January 2020 – Page 2

Mikami Revolving Sushi and Bar-a first look (Clairmont Mesa)

January 17, 2020 Cathy Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping to read mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Cathy is writing today while Kirk stays busy at work.

Another revolving sushi bar has opened in San Diego. Located at the South West corner of Clairmont Mesa at Ruffner, in the same mall as PT Eatery, Katsu Cafe, one of the original Lolita locations, the Tea Station location I write about. The corner across Ruffner Street has the Original Tommy's. The other corner, across Clairmont Mesa Boulevard, has Ajisen Ramen. The parking area is plentiful and free (compared to the parking area by the other San Diego revolving sushi restaurant, Kura).

The Mister and I were here on a weekday (and Mikami is still in the 'Soft Opening' stage) and only one Conveyor was open. The second photo is looking into the Bar area, which has no conveyors, but where appetizers, entrees and 'buckets' can be ordered.
The rolling conveyor (kaiten) had a good variety of choices, although a good 1/3 were salmon based (The Mister doesn't really like salmon), each group of plates proceeded by a plate with a description on one side and number on the other. All conveyor plates are $2.80. Beverages are $2.85 (and the hot tea is really good).
As always, we like to try the salad offerings. This was plentiful and filling. Fresh vegetables as well as good quality krab along with avocado.
We got all wild and crazy and chose a 'Las Vegas Roll' from the rolling belt. The breaded fried roll had a filling including real crab and cream cheese. It was fresh and tasty. We also shared this half and half (tuna and salmon with cucumber filling) roll, which was also fresh and well made.

Then we set our eyes on the touch pad ordering system. Pretty simple to navigate; we did order one item at a time. First we decided to try the fried calamari rings ($7).

The smooth running wood railed trolly delivery system was pretty much silent. Once you take your order off the rocket ship, you can send it back by pushing the button on the table or it will eventually automatically go back to the kitchen.
The sea salt topped (where else does salt come from?) fried calamari rings were quite nice, well fried, not greasy, and served with a slightly spicy dipping sauce.
We also ordered a Blue Crab hand roll ($2.80) which was quite large and fresh made (the rice was still warm). Really nice quality.
The soy wrapped spicy scallop hand roll (also $2.80) was wonderful and also much larger than expected. I would much rather have this than three smaller spicy scallop rolls from the conveyor for the same price.
We didn't see any soft shell crab on the conveyor nor on the menu, however when we asked, found out it's the 'Spider Roll' (again, $2.80) and wow, we will order two of these next time! Perfectly fried half of a soft shell crab.

A nice alternative in a good location.

Mikami Revolving Sushi and Bar 7319 Clairmont Mesa Boulevard San Diego 92111 Sun-Thurs 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Fri-Sat 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m.

Pho Duoi Bo from Pho Ca Dao & Grill (Mira Mesa)

January 15, 2020 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

Well, I've done it again…..I gave in to the power of suggestion. In my PCD ECB revisit post, both Elle and Sandy mentioned PCD MM, in my PT Eatery post Lynn mentioned that Pho Ca Dao in Mira Mesa had gone downhill since the remodel. Waaaay back when I did my Pho Duoi Bo from the now closed Royal Garden, I mentioned that the Mira Mesa location of PCD had Oxtail pho….at least at one time to Jan Frederick. And so here I was…..seated at Pho Ca Dao in Mira Mesa.

It sure looks a lot more modern than the last time I did a post on this location of Pho Ca Dao. Would you believe that was 11 1/2 years ago! Sheesh. I did return a couple of years ago with coworkers….had a not-so-good bowl of pho and didn't take any photos. But my memory did not fail me (this time). There was indeed Pho Duoi Bo (Oxtail Pho) on the menu.

That's what I was here for.

I was a bit surprised when my bowl arrived as it seemed kind of small…….and just having the clump of noodles on the bottom and two pieces of oxtail with little else made it seem somewhat sparse. There wasn't much bean sprouts provided, though the sprig of basil was quite large.

Cutting straight to the oxtails….well, they were pretty good, nice beefy flavor, tender, but not falling to pieces, not bad at all.

The broth however was a fail.

Lacking in color, light on the richness, this tasted like salt water and like the Missus says "like someone had waved a beef bone over boiled water"…… A bit on the salty side; in need of….well, just about everything….except more salt and MSG.

The noodles were nicely prepared.

And for an even bigger surprise…….well, I didn't expect Culantro (Ngo Gai) and didn't get it…but I really didn't expect Cilantro along with my basil and sprouts. Since when is that a thing?

I'm not much of a big eater these days; but for the first time in I don't know how long; I was still hungry when I left the restaurant.

Another thing I noticed; looking at the signs for the other Pho Ca Dao locations; only RB, Poway, and Mira Mesa are represented. Is the original and other locations owned by someone else? Elle had mentioned the menu had become more westernized….sorry to say I really didn't take time to look at it in detail.

Service was nice, the Pho Duoi Bo fairly pricey for the portion size ($9.85). It'll probably be another decade before I return.

Pho Ca Dao
8373 Mira Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92126
Hours:
Open Daily 900am – 900pm

Ordering From (the shrinking) Guatemalan Menu at Casa Castillo

January 13, 2020 mmm-yoso Guatemalan Food

**** Casa Castillo has closed

While driving back from Liberty Station after checking out a place for an upcoming "croissant files" post, I noticed that the restaurant attached to the Howard Johnson's on Rosecrans had changed (yet again). I had always meant to visit this somewhat oddly located restaurant when it was the pseudo Guamanian-Mexican place named Tio Chino. Then for a blink of an eye it was New York Restaurant….now it was something called Casa Castillo, which I took to be yet another Mexican joint….until I looked a bit closer and the signage read "Mexican and Guatemalan Dining"! Which really got my attention. So when I had a chance I decided to drop by for lunch.

I must admit that my hopes were elevated when I saw the Santa Catalina Arch rendered in the logo of the restaurant. I had really enjoyed Guatemala….and man, has it been 10 years since we visited! Walking into the doorway and then up the rather oddly located stairs, I had visions of Ensalda Remolacha, Pepian, Hilachas, and Estofado de Cordero dancing in my head.

I walked into the restaurant which was completely empty…..on a weekend, during lunch. There's a nice patio area with a view of Rosecrans and the interior dining room; which had a fairly generic Mexican Restaurant-Sports Bar kind of look.

A very friendly young lady came out of the kitchen area and warmly greeted me. I had a seat and took a look at the menu….unfortunately, there were no Guatemalan Stews on the breakfast and lunch menu. They did however; have Guatemalan Enchiladas and Pupusas. I ordered one of each.

A basket of chips and salsa made its way to my table.

It may seem confusing; in Guatemala, the enchiladas are made on tostadas and classically have remolacha, a wonderful beet salad, ground or chopped beef, boiled eggs, and sprinkling of queso. I was wondering what would be arriving at my table and was pleased with what I got.

From the lettuce, to the sweet with a hint of citrus ensalada remolacha (beet salad), to what I called the typical "mystery meat" ground beef topping, boiled eggs, and cheese, this had all the hallmarks of a Guatemalan Enchilada (tostada). The tostada was a bit thinner than what I had enjoyed in Guatemala, the boiled eggs over-cooked, but this did the job. Not bad at all.

I approached the pupusa with caution; I hadn't enjoyed the version I had in Antigua. But this was a fairly good Pupusa de Chicharron.

These were a bit more doughy than Salvodorean pupusas; though the chicharron had a very nice texture and were quite porky. I love encurtido of all types and this one, while not the typical bright red version I was used to; had a nice crunch, the bright sour flavors cut the richness of the chicharron.

This wasn't a bad lunch, it cost me $7.75, and I left satisfied. I was even more happy when I was told that the dishes I was looking for was on the dinner menu…..and dinner was served from 3pm! So, the following weekend; the Missus was working late and I headed to Casa Castillo…arriving around 430pm. Again, the place was empty.

I was greeted by a wonderful smiling young lady….I believe Hannah is her name. And was given a menu. And wouldn't you know it…….they did have Pepian and Hilachas on the menu.

Pepian is probably the national dish of Guatemala; a wonderful recados (stew), made with dried chilies, pumpkin seeds, a slew of veggies, and meat. It is complex, almost like a mole. Hilachas is a shredded beef stew.

When Hannah returned, I ordered the Pepian and was told, "I'm so sorry, the chef just revised the menu and pepian is no longer on the menu." So I went with the Hilachas and was told that was also no longer on the menu. I mean, I didn't expect Subanik or Kac-Ik, but to not have Pepian….man, that was a bummer. Hannah recommended the Jocon – Pollo en Jocon a green chicken stew. So I ordered it.

The bowl of green stew came with some rather dry rice, avocado, and perfectly serviceable corn tortillas.

From what I read in my Guatemalan Cookbooks, chicken is first simmered in water and the cooking liquid is set aside to make the stew. Once the tomatillo and cilantro is pureed, the chicken cooking liquid is readded to the mixture, it is thickened with pumpkin seeds, and the chicken is returned to cook until tender. I think the last step was missed since the chicken was barely lukewarm, dry, tasteless, and tough.

The red potatoes weren't tender enough for me….I think everything had been par cooked, set aside and then put into the broth when ordered. I enjoyed the texture of the tomatillo "stew", it was just thick enough and coated my tongue nicely. I do think it was quite mild….especially for something that uses tomatillos and cilantro as a base.

Sometimes, when having a dish, a meal, I'm transported to a place or time….sorry to say, that wasn't the case with this meal. This is where I wish it took me….

I do understand it's a business….this is a Hotel/Motel restaurant; this is Midway, locals and I would think many visitors know the Mexican dishes, perhaps they just want some crane asada fries, beer, or maybe a margarita, and watch the game at the bar….and have no idea or care what Hilachas is. This doesn't make me any less disappointed though.

I was told that the owners are Guatemalan, but the kitchen staff is Mexican, perhaps that has something to do with things as well. I must say, the two young ladies who waited upon me were fantastic; the prices are quite reasonable, but there were no customers to be found on either visit. I'm hoping whatever changes they put into place work out and they do well. And perhaps; if business picks up, I'll be able to get my Pepian or Hilachas here one day.

Casa Castillo
3334 Rosecrans St.
San Diego, CA 92110
Hours:
Sun – Thurs 8am – 9pm
Fri – Sat 8am – 10pm

Noodling Around City Heights – Pho Ca Dao (El Cajon Boulevard)

January 12, 2020 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

Welcome to another "Noodling Around Post" as I make my way down both El Cajon Boulevard and University Avenue from 54th Street. Well, right in the same parking lot as the often overlooked Tan Ky Mi Gia is Pho Ca Dao. I believe this is the original location, way before restaurants in Santee, Mira Mesa, Chula Vista, and Rancho Bernardo came into existence.

PCD was the perfect choice for this morning; first off, I hadn't been here for almost 4 years! And they open at 7am…….I arrived at around 730 and there were more than a few tables slurping about. Say what you will; even I thought it was pretty chilly this past morning at 44 degrees in Bay Park…..but a look out the window where and you'd never know it.

Much has changed on the "pho-rizon" over the years; two things fairly quickly became apparent….the young lady serving me had a nice bright smile on…..quite different from the "dealing out the menu and standing silently over you" for an order. Also, the #4, which what I usually order here (today was no different), was a mere $4.95 in 2006. These days I thought the $7.95 price was a steal for pho in San Diego.

Also these days; I feel like I hit the lottery when I actually get some Ngo Gai along with the standard issue sprouts and basil. What was quite interesting was that the young lady also brought me chili oil and sliced onions even though I hadn't requested it…..perhaps this is SOP these days?

I've always noticed that there a certain pattern to the bowl of pho at PCD.

A rather generous clump of noodles is placed in the bottom of the bowl. The protein is then placed in a layer; tripe under everything, with the flank, brisket, well done steak, and tendon each occupying a quarter of the surface area.

On previous visits, the broth had been on the salty-MSG heavy side; today it was on the typical "San Diego sweeter" side, but also had beefy tones. Which would not been too bad, except the soup was barely past lukewarm; thus the bean sprouts and such didn't soften, and the broth had a weird, greasy tongue feel to it.

I had always enjoyed the tendon at this location of PCD and today it was still tender and buttery, but there wasn't much of it in the bowl. The nice portion of tripe was crunchy, with no off flavors. Because of the broth temperature, the tastelessness of the flank and brisket were quite apparent and it was also on the cold side.

The noodles were good with a nice chew, except it seemed that I had gotten all of the broken short pieces off banh pho….lots of shorter pieces that really cut down on one's eating enjoyment.

So, not quite what I expected here. And as a nice parting gift, the young lady working the register did a nice job of reminding me what classic pho shop service used to be like……oh, yes….the good old days!

Pho Ca Dao
5223 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115
Hours:
Open Daily 7am – 9pm

More of Vienna and a Caffeine Break at Cafe Central

January 11, 2020 mmm-yoso Austria, Caffeine Fix, Croissants, Travel

**** Not much food in this one……lots of churches and monuments though.

On our second day in Vienna, we set out to explore what we had missed on the previous day. We just walked through Stadtpark onto the Ringstrasse, the road the circles Innere Stadt, Vienna's "Old Town" where many of the city's sights are located.

Like the Opera House, which we passed the previous day.

Right past the Opera House is a Statue of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the famous German writer.

We had to crack up when we walked past the statue….there was an empty wine bottle on the statue's lap……..I guess Goethe might have had a pretty tough night?

Right past the statue is a nice little green space; this is the Burggarten; which is famous for the statue of Mozart that resides there, as well as the Butterfly House.

Just a few steps further up the Ring, you'll pass the Museum Quarter. The impressive Maria Theresa Monument sits between the Natural History and Art museum.

Maria Theresa was the only female ruler of the House of Habsburg, the Archduchess of Austria and the Queen of Hungary and Bohemia. Though she was married to Francis I, the holy Roman Emperor, Maria Theresa reigned over the House of Habsburg due to the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713, which her father, Charles VI put into place during his reign.

On the monument, Maria Theresa sits on a throne; the four horsemen represent her four top military commanders. Her four top advisors stand a the ready between the horsemen. Behind and above the left shoulder of the statue of Gerard van Swieten, Maria Theresa's person physician, you'll see a young boy, on the boy's right shoulder rests a hand. The boy is none other than Mozart. The gentleman whose hand is resting on Mozart's shoulder is that of Joseph Haydn. Haydn and Mozart were close friends; it is thought that Haydn, thoguh a quarter century older than Mozart, taught him quite a bit and was a mentor to the child prodigy.

Even though the museums weren't open and it was a windy and damp day; it was fun wandering around the area.

We especially enjoyed the cute elephant statue in front of the Natural History Museum.

From here we crossed the street and took a look around Hofburg Palace, where we had ended things the previous day, before having lunch then heading to Belvedere Palace.

There are actually some Roman Ruins on display on Michaelerplatz right in front of the Palace. And right across the street is Saint Michael's Church. Since it started to drizzle a bit, we decided to head on into the church to take a look around.

The Altar is quite impressive.

St Michael's is also well known for the Pipe Organ that Joseph Hadyn once played. This is also the church where Mozart's Requiem, unfinished at the time of his death on December 5, 1791 was first played. You can see the date along with a death mask of Mozart on the wall as you enter the church.

At this point we needed a break. The drizzle had ceased and the Missus wanted to visit another Viennese Café. Café Central was just a few blocks up Herrengasse, so we headed on up the street for something light to eat and a caffeine fix. According to what I read, the café was opened in 1876. Among the noted regulars at the café were some pretty (in)famous names. As a matter of fact; during early 1913 it is said Hitler, Trotsky, Tito, and Freud were said to have visited the café. Crazy….

And so we had our coffees and a fairly mediocre "homemade" croissant with paintings of royalty gazing at us.

The coffee was good, the service professional, though not quite a elegant as Cafe Imperial according to the Missus….at least it was less than half the $30 that I doled out at Café Imperial.

And then there was that rather lifelike Peter Altenberg statue……

Cafe Central
Herrengasse 14
Vienna 1010, Austria

We headed out, and decided to take a peek at the Schottenkirche ("Our Lady of the Scots") at the top of the block. The interior was quite impressive.

We headed back down Herrengasse, then across Michaelerplatz and down a passageway to our next destination…….and to our surprise saw some horses walking across the way.

I'd forgotten about the famous Spanish Riding School in Vienna.

Apparently, these are the rather posh stables.

Where I saw an interesting sign…..

We headed to our last destination; but decided to make one more stop along the way. To visit the Augustinian Church, where many of the Habsburgs were wed and where the hearts of 54 Habsburgs are interred in urns in one of the Chapels, and their bodies are in the Crypt below.

The Missus was kind of "Churched out" by this time……

So, we mainly spent time checking out the very interesting Monument to Maria Christina.

And then we were off…..to our next destination…..

Thanks for stopping by!

Is PT Eatery Ready for P(rime) T(ime)?

January 9, 2020 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** You can find an updated post here

Back at the end of October, I noticed that Pho T Cali's sign had been covered over. Soon after "DerekR" mentioned that "PT Eatery" was replacing Pho T Cali and that the place was related to Phuong Trang. I went over that Saturday and yes indeed there was a PT Eatery sign up. A little over a week later Eater confirmed that this place was indeed going to sort of be Phuong Trang "light". Even though I think Phuong Trang is pretty much middle of the road Vietnamese…..or perhaps gateway Vietnamese? I decided to give the place a couple of tries…..

This restaurant seems to have kept most of the same décor from Pho T Cali throwing in a larger divider of faux (not pho) plants and such.

The young man who waited on me was really friendly and asked if I'd been here previously……..I told him "no….how long have you been open?" He laughed and said "a week". As he handed me my menu; he asked me if he could recommend a couple of items on the menu……he was so very nice. He recommended the Beef Short Rib Pho…….shades of Pho Duyen Mai! So I went ahead and ordered it ($11.95).

While some of the basil was starting to brown; this was a decent sized portion of basil and sprouts….at least for these days. And of course; I expected no Ngo Gai and got none.

Soon enough my bowl arrived.

Let's first talk about what I liked about this bowl of pho….well, the broth was hot. It ended there. The soup was soooo salty, had so much MSG in it that all the other flavors were masked……there's not enough lime in world to fix this much MSG. I even added some water to see if it would help….of course it didn't.

The two ribs were super tough and rubbery. In the photo below you see how much of the rib I managed to chew off the bone.

The noodles……in a clump, overcooked, and mushy.

I just couldn't bear to eat much of this.

Luckily; so I thought, I'd hedged my bets by ordering one of what I consider to be the better menu items at Phuong Trang; the Butter Wings ($7.95).

I was rather taken aback when the wings arrived looking so pale. It was however, fairly crisp, though it softened quite quickly, and the wings were moist and well cooked. Much like the pho however; these also had way too much MSG, making it strangely metallic-sweet-bitter-salty. It was however, the lesser of two evils.

The really nice young man asked me why I had barely done any damage to the pho and if I wanted it to go……. I gently told him I wouldn't be needing it to go; that the soup had so much MSG it was bitter-salty. I think he understood since he had kindly refilled my glass of water four times during the meal.

Man, that was a kind of rough meal……though on one hand the place was still in its soft-opening phase…..on the other; Phuong Trang has been making this stuff for over thirty years!

A few days later I had a meeting in the area and decided to give it another go. I was pretty hungry so I ordered the Combination Broken Rice (Com Tam – $11.50). The plate that arrived looked pretty good.

A quick look at the nuoc mam cham and I knew it was watered down…which it was…."sauce not to offend", it was much more sweet than savory.

The broken rice was interesting….super moist, but not as fragrant as what I've usually had.

The "Bi" – shredded pork skin was decently prepared, a bit on the dry side and short on rice powder, but not bad.

The "cha", steamed egg and pork loaf was kind of odd. It was moist, though fairly thin and pretty short in terms of pork skin and cloud ear fungus. It had a decent porkiness, but, what's with all that yellow color that came off on the rice. Check the photo below, under the tan hu ky….the shrimp paste in bean curd skin.

Speaking of the Tan Hu Ky; it lacked crispness, the bean curd was mushy, and this was very bland.

The pork patty was perhaps the best item on the plate. While somewhat toothsome, it had a mild savory-sweetness to it.

Overall, fairly mediocre and this really didn't give me a reason to return…..but for some reason I did a week later.

Except, when I got to the table, I really didn't know what to order. I saw that another table had ordered the Nem Nuong Cuon ($5.95) – again shades of Pho Ban Mai and Pho Duyen Mai….though this was not even close.

They did the Brodard thing; fried egg roll wrapper in the center….but it was what was missing that mattered to me the most. Yes, the nem nuong was large, but it hadn't been seared, was rubbery, and was really bland. The filling was mainly lettuce and bun….I could make out no herbs to speak of. For some reason the wrapper was really hard and chewy. I took one back for Calvin….who hated it.

As for what to have with the spring rolls…..well, I was at a loss…..then; thinking about my previous meals; the menu….the sort of "Westernized – Vietnamese light"…..the super salty broth….I ordered the "Pho French Dip" ($8.95), a pseudo Banh Mi…..

Standard issue banh mi; decently heated, light and yeasty, with "pho cut" beef brisket, tender, still dripping with broth, with bland, but blanched bean sprouts, adding a decent textural contrast, onions, cilantro…….I spooned on that super salty pho broth; which did well in small doses, under this framework. A leaf of basil, a small spoon of broth, a bite of the sandwich. While I'm not going to be craving this again soon, it is probably the best thing I had at PT.

So, is PT ready for P(rime) T(ime)…….I think you can figure out what I think.

Nice service; slightly higher prices, and perhaps, even with all that experience in the kitchen….the nice young man told me the cooks in the kitchen have over 40 years of experience making Vietnamese Food, in need of some time to get into the cooking groove…… I'm definitely going to give this place "some time" before returning.

You can read about Faye's visit here.

PT Eatery
7351 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111
Hours:
Daily 11am – 9pm

The Croissant Files – Wayfarer Bread and O’Brien’s Boulangerie

January 8, 2020 mmm-yoso Bakery, Croissants

I was pretty surprised at the response to my "Croissant Files" post back in October. I was great to get some recommendations, two of which I had on my list and one that was totally new to me. This should actually be one of those "R(ecommendations) & R(equests)" type of posts, but I decided not to wait. So here goes.

Wayfarer Bread:

I had Wayfarer on my list for a while and just really didn't want to make the effort to drive there. But, after recommendations from Red Devil and Cathy Greene….well, I needed to visit. And to be perfectly honest, driving up to Bird Rock really isn't that bad early on a weekend, which is when I went. Though there was already a line formed when I arrived at around 745….one very nice fellow was in line letting people go in front of him since folks aren't allowed to order breakfast sandwiches before 8 am and he wanted a breakfast sandwich.

I ordered a croissant and an Americano for me and one pastry to go; which I dropped off for the Missus.

CathyG had mentioned the croissants are "well-browned"…..no kidding….

This was way too dark and over-baked; it basically exploded when I bit into it. That exterior is far past flaky. The layers are a bit too dry; though the interior is nice and light.

I also appreciate a nice "sheen" to the pastry, which this one didn't have.

Good balance of butter and salt; with just the hint of sweetness, and a whiff of yeast. Of all the croissants we've had in San Diego so far this is the Missus's favorite.

I've returned twice since this visit and I think the explosive nature of the croissant is the M.O. here.

Wayfarer Bread & Pastry
5525 La Jolla Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92037
Hours:
Daily 730am – 3pm

O'Brien's Boulangerie:

"Vickie" made this recommendation. Even though Cathy did a post back in December of 2018, I'd never have thought to look in a mostly office park/industrial area of Poway for a Croissant.

I also really liked the folks working; so very friendly early on a Saturday morning.

The place was quiet when I arrived right past 7am, but quickly filled up.

Like Wayfarer, I ordered an Americano, a croissant for me, and one to go which I dropped off for the Missus at work.

This one had a slightly fluffy, though almost too moist interior and needed a bit more butter and salt, though it was fairly yeasty, with a mild, though not overly sweet interior. The dough had a decent stretch, but again felt a bit too wet.

The exterior wasn't flaky enough and it lacked that perfect middle ground of flaky and mildly crisp. Better than the croissants from my previous post.

The Missus however, wasn't impressed……

O'Brien's Boulangerie
13615 Stowe Drive
Poway, CA 92064
Hours:
Mon -Fri 7am – 4pm
Sat 7am – 3pm
Closed on Sunday

So, I've got a couple more places on the list. Any recommendations are welcomed.

And….if you're wondering what our current favorite croissant is in Paris….well, as of our most recent trip it's this one.

Which actually won the Best Croissant au Buerre in Paris for 2018. We walked a mile-and-a-half each way twice for this baby on our last trip to that city.

Our favorite from our previous trips, just didn't measure up this time….though I'm sure we'll be back to check them out again.

Anyway, thanks again for the recommendations Cathy Greene, Red Devil, and Vickie!

The search continues!

2020 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade Showcase of floats, Lunch at Costa’s (Covina)

January 6, 2020 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Festivals & Events, Los Angeles County, Road Trip, What Cathy Eats!

Welcome back to reading mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog, on this beautiful January day. Cathy is writing and the first part of this post is about the 2020 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade Showcase of Floats, and at the end is the part about the food we ate that day.

When the Rose Parade ends, the floats line up end to end on Sierra Madre Boulevard and they can be viewed from about 1 p.m. on January 1 and from 7 a.m.- 4 p.m. on January 2. There are three entrances, each one easily found with a colored balloon (you can see the red balloon here).

The Theme of the 2020 Parade, "The Power of Hope" logo was on the Opening float, parked in the Pasadena High School parking lot.
The Burbank Tournament of Roses Association presented "Rise Up", depicting a mythical Phoenix rising from the ashes (of the 2018 California wildfires) to create hope, rebirth and renewal.
"Hope Knows No Limits", presented by Shriners Hospital for Children celebrated the carefree spirit of childhood that is born of Hope. Notice the 'child' on the swing has a prosthetic leg."First Responders Bring Hope, Presented by the Oddfellows and Rebekahs and had multiple First Responders, in uniform, riding the float and being applauded along the Parade route.
"Hope Keeps Us Going" by the City of Alhambra was a cute contribution to the variety of 46 floats along the route.
"The Voyage of Hope-1620" presented by General Society of Mayflower Descendents embodied the parade theme in that the 12 passengers who embarked on the journey in a cargo ship 400 years ago were motivated by the hope for freedom religion and a better way of life.
Details of so many of the floats are missed when viewing on television. the Welcome Credit Union float, "Hope Creates Community" showed the story of a community coming together to help a young (squirrel) family fix up their new 'tree home'. Such detail.

Speaking of details, here are some close ups of signage on some of the floats:
So many of the float designs also had details you might have missed if you were watching the Parade on television.

46 floats, thousands of volunteers, tens of thousands of man hours. Impossible to document it all; I have over 300 photos. This post has links to all of the float road tests we attended. This is a link to Phoenix Decorating Company, one of three float builders (in addition to the six self-built float builders). This link to The Rose Examiner has so many articles about the Tournament as well as float winners and better photographs.

The theme and President of the 2021 Tournament will be introduced in just about two weeks.

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In 2018, Phoenix Decorating Company moved the construction barn from Pasadena to Irwindale and that gave The Mister and I plenty of new restaurants to explore following our observing the float road tests. One restaurant we really liked was Costa's Family Restaurant in West Covina, where we enjoyed dinner after decorating floats in 2018. We hadn't been to Costa's for more than a year! It was January 2 and the lobby was still decorated for Christmas. Being a weekday, there were several 'lunch specials' on the menu. Time for comfort food to start the year, and follow the miles of walking to view the floats.
Liver and onions (calves liver; tender, thin and with a wonderful flavor). $8.29. It came with the salad or soup, dinner roll and either a beverage or dessert.
The hot turkey sandwich ($9.99) on a slice of white bread, served with vegetables, mashed potatoes and lots of gravy (along with -yes- canned cranberry sauce) was really wonderful, filling, flavorful and satisfying. The (baked here) dinner roll; wonderful. The mixed sherbet dessert was just a perfect ending to this meal and just enough to make the drive back home to East County without needing to stop for a snack.

Costa's Family Restaurant 851 E. San Bernadino Road Covina, CA 91723 Open Daily 5:30a.m. – 9 p.m.

Happy New Year!

Circling Back to Sab E Lee (Santee)

January 5, 2020 mmm-yoso Thai Restaurants

**** This location of Sab E Lee has closed

We’ve just torn the last page out of the 2019 calendar….it’s 2020. 2020……man, can you believe that if we’re still posting in May of this year; it will make 15 years? Sheesh….. I was recently wool gathering and looking at some older posts and I realize that there are tons of places that I haven’t revisited in years.

Some of them used to be favorites of ours…….Sab E Lee was one of them right from they opened in 2008. Over the years, they’ve opened a location in PQ, moved the original shop to a larger location down the street, and opened another, more Thai comfort food based restaurant in the old location. And of course, there’s the Sab E Lee location in Santee, which I used to call SEL2. The original owner of TOSEL sold the place to the cooks and opened up a location in Santee back in 2009. The food wasn’t truly Issan like TOSEL, but some of the dishes were quite good. I looked at my post from 2012 and realized I hadn’t been back there in over 7 years! Also, the Missus has been wanting Salted Fish Fried Rice; something that TOSEL and Thai Papaya took off their menu a few years back. Looking at the online menu for the place; I noticed that they still had it on the menu…..in Santee! I hoped.

So, this past weekend, I made the drive out to Santee to see what was going on at that location of SEL.

The place looks pretty much the same as I recalled…..though for some reason, it just seemed much darker inside.

Two really nice young ladies were working…so friendly. And yes, there it was….the salted fish fried rice on he menu. When I ordered it; the nice young lady made sure to let me know that they use fermented fish….not “fresh” fish, which made me laugh…..I’m guessing perhaps there have been some folks surprised when they actually caught a whiff of that fried rice?

Anyway; it was the first dish to arrive.

Nicely stir-fried; some wok hay going on….not as much salted fish as I recalled…the dish was not very pungent. Enjoyed the texture and this wasn’t overly salty. Most of went home for the Missus who said it was “kind of bland”……She’d expected something much more pungent. Still, not bad.

I also ordered the Duck Larb…..and was shocked when it arrived at the table hot.

The temperature really dulled the sharp flavors and the dish tasted better after spending some time in the fridge. At heat level 7, this was quite wimpy……..just not enough heat…..the duck was pretty gamey though. This was just mediocre, not made with any real finesse.

I also ordered the Khai Jeaw; a classic Thai street food dish. Basically eggs with ground pork and fish sauce.

The eggs were pretty well done; nice and fluffy, savory, and while not quite as good as what I’d had here in the past; this was my favorite dish. This did better with Nam Pla Prik – the savory fish sauce with chilies than the Sriracha that was served with the dish. Still, I missed the version they used to make here.

For your reference….from back in 2009, when SEL2 really tried stepping up their game.

I understand the economics of things….the prices here are very reasonable and I’m fairly certain that concessions have to be made for the area. This did seem like a totally different restaurant than the version of Sab E Lee I ate at in 2012. And I can’t help but wonder what Kobey; the former owner of SEL would think if he shared this meal with me.

Sab E Lee
9159 Mission Gorge Road
Santee, CA 92071

Clearing Out the Memory Card – Kangxi is Coming and Noble Chef

January 2, 2020 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

A couple of revisits to places I've posted on several times already…..

Kangxi is Coming:

**** Kangxi is Coming has closed

It had been a while and the Missus was craving the Suan Cai dish…..mostly for the leftovers to reheat with our fairly potent homemade Suan Cai; so I went ahead and grabbed lunch. The same really friendly woman was working and she knew exactly what I was going to order "for your wife".

Not as much "gravy" as before and not stir fried as much. Still, fairly sour…..this is one of those dishes that tastes better the next day, after it had time for the flavors to meld a bit further. It could be that we added our own suan cai as well.

I needed a vegetable dish so I got the Cauliflower Dry Pot; which was pretty darn spicy.

Though you didn't get the nice buzz of Sichuan Peppercorns.

The woman recommended the Crispy Pork; which was indeed crispy and the temperature was molten hot.

It was also super sweet, it was doused in a super thick, super sweet syrup, which seized up with a texture like toffee as it cooeld down. The thin strings of ginger helped cut the sweetness a bit; but it just wasn't enough. Great texture though.

Kangxi Is Coming
4428 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

Noble Chef:

The Missus wanted dinner from Noble Chef for our first meal after returning from our trip. It was the usual…..

And She was quite satisfied…..

The Noble Chef
6159 Balboa Avenue
San Diego, CA 92111

Hope everyone had a safe and happy New Year!