As in, yoso-silly, yoso-hungry, yoso-full, or best of all; mmm-delici-yoso!!!!! A San Diego based food and travel blog. An Ex-Pat Kama'aina and Friends explore food, restaurants, and travel from San Diego and points beyond.
I know, I just did a post on Fish With You like three months ago! But the recent rainy and cooler weather had the Missus craving the Signature Suan Cai. The Missus simply told me She wanted “The Fish”. Which caught me off guard. You see, whenever the phrase “The Fish” was uttered by Her it meant HFS at Centerpark. So, I said “it’s kinda cold and wet….you want poke?” She looked at me in disbelief and said, “no, that’s DA FISH….I want THE FISH!” Sigh…..
So, we headed on over to “The Fish” and ordered our usual, the Signature Suancai & Fish. Which at $26.95. rice is still free; kind of a rarity these days. A good amount of numbing peppercorn this time around. Nice ma-la. The fish was tender with no off flavors.
There’s that that suan-tian-ku-la-xian thing going on.
And of course, there’s leftovers. Now, in previous posts I noted to take out all the chilies before packing for takeout. Unless you wanted it really spicy. The longer the formerly dried chilies sit, the more impact it will have. On our recent visits, there’s another change. We’ve noticed that the snakehead changes texture when eaten later on….so now, just to add another layer…..we consume all the snakehead.
And add soft tofu to the leftovers….
Which turns out to be a good way to eat the leftovers.
With prices these days; getting the most for your money is quite important to us, but we still want to enjoy those meals as well. And at $26.95 for two meals (with the addition of the tofu)…well, that almost seems like a bargain these days, right?
Fish With You 3904 Convoy St. #101 San Diego, CA 92111 Current Hours: Daily 1130am – 10pm
What have you been eating with the recent influx of rain and cooler weather?
After lunch we set about walking around Mendocino. From what I was told; the history of the area starts with the Pomo People, who lived here for over a millennium. The redwoods brought the lumber industry in the 1850’s and Mendocino Village was established in 1852. Many of the workers were from New England, which explains the Victorian stylings and Saltbox Cottages we saw. The town itself is quite charming, though folks I know warned me of how expensive they though things were…..they called the place “Spendocino”…..to us, it wasn’t as pricy as the Bay area.
Right off Main Street in Mendocino are two really easy trails. While waiting for our room, we strolled along the Mendocino Headlands Trail. The views were lovely.
Quite peaceful and relaxing, not another soul in sight.
Hard to believe that right across the road is Main Street!
We walked to the area overlooking Big River Beach.
And then up to Church Street where there’s well, a church of course.
And made our way back to our accommodations in a roundabout way. When visiting this charming village one quickly notices how many water towers there are.
In fact, our accommodations even had a Water Tower Suite….good ol’ number 13. According to this post, the water table is the area is close to the surface, thus the area was lacking with regards to in ground water storage. Most of the water towers were built at the end of the 19th century. That water tower above also has a history, which you can read about here.
Walking on Albion Street we noticed this Chinese Temple.
The Missus and I were immediately interested in how this got to be built in Mendocino. Apparently, the Chinese came to the area in the 1850’s to work in logging camps. It is said the the temple either dates back to1854 or 1867, depending on the source. Interesting, huh?
A block down Albion was our accommodation; the MacCallum House Inn which dates back to 1882.
This lovely inn features a variety of accommodations. We stayed in one of the suites in the “North Barn” building.
Which was lovely and had a private patio and even a hot tub, which was nice, even though we never used it.
The main building features a rather popular restaurant with patio seating, which was perfect for JJ. This was where we had breakfast, which was included with our stay. We decided to have an early dinner on this evening. The friendly Server told us that most of the ingredients were locally sourced.
Things started out with some really delicious bread.
The butter was decently whipped and light.
The Missus had Her sights on getting Her veggie fixes, so that was the focus of the meal; starting with the Field Lettuces.
Nice variety of greens, great crisp texture, loved the beets. The avocado was under ripe, hard, and lacking in flavor. The vinaigrette was quite simple, like something I’d make at home. That avocado and sourdough was a $7 upcharge.
The Grilled Asparagus and Proscuitto was fine; though the asparagus was overcooked and mushy, not quite how the Missus enjoys it.
The proscuitto was super fatty, almost like lardo. The egg was perfectly cooked and the cheese was nice and sharp in flavor.
The Olive Oil Roasted Cauliflower was simple, which was actually a good thing. Though the price for this dish was $32!
The Missus loves Her cauliflower and this was lightly sweet – earth – nutty, She loved it. The Kale might have been better served in smaller pieces. The quinoa was fine. That sauce had an interesting sweetness to it. I later found out it was pea “jus”.
I did see something on the “side dishes” menu that interested me. The Collard Greens, Ham Hocks, and Black Eyed Peas.
While the ham hocks were on the crisp side like lardons; we both loved the flavors – so savory and smoky, the beans were cooked perfectly, slightly firm and tender. This was very good.
Overall, a nice meal, the service was very friendly and we appreciated that most of the produce was sourced locally. Not a cheap meal coming in at over $120 not including tip….but heck, we were in “Spendo-cino” right?
MacCallum House 45020 Albion St. Mendocino, CA 95460
We took a nice stroll after dinner. There’s a Health Food Store; with the interesting name of Corners of the Mouth Health Food Store right next to the back entrance of MacCallum House. Looks like it could have possibly been a church in a previous life?
We got some snacks and I got a couple of beers for the next two nights.
Corners of the Mouth, Health Food Store 45015 Ukiah St. Mendocino, CA 95460
It was obvious that we wouldn’t be starving in Mendocino…….
Our next stop after Bodega Bay was the town of Mendocino. I’d heard some really nice things about the town and was excited to visit. The actual drive was set to be less than 3 hours, so I had some detours in mind.
Our first stop was right before the Russian River. I took a turn off Highway 1 onto Goat Rock Road making several stops at places like Blind Beach.
A then drove south finding some parking to the trail to the summit of Peaked Hill. Needless to say, the views were beautiful.
Loved the views of the shoreline.
I like to mix in interesting places when we travel and there happened to be a place I read about in Sea Ranch. Right off Highway 1 is a sign directing one to the Sea Ranch Chapel.
A non-denominational chapel dedicated to the memory of local artist Kirk Ditzler, it is designed to be a “serene refuge” for meditation and prayer. There were several people inside the building, so I didn’t want to bother them.
We made a short fuel stop in Gualala and then the Missus went to check out this lovely little book store.
Right at the Rollerville Junction, we once again did a detour off the Shoreline Highway. This time up Lighthouse Road. We took a quick look at the Point Arena Lighthouse.
We only went until we could view the shore and rocks before heading on our way.
JJ did have time to stop and smell the flowers though.
From there it was just an hour to the town of Mendocino. We were instantly charmed by the village.
The Victorian style houses instantly took us to the East Coast.
In need of lunch, we stopped by a little shop steps away from where we were staying. You know why we “had” to stop here, right?
Yep, that’s right, it’s Frankie’s! Frankie’s is mainly a pizza and ice cream shop; but they also have salads and falafel…and even piadina.
There’s some patio seating, which was great on a nice sunny day.
The Missus and I really weren’t feeling like pizza, so we got Frankie’s Falafel and the Mediterranean Piadina.
The portion size for the Falafel Salad was quite generous.
This dish is actually Vegan. The exterior of the falafel wasn’t crisp enough, nor was the interior nice and creamy. We did both love the Tahini Dressing though. Nice and earthy, with a good acidic kick. The hummus was passable.
Both the Missus and I enjoyed the Piadina, which, while not being close to what we’d had in Malta, was quite refreshing.
The pita was crisp; the Tahini, like the salad was very refreshing; the Parmesan Cheese adding that salty-milky component. Crisp spinach, with olives and sun dried tomatoes as “hidden” surprises.
**** Common Table has moved to Coin-Op and is now known as 86’d
I had to head to North Park to do some shopping and found parking on Illinois Street and was walking west on University when I noticed some new signage on what was Rising Sun Collective. Looks like the place is named Common Table.
Well, looks like Rising Sun didn’t last for even a year? Look, I’m not going to belabor the point….but being from Hawai’i, I do believe in “Bachi“. And I can’t help but think that having a place named Rising Sun and determining that your Grand Opening is on December 7th….well, you get it, yeah?
Anyway, I decided to have a look and quickly noticed this sign out front.
Hmmm….Katsu Sando, huh? The place looked like it was open so I took a step inside. And the place pretty much looks the same. Well, I decided to give that Katsu Sando a try. The place is one of those order at one of the kiosks, get a number, grab your utensils, and have a seat. The menu, which is very Asian-“Fusiony”, think Adobo Tacos, Bossam Spring Rolls, Longanisa Burger, is quite limited right now and they were out of several items as well.
There a list of beers on tap; but heck, this was lunch, you know?
Soon enough, the very friendly young man brough my Katsu Sando ($16) over. He introduced himself as Nate and was super nice. As for the sandwich.
This was an interesting; “two fisted” sandwich. The chicken was super moist and the crunchy-crispness held up thru the entire meal. The seasoning was good, not overly salty, and in fact would have just been great without that “Nanban” Ketchup, which was gloppy and overly sweet. Nate later told me that it is based on what he had with tori nanban in Osaka. Of course, to me, it wasn’t even close to being the tartar sauce like versions I’ve hadhere, in Japan, and other places around the globe.
There was just too much sauce and the light, brioche like roll, which goes well with this type of sandwich, didn’t stand a chance. I did enjoy the pickled cucumbers, thinly sliced, it had a nice vinegar flavor, with a hint of sweetness, sort of like Asazuke. The cabbage was great, but again way over-dressed for my taste.
This ended up being a hot mess.
I will say that I’d gladly have this again; but would probably want the place to go easy on that overly sweet nanban ketchup. I need to figure out how to do that from the order kiosk.
That sandwich wasn’t bad, so I decided to head on back. Again, I arrived right after opening time. They were still out of several items, but I decided to try a couple of things.
No Adobo Tacos, so I went with a Chashu Taco ($5).
I needed something else to go with this, so I noticed they has Shishitos on the menu….I did crack up when I saw how they spelled “shishitos”.
Nate saw me and remembered me, thanking me for returning. Like I said, such a nice guy. We had a short chat and he told me he used to work at Koubou and Animae.
There was one other young lady sitting at the counter; busy taking photos with her phone in various angles and poses. Could it be that I’ve just seen an “influencer in the wild”!
First up was the Chashu Taco. Now this was made with beef, not pork. It was fairly mild in flavor and I really would have wanted more of the meat to really make a statement.
I really like pickled onions, but here it made too large of a “statement” as it over-powered the beef. I do think that pork would be better in this. The Queso Oaxaca was nicely melted, protecting the tortilla, mild in flavor, but great texture. I couldn’t make out the wasabi crema. The tortilla was nicely griddled and was almost crisp.
I do want to try the Adobo version of this.
As for the Shishitous Shishitos.
I like my Shishitos to be a bit more charred; but the peppers were very tender. And as bonus; I got to play “shishito roulette” as every once in a while I’d get a spicy one. The fried shallots were a nice touch, crisp and almost sweet. I really like the sour and acidic sauce, which had a touch of spice. Nate told me it was Calamansi Ponzu. Now this is some “fusion” I can get behind.
As I always say; coming from the home of Pacific Rim cuisine; there’s a fine line between “fusion” and “con-fusion”. For now, it seems that Common Table is trying to honestly meld the culinary styles, products, and flavors. So, hopefully they’ll have more of a complete menu when I return. Nate did ask me if I had anything I wished for and I said……”sisig tacos”!
What do you think?
Common Table 3914 30th St. San Diego, CA 92104 Current Hours: Tues – Sat 12pm – 8pm Sunday 12pm – 6pm Closed on Monday
Well, we finally got some rain around these parts! And thankfully, even though the “atmospheric river” that hit San Diego did have a bit of flooding it didn’t seem as bad as predicted. Still, while finishing up some rather late shopping for Saturday I was wanting some ramen. It had been a while since I last visited Yakyudori….like almost 5 years! And it was for takeout during Covid. And even longer since I had the ramen there. So, despite the feeling that I wouldn’t be able to find parking I headed on over.
And to my surprise, at 1115 on a Saturday, there was a lot of parking available. I’m wondering if having the Starbucks closed down and the construction of the apartments next door have something to do with things?
And even more strange was how empty the place was.
I remember when they moved to this location back in 2010 the place was super busy even during lunch hours. These days they are only open for lunch on weekends. Also these days, all ordering is done on a mobile device.
And while I was temped to have that Kanazawa Curry again; it was ramen that I was after. So, I got the Shio Ramen ($13.80) and for some reason he thought of having some Nagoya Teba ($9) triggered a nostalgic reaction, so I had to order that as well. The woman working the front of house was quite serious, but not as surly as folks I’ve dealt with here before.
My Shio Ramen was first to arrive.
While the corn really gave this bowl that “Hokkaido Shio” look; the clear broth wasn’t as strongly “umami” as other versions I’ve had. It did have a nice almost porky-poultry savory component and wasn’t overly salty.
Decent richness; especially for a shio ramen as well.
The Tamago was nicely cooked, yolk shiny and golden, decently marinated…but of course…my pet peeve? Yes, it was ice cold! Bummah, this could have been so good.
The noodles were al dente, with a good springy-slipperiness and did a good job of “picking up” the soup to coat.
This was better than I recalled. And while not in my top three for ramen in San Diego, I’d gladly return for this again.
As for the Nagoya Teba; well that was a non-starter.
I find this to be way too sweet even for Nagoya style teba and also lacking in the black pepper department. The coating; which points more toward the crunchy than crisp also gets mushy very quickly. I will say that the flat and wing tip was nice and moist. But for some reason, only one of those are provided. Perhaps they save them for the Yakitori.
The drumettes were tough and chewy.
I don’t think I’ll order these again.
Still, it was nice to get back to Yakyudori. And just eating here brought back some nice memories of going to the original Yakyudori and Hinotez 2 in Nagoya! Such great memories!
Yakyudori 4898 Convoy St San Diego, CA 92111
Hope everyone survived the rain unscathed. And with the next system coming in, hope you stay warm and dry!
After really enjoying the Oxtail Meatballs at Romanella, the Missus was wondering how they would compare to Her previous favorite at Tribute. It had been a while since we’d visited, though we had even tried at the 4pm opening times, there always seemed to be a line. The place has a dog friendly patio, so we thought we’d just roll the dice and arrived at 420 on a Sunday. And guess what, we got a small table on the patio!
So JJ had a place to hang while we ate.
We were really here so the Missus could have those meatballs and our lunch had been pretty substantial, so we went with a lighter meal.
Starting with the House Pickles ($9).
We really enjoyed the varied texture and each tasted different. The cauliflower pickled with beet juice was the Missus’s favorite as it also had a hint of sweetness to go with the acidic-sour. I liked the little mushrooms….there were only two tiny ones, but there’s a savory-earthiness and a wonderful meaty texture to go with the sourness.
Of course we had to get the Focaccia ($8) with ‘Nduja ($5).
Loved the texture of the bread, the mild yeastiness, the crisp crust. The ‘Nduja seems to have changed over the years. It’s less red these days, much denser and less spreadable. Lacking in the salumi like savory tones, though much more spicy. I think we’ll just go with the Foccacia the next time as it’s just fine with the butter and the olive oil-balsamic. The leftovers toasted up quite nicely as well.
And then of course, the Meatballs (3-$21). Yes, we’re in time where 3 meatballs go for over twenty bucks!
This came with more of the wonderful focaccia. The Missus thought the meatballs were ok; not as beefy or tender as the version at Romanella! Whoa…. We also preferred the days when there were actual pieces of roasted peppers and onions in the sauce. The root vegetable marinara also lacked the acidity that it used to have.
Service was fine and our food didn’t take very long, especially for how busy the place was. Of course we didn’t order any pizza though. The outdoor area is small, so things are kind of cramped. I think we’ll just go with some Focaccia and a pizza the next time we return.
Tribute Pizza 3077 North Park Way San Diego, CA 92104
We were having a fun morning exploring Quito and our next stop would be quite entertaining. Of course one keeps hearing about the “Center of the World” here. And after all, the name of the country is Ecuador, which in Spanish literally means “equator”. And this is where Charles Marie de La Condamine part of the French Geodesic Mission to the Equator from whom he split after disagreements and differing beliefs and methodologies, tested out the hypothesis of Isaac Newton and his work in Principia, that the Earth is not a perfect sphere. And that place where Charles Marie de La Condamine determined was the equator is where Ciudad Mitad del Mundo is located. Where the monument to the Equator is located.
Cool, right? But like a rather famous actor said “Hang on there, pilgrim”. His measurement was off. The “actual” location is about 250 yards away, which is where the Intiñan Equator Museum is located.
It’s a kind of kitschy , fun place….
The fella’s above’s name is…well Inti of course.
We did enjoy the exhibits of the Native Tribes and former residents of the area. One even had Cuy running around! Dinner bells must be ringing somewhere!
And yes, that’s a real shrunken head on the right in that glass case.
And there’s a pole to mark Latitude 0. Of course, I’ve read that this location is also a bit off; but not by that much.
Not that this sweet little one cares about it. He just wanted to be pet…..
There are some interesting activities as well. There’s a movable sink which shows how water drains from one side of the equator to the other.
And then there’s balancing an egg on top of a nail. It is said that it is easy at the equator which I’ve read is a myth. But of course, the Missus had to try, right?
Well, so much for that one…..
Regardless of if this is really the center of the world; we enjoyed this stop!
Intiñan Equator Museum Manuel Cordova Galarza Quito, Ecuador
We then headed back to the Old Town, stopping on top of a hill was this huge, imposing Gothic Cathedral. This is the Basílica del Voto Nacional.
You can actually pay to climb to the top of the towers for an extra fee.
And of course the Missus just had to do it. I think I’ve mentioned before….I’m not a fan of heights. Not that it really mattered to the Missus.
The views from the towers were wonderful.
I later mentioned that the Basilica reminded me of Notre Dame and was told it was modeled after it.
Of course, what goes up must come down….which was more scary for me…..
Yikes….
Look at the lovely stained glass window!
After our visit to the Basilica, we headed into the Old Town.
This lovely building was the home of our destination for lunch. We were told that it used to be the Archbishop’s Palace, but now houses shops and restaurants.
La Vid Restaurant is located on the second floor.
A lovely and classy dining room with a view of Plaza Grande.
The menu had a combination of various Ecuadorian dishes which I was really looking forward to, along with western dishes like Carpaccio, Beefs dishes, and pastas. Of course we stayed with the Ecuadorian dishes.
I’d been wanting to try Ceviche Ecuatoriano – Ecuadorian Ceviche ($11.95) – I think I’ve forgotten to mention; Ecuador uses the American Dollar for currency. We cracked up when the “side dishes” for the ceviche arrived……popcorn anyone?
We were told that Ceviche in Ecuador is commonly served with “Canguil”…..basically popcorn, unsalted to provide textural contrast.
We chose to go with ceviche pescado; in this case sea bass for our ceviche. This was almost like a soup. The fish very plump and instead of being “cooked” by citrus, it seemed to have been precooked? The liquid seemed to be big on “shrimpiness”, though lacking in acidity and spice.
We also got the Bandera Ecuatoriana ($8.95), a platter of two types of Ecuadorian Empanadas.
The Empanadas de Verde; green plantain empanadas were a surprise as it was not sweet as expected; but the cheese made it rich and savory….it also really stuck to the roof of your mouth! It was enjoyable. The Beef version made with white corn was crisp, with a wonderful texture if a bit on the salty side.
I was interested in trying the Seco de Chivo La Vid ($17.95); the Goat Stew.
Which came with plantains, super delicious avocado, tasteless steamed potatoes, and yellow rice. I liked the rice; but the Missus isn’t a fan of tumeric, which is one of the ingredients in the rice. Loved the gameyness of the goat, which a bit on the chewier side. Kind of strong in terms of clove tones; with a hint of cumin. Fairly rich and pretty good.
This was an interesting and enjoyable meal, which gave us a look at what Ecuadorian cuisine was like.
La Vid Restaurante Venezuela Oe4-56 Quito, Ecuador
Where our final destination of the day is located. As you know from previous posts; the Missus loves Her chocolate. And across the street from the Basilica resides Yumbos Chocolate.
Which is an artesenal chocolate maker. We were given a short tour, then directed to a table.
Where we were given a tasting. We were the only customers in the place, so it really felt like a private tasting.
Man, that 90% Cacao was potent, a bit too intense and bitter for my taste. The Missus preferred the 60% which had a nice balance of rich and sweet, with a hint of bitterness. I guess we’re kinda wussy when it comes to chocolate?
We did manage to get a few gifts even though we’d be lugging it around for the rest of the trip.
And we’d be having an even more interesting chocolate “meal” later on during our stay.
Yumbos Chocolate Sebastián de Benalcázar Quito, Ecuador
From here we headed back to our hotel. It had been quite a day! And since we weren’t very hungry and had access to the Club Lounge at the JW Marriott, we just had a light dinner there.
We had another private tour coming up the following day, plus reservations for a more “fancy” dinner. So, I thought we’d rest up.
Last year, before JJ came into our lives we took several trips. One of them was to a place we’d had on our “bucket list” for a while. The Galapagos. Being born and raised on an island, places like Easter Island have always fascinated me. So, of course we had to do the Galapagos. There were basically two ways to get there, it was either Guayaquil or Quito. After doing some research, I thought Quito would be a good starting point.
Well, getting there from San Diego was going to be interesting. We’d be flying Delta with Hartsfield as our transfer point. Man, Hartsfield….during the 90’s, I did consulting work in ATL, and Hartsfield was the airport….it’s always been crazy busy!
Well, at least we’d be flying domestic first, then international business, which means things were a bit elevated.
The actual lounge was a bit less crowded than I recalled.
With a decent selection of food.
So that made the three hour layover a bit easier to handle.
The flight from ATL to Quito was 5 1/2 hours and seemed to go by quickly.
I arranged for a private transfer from the airport to where we were staying the JW Marriott in Quito. I was using accumulated points for this and we had access to the Club Lounge which made things really easy.
It made arriving at 9pm at night and the check in a breeze.
Along with the lounge there was a rather popular restaurant in the hotel, though we never had to visit. The property was huge….like it’s own little city.
My guess is that it is set-up so folks wouldn’t have to leave the property.
The Executive Lounge was quite large and it was never full during our stay.
It had a nice view….
And made having a nice, light breakfast so convenient.
Since we had limited time in Quito; I arranged for a private tour….actually three private tours for our days in Ecuador. This would end up being such fun! I organized the tours based on what we’d be doing…in other words, first I’d want us to just get acquainted….then to expand our horizons so to say. On our first day, I booked us a Private City Tour of Quito, Teleferico, and the Middle of the World. We were asked about our interests and mentioned that we enjoy learning about food and cuisine. So, our first stop was the large Mercado Santa Clara.
Where we were able to taste some of the local products….
The most interesting was the Tamarillo aka “Tree Tomato”, a member of the nightshade family. It was quite puckery and acidic; the skin pretty thick.
Also quite interesting was what they called the “Taxo”, also know as the Banana Passion Fruit.
Slightly sweet, acidic, and mildly fruity.
This was a fun way to start our tour of Quito.
Mercado Santa Clara RG22+473 Antonio de Ulloa Quito, Ecuador
In any city, there are things that are every day occurrences and Quito is no different. While driving up one of the streets our guide pointed something out to us saying; “I don’t think you see this in San Diego, huh?”
Can you imagine someone walking goats here? Well, maybe in North Park??? jjk….
Next stop was on the western side of the city. Along the eastern side of Pichincha Volcano, would you believe that the western side…Wawa Pichincha is still active, is the TeleferiQo, a cable car.
Here the 20 minute or so ride brings you up to over 12,950 feet. Making it one of the highest in the world. Quito itself is at around 9,250 feet.
Needless to say, the views, even on a slightly cloudy day are outstanding.
And, it’s even dog friendly…..
There a famous six mile trail that goes to the top of Pichincha ending at 15,400 feet….I’m glad we didn’t have time to do this one! Whew…..
Once back at 9,000 feet elevation we headed off. We stopped near the north side of the city at this little shop; Panificadora Quito.
Where the Missus got a Helados break!
Panificadora Quito Av. Manuel Córdova Galarza Quito, Ecuador
After which it was time to head to…..”the Center of the World!”
The place is starting to look a bit dated and the tables looked kinda dusty….good thing I was just getting a banh mi to go. The young lady working seemed a bit distracted by something, though I was the only customer.
I decided on getting the “Special”….which would probably be called the Dac Biet at traditional banh mi shops since they don’t have Banh Mi Pate Cha on their menu. Yes, I’ve always considered Hoi An to be a more “westernized” Vietnamese shop.
The dac biet Hoi An Special is now priced at $8.95, which is pretty much in line with places like Avian. Like I mentioned, I was the only person in the place, but it took over 30 minutes for my Banh Mi?
I would say that places like Avian, Banh Mi Express, and Saigon Sandwiches are a step above Hoi An. I’m sure location and demographics have something to do with things.
As for the sandwich, the bread was crusty, but strangely chewy. The proteins were sliced quite thin and the “pate”…well, there wasn’t much of it and the sandwich had too much mayo.
The pickled daikon and carrots were on the sweeter side and pretty much nullified the proteins; though I did appreciate the decent amount of cilantro and slices of Jalapenos.
Overall, a Banh Mi not to offend…kind of westernized, I felt that proportions of ingredients were off. ‘Nuff said.
As I noted in my previous post all those years ago: “The banh mi here isn’t bad. It just isn’t worth going out of your way for.” Well, at least in my opinion, they are consistent……
Banh Mi Hoi An 3145 Rosecrans St San Diego, CA 92110
After our caffeine fix at Roadhouse Coffee we headed off down Shoreline Highway a bit. The Missus wanted to do a bit of walking this morning, so I headed to Doran Regional Park. We got to the parking lot at the end of the road and had fun walking along the North Jetty and Doran Campground area.
We took the Doran Beach Trail, where JJ could find all sorts of “stuffs” to entertain himself.
After strolling along the beach area, we headed up the road a bit and found some parking on Doran Beach Road and did the Cheney Creek Trail and Bird Walk which was a lovely loop trail.
Walking the loop along the salt water marsh was beautiful and peaceful.
I’m sure my good friend “CC” would have really enjoyed the bird watching.
We actually did the loop counter clockwise from the south. Didn’t run into anyone until we got near to Highway 1.
Saw this interesting rock….but can’t really find anything about it online.
It was a nice way to start the day.
It was already getting pretty late for lunch so, we ended up stopping at Lucas Wharf at the Fishetarian Fish Market.
I wanted to give the Dungeness Crab Sandwich another try. Even though the Missus wasn’t really feeling it, She relented. The shop is a rather charming restaurant/fish market.
Where you order at the counter.
There’s ample outdoor seating….well, at least on this day there was. So, JJ could hang out while we ate.
To make the Missus happy, I got a side of Kale Slaw to go with the sandwich and sweet potato fries..
The sweet potato fries were tasty, but on the dry – soggy side. We enjoyed the crab filling more here, but it still had too much mayo for the Missus.
That ciabatta roll didn’t hold out for the entire meal.
At least you could make out the oceany-sweetness of the dungeness crab here. And it seemed like the amount of crab was generous. I requested the sandwich with no cheese which I believe helped things.
I did get a small side of the kale slaw which seemed to have an Asian touch as we tasted sesame oil?
All in all, a fine, somewhat touristy meal. But JJ enjoyed himself.
Fishetarian Fish Market 599 Highway 1 Bodega Bay, CA 94923
After this, we did a couple of stops along the way, and then headed back to our accommodations for some R&R. After our nap, since Bodega Bay really isn’t great for walking, we just decided to get take out again at Terrapin Creek Cafe. While the Missus hung out in the Bodega Bay Inn “wine shack” to finish the wine we’d bought there the night before; I walked over to get our takeout.
We got the Charred Octopus and Cauliflower Salad again which was better this time around.
You can’t really see it here; but much more octopus which was fairly tender.
The Roasted Asparagus and Maitake Salad didn’t have a whole lot of maitake….but a load of grated Manchego.
This was fine for a salad, the Missus enjoyed the chopped boiled eggs.
I also got the Pan Roasted Hokkaido Scallops….three scallops for $23.
Pan seared….not sure about “roasted”. Did not enjoy the overwhelming flavor of fennel, but the scallops were fine.
Overall, this was fine. I’m sure eating in the restaurant would have been better; though we enjoyed having the “wine shack” all to ourselves.
Terrapin Creek Cafe 1580 Eastshore Rd. Bodega Bay, CA 94923
We had enjoyed our visit to Bodega Bay; though I’m not sure we’d return as we prefer towns where we can walk and explore.
