Cathy – Page 53

2015 San Diego County Fair (Part 1-before it opens)

June 4, 2015 Cathy Festivals & Events, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog. Food does not necessarily mean a meal. Cathy is embarking on another 'before the Fair opens' post, because she is here with computer access. Kirk and Ed (from Yuma) just aren't connected, but they are researching.

The gate opening of the annual San Diego County Fair will be Friday June 5 at 4 p.m., a little bit different than prior years. The theme of the fair this year is "A Fair To Remember" and it is celebrating traditions and inventions which originated at local and World Fairs, as well as commemorating the centennial of the 1915 Panama-California Exhibition, which was held in Balboa Park. (That's why we have all those cool buildings.)The entrance will resemble some of the buildings from Balboa Park and symbols from other World Fairs. The Midway is being set up. Exhibits outside the Flower and Garden Show area are being set up. The Exhibition Hall (just to the right of the entrance) is going to be filled with the a retrospective and educational displays of World, State, County and local Fairs. So much of what is now 'common' and everyday began at a Fair.Home and Hobby will have a display from the Veterans Museum in Balboa Park. Each Fair Exhibit area is sponsored by a different Balboa Park museum. The rest of Home and Hobby is almost set up…

Preserved Foods, Decorated cakes, breads, candy and cookies have been judged.

Demonstration areas are set up. The Table Decorating, Collections and various Craft Divisions have been judged and are set on display.
The Public Relations/Publicity Department of the San Diego County Fair has done a great job this year, inviting press to sample some of the newest food offerings. Many articles have been written emphasizing not only the deep fried Slimfast bar, but also the peanut butter stuffed bacon wrapped pickle, deep fried Starbucks, sweet corn ice cream, and grilled French onion soup. Here are some links: Here's the official Fair link. This is one Union Tribune story. The Reader wrote an article. Zagat has a good write-up. This morning, there was another story in the Union Tribune.

So, I'm not going to do that in this post. There are some new food offerings I noticed which weren't as publicized.
Deep fried Gansito…See that whole fried (mojarra) tilapia? It's like the type you can buy at any Mexican Market steam tray or Mariscos restaurant. (Hint: type in "whole fried fish" or "mojarra" in the top left 'search' box; plenty of posts where we mmm-yoyo writers have enjoyed whole fish…it's not just a Fair Food)
Fireball infused caramel banana donut…Cherry Pop Rocks donut…

Seven layer S'mores Sundae!

Just some things that caught my eye; I'm sure there are more…

San Diego County Fair Website June 5-July 5, closed all Mondays and the first two Tuesdays.

There are plenty of links on the web page to show where discount admission tickets can be found, where the free parking is located and for those of you who live along the North County Coast, the Combined Coaster/Fair entry ticket is a great way to be transported. Know that if you are entering a one day contest, your admission is free.

Elixir Espresso Bar (Westfield UTC) and Elixir Espresso and Wine Bar (Westfield North County)

June 2, 2015 Cathy Caffeine Fix, Desserts, Stuff, What Cathy Eats!

Thank you for (once again or first time) stopping to read mmm-yoso!!! a blog about food. Since Kirk is vacationing, Ed (from Yuma) decided to also take some time out for a road trip and Cathy is staycationing in San Diego, walking around malls for today's post.

It really has been years since Either The Mister and I have ventured into a Shopping mall. This year, we decided to make our daily walks a bit more interesting and that's worked out.

We went back to Westfield UTC with the intention of stopping here for a respite. This rather large kiosk is in between the Banana Republic and Anthologie stores (and on the way to the parking garage-which was the only reason we noticed it). It opens at 7 a.m. Mon-Fri and at 8 on Saturday, 9 on Sunday…before the mall opens.

You order and pay at one window, find a seat and your order will be called when it's ready.Peeking inside, you can see the crêpe machine and to the right is the espresso machine. That's all that is on the menu here…coffees and crêpes.Calabria Coffee is what's used, and it is excellent and artfully prepared. [That's a small latte above ($3.50)]Since it was early, we decided to share a breakfast crêpe ($5.25). The description is simple 'ham, egg and cheese'…so I assumed the egg would be scrambled, cheese melted in and sliced deli ham would be laid on top and the crêpe would surround it, like a burrito…but no!

Notice the edge of the egg over the edge yet baked within the thin pancake-like crêpe. The ham was *really* good- a smoked ham, cut in chunks, not slices. The cheese added a good tangy flavor with gooey melty component. Far more than I expected at a mall kiosk. Wonderful food here.

Elixir Espresso Bar La Jolla Village Drive 92037 (858) Open daily 9-8 website

The weather started getting warmer a few days later, and we decided to go walking at an enclosed (air conditioned) mall. Westfield North County mall it was!Traveling down the third set of escalators, I noticed this large open eating area from above and was surprised at its name when we stopped to look. Elixir Espresso AND Wine Bar…The menu board was similar, yet had additional food items, and in the seating area, the clipboard menu was most interesting…Sandwiches, bakery items, gelato and wine, all out in the open part of the mall. Crazy. We had to.First, we ordered a Viennese crêpe ($4.75) Simple, filled with honey and cinnamon (and served on an appropriately sized and shaped plate, although I thought the hot dog liner paper was a good way to serve the outdoor crêpe at the outdoor kiosk). This was a nice way to enjoy a sweet crêpe.

The clipboard menu had a 'Flatbread' section on it…and the Pears, Bleu Cheese and Coastal Cheddar ($10.75) sounded nice.

Wow. Thinly sliced pears overlapped and covered this freshly made, soft yet baked to a light crunch flatbread. The toppings of the Bleu and Cheddar, melted in and melded with the bread and pear and this was wonderful. If we had ever thought to do this at home, a nice glass of wine would accompany it.

We have learned to stop and enjoy our breaks and so far, we have been really pleased.

cc has been to the downtown location of Elixir, which has an interesting past…

Elixir Espresso and Wine Bar 200 Via Rancho Parkway Suite 9000 (Westfield North County, in front of Nordstrom and bottom of escalator) Escondido 92025 (760)741-1488 Website

Little Lion Cafe and Bar (Ocean Beach)

June 1, 2015 Cathy Breakfast/Brunch, French Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for again stopping to read mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Kirk and Ed(from Yuma) are enjoying their own vacations right now. Cathy is writing today's post.

There used to be a wonderful restaurant in Ocean Beach- The Belgian Lion- (link is to a 1992 Los Angeles Times article) run by Belgian born, classically trained French chef (and former computer programmer) Don Coulon and his wife, Arlene.

Their daughter is the owner of Michele Coulon Dessertier, a wonderful La Jolla patisserie. [Kirby visited Dessertier almost exactly two years ago and cc also wrote a post after her visit to Dessertier.]

Three of Don and Arlene's granddaughters, Chef Anne-Marie, as well as Jacqueline and Dominique Coulon now own and run Little Lion, a small (there are 19 seats inside and two tables out front which can hold 6-8 people) charming cafe on Sunset Cliffs Boulevard at Bermuda Avenue (one block North of Point Loma Avenue). Anne-Marie's husband runs Griffin Farm, which supplies the greens for the menu.

The common denominators of these Coulon businesses: local, fresh, quality.Driving by, you will probably notice the black and white striped awning. Stepping inside, the simple decor and counter in the back will catch your eye. The simple menu for breakfast and lunch served during the week seems to have changed a bit from when Little Lion first opened; I believe the menu is seasonal. (Dinner is going to begin being offered in June; I'll add details at the end of this post once I know more).Organic drip coffee ($2.50) is served in the clear glass cups with real cream.The smoked salmon plate ($12). The house cured, house smoked salmon was topped with creme fraiche and plenty of capers. It was served with toasted slices of La Brea Bakery baguette and shaved onion.

The side salad was topped with shaved fennel and shaved radishes.The classic Croque Monsieur ($10) was made into a Croque Madame (adding a poached egg, like a Lady's hat) ($2).

This traditional breakfast sandwich, made with ham, Swiss cheese and Béchamel sauce on top of what looked like a half ciabatta. At first it looked like a very thick slice of bread, but then using the serrated knife to view a cross section revealed there is more ham than bread to this sandwich. The Bechamel sauce was to-the-letter perfect.

Accompanied by a simple salad and two types of pickles, Nicoise olives and a swirl of strong, old fashioned (Dijon?) mustard, this was a wonderful meal.

Words cannot describe how perfect everything was. We will be back to try more of the menu.

Little Lion Cafe and Bar 1424 Sunset Cliffs Blvd San Diego 92107 (619)756-6921 website open Tues-Sun 8-3

**Updated Hours** Beginning June 2, 2015, hours will be Tues-Saturday 8 a.m.-8 p.m., Sunday 8 a.m.-3 p.m.

This is a link to the late afternoon and dinner menus

Cafe Cantata- Del Mar

May 31, 2015 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Caffeine Fix, What Cathy Eats!

Cafe Cantata has closed.

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog. Today, Kirk is not writing, Ed(from Yuma) is not writing and it's Cathy's musings you will be reading.

The Mister and I were in the Torrey Pines area before Memorial Day and decided to drive along the coast, turning onto Via de la Valle to check out if the County Fair was being set up (so, you know, I could take photos and stuff…). Unfortunately nothing was going on in that sense, so we continued under the 5 and turned into the shopping mall on the North East corner (where there's Whole Foods, which has the inside the store restaurant, Trifecta Tavern) and I had our default lunch in mind.

Walking through the rest of the mall, we noticed Cafe Cantata, and I recalled reading about it on cc's post from almost a year ago, when she met Kirbie for lunch. Turns out it was during the County Fair and they both were still able to find parking, so that's something good to keep in mind. Here's a link to a more recent visit from cc.Cafe Cantata is on the second floor and used to be a location of Pannikin Coffee & Tea, a San Diego institution since 1968. Pannikin holds fond memories; it was our first 'real' coffee shop experience.Walking in, the wall to your left emphasizes the food. Seeing one person per table emphasizes free wifi. The coffee bar area is well utilized. Pastries are located in a couple of places, there is a chalk menu board as well as paper menus on the counter. It is the standard, order, pay and your food is brought to you. Breakfast and Lunch are served from 6 until 3 each day. I really like that.Ordering a large cup of (plain, regular, fresh)(certified organic, free trade, custom blend) coffee ($2.15) it was served in this asymmetric cup. Think about trying to drink it from the 'wrong' side…Since it was a Friday (when we don't eat meat), the Greek Scramble ($8.95) from the 'Breakfast' side of the menu was my choice. Eggs, Feta, tomato, onion and finely minced olives were expertly (and by that, I mean evenly; a skill which seems to be lacking at some breakfast establishments) scrambled. Served with whole grain toast and fresh fruit (or roasted potatoes), this was a wonderful meal.The Mister ordered a Caprese Panini ($7.95)- roasted and sun dried tomatoes, fresh Mozzarella and (giant) basil leaves on grilled sourdough, along with a bowl of tomato soup (add $1).

Cafe Cantata is a very nice place for a coffee or a small meal. You aren't required to use wifi and can have a nice visit here.

Cafe Cantata 2670 Via De La Valle Del Mar, CA 92014 (858) 925-7297 Website

Maldini’s Pizzeria (San Carlos)

May 30, 2015 Cathy Pizza, Salads, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! Food blog. Kirk usually is writing, but he is out of the country. Ed(from Yuma) does some posting, but he is getting ready to travel to a different state. Cathy holds down the fort when the guys can't. This is her blogging.

It started out innocently enough. A friend handed me one of those doorknob hanger ads for a pizza place, telling me it was really good-and that they have a carry out only special for $4.99.

I tossed it onto the car seat and forgot about it. Until one night when I was hungry, in the neighborhood and knowing I did not want to go home to make dinner.There-right next to the Dominos and about 100 yards from a Papa Johns pizza place is Maldinis. It's been there since 2013, a family pizza restaurant that sells a 14 inch large cheese pizza for $4.99.Dough and sauce made fresh daily. A really good, simple pizza. Friendly guys working…and a larger menu.

I had to bring The Mister back for our next 'date night' meal-our standard when we were starving college students and newlyweds. We ordered, paid and took a seat at one of the eight tables. The large Greek salad ($6.99) was brought out in a very large bowl. Lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, olives, onions and Feta cheese. There was a lot of everything to this salad. The simple Italian dressing was complimentary to the fresh flavors of the produce and toppings. The small (12 inch) cheese calzone ($7.99). A folded pizza, filled with Mozzarella and Ricotta, brushed with olive oil, sprinkled with herbs and cheese and baked. Served with sauce on the side.

Perfect. Crispy. Cheesy. Memory jogging. I hope your weekend is as pleasant.

Maldini's Pizzeria 8734 Lake Murray Blvd (at Navajo)( in the mall with a McDonalds and an Albertsons) San Diego 92119 (619) 644-5600 Website

Cocotte Cafe Bistro (University City, near UTC)

May 29, 2015 Cathy Breakfast/Brunch, French Restaurants

Thank you for (again) stopping and reading mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Kirk is gathering photos and food memories to share. Ed(from Yuma) is preparing to take photos and write stories about his food adventures. Cathy is here today, writing about photos and a meal which has happened.

More than seven years ago, I wrote about a semi-regular part of our rotation, Wired Bistro. It closed, turned into some other French Cafe (which I did not write about) and recently has come to life again, in the form of a French Cafe Bistro named Cocotte. (Notice the first "o" in the signage. A cocotte is a covered heatproof dish or casserole, with two handles.) There is seating both inside and out in front.Fresh pastries are in the refrigerated case when you walk in. The Wine Bar area behind the counter and ceiling covered in burlap coffee bags remain as decor; same as the prior iterations.Double espresso ($2.50) using Lavazza beans was perfectly pulled.Bacon-Cheddar omelet ($9.50) comes with a fruit cup, oven roasted rosemary potatoes and slices of fresh baguette. The three egg omelet is made in a way we are now going at home. The bacon (smokey and thick pieces) seems to have been in the pan first, with the whipped eggs placed over those pieces, then cheese is placed on top of the cooked eggs and then folded, resulting with cheese in the middle and bacon on the outer edges of the fluffy omelet.Ordering the Meli-Melo crêpe ($8.50), I wasn't expecting much. The menu description of 'two crêpes filled with scrambled eggs and melted Swiss' seemed generic. Wrong! The perfectly cooked, slightly sweet extra large (instead of two) crêpe was packed solid with softly scrambled eggs smoothly mixed with a nutty tangy Swiss cheese. Those sides of a fruit cup and rosemary roasted potatoes made this quite a large meal.

I hope you'll all have a great weekend. Thanks for reading.

Cocotte Cafe Bistro 8935 Towne Center Drive 92122 (858) 450-0880 Open 7a.m.-10 p.m., 7 days

This is the breakfast menu, which will magically appear upright if you click onto it (my iPhone update combined with Typepad are having some wonky issues).

Roma Market (Escondido) shopping and eating “The Sandwich” inside the market

May 27, 2015 Cathy Italian Restaurants, Markets & Grocers, What Cathy Eats!

Thank you for stopping by to read mmm-yoso!!!, a blog about food. The episode you are about to read takes you to Escondido, where Cathy has ventured. Kirk and Ed(from Yuma) are out and about enjoying more exotic places.

Heading back to the 15 freeway on Valley Parkway, there is a mall at the North East corner. Just behind the McDonald's, this signage looked familiar.

It turns out there is a Roma Market in Pasadena (mentioned in this post) which we've passed on our way from many Rose Parade float tests. This family market began in Boston after WWII, moved to Alhambra in the early 1950's then settled in Pasadena and has now (in late 2014) opened a second Southern California Roma Market in Escondido.Not a very large footprint, each small aisle is packed with items from Italy as well as locally sourced. Wines, fresh fruits and vegetables, trays of Italian cookies and fresh basil are at the entrance.There are a few different areas of dried and imported pastas as well as fresh and frozen -made in store- selections also. We've had the cheese manicotti and tortellini and they each were wonderful.Pasta sauces as well as canned and shelf stable tomatoes are sold on the shelves. If you look back to those freezer doors on the right side of the above photo, also made in house and fresh and frozen sauces are available. Again, excellent. There are a few other aisles of Italian staples and treats as well as closed door and open refrigerated sections. There's a deli selling Roma Market brand premium meats as well as imported meats and cheeses…and, as any good Italian Deli, Baccala. Notice the bread in the back; it's made here daily.Moving along, there's a section of hot foods, a small menu board…Desserts, beverages (there's also a Coca Cola Freestyle machine and an espresso/coffee area). Notice the small sign to the right, taped to the glass case. Then, of course, there's gelato.

Eat in the store we did. Here's a meal enjoyed last week.

Slice of cheese pizza ($1.95) (If you shop here on a Monday, after 3 p.m. and spend $10, you can get a whole cheese pizza for $1.99). Fresh dough, fresh sauce, plenty of mozzarella.Notice the 'hot foods' photo above. Two links of sweet or hot Italian sausage with peppers and onions $4.95. Yep. made here. Wonderful, fresh, you can see a fennel seed in the cross section above. The two pieces are enough for a meal. The Sandwich ($5.50) essentially a grab and go/no substitution deal. Mortadella, Mild Capicola, Soppressata (or some type of dry salami) and Provolone cheese. That's olive oil on the fresh bread/hoagie roll. The simplicity of three meats, cheese, olive oil and fresh bread is wonderful.There is a pretty large dessert selection as well as coffees available. We were offered a sample of the gelato, any flavor and the pear…had pieces of pear in it. The tiramisu and orange are also excellent. We'll be trying the other flavors soon.

I am so glad we stopped at Roma Market and will do so at the original location in Pasadena, soon.

Roma Market 1054 West Valley Parkway Escondido 92025 (760)233-8003 open 8-8 daily Website

Van Hoa Vietnamese Restaurant (City Heights)(revisit)

May 26, 2015 Cathy Vietnamese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a blog about food that's been around for a very long time. Kirk is usually here writing, but he's on vacation right now. Ed(from Yuma) is sometimes here, but he is planning his vacation as this is being written. Cathy is here and now.

Van Hoa has been in this corner location of the strip mall at the North West corner of University at 54th since at least 2007, when Kirk wrote a two-part post about it. I followed up about seven years later with my own post about this regular stop before shopping at the Vien Dong Supermarket (to the right in the photo below).You have most likely seen the Van Hoa label on spring rolls and desserts sold at 99Ranch Market, Thuan Phat and World Foods. Ordering at the restaurant means the rolls are even fresher than the ones delivered to those stores daily. I must say the rice paper wrap is never 'rubbery', because the rolls are just made. There is only one choice of flavors- shrimp with pork. ($3.25). The fresh vegetable fillings(lettuce, mint, cucumber, carrot, daikon) are refreshing and what I crave. The peanut butter based dipping sauce lends a good umami to it all. The egg rolls here are also above average ($5.95). Mostly meat with mushroom filling, the frying is proper and never too greasy.Now that the warmer weather is coming (and going), sometimes bun (it's pronounced 'boon') is an order. Chilled vermicelli on one side of the bowl, salad (lettuce, mint, cucumber, sprouts) on the other half and, in this case, topping of Tau Hu Ky (shrimp wrapped with tofu skin) and the usual pickled radish/cucumber and peanuts ($6.50) makes an exceptional meal.Then again, my most favorite version of Banh Xeo ($6.50) is at Van Hoa, so as we are being seated I place that order (it takes a while to make the rice flour/turmeric pancake) The crunchy light pancake is delightful, the shrimp and pork are plentiful along with the onion/bean sprout/mung bean filling. Eating bits of this wrapped in lettuce and mint is also refreshing.

Thanks for reading. I hope your week is going well.

Van Hoa 4016 54th San Diego, Ca 92105 (619)582-2642 Open Mon-Sat 6-8, Sun 7-7

Breakfast at The Lunch Box (La Mesa)

May 25, 2015 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, What Cathy Eats!

Here we are once again, mmm-yoso!!! and you, the reader of our food blog. Kirk is still having a good time in Europe (enjoying a long needed vacation). Ed (from Yuma) is planning to paint the town red (not in Yuma) and Cathy is delighting in places available in San Diego County and sharing with you.

During certain months of the year, it's easier for me to meet clients elsewhere than an office. Usually that place ends up being a Starbucks, but sometimes I am offered a meal and am asked where I'd like to go. Being aware of their financial situations, I have tended to recommend The Lunch Box, a small, family owned place on the Southwest corner of La Mesa Boulevard at Jackson in a strip mall anchored by a 7-Eleven. It's been here since 2009 and the food is great.The Lunch Box opens at 7:30 daily (closed on Sunday), closes by 2 (at 1 on Saturday) and starts serving the lunch menu at 8:30 in the morning, for those true 'early birds' among us. The seating area is filled with tables and chairs (no booths) and people who arrive in larger groups can make their own size seating area.

I finally decided to bring The Mister here one day, so he could see the menu and I could take photos of a meal.

The raisin French toast, topped with bananas ($4.95). The toast consistently has a lightly crisp exterior and soft, fluffy interior. I think I've mentioned only one time ordering raisin bread, as well as paying the extra 10¢ for a raisin filled cinnamon roll. However, if I ever am given a chance to order raisin filled anything, I just do it. Adding two eggs and a sausage patty ($2.95) balanced out the French toast, making it a meal. The sausage is mild in flavor, the eggs are always perfectly made.The Mister opted for the $5.95 weekday special with 2 bacon, 2 eggs and 2 pancakes. Again, very nicely made and just right. Coffee is $1.75 and constantly refilled.

All in all, this is a nice, local place which, again, has withstood the test of time. I tend to post more about these sorts of places because they are comfortable and comforting. I bet you have someplace in your part of town that is similar.

Hope you are going to have a good week. Thanks for reading us all these years!

The Lunch Box Cafe & Deli 8751 La Mesa Blvd La Mesa 91941 (619)463-4013 Open Mon-Fri 7:30-2, Sat 7:30-1 Closed Sunday

Bottega Italiana (UTC)…coffee and gelato

May 24, 2015 Cathy Caffeine Fix, Desserts, Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!!, a food-centric blog with (almost) daily writings shares posts about various cuisines, new and established restaurants, pubs and other places where food can be found, as well as sometimes home cooking. Today, a short post written by Cathy about a small three-location establishment.

Not that I wrote any posts about the holidays or any New Year resolutions, but now, almost six months into 2015, I feel successful. The free "Steps" app on our mobile phones record how much The Mister and I walk each day and the goal of 10,000 steps a day has become easier and almost regular since about mid-April.

The only thing was, it started getting a bit boring, despite the almost daily weather changes. So, we've become 'those people'- Mall Walkers.Parkway Plaza is covered and air conditioned, Grossmont Plaza is also close to home, but not that interesting to us any more, so one day we drove West to Westfield University Town Center, where we haven't regularly stopped in years.

The Ice Rink and surrounding restaurant choices are new to us and so are most of the shops. (edit- the Ice Rink seating area used to be open to the rink and is now enclosed. Most of the food court restaurants and the food court seating area have been redone since we were last here).

There's also a new movie theater building that was added onto the mall.Down the steps near the entrance (or, exit) of the Arclight Cinemas is Bottega Italiana.

Kirbie visited in January. cc visited the other (Coronado) San Diego location selling Bottega Italiana gelati in November. Faye also mentioned Bottega Italiana in the middle of this post. There is an area selling coffees and San Diego made Chuao Chocolates to take home.The menu is simple, the coffee preparation area is observable, there are a few sweets for sale at the cash register. The gelato is made right here. Daily. The fresh made gelato are beautiful…and overwhelming. We've been offered samples and sometimes that makes decisions more difficult. Fortunately, two flavors can be part of a 'small' size.Also, an affogato (small size gelato ($3.80) with a shot of espresso over it (+$1)) can have two flavors within…in this case, panna cotta (vanilla flavored sweet cream; it's different than (the excellent) vanilla) and hazelnut went perfectly with the brisk shot of concentrated coffee.Another day, a small ($3.80) with Speciale (burnt cream, dark chocolate chips, caramel and sea salt: all able to be tasted in one bite) with a scoop of Opera (pistachio, hazelnut and almond nuts and flavors) was enjoyed at the patio tables out front.

Bottega Italiana is a nice place to stop and get a shareable, excellent treat.

Bottega Italiana 4445 La Jolla Village Drive Suite H-17 (just down from the movie theaters) San Diego 92122 (858)404-0799 website Mon-Th 10-9:30, Fri-Sat 10-10 Sun 10:30-9:30