September 2012 – Page 3

Honolulu: Sugoi

September 7, 2012 mmm-yoso Honolulu, Oahu, Plate Lunch, Travel

On my last day, I decided to pick up something to have while waiting for my flight to the airport. so on the way to pick-up smoked fish at Tamura's and smoked Tako at Ono Seafood, I stopped off in Kalihi. Sugoi's comes highly recommended, so I decided to hit them up. They were very easy to find, I saw them when I dropped by Young's Fish Market.

Since it was pretty early the place was empty when I arrived. There was however, a huge assembly line behind the counter with stuff being piled into trays. I'd gotten specific instructions to get the Combination Bento with Garlic and Spicy Chicken ($11.75)…so being the good little soldier that's exactly what I got. Man, it felt pretty heavy, but I thought by the time I hit the airport I'd be pretty hungry.

Well good intentions and all, but by the time I filled up gas at what used to be Mel's Sunrise Chevron near Waialae…I knew by the smell permeating the car that this wasn't going to work out….man, talk about "Kusai"…..holy smokes…..for sure I'd be stopped by TSA for carrying something TSTP – to smelly to pass. Plus, all the mainlanders would be giving me "stink eye" for having something so strong smelling at the gate, while the locals would be giving me the "stink eye" of envy. So I parked right across the street from a place very familiar to me…..

And removed it from the package….holy smokes this was huge….the photo does not in any way reflect how much stuff this was…..

(The following sentence is dedicated to TFD, who sent me a text asking "what does Broke the Mouth mean"…actually it's "broke da' mouth") And after I wen' hemo da' covah……whoa…major haunas…..but in a good way.

On the top is the garlic chicken, below that is the spicy garlic chicken.

The entire bottom of the tray was covered with rice….

And the hot dog and egg just seemed like overkill.

I preferred the regular garlic chicken to the spicy version….which I thought wasn't very spicy and much too sweet for my taste. Also the glaze made it more soggy, while the regular garlic chicken was still a bit crunchy. Nice flavor…..decent garlic…..had to keep putting Listerine Strips in my mouth to try and ward off that vampire killing fragrance. Good stuff, though I'll get something more manageable next time….like maybe the keiki size??? LOL!

So how does this ocmpare to Mitsu-ken? Man, it's been sooo long. I'll put that comparison off until next time…but that'll be a lot of fun for me.

Sugoi
1286 Kalani St
Honolulu, HI 96817
Neighborhood: Kalihi

Hours:
Mon-Thu 8am – 3pm
Fri-Sat 8am – 5pm
Sun 8am – 3pm

Interesting thing about City Square Shopping Center, I remember when this was the location of GEM Kapalama…..man am I getting old.

Anyway, that's it for the Hawaii posts for now……you guys know where this is, right?

Thanks for reading!

Roadtrip: Dat Thanh (Westminster) and a revisit to Vientiane Thai Laos Restaurant (Garden Grove) – Orange County

September 5, 2012 mmm-yoso Orange County, Road Trip, Vietnamese Restaurants

The Missus was in the mood and craving some springrolls and the natural answer to that would be Brodard, which I've been to but never posted on. But just the thought of visiting on a Saturday….well, we wanted something else, so I did a bit of research and after reading Elmo's post, decided to head on over to Westminster and….

Dat Thanh:

This tiny shop on McFadden is supposed to be "The" challenger to Brodard for supposed springroll supremacy in Little Saigon, how could we not try it. The guy running the place is really nice, friendly, and seems to sincerely want you to enjoy your meal…he's quite chatty and will talk about anything from the parking situation (really bad) to what he eats on his day off (anything but Vietnamese). As you can tell it's obvious what this place is all about from that lovely photo on the menu, and in fact, if anything the springrolls we got on our plate actually looked better.

It's also wonderful that they have a combination of 2 Nem Nuong Cuon (pork sausage) and 2 Chao Tom Cuon (shrimp sausage/paste) on the menu for $6.99. These looked so wonderfully bright and fresh, I couldn't wait to take a bite…..which kinda ended my total admiration for these. First, the great….absolutely loved the fried egg roll wrappers in the middle, it just brought the texture up a level adding a wonderful crunch to everything. The good, loved the way these were wrapped, not too tight, and the wrappers weren't too thick. The mediocre, man that nem nuong and chao tom were bland…we actually pulled out pieces to have a taste. There didn't seem to have enough mint or herbs in these to give it that nice "pop' of flavor. The tuong – dipping sauce was really sweet and had an eggy flavor that the Missus wasn't too fond of.

Luckily, we also ordered the combination broken rice with BBQ pork chop $8.89:

Other than the shrimp, which was rubbery and very plain tasting, and perhaps the pork chop which the Missus thought was too sweet, but I enjoyed, this was a unanimous thumbs up……it's really hard to get the perfect broken rice plate and this was darn close. The rice was awesome, right amount of moisture for our taste and more importantly, fragrant. The Missus, who has declared Herself a non-pork eater loved the Bi, which had the right ration of skin to meat to rice powder and was also just moist enough. The cha, steamed egg and pork cake was also tasty and fresh….and not to belabor the point, moist. Ditto the shrimp in beancurd wrapper.

The nuoc mam cham was also excellent, if also a bit on the sweet side. Overall, I'd gladly return for the com tam, it was the best I've had in a while.

The Missus on the other hand was looking forward to some good Goi Cuon and was a bit perturbed….

Dat Thanh
10032 McFadden Ave.
Westminster, CA 92683

The Missus wanted something dependable and flavorful…..and She had one place in mind:

Vientiane Thai Laos Restaurant:

Not much to write here that hasn't been covered in a previous post. The first two dishes you can read about there.

The raw shrimp salad looked even better today:

And it was….in addition way more spicy as well. They never ask us how spicy we want our food here…so we just take it as it comes. This was delicious, but man it was hot. The Missus had mild burns around Her lips….no biggie though. I just couldn't stop eating that sauce….

The Nam Khao had good flavor, but wasn't as crunchy as on previous visits. Still, I just love this, it's one of my "desert island dishes".

We decided to order one more item and chose the garlic shrimp….which the Missus loved. She ate most of it, I had one piece but really couldn't taste anything because my tastebuds had been killed by that shrimp. When I recovered a bit, the shrimp was gone, but I had a taste of the caramelized garlic, which was done right….it tasted like "garlic candy".

So the Missus has another dish to order when we return.

Vientiane Thai Laos Restaurant
10262 Westminster Ave
Garden Grove,CA92843

We hit up Marukai in Costa Mesa on the way back and got some great looking black cod, so the Missus ended up getting misoyaki black cod for a couple of days……so in the end, it was a happy roadtrip for Her.

BBQ Chicken Revisited

September 4, 2012 mmm-yoso Chains, Korean Restaurants

*** BB.Q Chicken has returned to San Diego – updated post here.

*** BBQ Chicken has closed

If you've read my previous posts on BBQ Chicken, you probably already know that I've never been a big fan. A couple years back, I got into a slight disagreement with a fellow blogger on how this was notreally B(est) of the B(est) Q(uality). I found the chicken to have a bit of a fishy smell and am not a big fan of the batter either. Still, when I saw that BBQ Chicken had new ownership and was now open for lunch, I thought "why not try it again"…..hey, maybe my tastebuds had, ahem, "matured enough to appreciate the chicken". Or maybe you just need tastebuds that are super mature, i.e. dead, to really enjoy the chicken, in which case there would be no change.

What was nice was that I was actually acknowledged when I arrived, by a very nice young lady. Looking over the menu, I noticed that the lunch specials were nicely priced. Hey, even better……so I ordered a three piece "Olive Luxury Chicken Combo" ($7.99).

One of the positives about BBQ Chicken is that the chicken is cooked to order…..the negative to that is, if things aren't right in the kitchen, it might take a while. Fortunately for me, my chicken arrived sizzling…literally sizzling to my table. Also, the server endeared herself to me……she brought extra napkins! Telling me "you're having fried chicken, I think you might need some extra napkins." Perfect…..

On the good side, the chicken was very moist…and hot! But I'm still not a fan of the bland, crumbliy, somewhat greasy batter….and for some reason, it still smells a bit fishy to me. It could be that I'm just more sensitive to it, but there is something strange in the smell.

You get one side with the lunch and I chose the "corn salad", which was really bland, but at least didn't smell bad.

As for the Chicken……well, I'm still not sold.

BBQ Chicken
4768 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Mon-Thu 11 am – 12 am
Fri-Sat 11 am – 1 am
Sunday 11 am – 12 am

Oahu Plate Lunches: Grace’s Inn and Diamond Head Market and Grill

September 3, 2012 mmm-yoso Honolulu, Oahu, Plate Lunch, Travel

You can't go to Hawaii without getting a plate lunch, or two….. Here's a round-up of some plate lunches over the course of my last two visits.

Grace's Inn:

**** This location of Grace's has closed

Man, Grace's goes back a looong way for me. We used to eat at the lunch wagon near University….my good friend's first job in High School was working at the original location in Moiliili. He used to have to make the katsu sauce! Eventually, Grace's spread everywhere and like many chains of this type…sustainability just wasn't there I guess. The last time I ate at a Grace's was perhaps about 16 years ago….it was a chicken katsu, sweet sour pork mix at the now defunct (I didn't know that until the day I left for my flight home) Kapahulu location across Kaimuki High School. I'd wondered how my tastes and perhaps Grace's had changed over the years…..I knew that perhaps this would be messing with some good memories, but I just had to find out.

Man, times have changed….so the mixed plate in now three items, you're asked for two "salads"….. and since no sweet-sour pork and the pressure was on, I got some roast pork and mochiko chicken to go with my katsu.

Man, that "Asian" coleslaw tasted like it was dressed with pure rice vinegar and I was never a fan of the almost mainland like sour mac salad anyway. In retrospect, I should have just gotten the chicken katsu…memories would have remained untarnished. The mochiko chicken was way bland and greasy, even by plate lunch standards. The roast pork was dry, lukewarm, the gravy gluey, and also flavorless…where was that bottle of tabasco again? The katsu still delivered though…..

Crisp and moist, it was as I remembered, as was the tsukemono like "kimchi". The katsu sauce tasted different to me….. I recall it having a stronger ketchup base. Nice to see the chow fun still resides below the proteins.

So lets see, if we tally things up, this was batting about .400, nice if you're playing baseball, not so great if you're trying to rekindle some memories. Of course the thoguht came to me, I'd never eaten at this location. Could that have been a factor?

Grace's Inn
98-820 Moanalua Rd
Aiea, HI 96701

Diamond Head Market and Grill:

I'm not sure where I first heard about this place….I think it's either Kat or Kathy, so why not mentioned them both, right? I hadn't been round this part of Monsarrat in ages…..when this place was still Burgerland!

Man, this area is crazy now, with the trolley stopping right in front of the place, tons of Japanese tourists in the market…….still, arriving about 11 am, I managed to snag a space.

I was feeling pretty hungry, so I got the special for the day, a Kalbi – Korean Chicken mixed plate. And yes, this place does offer brown rice. My plate looked lovely, not over-carbed, and with greens….the new wave of plate lunches.

The grade of LA Kalbi, the cross cut short ribs was excellent by plate lunch standards, very tender and moist. There was a mild fruity component, but this was very mild in flavor, even when talking in terms of "local-style" kalbi which tends toward the sweet side. The chicken on the other hand was delicious, mild heat, light sweetness, not too salty….a nice savory aspect from what I believe is kochujung…really good.

I loved what I saw on the breakfast menu….so I think I'll bring the Missus next time for breakfast.

Diamond Head Market & Grill
3158 Monsarrat Ave
Honolulu, HI 96815

Sunday Stuffs: North Park Produce coming to Clairemont, Birrieria’s la Guadalajara closes, and other stuffs

September 2, 2012 mmm-yoso Markets & Grocers

North Park Produce coming to Clairemont:

I went for my recycling run today and noticed this sign in the strip mall on the corner of Balboa and Clairemont Drive:

Can I get a big "ALRIGHT"! I'm looking forward to this.

The address is:

4220 Balboa Ave

Birrieria's la Guadalajara closes:

I was told about this a few weeks ago. We drove down to Chula Vista this past weekend, for some fish tacos and grocery shopping. Stopped by to confirm that sadly, one of our favorites has indeed closed. Too bad, we enjoyed quite a few meals there. Even if the birria wasn't the best, the borrego a la plancha, tacos rojo, cabeza en su jugo, were quite good. As were the hand made tortillas.

Bummer……

1310 Third Ave
Chula Vista, CA 91911

We also checked out the Northgate Market on Third Avenue…..and saw these giant mutant sweet potatoes. I placed a large orange (no, that's not a lime) for a size comparison.

Saw this woman treating her fairly good sized pooch like a baby in the parking lot of Balboa Market…loading in groceries by hand while carrying the dog with the other.

Some folks sure love their dogs!

Hope you're having a great Labor Day weekend!

Tunisia: The ruins at Sbeitla (Sufetula) and lamb by the side of the road…….

September 1, 2012 mmm-yoso North African Food, Travel, Tunisia, Tunisian Food

After leaving Kairouan, Ben drove us about 65 miles south to the outskirts of the town of Sbeitla. Here, seemingly in the middle of nowhere are the ruins of the Roman city of Sufetula. I've read that the Roman's ability to maximize usage and conservation of water and the soil proved perfect for growing olives. Sufetula became a prosperous Roman town. One can imagine what this town looked like in it's heyday based on ruins left…..

There's a theatre, which I read was in a poor state, but looked decently restored and preserved to me.

Sufetula's most mentioned ruins are the three temples, which are indeed very dramatic looking.

From the left to right, the temples of Juno, Jupiter, and Minerva. During the second century, these were considered among the most beautiful in the world.

After the decline of the Roman Empire, Sufetula was still doing well under Byzantine Christian rule. So well, that Gregory the Patrician, for a number of reasons, revolted against Constantinople and declared himself "Emperor" in 646. It wasn't to last very long as the Arabs invaded and Gregory was killed in battle.

Notice anything? Much like El Djem, we were the only people visiting…… As I pressed Ben on this, I was told, "the Europeans come, they stay on all inclusives, they see ruins in Rome, so they don't think these are worth a visit. The resorts have everything for them, so they think, why leave? The one thing they do want to see is the Sahara, you'll see them there."

Right in back of the temples are the ruins of several churches. In the ruins of one of them you can see the baptismal font, like the one we saw in the Bardo Museum.

Walking down the "streets" was a surreal experience, just the sound of the wind blowing through the grass, birds, and our voices among the ruins.

Walking up the path we came to….well, what looked like an empty field.

We were told that under the soil lies an Amphitheatre. Hopefully, it'll see the light of day again….

On the way out, we checked out the Byzantine "house", which seemed like more of a fort. You had to go up stairs in order to enter.

The place felt really cramped, no windows means that it must have been pretty dark. Small rooms, some of which looked like held livestock, in a fortress like structure, just seemed to reflect the times……fear, paranoia, a silo mentality…..a feeling of impending doom hanging over you.

Based on history, I guess the fears were well founded as the Arabs destroyed the town in 647AD.

From Sbeitla, we headed off to Tozeur, where we'd stop for the next two evenings. Along the way, we passed a number little shops lining streets. It was an interesting sight; the shops would be grilling meat out front, there'd be a sheep's pelt or two hanging out front, we even saw one where a sheep was being dispatched in front of the shop….the ultimate sign of freshness! The Missus asked Ben to stop at one of these shops….for lunch. A great idea! So driving down one of the roads, Ben picked this one as there seemed to be a good number of customers.

So, what we soon figured, the lamb pelt signifies that the lamb was killed fresh, the more pelts the better….how many lambs you went through during the day. If you enlarge the picture above, you'll see the cuts of lamb….these guys are awesome butchers, hanging from the ceiling. You walk on in, pick your cut, and how much of it you wanted. This place had been busy, only leg cuts left, but with Ben's help we got a half kilo, enough for a nice meal.

As the folks went to work on our lamb, we took a seat…..this being Tunisia, a whole baguette was soon provided.

Along with two different types of mechouia…..the type we were used to having, covered with a nice layer of olive oil.

Which was nicely flavored…this had some seasoning to it.

And a wonderful, smokey rustic version that was my favorite to date.

For me this had the complete package……onions for pungency, tomatoes for some acid, there was some spice to it. The roasted peppers added a nice smokey component. The Missus told me, "this would make a killer salsa…" Which cracked me up; we started calling it salsa from here on out. Even the harissa tasted like it had a bit more bite.

Meanwhile, the folks went about cutting our portion from the leg hanging on the ceiling.

I'd been wondering about the unique smell and flavor of items that we'd had grilled….I was told that they grill over olive wood, which imparts a unique flavor to the food.

Soon enough our lamb arrived…..

This was amazingly tender….I really had a hard time believing it was grilled leg of lamb…..juicy, tender, simply seasoned with salt. It was my favorite meal in Tunisia to date.

After the meal, Ben told us it was nice that we actually spent money supporting the local economy, not only in the resorts. I recall telling the Missus that all these places would need is for somebody "like Bourdain coming here and saying how great it really it is for it to become chic….." Of course we still hadn't met a single American during our entire trip yet!