mmm-yoso – Page 127

FireBirds Chicken

December 26, 2019 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Sandwiches

**** Firebirds Chicken has closed.

Almost a quarter century ago….though it seems even longer than that; I was in Nashville. I'd heard about Hot Chicken and on my first of two nights in the city, I sought it out. I was told that the place to try was Prince's Hot Chicken Shack, so with map in hand (Smartphones wouldn't be around for another almost another decade), I headed out and found Prince's, braved the line, got a leg quarter XHot….which was more than enough, served on a slice of white bread, which soaked up all of that lardy goodness that dripped off the chicken, and soothed my pain with coleslaw and potato salad. It was surprisingly crisp, moist, with some straight forward burning heat, slightly smokey, the dark meat had great flavor……it was without a doubt memorable. So when Dennis mentioned he was going to Nashville a few years back, I told he had to try some hot chicken, preferably from Prince's. You can read his post here (man, it's been eight years! Dennis, we miss you!).

So, when read that a Nashville Hot Chicken place was opening, I was intrigued. But, after looking at the photos….which, by the way, didn't look like Nashville Hot Chicken to me, I decided to wait until I got back from my trip before making my way to FireBirds.

If the location looks a bit familiar, it's because this is where Asmara was for many years and where Pho Saigon Alley was for a blink of an eye.

I arrived at right about 11am…..the place was empty. The set-up looks rather temporary and sparse.

The system is like most fast-casual/fast-foodish places; you order and pay at the counter, take a number….though since I was the only customer in the place, they didn't need to give me one. Service was pleasant. There's one big difference with regards to the "fast" casual concept though…..there's nothing really "fast" about the place; at least on my visits. Wait time for my food was at over 25 minutes during each visit. At least everything is supposed to be made fresh.

I ordered the Big 'ol Chicken, with a single piece ($9.99). Not quite sure how the spice was, I went with medium.

Which was a mistake since this wasn't the least bit spicy….at…all. The fries were more spicy than the chicken. At Prince's I really enjoyed the fact that there was a dark meat option….even the quarter breast had the wing attached. And since it wasn't a "sandwich" per se….you got slices of white bread to sop up all the goodness oozing from the chicken. Here it looked like a typical Sysco fairly dry, boneless chicken breast. The batter was mushy and bland, the sandwich had coleslaw which added texture to the chicken breast. The mayo based sauce really detracted from any flavor the chicken would have. Pickles are always a nice touch for spicy food; but since this wasn't spicy……heck; I think even KFC's (no not that kind of KFC)Hot Chicken is spicier, crisp, and has more flavor than this.

The roll had a mild brioche sweetness to it; but was definitely not what I'd call a "Hawaiian Roll".

Like I mentioned earlier; the fries were spicier than the chicken; the dusting of cayenne assured that. Sadly, it either not fried at the right temp, or not long enough as it lacked crispness and was really dry.

And since it didn't seem to be salted at all; I had to add salt form the shakers on the table.

Well, that was that……it wasn't Nashville Hot Chicken as I recalled….though even if it wasn't close, if the flavors, prep, and cooking had been good, I'd be all for it.

Still I left wondering how spicy the "Hot" would be so I decided to return and this time went with the "sliders" ($10.99). These came with four "sliders" each with a good sized half tender in them.

I actually enjoyed this a bit more…..it was spicier; though still not even a Nashville Hot Chicken "mild" in my mind. While the tenders were on the dry side; at least the batter was a bit more crisp; though I think there's just way too much mayo on these. Just having coleslaw should do it……. The mild sweetness of the rolls helped.

The fries were more crisp; though still needed salt added at the table to balance things out.

On this visit the place was two-thirds full and folks seemed to be enjoying Instagramming their food, if not thoroughly enjoying their meal. Such is the current state of things. To quote Billy Crystal quoting Fernando Lamas:

“It's more important to look good than to feel good."

As a whole, okay prices, lower level fast-casual prep, quality, and flavor. As for being happy that we have something that is at least Hot Chicken……sorry; I just can't call it Nashville Hot Chicken….. You know how it goes with me. I'm not happy to "just to have something" available……

FireBirds Chicken
4155 University Ave.
San Diego, CA 92105
Hours:
Tues – Thurs 1030am – 930pm
Fri – Sun 1030am – 1030pm
Closed on Mondays

Merry Christmas

December 24, 2019 mmm-yoso yoso-silly

Well, it's been a bit of wet Christmas for us here in San Diego! But heck, at least it kinda feels like winter.

And as we've done every Xmas eve since 2005 we'd like to wish everyone a wonderful Christmas and Holiday Season.

With a few photos from Christmas in France…..and of course the Christmas Tree at Galleries Lafayette.

Hope everyone is safe and happy during the Christmas season.

I'm sure Frankie wishes everyone has a wonderful Xmas….and of course, for more snacks!

Merry Christmas from the gang here at mmm-yoso!!!!

Noodling Around City Heights – Tan Ky Mi Gia

December 22, 2019 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Tan Ky Mi Gia has closed

For my next "noodling around" post, I decided to start on ECB and move West from 54th. The first place from there is the discreetly located Tan Ky Mi Gia; which used to be Hinh Ky Mi Gia, which used to be Tan Ky Mi Gia….if you're keeping score. The menu still says Hinh Ky Mi Gia……

I mentioned during the post on my last visit, that it seemed the placed hadn't aged too well.

During this visit, I noticed that the light for half the restaurant weren't even turned on.

Instead of ordering what I usually would here; I recalled that the Missus actually enjoyed the duck when this place was still Hinh Ky and I promised to try the duck again during my previous visit, so I went with the Egg Noodle with Flavor Duck; which is steamed rather than roasted. To be perfectly honest; that duck looked pretty spooky; due to the almost totally black color when it arrived.

But it was not bad; I expected really salty, but it had a strong anise-five spice flavor and was tender. It did a fairly strong offal-gamey flavor.

The simple broth was better than what I'd had previously; not so much MSG this time, decent richness, with a mild savory-seafood finish.

The rather generous portion of noodles were firm, with a slight "crunch" to them.

During my visit there were no less than five take-out orders and some guys from the, ahem, "coffee shop" next door came in for soup as I was leaving, so I'm guessing they are doing ok business. The owner; is same from my visits over a decade ago; so it seems they just keep rolling along.

Tan Ky Mi Gia
5237 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115

Noodling Around City Heights – Bun Rieu from Phuong Nga 2

December 21, 2019 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

Since it's soup weather again here in San Diego; I decided to circle back and revisit all those places East of the 805 and West of 54th Street. I decided to start the corner of 54th and University, to a place that "FOY Elle" recommended to me back in early 2018. Phuong Nga 2. As of my last visit at the end of last year; I thought it was by far, the best Bun Rieu in San Diego…… So, now, I was interested to see how things were going at PN2….

I arrived shortly after opening, though the older woman here was running around like crazy since there was a huge line of take-out and catering orders on the front tables. Still, I got me Bun Rieu ($8.45) order in and it arrived fairly quickly.

First off, the herbs and veggies were sparkling fresh…..this is one of the few places that still serve shredded banana bossom…..red perilla and of course the ever handy little container of fermented shrimp paste.

Like previous visits; the right type…thinner, bun was used. It was perfectly prepared, firm and stretchy.

The broth was not as sweet or tangy as before and perhaps a bit "lighter". It was by no means bad…..but that container of shrimp paste came in mighty handy.

The "meat and crab cakes" were light and fluffy, though mostly pork. The fried tofu cubes did well dipped in the mam tom. The tomato was better than on previous visits….perhaps more "in season"; and were nice and tangy. The piece of pork rib was a bit too tough and chewy this time around. I still really enjoy the small dried shrimp scattered in the broth which adds a nice savory, "umami bomb" to things.

It' still my favorite Bun Rieu in San Diego…..if anyone has some "contenders" let me know. And Elle; I'll always be grateful for your recommendation.

Phuong Nga 2
4016 54th St
San Diego, CA 92105

So, I'm thinking of heading down West on University, then turning back East and revisiting all those places I've posted on before. I haven't seen any new places pop up recently…have you?

Revisits – Woomiok and Mien Trung

December 15, 2019 mmm-yoso Bun Bo Hue, Korean Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants

It feels like (San Diego) winter now; so here's a couple of revisits to a new place on the rotation and an old favorite.

Woomiok:

Woomiok has become a favorite of the Missus. So, with the recent cooler weather, the Missus wanted Her fix.

This time around we ordered the assorted beef in stone pot. As with previous visits; the kkakdugi and the squid panchan were the best, while the baechu kimchi was decent but, could have used some really more intense fermented flavor. The japchae was really bland.

We were pleasantly surprised with the portion size of the dish ($34.99).

The tendon was buttery and the brisket and other usual "tougher cuts" were tender and beefy. There was what looked like typical pho top round, which was drier and tough and the worst cut overall. The bone based broth was very nice with a touch of salt. A very comforting dish overall. In fact, I loved the leftovers which I mixed with rice and heated up; making a rice porridge of sorts.

We left warm and satisfied.

Woomiok
3860 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Mien Trung:

Just like last year; Mien Trung was my first real meal out after returning from our trip.

The place was hopping; I just ordered the smaller bowl of Bun Bo Hue. It looked kinda light; but it was pretty good. Nice spice, great lemongrass flavor, the meats were more tender than on previous visits….even the tendon. Not over-loaded with MSG……the noodles were slippery and firm; the veggies (I still miss not having banana blossom though) fresh.

This had that "aaaah" factor going.

Mien Trung Restaurant
7530 Mesa College Dr
San Diego, CA 92111

Where in world were we?

December 14, 2019 mmm-yoso Travel

Well, this as an interesting finale to our trip……due to some "transit issues" that kept us on our toes; a flight cancellation that was quickly remedied, we managed to get in this past week at around 1am….of course I was back in the office at 6am that morning. So, thanks to Cathy's help, I managed a few nights of sleep before doing this post.

Just to catch you up…….from my previous post. We flew back and ended in a city full of history….

Much of the western world's history is tied to this ancient city.

Especially in terms of religion.

We took three private tours during our stay. The one we enjoyed the most, was visiting a town where one of the central religious figures was born.

And things were quite festive. On the day we visited, a very important relic was returned to the city. It was lead by marching bands……

It was quite amazing to actually visit places that I'd been taught about since a very young age….places ingrained in religious traditions.

It was also surprisingly expensive here. But we did eat well…..

Vegetable dishes were quite delicious.

And even though some of the folks here were very rude; like when we went to a recommended shop to try a dish I had on my "list" and were treated rudely, and then when ready to order were ignored….they took all the other customer's orders and ignored us. There was still a silver lining as I got to try a dish I often make at home…..

And on our last evening in the city we had a really good meal…….

We flew back to the Missus's favorite city……

Spending just one evening…..we had intended on returning at the end of our trip; but due to some crazy circumstances; basically stayed in our next location for the duration.

The city is known for it's bridge, which is the subject of a famous children's song.

Also, for a period of time the Papacy was located here.

We made the best of our time here and really enjoyed the food as well.

And though the situation caused a bit of a disruption; we made the best of things.

So let me regroup and get some posts done.

Thanks for stopping by.

Where in the world are we part 2

November 30, 2019 mmm-yoso Travel

So, we’ve had a bit of a whirlwind couple of days.

From our arrival to a vibrant seaside city.

With some amazing sunsets……

And food, both traditional…..

To modern…..

To visiting an ancient fortification on a plateau that I had read about in elementary school.

And then visiting the lowest land based elevation in the world. That afternoon had us crossing the border into another country to see amazing sights.

And then visiting what was my favorite locale the next day. An area where the subject of one of my mother’s favorite movies of all time was based.

I’ve been using the word “amazing” way to much, I know.

After some crazy flight delays and such, we’re now at our next stop. Where we’ve met some of the nicest and have had encounters with some of the rudest, self-righteous, folks we’ve come across in our travels. But, this is a complicated and confusing part of the world. So we’ll focus on the positive. The history here is breathtaking, the bread, in all forms the best we’ve encountered.

And it’s dinner time, so I’m signing off.

Thanks for stopping by!

Where in the world are we?

November 25, 2019 mmm-yoso Travel

Yep. It’s that time again. We needed to get away for a bit. The Missus picked a couple of new places to visit. But of course, we started with Her favorite.

And, since it’s that time of the year, we also went to check out our favorite Christmas displays.

We also stayed in what has become our favorite location in the city…..for now.

While we were there for only two days, we managed to squeeze in one day trip

And along we continuing to sample the croissants…..

We managed to have a few meals. Ranging from traditional…..

To a place that is new and rather “hot”…..

To an established Michelin starred restaurant helmed by a Japanese chef.

And while we’ve moved on…..we’re still eating well.

Though I’m trying not to make a pig of myself,

Thanks for stopping by!

40N Pho & Grille

November 18, 2019 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** 40N Pho & Grille has closed

A few weeks back, Calvin told me about a new Vietnamese/Pho shop that had opened in his neighborhood. He said that he was taking the family there on a regular basis. It was located in a strip mall in Scripps Ranch? Scripps Ranch? I had to go and check the place out.

40N is located off of Scripps Ranch Boulevard, in the same Strip Mall as Vons and Starbucks. I have to say; I didn't even know this strip mall existed; even though it's but a few miles from Miramar Road and the 15 Freeway.

I was the first customer on this weekend morning; there was a nice, friendly Asian woman working….she seemed to know all the customers who came in after me. She was wonderful, though this was the only time I saw her on during my three visits.

By the looks of the restaurant; I could tell this used to be a Sushi bar as the sushi case was still in place.

Since Calvin had told me the Pho here was quite good; I ordered the House Special (Dac Biet – small $8.50).

This was actually not too bad. The rare steak was still rare when the bowl arrived. The noodles were nicely done, it still had a bit of chew and wasn't mushy. The broth, while cloudy, wasn't overly sweet as is the norm in San Diego these days. It had a mild beefiness, light saltiness, though it lacked complexity was a bit on the bland side and was overly defatted for my taste.

The other cuts in the broth were fine; though the flank was tasteless, the brisket had some beefiness, and the tendon was adequately tender, if not buttery in texture.

The basil was starting to brown and the amount of bean sprouts was rather sparse as is the case in many more "westernized" Pho shops.

So, overall not horrible.

During my visit, it seemed that every table ordered the Cha Gio. So, I decided to return and try it out.

I got the 3 roll ($4.50).

I knew I was in trouble when these came out in less than 3 minutes. It had obviously been reheated. The wrappers were really chewy and this lacked any crispness. The nuoc mam cham was watered down and way too sweet. The filling was fine, but was totally ruined by how bad the wrapper was. Well, at least the lettuce was fresh, right?

Well, the meal wasn't over yet. I ordered the Banh Mi Bo Kho ($10). It actually says "Beef Stew" on the menu….what arrived wasn't no "stew".

Lukewarm, doctored pho broth, made really salty by whatever seasoning was used to make it seem like Bo Kho. The meat was too chewy and some pieces were still slightly cold. The best part of this were the carrots; which looked unwieldy, but was fairly tender.

The banh mi was standard issue, no complaints as it was light, yeasty, and had been heated up.

This was just not a very good meal at all.

And yet, there were two more items on the menu I wanted to try; so I decided to head on back.

I'd seen Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings on the menu. So I ordered the 6 piece ($7) version.

While looking a bit greasy, these were actually fairly crisp, with a good amount of seasoning….edging perhaps on the salty side, but not spicy at all. All the pieces were moist, the wings were actually quite good. The huge drumettes on the other hand, while crisp and moist, had a bitter, slightly freezer burnt flavor to them. Too bad, because this might have been pretty good overall. I ate all the wings….and said goodbye to the drumettes.

I also ordered Banh Xeo ($10). Sadly, this was not very good.

The crepe lacked crispness and was very spongy, the bottom a soggy mess. It was also very bland and the watered down, overly sweet nuoc mam cham did it no favors. The pork and shrimp were tough and dry; the bean and mung bean sprouts under-cooked. This really looked like it was slapped together. All that wonderfully fresh lettuce and mint deserved a better version of banh xeo.

So, while the pho and the chicken wings weren't bad, I didn't care for anything else as it just seemed a bit dumbed down. I'm sure folks in the neighborhood appreciate the place; but for me, I don't think it's worth going out of my way for….after all Mira Mesa is just right up the I-15.

40N Pho & Grille
9978 Scripps Ranch Blvd
San Diego, CA 92131
Hours:
Mon – Sat 11am – 9pm
Closed on Sunday

Paris – Le Pont de Sichuan times two

November 17, 2019 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, France, Paris, France, Travel

In my previous post, I mentioned the reservations I have and the realities of doing a post when just doing a single visit to a restaurant. But, when travelling, the reality is, you may only have one meal at a place……often a meal you were looking forward to, had planned on having, and when, like that visit to Le Comptoir de la Gastronomie does not work out, well things are magnified. And then there are times when you have a second opportunity to revisit a place. Le Pont de Sichuan was such a place.

My apologies about doing this a bit out of order.

It was Thanksgiving of 2018 and we were staying in the 2nd Arrondissment, as I mentioned in my previous post. We had visited Versailles (coming up in a future post) during the morning and now wanted some "comfort food" (it's all relative, no?) for dinner.

Right up the street was a place I had on my "list"; Le Pont de Sichuan. I had read some positive things about the place….taking note of the ahem, "authentic Sichuan" tag thrown about. Even though I'm not one to use "authentic" in my descriptions; because cuisine is not like a signed Picasso; it is not a static picture, it changes, is dynamic….ok, enough of that.

We decided to check out Le Pont de Sichuan as our Thanksgiving meal.

We were the first customers in the place. The service was also quite nice in terms of Chinese restaurants; it definitely had a French touch to it. I'd done a bit of research and had pretty much decided on two of the dishes beforehand.

One of them was the Crispy Lamb with Cumin.

The lamb had obviously been braised first, then deep fried making the exterior parts quite crisp. Nice and gamey and tempered with soy sauce and cumin. Not overly salty, crisp and then tender….while, in my opinion it could have used more cumin, this was a very nice dish.

We needed a vegetable, so we got the dry cooked green beans which were ok.

A bit too greasy and salty and lacking in savory tones.

The other dish I'd been wanting to try was the Marmite de Champignons; basically sautéed mushrooms….but not quite what your mind pictures as sautéed mushrooms.

We loved the earthy, toothsome variety of mushrooms, all the different subtle flavors, different textures. A slight spice, the pleasant savory-saltiness of soy sauce, a slight bit of sour-acidity, some mild heat….and most of all….a good dose of Sichuan peppercorns. The slices of pork was well seasoned and tender. This was so good.

We really enjoyed our meal here.

And so, during our last visit to Paris, at the end of our 2019 Budapest – Vienna – Salzburg – Munich – Stuttgart trip, we were excited to be back in the Missus's favorite city and wanted to have another nice dinner at Le Pont de Sichuan. I even made reservations.

This time, we thought we'd try some more traditional Sichuan dishes along with that amazing Mushroom dish we'd had on the previous visit.

We started with one of my favorites; the Ko Shui Ji (Mouthwatering Chicken).

First off, his was served warm. Second, the chicken was really dry. Third, other than being drenched in chili oil, it really had no other flavors going for it.

The next dish we ordered is another Sichuan favorite of ours, Shui Zhu Niu Rou (water boiled beef).

Think of this as being really dry, hot pot style top round dumped into a one-dimensional chili-oil based sauce….it lacked the complexity of a good Doubian Jian, though at least in this case, there was a sprinkling of ground Sichuan Peppercorn. No garlic tones; no mild hint of sweet, no complex spicy-savory flavors.

It's ok we thought. If that mushroom dish was a good as on our previous visit it would really balance things out. After all, it was the dish we really came for. Alas, it was not.

As you can tell, the color is a lot lighter, some of the mushrooms were really crisp and over-cooked, some were really tough and under-cooked. The Sichuan Peppercorn flavor was MIA….maybe they forgot? The pork was dry and tough. Uneven stir fry technique. Even though the chilies were present, this wasn't particularly spicy.

Overall, it was quite a disappointing meal, which I'm sure was amplified by the fact that we were really looking forward to eating here.

Sad…..I'm not sure what the norm here is? Was it the 'B' team, or was our first visit just a lightning strike?

There are other places we've revisited in Paris over the years that have been quite consistent. This was not one of them. And while I'm tempted to try them again, our time in Paris is always limited, it's costly, we're on holiday, and want to enjoy our meals. I don't think the Missus would want to roll the dice and take a chance that it's "visit B". Life is too short.

Le Pont de Sichuan (SuperMian)
86 rue de Richelieu
75002 Paris, France