November 2018 – mmm-yoso

It’s Fry-day – A Revisit to Mr Fish and Chips

November 30, 2018 mmm-yoso Seafood

I had a bunch of errands to run the weekend before our trip to France. The clock was striking 11 and I was getting hungry. I really didn't want to eat at any of the "chains" in the area and other places didn't open until at least 1130. Coming out of CVS; I recalled not having been back to Mr Fish and Chips in over four years! Heck; I'd be getting my share of tete de veau, foie gras, and other goodies soon enough. Why not have some fried food for a change?

The place was pretty quiet when I arrived.

Not much has changed over the years (can you believe I first posted about this place in 2007??); except the prices of course; the Fish Combo was now $11.99. And it looks like they give you a little "trolley" with every sauce in the world when you receive your food.

I had no complaints about the fish…..

The crisp and crunchy batter was nice; not greasy in the least. The fish was moist, with no off flavors. Of course, with this brand of Malt Vinegar I had to use a ton of it to dial it up to my "taste" (the tartar sauce is super bland).

The fries…ummm chips; were limp, dry, and like cardboard; there was no remedy for that.

The coleslaw was generically decent; I used more malt vinegar on it as I thought it needed some oomph. But it was nicely chilled, the veggies crisp, and not overly dressed.

The owner was much more "chatty" then I recalled. As the place filled up, it seemed like he knew a good number of customers.

In the end; the meal was quite consistent with what I've had here over the years. And that's not a bad thing…..every four-five years or so.

Mister Fish & Chips
5647 Balboa Ave
San Diego, CA 92111
Hours:
Mon – Thurs 11am – 830pm
Fri – Sat 11am – 9pm
Closed on Sundays

Modena – Ristorante da Danilo

November 29, 2018 mmm-yoso Emilia-Romagna, Italy, Italian Restaurants, Italy, Travel

Trains are interesting in Italy; it seems like they are always late. Our train from Ferrara to Bologna was 15 minutes late; which made me worry, since we had a 14 minute transfer time in Bologna for our train to Modena. I shouldn't have worried since our Bologna connection was 25 minutes late!

We arrived in Modena and made our way to the lovely apartment which was located right the edge of downtown Modena. It was spacious and the interior had been upgraded. The owner was not able to meet us; but her dad, a jolly and friendly gentleman did. While he spoke no English; he did a great job of showing us around and even wrote down a dinner recommendation for us!

I actually tried calling the restaurant for dinner reservations; but as soon as they heard English, they hung up on me!

We freshened up and took a short stroll…..I didn't take too many photos; only a few of Piazza Roma and Palazzo Ducale.

We also did a bit of shopping; checking out a Balsamic Vinegar (after all; this is Modena) shop and wandering around a bit.

Returning to the apartment, we took a short nap, and then decided to head out for dinner. In spite of being hung up on; we headed off to Risorante da Danilo to see if we could get a table.

Which we did. Initially, our Server was a rather serious, not very friendly woman…….we both gave her a hearty "buona serra" and got a one-second smile before the edges of her mouth returned to their locked downward position. The Missus and I just couldn't help but crack up. After seeing some of the rather demanding non-local customers during our meal; I could understand how folks here could become a bit jaded.

And of course, some Lambrusco makes everything better, no?

We started our meal here in the same manner as other meals in Emilia-Romagna….with Salumi and of course Culatello. I just couldn't get enough of the stuff.

The prosciutto was quite good, meltingly tender, with a nice funky-cheesy finish. The culatello wasn't of the best quality, but was sliced nice and thin. And of course the torta fritta; here it was a bit thicker; making it more crunchy than crisp, though it was still wonderful with the cured meats. The Pecorino was on the "young" side but had a nice milkiness to it.

The Missus it seems, just couldn't get enough of the funghi in the region and went with the Papardelle con Funghi Porcini.

Man, the pasta was perfectly al dente, soft, yet with a pleasant stretch. The porcini added such a pleasant earthy-savory, almost sweetness to things. As with all the pasta in the region; it was nicely coated, but not drenched…..you had the means of really enjoying the flavors and pasta evenly.

While the Missus couldn't get enough porcini…well; I just couldn't get my fill of……tortellini. En Brodo de Cappone of course.

The tortellini were wonderful; slight savory-cheesy bliss, the perfect pasta….each tiny little morsel made by hand. Which is why it's usually the most expensive pasta on the menu. The broth was light but had a nice poultry flavor….that old hen surely gave her life for a noble cause.

Simple, pure, and basic seems to work the best in Emilia-Romagna.

By this time our Server had warmed up to us. We were enjoying our meal and were low maintenance, eating things as it should be…..she was actually smiling and stopping by to see how we were doing. The Emilia-Romagna warmth and friendliness was perhaps dormant at first…..but it could not help but push itself to the surface in the end.

We really enjoyed our dinner here.

Ristorante da Danilo
Via Coltellini 31
Modena, Italy

We strolled through Piazza Roma again.

Past the Monument to Ciro Menotti.

And into the Modena night…….

House of Pho

November 28, 2018 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

One of my coworkers wanted to know what I thought of this little shop off Plaza in National City. So, I thought I'd head down to check them out. I was forewarned about the "interesting" service that "MG" sometimes got here.

The little shop is a simple set-up; the menu is status quo for these type of shops.

The young lady who waited on me; was well….different; she dropped off the menu at the table and just stood there, not impatiently mind you, she just stood there blankly looking at….well almost through me, not saying a word. This wasn't say; the perfunctory service of, for example Pho Hoa, this was just silence. I placed my order, she grabbed the menu, turned and walked away; uttering not a word.

I had gone with the well done steak, flank, brisket, tendon, and tripe.

The portion of sprouts and basil was also average for most pho places these days; rather sparse, but at least fresh.

The broth was cloudy, not very rich, lacking in anise/beef tones, and mostly just salty. Sorely in need of a flavor injection; more cilantro, onions, or anything…..

The noodles were over-cooked and on the mushy side.

The meatballs were the typical squeaky, flavorless orbs; the well done steak tasteless, the one piece of tendon thick and tough; the chewy flank had some beefiness, ditto the brisket, and there were two little "wisps"of tripe.

My check was silently placed on my table; the silent Server, turned and walked away. I did hear her talk to the other woman working…..she just didn't speak to me at all. This was kind of odd.

There really wasn't any reason to return. But a few months later….yes months; I decided to just come back and try something else.

The same young lady was working; same blank stare, same silence…….. I started with the Garlic Wings.

Which arrived sizzling hot and crisp. It really lacked any substantial seasoning though…..not much garlic, or anything else going on here. The skin got mushy rather quickly, lots of black spots in the flesh, whose texture was a bit chewy in spots. I'm thinking there was some oxidation and freezer burn going on here as there was that slightly off flavor in spots.

I had also ordered the Bo Kho; the Beef Stew.

This was basically pho broth with bo kho base. In a completely opposite manner; the broth was super greasy, had a metallic finish to it, and lacked the beefy, tangy, mild-anise/peppery spice of a decent beef stew. It was quite salty and I used a good amount of the lime trying to balance out the flavor of the broth….to no avail.

The beef in the stew were strangely provided in tough and dry "rolls"

The banh pho was decently prepped this time around and had some "pull" to them.

My check silently arrived at my table…….

I decided to see if I could actually get a response from the young lady serving me and when I saw this…..

I had an opening…perhaps the young lady was just shy? I asked her if the owners were from Hawaii? The young lady gave me a blank stare; took my money, turned around and walked away. She did say something to the other woman working who laughed. I guess I just wasn't worth but a single word or response. Strange…..

House of Pho
3120 E Plaza Blvd
National City, CA 91950
Hours:
Sun – Fri 10am – 9pm
Saturday 10am – 10pm

Revisits – Menya Ultra (Mira Mesa) and Ramen Menma – Basso Drillman Oceanside

November 27, 2018 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

We're slowly getting to ramen weather here….so a couple of ramen revisits might be in order.

Menya Ultra (Mira Mesa):

Calvin wanted to take me to lunch before my trip, so he got to pick…….it was easy for him; he wanted to try the Mira Mesa location of Menya Ultra. Calvin had been singing the praises of MU on Clairemont Mesa since he first tried the place. While I had the broth had not sustained its excellence over time. Of course he didn't know any better. So, when we got to MU, I told him he was in for a treat as the owner, Takashi Endo was working in the kitchen area.

And this was indeed quite good; even better than usual.

The broth was a bit richer and full bodied, the fragrance, a nice funky tonkotsu, the flavor mild and not too salty. The noodles were perfect; the ajitama, nicely done and not cold.

A really well done bowl….things are better when the boss is around.

Menya Ultra
8141 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126

Ramen Menma – Basso Drillman Oceanside:

**** Ramen Menma – Basso Drillman has closed

The Missus had to work the weekend before we left on our trip. I decided to head on back to Oceanside and Ramen Menma – Basso Drillman. I'd enjoyed the noodles in their Aburasso Ramen and wanted to try out the Tsukemen….and of course that Chicken Karaage I enjoyed.

Sadly, they weren't serving he Tsukemen on this visit. So, I ended up ordering the "Red Hot Miso Ramen Deluxe".

While not being particularly spicy; I preferred this to the rather bland shoyu ramen. It wasn't overly salty; with some decent savory tones; the thickness of the broth was pleasant, if not overly rich. The chashu was nicely seasoned if a bit on the "waxy" side with regards to texture. The menma, which I enjoyed last time still had that nice woodiness; except that it was ice cold….ditto the egg; which was also on the overcooked side for my taste. The noodles were also past the nice chewy-al dente ("katame") texture I prefer as well. Not bad…..

I was really looking forward to the chicken karaage.

Which sadly did not live up to the level of my previous two visits. First off, notice that one piece had been sliced to check for doneness….just seeing this made me rather sad as it meant whomever was making this wasn't familiar with frying the karaage up. And yes; the sliced piece was very dry and as you can see by the photos, so were the other pieces, of which the batter was also hard instead of crunchy. While on previous visits; the flavor of the marinade had danced on the edge of salty; this went over that line as well and was really salty.

Man, what a bummer….I really enjoyed the karaage on my previous two visits.

Service was efficient, the ramen decent, but to me, this really wasn't worth the drive up to Oceanside; so I'm not sure if, or when I'll make an effort to return.

Ramen Menma – Basso Drillman Oceanside
509 Mission Ave
Oceanside, CA 92054

Kura (Conveyor sushi) (revisits)

November 26, 2018 Cathy Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping to look at mmm-yoso!!!, a blog about food. Kirk is getting used to the time zone change so Cathy is writing a brief post.

I wrote about Kula the first time in 2015, when we first went to the Rancho Cucamonga location. The conveyor sushi chain arrived in San Diego in about 2016 and I wrote a post in early 2017. (Those links have some explanatory stuff in case you've never been). At some point, the nationwide chain changed its name to Kura (at least on the exterior of the building) and raised the basic price of revolving sushi standard plates to $2.50 each. There is an outdoor Tablet sign in/wait list or you can reserve a seat using a mobile app. We usually ask to sit at the counter.

This time, I was right at the corner and could see into the open kitchen. There was a tabletop photo ad of new offerings.
There is a first plate 'introducing' the following plates, all connected to each other; it helps the kitchen know what to refill.
I always grab the sunomono when it arrives in front of me. A perfect balance of vinegar and soy covering cucumbers, seaweed and bits of tamago (a sweet egg omelet which can be a dessert by itself). Everything on a green plate is $2.50; you slide used plates in a slot in the table when it's time to pay the bill.
If you end up with 15 of those plates, after insertion in the slot, the Bikkura Pon machine will shoot out a ball filled with a small gift directly on your table. We've never had that many small plates; tend to order from the Tablet you see at the second level. Most Tablet items are the same as on the conveyor, but are a bit more fresh; other items are made to order.

While waiting for an order to arrive (it stops right in front of the Tablet where you placed the order- on a second conveyor belt) I saw the Tuna Yukhoe and wanted to try (yukhoe is akin to tartare; raw. Though the egg yolk is cooked.) The raw tuna is marinated in soy, sesame oil, garlic and has some sesame seeds mixed in). Kind of poke, in a good way. The garlic steak is quite nice (we ordered from the Tablet, so the steak arrived warm). Crunch garlic on top.

New to us on the menu was shrimp stuffed baked avocado ($3.60). It arrived with a small spoon.
This will be ordered again. It was divine. Lots of shrimp, melted cheese, just warm ripe avocado. A meal.

The squid tempura ($3.60) was interesting this time; there were two pieces of chicken karaage mixed in. All good; light breading, perfect fry.
Also new on the menu was grilled albacore ($3.60). The fish by itself was excellent; char grill, a meaty piece that flaked perfectly. The slices of jalapeño were a 'warning'…those carrots had something mixed in that had a nice kick of spice; it complimented the fish and was good on its own. The soft shell crab ($4.80) is also one of those items we must always order; it's done right here. The batter, the fry, the shaved radish with a dollop of yellow hot radish. Just so nice. The hand rolls (as you can see, $2.50) are ordered on the Tablet and arrive quickly. They are offered with soy paper wrap instead of seaweed; a little different in flavor…lots of flavorful sesame seeds and really good; a compliment to the rice and tuna filling. The dessert we shared ($3.60)-Anmitsu. Vanilla ice cream with a sort of caramel sauce, red bean paste, small mochi, a marinated strawberry. If you see it, get it-a perfect ending.

Kura Revolving Sushi Bar 4609 Convoy San Diego 92111 Open Sun-Thurs 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Fri-Sat 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Website

We’re Back!

November 25, 2018 mmm-yoso Alsace, France, Lyon, France, Paris, France, Travel

Well, as you can see by the photo above; it's kind of easy to tell where we've been….back to the Missus's favorite city.

And we revisited a couple of Her favorite sites as well.

And even ate at a few favorite places as well.

Though it wasn't all revisits as we had meals that went from the traditional….

To modern…..

To getting to know the city a bit better and trying out other places around the city…..some of which were excellent.

Our next stop was a region known…..well for this…..

And while we did sample our share of the "bubbly"…..

We didn't realize the amount of history that took place in the city we stayed in…..

A cathedral where 29 kings of France were crowned…..

Where a young girl who received "angelic orders" rallied the French and "Le Dauphin" was crowned Charles VII…..

The land is beautiful; the bounty of the chalky soil is known around the world…..

Our meals here also went from traditional to modern…..

Our next stop was a city in a region we'd been to before. Yet, we probably enjoyed this city much more….it had charm in spades.

We had a charming apartment right in the middle of the picturesque old town. The food; like on our previous visit to the region was quite hearty; though we enjoyed it here much more.

The highlight of our stay; other than our apartment was a small group tour that turned into a private tour when we were the only two attendees for that day. We visited four amazing villages.

From one of the villages that inspired Beauty and the Beast.

To another that is the birthplace of a famous humanitarian; but is sadly now known for a tragic and sad event a few months ago. It has now made this beautiful little village a rather strange, somewhat macabre pilgrimage site for Americans. I'd totally forgotten about what happened here and chose to partake in the beauty and history instead.

Though we did find out from our guide about an odd coincidence we had the previous evening……

The next stop was the third most populous city in the country; the entire city center is a UNESCO site.

But who were we kidding? We were there to eat!

From the traditional…..

To the Michelin starred…..

Now we know why they call this city the "Capital of Gastronomy".

And so, we ended up where we started; except for a short side trip….

We enjoyed our Thanksgiving meal…..

And as soon as things started….well, they ended.

Because of a couple of travel hiccups; it basically took us twenty-four hours from the time we left our hotel, to when we walked into our house…..

So this little piggy needs a bit of rest.

Thanks for stopping by!

The Lunch Box (La Mesa)(Again)

November 24, 2018 Cathy American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a San Diego based food blog, writing about places to eat in the City, County, State, Nation and World. Today is Small Business Saturday ( the day following Black Friday and just before Cyber Monday) part of the holiday weekend which began with Thanksgiving Day. Cathy is writing about a locally owned restaurant.

Three and a half years ago, I posted about breakfast at The Lunch Box in La Mesa and said I'd write about lunch at The Lunch Box. Here we are. The $5.95 weekday special is now $6.75 because time marches on. This family owned small business has been a staple on La Mesa Boulevard at Jackson since 2009. Each time we stop in, neighborhood locals are enjoying breakfast and lunch.

There were whiteboard specials out front this day and the raisin bread French toast with bacon was $8.50 (usually the toast by itself is $7.50 and adding two eggs and bacon is an additional $3.50). As you may have noticed, I order raisin filled items whenever I can. This is a regular order and is made so well; crispy exterior and fluffy interior…heavenly, proper French toast. This breakfast sandwich ($7.50) was also a special noted at the front door (usually the sandwich does not come with spinach). Eggs, cheese (The Mister chose Swiss) and bacon with tomatoes and spinach on a toasted, buttery buttered croissant. Wonderful.

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Finally, I am posting about an actual LUNCH at The Lunch Box.

The menu for lunch is basically sandwiches, wraps and salads.

All sandwiches come with a bag of kettle chips and a fresh, warm (chocolate chip) cookie…because it is The Lunch Box.

A 'Basic 1/2 Sandwich Combo'-with soup (in this case chili) ($8.50) or pasta salad, potato salad or green salad. That's the tuna salad on rye. Yes, it is good. *Really*good- the tuna as well as the bread.
The chili has beans and lentils and coarse burger and all sorts of great stuff. Housemade and available each day, a bowl can be a meal on a cold day or on a warm day. The 'Specialty or Hot 1/2 Sandwich Combo' ($8.50), in this case 'The Big Guy' (this as a full sandwich is $10.50) on a torta has roast beef, turkey, ham, bacon, cheddar, lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise. Each meat is quality, the sandwich is overfilled, the torta is fresh (and recommended for this particular sandwich).
the side green salad is very large. This is a tasty, filling meal.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and is enjoying this long weekend.

cc was here in February, anyone else?

The Lunch Box Cafe & Deli 8751 La Mesa Blvd La Mesa 91941 (619)463-4013 Open Tue-Fri 7:30-2, Sat 7:30-1 Closed Sunday and Monday Website

Happy Thanksgiving 2018!

November 22, 2018 Cathy Travel, What Cathy Eats!

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Wherever you are in the world, thanks for reading mmm-yoso!!!

TJ Oyster Bar (again)

November 21, 2018 Cathy Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops, What Cathy Eats!

Here you are reading mmm-yoso!!! on Thanksgiving Eve…or Thanksgiving Day. Cathy is writing a short post about another regular stop. Kirk is busy, elsewhere, with His Missus.

There are two locations of TJ Oyster Bar in Bonita with the third in Chula Vista- all East of the 805. The Mister and I have been to all three, but we keep returning to the original location, even though it is the smallest.
There are five two top tables and about 12 bar stools of seating inside and two-four seat tables out in front. The cash register is right in front when you walk in: order, pay, find a seat.
On this visit, we decided to share a fried calamari appetizer ($9). It was nice that they did give us two forks . The batter is thin/light and the fry is correct. The squid is tender and the dipping sauce has a light amount of spice; a complimentary flavor. I did add salt at the end.
We had to get the fish tacos ($1.25 each) which are in a beer batter (slightly thicker; good crunch). The fish pieces are large, the cabbage and salsa and white sauce are just enough (not overpowering). The corn tortillas have nice light corn flavor and because they were warmed, a good chew.
The grilled fish salad ($9)is exceptional. The fish is (as you can see) lightly grilled and the salad served with an avocado half. The salad was a bed of Romaine (which had not yet been recalled; we were here last Friday) which had a great housemade salad dressing mixed in-in perfect proportions (creamy but not overpowering in any one flavor; not much garlic).

Just a nice place to stop in for quality Mexican seafood.

TJ Oyster Bar 4246 Bonita Road Bonita, 92002 (619) 267-4577 Mon-Th 11:30-9, Fri 11:30-10, Sat noon-9, Sun noon-8

Marie Callender’s-Breakfasts

November 20, 2018 Cathy American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping by to read mmm-yoso!!!. This food blog tries to post daily about places where either Kirk or Cathy has had a meal. Sometimes we write about events leading to that meal, but that isn't the case today. Cathy is writing.

When I wrote the post about Marie Callender's in September, I realized the hours of operation began at 8 a.m….breakfast! Yet, The Mister and I never had stopped here for breakfast. The other day, we managed to drop in.
The pie display wasn't yet filled.
The bar area had only a few people seated. There was a breakfast meeting on the other side of the restaurant. The menu (at the bottom of this post) was simple and interesting.

You know how a complimentary giant piece of Marie Callender's cornbread is brought out for your lunch or dinner meal? Well, at breakfast, it's a complimentary piece of banana blueberry bread…streusel topped…still warm. Wonderful. The Big Country Smasher Skillet ($10.29)…a bed of tots topped with applewood bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, a blend of cheeses (Jack, Cheddar and Swiss) and country gravy. Good country gravy-pepper-y and with sausage and such flavor on its own. A hearty meal.

Let's not play games. We (I) come here for the pie. This is probably why we (I) never considered Marie's for breakfast. Oh, but there was a surprise on the menu: The Banana Cream Pie Pancake Platter ($9.59). Yes. Banana cream pie is indeed sometimes a choice. You know it's made with fresh sliced bananas. There's also a pudding-like filling, which was still warm on top of the pancakes. Then there was whipped cream; vanilla flavored. Topped with sliced toasted almonds. Heaven. The platter came with two eggs (any style, so I chose over easy) and a choice of bacon or sausage…or one of each. So I did. Then the surprise.
The warm pudding and sliced bananas was on top of each pancake (!) It pretty much was banana cream pie with a different crust- for breakfast. Oh, the eggs were great, so was the bacon and the sausage.

Marie Callender's has been doing breakfast for 40 years. I am so happy I finally discovered this fact. We will be back and maybe try other parts of the breakfast menu and take home a slice of pie…or I'll just get this again.

Marie Callender's 6950 Alvarado Road San Diego, CA 92120 (619)465-1910 Mon-Sat 8 a.m.-10 p.m., Sun 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Website