December 2013 – Page 3

Terra American Bistro- local & sustainable (lunch) (almost in La Mesa)

December 5, 2013 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

You've stumbled (back) onto mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Today, Cathy is writing while Kirk is enjoying a bit of a vacation and Ed (from Yuma) is enjoying a bit of Yuma.

Below is a photo of Terra American Bistro, its parking area and entrance door. The photo was taken from 70th Street. Those other buildings you see are on the North side of El Cajon Boulevard. Two more blocks East and you are in La Mesa. A lot of people think that Terra (which was on Vermont Street in Hillcrest from 1998 until the move here in 2011) is in La Mesa (and therefore "East County"), but according to the post office and various maps, the City location is San Diego.

In any case, once you've found this Farm to Table gem which focuses on local, sustainable and organic ingredients, you will be impressed with the comfortable interior. I have no story as to why we decided to eat here: we were passing by following an errand, saw it was open, were hungry and just stopped.

The small waiting area wall is lined with various newspaper articles, photos and awards as well as an enlarged photo on canvas that is the cover of From Terra's Kitchen, Chef Jeff's cookbook.

There is a chalkboard listing Daily Specials just above the Hostess Stand.

The regular lunch menu and specials menu are simple and concentrate on currently available ingredients.

The Beverage Menu is on the opposite side of the regular menu. The fruit and herb-infused vodkas are made in house and I have heard only good things about the hand crafted non-alcoholic beverages.

The table decor is simple yet elegant.

We chose to share a mini jar of chicken liver ($8.50), made with thyme, brandy and onion and served with a flavorful grilled bread. This was *wonderful* and really quite large.

The Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese salad ($9) was so very fresh and flavorful. Those are toasted hazelnuts and a miso-based dressing accompanying the vast array of fresh lettuces.

One of the lunch specials-Beer battered fresh local Ling Cod served with thin, crispy bistro fries and a really nice citrus slaw ($11). A house-made sort of tartar sauce made with lemon and capers was very complimentary to the fish (and its light, crispy batter). Of course the catsup was house made.

Terra is a wonderful, down to earth yet elegant restaurant serving fresh food and with wonderful service, located very close to the border that is considered "East County". It is very nice for a lunch, brunch or fancy dinner.

Terra American Bistro 7091 El Cajon Boulevard, San Diego 92115(619) 293-7088 Website Open Monday 11:30-2, Tues-Wed-Thurs 11:30-9, Fri 11:30-10, Sat 4:30-10, Sun 9-9

Sima’s Grill & Deli (Miramar)

December 4, 2013 Cathy Burgers, Salads, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a blog about food. Kirk and Ed(from Yuma) and Cathy do most of the writing here. Cathy is the Blogger du Jour.

The North side of Miramar Road is pretty much a solid mass of strip malls and storefronts from the I-805 to the I-15, whereas the South side of Miramar Road is Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. Between the signal lights of Distribution and Carroll, (East of the McDonald's and West of the Taco Bell/KFC), you should see this storefront.

Many, many friends have told me of the quality Dietz and Watson based sandwiches made at Sima's by the husband and wife owners, who have been in this location since 1984. Each of those friends has also made certain to mention that each item is made to order and at times, there is a wait.

The Mister and I happened by on a Saturday, after the lunch hour rush and didn't order sandwiches.

The rustic knotty pine lined walls and wood tables and chairs and random wall decor make it feel like home. There is a television in the corner; college football was on.

Soon enough, our orders were brought out to the table. The Greek chicken salad (~$7) was made with crispy mixed greens, cucumber, tomato and olives, topped with plenty of Feta, an herby oil and vinegar based dressing and the chicken was freshly grilled with onions and herbs-served warm on top of the lettuce. Really, really good. The pita bread was warm and fluffy, served with a nice tangy tzatziki sauce and really went well with everything. This was a very large meal.

Barely noticeable on the menu- to the far right, under the heading "Hot off the Grill"…The 1/2 lb char-grilled pastrami burger with cheese ($6.75). Did I say *char* grilled? Perfectly, magnificently, wonderfully flavored burger, complimented by the also grilled Dietz and Watson pastrami, topped with crispy lettuce, fresh tomato, raw onion, a nice size wedge of pickle all on a toasted sesame seed bun. This burger was the best I have had in years. Memorable.

There is a breakfast menu in addition to the sandwich selections. The quality of our non-sandwich meal lets me think that breakfast here is also of very high quality. We enjoy family owned businesses, especially when the quality and care in preparation is consistent and has been, for decades.

Sima's Grill & Deli 7160 Miramar Road San Diego 92121 (858) 578-2582 M-F 7:30-4:30, Sat 10-4 Closed Sunday

Sagmani’s Restaurant-Mediterranean (El Cajon)

December 3, 2013 Cathy Mediterranean Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog. Both Kirk and Ed (from Yuma) are on well deserved vacations. Cathy's well deserved vacation will be starting in a few days, so she is blogging about food.

On the hypotenuse side of a triangular corner in El Cajon (Douglas Avenue intersects El Cajon Boulevard which turns into Main Street) is a small strip mall containing a Barber shop and Tire Store, all across the parking lot from a gas station) as well as the (now faded) signage for Sagmani's Restaurant. Sagmanis has been here since 2010. Here is a link to Kirk's post.

Five tables inside and one or two tables out front, neat and clean with a one page menu, Sagmanis is not pretentious.

You can have a pitcher of water or bottled water. Hot tea will be brought out after your meal. There are two televisions, which I've never seen on at lunch time.

Warm bread is brought out with your meal.

The lentil soup ($4), made fresh daily, is always our order here. It is excellent, made with plenty of lentils, onions, vermicelli noodle bits and fresh spices. Unique for such a seemingly basic soup. That bowl, by the way, is deceptively large; this is enough soup to share.

A side of hummus ($5) is also fresh made, topped with olive oil, sumac and cumin as well as parsley and and olive. This large portion could be considered a meal, especially with the large soup and all the bread.

On this day a beef shish kabob plate ($7) was part of our shared order. Served on top of fresh sumac topped rice mixed with vermicelli and with lettuce, tomato, onion, cucumber and yellow (turmeric) pickled cabbage (not hot, but more vinegar-y) slices, the kabobs are cooked to order.

Made with coarse ground meat, fresh herbs and spices before grilling, the juicy meatiness of these kabobs are flavor filled. Really, the kabobs here are my favorite. The daily stews are also very good.

As mentioned, hot tea is brought out when your meal is finished.

This is the sign you'll see if you are heading West on Douglas, toward the El Cajon signal light; you'll have just passed the row of storefronts in that parking area and will be seeing the gas station.

Find your way here. Good, fresh food. Stay warm!

Sagmani's Restaurant 478 W. Douglas Ave El Cajon 92020 (619) 440-0077

Bountiful Birria at Fernandez Restaurant and Catering

December 2, 2013 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants

Fernandez Catering isn't one of those places you drive past and impulsively stop and grab a bite. In fact, just finding the darn place was a bit of a challenge. Located on Flower Avenue, right off Hollister in Nestor, my coworker who recommended the place couldn't even recall the name, nor the street, which had me driving fruitlessly around the area. Finally, one day she googled and found me the address of the place.

Located in what looks like an apartment building in a lot next to a smog shop, things were quite hectic on my visits there. There always seemed to be customers coming and going; many a bleary eyed gentleman grabbing birria to go. Ah yes, the birria de res. It's the only item on the menu. You can get it in different shapes and forms; queso taco, consomme con carne, tacos, quesadillas….in the end it's all about the birria here and rightfully so. It's also the only protein on the menu.

The customers all seemed like regulars….they all knew the main man here; Jorge. And as much as these places are sometimes somewhat insular, here I was greeted with smiles, and left to multiple handshakes. There's something very warm and hospitable about my visits here, even though they were quite busy.

I went full speed ahead on my first visit and got a full order of the birria de res…..which turned out to be quite a bit. In fact, I didn't eat again until well past dinner time. The birria is beefy and the broth rich with fat. The flavors also reflect said bovine heritage. I was told that I'd need to adjust the flavors so I wasn't surprised when this arrived lacking salt, which was easily added, along with the salsa, and lime to cut the richness and add some acid to the dish. No, this isn't health food; but it's truly soul food.

Add the fact that the hand made tortillas seemed to have been dipped in the birria juice and oil before heating on the griddle, and this just seemed too much of a good thing.

And yet, I couldn't get all that beefy goodness out of my mind. Add in how welcomed I was made to feel, plus advice from my coworker, "the order of birria is too much, go for the tacos……" I just had to return a couple of weeks later.

It was less busy on this visit and I was greeted with smiles and handshakes, which made me really feel welcomed. This time I was better versed and more prepared. I went with three tacos and some consomme. Along with a bottle of water, this set me back $8.96.

I knew this was going to be good good when I was advised to "have some tendon on your tacos…" Are you kidding me!

The consomme was piping hot, and with the help of some salt and lime, it just hit the spot. This is my kind of breakfast.

The tacos followed soon after.

The beefy flavor and mild spices came through quite well in the taco format. And yes, there were some very nice pieces of gelatinous tendon, very tender and sticky.

When I was asked (twice) about which I preferred, I had to go with the tacos….though you need to get some consomme as well.

Overall, the spices are mild. You will need to add salt, but the flavor of the long cooked beef does shine through. And if you need some spice, you can always have a couple of bites of this:

I wish I lived a bit closer, I'd have breakfast here once a week if I did.

The hours are rather limited; Wednesday thru Sunday 8am to 2pm. I visited at 8am and it started getting really crowded as I left. There's a rather limited amount of parking in the lot, but more street parking.

In the end….for me at least, this place was worth the effort to find.

Fernandez Restaurant and Catering

2265 Flower Ave. San Diego, CA 92154

Hours: Wed – Sunday 8am – 2pm

Bun Mang Vit from Tu Thanh

December 1, 2013 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

Admittedly, I was kind of bummed out at the version of Bun Mang Vit I had at Pho Hiep. My hopes had been set high, but I left disappointed. I had received a comment on my latest post on Chinese Kitchen, aka Chi Tu Thanh Nha Hang, that the place had relocated. I knew the address given….it was on the 4800 block of University. I specifically recall a place called "Aruba" being in that spot…..the name brought to mind the Caribbean, but from what I could see, this was an Halal "Pizza", place….or was it? I also recall seeing a sign for Menudo in the window…….there's a part of me that thought this place was a front for some nefarious scheme….

Now, there's no mistaking the place for what it is.

Though I'm still not sure about Ali Baba Restaurant next to it.

Anyway, I was told that the place opens at 9am, so there I was at a few minutes after 9. I walked into the place, which is much smaller than it looks from the outside. Upon entering, I was greeted by an interesting looking "planter", a rather interesting use of what appears to be a non-functioning water cooler.

The young man and older woman were hard at work prepping and cleaning when I arrived.

The menu board was stripped to its bear bones….everything is written on the greaseboard…except for Bun Mang Vit! But that's on the window, so they must have it, right? The woman looked over at me and I half yelled "Bun Mang Vit" to her and she gave me a nod. Whew….

When the young man dropped off the bowl of dipping sauce, I knew this was going to be all right. It just smelled right….having a taste, the ginger infused sauce hit the right notes for me.

Soon enough, my Bun Mang Vit ($7) arrived.

Though there were a lot less herbs than I recalled; just the portion size and the quality of the product put the last version I had at Pho Tay Do to shame.

The duck had a flavor, of well…..duck. After this past T-Day, I think I have a pretty good handle on what duck should taste like. It has a bit of chew, but the flavor is quite good….and after a dip in that sauce….well, that's what takes it to another level.

The noodles were perfect…al dente, there was a good amount of young bamboo shoots, though the earthiness that the bamboo shoots will give the broth after steeping a bit was muted. The broth was a bit richer than I recalled, a bit more complex. I could clearly make out what seemed like a dash of sesame oil in this, something I hadn't noticed before. After that, it was time to stop analyzing.

Needless to say….this hit the spot.

I had a good look at the kitchen as I stepped up to pay for my Bun Mang Vit…..it was very clean.

So I guess this is my new spot for Bun Mang Vit.

I hope this place does well. There's really no parking except on the street. This is a real mom-and-pop operation…just the kind of place I love.

Tu Thanh
4804 University Ave. #A
San Diego, CA 92105
Hours:
Thurs – Tues 9am – 9pm
Wednesday 9am – 5pm