May 2019 – Page 2

Lenten Specialties for 2018- fish sandwiches, seafood specials and tuna pie(!)

May 16, 2019 Cathy Chains, Sandwiches, Seafood, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is the name of this food blog. Kirk has written the majority of posts this year and needs a break. Cathy finally has the time and energy to write about various foods she has enjoyed; the blogging will continue, uninterrupted.

You probably notice each January that fast food places make an effort to showcase some sort of 'new'/limited time seafood based item. This is perhaps in conjunction with consumers' 'New Year Resolution' to eat less meat and/or the beginning of the 40 day religious season of Lent, which begins on the day after "Fat Tuesday" and ends on Easter, during which some Christians only eat pescatarian meals. In any case, most of the items shown here still seem to be available. For example, there is the McDonald's Filet o' Fish, which is available at a discounted price (around $2) on Fridays all year. The squared, solid, breaded and fried fish chunk is topped with a 2/3 slice of cheese and tartar sauce and served on a steamed, soft white bread bun. Of course, in March, having a Filet o' Fish along with a minty Shamrock Shake is a short-lived flavor combination. For quite a few years now, Wendy's has offered a North Pacific Cod sandwich (~$4), which is unique and excellent. The cod is flaky, the fry is crisp and not greasy, the toppings of lettuce, tartar sauce and pickles are just right. This year, a few locations of Chick-Fil-A offered a fish sandwich and fish strips on Fridays during Lent. It did not taste like chicken, the sandwich had the 'traditional' CFA topping of two pickles and was certainly different for the chicken-centric chain.
Popeye's offered a $5 " Shrimp Tackle Box" for a limited time. There were a dozen spicy battered, plump shrimp, along with seasoned fries and a biscuit in this filling meal. My friend, and fellow blogger, cc, sent me this photo of the Fish and Chips she and Bert had at Fuddruckers. $10 for three fish pieces and fries.
cc and Bert also managed to try the (real!) crab sandwich offered at Boudin. The limited offering will be back next year and I'm looking forward to trying it. Then there was the day I was in National City. There was a sign in the window and I had to stop. Yep. Tuna pie- $2.49. It's been on the menu since last summer, but I never was in the neighborhood…
It's, you know, like an old fashioned Mcdonalds apple pie- fried. Filled with a warm, creamy tuna (no noodle) casserole, this was a great snack.
Yes, I ate in my car. It had been a long day and there was going to be traffic on the way home.
I also bought a taro boba drink. It was great. Did you know Jollibee is the flagship of Jollibee Foods Corporation, the largest and fastest growing Asian Restaurant Company in the world?

Thanks for reading!

Gaya Gaya – A First Look(s)

May 15, 2019 mmm-yoso Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Filipino Restaurants, Poke

***** Gaya Gaya has closed

About a week-and-a-half ago, one of the folks in the office told me that Sarap had changed owners.

A day later, I read in the Eater that DJ Tangalin had taken over the spot and renamed it Gaya Gaya.

While I thought my meals at Bivouc Ciderworks were a bit of a mixed bag, I was interested in checking the place out. As were a couple of other folks so we headed on over.

The interior looks a bit more spacious; the rather huge benches and tables had been removed and things spaced out a bit better. Other than that things looked pretty much the same. The "Sarap" signage is still up, but one look at the menu and you know it ain't the same place. The names of the dishes are familiar, but reading the descriptions, well, it was now a different world. There seemed to be fusion touches to many of the dishes.

Of course; there were those that were excepted.

It had been ages since I've had decent Balut….but man five bucks! Whatever, I decided to try it. No one else around the table wanted to join me though.

In most cases; I've had it overcooked, which really didn't help texturally. Also, the nice "fowl-ly" flavors are lost. This was nice, soft, juicy, savory, with a light mustiness. I have a couple of stories about the first couple of times I had balut back home in Hawaii; but I'll save that for another day. I really enjoyed this version as it wasn't over-cooked.

The Bicol Express ($15) here is served with mussels.

While I missed the spice (thus not really Bicolano in my mind) and the usual good dose of bagoong; the mussels were tender and those twice cooked potatoes did well in the dish. This dish seemed more Thai than Filipino to me. Still, not bad.

The Bagoong Fried Rice ($6) on the other hand was terrible.

The rice wasn't coated well; there were many clumps and some really hard pieces of rice. Not enough bagoong for our tastes. All of us had eaten the bagoong fried rice at Sarap, which was much better than this.

Calvin just had to order the "Award Winning" Tuna Poke ($13).

Maybe it's because I just got back from visiting "home"; but man, this was bland. It seemed so good while reading it through on the menu; but the fish wasn't coated well enough, not enough white shoyu. The fish itself was fine, moist, tender, but was just so bland.

Next up; the Crispy Pata ($19).

This was interesting; the pata seemed brushed with a slightly sweet glaze. It was served with a pseudo atsara which had masago in it. The soy concoction was interesting as it had a good balance of salty and sour. Sadly, the skin of the pata was really hard….not crunchy or crisp, hard. The flesh was also quite dry…not sure why the mint-dill garnish was necessary. It was disappointing.

So, a bit disappointing, but I wanted to do a revisit a few days later….sadly, I had no takers so I headed over by myself.

I decided to go with the Adobo Rice Bowl ($12). This was quite good.

The pork belly was cooked just the way I like; not falling to pieces, but super tender and moist. The sauce was a perfect balance of salty to mildly sour, with just a hint of sweet. The porkiness of the pork belly came through nicely as well. The rice was decently cooked, perhaps a bit on the dry side. The pickled cucumbers helped to cut the richness of the dish. No, it's not your typical "gut-busting" portion; but more quality than quantity.

I also decided to the order the Pinakbet ($9).

This was decent; the eggplant soft and buttery; the pumpkin was slightly firm and not mushy, with a touch of sweetness. Loved the bagoong in this….it added a wonderfully pleasing savoriness and saltiness to the dish. I did sorely miss ampalaya (bittermelon); which I think adds tannic-bitterness to pinakbet.

Overall, a decent visit. Which had me wondering; was the first visit just a fluke? So, I decided to drop by one more time. Not being particularly hungry; I just went with the Chicken Tocino Rice Bowl ($11).

Not quite sure about this….the chicken thighs didn't seem to have been marinated enough. It had a decent amount of saltiness; but really needed that fruity sweetness (usually from pineapple if I recall), and some tanginess. The color was really light and the chicken was on the dry side. The egg was overcooked for my taste; I'd have preferred easy over. The rice was moist and fragrant.

Well, not sure what to make of my visits. The Servers working, a different one on each of my visits are very friendly; but man, the space is so large, so I'm hoping they'll staff a bit better. I feel the prices would be fine for elevated Filipino food; but I'm not sure if that's what is happening here. Still, things are still on soft-opening mode. The chef was either meeting with folks or doing paperwork in the dining area on each of my visits.

I'm going to revisit in a couple of months; hopefully things will just keep on improving.

Gaya Gaya
7580 Miramar Rd
San Diego, CA 92126
Hours:
Daily 11am – 3pm, 5pm – 9pm

Pho Fusion and Pho Hoa Huong Revisited

May 13, 2019 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

Since it's still fairly cool out; here are a couple of places I haven't been to in a while.

Pho Fusion:

Man, has it been three years since I last visited? I'd actually kinda forgotten about this place. I noticed that they were tearing up the parking lot and saw Pho Fusion open. I had thought the pho wasn't too bad; at least for "pho not to offend" on my last visit, so I decided to drop by and have a bowl.

The place was empty during my visit; probably the combination of all the construction and the time of day of my visit. Late afternoon on a weekend.

I started with the Popcorn Chicken which I thought wasn't too bad on my last visit.

And it still wasn't bad at all. Crunchy, well seasoned dark meat chicken. I believe the popcorn chicken here is better than, well the now closed Popcorn Chicken down the street.

As for the pho; well, I got #14; brisket, flank, marbled flank, tendon, and tripe. I was provided with one sprig of basil and a ration of bean sprouts. In all honesty, I didn't expect much more. At least it was fresh. The clump of noodles were decent, not over-cooked. The broth on this visit was way too salty, and sigh; like much of the pho in San Diego these days on the sweet side. Not a hint of beefiness nor anise. The proteins were fine, the tiny sprig of tripe had a soapiness to it; the brisket was tender but flavorless, the tendon was decent, not overly chewy, but not soft and buttery either.

Like I said; "pho not to offend". Still, I'd take this over what I last had at a couple of other places in Kearny Mesa.

Pho Fusion
8038 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

Pho Hoa Huong:

So, the next morning I went on some errands and passed by Pho Hoa Huong at around 730am and the open sign was lit. My understanding is that they open at 8….but no, the place was open. So, since I hadn't been here in a while and, it had been even longer since I'd had pho here, I thought "why not"?

Strange, PHH used to be known as one of those "old school", perfunctory, menu slapped on the table, guy hovering over you for your order kinda place (remember – the "Fastest Pho in the West"?)….in fact the woman working was very nice told me to sit wherever I wanted and brought over a men and laid it on the table. On my last visit, I noticed what I thought was a "a softer, kinder Pho Hoa".

The place still looks quite "old school". I went with good ol' #4, which now cost $8.10 for a regular sized bowl.

Damn, when was the last time I actually had such a generous plate of basil, sprouts, and ngo gai? Well, at the other "old school" pho shop; Pho Hoa.

I'm not sure if I'm turning soft in my old age; but this was a decent bowl. The broth looked much too light, but it wasn't too salty, nor too sweet, had a mild beefiness, anise tones, and a mild hint of onion.

The noodles were prepped well, not too chewy, not mushy.

I wasn't a big fan of the flank which was too hard, but the tendon was decently tender and the tripe was nice and crunchy without any off flavors.

The woman who was my Server was very nice and smiled; the Gentleman manning the register asked me how I enjoyed my meal. Man, this sure ain't the Pho Hoa Huong I remembered. If this is the way things are now; well…all hail the old school pho shop!

And, I still got out in less than thirty minutes!

Pho Hoa-Huong Restaurant
6921 Linda Vista Rd
San Diego, CA 92111

Road Trip – Sea Harbour (Rosemead) Revisited

May 12, 2019 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Dim Sum, Los Angeles County, Road Trip

We had a nice night of sleep after dinner at Bistro Na's. Frankie was staying with one of his favorites Aunties, so I used some points and booked an overnight stay. And though we had enjoyed trying some new places on this visit; when it came to dim sum, the Missus wanted Sea Harbour, especially since it had been about three years since our last visit. Of course we got there a few minutes before opening; the lines don't seem quite as long these days. And were promptly seated when they opened….where we got a close-up view of the spot prawns.

The Missus was specifically interested in trying something She saw in various Instagram posts (and no; I don't do "Insta")

Yep, basically squid ink colored – gold leaf topped har gow. shades of gold leaf topped sashimi (in Kanazawa)! So, this was nearly ten bucks….. But, it was well put together. Sea Harbour really knows how to make their shrimp; these were plump, tender, and full of flavor. The mushroom in the dumplings had an earthy sweetness to them.

Next up was the mushroom tart.

These looked better than they actually were. The mushroom filling was really mild and didn't stand up to the pastry. Meanwhile, the pastry started to break down rather quickly and got quite gummy.

I was really happy to see that the Fish Roe and Scallop Dumpling was back on the menu.

It had been taken off the menu on our last visit a few years back. Perfectly textured wrappers; sweet-oceany scallops, balanced out with the crunchy masago.

Of course the Missus had to get Her Chicken Feet. A favorite of Hers.

And I had to get a favorite of mine, the Shrimp, Dried Scallops, and Chinese Celery Dumplings .

And these did not disappoint, wonderful combination of savory (dried scallops) – oceany and sweet (shrimp), all balanced out with the palate cleansing and textural contrast of the Chinese celery. The wrappers were faultless.

On one of our previous visits we tried the Black Fungus and Celery Dumpling and didn't think it was very good. So, we decided to try them out again.

This time around, it was much better. Great texture, the flavor of the celery coming through. Still a bit on the mild side in terms of flavor, but again the wrappers were perfect.

I was really disappointed in the Soy Sauce Noodles this time around.

Overcooked (even the bean sprouts!) and bland. Where the heck were the scallions?

Things finished off with another favorite of the Missus; the Radish Cake with XO Sauce.

While I don't think the searing of the radish cake was done quite as well; it lacked the light coat of crispness, this literally melted in our mouths. The XO Sauce adds another dimension in terms of flavor. It's still quite delicious.

Overall a nice meal. A big plus was that SH opens at 10am on weekends, so we were able to get back on the road before 11am, and head home.

We need to head up to the SGV more often.

Sea Harbour Seafood Restaurant
3939 Rosemead Blvd
Rosemead, CA 91770

Anchorage – The Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, Orso, and Darwin’s Theory

May 10, 2019 mmm-yoso Airport/Airline/Cruise/Rail Food, Alaska, American/New American Restaurants, Gastropub, Travel

After having our lunch at IHOH we strolled the short two blocks or so to the coast. Past the house of Oscar Anderson who claimed to be the 18th citizen of Anchorage. The house is now a museum.

Anderson lived in this house until his death in 1974 and he sure had a heck of a view.

Right past the house is the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail; named after the 7th Governor of Alaska, Tony Knowles, this nicely paved trail runs for eleven miles (!) all the way past the airport to Kincaid Park.

And no; we didn't do eleven miles. But we did enjoy strolling along the coast.

Not too many people on the trail; but lots of birds!

We stopped on the shores of Westchester Lagoon; where there were quite a few folks; of the two and four-legged kind enjoying the day.

From here we decided to head back to our hotel.

It was a pretty long walk; past some interesting and colorful homes.

Through Delaney Park.

Before getting back to downtown and doing a bit more shopping.

It was still fairly early' like 430, but we were hungry. I had read that the place right next to Glacier Brewhouse, named Orso had a pretty nice Happy Hour until 6pm. So we headed on over.

We sat in the bar area and ordered a couple of items and had a few drinks. The staff was very friendly.

We started with the Roasted Beets and Fresh Mozzarella ($5.95).

The beets were really hard; the pesto like sauce quite salty which really just over-powered the mozzarella and everything else in the dish.

The Flash Seared Crab Cakes (Happy Hour – $10.95); were mediocre as well.

Not "flash fried" enough; somewhat mushy, and frankly, bland.

The Crispy Cauliflower (Happy Hour – $2.95) was a bargain during HH. However; the "tomato-red pepper sauce" was too salty. And not sure about the temp of the oil used for frying as this was on the greasy side.

I think the final nail in the coffin for the Missus was the Polenta Ragu another Happy Hour bargain at $3.95.

The polenta was on the dry side, there was a bit too much cheese for our taste, and not enough "ragu". What sealed the deal was the bread crumbed crusted poached egg; a bit too much fried stuff going on at Orso. And then when we tasted the egg; there was definite fishiness to it. I've noticed that more and more; we're coming across eggs in the States that have a fishiness to them. Not sure what they're feeding the hens, but we're not fans of it.

We decided to pay and head next door where the Missus wanted to do another flight of Bourbon.

Orso
737 W 5th Ave.
Anchorage, AK 99501

And so; the Missus got Her Bourbon Flight…..

And I got an Old Fashioned…..

But the place was slammed, so after this we decided to head back to our room……

Except that we passed this bar on the way….one that I'd seen earlier and was curious about.

Named Darwin's Theory…… I talked the Missus into checking the place out. It was the most wonderful dive bar! The service was straightforward and for some reason, folks in the place started talking to us. Seemed like there were a good amount of locals in the place. Folks seemed to know each other…….just like back home in Hawaii.

So we sat and had a Bourbon…..

The young man who sat next to me was very friendly and we started up a conversation…..he is born and raised in Alaska. We did learn a bit about living in this state of hardy, self-reliant people….but one of the first things we were told was not to "ring the bell" in the place. If you ring the bell; it means you buy the everyone a round! Often times, folks flush with money off of the king crab harvest or something similar will come into the place and ring that bell…..and buy everyone in the house a drink. Heck, if I win the lottery and am visiting Anchorage…. We started chatting about his life and he told me he was a refrigeration mechanic for the last 6 years. But before that he did seasonal work on the king crab and other boats for three years…and even earlier seasonally. He looked really young; I asked him his age….26! Yikes!

Anyway, this was totally my kind of place. If I ever find myself back in Anchorage, I'm headed here…….

Darwin’s Theory
426 G St
Anchorage, AK 99501
Hours:
Sun – Thurs 10am – 230am
Fri – Sat 10am – 3am

We headed back to our room and slept well….there was no one coming back at 4am…..nor were there any ghosts waking us. Still, daylight at 430 am kinda threw me off…..

Yes, I got up real early due to the daylight. Our flight was scheduled to leave Anchorage at 930, but man, it was so bright at 5 am!

I mean, as of right now, based on current experience, I'll take polar winter over twenty hours of sunlight…..

Anyway, we found some interesting "gifts"…….. loved the hand sanitizer collection…..

And we had an actual meal from Seattle to San Diego which wasn't bad at all.

And while the food had left something to be desired. Well, the beauty and experience was priceless.

Thanks for stopping by!

Song Huong Mira Mesa Revisited

May 8, 2019 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** This location of Song Huong has been replaced by Saigon Corner

A few weeks back; Calvin asked if I'd join him at Song Huong; he wanted to have some Banh Cuon for lunch. I told him I wasn't the biggest fan of the Banh Cuon at Song Huong; nor much of anything else I've tried during several visits. Still, it had been over three years since I'd last visited, so why not. Unfortunately; or perhaps fortunately, Song Huong was undergoing some renovation work at that time….so we got Menya Ultra instead.

Fast forward a month and Calvin asks if we could go and check the place out. So, why not?

There're now a couple of groups of older Vietnamese guys hanging out on the tables outside the place. Guess they've found their coffee hangout.

Other than the fresh coat of paint and some wooden tables and benches, the place looks pretty much the same. Though I heard someone saying something about ceiling damage and repairs.

Calvin had one thing on his mind; the banh cuon. I on the other hand, really wanted nothing to do with any of the noodle soups here and was kinda fascinated by the new fried food menu.

Anyway, the Banh Cuon and Banh Uot was mediocre.

The banh cuon was especially bad; the rolls too thick and chewy, the filling bland, the nuoc mam cham watery….'nuff said.

Meanwhile, after a short wait all the fried food started arriving. First the chicken gizzards ($5.99). Holy smokes, the portion size was more than I bargained for.

These were crunchy, nicely seasoned, and in my opinion the best item of the meal. A good dose of Louisiana Hot Sauce added a nice kick and acidity to cut all that fry-o-lated goodness.

The fried okra ($2.49) was again a good portion size.

While it could have been more crunchy; it was still decently crisp, with a nice, gooey interior. Not bad; though this could have used more seasoning.

And last; the Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings (6 pieces – $6.99).

Unevenly battered, bitter garlic, too salty, and rather dry flesh…..this wasn't too good. a lot of the batter just flaked off as well. This one needs some work.

There was a ton of leftovers. We took it back to the office and gave it to Big Daniel from Georgia and he whacked those gizzards in minutes. Then looked sleepy for the rest of the afternoon.

As for the Banh Cuon; Phuong Nha definitely does it better. The woman working was much more friendly than I recalled. But am not sure I'll return.

Song Huong
10550 Camino Ruiz
San Diego, CA 92126

The Latin Chef, Now in the Liberty Public Market

May 6, 2019 mmm-yoso Peruvian Restaurants

After eating at Steak n Fries in PB, instead of heading right over to Grand to get out of PB, I drove up Garnet. I was shocked to see that Latin Chef had closed. Yes, they had really slipped over the years, especially after the original chef left and headed back to Cusco. But the place had sentimental value to me. Much like Sultan had inspired us to travel to Turkey; Latin Chef got us to head to Peru. I'd always enjoyed Peruvian food; the ever changing amalgamation of the cuisines of those who set foot upon its shores. It seems that Peru embraces the dishes and aims to do it "right". And while places like Maido might not do everything to our taste; I appreciate the honest, sincere combination of Nikkei-Tusan-Amazonian tastes and textures. So yes, I was sad to see Latin Chef close; even though it seemed like the writing had been on the wall for a while.

I was just as shocked upon walking through the Liberty Public Market on our way to El Jardin a few days later to see a sign up for "The Latin Chef"! Could it be? Anyway, I waited until that weekend to check them out. Located where I believe Meze Greek Fusion used to be, Latin Chef has assumed the small kitchen and counter.

I sidled up to the counter; there are two tables also available, and was handed a menu by the nice woman working. She introduced herself as the Chef's wife. I was suddenly full of questions, but just asked one…..and she confirmed, Fredy was no longer associated with Latin Chef, she and her husband, a Nikkei from Peru were now in charge.

The menu was chock full of Peruvian standards, Lomo Saltado, Chaufa, Tallarin, and so forth.

Of course the first thing on my mind was some Cebiche Pescado; but I noticed they used Swai. In spite of the various concerns about Swai (I'd eat it before Escolar); I just find most preparations; perhaps fried is the best, turns out mushy. So; I went with the Leche de Tigre instead to see how the fish was prepared.

And as you can see; some Chicha Morada, which was decent…not too sweet, cinnamon tones. Loved the good amount of chanchita; the nutty-earthy tones really match well with the sour lime. The leche de tigre was super bracing and sour; it was lime heavy. I'd grown used to some balance with the addition of more savory and pungent components. And no, I didn't expect the "nuevo style" Leche de Tigre dishes we had in Lima during our last visit. The shrimp was cooked by the book, plainly boiled like for a typical shrimp cocktail and the fish, small pieces were kind of mushy and flaky.

I also got the Anticuchos Corazon, the classic grilled beef heart dish of Peru.

This was also done pretty much by-the-book, achiote-cumin-salt. Luckily they gave me a nice little container of aji rocoto, which added some nice zip. While I wasn't expecting, say anything on the level of Panchita's; this version was tad too tough…I'm used the toothsome-chewiness, which I find rather pleasant; but perhaps just slicing things a bit thinner like like the former Latin Chef and Nazca Grill used to do. it also could have done with more aji and some good acid.

Again, I was thankful for the aji rocoto as it added some nice zip to things.

So, with that under my belt, I decided to head back the next weekend.

And, of course I ordered the Lomo Saltado.

While this was better than what I last had at Pisco; it lacked enough acidity from tomatoes and pungency from onions and just had way too much potatoes. The sauce was bit oily and it edged on being too salty. The meat, was toothsome but not tough. The rice was fine; but this was nothing like the balance that Latin Chef had at its peak.

After being served; the chef came out to chat. His name is Tony Kaneshiro and he is a full blown Nikkei from Peru. We talked about the food; he hasn't been back to Peru in ages and goes for basic, straight forward Peruvian food. In a very interesting coincidence, he told me he used to cook at El Rocoto in the mid-90's, which would be about the time we used to go there often! Small world.

The Peruvian stylings at this version of Latin Chef is quite straight forward. I found it to be somewhat inconsistent but will check back in a few months to see. I'm happy to see the legacy of Latin Chef being carried on, by two really nice folks. I hope they do well.

The Latin Chef (In Liberty Public Market)
2820 Historic Decatur Rd.
San Diego, CA 92106
Hours:
Mon – Sat 11am – 8pm
Sunday 11am – 7pm

Seaside Pho & Grill

May 5, 2019 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Seaside Pho & Grill has closed

A few weeks back, I recently had to run down to Point Loma to pick a package up at the Post Office for the Missus. I thought it a bit strange that the info given on the slip in our mailbox was for the Point Loma location, not the usual Midway Station. And to make things worse, that Post Office is only open from 10 to 1230 on Saturdays! So, I headed down at 1030, found some parking and headed into the Post Office and stood in line. Only to find out that I was given the wrong location….it should have been the usual Midway Post Office! Sigh…..

Well, I decided to grab some lunch in the area before heading back up Rosecrans to the correct Post Office. I decided to check out a place that had been on my "list" for a while.

An acquaintance recommended Seaside Pho & Grill to me for a specific dish. More on this shortly.

I walked on over and easily found a table as the place was totally empty on a Saturday at 11am. The Server was a bit disorganized and kept calling me "honey"…..ok. The vibe is definitely fusion, gastro-pub/bar, very modern. Looking over the menu; well, there's all types of Asian noodles; everything from Pad Thai, Drunken Noodles, Ramen, to Pho.

My source had recommended that I try the "Garlic Noodles" with Shrimp, not cheap at $16.75. I had pictured something like Crustacean's Garlic Noodles or Momofuku's Scallion Noodles. This tended more toward Crustacean's….though more like a version you'd make when you had midnight munchies and robbed the fridge.

The typical noodles were mushy; the sauce was gloppy-gooey with hardly any flavor and definite greasiness to them. The shrimp were nicely cooked but really bland and lacking in "shrimpiness". I added all the parmesan cheese and was definitely tempted to dump Hoisin and Sriracha on this….but I held back.

For some reason; I decided to head back and try the pho. So I returned a few weeks later. In contrast to typical pho shops there are limited options. So, I got the "Beef Combo" ($10.75 – small bowl). But first, some Garlic – Butter Wings (6 pieces – $9.95).

The wings had a nice crunch and were moist and very hot. Not a fan of all the broken bones and discolored flesh. Also, the garlic was too raw and was on the bitter side; the "sauce" was bottled lemon juice with black pepper.

This could have been a winner…..but no cigar.

I got the "Beef Combo" (small – $10.75); rare steak, brisket, flank, and tendon.

As I had anticipated, not much in terms of basil and sprouts; but at least it was fresh. That lime was much needed since the broth was super salty and like most "San Diego style" pho, on the sweet side. It lacked beefy-anise tones that I usually appreciate in a good bowl. The noodles; while in the typical clump were prepped nicely. The rare beef wasn't too rare by the time it hit the table; but it was more tender than the usual lousy top round I get at most pho shops; the flank and brisket were fine, both were fairly tender. The two pieces of tendon were slightly chewy, but passable as well.

In the end; another newish, modern "pho to not offend" shop. Fairly pricey with small bowls of pho near, or over ten bucks and limited options. And no; I'm not going to get the ramen here. The service was kind of; well, distracted, even though I was the only customer in the place during both visits.

And yes, this place is right next to Shanghai Bun…..still not sure if I should check that place out. What do you think?

Seaside Pho & Grill
1005 Rosecrans St.
San Diego, CA 92106
Hours:
Mon – Thur 11am – 9pm
Fri – Sat 11am – 10pm
Sunday Noon – 9pm

Anchorage – New Sagaya’s City Market, Anchorage Market & Festival, and the International House of Hotdogs

May 3, 2019 mmm-yoso Alaska, Hot Dogs, Markets & Grocers, Travel

It's been almost a year since we visited Alaska; I'd better get these posts done!

I had a rather fitful night of sleep in Anchorage. I guess bars close at 4am; which by the way, is when the sun was rising during our visit. Folks got back to the hotel with much banging and noise…no it wasn't the ghosts. So, after a couple more hours of restlessness, we headed downstairs. The breakfast set-up looked rather dismal, so we just grabbed some coffee and headed out. Not sure where. Past schools and houses…I believe on A Street.

We then cut westward and somehow ended up at New Sagaya's City Market, where there is a location of Kaladi Brothers Coffee.

So while the Missus stood in the queue for our caffeine fix.

It was interesting walking those aisles. I was rather surprised to see some of items being sold; like Aloha Shoyu!

We sat and enjoyed our coffee. It was interesting; you could tell who the visitors were; we still felt a bit chilly in the 50 degree weather; while we saw folks in the market walking around in shorts!

After our fix, we headed back out. But not before giving this friendly fella' a nice head scratch.

New Sagaya City Market
900 W 13th Ave.
Anchorage, AK 99501

We walked back up I Street, through the large Delaney Park; an eleven block strip that used to be the airfield. It's a now a vast looking green belt.

We stopped to take a look at the Anchorage Veterans Memorial.

Soon enough we were back in downtown. We did a bit of window shopping; heading down 4th Avenue. We decided to head on over to the Anchorage Market & Festival, which takes place on weekends from 10am to 6pm from Mid-May to Mid-September.

Right at the turn to the head down to the market, is the start of the Iditarod, and this mural.

right down the stairs and across the parking lot was the Market and Festival.

There was of course entertainment…

Tons of shopping…..

Don't you want some "chimes to irritate your neighbors"?

And of course food.

And while we didn't find anything we especially felt like eating; this was a fun little stop for us.

Anchorage Market & Festival
225 E 3rd Ave.
Anchorage, AK 99501
Sat – Sun 10am – 6pm
Mid-May thru Mid September
From May 11th to September 8 for 2019

The Missus had wanted to check out the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail. So we headed west on 4th Avenue. I had a stop in mind for lunch. A place called IHOH – the International House of Hotdogs. Basically a trailer set-up right behind the very popular Snow City Café.

They were doing some pretty good business at 11am.

Having enjoyed reindeer in various forms over the last couple of years; I had wanted to try a Reindeer Dog; in this case the McKinley Dog, a Reindeer Polish Sausage. We also got an order of the Cilantro Fries.

For some reason the split sausage had been pretty much griddled to death and was on the tough side, The roll did a nice job and was nice and soft, and the griddled onions did quite well. The chipotle based sauce was a bit much, as reindeer, at least in my experience has a rather delicate flavor.

Loved the seasoning on the fries; but these "crinkle-cuts" were also fried too long, the interior of the fries were dry.

It was enough food for the Missus and I to share and the service was very friendly.

International House of Hot Dogs
415 L Street
Anchorage, AK 99501
Hours:
Tues – Sun 11am – 7pm

Now it was time for me to burn off all those fries……

Still Soup Weather! Mekong Cuisine Lao and Thai Revisited

May 1, 2019 mmm-yoso Lao Restaurants

**** You can find an updated post here

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

Recently, while sitting at my PC wool-gathering; basically looking at photos from past trips, I opened my Luang Prabang folder and all the memories came flooding back. The sights and sounds of the Morning Fresh Market….the "River of Orange" as I call, more widely known as the "Saffron Circuit" as the monks collect their morning alms each morning.

Rain or shine…..

Which brought me back to one of our favorite places in Luang Prabang. We never knew the name of the place; it was simply a booth located at the end of the Fresh Market we called "Same-Same", because we'd stop by every morning and the woman running the place would look at us and ask "same-same"? Of course the answer was "yes". And we'd have our coffee and a bowl of Khao Piak, what I pretty much consider the Lao National Noodle Soup.

I'd forgotten how much I loved Luang Prabang……. And the recent cooler-rainy weather led me back to Mekong Cuisine Lao and Thai.

Not sure how things are going as I had the place pretty much to myself during my visit. The young man serving me was pretty serious and stoic; until I started talking to him about the food. He became more and more friendly as my lunch went on.

I hadn't had the Khao Piak (Khao Peak Sen on the menu), so I decided to try that.

In many versions; like this one, the tapioca starch isn't dusted from the noodles and thickens the simple broth. This creates a rather thick soup….this one was perhaps the thickest I'd had in a while, almost like a potage. It was super hot and the density of the broth meant that it stayed lip singing hot for the entire meal. The noodles had a nice chew to them. The flavoring of the broth was very simple; I'm used to having more cilantro and perhaps lemongrass notes; but this one was fine. As I had figured; the chicken, it was white meat was dry and tasteless. But let me tell you, because of the viscosity, this is pretty filling.

And of course I had to have the Sai Ua (Sai Ou on the menu) as during my previous visits, I thought this place made a good Lao Sausage. And yes, it did deliver.

Lovely, slightly sour porkiness, nice lemongrass – kaffir lime leaf – gingery tones, a hint of spice. The rice in the sausage gives it a wonderful texture and every time I've had this here, the sausage casing had been crisped up nicely. As I've before; that tamarind based sauce really isn't needed for this.

The young man said; "it's good, yes? We make our own sausage here." He seemed quite proud, rightfully so. Now, I gotta find other dishes on the menu, because man does not live on sausage alone, right? Hmmm……

Mekong Cuisine Lao and Thai
3904 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111