August 2012 – mmm-yoso

The Smoked Greek Style Lamb Chop Experiment

August 31, 2012 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

Well, I did need something to accompany my beans, right? Plus, every once in a while I like to experiment around….play with my food if you will. Plus, I've been getting quite a bit of mileage out of my stove top smoker….so why not? When thinking this out, I thought the biggest problem would be getting a nice caramelization on my lamb loin chops….a bunch of pretty inexpensive stuff from Costco….I wasn't going to play around with anything too pricey.

So I decided to do a quick marinade while waiting out my beans.

1 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil – everyday variety, not the good stuff
3/4 Cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 bulb of garlic (yes, bulb)
2 bay leaves
1 tb Turkish oregano

I threw everything into the food processor and let rip. Combined with lamb in a gallon ziploc for two hours. After the allotted time, I poured everything out into a large bowl, removed the chops, scrapping off excess marinade and set in the smoker.

I'll admit, not the prettiest thing in the world….two hours was good as the lemon juice hadn't "cooked" the meat too much. Of course this is hot smoking, I used oak this time around.

While the chops were smoking, I poured the excess marinade into a small pot, added a bit more olive oil, salt, and fresh ground black pepper, heated to a boil, then simmered for a few minutes. I decided to sear my chops after smoking and would use this to baste.

After 20 minutes of smoking, I opened up the smoker, got my trusty cast iron pan onto the big kahuna and some ripping high heat and quickly seared the chops. Actually, these were not bad…….

They had a nice, light smoked, almost cured flavor, light lemon tones, and surprisingly, not very strong garlic flavor.

I gave several of the chops to one of the Missus' coworkers, who is not a big fan of lamb and he really enjoyed it.

Who said that we shouldn't play with our food?

Happy Friday everyone!

Bale Returns to Linda Vista

August 29, 2012 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Sandwiches, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Bale has closed (yet again)

Well it took them awhile but Bale has returned to Linda Vista for a third time, this time in the space formerly occupied by Toan Ky, LV Sandwiches, and Le's…..sheesh, this location doesn't have that great of a track record, huh? Anyway, the place reopened on August 25th, a few days later the mercury was telling me that a banh mi might not be a bad idea.

Man, the place was just besieged by older Vietnamese women…..who were giving the two young ladies total hell. A lot had to do with the sign in the front.

Apparently, folks read the sign that said "Buy 1 Sandwich Get One Free…." and stopped there without reading the "coffee or Thai tea" part of the sign. In some ways I don't blame them. They could have written the sign a bit better. Anyway, when I stepped up to the counter the girls asked me if I understood the sign and I said yes. They could not understand why folks were just reading the first couple of words……I explained that many times we see what we want. Also, they were catching hell in Vietnamese, so obviously English was not the primary language here. The young ladies could not for the life of them understand…meanwhile, a woman stepped in front of me and gave the girls a piece of her mind! Yikes! I mentioned that perhaps they could let the manager or the owner take care of the irate customers….the two girls looked at me like I had lost my mind! Well then, what can I say????

Anyway, the prices looked pretty good, sandwiches ranged from $2.95 to $3.45. I decided to just get the Dac Biet (the special – $3.45):

A bit different from my previous experiences with Bale in San Diego, this place used the longer baguette instead of the standard issue banh mi. This meant less bread, more crust, which, though not as good as Cali Baguettte Express, was flakey enough for me. Bale has a long history of toasting the bread to death, not so in this case either. The pickled vegetables were on the bland side, but there was a good amount of pate smeared on the sandwich and just the right amount of mayo. Proportion matters and I found the thin slices of protein to be sufficient. Not bad at all…..

That Thursday I was at the Linda Vista Farmer's Market and did some shopping at Thuan Phat. It was pretty hot so I thought I'd grab another banh mi. I guess convenience is playing on the side of Bale here. It being about 4pm, the place was fairly empty. This time I went for defatted pork sausage – Cha Lua ("Pork Bologna on the menu – $2.95):

This time the bread was a little old for my taste…kind of chewy and not as crusty. Also, a bit too much mayo and hardly any pickled vegetables….which, based on the blandness wasn't really missed too much. Nice pate, which was about all of the flavor, except for the cilantro and jalapenos which were pretty hot this time around. Not good, not terrible……

I did take a look at the sit down menu……but I think I'll do that when the weather gets a bit cooler…..

Anyway, this past week, I had to run and buy some rice. Not really for us, but for Da' Boyz who eat rice with every meal….we hardly consume rice anymore. There's something wrong in the world when my dogs are consuming Three Ladies or Buddha brand jasmine rice!

On this visit, I noticed that the new deal was "Buy 2 Sandwiches, get 1 Free"….I felt much better for the poor young ladies….this time it was pretty cut and dried. Then I stepped in and took a look at the prices for sandwiches…..

What the heck? All sandwiches had gone up by about 10-12% in two weeks? All the $2.95 sandwiches were now $3.39. The $3.45 sandwiches were now $3.69. The BBQ Beef had been $2.95 and was now $3.69……this time, I don't blame customers for getting a bit upset. It is "only" 20 to 40 cents or so…..but it just doesn't seem right to raise prices so quickly….2 weeks?

Speaking of upset, I ordered a Dac Biet and got this instead…..

Whatever, at least it was same priced sandwich.

Tell you what though….I'm not going back for a while.

Bale Restaurant and Deli
6925 Linda Vista Road
San Diego, CA 92111

Greek Style Giant White Beans

August 28, 2012 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

Much like the smoked swordfish, this was something the Missus wanted me to make since we got back from Rhodes this past year. She enjoyed the version from Taverna Kostas (to the right), but wanted something more hearty and moist. At first this seemed like a pretty easy task….but it took me three tries to get something that the Missus enjoyed. First problem; where to get "gigantes", Greek Giant White Beans. I tried large limas, but it wasn't quite the same. I eventually luckily found some dried giant white beans at Balboa Market, not quite the same, but passable. The bean portion is pretty routine….soak overnight. The combination cooking portion I found interesting. The straigh simmer, saute, than bake just didn't do it the first two times. The last time, I played around a bit and made the adjustments for the Missus' tastes. I also went against the old wives tale of not adding acid during the simmer….I added 7 roma tomatoes and two whole heads of garlic with the tops chopped and didn't find that it prolonged the cooking time of about 1-1/2 hour. I ended up heating a ddukbaegi (Korean earthenware pot) in the oven, coating with olive oil then added the beans with a light layer of extra virgin olive oil on the top to finish.

Anyway….here goes.

Soak 1 pound giant lima or giant white beans overnight.

The Simmer
Drained beans
Water to cover
7-8 roma tomatoes with an 'x' sliced on the bottom
1-2 whole bulbs of garlic, loose "skin" removed, top chopped off
4-5 whole sprigs fresh dill
1 tablespoon crushed dried oregano
2 bay leaves

– combine all items above
– simmer for 1 hour, then check for doneness
– remove garlic, tomatoes, dill sprigs, bay leaf, and any skin that has come off tomato
– when tomatoes are cool enough remove all skin, squeeze garlic out off bulb, chop tomatoes, reserve
– simmer until beans are done
– drain beans saving 1 cup of simmering liquid
– preheat oven to 450 (I also placed the ddukbaegi in the oven to heat)

The Saute
Drained beans
chopped tomatoes
garlic
1 – 1 1/2 jars of tomato paste. (I like the brand to my left – it's very tangy)
3-4 Tb chopped fresh dill
1 tsp dry oregano crushed
1/2 tsp sugar (if necessary)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
reserved simmering liquid (if necessary)

– in the same pot used for simmering the beans, heat olive oil over medium heat, add chopped roma tomatoes, garlic, oregano, tomato paste.
– when the tomato mixture becomes fragrant, add beans, dill, salt and pepper and set the heat at low and mix to combine well.
– taste, add sugar if necessary, adjust flavor, add more tomato paste, salt, and pepper.
– heat through. If the mixture is very dry add a bit of the bean simmering liquid.

The Bake
– Coat the pan, pot, whatever with olive oil
– place beans in pot and heat or broil to finish.

For our taste, the beans should be well coated and fairly dry. What you on top is a light layer of extra virgin olive oil that was bubbling away. Once mixed it was all incorporated into the dish. Again, maybe not traditional, but made to our tastes!

More Noodling Around – 777 Noodle House, Pho King, Santouka, Yakuyudori Ramen and Yakitori, and Yum Cha Cafe

August 27, 2012 mmm-yoso Ramen, Vietnamese Restaurants

Ooodles of noodles in mostly photos for Monday.

777 Noodle House:

This place seems to be doing some pretty good business, I love the diverse crowd. Had my usual simple bowl of Hu Tieu Nam Vang – dry. Did have a fairly lousy bowl of Egg Noodle Soup with Roast Duck Leg recently, but the Pork Intestine Noodle Soup was interesting. Intestine was prepared fine, though on the chewy side….this really smelled funky, but the flavor was good…..the broth did take on some of the intestine flavor.

777 Noodle House
4686 University Avenue
San Diego, CA 92105

Pho King:

Hadn't been back here in a while. So had my usual Hu Tieu Mi Kho….man am I getting boring and predictable.

Pho King Restaurant
4658 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115

Santouka:

Talk about predictable….yep, Shio Toroniku style.

Though I don't feel so bad, since a couple of weeks later I ran into Dennis here and he got his ramen…yep…toroniku style! Dennis also said he just knew he'd run into someone that day…..I guess he was getting readings on his "blog-dar"???? Funny….

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

Yakyudori Ramen and Yakitori:

I gotta say….this bowl of shoyu ramen was probably the best I had here. Balanced in flavor, not too salty, the noodles were perfectly prepared….just good stuff.

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

Yum Cha Cafe:

**** Yum Cha Cafe has closed

I feel the place has kinda gone downhill since they opened and have not visited very much recently. However, I was in the area and hungry after shopping next door. I'd always wondered about the $3.99 rice noodle soup with BBQ pork, so I decided to get that.

I was pleasantly surprised. At least in terms of portion size. There were at least 6-7 slices of BBQ Pork, the noodles were nicely done. The soup was a step above MSG water….but in terms of value, I'd say this is pretty good.

Great stuff for the starving student set…..

Yum Cha Cafe
6933 Linda Vista Road
San Diego, CA 92111

Vista: Spicy King

August 26, 2012 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

**** Spicy King has closed

It's always great to hear from folks who have new recommendations and such….I don't think I'd still be around if not for the many emails and suggestions I get. A couple of weeks ago, "Big Ron", an avid Chowhound and I guess reader of our blog sent me an email asking me to try Spicy King, which had just opened up in Vista. Now I'd heard a bit about Spicy King, but not a whole lot….I as told that the folks behind Spicy City are somehow involved in the whole deal. Also, my dear FOY (Friend of Yoso), The Food Detective and her husband MrC had eaten there two weeks previous. The place sounded interesting, but when I quizzed TFD, she was less than enthused telling me the place was "decent", the "portions large", but overall a step behind Dede's and Spicy City in her mind. Still, we were missing Sichuan food and having been to every other Sichuan place many times over, why not make the 75 mile round trip, right?

As you can tell by the banner, the restaurant is fairly new and located in a pretty quiet corner of one of the mall complexes anchored by an Albertson's.

hadn't I been explicitly looking for the place, I'd have never known it was here….it would be hard to tell the place was open if not for the "Open" sign.

The place is quite nice, rather simple but tasteful. The young women working….the Missus told me they're all related were friendly and also from Chongqing based on their accents.

The menu is large and all the photos can lead you into overload with over 115 dishes, excluding the…ahem, "classics", items like Cashew Chicken, Beef Broccoli, and such which are hidden on the back of the menu.

The natural way to start one of these meals is with some cold appetizers(3 for $5.99)…..

The best item was the almost Jiangnan ("South of the Yangtze" – Suzhou/Shanghai/Hangzhou) style fish, almost like Xun Yu. It was slighty sweet, bony, but had nice flavor. The spicy bean curd was extremely salty and the Fu Qi Fei Pian, while perfect in texture lacked the buzz of Sichuan peppercorns and a decent amount of heat.

One of the two dishes I truly miss from Ba Ren is the ChongQing Kou Shui Ji 重庆口水鸡 – the mouthwatering (saliva) chicken. So we ordered the Chungking cold chopped chicken with Hot Sauce ($9.99). And good god, this huge bowl arrived….there seemed to be over half a chicken in it.

It did look quite good…..but was fairly flat and surprisingly not very spicy. It really lacked any real depth of flavor…..anything, black vinegar, sesame paste, perhaps a little garlic, mild sweetness….strangely, I took most of this home, the leftovers became almost a whole meal a day later, and this was still not very spicy.

Next up was the Shrimp with Explosive Chili Pepper ($12.99).

I don't think the oil was at the right temp for this as the batter was gummy and the dish was on the greasy side……not oily (oil is the pathway to flavor in Sichuan cuisine), greasy. The shrimp were severely overcooked and rubbery. Not enough Sichuan peppercorn for my taste….especially for ChongQing style Sichuan. Decent heat from the scalded chilies though.

Next up was the Twice Cooked Fish with Hot Pepper ($10.99). God almighty, this was a huuuuge amount of fish. The batter looked the same as the one used for the shrimp, but this time it was lighter and crisp. The fish was nicely cooked, tender and moist.

There was a decent amount of peppercorn in this, the garlic and even the slices of ginger added to the dish. The photo on the right is after the Missus had eaten two pieces and I had eaten three….it's like we hadn't put a dent in this. About this time, the Missus overheard two of the young ladies, one was telling the other, "they are not even from Sichuan and are ordering all spicy…."

We also noticed that other customers didn't seem to be ordering much of the spicy stuff……

Next up was the Pork Intestine with Pickled Chili Pepper (Pa Jiao – $9.99):

The intestines were very "clean" and this was mild with regards to funkiness. The dish was much sweeter than it was spicy. In fact, I had the leftovers three days later, at which time it had become nice and spicy. Not a bad dish.

The Missus ordered something called "Megamillions fish fillet" ($12.99), which was Her favorite dish of the day.

This was Her favorite dish of the day. It put some nice layers of flavor together….the minced ginger, the pickled peppers, the fish was perfect, the tofu added a nice symmetry to the dish. Tasting this, I thought it to be the most balanced in terms of "suan-tian-ku-la-xian", the sour-sweet-bitter-spicy-salty metaphor that Chinese use to compare food to life.

One funny moment occurred during our visit….three of the staff started having a typical "discussion" over the A/C……it started as some chatter and got louder and louder until they seemed to be yelling at each other. Folks in the restaurant put their chopsticks down and seemed to be waiting for the "gloves to come off". I even stopped eating to watch….at which time the Missus reminded me, "you know they are just having a normal discussion over the A/C right……" as She just kept eating. Goodness, I'd forgotten!

In the end, what to say….the food was decent, though not quite worth the 75 mile round trip. The portions are huge and the service very friendly. when the Missus mentioned how big the servings were the young lady said, "oh no, the plates just make everything look so big!" You gotta love that. It's really good to see diversity of cuisine spreading, albeit slowly all over San Diego. It's taking awhile, but it's many miles from how things were when we moved here!

Spicy King
1233 East Vista Way
Vista, CA 92084

Thanks for your recommendation Big Ron! I hope here from you again in the future!

Saturday Stuffs: Gifts from a fellow blogger, we needed a new cleaver, almost impulse buys from Thuan Phat, and recently consumed……

August 25, 2012 mmm-yoso Markets & Grocers, yoso-silly

Gifts from a fellow food blogger:

During our lunch at Moby Dick (insert punch line), fellow food blogger Canine Cologne, "CC" to me, generously gave us a goody bag of swag……

I gotta say….this was some really yummy stuff. The Missus really loved the smoked mussels and the tuna!

Thanks as always for your generosity CC, it's always a pleasure seeing you!

We said we needed a new cleaver……

Actually, the Missus mentioned this to my MIL. So when the D's visited, guess what we got? Well, not one…but three cleavers from China! Thanks to MrD Sr.

One daily use, lighter weight…a medium weight, and one that's super heavy and perfect for chopping up bones among other things. We really appreciate the gifts!

The brand is Wang Ma Zi which is one of those "time honored brands". Really good knives, the Missus loves the everyday cleaver, which I got good and sharp.

Someone asked me how I keep my knives sharp….so sharp that PeterL was kind of afraid to use them. A sharp knife cuts cleanly and is safer to use than a dull one that slips around. I have a Smith Abrasives Tri Hone that I really like along with a steel and a whetstone I've had for decades.

Recently seen at Thuan Phat:

The Missus has taken to shopping at Thuan Phat…..well, at least every once in a while. She likes thevariety; the place is much less "pungent" then Vien Dong was, and we do find items that catch our interest once in a while, helping to make the sometimes mundane task of shopping a bit more fun. I recently used up the last of the palm sugar we brought back from Cambodia, so I needed to restock. It had been so long since I last shopped for the stuff that I was surprised to find jars with tablespoon sized disks of palm sugar available. For those that have wrestled with the large blocks/discs of hard as rock palm sugar, this stuff is great. A drop of water and 10-15 seconds in the microwave and it becomes very soft.

There were a couple of items that caught my eye during shopping. Even though I have no use for it, this was almost irresistible.

First, I wondered if it really smelled like durian…..of course I'm not going to be dumb enough to open it in the store! Can you imagine….or worse, what if I spilled it? Gives new meaning to "clean-up in aisle five". Still, if your coffee smells kind of odd next time…..

Recently Consumed:

I saw some nice watercress at the Linda Vista Farmer's Market and thought it had been a while since I made Luang Prabang Salad (Nyam Salat). That's basically why I needed the palm sugar.

Even though I hadn't made it in a while, it turned out well….the Missus got a kick out of the presentation. It's kind of an inside joke with us.

We' ve found that taking sometime to make your meal look a little more….well, pretty enhances the meal…even Sun Brand Cold Noodles……

The lemongrass chicken at Yum Cha Cafe is $3.99 for a half chicken and it's probably the best BBQ item they have. It does tend to dry out, so buy it intact and cut it up at home.

Funny thing is…the Missus is starting to text me photos of Her breakfasts when I'm at work……

Honolulu: Fresh Catch, Tamura’s Kaimuki, and Ono Seafood

August 23, 2012 mmm-yoso Hawaiian Food, Honolulu, Oahu, Poke, Travel

During the last trip, I made a couple of stops at various places. I wanted the D's to have a taste of local food. In addition, the Missus wanted me to bring home some smoked fish and tako….so I had to do some sampling, right?

Fresh Catch:

Right across from W&M Burgers, this place used to be a Pizza Hut, back in the day….I'm wracking my brain trying to remember what it was before. Anyway, now there's a friendly looking tako on the front.

So of course, I got some smoked tako……the version here was interesting, it was slathered in mayo. I also got some seaweed salad. I noticed that folks from China really love the seaweed salad. It's not a big deal, for me, but heck, if they like it…..

There was something about the smoked tako MrD really liked….I tried to explain to him it was the mayonnaise, but my FIL said there's no Chinese word for it! So did the Missus….so I guess it need to go down in history as the really great tasting stuff that shall remain nameless? Not my favorite version, but it was interesting to try.

Fresh Catch
3109 Waialae Ave
Honolulu, HI 96816

Tamura's Kaimuki:

The more I visit this place, the more I like it. I actually used to service Tamura's in Waianae a lifetime ago.

We actually stopped by back in 2010, but I guess I never did a post on that one. Anyway, I thought the smoked marlin here was pretty good, so this was pretty much my first choice for a tasting.

Geeez Louise….is that price for Pulehu Tako for real?? It's more expensive than prime beef!

Anyways, I got a trio for tasting. The D's were kind of wary of this stuff….until I told them the pipikaula was "Niu Rou". They ended up enjoying that the best.

My FIL loves smoked food. Both of us thought the marlin was much better than the swordfish…..more flavor, more moist, better texture.

The only thing the swordfish had going for it was that it held together better.

So this was one of my stops on the way to the airport. I bought the Missus a pound of marlin. During that stop I noticed the display on my right….which will probably make my San Diego craft beer buddies smile.

Tamura's Fine Wines & Liquors
3496 Waialae Ave.
Honolulu, HI 96816

Ono Seafood:

One of my other stops on the way to the airport was at Ono Seafood, which I've posted on before.

I grabbed a couple of bags of smoked tako for the Missus. Unfortunately, the poke bowl will just have to wait for a future trip. Plus, it'll be more fun eaqting this stuff with the Missus.

Ono Seafood
747 Kapahulu Ave.Apt 4
Honolulu, HI 96816

Midweek Meanderings: What’s up with “Chef Chin” and H Mart is coming to San Diego

August 22, 2012 mmm-yoso Blog

What's up with Chef Chin?:

Is the question that fellow food blogger Dennis asked me. In case you're wondering, there's new signage up over Chin's Convoy.

I heard through the grapevine that an "Investor from Shanghai" decided to buy the place. So different ownership; different name. I've also heard that the food has severely downhill….I'll have to go check it out one of these days.

Chef Chin
4433 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

H Mart is coming to San Diego:

*** H Mart has opened

I mentioned that possibility in an earlier post about the Zion Market move. I received an interesting email telling me that what I had heard was a bunch…..well the word rhymes with slap. Apparently, what I heard was true. On Monday, my coworker EK told me that H Mart was opening in the place formerly occupied by Ralph's on Mira Mesa Boulevard.

Here's the sign…….

Like the space to be occupied by Zion Market, this is going to be a huge store….the sign also says "food court". Looks like we'll soon have two Korean "super-stores" in San Diego. I wonder how that'll work-out.

9440 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126

Local Kine Stovetop Smoked Swordfish

August 21, 2012 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

The Missus requested one thing for Herself on my last trip home….no it wasn't (almost tho') jewelry, shoes, a handbag, or gasp, heaven forbid mac nuts. She wanted some smoked fish. So a small cooler and some gel packs later, She got a pound of smoked marlin and some smoked taco….which She proceeded to wack in a couple of meals.

Then of course came my mission…..She didn't want to wait for our next trip back; it was time for me to make this at home….like pronto. So over the course of the last couple of weeks, I came up with something similar. The easiest fish to find was swordfish, though I prefer marlin. Tasting the smoked fish, I figured it to be a soy sauce-sugar/mirin/honey-H20-sesame oil-granulated garlic-ginger kind of thing. This was going to be a bit tricky since I was hot smoking using my Camerons Stovetop Smoker which had served me well over the years. So after the first try, I had pretty much got the marinade fairly close to a starting point for future fun. You can use this for perhaps 2 – 2 1/2 pounds of fish or more. My smoker can hold about a pound-and-a-half.

So here's the marinade sans the red food coloring……

Marinade:
3/4 cup Aloha Shoyu
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup Hoisin Sauce
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon ground Korean chili powder
3-4 tablespoons ginger juice
3-4 tablespoons good sesame oil
3-4 tablespoons Mulyeot – Korean Malt Syrup
– Combine ingredients, mix well

I was surprised at how much sesame oil and ginger juice this recipe can handle. I'm sure we can bump up both and be perfectly happy.

I sliced the swordfish into strips and marinated overnight in a gallon ziploc bag - about 12 hours or so, before smoking. I used mesquite, because the flavor is somewhat similar to kiawe.

Smoking is interesting. For now I'm at about 35-40 minutes, but may try to cut that down a bit. The longer you smoke the drier the fish will become. Which leads me to the last thing. About 5 minutes before the smoking is complete, I mix 3 tablespoon sesame oil and 3 tablespoons honey and heat in the microwave for 20 seconds.

When the smoking is done, I immediately brush the sesame oil-honey mixture onto the fish. This adds flavor and seals in whatever moisture is left.

I let cool, then refrigerate.

I'd been wondering how the Missus has been eating this…it's usually pupus. I found that She uses it on salads, with even more sesame oil on top and whatever dressing She's feeling like….or even making Her own pseudo temaki.

Hey, who am I to argue. As they say…."Happy wife equals happy life!"

Happy Tuesday to you!

Sushi Tadokoro

August 20, 2012 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi

After being married all of these years, the Missus knows when I'm feeling a bit run down…..I'm not sure if it's work, the weather, old age, or maybe a combination of everything, but I think I've been moving at a bit of a slower pace recently. The Missus knows just how to pull me out of it; "why don't you go and get some sushi tonight….have a nice dinner!" I couldn't help but perk up…..plus there was a place I had in mind. A new place called Sushi Tadokoro. Now the first two recommendations I had for the place mentioned rolls and jalapeno rolls…stuff I really don't eat. But when Rodzilla asked if I'd been here yet and mentioned Edomae sushi….well I just had to check it out.

Plus, it's not that faraway from home, just South of El Agave and Old Town.

There are only three or so parking stalls in the strip mall, but this being an early in the week…..a weeknight, I had no problems parking. The restaurant is quite minimalist, but very nice looking. The bar is long, with quite a bit of space. I sat to the very left on the bar and did recognize Take from Surfside Sushi….I'm guessing all the guys form there are starting open their own places.

For me, Edomae sushi revolves around nigiri, so after Take asked me what I would not eat….basically a non-factor, unless he was planning on doing something with hoya, I asked him to make me whatever he felt. There was an "Omakase Special" on the greaseboard for a very low $25…..but hey……I wanted some good stuff.

Things started off with Hirame (halibut) cured in kelp with some of his own nikiri….his personal soy sauce mixture intended for sushi.

This was a nice start for me….I love shiromi(white fish) and the nikiri, while mild added a nice component to the dish allowing the mild smokey flavor imparted from the kombu (kelp) to come through.

Next up was some Ahi from Hawaii also dabbed with nikiri.

It was a beautiful piece of fish. Ahi (yellowfin), of course has a stronger, more oily flavor than maguro (bluefin). Take-san had given it perhaps a bit more wasabi than I would have appreciated. I did start to notice how nicely shaped his shari was….not humongous carb-blasting pieces of rice, nor huge slabs of protein, but nicely proportioned overall. I did expect a stronger sushi-su(vinegar), but this was mild and nice.

Loved the shari with the hamachi belly….not too tightly packed, not falling apart, it basically exploded in your mouth.

The fish was decent, not as silky smooth as what I would expect, but still good.

The chu-toro was also decent.

It did indeed almost melt in your mouth. Not magnificent, but nice.

The saba topped with a paper thin slice of kombu was just awesome.

Saba is not my favorite thing in the world, but this was just fantastic. The milkiness of the saba was tempered by the kombu, which imparted a smokey, flavor of the sea. This just made my entire day better…..I hope to have it again, soon!

One of the things I enjoy the most about neighborhood sushi places, is that the Itamae gets to know you, understand your tastes…..you can put yourselves in their hands knowing you'll get a good meal. At this point, Take-san started understanding what I enjoyed……and came up with an engawa duet. Engawa is the dorsal fin muscle of the halibut, it's not everyone's cup of tea, but I love it. Crunchy and mildly sweet, it's one of my favorites.

The first piece was typical engawa, a slice of lemon was lightly rubbed against the fish, then a few drops of ponzu, giving it just enough of an acidic touch.

Crunchy, sour, mildly sweet, this was classic engawa.

For the second piece, Take-san brought out the torch and took it to the fish…..I'd never had this before. After squeezing 2-3 drops of lemon on it he placed it on my plate.

Man, this was great. The torching had brought out sweetness that I never knew existed in engawa. While cutting down on the crunchiness, it had developed the fat and collagen, making this a real treat.

Take-san really nailed it for my final item….I usually will have negi-hama to finish things off. I watched him scrape the hamachi belly and combine it with hamachi. It seemed that he read my mind……negihama. As you notice, I ate a piece before I remembered to take a photo…..

This basically melted in my mouth, it was the perfect ending to my meal.

The folks here are very nice. I did wonder how they'd do….Take-san said they don't get many Nihon customers, so having a fairly diverse selection is a challenge, but they did quite well. Plus, from what I could see on this visit, they treat you nicely whether you want a spicy tuna roll or omakase. Something that some places don't do.

Needless to say, I'll be back.

Sushi Tadokoro
2244 San Diego Ave
San Diego, CA 92110

Open
Mon – Sat 5pm – 10pm