Month: June 2026

Recently Consumed

Cooking

Hope everyone is enjoying the weekend…..though it seems that “May Gray” has really settled in here….at least JJ is enjoying it!

Just a couple of odds and ends…..

So, right now we’ve got Shiso (and lettuce) growing crazy in the backyard.

Well, I was wondering why it was growing so crazily and came to find out that Shiso is considered as an invasive species in several areas of the US! Yikes! And yet, Nijiya charges like $2.99 for a couple of leaves?

Anyway, I’ve had to come up with some new ways to use the leaves (other than what we usually do) and had also made some Bulgogi with some Wagyu I got from H Mart.

So, we had some Shiso-Bulgogi Bossam kinda thingy….

Still, I had half of the bulgogi still marinating…… I’ve been missing “home” and wondered how a Bulgogi version of Teri Beef Sandwiches….a real comfort food of mine would be? So, we did a version…..with some Shiso (of course), lettuce from the yard, kimchi, tomatoes, red onion…..

This was really good! This really seems like “food truck” fare…..wonder if any of them serves this?

And then there was the really strange request I got from the Missus. Along with all the lettuce and stuffs we got growing; there’s a couple of small Genovese Basil plants growing….well, of course it would be Genovese Basil, right? For some strange reason, I enjoy pesto on my avocado toast. On one morning, the Missus asked me if I could add grilled eggplants to the pesto avocado toast! I really didn’t want to get the grill going for just some eggplant nor the oven. I really didn’t think eggplant would come out well in the air fryer. But then I had an idea……What about the panini press??? So, I went and sliced the eggplant, mixed it with EVOO, Maldon Salt, fresh ground black pepper, granulated garlic, and a light sprinkle of dried oregano. Mix well, make sure the eggplant is nicely coated….then…well….

The eggplant was quite good in the sandwich. It attains a crust, but the flesh is still creamy. And along with the pesto…which is made like we learned in Liguria, this was really good.

I know…..kinda weird hacks, right?

There’s one thing I’m still working on. In the past we’ve ordered Smoked Duck from D’Artagnan and have bought it from the Cuisinery….but man, it’s pricy for a small piece of half a duck breast ($18.95). So, I’m currently working on making it using my Stovetop Smoker. Yes, I still use my Camerons Stovetop Smoker.

It’s a quick “cure”.

And then a hot smoke on the stove.

It’s quite tasty, but am still working on cooking times and best type of wood chips….

And there you go…..

Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!

Galapagos – Tagus Cove and the “Meeting of a Lifetime” and Latitude 0°

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

**** I know “FOY” Peter was looking forward to this post. So here ya’ go! Hope you enjoy it Peter!

After spending the morning exploring the mangrove forest at Elizabeth Bay, the Evolve headed off to Tagus Cove while we had lunch and relaxed.

These rocky cliffs toward the northwest on Isabela Island in the Bolivar Channel is where, according to what Fabrizio told us Pirates and Whalers used to anchor. And so, we did anchor and folks could do SUP….which the Missus loved and hadn’t done since we had been in June Lake. I did some kayaking…..we could even see names etched in the stone along the cliffs of the cove….sorry, too busy paddling to take photos.

Once done, we freshened up, then boarded the pangas, which took us along the cliffs. You can see some of the graffiti along the cliffs below.

The pangas took us to an area to do some snorkeling.

And this is where the Missus and I would have one of the most unforgettable moments in our travels. While just enjoying the clear ocean I felt like something or someone was watching us. Soon enough, an adult male sea lion started following us. He would dart between us and around us.

Showing off his “skills”. He seemed quite curious.

He apparently enjoyed the attention. Twice, when my attention got diverted, he came by and gave me a little “bump”, as if to inform me that he was the “star of the show”! Remember that you can’t approach wildlife and are supposed to stay at least 2 meters away. But what do you do when a sea lion going at like 25 miles an hour under water zooms toward you?

Several times he went to the rocks for a few seconds….I think he expected us to follow him? Because a moment later, he’d stick his head into the water looking for us!

Seeing us, he’d dive back in!

He just ignored the other folks snorkeling. Maybe he was curious about Asians? Anyway, this went on until we were back in the Panga. Fabrizio was quite surprised at this; he’s been a Naturalist in the Galapagos for almost 20 years and had never seen this behavior by an adult male sea lion before. The pups are very curious as was noted when that little fella tried to board our panga on Isla Plaza Sur. But this was a new one for him and of course, we’ll never forget this experience!

We got back to the Evolve and washed up. The day wasn’t over yet! We boarded the pangas and headed off for a tour of the coast. And we quickly came across an inhabitant we hadn’t seen yet on this trip.

See the little one “striking” a pose? Here’s a closer look.

Yes, it’s a penguin! The Galapagos Penguin is the only penguin found North of the Equator. And is only found on Isabela and Fernandina Islands. You just had to take a bunch of photos of these cute little ones.

And of course, there were Blue Footed Boobies!

Among all the other wildlife.

But for most of us; it was all about those penguins.

This one is enjoying the afternoon sun!

There was so much to see along the cliffs of Tagus Cove.

There are many caves along the shoreline here.

And we visited several.

It was quite stunning. Each day was a new adventure that seemed to top the experience of the day before! We almost didn’t want to head back to the Evolve!

Back on board we had a nice predinner snack and aperitif.

Watching the sun set in the horizon.

Before heading to our briefing for the following day by Antonio.

We were given this while having our little snack.

Which meant that we would be dining at the Captain’s table this evening. Yikes! Well, we did dress a bit better than on previous evening! We had a wonderful time chatting with Captain Jhon.

Man, that Guariche Crab Cake; made from blue land crab was super tasty….so much crab!

The Pork in Guava Sauce was also delish….almost like something I’d get back “home” in the islands.

Usually, the Missus and I would get one each of the appetizers/main….but on this day, these dishes sounded so good.

Dinner went well and we got back to our cabin….it had been quite a day, right?

But it was not quite over yet. Around 830pm an announcement came over the speakers for folks to head on over to the bridge. So, of course we did.

What was going on you may ask? Well, at this moment we were at Latitude 0°!

Even though we had already done Intiñan Equator Museum and Latitude 0° there, this was still quite exciting! Man, twice in two weeks!

This was quite an unforgettable day!

Thanks for stopping by!

Galapagos – Elizabeth Bay (Isabela Island)

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

After viewing the amazing eruption on Fernandina, the Evolve sailed back to Isabela Island while we slept. Isabela Island is the largest of all islands in the Galapagos. It was noted that Isabela is larger than all of the other islands of the archipelago combined.

As the sun rose, I headed up to the deck. As always the view was beautiful.

There was another Ecoventura Yacht in the bay as well.

Some of the other passengers were out having morning coffee; checking emails, etc….

There are quite a few little islets in the bay…each looking like its own little world.

An hour after a light breakfast, we boarded the pangas and headed off to Elizabeth Bay. We saw a sea lion doing his “pose” for us along the way.

As this turtle swam by……

There would be no landing on this tour as Elizabeth Bay is known for the mangrove forest that adorns its shores.

And all the interesting wildlife that can be seen.

Like this school of Golden Cownose Rays that glided past us.

We went further into the bay lined with vegetation.

Sorry to say that I don’t have a ton of photos, since we made good use of our binoculars to view wildlife.

Though I did enjoy taking this photo of a sea lion hanging out on the branch of a mangrove tree.

It was very peaceful, serene, and relaxing. Seeing the school of Spotted Eagle Rays passing us in what almost seemed like a choreographed water ballet just seemed to fit right into the ambience.

As we headed back, we saw that the sea lion had settled in for a morning nap.

Time just seemed to slip away as we headed back to the Evolve.

When we were all aboard, it was time to pull up anchor and head to our next destination.

We had lunch…which included some really nice lobster tails.

Then had a nice post lunch siesta/break.

Our next stop would be Tagus Bay, where the Missus and I would have one of most memorable experiences…well….ever!

Chicken Wing Wednesday – BHC Chicken Revisited (Sorrento Valley)

Chicken Wings

After my not so great visit to Bonchon, I was wanting some decent chicken wings. I had recently revisited both Pelicana and Cross Street, both of which left me wanting for more. So BB.Q and BHC came to mind. I had thought that BHC was more to my liking on my previous visits, so I went ahead and placed a takeout order. And then I headed over to pick up my order.

I don’t know if it’s just me….but it’s always seems like the businesses in this strip mall….other than MickeyD’s is closed?

Anyway, my order was waiting when I arrived.

I had selected and order of wings ($8.99) with a side of Chickem Mu (pickled radish – $2).

The wings seemed a bit larger than what I recalled. I do prefer more medium sized wings as I enjoy the batter-meat ratio more.

This seemed a bit more heavy-handed with regards to the batter, but I did enjoy the “flats”. The coating reminds me a bit of cornflake-cornstarch fried chicken. I enjoy the balance of crispness to crunchiness. I know that folks, especially those IF influencers really go for thick, crunchy batter, but I like something a bit lighter.

I did like the basic seasoning the wings came with. It wasn’t overly salty and one could taste the chicken.

To hedge my bets, I also got the ever popular Bburinkle sauce….but I’m just not a fan of the slightly cheesy, sour…almost milky sauce. The pickled radish was decent, not overly sweet like some versions these days…it’s a good palate cleanser (especially after trying a few bites with that Bburinkle sauce). The portion size was much larger than I thoguht it would be.

Back to the wings. The batter was nice and crisp, not overly thick. The flats were really nice and moist and you could taste the chicken.

The drumettes were a bit more chewy, but were also moist, with no off colors or flavors. A bit unwieldy, but not bad.

This was a decent “KFC” meal….I didn’t feel overly fry-o-lated and it was enough food for me. I guess BHC might be my current favorite for KFC in San Diego.

BHC Chicken
9450 Scranton Rd. #112
San Diego, CA 92121
Current Hours:
Sun – Wed 11am – 10pm
Thurs – Sat 11am – 11pm

So tell me. What’s your current favorite purveyor of KFC in San Diego?

Niu Rou Mian from Mein St Asian Kitchen

Chinese Restaurants, Niu Rou Mian, Taiwanese Food and Restaurants

Back in my post on the Niu Rou Mian from Zen Modern Asian Bistro, “FOY” Dereck mentioned that the NRM from the “original” location of Zen was still quite good. So, during one of our local sessions of “May Gray“, I decided to check out the restaurant that had replaced Zen; called Mein St Asian Kitchen. Which, I believe had moved from the Little Italy Food Hall? Since it was a Sunday, the restaurant wasn’t open until 11am….they open at 10 during the week and I was somewhat concerned with finding parking. But much to my surprise, the parking lot was qutie empty at five to eleven. Heck, that location of March & Ash always seemed busy to me!

When that “open” sign lit up, I walked on in. While the furnishings look much the same as before; the place seemed a little more worn with “stuffs” stacked everywhere.

The nice older gentleman handed me the menu. While Mein Street has everything from Kimchi Fried Rice, Sushi, to ABC (American Born Chinese) Dishes on the menu, I immediately located what I wanted.

I was here for the NRM, while $19 for a bowl of noodle soup seems kinda steep, the version at Zen is $22 (+ $1 for suan cai), so this was quite a bit cheaper. So, I placed my order.

Soon enough, the absolutely steaming, molten bowl of NRM arrived.

Strong anise fragrance danced in the air! Trying not to singe my tongue, I cautiously took a sip of the broth.

Huh…..pretty light in terms of richness and beefiness, though the flavors of soy sauce, the aromatics, white pepper, and a bit of spice came through quite cleanly. Making the broth acceptable.

Like what I’d had at Zen, the noodles weren’t very springy, a bit overcooked, and the relative thinness of the broth made it not coat the noodles very well.

The highlight of this bowl was the beef….and there was quite a bit of it.

It had been nicely prepared. Tender, but not falling to shreds, it had been cooked well and had retained a wonderful beefiness and some of the aromatic tones as well. It was delicious.

This was the one category where I think Mein St was better than what I’d had at the new Zen location. Though I think the version I’d had at the “old Zen” was better than this.

The two folks working were nice; especially the woman working who quickly told me she “didn’t speak English”…she was so sweet and using Google translate I managed to let her know my wife is from China; but I only know “bad words” in Mandarin. She cracked up! I then busted out “Kuài diǎn, kuài diǎn” (hurry up, hurry up) and “Bì zuǐ” (shut up) and she really laughed.

To put things into perspective, I do think that Mein’s NRM is better than the versions I’ve had on Convoy or Mira Mesa. Though with gas prices these days….I need to take the 45 mile round trip (Zen is “only” 26 miles) into consideration when thinking about future visits!

Mein St Asian Kitchen
13510 Sabre Springs Pkwy Suite 103
San Diego, CA 92128
Current Hours:
Mon – Thurs 10am – 9pm
Friday 10am – 10pm
Saturday 11am – 10pm
Sunday 11am – 9pm

Thanks for reminding me about this location Dereck! Hope you get to try the NRM at Zen’s new location to compare!