Here are a couple of revisits to places that used to be on my regular rotation that I haven’t visited in a while.
Tenkatori:
Man, has it been a year-and-a-half since I last visited Tenkatori? I was craving some karaage and decided it was time to “scratch” that itch and head on over. Like I’ve said before; with regards to Tenkatori, one should call in your order – I called in my order for the Karaage Bento Box – a reasonable $12. However, if you ordered it online – even though they said it’s “no fees” guess what?
That crazy parking lot is not so bad before 11am and I easily found parking. Strode on in, paid and got my karaage.
This is what it looked like.
Unlike on previous visits, the rice was perfectly cooked; the potato salad so creamy and nicely seasoned.
This time around, it was the batter of the chicken that was weird….it was mushy, and the pieces were stuck together? Really strange.
Maybe the 20 minute drive before eating was too long? Or perhaps the oil wasn’t at the right temperature?
The chicken itself was very tasty, perfect salty-umami-soy balance and very moist and adequately tender.
I know that “FOY” ChrisR has been mentioning trying the nankotsu, the chicken cartilage..so maybe I nede to try that next time! Still, in this day and age, the prices at Tenktori has stayed fairly stable for a while.
Tenkatori Miramar
6780 Miramar Rd Suite 104
San Diego, CA 92121
Zgara Greek Grill:
Zgara is another regular stop that I hadn’t visited in a while. Perhaps it was that on my last visit, I found out that Eric had sold the place! Though my usual; the pork gyro was quite good. I had also heard from “FOY” Ron that things had gone downhill a bit in the months following. Still, a revisit was overdue.
I did notice that the Pork Gyro Sandwich was now $11.86 a dollar more than on my last visit. Though still what I consider reasonable for these days.
And of course that’s what I ordered.
Man, this was really stuffed with nicely seasoned pork. Though I think it’s a bit chewier than I recalled.
The pillowy pita held up well, though I think with all that protein, I could have used more Tzatziki and tomatoes.
Still this was fine…..though it does seem to be missing something. But, I can’t quite put my finger on it? Perhaps it’s just a figment, right?
Zgara Greek Grill
1229 Morena Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92110