December 2013 – mmm-yoso

Mi Tierra Super Taco (National City)(Jalisco Style) (birria)

December 30, 2013 Cathy Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog. Today's post is written by Cathy; Kirk and Ed(from Yuma) are a bit under the weather.

The Mister has also been under the weather for the past week or so…and I'm not, so I've been making Him go on errands with me and then we stop and He has some sort of soup or stew as a lunch. The other day, we were in National City and I just started driving and looking for a place to stop. This signage looked promising.Here's that sign from inside-Estilio Jalisco- Jalisco Style Mexican food preparation. Turns out it's been here since 1978. Family owned and operated. It was never on my radar.

I ordered from the White Board you can see to the right in this photo. The interior is fairly large for a Taco Shop and was quite busy, with a large group carrying musical instruments outside as we were walking in around noon on a Saturday. The Menu Board looks very interesting.

I ordered a fish fillet with Ranchera sauce (Diablo sauce was another choice) ($8). This was a thick, large, fresh fillet (definitely not tilapia) covered with a very nice, very fresh chili/tomato/onion sauce that was unexpected. Served with a good rice, great beans, the two (also fresh and homemade) hot sauces shown and fresh, handmade corn tortillas.

The Mister's Birria de Chivo ($8) was really, really good. Given the choice of ranch beans or refried, I wasn't sure, but the refried went well with this large portion of goat stew. The onions and cilantro complimented the stew, as did the (again, fresh made) corn tortillas. There were a few small bones in the meat, but nothing bothersome. The broth was so rich and really multi leveled in flavor points.

Here's a better photo of one and a half of the tortillas (we each got four)- you can see they are not perfectly symmetric, by any means…thick, thin and wonderful. So very fresh. This was a great place to stop.

Mi Tierra Super Taco 1835 Highland Avenue National City 92950 (619)477-1927 website

Tobey’s 19th Hole Restaurant (Balboa Park)

December 29, 2013 Cathy Diner, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

Yep, you are reading mmm-yoso!!!, the food blog. Kirk, Ed (from Yuma) and Cathy usually are the ones who share writing posts here. Today, Cathy is writing and the guys are resting.

I've taken the 28th Street exit from the 94 freeway on many occasions. My ultimate goal has always been to get to North side of the Naval Hospital without getting on the I-5 or 163 and, as you know, I enjoy 'getting lost' and discovering places. That's what happened the other day. I continued North then West from the exit and was suddenly driving on a two lane road, saw a few parking lots along the road and a small building with parking in front of it.

The Balboa Park Golf Course. Look carefully to the left the the photo- the red neon "OPEN" sign. All the way at the end is the Pro Shop, where you pay for your Green Fees and begin (and end) your golf game.

Here's a view of the same building from the Pro Shop. You can see it looks like it's been there forever. It sort of has been, if 1934 means forever ago to you.
Inside the building, there are photographs, awards and architecture spanning the years. If you zoom in, the little sign above the open door is "Tobey's 19th Hole Cafe".

A quick look inside and the architecture screams "Diner"- there is a row of 12 permanent stools for counter service just to the left, pie slices in that glass display case and three television sets, one you can see in the above photo and there are two more to the right seating area.

Which has booths, tables and an outdoor patio. The hat and coat hooks near each table are part of that long ago decor.

The menu, water and coffee (botomless cup, $2) are brought out as soon as you seat yourself. That drawing? Pretty darn accurate, I'd say. If you look carefully in my photo you can see Balboa Hospital to the right and beyond the buildings (to the left, just between the third set of buildings and the black building)…that's Point Loma. What a view.

My order: BLT with egg ($6.25) on rye toast with my chosen side of a salad with Thousand Island dressing. Great sandwich, crispy bacon, fresh lettuce and tomato and a nicely fried egg. The salad was quite large and the salad dressing was very good.

The Mister ordered a large bowl of chili ($3.75) with onion on the side (for me) and a small (yes, that's a small; I saw a large) order of Tots ($2.75). The chili, made with beans and good ground beef, was quite good. The spice mix was complex and really nice. The Tots were perfectly fried, crispy, not greasy and plentiful!

When friends visit, this humble, great diner with a view is going to definitely be a stop from now on.

Dennis was here a few years ago. Here is a link to his post.

Tobey's 19th Hole Cafe 2600 Golf Course Drive San Diego (619) 239-1660

U Mart Opens along with the second location of Big Joy Bakery

December 27, 2013 mmm-yoso Markets & Grocers

*** Update: U Mart is now Hana Mart

I'd been wondering since July, when U Mart would be opening in the old Zion Market space. A bit over a week ago, I dropped by First Korean Market to see a sign announcing that U Mart's opening was imminent. So between meetings today I happened to pass the place and guess what?

I guess they are having a soft opening, nothing like the craziness of H Mart or Zion Market.

I had a few minutes so I decided to take a quick look.

The lay-out is pretty much the same as the old Zion, except not as crowded.

Tons of items on sale.

First Korean Market always had a couple of "local kine" items; I've never really found out why. I did notice this as I walked by.

All the usual suspects. There's a Kim Bap/Sushi area where the old prepared foods used to be.

I didn't have much time since I had to get back to the office for my next meeting…..

The rest of the space is still empty, except for this one area where the nice woman beckoned me and gave me samples…..

They were really friendly….heck I was the only customer in the place. When they gave me their business card I had to laugh…..this is the second location of Big Joy Bakery. I was told that some of the old food stands will be back, along with a couple of new one's for the Food Court. So dar, I haven't been impressed with the new Zion Market's Food Court. I hope this one will be better.

I'll try to return in the near future for a more comprehensive post.

U Mart

4611 Mercury St San Diego, CA 92111 B

Between Engineer Rd and Dagget St

Hours: Mon – Sat 9am – 9pm Sunday 9am – 8pm

2014 Tournament of Roses Parade float decorating (and meals in Pasadena)

December 26, 2013 Cathy Bakery, Festivals & Events, Los Angeles County, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! the food blog is written by a few people who do more than just eat. We (Kirk, Ed(from Yuma), Cathy and others) have professions, jobs, hobbies and various interests. The end purpose of each post is to share some sort of food and/or eating experience. Today's post, written by Cathy, is a compilation of food and interest…

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas Day! The year has really flown by and in less than a week- it's 2014. The year will begin in Southern California, as it has begun for the previous 124 years, with the Tournament of Roses parade and football game.

If you follow the blog, you know I've been sharings 2014 Rose Parade float road tests with you all year and finally the time arrived for decorating the floats. The Mister and I volunteer with the Petal Pushers, who assist in decorating floats which are parked in the Rose Palace Barn belonging to Phoenix Decorating Company and sign up for the days we want to volunteer months in advance.

The Saturdays before Christmas Day in December are "Detail Days" (and used to be called 'dry decorating days'). "Detail Days" are for cutting, shredding and gluing. Lots of gluing. It's when The Mister and I volunteer and perform repetitive, tedious, necessary tasks for eight hours. Needless to say starting today, "Decorating Days" begin- from 8 a.m. until 11 p.m.(or later) every day until the floats are finished and ready to be judged on the morning of December 31. Decorating days are when fresh vegetables, fruits and flowers are being placed. Many of the flowers (iris and roses) need to be cut then placed into water filled vials (which are all filled as one of the many tasks) then onto the floats. Thousands of fresh flowers are being delivered on the day after Christmas as well as on the 27th, 28th and 29th. This Banner Float will be the first float you see in the 2014 parade, announcing the theme. The floats are 'colored in' both as a guide and in case some sort of disaster befalls the float and flowers or dry materials wash off; you'll still see color.Here are some views inside the Rose Palace. There are eleven floats being decorated. Another perspective. You can see the scaffolding is set up for the gluing that was to be performed this day.

Some of the many dry materials being prepared for gluing. The statice are delivered in three main colors (pink, light blue and dark purple) and only the flower petals are cut off and used. The bags filled in the third photo are the results of about ten of the five gallon buckets being cut, or seven hours of cutting performed by ten people.

Yellow straw flowers are in abundance here, petals are cut off, then pulverized in Blendtec Blenders (a Christmas gift this year, by the way) and the resultant powder as well as centers are glued onto the floats for both color and texture. The shredded ends(palm fiber) from palm bark are also peeled off and ground up in the whirring blenders.

The seed chart shows all of the dry materials which are used (and excess stored) during Detail Days.

Here's the City of Glendale float (with Meatball the Bear), which I first showed you during the August road test (last two photos on the post) and in it's coccoon stage during the September road test (the eighth photo).

The City of Los Angeles float (which will need a *lot* of the purple statice for the LA Lakers portion of the float)

Here's some detail of flower pots being covered with braided dry materials, called Pac-Pac.

Only three people are allowed on a scaffold at a time (this is the Western Life Assurance float). Scaffolding is moved and lowered a bit each week.

The Shriners Hospital for Children float, is a superhero bear bounching off a giant heart with detail on the back of the cape.

This is the back side of the heart that the bear is bouncing from-covered meticulously with cut red straw flower petals…

The Lions Club International had many volunteers show up from Lions Clubs all over Southern California.

Farmers Insurance is one of the last floats built and road tested and wasn't quite ready for decorating on the day we were here. It's theme of "Thank a Million Teachers" is based on a three year program the insurance company has been promoting.

The Centenniel of the City of Beverly Hills is a magnificent float.

Of course we had breaks before and after this day of gluing and cutting. Above is outside the Rose Palace decorating barn when we all took a lunch break. {See that large doorway? That's the maximum height and width a float needs to contract, so it can fit under the street and signal lights along the parade route.} The Pizza Hut a block away provides a personal pizza and beverage for $3.50 (you order when you sign in to work) and donates $1 from each order to the Petal Pushers. The Mister and I had brought our own lunch…

We had stopped at Mr. Goods Donuts on Colorado Boulevard before our long day.

The shelves were full, but we only (of course) bought the wonderful ham and cheese filled croissants sold here, to be part of our lunch.

Mr. Goods Donuts 1840 East Colorado Boulevard Pasadena 91107

After a long day, we left and parked around the corner from this old design McDonald's on Colorado Boulevard, next to Pasadena City College.

Walking past it, and the Comics Factory (really, it's on Colorado Boulevard and the Parade route-look closely at all the Rose Parade signs on every light post), we were back at Zankou Chicken (where we ate after decorating last year), which we figured would be a 'healthy' meal with enough leftover for the next day…

And it was. Enough for another meal, sides and snacks for two more days actually.

Zankou Chicken 1296 East Colorado Boulevard Pasadena 91106 (626)405-1502 website

Since we did not have to be ready to start until 9 a.m., we didn't leave home at our usual 5 a.m., so got to Cream Pan far past our 'usual' time of about 6:15. There were a few more people inside, however the shelves had more choices, including this $2 cup of karaage…which was nice to eat in the car as a supplemental breakfast item. Of course, the usual suspects, ham and cheese croissant and catsup covered pastry wrapped hot dog were also consumed that day.

Cream Pan 602 El Camino Real Tustin, CA 92780 (714)665-8239

I hope everyone is having a good day after Christmas!

Merry Christmas

December 24, 2013 mmm-yoso yoso-silly

It's a nice quiet Christmas Eve, so I thought I'd go ahead and do my post now. We did our usual drive with Da Boyz to check out the lights. I think folks are feeling much more enthusiastic and positive this year as there was much more up in the neighborhood.

You know, this is the ninth Christmas for the blog.

And just as it was then, we just want to wish everyone a most wonderful and Merry Christmas!

Roadtrip: Alpine Village Market – Torrance

December 23, 2013 mmm-yoso German Restaurants and Food, Los Angeles County, Markets & Grocers, Road Trip

**** Sadly Alpine Village Market closed in 2023

Please pardon all the roadtrip posts. I wanted to do this one, because this place just put us in the holiday mood. We decided to head up to LA to do some shopping this past weekend, mostly food stuff. On our previous roadtrip (more posts coming up), instead of visting sites and such, we just ended up hitting various markets along the way. On this roadtrip, we hit up old favorites like the Torrance Farmer's Market, which seems to get larger everytime we visit and of course, Marukai Gardena, the motherlode with regards to Marukai's. But I had my sights set on another place that I'd only recently heard about; the Alpine Village Market, located close by in Torrance.

The Market is located in a large complex, called…duh…. Alpine Village. Along with the market, a deli, and restaurant and ummm "bierhall" (of course), there's a travel agency, driving school, clock and watch repair, along with the mother of all swap meets, which made the parking lot into an insane swarm of vehicles trying to find a parking spot. We lucked out and found a tiny spot to the left of the rather kitschy looking exterior of the market.

I was totally set on being underwhelmed, but this place exceeded my expectations. The market isn't very large but they sure pack a lot into the place.

From the bakery, with stacks of wonderful smelling bread.

And all the old school type pastries. It's a good thing I don't have a sweet tooth, otherwise I'd have gone a bit crazy here. The couple in front of me at the register bought three loaves of bread and spent almost $300 bucks on groceries. Kind of tough, since the prices seem very reasonable.

There are all sorts of candies and confections, canned and jarred products.

This is a German market, so of course a third of it would be the wine and beer section.

This was all nice, but the one section that was just packed to the gills busy was the butcher shop. The line was four to five deep. Man the place was hopping.

The collection of sausages and charcuterie was impressive……

I was told that all of this was made in house. There were sausages and cuts, I'd never heard of. There was a cold case full of various "wursts", but no one was taking stuff from there….it was all happening in front of the meat counter.

One look at the selection of head cheese and we were sold; the Missus took and number and headed into the fray.

Honestly, if this were say 99 Ranch Market and a survival of the strongest type situation, we'd truly have walked away. But this crowd, though busy and intense, also had a bit of jovial, friendly nature to it. Perhaps it was the holiday season, but as nice as the crew behind the counter were (and they were very nice), the other customers were really friendly, at least to us. I guess we kind of stood out…..

Back in the line, the Missus was having a conversation with an African-American gentleman originally from Louisiana, who seemed to know everyone….he told the Missus he came here every two weeks. He had a basket full of smoked beef bones for his dogs. The Missus decided to send me off looking for these….which is how I came across this:

Grieben Schmalz, which I had heard off but never seen in a market. When you hear the term schmalz, you tend to think of the Yiddish "schmaltz" which refers to rendered fat from fowl……grieben schmalz on the other hand is rendered pork fat….think lard, that has been flavored with onion and in many cases, though not this one, with apple. How could I resist? I grabbed five beef bones and a container of schmalz and a older woman looked at what I had in my basket, smiled, and asked me, "you like schmalz?" I tols her that I'd never tried it, but seeing it, I just couldn't resist. I was told it is fantastic on toast. I mentioned that my wife is standing in line to buy head cheese. She asked me which one we chose….I told her all of them. She laughed and said we would have a fine buffet. Apparently, her daughter brings her here every two weeks to shop; "even though I live in Orange County and there are shops there, everything is twice the price and half as good as here….."

Interesting tidbit about buying deli meats…..the counter folks ask you for quantities in "slices"……though they were ok with the Missus ordering a quarter pound….of all the head cheeses.

Thus we ended up with a basket of smoked dog bones, head cheese, some candy, flavored lard, and three containers of sauekraut, purely for comparison of course……

All our stuff came out to $35, pretty cheap I think. I'm sure we'll be back again, this time for sausages, and perhaps more Grieben Schmalz.

Alpine Village Market
833 Torrance Blvd
Torrance, CA 90502
Hours:
Mon – Thurs 10am – 7pm
Fri – Sun 9am – 7pm

So we did end up having our "Kaltes Buffet" of sorts. So remember the variety of head cheese? Well here's sampling along with what seems to be cured pork belly stuffed with forcemeat….simply called "pork belly", along with a few cheeses.

My favorites are the top two; the "Norweigan" seemed to be made of shank and shoulder, with a nice pork flavor, no vinegar, with minimal aspic to hold it together. The second one down is the "Hungarian" version, which was full of various vegetables and some pickles, with a distinctive flavor that I found pleasant. The fourth item down, the "French" version had a good amount of paprika and reminded me of capacolla with a bit of pleasant sourness to it.

As for the schmalz….well, I started by tasting some of it straight from the container on a spoon, which tasted nice, but the Missus just wasn't able to eat it that way.

So what I did was toast some baguette, smear a bit of the schamlz on it and put back into the warm toaster oven to melt.

It is "betta' den butta'"…..

While this won't make me forget about duck fat; it sure will taste good with eggs or used to make brussel sprouts…or heck, even if we do cook some coleslaw……

Roadtrip: Solvang Stop – El Rancho Market and Birkholm’s Bakery

December 22, 2013 mmm-yoso Desserts, Markets & Grocers, Road Trip, Santa Barbara County

We left Hacienda Heights at 530 am, thinking that'd we'd avoid all traffic, even on a weekday….at least that's how things used to be when we lived here. I had an account in Hollywood and made a deal to come in early; leaving at about 515 so I could leave early, heck, even hit up the Zankou location in Hollywood and make it home in time! Times sure have changed….there's was a good deal of traffic at 530am on the 60 West, then on the 101. Once we got past Hollywood things got a bit better, then really cleared out until we hit Santa Barbara. Of course, it was prime time traffic by then. We'd decided on heading up this way, stopping along the drive, at places like Solvang. Right outside Solvang was our first stop…..we love markets, so dropping by El Rancho was a must…..

We loved El Rancho; good variety, the Missus got to add to Her apple collection. Prices that were reasonable, you could leave without feeling mugged. You could get local product, or if not, just to do your everyday shopping. We Also got some some organic treats for Da' Boyz….the Missus was tempted to grind Her own flour from wheat at the kiosk……

Loved the sign to the right….which was actually in the restroom!

The prepared foods section looked nice as well.

There's an attached coffee shop right outside the doors of the market where we got our "java fix". I don't drink much coffee these days so this really got me going…..

We enjoyed this as a nice little stop along the way. I thinknthey'd be great if you wanted to pick up prepared foods for a little picnic as well.

El Rancho Market
2886 Mission Dr
Solvang, CA 93463

After getting nice and "caffiened up" we headed into Solvang. We'd been to Solvang a couple of times and had never really enjoyed ourselves….too crowded, too kitschy, it just gave off that tourist trap vibe….. This time though, on a weekday morning in winter; the place seemed so charming.

It was just the perfect time for us, the half timbered structures, the quiet streets….the temperatures in the low thirties….even the locals we met were telling us how cold it was!

We enjoyed walking the streets and into the various businesses…..the folks were welcoming and relaxed.

I needed something to take back to the office, so I figured this would be the spot, right? We went to a couple of bakeries, but this one won out……

Birkholm's Bakery…..

Mainly because we were warmly welcomed….and they kept trying to give us samples! At the other places, we were basically ignored…..

The folks at work seemed to enjoy the stuff……

Birkholm's Bakery
460 Alisal Rd
Solvang, CA 93463

If we're ever back here, this is the way I'd want to do it….early morning on a weekday.

Soon enough, we'd hit our allotted time…….we needed to hit the road.

Unusual sweet treats.

December 20, 2013 Cathy Bakery, Breakfast/Brunch, Desserts, Stuff, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog. We (Kirk, Ed (from Yuma), Cathy and a few others) try to share some sort of food centric post almost daily…no reason, other than we do indeed all eat and like to write about it. Cathy is sharing today.

It's close to Christmas and people are probably using up vacation days and perhaps doing last minute shopping. Thought I'd share some sweet surprises found around town recently. Maybe you've seen something out of the ordinary in your shopping travels, too.

The Mister and I tend to stop in to K Sandwiches once a week, either for a sandwich (breakfast, lunch, dinner) or something from the steam tray, or a grab and go croissant, loaf of bread and tasty beverage. A few weeks ago, while waiting in line to pay, I noticed this handwritten sign on the counter.

You know I had to.

Crépes, made in the waffle maker, thin and rolled so they cool to a nice, light crispiness. 50¢ each. The green one is pandan flavor (a light, floral, kind of nutty-like pistachio pudding is light, sweet and nutty in flavor) and the other is original flavor (pretty much tasted like it was made with coconut milk). Both with black sesame. A nice treat and a box full would be a nice gift.

K Sandwiches 7604 Linda Vista Road at Mesa College Drive San Diego 92111 (858)278-8961

Trader Joe's is carrying these frozen treats. I saw them being put into the freezer the Monday after Thanksgiving. $3.99 for a box of four. Pronounced "queen yamman". This pastry originated in Brittany, France; a popular Breton dessert.

These frozen treats are similar to the Trader Joe's frozen croissants (you have to proof overnight/6 hours and then bake). (That's a pumpkin croissant starting to rise in the background.)

The Kouign Amann will bake in its cup into crispy, sugary layers.

Not as many layers as a croissant, but like a croissant dough-with sugar between the layers. The sugar caramelizes and is crispy. I adore this basic, simple French dessert. That I can make it fresh- and one at a time- makes it perfect.

Rose Donuts, all the way at the West end of Linda Vista Road, near USD (NOT the location in the same parking lot as K Sandwich) is open 24 hours. (it's in the same mall as Ryan's). Rose's makes and sells wonderful croissant based sandwiches, grilled burgers, hot/grilled sandwiches, bagels, ice cream, a variety of beverages…and…not just donuts.

Oh, these two items are NOT the same. The larger one is your traditional 'apple fritter', which is, indeed, wonderful, large and filled with apples and cinnamon. The smaller one…in the front of the above photo…

An apple-blueberry fritter. Oh my, yes. A wonderful, surprising, fritter. Unexpected and great.

Rose Donuts 5201 Linda Vista Road San Diego 92110 ( 619) 294-8856

I hope everyone runs across a delightful surprise. Soon.

Birrieria Don Rafa (Chula Vista)

December 19, 2013 Cathy Mexican Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping at mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Kirk and Ed(from Yuma) aren't blogging today: work, holidays, weather…you know. Cathy has some time, so she is blogging.

This weather has been wreaking havoc with The Mister's sinuses for about five days now and combined with the chilly mornings, we both were in search of some sort of comfort food. I was driving on Broadway in Chula Vista, across from the mall around H and I Street and this signage caught my eye.

I drove around the block so we could park without walking too far. For some reason, the name "Don Rafa" sounded familiar, but the more fun and familiar word to me was "Birrieria". Stew: comfort, warmth and flavor. After I was home, I found this post, written by Kirk in 2009. It seems we had similar experiences at the same business in different locations on the same street almost five years apart.

The interior is bright, neat and clean. Very little English is spoken. There's no need.

There are several signs on the walls, as well as at the bottom of this complete menu, reminding you that the salsa is very spicy. No medium, no mild, the salsa is what it is. I like that. The choices of beef (res) or goat (chivo) made the small menu slightly complicated.

As we placed our order, the condiments were brought out (containers of oregano and salt are on every table). That's the spicy salsa…it is, and it complimented the meal as did the other variables.

The Mister was immediately drawn to the pozole on the menu. He was asked if he wanted a small or large order and he ordered the small ($6.50)-the menu prices are for large. Then he had to decide if he wanted goat or beef…

A very generous serving of birria de chivo pozole (and yes, there were bones, as per the other warning on the bottom of the menu) including skin and tendon and, of course, hominy. This was excellent, a bit smokey in flavor, and good stewed goat and served with fresh made then fried corn tortillas.

A cheese quesadilla on corn tortilla($2.25). The fresh made then grilled corn tortilla had a sweetness and filled with a good amount of soft stringy (Oaxacan) cheese. Bites of this plain, simple item was a perfect accompaniment with the other food we ordered.

I also ordered a birria de chivo taco ($1.65) with everything- beans, onion and cilantro. It was served on a single, smaller sized tortilla and the gamey flavor of stewed goat combined with the other items was just a perfect balance.

I wanted to try the beef birria also and the ahogada style (sauce covered) sounded good ($6). This was basically a beef birria filled quesadilla (but a much larger size corn tortilla than the other quesadilla ordered), (again, fresh made) covered with consume and beans. Lots of cheese in the tortilla, lots of tender stewed beef and the sauce just made this just a perfect mix of flavors and the serving size was very generous.

Glad we stopped here; we left feeling full and warm and clear headed…just what we needed.

Birrieria Don Rafa 560 Broadway Chula Vista 91911 (619) 934-5135

Midweek Meanderings: Waldo’s closes, the sign at First korean Market (U Mart update), and the menu at Yu’s Garden

December 18, 2013 mmm-yoso yoso-silly

I think one of these posts is overdue. Here's a collection from the last couple of weeks.

Waldo's Chili Dogs Closes:

I saw this while driving through Clairemont Square a couple of weeks ago.

After the litigation to have the name change, new owners, the place never seemed to gain any traction. Now they're closed.

4250 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

The sign at First Korean Market:

I've been wondering what's been going on with the (supposedly) soon to open U Mart in the old Zion Market location. So I dropped by First Korean Market which is taking over the space and found this sign (click to enlarge) The sign says U Mart is supposed to be opened mid-December, which is kinda like…well…right now, right?

I did a quick walk through and found the meat department completely closed, shelves depleted, and items at deep discount, which tells me the move should be coming soon….I think.

First Korean Market

Becoming U Mart

4611 Mercury St
San Diego, CA 92111
Between Engineer Rd and Dagget St

Supposedly any day now….

Yu's Garden Menu:

FOY (Friend of Yoso) "YummyYummy" mentioned the menu for the soon to open Yu's Garden is up, so I dropped by and took some photos (again click to enlarge).

4646 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111