Our flight to Taipei was about a half hour late. Getting thru customs in Taoyuan Airport was amazingly efficient and since we only had carry-on luggage to deal with, finding the Airport MRT station was also quite easy, as was getting and loading up EasyCards, Taiwan's travel smartcard. Our Airport MRT train left on time and we arrived at Taipei Main Station in around 40 minutes. Now here's where it got interesting…….dealing with Taipei Main Station was crazy. All the floors, all the different lines; the MRT/Metro/HSR/TRA all leave from various tracks at Taipei Main Station. Even with the Missus being fluent in Mandarin it was a beast. We deal and have dealt with train/metro travel quite a bit, heck we even survived Shinjuku Station which claims to be the busiest in the world. But man, trying to find the MRT Blue Line to our hotel, well it just had us flummoxed. Maybe we're out of practice?
Anyway, our hotel was just one stop over on the Blue Line, so we decided to take a cab. Which turned out to be great in several ways; first we discovered Cab Fare in Taiwan is very reasonable with a start at 85 NT ($2.60/US) and 5 NT every 200 meters or so. Cab fare to our hotel ended up being 95 NT, think $3.11. Second, we got our first taste of how friendly cab drivers (as a whole) were in Taiwan. They loved conversations. In fact, the Missus would make it a habit to get dining recommendations from Taxi Drivers during our stay in Taiwan.
We got to our hotel and checked in at around 830pm. The staff at the Resonance Hotel were very professional and accommodating. After freshening up, we decided to head on out to grab something light for dinner. This is when we noticed that many businesses seem to close fairly early. It was 845 and most restaurants in the area were closed. We also noticed that there seemed to be either a 7-11 or Family Mart on every corner. Even more than Japan!
After walking up and down a couple of streets, we settled on this place.
Which specialized in Tomato Beef Noodle Soup! The menu is posted on the wall, you are given a paper to check off your selections. The interior and dining is simple.
We ordered the Beef Tomato Soup and some jiaozi. The Missus had a view into the kitchen and quickly told me; "they are making the jiaozi to order!" And then, "he's cutting the noodles to order as well!" We'd find that this is the norm here in Taiwan.
Our Pork and Cabbage Jiaozi arrived hot to the table.
The Missus walked over to the condiment table and poured us some black vinegar. This jiaozi was very good, fluffy, tender wrappers, tender and nicely seasoned pork filling. Better than anything in San Diego…in fact, just about as good as anything in the SGV!
Then our noodle soup arrived.
Man, the beef was so tender and beefy! The knife cut noodles were a bit thick for my taste, but the texture was very nice, good pull, not doughy or overly chewy. The broth was light on the beefiness and edged on being too sweet. We would have liked a bit more tangy-tomato flavor as well. Still this was quite enjoyable.
And then came my favorite item of the meal, the Fried Pork Chop.
Crisp, yet tender, we loved the porkiness. We'd come to enjoy the pork in Taiwan, it's definitely not "the other white meat here". In fact, the Missus would make fun of me after I enjoyed each pork chop saying; "Taiwan, the land where Kirk never found a pork chop he didn't like!" Which was true. This version was smothered in black and white pepper and we liked the sinus clearing effect of it.
This ended up being a nice, random first meal in Taiwan. And heck, it was just over nine bucks!
93 Tomato Beef Noodle (93刀削麵館)
No. 3-2, Qingdao E Rd.
Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, Taiwan
We had a nice night of sleep. I woke a bit early, had some tea and just looked out at our view of Taipei.
We decided to head on out and do some exploring. Walking out of the hotel straightened us out! We had left San Diego with temps in the 50's to 60's. Here in Taipei highs were in the 80's with some humidity to match.
We headed out on Zhongxiao East Road, one of the main thoroughfares in the city.
With the sounds, the smells (is that chou doufu I smell?), the lively, yet mellow vibe hitting us. We were so happy to finally be here and couldn't wait to do some exploring!
Thanks for stopping by!
The Mister and I returned the other day and were going to order from the regular menu, but the All Day Special Menu, which was All You Can Eat for $27 per person would cost about the same. We decided it would be fun to cook our own and eat all we could. 
The complimentary banchan (pickled 'sides)were brought out along with the sauces (and salad and rice we ordered from the menu). Everything is replenished when you ask.
First up-thin brisket, beef bulgogi and chicken BBQ.
You are given tongs and scissors to help cook and cut your meats. The bulgogi and BBQ sauces carmelized on the grill and gave some flavor to the brisket.
The 'corn cheese' is an excellent side to share. 
For our second round, we chose thin beef belly and thin pork belly…so we could compare. 
A clean grill had been brought out, so there was no flavor imparted from the bulgogi and BBQ sauces and we instead ate the meat with the pickled sides (the kim chee is excellent) and rice on top of salad: a completely different second meal.
Greek sounded good for lunch, too.
There's a menu above the cash register and on the wall to the right. Order and pay and your food is brought out in disposable/"To Go" containers.
The walls from the former restaurant are still here; the furniture is new.
Lentil soup with pita ($4.50) was an excellent Mediterranean version. Cumin and turmeric flavors were primary and the broth not too thick with lentils or potato or carrot as other versions, but very deep with flavor. I did not taste onion and salt/pepper were not needed. 
A side of four pieces of falafel ($2.50) was a good choice. The thin, crisp edges were perfect, leaving the inside fluffy. The side of tzatziki sauce was refreshing with its yogurt and garlic base.
Greek Mix Plate ($14.99). 1/2 chicken shawarma, 1/2 lamb gyro on top of yellow rice and pita along with a good sized side salad (served with a herb-infused vinegar dressing) was quite a lot of food to share. The shawarma was not shaved, but instead chopped and grilled. It had great flavor. Indeed, it was lamb gyro and shaved, leaving each piece with a crisp side. The rice, pita and salad made this a good size meal, enough to share. 
Lemon and mint lemonade ($2.99) was excellent- fresh lemon juice, not too much sugar and dried mint gave this beverage two 'thumbs up' from us. We'll be back to try more of the menu.
The stamped floor with animal footprints remains.
It was basically standard breakfast fare when we arrived, so we just had some coffee, tea, and water.
The well-established (since 1955) pizza parlor, serving Italian food as well as cocktails is open for lunch in nearby Lemon Grove. 
A bowl of the house made 
A large (for two) antipasto salad ($9.95) was shared for an appetizer. Plenty of mortadella, salami and provolone along with pickled vegetables and parmesan.
The Italian Salad Bowl ($7.95) is always a good shareable 'appetizer' for us. Don't be fooled by the camera angle- that is a very large, deep bowl (it's the same bowl used for the 'double bowl soup'). Lettuce, tomato, mozzarella, olives, pepperocinis and all of that pepperoni could make a nice low carb meal. But we've been ordering large pizzas lately.
A large sausage-pepperoni pizza ($20.45) is one choice. Neither of us wants too many ingredients to take away from the beautifully flavored dough.
The large sausage-mushroom pizza ($19.25). More of a favorite. You can see the thin crust.
The 'Bar' area is a bit closed off from the rest of the dining area.
It's located West of the I-15 at Auto Park Way.
This is the breakfast portion of the menu; lunch will be a separate post. Know that the entire menu is served all day.
There are tables and booths available. If you can see the mechanics in this photo, the separating wall at the left booth can be lifted up, making a large booth-seating area for a group.
The Mississippi Skillet ($16.59) is made with ham, sausage, crisp bacon, bell peppers, onions and mushrooms and topped with Monterey Jack cheese and added avocado (99¢). Excellent flavors and there were leftovers. The choice of a scratch made biscuit was a good one-a light, crisp crust with a fluffy crumb. It didn't even need the butter. 
Huck's Combo ($11.99) with ham (a nice, thick ham steak which was juicy/almost sweet and not at all too salty), two (perfect) over easy eggs, add country reds ($2.59)(sliced and fried red skinned potatoes with bell peppers and onion) along with a half of a butter-crisp waffle (choice of that or a sweet cream flapjack or a slice of French toast). Each item was excellent in portion size (again, leftovers) and flavor-the waffle didn't need much of any toppings and was indeed crisp yet had a fluffy interior. 
About two weeks later, I made it a point to return with The Mister since I hadn't tried anything 'huckleberry' on that first visit. A Benedict Scramble ($14.99)was my order, because I was craving the ham. The slice in the Benedict was not as thick as on the Combo I had last time, but was still flavorful on the toasted English muffin topped with plenty of scrambled eggs and a slightly lemony creamy hollandaise. The potatoes (75¢) are so nicely crisp.
The Mister ordered a Monte Cristo ($14.99) Sourdough stuffed with ham, turkey and Monterey Jack, dipped in egg batter, crisp fried and topped with powdered sugar. He chose the optional sweet potato fries (99¢) and the platter arrived with syrup for the sandwich and 'Huck's Sauce' for dipping. He also added on a biscuit and gravy ($3.99) because he really liked that half biscuit leftover I brought home. The sausage gravy here is excellent. 
Yes, blueberries are the first ingredient for the jam. 
In the midst of an office park you will find the nicest little place which serves "Old School Mexican" from this modern building near the Border. It's family owned, been here for seven years with a location downtown on 6th Avenue and another one set to open soon in Liberty Station.
Step inside and you can scan the QR code next to the door if you want to see prices, otherwise, walk toward the cash register and place your order, after passing the multiple examples of possible choices.
We decided on a cafe de olla, which was kept refilled (there is liquid piloncillo on the table if you would like some of that brown sugar flavor in the cinnamon coffee) and a "La Verde" Aqua Fresca (each $4.95).
Soon, our orders were brought to the table. The Mister had ordered "El Patron" ($18.75, with carnitas ($4.75)). Crispy cajeta toast (a French toast topped with cajeta (Carmel-like sauce made with goats milk and sugar), two eggs (over easy requested and perfectly made), beans (not refried, but more liquid and meaty flavor) and chilaquiles with rojo sauce and topped with a light very flavorful (not fatty) carnitas. The chilaquiles were tossed in the salsa, not merely covered, so that each piece of crispy tortilla was coated. Wow-each item was quite perfect and flavorful and so very good.
I ordered the Enfrijoladas ($14.75)-Four corn quesadillas topped with frijoles, puercos cream, sour cream, cheese, onion, cilantro, two eggs (over easy), beef chorizo and avocado. This satisfied all of my cravings. I wanted to try the chorizo (IYKYK) as well as corn quesadillas, which are just something I enjoy. The bean sauce/topping had bits of pork, adding to the flavor and everything came together in each bite. 
Noticing this poster when leaving, I'm sure we will be back for lunch. 
