mmm-yoso – Page 114

Roadtrip (During Covid-19) – The Raven Tavern and the Abandoned Casa Sirena Seaside Resort (Oxnard)

September 3, 2021 mmm-yoso British/Irish/Scottish Restaurants/Pubs, Cocktails, Road Trip, Travel, Ventura County

After a wonderful lunch at Yai Restaurant we made it into Oxnard in pretty good time. Our room was actually ready when we arrived and we got a short break before heading off to dinner. I really didn't want to travel too far from where we were staying and after reading through a bunch of reviews and such, thought that the Raven Tavern would make for a nice, low stress dinner. The place was quite busy when we arrived, but we had reservations and were quickly seated outside right along the harbor.

The Servers and such were very nice; but they were obviously a bit overwhelmed…….I believe it's Covid staffing, so I won't hold it against them.

I started with the "Joe's Old Fashioned" ($15).

Too much bitters and not enough Bourbon for my taste.

The Missus looked at what other tables were having and really didn't seem too inspired. She wasn't overly hungry and went with the Veggie Hand Pie ($5).

The crust on this one was better than mine; but that sauce had a weird, almost sour tinge to it and the filling just wasn't very good.

The Missus figured that a hand pie would be enough for Her since I ordered the Steak and Mushroom Dinner Pie ($16) with Garlic Mashed Potatoes ($3).

The crust of the pie was on the gummy-mushy side and the filling was barely lukewarm. The gravy had a strange bitterness to it and wasn't hot. There wasn't very much "steak" in this pie either. The best thing were the mashed potatoes which were nicely seasoned…..the only thing the Missus enjoyed.

The food seemed very corporate and "chain-like"….

Too bad. You can't win 'em all, right?

The Raven Tavern
1651 S Victoria Ave.
Oxnard, CA 93035

We took the short drive back to the hotel and decided to take a stroll. We were staying right on Channel Islands Harbor, just north of Port Hueneme at the Hampton Inn. The harbor is quite lovely, very relaxing, and laid back.

There are many residences along Peninsula Road along with folks living on the various yachts and right next to the hotel was a quaint little park. We had a blast watching all the pooches having their evening social hour.

Right next to the park was an interesting site. We first walked along the dock and along this area there were no boats moored and this was where the sea lions hung out.

You see, right along the harbor is the abandoned Casa Sirena Seaside Resort, which closed down in 2009. I was fascinated in checking it out after reading this in Atlas Obscura. It's both eerie and depressing….the abandoned buildings looking run down and worn.

It was starting to get dark and we saw guys on bikes and other folk hanging around in the walkways and they seemed to be….well….you can figure that one out, right?

Very sad indeed. This must be prime property, so I'm wondering what the back story might be. Going down this rabbit hole a bit, I found this on the Channel Islands Harbor website, so perhaps in the near future a new hotel will stand in it's place. The Hampton Inn we stayed at actually used to be the "annex" of the resort.

Here's a photo of Casa Sirena taken the following morning.

As we sailed off to Anacapa Island……

Stay tuned for that post!

Daddy’s Hot Dogs Revisited

September 2, 2021 mmm-yoso Hot Dogs

I needed to drop by Penzy's on a recent weekend and wanted something quick and simple for lunch. Of course, all I needed to do was look across the street to a familiar sight.

I hadn't realized that it has been nearly two years since I last visited…..well, that kinda makes sense since I haven't been in this area much since the pandemic started.

The two tables were bring rolled out as I headed across the street.

A quick glance at the menu surprised me. Unlike almost everywhere else during these times it seems that prices have not gone up.

I had thought about just getting a Chicago Dog; but I had really enjoyed the "O" on my previous visit, that I just decided to order that.

And I enjoyed it. While I really couldn't make out the bacon much, the acidity of the tomatoes, along with just the right amount of Russian dressing, and a bit of spice from the jalapeno relish really delivered.

And, I'm not sure if it was my imagination; but that hot dog seemed so tender…..almost delicate, enrobed in a warm and soft bun.

Perhaps the atmosphere elevated the meal…….I ate standing at one of the two outdoor tables, no one around me, elbows on the table, sun shining brightly down on me……there wasn't much traffic on University on this day. It all seemed so normal, something which hasn't been "the norm" since March of last year. And for a moment, all seemed right in the world.

Daddy's Hot Dogs
1281 University Ave.
San Diego, CA 92103
Hours:
Tuesdays 11am – 230pm, 330pm – 7pm
Wed – Sat 11am – 10pm
Closed on Sunday and Monday

Sunday Sandwiches – Sunrise Deli (Miramar)

August 29, 2021 mmm-yoso Sandwiches

Here's another one of those Mom-and-Pop sandwich shops in a business mall. I found this one while looking up the address of Creative Deli. Located on Silverton Avenue off of Dowdy Drive is Sunrise Deli.

The place really seems to be a favorite of those "working stiffs" and there always seems to be a line. All my visits were between 930 and 1030….and in each case there was a queue lined up. Nothing fancy here; no online ordering, open Monday to Friday from 7am to 3pm.

The prices are quite reasonable; especially in these days of Covid……the service is friendly; the woman behind the counter so very nice, and in all my three visits, I got my sandwich in ten minutes!

The menu is rather large with all types of burgers, breakfast type dishes, burritos, quesadillas, and of course a good variety of sandwiches.

On my first visit, I got the Club Deluxe ($7.99).

Which was served on nicely toasted sourdough. For me; it as the combination of bacon, avocado, and the fact that the sandwich wasn't over-dressed in mayo, which made the sandwich for me. Perhaps this is nothing revolutionary….but I just wanted a decent sandwich and the price point was good as was the sandwich. All ingredients in balanced quantity.

I'm fairly certain they use standard Boar's Head product; but I really liked the way they sliced the roast beef.

So, on my next visit I got the "Jimmy Special" ($7.99).

And like my previous experience; the sourdough bread was nicely toasted so the sandwich held up quite well during the 10-15 minute drive back to the office.

I had thought that the roast beef had been cut a bit too thick; but it did well in combination with the mild milky-saltiness of the two slices of Swiss Cheese. Again, in terms of proportion; it was just enough mustard and mayo. And the avocado really brought a wonderful buttery texture, along with a mild grassy-nuttiness to the sandwich.

I had enjoyed the roast beef here that on my last visit I was just going to order the Roast Beef sandwich; but when I got to the window; I had changed things up and went with the Miramar Special ($8.75), which seemed like sort of a "Cheesesteakish" kinda thing.

For me; the bread to filling ratio was a bit off for this one….though like before, it was toasted nicely and held up well.

The bacon was a bit lost in all of this; but like before, the avocado really helped the sandwich along as I wish there was more Peperoncino Swiss both of which kept the dryness of all that bread at bay. The griddled roast beef was a bit too hard and dry for my taste….and in this case; the sandwich could have probably used a bit more mayo!

Still, the service was wonderful, and even though the woman was apologizing to all the guys in front of me….she seemed to know them all by name for the recent price increases, I found myself to be perfectly fine with the pricing.

I'm happy to have found another option for those days where I need to grab an early lunch…….and I do find that it helps my mental state to escape from the office; if only for a few minutes. The prices are reasonable, the woman working the counter is so nice….she even remembered my name after my second visit! And I love supporting these type of local businesses.

Sunrise Deli
7920 Silverton Ave.
San Diego, CA 92126
Phone number
(858) 433-7139
Hours:
Mon – Fri 7am – 3pm

Please have a safe week!

Roadtrip (During Covid-19) – Yai Restaurant 7 Years Later (Los Angeles)

August 15, 2021 mmm-yoso Los Angeles County, Road Trip, Thai Restaurants, Travel

Just before this latest wave of Covid-19 infections, we decided to take another road trip; this time to Oxnard….yes, Oxnard. And, if you've been reading our recent posts, you'll notice that the Missus has been quite enamored with Thai food recently.

So, as we headed up the 101, the Missus requested a stop on Hollywood Boulevard at the edge of Thai Town….requesting a revisit to Yai Restaurant. Funny thing, when I checked on our last visit to Yai, I was shocked to find out it was seven years ago! And our previous visit was seven years before that one! Time sure does fly.

There was quite a bit of construction going on close to the restaurant; though it seems that there are now homeless encampments all along the 101. The location still looks a bit worn and the Yai sign is now quite faded. It does look like they've done a refresh on the interior though.

Our Server was quite efficient and we chose a table in the far corner. Wouldn't you know….geez, even with all the open seating in the place, two parties would arrive and insist on getting tables next to us….sigh…..

We had our aim on two dishes we've had before and the Missus wanted to try one additional item.

Things started with the BBQ Duck with Chili and Garlic which we had and enjoyed on an earlier visit.

As before, the duck was on the chewy side….but also as before, that wonderful garlic-basil-chili flavor with a hint of sweetness.

The Missus wanted to try the Som Tom, so we ordered it "spicy"……which, well it wasn't. We've always thought of Yai to be on the Thai-Chinese end of the spectrum.

This was still quite good though. Loved the cut of the papaya, you could tell, based on the rough edges, and different sizes, that it wasn't "bought in a bag"…in fact, we saw one of the women actually cutting the papaya. Nice acidity, perhaps a bit light on the fish sauce, loved the dried shrimp which added nice savory tones.

Of course, the one item we just had to have was the Black Egg Pow. This was as good, if not better then we recalled.

Man, I'm not sure how they fry up that pidan, but it's crisp on the outside and oh so creamy. That basil forward sauce has a nice hint of spice, balanced sweetness, good garlic tones, and is just plain wonderful.

We were so happy with our meal. And though the prices have gone up quite a bit….it's been seven years after all, and the portions are smaller…it's actually more in line with true "Thai portions" like we had in Thailand. We didn't order any rice with our meal…..after all, I still had a bit of a drive up to Oxnard….the woman working said "oh, you are trying to be healthy" when we didn't order any rice. And then when I paid, she gave me a couple of cookies for the road, "because you had no rice, you might get hungry." It just kind of put that "cherry on the top"; you know what I mean.

For some reason, the fact that Yai was just as good seven years down the line just made us feel great……..we felt blessed that in this time of Covid, we were able to get out for a bit and grateful for a wonderful meal.

And hopefully, we won't have to wait another seven years to have that Black Egg Pow again.

Yai Restaurant
5757 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90028

Roadtrip (During Covid-19) – Sidecar Cocktail Co. and Old San Luis BBQ Co. (San Luis Obispo)

August 14, 2021 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, BBQ, Cocktails, Paso Robles/Cambria/San Luis Obispo County, Road Trip, Travel

On the way back to the motel after dinner, I asked the Missus if She'd like to stop for a cocktail. I was somewhat interested in a place we had passed earlier in the day named Sidecar….no, not "that" Sidecar; this Sidecar, located on Broad Street.

This was the place we passed that had seating along the the creek. They also had tables lined up outdoors as well.

Unfortunately, none of those tables were available….plus, we weren't eating anything, so we just got one of the tables in the bar area which was nicely spaced.

The folks working were quite friendly….the Missus ordered one of the specialty cocktails….called "Walk on Home Boy" ($15).

Strange this supposedly had both Bourbon and Mezcal, but was quite mild in flavor and on the sweeter side/

I asked for an Old Fashion made with Mezcal – which wasn't too bad at all.

We decided to call it quits after one drink each and decided to head back to the motel.

We enjoyed the service and vibe was very nice.

Sidecar Cocktail Co.
1040 Broad St.
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401

A half a block away, we stopped by this nice piece of public art named "Web of Life".

Close by was the Old San Luis BBQ Company – also known as "Old Slo BBQ". It was basically a window and small attached dining area.

Along with a small outdoor dining area along the sidewalk. The menu had tri-tip "sliders" on it, so I talked the Missus into ordering one ($4.25) to take back to the room.

It was a short wait, but soon enough our little slider was ready and we walked back to our room.

Old San Luis BBQ Co.
670 Higuera St.
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401

Returning to our room I opened things up……

The rather dry tri-tip was served on a standard issue sourdough-ciabatta style roll. The tri-tip had a strong smokiness with not much else in terms of seasoning and was quite tough and dry. The actual flavor of the bread was stronger than the meat….except for all that smoke.

That BBQ sauce was overly sweet for my taste. I guess we'll stick with our "old faithful" if/when we're back in SLO……

Takeout from Supannee House of Thai

August 10, 2021 mmm-yoso Thai Restaurants

In my post on Rooster Rice & Noodles, "FOY" Si asked if I'd ever had the Nam Khao Tod from Supannee House of Thai:

"Have you every try nam khao tod from Supannee House of Thai? I had it in a party once and it was nice."

Wow, well….I had not had the Nam Khao Tod from Supannee….in fact it had been over three years since my last visit and well…..I hadn't been that far down Point Loma since before the pandemic. And recently, the Missus has been craving Thai food as you can tell by my recent posts. So a visit was probably overdue.

With Covid cases surging of course we did takeout…..and the online ordering worked fine, though they no longer have the house made Thai Sausage which before having the version from Sovereign recently, was my favorite in San Diego….there was a short wait when I arrived, but that was perfectly fine as I sat outside.

So, here's a rundown of what we ordered……

Our favorite item was the Nam Tok ($14) at Medium Spicy.

The beef was tender; just the right amount of heat, nice acidity from the lime juice, pungency from the red onions, mild pungent-almost citrus tones from the cilantro, and while it could have used more toasted rice powder; this was quite enjoyable.

The Nam Khao Tod ($13) seemed to have way too much ginger, but it was quite good.

And while I prefer Lao versions of this; with pork skin, this was good as well. It could have had more crispness to it, but the sausage was nice and sour…..like I mentioned, I thought there was too much ginger in the dish but it really grounded things. Earthiness from the peanuts, good sour tones, the kaffir lime leaves added complexity. A nice enjoyable version of Nam Khao.

I ordered the Papaya Salad ($9) spicy….and it was decently spicy.

But the Missus, while She enjoyed the Mexican Wild Shrimp, said that this was missing the deep savory tones She enjoys…I'm thinking She really wants Issan/Lao style Papaya salad.

I was curious about the Het Larb ($10) – basically a mushroom larb……no it's not a nam prik; which I might have really loved, but basically Shimeji Mushroom Larb.

This dish, while quite spicy fell flat since it didn't deliver much else. I was expecting some nice earthiness from the mushrooms…nope, cilantro…mint…fish sauce…..not really enough. This was quite one dimensional overall.

Still, the Nam Tok and Nam Khao will bring us back……and hopefully they'll have the house made Thai Sausage again.

Thanks Si for the recommendation!

Supannee House of Thai
2907 Shelter Island Drive
San Diego, CA 92106
Current Hours:
Daily 1130am – 830pm

On an interesting side note…..the Missus asked me if I could hit up the last three Thai places and coordinate takeout…..my initial response was no…but then, I remembered having already set the precedent for this……sigh.

Sidecar Bar and Highway 101 Signs on Morena

August 9, 2021 mmm-yoso Cocktails, Exploring San Diego, yoso-silly

Before the current Covid situation got out of hand the Missus found a favorite local bar to grab a cocktail at. Sidecar!

Yes….Sidecar!

The Missus has taken to the place……it's just "divey" enough for Her. The staff is professional while still being quite friendly. To be perfectly honest; we've only gone right after Sidecar opens and it's just for one drink and we head home for dinner. So, my observations are based on that.

The place is usually quite quiet when we visit…..

And no; I haven' played foosball in years….well, make that decades.

We always sit at the front window area overlooking the converted parking lot….fresh air and the "view" makes it "interesting" for us……

As for what we usually get….well after sampling several cocktails over our visits; it's the Penicillin for me. It uses both Monkey Shoulder, one of my favorite non-peaty Scotch's and Montelobos Mezcal, another standard that I first had at Fernside. I'm usually not a fan of ginger in my cocktails….but hey, it's summer and it works fine in this cocktail.

The Missus enjoys the Brown Derby……She enjoys the Bourbon and Grapefruit in this cocktail.

The drinks have a nice balance for us….not watered down, not overly sweet, but with just enough booze where we can actually taste it.

Actually, I introduced the Missus's current new favorite……a combination of Gin, Laguinitas Hop Water (non-alocholic), and lime. At my favorite watering hole they call it "the Andy".

It's super refreshing and brings out the botanicals in the gin.

The customers….well the one's that we've seen are interesting…..and quite nice….like I said it's usually one drink and then home. There are a bunch of old-timers….regulars and just an interesting mixed crowd. Like this group who came in for a drink before heading out in a limo. They asked me to take a photo of them.

With the increase in Covid cases; we're not sure when we'll be back…….hopefully things will get straightened out soon.

Sidecar
1310 Morena Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92110
Hours:
Daily 3pm – 2am

I love the sculpture on the roof of the "Exotic" Animal Hospital next door too.

On one of our first visits; right after the June 15th "reopening" I noticed this sign on Morena.

For some reason I had never noticed them before, but they've been up since summer of 2017! Apparently, before the I-5 was built….who knew!

And then, while going down that rabbit hole, I came across these street videos from 1970 on the City of San Diego Website – approach with caution as it can keep you busy for hours. To quote from the site:

"This collection consists of film created by the Transportation and Storm Water Department from January to October 1970. Some are from a later date. Described as a Photolog by the department, each reel of 35mm color film was taken by a camera attached to a car driving down the street or highway, producing street level views. The individual reels were converted to a digital version by the City Clerk’s Archives. Users may freeze and print the images."

And there's videos of Morena headed North and also South. And since there's a version on Youtube….well guess what? For folks who live in the area, see how many places you recognize (the Clairemont Drive video is fun as well).

Be safe and have a great week!

Roadtrip (During Covid-19) – Dinner at Koberl At Blue (San Luis Obispo)

August 8, 2021 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Paso Robles/Cambria/San Luis Obispo County, Road Trip, Travel

After that nice lunch at Firestone Grill, we walked back to our motel and had a nice afternoon nap.

For our dinner in SLO; I created a list for the Missus to choose from and after looking at various menus; She chose Koberl at Blue. The appetizers and vegetarian menu items interested Her. And you know how we enjoy ordering a selection of appetizers to create sort of our own "multi-course" menu to share.

The interior bar area is very "old school" looking….I should have taken a photo. We did enjoy eating outdoors and the service while on the "SLO-side" (how appropriate, right?) was friendly.

The Missus had a glass of wine to start and I ordered the Yuzu Gimlet, which needed a bit more gin in my opinion……

Recalling our regret for not ordering the scallops at Les Petites Canailles, we decided to order the Seared Sea Scallops ($22).

The scallops were on the overcooked side for our taste and the artichoke duxelles was quite bland. There wasn't enough bacon to elevate the flavor of the dish and the brown butter sauce was a bit too cold in temp which led to a slightly greasy mouthfeel. I'm thinking that under normal circumstances the radish would provide a spicy-bitter zip….but it just didn't work out in this case. Not a terrible dish, but not good.

A menu item that fascinated both the Missus and I was the Crispy Snowe Crab "Chinois" ($18).

The crab was nicely formed, breaded, and fried but it was so darn salty. And that dressing reminded me of….well "secret sauce" if you know what I mean. We actually just had one each and as much as we hate to waste food, we just couldn't bring ourselves to finish this. We did mention the sodium level to our gracious Server….not to have it taken off our bill; but just to let the kitchen know.

My favorite dish of the evening was the Beef Carpaccio ($17).

The beef ethereally melted in my mouth. It did have a bit too much "stuffs" with all the celeriac and Parmesiano Reggiano. Just having the capers, less horseradish sauce, and onion would have done the job. Still, I enjoyed this.

The Missus was excited about the Wild Mushroom Ravioli ($20), but it ended up being disappointed.

The basil vermouth sauce was on mild side and really didn't help to bring out the earthiness of the mushroom in the ravioli….I think the Missus was expecting an elevated version of my porcini-cremini sauce. The spinach was perfectly sautéed, but the texture of the ravioli was on the mushy side.

After this dish, we decided to call it a night at Koberl.

Koberl At Blue
998 Monterey St.
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401

We headed back to our room….though while walking down the pedestrian only Monterey Street, we decided to make one more stop….which would end up being two more stops before calling it a night.

Thanks for stopping by!

Roadtrip (During Covid-19) – Walking Around San Luis Obispo and Revisiting Firestone Grill 7 Years Later

August 6, 2021 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Paso Robles/Cambria/San Luis Obispo County, Road Trip, Salads, Sandwiches, Travel

After yet another nice meal at Madeline's in Cambria (and that beautiful sunset), we slept well. And after a wonderful night's sleep, I got up early, and just as on our previous visit walked on over to Cambria Coffee Roasting Company to get the Missus Her pour over and a Cold Brew for me.

Like Paso Robles; there's something about Cambria that is very comfortable and on this, our second trip here within a year, it all felt familiar.

Cambria Coffee Roasting Company
761 Main St.
Cambria, CA 93428

We just relaxed and took our sweet time. We had one more stop before heading home and it was basically a 45 minute drive South. Finally, fully awake we headed off….to San Luis Obispo. We had made a stop in SLO years back, but I had wanted to stay for a night. But man, those hotel prices in the downtown area….over $300 a night! Yikes. So, I booked what was basically a motor inn right off the 101 and a short 15 minute walk into the heart of "SLO". Of course we had gotten in quite early; check-in wasn't until 3pm. So, the motel was nice enough to let us park in the lot and we decided to stretch our legs and grab some lunch.

We basically walked up Higuera Street then took a left on Broad Street. We were playing by ear.

The Missus had decided that She wanted to see Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, so we headed off in that direction. We meandered along, crossing over San Luis Obispo Creek; stopping to check out some of the public art.

The creek has nice green spaces and a creekside trail. And some of the restaurants and bars have what seems like serene creekside seating.

It was such a bright and beautiful day in May.

We passed the History Center and headed up to Palm and the garden area of the Mission.

It was a nice, peaceful area to take a break. The Mission is well known for the bells and bellringers.

After a short break we headed off to the front of the Mission.

And the bells went off just as we turned the corner.

The Mission was founded in 1772 by; you guessed it; Junípero Serra. The site itself is fascinating as the area was called Ilano de los Osos (though some say it was La Cañada de los Osos – "Valley of the Bears") "Plain of the Bears" by Juan Crespí, a Franciscan Missionary who documented Gaspar de Portolá's expedition thru what is now California.

There was a nice art display in Mission Plaza and all along SLO called the May Flower Initiative, with some wonderful, colorful displays.

There was something I wanted to check out just a block over. You see; once upon a time, like many cities in California, SLO had a Chinatown (there's a great article here). A block over from the Mission are the remnants of that Chinatown. The most well known being the Ah Louis Store.

Ah Louis is probably the most well known and most successful of those that settled in SLO. The Ah Louis Store still stands; though it's now called "Karson Butler Events at the Ah Louis Store".

Another business that still exists is Mee Heng Low; you can read a wonderful article on the business here. One can only imagine what challenges these folks had to overcome. The anti-Chinese sentiment, the Chinese Exclusion Act……and there are times…at least these days, where I think we haven't evolved very far from the racism and hate of those days.

By this time, the Missus was getting a bit hungry…..after a short discussion….a very short discussion, we thought it would be kinda cool to revisit Firestone Grill, which we really enjoyed over 7 years ago! My how time flies……

So we walked on over.

They were doing great business; but folks were all wearing masks and distancing and other processes were in place.

We placed our order at one counter; found a table outside. They had closed tables in order to distance diners….a nice job overall.

Soon enough our number was called and I headed off to another area to pick up our food. We had ordered the exact same items as on our previous visit.

The Missus got Her massive Steak Cobb Salad ($11.99), which She plowed thru like there's no tomorrow.

Yes, that tri-tip does well on this; but man, it's the bacon and blue cheese that makes the salad in my opinion. And with all that flavor, who needs dressing.

I got the Trip-tip Sandwich (no BBQ sauce please).

They still gave me BBQ sauce; but at least it was on the side….that sauce is way too sweet and for me doesn't bring anything to the sandwich. Not quite as much tri-tip as I recall; but it is still moist and tender, beefy with mild smokiness….I do like the roll they use; lightly toasted, a bit of garlic butter…yeasty. This was quite good……..even 7 years later!

Firestone Grill
1001 Higuera St
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401

We were happy with lunch and were looking forward to dinner….but first; a nap of course. I got a text telling me our room was ready so we headed back.

There was one additional stop I wanted to make; Bubblegum Alley….but when we got there, the Missus was so grossed out that She told me I'd be napping in the car if I walked in…..

I dunno; we had been to the Gum Wall in Seattle……but maybe being surrounded by stuff that's been chewed…saliva and all that….in the heat of mid-day?

That's fine……at this point in time, that nap in air conditioned goodness was more important to me!

Thanks for stopping by!

The Rule of Three – Revisits to GyroGrill, LouZiana Food, and Smack’N Guamanian Grill

August 4, 2021 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Cajun, Southern, and Soul Food, Greek Food, Guamanian/Chamorro, Sandwiches

So, I recently started returning to places fairly close to the office and when setting up this post I noticed something about three of these places. The number three comes into play. All three places are on Miramar Road. This is my third post on these places since the pandemic started…..yes, it’s been that long. And all three are, well….take out visits. The one big difference is in my ordering mechanism.

So here goes.

GyroGrill:

**** GryoGrill has closed

Gyrogrill actually opened during the pandemic and my first post was back in October of last year.

Since service and turnaround is fairly quick at GG….a big plus is that they open at 9am so I can get our lunches at around 10 and the place is empty and the parking lot isn’t crazy. I actually order at the restaurant.

As I mentioned in my follow-up post, I….and my coworkers basically get one thing here. The pork gyros combo with handcut potatoes.

So even though the pork gyros here isn’t in the same league as Zgara, it’s sometimes a bit on the dry side and could be more aggressively seasoned, it’s way better than the ubiquitous Kronos stuff you get almost everywhere else. Decent pork flavor and everyone enjoys the crispy hand cut potatoes. And I’ve kinda gotten used to the really thick Tzatziki.

Gyrogrill
6780 Miramar Rd.
San Diego, CA 92121
Current Hours:
Mon – Fri 9am – 7pm
Sat 9am – 6pm
Closed Sunday

LouZiana Food:

**** LouZiana Food has closed

I think I’m pretty good at taking direction and on my last post on LouZiana Grill back in January of this year, “FOY” Dereck wrote this in the comments:

“Kirk, I don’t know how you can get out of there without a roast beef po boy. It isn’t like the debris sandwiches from NOLA, but it sure as hell does taste good when I want a fix!”

So, ok I decided to try the roast beef po’ boy. My mechanism for ordering here (there’s no online ordering) is to call in. LZ can get a bit busy at times and I still am a bit put off by crowds. The folks working are always friendly and my order is always waiting when I arrive.

I mentioned in my previous post during the pandemic, that I’m not a big fan of the bread here. But in this framework it does real well. Because sheesh…..

Oh geez, look at all that remoulade sauce! But that bread holds up real well and is almost tailormade for all that mayo goodness. In fact, when I bit into one end of the sandwich…it basically “sharted” remoulade out the other end. Luckily, I ate over the wrappers! The sauce was fairly balanced; not too much sour-pickle juice tones, though I like my remoulade to be more garlicky and spicy this was not bad. Standard issue shredded iceberg and tomatoes. The one thing about not having and overly strong sauce is that I could actually taste the roast beef.

A messy, but pretty good sandwich. Thanks for the recommendation Dereck!

LouZiana Food
7128 Miramar Rd.
San Diego, CA 92121
Current Hours:
Daily 11am – 8pm

Smack’N Guamanian Grill:

**** Smack’N Guamanian Grill has closed

Much like GyroGrill, I pretty much get the same thing from Smack’N Guamanian Grill during my pandemic takeout visits. The Chebot Plate, the combo of BBQ Chicken and Kelaguen (I sub out an extra scoop of Kelaguen for the cabbage slaw), with Red Rice. Smack’N has online ordering which I use.

And even though on my previous two pandemic visits the chicken was “masked” (i.e covered with foil)….I guess with new CDC guidelines, masking is now optional!

Smack’N has been pretty consistent over the last couple of visits and I know what to expect. The Kelaguen is very moist, though lacking in coconut tones and spice. It’s not overly salty, has mild citrus tones, and is quite easy to take. The finedene is also fairly mild as well. I actually take the Kelaguen home and use my homemade finedene…..because, as you can tell, this a generous amount of food.

The BBQ Chicken is nicely grilled, fairly tender, and has really good salt-soy balance. It’s much better than what you get from many of those “Hawaiian BBQ” places.

The Red Rice does a fine job of soaking up the chicken drippings and is quite moist.

Smack’N Guamanian Grill
9506 Miramar Rd.
San Diego, CA 92126
Current Hours:
Mon – Sat 11am – 7pm
Closed on Sundays

You know, it’s hard to believe that I’ve now done three posts on these places during the pandemic……it just seems to go on and on. My hope is that the next time I do a post on one of these places; I’ll be eating in and the worse will be but a tiny speck in our “rearview mirror”.

Take care everyone!