January 2019 – Page 3

Saturday Stuffs – Scenes from the Little Italy Mercato, Tuna Harbor Dockside Market, and Other “stuffs”

January 5, 2019 mmm-yoso Exploring San Diego, Farmer's Markets/Night Market, Markets & Grocers, yoso-silly

I'll readily admit; my posts are mostly stream of consciousness. And sometimes; it's just better to just post photos. I needed to get my car serviced today. Instead of waiting around; I decided to catch the Trolley, something I used to enjoy, but haven't done in ages…..and just head out and take in San Diego. So; I headed off to the Little Italy Mercato, then walked down to the Tuna Harbor Dockside Market. Instead of some long-winded post; here are some photos of an overcast, yet fun day.

Because of some delays on the Green Line West; I decided to take a round about way; doing the Orange Line to Downtown; getting off at Civic Center and walking to Little Italy. Where I passed an iconic "name" in San Diego….whose commercials you couldn't miss if you lived here in the 90's and "aughts".

I'd heard that Mexican Fiesta; whose existence always reminded me of the Children's book, The Little House had closed. And yes, it has….

I think pooches outnumber children here……

I then walked on over to Seaport Village…..

Man, I haven't been around here in at least a decade….

Things looked a bit depressed; many closed businesses.

Though it's always fun to "pooch watch"……

The Dockside Market was close by; so I headed on over.

A somewhat interesting mix of folks…..

I decided to grab an Americano from here…..

And guess who I saw???

And even coming back around again while I finished my coffee.

Since it was close by; I decided to check out Unconditional Surrender by Seward Johnson.

It was an overcast day; with not too many tourists.

Just like I don't visit Waikiki when I'm back "home"; I really don't get down here to often.

I was glad to have some time on my hands to just reacquaint myself with this area.

And then of course…..it was time for lunch!

Paris – Tomy & Co

January 3, 2019 mmm-yoso Fine Dining, France, French Restaurants, Paris, France, Travel

We had done a good bit of walking during our first day back in Paris and I was ready for a nice meal. Luckily, I had made reservations for dinner for this evening and it was less than two blocks away from the apartment where we were staying.

But first, the Missus wanted to take a walk! Yikes…..so we headed across the Seine for a pre-dinner stroll. It was a lovely evening and the "City of Lights" was indeed that.

By the time we got to Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois, I knew it was time to scurry on over to the restaurant.

After all, the place I'd made reservations at emailed me two confirmations and two reminders about dinner. They really wanted to make sure we'd keep are reservations. And with good reason; since Tomy & Co opened in the fall of 2016, it's been receiving lots of great reviews, some from food blogs I link to. Paris by Mouth ranks Tomy & Co as #1 on their list of list of favorite Modern & Creative Restaurants in Paris. The namesake of the restaurant, French-Cambodian Tomy Gousset has made quite a name for himself in Paris and now has two very popular restaurants in Paris.

I had put in the mileage on this day……..

And was ready to eat. We arrived on time at this little eatery on Rue Surcouf, which incidentally was right up the street from a place we ate at back in the fall of 2016; Restaurant David Toutain. The place was relaxed, but very professional, and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience. We started with a white from Monthélie in Burgundy which the Missus enjoyed.

We decided to forgo the tasting menu and ordering dessert and instead went with 3 starters and 2 mains; which worked out perfectly.

We loved the amuse bouche; a chickpea concoction that was like the best falafel you ever had in terms of flavor, crisp, yet moist, with just enough salt.

Things started off with the Beef Tongue Tartelette with fresh Burgundy Truffle.

To be perfectly honest; the wonderfully refreshing sauce gribiche and the thin slices of turnips that made this dish for us. It was beefy so the pungent and pleasantly sour-acidic tones really balanced things out. The truffle was a bit disappointing as it wasn't very fragrant, nor did it have that wonderful earthy-savory tones we love in truffle.

The Gnocchi, Guanciale, Truffle, and Parmesan Cheese was a nice balanced dish.

The gnocchi was solidly prepared, fairly light, and not overly chewy. The truffle was again very mild, living in the shadows of the Parmesan and guanciale. The zucchini really impressed us as we could still make out the flavor with all the salty-rich flavors. Great acidity and textures.

Of course we had to have the Egg, Chestnut, Bresaola, Cauliflower Puree, and Fried Onions.

The wonderfully rich egg yolk was the prize in the center of this dish. The fried onions added sweetness as did the cauliflower puree, in a mild way. Loved the greens and the salty and almost cheesy bresaola. This was a lovely dish.

The first main was the Wild Duck "Apicius", Confit Beet Root, with Honey and Date Chutney.

Since Apicius sauce/glaze was going to be used, I expected this to be on the sweet side. But the duck had been studded with fragrant, anise like coriander seed, it was crunchy and added quite a bit of oomph to the dish, giving it almost a Middle Eastern flavor. It also really toned down the gaminess of the wild duck. I'm not sure that was a good thing as I enjoy that flavor. The duck was toothsome as expected. What was not expected was how wonderful the confit beets were….they still held a light crunch; but were wonderfully sweet.

The Stuffed Hare Confit and Foie Gras in Brioche with Fresh Burgundy Truffle was a bit too much.

First off, that sauce was too thick for my liking, as before the truffle just wasn't fragrant enough. The brioche hadn't held up well and had a cardboard like texture. We really couldn't make out foie gras other than it being a bit oily. Oh well, can't win 'em all.

As I mentioned earlier; service was very professional and yet still relaxed. The folks here smiled often and made us feel very comfortable. I can understand the allure of this place; the ingredients and flavors run the gamut, it's modern, yet uses an array of techniques with products that are interesting. The dishes are well presented. We'd gladly eat here again.

Tomy & Co
22 rue Surcouf
75007 Paris, France

We headed back to the apartment, bellies full, and quite happy……

In the "City of Lights"……..

Taste of Hunan (Village Kitchen 2.0?)

January 2, 2019 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

So, right before Christmas "YZ" and I were having a little chat about a new Chinese restaurants opening……as the discussion went on, I realized we were talking about two entirely different places. I was mentioning "Kangxi is Coming" which opened in the former Village Kitchen location. "YZ" was referring to a place that was just going to open in Mira Mesa named Taste of Hunan. She had seen posts on WeChat about the grand opening. The funniest thing she said was "you should get WeChat…." Heck, I'm not even on Instagram…

Anyway, I did find the photos interesting, so Calvin and I decided to check them out.

It was before the posted opening time of 1130 and the place was already packed!

Apparently all that social media and having some kind of grand opening special (I believe you got credit dollars if you spent over a $100) really pulled people in.

A couple of things I found out upon arriving; first off, I recognized the really nice young man manning the hosts station from Village Kitchen, and he instantly recognized me. I had to laugh. According to him, the owners of Village Kitchen split up and the former partner decided to open this place. I'm not quite sure if I understood clearly, but I was told that either this is the original chef from VK; which will explain why the food there has gone downhill recently, or some other well regarded chef. Also, I saw a couple of dishes that are basically signature dishes at VK; i.e. the Eggplant and Green Chili with Preserved Egg, which by the way I haven't gotten around to ordering yet. And items from my original visits to VK, that are no longer on the menu there.

The menu is that bright and glossy standard; while you use a secondary menu; with photos that you mark off selected dishes on.

The menu is not very large and one interesting thing that you'll find (only in Chinese) on the menu is that you cana bring your own seafood and have it cooked for you.

Interesting touches abound as rice is served in this metal thermos-tiffin kind of thing.

So, I've been here four times already, eating in twice and doing take-out twice. As you can tell; the Missus loved the leftovers, so while not wanting to go out for dinner, She sent me to get take-out….and do some shopping at TJ's in the same strip mall.

I'll go over the dishes from one that I really enjoyed but is kind of a wild card; then to our most favorite to least favorite in order.

With the interesting name of Fried Pork Fat with Green Pepper ($11.99); I just had to order this. The young man who knew me came over and stage whispered "this is the best dish on the menu". This was awesome….as in heart attack…awesome. If you've ever had Chinese fried pork lard; you'll know what I mean.

A light crispness; gives way to soft fatty…well, fat. It is lovely; this was seasoned perfectly; fermented black beans added that nice salty-savory touch. Slightly, but not overly spicy….this rather old-fashioned homestyle dish; the Missus told me how Her Grandmother made this, seemed decadent. Though I wouldn't have it too often and it doesn't hold up well as leftovers. In other words if you order this….go for it!

Picks:

The Sautéed Beef Tripe with Pickled Radish ($14.99).

I've had this three times. I quickly found that the dishes here aren't overly greasy nor gloppy; which does well in this framework. If you love the symphony of various crunchy textures; from the crisp-briney Chinese celery, to the firm and crisp tripe, and very nice crunchy pickled radish, this one might do well for you. The Missus will even eat this cold. On one of the visits; it wasn't quite as good, lacking in the bright flavors and crispness; but the other three times it did well. A slight amount of spice in this.

One of the dishes that was on the original Village Kitchen menu Hunan Smoked Pork with Dried Long Bean ($15.99).

While ToH doesn't make my favorite version of La Rou; on one occasion it was outstanding as the pork was smokey and not overly hard and chewy and the dried long beans had picked up some moisture and flavor and were perfectly crunchy, intensely flavored, and slightly moist. Still; it's a decent version of this dish, better than what I had at VK when it was on the menu. It does tend toward the saltier side though. On one visit it was quite spicy, on the others just slightly so.

Another good dish if you like "texture" is the Sautéed Dried Tofu with Braised Pig Ear ($14.99).

The slightly soft and chewy dried tofu with the crunchy pig ear….again, it's the Chinese celery that makes this dish adding a palate cleansing element and nice crispness to the dish.

And then our favorite veg; the Country Style Boiled Radish Leaves ($11.99).

We've tried this three times and it would have been four; but they were out of it once. I believe radish leaves are blanched, reducing the bitterness and increasing the mild sweetness. While still crisp it is stir fried with a copious amount of garlic and some chilies. Twice it was wonderful; garlicky, crunchy, pleasantly bitter, just the right amount of heat. Once it was mushy with way too much salt….still this is worth trying.

On the fence:

The time they were our of the radish leaves I ordered the Hot and Sour Chinese Lettuce ($12.99); it's "stem lettuce" also known as celtuce.

Nice crunch, but not much heat, nor sour, just way too much salt.

Pans:

During our first visit we ordered the Braised Beef Shank (way too dry and bland), Pig Ear (super salty), and Tofu with Spices (ditto) – $10.99.

Not great eating; but having this dish made me think that the pig ear and tofu might do well in a stir fry; which led me to order the tofu and pig ear on the net visit.

The House Special Pig Feet ($15.99) was also a non-starter.

Too tough and really salty; this just wasn't pleasant to eat.

Over my visits I've noticed that the food here; while being a bit on the saltier side; is not greasy, and attention is paid to textures.

The place has been very busy on all my visits; yet they've staffed well, though the food might take a while. All the folks working here have been pleasant, if not overly friendly.

The menu is an interesting collection of dishes; which made for an interesting little vignette. On one of the visits; while eating by myself a family; two adults and three adolescent/teen girls were sitting on the table next to me. I watched what they ordered, the girls got Honey Walnut Shrimp, Yangzhou Fried Rice, and jiaozi. The parents got Pigs Feet and Tripe. Ah yes, generations……..

So now with Spicy Hut down the street; it might be that Mira Mesa might be the place for Sichuan and Hunan; much like it tops Convoy with regards to Pho! Hope they keep getting better!

Taste of Hunan
9880 Hibert St. Suite E2
San Diego, CA 92131
Hours
Mon, Tues, Thurs 1130am – 3pm, 5pm – 9pm
Friday 1130am – 3pm, 5pm – 930pm
Sat – Sun 1130am – 930pm
Closed Wednesdays

Happy New Year!

January 1, 2019 mmm-yoso French Restaurants, Markets & Grocers, yoso-silly

Happy New Year! It's another one in the books and it was a pretty chilly (by San Diego standards) and wet one as well.

It's been a busy year for me; but I still made it out yesterday, to do, as I've done since 2005, to check out the variety of Osechi set out by our local Japanese Markets. Like I noted from back in 2017 these markets have really scaled back and these days they ask folks to put in orders. I started with Mitsuwa….which might have been a mistake as there wasn't much of anything out at 9am.

Nijiya was bustling at 915.

And I ended getting a few items there.

Marukai didn't have much at all.

The Missus wanted something different for New Years Day this year; so I didn't do quite as much shopping….at least at these places as usual.

And, just like last year, we had the New Years Eve dinner at Et Voila! We brought along a bottle of Champagne from our favorite little Champagne House in Écueil. This was our favorite while doing tastings in Champagne. It's from a very small "house"; it's literally under a house and they do not ship or sell, via normal channels in the US.

I gotta say; even though some of the dishes were quite similar to last year; I think Et Voila has stepped up their game. There were a few things we didn't care for; the pheasant was too dry and the mushroom cream sauce too sweet, but as a whole this was a very nice meal.

The Lobster Bavarois with Périgord Truffle Caviar – just plain delici-yoso!!!

Dorade and Hamachi Crudo.

Grilled Blue Prawns and Snow Crab Raviolis – prawns were very tasty but a bit over-cooked.

Seared Maine Diver Scallops – seared perfectly, super tender. The uni espuma was quite interesting.

I'm usually not a big fan of the meat and poultry at ET; but this Beef Tenderloin was perfectly cooked and almost fork tender and that shaved black truffle didn't hurt things at all.

The afore mentioned Pheasant Breast Ballotine with Chestnut Gnocchi.

And of course dessert….which the Missus enjoyed.

Et Voilà!
3015 Adams Ave
San Diego, CA 92116

As for New Years; well, no Nishime this year….instead the Missus wanted Matzo Ball Soup??? Go figure…. So on Saturday I went to Wing Lee Poultry and bought a chicken and made the soup on Sunday. Skimmed and strained on Monday, made the Matzo Balls and let it soak in the goodness, ready for today.

As for me….well, I went fairly traditional.

We here at mmm-yoso would like to send out our best wishes for a wonderful 2019!

Thanks for stopping by!