mmm-yoso – Page 111

Takeout From Green China Grill

February 10, 2021 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

When I did takeout from Bonchon, I look over and realized I hadn't been to Green China Grill in a while. A week later, I was working from home and it was pretty chilly, so I thought the Beef Noodle Soup with Sour Cabbage might be good on a chilly day. I did a quick search and found that GCG did online ordering and placed n order for the Beef Noodle Soup with Sour Cabbage, which is now $11.99. I then headed over to pick-up my lunch.

Man, I remember when this parking lot used to be pretty crazy, but on this day there was so much parking available at noon. Sign of the times.

I walked into the doorway and up to the table.

And told the young lady my order; which was ready to go.

This time around, wanting something a bit more substantial, I went with the flat noodles. Things were packed quite well.

While I got the broth up to the temp I wanted, I put the noodles, pickled mustard greens, I liked that there was a pretty generous amount provided, and was quite happy to note that the noodles weren't clumped together.

This was actually not bad, still a bit too much MSG and white pepper for my taste, but the broth, a pretty simple one, wasn't too bad.

The slices of beef looked tough, but were fairly tender, and full of nice beefy tones and I detected a hit of anise as well.

The straight forward pickled greens were briny and also added that sour-pickled palate restoring taste that I enjoy.

The noodles….well, I know I usually go with the regular Lamian here, but these were nicely prepared, with a nice pull and al dente chew that I may just order things this way in the future.

Overall, nothing fancy, but quite simple and satisfying….just what I wanted on this day.

A couple of Friday's back, I was working from home and the weather was crazy, rain pouring like a river in bursts of 10-15 minutes, thunder, and hail….hail! I actually went out looking for clouds of locusts and wondered if we would be having three days of darkness!

I was actually going to order the same noodle soup from GCG again….but after taking a look at the menu online, I saw that they had Yang Rou Pao Mo……like I've said before; I've given up on finding "true" Yang Rou Pao Mo, like we had in Xi'an in SoCal, with a thick, rich, very gamey broth and hearty, but not waxy-dense-slippery-noodley unleavened bread.

So, like my previous visit, I placed my order, had a super easy time finding parking, and my Yang Rou Pao Mo ($12.99) was waiting when I walked to the table…..in and out in less than three minutes! The bag felt pretty darn heavy…..and sheesh looked at all the pseudo pao (soaked) mo (unleavened bread).

Because of the density of the dish, it was still steaming hot when I unpacked it at home. I just had to pour it into a bowl.

In terms of how this compares to Shann Xi Magic Kitchen and other versions, I thought it a bit better for a couple of reasons. The broth had a much stronger gaminess, though it did have a bit too much MSG for my taste. The lamb was super "ewe-y" and fairly tender, though there wasn't much of it. What there was a plethora (sorry, I always think of this when I hear the word "plethora") of was the waxy faux pao mo….though it wasn't bad, not overly hard….I just think of it being more like noodles….like in alphabet soup.

And this sure did warm me up on a wet and chilly day.

In case you were wondering what I'm all waxing nostalgic about:

From Tong Sheng Xiang (同盛祥) in Xi'an.

Oh well; it wasn't too bad, though I think I'll stick with my "usual" the next time around.

Green China Grill
4688 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111
(858) 292-5555
Current Hours:
Mon – Fri 1130am – 3pm, 5pm – 10pm
Sat – Sun 1130am – 10pm

Travelling With My TasteBuds, Thinking of Peru – Lomo Saltado From Latin Chef

February 8, 2021 mmm-yoso Peruvian Restaurants

A few weeks ago; I was looking thru some of my old photos and came across our Peru folders which brought back some great memories of not only places we've visited, but also of memorable meals we've had during our visits. It goes without saying that I really love Peruvian cuisine. From a wonderful Cebiche or Tiradito, to Anticuchos, and of course, Lomo Saltado….to the point that I've even done a comparison post in the past. I of course instantly needed some lomo saltado. I had visited Latin Chef after the change of ownership and move to Liberty Station. I hadn't been to this part of town since before the pandemic started, so I called and placed a takeout order and headed down to Liberty Station. This being early January, San Diego was still in the "purple tier" with only takeout service. I was a bit taken aback with all the folks walking around Liberty Station. Perhaps I should have chosen a non-weekend day for my fix.

Anyway; I took the side entrance and waltzed right to the Latin Chef Counter.

My order wasn't ready, so I walked to the far corner and waited. Unlike my previous visits, the new owner, Tony Kaneshiro wasn't working….just two young men. A few minutes later my Lomo Saltado ($14.50) was ready. I had thought of checking out the rest of the stands a bit; especially Chris' Ono Grinds, but the place was just too crowded for me, so I headed home.

Perhaps I should have ordered from Eli's, because this was quite disappointing. The meat was really tough, dry, with a metallic tinge. I appreciated the tomato in the dish because it really helped to cut the salty and greasiness of the dish. The papas fritas were fine; but also on the dry side. The rice was hard and dry. I was thankful for the Aji Verde….which while very straight forward, also helped to get past the salty-greasiness.

Kind of sad overall.

Maybe it was because Tony wasn't on hand and not to beat a dead horse, but I couldn't help but lament how far Latin Chef has fallen. It was, once upon a time our favorite Peruvian Restaurant in San Diego. We used to visit 2-3 times a week! LC was the place that inspired us to travel to Peru; as much as Machu Picchu amazed us; it was the cuisine that always seemed to be progressing that we loved.

My hope is to find a Peruvian restaurant in San Diego that will take my tastebuds back to Peru……until we can once again travel and visit Peru.

The Latin Chef (Liberty Station)
820 Historic Decatur Rd.
San Diego, CA 92106
(619) 269-3360
Current Hours:
Sun – Wed 11am – 7pm
Thurs – Sat 11am – 8pm

Midweek Meanderings: Ichiro’s Closes and Ramen Ryoma (Kearny Mesa) Closes.

February 3, 2021 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

Just a quick post for today.

Ichiro's Closes:

In my last post on Tadokoro, "FOY" Junichi mentioned that Ichiro has closed and their last day of business was January 30th. So, I decided to drop by during regular business hours and while there was no indication of a sale or change of business, the place was closed.

Thanks to "FOY" Sage for sending me the link to Ichiro's Facebook closing announcement.

The restaurant has a long history here in San Diego, I believe of 36 years! It's the end of an era.

4344 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Ramen Ryoma (Clairemont Mesa) is closed:

I saw this one a while back…..seeing no signage on the place I made a real quick turn into the parking lot.

While the other locations in Hillcrest and Pacific Beach are still open; it seems that this location couldn't make a go of it. I believe they closed back in November, another casualty of Covid.

9119 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92123

Takeout From Da Nang Corner

February 2, 2021 mmm-yoso Bun Bo Hue, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Da Nang Corner has closed

Back in August; I noticed a shop named Da Nang Corner was opening up on Convoy and was quite happy to see the possibility of more regional Vietnamese cuisine being represented in the Convoy area. The shop opened during November and since around the middle of that month, I’ve managed three visits. I was really excited to try what I consider DaNang’s signature dish to be; Mi Quang. To be honest; I’ve never had a decent version of Mi Quang in San Diego. The now closed Mi Quang Mien Trung was a disappointment and other versions just weren’t very satisfying.

Da Nang Corner has an online ordering system, which I used on all three visits. Or at least tried to use. The first two times, they actually called me to confirm my order and I still had to wait for it when I arrived for pick-up. On the third visit, I got no confirmation call and no one had a clue about it when I arrived….the very nice young lady walked over and pulled my ticket out of the POS machine, so I just had to wait. I know grand opening jitters; but remember, this was over the space of almost 80 days.

Still, nice young ladies, the dining area is very clean and well set-up. I’ll definitely eat in when everything settles down…..whenever that may be.

Of course I ordered the Mi Quang Ga ($11.50).

Things were nicely packed, the veggies and herbs were sparkling fresh, I loved that there was a good amount of shredded banana blossom as I really enjoy the texture it adds to various soups and it tends to absorb flavors quite well.

There was more soup than I’m used to for Mi Quang, which while on the salty side had a nice tongue coating finish to it. It wasn’t deeply complex, but pretty darn good….with nice savory tones and a hint of sweetness.

The rest of the dish was somewhat problematic. The noodles were unevenly prepared and many of the noodles were broken into small pieces. Some of the pieces were mushy, some were super hard, barely cooked, just not good eats.

The chicken was strangely bland and also on the dry side, like all the flavor had been boiled out of it even though it was dark meat, go figure. The boiled egg was overcooked with that purple ring around the yolk….a true sign it had been boiled too long.

Now, once we’re over the pandemic, I’m going to order this to dine in and am hoping all of these issues will be remedied.

I took a gander at the menu at Da Nang Corner to figure out what to try next……and two items got my attention; and no, it wasn’t the pho……perhaps someday, but not in my top ten of items to try at a place with Danang in the name. I decided to try the Com Ga Hoi An ($10.50)….Hoi An’s famous chicken and rice dish.

This was during the time before the last lockdown when outdoor dining was allowed….but of course I got my order to go. Ordered online, got a call back during my drive over to the restaurant and there was another ten minute wait after I arrived to get my food.

Now in typical Hoi An Chicken Rice the rice is cooked with turmeric; giving the rice, much like the mi quang a vibrant yellow color. It should also be cooked with chicken broth and fat……but in this case, there was barely any chicken flavor and the rice was really hard as well. The chicken was a bit chewy but that’s to be expected, the sauce was a bit too sweet, I prefer mine to have a bit more acidity, but it wasn’t bad, though there was a distinct shortage of chicken. Loved the herbs in the dish though. The nuoc mam cham was way too sweet as well.

This isn’t something I’ll order again.

During this visit; I asked the young lady working what I should order and was told that the Bun Bo Hue was really good. I asked her if it was as good as Mien Trung and her expression changed, she gave me a shrug; not exactly the seal of approval, but I decided to try the Bun Bo Hue ($12.75). This was after all outdoor dining had been shutdown, I placed an online order, though this time I didn’t receive a confirmation phone call. When I arrived, I walked to the counter and said I had placed an online order receiving a blank stare…..the young lady then walked to the printer and guess what? There was my order….oh well; it’s still “grand opening”, right?

Once my order was ready, I took my package to the car and returned home, not thinking this was going to be any good……though I would be proven wrong.

I did reheat the broth for this and once put together it looked, and smelled quite good.

First off, while I wished there were more veggies and herbs (especially banana blossom), what was provided was fine.

Second, the noodles were perfectly prepared, good texture, nice and slippery.

Third, the broth was good, perhaps a bit too much MSG, but heck, even Mien Trung goes a bit far at times. But the broth had a mild beefiness, decent spice, and while I think it could have used more lemongrass, that was still acceptable….there was a nice mild spice as well. The cilantro and onions added just a touch of pungency to help move the flavors forward.

In addition to the well prepared beef shank and tendon (better than MT I think), there was a nice and tender meatball like you’d find in Bun Rieu. The only item that was not prepared well was the pork hock which was too tough and rubbery and needed more cooking time. Other than that, I’d say this was way better than typical “pho shop Bun Bo Hue” you’ll find in the area and not a bad alternative to Mien Trung in my opinion.

I’ll definitely have this again….hopefully this wasn’t just a day I hit the lottery.

I’m hoping Da Nang Corner does well and keeps improving. Time will tell…..as I’m not just happy “to have something” available, my hope is that the next bowl of Mi Quang will be much better and that Bun Bo Hue wasn’t just a visit on a “good day”.

Da Nang Corner
4428 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111
(858) 737-4919
Current Hours:
Tues – Sun 11am – 7pm
Closed on Mondays

Takeout Revisit – LouZiana Food

January 31, 2021 mmm-yoso Cajun, Southern, and Soul Food

**** LouZiana Food has closed

Well, this pandemic has kept on for so long that I'm kinda "making the rounds" again to places like LouZiana Food, that I've already done takeout from a couple of times. I've got the drill down, I called in my order and was told it would be ready in 15 minutes; which was just enough time to "hele" on over.

My order was ready when I arrived and things went quickly. I like the folks working here; they've always been quite friendly.

In addition to my "usual" from here; the Red Beans and Rice; I decided to try the Shrimp Creole as well.

Things came nicely packed. As with previous visits I wasn't particularly fond of the very dry and crumbly bread provided.

I really hadn't seen any photos of the Shrimp Creole and didn't realized that it was battered and fried before being put into the "gravy", which was a mixed blessing. I'm sure the coating prevented the shrimp from getting too hard and rubbery; though all of the coating had started peeling off into the gravy. The shrimp also had a slight muddiness to it as well. The gravy was super thick….I'm used to shrimp creole having a "bisque like" consistency; this was an almost solid "blob". The flavor was decent; perhaps a bit too much….I believe it was thyme that kinda overpowered things.

As I mentioned earlier in the post; my usual here is the Red Beans and Rice. It did not disappoint, the texture and mouthfeel this time around might have been the best I've had from LouZiana; decent creaminess, not too thick. Perhaps not smoky enough for my taste but good enough for lunch. Decent amount of sausage; quite a bit of celery this time around as I could really make that out.

Overall, a decent lunch….hearty food for some cold weather. I'd still like to find something else on the menu to pair with the red beans and rice……the really nice staff means I'll keep on trying.

LouZiana Food
7128 Miramar Rd.
San Diego, CA 92121
(858) 566-6000
Current Hours:
Daily 11am – 8pm

You don’t mind if I indulge myself tonight, do you?

January 28, 2021 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi

Just a quick post….man, so far it's been a pretty intense 2021 and both the Missus; who has been putting in 6 day weeks and I wanted to indulge ourselves. I hope you don't mind. You know where this is from, right?

Man, this was the best takeout we've had during the pandemic……well, perhaps it was just what we wanted?

What's your favorite takeout place?

Hope you're staying safe and having the best week possible!

Take care!

“Them Bones” (Xí Quách Suon Bò) and Nuoc Beo From Pho Duyen Mai

January 26, 2021 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Pho Duyen Mai is under new ownership

A couple of weeks back "FOY" Sage sent me a Tweet letting me know that Pho Duyen Mai now had an option for "Fatty Broth with Green Onions" for 50 cents extra. Well, that got my attention as I figured it was Nuoc Beo. A lot of places will provide Nuoc Beo on request; but I don't recall seeing it on the menu in San Diego. So, when our latest storm hit; you know 50 mph winds, hail, locusts….water turning to blood (this is 2021 after all)……I decided that a bowl of pho (while I still had a chance), with some extra fatty broth would really hit the spot. I was tempted to do the online ordering; but quickly noticed that they didn't have "Them Bones" as an option online. So, I decided to drive on over on my way back from the office to check on Frankie. The nice woman was working who remembers me, even with some groovy longer hair and a mask on. She quickly told me that they did indeed have Beef Rib Bones available, which I added to my order.

This being yesterday….Monday the 26th, Duyen Mai was still doing takeout only, with only one party at a time allowed inside the front door at the table.

I was my order would be ready in ten minutes and waited in my car….and about eight minutes later, I was waved back in to pick up my order.

It felt quite hefty and I was a bit surprised when I unpacked things.

Man, along with a larger portion of broth like I had last time; there were four full ribs and all the meat. I was also shocked at how much bean sprouts were included as well.

The beef rib meat was much more tender than on previous visits. It came off the bone cleanly and I shredded it into a bowl with my hands…….nice beefy goodness right here.

I actually saved half the meat and a third of the broth with some bean sprouts and had that as a starter for dinner.

I got the #27…you know tendon, tripe, well done meats….especially since I was taking this togo. A little of the nuoc beo went a long way….not very beefy, though quite "lardy" and the scallions adds a bit of seet-pungency to things.

The proteins were in good shape; I especially appreciated the crunchy tripe, with no off flavors with the tender tendon as a foil. The well done flank as toothsome, but not tough and the brisket was nice and beefy.

Like I previously mentioned, there was a ton of very fresh bean sprouts and also a good amount of basil, which was on the precipice of starting to turn color. That lime came in handy as the broth; while decently beefy…something that is quite rare when it comes to pho in San Diego these days; featured something else that is the status quo with SD pho broth; it had that "sweetness", though it wasn't overly salty.

The only thing problematic were the noodles. Since it was packed with all the ingredients on it; I just moved it to a bowl. I should have removed all the toppings; though getting all the scallions and cilantro might be problematic and poured boiling water to separate. While the noodles were nicely prepared…..it still had some nice "strecth" to them; it was quite a task separating them without tearing the noodles to shreds.

Still, I have no complaints about this (1 – 1/2) meal(s). That rib meat was a winnah' and having the optino for Nuoc Beo…..well my old buddy Dennis of a Radiused Corner would be all over that in an instant.

Much thanks to "FOY" Sage for letting me know about Nuoc Beo and getting Duyen Mai back on my radar. It was so nice on a windy, chilly, rainy day.

Pho Duyen Mai
5375 Kearny Villa Rd
San Diego, CA 92123
(858) 560-5354
Current Covid-19 Hours:
Wed – Mon 10am – 8pm
Tuesday 9am – 8pm

Travelling With My Tastebuds, Remembering Asahikawa – Shoyu Toroniku To Go from Santouka

January 24, 2021 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

Well, it's definitely ramen weather right now…..at least San Diego's version of it. Since She'd had a rather substantial and late lunch, the Missus asked if we could just go ahead and split a bowl of the toroniku ramen from Santouka, which sounded fine to me as I wasn't super hungry. So, we headed off to the Mitsuwa Food Court and wouldn't you know it, Santouka was out of shio broth, just like when I last did takeout in April. Oh well, the Missus went shopping for snacks while I waited for our large shoyu toroniku.

I gotta say; the broth wasn't as salty as the last time I had this.

And that pork cheek….while not as fatty as on previous visits, was so nicely flavored……welcome to shoyu-porkiness!

But, unfortunately, like my last takeout visit, the noodles just didn't hold up and were mushy, lacking in that nice al dente pull and chew. So I guess it really doesn't travel well. The Missus agreed; I think She know believes that Menya Ultra is better; at least for takeout.

As we were both enjoying ourselves at the dinner table, we had one of those "moments". And we both blurted out; "remember going to Asahikawa and finding the original Santouka?"

Yes, we were in Hokkaido at the end of November in 2015, and went to Asahikawa, the city where the coldest temperature in the history of Japan (-42F) was recorded…..I was in search of Otokoyama Brewery; the Missus, the flagship location of Santouka, which turned out to be a humble little shop (photo to the right). We both shared our memories and had a couple of laughs; there were actual snow flurries while we were on the train; we then caught a bus to Otokoyama Brewery, me having to ask the driver if the but went to the brewery….the wonderful bus driver made sure to let us know when our stop came up and when got out and headed in the wrong direction stopped and pointed the way for us! We miss Japan so much. Even though we had to cancel our planned trip last fall; these memories make sure that we'll return when we're able.

Here's hoping it's soon.

Funny how a bowl of ramen can transport you to a place 5,000 miles away and what seems a lifetime ago. Well, it's all we have for now; so it'll have to do….for now…..

Santouka Ramen
4240 Kearny Mesa Rd(In the Mitsuwa Marketplace)
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Takeout Hours
Daily 11am – 630pm

We hope everyone had a warm, dry, and safe weekend!

News About Sam and Sushi Yaro

January 22, 2021 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi

**** Sushi Yaro has closed

Well, as if things couldn't get bad enough. On Tuesday my good friends sent me a bunch of text messages telling me that Sam, owner of Sushi Yaro had a stroke. Which was really hard to believe since he's fairly young. I don't do Facebook, so I quickly went to the Sushi Yaro's Facebook and found that it was true.

Good lord, 2021 isn't turning out to be so great so far…..

I've known Sam for almost 20 years now, from his time working at Katzra, to when he opened Sammy Sushi, to Sushi Yaro. While not fancy……it's always been what I've envisioned as the neighborhood sushi bar, unpretentious, all are welcome, and regardless if you wanted rolls or sashimi, there was something for you.

I've always harped on the importance of the relationship between the Itamae and the customer and no where else was it so true then at Sushi Yaro. I could always waltz in and just order "some sashimi" and get a nice plate of well cut, fresh fish…..the best that was available. And, I've actually met some "FOYs" at Yaro!

I usually don't do this, but times are different right now. I have been alerted to a GoFundMe to help Sam. Especially with rent to keep him afloat. So, if you've been to Sushi Yaro and enjoyed yourself…….well……

Here's hoping Sam recovers….though having a stroke can't be great for the motor skill you need making sushi….but I'm hoping for the best.

Get well Sam!

Times “BC” (Before Covid) – Remember Brunches? Tribute Pizza, Nate’s Garden Grill, and Dan Diegos

January 21, 2021 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Pizza, Sandwiches, yoso-silly

The Missus and I aren't real breakfast/brunch kinda folks……especially the pancake/omelette/etc…… A simple croissant will often do. I know, the "most important meal of the day" and all that stuff. Still, breakfast will often make the Missus feel tired, lazy, and sluggish….so there's not much of that going on in our household. However, when we do want to have brunch (and then probably head back home for a nap) we enjoy something that's not quite conventional as you will soon see.

At the end of 2019 and during the beginning of 2020 I was starting to work on a collection of these brunches….and then Covid-19 hit. And who knows when we'll be happily munching and brunching away next? I was just going to delete these photos…..but since these places are still open for takeout; I thought why not just go ahead and do a "COMC" (Clearing Out the Memory Card) kind of post.

So here goes:

Tribute Pizza:

A favorite of the Missus had started serving brunch and we thought we'd try it out. And we really enjoyed it….this was our favorite of the four.

The Missus loved that kale with pesto, that I started making a similar item that's a staple for the Missus's lunches. (Photo on the right)

We really enjoyed this brunch. We haven't been to Tribute since the pandemic started, but will hopefully rectify things soon.

I'm hoping when the pandemic is resolved they start up brunch again.

Tribute Pizza
3077 N Park Way
San Diego, CA 92104
(619) 450-4505
Takeout Hours:
Mon – Wed 4pm – 8pm
Thurs     4pm – 9pm
Friday    1pm – 9pm
Saturday 12pm – 9pm
Sunday    12pm – 8pm

Nate's Garden Grill:

I've enjoyed my breakfasts at Nate's.

I think I mostly enjoy the vibe and setting…..

The brunches have always been quite rustic and hearty.

And I believe they are doing brunch for takeout on Saturdays and Sundays from 9am – 3pm

Nate's Garden Grill
3120 Euclid Ave
San Diego, CA 92105
(619) 546-7700
Takeout Hours:
Wed – Fri 1130am – 8pm
Saturday 9am – 3pm, 4pm – 8pm
Sunday 9am – 3pm
Currently Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays

Dan Diegos:

And here's one from my 'hood. I hadn't been in a while.