February 2014 – mmm-yoso

COMC: A Chef’s salute to Tommy Gomes

February 28, 2014 mmm-yoso Festivals & Events

Yep, here's another one of those Clearing Out the Memory Card posts…..

I'm not one to go to these events, too many media types, PR folks, and the like, make me rather uncomfortable. Yet, a couple of weeks ago, Candice told me about an event at the Handlery, a Chef's Salute to Tommy Gomes, the face and official grumpy voice of Catalina Offshore. Just from a personal standpoint, I know we've been eating better at home because of what Tommy orders me to get Tommy's recommendations. I remember one of my first regular visits, I'd been going off and on for years, but in what has become a ritual, there I was on a Saturday morning….walking up to the fish display; this was before Bay Park Fish gave up selling fresh seafood and moved the cold case to Catalina. Walking to check out the fish I hear a gruff voice behind me:

"Hey, did you read the sign out front"
"Umm, no….."
I saw a slight smile form on the mustachioed old salt bearing the baseball cap
"So, what are buying today"
"Whatever you tell me too……."

The rest, as they say, is history…so seventy-five bucks was a small price to pay to express my thanks for making me a better home cook.

There were food and drink tables set-up in one of the ballrooms. You knew this was important cause….man, Tommy shaved off his mustache! Good god!

As for the food, here's my top three:

Hans Carvin….from Carnitas' Snack Shack called this "pork wings", basically a perfectly textured (not overly mushy, not too chewy) pork rib, with a glaze that should be illegal. The quick "kimchi'd" vegetables added the acid and contrast.

Tommy Fraioli and the team from Beaumont's had a nice pork cheek, with what I believe was a carrot foam and pea puree. The pork was a bit tougher than I like, but there was something in here that really ramped up the flavor.

Small Bar's Crab Cake with Yuzu Gelee could have really been a winner, but it was placed on a cracker that didn't stand up real well and had a taste like it was on the stale side. loved the combination of flavors, though…..

The rest……

There were some decadent looking desserts too, but as you know, I don't have much of a sweet tooth.

Plus, I actually had dinner to go to that evening!

So I ducked out right after Sam Zien (aka Sam the Cooking Guy) made Tommy squirm a bit…..

Overall, it was a nice, fun event, and I couldn't think of anyone who deserves the accolades than Tommy!

Recently Consumed

February 27, 2014 mmm-yoso Cooking

So here's the latest of edition of stuff that I made at home….though as you'll soon see, some of it, I didn't eat.

Remember that suan cai we made? Well other than eating it raw….it turned out so well that the Missus just eats it raw, which is probably better for you. Anyway, here's some Chao Suan Cai.

Made this with lamb, mixed with a touch of wine, a tiny bit of grated ginger, and white pepper. Stir fried, with some of that flavor of the wok……this was very good.

Speaking of lamb, here's some Zi Ran Yang Rou I recently made. Notice that I forgot something?

Yep, I forgot to buy cilantro…..anyway, the key to this is letting the lamb marinate in your seasonings for at least 10 minutes before the stir fry. In spite of the missing herb, the Missus said this was the best I've made.

A couple of weeks back, the Missus had a pot luck at work. She organized it, with the theme being something from your ethnic heritage…..so She immediately has me make…..

Japchae?

And gravlax????

Does She have some other husband(s) stashed away somewhere??? Talk about an identity crisis….

And who rolls out of bed on a Sunday morning at 10am and tells you She wants something "Red Cooked"???

Or smoked chicken for that matter……

Well at least thighs are a rather quick solution either way…….

Man, I need a raise, or at least another beer…..

I hope you're having a great week!

Pho Ban Mai revisited

February 26, 2014 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

A couple of weeks ago, the Missus was in the mood for some Banh Xeo. I thought She'd enjoy the version at Pho Ban Mai. Though I'd been here several times in the past, they were solo visits.

So we braved the weekday evening traffic and drove up to Mira Mesa. The place looks the same since they opened back in 2011.

Something has changed since I first visited way back when, the Nem Nuong Cuon and the Chao Tom Cuon, which were straight out of the Brodard playbook, down to the fried spring roll wrappers tucked inside…..sort of a sign of freshness since you really can't make it this way ahead of time.

The Nem Nuong, the pork "sausage" was better in our opinion, more flavor, nice texture. The shrimp cake was too rubbery and had little flavor. Actually, the Missus preferred this to Brodard for one simple reason; Ban Mai uses a touch of herbs in the rolls. I will say that the dipping sauce here is fairly bad, very bland, weird texture….I'm not a fan of the version at Brodard, but it is much sweeter, with a more silken texture. We'll get the nuoc mam cham next time…..

The Missus did enjoy Her Banh Xeo.

The version here is crisp and light and not super-stuffed……like a Banh Mi, it's all about balance and proportion. The pork is decent as was the shrimp, though there's not a whole lot of it. It's still not as good as the first one I had here in 2011, but it's still my favorite. I'm also glad they don't water down the dipping sauce either.

I decided to go with something I hadn't had here before and had the Banh Mi Bo Kho – Beef Stew with bread.

This wasn't bad, though it's not as rich and full of flavor as the version at Lucky. It does taste a bit watered down, the meat is decent, but still a bit more chewy than I prefer and there's not as much tendon in it as well. The bread, which looked like a standard "Le Chef" version was nicely warmed. Not bad, but I won't be having this again.

The service was meh….bunch of guys more concerned about "talking story" but not terrible. What I'm thinking is, maybe there'll be some Banh Khot on the menu next time. Wouldn't that be interesting?

Pho Ban Mai
8991 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126

Check out Jinxi's post on Pho Ban Mai here

Brabant

February 25, 2014 mmm-yoso Belgian Cuisine and Restaurants, European Restaurants, Pubs and Pub Grub

** Brabant has closed

A strange thing happened over the last year or so……it seems that the Missus has been sucked into the Craft Beer movement….well, maybe not San Diego craft beer per se, She loves Belgian style Ales, Dubbels, and such. She's even gotten into sours after enjoying what I call the "gateway sour", Monk's Cafe. Strange, after all these years I have a beer buddy….and it's my wife!

During one evening at work, one of Her coworkers highly recommended Brabant in South Park. I contacted my buddy Candice, who also gave her seal of approval, so it was off to South Park and Brabant, housed in what used to be Vagabond.

For some reason, I've taken to the warm tones of the place.

There are 15-16 brews on tap and an absolutely huge bottle list. I quickly took to….well, I really consider him quite a bit more than "barman", perhaps "tenancière de bar", heck, let's just call him Adam, who is gregarious and enthusiastic about….well, just about everything! He is a gregarious embassador of Brabant, who happens to really know his beer.

The beer list is a literal binder, with tasting notes for various bottles all written in house, no plagiarism here I'm told. There's a pairing list for the various dishes, all wonderfully set-up for us, folks who are just starting to enjoy Duvel's, Rochefort's, et al….just in case you were wondering what to pair with Rabbit Saddle….I just know you were.

While sitting and enjoying our first beer, I got word from Candice that she'd be joining us, how nice….better to enjoy a variety of dishes.

We went ahead and ordered a couple of dishes while waiting for Candice. First up were the Mussels with Duck and Frites. The mussels were of the smaller type, which I tend to prefer because of the more intense flavor. In this case the mussels were over done and tough, sad because the white wine, cream sauce was balanced enough not to over power the mussels. The duck "rillette" was much too salty, though we loved the crisp duck skin, something that I love and is easy to make as a by product of rendering duck fat.

It was the other "part" of the dish that got me hooked, as I really took to the frites here.

We all have different preferences, this one pushed the right buttons for me. The outside fairly, but not overly crisp, the interior fluffy, there's a richness, that goes to the brink of being greasy, but never crosses that line.

The Missus really enjoyed the Bratwurst(which, like everything else is made in house) with Stoemp. She enjoys a rustic style sausage and being that there are perhaps a hundred or so variations of Bratwurst, the coarse, toothsome cut of the meat reminded me of the Franconian/Bavarian style Brat I had many years ago. The seasoning was spot on, the Missus loved the greens and caramelized onions, I the mashed potato (stoemp).

Things didn't fare so well with the "Pork Pudding", which was basically a pork aspic (gelee). This really lacked a nice texture, it was like eating pork jello on bread, which for us was a much too sweet brioche. We'd have preferred something more rustic and substantial like a rillette, more savory that sweet.

Candice went full speed ahead and ordered the Briased Rabbit. In my experience, rabbit can be a mixed bag, it can be really, really gamey and dry, or well balanced in flavor, keeping the flavor of the pasture, with a toothsome texture. I'm actually all for barding this type of meat.

What really saved the rabbit for us was the stuffing which was moist and fairly rich. I'm not the biggest fan of offal, but on our trip to Malta this past year we had a seared rabbit liver salad which was delicious. I could taste that wonderful, grassy flavor in the stuffing.

We had a wonderful time as great company elevates the meal. The Missus added Bacchus to Her "beers that I enjoy" list. Adam was a fantastic host and I was craving those frites a couple of days later.

So I returned. Adam remembered me and exactly what I drank…scarey. When I asked him for a recommendation, he told me to try the Klokke Roeland, nothing to mess with at 11%. I loved it, to me I could make out orange-clove-molasses-honey, but it wasn't too sweet. Man, this was good, but no more than one…..

All I really wanted were frites, but man does not live on spuds along so I got the Pulled Rabbit Sandwich.

I have to say, the Levain (wild yeast) bread really didn't thrill me and the Mr Cottontail was on the tough side. I did enjoy the acid of the tomatoes, and of course the frites……always the frites….

I enjoyed the place so much that when my Birthday came around….a very low keyed day, my good friends and I enjoyed a rich, but nice meal at Brabant….. Mr Q even had a cocktail with Absinthe!

We got to the bottle list…..

And had a great time. Thanks for sharing the moment with me!

The food is on the "rich" side, but those frites call to me. I enjoy the folks here, they make me feel comfortable. South Park is a wonderful walking neighborhood, you can sit back and watch folks walking or driving by.

So there you go…….at heart, I'm still a "Pau Hana time Bud Light bucket ice kinda guy". But I've learned to spread my wings a bit. And Brabant is where that happens.

Brabant Bar & Cafe
2310 30th St
San Diego, CA 92104
Hours:
Mon-Thurs    3pm – 10pm
Friday       3pm – Midnight
Saturday     10am – Midnight
Sunday       10am – 9pm

Phuong Nga

February 24, 2014 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

**** This location of Phuong Nga has closed

Does this storefront ring a bell? I wouldn't blame you if it did. Other than the signage, everything about the place look exactly the same as the shop it replaced, Cam Ky. A few months back, I noticed the new sign with a different name and made a note to check it out. My good FOY "YummyYummy" beat me to it, probably because of the Banh Cuon sign. Her verdict? Well, not so good. While YY has impeccable taste when it comes to Vietnamese food, I decided to check them out myself, just to see.

The place looks basically the same. In fact, if you didn't pay attention to the sign, you'd walk in thinking it was Cam Ky. It becomes clear fairly quickly it is not. In spite of the sign; there's no "BBQ", no steam table, and just a couple of items on the regular menu. It becomes quite apparent that the place wants to focus on catering as prices for "trays" are posted prominently in the window and on the walls.

The prices really aren't bad by San Diego standards, so I went with the Banh Cuon, U'ot Dac Biet ($7). The portion was more than sufficient.

So what did I enjoy the most of this smorgasbord? Honestly, if I had to make a choice, I'd probably go with the blanched bean sprouts, really, I'm not trying to be a jerk or a smart aleck….but this was probably the blandest version of this dish I've ever had, and I've had my share from Vietnam to Little Saigon to San Diego. The Banh U'ot was thicker than I prefer and stuck together; the Cha Lua – pork roll was totally devoid of flavor, though I enjoyed the texture. There's usually a hint of flavor from the banana leaf and a mild porkiness to it. The nem chua, lacked the cured sourness that I really enjoy.

The pork in the Banh Cuon was dry and hard and the filling basically tasteless. The thickness of the rice itself, though thicker than I prefer in this case was decent. Usually, a good nuoc mam cham will save the dish.

Though this looked good, other than a decent amount of spice, it tasted watered down….bummer.

So, my search for good banh cuon in San Diego continues…..and I'm afraid all is for naught.

Phuong Nga
4141 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92105

Sunday Sandwiches: The Sandwich Place

February 23, 2014 mmm-yoso Sandwiches

So how many people have passed this place on Convoy Court and thought it was some office's al fresco dining area?

I must have passed this place a st least a thousand times and thought exactly that. I'm not sure why the sign with "Deli" on it never registered. But I was working on a recent holiday and noticed the signs for the first time….and they were open too!

It's a tiny shop, very mom-and-pop. The owners are Korean I believe, quiet, but very nice. The prices are good, just about everything under six bucks.

The offerings seemed very routine and it turned out my Clubhouse Special ($5.70) met those expectations.

It's as advertised, turkey, bacon, ham, swiss, with a bit too much mayo on decently toasted bread.

Man, what a boring post huh?

Well, I decided to see what else they had on the menu a couple of days later; it was a Thursday, a lo' and behold, a Teriyaki Steak Sandwich ($6.30):

You know, the meat could have used a bit more marinade time; it was obviously pre-cooked and microwaved, and it was, as expected not the most tender version I've had. But, like I've mentioned before, this is totally comfort food for me.

I grew up eating stuff like this; teri beef sandwiches……

And it was the mayo and the onion on it, followed by a couple of breath mints that really did the trick for me…..for a short moment, I was 10 years old again, eating a teriyaki sandwich on a table in front of some non-descript shop. The sun was shining and it seemed the rest of the day was going to be just fine. It was just good timing I guess…..

But who's going to complain about that?

The Sandwich Place
7112 Convoy Ct
San Diego, CA 92111

Alforon ‘revisit’ (SDSU area)

February 22, 2014 Cathy Lebanese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Thank you for reading mmm-yoso!!! Our food blog shares meals enjoyed so that you too may somehow enjoy. Usually Kirk is writing, but he is otherwise occupied with researching and all that is part of researching. Ed(from Yuma) is otherwise occupied with his job as well as research. Cathy is preoccupied with so many things, but has also managed to take some photos of her meals and today is the one sharing.

Kirk, Ed(from Yuma) and I have enjoyed meals at Alforon, but Kirk is the one who has written all three of the posts mentioning this restaurant. I figure it's time for one of my recent visits to be shared.

Located on El Cajon Boulevard about two blocks West of College Avenue on the South side of the street, the inset row of building with the strange parking in front at an angle and then parallel to the sidewalk as well as on the street in front, Alforon has not changed in the past three or so years.

Nor has the bright interior, with the fancy oven that bakes goodness when you order, just behind the coved opening.

The shelf area has added condiments to the plasticware for people picking up orders to go.

The menu has stayed pretty much the same, with some price increases.

On this visit, The Mister and I ordered a small tabbouleh salad ($5.95). Freshly chopped parsley, tomato and onion mixed with olive oil and lemon and all mixed with bulghur, this is always refreshing and enough to share.

The freshly baked flatbread, topped with Zaatar (a spice mix of sumac, sesame and wild thyme) and cheese ($4.95) is something we are always happy eating. The delicate fresh slightly crisp bread topped with this mix is salty-savory and comforting.

Chicken tawook ($6.95) is something I have cravings for. You can see the abundance of shredded chicken topped with garlic paste and pickle bits and the flavors blend so well.

Here's a little cross section view; you can see how thin the fresh baked crust is.

Always fresh and always good. Comforting quality.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Alforon 5965 El Cajon Blvd San Diego 92115 (619) 269-9904 Website

Green Acre Campus Point (the ‘new’ location)

February 21, 2014 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for dropping back to read mmm-yoso!!! Kirk is busy doing something very special which you will read about soon. Ed(from Yuma) is probably also doing something special. Cathy is writing about a place she thinks is special.

We all have favorite places where the food is always good and one of my personal favorites, which I've only written about twice (but have gone to for lunch three times in one week because I just like the food)is located in an office park just off of Genessee and West of the I-5. Sometime last year, another branch opened just off of Genessee and East of the I-5. (Take Genessee East and turn North at the second light, Campus Point Drive and go until it ends, up and into the parking lot). It's at the end of a street lined with many tall office buildings.

This is the view looking South from the parking lot- and that is the garden which supplies much of the food you will eat here.

When you park at the far end of the parking lot (where you will see most of the cars parked) this is your view from there-and down those stairs is your destination.

Green Acre- the Campus Pointe location (I know, the street is Campus Point, but for some reason the menus, online and on paper as well as hashtags and writings on Facebook, call the location Campus Pointe, with the silent and unnecessary 'e'. I'd like to think this is something deliberate as opposed to someone still not paying attention to details.) You may already notice much more outdoor seating than the Nautilus Campus location.

The interior is noticeably larger also. The rock wall is a beautiful idea.

It includes a very large and private (if you can call glass doors private) Conference/Meeting Room area.

As well as a pool table and (to the right in the above photo), a bar area.

There are also some trees growing inside and an upstairs meeting area as well as that living wall..

Another difference in this location is that in addition to a grab and go area, there is table service (!) When you ask for just water as your beverage, that glass bottle is brought out. (Iced tea is $2).

I met my friend, Mr. C, here for lunch in mid January. He works nearby and gets a 'tenants' discount on his purchases. Anyone from the general public can come here (and a new "Happy Hour" just started yesterday, which I must try out soon). Mr. C ordered the above Root Vegetable fries ($3) which are delicious and nicely fried and salted.

The 1/2 mushroom 'brick oven bar' ($6), which is cremeni mushrooms with garlic and truffle oil on a fresh baked flatbread is served with a fresh fresh picked salad which is lightly dressed.

Mr. C also ordered the "Crust Ocean"($10)- a cold sandwich on sourdough made with a stone crab-shrimp salad and a squeeze of lemon. Again, the fresh salad is included. I had a good bit of this sandwich and really like it.

When you walk in the far South door, there is a chalkboard listing daily specials. I brought The Mister back and liked everything I saw on this board.

So, ordering the Tuscan white bean soup (made with kale of course) was automatic (cup $3). This was *so* good, thick, hearty and deeply flavored.

The Seaburger sandwich ($9) was a mixed (tuna, cod and shrimp) ground patty which was grilled, still moist and the mix of flavors was quite nice. I didn't detect much in the way of spices, which made the seafood flavors shine. It was served on a slightly warm ciabatta bun, which was fresh and chewy. The side of quinoa salad was so very refreshing and good.

For some reason, The Mister really wanted to try the CBB&J-cashew butter, banana and fig jam on grilled brioche bread. A great medly of flavors, unexpected depth of flavors really, and the lightly grilled bread was very complimentary. The side salad came with the sandwich. ($5)

Here's what the sandwich looks like opened- a good slathering of tart-sweet fig jam, plenty of bananas and a nice amount of the cashew butter.

Since it was a chilly day, we also ordered a bowl of (grass fed beef) chili ($6). This is one of my favorite versions of chili. Thick with tomatoes and black beans, the meat flavor and spices stood out and was a perfect part of our leisurely lunch.

We walked over to the garden after eating before going up the stairs to the parking lot. Many fresh meals are growing here.

As I was getting ready to post this, I went to the Green Acre Facebook Page and see that just yesterday, Happy Hour started at this location, featuring discounts on wine and local craft beers and the menu has $4,$5 and $6 items from 3-6 pm on Thursday and Friday only (Green Acre usually closes at 3 pm daily, only serving breakfast and lunch). I will make an effort to research this, for your benefit…

Green Acre 10300 Campus Point Drive San Diego 92121 (858) 450-9907 Website Open M-W 7am-3 pm, Th-F 7 am-6 pm(3-6 pm is Happy Hour - Check Facebook for details of small bites and specials on wine and local craft beer)

Howard’s Lemon Grove Deli & Grill (Breakfast)

February 20, 2014 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Diner, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!!, the food blog you are reading, is being posted today by Cathy. Kirk and Ed(from Yuma) are really, really busy-too busy to write.

Lately, The Mister and I have had to make time to share meals out. One day, we wanted to return to Howards, a Lemon Grove Diner, which has been here for decades. Our fondness for this place began on our first visit, after the San Diego County Fires of 2003, when we were driving around looking for a place to eat and find some normalcy in our ash filled world.

Located on Broadway (the main drag) on the West side of the street along the feeder road just a block North from the Lemon Grove Trolley stop, it's convenient. From this view of the front, you may notice the doorway is a bit stepped back- there are about eight tables outside, which are covered and in front of the door to the inside eating area.

You can see the deli/sandwich/grill menu on the wall back there. Many people call in orders to go, or walk in and wait for to go orders at lunchtime. But we were here for breakfast.

This is the breakfast menu, although there are about five items listed on the wall above the door inside.

I ordered the carne asada plate with over easy eggs ($9.25). This came with corn tortillas, rice, beans, salsa, avocado and chopped tomatoes. The eggs were perfectly cooked and the steak was plentiful and seasoned well and just plain good.

The Mister ordered the chicken fried steak plate($9.25). The coating was crunchy and not the least bit greasy and the meat was thick and juicy. This came with a from scratch country gravy, which was delicious. The Mister chose home fried potatoes as his side.

Poached eggs also came with this plate. As did rye toast.

All in all, this is a great local place that has withstood the test of time. I hope all of you have such a gem in your part of town.

Howards Lemon Grove Deli & Grill 7860 Broadway Lemon Grove, CA 91945 (619)464-2928 Mon-Sat 7-4, Sun 7-2

Revisits, cause and effect edition: Izakaya Sakura and Pizzeria Bruno

February 19, 2014 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Pizza

Have you ever had a dish that was less than satisfying which caused you to crave that very same dish at the place that did it better? I guess it's kind of cause and effect, right? Dish 'x' from restaurant 'x', made me crave the same or similar item at location 'y'…… I hadn't noticed how much I actually did this until last week…….

Izakaya Sakura:

I've done so many posts on Sakura, that I really don't bother posting about the place anymore. I've even posted on the Ebi Kakiage here several times….are you ready for another? Well, I noticed after having the version at Ouan, I was craving Sakura's.

Crisp, light, yet substantial, the cold udon version during this summer in February weather, this never fails to hit the spot. It's a good deal at $8.50.

Izakaya Sakura
3904 Convoy St #121
San Diego, CA 92111

And while I thought the Kakiage at ouan was passable, the "Neopolitan style" pizza at isa.bella really fell short, which had me craving……

Pizzeria Bruno:

*** Pizzeria Bruno has closed

I hadn't been in a while and it was nice to see how busy they were.

I ordered my favorite here, the Diavolo ($15), which features tangy, mildly sweet and spicy goat peppers, subbing soppressata for pepperoni, which has been my go to pizza here.

This time the crust was lovely charred to a nice smokiness without over doing it.

Compare what we had at isa.bella with this and tell me which one you'd prefer?

Pizzeria Bruno
4207 Park Blvd
San Diego, CA 92103