Welcome back to our blog named mmm-yoso!!! Kirk is still a bit overwhelmed with things happening, ed (from Yuma) is also dealing with whelming. Cathy is underwhelmed so has blogged this post for you.
For some time now, I've posted about local grocery stores where I shop which have in store prepared food areas. All of them do, you know. 99Ranch is no exception, other than it is also a very large chain, with 36 stores in Northern and Southern California, Washington, Nevada and Texas.
There is only one location in San Diego on Clairmont Mesa Boulevard, just East of the 805. It's pretty much a compendium of Asian canned and bottled foods and condiments, snacks and sundries.
It sells the usual and unusual fruits and vegetables and fruits, dairy products, meats, rice, noodles, soy based 'meats' and pickled everything.
There are eight live fish tanks,
a very good variety of whole fish and
also fish steaks are available.
The store is currently undergoing a step by step remodel, with new flooring, adding open freezer areas, new doored freezers…
The bakery area has temporarily moved (where the Soup Lady used to be) and is much nicer than the old area, with new display cases. We've notice new shelving and a rearrangement of the regular grocery aisle, which have been shortened to allow for the new freezers parallel to the meat and seafood cases.
In any case, the Steam Tray/ready to eat area is not yet updated. I posted about the food from this steam table area in 2007 and suppose it's time for an update, although not much has changed.
Nor has the Dim Sum area.
The roast chicken and duck area remains next to the cash register…
There are still Monday thru Friday combination specials, now $3.49. You can see they are subject to change.
This area, where beverage and soup orders are made and the open refrigerators have snacks is now the temporary bakery area from the above new bakery photo.
One day the soup was on special for $2.99. It had five shrimp and pork dumplings along with the noodles and bok choy, all cooked after you had paid and presented your reciept. It was very good. I hope the nice Soup Lady area returns; it was sad to not see her the other day.
This was a Monday Special ($3.49) the fish filet with sauce (the sign says tomato sauce, but this was a sweet and sour sauce) with rice. Good and crisp. Turnover is very quick here and nothing from the steam trays is ever old or stale.
This was a Friday Special ($3.49) and was supposed to be beef stew, but I don't think that meat is beef. In any case, it was a very good sauce over nice (not mushy) vegetables (the sauce is not sweet and not too salty/does not need any condiment added).
I always like the chicken roll wrapped in tofu ($3.50). It's quite large in the tray and is cut to fit into the box once you order it. Perfectly seasoned. No carbs!
One of the grab and go snacks, the Vegetarian Spicy Sauce, is usually a take home item, but one day I decided to buy it and have it as a side, with an a la carte…
Fried whole tilapia ($3.50). It made a nice meal.
Here's my obligatory fish carcass photo.
99Ranch is in a good, central location and the in store food court area serves some very good food. Shopping here is always an adventure, with so many items available. I hope everyone is having a good week!
99Ranch Market 7330 Clairmont Mesa Boulevard, San Diego 92111 (858) 974-8899 website
Love the photo of the remnants of your fish Cathy!
I didn’t realize they were remodeling. I like going here but just not on weekends! We haven’t eaten at the steam tray place before – good to know of all the different choices and that there is quick turnaround!
Did you eat the eyeballs? 🙂
When I was in undergrad here, they had these glorious nestle fruit drop candies (like gum drops, but a lot better in chew and intense flavors) that were packaged in paper tubes. Not the chocolate covered ones…just fruit drops. I have not found those candies anywhere else, and I went back to that 99 Ranch last month to see if they had it, and sadly they did not.
Those 3.99 specials make me want to go get some chinese lunch specials now. Haha…maybe tomorrow for lunch…
“Remnants”. How polite. Thanks Kirk.
Oh, I even posted about the steam tray area here back in 2007, cc. /2007/05/24/the_steam_table/ Maybe I’ll link it into this post. Easy and good food. The Kung Pao tofu (without the rice) does not increase my blood sugar…(yes, I ate the eyeballs!)
I remember those, Sawyer! One tube had only black current flavor and there was one multi and I think maybe one was all strawberry. I’d mail back to my parents-dad loved them….teensy tiny gumdrop shapes, filled with flavor.
Sorry I am so whelmed. I just have time to read your and kirk’s posts. I will get my head above water one of these days. good ol’ Ranch 99!!
How does the won ton soup compare to the won ton soup at Sam Woo?
love it!
99Ranch is just a great place for groceries as well as ready made food, isn’t it ed? I can understand why it’s one of your stops when you visit SD. Now, get back to work.
Oooh, good question, Soo; it’s a toss up. I do like the won ton soup at Sam Woo for breakfast, but only because it’s a larger serving and I can get hot coffee with condensed milk for only 30¢.
The store, the grab and go food or the post, Rod?
I enjoyed this location of 99 Ranch during my San Diego visit last December. It’s so much nicer than the one near Anaheim Disneyland. There are these huge triangle Taiwanese style sponge cakes, just a litte over a dollar and very tasty. Way better than the small dinky ones for the same price in Northern California Asian/Chinese/TWese bakeries. Also can’t beat the 99 Ranch employee making imagawayaki (grill red bean cake) past the cashier.
There are lots of great items sold here, BeefNoGuy. The imagawayaki Lady is usually there on weekends, or later in the day when I’m not there. Welcome to the commenting side of our blog.
I’ll have to go back here shortly since it’s been almost a month since my last visit. They had already started the remodeling then.