November 2016 – mmm-yoso

Pho Minh & Grill – Spring Valley

November 30, 2016 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

So returning from my trip, I needed a haircut….you know where this is going right? Well, Haircut Guy was now working in Spring Valley! Spring Valley? Like I said before, his moving around allows me to visit areas of San Diego I'd usually not explore. But where to go after my haircut? My first thought was Ranas, since I hadn't been back in years. Instead, having to get back home rather quickly; I saw this place in the same parking lot as a gas station.

I knew of Pho Minh in PB, but didn't know they had a location out here on the fringes of Spring Valley.

So I decided to drop by and have a bowl of pho.

The restaurant is quite tiny, though things are not crowded together. The two women who I've dealt with here are quite friendly and it seems they have a nice regular clientele.

Of course I went with the Pho Dac Biet…..just to see what was up. For some reason, I decided to order the large size ($7.99).

My order actually took a while, but the bowl was huge. I liked that the rare steak, in spite of being the usual rather tough top round, was still rare when the bowl arrived. Most of the proteins; the brisket, et al, were pretty bland, though the textures, especially the tendon was pretty much spot on.

I expected the sprouts and basil to be fairly sparse and it was.

And while the noodles were in the usual clump on the bottom of the bowl, it wasn't soft and mushy, and not cold.

The broth wasn't terrible, a bit too defatted for my taste, and while not very beefy, had a mild sweetness and wasn't too salty. So I didn't need very much lime to help balance things out. I've had much worse in Kearny Mesa.

I've worked every single day since we got back from our trip. Such is the biz. Still, my hair doesn't stop growing, and I needed a fresh trim….I had consultants coming into town and meetings with our customers. So, it was back out to Spring Valley for a rather quick turnaround haircut. So, as is the norm, I returned to Pho Minh. I'd seen Bo Kho on the menu, but when I ordered it, I was told that they don't make that at this location any longer. I had to make some quick choices. I quickly went with the standard spring roll, Goi Cuon ($3.95).

So when I said standard issue; I mean standard issue. Man, look at all that lettuce. Basically a salad in rice paper. And the shrimp was overcooked and rather chewy. Very generic and not something I'd order here again.

I noticed that there was a sign that listed Chicken Wings ($7.40), so I decided to get those as well.

So these were deep fried, then topped with stir fried onions and peppers to give it some umph. These were fairly small wings; which doesn't bother me because I'm more about the ratio of skin to meat. However, half of the wings were slightly burnt, making the exterior bitter, not good eats. Also, these were overcooked and rather dry. The flavor of the wings, the parts that weren't charred, was fairly bland, which explains the need for the "topping". Not my favorite rendition of chicken wings to be sure.

So in the end; possibly passable pho. Really nice folks, though perhaps a stop-gap, but not a destination for my pho-fix. Though I'm glad to have had the chance to visit a locale I usually wouldn't have on my list. As my haircut was complete and I paid my barber, he mentioned that he'd probably be moving on….business here was too slow. So who knows where he'll pop up next?

Pho Minh & Grill
2615 Sweetwater Springs Blvd
Spring Valley, CA 91978

Tokyo – Breakfast at Yaesu Hatsufuji

November 29, 2016 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Japan, Japanese Restaurants, Tokyo, Kamakura, and the Kantō Region, Travel

The previous day had been wonderful; breakfast for 325 yen at Mugimaru and a visit to the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace, lunch at Otakou Honten and a couple of beers at the Hitachino Brewing Lab, and then dinner with our good friend Reiko at Suzunari. So what would we do next? Well, the Missus decided that She hadn't had enough of Kamakura and wanted to return. So we woke rather early and walked down the street to Tokyo Station. We entered into the Tokyo Station underground…"B1" thru the Yaesu exit/entrance and came across this place.

Curious, I walked over. There was a ticket machine and it looked like they served Japanese breakfast. If you've read our blog long enough; you know that I hold a special place in my heart for Japanese breakfast. And while in Sapporo, the Missus developed a fondness forthis as well. So, it was off to the ticket machine.

The Missus beat me to the Natto Combination….so I got the Nikudōfu (simmered beef and tofu) combo. Both were an inexpensive 570 yen! The seating was interesting; salarymen were seated together, sometimes sharing tables. But because I was with the Missus we were seated in a booth.

The Server took our tickets and soon enough our food arrived.

Think of this the next time you grab something from Mickey D's or the like for breakfast. For about $5.50, the Missus got tofu, natto, and even some sashimi with Her combo. Which, BTW, She really enjoyed.

What I got wasn't exactly slim pickins' either.

The beef and tofu; while not amazing were both nicely flavored; not too salty, not too sweet. When did I start enjoying mentaiko for breakfast? I'm not sure, but I really like the saltiness…and perfectly cooked rice.

Don't need much more than that.

Hatsufuji was an interesting place. We passed by several times during our stay. After breakfast, the ticket machine is rolled to the side and you'll notice a collection of set lunches, displayed in full plastic glory in the window.

During the evening, the place becomes an Izakaya. I find it fascinating and I'm hoping we'll be back in Japan more sooner than later. And if we're around the Yaesu exit of Tokyo Station Underground you can be sure we'll be back at Hatsufuji.

Yaesu Hatsufuji
Yaesu underground shopping center North 1, 2-1, Yaesu, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 103-0028

Instant Pot Red Cooked Beef Short Ribs

November 28, 2016 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

I'd been waiting a while to post this little recipe. First off, it basically a rehash of my Red Cooked Pork Hock/Oxtail recipe. Secondly, it had been pretty darn hot for a while there. Since it finally feels like fall, the time seems right.

So yes, I did buy one of those Instant Pot 7 in 1 cookers. Mainly because our pressure cooker crapped out a couple of years back and I got tired of spending the entire day making Da Boyz food. I'd rather make the chicken-carrot-rice thing in a pressure cooker. What happened was interesting. I got the Instant Pot during Amazon Prime day for around $69. The Missus loves Her red cooked meats and one weekend requested that I make some short ribs. And so it came to pass….for 8 of the following 10 weekends I made this, only stoping when we left on our trip.

And while this is basically my red cooked stove top/braised meat recipe; there are some differences I made for using the Instant Pot. First off, I ended up reducing the water, because there's very little evaporation, so too much water waters things down. Second, the Missus loves mushroom in this; so why not add the strained mushroom soaking liquid as another layer of flavor. Third, because I wouldn't be there removing scum; after marinated the beef for about 15-20 minutes, I dusted it with cornstarch and browned. The Instant Pot has a saute setting which is great for softening vegetables, but it really doesn't do much for meat. Plus, the pot is quite small and I'd have to do more batches than if I did this on the stovetop. Fourth, the pressure in the Instant Pot is about 11 – 12 psi, versus a conventional pressure cooker, which, if I recall comes in at about 15psi. This means that cooking time takes a bit longer. Also, things are pretty easy with the Instant Pot, when finished you can do a quick release, check, and do another short session if you need to.

This may seem like a lot of steps but it really isn't and is rather quick. It's all about organization. Be careful not to overfill your instant pot!

I enjoy this over noodles; a pseudo niu rou mian for me.

Red Cooked Short Ribs Instant Pot Style:

3 1/2 – 4 pounds English Style Beef Short Ribs sliced to a 1 1/2 – 2" width
12-14 dried shiitake mushroom soaked in 1-1/2 cup warm water
2/3 Cup + 2 Tb Soy sauce
1/3 Cup Dark Soy Sauce
1/2 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
2/3 Cup + 2Tb + 1/4 Cup Shao Xing Wine
5 cloves garlic roughly chopped
1-2 1/2" knobs of ginger smashed
3 Star Anise broken in half
4 Scallions – white part only, roughly chopped
1 piece dried tangerine peel broken in half
1 2-3" cinnamon stick
1 Red Serrano Pepper sliced
1/2 tsp Ground White Pepper
1 Tb Granulated Garlic
1 Tsp Five Spice
1 Tb Ground Sichuan Peppercorn
2 – 3 Tb Corn Starch
1 Cup strained mushroom soaking liquid
2 – 2 1/2 Cups Water
2Tb Avocado or similar neutral flavored oil
1 – 2 Blocks Tofu
6 – 8 Boiled Eggs
Steamed Bok Choy

– Soak the dried mushrooms in 1 1/2 cup warm water
– In a pan rub the ribs with 2 Tb Soy Sauce, 2 Tb Shao Xing, Ground White Pepper, Sichuan Peppercorn, Granulated Garlic – let marinate
– Prep and combine garlic, scallions, and Five Spice
– Prep and combine ginger, star anise, tangerine peel, cinnamon stick, serrano pepper
– In a bowl combine 2/3 cup soy sauce, 1/3 cup dark soy sauce, 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
– Strain about 1 cup of the mushroom soaking liquid
– Dust the short ribs with corn starch and start browning in oil on the stove top in batches.
– Once the beef has completed browning deglaze with 1/4 cup Shao Xing wine.
– Use the fat and liquid from the beef (do not add burnt bits) to the Instant Pot and set on saute
– Add dry ingredients and saute until fragrant
– Add the garlic-scallions to the pot and saute until fragrant and soft
– Add 2/3 cup Shao Xing wine and bring to a boil
– Layer the mushrooms on top of the spice and scallion mixture
– Add the mushroom soaking liquid
– Layer the beef ribs in even layers
– Add the soy sauce mixture
– Top off with water. First using only 2 cups, then more if necessary. Do not use more than 2 1/2 cups. Adjust and mix the beef if necessary
– Cover and set to 45 minutes high pressure
– Once complete do a quick release of pressure. At this point, use a wooden skewer or similar item to determine how tender the beef is. If more time is necessary set to high pressure for 10 more minutes
– Once done, you may find that some of the bones have come out of the meat remove them. You can skim off excess fat if desired. This gives you more room to add the drained tofu and boiled eggs.
– You can put on slow cook for up to 20-30 minutes before serving. Though it's actually better the next day.

Revisits to Pho Duyen Mai

November 27, 2016 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Pho Duyen Mai has changed owners.

After several visits to Pho Duyen Mai when they first opened a few months ago; I thought they really had some potential. The former owners of Pho Ban Mai had created a menu that was pretty much what they had served before. It's easy for me to do follow-up visits since they are close to work and opens relatively early, 9am giving me a decent late breakfast stop on "honey-doo" weekends.

Here's what I've had since my post back in September.

"Som Tommy" mentioned the Bo Luc Lac in the comments of my previous post. So I thought I'd give it whirl.

This was not bad. The marinated cubes of beef were quite tender; the overall dish wasn't too greasy. The flavor was much too salty and this could have used some sweetness, or even better, a good, citrusy Muoi Tieu Chanh, the lime – fish sauce based dip that is standard with Bo Luc Lac. The sauce that came with this was mostly fish sauce, making things even more salty.

Actually, I kind of enjoyed the buttery simple fried rice.

A few weeks later, early on a Saturday morning, a bit hungry, I decided to drop by again. The place was empty except for a family enjoying a nice breakfast.

I wasn't really sure what to order, but ended up going with the Bun Rieu.

This wasn't my cup of tea. While the correct thinner bun was used and was prepped well; the broth was really bland, lacking in any of the "crabby-shrimpy" savory flavors, nor any real tomato flavor.

The most interesting thing was the crab-pork-egg cake. I'm used to the firmer, almost squeaky version of this. But here it was a light, almost airy in texture, though still rather light in the taste department.

So, that other than a follow-up visit to retry the pho was going to be it for a while. Then my coworker, Calvin mentioned that even though they don't have Banh Mi Bo Kho on the menu, they have Pho Bo Kho, there's a photo of it in the menu. So he pointed to it one day and got the Banh Mi Bo Kho, which he really enjoyed. Now, in all honesty, in my opinion, Calvin doesn't have most sophisticated, educated palate, but I thought I'd give it a try.

This was pretty good; not on the level of, say, the version from Pho Lucky. Though if you care more about the amount of beef, some of which was tender and some of which was not, and don't care much for tendon you'll like this. The carrots were under cooked. The broth was not bad, better than what I'd recently had Cow Cali (in terms of texture and beefiness Pho Hoa Huong was better), but still too thin, light in tangy tomato or beefiness. It did taste like thickened pho broth with tomato and black pepper. The bread was nicely warm and toasted. Not bad overall, but I'll stick with Pho Lucky's version.

So there you go…..well, I did forget about the pho didn't I? I'm thinking I need to do another pho round-up one of these days……

The folks here have always been quite nice and I'm glad to see that, at least on weekends, there seems to be quite a few Vietnamese families having breakfast and lunch here.

Pho Duyen Mai
5375 Kearny Villa Rd
San Diego, CA 92123
Open Daily 9am – 9pm

River City Grill – A Dinner in Yuma

November 26, 2016 ed fromyuma American Restaurants, Fine Dining, Yuma

mmm-yoso!!! is Kirk's blog with his amazing posts from San Diego and around the world. Cathy posts here too, about San Diego County and beyond. But today, it’s Ed (from Yuma) writing about somewhere in Yuma.

I had a birthday coming up, and Tina offered me a dinner – my choice of restaurants. It was an easy decision; over the years, I have celebrated more birthdays and special times at River City Grill than any other place in town. About the same time I moved to Yuma, over a decade and a half ago, Nan and Tony Bain opened River City Grill (website) in a nondescript building at the corner of 3rd Street and 6th Avenue:

It soon became my favorite restaurant in town. Its eclectic menu might include curries, pestos, hummus, or spring rolls. There were always vegetarian and vegan dishes, a wide range of seafood entrées, and more. While the food was not consistently great, it was usually pretty good, generally adventuresome, and occasionally outstanding; the service always professional and friendly.

The seating in the inside dining room is pretty standard:

But the room has always featured at least one hip and edgy mural:

Even the restrooms have unusual decor:

So why have I never posted about this restaurant before? Well, laziness explains a lot, but also River City seemed like a comfortable old friend by the time I started blogging. But River City really deserved a post, and my birthday dinner offered a perfect opportunity.

We arrived in the early evening, and enjoying the mild weather, chose to eat outside on the adjacent patio:

We were each given a chunk of baguette accompanied with olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping:

Tina usually likes to begin with a martini from the cocktail list – this evening a lemon drop martini ($7):

Made with citrus vodka, triple sec, and lemon juice shaken together and served in a sugar rimmed glass, it was tasty.

While we were figuring out entrées, I looked over the wine list, and since it was my birthday, I decided on a bottle of Cakebread Chardonnay ($68):

It was (IMHO) an excellent wine, full-bodied with good balance, nice structure, and pleasant flavors and aromas of pear and melon and other fruits. River City has always maintained a well-chosen, if limited, wine list with reasonable markups (double retail or less). That's been one of the reasons I've kept coming back.

As an appetizer we ordered the Thai curried mussels ($10), something we'd enjoyed previously. The mussels arrived looking like this:

At first I thought the kitchen was using some type of green curry, but it didn't taste like curry. "Pesto," Tina said, "that's basil pesto flavoring." I tasted again, and yeah, that's what was going on.

We mentioned it to our server, who looked kind of puzzled, but when he checked with the kitchen that's what it was. I should say the mussels themselves were excellent, but the basil/coconut milk combo seemed weird.

The entrées at River City always come with a choice of soup or salad. Tina wanted the roasted tomato and red pepper bisque, which arrived looking beautiful:

I've never quite understood why they call this soup a bisque since it doesn't seem to have any cream in it, but it is an excellent soup, full of the flavor of roasted red peppers, their sweetness balanced by just a hint of vinegar tang.

I opted for the Mediterranean salad:

While smaller than it used to be, this has always been my favorite salad choice. The fresh greens, chopped marinated tomatoes, roasted yellow peppers, Mediterranean black olives, feta cheese and balsamic dressing work well together.

Tina's entrée, mustard crusted tofu with spinach ravioli in Alfredo sauce ($18) arrived at the table:

This was quite good. Tina was delighted with the tofu because it was not thick and dense, but almost fluffy with a perfect light crunchy crust. The ravioli and sauce were flavorful and rich. The olive tapenade provided a bridge between the Asian/Mediterranean flavors. The mixed vegetables were . . . mixed vegetables.

I ordered the tequila snapper with black beans and rice ($20):

The two small fillets were lightly breaded, spicy and moist, and laid across a generous portion of black beans and basmati rice. Overall, the entrée had a nice spicy kick accented by the pico de gallo and roasted pepper/corn topping. Really good. And there were mixed vegetables.

For dessert, we shared a cinnamon apple bread pudding ($6), drizzled with caramel and served with whipped cream and a small scoop of vanilla:

It was soft, almost creamy, and very satisfying. And you gotta love the birthday candle.

While River City in 2016 is no longer cutting-edge and its menu does not change much any more, Tina and I will gladly return. The dishes are generally good, the kitchen prepares seafood very well, the decor is enjoyable, the servers are well trained, and the prices are extremely reasonable. In fact, the bottle of birthday wine cost more than all the rest of the meal – heck yes, we'll be back!

River City Grill, 600 W 3rd St, Yuma AZ 85364, (928) 782 – 7988.

Tokyo – Otakou Honten and a Visit to the Hitachino Brewing Lab

November 25, 2016 mmm-yoso Beer, Japan, Japanese Restaurants, Pubs and Pub Grub, Tokyo, Kamakura, and the Kantō Region, Travel

It was getting close to lunch hour by the time we finished our nice walk around the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace and we were ready for something to eat. It was drizzly and a bit chilly. I'd heard about a Oden place with a fairly long history (opened in 1923). So after a bit of searching we found Otakou Honten. We'd actually walked pass here on our first night, but the line was so long that ended up having ramen instead.

There wasn't a line when we arrived and we were lead upstairs, where things did look rather busy. We got the last booth in the place and placed our orders.

It's quite simple; there were two Oden sets available for lunch, each about 680 yen and we ordered one of each.

Boy did this hit the spot.

That simmered daikon had really absorbed the flavor of the broth and was perfectly tender; not falling apart, but so easily cut with a chopstick. Our favorite item was the Toumeshi; indeed this is called the toumeshi set and I can see why. That tofu had absorbed the savory-sweet-dashi based flavor so well and rice was also a great vehicle for passing all of that. Simple, but just wonderful.

The Missus ordered the other Oden set which was quite good as well.

This was just the perfect thing for day like this. Then a kind of interesting thing happened….I'm guessing it's fairly common given the crowded nature of Tokyo.

The Missus and I were sitting across from each other in the booth. Two salarymen came in and sat down right next to us in the booth!

So now we were kinda trapped! The Missus and I looked at each other and cracked up. And we couldn't help but text each other our observations; especially when a couple of pieces of rice got stuck on one of the men's face….it kept moving around while he ate, but wouldn't fall off, and was quite mesmerizing!

Actually they were quite nice. When they noticed we were finished, they both stood up and waved us through. So, I guess this is fairly standard eating in Tokyo!

There was a line of people waiting outside in the rain as we left. I walked across the street to take a photo, and wouldn't you know; that line extended across the street!

It's easy to understand why folks would wait in the rain for this place. Good, comforting food at an inexpensive price. And it sure did hit the spot on a day like this.

Otakou Honten
2-2-3 Nihonbashi
Chuo, Tokyo

Feeling nice and warm, our bellies full, we headed off in the drizzle to our next destination. I really enjoy the beer that Hitachino produces and had read that they had opened a beer bar in the Akihabara. I recommended going on the Yamanote Line from Tokyo Station, it's like a 4-5 minute ride. But of course this is the Missus; so we walked.

It turned out to be about a 30 minute walk. The Brewing Lab is located right on the Kanda River.

It's a nice cozy little place and very quiet during this time of the day as there was only one customer the whole time we were there.

There were 8 pulls on this day and we ended up getting 4 beers; even Session IPA. We ended up with the Masters Selection, Nipponia, Weizen and the Nest Lager.

The Lager was my favorite; while the Missus enjoyed the Weizen. Man, Hitachino makes some really good stuff. If you're in the area; this might be a good stop.

Hitachino Brewing Lab
1-25-4 Kandasudacho
Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

Soon enough, it was time to go. And this time the Missus relented and we caught the train back to Nihonbashi. We had some time to do a little shopping; then head back to the apartment for a short nap before meeting Reiko for dinner.

Happy Thanksgiving!

November 24, 2016 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi

Man, yet another Thanksgiving. I took Da Boyz for a typical car ride this morning.

It's hard to believe it'll soon be December……man; weather in the mid-70's.

Though I heard that rain is on the way.

After a busy day; work and then making food for the Missus's work, I decided to reward myself.

Hope you've had a safe and delici-yoso Thanksgiving from all of us!

Midweek Meanderings – Village North Quietly Opens, Char House Becoming Tradewinds Taverns, and Pacific Time Closes

November 23, 2016 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

It's usually pretty quiet around here during the holiday season. But it's surely not around Kearny Mesa and Linda Vista.

Village North Quietly Opens:

I mean really quietly. This place used to be some AYCE sushi place, I think owned by the folks who run Manna….the awning still says "Asian Fusion". The only reason I saw the place was because I went to see what was going on with the now closed Char House.

Anyway, here's the scoop, I've been here once, it's the place's soft opening, the hours are flakey……they told me open at 11am, but I once went at noon and they were closed. The head chef is from Dongbei…a cuisine that's near and dear to my (and the Missus's heart), featuring ingredients we hold dear. Strangely, there's a bunch of Sichuan dishes and a bar and grilled items. I've visited once and a post will be upcoming. You know; I usually like multiple visits, but I thought this one is pretty unique for regional Chinese in San Diego.

Village North Restaurant
4428 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

And Speaking of Char House:

It's becoming something named Tradewinds Tavern. Looks like an Asian themed Gastro-pub. I guess Common Theory has opened up a market for this. Good for us.

And BTW, they are hiring…..just in case you're interested.

7765 Balboa Ave
San Diego, CA 92111

Pacific Time Closes:

This one I first about heard from Cathy, then Junichi mentioned it in a recent post. I'd actually gone down there and taken a photo. Too bad, I really liked the concept, though I hadn't visited much recently.

Too bad, perhaps Linda Vista and the USD area was the wrong venue. I'm hoping they reopen in the future.

I think there's a place in San Diego for a concept like Pacific Time.

5277 Linda Vista Rd
San Diego, CA 92110

HoM Korean Kitchen

November 22, 2016 mmm-yoso Korean Restaurants

**** This location of HoM Korean Kitchen has closed

I was up in the Hillcrest area for a couple of days of meetings recently. I don't get up here very much these days and most times, when I do, parking is kinda horrible. Not bad in the way of, say the worst parking lots on ECB or Convoy (you all know those ones, right?), but its either meter or pay lot (though I think they validate) and sometimes there's nothing on the street.

Anyway, I saw this place, which used to be Which Wich, named HoM Korean Kitchen. It seemed interesting, so I walked in.

Very nice set-up; basically using the "bones" of the old shop.

Looking at the "menu" it became quite clear that this was a "fast casual" shop; the Chipotle model, or if you prefer, like one-of-a-zillion-until-critical-mass-hits-and-business-normalizes poke shops. Basically, design your own rice bowl concept. 1 protein, starch or salad, and three "sides", in this case "panchan" (heavy on the air quotes).

I've always thought that rice bowls would be a great food truck concept…..kind of had a fantasy to do a Korean inspired rice bowl truck and name it the "Bap-Mobile". Maybe it's because then I'd be "Bap-man", but I digress.

The guy working the front counter was quite nice and even asked me if I wanted some samples.

I simply went with the "Korean Steak" ($9.25).

The portion size for the price was pretty good….though a fountain drink is two bucks for a 12 ounce cup.

The beef was decent; chewy, but not overly so, a few pieces of gristle here and there, but better than I've had in, say a carne asada burrito. Speaking of carne asada; I'd say the flavor steers more toward that then Korean Barbecue. There's some soy sauce notes and this is far from bland, but it's fairly neutral.

The rice was fragrant, but there were quite a few hard pieces.

The panchan, is that in name only. The cucumbers and daikon seem to be quick pickled and really lacks spice, sour tones, and any sign of even slight fermentation. Hey, I thought this place as supposed to be healthy…..isn't fermentation supposed to have many health benefits? But I guess it's more about fast. The mushrooms were decent; well seasoned with some garlic tones.

This was not bad at all. Because the set-up and food screamed out "chain", I did a bit of research and found that there's another location in San Jose, but that's it for now. I also decided to return after my meetings ended the next day.

Same nice guy working. This time I went with the Braised Beef ($8.50) with Toasted Rice ($1.25).

Not a big fan of the toasted rice….it's more like a bland baked fried rice with a lot of hard bits. Not high on the "braised" beef either; it was shredded into mush, and was much too salty and In my opinion needed to be tempered with some sweet-pungent tones. The faux baechu kimchi is just that; basically a bland quick kimchi; the namul was worse. The spinach was my favorite item; like the mushrooms on my previous visit, it had a nice garlicky kick.

So, was it "HoM sweet HoM"? Well, I'm not so much of a "HoM-boy". I wouldn't go out of my way to eat here, but I think it's more Korean than Chipotle is Mexican. The ingredients are good, while some of the execution and seasoning may not be to my taste. Also, I do prefer that the Korean food I eat, well, would kind of remind me Korea. I would encourage you give the place a try though….who knows, you might find that there's "no place like HoM" (last one, I promise).

HoM Korean Kitchen
3825 Fifth Ave
San Diego, CA 92103

Driving across the USA (in our Chevrolet)Part 4- The drive home and some American restaurants

November 21, 2016 Cathy American Restaurants, Road Trip, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!!, food blog. Kirk is working some heavy overtime hours while Ed(from Yuma) is busy planning a Thanksgiving feast, so Cathy is writing about food and things today.

Link to Part One

Link to Part Two

Link to Part Three

It is only a few days before Thanksgiving. I read that 43.9 million people will drive more than 50 miles from home for the holiday (defined as between Wednesday and Sunday this week). In light of that, I think it's a good time for this conclusion post of our Summer of 2016 Road Trip from San Diego to Detroit and back.

We left home and took the exit to Ann Arbor, where The Mister and I met decades ago. Pizza Bob's was a favorite place for us. We enjoyed the unique Chipati, invented when we were students.
West on the 94, we stopped in Jackson to drive through a former Hot 'n Now building which is currently a nice, local owned coffee shop, Jackson Coffee Company. No indoor seating, no wifi, just coffee (they roast their own), beverage concoctions, some sandwiches and hot pretzels.

Chicagoland is about five hours from Detroit. An easy drive.
Kirk wrote about Buona Beef, a Chicago area Italian Beef joint which some people like and other people avoid. A simple sandwich here is sort of like an Arby's roast beef and is tasty on the fresh French roll.

Buona Beef Restaurant 1170 N Arlington Heights Road Itasca, IL 60143 Website
Kirk did enjoy his dog from Gene and Jude's back in 2010 and not much has changed (the price has gone up 61¢). It's good.

Gene & Jude's Red Hot Stand 2720 River Rd River Grove, IL 60171 website

After a while, we were in the Quad Cities area and stopped at the Moline, Illinois Maid Rite location.

As a side note, all restaurants and businesses in the Midwest have a small vestibule area-a double doorway where you can step inside and stomp snow off your boots, shake off/take off your coat or close your umbrella before walking inside a main building. Even Costcos have vestibules. We sat at the counter at this location, because we could.The 'traditional' toppings for this lightly seasoned loose meat burger are mustard, onion and pickle. Ketchup is available, but it's for the fries. The burgers are all served with a small teaspoon as your only cutlery…so you can scoop up any meat that falls out when you lift the soft bun. Maid Rite is a true midwest tradition.

Maid-Rite Quad Cities website

We stopped for fuel and looked for a place to eat in Richfield, Utah.

The signage on Main Street brought us in.

Clean, simple, family run and very good.
Light bites and ice cream, unphotographed. This was a great find.

Ideal Dairy 490 S Main Street Richfield, UT 84701 (435) 896-5061

There were unplanned/non-food stops along the way.

A tourist trap.

The original Pony Express station, in the middle of a park in a residential neighborhood.
The birthplace of President Gerald Ford.

Themed rest areas (this one was windmills-old and new blades).
A giant Golden Spike…but this one is in Omaha, Nebraska. It is where President Abraham Lincoln declared the joining of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads *should*occur, but it didn't happen here (Promontory, Utah is the 'official' location). This is where the largest train yard in the USA is, so if you are in North Platte, Nebraska, stop here.

If you are driving across the USA this holiday season (or anytime), do enjoy our wonderfully organized highway system as well as the National Park System signage and stop to enjoy the local people and places. Safe travels!