September 2018 – mmm-yoso

The Pho Shop Revisted

September 30, 2018 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

So, what to eat near Sports Arena at 10am on a Sunday morning? I had to do a bit of shopping and it was a bit too early for lunch at most places. Then I remembered the Pho Shop. I thought it would be good to check them out again since it had been a while. But man, I hadn't realized it had been over five years already! How time flies.

I arrived just as the "open" sign went on. There were fans running in the place. I was obviously the first customer of the day and the only customer during my entire visit.

I just went with the Pho Dac Biet. The herbs and sprouts soon arrived….. as expected the amount of basil was miniscule and just starting to brown.

My bowl of pho quickly arrived thereafter.

The broth was a lot lighter than on my previous visit. It was also, like most of the pho in San Diego these days on the "sweeter" side, though it still had some nice onion tones. Not much beefiness and also highly defatted.

The tai; rare steak was very lean and once past rare quite tough; like on my previous visit, the flank and brisket were nicely done and beefy, the brisket being very tender. There was nary a piece of tendon in my bowl; though there was a lot of tripe; which was crunchy, and had no off flavors.

The noodles were cooked decently this time around.

While obviously not among my favorite pho shops in San Diego and navigating the course of "pho not to offend" this was not terrible. I can't think of any better pho in the area; though I haven't made the rounds in a while.

The Pho Shop
3760 Sports Arena Blvd
San Diego, CA 92110
Hours:
Mon – Sat 10am – 10pm
Sunday 10am – 9pm

Strasbourg – Market Day and More Eating at the Christmas Market (Place Broglie)

September 29, 2018 mmm-yoso Alsace, Festivals & Events, France, Markets & Grocers, Travel

We awoke fairly early on our last day in Strasbourg. Our short trip here just went by in a flash.

Since our train wouldn't be leaving until around 130; we asked the folks who managed the apartment if we could pack and leave our luggage there until it was time to head off to the train station at around noon. As with most folks who run these properties, it was no problem.

Even though we had managed to walk around much of the Grande Île and even did a boat tour, there's a lot that we missed. Like the Église protestante Saint-Pierre-le-Jeune, which was basically two blocks from where we were staying.

These places would just have to wait until next time……

On this brisk morning; there was a produce market going on….so we stopped by to check things out.

So, in addition to all the ornament and other stands; many of which were already open at 9am…..

There were folks pulling along wheeled shopping baskets……

We did one more "tour" of Grande Île, walking through Petit France, and taking time to take photos in front of the Christmas Tree at Place Kléber. Which apparently was the thing to do….

This is a statue of Jean-Baptiste Kléber ,the square's namesake; a Military General and Architect who was born in Strasbourg.

A lot of the fun was just wandering around and watching the folks out and about on this morning.

Soon enough; it was time to grab a bite to eat before grabbing our bags and heading back to Paris. You know what the Missus wanted, right?

So we got back to Place Broglie…..

And while the Missus went off in search of more Choucroute Garnie; I found this rather enticing sausage stand.

The guy working here was a hoot. After a good bonjour…..basically using up all the French I knew. I pointed to the great looking sausages with caramelized onions in the tray. He smile and asked me where I was from. I told him "America"; he then said, "good, you want zee hot dog?" He cracked me up! I ordered one; and he actually went ahead and made one up for me fresh. really nice. Before he handed the foot long sausage in a baguette to me he asked: "you want zee ket-chup?" I laughed and said "non merci monsieur – my friends from Chicago would kill me if I put ketchup on my hotdog!" He laughed and said; "so monsieur….you are purist?" And we both cracked up…..the sausage guy….and yours truly; the hot dog "purist"!

By the way; this was delicious; the forcemeat style sausage had an amazing snap, was perfectly seasoned. The mustard added a mild pungency and those onions were really sweet.

But the most amazing thing about this was the baguette; light, crusty, yeasty….oh man; even the Missus, who ate half of this by the way, in addition to what She got, enjoyed "zee hot dog!"

Of course She got more sausages and sauerkraut. Man, I can't believe how much of this stuff She can put away. Oh well, at least She was having a blast.

We finished up our early lunch, picked up our bags from the apartment, and headed off to Strasbourg Station.

We had really enjoyed our stay in joyous, colorful Strasbourg. I'm hoping to return one day.

Strasbourg – Place Kléber, the Aubette, Terres à Vin, and More Choucroute

September 28, 2018 mmm-yoso Alsace, France, French Restaurants, Travel

After napping off our afternoon wanderings and vin chaud, we awoke and relaxed a bit. The Missus watched Netflix, I worked on a post. By the time we headed out it was dark. We decided to head back to Place Kléber considered to be the central square of Strasbourg. As the sun set, the city seemed to awaken, everyone put on their warm clothes, the lights came on, and Strasbourg came alive.

The Missus was enchanted with all of the wonderful window displays.

Just like the previous evening we stopped at Place Kléber to enjoy the Christmas Tree.

And the beautifully lit Aubette.

So strikingly beautiful. It just put you in the holiday mood……

And this really good street musician helped to set the tone.

It just made for a wonderful moment in time.

Wandering around the side streets we found a little courtyard and this wine bar.

Named Terres a Vin. We decided to step in and have some wine and a snack.

We both started with wines typical of the region; a Riesling for the Missus a Gewürztraminer for me. While sipping on our wine, we decided to stick around for a while. We ordered some fromage and had another glass.

It was another nice little stop on a day of many wonderful vignettes.

Terres a Vin
1 rue du Miroir
Strasbourg, France

As we headed back to the apartment; we decided to get something to eat. Guess what the Missus wanted?

Yep, more choucroute, this time with just some "knacks". That baguette was actually quite good. The Missus just couldn't get enough sauerkraut.

The Missus was in heaven.

There's a time for having things planned out when on vacation. But then again, sometimes it's great to not make plans at all. Not having to be anywhere made for a wonderful day, in a lovely city.

We were given a bottle of wine when we checked in. This evening made for the perfect moment to pop that cork…..

Move one of the chairs up to the window; throw back the curtains, and enjoy…….

Thanks for stopping by!

Strasbourg – The Cathedral, Petit France, and Lunch at “Christkindelsmärik”

September 27, 2018 mmm-yoso Alsace, France, French Restaurants, Travel

We slept well after having a pretty busy day; hard to believe the difference between Paris and the Christmas Market in Strasbourg. The only real plans we made for our stay in Strasbourg was for the apartment and the dinner we had the previous night. We just wanted to relax and enjoy ourselves.

We stepped out into a brisk, but beautiful morning. The sun reflected its orange colors off the buildings.

We decided to head on over to the Cathedral to get a better look at it. There was also one item in the Cathedral that I really wanted to see.

So we headed out; down the pedestrian only alleyways of the Grande Île.

We strolled down Rue du Dome, which ended right at Strasbourg Cathedral; the sun reflecting orange rays off the bell tower.

It was quite a stunning sight.

Like I mentioned in my previous post; Strasbourg Cathedral was once the tallest building in the world.

There are also some interesting stories about the Cathedral; one of the most interesting, you'll find a version here; is of the Devil , riding on the wind, was drawn to a sculpture in the Cathedral, showing him in the form of "a tempter". Curious, he left the wind outside and entered the Cathedral and was imprisoned in one of the pillars. To this day; the wind still awaits his return outside the Cathedral. Which is why it is always so blustery in Cathedral Square.

The Apse is quite stunning.

As are other parts of the Cathedral.

But, as I mentioned, there was one main thing I had come to see. Since our visit to Prague a few years back; I'd become rather fascinated Astronomical Clocks like the one in the Old Town Square of that city. I'd only seen one other Astronomical Clock; this one in Olomouc, so I was interested in seeing another. This one is actually the third clock. The first had been built in the 14th Century, the second in the 16th Century. This one dates back to 1843. It is also one of the largest.

Satisfied we headed back out. There's a Christmas Market in Cathedral Square. The theme of this market is a different country every year….this year it was…..well we had a chuckle.

Iceland; where we had just been the previous year! All these little connections……

I still wanted to get a decent photo of the Cathedral, so I walked down the alley of Rue Merciere. Since it was early, there wasn't much traffic, of the wheeled or two-legged kind.

So I snapped a photo. Not sure if it it's especially great; but it would be the best I would get on this trip.

Walk across the street and you are on Place Gutenberg; yes, named after that Gutenberg. Johannes Gutenberg lived in Strasbourg for around faive years or so. It is said that during this time he presented his printing press to the world in a publication called Kunst und Aventur (art and enterprise). Naturally, a statue of Gutenberg stands in the square.

From here; we decided to hit up the TI and they recommended we take a boat tour around the Grande Île. Because of the green tinted windows; my photos didn't turn out well; but here's a short video clip.

And, I got a nice shot of the row of buildings where our apartment was. You can see it was quite a nice location.

The boat ride ended in the area known as Petit France. This picturesque and historic area is where the River Ill splits into four canals.

And is known for the covered bridges in the area; you can still see the fortifications for those bridges that date back to the 13th century.

It is quite touristy, but also very charming.

Because of the river and canals; this was where the tanners and other folks lived. In an interesting twist; the name "Petit France" is not named for its architecture, but because of a 16th century hospital that treated "zum Franzosel" (the French disease), aka syphilis while still a free city in the Holy Roman Empire. Apparently, the citizens of Strasbourg believed the disease was the fault of the French. Basically, the idea was to isolate those with the disease in a structure in this district.

On a totally unrelated (to venereal disease) note. Since we were in the area; we decided to finally try some Vin Chaud; mulled wine.

Basically warm, mulled wine…….

You know, we never developed a taste for this…..gaaack…it was really sour, warm, and in most cases spiced. One of our friends wade a video of all of our faces after drinking this stuff. On a positive note; it really did warm you up….but you had to swallow of course. As you can read yourself on this post: "Vin Chaud was originally made as a means of saving wine that had gone bad—by adding sugar and spices it often made the wine drinkable again" You did get some nice souvenir cups though.

By now, we decided to head back to the apartment. But after that vin chaud we were in need of some sustenance. We stopped by the Christkindelsmärik on Place Broglie just two blocks from the apartment. This stand looked quite popular.

Seems this fellow resented not getting his share of choucroute garnie.

The Missus got the Choucroute d'Alsace; She just can't ever get enough fermented cabbage it seems. The knack was nice and snappy and the smoked sausage quite nice.

The potatoes were tender…what's not to like….since She just loved the charcroute, who am I to deny Her access to this….we'd basically have it for every meal.

I decided to try the Munster en Baguette.

Very ripe smelling Munster cheese, but very mild and milky, almost sweet in flavor; on a nice crusty baguette….the ripe tomatoes added just enough acidity to cut through the richness and salty tones. This was quite enjoyable.

Then we made a mistake of trying more vin chaud! This was better, not as puckery….but we're not sold on this……

As this fellow seemed to say to me "fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice……."

It was obviously time for a nap!

Thanks for reading!

El Jardin

September 25, 2018 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants

**** El Jardin has closed

We were a bit fascinated when El Jardin opened in Liberty Station a few months back. The Missus is starting to enjoy Mezcal, so that was a draw. The menu seemed quite diverse; El Jardin literally means "the garden", which seemed interesting. In the various posts in Eater San Diego, there's one thing that caught my attention, the Chef's definition of the menu as "Grandma Chic". The product of travel through seven regions of Mexico with locally sourced products and ingredients.

Well, we decided to visit, and to this day, El Jardin is basically a monthly treat for us.

And while the dining area is perfectly fine; we've only eaten inside once.

We prefer the al fresco, outdoor area….even with the recent cooler weather. The only major issue is the darn planes flying over every 20-30 minutes, which drowns out all conversation.

We will often go early; the bar area opens at 430. We get on the list for a table, usually sitting outside; often in our favorite Server's area. His name is Ille and is the friendliest, gracious, Server you could ever want. He also got on the Missus's good side on our first visit by recommending the Bozal Ensamble, a wonderfully smokey Mezcal which was served in a pretty Copita. On a revisit with my good friends, MrQ really took to this as well. Like my post on Soi 30th; I'm not going to reference that visit, since it was just about good times.

One of the main reasons we visit El Jardin are for the cocktails. They make a mean Mezcal Old Fashioned. The Missus loves the Mazateca Swizzle (to the right) with a nice smokey Mezcal instead of the Rum. The folks manning the bar are usually very good and the drinks aren't too sweet or watered down. They're priced competitively at $11-13.

They've also made me a pretty good Mezcal Negroni a few times as well; which I prefer to the traditional Negroni. Yes, even more than a Negroni in Florence where the drink was created.

I also enjoy the Plaza Sesamo; which uses Toki Japanese Whiskey, Black Sesame, Mole Bitters, as a base.

When it was a zillion degrees out….like this past summer; I'd often just get a nice Michelada.

The menu at El Jardin is constantly changing, which is a mixed blessing because once in a while you'll find a dish you love and then it'll vanish, never to be seen again. El Jardin is also not cheap; we never get out for less than eighty bucks or so, but of course we'd rather spend it here for an interesting dinner with cocktails to our taste than, say Cloak & Petal.

So here's a run down of dishes; from our favorites, to stuff we really didn't care for.

But first, a few words about the supporting cast. Of all the salsas, we enjoy the smokey and spicy salsa made with chili de arbol. It seems to have peanuts or something like that in it that just ups everything. The tortillas a decent, but we've definitely had better. The tostadas are amazing, light and crisp, with a texture like a perfect chicharron…..

Da' Winnahs:

Octopus Tikin Chic ($28) - Yes octopus. Holy smoke, this was fork tender, and the seasoning, an amazing recado rojo, slightly sweet ("like char siu" said the Missus), citrusy, with a nice touch of spice.

The soul of the flavor took me back to a certain dinner we had in Flores, Guatemala. The, what seemed to be something like an almost cheesy celriac puree was great at tempering the flavors of the octopus. Yes, this octopus might even be better than our favorite restaurant in Chania.

The Yucatan Style Castacan ($29) was another winnah!

Nice pork belly; crisp outside, tender and moist inside. The Sikil Pak, pumpkin seed salsa was delicious, nutty, with a nice kick. Ille told us that they use some habanero in this version. The green beans were super firm and crisp, with a nice "green" flavor and a mild sweet finish. Unfortunately, we only saw this once on the menu.

Another item that we came across only once; albeit as a appetizer special was the fried smelt.

If you read our blog regularly, you know the Missus loves Her shishamo. This was so crisp, clean, and light; which just a touch of rich brininess; like we were eating the crisp soul of the smelt. We actually had two orders of this.

A regular on the menu; the Res en Salsa Verde ($23), pairs a confit of beef belly, with confit of beef tongue….talk about a combination of beefy flavors!

The salsa verde isn't too sour and bracing. And the Missus really enjoys the very firm, frijoles de olla….very beany.

Dependable Standbys:

Jalisco Style Pozole Rojo ($17).

The bowl with the beans, pork, corn, radish, avocado, et al; is served first, then the broth is poured over at the table. This is hearty and all the various textures come through.

Carne Apache ($17); rib eye tartare.

I didn't care for the sloppy pile of raw meat on the plate….and I love beef tartare! I missed the silken textures of an egg or something similar. This was fine; the beef a bit too chewy, the ancho mayo distracted from a nice, clean, finish.

The Missus loves the Albondigas de Chipotle ($26).

The meatballs are slightly smokey and very tender. Those things that look like mushrooms are actually chochoyotes, wonderful dumplings of masa, so full of corn flavor. My main issue with this dish is that the two times we've had it; it arrived at the table less than lukewarm. It didn't stop the Missus from scarfing it all down.

Another nice appetizer; Totopos Emmolados ($10); basically tortilla chips, in this case super crunchy, freshly fried, thick tortilla chips topped with a mole negro.

I loved the fact that the mole wasn't overly sweet; it just had a nice balance of sweet-salty-mild spice. That cheese was interesting; it was mild in flavor, with a texture of yogurt. we were told it was Cashew Cheese. This was actually a pretty large portion size.

Not Our Favorites (perhaps we'll try them again):

Carne en su Jugo ($26). The brisket was a bit too fatty and that "beef dashi" was kinda watery, with a strange flavor.

Not Having Again:

The Cazuela de Chilorio ($26) featured dry and stringy pork shoulder in a Chili Colorado sauce that was on the cold side making it greasy.

The beans were also on the colder side as well. Pass.

The Vuelve a la Vida ($19) is also something we won't have again.

First off; this was a really tiny portion. Second, the trout roe was too salty, third the uni tasted a bit "off", and unlike the other octopus dish, in this it was quite tough.

And our least favorite dish; which seems like a regular item on the menu. The impressive looking Barbacoa Lamb Shank ($26).

This was just unpleasantly sweet for us…….to the point that you really couldn't taste the beans, nor enjoy the lamb shank.

In case you're wondering; there is a "garden" at El Jardin.

So for us; the strategy is simple.

Go early, grab a cocktail (or two), get a table outside…explore the garden a bit while waiting on your food. Enjoy the amiable, yet professional service. Pause your conversation between planes flying over.

Just enjoy….life is too short.

El Jardin
2885 Perry Rd
San Diego, CA 92106
Hours:
Mon – Thurs 5pm – 9pm
Fri – Sun 1030am – 3pm, 5pm – 10pm

Revisits – Bann Cutlet & Teriyaki and Sarap Filipino Kitchen

September 24, 2018 mmm-yoso Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Chicken Wings, Filipino Restaurants, Korean Restaurants

A couple of revisits to places on Miramar Road that I posted on rather recently.

Bann Cutlet & Teriyaki:

**** Bann in the H Mart Food Court has closed

**** Bann has moved to the H Mart Food Court

I think the freshly prepared food at Bann is a decent choice; the prices aren't bad, and while it's not outstanding, you do get what you pay for. During one of my recent revisits; I recalled that while I've tried the Chicken Cutlet here (nicely fried, but the sauce is not to my taste); I hadn't tried the Teriyaki. So why not? Also, the two young ladies who work here are really nice. And (maybe) because I waited for my Teriyaki Chicken so long, they gave me a fried egg for no additional charge.

Whatever the motive for the gratis egg was; I appreciated it. As you can tell; this is a fairly hefty lunch….man, so much rice. As I posted on earlier; I do enjoy the salad, and that mandu was still crisp when I got back to the office.

The chicken was on the rubbery side, but not bad.

Not a big fan of the teriyaki sauce; it's too sweet for my taste and texture is really gloppy. The rice was perfectly cooked; the bok choy (along with the salad) made sure I got my veggies.

Though it was too much food. I'll stick with a "bowl" next time which is still more than enough for me. Like the kimchi fried rice bowl…….

Bann Cutlet & Teriyaki
9506 Miramar Rd
San Diego, CA 92126

Sarap Filipino Kitchen:

**** Sarap is now Gaya Gaya

After our visits to Sarap; the gang at work couldn't wait to revisit. And so; with one of the folks having a birthday, even though there were only four of us, we headed back to Sarap.

We ordered the Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings again.

While these were ok; they weren't as crisp as on my previous visits. Still, not bad. Also, not seasoned as much either.

The Lechon Kawale. I wanted to try this again after having a terrible version earlier.

The skin was much better this time around; though the pork belly was on the dry side, and the leaner portions were rather tough. I enjoy the lechon sauce here; it's on the fairly mellow side, with a nice balanced flavor.

Crispy Pata (of course):

This time around; the pata was chopped up; the meat taken off the bone and the two ends, with the nice gelatinous parts laying at each end. It was still good, perhaps a bit drier, but the skin was wonderfully crisp; the porkiness of the leg coming through nicely. It was also a bit smaller than last time as well.

Daniel from Georgia loved the Sinigang and the Bagoong Fried Rice (sorry no photo).

Not a huge portion; but the tamarind based broth was rich, had a nice sourness, and man; the okra (I do love my "neba-neba") was gooey goodness. The pork was moist and tender and this had that nice "aaah" appeal. I'd gladly have this again.

We ordered some white rice with this……but hardly touched a quarter of it……

So, there you go….still a mixed bag; but still closer than Villa Manila which I think is better. They also need to staff better….it's go early, or wait a while for your food.

I also heard that they have started serving breakfast on the weekends now.

We'll see how things go here.

Sarap Filipino Kitchen
7580 Miramar Rd
San Diego, CA 92126

Sunday Sandwiches – The Gourmet Bagger

September 23, 2018 mmm-yoso Cheesesteaks, Sandwiches

It's funny how things seem to come full circle. More than a few years ago; I attended a lunch meeting, lunch was provided. Sandwiches. Which were not bad. They were from a place called the Gourmet Bagger. As you know; I have a soft spot for all those little, mom and pop sandwich shops, many of which are hidden away sometimes in industrial parks or business buildings, some of which are pretty darn popular. I was told that the Gourmet Bagger was a shop on Miramar Road. So after we moved offices; I went looking for it….it's now LouZiana Food (which is in my backlog of posts). Forward the calendar a few months and after my last Cheesesteak Post (yes, I know I need to check out Calozzi's), I received an email telling me a shop in the Midway area made a decent cheesesteak. The name? The Gourmet Bagger.

I'm not sure why I never noticed the place. It's in the same parking lot as the new 85C, Guahan Grill, and basically across the street from Pho Point Loma.

The place was fairly empty when I visited; but it sure got packed fast. The folks running the front seem to be on the younger side and the older folks work the back of house.

The menu is quite varied, with at least 25 different "gourmet type" sandwiches along with the regular deli sandwiches, salads, and similar stuffs.

Because "ST" mentioned the cheesesteak here; I ordered the Bagger Cheesesteak ($7.49).

A standard issue, fairly yeast French Roll is used for this; which really wasn't up to the task. The rib eye steak was a bit more chewy than I prefer, and the jury is out on whether I like pickles or tomatoes on a cheesesteak. The cheese; white American cheese did fine. Though this isn't something I'd order again.

A few weeks later; I was in the area after doing some grocery shopping at TJ's. It was 1030 on a Saturday and I recalled the Gourmet Bagger opens at around 1030 on that day. So, I stopped by. This was when the temps were really high so nothing hot for me. I was pretty hungry so I ordered the "Killer Klub" ($7.99) with Swiss cheese (70-cent upcharge).

This is my favorite of the three sandwiches I had at the Gourmet Bagger. I have mentioned before; that I have a special place in my heart for Club Sandwiches….or as my late Mom (and most of my relatives); a "Clubhouse". The bacon was really nice and crisp, there wasn't too much mayo, which was evenly spread, the tomatoes were nice and sweet-tart, the turkey and ham were fine. I'm glad I got Swiss Cheese as it added a nice milky component and that whole grain bread was nicely toasted, rustic, and almost nutty. For me; a very nice example of a "Clubhouse"…..

A few weeks ago, I found myself on the way back from shopping and decided to stop by for a sandwich. This time, I got the Gourmet Grinder ($7.49); basically your typical Italian style sandwich.

It didn't look like much, but when split in half; you can see the decent proportion of ingredients. I liked the fact that it wasn't over-dressed; though having pickles, Italian Dressing and "sweet" peppers made this tend toward the sour end of the flavor spectrum. I enjoyed the salt that the capacolla and salami brought to the sandwich.

I like the folks working here. They are very pleasant, though you may have to wait a while for your sandwiches. I forgot to mention one last touch…..they always include a cookie and a piece of hard candy with your order.

So, I'll probably be back again. It's a nice, well priced, unpretentious sandwich spot.

The Gourmet Bagger
3357 Rosecrans St
San Diego, CA 92110
Hours:
Mon – Thurs 1030am – 530pm
Fri – Sat 1030am – 4pm
Sunday 11am – 3pm

San Francisco – Lotta’s Fountain, the Ferry Building, a Walk Along the Bay, and the Fort Mason Center Farmer’s Market

September 22, 2018 mmm-yoso Caffeine Fix, Markets & Grocers, San Francisco and Silicon Valley, Travel

We must have both been exhausted. After a very nice dinner at Mourad, the Missus and I basically slept ten hours! We got up and with no real plans in mind, decided to take a stroll. Since it had been over a decade and a half since we'd been in the city, we thought a walk along San Francisco Bay might be fun; starting at the Ferry Building, ending near Fort Mason.

So, we headed down Market Street. We passed Lotta's Fountain.

This brass fountain was a gift to the city of San Francisco from Lotta Crabtree, a well known Entertainer, you can read more about her here. According to Atlas Obscura, Lotta loved San Francisco and donated this fountain to the city in 1875. And that would be just a "nice story" if not for the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. The earthquake damage and fires left the city in ruins. Lotta's Fountain though, was still standing and became an important landmark and meeting place for survivors of that disaster. Even though the last known survivor of the earthquake died in 2016, a quake remembrance and ceremony is held at this spot at 512am on April 18 of every year. The exact time the quake struck San Francisco.

This one is the Mechanics Monument,

The five figures in the monument are working a metal punching machine.

And then there's the Vaillancourt Fountain.

A fountain build of concrete squares that folks love to hate. One of the searches that comes up when typing in "Vaillancourt Fountain" is this:

We crossed the street to the Ferry Building, which we had visited before.

And picked up Cold Brew from Blue Bottle Coffee.

It had wonderful fruity tones and was just the pick-me-up we needed.

Blue Bottle Coffee
Ferry Building, One San Francisco Bay Trail
San Francisco, CA 94111

And caffeine in hand we were on our way.

It was a slightly hazy day, but the sun was out, and the temperature was fifteen degrees cooler than San Diego.

We wandered out to Pier 7, and enjoyed the view of the Transamerica Building.

We enjoyed a rather brisk walk up the Embarcadero……..eventually getting to all the tourists at Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf.

The haze had started to clear out and I finally got a decent shot of Alcatraz Island.

We meandered past all the tourist traps and got to Ghirardelli Square. Man, I don't recall it being so packed in like this when we last visited all those years ago.

As we neared Laguna Street, we noticed folks carrying bags filled with produce, so we followed the trail and ended up at Fort Mason Center where it was Market Day.

We spent a good forty-five minutes checking out the various stands and sampling the fruit….man, that yellow watermelon was so good.

It was a nice break….a little slice of life. If we lived in the area, this would truly be a weekly stop for us.

Fort Mason Center Farmers' Market
Marina Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94109
Sunday 930am – 130pm

From here; the plan was to grab an early lunch from one of the places on Chestnut Street, so we headed off in that direction.

But after sampling the produce at the Farmers Market and checking out the eating establishments on Chestnut Street, The Missus remained uninspired. So She told me; "let's head back to Chinatown". By heading back, She meant "walk". And then added; let's do it via Lombard Street. Yikes……

So I huffed and puffed my way up Lombard.

Instead of walking down that crooked one block part of Lombard Street we headed a few blocks over and walked down Filbert.

Eventually we made it too Columbus Street, then Jackson. Now the question was, where to eat?

Stay tuned!

Clearing Out the Memory Card: Breakfasts and Brunches – Urban Solace, Tiger! Tiger!, and Talavera Azul

September 21, 2018 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Cajun, Southern, and Soul Food, Gastropub, Mexican Restaurants

It's sure been a beautiful day. I'm hoping you have more important things than to just sit around and read blog posts…..but if not; here are some quick, mostly photo revisits. Brunch and Breakfast issue.

Urban Solace:

*** Urban Solace has closed

For the Sunday Jazz Brunch.

Sadly, they're not doing the "Secret Menu" torchon de foie gras anymore. Bummer. Portion sizes were generous; but I really didn't like the gravy they put on the biscuits; it really killed the rather delicate cheese flavor. The slab bacon might have been our favorite; though the Kennebec potatoes were not bad.

Actually, my favorite thing was the Picante Bloody Mary, with bacon. Man, that was really good.

Urban Solace Restaurant
3823 30th Street
San Diego, CA 92104

Tiger! Tiger!:

**** Tiger! Tiger! has closed

We were bummed when they removed the Wood Fired Potatoes from the brunch menu and stopped dropping by on Sundays. We revisited last weekend and were happy to find "crispy potatoes" on the menu. We enjoyed it with a half charcuterie board.

Tiger! Tiger!
3025 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92104

Talavera Azul:

It's been too hot for the Missus to order the Menudo; so of course She ordered my favorite, the Sonoran Machaca.

Trying to figure what to order; I went with the Chicharron in Salsa Verde.

Gooey pork skin in an almost too tart and sour salsa verde. But combined in a tortilla with the beefy and crunchy machaca; it worked out fine.

Talavera Azul
365 3rd Ave
Chula Vista, CA 91910

So there you go….maybe some ideas for brunch this weekend!

Thanks for dropping by!

Strasbourg – Experiencing the Christmas Market and Dinner at Chez Yvonne

September 20, 2018 mmm-yoso Alsace, Festivals & Events, France, French Restaurants, Travel

It was a rather quick hour and forty-five minute train ride from Gare l'Est to Strasbourg Station. From there we walked to the apartment we were staying at which was right across the river on the Grande Île, the "island" which is the center of the city which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We were a bit shocked to find bag checks and road blocks manned by soldiers for folks crossing over to the Grande Île. I didn't know it at the time; but Strasbourg, along with being famous for having one of the best Christmas Markets in Europe is also the home of the European Parliament, the European Court of Human Rights, and the Eurocorps.

We settled into our apartment; which was huge……three bedrooms….crazy. And we loved the views across the river from the front door and the unit.

Here you can see the bridge we crossed and the security detail in place.

Like I mentioned above; the apartment we stayed in was large and so comfortable. And the details were kind of…well, interesting.

We took a nice short nap and awoke refreshed. We decided to head out and explore before finding the restaurant where we had dinner reservations.

During the Christmas Season (from November 24th this year, 2018) Strasbourg has an amazing Christmas Market.

Actually the term "Christmas Market" is incorrect, as there are if I recall correctly, 11 different markets (called "Christkindelsmärik") that occupy different areas of the island. The Grande Île is quite walkable, so we just started at the one closest to us at Place Broglie, which is also the oldest Christmas Market in the city, having been established in 1570!

Once the sun sets and the lights are turned on the city is transformed.

It's really hard to not get into the spirit of things with all of this joy, bright lights, the atmosphere is quite magical. Yes, I'm sure at its core there are commercial concerns, but man, you'd have to be a major scrooge to not get into the spirit of things.

The basic center of things is the giant Christmas Tree in Place Kléber. The market surrounding the tree is called the "Village of Sharing" and we were told that the stalls here sell their goods and food for charity.

Strasbourg is called the Capitale de Noël (the Capital of Christmas) and it's easy to see why.

Don't forget to look up…..there's something to see on almost every building.

Strasbourg Cathedral is quite grand as it rises above the city. The spire rises to 466 feet. The Cathedral, built in the Gothic style was, for over 200 years (227 to be exact) the tallest building in the world! Because of surrounding buildings and the size of the square, it's actually somewhat of a challenge getting the whole structure into a single frame. We'd spend some time visiting the Cathedral (for one main reason) the next day.

After wandering the stalls around the square we had to head off to find our destination for dinner.

I had wanted to try the traditional food of Alsace so I made dinner reservations at a Winstub. Strasbourg and Alsace as a whole sits on the Eastern border of France. In fact, the eastern border of Strasbourg sits on the Rhine. Across the river is Germany and the city of Kehl.

Over the last 350 years of so, control of Strasbourg has gone back and forth between France and Germany, so you can imagine the influences of the cuisine of the area.

We found our destination Chez Yvonne under another wonderfully decorated window, down a side street, close to the Cathedral.

A restaurant has stood in this location since 1870; and Chez Yvonne dates back to the 1950's.

We were seated upstairs. We enjoyed the Service which was friendly and the Missus enjoys Alsatian wines.

We started with the Goose Liver Foie Gras.

The was wonderfully creamy, though a bit too cold in terms of temperature. The flavor was on the milder side for Foie Gras….and that sea salt perfectly enhanced the flavor.

The Missus got the Veal Tongue which was super tender and quite mild in flavor.

As you can tell, this is hearty, meat and potatoes fare. Still, very nicely prepared, straight forward food. There was a mild vinaigrette dressing the tongue.

If you've read this blog long enough, you know the Missus loves fermented and pickled items. Thus I ordered the Choucroute Garnie….yes choucroute is what we know here in the states as Sauerkraut….and I'm truly aware that "Garnie" means "throw every kind of protein you can on the plate".

The Missus loved the cabbage; it was much more tender than what passes as sauerkraut here. I enjoyed the knack (the long snappy sausage) and the rinderwurst (the smoked sausage) the most. The pork and the liver dumplings were on the bland side. From this point on; the Missus and I decided to just hit all the sausage and choucroute stands.

All in all, this was a fun meal. The service was very nice and we got a taste of the rather heavy traditional cuisine of Alsace. Luckily, the only thing we'd had the whole day were croissants, so we were able to put away all this meat with no problem.