February 2016 – Page 2

Madrid: All Those Familiar Places; Restaurante Badila, Ferpal, and Metro Bistro

February 18, 2016 mmm-yoso Madrid, Spain, Spanish Restaurants and Cuisine, Travel

It was on the trip back from Seoul and Japan that the Missus told me She wanted to head back out ASAP…..in February to be exact…..crazy. I wasn't going to have a whole lot of vacation time and finally decided that Andalucia; super hot in the summer, would be nice during the winter. We'd be book-ending our travels with single nights in Madrid. I booked a Junior Suite at the AC Carlton which is a short 5-10 minute walk from Atocha Station. The suite wasn't that much more expensive than a regular room and I figured our chances of being able to check in early during the slow season would be good and it was. We were able to check in at 10am.

Even though I've flown extensively over the years, I've never been able to sleep on flights unless in First/Business. It was no different this time. We were both fairly pooped and since lunch starts late in Madrid….well, all of Spain we had time to take a nap.

Trying to figure out what to have for lunch was a snap for the Missus….She really enjoyed Restaurante Badila during our previous visit. So we were back at this small, but quite busy "menu del dia" (menu of the day) place. It was a nice, now familiar walk to Tirso de Molina, then down the side street to the restaurant.

Badila is one of those places that you really don't stumble upon. Menu del Dia is a great way to have a filling and economical lunch. You get three courses and a beverage for a single price.

Determining what to order is the toughest part. Of course the Missus and I share everything, which made this a fun lunch.

Our two primeros were the Judias Verdes (Green Beans) with Potatoes and simple, but very tasty braised beans and potato dish that could have used a bit more salt.

I went with the Calamar Encebollado con Arroz. While the rice was terrible, the amazingly tender braised squid, along with the caramelized onions, which added a wonderful savory-sweet component was a revelation.

The Missus always hesitates when ordering squid, but this changed Her mind about it. The salt was perfect; there was a hint of garlic, a very tasty dish.

Of course the Missus got the Rabo de Toro Estofado – the braised oxtails.

Perfect texture, nice beefy flavor along with the tender connective tissue.

I basically got what I ordered the last time the estofado in a white sauce; this time it was Carrillado – pork cheek, and the stewing liquid was sherry based (Amontillado).

Of course, the dry, unfortified sherry was used for the sauce, which was very tasty. More on Jerez in a future post.

This came with a pile of "chips" which was more than we could finish. We each had a glass of "tinto" as our drink and "café solo" for dessert as we both really wanted to head back to the room and nap after this meal.

Restaurante Badila
Calle San Pedro Martir 6
Madrid, Spain

We needed the caffeine as there were a couple of things we needed to do and headed up to one of the Missus's favorite spots in Madrid; Puerta del Sol….of course She needed to take a photo of the Tio Pepe sign…..

Of course, this being February, it was a bit colder than when we were here last……dipping into the mid-low thirties at night……

First stop was the El Cortes Ingles department store. I was able to get most of my Renfe (Spain's train operator) tickets online. However, we had a side trip to one of the White Hill Towns and after fruitlessly trying to get tickets online, I contacted the town's Tourist Bureau and found out that train tickets aren't released for that destination until a week before. El Cortes Ingles has a travel agency and the folks are very nice, unlike many of the ticket agents in Atocha. So we got our tickets……there will be more on this later as there was a bit of a mix-up.

Next stop….well, we'd have to keep our strength up during our ride to Granada the next day; so we headed back to Ferpal. I'm really not good a languages….but I know "cien (100) gram, Jamon Bellota Pata Negra para llevar (to go)". I went through this whole thing in previous posts…….if you're in Spain, do yourself a favor, find a good "cutter" and get the really good stuff; like the "5-J" Jamon Bellota (raised on acorns) pata negra (black pig).

It is claimed that the fat of jamon bellota is over 55% oleic acid…..actually making it rather healthy. I'll say this, the good stuff starts sweating almost immediately after being sliced.

The flavor is a balanced slightly salty and "sweet", the texture is luxurious, when sliced (by hand of course) well, it almost melts in your mouth.

Ferpal
Calle del Arenal 7
Madrid, Spain

We spent the rest of the time visiting those other familiar places.

Leaving time for yet another short nap before dinner. Folks eat late in Spain, even later in Madrid. The sunset at 620pm kind of threw me off and we both wondered if this would affect when folks have dinner….it didn't. Instead of waiting until 830 to eat, we decided to head back to Metro Bistro which opens at 7pm. We managed to snag the last table in the bar area that was available without reservations.

The menu was basically unchanged from our previous visit, which suited us well as there were a couple of dishes that we really enjoyed.

The Missus really enjoyed the Cava (sparkling wine) we had here last time so we started with that.

Lunch was still lingering with us, so we ended up only ordering three dishes, two of them starters. The only item we hadn't had before was the Foie Gras.

The guava reduction really added a nice touch….the portion size was quite huge and perhaps this might have been too much of a good thing….I know, this from the guy who had foie gras three times a day in France.

The Missus didn't order the Roasted Mushroom topped with 65 Degree Egg…..and I wondered why. So I ordered it.

And the Missus is glad I did…even though it takes 20 minutes to make. This was even better than what we had last time. The earthy mushroom flavors came through so well; this time around we could make out the celery flavors in the sauce, which added a nice palate cleansing, almost salty component to the dish.

And then there's the egg…….

Need I say more?

The Beef Tartar was just as good as before.

The only real difference was the little bottle with the dropper that was delivered to our table with the dish. We were told it was a spicy chili oil. Not wanting to mess up the dish, I tasted the chili oil, which wasn't very spicy and quite bitter. It really brought nothing to the dish in my opinion so I had the Missus try it….same verdict….pass on the spicy oil.

A full "all in" for the beef tartare…refreshing, the mustard seed and minced capers really harmonize the flavor of the dish…the foie gras adding a nice creamy component, the micro greens the touch of bitterness……you can mix and match and get a totally different experience with every bite.

Service was much improved from our previous visit and just as friendly. The young man who served us was pleasantly surprised to find that we were from the States…he's born and raised in Madrid, but spent several years in New York City. Overall a very nice meal which put us in a great frame of mind….we were back in Spain.

Metro Bistro
Calle Imperial 3
Madrid, Spain

Thanks for reading!

Eating inside Mitsuwa Marketplace

February 17, 2016 Cathy Japanese Restaurants, Markets & Grocers, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!!, the food blog you are reading, has posts alternately written by Kirk, Ed (from Yuma) and Cathy. Kirk wrote most of the posts you read this year, then he went on vacation. Cathy and Ed have been posting in the interim.

A few months ago, Kirk wrote a post about one of the restaurants in the Food Court at Mitsuwa Market. It so happened I had also been to Musashiya that week and had a (blurry) photo of my meal. A few weeks later, I had occasion to return and then a few weeks after that, The Mister and I returned. Each meal was small and I figure if any of you came here with someone else, you don't have to order food at the same place, just like at a Food Court.

Looking forward when walking in, the grocery store is directly in front of you. Directly to your left are Santuoka and Musashiya. (Directly to your right used to be Matcha Love, a great place for tart ice creams, but it is gone).
Each has a large display of plastic food replicas, making ordering simplified (or overwhelming in my case); some people point at what they would like to eat, as they do with a Denny's menu. I digress.Musashiya, owned by Mitsuwa, (similar to the way Seafood City owns Grill City locations inside the Food Court areas inside their stores) has several meals which are less than $10. This one is chicken teriyaki. They make the sauce from scratch and it isn't too sweet nor is it salty. Just enough. Everything you see comes with it: the potato salad, sliced cabbage, pickles, miso, rice and in the bottom right corner, a piece of tamagoyaki, a layered omelet made with rice vinegar and sugar, which I consider 'dessert'.Santuoka also has a variety of primarily ramen choices for under $10 (the small and regular sizes; the large is closer to $12)( flavors of broth offered are shio, shoyu, miso and spicy miso) and on this (rainy) day, I chose a small bowl of shoyu ramen. The broth flavor is rich and satisfying and the noodles have a good 'tooth'. Eventually there was a day when The Mister could join me and we stepped inside the Marketplace. On the right side there are prepared boxes of meals, along with a microwave if you plan on eating in the food court after paying. There are also two islands of prepared meals and desserts.There is also this fascinating machine (which wasn't working the last two times I was there) that has push button ease (and toppings on the pans to the right) for some instant miso.Eventually we agreed on the above purchases- chicken karaage, Japanese potato salad, seaweed (all sold by the pound) and a chirashizushi bowl (on top of sushi rice) ($8) and a can of hot tea ($1.29). Heated tea cans, as well as refrigerated ones are inside one beautifully designed appliance, also against that right wall.

All in all, a great place to be able to order what you want.

Mitsuwa Marketplace 4240 Kearney Mesa Road San Diego 92111 Mitsuwa website Santuoka Website Musashiya website

Bund Shanghai in Las Vegas

February 16, 2016 ed fromyuma Chinese Restaurants, Las Vegas, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!

While Kirk is overseas and Cathy is overworked, Ed (from Yuma) has worked up a post about a place he and Tina enjoyed last June.

On our vacation, we did a lot of lazing about and some good eating. After having modern Japanese food and our splurge meal at Twist, we were in the mood for something more basic, like Chinese, so we took a chance on Bund Shanghai, which seemed like the best bet off the strip.

It occupies a sizable space on South Decatur not far from W. Spring Mountain Rd.:

The dining area with its high ceiling is spacious and attractive:

We shuffled through the large menu, and with some input from our friendly and helpful server, decided on a handful of dishes

The first dish to turn up was an old favorite, called here drunken chicken in clay pot:

The cool tender chicken soaked in strong flavored wine. Nothing subtle, but for my tastes, just right.

The pan fried pork buns, with their pale tops and tan toasted bottoms, looked amazing:

The contrasting textures were a nice touch though the skins seemed a little thick (but that may be necessary for the pan frying). The porky interior was juicy and mildly flavored:

We had no idea what vegetables to pick, so we rolled the dice and went with “asparagus fungus and fresh yam”:

Luckily, the asparagus and fungus were two separate items, but the yam was a white vegetable (mountain yam?) definitely not like sweet potato. The ingredients looked pretty and presented a nice range of textures. The sauce/seasoning was minimal, so the dish was all about the veggies.

For seafood, we opted for Shanghai style carp fishtail braised in soy sauce:

It certainly tasted better than it looked, and that fishtail was huge. On the other hand, it was monochromatic in looks and flavor. Probably better with more folks at the table since the simplicity of the mild fish and the soy-based sauce got boring after a while.

Tina and I wanted to try just one more thing, so we asked the server what she would recommend. "Pork ribs in sweet and sour sauce." Since we asked her, I sort of felt like we had to order it – even though I haven't ordered anything like that in eons, ever since my tastes expanded beyond combination plates with fried shrimp, chop suey, and sweet-and-sour pork.

So we were surprised when these dark pork rib chunks showed up, sprinkled with a few sesame seeds:

This was not your mama’s sweet and sour. No, these were more akin to pork crack. Addictive meat candy. The exterior had serious crunch. Inside, rich sweet, tangy, savory, piggy flavors. I felt like we'd hit the jackpot – and in Vegas that's a good thing.

Tortas Y Jugos Goyo and the Panaderia next door (Escondido)

February 15, 2016 Cathy Bakery, Fruiterias, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping by to read mmm-yoso!!! while Kirk is (still) on vacation and Ed (from Yuma) is researching places to eat (in Yuma). Cathy is writing today.

The Mister and I were in Escondido again and next to the Toyota dealership on Lincoln Avenue, there's a small strip mall. There were five small places to eat as well as a Laundromat. Based on prior experience at strip malls anchored by Laundromats, we decided to stop. At the inner corner,

these two looked good- Tortas y Jugos and the Panaderia right next to it.There are menus outside and also at the ordering area. Pay, have a seat and your order will be brought to your table. Neat and clean inside, it looks new. Checking out Y***, the oldest review is from March, 2013; Tortas Y Jugos has been here a while. Even though there are photos showing fries on the plate with the tortas, we were surprised the $5.99 price was inclusive.

I ordered a *Cubana* torta, which is NOT the same as a *Cubano* Sandwich. In Mexican eateries, a *Cubana* torta is as varied as the taqueria/taco shop/stand where you are eating. Basically it is a 'kitchen sink' of leftovers; a fresh baked, toasted torta/telera roll filled with a collection meats, lettuce, tomato, avocado and cheese as well as a thin layer of refried beans. The version here at the Goyo Family place had ham, salchica (a sliced hot dog), chorizo, bacon and a thin, crispy piece of Milanesa (breaded, fried beef or pork; it was too thin to really tell, but the crispiness was what the sandwich needed). If you are like me, who orders an 'everything' bagel, or a coffee-tea-milk at boba places, then a Cubana is a good choice; always a surprise, unique and with multiple fresh flavors. The fruit salad (large, $6.29) which had a bit of every fruit in season as well as cottage cheese, granola, raisins, coconut flakes and honey. A Vampiro (orange, beet, celery and carrot juices) ($3.99) rounded out this meal we shared. So very fresh. I really enjoy fruiterias.

When we were finished, walking next door, to the unnamed Panaderia, we were greeted with the smells of fresh baked goods. There was also an area for cinnamon tea, cinnamon coffee and hot water.This was our purchase, less than $2. Very fresh and good.

Happy to have found this hidden gem.

Tortas Y Jugos Goyo 655 East Lincoln Escondido, CA 92026 (760) 871-6000

Here is an interesting blog post describing Cubanas.

Where in the world are we (again) Part 2

February 14, 2016 mmm-yoso Ronda, Seville, Spain, Spanish Restaurants and Cuisine

Well, this one is pretty much in the books as I write this up on the train back to where we landed. It's been a great one. We stopped for one fantastic night in a hill town famous for it's bridge.

You can see why, right? Our apartment was perched over the valley below with an amazing view.

The town is also famous for one other thing.

We had one meal which turned out to be surprisingly good and somewhat innovative. Adding Japanese touches to dishes seems to be the thing here right now. Like this really good pork tataki…yes, that's raw pork and it's delici-yoso!

Our next stop was a fun one…..a live and vibrant, if somewhat confusing city.

With the third largest cathedral in Europe.

And a wonderful plaza.

We had several excellent meals as well. In fact, we may just have found our favorite city in this country.

As you can see we ate well.

Sadly, all good things must come to an end. But I'm fairly certain we'll be back as we left out several key places/events here.

Thanks for reading!

Papa’s Donuts – malasadas! (La Mesa)

February 13, 2016 Cathy Bakery, Desserts, Hawaiian Food, What Cathy Eats!

Papa's Donuts has closed. It will be missed.

Thanks for stopping to read mmm-yoso!!! during your perusal of the interwebs. Kirk usually writes posts here, but he is too busy vacationing. Ed (from Yuma) is too busy to write a post today. Cathy is writing this one about a newer place with some unique products and some very well made common products.

There are many small businesses located along Lake Murray Boulevard and The Mister and I were so happy to have found this one. Papa's opened in late August 2014, but we were unaware.Papa's Donuts is in a small storefront located at the far end of the Big Lots anchored strip mall (across the street from the Ross Dress for Less anchored strip mall).

We first stopped here in December. Subsequently, we've noticed sandwich board signs at various sidewalk locations on the block and at the median, pointing where to turn.

Stepping into the store early one rainy morning, we noticed racks of fresh donuts ready to be placed in the display cases. Walking in, to your right, one of the wall menu boards is updated daily with a "Special" as well 'filling of the day' for the malasadas (a Portuguese treat, re-tooled and made famous in Hawaii, at Leonard's, which Kirk mentioned in a 2012 post).

«—Click the thumbnail for the story of the Bobby "O", the donut special available only on weekends.

Behold, the Bobby "O". Its cross section-that's haupia cream (light flavored young coconut; not a concentrated sweet coconut flavor) the topping is a wonderful dark chocolate and it is topped with chopped macadamia nuts. So delightful, so fresh and so special. (The price is 95¢-a fancy donut without a fancy price).Everything is made fresh daily, because there are no leftovers: from 5 p.m.-closing, donuts are $5/dozen.The malasada trays are right in front as you walk in. 3 for $2.50 and, as tradition, you are given a warm, unfilled, sugar/cinnamon coated treat when you leave.The amount of fillings vary (Lilikoi is passion fruit and has such a strong flavor that not much is needed) and each one I've had is a wonderful treat. {Above are the guava, lilikoi and haupia (young coconut)}.

Another great little family owned and run business!

Papa's Donuts 6179 Lake Murray Blvd La Mesa, 91942 (619) 741-5135 Website Open Mon-Fri 5 a.m.-7 p.m., Sat 6 a.m.-7 p.m., Sun 6 a.m.-4 p.m.

These are from that first menu board- raspberry fruit jelly, dobosh (dark) chocolate and bavarian custard flavors. That's half a French Cruller; the donuts here are a normal, old fashioned size.

Pho Pasteur Anh Hong (revisit)

February 12, 2016 Cathy Salads, Vietnamese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Kirk is on (another) vacation, Ed (from Yuma) is enjoying Yuma and Cathy is writing this post about food for mmm-yoso!!!

The weather in San Diego has been unusual so far this year, from freezing temperatures to heavy, flooding rains, damaging winds and then yesterday, temperatures in the 90's. It's confusing on how to dress-layering a sweater over a long sleeve t-shirt over a short sleeve shirt seems necessary. Then 'what's for lunch' diverges into thoughts of both warming soups to refreshing salads. A recent solution was found at Pho Pasteur, which I've written about, several times.
Not much here has changed over the years; still the same glass top over pink tablecloths and consistent food. The mall, however lost its anchor business on August 4 last year and it seems that permitting to rebuild has taken a very long time.

Since I am the 'always chilly' person lately, a bowl of my favorite Mien Ga (bean thread with chicken soup) ($6.99) was the plan for this meal.The add-ins were used for the 'second half' of this bowl, making the flavor profile a bit different, like a new bowl of soup. Both The Mister and I enjoy trying various versions of Banh Xeo ($5.99) and the pancake with its light turmeric flavor and crunchiness with fresh fillings of pork, shrimp, bean sprouts and mung bean was just right when wrapped inside pieces of lettuce and mint and dipped in the bowl of Nuoc Cham (sweet, salty and sour!).Two summers ago, I was in search of the best version of Goi Bo (beef salad) ($10.99) and after much comparison shopping, the final determination is that my favorite version is made at Pho Pasteur Anh Hong. The slices of cooked marinated beef mixed with the thin, thin uniquely sliced (regular and pickled) vegetables, chopped peanuts and basil combine to make this salad so satisfying as a meal.

All in all, a really good hot/cold meal.

Pho Pasteur Ahn Hong 7612 Linda Vista road San Diego 92111 (858) 569-7515

Breakfasts at the Patio at Desert Hills, Yuma

February 11, 2016 ed fromyuma Breakfast/Brunch, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

While Kirk is out of the country adventuring and eating and taking photos that he will share with us later, Cathy is doing most of the posting here at mmm-yoso. Some days Ed (from Yuma) helps out, and today is one of those days.

I really don't eat a lot of breakfasts, and when I do, it is often instant oatmeal or toast or a burrito from Jector's. But on weekends, Tina and I like to go out sometimes for a morning meal. The problem is that a crowd of people breakfast out on weekends, particularly during our tourist season, and a lot of restaurants stop serving breakfast after 11 am. So when we heard that a talented young chef had taken over the Patio Restaurant at the Desert Hills Golf Course and was serving breakfasts beginning 6 am every day and continuing on Sundays until 3 pm, we just had to try it.

The restaurant is located in the clubhouse building,

and you enter through the main door,

walk back toward the well-equipped bar, and then wait to be seated:

Of course, there is seating indoors and at the bar,

but weather permitting, Tina and I enjoy outside on the patio itself with its views of the golf course:

The menu is one page, but Tina and I had no trouble finding several things we wanted to try. I opted for the Eggs Benedict:

The hollandaise was smooth and subtle and the eggs perfectly poached, so the yolks and sauce mingled together and flavored everything. On the other hand, the tomato slice, while lightening things up a bit, seemed to soggy up the muffin halves, and I wouldn't have minded a little larger round of ham.

No complaints at all about the home fries. They were lightly dusted with seasoning and had been crisped up on the grill. Overall, this was an interesting and tasty breakfast.

Tina chose the mushroom and spinach omelet:

A real winner. Alongside those same good potatoes, lay perhaps the best spinach and mushroom omelet I've ever tasted. Fully flavored and packed with spinach and mushrooms:

My only complaint was Smucker's fruit flavored high fructose corn syrup spreads masquerading as jam or jelly:

Our meals, including coffee, came out to just over $21 (before tax). Good value we thought and some excellent preparations.

Since then, we have been back a couple more times and always enjoyed our food. I'll admit that the stack of blueberry pancakes looks pretty mundane:

but they were made with a flavorful batter, griddled to a slight crisp, and packed with oversized blueberries:

The enchiladas and eggs, one of the house specialties, looked like this:

The scrambled eggs on top were nothing special, so we would probably order them over easy or poached next time, but everything else here was outstanding. The house made sauce – dark, rich, and mellow – flavored everything. The corn tortillas (also house made?) were thick with substantial mouthfeel and intense tortilla flavor. Usually the tortillas fly under my palate’s radar when I order enchiladas, but these yelled out, "pay attention to us." And there was, to my taste, just the right amount of quality cheese, not gloopy gobs of gluey blandness. This dish worked on so many levels, the ingredients complementing and enhancing each other.

Equally outstanding was the chicken fried steak and eggs:

While the potatoes were not quite as good as before, the chicken fried steak was beyond exceptional in flavor and crunch, and good creamy gravy only made the steak better. I did a little yoso-delicioso dance in my chair.

Of course, with food this good (and inexpensive) for breakfast, Tina and I and friends have been back for several other meals, but descriptions and pictures will have to wait for a different post.

While the service and ambience at The Patio are good, one extra thing makes the place special and that is chef Alex Trujillo:

Several times we've seen him go table to table asking if everything was okay and making sure that we all enjoyed our meals. Nice to see a chef talented both in the kitchen and the dining area.

Where in the world are we (again) part 1

February 10, 2016 mmm-yoso Granada, Madrid, Spain, Spanish Restaurants and Cuisine, Travel

We had just returned from Seoul and Japan, almost the very next day as a matter of fact, when the Missus told me, "let's go somewhere in February". The planning window and time was short so we decided to revisit what has become my second favorite destination.

Starting in a very familiar spot.

With only a single day we stuck to some familiar places and are glad we did.

The next morning we headed out before the sun rose…….which isn't too impressive, since the it rises at about 820 am this time of the year. We watched the sun slowly make its way up from the train window.

With jamon in hand of course.

And after switching mid way to a bus ended up at our current destination. Once the greatest city in Spain, things are different here. There's a magnificent Moorish Palace on a hill.

Things are quite different from anywhere else we've been to in this country.

People here are especially warm, friendly, and as you see the views spectacular.

Tons of history…..a Moorish Quarter and a Gypsy Quarter.

The city is proud of its history and still keep with the tradition of free tapas with every drink. The Missus was especially fond of two particular wine bars here.

Of course man cannot live by tapas alone…..which is totally untrue, we did a have few regular sit down meals.

It's time to head out to our next stop in a few hours. We'll miss this place.

There's rain in forecast…….we're hoping to keep dry.

Thanks for reading!

Grinds & Vine- a coffee bar, with food (Inside Negotiant Winery) (North Park)

February 9, 2016 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Caffeine Fix

Grinds & Vine has closed

Here you are, back at mmm-yoso!!!, looking for someplace new, different or just to see if Kirk or Ed (from Yuma) or Cathy go to the same places as you. Today's post is written by Cathy.

In between rainy and windy days, there tend to be some really beautiful ones interspersed here in San Diego County. Driving East on El Cajon Boulevard one of those days, we noticed the signage above the building as well as a sandwich board on the sidewalk. You know we had to stop.Curious about the idea of having to go though the Winery door to get to the coffee shop area, we walked in and looked to the right, where the sunlight was streaming in through the open roll up wall door; because it is being constructed to be a pre-order and drive up spot.

Back inside, there is a walk up sort of grab and go case of pastries, pre-made sandwiches, salads and bottled/canned beverages. But there is also a small menu of foods as well as beverages (hot, cold, smoothies). The coffees are from both Lavazza and Bird Rock.We decided to try an iced coffee (the cold brew was not ready) which is kept cold with coffee ice cubes (you have no idea how much I appreciate non-diluting chilling methods). There are so many 'Specialty' drinks offered here, a few seen on this blog post by cc, from September.
The Mister decided to try a 'Kale Superfood Salad' ($7.95) (add rotisserie chicken $3.50). The bowl it was served in was quite large and deep. We shared and this was great, quite enough food.The only person working that day was the owner and we overheard him talking to some 'regulars' about a Special for $6 and decided to order it. Thick slices of cucumber, toped with a thick layer of goat cheese, topped with a nicely sweet/spicy chutney (there was ginger in it) and drizzled with honey. Simple, yet a flavor combination I never considered. We have since purchased several chutneys at Trader Joe's and enjoyed a similar snack at home.

Grinds and Vine Coffee Bar 2419 El Cajon Blvd San Diego 92104 (Between Texas Street and Arizona Street) (619) 512-2423 Website Closed Mondays. Tue and Wed 6:30 am – 3:00 pm. Thur and Fri 6:30 am – 3:00 pm and 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm. Sat 7:30 am – 3:00 pm and 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm. Sun 8:00 am – 2:00 pm