July 2024 – Page 2

Guadalajara – A Food Tour of Barrio Santa Tere

July 20, 2024 mmm-yoso Guadalajara/Tequila, Jalisco, Mexico, Mexican Restaurants, Mexico, Taco Shops, Travel

There were so many iconic dishes from Jalisco, that doing a food tour, which we'd done with great success in Oaxaca and even CDMX, seemed like a no brainer. So, I went ahead and booked the small group Gastronomic Tour of Santa Tere. It seemed like it would tick all the boxes, we'd learn so much about barbacoa, birria, tortas ahogadas, stuff that had become quite popular in San Diego over the last few years.

The area, Santa Tere (Santa Teresita) is still known as being "working class", yet is but a 30 minute walk away from where we were staying. We were looking forward to tales and history of the items we'd be trying. Unfortunately, the tour guide was a very nice young lady, whose basic duty was just leading us to various eating establishments and ordering food for us.

Still, it was an interesting introduction to local places in the city.

We met a block away from the Mercado and were led into the market.

And this stand; Fonda Mariquita which was super busy.

We were told that it's all about the quesadillas with green sauce here. So, we asked for the version with nopales con huevo. Very tangy salsa verde.

The tortilla was thick and quite crisp, almost like an empanada. The milky queso helped to quell the puckery and tangy salsa verde.

Fonda Mariquita (In Mercado Santa Tere)
Calle Andrés Terán 523
Santa Teresita, 44200 Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico

We then stepped out of the Mercado and across the street to this place.

I was quite thrilled; after all Jalisco is the home of Birria and of course, I love birria de chivo.

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The folks here were so friendly, our guide ordered us birria de chivo which was quite good; gamey, nice spice, the broth was rich and flavorful, nice smokiness.

This might have been the best we'd had….but there was a place we headed to for dinner that was even better!

Still, birria de chivo, better than anything I've ever had in San Diego.

And the service was wonderful!

Birriería La Victoria
Calle Manuel Acuña 1511
Villaseñor, 44200 Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico

We then headed back around the Mercado.

And we were brought to this storefront.

Which cracked us up. That whole modern looking area is just seating. Everything really happens here.

To the left of the "dining area" is where the tacos for Tacos Juan are put together.

Of course, being on this tour meant we'd just have a seat……

Man, those caramelized onions and charred peppers were so good.

The actual grilled queso and tortillas for the barbacoa tacos dorados were fabulous.

It actually outshone the barbacoa….which almost seemed like an accessory. That texture; the corn and cheesiness.

Tacos Juan Santa Teresita
Calle José Clemente Orozco 465
Santa Teresita, 44600 Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico

We then headed back thru the Mercado.

And made a stop for agua frecas….sorry, was having too much fun and didn't take a photo.

Our last stop was for something I'd been wanting to try in Jalisco.

Tortas Ahogadas are a way of life here. And this shop…again, the food is prepped outdoors and there is indoor seating, seemed like just what we wanted.

The line made it seem so promising. Here's where having to just find a table and not order made things easy for us.

Man ,these guys work hard!

So, when we were asked how spicy, we told the young lady that we love spicy, we've had some pretty spicy tortas ahogadas here is San Diego.

But, I think they went easy on us. The Birote (bread) was outstanding, yeasty, almost like a good sourdough, the meat tender, the sauce had a nice level of acidity, but was not very spicy.

I think they might have gone easy on us.

Tortas Ahogadas El Profe Jimenez
Calle Andrés Terán 841
Villaseñor, 44600 Guadalajara, Jal., Mexico

In the end, while I wish the "tour" was more than someone taking us to places and ordering….I really can't recommend this, it was nice to have the variety and exposure to dishes we'd had many times in the past.

Guadalajara – Dinner at Restaurante Allium and Antojitos Sanchez (at Tianguis del Parque Rojo)

July 19, 2024 mmm-yoso Farmer's Markets/Night Market, Fine Dining, Guadalajara/Tequila, Jalisco, Mexico, Mexican Restaurants, Mexico, Taco Shops, Travel

Our flight from Mexico City to Guadalajara International Airport was right on time. Our driver was on time and the drive to our hotel; the Hotel Portobelo took about 30 minutes and was uneventful. The hotel is large, modern, and close to Zona Centro and all the historical sights. It is also right across the street from Parque Revolucion, which I found out is more commonly known as Parque Rojo, the Red Park to locals. Our flight had arrived at 1130 and it was just after noon when we arrived at the hotel. Check-in time was 3pm, so we decided to stow our luggage and go for a stroll. Lucky for us; there's a huge flea market, called Tianguis del Parque Rojo that occurs on Saturday.

And we spent a good amount of time exploring.

There was just about everything under the sun available here.

Something we soon noticed. Folks were quite friendly here, people would smile at us, wave us forward, we were the only Asians in sight, so I'm sure we stood out.

Soon we came across a food stall named Antojitos Sanchez. Folks seemed to be enjoying their meal, so we decided to give it a try.

One of the young men eating spoke perfect English and told us to sit next to him….folks actually moved over for us, in case we needed some help. Like I said, great people.

The Missus got a coconut agua fresca, which She loved so much and chugged down in like a minute! We ordered a second one!

We ordered tacos. The chicharron….the young man was surprised we ordered that, was so tender and full of flavor.

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The fatty portions and meat basically melted in your mouth! Such porky goodness, we didn't want to spoil the flavors by adding anything….we just wanted to "pig out" if you know what I mean.

We got the quesabirria tacos. The tortillas were very good and the cheese had been expertly melted and were so crisp!

The birria was fairly mild in flavor, though quite tender. For us, this was mostly about the wonderful texture.

The folks working were just plain wonderful; as was the young man who volunteered to help us! This was such a nice start to our visit here!

Antojitos Sanchez (at Tianguis del Parque Rojo)
Americana, 44160 Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
Market on Saturdays

We headed back across the street to the hotel. It was getting pretty hot and we thought we'd just wait in the air conditioned lobby of the hotel. Luckily, our room was ready early and we settled in.

As for dinner; well, it was going to be the total opposite of lunch. I had made reservations at Restaurante Allium which I had read about being a champion of local products and possibly the best restaurant in the city. To make things interesting, the restaurant was 5 kilometers (like 3 miles) away from Hotel Portobelo and we decided to walk, which was quite interesting.

Anyway, we made it to the location, which seemed to be an upscale business district with many high rises.

The restaurant is set-up in a modern, somewhat minimalistic style, with a visible kitchen. The service is warm and professional, it seems to be the place where the business elites come to eat.

Things started with an amuse sort of a aguachile bite, which was nice and refreshing.

There's only three wines by the glass, none of it from Mx, but the Missus though it fine.

And various salsas and butter are kindly provided.

We ended up ordering two appetizers and two entrees.

First to arrive was the Octopus Carpaccio.

As we would find with the other dishes, there's a lot going on here. From "tomato overload", both fresh and sun dried tomatoes, to an interesting flavor that seemed like dashi, which I later found was Katsuobushi, there was nice acidity, the avocado was nice and buttery, and the octopus very tender. The sourdough bread was a bit over-toasted, but still retained a nice balance.

The other appetizer we ordered was the Seabass Ceviche.

There was a bit too much going on here, though the texture of the fish was wonderful, it was overshadowed by all the acidity in the dish.

The Missus ordered the Lamb as Her main.

My goodness, those asparagus tips were amazing, so sweet and tender. The lamb shoulder was fine, a bit tough, we wished it was a bit more gamey, the dish gravitated to the sweeter end of the flavor spectrum.

I got the Pork Belly.

Once again, the produce was so good, those green beans had a nice, slightly sweet-chlrophyllic flavor. The frisee added a much needed balance to the sweet sauce. The pork belly was tender, but I wish there was more porcine flavor and less sweetness to the dish.

In the end, this was an interesting dining experience, the staff were so professional, yet warm and friendly.

Restaurante Allium
Avenida Providencia 2411, Plaza Leben Providencia
Guadalajara, Jalisco, México

We decided to catch an Uber back to the hotel. It had been an interesting day. Such diversity between our first two meals in the city. And yet there was one thing that seemed universal; the kindness and smiles of the folks here!

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Thanks for stopping by!

Road Trip – Array 36 (Temple City)

July 18, 2024 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Fine Dining, Los Angeles County, Road Trip, Travel

Way back in March, the Missus had requested a specific road trip. We'd be taking our time to our destination. We first stayed in Carlsbad and had a fine dinner at Jeune et Jolie, after our morning coffee and some breakfast we headed to the SGV. As usual, we stayed the night at the Courtyard at Monterey Park and had made reservations for a restaurant in Temple City. I know what you're thinking, "sigh, is Kirk going to do yet another post on Bistro Na's?" Well FOYs, I'll give you a break from that for now, ok? I had read about a restaurant that opened in Temple City in October of last year. The place had Shanghainese influenced dishes along with an $98 Roast Duck dish carved tableside, which had to be ordered ahead of time. I'd read that the renovation of the restaurant, named Array 36 cost over 3 million dollars, with the goal of setting a new level of fine dining for Chinese cuisine in Los Angeles. So, of course we had to try things out.

I made reservations for 5pm, right when the place opened.

As we entered, the haunting moodiness of the restaurant engulfed us.

There's a huge hologram of a whale projected on the wall. It's quite a trippy scene.

We looked over the menu and placed our order. Soon enough, a serving of Kai Wei Cai, those little before meal snacks that are supposed to "open up the stomach" arrived.

The beans were quite nice; but it was the pungent-sour-mildly spicy laba garlic that we enjoyed. This was a great start to the meal.

Of course we needed to try the duck. There as no way we'd be able to finish a whole duck, so no "flaming fowl", the tableside torched and carved duck. No we went with the half roast duck ($68).

Which came with all the standard accessories. The fat had been rendered nicely, but the skin was not as crisp and delicate as we like. The flavor was quite mild and the meat tough and dry.

The dan bing, those "pancakes" one enrobes the duck and accoutrements with were large, thicker then we like and on the chewy side for our taste.

There's a version of Dragon Well Shrimp on the menu, something we really love. We still talk about the wonderful version we had all those years ago at Jiangnan Restaurant in Beijing. It's called Stir Fried River Shrimp on the English menu. We got a small order which was $58.

Man, this was bad. The shrimp was overcooked and tough, was too salty, and lacked depth of flavor.

We also ordered the House Special Smoked Plank Pork ($28).

The pork was on the chewier side of the scale, a bit too sweet for our taste, but heck, this was Shangainese influenced so that makes sense. Mild smokiness, decent pork tones. Not bad.

The last dish would prove to be a winnah! The Beef Fried Rice with Black Truffle ($22).

This was quite possibly the best fried rice I'd had in a while. While there was just a wisp of black truffle flavor; the rice was perfectly cooked and coated, the seasoning a nice balance of salt and savory.

At least the meal ended on a high note. The service as excellent, the interior a world of it's own. But in the end, it's about the food, and sorry to say, in spite of watching that hologram whale swimming on the wall across us, I don't think the dinner was worth the $200 price tag.

Array 36
5449 Rosemead Blvd.
San Gabriel, CA 91776

Chicken Wing Wednesday – BHC Chicken (Sorrento Valley)

July 17, 2024 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Korean Restaurants

Back in June, the huge KFC chain BHC opened in what I believe is called the "Mercato Food Hall" off of Scranton Road. I made up my mind to hold out for a while before visiting and in a show of ultimate willpower actually managed to wait 9 days! Well, so much for that, right? One of the good things is that BHC opens at 1030 during the week, so I'd (hopefully) manage to avoid the anticipated crowds. I drove on over to the mall where the restaurant is located. It's kind of an interesting place as it seems that there are a good number of vacancies there….or maybe it's just that every time I've visited, most of the businesses, minus the McDonald's is closed?

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I arrived just at opening time and as I walked up to the door, the open sign came on. Perfect timing right?

BHC 02

Well, maybe not, as when I arrived at the counter, the really nice young man working told me they were out of wings. Sigh…..

So, I had to work out a plan B. They really nice fellow gave me a little container with a chip with the Bburing seasoning, which had some cheesy-garlicky-sweet tones to it.

BHC 03

I asked for a recommendation and was told that the Signature Sandwich ($10) was a good deal and I thought I'd try some Cheeseballs with the Bburing Seasoning ($8). I went and had a seat.

When my cheeseballs were ready, one of the nice young folks brought it to my table along with a cup of water. Very nice service.

BHC 05

BHC 04

In keeping with the popular Bburinkle seasoning, the powder was cheesy-sweet-salty with hints of garlic and possibly oregano. It was a bit too sweet for my taste. The exterior was crisp, the filling was nicely molten and gooey, but somewhat lacking in flavor, perhaps that was due to the Bburinkle powder which basically got everywhere.

BHC 06

This was interesting, though I don't think I'll have it again.

As for my sandwich; well, it was huge.

BHC 07

In fact, I could barely finish half the sandwich. The ratio of bread to filling was off and there was way too much mayo on this.

BHC 08 BHC 09 As you can see, the chicken took up only two-thirds of the sandwich surface area, so there were "fowl-less" bites and with all that bread and mayo, it was hard making heads or tails of the flavors. So even though that label said "please enjoy it as soon as served" there was no way I could finish this. I put half in the fridge at work and took it home. During dinner that evening, I brought out the remainder of the sandwich and the Missus and I took out the piece of chicken. Even though the batter had sloughed off, it seemed like the chicken thigh meat was nicely seasoned and fairly tender.

Which meant that I needed to try out those wings. I returned at opening time a couple of days later and guess what? Still no wings. So, I waited a bit, like two weeks before revisiting. Even though I had items for a small lunch; I thought an order of 4 wings, which came in at $8.99……man, it's like two bucks a wing here, would be a good addition to my rather healthy lunch.

BHC 10

And they did have wings available on this day. Of course, since this was the first time I'd be having the wings I went with the 4 piece "Classic Fried", having that Bburinkle powder on the chicken would just overpower things in my opinion. I did also get a side of the sweet and spicy sauce ($1). When my wings were ready, I took that quick ten minute drive back to the office where I opened things up.

BHC 14 BHC 13 The wings were on the larger end of the spectrum and were lightly seasoned. The sauce was much too sweet for me.

While there was some discoloration with the flesh, there were no off flavors and the meat was moist and tender.

BHC 15

The batter rode the crisp-crunchy line nicely and kind of reminded me of the cornflake-corn starch fried chicken my mom used to make.

This was quite good, though one of the pieces; an unwieldy drumette was way over-battered.

BHC 16

Still, the wings were tender, though in need for a bit more seasoning, perhaps I need to find the right "sauce". The wings had a nice crispy-crunchy coating, which I don't think would hold up to when sauced, so if anything, I'd get that on the side.

I liked the friendly service and BHC seems to be a nice addition to the "KFC" scene here in San Diego; though I'm wondering, like hot pot and ramen, when we'll be hitting critical mass here.

You can read Soo's post on BHC here.

BHC 17

BHC Chicken
9450 Scranton Rd. #112
San Diego, CA 92121
Current Hours:
Mon – Tues 1030am – 1030pm
Wed – Sat 1030am – 11pm
Sundays 11am – 930pm

Chef John’s Fish & Chips (Lemon Grove)

July 16, 2024 mmm-yoso Seafood

After finishing up my cold brew at Lemon Grove Coffee and deciding to have lunch in the area, I headed back out to Broadway and strolled a couple blocks to Chef John's Fish & Chips. This place has been recommended to me by a patron at the Poseidon Project several years ago. According to him, it was the best "Fish and Chips" he's had outside of London! Well, that's quite a recommendation!

The shop is located on Broadway. You can tell that it' had been some sort of fast-food location in the past.

Chef John 01

Cathy wrote about this location way back in 2006 when it was part of the Tugboat Fish & Chips chain. I think she'll be glad to know that it's still a fish and chips shop 18 years later.

Chef John 02

It's a simple set-up; you order at the counter; I got the fish and shrimp combo ($18.49). The owners are an older Korean couple; I heard them conversing in that language. They were the only two folks working on this day. I felt kind of bad for the gentleman as he seems to have some mobility problems, but still worked to fill the ice in the soda dispenser and cook the food.

Chef John 03

I was told that my order would take about 20 minutes. A good thing as this means it's made to order. I went and had a seat.

This is what my plate looked like when ready.

Chef John 04

I brought the fish to the forefront. Based on the size of the faux newspaper tray liner, I'd say that the filet of whitefish was around 8 inches long.

Chef John 05 Chef John 06 The fries were nice and crisp, the type that was dusted to add to the texture. It was decently seasoned.

The fish was moist, very tender, the batter crisp and light. In terms of seasoning; it was very mild, I really needed he malt vinegar and would probably get some tartar sauce if I ordered this in the future. It was a nice generous portion. No off flavors.

Chef John 07 Chef John 08 There were four shrimp which used the same batter, quite crisp. The rather larger shrimp were on the tougher side; like it had been cooked too long. The flavor was quite assertive, not overly sweet, but savory, I believe this was farmed shrimp as it lacked the oceany sweetness. Still, pretty big shrimp if you're into these things.

The folks running the place were professional, though based on how I saw the gentleman moving, unless they have additional staff I'm wondering if they can keep the business running much longer. This was a pretty good meal and had me wondering how Mr. Fish and Chips was doing. I need to do a revisit; though I'll need to recover from that fry-o-lated goodness.

Knowing that the mystery of the Loch Ness Monster had been solved was a great bonus! (jjk)

Chef John 09

Chef John's Fish & Chips
8047 Broadway
Lemon Grove, CA 91945
Hours:
Mon – Sat 11am – 7pm
Closed on Sundays

This was a fun foray into an area I hadn't been to in more than a couple of years. I need to get out more often, right?

Chef John 10

Cuppa Cuppa Coffee Lab and Lemon Grove Coffee

July 15, 2024 mmm-yoso Caffeine Fix, Desserts

I recently had to take my vehicle in to get an estimate for some repairs. I ended up leaving my vehicle after the estimate. During that time I had two coffee stops, here they are.

Cuppa Cuppa Coffee Lab:

I initially set an appointment for an estimate and after handing over the keys decided to find a place for a cold brew and maybe a bite to eat. On a previous visit I had noticed that Cuppa Cuppa, which had a drive thru booth on Mission Gorge Road had a new shop in the Vora Apartment complex on Twain, so I decided to walk on over.

Cuppa Cuppa 01

The shop is pretty small, a couple of outdoor tables, a few indoors, and some bar seating.

Cuppa Cuppa 03

The Barista working was very friendly, she explained that they roast their own coffee beans and actually showed me the roaster which was in the corner.

Cuppa Cuppa 07

It was pretty darn hot, so I went with a cold brew and inquired about something savory. The young lady recommended the ham croissant and said that it was much better heated, which sounded good to me.

Cuppa Cuppa 02

The cold brew was nice and strong, which perhaps might be a bit much for some, but it provided a nice "kick in the pants" for me on this morning.

Cuppa Cuppa 04

The croissant was quite light, it had attained a dark color during the toasting process.

Cuppa Cuppa 05 Cuppa Cuppa 06 Which meant that when I bit into it, flakey croissant shrapnel flew everywhere! Also, the ham had attained almost a bacon like texture during the heating process. The ham gave the croissant a good bit of saltness; though I would have enjoyed a straonger butter flavor. The interior was light and not overly doughy. This was not bad.

I liked the service and the strong cold brew. I'll probably return for my caffeine fix when I take my car in for servicing.

Cuppa Cuppa Coffee Lab
4440 Twain Ave. Suite 102
San Diego, CA 92120
Current Hours:
Mon – Fri 7am – 2pm
Sat – Sun 8am – 1pm

Upon returning to the shop, I was told the scope of work, parts would be in fairly quickly, the work would span a couple of days. I decided to go ahead a leave my car and just get the work done. Which meant that I still had a full day ahead of me and no car. Then, I came up with an idea. I'd catch the trolley to Lemon Grove. Why, you say? Well, read on my friend.

Lemon Grove Coffee:

A few months back, Emily, one of my favorite folks who works at Clairemont Coffee told me that Hannah, the co-owner, along with her sister in-law Casey were opening up a coffee shop in Lemon Grove, appropriately named Lemon Grove Coffee. A couple of weeks back, I saw Hannah working at CC, and she told me that I should go and check the place out if I'm in the area. So, having a good amount of time on my hands, I went ahead and caught the Green Line, to the Blue Line, to the Orange Line, and ended up at the Lemon Grove Trolley stop.

I must say, Lemon Grove Coffee has a nice spot, right across from the trolley stop.

Lemon Grove Coffee 01

So, I headed on over. This shop is quite spacious, like twice the size…or more of the Clairemont shop.

Lemon Grove Coffee 02

There's an area with what almost looks like bleacher seating. After I took this photo, a couple of folks came in and sat in the "stands", busting out their laptops. Remote workers I guess.

Lemon Grove Coffee 03_01

It's a nice place for a break from the scorching weather outside.

I didn't know any of the gals working, but they were all very friendly. And my cold brew here is a buck cheaper ($3.25) than what I get at the Clairemont Drive shop.

Lemon Grove Coffee 04

The cold brew was fine; in line with what I get at CC.

Service was friendly, the prices were quite inexpensive, seem like a nice addition to the neighborhood which seemed to have more than few closed businesses, and I'm really happy for Hannah!

Lemon Grove Coffee
7801 Broadway
Lemon Grove, CA 91945
Current Hours:
Daily 6am – 3pm

I took a good amount of time with my cold brew. I wasn't looking forward to the trolley trip and walk back home. By the time I looked at my phone, it was just about lunch time. There was one place that had been recommended to me several years ago. And how often am I in Lemon Grove? I decided to find that restaurant and get some lunch.

Stay tuned!

Mexico City – Mora Mora (La Condesa) and a Journey thru La Merced

July 14, 2024 mmm-yoso Markets & Grocers, Mexican Restaurants, Mexico, Mexico City, Taco Shops, Travel

After spending a busy day exploring and eating in Centro Historico we spent some time exploring La Condesa. This is the area in which we've stayed in since our very first trip back in 2019. And this was our fifth time visiting since then! We've noticed quite a few changes since that first visit. The one biggest thing, which I noted during our previous visit was the large number of ex-pats. And there seemed to be even more this time around.

On Avenida Amsterdam we passed this interesting shop.

It looked like a natural foods/vegan/vegetarian shop, with a coffee bar and restaurant. It seemed quite popular.

The Missus was particularly interested in the Mushroom Coffee, something which She buys on occasion back home.

They even have funky "swings" to eat and drink on in the dining area.

Mora Mora
Ámsterdam 171
Colonia Condesa, Cuauhtémoc, 06100 Ciudad de México, Mexico

The next day, we had a nice, light breakfast at Red Tree House, we both knew that we'd be eating a bit during the day because I'd booked a small group tour of Mercado la Merced. I had read that the market, the largest in CDMX is large, vast, and confusing, thus I booked a small group tour. Our "small group" consisted of one other couple, who both claimed Mexican ancestry and were from El Paso. Our guide was Yimnah, who is a former chef.

After introductions we were off. First thing we noticed was how crowded things were.

Traffic here was crazy and to be frank, kinda scary. Yimnah actually used the assistance of one of the guys who help folks cross the street, for a tip of course.

We passed the flower market on the way in.

Once in the sprawling and confusing market, Yimnah directed us past all of the booths to this one.

Hmmm…..that logo seems familiar? This is Tacos McTeo. You gotta love it.

And the specialty tacos have….well, you guessed it, papas fritas on them. We got a very delici-yoso taco with cesina. Them "golden arches" ain't got nothin' on this place.

Though I'm wondering if a "cease and desist" might be around the corner…..

During our next pause Yimnah expounded on the glories of what she described as a specialty of CDMX; the fried tamal. We got a nopales-queso version. We weren't sure what to expect, but this was super good.

The earthy, maizey-lishceousness of the masa, along with slightly mucilaginous, sweet-green beanish flavor of the nopales, the milky queso, all wrapped in a crisp, slightly crunchy exterior was masterful. I gotta see if there's a version here in SD.

This was washed down with some atole.

From this stand.

There were just so many stands here, it would have been crazy to attempt to explore ourselves.

Next up were tacos, from this busy stand.

We got the suardero and tripas.

Which were fine, if not as god as what we'd had the previous day.

The couple that was with us were surprised that we had tripas….according to them, non-Hispanic folks where they hail from won't touch the stuff. I explained that most Asians will try anything and that statement would prove to be especially true later on.

Our next stop was to be for some quesadillas, but the place was packed and busy.

So Yimnah placed our orders and took us through a tour of various fruits.

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Where we got to sample several varieties of avocado and other fruits.

We then headed back to the quesadilla stand. Yimnah explained that in Mexico City, most of the traditional stands will use blue corn quesadillas, the use of blue corn dates back to prehispanic times.

Cooked on the comal, it seemed like blue corn was a bit softer and more tender than other versions.

Man, we had eaten quite a bit at this point, so it was time to do a bit more exploring. We were guided thru the chili stands, with Yimnah pointing out various species, many of which, like the habanero I'm quite familiar with; though there were some, like the mirasol, that I wasn't too familiar with, until Yimnah explained that these are the chilies that are dried to make guajillo chilies, which I usually have stocked at home.

We next moved on to a stand that even I had heard of. The famous Moles Dona Balbi which stocks what seems like a hundred different moles.

We ended up getting some mole pinole.

And then after touring a few more stands we came across this one.

And an amazing tasting of everything from Chapulines, gusanos, cocopaches, to acocil. That wrapped thingy on the right in the photo above is a fermented fish, which was full of umami flavor.

This was the protein source for many in prehispanic times. There was one thing that caught my eye, it's on the left of the gentleman in this photo.

Looking like a pile of tubular pasta, we could actually smell it from where we were standing. We asked Yimnah what it was and were told "fermented chicken intestines". These have been cooked. We asked if we could taste some. Yimnah said most folks are kinda scared of it….we wanted to try it. So Yimnah had them get us a sample; that couple from Texas, who had been so proud of their heritage backed off. Actually, it was chewy, very strong poultry flavor, quite savory, and we're glad we tried it.

We were glad to have taken this tour. There's no way we'd have been exposed to, nor have tried so many dishes and had learned so much about the cuisine, which is a big part of history and culture. There was so much we learned on this tour.

We had a coffee before Yimnah led us to the best area to catch our Uber and we headed back to La Condesa and the Red Tree House where Romeo was "waiting".

Lest you think Romeo didn't know what was going on. Everytime we'd see this wonderful pooch we'd give him a nice rub and scratch and his tail would go a wagging'. On the next morning as we checked out, Romeo was lying near the front door. We gave him an enthusiastic last rub, whereupon he lifted his head and then with one paw closed the door so we couldn't leave! "Oh Romeo!"

Such is what CDMX is to us! We can't wait to return.

But Guadalajara was waiting…..

Thanks for stopping by!

Road Trip – Happy Duck House (City of Industry)

July 12, 2024 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Road Trip

After our stay in Buellton and having lunch at Bell's, we decided to stay the night in our old 'hood of Rowland Heights. We'd do some shopping, do takeout from Mountain House, and then have dinner in the area. One of the places I'd read about over the last couple of years was Happy Duck House, which had opened on Gale just west of Fullerton Road back in around 2015. After all our previous meals on this trip, the Missus would be wanting some Asian cuisine, so we thought this would do.

We had early reservations and the place was pretty mellow when we arrived.

After perusing the menu, we went with the Peking Duck three ways ($89), Duck Wings ($6.95), and some stir fried Ong Choi ($16.95). Yes, this wasn't going to be a cheap dinner.

Soon enough the accoutrements arrived and all looked well.

Then the Duck Feet, which were supposed to be seasoned with five spice.

I say supposed, because this was very lightly seasoned. When highly flavored it's fun gnawing on "ducky" goodness, but this was strangely bland.

The duck skin arrived soon after.

The dan bing, the pancakes to wrap the duck in was really good, great texture, nice and warm.

The duck skin however was not. The skin was on the rubbery side, the subcutaneous fat had not been rendered, and it lacked flavor, as did the duck meat which was also dry. This was strangely one of the blandest versions of Bei Jing Kao Ya we've ever had!

We each made one "wrap" and just quit.

We ended up taking the meat and the "skin" home, where I went and made fried rice with the meat, adding in a bit of the skin which I crisped up. As for the rest of the skin, I went ahead and brushed the skin with a combination of melted duck fat and five spice and did the air fryer thing, which helped a bit.

We loved the texture of the Bean Sprouts with Duck Meat.

The texture of the Bean Sprouts were excellent, they obviously know how to stir fry. However, there just wasn't enough duck meat to make a difference in flavor. The meat was tough and bland and they should have just used most of what was provided for the wrap to bump up the flavor here.

The one item that we really enjoyed was the Ong Choi which was stir fried to perfection.

This was the one dish that was seasoned well, enough salt and white pepper to enhance the slightly sweet-bitter vegetal flavor of the water spinach. The texture was just perfect, crisp, yet tender.

The last dish out was the Duck Bone Soup, which, like the preceding duck dishes was severely under seasoned and watery.

This was quite thin and in need of more flavor.

Overall, the service was quite good, but while the Ong Choi was excellent, the name of the place is Happy Duck House, not Happy Ong Choi House. And the duck dishes were all disappointing.

Well, at least we tried the place out. You can't win 'em all……

Happy Duck House
18210 East Gale Ave.
Rowland Heights, CA 91748

Zhengxin Chicken Steak (Convoy), a Quick Look

July 10, 2024 mmm-yoso Chains, Chicken Wings, Chinese Restaurants

This was just a spur of the moment stop, but I thought I'd share it with you all…….

We were driving down Convoy, when I noticed that Zhengxin Chicken Steak, which I had just noticed last month had opened! I'd neither heard nor read anything about that. I pointed the place out to the Missus who knew it was a major chain from China and since that crazy parking lot (actually, most of the parking lots on Convoy fit that category these days as the bike lanes have diminished street parking) was barely half full. It wasn't meal time, but the Missus wanted to have a look.

Zhengxin 01

As we entered, I pointed out the menu behind the counter, with all the fried goodies, but the Missus was focused on something else.

Zhengxin 02

All the skewers…. The young man working was so very nice and explained that the skewers were fried up and the special "seasoning powder" was used on them.

We decided to order a couple as a "snack". I was told about a 6-7 wait, so I had a seat, only one table was occupied at this off hour, while the Missus went to check out Iceskimo next door.

Zhengxin 03

When my order was ready, the young man actually walked out and handed it to me! Such a nice guy. He also asked if we wanted "extra powder". I told him that we'd try things out as ordered and if we liked it we'd be back. He laughed and said "I hope you enjoy it!"

And so, arriving home for our afternoon snack. We had ordered Chicken Skin (of course), Gizzards, Lamb, all priced at $1.99 and a Chicken Wing, which I thought was strangely priced at $5.99, but was huge.

Zhengxin 04

The scent of cumin was clearly present.

I had thought that the Chicken Skin wouldn't hold out on the drive home, but it was still pleasantly textured, the powder has a bit of smoky-mild spice, and we really enjoyed it. It just carried the flavor of the spices well.

Zhengxin 05

The lamb was gamey, cuminy, and fairly tender, quite good. The spices really came thru well on the crunchy-poultry-fried gizzards. While the Missus enjoyed the huge wing, I thought it a bit on the tough side and somewhat bland. Though it could be that I had the lamb right before trying the wing. At $5.99, I'll probably pass on that in the future.

Zhengxin 06

And I agree with the young man; some extra seasoning powder would be nice; especially since none of this was especially salty.

This was a nice, pleasant surprise. We really didn't expect much from yet "another chain", but we like the flavoring and the service was wonderful. I'll return to try the "chicken steak" soon; though I don't think the Missus will want to deviate from the skewers.

Zhengxin 07

I know, I usually do multiple visits before doing a post, but this was a pleasant surprise so I thought I'd share it with you. So, hopefully you don't mind a post on Zhengxin Chicken "stick".

And, if you do drop by Zhengxin Chicken Steak, let me know what you think!

Zhengxin Chicken Steak
4609 Convoy St. #C
San Diego, CA 92111

Zhengxin 08

Thanks for stopping by!

Prime Grill Revisited

July 9, 2024 mmm-yoso Korean Restaurants

The recent hot weather had me craving some Bi Bim Naengmyun, so I started thinking of some options. I'd last had a metal bowl of it at Yuk Dae Jang, but I wasn't very impressed. Thinking back, I had enjoyed the BBN from Prime Grill, though on our last visit there back in March of 2022, the panchan was terrible and the service even worse. Would things be different over 2 years later? Well, we decided to roll the dice and find out.

We arrived for an early dinner and the place was still fairly busy. This time around, the woman who waited on us was quite warm and friendly.

The Missus had always enjoyed the Dak Bulgogi here and ordered the combo ($24.99) and I (of course) got the Bi Bim Naegnmyun ($16.99). The panchan was much better than what we'd had on our previous visit.

Prime 01

The Baechu kimchi was nice and fermented, with a slight funkiness we enjoy, the kkakdugi (radish kimchi) was spicy, sour, yet refreshing, the Missus enjoyed the namul and I the oi (cucumber) kimchi!

The Missus's combo soon arrived.

Prime 02 Prime 03 And when the gyeran jjim (steamed egg) hit the table, I thought that this would be the interesting test of the service. You see, the Missus enjoys some sesame oil on Her steamed egg. I think it's kind of a Northern Chinese thing. On our last visit, Her request for some was met with some testy derision. This time, the nice woman came over with a squirt bottle and told the Missus, "tell me when…."

Also of note, the woman had told the Missus that there was an option for "sausage tofu stew", basically Budae-jjigae with the combo. And surprisingly, the Missus went for it.

Apparently the Missus enjoyed the gyeran jjim as it was gone in an instant.

Prime 04

The version of budae-jjigae was fairly mild in terms of spice and on the salty side. It was not bad on rice. And the weather was so hot that I just really had a taste and left the rest to the Missus.

Who really enjoyed the salty-sweet-soy flavors of the dak bulgogi, which was also decently griddled with spots of caramelization without charring.

Prime 05

I had a bite and thought it was not bad; dark meat chicken, nicely balanced flavors, not overly tough.

As for me, well, soon enough my metal bowl of spicy-vinegary-sweet elastic noodles arrived at my table.

Prime 06

I made sure to accept the shears that were proffered as I'd had enough experience trying to slurp in what seemed like an endless stream of highly elastic naengmyun. These days I go for a "four-cut". I enjoyed these as the noodles weren't too elastic, but still held on to it's pleasurable, springy-stretchy resiliently bouncy texture. The sauce had a nice spice to it, I added a bit more vinegar to balance things out. If the heat rose to bit too high, I simply took a sip of the icy sour and sweet broth to recover.

Prime 07

The slices of Asian pear helps "Sweeten the pot" and there's a single slice of very dry meat and the boiled egg was overcooked, you could tell that by the evil "gray ring" around the yolk. But heck, I didn't order this to help fulfill my protein requirement for the day.

Prime 07

I wanted something with loads of flavor to help cool me off. And this did the job in spades.

The Missus also enjoyed Her meal with the panchan and service back on track, so I'm thinking Prime Grill is back in our good graces after a two year wait. Just in time for the summer heat.

Prime Grill
4620 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Daily 11am – 10pm