ed fromyuma – Page 14

Omakase at Kaito

June 11, 2009 ed fromyuma Sushi and Sashimi, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!

Today it's not Kirk – it's not Cathy – it's ed (from Yuma) writing about another sushi experience in Encinitas.

Last time at Kaito was a Monday night, so I thought it would be nice to come by on a Thursday so that more interesting stuff would be available. Plus I wanted to put myself into the skillful hands of Morita-san and let him select all the dishes (omakase – though I don't always use that word).

The meal started with a shredded gobo root/carrot salad. It was subtly sweet and the light dressing let the natural flavors and mouthfeel speak for themselves: Next came two shellfish dishes. The East Coast clam lay on a bed of shredded daikon and shiso leaf, presented in the clam shell:
The sweet tender clam was good and very fresh tasting – though not exceptionally deep or rich – but it did go well, as Morita-san pointed out, with a glass of cold sake.

More interesting were the two items parked to the left of the clam:
On top is huge piece of Morro Bay awabe (huge by contemporary abalone standards, that is). Below it is what Morita-san called its liver. Like nothing I'd ever put in my mouth before.

The abalone was outstanding. It had full abalone flavor, and the knife work on it was exceptional. One could remove one chunk or a small row of chunks and pop them into the mouth. The fineness of the dice accentuated the super crunchy texture, but left the awabe still easy to chew.

The liver (who knew?) was a nice complement. While it looks funky, the texture was actually rich and smooth, and the flavor was mild and pleasant. Overall a nice match for the abalone.

The next dish was truly amazing and (for me) unique in many ways:
On the right is a salad made from kombu, with little slivers of mirugai, all brought together with sesame oil and sesame seeds. A bit salty with a pleasant off crunchy texture.

It was the little fellars on the left that drew most of my interest, however. Morita-san called them firefly squid, and said they were sourced from the seas between Japan and China. "In season right now."

These critters were so pretty in a bizarre sort of way that I can't resist a close-up: Again, these little treats were completely new to me. As I popped each one into my mouth and bit down, my mouth was filled with a subtle and rich creamy liquid. I don't have the words to express the oceany complexity of the flavor. If I say something tastes "porky" we all know what that means, but it is impossible for me to express the total uniquity of this taste. At the same time each one of these little guys was very tender with almost no chew. The bodies were like tiny flavor filled footballs, the skin having just enough thickness to hold in the innards.

At this point, I was thinking that it cannot get better than this. But the first piece of sushi that I was served showed that Kaito can hit back-to-back-to-back home runs: Yes, I know that this looks like an ordinary piece of hirame; in taste, however, it was extraordinary. As on my previous visit, the halibut in the nigiri sat atop diced shiso leaf. This time Morita-san added some extra touches. The slice of fish was hit with a splash of lemon juice, then he grated a bit of crystaline salt over it, and finally dropped a dollop of green chile puree on top.

The flavors seemed to dance in choreographed fashion over my tongue. It was like each flavor had a moment on stage, had its own solo, before the next player appeared. It ended with the pleasant tap dance of green chile heat. Wow!

The halibut was followed by some soy marinated tuna: In this case, the maguro reminded me of the presentation on my previous visit. Very good. Solid. But no striking difference.

On the other hand, the kohada on this visit showed off the quality of the fish: Kirk describes the flavor of this fish as milky, though I just detected a certain richness that preceded the full flavored fishy (in a good way) flavor. The essence of the sea.

On my last visit, I had been somewhat disappointed in the Kohada – not this time. Similarly, Kaito's anago (sea eel) was better on this visit. Since Kaito's website links to my previous posts, it made me wonder if the chef was going out of his way to show me how good kohada and anago could be:
For those of you used to unagi, this fish will seem leaner, but it is also fleshier and firmer with a more subtle and complex taste. Morita-san is careful not to overwhelm the delicate flavors with too much sauce. The crunchy, deep-fried spine pieces provided plenty of textural contrast.

The meal ended with rolls. The first was a hand roll with ikura, uni, and ika: As before, I was impressed by the quality of the nori. And the flavors went together very well, with the squid providing good chew, although my teeth tended to pull the slices of squid out of the roll, much like cilantro stalks in a banh mi. At this point I may have been suffering taste bud fatigue because I cannot remember the flavor of the salmon eggs. The uni was, as you would expect, rich and fresh.

For dessert, I was served six pieces of toro roll with green onion: OK, I know you can count, but sometimes the chopsticks are quicker than the shutter. Trust me, there were six pieces. This roll was a nice way to showcase the richness of the tuna belly and an appropriate ending to the meal.

I left happy, satisfied, and pleased. Compared with an omakase at Sakura, the emphasis here was on sashimi and sushi. Kazu at Sakura will always include several items from the kitchen even when he showcases his fish. Morita-san focused on raw seafood and displayed an amazing range of outstanding items. Service was as friendly and personal as on my first visit.

Kaito Sushi * 130-A N. El Camino Real * Encinitas, CA 92024 * (760) 634-2746

Mimi’s Café: Meals at the Faux Château (Yuma)

June 3, 2009 ed fromyuma American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Chains, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

Kirk eats at chains; Cathy eats at chains; today ed (from Yuma) will let you know that he sometimes eats at chains too.

After Mimi's Café opened a branch here in Yuma, I kept getting reports from friends who liked the food. So about a year ago, Tina and I descended on the restaurant to try a dinner.

From the outside, the place looks like a rustic châteaux (containing one or two small warehouses) plucked from the banks of the Loire and dropped into the middle of a large asphalt parking lot:

Inside, this same cultural/architectural mishmash rules. You have the parque ceiling (I believe this is the correct term) like a 19th-century French bistro in the main room: you have open beamed ceilings and a fake balcony (not shown) in the New Orleans room (a New Orleans room?): and then you have a Romanesque barrel vaulted area that would bring to mind a medieval monastery with electric lighting, if of course the bricks were real:
Nonetheless, some things about our first meal were very good. Along with rather ordinary French bread, we received two slices of savory whole-wheat nut bread: Tina's Mediterranean Chicken Fettuccine, though containing numerous ingredients, was focused and tasty:
The creamy asiago sauce, though a bit greasy, was not as heavy and rich as an Alfredo and didn't overwhelm the other flavors. There were just enough chunks of chicken, and the pasta, while not aldente, was not overcooked. Spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, and marinated artichoke hearts added complexity to the flavor and color to the presentation. A few chopped fresh tomatoes cubes and shreds of domestic Parmesan lay across the top of the noodles.

My chicken piccata was an attractive plate: As you can see, the two slices of chicken breast, showing grill marks, and four well prepared grilled and moist asparagus spears were the culinary stars of this dish. What this picture barely shows, however, is that the poultry and the veggies lay atop a large mound of mashed potatoes. Now I love mashed potatoes as much as the next person, but I really couldn't understand combining spuds with an Italian style main course. In addition, while the flavors of everything worked fine, this entrée seemed to me to be as much a product of an accountant as a chef. The mushroom was very thinly sliced, only three capers dotted the meat, and the amount of lemony piccata sauce was slightly less than would be needed to flavor the two chicken slices. No sauce for the potatoes — though to be honest, they had a nice buttery flavor.

The side salad with ranch dressing was also decent. The nice lettuce mix had shredded carrot, a couple of cucumber slices, a few bits of diced fresh tomato, and three large mass-produced croutons. The amount of dressing seemed calculated to moisten the greens and veggies with nothing left over: I selected a glass of Sauvignon Blanc from the minimalist wine list and was pleased to see that the restaurant had figured out the glass-of-wine conundrum: What I mean is that serving a single glass of wine presents a restaurant with a problem. If it uses small glasses, the wine must be filled up to the brim, which all of us winos know robs the wine of fragrance. On the other hand, large stemware is much more expensive, and some customers feel cheated if the wine doesn't fill the glass. Here the wine was served in a small carafe so that no one would feel cheated, the restaurant could use inexpensive stemware, and a customer could swirl the wine around in the glass.

The service on this (and every subsequent visit) was competent, professional, and friendly–clearly the staff is well trained.

As you can probably tell by the tone of this report so far, I was both amused and impressed by the ambiance, the businesslike way that Mimi's was managed, and by the generally competent cuisine.

On subsequent occasions, we have visited the restaurant for breakfast, mostly because my favorite local breakfast place has gone out of business (RIP Arnie's). In general, our breakfast experiences at Mimi's have been hit and miss. A good illustration of this was my recent order of waffles with sausage and egg: The two sausages were large and good, with standard breakfast sausage spicing and a firm meaty texture — no greasy mouth feel at all. The waffles, while nice looking, lacked any crispness and were dense and heavy. The over-easy eggs were well past easy: However, their fried eggs here usually have a nice crispy edge to them: On the other hand, some of the items on the breakfast menu are truly mediocre. The orange juice is generic at best, the latte substandard, and while the blueberry muffin looks good: It is a reminder that at Mimi's sometimes looks are deceiving: The bran muffin, on the other hand, was outstanding (bran must be cheaper than blueberries): When Tina ordered the Cajun sausage with scrambled eggs and potato, the whole dish didn't quite reach okay. The sausage had a peculiar taste (to my mind at least) and the home fries were flavorless and crunchless: My Monterey Omelette (with which I had "fresh fruit" instead of the potatoes) looked very pretty, but was pretty disappointing: Instead of being light and fluffy, the eggs were two dense slabs separated by a slice of flavorless jack cheese dotted with bits of real bacon. The visible part of the omelette was covered with more of the mediocre cheese, the only slice of avocado on the plate, and an additional strip of bacon (which looked better than it tasted). The best part about this breakfast was the outstanding roasted tomato salsa.

Even the attractive fruit left something to be desired: The pineapple was still in its rind, and a couple of the almost hidden grapes were rotten instead of fresh.

On the other hand, some of our breakfast experiences have been more positive. The eggs ranchero bowl, though containing some of the mediocre potatoes, has been a really a nice take on Huevos Rancheros: The beans are black beans, the tortilla is crunchy, and the two salsas (one chipotle and one tomatillo) add two good flavors.

My favorite breakfast item has been the cinnamon raisin French toast: While the toast is not especially eggy, its whole-wheat raisin bread with cinnamon is very good. Unfortunately, on my last visit, this great item was missing from the menu. Who knows why.

Obviously, if this restaurant were truly bad, I wouldn't continue to try it again. I find the ambience and the decorations to be amusing and am impressed by the consistently good service. Occasionally the ambience, which seems like what you would find in an independent eatery, is almost enough to make me forget I'm eating in a chain: And then I remember that the wine advertised on the poster is not available at the restaurant and the homey photos on the wall are just stock pictures. All is as real as the bronze fiddler. At Mimi's, there often is less than meets the eye. More surface than depth. This is a restaurant run by illusionists and bean counters — but it must be said, very competent ones.

Mimi's Cafe Yuma, 1690 South Pacific Drive, 928-783-2680

Yummy Yummy Cantonese in Yuma

May 23, 2009 ed fromyuma Chinese Restaurants, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

Kirk has his rotation, and Cathy has her favorites, but today, ed (from Yuma) wants to share info about his #1.

I guess I should begin this post by being completely honest. Yummy Yummy is my favorite restaurant on earth. Don't misunderstand me. It is far from the best restaurant I've been to or even the best that I have eaten at recently. It is far from unique. I suspect that there is a similar restaurant in many cities with a Cantonese community.

It also is not my favorite restaurant because of its sticky tables, minimal decor, or downscale location nearly hidden in a corner of Palm Plaza on Avenue A: Instead, it is the food that brings me back to this place again and again. So I want to share with all of you a guide to my favorite spot - so that you can enjoy the place almost as much as I do. Warning, this post is LONG.

To take one example, the kitchen shows itself to be excellent at deep frying. These two fried chicken entrées are among our favorites. In neither case is the chicken breaded because the chicken is fried so well that its exterior becomes fully crunchy: The yummy yummy chicken, the top picture, is chunks of boneless fried chicken topped with vegetables and crushed peanuts. I actually prefer the second of these dishes, simply called fried chicken and vegetables. Here the back half of a chicken is chopped into pieces, deep-fried on the bone, and topped with vegetables and a standard Chinese sauce. Like fried chicken and gravy — only better.

The frying technique even enlivens old standards. For years, I resisted ordering such an "ordinary" dish as sweet and sour pork, but when a friend wanted it, I got to taste it — and enjoyed it thoroughly. While the sauce breaks no new ground, the pork chunks are perfectly cooked — crispy crisp with no residual grease, each bite beginning with a crunch: This skill at the deep fryer also shows up in the tofu dishes, which will always be served fried unless you specify steamed tofu: I still remember dragging a colleague in here one evening and ordering a tofu dish to share as he was moaning and complaining that he hated tofu. Two bites only and his attitude shifted 180°. Why? The fried tofu has a perfect combination of creamy soft interior and thin skin with just the right bite to it.

Of course, discussing the find tofu dishes here brings up another aspect of the food at Yummy Yummy that makes the place a winner — they know how to use spicy chilies. Look at these two tofu dishes: The plate at the top is tofu and beef, cooked spicy, and the bottom one is tofu and vegetables, also prepared spicy. The family that owns the restaurant was born in Guangdong, but lived for several years in Mexicali, where Mary, the owner/manager/waitstaff, had an uncle who owned a Chinese restaurant. There the family learned Spanish and how to cook with dried red chilies.

The kitchen will also prepare spicy steamed tofu dishes. Recently, I ordered spicy steamed tofu with bbqed pork and received this: Wonderful spicy sauce and creamy tofu. Adding to the textural contrasts of the tofu, shiitakes, and chewy pork was the crunch of strips of pickled veggie (huh? never had that here before). But the slight sour tangy crunch was perfect in this item. Not as good as Kirk's mapo tofu, but about the best spicy soft tofu dish I've ever had at a restaurant.

In fact, most of the dishes on the menu, such as those spicy tofu dishes, can be prepared picante, even if that option is not listed as on the menu. I prefer the seafood combination plate made spicy: While the sliced fish balls and squid pieces are always perfect, sometimes the small shrimp and fish pieces need the added flavor of the chili peppers. I also think the krab here, the type that tends to be pasty rather than stringy, tastes better spiced as well.

The kung pao squid (also known as squid in spicy sauce) is almost always excellent, the tender chewy squid contrasting nicely with the crunch of onion and celery, the mild seafood flavor lit up by the picante chilies: Another favorite is the Kung pao chicken. Usually the tender chicken is highlighted by crunchy celery, water chestnut, baby corn, carrot, and onions: This dish is always a winner and shows off the deep intensity of the chili flavor that the restaurant is capable of.

Another of my favorite items is pork ribs in black bean sauce. On the old menu, it was listed as pork ribs with chilies in black bean sauce, and that is how I always order it. This entree brings together chunks of pork ribs, fresh yellow chilies, and outstanding black beans: Until Kirk provided me with a detailed description of which black beans to purchase at the Ranch 99 market, I was never aware that there was a wide variation from one type to another. Now I understand why the dishes at Yummy Yummy that feature black beans are always so good. Their beans are deeply flavored, soft in texture, and rich with dark chocolate flavor notes.

The black bean chicken with chilies is also outstanding: Another dish that uses black beans here is their version of shrimp in lobster sauce:
Unlike the bland and goopy versions often served, this preparation focuses on the flavor of the shrimp and vegetables, lightly highlighted by the eggy black bean sauce. Note, this dish is found nowhere on the current menu. When the menu was redesigned five years ago or so, shrimp and lobster sauce was left off. But it is still available.

Which leads me to another point about Yummy Yummy. If possible, the kitchen will cook off menu, and the menu does not reflect all of the items that are usually available. For example, the menu simply lists Chinese vegetables as an option. Occasionally, they have none, but sometimes Chinese vegetables can be baby bok choy in a ginger and garlic sauce: Or baby bok choy with barbecued pork (or with Chinese sausage or with beef or with chicken — however you want): Or bitter melon prepared with beef and black beans:
Or Chinese greens (Mary usually calls them choi sum) in foo-yee sauce:
Or green beans (or long beans, when available) in foo yee: This was an especially great dish. So good that I had to take a picture after I had already eaten some of it. These veggie preparations are such a treat for me that I almost always ask what is available that day.

Mary is also willing to prepare vegetables that I bring from supermarkets, from San Diego, or from the Asian market in town. In February and March, which is our local asparagus season, I will often bring in asparagus for the kitchen to prepare. Once recently, I had brought in some special dried Chinese mushrooms, and I was served this: Although I have ordered many dishes from the kitchen using steamed tofu (remember that fried tofu is the default option here), I have usually asked for the steamed tofu in a spicy sauce as shown earlier. This creation, however, focused on the silken smoothness of the tofu, which played against the chewiness of the mushrooms. The delicate and woodsy flavor of the shrooms added a rich subtlety to the tofu. This was another dish that I had never eaten before.

I just want to end this long post with pictures of a few other standard dishes that most of us enjoy at Yummy Yummy. For example, the garlic shrimp (this is at least a triple order)– marinated in garlic and Worcestershire sauce — make a good appetizer: While the chicken chow mein here is boring, the special chow mein is highlighted by a mixture of vegetables and meat:
Similarly, the chicken chop suey (one of the best choices on the $4.25 specials menu) is not as good as the fancier special chop suey:
Wonderfully tasty sprouts, and I particularly like the anise flavored Chinese sausage in the "special" dishes.

If you like beef, the Mongolian beef (no scallions, oddly enough) and the sweeter pineapple beef (pictured here) are both good choices: Beef, chicken, and shrimp are all available with the standard vegetables (usually with alot of broccoli) and are good and reasonably healthy: While not a favorite of most of my friends, the chicken and abalone is one I like because of the subtle blending of the chicken flavor with that of the canned abalone strips: As with the sweet and sour pork, I had never tried egg foo yung here until friends at one of our Yummy Yummy feasts suggested it. It is quite good also: Perhaps now, if you have read through this long post, you begin to understand why Yummy Yummy is my favorite restaurant. All the basic Cantonese standards are done well here. I get my Asian food Jones taken care of, my addiction assuaged. The kitchen is willing to work with customers and vary dishes on occasion. Virtually all items are less than $10, and the menu has specials for less than $5. Even though I have eaten at Yummy Yummy or taken food to go around 400 times, I still look forward to eating there again. If anything happened to this restaurant, my life would be impacted severely. I would not eat nearly as well, nor party as hearty.

Which brings up one last point. As I have become more familiar with the restaurant and Mary has become more familiar with me and my friends, she has been allowing us to bring wine and wine glasses for parties (in fact, my only previous YY post was about a meatless feast here back in 2007). I like to let Mary know in advance if a large group is coming and about any special requests we might have. So now, about once a month, a varied group of us will get together and feast; this lets us all taste a range of interesting dishes (and wine and friendship are good things too). Yummy Yummy is also about the cheapest wining and dining experience in town. And one of the best — at any price.

Yummy Yummy, 2241 S. Ave A, Ste 23, Palm Plaza, Yuma AZ 85364, 928-376-0419. Open 10:30-8:30 Daily

Meals on Wheels: More Carts and Trucks in Yuma

May 7, 2009 ed fromyuma Taco Shops, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

Kirk has survived Mexico City and enjoyed Guatemala. Cathy is traveling all over San Diego looking for food. But ed (from Yuma) is focused on a different kind of moveable feasting.

One of the best parts about living in Yuma are the mobile dining options — no, not eating in your car, but eating at one of the numerous informal semi-portable carts, trucks, or movable kitchens that dot parking lots and empty fields around town.

To begin with, I want to share a couple of photos of a campechana at Tio Juan's on 8th St (previous post). Their version tends to be the funkiest and fishiest around, which I think is a good thing. On my last visit, I found an unusual clam hiding in the clamato lime shrimp water:

This Mexican black clam combined a nice fresh flavor with a perfect texture, firm but not rubbery. The shrimps in the cocktail were, as always, perfectly cooked and pristine in flavor:

Often the seafood trucks, such as Tio Juan's and Juanita's, close around dinner time just as many of the meat carts are firing up their grills. One evening, we got lucky arriving at this hot dog cart (On Ave 5E close to Hwy 95) just as it was opening:

Only a few of the dogs were ready to eat, and some had just been placed on the comal:

Tina and I both thought that this was one of the better perros we have ever eaten:
The sausage was not overcooked or dried out, the chilied frijoles had a nice rich flavor, and the chopped green chile salsa packed a punch.

While there was no floor show this evening, there certainly was a beautiful sky show:

Another one of the pleasures of dining al fresco.

On another evening we enjoyed doggy dining at Rossy's on 8th St almost to C. It was a different style dog:
Unlike many other places where the customer is responsible for adding condiments to taste, the helpful ladies at Rossy's are happy to load up the bacon wrapped wiener with their favorite ingredients. The grill-charred onions were impressive, and the over-the-top toppings and warm steamed bun were the stars of this doggy delight.

Another place that Tina and I thoroughly enjoyed was El Pino, where the mobile kitchen sits outside an old house on 8th St, almost directly across from Pupuseria Cabanas:

Just as some carts focus on hot dogs, this place has its specialties as well. The taquitos (rolled tacos) here, filled with soft and flavorful mashed potatoes, are simply outstanding:

This is a dish difficult to prepare perfectly. Too long in the deep fryer and the mashed potatoes become dry and overcooked; too short and the rolled shells lack the requisite crunch. As Goldilocks said, this one was just right. The crisp cabbage and the creamy mayo and sour cream contributed to the contrast of textures. As plain as they look, these are the best potato tacos I've ever eaten.

Also outstanding was the horchata – thick, rich, and spicy with cinnamon:

In order to have a balanced meal, clearly we needed some vegetable, so we ordered coctele de elote, a corn cocktail:

Yes, there are numerous chewy whole kernels of real maize (not the watery/sugary American style sweet corn) underneath the butter, grated cheese, and crema. Really, trust me on this.

I eagerly looked forward to visiting Tacos El Jarocho at 24th and Pacific because
the proprietor used to operate a small restaurant (also called El Jarocho) that featured some of the most interesting, unique, and flavorful Mexican food in all of Yuma:

On this evening we had asada, carnitas, lengua, and cabeza tacos:
Except for the rich cabeza, none of the meats was special, and the range of condiments and grilled vegetables was limited. I also missed the standard amenities, such as chairs and tables. Maybe my expectations were too high, but this was a bit of a disappointment. Still, it'd be a good place to pick up a quick taco – or two.

In contrast, we were delighted by a visit to this nameless two truck Mexican establishment at the far end of what is going to be a taco cart food court on 8th St just beyond Avenue C :

Earlier in the year, Tina and I had tried Los Compadres in this lot, before that truck relocated. The lot is large with several cement pads and electrical hookups, so I expect this location will feature more food choices down the road.

I checked out the grill before we even sat down and was impressed by the asada and the cebollitas rojas:

We decided to start with an aguafresca as the restaurant had its fruit drinks out on display:

We picked mango and loved it. Full of tropical flavor and dense with mango fruit, this hit the spot:

Then the complementary Mexican red, white, and green onions arrived:

These were wonderful. As I bit off the head, the moist bulb squeezed out of its skin and plopped into my mouth. It was tender, smoky, and sweet. Followed by the soft flavor and aromas of roasted green onion. Yep, better than good.

Next came the beans. A mixture of two varieties, these were a step above the usual:

Then the condiments, which were nothing special, though the salsa had a round almost sweet mild spiciness:

They were followed by the tacos, which arrived in shiny packaging, glittering like the stars of the show:

The asada was very beefy with the lightest touch of seasoning:

The pastor, grilled of course, was tender and likewise mild in flavor:

The cabeza was enormously rich and densely meaty. The emphasis in the prep was again to highlight the flavor of the flesh:

Just to prove that we balance the carne with condiments, here's a typically decorated taco:

Our meal here was $18, and we felt we had gotten a good deal. All the flavors had been natural and fresh. Although little English is spoken, little Spanish is needed to receive friendly service and good food.

And that is about standard around here. I am always welcomed at these little places, and I usually enjoy the street food. I guess that's why I kinda hate the term "roach coach" because all these places seem clean, and most of the food is made with care and love.

Culinary Arts Dinner at AWC: Yuma

April 28, 2009 ed fromyuma What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

Kirk is off in Central America. Cathy's in San Diego. And ed (from Yuma) had a meal in Yuma he thought you might enjoy.

Getting a meal at a cooking school can be a great experience. Your feedback can help an aspiring chef hone her or his skills. At the same time, you often get an excellent meal at a bargain price. I still have fond memories of a duck breast in cherry sauce at some culinary Academy in Columbus, Ohio, 30 years ago.

Even before I moved to Yuma, I had heard about the culinary arts dinners at Arizona Western College. Every spring semester, the wannabe professional cooks prepare multicourse dinners for a few fortunate customers. These days, the events are not even advertised since the tiny dining room holds only 24 guests.

On a recent Tuesday evening, Tina and I and some other friends (including Ms. K, an old chum of Tina's, who was visiting from France) sat down expectantly for a meal. All that we knew was that cornish game hen would be the main course. Soon, each of us was served a charcuterie platter, featuring pâté, galantine, and homemade sausage:

The meats were accompanied by lightly dressed greens and a creamy mustard sauce. While not overly rich, the pâté and the galantine (which has a light bread crust) were subtle and mild, with complex porky flavors. K was very impressed that she was being served gallantine out here in the southwest corner of the Arizona desert. My favorite of the three was the sausage, the heartiest and most deeply flavorful. Altogether, this was a mighty impressive starter.

The celeriac and tart apple salad – not so much:

I appreciated its vegetably crunch, and the flavors of the root and the fruit complemented each other. The light dressing stayed nicely in the wings. But it was just too much unvaried crunch for my palate. Perhaps the celeriac could have been shredded finer, as K thought. Perhaps I am simply complaining about the size of the portion. The first quarter of the salad tasted pretty good actually.

Just before the soup course, the bread bowl showed up:

This was decent herbed bread. The crust had a light crunch and the moist crumb had a good wheaty and herby flavor. Good fresh bread.

And then came the cream of wild mushroom soup, which just blew me away:

For the only time in the evening, the portion seemed small. But it is truly unfair for me to complain because this was a mind boggling mushroom soup. The flavors of cream, dried thyme, and marsala wine worked in the background. In the foreground was the amazing flavor of puréed wild mushrooms. Unlike the mushroom soup at the Better Half, which was primarily portobello, or the soup at the Radisson in Yuma, which was dominated by porcinis, this one was redolent with mixed exotic mushrooms – criminis, shiitakes, oysters, and even morels. A bouquet of flavors.

The main course arrived looking beautiful. Three crispy tender green spears of asparagus lay on a large roasted game hen that had a nice browned breast. It lay on a bed of rice/wild rice stuffing, and the plate was color balanced by some beautiful ratatouille:

To my mind, the poultry was perfectly cooked, moist and tender. At least as well prepared as the half hen at the Better Half. The wild rice combo was very good, if not quite as rich and complex as at the Better Half. I kept thinking "what are the odds having these 3 same things in two meals . . . ?" I guess I shoulda played the lottery.

One of the highlights on the plate was the ratatouille, something not paralleled in the other meal. K thought that it was slightly underdone, but I actually appreciated the freshness and complexity of this mixed vegetable dish. While each vegetable had been cooked so that none was crunchy, none was soft either. It was also a very attractive side:

The meal finished with desert. The menu said it was going to be cheesecake with fresh berries, but sometimes locating truly fresh berries can be problematic in Yuma. So desert looked like this:
The lemon cheesecake broke no new ground, but it was rich and the touch of tangy lemon nicely highlighted the sweetness of the cake. The chocolate dipped strawberry was, well, a decent chocolate dipped strawberry. The raspberry coulis made the little plate pretty.

All in all, this was great dining. Not every dish was a home run, but for $25 (total, no tax and no tip), the meal touched all the bases. Nobody left hungry; in fact, most couples had about an entire game hen with sides leftover for future meals. The service, provided by the students, was professional. If only they let us bring in wine . . .

Crêpes ‘n Cafe: French Cuisine in Yuma

April 5, 2009 ed fromyuma European Restaurants, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

This is Kirk's wonderful foodblog, mmm-yoso, where Kirk and friends share food experiences that range from ohso yummy to ohso different. Today ed (from Yuma) wants to share a place with you folks that is both yummy and different.

[Sad to report that this place is closed. Supposedly, the owner is looking for a restaurant location]

Great News!! The truck has moved out to Foothills and is now at 11350 Fortuna Rd. It's open 7am to 7pm Tuesday through Sunday with much the same menu. 928-785-7581.

March 2011 update: The truck has now gone permanently. Too bad.

The most recent news concerning the culinary scene in Yuma is the grand opening of our first authentic French restaurant, one with an actual French person as the chef. Who would have thought such a thing was possible here? And who would've thought that our first French restaurant would look like this?

I recently pulled into the parking lot outside the Del Sol Market at the corner of 16th St and 4th Ave, hungry for breakfast. Almost instantly after placing my order with the waiter/chef/owner, I received a cup of the coffee deluxe($2):

This cup of powerful and dark coffee was topped with whipped cream and chocolate chips and dusted with a generous shake of cinnamon. But the beverage was just the introduction, for soon I was presented with this crêpe, adorned with whipped cream and fresh blueberries: The first time I ordered a meal at Crêpes 'n Cafe, I was surprised to receive a squarish packet because all of my previous (limited) experience with crêpes was with the rolled variety, the ones that look something like enchiladas. I have since learned that this rectangular style of crêpe is very popular in France and is called crêpe de Bretagne since it is a specialty of the Brittany region.

But one does not discover the real joy of any of these tasty treats, until one cuts into them and exposes the secret interior: This one was filled with fresh blueberries and blueberry juices ($6). The flavor match was nearly perfect as each bite began with sweet blueberry goodness, but finished with a slight tangy tartness that refreshed the palate. A perfect breakfast — way better than a Danish.

But crêpes are not just breakfast food, and in fact, the majority of items on the small menu here are savory crêpes. Unlike the sweet crêpes, these are made with a buckwheat blend flour and are always accompanied by a little lettuce for textual contrast:

In fact, this is the first one I ate at the restaurant, and it is called the Jacky ($5). As you can see, it contains mushrooms, cheese, and garlic:
As I started tasting this wonderful concoction, I realized it was love at first bite. The classic flavor profile of cheese and garlic made my mouth truly happy. So happy, in fact, that I went for hours without brushing my teeth just so that taste would not go away.

Very similar in flavor is the crunchy ($5), which gets its name from the breadcrumbs that accompany the cheese, garlic, and olive oil:

Another favorite is the Popeye ($6), in which the cheese is complemented by sour cream and spinach. After finishing this one, Tina's first words were, "we've got to go back to this place again." "Soon."

Another savory variation is the blue potato ($6), a combination of potatoes, blue cheese, mushrooms, and sour cream. The chef has mastered balancing the ingredients, so that the cheese flavor extends throughout the crêpe without stifling the other tastes:

Another style of crêpe is what I call dessert crêpes. Of course, they would be great for breakfast too. One of the most beautiful is the "no comment," a delightful combo of whipped cream, white chocolate, and sliced fresh strawberries:

It tastes as good as it looks:
A good way to end this post is by a look at another true dessert crêpe, the bourse ($6), which means purse in French. The word also means stock market, but clearly the healthy shape of this treat precludes that meaning: This particular crêpe is always filled with ice cream and whipped cream. While sometimes done with chocolate syrup, the day I ordered it, the bourse was covered with strawberry syrup and tied shut with a whip of red licorice, making it almost as attractive as it was sweet and flavorful.

Cut into, this purse spilled its contents over the paper plate:

Now that looks more like the stock market!

For the most part, I think this little crêpe cart is a wonderful addition to the Yuma dining scene. Everything I have eaten from this place is well prepared and very tasty. The flavor combinations are classics, and are classics for good reason. Except that sometimes the line of customers and the wait for the food get too long, the place has few shortcomings. Opening daily at 7 am, it seems to stay open through the dinner hour. Crêpes 'n Cafe is both very good and (at least out here in the desert) very unique. Vive la France!

Simple Sardine Linguine: Ed’s $5 Friday

April 3, 2009 ed fromyuma Cooking, Recipes, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!

Cathy's busy, Kirk's busy, so today it's ed (from Yuma) sharing a favorite recipe. And yes, ed sometimes cooks on a budget.

These days we are all looking for cheap and tasty eats when we can find them. Stuck out here in the desert, I crave seafood, but craving seafood on a budget these days is tough anywhere. Today, however, I'm going to share with you an inexpensive and tasty seafood dish that can be made in Yuma and darn near anywhere else in the world. And this week, the ingredients to feed two people cost me only about five dollars.

Here's what the ingredients look like:

I will use both cans of sardines in olive oil (on sale this week for $1 each), about two thirds of a pound of linguine (figure $.65 worth), a bunch of flat leaf parsley ($.79 if memory serves), one yellow onion and a head of garlic (around a dollar total), one lemon (this time of year, given away free), four anchovies and a little of their oil, less than a tablespoon of Korean style crushed red pepper, and three tablespoons of capers (together they should bring me up to around $5).

Here's the list of ingredients:

One medium onion (sliced into strips)
One head garlic (chopped)
One bunch flat leaf (Italian) parsley (destemmed and chopped)
3 TBs drained capers
Zest and juice of one lemon
2 cans sardines in olive oil
4 anchovy filets (and maybe some oil from can)
2 tsp crushed spicy red pepper
2/3 lb linguini or other pasta
Some pasta water

I begin by frying the onions in the oil from the sardines and anchovies:

After the onions are properly fried, I add the chopped head of garlic and the four anchovies, cut into small pieces:
Before too long, I put in the crushed red pepper, the destemmed flat leaf parsley, and the capers.

Toward the end of the process, I mash up one of the cans of sardines and break the other up into large pieces, adding them to the pan:

As soon as they are properly stirred, I dump in the zest of the lemon with about half of the lemon's juice:

If I've synchronized things correctly, at this point the linguine will be slightly aldente and ready to eat. I add the linguine and a little bit of its pasta water into the pan, turn off the heat, and mix everything together. Because of the fishy oils and the dissolved anchovy, even those noodles that aren't covered with fleshy bits are full of the flavor of the sauce.

When the sauce does not fully integrate with the noodles, I place a clump of noodles in the middle of the plate and put extra sauce across the top of it. The finished dish (this is about one quarter of the complete recipe) looks like this:
I don't like to brag on my own cooking, but doggone this is good. Even Tina likes it. The sardine taste is upfront, deep, and thorough. The lemon, red chili, capers, and abundant parsley contribute flavorful background notes. Of course, none of my recipes is set in stone. Heck, some aren't even written down on paper. If I want more hot spice, more salty fish flavor, more lemon caper tang, or even more green herby parsley, I know what to do. But no cheese never.

Feeling frugal, Tina and I accompanied the pasta with a bottle of Rene Barbier Mediterranean White, which was a nice match – though it doubled the cost of the meal :-( . But for the truly frugal, I'm sure that this dish would make a bottle of Charles Shaw Pinot Grigio taste better too.

Give this recipe a try. Then mangia!

The Market Restaurant at the Radisson: Yuma

March 12, 2009 ed fromyuma What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

While Kirk and Cathy are still eating and writing and preparing posts, today ed (from Yuma) wants to tell you about something new in the desert.

March 2011 update: The Recession hit this place hard. The food went on a slow decline (the last calamari I had there seemed to come frozen right out the the Sysco truck). The restaurant is still in business, but recently hired a new chef. I have not tried it recently. If you have, please comment here.

About a month ago, I was a volunteer pouring wine at the Yuma Art Center, which was hosting a wine tasting to benefit its galleries and collections. A young man, who turned out to be the son of friends of friends, handed me several cards good for a free appetizer or dessert at the newly opened Market Restaurant. At first, I felt special until I realized that virtually every attendee had received several of these cards.

Truth be told, I was not even aware that we had a new Radisson Hotel in Yuma, much less that it housed a restaurant with serious pretensions. From the outside, the place looks very nice, and the restaurant is on the main floor on the right-hand side of this picture:

The inside of the restaurant is bright, tastefully brash, stylish, and comfortable:

Within a week, the Munch Lunch Bunch arrived for a Friday lunch. Most of the lunch orders looked positively yummy. This pizza with sun dried tomatoes and fresh basil leaves was a work of art:

Chip was very pleased with his burger and thought the light touch of blue cheese was a perfect complement to the beefiness of the patty. He was also extremely impressed by the french fries, ordered extra crispy. "The best I've had in town!" he exclaimed:

My sandwich was called shaved prime rib with boursin cheese on ciabatta (?) bread. While nothing earth shattering, this roast beef and cheese sandwich was quite tasty. The creamy cheese and the focaccia bread provided enough richness so that no other spread or topping was needed:

All in all, the food had been good enough so I wanted to return for dinners. One time, the first thing to hit our table was a rather unusual amuse bouche, deep-fried risotto balls served with marinara and a sprinkling of domestic Parmesan. The crunchy exterior set off the creamy rice goodness inside. On my plate, one serving looked like this:

Both dinners began with complementary pita bread, seemingly housemade, with a chewy texture and fresh-baked wheaty flavor. Paired with balsamic and olive oil, it hit the spot:

Also available was an appetizer choice of three spreads for the bread, one light Middle Eastern spiced tahini based, one centered on "Salmon caviar," and one dominated by blue cheese flavor.

Everyone was wowed by the blue cheese choice, the Greeky one provided a nice mild contrast, but I found the fish egg spread far too salty and fishy. And I love ikura.

My favorite of the appetizer choices has been the calamari:

It doesn't get any better than this. The cracker crumb crust was incredibly crunchy. The squid itself was tender soft and flavorful. Most of the seafood strips and circles were thick enough to provide a complete contrast to the breading. The deep-fried cephalopod pieces were accompanied by a small ramekin of mild chile aioli.

I have also liked the spanikopida and the shrimp appetizer, which features three jumbo shrimp bathing in a tomato/feta sauce:
One shortcomng to the restaurant's dinner menu has been the limited number of entrée choices. My favorite of the pastas is this creamy vegetarian orrechietti:

The restaurant prides itself on flying in fresh seafood daily, and I have had a very good chunk of sea bass wrapped in prosciutto with a mild red sauce the color of old bricks that tasted of sweet tomato. Though I would have preferred a more neutral side starch than the risotto it came with, it was a successful and flavorful plate. You don't want to see the picture, trust me. Greg had some well prepared Hawaiian yellowtail with a nice vegetable medley, although the mashed potatoes didn't strike me as the best of accompaniments.

Another strategy is simply to make a dinner out of the small plates. On my first evening visit, I ended up with an appetizer for a main. So these lamb riblets became my entrée:

My apologies for the quality of that picture, but the curse of fine dining (for those of us who like to take food photographs) is that fine dining does not equal fine lighting. The three lamb chops were perfectly prepared, cooked to an exact medium rare, and generously portioned. The only thing not to like was the bed of overly salty deep-fried onions on which the chops lay.

On that same evening, I tasted a truly incredible dish. When I heard that the soup special was a mushroom bisque, I just had to order it; plus it would be interesting to compare their version with the truly fine one that I had eaten at The Better Half over Christmas break.

But I wasn't prepared for this:

This soup was OMG outstanding. Seriously, I don't have enough superlatives to describe how good this tasted. While a certain creaminess and a touch of marsala wine lay in the background, the dominating flavor was porcini mushroom. That's not quite an adequate description; the taste of porcini mushroom was intense and pervasive. It was not hard to find the reason for this intensity because every spoonful of soup turned up slices of chewy fresh porcinis:
Along with some good cannoli, I was impressed by one other dessert, the deconstructed bananas foster. While the banana slices were nothing to rave about, the chocolaty brownie, topped with sweet mascarpone, golden brown caramel syrup, and a fresh raspberry was very good:

I have no copy of the menu with me and poor notes, so I can only provide a general idea of prices. Except for the pastas (which were $15-19), mains were in the $20-25 range. The small plates run $5-10. To my mind these prices are fair, if not a screaming deal.

The restaurant is also building up a wine list and already has several excellent bottles to choose from:

I should point out, however, that many early diners at The Market restaurant were disappointed by the lack of any listing of wines. Several people felt that they paid far more for wine than they should have. Although the markups on the wine are now very fair (a $30 retail bottle selling for $55, a $19 bottle selling for $35, and a $58 bottle selling for $99), the list is still tilted toward the high-end consumer. In these economic times, I think many individuals (not just us poor folk) would appreciate a wider range of value choices.

It's far too early to anoint the Market Restaurant at the Radisson as the culinary King of Yuma, and who knows how long the restaurant will continue to provide some truly outstanding food, but nonetheless, I must say that they have served me some of the finest fine dining dishes I have ever tasted in Yuma (hey, in some cases, anywhere). I can only wish them the best of luck and continued success.

The Market Restaurant at The Radisson Hotel Yuma, 1501 S. Redondo Center Dr, Yuma AZ 85365, 928-373-6563

Yuma: Jeannie Wah’s Chinese & American Bistro

January 27, 2009 ed fromyuma Chinese Restaurants, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

It's ed again, over in Yuma, not Kirk or Cathy. You are warned.

This old school Yuma Chinese restaurant has closed.

Shortly after I moved to Yuma, I decided to try every Chinese restaurant in town. It wasn't that hard — there weren't that many. Several old time Yumans recommended a Cantonese steakhouse named Gene's. It was the oldest Asian eatery in town.

So I stopped by one lunchtime and ordered a lunch special: chicken chow mein. What I was served looked a lot like this:

As soon as I began eating, I flashed back to my small town childhood and the "country and western" Chinese restaurant that was my parents' favorite in the 1950s and 60s. Every thing seemed exactly the same, from the combination of vegetables down to the predominant flavor of American soy sauce.

And like the memory from my childhood, this chicken and vegetable melange topped a thick pile of crunchy noodles, just like you could get out of the can:

For me, this flashback was not the resurrection of a pleasant memory, though to be fair, I should mention some friends who moved to Arizona from Boston and are so happy to find these old-school dishes that taste "just like the Cantonese food back in Massachusetts." In any case, Gene's was never my favorite, and I considered it a typical and ordinary ABCDE (Kirk's coinage: American Born Chinese Dining Establishment).

Gene's no longer exists, but the friendly woman who was its last manager has recently opened a new dining establishment, Jeannie Wah's Chinese & American Bistro:

She has a tough task in this economy, but she is trying to attract new customers with new dishes while still satisfying the old customers from Gene's with American food, snickerdoodles, and dishes like that old-school chicken chow mein ($8.50).

New note: I must say that the version of the chicken chow mein at Jeannie Wah's is better than the old version for 3 reasons. 1. The soy sauce is real soy sauce – not a complex flavor, but not bad either. 2. The Chinese greens mixed with the bean sprouts add a slight balancing touch of bitterness that works well in the dish. 3. The noodles are fried on premises and have real flavor and real crunch.

On my first visit to the very nicely decorated new eatery, I got lucky and ordered one of the lunch specials, the Wah's Up Today Noodle Bowl ($7):

This was really good, much better than any picture can convey. The broth was densely flavorful and rich. The chicken and barbecued pork were adequate as were the plentiful Chinese cabbage pieces and chopped Chinese mushrooms. The real highlight of the dish, even better than the outstanding stock, were the noodles. They had a perfect chew to them, with great mouthfeel and good flavor.

In fact, noodles seem to be one of the strong points of the restaurant. I recently ordered Gene's Cantonese Panfried Noodles ($11) to go:

Again the noodles were toothsome and flavorful. Notice the plentiful wok hay. The vegetable selection was also good. In addition to the usual suspects, there were sugar pea pods and plentiful crunchy baby corncobs. The only bummer in the entire dish were the shrimps. While their flavor was unexceptional, I never realized that it was possible to cook a shrimp to the point where it was as tough as sirloin steak. As tough as it is to believe this, that's how tough those shrimps were.

I also have picked up their version of Kung Pao chicken ($9.50):

The dish was good. I appreciated the plentiful topping of cashews, and the amount of chicken was generous as well. Providing texture and flavor contrast were more baby corns, onions, red bell peppers, and some type of mildly spicy chopped green pepper. As the picture shows, this dish was not super picante, but the red chili flakes and the chopped green chilies did provide a one/two capsicum punch.

Perhaps because of my central European roots, I love various combinations of pork and cabbage. At Jeannie Wah's, I was pleased to see double cooked pork on the menu ($8.50). And of course, I ordered it on one of my first visits to the restaurant:

The version here is very basic, but certainly adequate. Compared to the dish at Mandarin Palace (my favorite version in town), this one was very simple — just cabbage, barbecued pork, and chili flakes. The pork here also lacked the fatty richness that makes the rendition at Mandarin Palace so outstanding. Nonetheless, I could eat this again happily.

I'm glad that this restaurant opened. This is such a wonderful change from the Chinese buffets that dominated the Asian food scene here in Yuma just three or four years ago. Prices seem fair, and portions are generous. Istill need to explore more of the noodle dishes here, as they seem to be a real strength of the place. Nonetheless, Jeannie Wah's is not going to replace Yummy Yummy as my favorite local Cantonese place, nor does the menu offer the diversity of Mandarin Palace. Still, it fills a very flavorful niche out here in the desert.

Jeannie Wah's Chinese and American Bistro, 1360 4th Ave (actually off 14th St close to 5th Ave), Yuma AZ, 928-783-0080

Kaito Sushi in Encinitas: The Exciting Conclusion

January 7, 2009 ed fromyuma Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!

Kirk and Cathy eat sushi too, but today ed (from Yuma) is going to be eating sushi right in front of your eyes.

In the first installment of this report, I mentioned the spare interior of the Kaito Sushi. In fact, aside from two beautiful and subtle pieces of Japanese calligraphy on the walls, there seemed to be no other decoration. Originally, I thought the place didn't even serve alcohol, because no advertising on the walls was coaxing me to try this beer or that sake. After I realized my misapprehension, we ordered a couple of bottles of Yebisu, a full malt Japanese beer, and a glass of good cold sake.

The only somewhat odd note to the atmosphere at the sushi bar was the background music, late 60s Beatles tunes. Although the music was certainly pleasant and in no way offensive, it struck me as an odd choice for such a focused restaurant.

The next fish to show up in front of us was kohada, also known as gizzard shad. I remember that this fish was conventionally listed on those plasticized placemats from the 80s and 90s that pictured various nigiri sushi and usually advertised some Japanese beer. If I had ever actually eaten this fish before, it was so long ago that I have lost any memory of it. I was impressed that it was available at Kaito, and so I had to try it:

To be honest, however, I was underwhelmed by the fish. It is not that it was unpleasant or past its prime, but I found the flavor to be basically fishy and to my palate undistinguished. Perhaps that is why I have rarely, if ever, encountered it before.

On the other hand, the next seafood served was outstanding. The Kumamoto oysters were fresh, delicately flavored, and simply outstanding. Two of them were lightly touched with ponzu sauce:

Two others were topped with some fermented fish guts — no doubt because I had mentioned my love of shiokara to the itamae:

While certainly unusual, I actually preferred the simpler Ponzu preparation, the fish innards striking me as salty and to some extent overpowering.

After asking us if we liked hand rolls, Morita-san gave Tina and I each a small hand roll filled with diced fatty tuna of some kind:

This was an outstanding item, Tina's favorite from the entire evening. The richness of the tuna was truly outstanding, but I was also impressed by the flavor of the nori, the seaweed wrapper. Normally the wrapper in a hand roll does not draw any of my interest unless it is exceptionally tough and hard to bite through. In this case, however, the flavor of the seaweed actually contributed to the overall taste of the roll. It was another mark of the restaurant's quality.

The food had been so good that I was looking for more, and I mentioned both octopus and sea eel. The chef suggested that the eel would make a better conclusion for the meal, so tako was next:

I can recall only one other piece of octopus (from Sakura) that was as good as this one. Morita-san explained that this piece of cephalopod had never been frozen, and therefore, was not rubbery. Indeed he was correct. The edges of the piece had a slight crunch, but the interior was all about a nice soft chew. Excellent textures and tastes.

Also part of the flavor of this mollusk was the touch of wasabi that exploded in my mouth. And it needs to be pointed out that the wasabi at Kaito is based on actual wasabi root, not horseradish powder with food coloring. Although Morita-san does not grind his own, since he finds the quality of the cultivated wasabi from Oregon to be inconsistent, the flavor of the wasabi paste that he uses is full of the real thing. Between dishes, I kept dipping my hashi into the little mound of wasabi, just because it was soooo good.

The last dish we tried was the anago, sea eel. Much like kohada, this is an item that I have seen much more on placemats than in sushi cases. Touched with a bit of the sauce that would be used on regular eel, unagi, this fish provided a slightly sweet finish to the meal:

In taste, this sea eel, anago, was more subtle and basic than unagi. I understand now why it is less common in sushi bars since it lacks the mouth filling richness of freshwater eel.

For dessert, we munched on deep-fried eel spine. The piece was originally longer than it is in the photograph because I started eating before I began shooting:

I am certainly not qualified to say whether Kaito is the best sushi bar in the San Diego area; but it is certainly very, very good. Morita-san, also called Kazu or Kaz, is a skillful chef. He can access some excellent fish. He is also friendly, modest, personable, funny, kind, and warm. Although I was a new customer, I was treated like a regular. He showed the same kindness and consideration to those eating exotic sushi as he did for the people ordering rainbow rolls, California rolls, and shrimp tempura rolls. In fact, some of those rolls looked damn fine.

In addition to Tina and I from Arizona, there were people from Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Berkeley, as well as Encinitas, in the restaurant. Throughout our meal, locals kept coming in for various dishes to go. Clearly, this man of the sea (the meaning of Kaito) casts a wide net for customers. At the risk of changing metaphors in mid ocean, I must say that I am hooked.

Kaito Sushi * 130-A N. El Camino Real * Encinitas, CA 92024 * (760) 634-2746

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