March 2022 – Page 2

Midweek Meanderings – Spicy Lao Kitchen Coming to Kearny Mesa and Vinya Vino + Vinyasa Coming to Balboa

March 16, 2022 mmm-yoso Lao Restaurants, Wine Bars/Wineries

Here are a couple of places I noticed when doing takeout recently.

Vinya Vino + Vinyasa Coming to Balboa:

I was doing some takeout from Noble Chef a while back when I noticed construction taking place in the old Beverly's location off Balboa.

Doing a bit of research it seems like this'll be a Yoga Studio/Wine Bar/Tapas sort of place….man Balboa sure is changing!

And I had a chuckle wondering if any of the customer base would do yoga, have a glass of wine, and then head over to Noble Chef for some….well…maybe Steamed Pork with Salted Fish? Somehow it just seems like something I'd see further up north? Hopefully I have the target customer base all wrong!

6185 Balboa Ave.
San Diego, CA 92111

Spicy Lao Kitchen Coming to Kearny Mesa:

Funny, I saw Vinya when doing takeout from Noble Chef…..I saw this one when doing takeout from Golden City.

I believe this used to be the Subway in Spectrum Center. Googling the name of the place led me to this post. Apparently, the owners of the Jerky Shop in the strip mall are opening this up. Now this one, I'm kinda excited about!

5375 Kearney Villa Rd.
San Diego, CA 92123

BB.Q Chicken Returns to Convoy

March 14, 2022 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Korean Restaurants

Back in the fall of last year B(est of the) B(est) Q(uality) Chicken returned to San Diego taking the spot of a Convoy institution Ichiro's. Now honestly, I wasn't all that thrilled as my experiences with the chicken at the former location. The chicken had a strange fishiness, that even the Missus could make out. So I really wasn't in a rush to check them out.

But then, my good "FOYs" Candice and "Xiāngjiāo" mentioned how much they enjoyed the chicken from bb.q; though that was tempered on the other end of things by my other "FOY" ChrisR who was kind enough to email me:

"Too much breading and not enough meat on the wings, though the proportion was okay with the legs. The soy-garlic sauce was blunt, overpowering, and, bizarrely, faintly sweet."

So, ok….looks like I had to check them out.

Just to be clear; each time I visited, I placed online orders……and each time I still had to wait when arriving at my given time; actually, on my last visit, I purposely arrived 10 minutes late….which made me worried about my wings just sitting cooling their heels….well, I guess chicken don't have heels…let's call it "cooling their metatarsals"….but I ended up waiting another 10 minutes for my food. Guess lunch business is booming?

On my first visit; I really wanted to "taste the chicken". That is, just breaded and fried without all the sauces and such. Unfortunately, wings were not available prepared that way, so I ordered the Golden Original Boneless (8 pieces $13.59). I also was curious about the Kimchi Fried Rice ($12.99). Man, almost thirty bucks for lunch!

I actually really enjoyed the Kimchi Fried Rice.

It looked quite dark and that egg was overcooked for my taste, though the edges were nice and crisp. I really enjoyed the smoky spice, it was nicely seasoned, good pickly-fermented tones and decent saltiness. This was a nice version that I'd gladly have again.

As for the chicken……

On the good side; unlike the chicken at the former "bb.q" there was no fishiness. The chicken was somewhat unevenly breaded, though it was nice and crunchy. In my opinion, this needed more seasoning as I thought it to be fairly bland and it seemed to have been fried fairly "hard" as the meat was on the dry side. At least it wasn't greasy.

The pickled radish, while a bit on the sweet side helped to cut the "fry-o-lated" flavors….

In some ways, at least in my opinion this was a much improved version of BB.Q Chicken. And of course, since I try to do more than one visit before posting, I returned and this time ordered the Ddeok-Bokki ($12.99) and got the Soy Garlic Wings (8 pieces $14.99)….man, who'd have thought we'd see the day when 8 wings cost like fifteen bucks???

As for the Ddeok-Bokki.

This was seriously not to my liking; the rice cakes were under-cooked and hard. I also like a nice coating on the Ddeok-Bokki, but this was more like a broth, which other than having some spice was really weak and watery. I'll pass on this in the future.

As for the wings.

The wings weren't evenly coated in sauce and I found the breading to be more hard then crunchy. The sticky sauce had barely any garlic flavor and was more cloying sweet than anything else. I'd prefer a more balanced flavor and more savory tones as well. The chicken, like on my previous order was also on the dry side. The drumettes were on the large side which threw off my preferred batter/skin to meat ratio, especially since the meat was on the dry side.

Still, my friends really liked this place so I decided to give them one more try. I wasn't in the mood to dish out thirty bucks for lunch so I just ordered the Spicy Galbi Wings.

Perhaps in some way, the third time was the charm. The wings were still more hard than crunchy, though the meat was quite moist this time around. While still being on the overly sticky and sweet side, things were somewhat balanced out by a mild spiciness and savory notes. Also note that the drumettes on this visit were on the smaller side which I prefer. So, if I ever come back, I'll try something inline with this flavor profile.

Overall, I find the breading on the wings here to be on the overly hard side. I also think the glazes used are on the sweeter side and lacking balance. Though I guess it's all about personal preferences. You just might enjoy the wings here like Soo does. So, give them a try and let me know what you think.

bb.q Chicken
4344 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111
Hours:
Mon – Thurs 1130am – 9pm
Fri – Sat 1130am – 10pm
Suday 12pm – 9pm

Prime Grill Revisited

March 13, 2022 mmm-yoso Korean Restaurants

I've been approaching dining out with some trepidation as we enter the post-Omicron period. We're still a bit cautious, preferring to dine outdoors, except when that option is not available and the Missus is craving something. In those cases, we go as early as possible. The Missus was craving the Dolsot Bi Bim Bap from Prime Grill and also the Dak Bulgogi. So, we arrived right around 4pm and while the place was busier than I expected, we were seated all by our lonesome all the way in the far corner…..which was just fine by us.

The Missus ordered the Dolsot Bi Bim Bap and though I would usually order the Bi Bim Naengmyun, it was much too chilly for that, so I went with the combination Gopchang Jigae and Dak Bulgogi (for the Missus).

Soon enough the panchan arrived.

Man, it seemed that the panchan here was on the weaker side during our last visit; you remember when San Diego hit the yellow tier and there seemed to be a light at the end of the tunnel? This was even more bland; especially the baechu kimchi and kkakdugi (radish kimchi) was especially bad; look how pale it is.

And then we had our Prime Grill "moment"; there always seems to be one when we eat here these days. When the gyeran jjim (the steamed egg) arrived, the Missus asked for some sesame oil. The woman's response?

"Why….what do you need that for?"

"For the gyeran jjim"

"Humph….." At which time she walked away.

We did get our sesame oil though…..

You gotta love it! Soon enough our food arrived. The Missus enjoyed the no frills but tasty dak bulgogi. I enjoyed the funky elasticity of the gopchang. The mild spice from the jjigae and the molten temperature of the tofu. It warmed me up nicely.

I also had fun kidding the Missus…..She finally got a taste of what it's like….you, similar to my "Why you buy so many" moment at Zion Market!

And as usual, the Missus enjoyed Her Dolsot Bi Bim Bap.

She always lets the bi bim bap "rest" to develop a nice, nutty, crisp crust. Then mixes the bowl pouring in some cho-jang and even some of that hard fought sesame oil. It's all there, mild spice, salty-savory tones from the bulgogi, slight bitterness, crunchy textures, mild sweetness…aaahh….a "bowl like life".

Prime Grill
4620 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

I was just thinking as I looked back at our post from June of 2021, how optimistic I felt….and then…well, you know what happened. I've been gone form the islands for over 25 years now; but still believe in bachi (bad karma)……I hope I didn't open up another can of worms with this one!

Roadtrip (During Covid) – Tuolumne Grove (Yosemite), Mountain Sage Coffee, Iron Door Saloon (the oldest continuously operating saloon in CA), and Dinner at the Groveland Hotel

March 12, 2022 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Cocktails, Pubs and Pub Grub, Road Trip, Sierra Nevada, California, Travel

After a restful night of sleep at Rush Creek Lodge, we woke early to check out. You see, there was one other place I had on "my list".

Since we were in Yosemite, the Missus and I really wanted to see sequoias. And the usual place for this would be the Mariposa Grove. There are however, three giant sequoia groves in Yosemite and one of the reasons I chose to stay at Rush Creek was that it was just a mile from the Bog Oak Flat entrance to Yosemite and the Tuolumne Grove is just a fifteen minute drive from that entrance. The strategy was to checkout and drive back into Yosemite, hike the short trail (less than 3 miles in and back). We found that much of it was paved, we loved the tree stump with the rings and date places were built….man, would you believe we've been to six of the seven places listed!

We weren't overly impressed at the beginning of the trail….but then, you come across a huge sequoia….the photo doesn't do it justice.

And then the amazing Tunnel Tree.

From this point on, you could really enjoy the majesty of the sequoias. There were trees with huge burn scars and trees that didn't have a sizeable (it's relative) circumference, but seemed to rise to the heavens. It was such an impressive site and possibly my favorite hike of the trip.

Since this is a nature walk, mostly paved, the grove is actually a short loop trail, we started seeing families and pooches arriving.

Along the way there was a fallen tree; I believe the NPS left it in place so one could really see and experience the grand size in person.

The second photo below if of the Missus walking into the trunk! Amazing!

We spent a good 2 1/2 hours exploring the Tuolumne Grove. It was now time to head on back to the car and our next destination.

It was good thing we had a bit of an early start since we had no problems finding parking. And like the other places we parked in Yosemite, there were cars waiting for parking as we left……..it was good to get an early start.

A tad over 20 miles from the west entrance of Yosemite is the town of Groveland. Founded in 1848 as "Big Oak Flat" Groveland was a gold rush town, it then became the headquarters of the Hetch Hetchy water project which provides water to San Francisco. I thought it would be fun spending the night in this interesting little town.

We first stopped at the local market; Mar-Val Food Store where we restocked on water and a few other "stuffs".

Mar-Val
19000 Main St.
Groveland, CA 95321

I booked us a room in the historic Groveland Hotel which was built in 1849……don't worry, it was renovated in 2018.

And, much like our experiences at other historic hotels, Groveland Hotel is said to be haunted, by the spirit of a miner named "Lyle". No, we didn't book "Lyle's room"….nor did we see anything strange during our stay.

We were of course too early to check in; so we dropped off our luggage; the folks at the front desk were very friendly. And then headed out down the one main street of Groveland. Two blocks down from the hotel was a quaint coffee shop – art gallery – gift shop named Mountain Sage.

The Missus had a Pour Over (of course), I had a cold brew….and I also ordered a brownie for the Missus. We grabbed a table out on the porch and just relaxed.

The Missus really enjoyed the brownie. This was such a nice stop.

Mountain Sage
18653 Main St.
Groveland, CA 95321

After this really nice break; we decided to take the short walk back to the hotel…..while checking out the shops along the way.

After which we headed to the hotel and luckily our room was ready. The rooms were predictably small, but we were given one on the opposite side of Main Street which was much more quiet. Once we freshened up, we decided to head back out.

We'd be having dinner at the Hotel restaurant, Provisions Restaurant in the back courtyard of the hotel.

We had reservations at 5pm, so we decided to head over to a place I had wanted to check out.

Iron Door Saloon is the oldest continuously operating bar in California!

The place definitely had character; that's for sure….

Check out the dollar bills on the ceiling!

The Owner was awesome; his name is Chris and is Asian! I believe he and his wife are from Oakland and own the bar.

He also makes a decent Old Fashioned!

It was chatting with him and also the gentleman sitting next to us who is a contractor….we were told it was great we were here on Thursday; from Friday on the place is filled with tourists. Apparently he has a bunch of projects going for folks who are building homes in the area.

The Missus was feeling a bit peckish so we ordered some Sweet Potato Fries which were pretty good; crisp outside, creamy inside.

Chris was great; he shared a bunch of stories with us…..we really enjoyed Iron Door.

Iron Door Saloon
18761 Main St.
Groveland, CA 95321

After our drink we headed back to the hotel and went to check in for dinner. I was looking forward to the dinner BBQ menu….but sadly, it wasn't available on this evening, oh well.

So, I got the fried vegetable plate……

And the Missus the Bratwurst.

The Missus enjoyed Her Scotch Tasting….

As the sun went down a guitar player appeared and there was live music.

It was a nice and relaxing time.

Provisions Taproom & Bourbon Bar (In the Groveland Hotel)
18767 Main St.
Groveland, CA 95321

We slept well.

The next morning we took a walk down Back Street which parallels Main Street for a couple of blocks.

We headed back to Mountain Sage….

And got some coffee to go….and another brownie for the Missus.

Before checking out then heading off to our next stop.

Yosemite sure was an amazing experience and we had fun in Groveland

But I was kind of tired of diner and fried foods………so…..we were headed back to Paso Robles!

Hope you're having a great weekend!

Roadtrip (During Covid) – Sentinel Dome, Taft Point, and Dinner at Rush Creek Lodge (again)

March 11, 2022 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Burgers, Road Trip, Sierra Nevada, California, Travel

After a having a nice night's sleep at Rush Creek Lodge, the Missus was raring to go. After a light breakfast we jumped in the car and headed on out. We had place in mind and wanted to beat any possible crowds. It was going to be a bit of a drive first onto Wawona Road…where we stopped at the super popular Tunnel View…..it was early enough in the morning that there was no one else around. We had the wonderful view to ourselves.

From here we went onto Glacier Point Road and easily found parking at the beginning of the Sentinel Dome Trail. And so we headed up Sentinel Dome, which for some reason, I didn't find too difficult. You start in rather sandy ground and forest, eventually making your way up the granite slope.

And end up with an awesome 360 degree view of Yosemite.

That view of Half Dome is priceless.

And then there's this……

This fallen Jeffrey Pine was once the subject of one of Ansel Adams most iconic photos. Unfortunately, it died during a drought in 1977 and fell over in 2003.

From here we scrambled on down then took a detour through the forest to Glacier Point.

Which way too crowded for my taste….so we headed back up the switchbacks to the trail and then headed around to Roosevelt Point.

The view from Roosevelt Point was outstanding.

Though that could be said about much of Yosemite. From here it was back on the trail.

Taft Point was also a great stop……

Not only for the fabulous views of the valley and El Capitan…..

Which are fantastic…….of course, with a lookout like this…..we enjoyed this much more than Glacier View.

Still, it's the fissures in the seemingly impenetrable granite that we found so fascinating.

It was amazing to see these fissures carved into the mountainside.

Once we were done, we headed back to the loop trail which led us to our car.

Coming early was a good decision; there were cars lined up looking and waiting for a parking spot as we left.

We spent the rest of the afternoon in Yosemite Village (mostly window) shopping and then headed back to Rush Creek, where we had a short nap.

Since we went the packaged food route the previous night and the Missus wanted to have Her burger again, I made reservations at the restaurant at Rush Creek again. This time they sat us in the main dining room. It was a Wednesday and there were significantly more people at the resort.

We started with the "Garden" Board ($21), which wasn't such a big deal.

The Missus got the burger again ($20).

Ordered exactly the same as on our previous visit; this time it was overcooked…..so not nearly as good as before.

I went with the Brisket Tacos ($19).

The actual BBQ and seasoning wasn't too bad, but the brisket was dry and tough.

So…pretty much the same a before.

The Restaurant at Rush Creek Lodge
34001 CA-120
Groveland, CA 95321

Still, our room was super comfortable and the folks working at Rush Creek were really friendly.

And we'd had a wonderful of hiking in Yosemite.

We'd be checking out in the morning; but I had one more place on my list to check out…….

Roadtrip (During Covid) – Rush Creek Lodge and Spa, Hiking Around Rush Creek, and Yosemite Valley

March 10, 2022 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Beer, Burgers, Markets & Grocers, Road Trip, Sierra Nevada, California, Travel

Here's a fairly quick post about our trip to Yosemite in October of last year.

After heading out from Paso Robles, we took a bathroom break and filled up our tank at Bravo Farms outside Kettleman.

Bravo Farms is one of those…..well road side stops with everything from a diner – food court – mercantile, which means all kinds of stuff you never knew you needed, it has some places for kids to play….all in the middle of…well…not much.

I did really enjoy the signs in the very clean restroom which cracked me up.

It was a good place to stretch our legs since we wouldn't be stopping until we got to Rush Creek Lodge and Spa. I chose the place, which was kind of remote mainly because of the location, 1 ile from the west entrance to Yosemite and size of the rooms; we got a Hillside Villa with our own private and a nice view.

We arrived a bit too early to check in. I had told the Missus that there were hiking trails around the lodge…..so guess what we did?

I parked the car in the lot where our Villa was located and we headed up to where the trails were.

I asked the Missus which trail She wanted to do…big mistake….Her answer? "All of them." Which is what we did.

It did us a nice "taste" of the beauty of the area.

And once we returned, our "Villa" was ready……it was quite large.

And the view….

There were a couple of shortcomings with the unit. It had no microwave, so you'd have to eat in the resort or drive the 20 or so miles to Groveland. But, there was a Restaurant, Tavern, and a General Store.

I had made reservations for dinner at the restaurant….during these times of Covid, it was optimal to do so. And on this day, we were seated in the Tavern.

The tables were nicely spaced out.

I started with a Big Sky Brewing Moose Drool ($9), a nice Brown Ale.

I was interested in trying the Crispy Fried Cauliflower ($17), which proved to be a mistake.

This wasn't particularly crisp and the sauce…..was like something from Panda Express; it was teeth rattling sweet.

We also got the Tomato and Roasted Garlic Soup ($14).

This lacked garlic flavor. Though it still wouldn't have been too bad if it had been served at a better temperature. It was barely lukewarm.

The Missus ordered the Rush Burger ($20).

After the two appetizers, we didn't expect too much….especially when they asked the Missus how She wanted the burger done. In many places, asking that question is just going thru the motions and you'll get your burger well done. This burger however, was cooked exactly how the Missus wanted. It also had a nice char adding a nice smokiness. The fries had a decent crispness.

I ordered the Lamb Shawarma ($21).

This wasn't very good either. The flatbread was really tough; so was the dry lamb which really lacked flavor.

Overall, very corporate food…our dinner was a $100 without tip! I guess most folks were a captive audience and there's no microwave in the rooms. At least the Missus enjoyed Her burger. And I guess we really weren't staying here for the restaurant, right?

The Restaurant at Rush Creek Lodge
34001 CA-120
Groveland, CA 95321

One of the reasons we stayed at Rush Creek was the distance to the West Entrance to Yosemite; it was less then a mile!

We got an early start and headed into Yosemite, making several stops along the way.

And then we entered the park.

The Missus was so excited about doing some hiking; unfortunately both of the trails we selected we closed as trail, road ,and parking lot work was going on. Sigh…..

We then headed to Yosemite Village and the visitors center, spoke to some rangers and decided just to do some trails in the area.

We first did the Lower Yosemite Falls Trail, an easy trail. The water was just a trickle on this day….and few weeks later there would be a major storm and waterfall would be going like crazy. Just our luck on this day.

From here we walked thru Cook's Meadow….I really enjoyed the views from here.

And from here we headed to Mirror Lake via the Valley Loop.

Because parts of the trail parallels the road, there was a lot of vehicle noise; it's also a pretty busy bike path…..and of course, because of the season, Mirror Lake was dry. It was still quite beautiful though.

And we took the loop back to Yosemite Village and our car.

We drove back to Rush Creek and relaxed for a bit. The Missus and I just weren't up to having another meal in the restaurant and we didn't want to drive to Groveland. We went over to the General Store and picked up a bottle of wine for the Missus and a beer for me. I had done some planning and brought along a self-heating Omeal and also a portable heater-lunch box; we had brought packaged meals. I put my package of basmati rice in the Omeal bag, so it heated up along the vegetarian chili.

The 110 volt hot plate didn't get things super hot, but it did the trick.

It was an ok meal……but the view just couldn't be beat.

And we were sure that tomorrow would be a better day!

Thanks for dropping by!

Midweek Meanderings – The Missus is Juicing (from Stehly Farms), Kumi Cafe Replacing Chopstix Too, and Saying Goodbye to Chowhound

March 9, 2022 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Markets & Grocers, yoso-silly

Some "stuffs" for a Wednesday.

The Missus is Juicing (from Stehly Farms):

Sorry, couldn't help it. The Missus has been wanting fresh juices and it seems that only Stehly Farms fits the bill. Sadly, the the Morena location closed at then end of 2020. So, Kensington, here I come.

The young lady who works the juice bar on weekends is so sweet; I think her name is Joanna.

I've been going almost every week…..she knows my name now….sheesh….

Anyway, she works really hard in making fresh squeezed carrot and beet juice for the Missus.

The Missus blends the juices with some stuffs….I think tumeric, etc….and either Grapefruit or Blood Orange juice. Super healthy!

It's one Her latest "things"……..

Stehly Farms Market
4142 Adams Ave.
San Diego, CA 92116

Kumi Cafe Replacing Chopstix Too:

Well, I hadn't been to Mitsuwa in a while. So I dropped by to do some shopping and was surprised to see that Chopstix Too was gone! Whoa, this one was a surprise. Over the years Cathy has posted on Chopstix Too several times, the last time back in January of 2019. Heck even Vicky did a post back in 2009.

I did a quick search online and found this from Eater. So perhaps another ghost kitchen is going brick and mortar?

Sadly, it's the end of an era it seems.

4380 Kearny Mesa Rd.
San Diego, CA 92111

Saying Goodbye to Chowhound:

Talk about the end an era……

I was looking thru some CH posts and found this post. If you don't want to follow the link; here a bit of the post:

"After 25 incredible years of sharing culinary insights and mouth-watering recipes, we are saddened to inform you that Chowhound will be closing down on Monday, March 21, 2022.

This incredibly difficult decision is due to limitations in the capabilities and resources required to maintain the site on an ongoing basis. Rather than allowing the site experience to degrade, we have opted to close down the site."

I'm certain many of you have never heard of Chowhound….but for me, it was a nice source of dining information after we moved to San Diego in 2001. I had read some stuff when we lived in the SGV, but it became a good source for dining info for San Diego. Of course there were many changes over the years and participation waned…….I'll just leave it at that.

I have met some great folks from CH and after hosting a CH dinner at Ba Ren I met the wonderful Ed from Yuma and we became fast friends.

I think my FOY "Candice" put it best; it's "the end of an era". 'Nuff said.

Zgara Greek Grill Revisited

March 7, 2022 mmm-yoso Greek Food

I was so thrilled when Zgara Grill Grill reopened and in my neighborhood too! It quickly became part of our takeout rotation. And then I returned to the office and those weekly visits to Zgara stopped. Recently, I had a WFH day and decided to grab lunch from Zgara.

The Owner, Eric was so happy to see me and I was glad to see a smile on his face. He told me business has been good, even better now that they have their beer and wine license.

They've also spiffed things up a bit.

The one thing that hasn't changed is the pork gyros, it's as good as ever, nice crisp edges to the meat, great savory-light citrus tones, lovely porkiness. Enrobed in a warm pita, the light pungecy of the onions, the creamy-lemony tzatziki…….well, you get the idea, right?

Of all the terrible things that have and are happening in the world……at least there are a few bright spots and I think Zgara reopening is one of them. And with the way things are….I'll take what I can get…..

Zgara Greek Grill
1229 Morena Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92110

So, tell me, what places have you found during the pandemic that you've added to your rotation?

And have a great week!

Jordan (Before Covid) – Petra

March 6, 2022 mmm-yoso Israel/Palestine, Jordan, Middle Eastern Restaurants/Cuisine, Travel

**** I need to dedicate this post to two "FOYs", Kerri, who I know has been waiting for this one and RonR who emailed me – "This morning for the third year in a row I cancelled (postponed?) our 3 month European tour which of course included Tel Aviv, Israel, and Petra. Then, of course I opened up my favorite website every morning and there you are talking about Tel Aviv. Aaarrrggghhh!" Oh man, I'm so sorry Ron, I hope you'll be able to visit Petra and Wadi Rum soon!

Also, not much food in this one….even though I'm going to try to keep verbiage to a minimum, it's pretty looong….so I wouldn't be bothered at all if you decide to come back tomorrow for a more food focused post!

After a nice, relaxing evening at the Intercontinental Aqaba a van arrived to pick us up in the morning. We saw the landscape change as we drove from Aqaba to the town of Wadi Musa.

We stopped twice for bathroom breaks; once at a viewpoint above Wadi Musa and Petra….which was interesting…..you'd never know what lay in the valley below from here.

We arrived a Wadi Musa and transferred to a larger van with several other folks' including a wonderful couple from Australia whose company we really enjoyed! The tour company, Eco Desert Tours was amazing. They dropped our luggage at our hotel while we were dropped off at the rather chaotic ticketing area.

Where we met up with our guide. Once everyone was accounted for, we headed off, down the Bab el-Siq, the path and valley that leads to the Siq.

There are actually tombs and what is called Djinn Blocks, carved blocks of stone. The word means something along the lines of "spirit" in Arabic, but is also credited with being the origin of the word "genie".

And soon enough you reach the Siq, the narrow gorge which leads to into Petra.

There's a lot to see here as well, like the Niche Monument, a shrine created with two Djinn blocks.

This of course, is just an "appetizer" as most folks come to see what right ahead. It goes without saying that the last few steps to view Al-Khazneh, known as the Treasury is quite dramatic in its own right. First, you get a peek, then as you walk closer, it comes slowly into view….the pink-hued wonder, with intricate designs chiseled on it.

One could imagine the moment that Swiss explorer JL Burckhardt, disguised as a Muslim Scholar, became the first Westerner to enter Petra, and laid eyes upon this amazing structure.

It's about a mile to get to the Treasury; which of course, is the most crowded area of Petra. With folks selling Camel rides to various other items……

If you're not inclined to walking…well, you can catch a wagon, camel, or even a mule to get around…….

The portion past the Treasury is called the Outer Siq and is comprised of burial chambers of various designs.

We walked on over to the Street of Facades, a collection of more tombs, these crowded closer together.

Carved into the mountain right past the Street of Facades into El-Khubtha Mountain are what's called the "Royal Tombs".

And then beyond that; the actual city of Petra.

And then, it was lunch time. We had chosen just the simple lunch. We were then told we'd have free time to explore and the meeting place and time were indicated to us.

Which was perfectly fine. Actually, the falafel were not bad at all.

And then we set off exploring……..and had a great time exploring the City….the Great Temple and Qasr al-Bint, a Nabataean Temple.

Of course the Missus couldn't help but climb and explore the Royal Tombs.

After which we headed back to the Treasury.

It was amazing how the colors seemed to change as the sun moved across the sky.

The Missus had seen folks standing on the cliff across from the Treasury…and so…She just had to get there…..sigh.

So, we found a trail across from the Treasury and started climbing up. As I was set to start climbing I saw a gentleman wearing a long black robe and a clerical collar…my goodness; it was a priest climbing and inching his way down the rocks! I stuck out my hand and helped him down the last few steps. He smiles at me and said: "thank you my son"!

Anyway, it wasn't a super hard, but not an easy climb up. But of course, the Missus made it look easy.

I will say, the view was amazing.

Pretty amazing huh?

Of course, the climb down was much harder than going up. But…I'm here right? So I obviously made it.

By now we met our guide, whom we tipped, and told the nice guy that we'd just walk back to the hotel we were staying, the Petra Palace. We chatted on the way back to the hotel and decided to return and do the Petra by Night light show. But first; it was time to check in, hydrate, and most importantly, take a nap!

If you stuck around to the end of this post I thank you.

Have a great week!

My Creamy Mushroom Soup Recipe

March 5, 2022 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

**** I'm dedicating this post to "FOY" Lynnea, who has been asking for this recipe for a while. Sorry I took so long getting around to it!

With our recent cold spell; I thought I'd finally get around to doing a post on my mushroom soup. I know "FOY" Lynnea asked for it a couple of years ago.

Honestly, it ain't the most photogenic soup around, but it packed with flavor. It's also not a "large portion" soup; but really good as a starter with some toasted bread, a drizzle of good EVOO and so forth.

There are a couple of interesting things about this recipe:

1 – These days, I'm not big on measuring things out; but this recipe is an exception. I do measure quite a few things out and even weigh out the porcini mushrooms; which are quite pricey, the cremini mushrooms, etc.

2 – One of the key ingredients to this recipe is my mushroom broth/stock it adds another nice layer of flavor. When I make a batch; I always portion the stock out in 1 1/2 containers, specifically for making this soup.

3 – I have very few innovative ideas and this recipe is not exception. It is based on Jacques Pepin's Dried and Fresh Mushroom Soup recipe in his cookbook, Essential Pepin. I thought the recipe interesting, but when I made it was quite bland for our taste. I made a bunch of changes to the recipe, but kept what I thought was the heart of it; in "essense " (no pun intended), to me the base of the recipe is the use of potato and leeks….so, you could say, it potato leek soup in disguise.

4 – Jacques Pepin also uses porcini soaked in milk; I soak my porcini in hot water, but use 1 1/2 cups of which I strain and use 1 cup for the soup and save 2-3 tablespoons which I add to heavy cream, instead of milk.

Anyway, here goes…..

Mushroom Soup:
1/2 Ounce Dried Porcini Mushroom soaked in 1 1/2 Cup Hot Water for 1 hour
1 cup + 2-3 Tb Porcini Soaking Liquid
1 1/2 cup Mushroom Stock
1 Tb Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 Cup Crisp-High Acidity White Wine (I usually use a Sauvignon Blanc)
4 Ounces Cremini Mushroom
1 1/2 Cup Slice Leek
1 10-12 ounce russet potato cubed
1 Cup Hot Water
1/4 Cup Heavy Cream
1/2 tsp Turkish (or similar) Oregano
Salt and Pepper to taste

While Porcini Mushrooms are soaking…
– Slice Cremini Mushrooms. Set aside slices for garnish. You can either keep them in slices or slice to matchsticks for garnish or a little of both
– Slice the leeks
– Once the porcini have soaked – remove the mushrooms and chop finely.
– Save and strain the remaining porcini soaking liquid. Keep one cup of the liquid in a cup and another 2-3 tablespoons on the side
– Add mushrooms to a cold pot. Turn up heat to medium-high and let sit until the mushrooms start giving up its liquid before stirring
– Add chopped porcini, leek, oregano, and saute until fragrant
– Add white wine to deglaze
– Add mushroom stock, 1 cup of porcini soaking liquid, and hot water.
– While bringing the liquid up to a simmer, peel and cube the potato
– When soup starts to boil add the potatoes
– Simmer gently for 30-45 minutes
– Add 2-3 tablespoons reserved porcini liquid to the heavy cream and set aside
– Once potatoes are very soft, put into a blender and process until smooth
– Pour blended soup back into pot and heat to a low simmer
– Add mushrooms and fold in Heavy Cream mixture
– Serve

When making for friends….our good friend "Alle's" mom loves this soup; I reserve the slices and add in after blending. The Missus prefers Hers without the mushroom slices and garnish and just uses a good Extra Virgin Olive Oil and crusty bread. As always, make it the way you want.

So, there you go Lynnea, I hope you try this out and enjoy it. Thanks for being so patient!