June 2018 – Page 2

Al Pastor Authentic Mexican Grill

June 18, 2018 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops

**** Al Pastor has changed back to Aqui es Texcoco

I happened to notice this shop in one of those empty strip malls on the corner of H Street and Broadway on our way to breakfast at Talavera Azul.

I’m usually not swayed by the myriad of “Mexican Grills” and truly not by most places who use the word “authentic” in their name. Call me a cynic…..guilty as charged. But for some reason, this place hung around in my “grey matter” as we ate breakfast. I’m not sure what it was; the strange location, my love for al pastor, or whatever.

So later the same day, I headed back down to Chula Vista to see if the place was even open. And they were. Rather empty at 11 am on a Saturday, but still open.

Al Pastor Grill 02

The two women working were very friendly. The menu huge! With everything from Alambres to Tortas. And there was a strange familiar ring to several of the items on the menu.

That’s when I saw him; the owner of Aqui es Texcoco in the kitchen talking to staff. Strange. So I sent my good buddy Candice a text asking if he had opened up a new restaurant. The answer? Yes. I then asked the Server who smiled and said “yes”. Apparently, the place had just opened.

Still rather full from breakfast, I decided to get a couple of tacos which are all priced between $2.50 and $2.75.

The salsas are similar to what is served at Aqui es Texcoco; straight forward and nice and spicy.

My tres tacos.

Let’s go from right to left. The Costilla (rib meat) was fairly chewy, but not bad, but in need of a bit more seasoning. The arrachera; skirt steak, was fairly tough, but had been seasoned simply and perfectly with a nice grilled-smokey flavor. The winner was without a doubt the al pastor as it had the wonderful slightly sweet flavor along with a nice porkiness that reminds me of Char Siu. Nice crispy bits along with meatier bits were provided. I thought the toritllas were just average; they held up okay, but for some reason lacked the nice corn fragrance and flavor.

A mixed bag overall, but that al pastor was pretty good. I returned the following weekend.

I had seen a couple of items I was interested in on the menu. I started with the Huitlacoche Quesadilla and the Taco de Al Pastor (of course).

The al pastor was a bit tougher than on my previous visit; but the flavors were still good. I didn’t care too much for the quesadilla; it was quiet fragrant; the wild mushroom smell tickled my nose, but it was quite bland. But it wasn’t griddled right and the tortillas were really hard to cut and I still think it was missing something.

I also ordered the Tostada de pata de res (cow foot tostada)

This was an interesting mixed bag. The tendon had been diced quite finely….I’d have preferred a larger dice so I could enjoy and appreciate the texture a bit more. It was also a bit too acidic and sour for my taste. The beans were lovely; nutty and rich. Loved what the cotija cheese brought to the dish; a light salty-milkiness. A bit too much lettuce for my taste though. Lot’s of crisp, crunchy textures, had me wishing for something a bit more toothsome.

As I mentioned a few paragraphs up. A mixed bag, nice service, priced reasonably. I did enjoy the al pastor.

The menu is huge and I’m looking forward to trying other items like the Caldo Tlapeno or Chuleda Ahumada (smoked pork) tacos….or perhaps even Cazuelitas (sopes) Chicharron en Salsa Verde.

I’ll give them a bit of time to get settled in before revisiting though.

Al Pastor Authentic Mexican Grill
520 Broadway
Chula Vista, CA 91910

Kyoto – Gion Yuki

June 17, 2018 mmm-yoso Japan, Japanese Restaurants, Kyoto, Memorable Meals, Travel

While it seems that the Missus used this trip to chase Sakura, I had noticed something quite interesting. She had developed a fondness for Izakayas. As such, She really wanted to check out an Izakaya on our last evening in Kyoto. Looking through various sources; She decided that we should go to Yuki for dinner. Staying in Higashiyama meant a nice little walk to the Gion, We were shocked to that there was a line twenty minutes before opening. I sent the Missus away to explore while I stood in line and checked my email and such.

The Missus returned right before opening and we were slowly ushered in. The place is rather tiny, rustic, and the folks quite friendly. The crowd was all Japanese and we kind of had them fooled until they started talking to us!

We were immediately handed an English menu; though the Missus could read much of the items in Kanji.

Gion Yuki is owned by Okamura Honke Brewery, located in neighboring Shiga Prefecture. So what to drink? Well, sake of course! We started with a nice, dry Junmai Daiginjyo, moving to sweeter lighter Junmai, even trying the Shin Syu.

Food was an interesting matter. Looking at the English menu; I knew it was incomplete. Looking at the Pinterest/Instagram photos on the Missus's phone, I quickly picked out something the Missus and I love. Shirako!

We ordered both versions of Shirako.

The Shirako Ponzu might have been our favorite dish of the trip. Creamy, with a slight oceany- sweetness, the milt (a nice way of saying cod sperm sack), was fantastic. It went so well with the tangy, sour, and slightly salty ponzu sauce. The green onions were surprisingly pungent; but it was the intense flowery-anise tones of the shiso blossoms that really got our attention. Wonderful textures – fantastic taste.

The grilled version, just couldn't keep up in terms of flavor as it was slightly fishy and fairly bland. It really needed that salt and lime.

The Kamo – duck breast was nicely done. The skin was slightly crisp; the rubbery subcutaneous fat had been rendered off, leaving a nice layer of fat, and the meat had a nice, slightly chewy texture.

The flavor of the duck was fairly intense in terms of gaminess, which is how we enjoy it anyway.

We had noticed that most of the folks eating here were having fried stuffs. So we ordered the Onion Kakiage.

Crisp, light, the frying had brought out the sweetness of the onions. I can see why folks love the fried food here.

The eggplant dengaku; we tried two versions. The darker, richer version was our favorite.

The flavors were quite complex and the scallions gave the dish an overall "zip".

We finished (well almost as we ordered more shirako) was razor clams in broth.

The dashi based broth was light but tasty; the razor clams were surprisingly tender and sweet.

And here's where the fun begins. A group of 4 men and 1 woman gets seated. Seems like several of the group and the woman are German, as we overheard the woman telling one of the gentlemen that she would come here when visiting Kyoto while working for the German Consulate in Osaka.

It was fun watching the salarymen, now quite friendly and helpful after a couple of rounds of sake, try and help these folks order and make suggestions.

Even more funny as none of the salarymen spoke any English! An array of pantomimes, hand gestures….you name it.

Meanwhile, one of the men, the super tall one was walking around the bar checking out what folks were eating. He had heard the Missus and I speak English. We were eating our second bowl of Shirako Ponzu. He smiled and asked, "sir….what are you eating" while pointing to the quivering white masses in our bowl. Passing him the bowl with two hands I told him; "I will tell you, after you try it." He had a taste and his face lit up. "It is good". I said "this is cod sperm sacks". He stood up his full six feet plus, raised his hand, and asked one of the guys behind the counter, "sir….sir…may we have TWO BOWLS of SPERM please?" No one else except his party and the two of us understood what he was saying…..but man, we were rolling.

I now have a new wrinkle for my "a guy walks into a bar….." joke.

Gion Yuki
111-1 Tominagacho, Higashi-ku, Okamura Bldg.1F
Kyoto 605-0078, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan

There was still a line of folks waiting outside as we left.

We took the long way back to the apartment, just taking in the city.

Kyoto is beautiful anytime of the day. No wonder it's one of the Missus's favorite cities to visit.

Saturday Stuffs – Simsim Shawarma and Karami Ramen Coming Soon. BT Chinese Kitchen Replaces Lai Chen

June 16, 2018 mmm-yoso Blog

I haven't done one of these in a awhile. So here goes.

Simsim Outstanding Shawarma:

I walked past this place last weekend (that's another story).

In the same strip mall as Elijah's and Niban.

7051 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

Karami Ramen:

I don't get to Nijiya quite as much since our office relocated. But a couple of weekends ago I had to do some shopping and noticed this spot. I believe it used to be a tattoo shop?

Anyway, looks like the hoard of ramen shops in Kearny Mesa has grown by yet another.

Nowadays it looks like hot pot or ramen…….

Not much on the applicant.

3860 Convoy St Ste 116
San Diego, CA 92111

Lai Chen becomes BT Chinese Kitchen:

I drove past when grabbing a quick sandwich from The Sandwich A'Fare. It looked like Lai Chen, a.k.a. the restaurant that was never open when I wanted to visit, had closed and been replaced by another restaurant. I swung by while returning to the office. And yep…..

Hmmm…….kind of sounds and looks like Chinese Fast Food?

Anyone been?

BT Chinese Kitchen
6780 Miramar Rd.
San Diego, CA 92121

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Ban Lao Cuisine Revisited

June 14, 2018 mmm-yoso Lao Restaurants

**** Ban Lao has closed

The last couple of week; since we've gotten back from our trip have been nice. At least in terms of work for me. No more long days and weekends. The recent muggy weather has also changed my eating strategy a bit as well. I was craving Lao food. I decided to head back to Ban Lao to see how things have changed since my first visits there.

The place looks basically the same; except for the strategically placed ATM. The menu though, has evolved a bit, with some new dishes.

I was really thinking about getting the Sien Savanh (beef jerky) which I really enjoyed on one of my previous visit. I saw "fried pork belly" on the menu and really couldn't make up my mind. I finally asked the really nice young lady working here. She basically said she enjoys both, but because I'd had the beef jerky before, why not try the pork belly…..such good sales, huh?

This was ok. The pork belly was nicely fried; though there were some tough bits and without that wonderful fish sauce-chili-citrus dipping sauce it would have not been very good. The seasoning was too mild and it was rather plain.

I really wanted some Nem Khao, which turned out being better than what I'd had here before.

Nice crunchy-crispy bits, good amount of herbs, nice amount of pork skin, I think it could have used a bit more sour sausage, but texturally, this was quite nice. The portion size was a lot larger than on previous visits. And while it didn't look like it; there was a good amount of lettuce for wrapping up the nem khao. It's still not quite there in terms of the sour sausage-pork skin-herbs ratio, but it's better than what I've had here before.

A big plus is how nice the staff has always been in this tiny shop. And it seems things are getting better…….

We gotta get back to Laos one of these days.

Ban Lao Cuisine
4126 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92105

Paris – Arnaud Nicolas

June 13, 2018 mmm-yoso France, French Restaurants, Paris, France, Travel

On our last trip to Paris; I made only two dinner reservations. One of them was for Arnaud Nicolas. First off, it was in the 7th Arrondissement, the Missus's favorite area in the city…..She is still in love with that Paris dream. You know, the one with Eiffel Tower in the background, with the oh-so-Parisian food street Rue Cler at your doorstep.

Finding a place in the area, reasonably priced, that served charcuterie from a young chef who achieved the title of Meilleur Ouvrier de France (MOF) at the age of 24. Well, I was quite curious. And being that we love charcuterie…. we just had to check it out.

Located on busy Avenue de la Bourdonnais, I believe this place wasn't even here on our previous visit to Paris in 2016.

Part deli part restaurant; we loved the casual, yet refined atmosphere, and the service was excellent.

I had walked past the counter with the fabulous looking pate en croute and other charcuterie that I was just ready to order everything off the menu.

Luckily, our Server calmed me down with a nice glass of white wine (free as you're seated). We decided to order a nice variety from the "Entrées de Charcuterie". What arrived was so beautiful looking, especially the two pate en croute.

Both the "Volailles et Foie gras de Canard", basically foie gras, duck, chicken and the "Caille, Poire et Pistache", quail and foie gras with pear and pistachio were excellent. The pastry, was delicate, I'm used to doughy and rather hard pastry, this was delicate, light, and still held some texture. It also nicely "hugged" the pate.

While we loved both, our favorite of the two was the beautiful quail and foie gras Caille.

The interplay of earthy-offal tones and mild sweetness just went together so well.

The Missus laughed as instead of digging right into these….I took some time….to enjoy how lovely they looked.

Easily the best pate en croute I've ever had.

The Terrine de Gibier had a wonderful gameiness.

It looked lean and tough, but had a perfect toothsomeness. Not overly salty, but with a nice assertive flavor, this was quite nice and dense.

The Foie Gras mi-cuit (in the foreground) was everything you could ever want. Wonderfully balanced offal-sweet flavors, smooth, decadent richness, with just the right amount of "heft". It just seemed so perfect.

The only "clunker" of the night was the Foie Gras – Truffle (in the rear), two of the Missus's favorite food groups, which just fell flat. Perhaps the foie gras and pate en croute had soiled our tastebuds, but it seemed like, at least with this, that the two main ingredients cancelled each other out. We could really not taste any truffle and the foie gras flavor was faint….we expected the texture to be the same as the mi-cuit, but it was strangely waxy.

We decided to split our main course, which the kitchen graciously did for us. After all the charcuterie, I wanted to try the Boudin Blanc with Truffle. This dish just blew us away.

The black trumpet mushrooms and Jerusalem artichokes were just perfect…..but it was that traditionally finely textured, mildly flavored, white sausage that blew us away. It was nicely seared, which added just the perfect amount of crispness, the restrained amount of truffle was perfect….just a hint, a tease, just enough. The sausage had a mild porkiness to it. But it was the texture that was amazing as it just melted away in your mouth.

As you can tell, we loved Arnaud Nicolas. It was the type of place that suited us well. "Real" and traditional food, executed masterfully. We enjoyed our meal and the staff so much……we made dinner reservations for the following evening!

Arnaud Nicolas
46 Avenue de la Bourdonnais
75007 Paris, France

I gotta say. Maybe the Missus has a point about staying in the 7th…….

Hunan Kitchen a.k.a. Noodle Hut a.k.a. Tǔjiā Xiāng Cài (土家湘菜)

June 12, 2018 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

**** Hunan Kitchen has closed

I was driving around Convoy a few weeks back and noticed something about this sign.

And looking at the photos posted told me this wasn't the Noodle Hut I knew.

And then the electric sign scrolled down…….

Revealing "Hunan Kitchen". I took the photo home and the Missus translated it to Tǔjiā Xiāng Cài, basically Tujia Hunan Cuisine. Still, the addition of "Kitchen" to the name made me wonder……

And so, having some time for an actual lunch a few days later, Calvin and I hit up Hunan Kitchen a.k.a. Noodle Hut.

We were the first folks in the place. The same wood paneling and tables as the old Noodle Hut, but with signs of various dishes on the menu and of course, some chili pepper décor.

I instantly thought of Village Kitchen when I saw this on the menu.

This was going to be an interesting meal…….

First to arrive was the La Rou, Hunan Smoked Pork with Dried Radish.

The La Rou was a bit tougher, less smokey, but definitely spicier than VK's version. The dried radish was crunchy, but not hard and the dish wasn't too salty. I thought this was better than the version at VK.

And then, this.

So, think about the signature eggplant, preserved egg, and green chili dish at VK. Without the eggplant. The peppers were fairly tender and there was a large amount of pidan in this. It was also pretty darn spicy. The portion size of this dish was also deceptively large. We enjoyed it and it was the best dish of the day by far, but man, there was no way we could keep on eating this. I think my Hunan Chilli King days are behind me. Even the Missus thought this was quite spicy….though She had it the next day, when it was even hotter.

The Cumin Lamb was so-so.

Calvin's wife can't stand lamb so just about the only time he gets to eat it is with me. Too little cumin, in need of more onion and cilantro, though the lamb was tender enough. And strangely, for once, I wished the dish was more salty. I'd have loved a bit more color on the lamb as well.

Calvin was fascinated by the Baby Cuttlefish with Four Chilies.

This was quite one-dimensional in flavor. Yes, it was fairly spicy, but other than that, not much else to say. The cuttlefish was very rubbery and had no flavor. This was bean sprout city…..

The service was typical and we ended up with a bunch of leftovers.

A few weeks later we were both craving that century egg and green chili dish. So we returned. This time; I did all the ordering.

Starting with a favorite of the Missus; the Steamed Preserved Meat.

Usually, it's smoked pork, duck, and fish. Here it was pork, duck, and chicken, which made me wonder how dry this was going to be. It was however, quite good, very smoky, nice textures, chewy, but not tough. While not among the best version of this I've had, it was a notch above decent. The Missus loved the leftovers.

Of course, there was one basic reason we returned to Hunan Kitchen. The Pounded green Chilies and Century Egg. If anything, this was even better than on our previous visit.

It was even more tender and buttery, with more pidan.

Oh, and perhaps even more spicy. Man, I had the leftovers two days later and it was pretty darn hot.

Still, I think this dish is a winner, spicy, yes, but the texture of the preserved egg, the dish was nicely seasoned both times we had it. Typing this out makes me want it again. You get that nice endorphin high. Like I said….my tolerance must be pretty low these days.

We finished with the Mao Style Pork in Brown Sauce.

This was a decent, but not outstanding dish. This version of Hong Shao Rou was a bit lacking in complexity of flavor (no anise) and the pork was bit tough. It also lacked that nice glistening color I love in other versions of this dish. While I though it wasn't too spicy, eating the leftovers two days later had increased the intensity of the heat.

While not everything at Hunan Kitchen was a "keeper"; I actually enjoy the more rustic preparations and flavors here more than VK. As does the Missus….whose Father is from Hunan province and really enjoys more traditional, earthy preparations of Xiāng Cài. Still, while I'm thinking we need to head on back to the SGV for our Hunan fix; we'll be dropping by whatever the name of this place is once in a while.

Hunan Kitchen a.k.a. Noodle Hut a.k.a. Tǔjiā Xiāng Cài (土家湘菜)
4690 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

And, if you're keeping score; back in 2011 this was Nam An, in 2014 Yunnan food was served at Jin's Pot, in 2015 Xi'an Kitchen, then in 2017 Noodle Hut, and now this place. Let's see if they have a bit more staying power.

Banh Mi Baguette Cafe

June 11, 2018 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Sandwiches

**** Banh Mi Baguette Café has closed

Last fall, "MichealW" sent me an email telling me that Bale Sandwich & Deli had closed after a very short run and was now "Baguette Café". Then of course came the crazy fall and winter….and spring……so I wasn't able to visit until recently.

I'm not sure if the name is Baguette Café or Banh Mi Baguette Café…..and then there's the sign that says "by Cali Express". Hmmmm……

And the menu looks strikingly familiar.

I'm not sure if Cali Baguette Express runs this shop, or is it a "franchise" kind of thing….. But the young man working here was really nice and friendly.

I just went with the Dac Biet….good 'ol number 1. Still a bargain at $3.75.

As I walked out of the place, I gave the banh mi a little squeeze……and nothing…..it just kinda gave way. Not a good sign. I had visions of my last to the Mira Mesa Cali Baguette Express. And upon setting the banh mi free….well, I had verification. A pale, cold, doughy banh mi.

The sandwich was the signature 10" and there were thin slices of pork and cha lua.

What was just as annoying as the bread was how it was sliced. Just the top piece….so you either had to find a knife or take you chances tearing it apart. And when the cilantro and veggies aren't sliced, you get this.

Enjoyed the sneaky jalapeno and everything else was status quo…… But what happened to the crusty, light, and yeasty banh mi?

As I've been doing recently, here's what it used to be……back in 2015 at the Convoy location.

I've got to head back to the City Heights location of Cali Baguette Express to find out if the bread I've gotten on my last two visits are now the status quo. It's what used to make them stand above the rest. Hopefully it won't be "strike three".

Banh Mi Baguette Cafe
9005 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126

Thanks for the heads up Micheal!

Parma – Trattoria Sorelle Picchi

June 7, 2018 mmm-yoso Emilia-Romagna, Italy, Italian Restaurants, Italy, Travel

After returning from visiting Castello di Torrechiara and Fontanellato we returned to the Agritourismo and rested up a bit.

As the afternoon sun faded, we decided it was time to head to Parma for dinner. We again found parking alongside the Parma River….as double bonus, because the next day was Easter, the parking pass was good for two days! Instead of heading into Parma like we did the previous day, the Missus decided we should just walk up Stradone de Martiri Della Liberta', just called the "Stradone". Interesting history here as this was the first Italian Boulevard designed in the French style. We hadn't been on this street before; it was side, tree-lined, with some very nice houses along the way.

At the East end of the street is this interesting structure…..it stood out since it seemed to be isolated in the middle of traffic.

This is the Casinetto Petitot, once a stylish cafe, designed by French born architect Ennemond Alexandre Petitot, who spent most of his career in the Province of Parma.

From here we took a left, past the Chiesa di San Pietro d'Alcantara and down some side streets. If we thought that seeing a non-Italian tourist was a rare sight before….now it looked all local.

It was a nice walk…..and we ended up on busy Strada della Republica again.

Even stopping back at the same cafe as the day before for a nice shot of espresso.

It was still a bit early for dinner, so we just wandered around a bit more……

And ended up back at Parma Cathedral.

There a nice open piazza in front of the Cathedral…..it was fun to sit and people watch for a bit. In contrast to Florence, things seemed so laid back here.

The Missus noticed that folks were going in and out of the cathedral.

So we decided to take a look.

The interior and the frescoes were quite dramatic.

From here it was back across Strada Giuseppe Mazzini and down the busy pedestrian Strada Farini. This lively street was Missus's favorite in central Parma. There are busy bars, restaurants, and shops.

Also on this street was a restaurant that was recommended to us named Trattoria Sorelle Picchi. We found the place which seemed really busy. Well, at least the outdoor eating area did. There's what seemed to be the kitchen, which could be viewed from the sidewalk.

There's a deli area and then the dining room, which, unlike the outdoor area, was quite empty when we arrived.

It did fill up quickly a few minutes after we were seated. At which time we noticed that there was an additional dining area downstairs. This was a deceivingly large trattoria!

Our Server was very nice, professional and attentive.

Of course we (I) started with the Culatello di Zibello, this one was aged 20 months. I loved how thin it was sliced.

Because of how thinly sliced and moist this was, it just melted away once it hit our tongue. Amazing……

This time it was the Missus who ordered the Cappelletti en Brodo.

First off, this capon broth was rich, chicken-ny, and not overly salty. It was really good. The pasta, stuffed with what seemed to be a meat-salumi mixture was excellent. The texture was amazing. I mentioned this to our Server who then brought back the menu and pointed out the names of the "Sfoglina" (the pasta makers) on the menu; Giuseppina and Luisella.

I ordered the "Trio de Tortelli".

First off, the ravioli like pasta was excellent, perfect pull, no hard spots, relatively doughy and springy at the same time. The erbette, which I believe is chard and ricotta had a nice milky-bitter-salty balance that was enjoyable. The Missus thought the "zucca" pumpkin tortelli was too sweet and I would probably agree with Her. The spalla (cured pork shoulder) in the green tortelli was nicely flavored and not too salty and the shaved Parmigiano Reggiano did help elevate it.

Overall, a very nice meal. We had really taken to the wonderful textures and flavors of the region. Things seemed so simple and yet the tastes and textures were quite amazing.

Trattoria Sorelle Picchi
Strada Luigi Carlo Farini 27/A
Parma, Italy

We had a nice walk back to the car…..through the part of Strada Farini that was more sedate.

It had been such a nice day and dinner just topped everything off.

Parma – Castello di Torrechiara, Rocca Sanvitale di Fontanellato, and Lunch at Ristorante Io Parmigianino (Fontanellato)

June 6, 2018 mmm-yoso Emilia-Romagna, Italy, Italian Restaurants, Italy, Travel

Our first morning in Parma was going to be about castles. Upon arriving at the Agritourismo, Adriano gave us a pamphlet with photos of various castles in them. After doing a bit of research that evening, it was determined that we should visit two of them.

The first being Castello di Torrechiara, located about 11 miles South of Parma, it stands on a hill overlooking the Parma Valley.

We parked our car at the foot of the hill and walked up the road. There was a slight drizzle, but that didn't diminish the wonderful view as we walked up to the castle.

The walk up to the gates seem a bit intimidating and forboding…..especially with no one else around on this morning. We had arrived just after 8am when the castle opened.

It does indeed look like a fortress on a hill.

And yet, once you walk upon the wall and porch, you start noticing things….like the magnificent views.

It is quite enchanting.

You start understanding that building this castle was a labor of love. In fact Pier Maria de Rossi built this castle, for the love of his life Bianca Pellegrini, a Noblewoman of Milan. Both were married…..

Once you enter the rooms and see the frescoes you really start understanding.

This is the "Golden Room", the bedroom of Pier Maria Rossi. Gold leaf once adorned the tiles on the wall.

The Room of the Jugglers.

Several other rooms have impressive frescoes……it's quite breathtaking.

It was quite impressive and quite a bit to take in.

It was still drizzling off and on as we walked back down the hill to the car.

We decided to head to the town of Fontanellato about 12 miles west of Parma.

We noticed that all the streets into the center of town were blocked off.

So we went ahead and found a parking lot right outside the town center.

We had actually stopped in Fontanellato to check out the castle; this one was built in the 13th century and featured a moat. But upon arriving in town we were immediately distracted by…..pirates?!?

And Food Trucks?

And Pop Music….American of course……coming from the castle? A quick look at the sign explained all.

"Castelo Street Food" it said….it was some kind of street fair.

We cracked up…….

We decided to just walk around a bit, then grab some lunch.

We weren't in Emilia-Romagna to eat burgers or fish and chips….food trucks were out. We passed by a few nice looking places, but just didn't "feel it".

Then down on of the side street from Rocca Sanvitale we saw a deli….which seemed to have some tables in the front….it also had a nice small menu. The woman behind the counter waved at us; so we walked in.

The shop had a nice little dining area in the back of the shop.

The menu was totally in Italian, but it had started getting pretty easy ordering. Since this looked to be selling a lot of salume, formaggi, and trays of pasta to locals….ordering was easy.

Salume Misto con Torta Fritta (12€).

All the salumi were good; but the Culatello di Zibelo was the star. I swear, there's a porky start, with a cheesy, mushroomy finish to it.

The torta fritta was a bit thicker and not as light as what we had the previous evening. It was however, super hot, and seemed to bring out the best in the prosciutto, culatello, and especially the fatty pancetta canusina.

The Missus had never bought into the combination of balsamic vinegar on Parmigiano Reggiano; but I couldn't help but order the Gustazione Parmigianno Reggiano (10€), which had 24/30/36 month old cheese.

While we both enjoyed the 30 month old the best; a balanced nutty-milky, the Missus isn't a big fan of the crunchy tyrosine (it's NOT SALT) crystals in aged Parmesan, She did enjoy the 36 month old cheese with the balsamic drizzle. Oh, and none of these cheese were salty…..that's what we found with Parmigiano Reggiano, it's not especially salty. This was a lot ofcheese and we ended up taking half of it with us to go.

The pasta en brodo (9,5€) here was Cappelletti….."little caps".

The broth here was a bit darker than what we had previously and not quite as rich. Nice chicken flavor though and the cheese filled pasta was lovely; milky, not overly milky. There's something about capon broth and these pastas that are so good.

The Missus got the Tortelli de Patate con Funghi Porcini (9€).

Porcini was really the way to go as mushroom and sauce was earthy and almost sweet. The potato filling was pretty much that…..filling; the texture of the pasta was a nice al dente, the grated parmesan added a nice milkiness to thing. This was quite filling.

The Missus enjoyed the Lambrusco….I was driving so I just had H2O. The two young ladies, one which seemed to be the woman behind the deli counter's daughter were very ncie.

A nice meal overall.

Io, Parmigianino
Via Guglielmo Marconi 21
Vicino Alla Rocca Sanvitale, Fontanellato, Italy

It's amazing…..a random spot…..another nice meal.

Kroran Uyghur Cuisine – A First Look

June 5, 2018 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

**** Kroran has closed

I've had several inquiries regarding the opening of Kroran, one from "FOY Black Belt Jonez" and two via email (I heard ya' SomTommy). The place opened while we were away on vacation. So, on the weekend we returned, I decided to drop by. My visits were solo because, as I noted a few years back, the Missus isn't a big fan of Xinjiang Cuisine, unless it's as good as we had in Beijing. That's a rather tall order……..

I arrived on a Sunday. The place looked empty, but the restaurant was pretty busy.

There's a really nice guy who works here. He sat me quickly, a really sweet young lady was my Server….though things did take a while. But they have just opened after all, so I'll give that a pass. I believe the gentleman is Pakistani, the other front of house folks are a mix of Chinese and Middle Eastern ethnicity. I was told that the kitchen staff is from Xinjiang….which boded well.

Though a quick look at the menu was interesting…..there were a few classic Xinjiang type dishes, Laghman (lāmiàn), Chuanr (kebabs), Dàpánjī (Big Plate Chicken) and so forth. Somewhat puzzling was the addition of a bunch of Sichuan dishes and the lack of some of my favorite mutton preparations.

They were also out of a bunch of items…either it had been more busy than anticipated or the kitchen just wasn't ready for those dishes.

Not being physically able to put away Big Plate Chicken, I went with the Spicy Laghman. Supposedly the spicy version of the traditional hand pulled noodles of the region. Other than the noodles looking to have been chopped to smaller pieces, it looked good.

The texture of the noodles were pretty good as well, doughy, with a decent pull and chew. The flavoring though was way off; the beef was extremely salty and strangely dry. I expected tomato on the dish, but it was a bit too much…..and quite salty as well. And this had basically no spice….at least for me it didn't. The portion size was quite large.

Still, the texture of the lamian was pretty good. I made it a point to follow-up the next weekend. I invited some friends to join me, but got no takers. So it was me solo again.

The restaurant was even more busy this time around.

Same really nice folks working as well. Though as with the previous weekend, there were many things not available.

I started with the standard Uyghur Nan.

This was really dry and flavorless…..like it been sitting for a while.

I guess I was kind of expecting something closer to this…..

I really enjoy a good yang rou chuanr; so I figured the Lamb Kawab would have to be good, right?

First off; these arrived in like five minutes, so they were predictably cold. The texture wasn't bad; I expect some toothsomeness and this was fairly tender as a whole. I would have appreciated the meat being a bit more moist, more cumin, and while most are usually fairly salty, this was in need of more salt, and more seasoning as a whole.

For your reference…..

I also got just about the only item available (other than the nan) form the appetizer menu; the cold beef salad. Please note that the description mentions a "homemade chili sauce"……..

The beef shank was very beefy in flavor. It was as you can tell as dry as heck, though pretty tender. It did need much more in terms of seasoning to bring out the best in the product….like maybe more anise tones or even a "homemade chili sauce"?

So here's the deal. I like the nice gentleman and the young lady who work the front of house, the food is not terrible, but as I've mentioned before, as much as I like Xinjiang Cuisine, I'm not just "happy to have it". I'm going to give the place a "pass" for now. I'll drop by again in a few months.

Kroran Uyghur Cuisine
4310 Genesee Ave
San Diego, CA 92117
Hours:
Tues – Fri 11am – 3pm, 5pm – 10pm
Sat – Sun 11am – 10pm