mmm-yoso – Page 105

New to the Rotation Part 2 – La Miche Kabobgee

April 12, 2021 mmm-yoso Lebanese Restaurants

**** Sadly, La Miche has closed

With the weather getting a bit warmer, the Missus has been craving takeout from La Miche. There are items we want that are only served during dinner service and with the limited hours the place is only open for dinner service on Fridays and Saturdays. So, I've been dropping by on just about every Friday or Saturday for the last month or so.

The owner, Nabih and his wife are the nicest folks and we really want them to do well. It's quite depressing to stop by and see the place totally empty….though during my last two visits there was at least one table (since we reached Red Tier) occupied.

We pretty much get the same thing on my visits. But, much like Jesus from De Cabeza, Nabih understands our tastes. He knows the Missus likes spicy, so he recently recommended spicing up the hummus the Missus enjoys. Also, he is not able to get Soujouk at this time, so he asked if we would like to try the Kafta with the spicy tomato sauce he would use with the Soujouk (kasha kish)…he told me he'd make us a half order. So of course I said yes.

Which I got with the always delicious sweet-nutty-sweet-mildy spicy Muhamarah and the savory and mildly funky (in the best way possible) Shaankleesh, made from a wonderfully ripe and complex cheese.

The Spicy Hummus featured fire-roasted peppers which added an additional smoky layer, along with spice and acidity which really went well with the hummus.

The Kafta, meatiness went quite well with the bright-spicy-acidic tomato sauce….this was pretty hefty stuff and was quite filling. It was quite good……..in fact we got a full order the next time around.

In many ways La Miche really embodies what makes being a regular customer at a great mom-and-pop restaurant. They recognize their regulars, are so warm and friendly, know their tastes and make spot on recommendations based on that. You are welcomed….with a gentle smile, a wave, and a very mellow and sincere "we're so happy to see you". And I'm always happy to see the folks here. I've noted that Nabih has had some serious health issue in the past and I'm glad he seems to be navigating these crazy times fairly well.

And….yes, I'll probably be back on Friday or Saturday for "our usual".

I'm so ever thankful for places like this; it's part of the reason I started the blog almost 16 years ago.

Take care and be safe everyone; things are progressing, but we're not over this yet!

La Miche Kabobgee
9350 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92123
(858) 565-1165
Current Hours:
Mon – Thurs 11am – 3pm
Friday 11am – 730pm
Saturday 4pm – 730pm
Closed on Sunday

New to the Rotation Part 1 – De Cabeza

April 11, 2021 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants

As the days pass and the seasons change our rotation adjusts as well. This one has been great during the cooler temps and I'm sure that four visits over the last six weekends does indicate a place is currently on our rotation.

While the Missus has been sticking with the Cabeza en su Jugo which was love at first bite for Her. I've been trying out a couple of other items on the menu……and Jesus, the Manager hasn't steered me wrong.

And yes, just like I mentioned in my previous post; the upside down items are done on purpose…..it's not a mistake.

On one of my visits; I thought I'd try some tacos; I definitely wanted to try the lengua, Jesus suggested the tripas, and the other really friendly guy suggested the longanisa.

The lengua really delivered the deep beefy flavor I thought it would. It was melt-in-your-mouth tender and moist.

But, man…it was the tripas that I really loved…..the toothsome exterior, tender interior, and mild offal flavor. It was delici-yoso!!! The cilantro and onions added pungency and the mildly spicy salsa didn't interfere with the beefiness of these tacos.

The longanisa was fine if not very special. The tortillas, heated on the griddle while I waited held up well (no cracks or tears) and added the deep "corniness" to the tres tacos. I really enjoyed these tacos; the best I'd had since our last visit to CDMX.

As I left with the Missus's soup and my tacos, Jesus told me "try the alambres next time". Which is exactly what I did.

I selected lengua and tripas (of course) for my alambres. My goodness, the combination of textures, the meats had been caramelized on the comal giving it some crispness; loved the "chlorophyllic " and mild bitterness of the bell peppers and the griddled onions added a mild pungent-sweetness. The light amount of cheese kept things in place and of course bacon……yes, bacon….say no more! I'm going to have this again for sure.

So, even though the Missus is currently obsessed with the Cabeza en su Jugo…..

As the weather turns warmer; I'm sure I'll get Her to switch to the Alambres.

As with all my visits; Jesus is so warm and friendly…..and understands our tastes and preferences. And we really appreciate it!

De Cabeza
1043 Broadway
Chula Vista, CA 91911
(619) 349-2505
Hours:
Daily 8am – 8pm

Chirashi-zushi To Go From Kokoro

April 6, 2021 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi

A few weeks back I was thinking how hard the pandemic has been on those mom-and-pop places that I'd visit on occasion. You know, places not in the standard rotation, but one's I enjoy for a nice lunch or dinner and Kokoro came to mind. Akio-san and his wife are getting on in years, which had me wondering how things were going for them. I went ahead and checked their website and along with outdoor lunches and dinners, they were doing takeout. It had been a while since my last visit and I'm sure that the late Ed from Yuma, who loved Kokoro would be wanting me to check in and see how things were going. Kokoro is quite "old school" and though they have their lunch and dinner takeout menus on the website; you'll still have to call in your order. Also, please note that even if you call in your order at 1030, the place doesn't really open up until 1130.

Of all the lunch items I'd had at Kokoro, I had enjoyed the Chirashi the most; so I decided to go with that.

I arrived at around 1135 tp pick up my lunch. The place had blacked out the doors and windows and for all the world looked closed. Looking closer, I noticed the door was ajar, so I walked on in.

And wouldn't you know it; my lunch was ready and waiting for me….such efficiency.

Once back at the office, I unpacked my lunch eagerly…..I really wanted to see how different this was from the very good chirashi I'd had for lunch before. Especially since the lack of business can mean supply chain issues and limits flexibility with stock, as in you'll probably only get the "usual suspects"….especially in the case of fresh seafood for sushi restaurants.

The one thing that I enjoyed right off hand was the miso soup. It wasn't watered down and was full of flavor.

The selection of fish was decent; though the shiromi (whitefish) that I'd had before in the chirashi was not present this time around. The anago was quite good, light, mildly sweet, I wish there was more of it. The maguro was of good quality, no "sugi" (connective tissue), moist and tender. The tako tender as well….the saba did well with bites of ginger before and after to help prep, then cleanse the palate of the richness. The hamachi was decently fatty.

The salmon was fine, the shrimp and kanpachi were my least favorite items both were tough and the kanpachi had a bit more fishiness to it then I enjoy.

The rice was moist and fluffy. And as expected based on previous visits, the sushi meshi here is quite bracing at times; they do like their vinegar.

I like the tamago as it was light and not too sweet; a perfect way for me to end my meal.

It was good to know that Kokoro is still in business and I did enjoy my lunch; I'll definitely be back once we're in a better position in terms of dining in. I'm sure Ed from Yuma would be happy to know that Kokoro is still in business.

Kokoro Restaurant
3298 Greyling Dr
San Diego, CA 92123
(858) 565-4113

Breakfasts and Brunch Sandwiches from Bay Park Coffee – and the “Uncle Kirk” Phenomenon

April 5, 2021 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Caffeine Fix, Sandwiches, yoso-silly

While I'm not the biggest fan of working from home (more on that in a future post); during the times that the Missus is working days it does allow me to watch Frankie. It also gives me an opportunity to support my favorite neighborhood places. Heading to the office around 5am had become quite a chore as the only places open for a cup o' joe during that time is the local Starbucks and 7/11….now if this was 7/11 in Japan that would be a different story. But, if I'm working from home, I can go ahead and grab some coffee from one of the various neighborhood places, Clairemont Coffee opens at 6 (I really need to do a post one of these days), Birdrock, which I save for the coffee snob, ummmm, the Missus and usually deliver Her pour over to work on weekends. And then there's Bay Park Coffee, which opens at 730 Mon- Sat and at 8 on Sundays…..which was kind of a bummer before; but these days; with so many people working from home….perhaps not so much.

And BPC has done a nice job with the outdoor set-up; which transitions to al fresco dining for Poseidon Project at night.

On a nice San Diego day, I'll see folks on their laptops doing work…..just like they used to do indoors before in the parklet.

My usual, as I noted before is the cold brew……I'll often drop by between meetings/calls for a "pick me up" and sometimes grab something simple to eat.

And of course, like I mentioned in a earlier post, there's "Bruddah Noel" who I've come to know…….he even introduced me to his wife who is from Japan. And all the wonderfully friendly and smiling faces of the folks who work there.

I will also sometimes avail myself of an item from the "kitchen" menu; though those items aren't served until after 8am. The items on the menu comes in handy when I have meetings around lunch and need to grab something to eat as BPC is a tad over five minutes away for me.

So here's a rundown of items I've tried during the pandemic.

I mentioned in my earlier post of not being a fan of the croissants; which are from Bread and Cie as it lacks the full butter-light saltiness and is more crisp than flakey….you know, the things we like in a croissant. Still, I have tried some of the items again. And even though the eggs and cheese will help camouflage the deficiencies, it's still leaves something to be desired in my opinion.

And my verdict stands….perhaps folks will like these, it's just not for me.

BPC also now offers "sides" of egg, potatoes, and cheese……so you can get a fairly filling breakfast; of say…avocado toast (BPC loves their avocados) with a side of scrambled eggs.

You may find the item I enjoy the most (to date) from BPC kind of strange……it's the Veggie Bagel Sandwich. I will get the plain bagel; which is from Nomad Donuts….I gotta check out their brick and mortar shop one of these days.

The bagel has a light heft to it; mild yeastiness, a slight saltiness, a mild hint of sweet; but it's just the texture I enjoy with the greens, pickled onions…….light acidity from the tomatoes, creaminess from the avocado and they usually have a nice restrained hand with the cream cheese.

I have tried other versions of the bagel sandwiches; Bruddah Noel had me try his "favorite"…….

Which had ham, cheese, a huge portion of egg, pesto, and was just way too much……

I also tried the Lox version.

Which was not bad, though not something I'd have on a regular basis.

And then there's the "Uncle Kirk" thing. Noel started calling me "Uncle Kirk" early on….which cracks me up, it's a well known term of endearment back home….. though my good friends, who are quite a bit younger than me (and not from Hawaii) started calling me that years ago; so it doesn't bother me at all. Though I'm not sure what the motivating factor is? Perhaps I'm like the crazy uncle everyone needs in their lives? Of course, these same people would not dare call the Missus "Auntie"……

So, now even a couple of folks at BPC call me that as well…..and once in a while, I'll even get a "little surprise" like on the cup of cold brew to the right.

Once as Noel called out "Uncle Kirk" when my cold brew was ready, one of the women waiting for her order asked me; "is he your nephew?" To which I answered in a stage whisper, "ssshhh, he's illegitimate and twice removed….."

Well, if you'll indulge me one last story……my good friend "XJ" got married a couple of years back and requested that "Uncle Kirk" officiate their wedding. I was at first hesitant……quite terrified; but there was no way I could turn down such an honor. And things did turn out ok.

Though I've never told them; it's one of the high points of my life as I felt so privileged to participate.

Anyway, a couple of weeks later, I'm walking thru the parking lot at 99 Ranch Market when I hear, "Hi Uncle Kirk!!!!" and see a middle aged couple waving to me from an automobile. At first I didn't recognize the couple….then as I approached the vehicle…well, it was the Groom's Parents…….I had been introduced to them as "Uncle Kirk" and that's the way they knew me.

Life, ain't it amazing?

Bay Park Coffee
4130 Napier St
San Diego, CA 92110
(619) 275-4000
Current Hours:
Mon – Sat 730am – 2pm
Sunday 8am – 2pm
Sandwiches served:
Mon – Thurs 8am – 1130am
Fri – Sun 8am – 1pm

An Update on Sam and Sushi Yaro…….and I Dine In For the First Time in Nearly 400 Days

March 31, 2021 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi

**** Sushi Yaro has closed

If you follow our little blog; you'll know that back in January, Sam, owner and Itamae of Sushi Yaro suffered a stroke. Of course my good friends kept me appraised of how Sam was doing, when he was discharged, when the restaurant was reopening, and such. I tried not to bother Sam much since he obviously had a lot going on….though the Medical Professional in the family always had a battery of questions for Sam. Once Sushi Yaro was reopened, I still waited……mainly because I wasn't ready to dine outdoors yet…..though finally, two months after I'd received my second shot, I decided I needed to see how Sam was doing and show some support. The Missus was working a night shift, so I decided to head on over to Engineer Road, and dine al fresco at the outdoor dining area I'd seen set-up in the parking lot. Except when I arrived, shortly before opening time……I really didn't want to be around too many people, this is what I saw.

The outdoor dining area for Sushi Yaro was gone! And the reason for that soon became clear. So, now there was a decision to make….yes, we're in the "Red Tier" which means indoor dining can operate at 25% capacity, yes I've had both vaccines, yes the restaurant was just opening so there were no other customers in the place, and yes, Sam called out my name when he saw me and waved me over to the sushi bar. And so it came to pass, 380 days since I last dined indoors I decided to have dinner at Sushi Yaro. After all, I really wanted to support Sam and see how he was doing.

The reason that the outdoor area is gone, besides San Diego being in the Red Tier is that Sam is running a one man show. And with all residual effects of the stroke, well, he just isn't able to handle too many customers. In fact, he told me about 8 people max.

As for what I ordered….well, Sam knows me, and after a short wait….he's moving pretty well considering, but there's obviously some motor deficits and such…..he had my dinner for me.

I'm not really going to go into the food this time around, I'll do that in a future post….except to say, it did hit the spot. Especially the sashimi which was perfect on a day when temps were hitting the low 80's….so much for spring, eh?

We spent most of the time talking about how things are going for Sam…residual effects and accommodations he's had to make after the stroke, his family and such. After all, I've known Sam for 20 years.

Soon enough, a couple of other couples arrived, when Sam hits his max, he'll ask folks if they want to do takeout and return a bit later. It's probably a good idea to make reservations if you plan on arriving after 530. There are also times when Sam's therapy and such runs late, or if he's really tired that he'll close early, so definitely, call.

Honestly, it was kind of tough seeing Sam run back and forth to the kitchen……to deep fry rolls for folks, to get ingredients, to get customers their drinks (I decided to forgo my usual Sapporo on this visit). But Sam seems to be handling it fairly well….he's a bit slower than before, but seems to be making progress, and I'm happy for that.

Soon enough there were eight folks in the restaurant; it was making me a bit uncomfortable….oh my how Covid has changed us. It was time for me to leave. I was glad to see Sam and said I'll be back soon.

As I left I told him, "take care of yourself; I'll like to be seeing you still in good health 20 years from now."

Sushi Yaro
7905 Engineer Road
San Diego, CA 92111
(858) 560-1782

Paris – Boulangerie Collet, Dinner at Pertinence, and the View She Never Tires Of

March 30, 2021 mmm-yoso Bakery, Croissants, Fine Dining, France, French Restaurants, Memorable Meals, Paris, France, Travel

It had been a fun day so far and after taking a short break at the apartment; the Missus wanted to head on out again. So, off we went to the Marais, and resumed our "lèche-vitrine". We eventually came across a wonderful green space; Paris is full of these little parks. This one had a lovely garden, benches (of course), and wonderful waterfalls. I came to find out that this was Square du Temple.

It was a lovely little oasis.

On the way back to the apartment, the Missus said She was feeling a bit "peckish" and I mentioned checking out another Boulangerie right around the corner from the apartment, Maison Collet.

And we got ourselves a croissant aux beurre to share. This was a bit overdone, hard, dry, and lacking in the amount of butter I enjoy.

Well, it was good to try. Another one for the books.

Boulangerie Collet
100 Rue Montorgueil
75002 Paris, France

We managed to get in a short nap, then got ready for dinner. We had reservations at a restaurant in the 7th Arrondissement, Pertinence, which held a Michelin star. As has been our habit in recent years, this one was helmed by a Japanese Chef, Ryunosuke Naito from Japan and Kwen Liew from Malaysia. The little restaurant serves only 14 covers a night!

The sun was still shining rather brightly as we finished our walk to the restaurant. It was the end of May (2019) and the sun doesn't set until past 930pm during this time of the year.

It's a clean, spartan dining room and the only folks working were the two chefs!

There is what looks like some kind of sleek manhole cover in the middle of the dining area, which turned out to be a hatch to the cave below. During our meal, the Chef had to run down to grab a bottle, the fellow eating at the other table went "ooooh" and looked at me humming the tune of Mission Impossible. I answered with "Monsieur James Bond"! And he cracked up….who said the French don't have a sense of humor?

Speaking of wine; we took the 6 course tasting menu (105/€). The Missus got the wine pairing, which cost a supplement of 70/€ and was enough for the both of us to share…..as for me; I got the caviar supplement at 30/€ which was worth every last bit of money.

After the wonderful and warm bread bites, the amuse was brought out; a Green Pea Foam, light as a feather, with a slight sweetness and tart from the kiwi jelly.

And then the first dish……the Langostein which came with a Konbu Sauce and a Miso Sauce. Check out that caviar; which really complemented the plump, sweet-briney langostein.

I preferred the konbu sauce with this as it heightened the nice seafood flavor. Also loved that nothing was over-seasoned.

The Missus loved this bottle of wine the best.

Man, look at the size of that Foie Gras…….

And yet, it was the thin slices of pickled daikon that really impressed me. It also was a nice foil to the rich-livery foie gras. Not a big fan of the Amaretto sauce though.

When the Red Mullet came out; I really didn't know what to think as it looked like a solid piece of fish; but it was amazing and my favorite dish of the meal.

The skin was light, yet very crisp, it was a treat indeed. The flesh was perfectly moist and mild in flavor….cue in the caviar. The grilled lettuce had a nice sweetness to it; but it was the celery micro greens that were really amazing, packing quite a punch of flavor!

Next up, the pork neck, which was done medium rare – yes medium rare…..I trust places like Pertinence. And this was very tender, considering it was pork neck, and had a touch of anise lingering on the tongue.

Man, I was pretty full after this……I usually leave dessert totally up to the Missus; but this time it was Roquefort with Umeboshi Caramel Camambert. How could I resist???

This was a fine and enjoyable meal. Service was excellent and relaxed, the dishes well paced, quite impressive with the restaurant staffed with only the two chefs. It was well worth the price!

Pertinence
29 Rue de l'Exposition
75007 Paris, France

Since we like to eat rather early; our timing was perfect as we left the restaurant and headed up to Rue Saint-Dominique and then up Avenue de la Bourdonnais crossing the Seine on Pont d'Iéna to see the sight the Missus never tires of.

And then we headed back to the apartment……

And then off to sleep. Where I'm sure the Missus was dreaming of the "City of Lights".

Thanks for stopping by!

Sunday Sandwiches – Gourmet Artisan, Tadian Cafe, and Rubicon Deli (UTC)

March 28, 2021 mmm-yoso Sandwiches

And suddenly, temperatures are in the 80's……….so, it's probably an apt time to do a bunch of sandwich revisits. These are fairly close to the office so are a good option for lunch, it's easy to either do online or call in an order and a couple of them also open early which makes it convenient while I coordinate picking up lunch between meetings.

Gourmet Artisan:

The place in this post that I actually visited in the days "BC" (that's "Before Covid"). On this day I placed my order online and just before I headed over I got a text telling me they had changed their hours which hadn't yet been updated on their website. So, I waited a bit before picking up my Ham and Brie Panini.

I used to enjoy the thin cut parmesan-garlic-truffle fries here back in the day. However, in the fall of 2019, it seemed they had stopped doing their fries that way And during my last visit in August of last year, it seemed like at least the garlic-parmesan was back in the game; though the fries were undercooked and soggy. So…….I was wondering where that wheel of "fries roulette" would stop on this day. Well, sadly, it looks like the thin cut fries were out, replaced by really soggy fries, but at least it had parmesan sprinkled on it.

The bread in the sandwich hadn't been toasted enough for my taste; though I do enjoy the milky-salty-porky combination of brie and ham. I also like the garlic aioli used on this sandwich and was happy that it was used with some restraint this time around.

As it stands though; things seem a bit inconsistent here and I'll probably give it a rest for a while.

Gourmet Artisan Fine Sandwiches
7094 Miramar Road
San Diego, CA 92121
(858) 860-5814

Tadian Cafe:

I'd had some pretty decent sandwiches from Tadian Cafe last year and thought it was time for a revisit. Especially since I had meetings form 11 until 2 and Tadian opens at 9. Plus, their online ordering is straightforward and on each visit my order was waiting for me when I arrived. Like those previous visits everything went quite smoothly.

This time I ordered the "Peppered Roast Beef" ($8.50), which of course was waiting nicely wrapped when I arrived.

Interesting sandwich; I liked how well toasted the roll was.

It just had a bit too much sauce on it for my taste….especially compared to the amount of roast beef.

That tzatziki-ish sauce, combined with the avocado just made things much too mushy. Though I did enjoy the nice heat brought on by the jalapenos. If I order this again, I tell them to leave off the sauce.

Tadian Cafe
5955 Mira Mesa Blvd. Suite K
San Diego, CA 92121
(858) 453-5740
Current Hours:
Mon – Fri 9am – 3pm

Rubicon Deli:

Ever since my first couple of visits, Rubicon has become a favorite of mine. The problem being, the sandwiches are a bit too much for me…..also, if I'm ordering a sandwich to share with the Missus; She's got to have Her favorite. So……I just basically wait until those days when I'm really hungry; or will save half the sandwich for lunch the next day.

My favorite is the the "Super Mario" on Garlic Cheese Bread with Crispy Onions ($9.79 + .75 for crispy onions).

I really love the combination of textures and flavors this sandwich has; from the crunchy and cheesy bread, to the slightly sweet tones of red pepper tapenade, the sour-sweetness of the balsamic glaze, along with the peppery tones of the arugula. Asiago adds a nice nutty-milkiness to things. It's the sum of the ingredients in terms of taste and texture that I like about this sandwich.

And like Tadian; the online ordering process is a breeze.

I think of this as more of a treat as I usually am not able to finish it all.

Rubicon Deli (UTC Location)
4130 La Jolla Village Drive – Suite 104
San Diego, CA 92037
(858) 877-9911
Current Hours
Open Daily – 10am – 730pm

Ok, so there you go. Hope everyone had a safe weekend! Take Care!

A Takeout Revisit to Greenhaus Vegetarian Eatery

March 25, 2021 mmm-yoso Indian Restaurants, Vegetarian and Vegan Restaurants

**** Greenhaus has closed

Ever since I had the Missus have a taste of the chickpea and garbanzo “Happy Belly Plate” from Greenhaus, She’s been hooked. We get takeout every couple of weeks for the Missus to either have for lunch (when I’m too tired to make lunch for Her) or to eat at home when I’m not around to cook.

The Missus claims the chickpeas from Greenhaus is way better than what I make from home and I’m willing to agree; if it means I can retire from cooking and prepping garbanzos at home.

The Happy Belly Plate is basically a “protein” (the Spiced Chickpeas in this case), a “sauce” (the Lentils), and two sides….we get Basmati Rice and Naan. All for $12.

It is quite a bit of food as you can see. I’ll sometimes supplement the order with a side of the Masala ($4) which I’ll have with the naan.

This would be basically two meals for the Missus…or if I’m having the naan with the Masala sauce and perhaps something else like roasted cauliflower/potatoes it will feed the both of us, with enough for another meal for the Missus.

She enjoys the creamy chickpeas, the tender lentils, and it’s just salty enough for Her to enjoy.

I’ve tried other items here as you can read from my previous post as well as the Naan Wrap with Spicy Tofu and Masala Sauce ($9.75).

In this case, I wasn’t a big fan of mushy tofu and the naan was a bit too hard and crisp for a wrap in my opinion. A bit too much bread and veg to protein for me as well.

So, we’ll just stick to what the Missus enjoys.

The owner is a really nice guy, ordering online from the Greenhaus website is easy, and there are no extra charges. So, I’m more than happy to support another locally owned business and it keeps the Missus happy. Which is very, very, important!

Things sure are changing in the Morena corridor. With the trolley coming in and new development….I understand that the car dealerships have lost their lease and will be slowly moving out…..it’ll be interesting to see what happens to the area over the next 4-5 years.

Greenhaus Vegetarian Eatery
1118 Morena Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92110
(619) 446-6510
Current Hours
Mon – Sat 11am – 9pm
Closed Sundays

The “Special Bento” to go From Izakaya Sakura

March 23, 2021 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants

You might be wondering why there was no post on the place that probably has the most posts on out little blog was during the pandemic. Well, to be perfectly honest, the items I enjoy the most from Sakura really wouldn't hold up that well for takeout. Add to that the rather surly and sometimes plain rude service I've gotten in recent years along with the food not being up to par at times…..well, I just didn't want to deal with that.

But my recent visit to Hogetsu had me thinking about all those days of yore, all the wonderful meals and memories…I thought, what the heck and dropped by to see what was going on.

Sakura has quite the outdoor set-up going on (this was before the recent red tier change). I took a look at the menu on the table in the doorway and saw that those dishes I really liked weren't available…but the "Special Bento", which I hadn't had in years was….and would you believe it's still $12……13 years later?

I went to Nijiya to pick up a few things and my bento was ready when I returned.

The bento did look similar to what I had back in 2007. Not as much meat based items perhaps; but overall this was still quite a bit of food.

The miso soup was even decent!

My favorite items was the chicken karaage. I was surprised it was still crisp when I got home. As I mentioned way back in 2015 when I did a karaage comparison; the version at Sakura is on the lighter side; which made me doubt that it would hold up to takeout, but this was still pretty crisp when I ate it at home.

The menchi katsu, basically a deep fried meatball had also held up pretty well; still crisp, nice seasoning, loved the katsu sauce. I wasn't as enamored with the glazed salmon which was on the fishy side and the aji kushiage, which almost looked like a shrimp was lacking in flavor. The tamago here is always a decent bet and the pasta….well, that was filler.

In the side compartment was a Japanese version of "pot-au-feu" which uses sausage and chicken instead of beef like the French version does. It's also made in dashi, which actually went well with the whole thing.

The rice was perfect; moist with just enough lightness.

While I'm fairly certain that I'll wait until I feel comfortable dining al fresco or indoors before returning, it was nice to revisit one of our "golden oldies". After all, we've lost a good number of these places during the pandemic. And still at $12….well, you can't even get a sandwich for that these days.

Izakaya Sakura
3904 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111
(858) 569-6151

Bun Mang Vit to go From Tu Thanh

March 21, 2021 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

I mentioned my failed visit to Tu Thanh in my last post on 777 Noodle House. Well, two weeks later, after dropping off coffee for the Missus at Her work, I decided to give it another try. I arrived at around 920am, found some parking on 48th Street and walked on over. The last visit, finding them closed at 915 on a Saturday must have been a fluke; because they were open and business was in full swing with 2 customers in front of me.

I took a look around at the empty tables and felt quite sad for this small mom and pop business…..though since my visit we're now in the "red tier" and I'm sure folks are eating in here.

Once it was my turn; I ordered my usual, the Bun Mang Vit and asked how long it would take. I was told 5 minutes. Five minute! So I waited and it indeed took only five minutes. Who needs to call in orders here…..

Deciding to just have my noodle soup when I got home; I immediately unbundled things.

And saw that all was in order. I then proceeded to put together my meal.

The noodles were in perfect shape and didn't need to be separated. I did heat up the broth; I thought the dried bamboo could use a bit more time in the soup. I then plated the veggies and herbs, the duck, and put the Nuoc Mam Gung in a bowl.

One thing I quickly noticed about the Nuoc Mam Gung, was that it was lacking in ginger and garlic…..and it was much too sweet, a rather large change from what I'm used to having here.

The duck was perfectly prepped, a bit toothsome and full of gamey "duckiness"…….

I've mentioned in previous posts about the lack of banana blossom in the mix these days and it seems that is the new norm. It's almost all cabbage mix these days….sigh…..

Like I mentioned earlier, the noodles ere perfect….slippery while still maintaining a decent al dent "pull" to them.

The broth was a bit milder than before; with definitely a lot less MSG, letting the flavor of the rehydrated bamboo shoots come through. Though it seems, that like the veggies/herbs, there's a lot less of that these days as well.

Like I mentioned in my last post on Tu Thanh, things aren't quite as good as it was when they first opened nor even close to when Chi Tu Thanh was at the late Chinese Kitchen (Chi Tu Thanh Nha Hang). But it's still the best Bun Mang Vit I've had in San Diego by far…….so, by all means, let me know if you've found a version of Bun Mang Vit that eclipses this one. Otherwise; Tu Thanh will see me again soon when that Bun Mang Vit itch kicks in.

Tu Thanh
4804 University Ave. #A
San Diego, CA 92105
(619) 282-8778
Current Hours:
Thurs – Tues 9am – 7pm
Closed on Wednesday