December 2018 – mmm-yoso

Minh Ky and Tu Thanh Again

December 30, 2018 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

A friend of mine greeted me with an "oh my god….you're wearing a jacket, it must be cold!" Yeah, well I guess I really don't wear jacket and such until it does get a bit chilly. In a way, I enjoy this time of the year since I can make the rounds getting noodle soup.

Minh Ky:

Of course, Minh Ky has been a staple of mine since that first post way back in January of 2006. Recently, it's mainly been for the Sate Beef Egg Noodle "dry". But on this morning, I really wanted egg noodles in soup and I was starving. Having recalled how generous the portion size were for the combination egg noodle was; I ordered the won ton and dumpling combination.

So, while the broth here is still lighter than it used to be; on this day, it had a bit of richness and flavor (other than sweet-salt MSG tones).

The charsiu was decent if a bit on the chewy side. I think that over the years the dumplings and won tons have improved. At this price point; I don't expect perfection….I do expect glorified noodles; but the fillings were tender as were the wrappers.

The noodles were cooked perfectly, just enough crunch-chew.

And yes, I finished the entire bowl.

Minh Ky Restaurant
4644 El Cajon Boulevard
San Diego, CA 92115

Tu Thanh:

Calvin had been wanting to revisit since the last time I took him here. Finding parking was of course an issue; the shop next door has put "Only for Customers of Mucha Fruita" signs up. Though the folks at Tu Thanh say that's not true.

One thing I quickly noticed was that the namesake of the place – Chi Tu Thanh was not in the kitchen. Perhaps she's retired? Too bad because everytime I come here I think of having her come out and go over eating Bun Mang Vit at "Chinese Kitchen" way back in 2006. Of course ordering was a no-brainer….Bun Mang Vit.

This was an interesting visit; some things were the same and I quickly noticed some differences.

The herbs and cabbage still has rau ram; but banana blossom is totally MIA. At least on this day.

That wonderful Nuoc Mam Gung; the gingery-slightly sweet-tangy-savory concoction is still present and as good as ever.

The noodles were decently prepared; no complaints there.

The duck was prepped decently, but the chopping job was just shoddy. Compare what it used to be like:

To today……

As is the norm for me here; I leave the broth for last as it's very mild initially. But after having those dried bamboo shoots release it flavors and all of the dunking and such it gains traction. On this day; it was sneakily salty…..like I need a couple of glasses of water salty. Not quite as good as before.

I'm sure I'll return. I just hope things return to how they used to be.

Tu Thanh
4804 University Ave. #A
San Diego, CA 92105

Szechuan Chef-again

December 29, 2018 Cathy Chinese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! welcomes you reading this food blog over the busy holidays. Kirk is working on some end of year stuff and Cathy is writing.

The Mister has a new favorite restaurant. Three times in December (so far) Szechuan Chef was his number one choice. I wrote about Szechuan Chef in 2017, 2015 and 2016. Kirk had an unfavorable post in 2013 and a slightly favorable post in 2017.

Located in the corner of a strip mall on Convoy Street (Next to Shan Xi Magic Kitchen with It's Boba Time also on the edge of the mall), Szechuan Chef has withstood the test of lasting in San Diego for more than five years. {noting that on one of our visits here, two busloads of tourists were dropped off for a quick snack at the back tables}
A hot pot of tea is brought out as you are seated, a rarity these days to have no charge. We ordered a scallion pancake($2.99) on this visit and it was flavorful, flaky, not oily and freshly made.
The fish filet ($10.99) was not spicy, nicely garlic-y and had a nice crispness to the breading, even though there was a (non-sticky) sauce covering it.
The sizzling chicken ($9.99) was quite nice and provided some vegetables with our meal-garlic, Chinese celery, red and green bell peppers. This was a pleasant dish. On our next visit, our same waiter came out and took our order without writing it down (as he had the previous visit). However, after a while, another waitress was poking him and pointing at us…and he walked over with this little plate of snacks from the liang cai- cold vegetable area, near the cash registers. He had forgotten to put in our order and asked what the second item was…so we enjoyed the garlicky smashed cucumbers and delicious smoked pork pieces while waiting a bit longer.
The Westlake Beef Soup ($9.99) was out first and was wonderful. Minced beef, chicken broth, rice wine, tofu and egg with some scallion. Simple yet hearty and filling.
We had ordered a braised yellow croaker with noodle ($14.99) and this turned out to be a great choice. A slightly sweet and tangy/sour sauce complimented the meaty whole fish. The noodles (which we had never ordered here before) were plump and flavorful, a great accompaniment (instead of rice). Will order again. The croaker remnants will someday be part of soup stock.
The spicy cumin deep fried fish ($11.99)was my choice the other day. I really enjoy the spice, heat and fry of this dish here. The onions, Chinese celery, red and green peppers are complimentary and can be tasted despite the heat of the chile and cumin.
The 'Spicy Beef in a Pot"($12.99) was great-you could taste the (very tender) beef as well as the vegetables in addition to enjoying the (different from the cumin fish) chile heat.There were lots of leftover chiles.
We decided to order our own liang cai on this visit (it's $7.99) and enjoyed the garlic cucumbers, smoked pork and tofu sheets (which had a nice sesame oil mix).

Szechuan Chef 4344 Convoy Street San Diego 92111 (858) 279-8881 Mon-Th 11:30-3:00, 4:30-9:30 Fri-Sat 11:00-10 Sun 11:00-9:30

Philippe the Original- a quick trip North for an apple (and some sandwiches)(again)

December 27, 2018 Cathy American Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Road Trip, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

Thank you for stopping by to read mmm-yoso!!! during this busy holiday season. Kirk is working some overtime and Cathy is writing.

The Mister and I had a spur of the moment flash this morning (for a reason you'll see at the end) and drove North for a quick bite. { Kirk posted back in 2007, and I wrote a post in 2014 and another post in 2016}.

Philippe the Original has been a Los Angeles staple for 110 years. It's been at this corner location since 1951.
The system is the same as it was in 1908; stand in line, order from the "carver" host ( who will prepare your meal while you stand there), pay (since 2015, they take credit cards!) and carry your tray filled with your order to whatever empty table space you can find. There's part of the menu as well as a peek into the kitchen and a jar of pickled eggs.
Action shot of our Host/Carver (Henrietta) slicing a French roll.
Some of our order is ready…
This is a pretty good photo of most of the desserts offered-I was interested in what is in that tray at the 10:00 position in this photo…the red things next to the cookies. Our order, counterclockwise. Lemonade (90¢). Single dip lamb sandwich ($9.85). Potato salad ($1.65). Double dip beef sandwich ($8.50). Pickled egg ($1.40). Baked apple ($3). Cup of chili ($3.25).
Here's a cross section of the double dipped beef and 1/4 of the quickly consumed chunky single dipped lamb. Each was wonderful in its own way. We did use drops of the famous house made very hot French mustard, available on each table. (I still contend that the recipe is partly hot Chinese mustard, since Chinatown is one block away)(the mustard has no horseradish). Either a pickle or a pickled egg is necessary with the meal. I love beets as well as pickled anything and the eggs here are ridiculously good. It's that bit of salt/bitter that goes with everything.
Around the third week of January each year, Philippe has a 'free chili day' for the first 500 customers. I've read about it but never tried the chili until today. It is a wonderful, slightly spicy/ hot Dolores brick chili (no beans; proper), served with three crackers. There's nothing else on the menu to go with chili and I can see this comfort cup (or bowl) being a meal choice if we lived closer (and therefore visited Philippe daily).

But really, the baked apple was the necessary purchase of the day. You see, from October until May the baked apples are available daily until they run out. During those other four months you can get a half grapefruit or a wonderful fruit cup. But this simply made, large and delicious treat was a craving.
Apples are cooked in deep pan in the the oven with a slightly sweet cinnamon syrup. Soft enough to be cut with a spoon (but you still have to hold the apple in place with a fork; it's not mushy), this baked fruit is just the perfect dessert to a hearty meal.

Philippe the Original 1001 N. Alameda Street Los Angeles, CA 90012 (213) 628-3781 open 6 a.m.-10 p.m. daily Website

Why did we decide to drive here today? So we could share a meal "live" with my brother and his family in Michigan. Philippe teamed up with Goldbelly in April and has has a six sandwich meal deal; a Christmas gift. The FaceTime meal worked out quite well.

Modena – Mercato Albinelli and Lunch at Trattoria Il Fantino

December 26, 2018 mmm-yoso Emilia-Romagna, Italy, Italian Restaurants, Italy, Markets & Grocers, Travel

In the end we were kind of sad that we only spent two evenings and one full day in Modena. We really enjoyed the relaxed and friendly vibe of the city.

We woke in the morning and decided just to take it rather easy. We'd visit the Mercato Albinelli, wander around and bit, have some lunch, then take a nap. Our location and the apartment was beyond awesome; modern, clean, and right around the corner from the main street in Modena, via Emilia. A just short walk; maybe a half mile or so down the street is Piazza Grande and the Duomo, Modena Cathedral.

Head down via Luigi Albinelli and you'll run into Mercato Albinelli.

Which is quite a traditional market. It was pretty quiet on this day as we browsed the aisles.

With all the standards. We really wanted to check out all the hand made pastas and weren't disappointed in the varieties…..

And we got a nice little treat when we were ogling the pasta at this stand.

The really nice woman saw us checking out the pasta and suddenly appeared with two tortellini on toothpicks for us to try. She smiled and passed it to us over the counter….the Missus and I looked at each other since the pasta wasn't cooked. But we couldn't turn down this kind gesture and ate it…..it was delici- yoso!!! Tender, cheesy, some nice savory-saltiness from the salumi…..man, it was good! The shop owner obviously knew we weren't going to buy anything, but just wanted us to try her product. It made our morning.

We ended our visit by having some espresso at a little shop around the corner from the mecato.

The name of which escapes me. But it was a nice little break.

We then walked back to Piazza Grande. The cathedral really stands out; as does Torre Dell'Orologio, the clock tower.

When you walk along the south end of Piazza Grande to the west and Corso Duomo; you pass through a really neat building that crosses over the street.

This will being you around to the front of the cathedral.

Right down the street is another Piazza. this one is the Piazza della Torre; the Torre Ghirlandina, the bell tower of Modena. Which rises 290 feet above the city. work started in 1167 and was completed in 1319. It is considered one of the symbols of Modena.

The cathedral, Piazza Grande, and the towers is considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We should have spent more time exploring; but I'm certain we'll return one day.

The statue in front of the tower is of Italian writer Alessandro Tassoni who was born in Modena.

At this point, the Missus was off shopping…….

She enjoyed exploring the shops in the area…… Meanwhile, I just took in the sights.

This is the Church of San Giovanni Battista.

This is the Monumento a Ludovico Antonio Muratori a famous historian.

This church is the Chiesa del Voto.

Before we knew it; it was almost past lunch time….well, at least lunchtime for us, it was edging past noon.

Where to go for lunch? Well, there was a place fairly close to the apartment I had on my list. I'm not sure where I first heard of the place. Located on a tiny side street, Via Donzi we found Trattoria Il Fantino.

The clock had just struck 1230 and the place had just opened.

The folks here were very friendly. I'd read that the ribs were a specialty, but we decided on just some pasta since we had major dinner reservations.

The Missus picked a real winner; the Strigoli con Funghi Porcini e Speck, only 9 Euros.

Strigoli, sometimes called stridoli….which I was told meant something like "fat worms", were noting of the sort……worms that is. This wonderfully toothsome and substantial pasta had an amazing chew. You weren't looking for anything stretchy here, the closest I've had in terms of texture is the Strozzapreti at Maestoso. Nice woody-earthy tones from the porcini; the speck added a touch of saltiness to the dish. Very nice.

You know what I got, right?

The Tortellini en Brodo of course! I just couldn't get enough of this dish. Bless the hen who gave her life….and by the deep chicken flavor of the broth her soul for my pleasure. The Tortellini had just the right amount of cheese and salumi. It was cooked perfectly.

And as a digestif…..well some Nocino – walnut liquor.

The place had totally filled up by the time we were half way though our meal. We'd lucked out as they had to turn people away……

This was a very nice meal; friendly service, priced right. I'd like to return to try out those ribs….and another bowl of tortellini en brodo of course!

Trattoria Il Fantino
Via Donzi 7
Modena, Italy

We were enjoying our time in Modena.

Merry Christmas…..and a preview of an upcoming post….

December 24, 2018 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, yoso-silly

Time seems to go faster every year…..suddenly it's Christmas again!

As always; we here at mmm-yoso wish you a Merry Christmas and the most happy of holidays!

Hope you get everything you wish for…..

And Santa doesn't leave you hanging….or visa versa!

And as I teased in the title; here's a new one for you. Just recently opened…..

You might want to check this place out.

And if you're feeling especially fat deprived (hard to think of that being the case this time of the year); you might want to try the dish called "Fried Pork Fat".

Interesting story behind this one. Stay tuned.

Taste of Hunan
9880 Hibert St
San Diego, CA 92131

Best wishes for a wonderful and safe Christmas!

Thanks for stopping by!

Breakfast at Hinotez Again

December 23, 2018 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Japanese Restaurants

I'm a bit under the weather, so just a short post for tonight.

So, you know that Mien Trung was my first meal after returning from France. The other thing I was craving was Japanese Breakfast; I wasn't looking for anything particularly fancy; just a simple workmanlike (or Salarymanlike) breakfast would do. Something I've already waxed nostalgic about before. The only show in town for this is Hinotez.

And while I do enjoy the Japanese Breakfast here there have been changes over the last couple of years; on the good side; you can now get Japanese Breakfast everyday from 8am to 11am. On the bad side; and this has been true for a while…..you need to order 2 items from the entrée category. Kind of a bummer; because I really wanted natto-egg-tororo.

I enjoy the karaage at Hintotez, so that was an easy choice….it's the second choice that had me in the grips of "analysis paralysis". In the end; I just went with the Gyoza and with everything, this came out to $12……..

I keep forgetting to tell them to give me "half rice"…..this is just a load of rice and it's totally out of proportion,when mixed with the tororo, natto, and egg.

The karaage could have been more crisp; but the savory-soy flavor was perfect….the gyoza was not bad, crisp and the filling was decent. The miso soup was better than on previous visits; not watered down.

But, of course I was all over the natto-tororo-3 minute egg……gooey-fermented loveliness.

It did hit the spot. I left not feeling like super-hero….but in need to return to bed……a perfect weekend day indeed.

Hinotez
7947 Balboa Ave
San Diego, CA 92111
Breakfast now served daily from 8am – 11am

777 Noodle House Again

December 20, 2018 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

Right before we left on our last vacation, I had to do a bit of shopping in City Heights. It was 8am, still fairly early for most places, so I decided to drop by 777 Noodle House since it had been almost a year-and-a-half since my last visit. On that visit; I noticed that the food was not as good as on previous visits It seems that 777 had maybe hit a bit of a slump? My favorite Servers were working; the woman and gentleman always make me feel so old when they call me "sir".

I did notice that the place looked a bit more run down in the morning light; but it was doing some good business on this morning…..you can't beat the prices here. I usually go with the Hu Tieu Nam Vang; but this time, I felt like egg noodles so I went with the dry "Mi" ($6.97) version.

This ended up being a nice surprise. The MIA lime was there; though the bean sprouts weren't blanched. The egg noodles were perfectly prepared; just enough stretch, no mealy or mushy textures, enough soy in the sauce, the noodles were nicely coated. The toppings were simple, with an abundant amount of ground pork….kind of on the chewy side, but fine; the shrimp were nicely cooked with no muddy or off flavors…the fishballs….well, I'm not a fan of squeaky fishballs. The soup provided on the side was decent, slight savory flavors, not too salty. That pork bone was quite good; full of flavor, the pork tender, not falling to pieces.

You know, this was better than I've had here in a while. Now, I gotta get back to Ly Heng.

This really did hit the spot on this morning.

777 Noodle House
4686 University Avenue
San Diego, CA 92105

San Francisco – Kin Khao

December 19, 2018 mmm-yoso San Francisco and Silicon Valley, Thai Restaurants

I wanted something interesting for our last meal in San Francisco. We'd had dinner at Mourad the night before, so I thought following that up with a Michelin Star Thai Restaurant might make a nice pairing for this trip. To make it more interesting; the owner of the restaurant is former uber blogger Pim Techamuanvivit; who ran the super popular food blog Chez Pim. The restaurant claims to create Thai Food that is seasonal, sustainable, and yet stays true to its roots.

The rather tiny restaurant is located in the Parc 55 Hotel. The place was pretty packed when we arrived; luckily, we had made reservations.

There's a certain "hipsterness" to the place and the menu. Our Server was wonderful, sweet, friendly, and while not quite displaying what we'd call Michelin Star service, was very nice. She helped us make some decisions on dishes. We were looking for items with some spice….when we mentioned enjoying Issan-style dishes, she told us she is from Issan and helped us select items for our meal.

Instead of going with some of the heavier or entrée dishes; we kept it rather light and tried four different items.

Starting with the Yum Kai Dao ($12).

To be perfectly honest; we were drawn to the "Wok Fried Duck Egg" in the description and it definitely delivered a perfectly runny, richly flavored yolk. We both enjoyed this elevated Yum Kai Dao; basically a fried egg salad. There was a nice variety of sliced and torn vegetables; cilantro, mint, shallot, kale added a mild bitterness, and there were a few slices of sneaky sliced Thai Bird Chilies. This was very lightly dressed which suited us just fine as we could make out all the ingredients.

Next up was a dish I'd read about, being a fan of Nam Tok (I still make Neua Nam Tok on occasion); we both thought the Nam Tok Beans ($14) would be worth trying.

The earthy flavor of the Rancho Gordo Cranberry Beans came through nicely, but was quite dry. This dish really lacked the savory-sweet flavors along with having not enough herbaceous (mint-lemongrass-cilantro), nor enough spice and lacked enough nutty rice powder to suit our tastes.

One of the things I really enjoyed about Chiang Mai was the nam prik; basically dipping sauces for your sticky rice. So I just had to order the Nam Prik Ong ($18) a take on the classic Tomato and Pork dipping sauce. We also got sticky rice to have with this; sorry no photo….sadly the rice was too soft and wet.

The pork rinds were nice; crisp, light porky goodness. The nam prik was much too thick for our taste and just had too much pork. The acidic tomato goodness was missing……along with having enough spice. This really did seem to taste more like a "ragu" we had in Emilia-Romagna than a nice spicy-garlicky-tomatoey nam prik ong.

If you've read our little blog long enough; I think you'd be able to predict what our last dish would be; the Sai Ua and Nam Prik Noom ($19).

Finally, there was something that brought on the heat (I'm glad we weren't asked how spicy we wanted things – this place served items the way they thought it should be)…..the fruity-fragrant and spicy chili paste – nam prik noom; had a nice variety of chilies. Our wonderful Server told us that this would be the dish we should order and she was right. It actually tasted great with those pork rind strips. This version of Sai Ua was very dense with a definite porkiness to it. It really didn't have as much herbaceousness as other versions we've had, but was quite good. The perfectly ripe cucumber was just the right foil to cure the richness of the sausage and temper the heat of the nam prik.

Overall, while kind of a mixed bag, it was a fun meal. The dishes try to keep a modern edge and a Thai soul, while creeping close to being fusion. While I don't think we'll return the next time we're in San Francisco, I'm glad we tried Kin Khao.

Kin Khao
55 Cyril Magnin St. (In the Parc 55 Hotel)
San Francisco, CA 94102

Phuong Nga Revisited

December 18, 2018 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

Happily, at least for me, it's been "soup weather" recently. Which had me wondering how the Bun Rieu from Phuong Nga 2 was holding up. So, I recently decided to check them out again. It does seem like the place is doing some pretty good business. Heck, Bun Rieu is now #7 of seven item on the menu; the other six are variations of Banh Cuon and Uot Gio Chien.

Of course I got the Bun Rieu.

The accompanying herbs were sparkling fresh; rau kinh goi (Vietnamese Balm), banana blossom, a rarity at many places these days, shaved rau muong (ong choi), along with a fragrant and funky mam tom (fermented shrimp paste).

The actual Bun Rieu was colorful and consistent with what I'd had before.

Broth on the sweeter side, with mild savory tones. The "meat and crab cakes" were lighter and fluffier than I recalled, the tofu cubes did well dipped in the mam tom. There was a nice and tender piece of pork rib; which easily came off the bone. The tomato was meaty, but lacked the nice tanginess I appreciate. The noodles were the appropriate thin "bun" and were slippery, with a nice chew to them. The dried shrimp added a nice umami touch to things.

The older couple working are very nice. And this, at least for me, while not being the best Bun Rieu ever, is perhaps my current favorite in San Diego. And of course, I'll always mention "Elle" who recommended I try the Bun Rieu here!

Phuong Nga 2
4016 54th St
San Diego, CA 92105

Mastiff Food Truck and Mastiff Kitchen at North Park Beer Company

December 17, 2018 mmm-yoso Food Trucks, Pubs and Pub Grub, Sandwiches

Here's a post that was going to "die"; that is, if the place is local, and I, or we, do only one visit and aren't inclined to return, I'll delete the photos after about a year. However, for some reason, I just decided to return to North Park Beer Company last weekend, so I now have enough for a post.

The Mastiff Food Truck was parked near our office earlier in the year and I was running between meetings, so one of my coworkers was nice enough to grab something from the Mastiff Food Truck while I finished up my conference call. Before my next call, I was able to quickly eat.

First up; the Bratwurst with the House Kraut ($9):

Though Mastiff's sausages are quite popular; I wasn't too impressed with this as a whole. The sausage wasn't hot and was sort of flaccid, it was very mild in flavor, there was little color on the sausage and the sauerkraut was also very mild, lacking in a nice slightly funky fermented flavor. I guess all of that sauerkraut in the Czech Republic and Charcroute in Alsace might have ruined us. The roll was on the chewy side for my taste. Granted; there was about a five minute wait from when this arrived on my desk and my call finishing; so it definitely wasn't sitting around.

I also got the Mastiff Fries ($4).

These potatoes were on the dry side and had lost any crunch. While the harissa mayo had a tiny (I wish it was more spicy) bit of zip, it did add to the flavor, making this rather rich. This was also on the salty side.

And that would have been about it; until a couple of months later; when the Missus had Her hair appointment in North Park. I'd usually wait for the Missus at Toronado and we'd hit up Tribute or Tiger Tiger. However, on this occasion I hung out an had a beer at North Park Brewing and the Missus met me there.

We just decided to have dinner.

We both really like the space; high ceilings, you hang out with the beer tanks. Mastiff Kitchen is located at the rear of the place. You order and pay for your food there; then head on over to the bar to order your beverages.

I'd warned the Missus about the sauerkraut, but really wanted to try the Bratwurst again; so we just got a sausage ($6).

Having been married over 20 years must have an effect…..the Missus's verdict? Pretty much the same as mine. Though this time the sausage was nicely browned and hot. Still, it was somewhat underwhelming overall.

What wasn't underwhelming, at least in terms of richness were the "Pig Fries" ($12).

The potatoes were more thinly sliced than what I'd had before; they were hot and crisp; if on the dry side. There was a bit too much cheese and sauce for our taste and this was too salty for us.

We did like the pork belly and the chicharrons, the carnitas were on the greasy side and the al pastor sausage was too mild to be enjoyed.

We really didn't enjoy the beer at NPBC and this was fairly soon returning from all that fried food in Alaska, that the Missus really couldn't see Herself returning anytime soon. So, I put this in my "to delete folder" and was fully expecting to delete the photos at the end of the year.

Instead, I found my self with an entire day off this past weekend, after having worked like 18 days in a row. The Missus however, had to work. So, after shopping, cleaning up things, doing some food prep for the Missus's meals at work, prepping Frankie's meals (we get the most use out of the Instapot making his food), then giving him an overdue bath, I found my self with some time on my hands. And it was only noon!

I figured most of the places I'd want to check out in KM were crowded and decided to head on up to North Park….where most of the places were also packed. But not NPBC.

So I decided to give them another try. Though they were serving a rather limited brunch menu.

I decided to do this by chance; removing the items I didn't think I'd like (I don't like sweets and decided against anything too "simple" for some reason), then removed the Benedicts, because I'd just pass out after that. By coin toss, the Hungry Man Hash ($13) won out. Looking back, had I stared at that menu enough, the hash would have seemed very close to the "pig fries" and I might not have chosen it. But I did.

Unlike the "fries" this wasn't over sauced and there wasn't too much cheese, just a touch of light spice and milkiness. The carnitas had a mild crunchiness to them and combined with the pork belly, made a nice, porky, "one-two" punch. The breakfast potatoes were typical, but at least weren't over-cooked or dry. The eggs were over done for my taste and the yolks were hard. I could barely finish the eggs and about half of the rest.

I brought the rest home and heated it up with two perfectly easy-over eggs and the Missus thought it was pretty good.

Also, the young lady working the counter on this day was a total joy; efficient, friendly, and just plain nice.

So, even though the food might edge on being a bit "too much"; the Missus and I might return and perhaps share a breakfast.

Mastiff Kitchen (at North Park Beer Company)
3038 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92104