March 2019 – mmm-yoso

Sunday Sandwiches – Banh Mi Boulevard

March 31, 2019 mmm-yoso Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Banh Mi, Sandwiches

I'm not quite sure who mentioned that Banh Mi Boulevard had replaced the short lived Banh Mi Baguette Café, which had replaced the even shorter lived Bale Sandwich & Deli, which had replaced Corner Sandwich & Café. Yikes. Anyway if you were the one who notified me of the change, thanks so much!

Well, with the rather quick turnaround in weather, I decided to finally head on over to Banh Mi Boulevard to check them out.

My first impression upon entering was….how there was so much stuff!

I finally managed to focused on the menu. BMB seemed to be kind of a fusion banh mi shop; with just a couple of traditional Vietnamese options and items like Longanisa, Surf and Turf, Alaskan Cod, tacos, and fries on the menu. Though they also have Banh Mi Bo Kho.

Of course I went with the "Blvd Special" aka the Dac Biet, priced right at $4.50. This was a good sized banh mi…then upon leaving I noticed the sign outside saying the bread is made from Cali Baguette Express a place that I thought was solid, until my last visit to the Mira Mesa location. Where the bread was horrible. Still, I had hoped that the bread on the visit was an aberration. Unfortunately I was wrong.

Pale, doughy, dry, and lacking in the flakey-crustiness that I love in a good banh mi. It didn't help that no one took the time to heat up the bread. The cilantro was mostly stems, but the pate was nice and earthy; a generous amount slathered onto the bread. Well proportion slices of Thit Nguoi and decently pickled daikon and veggies did well in the sandwich. The two slices of cucumber were too short to get in each bite and for some reason those jalapenos weren't spicy at all.

One of the good things about places like Banh Mi Boulevard are the hours; the place opens at 830, so when I have meetings during lunchtime, I can go and pick up an early meal. So, I decided to head on over and grab something at around 10am. I wasn't too hungry and didn't feel alike another Banh Mi, so this caught my attention.

You know; I'm not much of a newster-hipster-trendy, bulgogi taco eating kind of guy. But what the heck; I went with a BBQ Pork and a Filipino Longanisa Taco.

First, the good news; I really enjoyed how the Longanisa tasted with the cilantro and pickled vegetables, sweet-salty, pleasantly toothsome. I didn't care much for the mayo; it just kinda clashed with all the other flavors. The BBQ Pork was too salty and….yes, this is rare for me, could have been a tad sweeter. It was also on the tough side. Though the portion size was good. The less I say about the cardboardish white corn tortillas the better.

And so….that would usually be "a rap", but I was curious about how that longanisa would taste in a banh mi. And because of meetings, I had to grab an early lunch. So I decided to head on over and give BMB another try.

I walked up to the counter and noticed something called the "Kirby's Special" ($6.75), which not only had Longanisa, but two of my other favorite food groups involved; Spam® and eggs! Though they wouldn't make my eggs easy over (op la).

The bread was a bit better this time; a bit more color and slightly crusty. It's still falls short though. There were two slices of Spam®, so you went "spam-less" for several bites of the sandwich. Not very much longanisa as well; which does a nice job with the pickled carrots and daikon which adds a nice acidity to cut the sweetness and saltiness. The jalapenos on this visit was still on the mild side; though there were two nice and juicy slices of cucumber. The stems on the cilantro weren't too thick and fibrous this time which made the experience much better.

So, what to say? I'd say with regards to fusion banh mi; I preferred Banh Mi Boulevard to what I had at Cali Banh Mi. But, like pho, i'm just not sure what the current state of Banh Mi is in San Diego these days….

Banh Mi Blvd
9005 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126
Hours:
Open Daily 830am – 830pm

Paris – Arnaud Nicolas Revisited

March 30, 2019 mmm-yoso France, French Restaurants, Paris, France, Travel

This was our fourth visit to Paris. By this point in time we had developed a couple of rituals; places that we really enjoyed and Arnaud Nicolas was one of them.

We just love the charcuterie here. As I mentioned in my first post on the place. Arnaud Nicolas achieved the title of Meilleur Ouvrier de France (MOF) at the age of 24!

The place just feels comfortable and relaxed to us.

We had early reservations and there was just one other table occupied. As is the tradition here; we were given a small aperitif as we were seated. This time around; it was a nice clean and crisp Sauvignon from Thauvenay in the Loire Valley. The Missus enjoyed it, so we bought a bottle.

We placed our orders; sadly, the wonderful boudin blanc with truffle is a seasonal item and wasn't available so we ordered a risotto to go with our charcuterie.

As always the "Volailles et Foie gras de Canard", foie gras, duck, chicken and the "Caille, Poire et Pistache", quail and foie gras with pear and pistachio were excellent.

And of course our favorite is the Foie Gras mi-cuit. Wonderful balanced flavors, slightly livery balanced with a mild sweetness. The smooth creaminess makes you really feel you're having something oh-so decadent.

On this visit, I noticed that there was a traditional Fromage de Tete on the menu; head cheese. It was served with the traditional accompaniment of Sauce Gribiche, a wonderfully pungent and refreshingly sour sauce made of egg, cornichons, capers, tarragon, and the like. The Missus just loved the stuff! The texture of the head cheese was perfect, a bit of jellied toothsomeness, wonderful deep and complex beefy flavors, with a hint of tangy-sourness. This wasn't too salty and was just delici-yoso!

What wasn't delici-yoso was the risotto. I've often mentioned the "issues" I have with par cooked risotto and this one was another "strike".

Hard centers of the rice and a lack of enough "earthy" mushroom flavors made this somewhat disappointing.

Of course, the Missus had Her Rum Baba.

But I got the real award winner. I'd noticed a Whiskey on the digestif list. It was from Taiwan, from a label named Kavalan. It was also 24 Euros a pour….which, I've come to find is really not expensive…..I've seen it here for over $45 a pour!

This was wonderful; the flavors so complex, the nose full of vanilla tones.

I came to find out that this was the Gold Medal winning Kavalan Sherry Cask "Solist"!

Man was it good. It was this drink that got us started on Kavalan.

Even though we'd been to Arnaud Nicolas three times…..there always seems to be some new wrinkle, a new taste that we experience.

I guess that's why we keep coming back.

Arnaud Nicolas
46 Avenue de la Bourdonnais
75007 Paris, France

We headed back to our apartment and had a wonderful night's sleep and headed out the next morning well rested.

And while the skies were overcast, with intermittent drizzles….it was still Paris!

And a revisit to the Louvre was on the docket for the morning.

Thanks for stopping by!

Medina Moroccan-Baja Kitchen

March 28, 2019 mmm-yoso African Cuisine/Restaurants, Gastropub, Mexican Restaurants, Moroccan Food

**** Medina has closed

During the beginning of March I was driving up El Cajon Boulevard and noticed a little shop had opened right next to Barn Brewery. The name; Medina, caught my eye and memories of wandering the Medina in Kairouan and Tunis flashed though mi cabeza. A few days later I read the grand opening announcement on Eater. The name says "Moroccan-Baja Kitchen", something that seemed to scream "con-fusion" to me. However, I took a quick look at the menu online and while it was small; basically two proteins and a vegetarian option served in tacos, a bowl, and a favorite of mine shakshouka. And while the Missus was somewhat hesitant at first, I managed to talk Her into visiting for two reasons. More on that shortly. So on a nice sunny day we headed on over.

We loved the décor of this wide open establishment. The drill is typical of this type of fast-casual "San Diegish" restaurant. You order at the counter, pay, and head on over to a table or stool at the front. The two young ladies who were working here on my visits were friendly and very nice.

The reason I managed to talk the Missus into visiting was the merguez which is made onsite, we really loved the merguez in Tunisia. And of course Shakshuka is a staple in our house. Just as an FYI; the "lamb" on the menu is actually merguez.

The Missus went with the Lamb Bowl ($13) topped with an Egg, which was a couple of bucks more.

First off; the egg was a perfect easy-over. The merguez was also very tasty, nice spices, with a good gamey, pasturey flavor. It was much better than other versions which we've gotten from various places in San Diego. The veggies were lightly and simply dressed, the roasted corn added sweetness, arugula bitterness, the pickled onions a nice palate cleansing sour-pungency. The couscous added bulk. As a whole, other than the merguez, this seemed like stuff we make at home. But still, it wasn't bad at all.

In the vein of stuff we make at home; the Shashouka ($7) with Merguez (+ $3.50), was decent as well.

A bit less spicy (I use quite a bit of Harissa) and tangy then the version I make at home, this wasn't bad at all. I like my shashouka a bit more broken down and with a bit more red peppers as well. Again the merguez was the star of the show for me and of course that luscious egg.

While the Missus enjoyed the meal, other than the merguez, She thought that the food wasn't much different from what I make at home.

Still, I wanted to return for another visit before doing a post. We'd had two of the three major items on the menu; the bowls and the shakshouka. So, that left some tacos, right?

But first, a Thorn Brewery Barrio Lager, light, clean, with a touch of sweetness.

I thought it would be nice on a bright and sunny afternoon. To go with dos tacos….

First up; the Moroccan Spiced Chicken Asado Taco ($4.50).

While I loved the look of this; it was the least favorite item I had at Medina. The chicken was dry and the seasoning, a combination of Coriander, Tumeric, and the like was too light and the tzatziki and arugula basically overshadowed instead of complimented the chicken. The rustic, thick tortilla looked wonderful, but quickly tore to pieces.

Of course I got the Lamb (merguez) Taco ($5.50).

Instead of being served in a tortilla, the taco was served on a tortilla sized pita. While the sausage seemed lost in all of the greens at times, the roasted corn and cucumber pico de gallo, along with a nice, but not too overpowering vinaigrette did well to compliment the sausage. The queso fresco added a pleasant milkiness to the spices and the "flavor of the pasture" of the merguez. My only complaint was that this was more of a salad – pita with some merguez than visa versa.

I was pleasantly surprised at the brightness and flavors of the food here; even though it's quite simple. I'm not sure I'll return anytime soon….though if they sold that merguez in bulk, I'd really be regular. Truthfully, I don't find the food here particularly fusion-ny nor innovative. Think swapping out pitas for tortillas; that shakshouka had nothing particularly "Baja" about it, but the ingredients were fresh, decently prepared, the colors pleasing to the eye, the staff very friendly, the hipsterish vibe is great for the area. Still, if you're not familiar with some of these flavors or wonder how well they'd work together definitely give them a try. And if you've never had merguez; this would a good place to try it!

Medina Moroccan-Baja Kitchen
2850 El Cajon Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92104
Hours:
Tuesday 5pm – 9pm
Wed – Sun 1130am – 9pm

Kimae Ramen

March 26, 2019 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

**** Kimae Ramen has closed

Are you tired of Ramen yet? Well, I hope you have room for one more….or maybe not.

Kimae Ramen opened up at the end of October by the same owner as Poki (poke…please poke, ok) One N Half. It's located in La Jolla Village Square right next to Daphne's and two doors down from a location of PONH.

I finally made it here at the end of December and really liked the lay-out of the place.

The staff, while not particularly friendly, were quite professional on my two visits.

The menu is printed on what is basically a paper "fan" and hangs on the wall around each table. There are four basic ramen with Spicy versions of the Signature, basically a chicken and pork tonkotsu, the Miso, and also have a Veggie and Spicy Seafood ramen on the menu as well. The other side of the fan has appetizers, rice bowls, and drinks.

So, being the old, boring, fuddy-duddy that I am, I went with the Signature Ramen ($10 – of course).

The presentation was nice, but the broth wasn't as hot as I enjoy. It also lacked depth and richness. No fragrance, no tongue coating texture, sorry to say it was like they used packaged tare, as it was salty and had a "tinny" finish.

The tamago….the egg hadn't been marinade properly and was bland and the yolk was ice cold.

The noodles were over-cooked for my taste and the wood ear was cold and really hard. The chashu looked good, but was rubbery and lacked flavor.

I was starving so ate all the noodles and stuff, but couldn't bring myself to have any more of that broth. You know, I thought we had hit "critical mass" with regards to ramen when Karami and Ryoma opened. I was even more sure after mediocre ramen at Yamachan and Isshido opened. But HiroNori gave me hope. I'm now certain we've hit saturation point….

After this rather sad bowl, I wasn't going to even do a post on the place. I really didn't feel like getting another bowl of ramen from Kimae….at least for a while.

But, about 2 weeks ago; Faye did a post on Kimae. Where she tried the chicken wings and enjoyed them. And since I really enjoy wings; well, I thought I'd give them another try.

But no ramen for me. Looking over the menu; well, I got the Crispy Chicken ($8) and finally also went with the Unagi Rice Bowl ($8), basically Kimae's version of Unadon.

The bowl came with a side of the "signature broth"; which was even more salty this time around. I left it as is. The kabayaki no tare (sauce) seemed water down and rather weak, more salty than sweet, very little savory tones…if it's bottled stuff, it's not a good brand. The four slices of Eel hadn't been broiled long enough and lacked the hint of a crisp exterior, it looked like they'd just opened a package, sliced a couple of pieces, and dumped it in a bowl.

I did enjoy the rice, mixed well with furikake and diced veggies. But that was about it.

Soon enough the chicken wings arrived. This was interesting as it resembled some of the double dipped Southern Fried Chicken I'd had in Atlanta when I worked there during the late 90's.

The first wing I ate had a very nice "crunch" and while slightly crumbly was not nearly as hard, nor dry as Furaido. It was super moist, though sadly was lacking in seasoning. And that mustard sauce, which lacked enough "umph", that would be some distinct flavor….pungent, sweet, salty, spice……was so bland. I actually had to add salt and togarashi to the wings….something I almost never, ever, do.

Next up was the drumette. I bit into it and got some flavor all right…a weird bitter, almost offal like flavor……freezer burn. Look at all that black marrow leakage. I was done.

So, the wings, well, it has potential, but really needs some flavor….or bring your own sauce, or whatever. I'm hopeful that drumette was an aberration. At least I hope it is. I took the other four wings back to the office….after the first bite, Calvin dumped half a bottle of Sriracha on it. At least the other four pieces didn't seem to have any off flavors…..

In the end, the concept and design is nice. The portions and price are right. Service was good and professional. But that's just the lipstick and I actually want the pig and this didn't do it for me. Calvin actually asked me if I'd rather eat here or at Tajima….he was shocked when I told him Tajima. Heck, maybe I'd even go to Ajisen before Kimae (though I might go back here before Yamachan). I think I'm done with new ramen places for a while.

Kimae Ramen
8657 Villa La Jolla Drive
San Diego, CA 92037
Hours:
Sun – Thurs 11am – 10pm
Fri – Sat 11am – 11pm

Revisits – Green China Grill and Pho Kitchen

March 25, 2019 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

As I was getting things together for this post I noticed something. I've actually done a revisits post on these two places together before! Kinda funny; I'm wondering if there's some internal "calendar" that goes off when I eat at one of these places that automatically makes me go to the other?

Anyway, here goes…..

Green China Grill:

In addition to the earlier combo post with the Pho Shop; I noticed that I tend to revisit Green China Grill about once a year. Strange.

As you can see GCG is a green as ever.

This time around I went back to Beef Noodle Soup with Sour Cabbage, which is now $10.99.

As always; the soup was blasting hot; with a good amount of "ma", numbingness to it. I still think it could be beefier and a bit richer, but at least they didn't go too heavy handed on the MSG on this visit. The standard issue xue cai was fine; though I notice they've cut back on the amount of it provided. Too bad; it adds a nice sour-acidic dimension to the broth, along with a bit of crunchiness. The beef was on the tough side and could have used a flavor injection. Though the Lamian (牛大碗 – Hand Pulled Noodles) were excellent this time around. Perfect chewy-al dente mouthfeel, wonderfully slippery, I think they've finally got things nailed down with regards to the noodles.

Overall, a bit over-priced, but this basically delivered.

Green China Grill
4688 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Pho Kitchen:

On a recent Sunday after working for a couple of hours I decided to head home. I'd been trying to fight off a cold and just wanted some pho relatively close to home. I thought about Pho Hut, but I'd never had anything close to a decent bowl of pho from there. So, I headed on over to Pho Kitchen. I went ahead and ordered the regular sized Pho "Tu Do"; basically pho with your choice of three proteins ($7.50).

When the basil and sprouts arrived, the expected small portion, I noticed that both the basil and sprouts were just on the verge of turning color.

The broth was super hot and like the typical San Diego pho broth, on the sweeter side. The soup lacked richness as it was severely defatted, though it had a hint of oniony-beefiness, an improvement over previous visits.

The proteins were quite good. Both the flank and brisket were tender; but not falling to pieces, and both were flavorful. The tendon, while a bit more chewy than I prefer was decent as well.

The issue this time around were the noodles.

While not in a clump on the bottom of the bowl; they were over-cooked and mushy.

It just seems like Pho Kitchen always just misses the mark on my visits. Perhaps one day they'll put it all together. All-in-all, not bad. It's "pho not to offend", if you like that kind of stuff. Service here has always been nice, which does make a difference.

Pho Kitchen
5375 Napa St
San Diego, CA 92110

Ravenna – The Basilica of San Vitale, Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, Lunch at Al Cairoli, and Dante’s Tomb

March 23, 2019 mmm-yoso Emilia-Romagna, Italy, Italian Restaurants, Italy, Sandwiches, Travel

We'd had such a great time in Emiligia-Romagna, from the Castles, to the "Devil's Bridge", to our amazing food tour, there were so many memorable experiences. And even though we had but two more nights left in the region, I had one more ace up my sleeve. Our Airbnb was very inexpensive, so I decided to book an overnight stay in Ravenna, a short hour train ride from Bologna. I'd read a bit about the city, which was once the capital of Western Roman Empire. When Theodosius I died; he split the Roman Empire into to halves, one of his sons, Honorius and he moved the Imperial Court and Administrative offices there in 401 because it was easily defended.

Well, enough of the history lesson, no?

The train station in Ravenna is but a short walk into the heart of the city. The vibe is relaxed and friendly; the city is pedestrian friendly and there's obviously a lot going as we passed this while walking past one of the many piazzas on the way to our hotel.

Our hotel; the Casa Masoli was close to everything we wanted to see; the woman running the place was warm and friendly and even made dinner reservations for us at a place she highly recommended. The prices were quite affordable; we got the Teodora e Giustiniano Suite for like a hundred Euros. The building has long history and our suite was amazing! And quite unique; it's like we entered a time machine and travelled into the past. From the Venetian four post beds and antiques lining the room….

To the huge bathroom with a marble bath tub!

To the rather dramatic sitting area.

The woman pointed to a part of the high ceiling and told us…."this is where a bomb landed during World War I"!

We had also arrived early and expected to drop off our bags; but our room was ready!

And so were we. The first order of business was head on out to the bookstore located at Via Giuliano Argentario 22 and purchase a combined ticket for five of the sites. And, it right down the street from our first site; the Basilica of San Vitale.

Commissioned by Bishop Ecclesius in 527; the church was still unfinished when Ravenna fell to Justinian I in 1540. It was then that the mosaics were done and the church completed in 1547. From the exterior, the building really looks rather staid and simple, but the octagonal plan and the use of terra-cotta bricks was revolutionary in those times.

It's upon entering the interior where you really understand the importance of this structure……

The amazing Byzantine Mosiacs are second to none and just amazing to see. It is rumored that San Vitale was used as the model for the Hagia Sofia in Istanbul. And even though we've been to the Hagia Sofia, twice this really made an impression on us.

It is undoubtedly, one of the most beautiful places I've ever visited.

I'm wondering what the dome would have been like had the intended mosaic design been carried out. The painting on the dome is from the 18th century.

I mean, the mosaic on the ceiling of the presbytery is dramatic enough.

There's actually a tape that goes "ssshhhssshhh" when folks start talking too loud in the place. We actually loved it!

For a wonderful article on the history and mosaics, check out this site.

Across the courtyard is the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, named after the daughter of Theodosius I. There are three sarcophagi in the structure; it is said that these are of Galla Placidia, who is said to have been placed in sitting position, Galla's son, Valentinian III is to her right, and to her left is that of Emporer Constantius III, her husband. Though because of study and dating, it is no longer thought to be so.

Some say the mosaics here outshine those in the Basilica and I can see why.

It was an amazing visit; something I wish everyone could see.

From here we headed to the next thing I wanted to see. While on one of the many wonderful pedestrian side streets, we decided to stop for lunch here.

It was a quaint shop; the upstairs was a dining area and the bottom floor like a very comfortable café.

the main reason we stopped is because the place served a small menu for lunch that featured Piadine. We'd been wanting to try an Italian version since having on Malta and I knew that this flatbread is traditionally from this region.

The Missus thoroughly enjoyed her Verdure Gratinate Squacquerone (a nice lightly acidic fresh cheese) – basically roasted vegetables in a nice, warm flatbread.

I had the Prosciutto (of course) Arugula Squacquerone version. Which was just enough for a light lunch.

This, along with two espressos was perfect since we still had a bunch of places to visit and didn't want to get filled up. It was also a nice change from all of the rather hearty food we'd been having over the last couple of days.

Nicely priced as well.

Al Cairoli
Via Benedetto Cairoli 16
48121, Ravenna, Italy

We headed straight down the street. Past all of the locals chatting, having espresso, eating lunch……

Via Benedetto Cairoli had become Via Corrado Ricci and we had arrived at this piazza. This is the Piazza San Francesco.

We'd gone a street too far. We would return here to visit the Basilica di San Francesco later on….there's something really cool in the church. But for now, I was focused on this place right around the corner in an area called "Zona del Silenzio" (Area of Silence). Remember when we visited the Basilica di Santa Croce in Florence? I noted that Dante's tomb "monument" was located in the church, but he wasn't interred there? Well, here he is.

On January 27th 1302, Dante was exiled from his home in Florence. He ended up in Ravenna in 1318 and wrote Paradiso, the third and last part of his Divine Comedy. When Dante died in 1321, he was entombed and hidden in what is now named the Basilica di San Francesco not to be found until 1865. Thus began what some say is a 700 year "battle" over the remains of Dante, which is quite a story in itself.

So many stories…….

And it was barely past noon!

Yes, there's more to come.

Thanks for stopping by!

Spring Is Finally Here – Seven Grand and Revisits to Tiger! Tiger! and Et Voila!

March 22, 2019 mmm-yoso French Restaurants, Gastropub, Pubs and Pub Grub, yoso-silly

After what seemed like a very cold (again with the "by San Diego standards" disclaimer) and wet winter; it seems like Spring might be here. The Missus got off early from work today and since I go in at 6am; I decided to leave a bit early as well.

We headed up to North Park; parked the car, and hit up a couple of places. Two of which I've posted on numerous times….so maybe you might just want to grab your favorite beverage and hit the TV or enjoy the weather or do something else.

If not; here's the rundown with minimal verbiage.

Seven Grand:

We've been here a couple of times. The Missus loves the vibe and ambiance. Everytime we've visited; the folks here were really awesome and knew their whiskey.

Plus, they carry the Missus's favorite label, Kavalan, from, of all places Taiwan. And they do half pours….

More on how we came across Kavalan (it was in Paris!) in a future post.

Seven Grand
3054 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92104

We then headed up 30th Street and around the corner at ECB to…..

Tiger! Tiger!:

**** Tiger! Tiger! has closed

Of course. We decided to just get the half charcuterie board.

Which always seems to be more than enough.

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

Then further down 30th to Adams and of course….

Et Voila!:

We hadn't been here since New Year's eve. So with a Huckleberry Bourbon under my belt.

We finished up our Happy Hour with a couple of old standbys.

Et Voilà!
3015 Adams Ave
San Diego, CA 92116

Happy Friday!

Pho Nhu Y (Chula Vista)

March 20, 2019 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Pho Nhu Y is now Pho Viet Noodle

I thought it might be best to get this post done before things starts warming up around here.

I found myself in Chula Vista a couple of weeks back and thought about getting an early lunch; it was around 10am, but I was kinda hungry. I remembered CC's post on Pho Nhu Y (BTW Happy 13th Blogaversary CC!), and wondering if it had anything to do with the Pho Nhu Y that lasted only a short while on Kearny Villa Road. From what I remembered; that place was owned by the original owner of Nhu Y, and without going into the gory details; there was a break-up and the ex-wife kept the restaurant or something like that.

This incarnation of Pho Nhu Y resides on Third Avenue in the same strip mall as Carnival Market. It's a pretty tiny shop; just a few tables.

The menu was typical of most pho shops. I didn't expect to find Bun Mam down in these parts and it was indeed not on the menu.

On my two visits; it was the same guy working; I didn't recognize anyone, so I'm not sure if this place is associated with the now defunct Pho Nhu Y.

The weather had still been fairly wet and rainy, so I just stuck with the pho; I made it easy for myself and went with the Dac Biet; which was decently priced at $7.49.

The herbs and veggies were as expected; the basil just starting to turn color, the sprouts were fresh, and of course no ngo gai.

The pho soon arrived as did an implement wrapped in a napkin…it was, well…."W(hat) T(he) F(ork)"? I mean really. I moved it away from the bowl as if it were radioactive; the older guy working soon swooped in and picked it up. He told me, "sorry, many Filipino's like to eat noodles with a fork"! Okay, so here's something in common with the "old" Pho Nhu Y…remember when I was the "Korean guy who liked bun mam"? We weren't exactly starting on the right foot here, were we? The broth was actually fairly clear, on the darker side, with a decent amount of fat. There was a slightly beefy "nose" to it. It did have a hint of beefiness and slight anise-oniony tones; but also edged on the really salty, M-S-heebie-geebie side.

The noodles were in a dense clump in the bottom of the bowl and more tangled than Medusa's hair. I took a good three or four minutes working with the chopsticks and spoon to loosen things up. Hey, maybe that fork??? Nah….

If you take a good look at the banh pho above; you'll notice the noodles are different shades. That's because some of the noodles were really under cooked and hard. I'm figuring it was the stuff in the middle of the noodle clump.

The rare beef was over-cooked when it arrived and tough, dry, with a metallic taste to it. I was surprised that the tendon was quite good and fairly tender. The tripe was also decently crunchy with no off flavors.

Basically a mixed bag, but not sadly, even with those noodles, not the worst bowl of pho I've had recently.

Sooooo, I decided to return this past weekend. And is it just me; or did we skip spring and head right on into summer?

Anyway; my intention was to have the Bo Kho, but I felt like it was just too darn hot and went with the Bun Cha HaNoi. Which, interestingly, came out in the same style of plate as the defunct Pho Nhu Y and was even priced the same at $7.95.

First and foremost, the nuoc mam cham was really watered down, which basically killed the whole dish. The daikon and carrots weren't pickled enough; there was just two leaves of lettuce, and the only herb provided was mint. The bun was nicely cooked, good stretch. The meatballs had a mild beefiness and weren't too bad, neither was the marinated pork, which was tender, if a bit too salty. Still; this dish felt incomplete.

Overall, a mixed bag. I've had much worse recently, but that's not exactly a seal of approval and sets the bar pretty low, doesn't it? Still, the flawed pho, was still better than what I'd last had in the Kearny Mesa area, except for Pho Duyen Mai, which coincidentally took the place of the old Pho Nhu Y. Man, it like we've got three degrees of se-pho-ration….okay, that's enough with the puns for today.

Pho Nhu Y
864 3rd Ave.
Chula Vista, CA 91911
Hours:
Open Daily 9am – 9pm

Youtiao at McDonalds? Well, sort of…..

March 19, 2019 mmm-yoso Chains, yoso-silly

I thought I'd break all this "serious" food stuffs with something kinda interesting….or perhaps funny. On Monday, "YZ" quickly came on over to my desk when she got into the office. Apparently, there was a subject in WeChat that was blowing up. It was strangely about youtiao……but not just any youtiao; but youtiao here in San Diego, and at all of things, McDonalds! Or to be more precise; the way YZ and the Missus say it "Màidāngláo" branches on the West Coast! Folks were lining up for the stuff and doing things like…..

Making jiangbing guozi???? Here's some of the posts on WeChat.

Anyway, YZ explained what was going on. I thought it was so funny…..that I actually went to McDonalds. I occasionally will drive-thru MickeyD's for a diet coke, but hadn't walked into a store in ages. But there I was at a quarter to six in the morning.

The deal was getting a new breakfast item called "Donut Sticks" without the cinnamon sugar. It's pretty cheap; I got two dozen for a bit over four bucks.

I gave almost all of it away….of course some of it to "YZ", but Calvin, and JeffP who bit into one and started laughing. I mean, just look at it.

Man, looks familiar doesn't it……well, at least a miniature version of one.

So, how was it? Well, when hot it was crisp, fairly light, on the oily side….but it did smell like youtiao. It losses texture quickly and is missing the yeasty-"alum" taste of the stuff we had in China. But, let me tell you; this might be as good as anything you'd get here in San Diego.

The real test will be when I'm able to talk the Missus into trying this…..

Stay tuned…..

Fernandez Restaurant and Catering Revisited

March 18, 2019 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants

Well; it was about time for my yearly revisit to Fernandez Restaurant, what I consider to be a little treasure in Nestor. I'd gone over the changes in appearance over the years in my last post on Fernandez, so I'll just stick with the food.

It's all about the birria here; but first, some consommé.

Scalding, slightly peppery, it's not very salty and does real well with a good squeeze of lime, some onions and cilantro. And a few spoonfuls go on the Tacos de Birria y Nervio ($2.90); you gotta get that tendon.

And man was that tendon nice and buttery today. The nice and hearty tortillas are dipped in the birria drippings and griddled; giving it a nice slightly crunchy-firmness. The beefy birria, a bit of the salsa de arbol, a few spoons of consommé, a light squeeze of lime…..you get the idea, right? The birria de res on this day was very tender.

The onions and cilantro add a nice pungent-herbaceousness.

On this day; I tried out the Quesataco Extremo ($3.90).

The griddled birria was nice; with a decent crispness and caramelization to it; the cheese added a milkiness and was melted helping the tortilla stay in tact. There was some nice tendon on this as well. But, I thought the cheese really took away from the birria and I missed that messy-tasty griddled tortilla. So I'll stick with my favorites here.

The place was totally packed, but turnover is fast. It was about a ten minute wait for a table. Service was friendly and warm. As we were leaving, one of the young men asked me how things was. I told him "excellent". He said, "thank you so much…..and we'll try to make it even better next time." Better than excellent? You gotta love that.

Fernandez Restaurant and Catering
2265 Flower Ave
San Diego, CA 92154
Hours:
Wed – Sunday 7am – 2pm