December 2015 – Page 2

Tender Greens (revisits)(Breakfast, too)

December 17, 2015 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Salads, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is the name of this food blog. Kirk usually writes here and is needing a bit of a break. Ed (from Yuma) usually has something interesting to write about, but not today. Cathy is writing to share about more adventures about a favorite restaurant, which has multiple locations.

I've written about Tender Greens after the first location opened at Liberty Station in 2009 and again in 2011. Then Kirk wrote about one of his lunches downtown when he had Jury Duty in 2013. I followed up with a post a few months later. It's time for an update. Tender Greens has expanded (there are now four San Diego locations) and the menus are the same, with varied daily specials at each location.

Earlier this year, both The Mister and I performed our civic duty involving the Jury Systems located downtown. One of the 'perks' of showing up for duty (even if you are not chosen to be on a jury) is a small reimbursement of one Metropolitan Transit System all day trolley/bus/coaster pass good anytime within the next six months. Since we each had a pass (and one would be expiring soon) we decided to return downtown early one morning.The downtown location is the only one that offers breakfast (Monday-Friday). The menu is limited- there are three sandwiches (braised short rib/egg, veggie/egg and ham/egg/cheese), four 'plates and such' (two eggs with bacon and toast, a fritatta, a 'power bowl' and granola) and 'other deliciousness' (fruit, pastries, avocado toast and a quiche).Placing our order and paying, we were asked if we wanted butter and/or jam for the toast. Those cups were filled (not pre-filled) and the coffee poured and we found a table in the fairly empty restaurant. Wondering what was going on, we realized the food was being prepared and was not pre-prepared, the way you normally 'follow' your lunch or dinner down the prep and serving line. The 'Seasonal Veggie Fritatta' ($7), made with 'farm' vegetables, roasted potatoes, cage free eggs and topped with queso fresco. The whole idea of a single fritatta was fascinating and something we will be trying at home over the holidays. The freshness and flavors were outstanding. The toasted grain bread on the side was really good and didn't really need the butter or jam, but we did use those condiments. The breakfast sandwiches are served on a toasted Con Pane brioche bun. This is the 'House made Ham and Cheddar' ($7). It's really good. The ham is not salty, very flavorful and is great on its own. The scrambled eggs were airy, light and fluffy. The cheddar cheese added just the right amount of saltiness. There was a smear of apricot mustard which added just the right amount of savory. I already want to get another breakfast sandwich here.
This is what the front of the University Town Center location looks like. It's just outside the Food Court/Ice Skating Rink area. There is seating inside as well as on the patio, but you can carry your tray out to the central outdoor area also.

One day this summer, the location at UTC had the daily special of steamed mussels (with house made bacon) ($11.50) These were a good quality of mussel, plump and in a savory sauce; the bacon added just the right amount of saltiness needed.The 'Happy Vegan' ($11.50) is still my fallback choice. Sometimes I am so overwhelmed with the menu that I just know the combination of salads (a tender green salad, a scoop of tabbouleh, a quinoa with cucumber and beets, a farro/wheat with cranberries and hazelnuts and a green hummus) will satisfy as well as taste wonderful. Some days a 'Charcuterie Board' ($11.50) is offered; some days there aren't enough ingredients left. I mentioned in another post that P. Baluster Salumi is made here. The boards are always different either in the meats or cheeses or various condiments offered. Each and every board has been wonderful.The latest 'comfort food' order here has been a 'Hot Plate' with the backyard marinated steak, yukon gold potatoes and a tender green salad ($11.50). The steak is always medium rare, unless you request otherwise. The yukon gold mashed potatoes are addictive. There are always a variety of fresh baked goods available for dessert (around $3) and this one was memorable and unexpected. Not in any way a common cupcake.

Tender Greens. Multiple locations. Different hours, depending on location. Website

Kayaba is now Musashiya

December 16, 2015 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants

Well, I gotta say, based on my last visit to Kayaba, it seemed the place was "not long for this world". Sad, because I'd had some pretty good meals there in the past. At the end of October, I received a text from Dennis showing a new sign going up. A shop named Musashiya, which I believe has the same ownership as the Udon shop in LA.

So, before leaving on our trip, I decided to drop by. Looking at the menu and the plastic food, it seems that only the name has changed.

I've had the Katsu Curry at Kayaba many times, so I decided to go with that.

Well, as you can see the place has some spiffy new plates. Also, notice there basically nothing in the curry….it's almost all sauce. And while the curry at Kayaba would sometimes vary wildly in flavor, this tasted about right, mild heat, mild spice, thick gravy. At least the tonkatsu wasn't fried to death…….it was moist, though the breading could have been more crisp. I think there was a mild malfunction with the salad as it had no dressing. I also ordered a side of the potato salad, which I'd always enjoyed at Kayaba. This version had enough onion, but needed some salt.

Here's a vintage photo of the Katsu Curry…..

Well, at least the tonkatsu was decent, right? So upon returning from our trip to Seoul and Japan, I decided to try the tonkatsu and this is what I got.

Good lord. Talk about deja vu all over again. Dry, fried to death, breading as hard as rock, and check out the gaps between the breading and the pork! Very sad. Well, the potato salad tasted well seasoned this time around. The miso soup at Kayaba had always been kind of insipid; that held steady.

Here's another vintage photo of better days past……

So like the lyrics go at the end of Won't Get Fooled Again" by The Who: "Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss….."

Perhaps the menu will change…perhaps we'll see handmade udon….perhaps the new boss will be the same as the old boss. And I'm sure to get fooled again, though not by Musashiya…….for at least a couple of months.

Musashiya
4240 Kearny Mesa Rd Ste 119 – In the Mitsuwa Marketplace
San Diego, CA 92111

COMC, the two “T” edition: Tadokoro and Taisho

December 15, 2015 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi

It's time to Clear Out the Memory Card (COMC). It's been a few months since I did one of these. It's also a nice coincidence that two of my favorite places here in San Diego are Tadokoro and Taisho. If you check the Big List you'd see how many posts I've done on these places. So, here we're doing mainly photos.

Sushi Tadokoro:

It had been a while. It was nice chatting with Take-san.

For some reason the lighting gave me fits – that's Tai.

Kisu – which I believe is Whiting

My favorite Ankimo.

Sushi Tadokoro
2244 San Diego Ave
San Diego, CA 92110

Yakitori Taisho:

During one of our weekly "fixes" at Taisho.

Yakitori Taisho
5185 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92117

What’s My Craving? Bun Mang Vit from Tu Thanh

December 14, 2015 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

Great thing about colder-wetter weather? Well, it's noodle soup time. And it had been over a year since I last visited Tu Thanh. Time to reacquaint myself to the Bun Mang Vit.

I have to thank the young lady who helped me out as the folks here spoke no English this time around. I was asked a question that I couldn't answer. Turned out it was whether I wanted duck leg or duck breast. I'd always had breast before, but thought I'd get the leg this time around.

For some reason the portion size seemed much larger than I recalled.

The bun was cooked perfectly, the dried bamboo shoots well hydrated and fragrant. I noticed no blood this time around and the soup seemed to have a bit more MSG than I recalled, but was still fairly "clean" in flavor. The greens and herbs were fresh and crisp with a bit more banana blossom than I recall.

Then there's the sauce…..that wonderful sweet-savory-gingery elixir that I can literally drink. To quote something from an earlier post on how I utilize the sauce:

"I like to eat this a number of ways…dip the duck in the broth, add a touch for the dipping sauce. dip the salad into the broth, then the dipping sauce, just go for the duck in the dipping sauce, just the veggies in the broth, just the dipping sauce like a true salad, add a touch of the sauce to the broth about halfway thru……heck, just drink that sauce…." Once upon a time Chi Tu Thanh actually taught me the dish was supposed to be properly eaten, but that was over 9 years ago and I kinda like this multi-level approach.

As for the duck. I think I'll stick with breast. The leg was nice; much more gamey, but also tougher, and the bones made for ponderous eating.

Even though it was just a few minutes past 9, the place was almost full! Good for them.

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

Sunday Sandwiches: Baguette Bros

December 13, 2015 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Chicken Wings, Sandwiches

**** Baguette Bros has closed

Baguette Bros soft opened to a bit of hype a couple of weeks ago. Since it was fairly close to work, I managed to visit a couple of times.

Located in the same strip mall as China Max, Xi'an Kitchen, et al, the menu features twists on Banh Mi, chickens wings, versions VN coffee and drinks, and some Craft Beer (too IPA heavy – not my favorite match for Banh Mi). For some reason this seems to be a Food Truck menu in a brick and mortar shop……after all the NRA (no, not that NRA – the National Restaurant Association) says that the latest trend is from Food Truck to Brick and Mortar.

I like the nice, wide open set-up, very much the norm in places that want to attract the demographic that would want "Fusion Vietnamese Sandwiches"

I decided to go straight for the coronary artery and went with the Belly Flop ($8). The sandwich took a while, which didn't bother me. First this is the soft opening period and systems are still being put in place. Second, it means that my sandwich is being prepped fresh.

As the name indicates, this is a pork belly based Banh Mi. First off, the bread is standard issue. Probably from Le Chef. Because of how "stuffed" the sandwich is, it didn't hold up too on the short 10 minute trip back to the office, the bread had gotten gummy and for some reason, even though it was toasted, wasn't crusty enough.

The amount of pork belly was quite generous and along with the "sweet chili sauce", which seemed like a hoisin based sauce seemed the biggest deviation on what you'd consider something other than a super-stuffed banh mi. The classic cucumber, pickled veggies, and cilantro were nicely done. I loved the jalapenos which helped to cut the sweetness of the sauce.

One complaint would be the belly skin, which, if not fried properly is like eating plastic…..a rather unpleasant surprise.

Things come bundled with Shrimp Chips.

I thought my sandwich was pretty good so a couple of days later I returned with Calvin. I just can't put away food like I used to so having Calvin along would mean we could try a variety of items. Plus, MrC, who is originally from the SGV, his wife from Little Saigon, has had his share of Banh Mi.

My favorite sandwich of the three I had was the "Broguette" ($6). Loved the pate in this, wish they had put jalapenos on it and gone a bit easier on the Maggi, or whatever sauce they used as it was on the salty side. The head cheese was really mild but added texture, as did the Cha Lua, and the bread did well minus the travel time to my desk. As a whole, this was pretty much all about the pate.

We also ordered the "Grasshogger" ($6) – basically a Lemongrass Pork Banh Mi.

Calvin and I had the same reaction upon taking a bite of this; "whoa….too much salt…too much lemongrass". It needed something to balance out the flavors. The pork was actually fairly moist.

There was one other item I wanted to try. The Fish Sauce Chicken Wings.

Calvin liked the rather large sized wings, whereas I'm more about skin to meat ratio. We both agreed that the wings were fried perfectly, but that there was too much fish sauce in this…again, making it a bit too salty. The garlic was good, not too bitter, but this had me missing Que Huong.

I was rather pleased with what BB offered (i.e. the menu), though the execution and flavors were not quite there. I am looking forward to visiting again after the Grand Opening period. Nice folks, service a bit slow, but that's to be expected as they get their systems down.

So perhaps it's worth a visit from you…..though I think they'll be pretty busy now that Eater has declared them one of the 5 new restaurants to visit.

Baguette Bros
4698 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Please check out Kirbie's post as well!

Yuma’s Asian Store

December 12, 2015 ed fromyuma Markets & Grocers, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

Tomorrow this food blog will have an outstanding post by Kirk or Cathy. But they are taking today off so Ed (from Yuma) – who has lots of days off – can write about a little grocery.

About 10 years ago, Kirk came over to Yuma and spent a couple days looking around and taco trucking. While in town, I showed him The Oriental Gift Shop that sells a wide variety of Asian trinkets and wigs and has a cooler and freezer in the back with kimchi and other mostly Korean specialties. A few shelves in that part of the shop offer rices, sauces, spices, and marinades. Kirk called it the 49.5 market, but as far as foodstuffs, it is a 9.9 ranch market at best (still my go to place for kimchi, however).

So I am delighted that Asian Store (not to be confused with Asian Star) now exists in town. From the back of the parking lot at Eddie's Grill, you can get an idea of its general location:

If you look along this strip mall that parallels Catalina Dr, past the location that was once a Staples, past the Dollar Tree, and beyond the Salvation Army thrift store, you will eventually find Asian Store right next to a Little Caesars:

The nondescript market has four aisles. The one on the far right has the carbohydrates. A large supply of various Asian rices:

Look for dried seaweed above the sushi rice:

Across from the rices are the noodles:

Along with such specialties as bean thread vermicelli, an amazing array of Cantonese style noodles:

And I have fallen in love with Thai rice sticks, which add a whole new dimension to my gringo stirfries:

The next aisle contains a miscellaneous assortment:

An area of canned goods including bamboo shoots:

and large jars of sour bamboo shoots:

You can also find sauce packets and spice mixes: soup bases and spices:

Thai curry pastes:

and Hawaiian spicy chicken seasoning:

The other side of the aisle displays many different teas – Japanese:

or Jasmine if you prefer:

That side also has dried beans and Panko:

The next aisle displays bottled and jarred condiments and sauces on one side and a huge variety of snacks on the other:

You can buy a bag of fried pork skins:

or roasted green peas:

Across the aisle, Kirk could find his Aloha soy or teriyaki sauce:

or pungent shrimp sauce:

Of course there's Sriracha:

an entire area of various vinegars:

and such specialties as Pad Thai Sauce (which is pretty good):

At the backend of that aisle you can find some fresh produce that doesn't need refrigeration, like kabocha squash, lemons, and these shallots (only $1.19 a bag):

Which leads me to my favorite part of the store, the refrigerated produce area at the back of the westernmost aisle. Shelves full of choys:

Or long beans, bitter melon, eggplants:

Or mushrooms:

including my favorite king oyster mushrooms:

Fresh papaya strips, ready to be turned into a salad:

And if you want that salad spicy, plenty of Thai chilies:

And don't forget the time-saving peeled fresh garlic cloves:

Between the fresh foods and the front of the market are shelves filled with frozen goods:

I spend less time in this area, but you can find a wide range of frozen product. Like mochi sherbet or ice cream:

frozen quail:

beef blood:

or even pork paste or fish paste (?):

Though I am puzzled or confused by some of the items for sale, you can understand why I am delighted to shop in a market like Asian Store. Their prices are very competitive and sometimes better than Fry’s or Albertsons. The produce is fresh, seasonal, and various. In so many ways, this little grocery makes me a better and more adventurous cook. And that makes both Tina and me happy.

What’s My Craving? Grandma’s Tofu & BBQ

December 11, 2015 mmm-yoso Korean Restaurants

It's rainy, windy, and a bit chilly (by San Diego standards) and we're loving it. Why? Well, that means filling up on some Heokyumso Jeongol (Black Goat Stew) from Grandma's Tofu & BBQ .

While now about $3 more expensive than it used to be and not quite as full of flavor as before…..we use up all the baechu kimchi….plus refills to pump up the broth, we always leave feeling warm and satisfied.

Tonight's version had quite a bit more meat (quite gamey) than I recalled and was not very spicy. Tomorrow, the leftovers will be fortified with tofu, onions, greens, and napa cabbage, makings for a nice second dinner. Something I'm sure Halmuni (Grandma) would want.

Thanks Grandma!

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

What are you having to keep warm?

Petaluma: The Saturday Farmer’s Market and Dinner at Risibisi

December 10, 2015 mmm-yoso Farmer's Markets/Night Market, Fine Dining, Italian Restaurants, Marin, Napa, and Sonoma Counties, Travel

So what do you do after a fun day doing the Cheese Trail? Well, you go to dinner!

We did make one more stop in the late afternoon; Petaluma Creamery.

The focus of this shop is more geared toward ice cream and the café.

After our afternoon nap, we strolled back to downtown Petaluma, passing all those lovely Victorian houses.

Where D street meets 4th street is Walnut Park. We were visiting in October and from May thru November, Walnut Park hosts a Farmer's Market.

We had made the mile-and-a-half walk in record time….thanks to the ahem, the Missus's encouragement. So we took a nice break.

Would you believe that the Missus bought 2 pounds of apples? Which we brought back with us to San Diego?

We also saw what might be the cutest and most chubby, little pony…..

Petaluma Saturday Afternoon Farmer's Market
Saturday from 2:00 pm-5:30 pm
May though November
Walnut Park
Petaluma Blvd and D Street
Petaluma, CA

We were still early for dinner, so we walked around Petaluma for a while.

Our dinner destination? A restaurant named Risibisi. I liked the menu, Italian with regional NoCal touches, which uses local ingredients.

We were seated in a cozy corner. The place filled up really quickly!

The service was polished and very professional, no complaints from us.

I sent Candice a text after ordering my Aperitif, joking that I must have been channeling her when I ordered a Negroni. The Missus had a Pinot Noir.

We started with the Tomato and Burrata.

The tomatoes were very good; nice acid, the flavor textbook perfect. The Burrata was creamy, slightly milky, walking arm in arm with the tomato and the flavor of the Olive Oil. The Missus actually preferred this version to what we had at Central Market the night before. She believed that the flavors were more on target and true to the ingredients. I was on the fence. The tomatoes in this dish had much more flavor, but I enjoyed the umph the anchovy and the peppery olive oil added to the dish at CM. Still, there's no denying, this was quite good.

The Watermelon Salad ($12) was a wonderful combination of flavors and textures.

The Hazelnut Vinaigrette was mild, but added just blended in nicely into the symphony of flavors. Watermelon and arugula playing well together! If anything, I'd have enjoyed a bit more pecorino to add a bit more savory-milky-salty tones to the salad. But this was very enjoyable.

Sweet Corn Risotto ($18).

I'm still looking for "that" risotto…..the usual restaurant style par cooked version, that excels. This one really didn't have the texture I enjoy. The corn added a nice sweetness, the pancetta and pecorino adding the salty tones to balance things out.

The Gnocchi Wild Boar ($18) was delicious. While the risotto fell short in texture, this was so good. The gnocchi was just firm enough, waiting to be eaten to start melting into the ether.

The wild boar was tasty, adding a nice richness to the ragu, which seemed simple, but full of flavor. An excellent dish!

The Missus had Her new favorite dessert; an Affogato. She asked if they would replace the vanilla ice cream with hazelnut ice cream which they gladly did. I had a Tawny Port, which proved to be a nice digestif. Man, we got get back to Porto one of these days.

We had a very nice meal at Risibisi. In fact, the Missus said that while the best dish of the trip was the Pork Confit from Central Market, She thought that our meal at Risibisi was better overall. It's a nice dilemma to have and one I'd gladly like to repeat again….have a dinner at Central Market, then at Risibisi….

Risibisi Restaurant
154 Petaluma Blvd N
Petaluma, CA 94952

We really enjoyed our time in Petaluma and I'm sure we'll return someday…especially when the Missus is itching for some cheese! I do have one more post from this trip coming up….I'll try to get it done soon.

Midweek Meanderings: Village Kitchen opens, Qi Wei becomes Sizzling Pot King, Pho Convoy Noodles House closes, and The Big List has been updated

December 9, 2015 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

Haven't done one of these in a while, so here goes…..

Village Kitchen Opens:

This one snuck up on me. I don't even recall seeing much activity here.

According to the sign it looks like Hunan style food.

In the same strip mall as Little Sheep and Yamadaya.

Village Kitchen
4720 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

Qi Wei Kitchen becomes Sizzling Pot King:

Just about a year? Qi Wei we hardly knew ye, but I guess they'd seen enough?

8058 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

Pho Convoy Noodle House Closes:

This one I first noticed a while back, during my last visit to Dede's, but didn't have the chance to post.

They had a good run, but things seemed to be going downhill over the last couple of years, it was just a long demise. Sad to see them go, but I'm kind of glad they decided to pull the plug.

Pho Convoy Noodle House
4647 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

And lastly, I found some time to update the Big List – San Diego Restaurants page. Added a couple more photos that hadn't been used in the blog and updated thru November, 2015.

Happy Wednesday!

Izakaya Sakura’s “Sign of the Times”

December 8, 2015 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants

Hard to believe that one man lift and one new sign could make such a difference. Right before our trip, FOY (Friend of Yoso) "Xiāngjiāo" sent me a text and a photo showing a sign going up…….on Izakaya Sakura!

During the week that followed, I received at least 8 emails…many expressing sadness and even dismay about Sakura's new sign. I guess having no visible identity was part of Sakura's identity in their mind. ChrisR even used the phrase "end of an era", which I think describes the opinion of most of those emails. I do think TS's "Tearing Down the Berlin Wall" analogy was perhaps a bit much though!

Anyway, in case you haven't seen it yet, his is what the final product looks like.

I'm not fond of the sign, but it's a sign. While we've posted about Sakura over 25 times in the over 10 1/2 years we've been in existence, I guess I'd never quite put together how much the lack of signage gave the place some kind of cult status in San Diego. Fact is; I recall Sakura having a sign, circa 2002 or 03. San Diego was quite different in terms of Japanese (or even Chinese/Thai/Korean, etc) Restaurants in those days. I recall being in the place (Ed, not sure if I was having dinner with you) when a customer insisted on Kazu serving him some set of rolls. He was quite pushy, somewhat verbally abusive, Kazu actually brought out the phone book offering to help the guy find a place that would serve him what he wanted. I believe interactions like that led to the removal of Sakura's signage, though I've never asked. Personally, even though I've been there many, many, times over the years, I don't know Kazu well enough to ask….so maybe one of you will.

The food scene and tastes in San Diego have changed a lot since I first started doing business here in 1998-1999. And as much as I might seem too serious in my thoughts about what's being served, I think what's available is much more diverse than back then and am thankful for it. Social media and how we get our information has changed things as well.

The food is the bottom line, right? So here's a post signage chicken karaage. Looks much like what I've had over the years. No difference, no signage tariff.

As long as the food stays consistent; I'll keep eating here. Sign or no sign…….

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

In case you really miss it……just one more time, ok?

For old times sake.

Hope you're having a great week!