February 2014 – Page 2

Pho 46

February 18, 2014 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

On my way back to the freeway from one of my meals at Motor City Deli, I noticed Pho 46. I recalled eating here when it was Cafe Kashmir, which was not a good experience and I was kind of glad those photos never turned out. Pho, on Miramar…….I wasn't quite sure since my experience with pho on this stretch of road hasn't really been good. Still, nothing wagered, nothing gained, right?

So a couple of days later I dropped by for lunch.

And the winner of the "most generic pho shop design is….." I mean really. However, I wasn't here to admire the feng shui, design, or anything like that, nor was I here to enjoy The Price is Right which was blaring away on the television.

The guy working here; who really looked familiar was quite friendly, the prices for most (not everything) was quite inexpensive. I'm sure you could get a mixture of proteins, but as a whole, it's either rare beef OR well done beef OR meatball. When I mentioned this to my good FOY (Friend of Yoso) "Yummy Yummy" she said, "just like Vietnam….". I'd gotten so used to American Pho, I'd forgotten…..

So I got the Pho Chin ($5.75):

I was somewhat surprised by this bowl, it caught me off guard. It was much better than I thought it would be. The broth, though light on beef flavor, was fairly low on salt/msg, which made all the other flavors, be them ever so faint come through. The beef seemed ot be brisket, had not fallen to pieces, and had good flavor. The noodles was a tangled, overcooked mess, and the sprouts and herbs sparse, but I expected that. Still, this was not bad at all.

While I was eating, three Vietnamese women came in, one of them was really loud. apparently they had ordered before arriving and once the food came out proceeded to attack this plate of chicken wings with loud, somewhat scary, finger-lickin' good aplomb. I had ot find out what they heck that woman was attacking so I asked the guy. He told me it was Butter Wings. Based on how the trio were enjoying their wings, I just had to have me some of that, so I did. The wings ain't cheap, $4.25 buys you four. They are very standard in crispness, perhaps a bit on greasy side and mild in flavor. By no means bad, in fact decent, but definitely not worthy of such a reaction by the three woman wrecking crew. If I were the owner, I'd have these three back everyday….they'd either get you the upsell, or nauseate the heck out of you.

As I left, the gentleman told me that the best wings they have are the Chicken Wings with Spicy Salt…..hey, talk about just up my alley.

So I decided to return a couple of days later……..the television yet again tuned to the Price is Right.

I ordered my wings, but it was too hot for soup so I went with te Shrimp Fried Rice ($6.50).

Much like the pho, this fried rice left me surprised. It wasn't fantastic by any means, but was a good by-the-book fried rice. There were 8 shrimp and though I thought it needed a bit more soy sauce, I felt it was a good value for the money; I'd have it again.

As for the Wings ($4.25):

These were much better than the other wings I'd had; a lot more flavor, less greasy, though I could have done without the wok-scald. It won't make me forget about other versions I've had, but was definitely not bad…..though at this price, over a dollar a wing, I'm not sure it's worth it. Still, not overly battered, a bit of spice, decent flavor, these weren't bad at all.

So, if you have hankering for some pretty inexpensive shrimp fried rice and some kind of expensive wings, or have the need to watch the Price is Right, this might be the place. Nothing fancy, nothing amazing, but many items are simple and a decent value. The guy working here is on the friendly side, though he wasn't too amused when he revealed where I'd seen him before; Com Tam 75….I had a real foot-in-mouth moment when I replied, "oh, is that place still open???"

Pho 46
9508 Miramar Rd
San Diego, CA 92126

isa.bella

February 17, 2014 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Pizza, Pubs and Pub Grub

**** isa.bella, which moved to Clairemont Square has closed

Back in June of last year, I noticed that the old and kind of worn Bollweevil was being put out to pasture. Taking its place was something called isa.bella – artisan pizza & craft beer garden, yes…all lower case. I kind of hesitated in visiting mainly because even though I've enjoyed watching new places pop-up arpund the neighborhood, I really haven't had much luck when I've checked these places out. Honestly, I'm not expecting North Park caliber places, but would like a nice standby that serves better than average food…..

A couple of weeks ago, JohnL agreed to join me for a couple of beers, we wanted to stay around the neighborhood and thought that it was time to check out isa.bella.

I liked what they've done to the patio area and decided to sit outside. Candice sent me a text saying she'd be able to join us….nice!

I was seated at one of hte tables outside, I've got to say, as much as I liked the colors and such; the tables were pretty high for me and when John and Candice arrived, we realized just how large the tables was. Still, this will be a nice place to have a beer and relax when spring and summer arrive.

I looked over the beer selection, which was decent, nothing like the High Dive of course, but with 15 on tap, it was fine with me. I think having a couple of bottles might be great as well.

I went simple with an Hoegaarden to start while I just kind of got into relaxation mode.

Soon enough Candice, then JohnL arrived and we started looking over the menu in earnest.

In the end we decided on two apps and two pizzas.

Things started off with the meatball trio ($7):

The meatballs were served with a "trio" of sauces; a white, almost bechamel type of sauce that was kind of gritty, a decent think red sauce, and pesto. The flavor of the meatballs were decent, though these were on the hard and tough side.

Seeing the Garlic Wings on the menu ($7), I just had to check them out.

Though the menu calls these spicy, I found them more sweet than anything else. Decently crunchy, sticky and messy, with a mild garlic flavor, this was the best thing we had all evening.

The pizzas started with the Eggplant Parmesan ($13.50).

Now, considering that I was told that isa.bella served Neopolitan style pizza, something along the lines of Pizzeria Bruno came to mind. This didn't quite make it up there, especially in the crust department for me as it was hard and cracker like. This was also on the bland side as the eggplant needed a lot more help. The cheese was not strong enough to carry the dish and there didn't seem to be enough marinara sauce on this as well.

The Margherita ($12.50) fared better.

I'm still not fond of the crust, but the acid of the roma tomatoes combined with basil is a wonderful thing. The pizza was still a bit short on sauce for my taste.

Overall, the prices weren't bad, I wasn't very fond of the pizzas, but the staff was nice, and I felt comfortable here, so I figured I'd drop by for just a beer and something simple one evening.

I got the Leffe Brown, I like browns which balance out the sweet and bitter, and this did the trick.

The Parmesan Fries were nice, hot and crisp, perhaps a bit too salty, but nothing to complain about at a Happy Hour price of $3.

I'm guessing this place will be just that for me; a place to drop in for a beer and something small to eat every once in a while. I like the staff, they're friendly, but not overly so, and I can have a beer and decompress….. though I may stop by for lunch someday.

isa.bella artisan pizzeria & craft beer garden
4011 Avati Dr
San Diego, CA 92117
Hours:
Tues – Thurs 11am – 9pm
Fri – Sat 11am – 10pm
Sunday 11am – 9pm

Sunday Sandwiches, the “Say Cheese” Edition: Alex’s Brown Bag (now in PB) and Jin’s Grill

February 16, 2014 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Cheesesteaks, Sandwiches

So what were you doing on July 14th, 2010? Well, I'm not sure of a lot of things, but I do know I was typing up my first "say cheese" Cheesesteak Round-up, comparison post. Man 3/1/2 years. Recently, I reader asked me why I hadn't done one in a while, the last one being almost exactly two years ago. You know, I'm not quite sure, but as I mentioned before, just the thought of a cheesesteak can send me off into a frenzy of Amaroso bunned binging……

A couple of things, I like mine "wit", onions that is, and wit-out "wiz", which was introduced to the sandwich sometime in the 1950's. And unlike that "owner" who didn't care for my opinion of his mediocre sandwich, claiming he knew what a cheesesteak was all about because he read about Pat And Geno's on the internet; I have actually been to Pat's and Geno's, which wasn't nearly as good as the cheesesteak I had from a shop in the Reading Terminal Market called Rick's Original Philly Steaks, which has been closed for a number of years. I did read that he's opened shop in Kennett Square.

Of course all that time means some changes; Olde City Grille has closed, Gaglione Brothers opened their second location, and for some reason the Philadelphia Cheesesteak Company keeps rolling along. One place did drop off the map and had me wondering "whatever happened to……"

Alex's Brown Bag at Latitiude 32:

**** Alex's has totally closed

When I worked in the Hillcrest area, we used to order from Alex's all the time…until it seemed that there was some degradation in their sandwiches which were coming up dry and tough. During that last visit in 2010, it just didn't seem like the same cheesesteak I had been eating over the years.

A couple of years ago, Alex's pulled up stakes and moved to PB. After my cheesesteak trigger had been pulled, Alex's came to mind so I decided to find out exactly where they were located…..which turned out to be inside the pub called Latitude 32. Cheesesteak in a Pub? Shades of Monkey Paw.

The drill here is, you can peruse the menu at the bar, but have to go to the back of the pub to place and pay for your order near the kitchen.

The guys here were very friendly; I recalled the folks when I visited 5th avenue were on the surly side. I got a 12" with provolone, which was probably more sandwich than I should have ordered.

This was a nice sandwich ($8.96), much better than the last one I had from Alex's. The Amoroso roll was nice and warm, with that mild, almost imperceptible crustiness to it, along with the gritty cornmeal. The beef was a bit more chewy than I recalled, but the sandwich was nice and moist with a milky edge brought on by the cheese. This was nicely seasoned, edging on almost garlic-salty, but was nice as most 'steaks are on the milder side.

This was better than I remembered, I'm sure to be back soon.

Alex's Brown Bag (Inside Latitude 32 Pub)
5019 Cass St
San Diego, CA

Jin's Grill:

*** Jin's Grill has closed and is now a location of Homestyle Hawaiian

So I see a sign announcing "Best Cheesesteak in San Diego" in the same stripmall as Pho Little Saigon. A couple of days later I return to find the shop behind the sign, which turns out to be a little shop called Jin's Grill.

The place only has various renditions of "Philly's" i.e. sandwiches on the menu.

I was told that the beef for the cheesesteak was angus, which I thought was nice since the sandwich was south of $7, though I did add mushroom for about a buck more.

The sandwich did look nice….especially the strings of cheese stretching across the wrapper.

The was a plus/minus sandwich. The roll was cold and really detracted from the sandwich. This wasn't highly seasoned, which meant I could really make out the beefy flavor. It wasn't as oily as other versions, but then again, this meant that it was also a bit too dry and lacking in that oozy-richness that makes cheesesteaks so good.

Sort of a tweener, but well priced.

Jin’s Grill
3445 Midway Dr
San Diego, CA 92110
Hours:
Mon – Sat 1030am – 9pm
Sunday 11am – 8pm

Now that this has started…..who knows where it'll end. I do need to visit Philly Frank's, Monkey Paw, and perhaps Eddie's, and of course Gaglione Brothers…..

Coimbra: The University and more piggy fun at António dos Leitoes Porta Larga

February 15, 2014 mmm-yoso Coimbra, Portugal, Portuguese Food, Sandwiches, Travel

At the end of my last post, I mentioned dreading the loooong steep walk up the hill to the University of Coimbra. There is a "elevador" that you can catch up and down the hill, but it was closed for repairs at the time if our visit. Sigh. Anyway, even though we'd already had a quick look at the University the previous day, I figured that if we were to see one site in Coimbra, it had to be the University and some if its most famous structures.

On our visit the previous day, we came up the opposite way, directly to the "Pátio das Escolas", the main courtyard. This time we entered via the "Porta Ferrea", the Iron Gate afterr buying tickets to the various sites in the bookstore.

There are limits on visitors so, you need to get tickets and times set-up. The University was founded in 1290, so of course many traditions have been established like Queima das Fitas – The Burning of the Ribbons and Festa das Latas (The Tin Can Parade). Entering through the Gate you'll come to the bright and impressive Courtyard. This actually used to be the courtyard of the Coimbra Royal Palace which was turned over to the University by King John (João III) in 1537. The reflection of the sun on white can almost blind you at times. And that is a statue of John III, back to the Mondego River standing isolated in the middle of the courtyard.

In 2013, the University became listed on UNESCOs World Heritage List. Click on the photo below to enlarge.

There were a couple of buildings we wanted to check out. Unfortunately, no photography is allowed, so I'll try to do links to other sites so you can get an idea of how the place looks. For me, the one building I just had to see was the Biblioteca Joanina, built by King John V (João V), also know as "John the Magnanimous". One look in this beautiful library and you'll know why he had that nickname.

A walk through the ornate rooms illustrates what a great power Portugal once was. What I found really interesting was the prison under the library. The University had its own police and courts, so naturally it had its own prison for students and faculty…….

Next door behind the facade (you actually enter to the right of the doorway) is Capela de Sao Miguel – St Michael's Chapel. There's a beautiful and ornate pipe organ in the chapel.

Up the stairs of the building that faces John III and down the hallways called the "via Latina" you'll find Sala dos Capelos – The Grand Hall. You'll look down upon what used to be the palace throne room and became an examination room. You can get some great views looking out the windows of the catwalk above the room.

We enjoyed our time visiting the university, but man, I was getting hungry……

So we wound our way back down to our hotel and along one of the many alleyways, on Rua das Padeiras we saw this little shop.

It's pretty easy to see how it caught my eye, right?

Plus, in spite of my lack of linguistic ability…..the big joke is that I can't say much except thank you and hello….but boy can I name the various food items. Leitao was one of those words within my grasp……it basically means suckling pig, and this was Porkugal, I mean Portugal.

It seemed like a nice place to take a break. I ordered a Leitao Sandes – basically a suckling pig sandwich. The Missus decided on some soup, which She really enjoyed….porky goodness one and all.

Soon enough my sandwich arrived…..it was a pretty hefty one at that! The most interesting thing was the glass of, well, something that accompanied my sandwich. A quick taste, I'm glad I didn't chug the thing, and it was quickly identified as pork drippings/sauce/juice/mother's milk, whatever you want to call it. It was on the salty side, though when drizzled on the pork it became "elixir of the gods…or swine". The bread was pretty good, the pork a bit dry and bland without the "juice", the skin on the hard side.

I was still in that pork and beer for breakfast mode since Lisbon, so it only seemed natural that I order a Sagres as well. While this was nowhere as good as my Bifana and beer from Beira Gare it did fine by me.

Boy does this country love its pork…….and I was taking good advantage of it!

António dos Leitoes Porta Larga
Rue das Padeiras 35
Coimbra, Portugal

After lunch it was time to head back to our room for a pork induced nap…..

Happy Valentine’s Day

February 14, 2014 mmm-yoso yoso-silly

Have you noticed the dearth of Valentine's Day posts here? Well, the Missus let me off the hook for this years ago; the practical side of Her just couldn't see going through all the trouble, fighting the crowds, the stress, etc, etc…… But that doesn't mean I've been let of the hook….you see, the Missus also told me, "you know that any day can be Valentine's Day…..everyday, if I declare it so, right?"

Well, there's always a catch, isn't there?

So when I told the Missus that perhaps I should do a V-Day post, all She wanted was this photo of Frankie in it.

"Won't you be my Valentine????"

Whatever way you choose to celebrate this day…..or not, we wish you a wonderful day…..

And if you're not feeling particularly well on this day, we hope you find a remedy….perhaps even on this pegboard!

Since things sort of seem random…..here's something that just shows how ancient I am. I recently heard this song for the first time in decades and it took me bac kto my childhood….what we call hanabuddah days. It features the wonderful voice of Liz Damon and a song that was strangely written by Burt Bacharach.

Years ago I met Liz Damon, who had become a Greeter at one of the Casinos in Vegas, she was kind and warm. With a voice like this, I'm sort of surprised she never became a bigger star. I'm sure there's a story here somewhere……. Anyway, I thought it would be appropriate for today.

I hope you all have a great weekend!

Suan Cai

February 13, 2014 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

After working through three batches of Sauerkraut we finally got down to business and made what we bought the fermenting crockpot for. That would be, to make Suan Cai, which literally means "sour vegetable". Of course, being that the Missus is from QingDao, this was the napa cabbage version with three main ingredients:

Napa Cabbage

Salt

And time…….

Actually, this was really easy. You look for fairly hefty napa cabbage. Half or quarter, use 8 grams of kosher salt per kilo, stuff into the crock, press down hard, and place the stones on the cabbage. Cover and use the water seal. There wasn't enough liquid to cover, so we did a check after the 5th day, pressed down more….by the 10th day things were really getting good….and pretty smelly in our hallway. We checked and found that enough liquid had now been drawn out of the cabbage to cover the whole batch. At 15 days, things looked pretty good……the Missus tore off a piece and handed it to me, telling me to "eat….eat"….. With some trepidation I had a taste and you could tell it was on it's way…at which time the Missus decided that I wasn't going to drop dead and had a taste Herself. The Missus' Aunt told Her it would take 22 days….why 22 days, I haven't a clue, it just seemed so random. When we opened the crock to check at 20 days, you could just tell by the color of the liquid and cabbage that it was ready. I had a bite and….it really tasted good; I mean really good, a sour-nutty, but not too salty flavor, the texture was perfect, with a nice crunchiness to it. It doesn't have that too salty-metallic twinge of the stuff you get at the market, loaded with nitrites and other preservatives…this one is salt, cabbage, and a lot of help from mother nature.

We shared some with "YZ" who said it was plain delicious. Folks that have read our blog over the years know that I love Suan Cai Yang Rou and Chao Suan Cai….strange because I wasn't raised on the stuff, but there's just something about those dishes I love. It's a bit too hot right now to make those dishes…..but I better get on it soon……we've been just eating the suan cai straight up with various dishes like Red Cooked Chicken, it helps to cut the richness and fat….plus, we're getting the benefit of the fermentation. If we keep going at this pace, there won't be anything left to cook. Luckily, there's another crock of the stuff bubbling away in our hallway.

Strange as it seems, dishes made with suan cai have become comfort food for me. Which leads me to my question. What food items or dishes that you hadn't had until you were an adult have become comfort food for you?

Ramen Izakaya Ouan

February 12, 2014 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

**** Ramen Izakaya Ouan has closed

A few months ago, Yu Mei Ya's outpost in Hillcrest closed. I had been there only once and wasn't too impressed, it seemed a far cry from its namesake in Encinitas.

Izakaya Ouan soon rose in its place. Coming on the heels of the closing of Tecchan, Ouan seems to have some good timing. Seeing that my last few meals at Izakaya Masa was far from satisfying, I thought I'd give Ouan a cautious try, so I headed over for lunch.

The place was empty for the entire duration of my visit. The folks here are somewhat distant, but professional. I saw something on my menu that I enjoy, Vegetable Kakiage, basically mixed vegetable strips in tempura batter, when made well, like the version at Izakaya Sakura, is light and satisfying, a textural delight. So I got the Vegetable Kakiage Don ($7.50) plus some Ebi (shrimp $3.00).

First off, the miso soup was watered down quite a bit. The rice was on the dry side, but the vegetable was very nice, light, well fried, great crunch, though the tsuyu was a bit too salty. The shrimp was ok, the batter a little too gummy and shrimp kind of small for my taste. At over $10, this was nowhere near as good as Sakura's $8.50 Ebi Kakiage Soba/Udon……but hey, we're paying the Hillcrest premium for this, right?

Still, this was good enough for me to want to check them out for dinner…..and my good buddy Candice was nice enough to join me.

We started with the Tako Wasabi with Lemon Zest ($4.50).

Even though this seemed like Nishimoto Trading type Tako Wasabi, the lemon zest really helped to add a nice dimension to the dish, it really raised the flavor. This unfortunately was the best item of the night.

Things didn't go that badly downhill with the Fried Skate Wing…..a simple basic deep fried engawa seasoned with salt and togarashi.

This was fine, though a couple of the pieces were on the gummy side with regards to the batter….seems like temperatures weren't quite under control.

Since I love chicken wings, I ordered the Spicy Miso Marinated Wings ($6.50).

This wasn't very spicy, the flavor of the aka miso wasn't tempered making this salty. Also the wings were tough. After the first one, I stopped paying attention and was having a great time chatting with Candice….until I looked down and noticed that the last wing I ate was bloody red…….ick. I know, I have eaten chicken sashimi, but that was by my own choosing…….

The Shio Koji Lamb Chop ($14) was tragic, rubbery and tough, lacking in the umami I expected.

Koji, Aspergillus Oryzae, a mold formed by fermentation and used in making soy sauce and sake is supposed to be an umami enhancer. In this case all it left was a mild sour taste on the tough lamb.

The final item we ordered was called Spacey Ramen ($12.95) on the menu. Apparently, it had pork, chicken, wood ear, truffle, etc, etc……

This is a good example of fusion gone bad…….the "sauce" had the texture of a very greasy bolognese sauce, drenched with a rather unpleasant amount of truffle oil. The noodles were fine, but the whole greasiness of the dish and the over-powering faux truffle fragrance just killed the dish for us. We could barely get past a couple of bites……

In the end, I felt really bad for inviting Candice to dinner, only to experience this. It would be one thing if the place was super busy, but they were only half full. Sadly, it seemed like they were jusy going through the motions. Just take a look at the menu….it says they serve their ramen with "tonkatsu" not tonkotsu, chicken based broth. Oh the power of the single letter………

Still, being the glutton for punishment that I am; I had a hard time believing that a place that had more than few people recommending it to me would be so bad. So I made one final "safe" lunchtime visit and got the Ouan Black Ramen ($9.25) with a poached egg ($1.50).

The standard issue noodles were perfect, the broth fine (no it's not black garlic oil like Yamadaya, just some oil with black sesame), if a bit too "thin" for my tastes….though it could be because it's, ahem, "tonkatsu" style!?!?!?! The chasu was ice cold and the "poached egg" apparently an attempt as something sort of like onsen tamago, was overcooked as the yolk was fully cooked and solid. Again, that bugaboo about not attending to details, which seems to be sort of the theme here. Overall, not too bad, but at almost $11, I'll take Toroniku at Santouka or Yamadaya anytime at that price point.

Ouan actually makes Izakaya Masa seem great, even though my fellow food blogger Dennis (hope you're back posting soon, we miss ya') calls them the "Sandra Lee" of Izakayas.

Ramen Izakaya Ouan
3882 4th Ave
San Diego, CA 92103

Junction Steakhouse and Sports Bar and Harvest Ranch Market (the market next door)

February 11, 2014 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Burgers, Markets & Grocers, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is the food blog you have somehow found or pulled from your 'top sites' or linked onto from your 'favorites'. It has posts mostly written by Kirk, who is busy today. Ed(from Yuma) also writes posts here and is also busy today. Cathy is writing even though she is busy today.

Driving in East County San Diego is always interesting. Since people tend to have a favorite place to eat that's close to home (as well as close to work), there's always someplace interesting everywhere. You may or may not notice the cowboy hat outline on the signage above the resturant door at Junction, but

perhaps will at least know it's in the same parking lot as Harvest Ranch Market, which I wrote a bit about almost four years ago.

If you read into this 2011 article about a popular East County restaurant's new ownership ( I haven't posted on Charcoal House, which shares the same parking lot as La Casa Blanca), you'll see that the owner of it also owns Junction, as well as the two Harvest Ranch Markets and Jonathon's Market in La Jolla. Of course this close proximity of the restaurant to this higher-end grocery store means you know where the restaurant's inventory is obtained.

Walking up to the door, you'll notice quite a few large posters along the walls between Junction and Harvest Ranch Market.

Walking in the door, you'll notice the extensive wine selection and this double fish tank.

This lunch hour, I ordered the soup/salad combo ($7.95). This (above) is the House Salad – it has mixed greens, strawberries, mandarin oranges, pecans, Feta cheese and is served with a strawberry vinaigrette.

Instead of soup, I ordered chili (because I seem to be doing that lately) and this was great. Because in addition to being supplied by a very nice market, Junction also has "Prime Rib Tuesday" as well as "Steak Lovers Saturday" and, well, sometimes there are leftover pieces of those meats…

which don't go to waste and are diced and part of this wonderful chili.

The Mister ordered a 1/2 lb cheeseburger (which on the menu is $9.45). He was asked how he wanted it cooked and what kind of cheese(He chose cheddar). He was also given the choice of fries or house made chips…

He had asked for it to be cooked medium rare, and it was cooked medium rare. Served on a toasted fresh bun.

A discount of $4.46 was applied to the bill, because it was lunchtime and during the week. Well worth it here.

Junction Steakhouse and Sports Bar 777 Jamacha Road El Cajon, 92019 (619) 588-5467 Website

After our meal, we walked down the way to check out Harvest Ranch Market.

As always, the grab and go, sandwich and bakery areas, deli, meats, fruits and vegetables as well as the aisles were neatly arranged with exquisite offerings. We purchased quite a few items for our evening dinner.

Harvest Ranch Market 759 Jamacha Road El Cajon 92019 (619)442-0355Website

Revisits: Pinoy Fiesta, Grandma’s Tofu & BBQ , and Tan Ky Mi Gia(yet again!)

February 10, 2014 mmm-yoso Filipino Restaurants, Korean Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants

Here's our monthly dose of revisits……

Pinoy Fiesta:

It had been a while since I last visited, so I thought I'd drop in and grab a bite. Nothing really called to me and I wasn't super hungry, but then a tray of lechon kawale came out of the kitchen, so I went for that.

It was hot, the exterior hot and crisp, but there was something strange about this…..the meat was on the spongy side and very bland….actually the texture of the meat wasn't very pleasant. I just can't quite put my finger on it.

Pinoy Fiesta
550 E 8th St
National City, CA 91950

Grandma's Tofu & BBQ:

I know, I just did a post on the Heokyumso Jeongol – the black goat stew a couple of months back. But the recent rain and colder weather had us craving this again. Instead of going on and on about the dish, I'll let you in to a little secret….our "goat strategy" if you will. As good as the Heokyumso Jeongol is, it's even better when spiced up a bit….so when the panchan comes, we quickly, but sneakily dump all the baechu kimchi and the sauce from the cucumber instantly into the broth….it makes it that much better! The nice ladies then bring us refills…we eat the kimchi, but make sure to dump the sauce into the stew….and so forth. We usually take home about 2/3 of this…..and we hit Zion on the way home for sesame leaf or wild spinach, then I'll get some tofu from Nijiya on my way home from work the next day….we always have Korean bean paste and gochujang and this ends up being two more meals.

Which is why we'll usually get something like the Kimchi Dolsot Bi Bim Bap with our meal.

Sshhh, don't tell anybody……

Grandma's Tofu & BBQ
4425 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

Tan Ky Mi Gia:

**** Tan Ky Mi Gia has closed

Here's another one we've posted about in the last couple of months. Work has been brutal, but I've been enjoying the challenge. Still, I had been feeling a bit run down, meaning I needed something on the salty side to give me that "aaaahh" effect. During that time we hit up Tan Ky Mi Gia.

For me, this is comfort food……

For some reason, the Beef Sate Egg Noodle "dry" does the trick for me

Though the Bot Chien really wasn't worth the effort……

I guess I'm still chasing what I had at Kang Lac Bakery in Westminster. Instead of being crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, this had a hard exterior with a cardboard like texture and flavor. They probably bought it at Lucky Seafood next door.

The Missus strangely had a Banh Xeo which She enjoyed…….the pork in this version is braised which makes it more tender than others…..still, it's far from my favorite.

We came back a couple of nights later and I had the Egg Noodle Soup with Roast Duck…….

The duck can be hit and miss….on this visit it was super tough, definitely a miss, but the hot and salty soup really did the trick.

Tan Ky Mi Gia
9330 Mira Mesa Blvd #A
San Diego, CA 92126

Sunday Sandwiches: Crossroads Deli

February 9, 2014 mmm-yoso Sandwiches

I've been having meetings in the UTC/La Jolla area quite regularly for the past couple of months. The meetings usually finish around noon-ish. At the end of one of my meetings I asked for a recommendation for grabbing a quick bite and Crossraods Deli was mentioned. I had already heard of the place via an email from "Rob", so I decided to check them out.

Finding the place was interesting. It's located in the La Jolla Crossroads Apartment complex off Judicial Drive. I would have never thought of checking this place out…..mainly because I'd never driven past here before. Anyway, there's visitor parking, you'll find the place behind the Boar's Head umbrellas.

The place was pretty busy and the menu is pretty routine, except for a couple of specialty sandwiches and daily specials. This was Falafel Friday, so of course……

I got the falafel sandwich ($7.50). Which I thought would be a great idea, since, well, Boar's Head is Boar's Head, you know what I mean? This is a real Mom-and-Pop place, really…..it's like Mom is working the register and Pop is making the sandwiches. Nice folks one and all.

This was a pretty hefty sandwich, perhaps a bit too heavy handed on the shredded lettuce and tahini sauce as it seems the falafel were a bit overwhelmed by everything else. The pita was nice and warm and the falafel, which were hot and fresh, had a nice texture, not too gritty, just moist enough, with a pleasant flavor. Needless to say, I didn't leave hungry.

I can see why this place is popular, the portion-price point is good. The falafel aren't on the level of Mister Falafel, but I'd have this again.

Two weeks later I dropped by again. The place was just as packed as before. This time I ordered "Al's Famous Club" ($7.50):

This was a pretty good sandwich. I loved that the turkey was thinly shaved, that the bacon were more like Bacon Bits, though there was a good amount of it, not so much. What seemed like a vinaigrette was very nice, the side that was over-dressed with mayo was a bit much. Loved the avocado and the swiss added a nice milkiness to the sandwich. I ordered this on sourdough, which went well with the sandwich. Not bad overall.

As I've mentioned before, I have a great deal of appreciation for these homegrown, neighborhood sandwich shops, I've been going to our neighborhood shop for over a decade. I'm glad we have one in our neighborhood and I'm sure the folks who live and work in the general vicinity of Crossroads Deli is as well.

Crossroads Deli

9085 Judicial Dr, Ste 100 (Inside the La Jolla Crossroads Apartment Complex)

San Diego, CA 92122

Hours: Mon-Fri 8am – 7pm Saturday 8am – 4pm