Pupuseria Salvadoreña & Mexican Food (El Cajon)(revisit)

mmm-yoso!!! is written by Cathy today; Kirk (and His Missus) are enjoying a three day weekend.  

Ever since The Mister and I stopped at Silvia Pupuseria in December, He has been on the prowl for Salvadorean foods (especially pupusas).  Revisits to our 'local' Pupuseria, which I wrote about in 2009 and again in 2010 have occurred.54B97D2F-3569-440F-B02C-E1758EAFAB4A
 3BEA88CA-C373-427E-95FB-1A23F884E029 Not much has changed, other than the prices.
54B97D2F-3569-440F-B02C-E1758EAFAB4AFreshly prepared curtido is brought to the table when you order pupusas. Also, a plain tomato sauce is an accompaniment.  There is a house made a chili based hot sauce (usually used with the Mexican side of the menu) which I requested.
54B97D2F-3569-440F-B02C-E1758EAFAB4A You can hear the corn based dough being prepared for stuffing as your order is prepared. The plate of freshly grilled and stuffed flatbread is beautiful.
54B97D2F-3569-440F-B02C-E1758EAFAB4A A cross section photo of the stuffed dough doesn't quite do it justice.  The calabaza (zucchini squash) with cheese was light and refreshing.  The revuleta (beans, cheese and chicharron) was almost too 'bacon-y' in flavor. 46C07BC9-19D7-42E7-A54D-C58B02D0A32EThe spinach and cheese filled pupusa is wonderful.  
54B97D2F-3569-440F-B02C-E1758EAFAB4A Of course there is Mexican food on the menu.  We tried the carne guisado con arroz y salad (beef stew with rice and salad) ($9.99) and it was wonderful!- large pieces of beef, potato and carrot (along with the required olive)in a thick yet smooth gravy.  The rice along with the cucumbers and tomato on top of some lettuce are perfect accompaniments.  (Those are not pupusas, but fresh hand made thick corn tortillas on the side). B576CD62-DCBD-4996-A1DD-34E13791FA4B There are photographs of meals on the walls.  The Mister and I pointed to one and ordered it.  Chicken soup ($8.99) which arrived with this wonderfully fried quarter of a chicken on the side, a bowl of rich chicken broth filled with vegetables and the sides of rice and salad (and tortillas) as well as onion, jalapeño and lime wedges.  After eating the chicken skin and trying some of the vegetable filled broth, shredded chicken was added to the soup and gave the meal another great flavor combination.  We will order this again. 

D32C7DC7-B068-40EB-B261-E5225B2A528EThere are tamales on the menu; this one is pork ($2.50) and it was particularly good; the masa has lard in it. The banana leaf wrap seems to add a different dimension from the corn husk/traditional wrap.  We plan to order some for the holidays later this year.

Pupuseria Salvadoreña 1207 East Main Street El Cajon 92021 (619) 447-2501 Mon-Sat 9-9, Sun 10-9

ED3F1D24-DB84-4378-88FE-4A2308120657In winter, we enjoy the atole de elote, a hot corn and masa based beverage ($2.50) made fresh here. 
 

Little Sheep-revisit

mmm-yoso!!! is being written by Cathy today; Kirk is busy.

Kirk introduced us all to Little Sheep in 2007.  I visited and posted in 2015, 2016, and 2017.  Kirk mentioned LS opening a second San Diego Location in 2017, also.  It's been about time for a revisit, especially in this chilly weather!  This time, dinner.

DA9AC9DF-50A5-421D-ACF9-B14123FE3727We selected the Yin-Yang (House Original and House Spicy) soup base ($3.75 each) which was brought to the table and the induction heater was turned on, bringing the soup to a rolling boil. 
DA9AC9DF-50A5-421D-ACF9-B14123FE3727The actual menu only has photos of each item.  When you order, the prices are on the sheet.  (This meal was $46.39 with tax; hot tea is free)
DA9AC9DF-50A5-421D-ACF9-B14123FE3727The 12 ounce beef and lamb combo ($10.95) is probably enough meat for a light meal for two. 
DA9AC9DF-50A5-421D-ACF9-B14123FE3727 However, I wanted the fish filet ($6.95) (full order)
DA9AC9DF-50A5-421D-ACF9-B14123FE3727The Veggie Combo Platter ($8.95) is pretty much always ordered; a good variety of vegetables which cook quickly in the hot soup. 
DA9AC9DF-50A5-421D-ACF9-B14123FE3727However, mushrooms are not included with the vegetables, so a small order of Shiitake ($2.75) was chosen.
DA9AC9DF-50A5-421D-ACF9-B14123FE3727 The lamb wonton ($5.95) gave us some carbohydrates without needing to also choose noodles.  

Always fresh, a tasty and filling meal here. I hope your week is going well!

Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot and Grill 4718 Clairmont Mesa Blvd, San Diego 92117 (858)274-2040 Opens 11:30 a.m. daily.  Closed between 3 and 5:00 p.m. M-F.  Closes at 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 9 p.m. other days. Website 
DA9AC9DF-50A5-421D-ACF9-B14123FE3727

Bonny’s Cafe (El Cajon) revisits (Breakfast and Lunch)

Kirk is busy at work and mmm-yoso!!! is being written by Cathy today.

I wrote about Bonny's Cafe in 2018. This Mom and Pop East County Diner which serves breakfast and lunch has been around now for more than 25 years.  818A4786-AB5E-4A51-9A07-057291A99207 The interior is quite large with tables, booths and a sizable counter/bar stool area.E93FE2C6-AFD2-49A3-9FBB-833F8AB14687There are white boards with Specials listed at both doors (there is a large parking lot next door (opposite the Veterinary Hospital side) with a back entrance next to the Tatoo Parlor).  This was the order of banana walnut pancakes ($6.95) add bacon and eggs ($3.25). The fluffy with crisp-edged, buttermilk cakes were wonderfully flavored-and even better topped with the fresh bananas and walnuts.  The eggs were perfectly poached and the bacon added a good salty bite.  Yes, that's some 'would you also like some whipped cream?' in the soup cup.
E93FE2C6-AFD2-49A3-9FBB-833F8AB14687 0ECF1859-F31F-420A-AC40-BE0F367656A8The Breakfast sausage croissant with a side of cottage cheese ($10.95) is large, hearty and very tasty. There were leftovers to take home. 
 26583164-C4C8-48B7-B019-94F209E4DC07 D8D755C4-9FFB-4EFA-A837-0BDC3DA21B68 Dropping in for lunch, I couldn't decide and ordered that way- Soup, salad and a half sandwich ($10.50). That's really the charge for a half sandwich and a choice of two sides.  Side choices are (in addition to the soup and salad): slaw, steak fries, waffle fries, Cajun fries, onion rings, cottage cheese and potato salad. There were several soups available and I chose Navy Bean; a wonderful version is made here. The Mister and I each had a house salad, His with Blue Cheese and mine with Thousand Island.  
26583164-C4C8-48B7-B019-94F209E4DC07 527DD63D-DB22-45F1-9760-25316475A868The tuna salad sandwich is made on grilled sourdough bread with American Cheese and a tomato.  The tuna salad itself is simple and made with sweet relish.  The dill pickle along with the sour, crispy, buttery grilled bread added the right amount of salty to the meal. 
26583164-C4C8-48B7-B019-94F209E4DC07This is why we are here for lunch.  A proper Monte Cristo.  ($11.95) F49FE34E-0E8D-4F98-B758-493A89BAA5DC The three slices of bread, with the center slice separating Ham and Swiss from the Turkey with Swiss, quartered, battered and flash fried then sprinkled with powdered sugar and served with strawberry preserves is the way a Monte Cristo should be prepared; not half battered and fried then cut-less area to soak up the custard, leaving the bread a bit dry.  This is an absolutely wonderful, memory inducing sandwich.

Always a great stop with friendly servers and great food, Diner Style.

Bonny's Cafe 596 Broadway El Cajon 92021 CLOSED TUESDAYS, otherwise Open Wed-Mon 7 a.m.-2 p.m. (619)579-3464

EDFFE27E-E5F2-4C4B-9E05-EC701EFAD069

El Huevo Estrellado (Chula Vista)

Here's another mmm-yoso!!! post about food, written by Cathy while Kirk and His Missus are enjoying a little vacation elsewhere. 

As The Mister and I tend to do, driving and stopping and not researching ahead of time lead us to this lovely Taco Shop down the street from the bakery where we ordered our Rosca de Reyes for 2020 (photo of the Rosca at the bottom of this post).1E90B0AA-2456-4C35-8738-FE72A0BBCDA8 DA334E3A-8F76-47AE-AD3F-27D7F1FAA5FC We were at the corner of Broadway and Naples and stopped at the signal light, saw the signage and turned into the parking lot.
6C61F291-5F66-466C-B0D1-13A75D3AE4D9 Stepping inside the storefront at the far end, we noticed a second room of tables was available (the 'addition' is new and can accommodate about 30 people) and were told to 'sit anywhere'.  A two sided menu was brought over.D0414DA5-7224-42ED-8EBE-F4C3A1672A03D0414DA5-7224-42ED-8EBE-F4C3A1672A03
29DB9690-5781-489E-898D-0DC07D9A0589Fresh chips and a good, house made, medium heat salsa was also brought out.
1E90B0AA-2456-4C35-8738-FE72A0BBCDA8 The Mister immediately honed in on #23, Chile Relleño with shrimp on top ($14.50). (We asked and the menu is served all day).  A wonderful Oaxaca cheese filled mild poblano, dipped in egg white then fried is under the plump, large shrimp and topped with a wonderful garlic-y green salsa. Every bite of this plate was wonderful.
 336F5A65-A8D8-46DE-9A18-DCCE9295D101 Since the name of this Taco Shop has 'huevos' in it, I felt the need to try an egg/breakfast dish.  Chilaquiles ($10.99) just sounded right.  There was an option of red, green or mole sauce with the chips and I opted for the red because The Mister had ordered green sauce.  

This was a "proper" plate of chilaquiles- tortillas fried then placed in the sauce (not tortilla chips, which are thin and already fried) with the eggs on the side.  So very good.  The beans and rice were just so much better here than elsewhere.  

We are already planning what we want to order on our next visit. Mary and Jake were here in 2017!

El Huevo Estrellado  1096 Broadway (at Naples) Chula Vista 91911 (619)498-1286 Open Daily 7:30 a.m.-9 p.m.

Our Rosca for 2020 was purchased at Sweet bakery Mexico Lindo 66745384-D8E3-495E-BE0F-A18D13A4F661
66745384-D8E3-495E-BE0F-A18D13A4F661 The Rosca was filled with a wonderful custard/cream and much more interesting to eat this while taking down the Christmas decor on the 12th Night following the holiday.

Sweet Bakery Mexico Lindo 212 Broadway (at E Street) Chula Vista 91911 Open Sun-Thurs 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Fri-Sat 8-8 

Hungry Lu’s- Italian Deli & Goodies (Ocean Beach)

mmm-yoso!!! is being written by Cathy today; Kirk and His Missus are enjoying a few days off.

Hungry Lu's is located in the midst of homes and a few businesses on Voltaire Street, three blocks East of the Pacific Ocean.  The Ocean Beach community has been able to enjoy this Bakery and Deli since 1973. 6F6CE9B2-2A5C-4453-9DDE-AF3EF3B4EFB9Walk in, order and pay.  There are some tables out front and your order is brought out to you.  
6F6CE9B2-2A5C-4453-9DDE-AF3EF3B4EFB9 Of course, you can just order some meats, cheeses and (wonderful fresh baked) rolls to make your own sandwiches at home.
6F6CE9B2-2A5C-4453-9DDE-AF3EF3B4EFB9
6F6CE9B2-2A5C-4453-9DDE-AF3EF3B4EFB9 We were here in early January and Christmas Cookies were still being baked; a nice way to continue the holiday treats a bit longer (and to ignore a silly resolution)
6F6CE9B2-2A5C-4453-9DDE-AF3EF3B4EFB9 There is a menu on the front window as well as on the wall and taped to the counter inside.  It's simple and has just enough choices, especially if you are walking to or from the beach.1F1C19E3-9483-4276-999C-A7E952BE7395 The "personal size" pizza is quite large, cut into six slices and has a wonderful crust!  All pizzas are priced the same, $6.49.  This, the 'Meat Lovers', includes pepperoni, sausage, salami and mozzarella.  The sauce is a good tomato flavored unadorned deliciousness. 
1F1C19E3-9483-4276-999C-A7E952BE7395 28F42666-14C1-4182-9E51-2BE6059BCDA6 329FB6F9-446B-4CC4-916D-806D199F2B87 The Baked eggplant sandwich, listed under 'Favorite Subs' ($8.99) is simple with eggplant baked in olive oil, mozzarella and the simple yet flavorful tomato marinara.  The sandwich/bread baked here is quite large and half of a sandwich (on the wonderfully tasty toasted bread) is filling. There appeared to be some ricotta on the sandwich also…which made it even better.   
1F1C19E3-9483-4276-999C-A7E952BE7395 There is one item not even listed on the menu, but everyone orders it.  The cannoli shells ( a delicious fried pasty) are near where you place your order at the counter and are filled when you order. The filling is a smooth ricotta with citrus (lemon) and the ends are topped with tiny chocolate chips (optional; as if I'd say no).  The cost was around $3.  

A nice, long time, local sandwich place.

Hungry Lu's 4920 Voltaire Street, San Diego, 92016 (619)223-4722 Open Mon-Fri 10:30-4:30, Sat 10:30-5:30 Closed Sunday.

Mikami Revolving Sushi and Bar-a first look (Clairmont Mesa)

Thanks for stopping to read mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog.  Cathy is writing today while Kirk stays busy at work.

Another revolving sushi bar has opened in San Diego. Located at the South West corner of Clairmont Mesa at Ruffner, in the same mall as PT Eatery, Katsu Cafe, one of the original Lolita locations, the Tea Station location  I write about.  The corner across Ruffner Street has the Original Tommy's.  The other corner, across Clairmont Mesa Boulevard, has Ajisen Ramen.  The parking area is plentiful and free (compared to the parking area by the other San Diego revolving sushi restaurant, Kura).

84C7CAAD-1BA5-4E5C-8843-7295938923D6 D7EC2148-0074-48A1-8C2E-88FBC4F0D071 The Mister and I were here on a weekday (and Mikami is still in the 'Soft Opening' stage) and only one Conveyor was open.  The second photo is looking into the Bar area, which has no conveyors, but where appetizers, entrees and 'buckets' can be ordered.
84C7CAAD-1BA5-4E5C-8843-7295938923D6The rolling conveyor (kaiten) had a good variety of choices, although a good 1/3 were salmon based (The Mister doesn't really like salmon), each group of plates proceeded by a plate with a description on one side and number on the other.  All conveyor plates are $2.80.  Beverages are $2.85 (and the hot tea is really good).
84C7CAAD-1BA5-4E5C-8843-7295938923D6As always, we like to try the salad offerings. This was plentiful and filling.  Fresh vegetables as well as good quality krab along with avocado. 
84C7CAAD-1BA5-4E5C-8843-7295938923D6 We got all wild and crazy and chose a 'Las Vegas Roll' from the rolling belt.  The breaded fried roll had a filling including real crab and cream cheese.  It was fresh and tasty.39C0F7BB-CB93-4F78-BE78-394D4610B9EE We also shared this half and half (tuna and salmon with cucumber filling) roll, which was also fresh and well made.

79AA2EC0-5F8E-46D6-9B34-5B9E34B8D51D Then we set our eyes on the touch pad ordering system. Pretty simple to navigate; we did order one item at a time.  First we decided to try the fried calamari rings ($7). 

39C0F7BB-CB93-4F78-BE78-394D4610B9EE 01C6D9FC-2010-48CD-B3B6-19148BED84D1 The smooth running wood railed trolly delivery system was pretty much silent.  Once you take your order off the rocket ship, you can send it back by pushing the button on the table or it will eventually automatically go back to the kitchen.
39C0F7BB-CB93-4F78-BE78-394D4610B9EEThe sea salt topped (where else does salt come from?) fried calamari rings were quite nice, well fried, not greasy, and served with a slightly spicy dipping sauce.
39C0F7BB-CB93-4F78-BE78-394D4610B9EE We also ordered a Blue Crab hand roll ($2.80) which was quite large and fresh made (the rice was still warm). Really nice quality.
39C0F7BB-CB93-4F78-BE78-394D4610B9EEThe soy wrapped spicy scallop hand roll (also $2.80) was  wonderful and also much larger than expected.  I would much rather have this than three smaller spicy scallop rolls from the conveyor for the same price.
39C0F7BB-CB93-4F78-BE78-394D4610B9EEWe didn't see any soft shell crab on the conveyor nor on the menu, however when we asked, found out it's the 'Spider Roll' (again, $2.80) and wow, we will order two of these next time!  Perfectly fried half of a soft shell crab.

A nice alternative in a good location.

 
Mikami Revolving Sushi and Bar 7319 Clairmont Mesa Boulevard San Diego 92111 Sun-Thurs 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Fri-Sat 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m.
39C0F7BB-CB93-4F78-BE78-394D4610B9EE

2020 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade Showcase of floats, Lunch at Costa’s (Covina)

Welcome back to reading mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog, on this beautiful January day.  Cathy is writing and the first part of this post is about the 2020 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade Showcase of Floats, and at the end is the part about the food we ate that day.

When the Rose Parade ends, the floats line up end to end on Sierra Madre Boulevard and they can be viewed from about 1 p.m. on January 1 and from 7 a.m.- 4 p.m. on January 2.  There are three entrances, each one easily found with a colored balloon (you can see the red balloon here).  

1E637DF7-D440-4ABA-BBBA-DDBFB149F96C 776C5562-019F-4ECB-A9C4-EA4AA6692DA7 149FA741-E666-4259-974A-AE4890E01B91The Theme of the 2020 Parade, "The Power of Hope" logo was on the Opening float, parked in the Pasadena High School parking lot.
776C5562-019F-4ECB-A9C4-EA4AA6692DA7The Burbank Tournament of Roses Association presented "Rise Up", depicting a mythical Phoenix rising from the ashes (of the 2018 California wildfires) to create hope, rebirth and renewal.
776C5562-019F-4ECB-A9C4-EA4AA6692DA7 "Hope Knows No Limits", presented by Shriners Hospital for Children celebrated the carefree spirit of childhood that is born of Hope. Notice the 'child' on the swing has a prosthetic leg.A62290DF-088E-4A25-ABB7-009A2BBFD96C"First Responders Bring Hope, Presented by the Oddfellows and Rebekahs and had multiple First Responders, in uniform, riding the float and being applauded along the Parade route. 
A62290DF-088E-4A25-ABB7-009A2BBFD96C"Hope Keeps Us Going" by the City of Alhambra was a cute contribution to the variety of 46 floats along the route.
A62290DF-088E-4A25-ABB7-009A2BBFD96C"The Voyage of Hope-1620" presented by General Society of Mayflower Descendents embodied the parade theme in that the 12 passengers who embarked on the journey in a cargo ship 400 years ago were motivated by the hope for freedom religion and a better way of life.  
A62290DF-088E-4A25-ABB7-009A2BBFD96C Details of so many of the floats are missed when viewing on television.  the Welcome Credit Union float, "Hope Creates Community" showed the story of a community coming together to help a young (squirrel) family fix up their new 'tree home'. Such detail. 

Speaking of details, here are some close ups of signage on some of the floats: 20F7AA35-DA5D-4E73-91E3-02568BB62EBA20F7AA35-DA5D-4E73-91E3-02568BB62EBA20F7AA35-DA5D-4E73-91E3-02568BB62EBA
20F7AA35-DA5D-4E73-91E3-02568BB62EBA 5FB0BE97-2BF7-40C4-BE13-01925FCD94CD So many of the float designs also had details you might have missed if you were watching the Parade on television.  6052F655-7BD2-47FD-974C-17A5F8CC2525
6052F655-7BD2-47FD-974C-17A5F8CC2525
6052F655-7BD2-47FD-974C-17A5F8CC2525
6052F655-7BD2-47FD-974C-17A5F8CC2525
6052F655-7BD2-47FD-974C-17A5F8CC2525 B8AF31DB-9043-4E99-BDFB-A649EE37CA84B8AF31DB-9043-4E99-BDFB-A649EE37CA84B8AF31DB-9043-4E99-BDFB-A649EE37CA84B8AF31DB-9043-4E99-BDFB-A649EE37CA84B8AF31DB-9043-4E99-BDFB-A649EE37CA84
B8AF31DB-9043-4E99-BDFB-A649EE37CA84B8AF31DB-9043-4E99-BDFB-A649EE37CA84B8AF31DB-9043-4E99-BDFB-A649EE37CA84
46 floats, thousands of volunteers, tens of thousands of man hours.  Impossible to document it all; I have over 300 photos. This post has links to all of the float road tests we attended. This is a link to Phoenix Decorating Company, one of three float builders (in addition to the six self-built float builders).  This link to The Rose Examiner has so many articles about the Tournament as well as float winners and better photographs.

The theme and President of the 2021 Tournament will be introduced in just about two weeks.

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In 2018, Phoenix Decorating Company moved the construction barn from Pasadena to Irwindale and that gave The Mister and I plenty of new restaurants to explore following our observing the float road tests.  One restaurant we really liked was Costa's Family Restaurant in West Covina, where we enjoyed dinner after decorating floats in 2018. We hadn't been to Costa's for more than a year! 0938772B-79E1-4419-B0A7-02344CC06037 8497B62E-F842-40C8-9E88-253BEF296765 It was January 2 and the lobby was still decorated for Christmas.  Being a weekday, there were several 'lunch specials' on the menu. Time for comfort food to start the year, and follow the miles of walking to view the floats. CAB796C3-3A7B-4F93-832A-CC02EA4088B2
CAB796C3-3A7B-4F93-832A-CC02EA4088B2 0C66C3B8-08CE-4327-95FD-80A3CAF897C0 Liver and onions (calves liver; tender, thin and with a wonderful flavor). $8.29.  It came with the salad or soup, dinner roll and either a beverage or dessert. 
CAB796C3-3A7B-4F93-832A-CC02EA4088B2 The hot turkey sandwich ($9.99) on a slice of white bread, served with vegetables, mashed potatoes and lots of gravy (along with -yes- canned cranberry sauce) was really wonderful, filling, flavorful and satisfying. 7A3A4777-033B-4889-84B4-E4C9DBAAD2DE7A3A4777-033B-4889-84B4-E4C9DBAAD2DE The (baked here) dinner roll; wonderful. The mixed sherbet dessert was just a perfect ending to this meal and just enough to make the drive back home to East County without needing to stop for a snack.  

Costa's Family Restaurant 851 E. San Bernadino Road Covina, CA 91723 Open Daily 5:30a.m. – 9 p.m.

1101D142-714B-44BC-A6E9-ACB82F7B3D48 Happy New Year! 

Silvia Pupuseria (National City)

Here we are, less than a week before Christmas (and maybe a short week for those who are using up vacation time before the end of the year), at mmm-yoso!!! Cathy is writing today's post.

Long story short, The Mister and I were driving around looking for businesses giving away 2020 calendars as advertising, (as we do every year) and there were crowds, so we started driving in another area, looking for a quick meal before continuing on our trek. 

C74F17FF-B130-45A3-89B9-C0D315378DF0 DF5B4B02-7485-4541-9F85-0B0CBFDD319EI had to stop at a signal light and saw the signage for businesses in the mall…and, well, we had been talking about pupusas for the past few weeks.  We had to. 
37496214-5D91-4613-9BF9-B6E92C5DBF2E_1_201_a
9003CAB0-2736-4E23-9A1C-AF9066C8B643 You can walk in and order to go, or have a seat and a menu (without prices) as well as chips and salsa are brought out to you. Yes, the menus are written only in Spanish, but I understood it all.  The waitresses understood my ordering in English. The house made salsas, red and green, are both hot, in a good way.  No dumbing down here.  
61861DF6-D86C-485D-9A8D-93EC56CCA32D_1_201_aThe two storefronts are joined and open to accommodate about 50 seats with tables and booths and a beautiful mural on the 'kitchen' side.  A60B30E9-F695-4484-BFD8-115C8FA37A70 Since this is a Pupuseria, I ordered two ($2.25 each). There are ten flavors on the menu. You can hear the dough being slapped in the kitchen when preparing the order.  The one in front is chicharron with cheese, the other one is bean and cheese- black beans with cheese. A60B30E9-F695-4484-BFD8-115C8FA37A70CD3A37AD-E600-45D3-A32B-30C260502E72 What wonderful, fresh, filling and large/heavy pupusas! Such fresh flavors!  A wonderful meal by themselves.  The accompanying fresh made curtido and tomato sauce were very complimentary to all the flavors.  The curtido was so fresh, with the cabbage, carrots, Mexican oregano and just enough jalapeño with a light fermentation that we did finish the bowl brought out, some of it with food and some of it just plain.  DAEDCD00-8A26-4FD7-A04E-AD20B034FD2BThere were several 'Breakfasts' on the for here menu and the choice of plantains with creama and beans or plantains with eggs looked interesting.  Plantains with beans, crema, a piece of cheese and eggs scrambled with a fresh house made salsa turned out to be the order ($9.99) (we were not asked how to have the eggs prepared).  The fried plantains with just a bit of the crema were sweet and hearty.  The refried beans (not black beans like in the pupusa) were wonderful.  The scrambled eggs with the tomatoes, onion and cilantro, were really good, with flavor in every bite.  

We noticed other tables that asked for coffee were given a cup of hot water and a jar of instant Nescafe (the table behind us got decaf).  Nescafe is one of few instant coffees that I like; this is a great alternative to possibly getting stale, bitter coffee from a pot.  Next time.  Also next time, a bowl of soup, definitely, along with maybe a mushroom pupusa.

Kirk was here in 2016!

Silvia's Pupuseria 916 East Eighth Street, Suit 106 National City, CA 91950 (619)534-2037 Open Daily 9:30 a.m.- 9 p.m.

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2019 San Diego County Fair- OzSome (Part 3; the wrap-up)

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IMG_7198 In the Gem and Minerals area, there are always beautiful displays of crystals as well as the always changing, ever interesting display of 'food' made up of rocks, polished and plain, as well as crystals and minerals.

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Which leads us to the food portion of this post… 
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IMG_6976 IMG_6988 We did try the deep fried bacon wrapped cheese bites one day. They were wonderful.
IMG_6983 C0B143C3-7107-491F-B568-5F106ABD8EACI had slightly mentioned in prior years that one day a week food booths offered 'samples' for $2.  Well, time marches on and this year, there were '$3 sample' signs at most booths on Thursdays.  Lucky us.  We tried this bean and cheese pupusa, which came with a nice curtido and tomato sauce salsa for $3 and planned our day.
IMG_7152 Gingerbread cake; had never tried, will get again.  Wonderful flavor.IMG_7137 IMG_7145One piece of fish was $3, so we made a 'meal' of the fried fish here. 
IMG_7137 IMG_7143Had always seen the 'BBQ pork sundae", but never tried.  The pork is very good, as is the sauce…served on top of mashed potatoes, technically a 'balanced' meal.  Interesting concept and just enough.
IMG_7137IMG_7168IMG_7170The 'Chocolate Tower' was a great deal-chocolate cake, vanilla ice cream, sauce, whipped cream, sprinkles…a perfect size for sharing.  BD3B9A99-FD1D-4675-BE9D-918571E28A38 D076B182-2B5C-4BB3-9527-959D74DF5B52 Even the $3 piece of fresh made fudge was just right without having to eat a lot and take home.0A447EE8-85C0-4659-9F31-6B993DDC396F0A447EE8-85C0-4659-9F31-6B993DDC396F One way we save some money is to purchase a 'souvenir cup' of beverage (I like the iced tea at the booth which has the giant ear of corn on top, on the midway; it's unsweetened and strong) on the first visit to the Fair, the refills are half price that day and on the subsequent days when we bring the souvenir cup. Eddie's Asian Inspired Cuisine offered iced tea, lemonade and an aguas fresca-pineapple with spinach juice. The flavored lemonade choices at the booth in the bottom photo were all interesting and, in particular, the cherry brought back fond childhood memories.
6F670434-656E-4A12-8E1E-1147948C86EEInside the Paul Ecke garden Show, near the back is always an Eatery, which changes names with the Theme of the Fair.  This is one of the booths run by the 22nd Agricultural District, so it will be there again.  The menu is also within the theme and we tried two items:20DBD140-52C7-4CD1-8FC8-074445C18EA220DBD140-52C7-4CD1-8FC8-074445C18EA2The "Good Witch/Wicked Witch Toasts" ($8).  The Wicked: edamame hummus, roasted tomatoes, greens, smoked pepitas.  The Good: ricotta with black pepper, black Mission Figs, lavender honey and Black Sea salt.  Each of these were tasty, filling, and inspirational for some of our light summer meals.  

The "There's No Place Like Home" Nicoise salad ($14)had flavorful, good size pieces of seared tuna on top mixed greens and topped with fingerling potatoes, fresh (flavorful) tomato, hard boiled egg, olives and served with a mustard vinaigrette.  This was wonderful and large enough for sharing.  Can't wait to see how the menu will change for the 2020 Fair!
36EE25A7-3468-4963-AB98-DD51A784F6CD We had never purchased a funnel cake at the Fair until this year.  The fried dough topped with powdered sugar was a wonderful indulgence. You can see the souvenir cup on the table in this photo.

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Plans for 2020:  The Theme

2FD31213-102A-4F03-945C-DA9DEED6BB45 There are a few changes: parking charges have increased to $20 (and $10 at the Horsepark), HOWEVER if you purchase a parking pass before 12/31, you can save $2.  There is also a deal to purchase $25 of food coupons for $20, again before 12/31.  Plenty of other ways to save are also listed on the Website

 

 

Point Loma Seafoods (yes, more visits)

mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog with posts of places to eat in and around San Diego as well as the world.  Today, it's a San Diego post. Cathy is writing while Kirk is adjusting back to this time zone.

There have been plenty of posts about this (since 1963) San Diego institution. My latest post was in 2018.  So, here's another one. We stop here whenever we are at the airport, picking up or dropping off.IMG_1186
IMG_1186 There is a fresh fish counter for convenient purchases, with a restaurant menu above. THIS is a link to a current priced menu.
IMG_1186When you walk in, there is a white board (which is back) with some current specials, which are not on the regular menu (seasonal items). You step up to the counter, order and pay and your number will be called. 
IMG_1186 You grab your own beverages and find a seat, indoors or upstairs or outside.
IMG_1186 The 'Combo"-Bay Shrimp and Crab salad is market Price ($17 this day).  A very large portion (the photo doesn't show the depth of the container), Mixed greens, great portions of fresh Dungeness crab and plenty of (quite large) Bay shrimp.  The house made dressing is perfectly complimentary.
IMG_1186  A bowl of New England clam chowder ($4.92/$5.30 with tax) is made using a wonderful recipe with whole chopped clams and potatoes, celery and onion (and of course, real cream). Again, my photo doesn't show the size of the bowl properly, but this and the salad were easily shared as a nice lunch. IMG_9664 IMG_9658 When you order the fried clam plate (it's listed on the black colored white board at the door, this day for $26), a container of Ipswich Belly Clams is pulled from the glass counter and given to the kitchen so they can begin the frying process, which is perfect.  A nice cornmeal and flour based breading, fresh clams; nothing more needed. The Mister craves these, a childhood treat when growing up on the east coast, when he could grab a bag of fresh fried clams to munch on while riding his bike to and through Rhode Island. The fries are thin and perfectly crisp, the slaw here is unique-bell peppers along with the fresh, crispy cabbage and light sauce- flavors so fresh and unadorned, letting the ingredients shine.  
IMG_9668 IMG_9673 The Combo Seafood Plate ($17.50) Two pieces of cod, Two shrimp, one crab cake.  A little bit of everything, perfect fried.  Just so satisfying and perfectly fresh and flavorful.  The tartar sauce is (also) made here and complimentary to the fried items.  The cocktail sauce has a nice bite of horseradish and we only use it for the smoked fish.  

A San Diego Institution still around for a reason. 

Point Loma Seafoods 2805 Emerson Street San Diego, CA 92106 (at Scott Street) (619) 223-1109 Website Open Mon-Sat 9-7, Sun 10-7 (these are winter hours) IMG_9659IMG_9659
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