Month: January 2026

Kiiro Sushi Izakaya

Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi

I’d heard about Kiiro Sushi opening back in February of last year. So back in the beginning of March I decided to check the place out.

Kiiro is located next to the L&L BBQ on Sports Arena Boulevard….which I actually posted on back in…yikes 2005! I went for lunch right at 11 and the place was empty. The tables and chairs make the place seem almost cafeteria like to me?

I was greeted and seated by the nice young woman. Both she and Itamae were Hispanic which is kinda the norm these days at many places.

Looking at the menu; I noticed a lunch time bargain…the Chirashi was $21!

I thought it would be an interesting way to see how the fish was here. I also went with some Chicken Karaage….that when it arrived wasn’t just “some”; it was quite a lot.

It arrived with “spicy mayo” and I quickly noticed something about the chicken….it was white meat (i.e. chicken breast), which is not my favorite cut for karaage and it would prove to be true as the flesh was hard and dry; not especially flavorful.

The batter was lacking in crispness and fell off the pieces as I tried to eat them. The flavor wasn’t too bad, pretty straight forward soy sauce; hint of garlic….. Still, not a fan of the textures.

As for my Chirashi, well, I quickly noticed something.

It’s not only that the slices of fish were really thin; at this price point I expected that. But, it had that fish that’s banned in Japan since 1977 and also in Italy, escolar (aka white tuna) which can cause keriorrhea (aka the, ahem “orange oily leakage”)….I’ll just leave it at that. The rice was really hard, but also steaming hot, and lacking in seasoning.

You could tell this was really thin cut “saku” fish. The slices of salmon were especially thin, the maguro somewhat on the tougher side.

I didn’t expect much; but this was even less than expectations.

And of course, the Missus wouldn’t touch the leftover karaage, even after “helping it along” a bit and an air fryer session. So, I was just going to call it a day at this point. But Soo, did a nice post on the place and seemed to enjoy the kalbi? Apparently, the owners are of Korean heritage, so I thought I’d return. Though I waited several months before doing so.

I decided to try the Bulbogi and still wanting something more; went with the Tako Wasa as well.

Check out how the Tako Wasabi was served…pretty cool eh? The texture was fine, good toothsome chew. It was lacking in the pungent, sinus clearing attributes of wasabi though.

And I suddenly understood why this was served with wasabi and gari. This would be the first time I’ve ever had to add wasabi to Tako Wasabi!

As for the Bulgogi…..

Huge portion of bulgogi, huh? The rice was much better this time around.

As for the bulgogi…sigh; it had been chopped finely, was strangely mealy in texture, and over marinated and super salty.

This came with tempura, which was fine; though the batter was a bit soggy, lacking in the light and crisp texture I enjoy.

The shrimp was of decent quality, though the kabocha was undercooked and really hard.

Overall, I think I’m done with Kiiro…in spite of what’s written here. I prefer to spend a bit more for better executed food; though I’m glad I tried the place.

“Drink, Eat, Love”……..

Please let me know if stuff other than the huge list of rolls is worth trying here!

Kiiro Sushi Izakaya
3145 Sports Arena Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92110
Current Hours:
Sun – Thurs 11am – 1030pm
Fri – Sat 11am – 1130pm

Galapagos – Santa Fe Island

Airport/Airline/Cruise/Rail Food, Ecuador, Galapagos, Travel

Our first day was supposed to be spent exploring Genovesa Island, famous for the abundance of birds and the Prince Philip’s Steps. The island however, was closed due to a outbreak of Avian Flu. So, the Evolve instead headed first to Santa Fe Island.

I woke early and got a nice cup of coffee on the deck. I started getting a hint of “who ran things” around these parts!

After which we got our gear on and boarded the Zodiacs.

And we headed to Barrington Bay. Santa Fe Island used to be named Barrington Island after Admiral Samuel Barrington. During our briefing the night before, we were told that the island is considered the oldest by many at over 4.5 million years old, and there’s a specific species of Land Iguana only found on Santa Fe Island.

Fabrizio, the Naturalist in our Zodiac mentioned that there’s a large colony of Sea Lions in the bay and also pointed out the first Blue Footed Boobies of the trip!

They are so cool looking, huh?

We did our wet landing and being told that there’s a large colony of Sea Lions in Barrington Bay was a bit of an understatement!

You are not allowed to touch any of the wildlife and not approach and try to stay 2 meters away from them. It was amazing to visit a place where the wildlife has no fear of humans.

The sea lions would look at you and then “bust a pose”.

And having no fear of hoo-mans meant that if you weren’t paying attention, sometimes they’d catch you in some interesting situations.

We started our nature walk and Fabrizio quickly pointed out some lizards.

These were Santa Fe Lava Lizards. The ones with the bright red throats are the females.

The island is small, just 24 square kilometers and yet, it is an amazing place to visit.

We were amazed to see so much cactus here.

Apparently, there’s a specific species of cactus that is endemic to this area.

Walking along the trail we came across a Mockingbird. It was just not phased by our presence. This is of a distinct sub-species endemic to Santa Fe Island.

Can’t you just see how Darwin would have been affected by this?

And then Fabrizio pointed what we’d been waiting to see.

This is Conolophus Pallidus, more widely known as the Santa Fe Land Iguana. Endemic to Santa Fe Island……which covers just about 9 square miles! Amazing!

It just stared at us; knowing it ran the place. You know, like “get off my front lawn?”

It was so amazing to see creatures totally not fearful of humans. This male Lava Lizard was doing “push ups”, trying to attract a possible mate.

We boarded our Zodiac and headed back to Evolve, where lunch was waiting for us.

Tables set, the Concierge, Joselyn, introduced us to the Chef, and lunch.

Which we enjoyed.

After which we headed back to our room for a break before our next stop.

Galapagos – Our Arrival in San Cristóbal, Getting Settled, and Leon Dormido (Kicker Rock)

Airport/Airline/Cruise/Rail Food, Ecuador, Galapagos, Travel

**** I realize that I’m waaaay behind on these posts; so I’ll try to minimize the verbiage after this post.

Being born and raised on an island is something that has stayed with me. Islands and island life fascinates me…..and of course there are those amazing places to visit. We’d already done Easter Island like almost a decade ago now. There are places that this bookworm had always dreamt of visiting. And one of them was the Galapagos. With wildlife found nowhere else in the world, where a young Charles Darwin‘s observations would lead to the theory of Evolution. Well, ’nuff said, right?

While looking at different ways of visiting, it became clear that being on a cruise would work out the best for us. The problem being that the Missus is not into cruises as a whole. Then I did some research and discovered Ecoventura, a company that does “luxury cruises” with no more than 20 passengers on board! The reviews I’d read were mostly super positive. Yes, it’s not cheap…like 10k per person double occupancy…but you only live once, right? One we decided to go with Ecoventura, we had to choose which seven day intinerary we wanted. Was it the Southern Route, with beaches, bays, and water life. Or the Northern route, the volcanic soul of the archipelago? You know which we chose, right?

And so, we flew to Quito and spent a few days, really enjoying ourselves. And soon enough we were on our flight, on our way to San Cristobal Airport.

We were met at the airport and transported to the dock where we to meet our Zodiac to the Evolve. Check out the Sea Lions hanging around the harbor.

This one is having a nap!

Once on board, we were greeted and shown to our suite…and yes, it was a suite. Very comfortable, with nice amenities.

The views from the room was amazing. We got our own personalized water bottles and there were kettles and Nespresso Machines in the room as well. The dining area also had all these amenities. We were also provided binoculars.

Even better was that good WiFi was also provided. Rooms were also made up each day while we were out on our tours.

Everyday, there would be an itinerary posted.

This being the first day, folks would be arriving at different times, so there was a buffet lunch available.

And the view was wonderful…..

And it gave me time to explore the yacht a bit.

It turned out that there were 17 passengers on this voyage of the Evolve. There were 13 crew. The standard tour ratio of Naturalists to guests in the Galapagos is 16 to 1….we had two Naturalists on this cruise.

Soon enough we were underway. We’d find that there was always more than enough space for one to relax and contemplate the beauty we’d see.

We had requisite emergency drill and protocols reviewed and then were fitted for our snorkeling gear.

Soon enough, our destination for the evening was in sight. And the Naturalists met the guests at the rear of the yacht.

And the lessons would begin! Man, I could written like several volumes for this trip!

That’s Leon Dormido aka “Kicker Rock”.

It’s name; Leon Dormido means Sleeping Lion which is said to resemble. Others say it resembles a foot, thus the name Kicker Rock.

It’s a volcanic Tuff Cone that has been eroded thru time, thus there’s that little channel in the split area.

FOY’s might know of another tuff cone…..named Diamond Head?

It was awesome sailing around Leon Dormido. From the sheers walls…..

To the little bays…..

It’s supposed to be a rather popular diving spot; but we’d be doing that several times along other islands during our trip. It’s quite stunning to watch as the sun sets…..

It was a great way to start our adventure!

After sunset, all the passengers met in the lounge and the crew was introduced to us by the Captain and we had a cocktail. Then we had a briefing of our destination the next morning.

We would have a briefing on our upcoming destination every evening.

And then it was dinner time. So, this being a “luxury” cruise, with under 20 people, there would be an ever changing menu each evening.

How was it? It was a mixed bag; though we appreciated the effort. With two choices for appetizers and mains, the Missus and I would get one of each every evening.

Nice presentation, but nothing particularly stood out to us during this dinner. Still, this was not typical cruise dining, right?

Tomorrow we’d be visiting Santa Fe Island and Plaza Sur.

Local Krave (PB/Bay Ho) and SPC Cafe (Clairemont)

Breakfast/Brunch, Caffeine Fix, Croissants

Here are a couple of places I stopped by for a “caffeine fix”.

Local Krave (PB/Bay Ho):

Had to take the Missus’s vehicle in for servicing off Mission Bay Drive. As far as I’m concerned, trying to find a bite to eat in the area at 8-9am in the morning is a bit of a challenge. And then one day as I was coming down the 5 I noticed a shop named the Local Krave on one of the back streets in a business building. I checked the hours and took note and the next time I took the Missus’s car in for servicing, I walked on over to the corner of Bunker Hill and Del Rey Streets. Basically right across from Tango Del Rey.

The little shop was very quiet during my entire visit. There’s a counter area, a shared table and a few seats inside.

They had an interesting menu….calling their tea and coffee pour overs and drinks “Kraveman”! So, I went and had a Kraveman Pour Over – medium roast ($7.99) and needing something to munch on, the version of avocado toast called Bravocado Toast, which at $6.99 was cheaper than my coffee!

Nice head on the pour over; smooth with a good kick! Maybe I’ll try the Nitro Cold Brew next time?

As for the “Bravocado Toast”? Well, it’s served on a croissant “loaf”.

Crisp and somewhat flakey; but way too sweet for my taste. A good amount of butteriness to it though.

The bacon was chopped in slices and seemed to have been premade as it was on the soggy – chewy side. The avocado mix was fine.

Still, for $6.99 these days???? I can hopefully find a food item on the menu that I’d want to have or I may just have to hit up the taco shop on Garnet the next time.

Local Krave
3033 Bunker Hill St.
San Diego, CA 92109
Current Hours:
Daily 7am – 2pm

SPC (Sweet Petite Confections) Cafe:

I’d been seeing this sign while driving on Mt Acadia for a while.

Seems like Sweet Petite Confections, the little chocolate shop in the same strip mall as the Tri-Tiperia is now serving up coffee and some pastries. Even though I’ve never posted on the place….the last time stopped by was years ago for some chocolate for the Missus, I recall the couple running the place being so very nice!

So, on one of my drives with JJ to Mt Acadia Park to play fetch, I decided to stop by……not a great move because JJ don’t like to wait, if you know what I mean….he pretty much has major FOMO.

And there on the door was the sign explaining things.

They basically serve Cafe Moto Coffee, so I knew what to expect. But they also had croissants….which I had to try. I asked if they baked their own and the woman laughed and said that it’s from Lulu’s Buns which I understand is a wholesaler of pastries.

Anyway, I had a nice chat with the couple while JJ was going berserk in the car. It seems that all the construction has really hurt the businesses here….so I’m thinking I need to return.

Though it’ll be for the coffee, which was fine.

That croissant was too doughy, not laminated enough.

Though the interior was decently “honeycombed”, it was bit on the soggy side and lacking butteriness.

I’m hoping this business survives all the construction. I might need to get the Missus some chocolates from here I guess….

SPC (Sweet Petite Confections) Cafe
3582 Mt Acadia Blvd. #A
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Mon – Fri 7am – 630pm
Saturday 7am – 5pm
Closed on Sunday

Road Trip – Nikka Ramen (Goleta) and 1909 (Temecula)

American/New American Restaurants, Cocktails, Dog Friendly, Japanese Restaurants, Ramen, Road Trip, Santa Barbara County, Temecula/Idyllwild/Palm Springs - Riverside, CA, Travel

Our two week road trip up the coast was nearing an end. To break up the last two days, we were staying a night, first in Goleta, south of Santa Barbara….I was trying to stay in Carpinteria since it’s been a recommended stop, but was unable to book accommodation. Then we’d be staying a night in Temecula, before heading home.

It was a uneventful 4 hour drive from Santa Cruz to Goleta. We arrived a bit too early to check in, so I had a stop in mind. We decided to stop and do a nice little walk/hike at Ellwood Bluffs and the Ellwood Beach Loop. There’s a Monarch Butterfly preserve, but it was the wrong season for that.

Some nice wide open trails and also views from the bluffs.

Along the bluffs we came across this.

Along with this Historical Marker.

After our nice little walk, we headed back to the main drag in Goleta. I had gotten us a room at the Leta located right on Calle Real. We settled in and relaxed. When it as time to head out for dinner, we wanted something in walking distance and I’d found a ramen shop a block or so away from out hotel named Nikka.

The reviews seemed positive and they had an outdoor dining area that was dog friendly. We were greeted and seated. The young man who waited upon us was very nice; but I could tell that this was more of a “fusiony” ramen place as he kept calling he ramen I ordered as “tonkatsu” ramen and while the menu boasted of the 24 hour simmering time for the broth, they called the version I had as “Shiro ramen” not shio ramen.

They also had stuff like poke bowls and ramen “burritos” on the menu. And in fact, I decided to order the Combination Baos (3 baos for $12.50). I ordered one of each.

As I figured, the baos seemed like those premade frozen ones you can get at the market. The karaage was too salty and dry, the chashu had a very nice texture but was super bland and over shadowed by the sweetness of the bao. The shrimp tempura, while overfried was the best of the three as it was tender and presented a decent shrimpiness.

As for the Tonkotsu Ramen ($17.50).

Well, the broth was barely past room temp and was super thin for our taste. It was pretty darn bland as well.

I had ordered the “thick noodle” which was a tad overcooked, heading toward too soft. Also, you can tell how thin the broth was since the noodles rea;;y didn’t “pick” any of it up.

The chashu was the best item in the bowl, nice texture, perfect tenderness, though a bit lacking in the porkiness department.

Overall, a “C” level bowl of ramen.

Well, service was nice. We hadn’t expected much from this place and I guess they lived up to those expectations.

Nikka Ramen
5701 Calle Real
Goleta, CA 93117

We did have a nice night of sleep at the hotel and breakfast was included in our stay, which was enough food to keep us until dinner!

We had decided on making one last stop before heading home, at a place that we’d never really taken to. We had visited Old Town Temecula several times while living in the SGV and when we first moved to SD. But had never really enjoyed the place as it seemed overly touristy. I thought that perhaps staying the night might make things more enjoyable, so I booked us a room at the Hampton Inn, which was right across busy Rancho California Road from the start of Old Town.

JJ got in a nice nap while we drove to Temecula.

We checked in and then headed to Old Town to wander around a bit.

Man, the bars were doing some good business; even at barely 4pm on a Sunday.

The Missus got some cream for Her and JJ, which they don’t always have at Temecula Olive Oil in Old Town. I also got some olive oil as well.

Temecula Olive Oil Company
28653 Old Town Front St.
Temecula, CA 92590

We wandered a bit more…..

And then decided to grab some dinner. An acquaintance had recommended a Bar/Restaurant named 1909 Temecula to me. The place had outdoor seating and was fairly busy; even at 445!

The menu consisted of typical items like burgers and tacos, stretching into Korean Fried Chicken, Risotto, and even Lobster.

The Missus started with a Sangria, which She enjoyed.

I had the Cedar Smoked Old Fashioned, which had some decent smokiness, but was a bit on the sweeter side and tasted a bit weak.

We decided on a couple of items; one of which was recommended to me; the House Chili (bowl – $12).

The blue cornbread was too wet and mushy. The chili lukewarm. There was supposed to be “steak” in this; which I think was super hard pieces of meat. It had an interesting flavor profile; perhaps a bit on the sweeter side? I was told that they use beer to make this chili. It was the best item we had during this meal.

The Al Pastor Tacos ($16) were not good. The pork very dry and chewy. The flavor too sweet.

The supposedly house made tortillas too brittle and lacking in good corn flavor. The fries were dry and soggy.

The Shrimp in the Shrimp & Chorizo ($18) was tough and chewy, with a muddiness to it.

The sausage seemed more like Longaniza as the meat seemed on the courser side and without the spice of chorizo. Still that was not bad. The bread had been nicely grilled, the sauce was quite tangy and acidic.

Overall, 1909 seems like a very touristic place, though it was super popular as there was a line of at least 20 people waiting when we left. Good thing we had an early dinner. Service was nice, but things took a while to get to our table.

1909
28656 Old Town Front St.
Temecula, CA 92590

We walked back to the hotel and relaxed. I did a post and caught up on things. We had a decent night of sleep. There was a bit of traffic noise, but things weren’t too bad.

While not quite the ending of our epic little road trip we had wanted; we…and JJ still enjoyed ourselves, from revisiting Paso Robles yet again and enjoying the Alchemist Garden, to our favorite meal of the trip at L’Escargot in Carmel, to lovely Mendocino and Santa Cruz, this was one for the books. And we are so honored that you were able to vicariously come along with us!

Say Aloha

Plate Lunch

Back in my post on Super Mario‘s, “FOY” Elle asked if I’d been to Say Aloha, a newish local kine restaurant that opened up in Hillcrest. I had heard of the place, but the hours were really limited and it is located in Hillcrest so I hadn’t really tried to visit. During my visits to White Elephant, JJ and I took a walk around the block to see exactly where the place was.

It wasn’t open, but it seemed to be located thru that doorway to the left of AWOL Bar? Being only open from 5pm Thurs to Sunday is a hinderance; especially seeing the location and all. And yet, a couple of weeks later, the Missus and Her coworkers had a HH planned. It was in walking distance so She took JJ. I decided that the time was right for a visit. I headed on over and actually found some paid parking a few blocks away. I walked on over and peered inside that doorway. There was some event going on in Hillcrest that evening so it was kinda crazy as the bar was having drinks dispensed to folks. Anyway, he was nice enough to point out that Say Aloha was actually in Rosemary and Thyme Cafe.

So, I walked on in and was greeted by a very friendly woman, who introduced herself as Marline. I was led out the back door to a very nice covered “tropicalish” courtyard.

I was seated and handed a menu.

Because it seemed that there was this “sip and stroll” type event going on; folks kept on popping into the courtyard to take a walk around and check things out. I was the only true customer until nearly the end of my meal. It was fun to see folks so festively dressed up though.

Wanting to try several items, I decided to go with the Mix Plate; not cheap at $23.95! Ouch! Anyway, a really nice guy came out and introduced himself as Avian. He’s the chef/cook. He told me that unfortunately, the kalua pork was not ready, so would it be ok to sub chicken katsu? I was fine with this.

While waiting for my order and watching the “sideshow” of people wandering in and out; Marline came by and asked how I knew about Say Aloha. I mentioned being from the Islands and the “coconut wireless”. She laughed and said that Avian is Guamanian. She also cracked up when I said “what, no kelaguen?”

That’s my plate lunch above. Smelled quite nice. I decided to try the mac salad first. It was nicely coated, perhaps bit more than I prefer, but no complaints. This version had that nice tanginess and wasn’t overly salty.

The chicken katsu was my least favorite item. It seemed to have been over-fried, really dark in color.

Tough and dry, lacking in seasoning.

I did enjoy the Katsu Sauce though. It’s really local style, meaning more ketchup based, quite tangy.

I liked the flavors of the Teri Chicken. It had a nice balance of sweet to salty, with an interesting hint of acidity. I was later told that they use pineapple juice in the glaze.

It was nicely grilled, if a bit on the chewy side. Much better than the typical “Hawaiian BBQ” stuffs you get here.

Now, even though I’m not a fan of the typical chewy “LA Kalbi” that permeates plate lunches, this version was surprisingly tender.

A bit too sticky-sweet for my taste; but that texture was definitely king!

This was overall, a surprisingly decent version of local kine plate lunch items. Just to be clear, this is NOT Hawaiian Food, ok? It’s not the food of ethnic Hawaiians….sorry, don’t mean to beat that dead horse, but have overheard several conversations lately about L&L being “Hawaiian Food”. Yeow…..

The folks working here are very friendly and the patio lovely. Though Marline did tell me that she prefers people not bringing their dog to Say Aloha. Which is fine, though Rosemary and Thyme which operates this space on Saturday and Sundays from 830am – 130pm is.

Mahalo for the reminder for Say Aloha Elle!

Say Aloha
1475 University Ave.
San Diego, CA 92103
Current Hours:
Thurs, Sunday 5pm – 9pm
Fri – Sat 5pm – 10pm
Closed Mon – Wed

Spicy Noodle Revisited

Chinese Restaurants

Well, it’s that time of the year again I guess……mornings recently have been pretty chilly. I’ve been seeing; make that feeling the low 40’s here. And for the past couple of days, the temps soon head up into the 70’s by 10am! Crazy….. Though based on my posting habits; it’s really that “time of the year” as the last time I posted on Spicy Noodle was during last January! Man, I am so predictable, huh?

Anyway, I was feeling a bit hungry as I was driving back from Zion at around 1030am…which is when Spicy Noodle opens. So, I thought why not and headed on over. Lots of available parking at that time of the day, before the lunch rush.

Like many places these days, it’s QR code ordering….except if you’re an “old timer” which I definitely qualify for….but perhaps I’m not that old. Even though my eating habits betray me, I was able to order using the QR code; unlike that party of 3 older gentlemen who came in after me that needed physical menus.

There’s basically one thing I get here. The Fat Intestine Noodle, which I was happy to note is still priced at $14.99….same as last January!

Screenshot

As with my previous visit, things happen quickly once you order. My “fat intestine” (take it any way you want to) arrived within 10 minutes of ordering.

I was happy to note that this was even better than on my previous visit.

While the “bungy”-offaly and tender fat intestine made me wonder if the poor oinker was suffering from perhaps some metabolic syndrome…that thought didn’t last too long as I quickly devoured it.

This time around, the soup was nice and spicy and had me wiping my brow by the end of the meal. The soup was also richer than before leaving me to wonder about my “fatty intestine”. All jokes aside; this was a savory-funky broth, with a decent richness.

The noodles had a nice pull to them, with a pleasant chewiness. The decent richness of the soup allowed the noodles to “pick it up” and coat them.

Can you tell that I enjoyed this? I need to revisit a bit more often. There was only that one other table occupied during my entire meal. I hope Spicy Noodle is doing ok and will continue to stay in business.

Spicy Noodle
8046 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Daily 1030am – 230pm, 5pm – 9pm

Mom Kitchen – Clairemont, A Hainan Chicken Rice Check

Chinese Restaurants

Mom Kitchen recently opened a second location on Clairemont Mesa. I decided to head on over to see if my favorite dish from the Mira Mesa location translated well to the new location.

I went during the first week of December, right at opening time. Mom Kitchen has taken over the space that used to contain an Afghan Market and Restaurant if I recall. This parking lot can be a real horror during peak times, so by going early and before word got out about Mom opening here, I could beat the crowds.

The young man working was so nice and friendly. As I mentioned earlier, there was only one dish I was interested in ordering for this visit.

I thought the Hainan Chicken and Rice was quite good during my visits to the MM location….the one weak link was actually the rice. Now priced at $19 (it was $17 at the MM location on my last visit), I was looking forward to trying this. Especially since “FOY” Jeff, who loves Hainan Chicken said it was quite good during his visit to the MM location.

Soon enough my lunch arrived. I quickly noticed something.

The rice! Instead of having hard grains of plain rice with barely a drizzle of the chicken broth and aromatics; this was well coated!

Decent savory-chicken flavor! I mentioned that the rice here was much better than what I’d had at the MM location and he smiled and said “we have more experience now and the kitchen here is large and better staffed.” Great!

I’ve always thought that the ginger-scallion sauce at Mom was perfect for my taste and this was no different. Not overly oily, great, with good, but not over powering ginger tones.

The one item, that hasn’t changed for the better is the terribly over-cooked boiled egg.

Which while decently marinated….it wasn’t enough to cover the bitter-metallic flavor of that over cooked yolk.

Well, back to the positive. Which was the chicken. Which was so moist, juicy, and tender. It was also deboned.

The skin was also very tender. Nicely cooked and seasoned, so savory, and great with that ginger sauce!

This was possibly the best Hainan Chicken Rice that I’ve had in a while! So Jeff, maybe you’d like to give this location a try and let me know? I’m sure RD will be checking things out soon as well!

You can read about Soo’s visit to this location of Mom Kitchen here.

Mom Kitchen
5440 Clairemont Mesa Blvd Suite B
San Diego, CA 92117
Current Hours:
Mon, Wed, Thurs 11am – 83pm
Fri – Sun 11am – 9pm
Closed on Tuesday

Road Trip – Lupulo and Revisiting The Buttery (Santa Cruz)

Bakery, Beer, Croissants, Dog Friendly, Gastropub, Monterey/Carmel/Santa Cruz - Monterey Bay/Peninsula, Road Trip, Travel

After a nice morning hike and a pork filled lunch we had ourselves a nice nap. Upon rising, we decided to head back to downtown Sant Cruz, where the Missus could get more shopping in. And then we’d find a place to have an early dinner.

Because the Missus didn’t feel comfortable among all the homeless in San Lorenzo Park, we walked over to the Soquel Avenue Bridge and crossed the river there.

Check out this truck and trailer crossing the bridge!

Right as we got to Pacific Avenue, one of the main streets in Downtown; the Missus saw this shop.

What else could I say other than “Ommmm on in”?

It was quite a “groovy” experience.

We wandered thru the side streets and alleyways. Check out the tea master at this Tea House.

We headed north to where Pacific Avenue meets Front Street and came to the Town Clock.

Which I later learned had quite an interesting story behind it. You can read about it here.

We then headed down Front Street.

Lined with shops, coffee places, and restaurants…..

And came across these Rockin’ Nana’s….man, they were really good! And much cooler than me!

Meanwhile, a street art thing was happening on the corner.

While walking thru one of the passageways, we came across this “groovy” tea shop/cafe. Named Roxa (and no my fellow Kama’aina’s it ain’t RockZa ok!) Hammock Cafe.

It sold tea and other herbal drinks and had actual hammocks spanning two floors! No, I didn’t feel comfortable taking photos since there were folks just having their teas and lounging on the hammocks. The Missus actually got some tea from here.

I could see why Santa Cruz played a big part in the “Summer of Love”. Some of it still lingers on….

We decided to get an early dinner. Of course the question was, where? I had heard about a nice Gastropub named Lupulo, that served up some decent brews and some “Latin” style dishes so we decided to walk on over and give it a try.

There was outdoor seating, which worked fine for JJ. I went in and ordered. The gentleman working was quite friendly.

The place was pretty busy as well…..

The menu was indeed Mexican/Latin based, I placed my order and had a nice Pliny while we waited for our order.

I loved the glasses here!

And we also enjoyed watching the customers……

As for food. Well, you know how the Missus loves Her meatballs, so I ordered the Albondigas.

The bread was meh……but those beef and pork meatballs were quite good. A bit dense, but you could tell there was pork there! The tomato “sofrito” was tangy, with nice garlic tones. This was fairly good.

I also ordered the Cochinita Pibil tacos….which was made from chicken rather than pork.

This was actually not bad at all. Nice tangy acidity, a bit on the chewier side, which is fine for tacos. Decent savory tones, really enjoyed the pickled onions. The tortillas were quite basic and routine, but not terrible. This was actually not bad and made for a pleasant meal.

Lupulo Craft Beer House
233 Cathcart St.
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

It had been an enjoyable day for us!

As for the next morning….well….you know we’d be back at the Buttery. And by this time…..well, JJ was now into full “croissant mode”!

And it was just as good as the day before if not better!

The Buttery
702 Soquel Ave.
Santa Cruz, CA 95062

We really enjoyed Santa Cruz and can’t wait to return….with JJ of course!

Thanks for stopping by!

Road Trip – The Buttery, Pipeline Road Trail, and Revisiting Special Noodle (Santa Cruz)

Bakery, Chinese Restaurants, Croissants, Dog Friendly, Monterey/Carmel/Santa Cruz - Monterey Bay/Peninsula, Road Trip, Travel

Upon waking on our full day in Santa Cruz, we decided to head up Soquel Avenue to a bakery I’d heard about. It was a short 10 minute walk from our hotel. Right past the Shopper’s Corner Market, was the Buttery.

The low key location had a nice outdoor area.

And the Missus watched JJ, while I went inside to get us some croissants and coffee.

There was no one in the queue when I entered and I was pleasantly surprised at the price of the plain croissants – $2.95.

So, I was ready to be underwhelmed at this croissant, but it was surprisingly good!

The exterior looked a bit overbaked, but the laminate was crisp, but not flaking to pieces. The ridges didn’t fall off either.

The interior was nicely honeycombed and fluffy. But most importantly, there was a decent amount of butteriness to this! Not bad at all! Better than what we’d had at Bouchon Bakery a few days previous!

I even gave JJ a taste and he went bonkers! Oh man, did I open up a can of worms here!

The Buttery
702 Soquel Ave.
Santa Cruz, CA 95062

Of course we’d return the following morning….

And of course the Missus needed me to “burn off” those croissant calories, so we headed back to the hotel, then set out to Henry Crowell Redwoods State Park. Marissa, the lovely young lady at BPC had recommended the Pipeline Road Trail, though she told me that it was kind of long – 6 miles or so. The big plus being that it starts at the Park Office and that it is well paved and maintained. It is the only dog friendly trail in the park as well.

There a 900 foot elevation gain, but we really didn’t feel it.

There were some nice views.

And of course those lovely Redwoods……

And JJ handled it like a champ. Actually, you can tell by his expression that I’m the “weak link” here…..

It was on the “easy side” for the Missus and JJ, who did really well.

After heading back and freshening up, it was time for lunch. Well, since we had enjoyed our dinner the previous evening at Special Noodle and the Missus was still missing Chinese food we walked on back to the restaurant.

The gentleman from the previous evening remembered us and we were seated in the same area. He even made sure got chopsticks without asking this time!

We decided on some different dishes this time around; starting with the La Rou with Smoked Bamboo.

This usual Hunan style dish was a bit short on chilies and spiciness, but the bamboo was nice and crisp; though the pork was definitely like the stuff I can get at 99 Ranch Market. It was far from bland though with a good amount of soy and smokey tones.

The rice had obviously just been finished as it was steaming hot; but also a bit on the mushy side.

We also got the Braised Pork Belly – Hong Shao Rou, which turned out to be quite good!

Just tender enough, without being mushy, the porkiness came through nicely. Ginger – Soy tones came thru nicely, and more importantly for the Missus, this was much more savory than sweet.

After finishing this; we really needed a nap!

Special Noodle
415 Ocean St.
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

I guess this will be a regular stop when we’re in Santa Cruz!

Now it was nap time!