in this location a couple of years back. Taking a cue from the various back to comfort food style cuisine that is big in gastropubs and fusion style food typical of food trucks, this place serves a line-up of burgers, hot dogs, along with chicken karaage, tacos, and of course chicken wings. Kind of an interesting stretch….. and a lot of territory to cover.

But this is a chicken wing post, so let’s get down to those wings.

These weren’t bad by any stretch of the imagination…. I just wish that there had been a bit more imagination…. these tasted more like a usual BBQ sauce, with perhaps a touch of Hoisin for some very mild beany savory flavor and sweetness. Where was the deep salty-savory flavor of Aka miso? The wings were on the smallish side which wouldn’t have been bad if the skin had been a bit more crisp.

A bit more spice, maybe sweetness, or perhaps the kind of assertive flavor like those of Que Huong’s Fish Sauce Chicken Wings…… What these did do for me is make me wonder what kind of miso glazed wings would I make? Hmmm…. folks do enjoy the Spicy Garlic-Soy Chicken wings I make……

I will say that the young ladies working here are very friendly and enthusiastic and made eating here a pleasure.

Empirehouse Urban Palate
127 University Avenue
San Diego, CA 92103

There you go the latest installment of chicken wings! Thanks for dropping by!

Selcuk: Ephesus

June 19, 2011 mmm-yoso Markets & Grocers, Selcuk, Travel, Turkey, Turkish Food

We got up early on our Saturday in Selcuk, though both the Missus and I had enjoyed our time in Selcuk, we were here for one main reason; to visit Ephesus. We had an early breakfast, as with most of these places, breakfast is provided free. In comparison to other places this was just ok. Everything had been plated out ahead of time.

All the usual suspects were in attendance, the cheese, butter, tomato, cucumber, olives, honey….

And of course, bread…… lots of bread….

The best thing about the breakfast was the tea. Hotel Bella made a nice, fairly strong cup of Turkish Tea…..full bodied with a hint of Bergamot.

Breakfast did us good, in spite of the fact that the hotel provided free drop off and pick-up from Ephesus, we'd be walking the 5-6 kilometers to Ephesus.

We arrived at the upper entrance in a little over an hour, just after opening, and just before all the tour buses from the cruise ships ported at Kusadasi arrived. By not heading to the main gates, we'd be able to check out some of the major attractions before they too crowded. We also decided to spend a few more lira and do the audio tour, which turned out to be really informative.

It is believed that the city of Ephesus was founded somewhere around 10th century BC. Located at the crossing of major trade routes and being a major harbor town, Ephesus was once the second largest city in the Roman Empire, with a population estimated at 250,000.

Upon entering we walked down a short side path to the Church of Mary (above photo). Rebuilt and altered several times it is thought to have been built over and earlier Basilica.

Walking past the ruins of the gymnasium……

One sees the first of several amazing structures at Ephesus. The Great Theatre.

Dramatically located on the slopes of Panayir Hill, the theatre seated 25,000 and the seating is designed for maximum acoustics and view.

The theatre was also the scene of a well known biblical event. For three years the Apostle Paul lived in Ephesus, preaching the gospel. According to the book of Acts, Paul must have been pretty successful, as the silversmiths who made their living selling idols of Artemis (Diana) had started losing business and started a riot against Paul and the spreading of Christianity. You can read it here.

Stepping out of the theatre, I got a good look at Harbour Street, At 500 meters long and 11 meters wide, this was once the grandest street in Ephesus…. and probably still is.

Walking to the end of the restored area of the street, the obvious question you'd ask yourself is, "where's the harbor?"

Ephesus had become a power because of location. Besides being at the crossroads of trade, it was also located at the mouth of the Kayster River, right where it met the Aegean. In the end, it wasn't Christianity nor the Ottoman Empire that doomed Ephesus, it was the unconquerable build up of silt. Today, the last harbour of Ephesus sits over 6 miles from the river.

The beautiful marble paved "Sacred Way" goes South from the theatre. There are spots where you can see the sewer and water systems that lay beneath these streets. There are grooves in the marble which were created by carts and wagons……

Which probably made its way to the Agora which you can view from the street. This was probably the busiest street in Ephesus.

To the left of the Agora are the Gates of Augustus……

Which led to my favorite site, and possibly my favorite site on the entire trip (including the Parthenon), the Library of Celsus.

The Library of Celsus was built by Julius Celsus Polemaeanus by his son Gaius Julius Aquila. The library was built with double walls to protect the 12,000 scrolls and book from heat and humdity. The four statues in the niches in the walls of the library represent wisdom (Sophia), knowledge (Episteme), intelligence (Ennoia) and valor (Arete). That's Sophia to the right.

I had a bit of a difficult time tearing myself away from the Library of Celsus, but it was starting to get crowded…..

The street leading away from the library is called Curetes Way. Apparently it was a business and "high-rent" district of Ephesus.

Off one of the side trails along the road is what is one of the most popular sites in Ephesus…. the communal Roman Men's toilets. Yes, there were lines of folks waiting to check out the toilets. And most could not help but to "try them out for size." Says a lot about us, doesn't it?

You can see where the residents lived, walk past some wonderful monuments, and see the shopping areas on the street.

There are some beautiful mosaics alongside the street.

Along one of the side streets is the Temple of Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian. Remember the huge head and arm from the Ephesus Museum? This is where it came from.

There was just so much to see, and I'm heaing into over 850 words right now, so let me just put up a few more photos, ok?

Before we knew it, we had spent almost four hours at Ephesus. It was also pretty darn hot. When we exited the Missus asked audio tour booth folks if they could call the hotel (you gotta love Turkey) which they gladly did. About fifteen minutes later we were on our way back to the hotel.

I realize that there wasn't much food in this one, so thanks for reading!