ed fromyuma – Page 10

Mariscos El Navegante: New Seafood Truck in Yuma

February 12, 2012 ed fromyuma Mexican Restaurants, Seafood, Taco Shops, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

Believe it or not, ed (from Yuma) finally has finished a post and Kirk and Cathy can finally take a day off.

Navegante is no longer on Ave B. Currently (2014) Pacific Ave has become a new taco truck hotspot, with two stands across from each other at the intersection of 24th and Pacific, and several stands (4 or 5 some nights) in a large lot on the west side of Pacific a couple of blocks or so south of 16th.

Every fall, as the snowbirds, packers, and fieldworkers come back to Yuma, new mobile eateries – taco trucks if you prefer – open to serve the burgeoning population. This year, I was delighted to spot a new Mariscos truck, El Navegante, on the east side of Avenue B between 8th Street and 12th – just behind the location of Yuma's Best:
A meal there starts with complementary peel and eat shrimp:
The shrimp are served along side a container of spiced red onions and fresh sliced limes, both of which improve the flavor of the crustaceans:

Soon roasted yellow chilies also make an appearance. Spicy, smoky, and juicy:

Although the menu is limited, just about everything is well done. For example, the fish ceviche has all the right flavor notes, lightly fishy and citrusy. It is also crunchy and fresh flavored:

As good as fish ceviche tostada is, Tina and I think the ceviche de camaron tostada is even better:

The shrimp has not been cooked before marinating and has a very fresh flavor and a bit of chewy texture. The fish and shrimp tacos are also good:

The shrimp tacos have a bit more breading and a bit more crunch. The fish tacos are wonderfully fresh with moist real fish fillets. This fish has never seen a freezer and, after frying, hasn't sat under a heat lamp waiting for someone to order it.

The aguachile at El Navegante is close to perfect. When Roger Naylor, the travel writer for the Arizona Republic (and other publications) was in town, I made sure he and I and some other local eaters dropped in on Navegante around 6 one evening, and the whole lot of us were impressed by the chile and lime marinated raw shrimp plate:

We had ordered it moderately picante, so the hot chili flavors did not overwhelm the freshness of the pristine shrimp. Unlike other aguachiles I have had in the past, the lime juice complemented the seafood instead of souring it. Spice, tang, and shrimpiness were perfectly balanced. Crunchy tostadas, avocado wedges, and mild slices of cucumber went with the camarones perfectly.

On a more recent visit, Tina and I tried their seafood soup, simply called caldo. This is the small size:

The clear mild natural tasting broth was filled with pieces of fish, two or three small shrimp, and a little bit of octopus. At three dollars, it was certainly a good value. I found that the soup got even better when I added the chopped onion and cilantro, squeezed in some lime juice and shot some house salsa into the Styrofoam cup.

We also had what they call chile relleno, a yellow chile stuffed with cheese and shrimp, breaded (or not if you prefer), and served with a chili mayonnaise dip:

While a little bit greasy, it was also crunchy and irresistible:

On this visit, the restaurant even had mantaraya, reconstituted dried giant stingray from the sea of Cortez. We had it in a taco:

Muy rico. I had never had stingray with such rich and concentrated taste before. Not overly salty, the smoky, almost sweet flavors filled the mouth. Amazingly good.

El Navegante also does take out. For example, I once brought home a good fresh tasting campechana (mixed seafood cocktail with onions and cucumber in complex tomato water). While lacking the seafood variety of Juanita's campechana, The mariscos were excellent in flavor and half of it filled a small soup bowl:

From that same day, here is a fish taco, a shrimp taco, a chile relleno, lime wedges, and marinated onions, making a tasty and attractive plate:

El Navegante seems to open around 10 AM and closes around 6:30 or 7 PM. The mantaraya is only available on the weekends and the aguachile takes a little while to marinate. Prices are extremely reasonable, and the family that operates this little truck is friendly and helpful. English (as well as Spanish, of course) is spoken. A little dining gemstone in the southwest corner of Arizona. Navigate yourself here.

Mariscos El Navegante, 1019 S Ave B, Yuma AZ, 928-261-6481

Eating around Julian and at the Julian Grille

August 8, 2011 ed fromyuma American/New American Restaurants, Sandwiches, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!

mmm-yoso is the foodblog. Kirk does most of the posts and travels around the world. Cathy does a lot of posts and travels around the country. ed (from Yuma) posts once in a while (like today) and recently traveled to Julian.

Tina and I and Chloe, our new canine companion, decided to spend a few days in the Julian area. Our first meal on the trip was at the Lake Cuyamaca restaurant, which sits beside Lake Cuyamaca just north of Cuyamaca Rancho state park. Tina's dad told us that the owner of the place was Austrian, so we should try the sauerkraut there. I had visited the restaurant years ago, but I did not remember the food at all – only the beautiful scenery:
That picture and this were taken from the terrace where we could bring the dog:
On this visit, Tina had a tuna melt, which was not memorable and that's my excuse for having no picture. On the other hand, I thought my Reuben sandwich was pretty tasty:
The rye bread was adequate and nicely grilled. The Austrian potato salad on the side was okay, though too sour for my taste (I do a better German style summer potato salad at home). I liked that the thousand island/Russian (?) dressing was served on the side and not slathered all over everything. The sauerkraut was as good and flavorful and mild as advertised, and the corned beef was abundant and tasty:

Not a bad start for our little doggie vacation.

A couple of days later, we picked up sandwiches from Dudley's in Santa Ysabel and took them to beautiful Heise park, where we could eat them outside on picnic tables and then go walking with the dog afterwards. This is a photo of my beef and turkey sandwich with Swiss on German black bread:

In most ways, this was an excellent sandwich. It had been made to order and the turkey and beef were moist and fresh. There was enough tomato and lettuce and I had a choice of vegetables also, so there was green pepper and red onion on the sandwich as well. More than I could eat. The only disappointing part of the sandwich was the bread. I was expecting something with robust rye and/or whole-wheat flavors and a fairly firm texture. This bread, on the other hand, tasted a lot like regular bread darkened with caramel coloring.

In contrast, Tina loved everything about her turkey on rosemary bread:
While the bread was soft, she thoroughly enjoyed the rosemary flavor set off by a hint of sea salt. "The avocado was good too," she adds.

I have already posted about our dinners at Jeremy's. Our other two meals on vacation (since sticky cinnamon rolls don't really count as a meal) were both at Julian Grille:

We started with a lunch. I had the regular hamburger with potato salad as my side:

The third pound burger was tender, though cooked a little more than the medium rare I requested. The condiments and accompaniments were decent. It was a good burger. The potato salad on the side was clearly homemade and extremely good. The red skin potatoes were firm, the dressing was light and not goopy, there were small bits of crunchiness, and (if memory serves) a hint of dill.

More amazing was Tina's BLT, which she ordered with a cup of cream of squash soup as her side dish:
The sandwich deserves a close-up:

Yes, believe it or not, the bacon is nearly 2 inches thick over the entire sandwich. Not the world's greatest bacon, but so much bacon that we actually removed some of it and took it with us for snacking later. For my tastes, too much bacon and not enough tomato, but I think it may be against the law to complain about too much bacon.

In any case, Tina and I thought that the lunch was certainly good enough to deserve a dinner visit. Plus, the outdoor patio was very attractive and the weather was perfect:
In addition, it was dog friendly:

As you can tell, by this point of the vacation, poor Chloe was dog tired. Not only had we been walking all over the place, but she felt like she had to be on guard most of the time – "why else would they have brought a dog with them?" she must have thought. And she was a good guard dog, protecting us from the housecats that wandered in the neighborhood of the motel and making sure none of those fat park squirrels got their furry little paws on our sandwiches.

While Chloe was finally relaxing, our friendly and helpful server brought us bread to start our meal:

This was pretty much supermarket French bread, edible but ordinary. The butter was soft and spread easily over the slices.

As I was looking over the wine list, I asked about the Menghini Sauvignon Blanc, a wine from a local producer that I had never sampled. To help me make up my mind, our server actually brought an open bottle out to the table and poured me a little bit to taste. I thought that was considerate and helpful, and the wine was certainly good enough to order a bottle:

It was nicely dry and neutral, lacking powerful grassy or citrusy flavors, with a nice background touch of fruit. A good food wine.

Tina started her meal with a bowl of the same cream of squash soup that she had had previously:

The soup was full of the flavor of fresh picked summer zucchini. We noticed no discernible herbal or animal flavors. It was very good, smooth and tasty.

I opted for a salad with the house special apple pecan vinaigrette:

This attractive salad was mostly romaine, topped with baby greens, red cabbage slices, and shredded carrot. Nice and crunchy. While the special dressing did have apple flavors and numerous bits of pecan, next time I would probably order the ranch.

That evening as her entree, Tina chose a salad – the Caesar salad with grilled salmon:

The romaine was very fresh and abundant, but the dressing seemed generic, the croutons store-bought, and the Parmesan domestic. Nonetheless, the salad tasted fine. Even better was the perfectly cooked salmon, succulent, tender, and moist.

My entrée, called trout almondine on the menu, was somewhat more problematic:

The mixed vegetables – carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, and even a couple of slices of overcooked squash – were pretty good as a whole. The rice, while perfectly edible, was somewhat dry, and its Mexican safflower added little flavor or color. The largely boneless trout was somewhat dry and its flavor was lost under a confused melange that pretty much covered the whole fish. That topping consisted of onion, scallions, mushrooms, and slivered almonds. The predominant flavor of all of the items was sour, and the almonds had lost most of their crunch. The mushrooms, in particular, had soaked up whatever vinegar or citrus the chef had used. Why use all these ingredients and then cover their flavors? The entrée was not inedible, but it was not especially enjoyable either.

Since the patio was filling up, we took our desserts (apple pie and strawberry/rhubarb pie) back to the motel. Oddly, we preferred the strawberry/rhubarb, but neither was nearly as good as the apple pie we got the next day from Apple Alley.

I don't mean to trash Julian Grille severely. The prices were reasonable (but I forgot to write them down). Overall, the lunch was pretty darn good. The patio was extremely pleasant with appropriate background music – Rod Stewart singing torch songs in the evening. At both meals, the service was first rate, and only my trout dish was truly sub par. I suspect a few visits would allow folks to discover what the kitchen does best.

The Julian Grille,2224 Main Street, Julian, CA 92036,(760) 765-0173, Open daily for lunch and Tues – Sunday for dinner.

Jeremy’s-on-the-Hill: Fine Dining near Julian

July 28, 2011 ed fromyuma Fine Dining, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!

Kirk is working, Cathy is eating, and ed (from Yuma) just got back from Julian:

Tina and I were spending a few days in Julian to escape Yuma in July and go someplace with dog friendly activities and restaurants. Jeremy's on the Hill in Wynola, about 3 miles west of Julian, is the most culinarily ambitious eatery in the area though it looks pretty ordinary from the outside:

The chef, Jeremy Manley, is a local kid, only about 25 years old, and a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu in San Francisco. Several denizens of Julian told us they were delighted he chose to open his restaurant "back home." His menu stresses that he tries to use organic and local ingredients.

We were also happy to learn that canine companions are very welcome on the comfortable outside patio, where we had our two meals:

In addition to a decent selection of local craft beers (including several varieties of Alesmith and Lost Abbey in bottles), the beverage list contained a range of reasonably priced wines (many local) and numerous reds and whites were available by the glass – this is an Orfila chardonnay ($8):

The quality stemware was changed every time a new wine was served. The waiter also consulted each bottle's date of opening so that we were not served any tired wines by the glass.

We accompanied one set of entrees with Fancy Quest ($41), a good Lodi old vine Zinfandel, from Jessie's Grove, a small producer of whom I had never heard. It was a full flavored wine with a very appropriate label – considering how many horses we saw in the Julian area:

The next night we chose a brightly fruity Orfila Sangiovese ($32 and served a few degrees warmer than is my preference):
Our first meal began with some slices of an artisan French baguette with a nice crunchy crust, accompanied by green curry hummus. Never had green curry hummus before, but the flavors melded nicely with the bread. A great start to a meal:

The next night no bread. Not sure why.

That visit, we ordered onion rings (small size $9) as an appetizer:

The thin batter crust cracked and shattered as you bit into it. Extra crispy. And the onion slices were thick slices of sweet onion:
In most respects, the rings were excellent. They did, however, leave a light greasy aftertaste in the mouth and a slick of fry oil on the plate:
We also sampled a pair of soups. The cup of gazpacho (the soup of the day both nights) was fresh and wonderful ($5):

The quality of the fresh tomatoes shined throughout. The dice of zucchini, yellow squash, red onion and fresh peppers added flavor and varied the texture. A citrus sourness and a jalapeno heat balanced the cool sweetness of the tomatoes.

Here's a bowl of the same soup the next night – equally tasty:
The other soup we tried is a regular item on the menu – lobster bisque ($8):

It was clear that the Sherry had been added to the soup at the end as the aroma and flavor of the wine hit the nose and tongue first. Then the rich flavor of lobster filled the mouth – followed by a long, smooth and creamy finish that flowed over the palate. Well done.

We also had two different salads. The first night, we chose the salad with mixed greens, a round of goat cheese, pecans, and orange slices, all dressed with a combination of orange vinaigrette and black truffle oil ($10):

We agreed that this salad was a great success in every way. The disparate ingredients (baby lettuces, orange slices, pecans, and goat cheese) worked very well together. The greens were clearly sourced from farmers' markets. Look at the baby crinkly red leaves in the left foreground joined at the base, not cut and separated into separate leaves. And the dressing was truly superb, the pronounced black truffle taste and aroma given the whole salad a rustic earthy woodsy flavor.

The next evening, we chose a salad as one main course (part of three courses – including a bowl of the gazpacho and dessert – for $25). Again, the baby greens were fresh and tasty, and they were accompanied with cucumber slices, avocado slices, and cherry tomatoes. The salad was topped with a roasted chicken breast, perfectly cooked, still moist and tender. The dressing, with a lemon vinaigrette this evening, had the same wonderful truffle oil:

I thought the chicken was somewhat under flavored, but Tina pointed out that it went perfectly with the rest of the salad. This was not an entrée of roasted chicken on a bed of lettuce, but rather a salad in which the chicken was an important part, but just a part. The flavorful woodsy and lemony dressing made the chicken as well as the vegetables taste better.

Over the course of the two evenings, we shared three meat centered entrées. The blue cheese bison burger ($18) was an easy choice since Tina loves blue cheese burgers and I was intrigued that chef Manley uses bison raised by a local rancher:

As you can see, it was a thick, slightly charred, hand formed patty topped with a triangle of creamy blue cheese. Just enough red leaf lettuce, red onion, and red tomato. All on a ciabatta roll. I have no idea about the sauce on the burger because I hardly noticed its flavor.

The accompaniment for the bison burger was something new to me – fresh cut California corn mixed with farro, which the waiter spelled out and identified as an Egyptian grain (in that case, shouldn't it be spelled Pharaoh?). According to Wikipedia, farro seems to be a name used for three different types of primitive wheats – the sort of things that ancient Egyptians would have actually eaten. Not usually made into bread or pasta, it's normally served in the whole grain or berry fashion as in this dish. While unusual, I appreciated this accompaniment more than something like french fries. The sweet corn and whole-grain flavors and chewy textures were a nice contrast to the rest of the plate.

Another great thing about this burger was that it was prepared rare. In fact, our helpful and friendly waiter explained the lean meat dries out when the patty is overcooked. This is what the burger (minus the top bun) looked like cut it in half to share with Tina:

Notice how the cheese has melted and how juicy the burger is. It was as good as it looks.

We also shared a gigantic pork chop ($28):

It was accompanied by three nicely cooked asparagus spears and a slightly al dente sliced baby carrot. The chop and vegetables lay on a mound of garlic mashed potatoes:
I never imagined that the mashed potatoes would contain whole garlic cloves, but they did:
While the pork chop was more than we could eat, it had a nice charred smoky flavor and was perfectly cooked, lightly pink and wonderfully moist:
Our other meaty entrée consisted of lamb chops ($25), their rib bones circled by a single ring of French fried onion, lying around a hill of smoked cheddar polenta topped with bitter greens:

The polenta was truly wonderful. The smoky cheese flavor played a supporting role while the sweet rich creaminess of the cornmeal took center stage. The menu said the greens were spinach, but they tasted unlike any spinach I have ever eaten. They seemed to be cut from much larger leaves than spinach and were chewy with a very pronounced bitterness. My guess is some type of mustard green instead. However, I am not complaining. The contrasts between the starch and vegetable made each of them taste better and spotlighted the differences in flavor, texture, and appearance. In my mind, this was the best of the three sides, and each of them was very good and original.

The lamb chops were lamb chops, medium rare, meaty, and perfectly okay. Looking back, I'm amazed that the least impressive entrée item was perfectly prepared lamb chops. That speaks well to the overall quality of the food.

The second night we had watermelon granita for dessert – which came with the three for $25 offer:

Exactly perfect. Light, cool, sweet, and redolent of the best parts of watermelon. The berries offered a tart contrast. A great way to end a meal.

Tina and I were generally very happy at Jeremy's on the Hill. The service, good both nights, was absolutely exceptional the first evening. While there were a few glitches, there were no disasters. The menu offers a limited number of choices, but the chef seems really good at the preparations. While nothing was wildly creative, there were many original touches, and I was truly impressed by much of what I ate. I would happily – no make that joyfully – return.

Jeremy's On the Hill
4354 Highway 78
Wynola, California
760-765-1587
Open for Lunches and Dinners Daily, and for Brunches on the Weekend.

Bayu’s: Ethiopia in Hillcrest

July 18, 2011 ed fromyuma Ethiopian/Eritrean Restaurants, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!

This is mostly Kirk's foodblog. Sometimes Cathy blogs here too. Today's blog is by ed (from Yuma).

I was in SD on my own because Tina was stuck in Yuma working and taking care of our new, irresistibly cute rescue dog Chloe:

My plans were up in the air – so many enticing dining options that my mental palate couldn't decide.

Then right there on University just before I was going to turn left to get on the 163 going north, I spotted an Ethiopian restaurant, Bayu's:

So a decision happened. I remember my first Ethiopian restaurant about 30 years ago in Portland, Oregon. The exuberant and friendly owner told stories about diving for cover during World War II when the Italian fighter planes strafed his home village. He made it seem like a child's game. Between his stories and the food, it was a totally different restaurant experience.

And the food – the sourish gray pancake covered with a lamb shank stewed almost to disintegration in a dark and fiery sauce full of spices and flavors I had never encountered before. My mouth burned in a really good way.

In any case, I am still a sucker for Ethiopian food even though most other Ethiopian restaurants don't live up to my original memory (memory is like that sometimes).

Bayu's is a very clean and attractive space with tasteful decorations and pleasant Ethiopian music playing in the background:

Upon entering, I was greeted by a friendly and pleasant hostess who would also be my server. While I quickly located a sampler platter on the menu, it was interesting to watch and listen as she explained the cuisine to some newbies – trying to be as accommodating to their requests and desires as possible.

I ordered the giant combination, called Taste of Bayu's. At $26.50, it was certainly the most expensive item I've ever ordered at an Ethiopian restaurant. What's more, the meal would be gigantic, more than I could possibly eat, but I could sample a range of this restaurant's dishes.

I also tried a bottle of Ethiopian beer, which the helpful young woman explained went well with Ethiopian food:

She was right. Although the beer by itself tasted rather sweet and bland, it paired nicely with the cuisine.

Before I describe the meal in more detail, I should explain about injera:

This is the national bread of Ethiopia. Is a fermented flatbread made from a grain called teff. This grassseed is gluten free so the bread does not rise. When the dough is placed on the flat grill, it bubbles like a pancake. Unlike a pancake, is not flipped over, so one side is flat and smooth and the other is like a sponge. The meal came with this basket full of cool injera rolled into cylinders (I have no idea why injera is never served heated).

But injera is not just a bread, not just a starch; it is also the main utensil. When eating Ethiopian food, you tear off a piece of injera and use it to scoop up your food and place it in your mouth. In addition, Ethiopian meals are presented on large round discs of injera. The bread then is knife, fork, and plate.

My order of Taste of Bayu's came to the table looking like this:

The meat dishes were on the left and center - the vegetarian dishes around the right side.

Best way to describe the meal is to proceed clockwise with additional pictures when they are helpful. Starting at 12 clock, we have misir wat, spicy lentil stew. I grew up eating lentils and almost never dislike a lentil dish. Here the flavorful pulse was enhanced by Ethiopian spices including ground dried chilies, giving the dish a nice moderate heat level.

Right next to the lentils was atakill, curried split peas. The pair of legumes presented a definite contrast in look and color:

The contrast went deeper. The peas had a chewier texture and a robust and earthy flavor profile – with just a light kiss of curry spices.

The next item, atakik alech, was probably my least favorite of the night. Nothing wrong with it, but the potato/carrot/cabbage combo was plain and ordinary. Of course, if you like those basic flavors, you would think of this is a natural and straightforward presentation:

The three items between four o'clock and six o'clock are usually served together as special kitfo, and they did make a nice group of flavors, textures, and tastes:

The meat was finely chopped beef cooked in butter. Its flavor was very meaty, though there was a touch of greasiness left on my tongue. On its right is ayib, translated Ethiopian cottage cheese on the menu. But in some ways it reminded me more of a cotija or perhaps a feta, drier and saltier than most conventional American cottage cheeses. The greens, gomen, are chopped and stewed collards. Minimally spiced, they were nicely prepared – not overcooked at all. The flavor of the collards spoke spoke to me without an interpreter. While each of these three items was uniquely itself, they complemented each other well. One intensely meaty, one simply cheesy, and one greenly vegetal. I understand why they are often served together.

The next item – to the left of the kitfo – was one of my favorites that evening. Called sega tibs, it is a complexly spiced rich beef stew, each chunk still having some chew and a lot of beef flavors. It deserves a close-up:

The next two items were sega wat (spicy beef stew) and yebeg alecha (mild lamb stew). In contrast with the tibs, both of these meats were cooked to a soft stewed texture.

The central item on the plate was doro wat or spicy stewed chicken with boiled egg:

This centerpiece was a little disappointing to me. There seem to be as much boiled egg as chicken. And the sauce, while flavorful, wasn't as intense or as fiery as I have had other places. To be fair, one poster at Yelp complained that the chicken stew was inedibly hot, so maybe Bayu's has toned things down a bit since then.

For me, the tomato salad sort of thing at the top of the platter was extremely successful:

While some sort of salad is usually included in Ethiopian combination plates, those salads are often bland combinations of chopped lettuce and tomato. Here, however, the diced onions and tomato had been tossed with some sort of vinegar, making the salad an excellent and tangy palate cleanser. I loved it.

One great thing about Ethiopian food is that the injera on which the dishes are served soaks up sauces and juices throughout the meal:

While you can use pieces of the separate rolled injera to pick up morsels of meat and vegetables, I prefer to use the injera on which the items are served. While that is certainly the messier option, it is also the juicier option. And I am not embarrassed to lick my fingers, particularly when they taste this good.

Overall, my experience at Bayu's was a positive one. I would happily return. The atmosphere and service were excellent. While it would have been nice to have some berbere paste available on the platter or on the side to add fire, the spicing was generally satisfactory and complex. It would also be interesting to try some of the dishes that are not on the combination plate, like creamy tasting shiro (ground peas), a different lamb dish (spicy stew or lamb tibs) or even gored gored, a raw beef dish. Because of the friendly and helpful service, Bayu's would also be a good restaurant for folks unfamiliar with Ethiopian cuisine.

Bayu's Authentic Ethiopian, 530 University Avenue, San Diego, CA 92103, (619) 546-0540.

Yuma Mexican Miscellany – Pollos El Correteado, Rossy’s, El Buen Taquito, and Taqueria Reyes

July 6, 2011 ed fromyuma Food Trucks, Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

Kirk is busy doing something. Cathy is busy doing something else. ed (from Yuma) has been busy putting together this post on 4 different places in Yuma (in Arizona).

Kirk calls these type of posts "Cleaning out the Memory Card." I have pictures of interesting and good Mexican food I've eaten recently at several different small eateries. No point in doing a bunch of little posts, so I'll just throw them all together here. There should be something of interest in this post for almost any Yuman being.

Pollos El Correteado

In Yuma County, there are three different locations for this restaurant chain (I have no idea how widespread the chain is in Mexico, but there are locations in San Luis, Sonora). One location is on Main Street in Somerton, one is on 3E by the base, and one is on Eighth Street next to the Subway across the street from Food City:
These folks do one thing very well:
Great Mexican roasted chicken. What Pollo Loco aspires to be:
These are special chickens that have four legs, four thighs, but no breast or wing. That anatomical peculiarity puzzled me the first time I ordered a whole chicken ($9). Must be a damn strange looking bird when alive, but it looks pretty good when served:

The macaroni salad and the mashed potatoes are pretty much meh, and the salsa and the white corn tortillas (both gratis) are far from distinguished. So I usually get the chicken to go and have it with homemade macaroni or potato salad.

Rossy's

Rossy's used to be a small truck in a small space with rather poor lighting and great corn and hotdogs. Now the same small truck (and a little hot dog cart) occupy the large lot that was most recently Tata's:

The corn (with butter, crema, and cheese) is still good, if not especially good for you:
They now serve a range of decent tacos that you can decorate with guacamole, pico de gallo, shredded cabbage, and lemon wedges. A carne asada taco with all the fixings looks like this:
For me, however, the big draw of the place are the bacon-wrapped hotdogs which they will happily accessorize for you:

Love those grilled onions, along with salsa and who knows what else.

El Buen Taquito

Getting a meal at El Buen Taquito was not easy for Tina and I. First, the truck is almost hidden toward the back of a lot on the east side of Avenue B, about a block south of the intersection with Eighth Street. Then, after we had discovered it, every time we wanted to go there, the place was closed. We realized, finally, that it opened later than most of the other taco trucks in the neighborhood and is not open every evening. However, many times we would drive by – let's say returning from San Pedro or Rossy's – it would be open and busy, much busier than the truck called "Yuma's Best" just up the street from it.

Our luck changed a few months ago when we pulled up, saw the lights, and decided to find out why this place was so popular:
The menu is extremely limited, but very reasonably priced:
We ordered a variety – crispy tacos, tostadas, rolled tacos, and sopes along with a couple of aguas frescas. However, the first thing we were brought were little cups of incredibly rich and flavorful consommé:

The only meat used by this truck is beef, and the beef has been cooked a long time so that its flavor in the tacos and flautas is fairly neutral and background. The consommé, on the other hand, is as beefy as Arnold Schwarzenegger in his glory days.

Then we received our order. The lighting, as you can tell, is far from ideal for photographs, but here is a picture of a couple of the excellent crunchy tacos:

Because the primary difference between the sope and the tostada are how thick the tortilla/patty is, it is hard from me to tell which one is which in my photographs. I think this is a tostada:
And perhaps this is a close-up of a sope:
Underneath the lettuce and cheese is a flauta:

In any case, Buen Taquita does one thing extremely well – deep frying. The tacos, flautas, sopes, and tostadas all had crunchy deep fried corn tortillas or patties. None of them was greasy; all of them were tasty. The sope was a little more chewy than the others. The soft meat and frijoles provided a flavor and texture contrast with the fried shells and abundant shredded lettuce. Everything was covered with cotija cheese.

Would I want to eat here every night? No, of course not. But sometimes you just gotta have crunch and this is the taco truck to provide it.

Taqueria Reyes

Taqueria Reyes recently opened in Palm Plaza on Avenue A, where Taqueria Jalisco had been in business for many years:
As well as providing a range of standard tacos, I am very fond of the tortas there, for example this one made with machaca:

Inside, there is a smear of frijoles, slices of avocado, chopped lettuce, tomato and mayo. I, for one, appreciate the pickled jalapeno, which I've always thought was perfect with tortas.

The other item that I love here is the Menudo ($5.99). For a dollar extra, you can get it con pata. When placed on the table, it looks like this:

It comes with a choice of bread or tortillas and is served with all kinds of condiments including lemon wedges, oregano, cilantro, menudo spices, chopped onion, and a deep and powerful salsa:

After I add some condiments and stir it up, it looks like this:
Look at all that tripe and hominy! But what I find most truly satisfying about the Menudo here is that pata, a big piece of cow hoof. And when I get lucky, the hoof is completely covered with wonderfully chewy tendon:
Sooo goood!! While the soup overall is not as complex as the incredible sopa de pata at the old Pupuseria Cabanas (I still miss that place a lot), it's the best cow hoof I can find in Yuma. And cow hoof is a good thing.

Sushidokoro Shirahama

June 28, 2011 ed fromyuma Sushi and Sashimi, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!

Usually Kirk or Cathy post at this foodblog. They are busy today, so ed (from Yuma) is posting on a sushi bar (in San Diego).

It was about 6:30 on a Tuesday night and I had no firm plans. I wanted sushi (as usual) but I also was looking for something different — because I had eaten with Sammy at Yaro on my previous visit to America's Finest Urbation, and I have been going to Sakura for nearly 10 years now. With the Fair jamming traffic heading north out of town, Kaito was out of the question. So I was driving through strip malls on Convoy just looking for something, anything interesting and different.

And then I saw it — Shirahama — with an open parking place right by the entrance. Nervously, I pulled into the parking spot, made sure I had my camera, and walked up to the door (the photo comes from later in the evening):

When I entered the tiny restaurant (10 seats at the bar and 4 small tables), it was empty except for the wizened itamae and his younger assistant. I had heard stories that the chef could be very rude and intolerant, particularly to people who did not speak Japanese. However, he gave me a friendly smile when I told him that I had heard that he served the best and most authentic sushi in San Diego and asked if I could be seated. I was allowed to take a seat at the sushi bar — but not one of the seven prime places, which were reserved. Having been to Sakura, this seemed routine.

I let the older gentleman know that I was putting myself in his hands, that I liked everything and was particularly interested in what was different and special. I then remembered to say "Omakase," in very poor Japanese I am sure.

Soon after the young man had brought me my glass of ice water, the chef set two pieces of nigiri in front of me. "Bluefin and fluke," he said. I was happy right away. Instead of serving only pairs of items, most of the time I was given one piece of two different nigiri. It was also nice that he was speaking English to me. Made me feel more welcome:
All of the sushi was served to me on this tray with gari (natural color, of course) on the side. There was like a mini teapot with shoyu that poured a thin stream into a small bowl. No wasabi:

As soon as I began chewing the hirame, I understood why there was no wasabi available. It was spiced perfectly – the strong wasabi flavor burst in my mouth and complemented the mildly flavored flatfish perfectly. The maguro had a deep and full tuna flavor with just a light hint of wasabi in the background. It was a good start.

Next came "amberjack and sea bream":

I was happy already. I don't recall ever encountering these before (at least not by those names). As I put each piece into my mouth, I closed my eyes and concentrated on the taste. The bream was both meaty and fishy – if that makes any sense. In a pleasant contrast, the amberjack was rich and creamy, suggesting hamachi, but with a more sophisticated and subtle flavor. Like many items that evening, the taste lingered in my mouth for a long time. I was smiling. "Very rich; better than hamachi," Kotani-san said to me, and I nodded in agreement.

Next up were salmon and Spanish mackerel:

Because of where I was sitting, I did not get to watch the chef's preparation, but he seems to have cut into the aji and stuffed it with sliced green onion. I don't normally think of scallion as a major flavor ingredient, but it was a perfect match with the fish and contributed much to the overall result.

The sake didn't look like anything special, certainly not as fatty as what I have been served at Sakura and Sushi Yaro. Nonetheless, it was still very rich and the flavor intensity pleased my palate. The finish was long and lingering. I have no idea how Kotani-san can make ordinary looking salmon taste so good.

By this point in the meal, the little restaurant was filling up. The seven reserved prime seats were filled with what seemed to be Japanese salarymen. Two of the small tables were full and the two chairs to my left were occupied by a younger couple who seemed more American and artsy – though he grew up in Tokyo, she in Hokkaido. You can see my empty seat next to her at the bar:

Around this time, I decided some sake – no beer being available – would be a nice complement to the meal, so I ordered the second least expensive bottle on the menu, Kikuizumi ($26.50 for 350 ml):

The back label of the bottle gives the English name for the chilled rice wine, "Fountains of Joy," and describes the flavor, "Silky and elegant at first sip, then a touch of peach and muscat at mid range, concluding with a soft and lingering finish." My thoughts exactly :-). It was a fountain of joy full of complex flavors. I even preferred it to the small glass of more expensive sake offered me by the couple on my left.

At about this time, the next two pieces of sushi arrived,"Crab and something like scallop but not really scallop from Japan":

I have no memory of ever being served what was virtually an entire crab leg as sushi. To be honest, I'm impressed when a sushiya serves shreds of real crab in a California roll. The flavor of the crab leg was somewhat like Dungeness, being firm and sweet, but not as stringy in texture.

The who-knows-what-it-is from Japan was unique. While the texture was somewhat reminiscent of a toothsome scallop, the flavor was like neither scallop nor clam. Instead, the seafood had deep underlying tones that suggested earthy loam. Like nothing I have ever put in my mouth before.

Now came the tuna belly and the yellowjack:

Again the chef was playing with contrasts and similarities. The yellow Jack was firm and rich and complex with a touch of fishy tang in the background. The toro was all about rich, smooth, buttery flavors. And like many other items that evening, the taste stretched out over my tongue and lingered there.

Fresh sweet shrimp was next. After Kotani-san selected one for my sushi, its compatriot decided it was time for a jailbreak, but got no further than the tamago:

Being so gigantic, the ama ebi became two pieces:

Unlike much ama ebi, this was fully packed with shrimp flavors. The firm texture made it chewy as well, a texture almost like lobster. Very good.

Shortly, the shrimp's head arrived, light, salty, and crunchy:

By this point I was getting full and my palate was almost exhausted from focusing on such complex, unusual, and interesting flavors. But the nice couple on my left said that my visit would not be complete without having some of Shirahama's famous raw octopus sushi.

It was served beside a piece of kohada (gizzard shad):

The shad was excellent with a depth of fishy flavor that filled my mouth until I washed my palate with some sake. The nama tako was amazing. The texture was both firm and soft and the flavors were clean, moist, clear, and octopussy. Words escape me and my notes at this point are hard to read.

The last item I was served was sea urchin:

Ooops, no picture, I'll blame that on the sake. Or on my memory. Or both.

I am so used to San Diego uni that I was surprised and pleased by what I was served this evening. It was darker and less granulated in appearance than what I am used to. It was also less moist, like a thick custard, but the flavor of the uni was deeply concentrated and long-lasting, the texture dense and smooth. A wonderful conclusion to the meal.

As you can probably tell, I had a truly fine experience at Shirahama. Even though I was the only customer that evening who could not speak Japanese, I was treated well by the itamae and his assistant. Some people at yelp complain about the decor and ambience at the restaurant, but the understated interior and the Japanese music in the background seemed appropriate and met all of my requirements. There were no distractions. I go to art galleries to look, to sushi bars to eat.

Honestly, I think it would be a waste to come here with a group to discuss business or politics. This was food that begged for my full attention and rewarded my concentration.

So, if you have some extra money sitting around and want to have real Japanese sushi in a Japanese environment, this place is for you. Sometimes that is just what I want, and I hope to return — next time I'm in San Diego and have some extra money sitting around.

Sushidokoro Shirahama, 4212 Convoy, San Diego, 92111, (858) 650-3578, open daily 12:00-2:00 and 5:30-10:00. Reservations accepted and encouraged.

Asian Star in Yuma: The Rest of the Story

June 21, 2011 ed fromyuma Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Japanese Restaurants, Thai Restaurants, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

mmm-yoso is a food blog usually written by Kirk, sometimes written by Cathy, but today written by ed (from Yuma).

Except for chain restaurants, I am usually willing to try any dining establishment at least once. But I do have a certain skepticism about restaurants that try to do too many things. I've never been tempted, for example, to stop into the Mexican Greek restaurant I see somewhere on the east side of San Diego County. Places that promise "oriental" or "Asian" food always make me want to ask if the chef is from somewhere close to the capital of Asia. In any case, that's my excuse for not going to Asian Star the first month or two that it was open. Better late than never.

I've already posted about the Chinese food at the restaurant, so this post is going to look at the other stuff available, such as this lunch sized order of pad thai ($6.55):

Overall, pretty boring. The sauce reminiscent of a sweet and sour sauce. The noodles and chicken also nothing special. Not nearly as good as the same dish at Highway 95 Café.

On the other hand, the Thai basil chicken is okay (dinner, $8.95):

Mildly spicy, the dish has a true Thai basil flavor. The vegetables add crunch and variety. I would happily order it again.

And recently for lunch, I tried the Thai curried chicken ($5.95):

It is really good. For one thing, look at all the chicken. This isn't curried vegetables with chicken; the focus is on the numerous tender slices of chicken. At the same time, strips of onion add flavor and crunch. Just enough peapods, carrots, and mushrooms in the background. The curry sauce is excellent – balanced spicy creamy flavors. And just enough sauce to flavor the entire dish without becoming soupy or goupy.

The Japanese food here can also be quite good. My favorite cup of soup is the miso(free with lunch special):

The broth usually has a good flavor with some depth and I am always impressed by the number of tofu cubes, seaweed pieces, and green onions slices. I have been served much worse in San Diego.

The baby squid salad ($3.95) looks nothing like I thought it would:

Though the mini mollusks have little flavor in themselves, their slightly chewy texture is nice and the tangy sauce is also pleasant. It just gives me a good feeling that I can order something this weird in Yuma.

On another occasion, we ordered poki ($7.95) and were served this:

The cynic in me noticed that a huge plate was being used to present the amount of poki that a Hawaiian would put in a small bowl. And a lot of daikon and slivered cucumber for the amount of tuna. But once I started eating, my cynicism melted away. The tuna was absolutely fresh. This was not the sashimi from three or four days earlier that had been marinating in the refrigerator. The ponzu sauce was nicely balanced. Tina and I loved the appetizer down to the last thin thread of radish.

Fresh raw fish is also my favorite part of the sashimi bento boxes ($7.95):

While the California roll is decent, many of the other items in the box are pretty ordinary. I really do not like the lettuce with the flavorless gloppy dressing. The deep-fried shu mai are meh and the eggroll contributes little beyond crunch.

But the sashimi itself has been good every time:

On this occasion, the salmon and tuna were perfectly adequate, and the tilapia was very fresh. By the standards of Yuma, Arizona, this was good raw fish, particularly for a bento box.

On another occasion, the same bento box came with only tuna and salmon as sashimi:

I was impressed. The sake was rich and flavorful, and the tuna tasted like decent sushi bar maguro.

On another visit, I decided to put Asian Star to a real test. Without looking at the raw fish case, I ordered some random items from the sushi menu. The few times that I have ordered sushi by the piece at other restaurants in Yuma – from fancy fine dining locations to Japanese chain restaurants – the results have been pretty disastrous.

However, at Asian Star the squid and eel were perfectly fine ($3.95 for each pair):

The unagi wasn't drenched in sticky sauce, and the ika was tender and mild. I had also ordered mackerel ($3.50) and hamachi ($3.95). We were served these:

The mackerel was quite good; better than I expected. The pale pinkfleshed fish was also very tasty, perfectly fresh and clean flavored. It was not, however, hamachi – at least not like any hamachi I had ever eaten before. Instead, it looked and tasted like light tuna (shiro maguro). My guess is that the sushi chef simply made a substitution without telling anyone. I suppose I could've gotten upset, but the fish was quite good, and it was being served to me in Yuma.

The shrimp tempura ($12.95) is also worth ordering:

It is not greasy and the portion is adequate. On the other hand, notice that the shrimp have a different coating, more like a panko, from the vegetables. Overall, though, a pleasant enough dish.

Similarly, the seafood yaki udon ($12.95) is okay as well:

The broth is very light in flavor, but the noodles are perfectly cooked and wonderfully juicy. The soup also contains shrimp, fish, and bay scallops, along with the noodles, fake crab, and poached egg.

And to my surprise, they even have togarashi seasoning:

This udon is very far from the best I've ever had, but it is the best I've had in Yuma.

The menu specials also include something called "Amazing Veal Chops, Korean Style" ($15.95). That puzzled me because I have never seen veal listed on any Asian menu before. Usually, veal dishes are native to countries with a strong dairy tradition – like Holland, Italy, Switzerland, and Austria. Not Korea. So I had to order it, of course:

This is dang good. The chop is large enough to be a beefsteak, more substantial than any vealchop I've ever seen in a local supermarket. Although this picture does not show it, it is cooked to a perfect medium rare – with a nice pinkish interior. The Korean barbecue sauce and the sliced peppers and onions add flavor. I can't imagine a steak loving carnivore not enjoying it. And in Yuma, most families include at least one steak loving carnivore.

Overall, I understand why Asian Star has become a very popular restaurant in Yuma. The prices are fair. The chefs tackle a wide range of Asian dishes and don't embarrass themselves. Some things, in fact, are quite good. Many are the best you can find locally. If you're in San Diego, don't hop in the car and drive over for this food. But if you are living in Yuma, like me, this is a restaurant you will enjoy.

Asian Star Oriental Cuisine, 276 W. 32nd St, Suite 1, Yuma AZ 85364, 928-317-9888, Open daily 11 am – 9:30 pm

An Asian Star in Yuma: the Chinese Food

June 11, 2011 ed fromyuma Chinese Restaurants, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

Somedays the mmm-yoso blog is cooked up by Kirk (our head chef), somedays Cathy serves the daily special, but today ed (from Yuma) is dishing up something different.

Last winter a new restaurant opened in the Big Curve shopping area called Asian Star:
Owned and operated by a group of experienced Mandarin speaking Chinese mostly from the Fujian region of China, this place is pretty stylish for an eatery in Yuma:
The major shortcoming of the restaurant can be seen in the background of this interior shot:

Once a customer is seated in the restaurant, service tends to be friendly and professional – if a bit hurried and harried. Getting seated, on the other hand, is often a serious problem. There appears to be no one in charge of customer management. Sometimes we have had to wait in the vestibule for five or 10 minutes even though plenty of empty tables and seats are clearly visible. The same thing has happened when I have had a reservation. Some friends of mine will not return because they were forced to wait standing up for 20 minutes because one member of their party was delayed. At busy times, the line of waiting customers extends out of the door. In fact, two of the first four times Tina and I tried to go there, we looked at the line and said, "no restaurant in Yuma is worth waiting half an hour."

It reminds me of the famous words of baseball philosopher Yogi Berra: "nobody goes there anymore because it's too crowded."

So why is it so crowded? The rest of this post should begin to answer that question.

First, the restaurant serves many of the usual and standard Chinese/American restaurant dishes at prices a little better than those at Grand China down the street. Most of the lunch specials ($5.95-$6.55) come with a complimentary cup of soup, such as this wonton soup:

Though the broth is very light, the soup as a whole is okay. Similarly, the hot and sour soup is equally adequate:
As are the eggrolls (2 for $2.95):
The filling was good, but the skin seemed too thick.

Several of us enjoyed an order of barbecue pork in honey sauce ($5.95?) without being truly wowed:
Other items can be quite good. Charles, who loves spicy kung pao chicken, ordered his lunch special ($5.95) extra hot and pronounced this version the best he's had in town. Very fiery with tender chunks of chicken:
I am not as impressed with what they call shumai (6 for $3.55), which do not seem homemade:
And while meaty, the pork dumplings (6 for $4.95) were also boring, dense and flavorless:
Once I ordered two of my standard favorite dishes for takeout. Both were ready on time and securely packaged in plastic. The shrimp in lobster sauce ($10.95) was very standard and gloppy:
While certainly not cutting-edge (notice the once frozen peas and carrots), the shrimp were well-prepared, tender and moist:
The double cooked pork ($8.55) was a good version of the dish for my tastes. The pork was tender and was not barbecue pork as in some local restaurants. There was also a greater range of vegetables than this photo would indicate:

Next time, I will probably emphasize spicy when I order, because this dish was only marginally picante.

Chinese dinners I have had at the restaurant have featured an interesting range of dishes, some very tasty and interesting. Listed on the menu, as "Crispy Roast Duck" ($13.95), this duck was not especially crispy, although it had a nice flavor, not too gamey, and moist tender meaty flesh:

On another evening, David wanted to try the M00 shu pork ($8.55), one of his favorites, and we all agreed that the pancakes and the filling were as good as you can get in Yuma:

That same evening, we had a wonderful dish called Eggplant Szechuan style ($13.95):

For someone used to Ba Ren in San Diego, this dish does not seem very authentic. Nonetheless, the combination of perfectly cooked Asian eggplant, abundant tender pork slices, and mildly spicy sauce rang my bell.

We also enjoyed the seafood bean curd pot ($15.95) that evening — served bubbling hot as you can see:
In fact, the combination seafood dishes here are very good. Even though krab is used, the shrimp, scallops, and squid are of good quality. Here is the combination seafood served on panfried noodles ($15.95):
While I found the texture of the pan-fried noodles to be inconsistent, with some noodles crisp, some soft, and some in between, I was pleased to find a slice of lobster tail as part of the combination of seafoods:

In fact, all the seafood combos at Asian Star include some lobster. While this is not like having real lobster dishes on the menu, it is pretty good for Yuma. And the lobster meat (what there is of it) tastes fresh and sweet.

What is even more surprising to me is that three of the restaurant's "Asian Star Specials" are said to have a "Szechuan Ma-La" sauce. I was truly amazed to read that. Here is one example called "Double Happiness" ($13.95):

The shrimp and scallops were perfectly cooked, still moist and tender. Truth be told, however, there was not a lot of ma-la flavor. Even though the sauce was different than another spicy dish we ordered that evening, with more of a front-of-the-mouth heat, no discernible numby tingly feelings touched my lips or tongue. Still, the restaurant deserves some credit for listing ma-la on the menu, even if they use very little Szechuan peppercorn in the dish itself.

Since I have begun eating at Asian Star, I have dined there by myself, with Tina, and with other friends as well. One great thing about sharing dinners with other people is that I get exposed to dishes that I would not have ordered on my own. For example, Tina and I went to Asian star with Penny and Earl recently, and one of them really wanted to try Fruit Shrimp ($12.95). I must confess I had visions of some poor shrimps drowned in a sickly sweet sauce with a consistency somewhere between paste and glue.

Instead, we were served this wonderful dish:

Each of the shrimp was perfectly fried, and their crunchy crusts crackled when you bit into them. The sauce was not sickly sweet at all, but nicely balanced with some (citrusy?) tang. While the cherries, pineapple chunks, canned lychees (?), and coconut were not especially memorable, they certainly did not detract from the dish.

That evening the four of us had a very good time. Instead of beer or a cocktail, we ordered a bottle of Pinot Grigio and another bottle of Riesling (Glen Ellen from California, each $18). Not distinguished swill, but certainly fine with the food.

And at the end of the evening, we were given this attractive dessert of four ice cream balls, each thoughtfully cut into four pieces and all of them decorated with abundant whipped cream (no charge):

If memory serves, the flavors were vanilla, green tea, mango, and strawberry. As well as being a pleasant conclusion to the meal, it was a reminder that the service at Asian Star – once one gets seated at a table – is actually very professional and friendly.

This post only presents about half of the reasons why this new restaurant is so busy. In the future, another post will focus on the other cuisines served at the restaurant – Thai, Japanese, and even one dish prepared "Korean style." So be sure to stay tuned to this spot on the Internet. Don't move that mouse!

Asian Star, 276 W 32nd St, Ste 1, Yuma AZ 85364, (928) 317-9888, open daily 11 AM-9:30 PM.

Tudor’s Beanery in Yuma

June 2, 2011 ed fromyuma What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

While Kirk is preparing to share more of his exotic Anatolian and Aegean adventures and Cathy is getting ready to give us the inside skinny about the SD County Fair (Deep Fried What??), ed (from Yuma) wants to rework the old Monty Python skit into – "beans, beans, beans, beans, and . . . "

Both Tudor's and the grocery store are no more.

We all know about restaurants that went under during the Great Recession. On the other hand, a tasty new addition to the Yuma dining scene is just perfect for economic hard times. Hidden inside Tamarack Grocery Store on 24th across from the main parking lot at the college is Tudor's Beanery:
Open at 11 AM every day, this small food purveyor sells to-go cups, pints, and quarts of different bean soups kept warm in several slow cookers:
When I get home with my savory purchase, I open the Styrofoam quart and I smell the wonderful aromas wafting up from (in this case) a type called Mama's:
As you can see, this mildly flavored soup is full of vegetables, beans, and meatballs:
As I heat it a saucepan, it smells better and better and I spot the bits of bacon that add to the flavor. It's serious good:

Another variety that uses white beans is the ham and potato – another mildly flavored soup:

As with this soup, occasionally you will find bits of char when the soups have not been stirred vigorously enough, but I've never had one where the burned bottom crust was very evident or hurt the taste at all:
In addition to mildly flavored white bean soups, Tudor's offers many soups using pinto beans and bolder border flavors, such as this smokey and spicey Bacon and Chorizo:
Or the picante light red chile flavors of carne Asada:
With chicken, it's Pollo Asado:
Then the greener flavors of Pollo Verde:
And the really tasty Chile Verde with pork:

The varieties change, and there are daily specials. Split Pea is made on Saturdays, for example. Others feature Tamarack Grocery's homemade pork sausages. Every time I'm there, I can choose from among 6 or 7 types.

And I have enjoyed every single soup I have purchased at the store – all are savory and full of umami. They are better than I can make at home. Not to mention the convenience of somebody else cooking. And can't beat the prices. Fresh hot quarts sell for $4.99; cold quarts (leftovers) are $2.99 — when there are leftovers. Cornbread and coleslaw are also available.

Tudor's Beanery may be a one trick pony – but give this pinto pony a ride, cowboys. And don't you dare think about Blazing Saddles.

Tudor's Beanery, 7875 E. 24th St, 11 AM – 7 PM daily.

Real Sushi Porn: Getting Some at Sushi Yaro

May 28, 2011 ed fromyuma Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!

It's summer, so ed (from Yuma) has time to share a meal with you. In San Diego. Back on March 31. Kirk and Cathy will blog again for you soon.

There are several reasons for the title of this post. I have done picture centered posts with similar titles on sushi at Sakura and at Sammy Sushi (RIP). Kirk tells me those posts still get a lot of hits (along with Lolita's Tacos), particularly from people who do not seem especially interested in the San Diego food scene. Second, I find sushi sexy and beautiful to look at. Third, I forgot to take notes on the wonderful meal that I ate, so this post depends upon some pictures and my incomplete memories of the food. The final reason is the last picture in the post is XXX or at least RRR rated. Proceed at your own risque.

I began my meal by ordering a large bottle of Orion, a pleasant beer from Okinawa that I had never encountered before:
Now that we have a beer, let me provide some background to my visit. Stuck in the desert, I had not had good sushi for months and months. You can't always get what you want, like Mick says, but can always get what you need – and I needed lots of excellent raw seafood real bad. Imagine my delight when this large clamshell packed with chunks of fresh aoyagi arrived in front of me:

I can't recall the last time I was served so much clammy goodness all at once. The texture was not chewy, crunchy, or soft — like goldilocks' perfect porridge, it was just right.

That clam should give you a hint as to why I was at SushiYaro and not some other purveyor. The seafood available is always carefully selected and often truly outstanding. After all, Sammy (of Sammy Sushi fame) is the itamae. I have enjoyed his sushi since I first encountered him back at Katzra, when I didn't even know his name. He has always served me good quality fish. Such as this maguro:

And this (hamachi???):
And this hirame:

I also must confess that I sometimes I am in the mood for the atmosphere at the sushi bars that Sammy has run. Nobody would confuse SushiYaro with a Japanese museum. Sometimes it gets loud, and people are encouraged to have fun. Sammy is happy to turn his television onto a World Cup game or, as on the evening of March 31, the opening game of the major league baseball season.

And what could be better than drinking beer, watching baseball, and eating such wonderful things as aji (Spanish mackerel) or fresh oysters?:

The Spanish mackerel was sweet, fresh, and rich. The oysters had a touch of ponzu sauce and a contrastive crunch of masago (or is that tobiko?).

Speaking of crunch, what possibly could be more crunchy and tasty than the head of a sweet shrimp (ama ebi)?:

To me, it seems paradoxical that sushi bars always serve the tail of a sweet shrimp before its head. So for this post, I've arranged the ami ebu pictures in anatomical, not chronological, order:
This particular sushi feast was particularly excellent because I had warned Sammy that I was going to be there and that I was interested in some of the real good stuff. So several things that evening were truly special. Look at this salmon belly:
Completely creamy. Butterly unctuous. Divinely delicious.

Toward the middle of the meal, I was served miso soup with clams. The clams were a nice addition (and I think Sammy knows I love clams), and the miso broth was intense with pronounced dark miso flavors:
One of my really favorite dishes of the evening was the kuzunoko (herring roe):

I had never had this presentation where the mass of crunchy herring roe is attached to a thin slice of saba (mackerel). The mackerel adds a fishy oceany flavor to the wonderful texture of the roe.

Similarly, the ankimo (monkfish liver) on this evening lived up to its reputation as Japanese foie gras. I don't know where or how Sammy procured this, but I've certainly never had better – and usually have had much worse. This was rich and smooth, mildly flavored and very lightly seasoned (with mirin?):

To be honest, I don't know how I could keep eating, but I did – everything tasted so good. The mirugai (giant clam) was fresh, crunchy, and clammy:

It reminded me the the meal had started with the large clam sashimi, and it also reminded me of those good old days when giant clam was so inexpensive that it was standard in most six or eight piece sushi combinations. Which reminds me that I am getting old.

At this point, to cleanse my palate, Sammy gave me some Japanese pickles (tsukemono). Though both were pickles, the two types had contrasting flavor and texture profiles. Together they were tart and refreshing:
And then my meal finished with the perfect dessert, uni:

Looking back over my pictures, I can't believe I ate so much sushi. And it was an exceptional meal. While I have had some outstanding sashimi and sushi at Sakura and Kaito, for my palate at least, this was as good a sushi feast as I have had in San Diego. The only negative thing I remember from the evening was that the Dodgers won. And that certainly wasn't Sammy's fault.

As I was finishing up – and enjoying a small glass of cold sake – I watched as Sammy made the most unusual sushi roll I have ever seen. It was true sushi porn (move the kids away from the computer screen NOW). So if you are in a basement in Bratislava scrolling through this post looking for pornography, here it is:
"What you call it?" I asked. "It's a WTF roll," Sammy said, and that seems appropriate.

Sushi Yaro, 7905 Engineer Rd # C (where Sammy Sushi used to be), San Diego, CA 92111-1930, (858) 560-1782, cell (858) 442-0212. www.sushiyaro.com