Cathy – Page 55

La Mesa Craft Kitchen (first look)

April 26, 2015 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Beer, Gastropub, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for continuing to drop by to read mmm-yoso!!! Today, Kirk and Ed(from Yuma) are taking breaks and Cathy is writing.

Over the past six months, whenever we'd stop at Carnitas Uruapan (which is far more often than I've posted), The Mister and I watched the progressing construction of this new La Mesa Gastropub, which opened about two weeks ago. (cc has been here recently; here is a link to her post)The location of Craft Kitchen La Mesa used to be a 7-11. (Look into the distance of the above photo, you can see the new 7-11 location, directly on the other side of Spring Street).Stepping into the front door, the menu board and ordering area are in front of you. There are also menus on the counter and some chairs if you need to peruse. The menu is short.

Order, pay, find a seat…Perhaps decide on a beer or wine to accompany your meal… Then again, there are tasters ($2 each) when you can't decide. Julian Hard Cider and Karl Strauss Mosaic were our choices this day. Other difficult choices were deciding what we wanted to try on this visit (while planning what we want to try on future visits…did you notice there is breakfast…daily breakfast, not just a weekend Brunch…). So, the "Greens " flat bread ($10) was our mutual choice. Fresh made chewy (with a bit of bottom crunch) flatbread topped with Mozzarella, sun dried tomatoes, artichokes, fresh chopped garlic and basil…the flavors all melded wonderfully and went well with each beverage choice.
This quite large (despite the photo) "Strawberry Fields" salad ($11) with added chicken ($2) was also a mutually decided choice, primarily because of the cheese –Burrata– and our general tendency toward trying to have a 'balanced' meal. Spring mix greens, whole almonds and a very nice strawberry vinaigrette combined with the Burrata and good portion of warm/just cooked marinated chicken (the flavors of the chicken were good enough not to need any seasoning additions) made this salad an excellent meal…well, half the salad plus half the flatbread was a great meal.

La Mesa (and its border) is gradually becoming the East County version of 30th Street, with a few stumbles and successes, with established gastropub/regular pub type restaurants. The concept of breakfast at Craft Kitchen will be thoroughly investigated.

La Mesa Craft Kitchen 4253 Palm Avenue (at Spring Street) La Mesa, CA 91941 (619)461-4887 Open 7 days Mon-Fri 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Sat 8a.m.-11 p.m. Sun 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Website

Phils BBQ (Santee)

April 12, 2015 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, BBQ, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping to read mmm-yoso!!! today. Kirk is out and about, enjoying the beautiful countryside. Ed(from Yuma) is out and about enjoying the Yuma countryside. Cathy is here, blogging and noticing the sky out the window.

Phils BBQ. On weekends, lines form and snake outside the door at each of their (currently) three locations from 11 a.m. into the evening. Visitors from back East mention Phil's as one of their 'musts' when asked where they would like to eat…They've heard of it. Even Ed(from Yuma) and a friend have stopped at Phil's to enjoy a meal. These rare (both because of no line and there was rain) photos were taken in January on a Monday, because 'back then', Phils was closed on Mondays, but now Phil's is open an extra 52 days a year.Really. Mondays.That's the whole menu. You should be able to order quickly and efficiently when you get to the front of the line, yet many people seem overwhelmed. Hence, the line moves slowly.Many people just call in 'To Go' orders and get in and out quickly. We like to sit and eat inside.There is much visual and auditory stimulation. Mentioning that beer is available here is redundant. Beer is San Diego. Other beverages and to-go containers are self serve and self explanatory.Any condiment you might need is on every table.

On to the food!

While not open pit smoked/authentic BBQ, the food here is very good. With the constant influx of customers, every item is fresh.Starting with the only item I order, the 'Beefy Rib Tickler'($8.95). One BBQ'd beef rib bone with 2 onion rings, cole slaw and fries. Your choice of BBQ sauce on top or on the side.

The beef rib is (as always) from a cow and therefore very large, meaty. It is falloff the bone perfectly cooked after being seasoned with a dry rub and good by itself or dipped in the sauce. The fries and onion rings are perfectly fried/not greasy and the cole slaw recipe here is one of my favorites; crispy and a bit tangy. This plate is perfection and, really, after trying the entire menu, my only choice.However, I digress. For those times (or guests) wanting something lighter, you can choose a small or large salad ($2.95/$4/95) and for an additional $3, top it with seasoned BBQ chicken. (The option of a small/large Caesar salad is $3.95/$5.95)(The amount of chicken for $3 is the same on either size salad).There are small ($1.75) and large sides($3) available. Above, a small side of sweet baked beans, another version that I enjoy because it is both sweet and tangy. Other small sides are cole slaw, fries, potato salad and macaroni salad. Large sides include all of those plus steamed veggies, a baked potato and corn on the cob.One item most people seem to order here is the "BBQ Broham sandwich"($6.95), seasoned and then char-grilled pulled pork on a toasted bun served one top of (or placed on the side, as above) cole slaw.For those who prefer pork ribs, the "Baby Back Ribs Tickler" ($6.95) is a good choice. Three baby backpork ribs, parboiled then grilled (using the same dry rub as on the beef ribs) and served with 2 rings, fries and coleslaw.

Sauce on the side for me! A unique (sweet, tangy and peppery) sauce and to fully appreciate, I think tasting the meat first, then the sauce by itself, then the meat with the sauce is the only way to appreciate sauces (and salsas).There is no need to run to the restroom or deal with disposable wipes to clean up when you are finished eating…

Phils BBQ 9816 Mission Gorge Road Santee 92071 (619) 449-7700 website 11-10 Sun-Th, 11-11 Fri-Sat

El Mango Manila (National City)

April 11, 2015 Cathy Fruiterias, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping to look at mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog, today. Cathy is writing again because the guys (Kirk and Ed(from Yuma)) are not having anything to do with blogging at this point in time.

A few months ago, The Mister and I were in National City and did another random stop when we saw a very bright, interesting bit of signage. According to the owners (all family), El Mango Manila has been open here since 2011. The menu is fairly extensive. Breakfasts here include molletes (my favorite) and there are tortas, sandwiches, green and fruit salads, juices, smoothies, licuados (milk based) and raspados (ices) and a variety of 'Crazy' menu items ('crazy' means cups of fresh corn topped with cheese, tostilocos, churrolocos, Takilocos and fruitilocos as well as a few other items).Recall that I said we were here a few months ago… Our order consisted of a medium Vampire juice (beets, carrots, celery and apple), small fruit salad of what was in season (strawberries, bananas, watermelon, green apple) topped with cottage cheese and granola with a side of honey and a mixed meat torta. The total bill was $12.

The torta was served on very fresh toasted bread, spread with a spicy lime mayonnaise and had ham and turkey and a melted Mexican cheese as well as lettuce, tomato, pickles and avocado.

This was a very tasty and fresh meal for us.

I do enjoy finding new places as well as stopping at fruiterias. Hope you are having a good weekend.

El Mango Manila 2303 Highland Avenue National City, CA 91950 (619)336-0507

McGregor’s Grill & Ale House (near the Stadium)

April 10, 2015 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Pubs and Pub Grub, What Cathy Eats!

Thank you for stopping to read mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Kirk is out and about today and so is Ed (from Yuma), so Cathy is writing a short post.

Continuing my quest of stopping at bars and pubs near the Jack Murphy San Diego Chargers football stadium, McGregors was noticed one weekday.The frontage faces North and around noon, the sun is just right above the buildings in this mall, located a block West of the San Diego Mission and in the first block East of the football stadium.During the week, you walk right up to the end of the bar area (above), order, pay and have a seat; the food will find you.There is a billiard/pool table area with shuffleboard and darts. Plenty of seating inside and out in front.Above, the 1/2 lb corned beef sandwich ($11.25) on grilled rye with Swiss cheese and a spicy (horseradish) mustard. Really good, lean corned beef; this sandwich could be shared (and it was).One Friday during Lent, I was alone and decided the 'Seafood Combo' ($8.95) would be a good choice. Homemade clam chowder bowl (excellent) and aBaja fish taco (fresh, crispy with a light beer batter), made this a perfect meal.Another visit had me trying a bowl of the homemade chili ($6.75) which was a really filling, tasty meal. The spices were perfect, and even the black beans were complimentary along with the meaty chunks of coarse ground chuck.The half spinach salad ($6.25) is also a perfect size for a meal. Baby spinach leaves and plenty of crispy, thick chopped smoky bacon pieces topped with a house made Dijon based salad dressing made this a very good choice. The other day, The Mister and decided to share a McGregor Burger ($8.25). A 1/3 lb burger made with fresh (never frozen, as are the burgers at all the bar-pubs in this part of town) ground beef, served with lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise, grilled onion and pickles as well as a choice of sides (you can see we chose the onion rings). This was a very good burger and was cooked to a medium-rare, as requested. The beer battered onion rings were excellent…whomever works the fryer here is an expert.

There are still a few more bar-pubs in the area, and I'll be 'researching' those soon. Have a great weekend!

McGregors Grill & Ale House 10475 San Diego Mission Road San Diego, CA 92108 (619) 282-9797 Website

Kula Revolving Sushi Bar (Rancho Cucamonga)

March 1, 2015 Cathy Japanese Restaurants, Road Trip, Sushi and Sashimi, What Cathy Eats!

Thank you for once again stopping to read mmm-yoso!!! Todays food centric blog post is written by Cathy because Kirk is (once again) very busy and Ed(from Yuma) is very retired and busy in his own way.

I've mentioned before that we still get newspapers delivered to our home daily. There are many advantages to this old fashioned way of receiving news, not limited to easier comprehension for those of us who grew up learning to read the printed word on paper. Yes, I'm talking ads that can't be 'blocked'.

For the past few months, on a Saturday, the Los Angeles Times has run full page ads for L.A. based 'Revolving Sushi' restaurant, Kula. The ads mention specials (January was 'Winter's Hot Food Fair', February until March 12 is 'Salmon Fair', no ad was in this past Saturday newspaper, so I expect to see something next Saturday).

There are three $5 off of $20 coupons at the bottom of the page. This was a reason to put the ad into the car when we were taking a drive North one weekday. We were hoping to find a place closer to home that reminded us of our experience at A'Float Sushi, in 2010.Unsure of how crowded this restaurant would be, we chose the Rancho Cucamonga location (one of seven) and had alternative plans to stop at the Bass Pro Shop a few miles away, remembering our meal at the in-store restaurant, Islamorada Fish Company, in 2008. As you can see, we had no worries on this weekday morning.Walking in, we saw the sushi conveyor moving around the restaurant. Each booth, table and seat at the bar has access to the plates. It wasn't crowded at opening (11:30), but was almost filled up by the time we were leaving.Taking seats at the bar gave us access to watching the rice maker, which not only cooks the (organic, from Lundberg Family Farms) rice, but pops out pre-formed, uniformly sized servings. I was fascinated by this machine. We also were privy to watching the constant preparation of conveyor items.

The sushi conveyor constantly moves via a belt under the crescent shaped chain, turns at the end to return in the opposite direction. The sushi makers prepare three plates of a serving (all conveyor items are $2.25), placing a plate with a description which you see first, then the three serving plates, each covered for your protection. Some servings have one, two or three items, some servings are in bowls.Above, you can see the first plate with the label for Conch, two empty spaces, where plates have been removed and one remaining plate, ready for the grabbing. When the sushi makers see only the plate with the signage passing by, they remove it and that's another order of three plates they need to prepare.Fresh wasabi is brought out to the table. The condiment tray with chopsticks, a covered ginger container, soy sauce server and red pepper are all you need here.

There is a separate menu wherein you can order items from the kitchen.

We ordered green tea, miso soup (each $2)and a soft shell crab ($ 3.80) from the kitchen. Everything else came from the kaiten, the merry-go-round track of plates moving in front of us.
This is a Kula roll. Real crab, topped with both tuna and salmon. Very good.Karaage chicken, with mayonnaise for dipping. Perfectly fried.Seared steak sushi…good…different.The Mister wanted to try uni. He had never had uni. The plate has a single portion. Yes, it appears it had been frozen and a mushy thaw…let's just say The Mister has no desire to try uni again. This had a label of Chicken Sukiyaki. Smooth flavor, dark meat chicken with an onion-y sauce.Sorry for this blurry photo of the wonderful cucumber salad, a refreshing mix of sliced cucumber, seaweed and bamboo in a sesame oil-soy dressing topped with toasted sesame seeds.More apologies for this blurred photo of scallops with a sort of mayonnaise sauce on top of rice. This was very good.You keep your dishes and steam covers stacked and the waitress counts them at the end to calculate your bill.

The food is…good, the experience is fun and interesting. We spent $33 before the $5 discount…it's so easy to grab a plate; discipline is needed…

Perhaps you are wondering why I'm posting about a Los Angeles based chain. After we ate here, I was researching other posts about Kula and saw this article by Candice Woo in the Eater, written in November. The space it will occupy in San Diego shares the same parking lot with Iceskimo and appears to be ready to open very soon.

Kula Revolving Sushi Bar Website Address: 9659 Milliken Ave., Suite 104-105
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730 Phone:909-294-3429 Daily 11:30am-9:00pm (Last Seating, Last Order 8:45pm)

Camels Breath Inn (revisit) (Stadium area/Grantville)

February 28, 2015 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Pubs and Pub Grub, What Cathy Eats!

Thank you for stopping to read mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Today, Cathy is writing, because Kirk is just too busy and has no time to write, while Ed (from Yuma) is doing something associated with retirement (in Yuma) .

Yes, there are many, many, many small 'pubs' near the Jack Murphy San Diego Chargers football stadium.Each of these purveyors of adult beverages are open during daylight hours and serve food. I did post about Camel's Breath Inn back in 2009, am now less fearful of taking photos and figure an update is due.

People familiar with the area of Friars Road East of the Stadium may have noticed an Armstrong Nursery just along Friars road, with a Stuart Anderson's Black Angus Steakhouse on the corner. Camel's Breath Inn is located with other businesses in that parking lot. There's a theme to the decor here. There are specials listed on the chalkboard (to the left in the third photo up) and usually there's a placard on the tables. This is a link to a current menu. We were here on a Sunday (but not during football season, when there are even more specials between 9 and 10 a.m.). Brunch was available.However, The Mister wanted a burger and ordered a 'build your own burger'($9). The 1/2 lb hand formed fresh ground beef patty, topped with His choices of cheese, avocado and mushrooms along with the standard lettuce, tomato, onion and pickles (bacon as well as a number of other items are choices and all for the same price). The burger comes with a choice of sides and, as you can see, slaw it was. The burger was cooked to a medium rare char on a flat top grill, was very good flavored. The lightly toasted sesame seeded bun was fresh and held up to the burger and toppings. The slaw here is very good. Still on my Benedict craving, the carnitas Benedict (alternately called a 'pulled pork' Benedict on the table menu) ($8) was my choice. Placed on top of a sliced and toasted slider bun, the large amount of in house cooked pork carnitas, topped with two perfectly poached eggs and a house made Hollandaise, was just right on that chilly morning. The sides of refried beans and home fried potatoes were plentiful and most were taken home as leftovers that day.

The food and atmosphere here are improved over our previous visits. There is a definite competition between the 'taverns' in the one mile radius area (yes, there will be more posts) with more quality food as well as beverage offerings.

Camel's Breath Inn 10330 Friars Road, #106 San Diego 92120 (619)281-1722 website

Iceskimo-shaved snow

February 27, 2015 Cathy Desserts, Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!!, the food blog, is where you have stopped for a moment. The food posting of today is written by Cathy. Kirk and Ed(from Yuma) are just not feeling it.

As Kirk has mentioned, our weather had been very strange the past few weeks. Very hot days, very cold days, rainy, windy and now, a bit chilly in the morning and evening but clear and pleasant during mid-day…

On one of the hot days, The Mister and I stopped here, the newest location of a business, (which was a pop up inside Pangea Bakery Cafe just last summer), for a refreshing snack.

The location? On the East side of Convoy, just next to Jasmine Seafood Dim Sum, sharing the same parking lot with Dumpling Inn (which will be moving within that same parking lot into the former First Korean Market, which held Island Town restaurant, which had been one location of Woo Chee Chong, a San Diego mainstay since 1899, closing in 1995). (Link to obituary of the son of the WCC founders).

Anyhow, you should be able to see the Aqua colored building… Walking into the small storefront, there are a few tables and some bar stool seating. Straight ahead, a suggested menu is available. To the left are the snow shaving machines. Pricing is by the ounce (48 cents/ounce on our most recent visit). Topping choices can be overwhelming. Pretty much anything you'd like is available… There are six main flavors of shaved snow always available: original (condensed milk), strawberry, green tea, lychee, black sesame and salted caramel.That day, I wanted something simple, so a small cup of shaved lychee was mine. (4.5 oz, $2.16)This is a good photo to show you the delicate ribbons formed by shaving the ice block. The snow melts in your mouth and the bright flavor is just wonderfully crisp; not too sweet.Special Selection that day was the 'Frozen Hot Chocolate'. This order weighed 8.7 ounces (and therefore was $4.18; I can do math in my head and not show the work, because I am old).

Chocolate shaved snow (very good chocolate), topped with dark chocolate bits, fresh strawberries and house made whipped cream, along with two fluted cookies. The depth of flavors in this combination was great. Even though I don't crave chocolate, this really did hit the spot for me.

Iceskimo 4609 Convoy San Diego 92111 (858) 216-1111 Mon-Th noon-10:30, Fri-Sat noon-11:30 Sun noon-10:00

Farmer Boys- farm fresh food, not fast food (Escondido)

February 26, 2015 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Burgers, Chains, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog, tries to entertain and sometimes amuse you with almost daily posts centered about food. Kirk and Ed(from Yuma) are not blogging today; it's Cathy writing this post.

You've probably seen signage while driving along the freeway or along side streets. Perhaps you've been curious. Here's a post giving you reason to stop.

Farmer Boys first opened in 1981 in Perris, California. Founded by the five Havadjias brothers, the idea of 'Farm to Table' wasn't spoken of as part of the dining experience, yet that's been the business philosophy of this small (79 store) Southern California, Central California and Nevada restaurant chain of both company owned and franchised locations. Yes, it's a chain, but with locations primarily California, it fits into my 'new year resolution' of patronizing locally.There are two locations in San Diego County, both in Escondido. The 'newer' location, pictured above, is near a Home Depot and in the same parking lot as the Escondido Vallarta Market location.You walk up, order and pay and your food is brought to the table. The decor is country and home-like, as is your freshly prepared meal. The restaurant serves breakfast all day, and my go to item is the 'Daybreak Sandwich' ($4.19 or $4.99 with meat). Pictured above, the Daybreak with a sausage patty (other options are bacon or ham). It's on a potato bun and made with two eggs and a slice of American cheese. Good any time of the day. I really like the sausage served here; it's not greasy and has just the right amount of spices.The hearty pastrami sandwich ($6.99) is served on a toasted garlic ciabatta roll with mustard and pickles. The oven roasted, smoky pastrami is of excellent quality.

That's a 7 piece side of 'Colossal onion rings' ($4.19) [a four piece side order is $3.49 if you want to avoid temptation and/or can't do math]. Not only are those rings colossal in size, but also in flavor…the fresh hand battered rings are usually ordered with any meal here. The fry is perfect and never greasy. There are also zucchini and harvest fries available as sides; both are also excellent, fresh and never frozen.The menu has had a 'Natural' (hormone free, antibiotic free, fresh never frozen) burger ($6.29) on the menu for quite a long time. It's 1/3 lb, served on the potato bun (all other burgers are served on sesame seeded buns) with American cheese, onion, pickle and 1000 island dressing. Juicy and flavorful (and *much* better than the Carls Jr 'Natural'), this is my burger of choice here, even though the 'Bacon Boy' and 'Farmers Burger' are a bit heavier and larger in size, the Natural Burger has the flavor I enjoy.The Mister and I came here on a Friday and ordered the 4 piece hand battered fish dinner ($9.99) to share. Hand battered, wild caught, pollock filets (each filet was quite large; the above photo shows two pieces; one is butterflied so it would cook evenly. The photo above it has all four filets as it was originally served.) served with Harvest Fries, two onion rings,the garlic ciabatta bread, toasted…andyour choice of soup or salad. The soups are made fresh daily. The choices are almost always clam chowder or cream of broccoli. Both are excellent.

The menu has enough choices to satisfy almost any craving or dietary restriction. The shakes are made with real ice cream, need I say more?

Farmer Boys 1333 East Valley Parkway Escondido 92027 (760)739-0770 Mon-Sat 6-midnight, Sun 7-midnight Website

Kokoro Restaurant (Lunch)

February 9, 2015 Cathy Japanese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Thank you for once again dropping by mmm-yoso!!! Kirk is, again, very busy as is Ed(from Yuma), so Cathy is writing today.

Here is a link to Kirk's 2019 visit, in addition to the links in the second paragraph.

There are so many fun and interesting things I've gained from writing on this blog. In addition to being friends with Kirk and Ed (from Yuma), our email and texting and sharing of food trivia and interesting places 'before it's news' (posted here) is a kind of 'perk'. Kirk and His Missus always plan their vacations far in advance, so that Ed(from Yuma) and I can plan out some posts during the transportation times. During those pre-flight months, Kirk tends to 'research' locally the cuisine(s) they'll be enjoying.

Case in point: in June of last year, Kirk wrote a two part post about meals at Kokoro, a new Japanese restaurant near Montgomery Field, not far from Convoy. Then He did a lunch revisits post in September. Ed (from Yuma) also went to Kokoro later in September, after hearing and reading about it, long before Kirk's vacation in Japan. This is my post about a recent lunch visit.

The deceptively simple decor is so calming. There is not a nail or screw head in sight anywhere but the chairs. The lunch menu has an excellent variety of choices and can satisfy any craving.The miso soup is crisp, clean tasting with an excellent seaweed. The very large Chirashizushi ($18) had the bottom of the box filled with an *excellent* sushi rice and topped with whole sashimi pieces. The variety of everything that was fresh that day and just perfect (the saba (mackerel) and sea eel were particularly great). Our waitress mentioned which items had been flown in from Japan.The Mister decided to try a Combination Bento ($15), with teriyaki beef and spicy tuna roll. Again, perfection (note the lack of sticky teriyaki sauce). The sides of pickles, radish, fried (karaage) lotus root and potato, salad and even tamago (egg) were so fresh tasting, complimenting the flavors.

Kokoro is more than excellent in quality and choices for a really nice lunch.

Another post: Dennis visited here also!

Kokoro Restaurant 3298 Greyling Drive, Suite B San Diego 92123 Website

Dolci Cafe Italiano (Breakfast)(Rancho San Diego)

February 8, 2015 Cathy Breakfast/Brunch, Italian Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Good morning/afternoon/evening. You have found mmm-yoso!!! a food blog. Kirk is extremely busy with work and Ed(from Yuma) is extremely busy with retirement. Cathy, who is also extremely busy, is writing today.

We had some heavy rainstorms back in January and The Mister and I were driving on side streets instead of freeways, finding ourselves in El Cajon one morning.

In the mall on the curving corner of Jamacha Road ending, turning into the 94 (just before the Cuyamaca College entrance) are many businesses. Right next to the Ralphs Grocery store (across the parking lot from McDonalds), I had spotted this restaurant for a few years now. We saw people walking in and decided to park and follow.Once seated (in the 'outside' area, which had heat lamps and protection from the rain), we ordered a cappuccino ($3.75) to share while perusing the menu, which mentions 'local farm to table cuisine'. It was excellent, as was the regular coffee.Indeed, we were some of the first customers of the day, since Dolci opens at 8 on weekends for breakfast (9 during the week). Dolci Benedict ($10.95) was prepared with perfectly poached (organic) eggs on top of toasted ciabatta with pancetta, gorgonzola, spinach and a pesto hollandaise. Served with country potatoes and seasonal fruit, this was tasty and yet another version of Benedict we enjoyed.The description of the stuffed salmon crepes ($11.50) had me curious. Smoked salmon, cream cheese and scrambled eggs, overfilling two delicate, slightly sweet crepes and topped with a very thin slice of smoked mozzarella cheese…the blend of flavors was just right (I had feared that the smoked cheese would be overwhelming but instead it was flavor enhancing, because it was very thin).