May 2020 – mmm-yoso

Covid-19 Takeout – EE Nami (Revisited) and The Original Sab E Lee

May 28, 2020 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Thai Restaurants

EE Nami (Revisited):

Well, in my previous post on EE Nami, I did mention my desire to revisit to try out the Pork Filet Tonkatsu. And of course, I try to be a man of my word….honestly, the Pork Loin Tonkatsu was easily the best I'd had in San Diego, so I'd make up any excuse to return to try the filet version.

Which, like my previous take-out tonkatsu from EE Nami, this was still crisp when I got home to consume it.

The pork filet is a lot thicker, meatier, and tender….though I think of it as being a bit "mushy-moist" than the pork loin version, which is more toothsome and has a nice chewy "fat cap".

So, you can pick your poison based on your preferences…..both were quite good, though I prefer the pork loin.

Current, Covid-19 Takeout Hours are Tuesday – Sunday, 11am – 2pm and 5pm – 8pm.

EE Nami
4706 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92117
858-246-6903

The Original Sab E Lee:

**** TOSEL is now Zab Linda

Usually, when the weather starts warming up, the Missus starts craving take-out from Thai Papaya. Unfortunately, Thai Papaya is currently closed….with signs saying that The Original Sab E Lee is currently open seven days a week.

So, I decided to head on over to place a take-out order. Sadly, no Som Tom Khai Kem…….no salted egg at TOSEL. On the very nice side of things; the young man working often works at Thai Papaya and was so happy to see me that he made me a Thai Iced Tea without asking and I was obligated to take it. Really nice gesture.

I got the Issan Sausage, which was as expected, the duck larb was very nice once chilled, we got the regular papaya salad…heat level 5, which was spicier than we recalled…..must be getting soft in our old age. While we missed the layer of savory flavor the salted egg usually brings to the papaya salad, it was decent….not perfect, but ok.

The Missus loved the little dry shrimp in the papaya salad….and I pretty much enjoyed the cabbage and the sauce.

Nice lunch, but we can't wait until Thai Papaya opens back up.

Current Covid-19 Hours are 11am – 330pm and 5pm – 930 pm Monday to Friday and 11am – 930pm Saturday and Sunday.

The Original Sab E Lee
6925 Linda Vista Road
San Diego, CA 92111
(858) 650-6868

Midweek Meanderings – Bird Rock Morena Reopens, Is the Sandwich A’Fare Closed, and Other Stuff

May 27, 2020 mmm-yoso Caffeine Fix, Sandwiches

Bird Rock Morena Reopens:

I got the word via their website. The Missus was happy….Bird Rock is Her favorite.

Perhaps being closed for a few weeks actually helped this location of Bird Rock….of course we missed their coffee, but the place was undergoing renovation anyway and this is what it looked like a few weeks back.

Now let's forward the calendar a bit……

Pretty spiffy, eh?

I was a bit confused at first; but you just follow the yellow lines……

Lot's of plexiglass dividers up. Currently cashless transactions and limited hours. The crew here is still wonderful to work with.

And the Missus got Her "Geisha" pour over, not cheap at $10 a pop….but it puts Her in a better mood…..which is priceless.

Bird Rock Coffee Roasters
1270 Morena Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92110

The Missus is happy to have them back.

Is the Sandwich A'Fare Closed?

I'd been doing phone orders from The Sandwich A'Fare about every other week since mid-April. So, I became a bit worried when I called and got a weird message that went something like "all routes closed". It seemed very strange; so I drove on over and the Sandwich A'Fare looks like it's closed.

Which would be a bummer. I have a soft spot for these little Mom-and-Pop sandwich places.

And where else in the area can you get a decent sandwich for $6.25????

I'm certain the location….hidden in the back of Miramar Center doesn't help things…..

I just Googled "Sandwich A'Fare" and it says permanently closed.

Sad……

The Sandwich A'Fare
6904 Miramar Rd. Suite 107
San Diego, CA 92121

Speaking of sad……

I went by Clairemont Town Square a few weeks back…..to grab the Missus a croissant from Arely's and some cash from the ATM. I'd heard that Troy's Family Restaurant had closed.

Even though I wasn't a big fan of the place; I believe that every neighborhood needs a place like Troy's or Perry's or Rudford's…….places like those are like the roots of a neighborhood, they keep things anchored in place, nourish it even as it grows and spreads out to the sky and replenishes the fruits that grow above. It's a place of cherished memories…..

It's quite sad….and oh my, the notes taped on the windows and doors.

I feel the pain.

After all, I read that a favorite of mine from small kid time, a place I cherished, Like Like Drive had closed after 67 years.

Not much else to say really……

mmm-yoso makes 15.

May 26, 2020 mmm-yoso Cocktails, yoso-silly

I was just organizing some photos this last weekend when I suddenly realized that our little blog was turning 15! And by coincidence; this is post 4,350 – we got more posts than Pete Rose has hits!

Sheesh….15……who'd have thought when I pressed "Publish" for that first post in 2005, that we'd still be doing this fifteen years later.

Granted, this is somewhat bittersweet for us. With Covid-19 changing the way we live, socialize, work, and eat. Also, there's a reason I haven't done a "bloggaversary" post since 2009. We're usually travelling during this time of the year. Except, you know….this year has been different.

So, anyway I'd like to propose a toast to all of you; who have read, emailed, taken the time to comment on our little blog over the years! We've been honored to have been given the privilege of sharing our meals and travels with all of you.

Thank you again from the bottom of our hungry little hearts. And who knows, maybe I will get to 5,000 posts?

And, I'm kinda wondering, when did you start reading?

Thanks again! Take Care!

Covid-19 Takeout – Kindred

May 24, 2020 mmm-yoso Cocktails, Vegetarian and Vegan Restaurants

In my post on Et Voila during the time of Covid-19 "FOY" Lynnea (we love you Lynnea) mentioned that Kindred was doing takeout during this time. I was actually keeping track of what was being offered with what was called the "Greatest Hits" menu.

The other thing was that the cocktails that we wanted were being sold in portions of six (!!!!)……I mean, I had read that alcohol sales in San Francisco had increaed by 42 percent during the first month of Covid-19! I waited until there was something offered that we had enjoyed during our visits to the restaurant before making the special trip out of the way.

Finally, I saw that the "skewers" were on the menu…..and I had an excuse for heading out of the way……

Which I ordered ($10) along with the Golden Axe ($45). Ordering was easy, on the phone, as was pick-up……I simply walked up to the table to the right of the door and grabbed the packages with my name on it.

The Missus went thru the skewers like a hot knife cutting thru butter.

As for the cocktails, it was provided in a really nice bottle.

I went ahead an measured out, and indeed it was a solid 6 portions of 2/3 a cup for each.

So, shaked with ice. it made a solid cocktail……for three days!

So, perhaps if Kindred offered "the dip", we may do this again…..but man, six cocktails….man, that's a bit more than we wanted.

Though I will say the Missus really enjoyed those Seitan Skewers.

And the Golden Axe….well, was the Golden Axe.

Kindred
1503 30th St
San Diego, CA 92102

Cheers!

Covid-19 Takeout – Luce Bar & Kitchen; which is now also open for dine-in

May 23, 2020 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Cocktails, Gastropub

I needed to head on down to Siesel's yesterday. The Missus was working until late and I decided to also grab something to eat while I was in the area. I had noticed the previous week that Luce had reopened for takeout. They had pretty much held out for a bit. While places like Bay Park Fish Company, Poseidon Project, and even Dan Diego's had started doing take-out. I decided to go ahead and do a takeout order and pick it up after shopping at Siesel's.

What really surprised me was that Luce (as well as Bay Park Fish) had already started doing dine-in, since the approval was just given on the 21st, the day before! Talk about moving fast!

And there were indeed folks eating at both places.

We ( the Missus and I) are not quite ready to take that step yet…….I ordered the Lamb Tacos to go, along with a "Serrano Rita". After completing my shopping at Siesel's I walked over and picked up my prepaid order.

Here's a quick hint if you do order cocktails to go from Luce. Ask that they not put in on ice, as I was surprised to find my drink in a to-do plastic cup on ice. I quickly drove home and strained the drink removing the ice to ensure that it didn't get too watered down. And poured over fresh ice before consuming.

Things came packed nicely…..the photo is deceptive as the tacos were fairly hefty. I removed the tacos, which was more than enough for a light dinner.

The lamb was tender, though the marinade was a bit too sweet for my taste which really blocked out that "flavor" of the pasture of the lamb, which I usually enjoy.

Still, This wasn't bad.

The portion size of the remaining salad was quite generous and the Missus had that when She got home from work.

This was fine.

What was interesting were all the folks eating out……for the first time in probably almost ten weeks…..it seems like folks are just desperate for some kind of social normalcy.

I think I'll wait a while though……

Luce Bar & Kitchen
1959 Morena Blvd
San Diego, CA 92110

A “BC” (Before Covid) Revisit to Yakitori Taisho

May 21, 2020 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants

At the dinner table a few nights back the Missus and I like I think many other folks are these days, were discussing about where we'd want to have our first dinner out "AC" (After Covid)……whenever that would be……I'm not sure how or when we'd feel comfortable enough to actually dine in; nor are we sure what changes would be in store for dining in. Yakitori Taisho was definitely on the top of that list. Granted, we haven't been back much after Taka-san left, but we were and are, craving yakitori.

By coincidence, on March 12th the Missus had plans to have dinner with Her friends so I decided to pay Taisho a visit.

It had been quite a while since I had walked thru the door at Taisho and hadn't visited since they expanded. The place now holds twice the amount of people, though it seems to have lost that cozy, intimate atmosphere…..which, in light of our current situation, may play in their favor when they do try to reopen.

I was greeted with a big smile from Kuma-san; who still remembers us from our visit to the original location of Yakyuudori in Nagoya, where he was manning the konro on that evening. He cracked us up, when he'd declare he was "better than Taka" while handing us our skewers! He does have some major Yakitori chops.

And of course; things started with some draft Sapporo.

And I was happy that nankotsu (chicken cartlidge) was on the menu. I really enjoy the distinct, crunchy-chewy texture of nankotsu.

I thoroughly enjoyed my Yakitori. I did notice that while Taka-san often had a lighter touch in terms of tare, salt, and carmelization; Kuma is more flavor forward…..knowing the personality of both of them, it just makes sense. It's all good!

Man, I really miss our meals at Taisho, what took me so long since I'd last visited? When the Missus got home from Her dinner, we chatted about Taisho and made plans on having dinner at Taisho in the near future. Then of course, March 16th came along. So, we're hoping to be able to safely and comfortably visit Taisho when we get on the other side of this pandemic. We're hoping……

Yakitori Taisho
(Currently Temporarily Closed Due to You Know What)
5185 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92117

I'm sure many of you are thinking about places you're missing, and hoping to have meals at once restaurants open for dining in and you feel comfortable with eating in a restaurant.

Where would that be?

Turo-Turo Tuesday, the Covid-19 Edition Part 2 – Manila Fast Food and Desserts

May 19, 2020 mmm-yoso Filipino Restaurants, Sisig

To continue with my "turo turo Covid-19" explorations; having not been to Manila Fast Food and Desserts in a while and having meetings starting at 11am, I headed on over knowing that MFF usually opens around 830-930. I got there at 10 and they were doing some pretty good business. Of the three Mira Mesa Turo-Turo places I visited, MFF had the best system, at least on my visit.

The employees made sure everyone was spaced out nicely, took orders in an orderly fashion; were masked and gloved up, took cash in a basket and returned it to you in a basket. I saw the woman working behind the counter change her gloves once…….even though she did not come into contact with customers at all.

I got the two item combo, Sisig (of course) and Beef Kaldereta, with a half portion of Pancit.

The Kaldereta was the better of the two items; the beef was surprisingly tender….it's a cheaper cut, but had a nice beefiness, the sauce was seasoned well, not overly salty, and had a nice acidic tanginess.

The Sisig had some nice crisp bits in it, but was on the waxy side and lacked spice and was kind of mild in the vinegar department.

The pancit was plain and while it had a nice texture; good al dente pull to it and not mushy, was on the bland side, but heck, as a rice replacement it did ok.

Overall, the most efficient Covid-19 process of the three turo-turo shops I visited in the Mira Mesa area. You can read about Soo's visit here.

Manila Fast Food and Desserts
8979 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126

Covid-19 Takeout – EE Nami

May 18, 2020 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants

Back in the beginning of April, I noticed that Ramen Yamachan (which was around for just a blink of the eye after replacing Ramen Yamadaya) was gone and replaced with something called "EE Nami", I was just driving past, so really couldn't make much else out and didn't even think the place had opened yet. In the comments of my Easter post; FOY Jason mentioned if I had tried the new Izakaya on Clairemont Mesa…..which was EE Nami. I waited for a couple of weeks before checking out their website and calling tp pick up lunch on my way home during the weekend.

The young lady on the phone was very pleasant and told me they were serving an abbreviated take-out menu. I placed my order and headed over.

So, looking at the sign….."Tonkatsu Izakaya"….nice, it's been a while since I've had decent Tonkatsu in San Diego. It's definitely a niche to fill in my opinion.

I was in and out in a matter of minutes as my food was ready when I arrived.

I ordered the Loin Katsu, which looked very good when I opened it upon arriving home.

A couple of things I noticed as I went and tasted everything. The katsu sauce here is a bit more on the sweeter side; not cloying or anything, just a bit different from the typical Japanese Tonkatsu sauce, though definitely not a ketchupy as the katsu sauce in Hawaii. It was nice and thick and quite good. The miso soup is nothing to write home about and I really didn't expect much anyway.

But of course you wanna know about the tonkatsu, right? I really enjoyed how this was breaded; the panko wasn't coming off the meat a sign of good temperature (both in prep and cooking), it was super crisp even after the 15-20 minute drive home. The pork loin had a very pleasant texture…..a slight toothsomeness and was pork was decently moist. This was the best I've had in a while.

The following weekend I ordered the Menchi Katsu, basically breaded and fried meatball…..man, when was the last time I had this?

I didn't find this to be quite as good as the tonkatsu. While again nicely breaded, I thought the ground pork was rather bland and while moist, it was a bit too mushy in texture for me. I prefer my menchi katsu to have some heft and meatiness to it. The cheese would have been a good textural contrast if the meat wasn't so mushy.

I had planned on doing another visit, but for some reason things kinda fell by the wayside. Until "Elle" asked me about EE Nami in the comments of my latest post on R&B….it was a great reminder. So between meetings I called and placed an order. The guy who answered the phone was really friendly and told me they were out of Pork Filet and the Sandos (sandwiches). I had been wanting to try the karaage before finally doing my post, so that's what I went with.

I'm thinking that word is getting out on EE Nami as there were two customers waiting outside and two inside when I arrived.

There were take-out packages lining the counter and the young man running the front was really hustling.

While doing a great job of disinfecting the counters, anywhere customers touched, and especially the handles on the doors. And he was super efficient as well. Kudos to him.

I did have short wait for my order; as the folks who were there before got their orders; two phone orders and two walk in orders were placed.

I picked up the Loin Tonkatsu for one of my coworkers (which he loved) and got my Chicken Karaage.

This style of karaage were chicken thighs (as it should be), basically half thighs, instead of cut into smaller pieces. It wasn't heavily battered and not particularly crisp….I prefer my karaage to have some crunch to them (with more potato starch and baking soda, as in what I make at home – though I have about a dozen different recipes). The chicken was very moist, but I think it was marinated too long and was on the salty side.

I definitely think the tonkatsu here is a keeper and I'll definitely return for more….maybe this week even! I got to peek at the entire menu, which looked promising and can't wait until we're past our current state of things to try some what I saw.

Really liked the folks working here as well. It seems like they're doing fairly well, I'm hoping for the best.

Current, Covid-19 Takeout Hours are Tuesday – Sunday, 11am – 2pm and 5pm – 8pm.

EE Nami
4706 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92117
858-246-6903

Recently Consumed – Covid-19 Edition

May 15, 2020 mmm-yoso Cooking

Just another collection of "stuffs" we've been eating at home…..

The weather seems to be see-sawing a bit….first record heat, then rain with cooler weather followed-up by almost record heat, then misty mornings….looks like perhaps "May Gray" has settled in? Anyway, soup weather, at least in our household seems on the way out….except for the mushroom and potato leek soup.

The Missus actually requested Carne en su Jugo…..literally "meat cooked in it's own juices"……so, I borrowed a recipe from the recently published Rancho Gordo Heirloom Bean Guide since I was going to use their beans anyway. And anything that starts with bacon and bacon fat sounds good, right?

For me, the key to making this were the tomatillos; the Missus didn't want any stock used, so I made twice the amount of what amounts to a salsa verde for the soup.

The Missus's most recent "out of the blue" request? Patatas al Ajillo (garlic potatoes), to this Spanish staple I added to of the Missus's foundation items…….a fried egg and lardons.

As I mentioned in my most recent Smack’N Guamanian Grill post, the Missus requested that I make Kelaguen…..

As we seem to be switching to more warm weather dishes…..

And we've been kind of trading food with our friends as well. Frankie's Auntie "Alle", like many folks I know have been obsessed with making a certain dish…..I've read about all the sourdough obsessions going on; Alle, well, she was determined to make the perfect focaccia. Not any focaccia mind you; but Foccacia Triggiano, from the region in Italy where her dad is from and currently resides. It got to the point where she actually ordered flour from Puglia!

And we were the beneficiaries….

This type of focaccia, much like Foccacia Barese which I've had, uses potato, along with flour……

So yes, we've been eating rather well…..though we still miss going out to eat a couple of times a week.

Funny thing, there's one item that keeps hanging on….that the Missus isn't tired of yet.

Yep, it's Her beloved Hasselback Potatoes!

What's been coming out of your kitchen recently?

We hope everyone is in good health….both physically and mentally!

Hang in there!

Covid-19 Takeout – Et Voila. Trying for Our Own Little “Happy Hour”

May 13, 2020 mmm-yoso Cocktails, French Restaurants, Sandwiches

Welcome to March 73rd….or something like that. In a way I'm glad to be super busy with work, otherwise I'd just be out of sorts, I think the days would all just roll into one another…….of all the things I enjoy doing, going out and eat is a big one. and more than that; I think it's the fact that we "can't" do something that is driving us a bit crazy. The Missus and I have been looking for a bit of normalcy. We were chatting about just going out for Happy Hour. I quickly recalled that one of the Missus's favorite spots, Et Voila was doing Curbside and window pick-up. And even better, with the relaxing of ABC regulations, they had two of our favorite cocktails available for pick-up. Reminder; you still need to order food if ordering cocktails for pick-up, so don't go all crazy, ok?

Anyway, the drill was easy, you place an order on the Et Voila website, along with pick-up time, pay using Pay Pal (you don't need a Pay Pal account), and get to the window at pick-up time.

To be perfectly honest; EV wasn't offering any of our favorites for takeout; but I managed to find a couple of items, which turned out to be pretty good.

And then of course, there was this.

Man, these were really good…a bit too good! Much stiffer than what I recall having in the restaurant. And the Huckleberry Bourbon was much better than what we had during Happy Hour last time. And man, the Tequila Mockingbird…..I was getting over a sinus infection and that baby just cleared me up.

As for the food; well, I got the Gazpacho which was refreshing, especially with the hot weather.

No sure what was up with the guacamole, it really didn't do much for the dish. The Missus drizzled on some nice olive oil……and then reminded me that I should plan on making some Salmorejo soon.

We both enjoyed the simple Baguette Pâté-Cornichons.

The Missus isn't much of a mustard fan; but She loved the Dijon provided. It helped, along with the brightly flavored cornichons to cut the rustic flavor of the pate. This was a very nice sandwich for eight bucks.

In the end it was worth going a bit off course….I've been trying to consolidate trips to places along a certain route….but this, along with Sushi Tadokoro were well worth the detour. It helped us to escape from all the craziness going on right now…..we did have our own little Happy Hour sitting in the backyard….in fact the Missus, thinking out loud said, "do you think they'll keep selling the to-go cocktails when this is all over?"

Currently, Et Voila has pick-up times set for 12-2pm and 4-8pm daily. The online form is easy to fill out. They are currently doing orders for same day pick-up.

Et Voilà!
3015 Adams Ave
San Diego, CA 92116

A La Carte and 3 Course Menu – Cold or Ready to Eat on their website for Curbside Pick-up or To-go.

What have you been doing to add a bit of normalcy to your day?