June 2014 – Page 3

2015 Rose Parade Rose Parade float road test #1-and a food road trip

June 8, 2014 Cathy Bakery, Breakfast/Brunch, Festivals & Events, Los Angeles County, Markets & Grocers, Orange County, Road Trip, Stuff, Thai Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!, yoso-silly

mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog with posts centering around food, sometimes sharing the process which the acqusition of said food occurred. Kirk is busy, Ed(from Yuma) is busy and Cathy is writing.

More than a month ago, friend and fellow food blogger, cc, asked (another friend and food blogger) CAB and I to accompany her on a celebratory (beginning of vacation) food crawl 'Up North'. CAB unfortunately had a change in plans and couldn't make it. I discovered on Wednesday before our scheduled crawl that the first Rose Parade float road testing was also going to be held that Saturday morning. Checking out the road testing is something The Mister and I do and share here on the blog ( I also share decorating and other 'behind the scenes' posts about float consruction). I felt guilty, A) Because The Mister wouldn't be able to come with us and 2. For asking for a slight change in 'plans'. Except our plans included and lot of 'maybe here and maybe there' places to visit and eat..so I added one in. Of course it had to be the first thing we did that day, because testing begins at 7 a.m.. In Pasadena.

At the end of this epic day (I was at cc's home at 5 a.m. on the dot and got back to my home at 6:35 p.m.), I was exhausted, had driven 314 miles and had 327 photos on my camera (many were the same subject from different angles) and so this post is mostly photos. Details in future posts.

First the 2015 Rose Parade. The floats tested this day were all sponsored by service (volunteer) organizations. The theme of the Tournament of Roses parade is "Inspiring Stories". The Grand Marshal will be Louis Zamperini, WWII POW, Olympian and the subject of soon to be released movie, Unbroken. Each float is the interpretation of the theme by each participating organization.

Rotary International (the color coded float, depicting a wishing well and candles). Lions Club International (in it's rebar and partial coccoon stage)(can you see a wave of water and surfboards?).

Odd Fellows and Rebakahs, their float is depicting the Unknown Soldier Tomb.
Kiwanis International (being parked back into the Phoenix Decorating Company barn)(the doorway is the maximum height and width a float can be, or collapse down to, to be able to pass under street and signal lights along the parade route).
Lutheran Hour Ministries. This float is titled "The Bible, God's Story".

This will be the Donate Life float. It's in the basic stage of construction and testing. Those detailed butterflies are just so beautiful. You can see the float driver in this photo.

Now, to the food portion of this post. In order: what we ate and did. One photo from each place.

Yep. We did a LOT in a few hours. It was fun, educational, tasty and only slightly exhausting. The details will be revealed in future posts. Feel free to guess or ask questions. Hope you are having a good week!

Where we ate: First photo (Cream Pan) 2nd photo (Jones Coffee) third photo (Euro Pane) 4th photo (Galco's) 5th photo (Mae Ting's) Next photo (LAX-C) Next few photos: Velveteria, Chinatown, Queen's Bakery, Brodard, 85C, The Snowflake Factory, and finally The above photo, a Jesuit.

Brussels: Shopping for dinner, “Chinatown?”, Pierre Marcolini, and Moeder Lambic

June 7, 2014 mmm-yoso Beer, Belgium, Brussels, Chocolate, Markets & Grocers, Pubs and Pub Grub, Travel

Lunch had been a wonderful, but pretty rich meal. Since we had an apartment, we decided to self cater dinner and dropped by a couple of the nearby shops.

Some nice cheese from the cheese shop, tomatoes, head cheese and prosciutto from the nice gourmet shop on Rue St Catherine. There's a good sized Delhaize Supermarket on Anspach where we picked up greens for a salad……we just needed some greens after all of this. And beer of course……

And so we headed back to the apartment with dinner all set. It would be nice to relax since we'd bee flying to Prague in the morning.

Funny thing, I hadn't even heard of a "Chinatown" in Brussels, but then we passed a short strip of Chinese restaurants and markets right across the Stock Exchange Building (the Bourse), so of course we had to check at least on of the markets out…..man, it was sticker shock.

Try almost 17 Euros for a small bag of frozen Jiaozi…..

The Asian vegetables seemed pretty scarce and did not look in very good shape as well…..

The Missus couldn't help but laugh when She saw this……

Man, it would be tough if we lived here……

We also checked out the menus and offerings of some of the Chinese Restaurants on the street…..

And decided to stop after seeing the 6,80 Euro ($9.25) price for 4 pieces of Shiu Mai…..then of course those places that serve Chinese-Vietnamese-Thai-Sushi……

We headed back to the apartment and took our usual afternoon nap, awakening a short while later. It was time for us to shake off our grogginess. The sun was out and wasn't scheduled to set until almost 10pm, so we headed back to Place Poelaert and the Upper Town.

We passed by several sections of Brussels' midievel city wall and Eglise Notre Dame a la Chappelle, which is Brussels' oldest existing church.

We got to the Marolles neighborhood and took the elevator up to Place Poelaert. All the rain and dreary weather had been chased away, it was now a bright and sunny afternoon. Too bad we were leaving the next morning.

The view from here when the sky is clear is quite nice. You get to appreciate Brussels….

We strolled around the Upper Town area, antique and designer shops, and some interesting cafes and restaurants as well. Love Joel Robuchon, not sure about his sushi though…..

My MIL loves chocolate….we were in Belgium, so we decided to get her a collection of chocolate from our travels….but not just ordinary stuff…i.e. Godiva, Neuhaus, Leonidas….no we'd try and get her a variety with a little meaning, not just the usual tourist stuff. It just so happens that Pierre Marcolini's flagship store was right along our path back to the apartment.

Winner of the 1995 World Cup of Pastry and known as a master chocolatier, this would be a good start for my MIL's collection. The variety of flavors and chocolates of various regions made this quite an interesting experience for us, which would suite us well later on.

The shop actually looks more like a fine jewelry shop, boutique, or gallery than a chocolate shop. So we made our first purchases for my MIL here.

I think it was a nice start…..

The day was so bright and beautiful, folks were out and about, the cafes (the beer cafes) seem to be doing great business with folks enjoying the weather. It was a perfect chance to check out the Fontainas location of the legendary Brussels' beer bar Moeder Lambic.

The Missus and I immediately loved the place….there are no airs…what few tourists who came in and stared in awe at the beer list of unfamiliar and familiar brews were treated graciously and there was harmony with the locals….who seemed to appreciate the fact that folks were making the effort to find the place…which isn't hard, but like Le Fin de Siècle, you pretty much either just run into the place or have to seek it out.

It's easy to just stare off into space at the listing of beers familiar and unfamiliar. The Servers were really nice with the 2 parties of tourists we saw….

The Missus and I, knowing how analysis-paralysis would be, just went for it. She ordered a Gueuze Tilquin and I a De Ranke Guldenberg.

We've had Tilquin here in the states, but this was a bit different; you could make a out a bit more fruitiness, though it was still pretty funky and puckery-dry. The Guldenberg was a nice tripel, a bit more hoppy than what I expected, with almost the feel of a boozy saison. A very nice beer. This place should be on any list if you're in the area and enjoy beer. We'd go to the original location of the Moeder Lambic on our way back, which we laso loved.

Moeder Lambic
Place Fontainas 8
Brussels, Belgium

It was a beautiful afternoon. On the way back to the apartment we passed a bar that had a street musician playing an electric violin, I wish I recorded it…….he started playing as we passed…I recognized the music right away. I Love Rock and Roll…..a Joan Jett classic! It seems like all the places we visited (in both the Czech Republic and Belgium) loved American and English music…whether rap, death metal (Moeder Lambic in St Gilles), Jazz, or good 'old Rock n' Roll. Honestly, I think it might be our greatest export. As the violinist hit the chorus, the entire street broke out and sang with unbridled joy and spirit:

"I love rock and roll
So put another dime in the jukebox, baby
I love rock and roll
So come and take your time and dance with me….."

It was just the cherry on top of the sundae for us…..ending a very nice afternoon.

We returned to the apartment we were staying at smiling. Like most of these type of units we've stayed at; there's no lift, the stairs can be narrow and somewhat steep. We were rewarded in that this was a single unit above a a gallery that was closed the two days we were staying there. There was also a wonderful, older cat named "Sushi", mellow and sweet, he was a good ambassador for the place. The bedroom and bathroom was on one floor with a kitchen nook above.

It was a nice place to make a quick breakfast, or do a quick post, like I did, or have a nice little dinner, like we did on this evening.

With of course, some beer…….most stores sell singles here; and those Belgian's go for less than 2 Euros a piece, so how could we resist?

The Missus prepped a quick breakfast for us, we'd be heading out early for our next stop…..Prague and the Czech Republic…..

Brussels: Morning at Grand Place, Upper Town, and Viva M’Boma

June 6, 2014 mmm-yoso Beer, Belgian Cuisine and Restaurants, Belgium, Brussels, Travel

Morning's are our favorite time when we travel. We're usually early birds, so we get going fairly early to check out the the sights in the peace and quiet. Speaking of peace, as much as we found amusement in Manneken Pis, we kinda enjoyed "Manneken Peace" a lot as well. This street art is about a block from MP, just around the corner from where we were staying.

Wanting to see Grand Place in the morning, we headed back up the three blocks. A pleasant walk without the crowds and the smells of waffles in the air.

The buildings of Grand Place looked so stately at this time of the morning.

The most impressive building is easily the Town Hall (photo right) with its 300 foot tall tower. It's quite difficult to capture the entire building in a single shot. The photo above is of the "Maison du Roi" or King's House, which is also called the "Broodhuis" in Flemish since buildings in this spot served both as a bread market and an administrative building for the rulers of the House of Hapsburg. This structure was built in 1890 and now houses the City Museum.

Each of the guild houses surrounding the square has it's own statue crowning its roof. Many of the buildings are named by the statue or some detail or decoration on the building. This is probably how people found these buildings before the advent of the address. On the bottom right of the photo below, you can see a swan above the doorway. This place is known as the Swan House. All of these places have a place in history. In 1847 – 1848, this building contained a bar, which was the place where Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx met and drafted the Communist Manifesto.

We had pretty good timing. Just as we were leaving delivery and sanitation trucks invaded the peace and quiet of Grand Place. We headed back to the apartment and had some tea and planned our morning walk. After checking out some of the markets in the area we headed uphill and a few streets later we were staring at the Palace of Justice and the Infantry Memorial.

We turned and headed down the rather busy Rue de la Regence at a leisurely pace until we came to one of my favorite little parks in Brussels; the Place du Petit Sablon. There are 48 columns surrounding the park. Each one is topped with a statue which represent the ancient craftsmen of Belgium.

Within the park there are 10 larger statues of Belgium's great thinkers of the era. I was surprised that I actually knew some of these; especially Gerardus Mercator, the great cartographer whose Mercator Projection revolutionized accurate navigation in its time allowing for "true direction" calculations. I'd read about some of these folks over the years but have to sheepishly admit, I didn't know they were Flemish/Belgian.

The garden itself is quite beautiful and peaceful, a nice oasis to relax and recharge; even on a overcast and drizzly morning.

The two fellows adopting the rather Shakespearean pose above the fountain in the park are Lamoral, Count of Egmont and Philip de Montmorency, Count of Hoorn, simply known in Belgian history as "Egmond en Hoorne", who stood against the Spanish Inquisition and rule. Both were executed; beheaded on June 5th 1568 in front of the Town Hall in Grand Place. One of the events that sparked the Eighty Years War which eventually led to an independent Dutch Republic.

Across the street from Place du Petit Sablon resides the very gothic looking Notre Dame du Sablon which took about 149 years to build. Along with the wonderful stained glass, there is a small wooden statue of Mary, a copy of the original which was destroyed by Protestants that had healing powers. In 1348, the statue was located in Antwerp, it spoke to a woman named Beatrix. It instructed her to take it….she snatched the statue, boarded a boat, and headed to Brussels. When a crowd of Antwerpen citizens tried to stop her; the statue froze them in their tracks! The statue arrived to great fanfare in Brussels and this church was built in its honor…..you'll see several images of boats around the church.

After this short visit we headed down (up?) the street, past the Royal Museum of Fine Arts, which ended with us staring at the Royal Palace.

We actually enjoyed the view looking down from the Mont de Arts Steps which started across the street from the Royal Palace.

After this it was window shopping in the areas surrounding Grand Place, then off to the neighborhood of St Catherine for lunch. Initially, I thought we'd grab unch at the very popular Nordzee Seafood Bar, but the Missus was interested in something more substantial….I knew just the place.

Located close to where Rue St Catherine become Rue de Flandre, a street full of cafes and shops, in the former location of a butcher shop resides "Long Live my Grandmother", the very well known and recommended Viva M'Boma, which was described as a shop that creates dishes from all parts of the animal except the "squeeks…moo's….and baaa's".

We were seated right at the front window….we had arrived right when they opened.

The biggest dilemma for us was what to order……the veal kidneys? Horse steak? Steak tartare…..Lamb tongues???

The one thing we did know was that we'd be having some beer….though we were still showing a bit of restraint at this point, it was just one, the 1882 Gueuze Girardin (white label).

Funky to the nose, typical gueuze flavor, the finish mildly dry.

I love head cheese, so we had to start with the "Homemade Pressed Pork Head", which was the best head cheese (and we had quite a bit) on our trip.

The mustard vinaigrette was such a nice foil for the porky goodness…….I finished every little crumb of meat on the plate.

The Missus went with the Pot au feu with Veal Cheeks, Oxtail, and Marrow.

The Missus marveled at how each different cut had retained its own flavor….each different from the other The flavors just popped in the very clean well prepared broth. I loved the perfectly rendered bone marrow. It was just the perfect texture of meltingly globby. It's not the under roasted piece of pencil erasure that is the norm here in San Diego.

I really enjoyed my Veal Sweetbreads in Mustard Sauce.

While the mashed potatoes were velvety smooth, they were a bit too much of a "butter wonderland" for me. Those fantastically steamed, firm yet creamy sweetbreads were just plain delici-yoso! The mustard sauce added just the right amount of ooomph to conteract the rather rich texture of the sweetbreads. You got a nice, slightly metallic finish that seemed pleasant. Even the Missus, who is not a big fan of sweetbreads just loved this.

This was a wonderful lunch stop for us. The service was professional without being stuffy….our server had a sense of humor and was quite efficient. We'll gladly return whenever we're in Brussels again.

Viva M'Boma
Rue de Flandre 17
Brussels, Belgium

After lunch it was time for some shopping….we'd be self-catering dinner, then a nap of course!

Thanks for reading!

Brussels: Grand Place, t’ Kelderke, and Le Fin de Siècle

June 5, 2014 mmm-yoso Beer, Belgian Cuisine and Restaurants, Belgium, Brussels, Gastropub, Pubs and Pub Grub, Travel

I'm not sure exactly when the Missus and I decided on Belgium as a destination, but somewhere after the New Year, the Missus's love of Belgian brews ignited, and airfare to Brussels seemed reasonable…Prague had always been in the picture, but Belgium, well, that decision was a rather late one.

Which is how we found ourselves in a terrible line at passport control. Honestly, it wasn't even a line at all, just a mass of people in a hallway, more of a cattle pen perhaps, for what seemed a distinctively unorganized entry to the "Capital of the European Union". We basically stood an hour and half in a huge blob of people before making it the actual line for passport control and customs. The folks here are very friendly and nice though. You also seem to have to walk through the entire airport to get to baggage claim (luckily we only had carry-on). It was a slam dunk from there. We found that public transportation in Brussels, like most big cities in Europe is an absolute joy. Down to the lower level and the Express Train to Brussels Centraal Station. The folks at the apartment we were staying at, above an art gallery just a few blocks from the station, perfectly situated for us, gave us impeccable instructions. Within a few minutes we had the keys, gotten some good tips on the area, had climbed up the rather narrow stairway, showered, and were on our way.

We were but three blocks from what became our landmark……

The famous Manneken Pis. You know how they say, "you can't miss it"? Well, in this case, you could miss it if not for the crowds that surround this tiny statue of a little boy peeing…..

The only other constant in the area is the cloying smell of waffles and chocolate, so thick that you can almost see it.

In spite of all the tourists, we quickly noticed that the pace here was quite laid back, unlike Rome, things were low stress, no hard sell, seemingly no scams…..

Grand Place, the former central market square, UNESCO Heritage site, the heart of Brussels, is just a few blocks from Manneken Pis. Also known as Grote Markt in bilingual Belgium, it is indeed a grand sight, even as the clouds rolled in and drops of rain started pouring down.

With the rain falling, it seemed like a good time to get something to eat. Both the Missus and I were starving after our long flight(s). We had been for warned about the "restaurant row" on Rue de Bouchers, by guides, online, and even the folks at the apartment. However, we didn't want to be slogging around, a bit groggy from lack of sleep (I can't sleep on flights), in a city we weren't familiar with. Enter t'Kelderke, located in Grand Place. Yes, it's a tourist restaurant of sorts, downstairs in the cellar right on Grand Place.

I really came to enjoy this type of cellar restaurant. I think there's something rather comforting and cozy, in spite of the darkness…..

Our Server was a rather nice fellow, not overly friendly, but amicable……

Hey, we were in Belgium, right? So it was time for a beer. Not much on the list here, so we started with a Grimbergen Tripel. Kind of light for a tripel, mild citrus tones, not very boozy, and fairly thin tongue feel.

Much like the restaurant itself, it was agreeable, nothing that would challenge you in any way.

The Missus started with the Carbonnade Flamande, the classic Belgian Beef and Beer stew.

And stoemp of course. The stew was ok, the flavor beefy but a bit too sweet, the beef also had a decent flavor, but several pieces were much too tough and fairly dry. The stoemp tasted of too much parsley.

I ordered a Horse Steak medium….which was cooked to a perfect medium.

While the frites were something that could have out of a bag with SYSCO on it; definitely not up to what I would consider Belgian standards, the horse was pretty good. Perhaps not the most gamey, nor sweet horse I've had, more like a powerful grass fed beef sirloin. The Missus absolutely loved it. The Server recommended a mushroom sauce which was served on the side. It had a nice flavor, perhaps a bit heavy on the butter, but not bad.

One thing we quickly noticed, which was a recurring theme was that things weren't overly salted….a nice change of pace from what we're used too.

Overall, a decent meal in a very high tourist area.

T'Kelderke
Grand' Place 15
Brussels, Belgium

By the time we worked our way back up to daylight, the rain had long passed and things had dried up a bit. Before we headed back to the apartment for a nap we headed out the other end of Grand Place and to the Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert. Built in 1847, this place claims to be the oldest operating shopping mall in Europe.

I really loved the neo-classical design which bestowed a sense of elegance to the glass covered arcade. You really expect great works of art to be lining the walls instead of windows to various chocolate shops and cafes.

We then headed through Rue de Bouchers, wall to wall restaurants waiting for tourists and past the Church of St Nicholas.

Running right into the huge building known as the Bourse – The Stock Exchange Building. Here's a photo of the front form across busy Boulevard Anspach.

Funny thing, we'd just arrived and in the matter of minutes had seen most of lower town sights!

We headed back to the apartment and took a well earned nap. In spite of the rather heavy lunch (and beer), we awoke hungry. We headed on out, walking past all the places we passed before. You notice much more the second, and third time around. Near MP there's this mural of Tintin, the world famous cartoon created by Brussels born cartoonist Hergé.

The Missus and I really enjoyed the murals and street art of Belgium.

Crossing Anspach and past what we call "Brussel's Chinatown" (more in a later post), we got the area known as St Catherine. We really enjoyed the vibe of this area, which seemed even more laid back. The area is dotted with cafes, restaurants, food shops, and such.

Just south of the area on a rather non-descript street is a place I really wanted to check out.

Not much of a sign to speak of, communal seating, the menu is written on a chalkboard (in French – but I heard the Servers explain the dishes in English to some folks), nice selection of beer (served at the perfect temp), this is the type of no-nonsense places I love….though if you'd move this to San Diego it would be full of hipsters and called a Gastropub. And it would make a killing. The prices are right, the service can be on the brusque side…..until they understood that we really appreciated the food and drink. You don't hesitate here….you spot an opening and you go for it.

Decisiveness wins the day here. If they are busy feel free to walk up to the bar and politely order your beer; which in my case was a Trappistes Rochefort 10, a wonderful brown quadrupel with a slight raisin and a wonderful, smooth, tongue coating texture. Man, now this was a beer to sit and savor. As you can tell, I was really starting to get into this.

The Missus ordered what might be Her favorite Gueze of the trip; a Mort Subite. This seemed to have the right combination of a mild fruitiness along with all the sour attributes of a Gueze without being too dry. Something interesting we found was that folks were somewhat surprised that the Missus, a woman, enjoyed sours.

Of course we ate……this time I ordered the Carbonnade Flamande(made with Chimay) which we both really enjoyed. The beef was perfectly cooked, very tender, but not falling apart. The flavor was a nice beefy, with a balanced sweet and savory thing going for it.

The Missus just had to order the Sausage and Stoemp.

Without a doubt the best Stoemp I've ever had. The Missus really enjoyed this, especially the sauce, which I believe was also made with beer, mustard, and probably beef stock.

This was one of our favorite meals of the trip….

The price at 34 Euros ($45) we thought was very reasonable.

Le Fin de Siècle
Rue des Chartreux 9
Brussels, Belgium

After dinner we walked around a bit, enjoying the public art.

We stopped by a Carrefour Express and picked up a couple more bottles……just for a nightcap, right?

The Belle-vue Gueuze was very basic, not too sour, middle of the road, with nothing that really stood out.

The Brugge Tripel was quite effervescent for a tripel. Kind of boozy, with some mild fruit. Not the nice texture that I like in a tripel, but not bad.

Yes, we were having a heck of a time….can't you tell?

I realize this was a long one. If you hung around 'til the end, I thank you for reading!

Midweek Meanderings: Don Diego’s becoming Balboa Taphouse, how does our garden grow, and other “hot” stuff

June 4, 2014 mmm-yoso Cooking

It's great to be home, though I'm still kinda "fuzzy"…..when I was younger there was no such thing as jet lag…but now…..

Anyway, here's a couple of things for hump day.

Don Diego's becoming Balboa Taphouse:

The day after returning from our trip, I headed off to Sprout's to restock some veggies and other stuff. The Missus has got me on this "diet" thing….more on that later. Anyway, I noticed the sign on what used to be Don Diego's was gone, so I walked up and took a look. Seems like this pseudo, gringo taco shop is going to be something called Balboa Taphouse. It probably a better fit for the folks who have the lease on this spot; they also own Jimbo's Liquor next door.

4421 Genesee Ave
San Diego, CA 92117

So how does our garden grow?:

The Missus deemed last year's garden a success, so we went kind of full bore this year, planting earlier, and in greater quantity and variety. Da' Boyz favorite uncle took good care of them and the plants when we were gone….

It seems that I might not have a black thumb after all. Of course, it's all about peppers for me. This year, in addition to Ghost Peppers , shishitos, and serranos, I've got a ton of Padrons, some red habanero, and…..a couple of Moruga Scorpion plants as well.

In addition to the usual cucumber, squash, zucchini, kale, and chard, the Missus wanted okra and corn….corn!

Never would I ever have thought we'd be growing corn in the back yard…….

Our current favorite seasoning – The Spice Lab Ghost Pepper Infused Salt:

Speaking of Ghost Peppers…….my good buddy Candice gave me this as a gift a couple of weeks ago.

So how do we like it? If you check out the bottle, you'll notice that it's almost gone…… It's a wonderful seasoning for grilled meats. It's mildly spicy, no big deal really, and goes really well with any seasoning containing cumin, chili, garlic, or smokey flavors……

The beef flap here is seasoned with the ghost pepper salt, sea salt, fresh ground black pepper, cumin, Mexican Oregano, granulated garlic, ground coriander, and ground chipotle. The grilled wings; ghost pepper salt, Himalyan pink salt, fresh ground black pepper, paprika, cumin, Mexican oregano, granulated garlic, ground ancho chili, and ground chipotle.

I gotta restock on this stuff soon……

Thanks Candice!

I hope you're having a great week!

The 2014 San Diego County Fair-Part One- Before it opens

June 3, 2014 Cathy Festivals & Events, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a blog about food: not just purchasing and preparing food, but purchasing and eating prepared food although sometimes we blog just thinking of the possibilities of food. Cathy is posting today because Kirk and Ed(from Yuma) are still out preparing and/or purchasing and/or thinking.

It is that time of year again. Saturday June 7 is the opening day of the 2014 San Diego County Fair- with its theme of "The Fab Fair". The largest County Fair in Caliornia and fourth largest in the USA, "our" Fair is a local happening for most of us.

The front gate has a Yellow Submarine theme.

The Midway is being set up. The usual vendors are here.Exhibits are being set up.Preserved Foods (the 'heart' of the Fair) have been judged and put on display.

The other Home and Hobby Competitions have also been judged and set up for display.

Chicken Charlie's will be opening a Brick and Mortar store in San Diego later this year, ostensibly to test new food items for the 2015 Fair season (and beyond) For now, the new items are listed in the signage above (fried chicken skins and that delightful looking triple decker cheesburger with a Krispy Kreme donut bun).

The Bacon-A-Fair booth will be selling a churro, injected with 1/2 shot of Jack Daniels, wrapped in bacon, then grilled, rolled in sugar and served with maple syrup and whipped cream.

The Grant Burger booth will be selling two new items: the bacon jam burger (bacon burger with an onion-garlic-maple syrup jam) and a chile relleño-chorizo-avocado topped burger on a pretzel roll (which will be conveniently cut into four pieces so you can share).

Other new Fair Foods can be found via this link. Scroll down. The cauliflower sandwich at Grinders in Plaza de Mexico sounds very interesting.

The Exit gate.

See you at the Fair!

Check the website for discounts and details (scroll down; there is free parking).

The 2014 San Diego County Fair Website June 7-July 6, closed Mondays.

Shirley’s Kitchen (La Mesa)

June 2, 2014 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! the food blog written by friends Kirk, Ed(from Yuma) and Cathy is back again with another post. Cathy is writing because the guys are adjusting.

Shirley's Kitchen, a quintessential Diner, open from 7 a.m.-2 p.m. seven days a week has been in this location on University near 70th for at least 20 years.

It's not fancy. It is clean.

When you walk in, daily specials are on the wall. The decor is eclectic. Your waiter/waitress will be efficient.

Basic condiments are on every table: you can order breakfast until closing.

You might be bored with more photos of breakfast, since I tend to order the same thing everywhere (poached eggs, rye toast and whatever meat craved that day or the Shirley's Special ($5.99)-2 eggs, 2 pancakes and choice of 3 bacon, 2 sausage or ham), so this post will be about lunch.

The pot pie dinner ($7.49) is always a good choice here. The shortening-based house made crust, filled with turkey and vegetables in gravy is why it's called "Famous Pot Pie" on the menu: people drive here for this. Served with mashed potato, vegetable of the day and more gravy as well as a side of cranberry sauce, this is a filling as well as good tasting meal.

I always enjoy a simple salad ($2.99) because of the house made Thousand Island dressing and pair it with the house made reasonably sized cup of chili ($3.99). Meaty and made with a great variety of spices, making it mildly spicy, the chili here is comforting and so very good.

The people working here know the 'regulars' and are always welcoming to new people. It's like eating at a friend's home.

Shirley's Kitchen 7118 University Avenue La Mesa, 91942 (619) 462-5732 Open 7 days 7 a.m.-2 p.m.

Van Hoa Vietnamese Restaurant (City Heights)(underrated)

June 1, 2014 Cathy Vietnamese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping by to read mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Kirk is adjusting to having to be somewhere at a certain time and ed (from Yuma) is adjusting to not having to be anywhere at a certain time. Cathy is writing this post.

At the Northwest corner of University Avenue and 54th Street is a small shopping center anchored by Vien Dong IV, the incorrectly numbered Vietnamese Grocery (Vien Dong III no longer exists). Kirk wrote a two part post about Van Hoa more than six years ago (FYI-the Banh Mi are the same (really good, but now $3.25, with the Special Dac Biet now $3.75 and there is a "buy five get one free" deal)), and it's a regular stop for The Mister and I when in this part of town, usually for a meal before our foray into shopping.

The simple decor and condiment trays, early opening (just like Vien Dong IV) and always fresh food (I believe it's a short walk to get their supply of fresh produce and meats) make the meals here simultaneously not pretentious, convenient and delicious.

You may have seen "Van Hoa" labels on grab and go items (spring rolls and desserts) sold at 99Ranch Market, Thuan Phat and World Foods. If you get here early enough, you'll see the trays being filled and loaded into trucks for early morning delivery to those markets.

As we are being seated and handed menus, I always order a Banh Xeo ($6.25) since it takes a bit of time to be prepared. The Van Hoa version of traditional crispy turmeric flavored Vietnamese crepe, filled with bean sprouts, pork and shrimp, served with lettuce, mint and fish sauce dip is my favorite. (Those small 'dots' of pale yellow you see inside are a type of soft lentil mung bean).

The Spring Rolls here are only one type: shrimp with BBQ pork. ($3.25). The Van Hoa version is heavy; solidly and tightly packed with lettuce, mint and sprouts and a sprig of cilantro sticking out one end. It's served with the thick and not too sweet peanut sauce. Again, my favorite (this brand is the only one I purchase at grab and go).

Then there are the Stir Fried noodle dishes, this one is shrimp with crispy noodle ($7.50). You can see the light, airy, crispy noodles topped with freshly stir fried carrot, broccoli, mushroom and some baby corn. The gravy is light and has great flavor without being all salty or MSG-ish. Again, this is my favorite version.

The prices are not low-low; they are fair. The quality here is superb.

Van Hoa 4016 54th San Diego, Ca 92105 Website (619)582-2642 Open Mon-Sat 6-8, Sun 6-7