November 2021 – Page 2

Sunday Sandwiches – Uptown Delight Deli

November 14, 2021 mmm-yoso Sandwiches

**** Uptown Delight Deli has closed

Here's another one of those mom-and-pop business park sandwich shops that I found by accident. I was between meetings and decided to head off to the Market at HFS for some poke. So, I got on the 805 North and took the Mira Mesa offramp…..only to suddenly realize it was only 930…..yikes….brain fart…..

So, in need of a "plan B" I took a right on Scranton Road and headed to Nancy Ridge Road the back way; fully intent on hitting up Creative Deli when I passed a "Deli" sign along the road. Another business park deli? How many of them are there around here? Of course I stopped to check it out.

This shop occupies the sliver of a space at the end of a building.

There's one, older Asian Woman working here who does everything….and she seems to know her customers, at least the one's I've seen on my visits.

The menu is full on "Boar's Head", though they seem to be out of a couple of items…probably Covid supply chain issues. The prices seem a tad higher than Sunrise/Creative/Kim's etc…..

I decided on trying the Pub Style Roast Beef ($9.25).

They include a Andes thin mint with every sandwich, a nice touch, along with a pickle wedge.

I enjoyed the fact that horseradish was used; it gave the sandwich some nice "oomph". The white cheddar was nicely melted, I saw the woman place the roast beef and cheese on the flat top for a minute to heat things thru, a nice touch. I just wish the bread was toasted as the sandwich had a lot of carbs going on…. just too much bread and some textural contrast would have been welcome.

Of course now that I had been here; I needed to do a couple more visits; so I returned the very next day. I decided not to go with a "sandwich" and decided on the BLT Supreme Wrap ($8.75).

I chose the Sun Dried Tomato wrap which worked out well. This was nicely heated on the flat top along with the slices of bacon. While a bit on the flimsy side; this was the best of the three items I had at Uptown. The creamy and ripe avocado and the fact the bacon was crisp made this a decent lunch.

Not the biggest fan of American Cheese in this; but it worked out fine.

And so, with temperatures rising this past week; I headed back to Uptown Deli and quickly ordered the "Italian Supreme" ($8.75), without realizing it came on that jumbo French roll….

A bit too much bread and they used the juice from the Peperoncini along with a really sour dressing….they said Balsamic; but since when is Balsamic yellow? There was so much of it that it did the "shart thing" when I bit into it.

Still, no complaints with regards to the price and portion.

Like I've said many times before……places like this keep the masses fed. And as we return to our offices post Covid; I'm thinking they will play a key part in our return.

Uptown Delight Deli
6310 Nancy Ridge Dr.
San Diego, CA 92121
Hours:
Mon – Fri 7am – 3pm
Closed Sat – Sun

And I keep wondering; how many of these places are out there?

Paris (Before Covid) – Boulangerie-Pâtisserie Terroirs d’Avenir, Fou de Pâtisserie, and Dinner at Fleur de Pavé

November 13, 2021 mmm-yoso Bakery, Croissants, Desserts, Fine Dining, France, French Restaurants, Paris, France, Travel

*** Yet another condensed post of our trip in November, 2019

As we strolled thru Passage du Grand Cerf, it really looked like the Missus still wanted to explore. And so, by the time we hit Rue Bachaumont, where this pooch was having a great time fetching the Frisbee, I decided to make another stop.

We pass the Church of Saint Eustache on a daily basis when we're in the area and had never visited, so I thought this might be a good time to check it out. There was also something I wanted to see.

The church took a century to build, from 1532 – 1632 and contains one of the largest organs in France; the nave is humongous!

The interior of the church is quite grand and I'd read about the stained glass and had one set specifically in mind.

The church is located right next to Les Halles, which was Paris's central market for almost 800 years. So, of course they would be benefactors of the church. In fact the professional pork butchers association, the "Corporation des Charcutiers" has their own chapel. When was the last time you saw sausages and a pig in stained glass?

This sculpture by Raymond Mason commemorates the closing of Les Halles; it's titled "Le départ des fruits et légumes du coeur de Paris, le 28 février 1969" ("The departure of fruits and vegetables from the heart of Paris, February 28, 1969").

There's beautiful stained glass and some beautiful art work at Saint-Eustache; we'll definitely visit again one day…..hopefully.

The Missus really enjoyed this stop and wanted to keep on going; so we ended up walking all the way to Sacré-Cœur!

And enjoyed the view.

We were getting a bit hungry on the walk down and decided to make a couple of stops.

On Rue du Nil, along with the very popular Frenchie empire, is a group of shops which includes a cheesemonger, a butcher, and of course a boulangerie called Terroirs d’Avenir. So we made a croissant stop at the bakery.

We then headed back down to Rue Montorgueil and to a place I'd read about named Fou de Pâtisserie.

This specialty shop is a conglomeration of curated pastries form some of Paris's most well known pastry chefs like Pierre Hermé.

The pastries looked beautiful and of course the Missus had a difficult time choosing just one.

But She finally made a decision and we had some tea which we took to one of the two small tables outside.

While the croissant fell short; nice texture, but the butter-salt ratio wasn't quite to our taste…..

The Missus loved Her choice, called
L'Equinoxe. So, here's another place I'm sure we'll return to.

Boulangerie-Pâtisserie Terroirs d'Avenir
3 Rue du Nil
75002 Paris, France

Fou de Pâtisserie
45 Rue Montorgueil
75002 Paris, France

After this we took a well earned break (nap). For dinner I had selected a restaurant that had just opened during the summer of 2019 and had created a bit of a buzz; Fleur de Pavé. Folks sang praises of this restaurant; the chef Sylvain Sendra had garnered a Michelin Star at his former restaurant, Les Itinéraires which he closed in 2017. He and his wife spent the next, almost two years travelling the globe and exploring various cuisines. The result of which is Fleur de Pavé. The restaurant is also very vegetable friendly as it gets much of it's produce from Asafumi Yamashita a farmer who only sells his produce to certain selected chefs of his choosing.

We were really looking forward to this meal. The restaurant was lovely, the staff very courteous, though service was quite slow. It actually took 30 minutes after we finished our meal and a "L'addition, s'il vous plaît" from me to get our check. Of course, the place is new; and as of 2020 they have received a Michelin Star, so I'm figuring they've straightened that out.

We decided to order form the menu and things started out with a trio of amuse:

From top to bottom; a Parmesian Tart with Tzaziki and Carrot; Blakc Rice Crisp with Labneh and Eggplant Caviar; and the thinly sliced Cauliflower with Madagascar Vanilla and Salt….which looked lovely and had a wonderful texture, but was a bit too sweet for our taste.

Up next was the "Scottish Bread", which looked like Parker House rolls…….but was a nice fluffy brioche.

We were excited to try the Salade du Jardin M Yamashita, which was topped with aged Parmesan.

The dressing could have used more acidity.

The Kabocha Carbonara with Mimolette sounded interesting.

Like other dishes; this was on the sweeter end of things and there wasn't enough textural contrasts for us….the dish just seemed to be mushy.

Our favorite dish of the night – the Scallop Carpaccio with Oyster Sorbet and Sea Urchin – so many complex flavors.

That worked together well.

Though the Roasted Monkfish with Pig Ear Tabbouleh and Red Wine Sauce was a bit much.

The Missus did enjoy the dessert and the wine pairing though.

Overall an interesting dinner; the place seems to be trying really hard and the presentations were wonderful……and I guess that paid off with a Michelin Star.

Fleur de Pavé
5 Rue Paul Lelong
75002 Paris, France

Paris (Before Covid) – Revisits to Jefrey’s and Boulangerie Régis Colin and Lunch at Artisan de la Truffe BHV

November 12, 2021 mmm-yoso Bakery, Caffeine Fix, Cocktails, Croissants, France, French Restaurants, Paris, France, Travel

**** I know that "FOY" Kerri has been kind of looking forward to these posts; so here goes

Man, November of 2019 seems so long ago….. I've kind of held back on these posts; but thought I'd just better get them done. I'm going to do rather condensed posts. This was a trip the Missus was really looking forward to; Her favorite city; Paris, travel to Israel, Jordan, and Provence. And though it didn't end up quite the way we planned (more on that later) it was still quite memorable.

We arrived in Paris at around 730pm, which, since we'd been to Paris a couple of times already wasn't a big deal. We caught the RER from CDG and got off at Les Halles. We were staying at the same apartment that we'd booked for our last stay in Paris, so we knew the drill. How to pick up the keys; where the apartment was located, etc……

We'd eaten on our flight to Paris; but really wanted a nightcap; so we headed off to a cocktail bar we enjoyed on previous visits; Jefrey's.

**** Jefrey's has closed

They were having some special cocktails during this week; so we tried a few…..

And of course I enjoy Monkey Shoulder; so we enjoyed ourselves. Folks here are very welcoming and since it was a Thursday night the place wasn't overly busy.

Jefrey's
14 Rue Saint Sauveur
75002 Paris France

We enjoy Paris at the end of November……

As the Christmas season swings into gear.

The next morning I was up early as usual. The Missus wanted a croissant from a place we had enjoyed during our last trip; Boulangerie Régis Colin, so I headed on out.

**** Boulangerie Régis Colin has closed

Sadly, the croissant was disappointing this time around. Unevenly baked, lacking in butter, and too doughy…..

Boulangerie Régis Colin
53 Rue Montmartre
75002 Paris, France

After having our light "breakfast" the Missus needed Her caffiene (and people watching fix), so we headed on down the street to Café Montorgueil for our Café Allonge.

And to check out folks heading out for the day and doing their "morning stuffs"…….this pooch was focused on something in the gutter…must have smelled good.

Café Montorgueil
55 Rue Montorgueil
75002 Paris, France

And then we headed out….with no plan, we just wanted to wander around and take in Paris. You know, the Flâneur/Flâneuse thing. We headed up Rue Saint-Denis to start things out. I'm sure you've heard of the Arc de Triomphe, but did you know there's one located on Boulevard St Denis. The Porte Saint-Denis was originally the site of a gate of the city walls of the city. The arch was built in 1672 by François Blondel to honor and celebrate the King Louis XIV's victories in the Rhine and in Franche-Comté.

From here we wandered over to the 4th and then the 3rd Arrondissements…….

Until we were getting a bit hungry. Since we had enjoyed eating at Maison de la Truffe during an earlier visit, I thought we'd hit up Artisan de la Truffe located in the BHV Department Store.

We got the Foie Gras with Truffle along with the Charcuterie with Truffle "Planche". For several reasons, we didn't enjoy this as much. The temperature of the foie gras, cheese, and charcurterie were too cold, the bread seemed to be getting a bit "old"….it just didn't do it for us. But hey, we did get enough calories to keep us going for the rest of the day, right?

Artisan de la Truffe (in the BHV Department Store – 3rd Floor)
52 rue de Rivoli
75004 Paris, France

From here we headed off and just enjoyed the city…..

And of course we had to see what was going on at Notre Dame……there didn't seem to be much happening on this day.

We eventually headed back up to the area where we were staying. While walking thru Passage du Grand Cerf…..

I had an idea for another stop…….

Stay Tuned!

Takeout from Koon Thai

November 7, 2021 mmm-yoso Thai Restaurants

Thai cuisine is usually something for warmer weather for the Missus and I. But, for some reason, I was craving the Khao Karr Moo from Koon Thai. The last time I did takeout, waaay back in June of last year, they were out of Khao Karr Moo. This time I was thinking of getting some "Pad Cha Pork Wing", but now that's no longer on the menu.

Anyway, I did an online order and got the Khao Karr Moo now priced at $15. I arrived at the time specified and my order was ready……and I also counted seven other takeout orders lines up behind the counter. Good for them; it seems that they are doing pretty well.

Things were wrapped up nicely.

And the portion size was pretty large.

This had much more "gravy" then what I'd had before and was a lot sweeter and more greasy then I recalled. The pork was tender though and it did have that bit of "comfort" in the dish. The boiled eggs were fine if a tad overcooked and I do wish there was bit more preserved mustard greens as it helped to cut the greasiness a bit.

There was a ton of rice provided; which was done decently.

I also saw a Pork Belly Larb ($14.50) on the menu; so I ordered that as well – medium spice.

They weren't shy with their use of the roasted rice powder and I appreciated the nuttiness it added. The pork had been deep fried and was tending more toward the hard, then the crisp end of the spectrum. Still, it wasn't bad. The overall flavor was on the mild side, I would have appreciated a bit more spice, I guess I need to order things "hot" here. Could have used a bit more lime as well. No, it won't make me forget the pork belly larb from Soi 30th, but this wasn't too bad.

I was hoping the Khao Karr Moo would take me back to a meal we had in a food court in Nong Khai. The flavors of the KKM on previous visits did just that, taking me back to two meals we had in that food court….of a hospital, that we enjoyed! But this time it kind of fell short. You can't win 'em all…..

Koon Thai Kitchen
3860 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

2022 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade Float Road Test Four, Breakfast at Georgia’s Original Bun ‘n Burger (Covina)

November 4, 2021 Cathy American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Diner, Festivals & Events, Los Angeles County, What Cathy Eats!

Thank you for stopping to read mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog sometimes with explanations as to why and how the food was found. Cathy is writing today while Kirk enjoys a short break.

Link to 2022 Rose Parade Float Test One

Link to 2022 Rose Parade Float Test Two

Link to 2022 Rose Parade Float Road Test Three

The Mister and I drove North very early on Saturday, in light rain which turned to fog, to watch another Road Testing of mechanics and maneuverability of some floats which will be participating in the 2022 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade, which has the theme of "Dream, Believe, Achieve".

"Soaring to New Heights" will be presented by Farmers Insurance and features not only a surfer, but also a bicyclist and a 'person' who is 'bouldering' (outdoor wall climbing). The float photo is of the 'off camera' side of the float, while the drawing shows the 'camera side'. Large, beautiful and (of course) I am most interested in the materials which will be used for decorating this colorful float. Every visible inch of each float must be covered with all natural materials; nothing dyed or artificial.
The City of Hope, "Gardens of Hopes and Dreams" is whimsical, with giant butterflies moving their wings as well as oversized flowers and mushrooms.
"Wild Kingdom" presented by RFD-TV and Mutual of Omaha will honor both Marlin Perkins and Jim Fowler, the original hosts of this longtime (since 1963) documentary style television show which features wildlife and nature.
Shriners Hospitals for Children will have another float featuring the larger than life "Fezzy Bear", who will collapse while going under objects (like signal lights and the 210 freeway) along the five mile Parade Route.
The first (Banner) float in the parade as well as the Closing float (introducing the event following the parade on television, the Rose Bowl Football Game) were also tested on Saturday.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

As we have been doing this year, after viewing and taking photos, The Mister and I head East from the Phoenix Decorating barn area in Irwindale and look for cars parked, indicating a restaurant serving breakfast.

This was the place- Georgia's Original Bun 'n Burger with some neon signage above the door indicating its name had been Plum's Cafe (which moved to Costa Mesa in 2012).
It was a little crowded and instead of eating outside, we sat at the counter, with a view of the kitchen as well as a view of the rest of the counter and other side of the interior. (Factoid: the record album at the far right in this photo is the Don Ho Show album, which we owned; Mom and Dad loved that nightly comedy, variety and audience participation television show, which only ran for five months in 1976-77 with 90 episodes.)

The printed, disposable menu is quite extensive, with breakfast being served all day.

'Tavern' ham, eggs (three, poached) and home fries (look at the nice size pieces of potato) along with rye toast ($11.99). A great tasting thick slice of ham as well as the potatoes and eggs and toast. Very satisfying breakfast.
A very thick, but not dense, vanilla flavored waffle with two eggs (over easy) and crispy, thick bacon ($11.99) was also quite a large breakfast.

There were bottles of wine in the (former) pie case, because this restaurant is open late (a rarity it seems) and the lunch and dinner items, especially the burgers, have us curious to try more of the menu.

Georgia's Original Bun 'n Burger 180 East Rowland Street Covina, CA 91723 (626) 915-2016 Open Sun-Wed 7 a.m.-6 p.m., Thur-Fri-Sat 7 a.m.-9 p.m.

San Francisco (Before Covid) – The Croissant Files and Angler

November 3, 2021 mmm-yoso American Restaurants, Bangkok, Croissants, Fine Dining, San Francisco and Silicon Valley, Travel

I was cleaning out photos that I didn't think I needed or wanted anymore and came across two sets from our trip to San Francisco right before the "official" start of the pandemic. It was January of 2020….I had thought about just deleting this…..but after pondering after a couple of minutes, I thought I'd just do a quick post, especially since I'd done posts on other places during that same visit. So here goes with a minimum of "chatter" from me.

We awoke to a nice sunrise…….and on this day, I thought we'd do a bit of walking and grab some croissants at places along the way. So we headed down Sutter Street to the first location I new was open on this day; Le Marais Bakery……which brought a smile to our faces since Le Marais is a frequent stop on our trips to Paris.

We grabbed some coffee and a Croissant aux Buerre to start things off.

The croissant was a bit dry and the amount of butter to salt was quite low. Though it was nicely flaky/crusty…so decent texture, but nothing I'd return for.

Le Marais Bakery
1138 Sutter St.
San Francisco, CA 94109

From here we headed up Sutter Street passing some beautiful looking houses…yes, that architectural walking tour in Pacific Grove has developed a mild fascination with all these historical houses. Like the "Payne House", which is now a hotel.

On left here is the JACL Headquarters…..

And then walked thru a very quiet Japantown to our next destination.

To the bustling Jane the Bakery.

This would be the best of the three Croissants we had during this walk.

Jane The Bakery
1881 Geary Blvd.
San Francisco, CA 94115

From here we headed down Geary, taking a right on Divasidero…..

Then a quick left on California to a place that had been recommended to me named B Patisserie.

This place was quite popular…..

Though I don't think it's for their plan croissants which lacked butter, was dry, and just not to our taste.

b. patisserie
2821 California St.
San Francisco, CA 94115

The great thing is; these three places are still open….so you can check them out and make your own decision…..

From here we headed down Divasadero and took a left onto Hayes Street; taking some time to watch the pooches having fun at Alamo Square Park.

We had fun watching the dogs……and I think next time I might pay more attention to the architecture in the area.

We headed back west on Hayes Street to the area known as the Hayes Valley, which seemed quite hipster to us….and took a break at a park named Patrica's Green, which is home to Tara Mechani.

There was also this structure which grabbed our attention.

From here we headed west and then took a left on Market Street, where we encountered the San Francisco I recall from visiting in the 90's.

After taking a short break (nap), we headed out for dinner. I'd made reservations at Angler.

Which is kind of known for the seafood and such; but the Missus was interested in the vegetable dishes. It seemed like a great place (this was before the Michelin star) for a nice, light dinner. And, to be perfectly honest, in spite of the spotty service, it was the best meal of the trip.

We went with mostly vegetables; except for the Antelope Tartare.

Which I loved…..great balance of savory-gamy flavors and acidity.

The grilled cauliflower was meh…..

The Missus loved the potatoes….the cloying cheese sauce, not so much.

The texture of the potato was amazing…..which is how She "convinced" me to make Hasselback Potatoes, which was not nearly as wonderful in cut and texture as these.

The Parker House Rolls were very nice; especially with the seaweed butter.

We loved radicchio, so was really excited about the radichio with XO sauce…..

The actual radicchio was fantastic; lightly bitter, savory, prepared well. But the "XO" sauce….well, it brought nothing to the dish. Really……..the Missus still prefers what I make at home.

The last dish to arrive was the Hen of the Woods Mushroom, which was delicous!

I've heard about the $500-$600 meals here…..I guess folks were having lobster and crab; our was not even close to that……and so we'll probably eat here again.

Angler
132 The Embarcadero
San Francisco, CA 94105

And I especially feel like I earned this meal.

And here are some signs for you……

Turo Turo Tuesday – Revisits to Nanay’s Best BBQ, R & B Filipino Cuisine, and Manila Fast Food and Desserts Revisited

November 2, 2021 mmm-yoso Filipino Restaurants, Sisig

Back in the office; I decided to do the "rounds" and check out some of the turo-turo ("point-point") places around Mira Mesa. Sadly, there was one place that became a "casualty of Covid" – Mama Cinia closed earlier in the year.

So, packing a good appetite I headed on out.

Nanay's Best BBQ:

I'll be honest and say that Nanay's has been my least favorite of these places (except for Grill City….where I had a "reaction" to the food) even back when it was Tem's. I looked over the offerings and ordered back in June of last year; the Chicken BBQ and Sisig-ish Spicy Pork, with "half rice".

So, if this is what they consider "half rice"….yeeesh. This was indeed a carb-meatfest. But, to be perfectly honest, this was probably the best plate I've had from Nanay's.

Other than the rice which was on the dry side as usual.

The pork was moist, though it's still on the overly mild side with regards to spice and sour tones.

The "BBQ" Chicken was a pleasant surprise. I did mention in my June 2020 post that I thought the chicken was getting better here and this was undoubtedly the best I've had either Nanay's or Tem's.

Fairly tender and moist, nice balance of sweet to salty; it went real well with the rice.

So, it seems that Nanay's keeps getting better!

Nanay's Best BBQ
6715 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92121

R & B Filipino Cuisine:

R&B had long been a favorite of mine since I first visited in 2008. In fact, when I received that racist email about these type of places back in May of 2020, R&B was the first place I visited to make a point.

I usually get the sisig, which while being flawed still has my favorite overall flavor profile of the turo-turo joints in the area. Along with that; I'll get what looks like just came out of the kitchen…in this case, the beef kaldereta was just brought out while I was waiting in the two person line.

The woman always asks me if I'm "on a diet" when I order half rice here; it cracks me up.

The rice was fine; somewhat moist.

The beef in the kaldereta was on the tough side. Also, all the pieces of meat and veggies were really large which made for a ponderous eating experience . The flavor was decent, definitely not bland, though a bit on the greasy side.

The sisig was on the dry side and cut too large as well. But it still had the amount of sour-salty tones with adequate spice. While not on the same level as what Conching or Ed's Bistro used to serve, this is my favorite in the MM area.

And look at the spiffy new menu at R&B:

And our own Cathy has recently been here as well.

R & B Filipino Cuisine
11257 Camino Ruiz
San Diego, CA 92126

Manila Fast Food and Desserts:

Man, have I really been going here since 2006 (albiet under different ownership)? Even though it was just past 10am; the place was pretty busy.

I saw the pan of kare kare come out as I was waiting, so I got that along with…duh, sisig of course. The folks here added sinigang, I would usually have to ask for it. Along with the perfect amount of rice I requested.

Of the three places, the rice here was the best; soft and fluffy.

I terms of texture; this sisig was moist, but waxy and could have used more crispy bits. It was nice and full of porkiness, but could have used more sour and spicy tones…it definitely needded more onions and chilies….but of course, lots of folks want all that meat.

Much like the kaldereta at R&B, the pieces of meat and vegetables were cut very large in the kare kare. Though I have to say; the everything was so tender; I especially loved the buttery texture of the tripe. I wish the kare kare had more flavor, I ended up using all the bagoong alamang.

Actually, the item I enjoyed the most was free….it was the sinigang which was bracingly sour…..it perked me up…..made me feel alive!

And these days….well, if there's anything I want to feel; it's alive!

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

You know, I was looking at my initial Covid-19 turo-turo posts and remembered that it was a racist, xenophobic email that set it off.

Which just leads me to what I wrote at the end of this post on Mama Cinia:

"Food should bring us together; my grandparents working on the plantation enjoyed an interesting variety of dishes…..because, even though the plantation management tried to keep all the nationalities apart to control them, they all had lunch together in the fields. A shared experience, one where in spite of the jokes we make about natto, balut, and harm ha, respect for each other is gained, smiles and food are shared, a wonderful cultural exchange. As travel has taught me….we are more alike than we are different."

"We are more alike than we are different" – which I believe with all my heart.

Take care and have a great week!

Roadtrip (During Covid-19) – Hunan Chilli King (San Gabriel) 7 Seven Years Later

November 1, 2021 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Road Trip, Travel

On the way back from Oxnard and our visit to Anacapa Island we decided to stay the night in San Gabriel at the newly opened Courtyard which is huge and convenient being right off the 10 Freeway. We had made reservations at the Missus's current favorite restaurant, Bistro Na's. We had made reservations for right when the place opened and were seated quickly.

We placed our order and the tea arrived and then……

Bang…..the power went out. The always friendly and accommodating staff at Bistro Na's told us we could leave if we wanted to or just wait a while and enjoy our tea to see if the power would come back on……which it didn't. After about 20 minutes one of the gentlemen came over and told out the power was out thru all of Temple City, so we decided to leave.

As we stepped out, we noticed that many folks had gathered in the parking lot…….

From here we needed to determine where we'd get dinner. I had an idea; the Missus has always been somewhat underwhelmed with the Hunan style food in San Diego, so I broached the subject to see if She was in the mood for possibly getting something "big spicy" from a place we hadn't been to in years; Hunan Chilli King. It had been a while since we'd been there and it would be interesting to see how we'd tolerate the super spicy cuisine. So, we headed on over. I parked on Valley to avoid the psycho parking lot.

The restaurant was barely one-third full, but the counter was filled with take-out orders….I counted a dozen to go orders lined up on the counter! Crazy.

We were seated at a small table near the kitchen…..right next to the chilies…..

Ah; just like old times…..

The menu at HCK has changed quite a bit since our last visit and it sees like all our favorites were gone and they seemed to have been replaced with dishes we've seen on the menus of Hunan restaurants here in San Diego…..oh well, times have changed I guess or perhaps they've changed ownership?

And around this time; the Missus was getting a bit gun shy and when we placed our order asked the young lady if we could get things "medium spicy"……there was a short pause and then the young lady shrugged and told the Missus "okay" in Mandarin.

The place started filling up as our first dish arrived, we were getting a bit nervous….the phone never stopped ringing and orders were being placed. As the first dish arrived; the La Rou with Dried Radish; I told the Missus that we're getting dishes according to how the kitchen feels they should make it. She asked how I knew and I told Her that three plates and two containers of the same dish came out of the kitchen at the same time so they were making things in large batches. So this "medium spicy" thing was just a pipe dream.

And yet, this was definitely not as spicy as I recalled; though it was quite good. Loved the smoked pork, balanced saltiness, the dried radish crunchy, but not hard, a mild bitter-sweetness to it. This was spicy, but tolerable.

We cracked up as our next dish arrived (one of three of the same that left the kitchen at the same time)…….they didn't even bother to put it on a plate!

This rather novel dish was fried boiled eggs, sautéed with chilies. Now this one was pretty darn spicy and I grabbed the handkerchief from my back pocket. Whew….. The Missus loves Her eggs so this really hit the spot for Her. The variety of chilies had varying degrees of heat and fruity-smokiness. The flavor of the eggs came thru clearly in spite of all the chilies; a nice savory-nutty-sweet-umami, with a hint of sulfur…not in a bad way. The texture of the boiled eggs was excellent as well. That extra coating added a mild crispness to things.

Of course I wanted to get some Pork Intestine and man, it seems like the dishes were getting spicier and spicier…..

And yet, while I had a waterfall of perspiration flowing by this point, I was enjoying the food! Loved the perfect texture of the intestine; a mild crunch, some firm toothsomeness, the mild offaliness…..and nothing seemed salty at all!

By this point, the place was almost full and the Missus and I started feeling really uncomfortable…in fact, I'd end up getting tested at 3 then 5 days after returning from this trip. I had no symptoms; but just wanted to make sure I wasn't asymptomatic and possibly pass Covid on to someone.

Thankfully, our last dish arrived, one that was very familiar to us….since it seems to be the signature Hunan dish here in San Diego…..we just had to try the now ubiquitous Eggplant and Chilies with Century Egg.

While it didn't look very promising; this might be the best version we've had to date. The pidan was quite creamy….I just don't know how they do that. The eggplant wasn't mashed to death, but was so smoky and velvety soft, and the chilies gave everything a bit of texture and had some heat to go with things.

By now we were ready to leave…..but not without some SGV "drama". So, there as a large table in the rear of the restaurant with what looked like two families seated. Apparently, one of the men at the table wasn't happy with something. So what he did was ignore the guy and older woman working; waiting until they walked past and then went after the quiet, rather timid young lady, and just stood up over her and screamed at her; clenching his fists and doing his best to intimidate her and unloaded……geez, really? I just wonder what kind of example he's setting for the three kids at the table?

You know; I really miss the food in the SGV….but I don't miss stuff like this.

We couldn't get out of the place fast enough.

That's what things looked like as we left. You can see the line of folks waiting for takeout.

Well, we made it out in one piece and enjoyed the food…….but I'm not sure we'd want to put up with this again….at least not during the pandemic.

Hunan Chilli King
524 East Valley Boulevard
San Gabriel, CA 91776

Funny thing, just like our visit to Yai Restaurant on the way to Oxnard; it had been 7 years since our last visit to Hunan Chill King! What a coincidence.