mmm-yoso – Page 159

Breakfast at Talavera Azul

June 4, 2018 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Mexican Restaurants

The Missus is a big fan of Menudo Rojo; basically red menudo. Unfortunately, She hasn't found very many versions She likes in San Diego. If I mentioned a place; I have to go check it out first, then report back to Her. She was mentioning this to a colleague, who recommended a place in Downtown Chula Vista named Talavera Azul….this coworker also said the place had been featured on Food Network……that recommendation gave me pause….well, because I think some of the personalities have somewhat dubious taste. Anyway, I wasn't who I thought it was and heck, I did recall that "CC" had been there a few years ago. Plus, you know that I don't mind driving like 20 miles plus for breakfast on the weekends. The place was actually closer than Aqui Es Texcoco.

Both times we visited were just around 8 in the morning. And each time the place was almost full. On both occasions there was just one server working initially, with several others coming in over the next 20-30 minutes.

There was a wait on both visits, but it wasn't anything overly long…..

The Missus just wanted one thing…..

Which She got both times. On the first visit it was fantastic; just a tad of spice, mild offal flavor, the honeycomb tripe was crunchy but not hard. You knew there was tripe in this, but it wasn't super funky. The soup was steaming hot and the flavors melded together well, with some onions, a good amount of cilantro, a dash of oregano, and a squeeze of lime….it was quite good.

On the second visit, the broth wasn't as hot or rich, it lacked any chili flavor, though it was still decent. I'm hoping visit #1 is the norm. I'm sure we'll be back again soon.

Meanwhile, it seems that folks online rave about the chilaquiles. So on our first visit I got the Chilaquiles "Divorciados", that would be, with two different sauces; the mole and the green salsa.

They really do fry up those tortillas here….it was the texture of chips. The beans were really bland……. The breakfast potatoes could have used a bit more time griddled, with more color and a slight crispness to them.

The mole was too runny and overly sweet for my taste, the green salsa, which I believe is made with tomatillos was wonderful; just enough heat, tangy, really good.

Of course this was crowned off with a perfect easy over egg.

For the second visit…well, I wanted to try something else and went with the Nopales and Eggs.

Now this was much better. Especially the beans, which were perfectly seasoned….enough salt, a touch of heat….both creamy and rustic, very nice.

I love the texture of nopales and this was done well, the nopales were tender without being too mushy. There are some chilies in this…..green, so it seems like you're eating nopales…it was a nice surprise. The eggs were done decently….perhaps a bit on the dry side. And while I think it could have used tomatoes, this was perfectly fine with me.

Of course I had to have my Café de Olla….and I gotta say, it was quite consistent on both visits. Not overly sweetened, just enough of a cinnamon flavor….this might be my current favorite version of this coffee drink.

Based on that first visit, I'm guessing we'll be back for the Missus's Menudo fix.

Also, I noticed signs with "El Zarape" on it. It seems that these folks have bought the El Zarape on Adams Avenue. Also, of note; metered parking is free before 9am and the Menudo Rojo is only available on weekends.

Talavera Azul
365 3rd Ave
Chula Vista, CA 91910
Hours:
Mon – Sat 730am – 2pm
Sunday 8am – 2pm

Paris – Montmartre and Gontran Cherrier

June 3, 2018 mmm-yoso Bakery, Croissants, France, Paris, France, Sandwiches, Travel

On our second full day back in Paris; the Missus decided on getting a few things done. First, She wanted to see the view from Montmartre, the highest hill in the city, and then get some shopping done. So we headed off.

The morning was grey and drizzly, which didn't make viewing potential from Montmartre very high, but if there is one thing we've learned from travelling, it is you can't control the weather.

Even on a gloomy day like this one; Pont Alexandre III is quite picturesque.

It is considered one of the most beautiful bridges in the world and there are quite a few stories about it as well.

We headed past those familiar places.

Up to Rue Lazare and past Église de la Sainte-Trinité.

Up past place Pigalle. We somehow came upon a brick church.

This is Eglise Saint Jean de Montmartre. It looked a bit different than other churches we've come across in Paris and it started to drizzle. We took that as sign to stop and visit the church.

Created in the Art Nouveau style, there's a lot packed into this little church.

I really enjoyed the vivid stained glass…..

When we turned the corner we could see Sacre Coeur in the background along with the funicular tracks and stairs. This being the Missus….well, we took the stairs….all 300 of them.

I'm not sure why the Missus loves climbing those stairs so much.

Perhaps She is concerned about my cardiovascular well being?

Anyway, we did make it to the top…..

The view is still worth the climb even on a gloomy day as this.

And looking back at Sacre Coeur, it looked like there was the possibility of sun…..

The Missus decided not to go into the church, so instead we headed down the winding streets…passing tons of tourists and shop that seem to cater to them.

We did pass through a couple of squares that had little fairs going on.

And the Missus enjoyed doing some window shopping while we strolled down the hill.

And while we did enter a couple shops, the Missus refrained from buying anything….I believe She as saving Herself and my credit card for later on in the day.

One thing that did catch my eye was this windmill.

Apparently there were once a dozen or so of these windmills in Montmartre. Today there are two left. They are known as Le Moulin de la Galette and were built in the early 17th century. This one is viewable from Rue Lepic and stands above a restaurant that also bears the name Le Moulin de la Galette.

In the mid to late 1800's the area where the restaurant resides was turned into a Guinguette, basically a type of bar. The windmill and guinguette became the muse of many of the artists who spent their time here. Some familiar names like Renoir, Van Gogh (who had an apartment nearby), Toulouse-Lautrec, and Picasso among them. And, did you know that it was used on the cover of one of my favorite Rod Stewart albums?

I love stories like this.

We headed a bit further down the street and the Missus decided that we should get something light to eat. There was a Boulangerie on my list named Gontran Cherrier. There are multiple locations of this shop in Paris (including Japan, Singapore, and South Korea). This however, is Gontran Cherrier's original shop.

It was easy to pick out what we wanted….the Missus had decided to try at least half a dozen croissants in Paris, so this would be the first. We also got a sandwich; a veggie version. The miso bread would have to wait for another day.

The line moved fast; the service was efficient, and the folks quite nice.

The croissant could have used a bit more salt, but it was decently buttery, flakey, with a nice, very mild chew. This would end up being one of our favorites in Paris.

The sandwich was just what we needed….the baguette crusty, the cucumbers and tomatoes full of the flavor….the slight bitterness of the arugula helping to balance out the sweetness and mild briny flavor of the cucumber.

Gontran Cherrier
22 Rue Caulaincourt
Paris, France
(There are several other locations in Paris)

The Missus was now energized and ready to do Her "serious" shopping. We headed down the hill…….passing the (in)famous Moulin Rouge (lots on the windmills and the one on Moulin Rouge here)

We headed down Rue Blanche, taking note of the businesses along the way.

Of course the Missus wanted to stop by Galeries Lafayette to check out the Christmas Displays yet again.

A short while later we were back at Chanel Cambon. You pretty much get your own personal shopper here….while the Missus and the very nice young lady did their thing, I had a chance to watch the "interesting" customers.

Mission accomplished, the Missus could get back to the apartment fast enough……

She got what She wanted…….

And it was time for a nap.

Thanks for stopping by!

Parma – I Tre Siochett

June 1, 2018 mmm-yoso Emilia-Romagna, Italy, Italian Restaurants, Italy, Travel

After lunch at Osteria dei Sani in Sasso Marconi we headed to Parma. It was a rather uneventful drive. Figuring out the toll process was pretty easy. Since we had a car and central Parma is a restricted traffic (ZTL) zone; that is only vehicles with permits are allowed in the central area, I decided to book an Agritourismo….which turned out to be a mixed experience. Even at only a few miles outside Parma, it was a pain driving to the city, though we did manage to find parking….not in one of the pay lots, but alongside the Parma River (Torrente Parma). And then take a nice walk into town.

And while we didn't spend too much time in the city itself; except to eat and wander the streets. That's the Governor's Palace above.

We did take in some of the sights. That's the Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Steccata below.

The Monumento ai Caduti…..the war memorial.

And the large open space in front of Parma Cathedral which we'd visit again a bit later.

On this afternoon and evening, we were just trying to get our bearings and stretch our legs a bit after spending most of the day driving.

We headed back to what we considered the main street in the city; Strada Giuseppe Mazzini and just headed up the street where it suddenly became Strada della Republica.

We decided to stop for a coffee right before Chiesa di San Sepolcro.

You could tell that Parma wasn't a heavily American/English/Asian tourist destination. Some folks were quite surprised to see the Missus and I. My linguistic ability is basically nil, except for food, but folks in Parma were really warm, kind, and easy to smile. The woman working at this cafe; I believe it's called Provinciali was so nice. When we returned again the following day later for coffee she waved and smiled to us.

Our host at the Agritourismo, Adriano was super friendly, and even gave us a list of restaurants……..places he ate at. I Tre Siochett was outside of Central Parma, it looked fairly close to where we were staying….though we were warned, "it's not so easy to find in the dark". We did find it though…..

Just along a roadside….the place was hopping! The guys working here were very friendly. We were handed menus and I immediately ordered something from the menu…..the Italian menu mind you…..the guy looked shocked….we were immediately brought an English version of the menu and I still ordered the dish….more on that later.

Of course we had to have the Salume Misto, which was a bargain at 8 Euros!

The culatello and the prosciutto were very good; but it was the item on the left side of the plate we both loved…..our first experience with Ciccioli, all the wonderful fatty and scrap pieces of pork, so porky and delicious. Also, this was truly served the Emilio-Romagna way. With lovely, yeasty, light pockets of dough called "torta fritta".

Each version we had was a bit different. This one was light and crisp, not overly "lardy", with some decent salt. You open up the one end of the torta fritta and place your salumi in it and eat….at least this is how we were taught. I also saw folks eating two pieces of torta fritta with salumi between them like a sandwich. Regardless….this was heaven with salumi.

Every area within Emilia-Romagna seems to have their own type of stuffed pasta……and the best way to eat it is "en brodo" in a clear chicken based broth. In western Emilia-Romagna it's Anolini.

Usually the most expensive primi on the menu (it's all relative – this was 12 Euros); because of the amount of work needed to make the pasta, the payoff, like this version, was usually quite good. A bit of meat, cheese, or sometimes "Zucca" (pumpkin). Loved the texture of the pasta.

And then, there was the "Pesto di cavallo con pestata di capperi" (10 Euros). I ordered it from the Italian menu, then was immediately brought the English menu……just for clarification purposes and we still ordered it. Just so you know, cavallo is horse, and this is basically horse tartare. The really nice Server just wanted to make sure. Because as he said in English, "even Italiano…it is yes-no, yes-no, yes-no…." Which made the Missus and I crack up.

This was definitely a "yes"….served with a caper relish on the side….a squeeze of lemon…the finish is so clean, the flavor almost refreshing, with a slight sweetness. The acid and brininess adding character to the dish.

The Missus ordered the "cake" for dessert and holy-moly…..this is one serving of "cake"…..

The place was even more packed as we left. We loved the gracious, friendly service. This was a fun meal and folks here just put us a ease.

I Tri Siochett
Strada Comunale Farnese 74/A
Parma PR, Italy

Adriano was right when he said finding our way back via the side streets outside Parma in the dark was going to be interesting….even with a GPS. I think we took a couple of circles….the good thing about roundabouts is that if you miss your exit, you just take another loop. After what seemed like 45 minutes for a 15 minute drive, we ended up back at our room.

There was something about the cuisine of Emilia-Romagna that really seemed to suit us.

Revisit – Shann Xi Magic Kitchen (99 Ranch Market Food Court)

May 31, 2018 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

**** This location of Shann Xi Magic Kitchen has closed.

My terrible revisit to Shan Xi Magic Kitchen had me wondering how it compared to the location in the rather desolate 99 Ranch Market on Balboa.

And I mean desolate….as in this was noon on a Sunday……..

Anyway, I went with the Yang Rou Pao Mo, which has gone up three dollars in price since the place opened. It's now $11.99.

The young lady working here fit right into the mold….she was more concerned about stuff on her smartphone than customers.

While being just mediocre, a bit too thin, lacking richness, this was much better than what I had at the Convoy location. The broth wasn't overly seasoned with white pepper, the lamb was nice and "muttony". Still not a fan of "paomo" in the states. In China it's leavened bread…..here it waxy, dumpling like dough. A few random pieces of tofu….a few strands of bean thread.

At least it wasn't as bad as this:

Still, not very good at all.

Shann Xi Magic Kitchen
5950 Balboa Ave (In the 99 Ranch Market Food Court)
San Diego, CA 92111

As for those wondering how this location of 99 Ranch Market survives……it looks like there's some attrition going on. Looks like Mr A Café has closed….

Arriving in Alaska, Girdwood, and Dinner at the Seven Glaciers Restaurant

May 28, 2018 mmm-yoso Alaska, Caffeine Fix, Fine Dining, Travel

It was nearing the end of May; the usual time the Missus and I head off on a trip. This year, we had only a week or so and nothing else until the end of the year. The Missus wanted to scratch something off Her bucket list, so we headed off to Alaska to see if we could get it done.

Landing in Anchorage and picking up a cup of coffee on the way out of town….well, it seemed like just another city in the states.

I was shocked to see that I could get an Ethiopian pour over for $3.50!

Not a great cup, but with the typical acidic-sweet-floral tones of African beans, pretty good. The place seemed pretty popular with hipsters and folks on their laptops and such.

Black Cup
341 E Benson Blvd
Anchorage, AK 99503

A few minutes down the road and we realized that we were definitely not down in the "Lower 48" as the locals call it, anymore.

Even though the weather was quite gloomy and there was a slight chill in the air, we couldn't help but keep stopping at places like Beluga Point along the way.

We'd often stop and other folks would start talking to us. Asking us where we were from, where we were headed, all quite friendly. It's definitely something we aren't used to here in SoCal. We also ran into a transplanted Californian, one of many we'd meet along the way. He was a very cheerful person, I ended up volunteering to take a photo of him and visiting family…..I guess I was getting into that mode as well.

At milepost 90….those green milepost signs are how you find many of the directions in the 49th state, I took a left and headed toward, then past, the town of Girdwood and up the road, finally taking a left on Arlberg Avenue and arriving at the Alyeska Resort. The Missus had recently had a birthday and I wanted to make our first night in Alaska a nice one. So I chose the Alyeska Resort because of the well regarded location, accommodations, and restaurant. Indeed, check-in was friendly, professional, and smooth. We had a Junior Suite, which was comfortable and huge, and the Missus's favorite room of the entire trip. Oh, and the really nice young man who worked the front desk was from….you guessed it, California! The view from our room wasn't too shabby either.

Of course, once we checked in, the Missus was just rarin' to go. So off we went, making the two plus change mile walk to the town of Girdwood. Even though it drizzled off and on during our walk the scenery was lovely.

The view while crossing over the river was amazing.

While Girdwood is described as a resort town……it bore no resemblance to the mental picture I had of a resort village. It looked like a charming little town with a single street with a general store on the corner.

There are a couple of restaurants/bars, a post office, what looked like a yoga place, and other services along the single street.

We stopped for a caffeine fix at a coffee shop cum curio store called The Grind.

The collection was indeed "eclectic"……I was sorely tempted to get that "Freeloader Fork"…but settled for an Americano instead.

We sat on the porch of the coffee shop and watch time slowly flow by the quiet street. On occasion someone on a bike would pass….you'd see a couple of dogs frolicking in the park; folks dropping the Post Office to pick up their mail.

The Grind
236 Hightower Rd
Girdwood, AK 99587

We headed on back to the resort and took the trail alongside Arlberg Avenue back.

And noticed a few things we had missed on the walk down.

We also took some time to walk around the grounds of the resort as well.

I'd made dinner reservations at the resorts Seven Glaciers Restaurant. We got ready and decided to head up to the restaurant. And I do mean "head up". You see, the restaurant is located at the top of Mount Alyeska.

And the only way to get there is by tram.

You can pick up your complimentary tram tickets an hour before your reservations. We went up about a half hour before. We had the entire tram to ourselves and our tram operator was from….you guessed it; California….the Bay Area to be precise. He was a friendly, chatty fellow and described the surrounding area like a tour guide. The restaurant is named for the Seven Glaciers you can view from the place. The crazy steep slopes are Black Diamond rated and the view, well, that's priceless.

Funny coincidence, the young man lived in Girdwood and had actually seen us having our coffee on the porch of The Grind earlier in the day. He was one of the fellows who rode past us on a bike.

At the top there's a shop, a bar, the restaurant, and ski runs. Even though it was mid-May, it was still snowing in Denali and had just snowed here a few days earlier.

After having a bit of fun in the snow and ice we headed into the restaurant which was quite well done. What struck us the most; other than the million dollar view was how well the tables were spaced and placed to maximize the view while dining.

While waiting for our table we both had cocktails….which were really low on the booze and way too sweet.

Just as we took the first sips of our drinks, our table was ready and we were seated. The view was fantastic.

One of the reasons I chose Seven Glaciers is that the menu; while priced on the high end, is locally focused. Our Server was great; genial, yet a total pro, and did a good job of describing each dish.

The butter, so creamy and milky was fantastic, the bread not so much, as the marbled rye was dry and crumbly and the lavash just passable.

The amuse was a "ceviche", very nice seafood, a delicious cilantro cream (I need to make this), and a very "corny" flavored "tortilla".

I'd read some good things about the Scallop Bisque ($12) so we started with that; our Server totally got the idea that we'd be dining "family style" and was awesome at setting up the dishes and setting for us.

The wonderfully mildly sweet-oceany flavor of the bisque was good, though it was on the thin side for my tastes and lacking that nice tongue coating texture I enjoy. The chive oil, while on the mild side in flavor was a nice accompaniment. But that scallop, the most amazingly sweet scallop, seared perfectly, the interior rare, just melted away on your tongue……it was fantastic.

The "Tartare of the Day" ($18) was Yak. And let me tell you, it was also delicious.

Very tender, clean tasting, not overly seasoned or gamey, this was nicely put together. The pickled onions were perfect; just sour enough, with distinct clove-herbal tones.

The Missus has never enjoyed King Crab, saying that it "lacked the deep crab flavor" and isn't a big fan of drawn butter either. I did mention that Bering Sea Red King Crab was supposedly the best so why not try it here (1/2 pound $35). I was shocked at how much crab this was.

Well, while meaty, and without an overly brined flavor, this still wasn't the Missus's cup of tea. Not sweet enough, too dry, on the bland side is how She described it. No regrets in trying it here though.

Our entrée, the special of the day is without doubt the best thing we had on the entire trip. It was something both that Missus and I are familiar with; black chicken, but served in a totally different manner; roasted. Traditionally served in a medicinal soup in Asia; I've found it to be terribly tough and while the Missus loves it, I'm not a fan…though it's mostly because of the medicinal flavor of the broth. Seeing Black Silkie Chicken on the menu ($42), we just had to try it.

Along with some very tasty fried artichokes, local asparagus, and tender fiddlehead ferns, on top of a nicely prepared barley risotto, perhaps the best version I've had, the chicken was so good. While toothsome and bony…hey this is free-range black chicken here, nothing out of the ordinary there; the deep poultry flavor was amazing. This is what chicken tasted like when I was a kid! It reminded me of the chicken that my grandparents raised. Sadly, I think folks aren't used to the flavor as the folks on the table next to us sent theirs back saying it was too "tough and gamey" for their liking. We on the other hand just loved this dish.

We also enjoyed the seasonal roasted vegetables ($8). The Missus loves broccolini and asparagus anyway.

The gig surprise was the roasted kale stems which had a nice acidic touch to it. It was surprisingly tender, something you don't associate with kale stems.

While we were rather stuffed, the Missus decided to order the restaurant's signature dessert; the Baked Alyeska, the classic browned meringue topped ice cream and cake.

I went with an Alaskan Brewery White Ale.

Man, that dessert was so rich and dense….I had one bite and went "no mas"……..the Missus did finish it off.

Boy, this was some meal.

The service was excellent and the food quite good.

It wasn't cheap by any means, but a wonderful special occasion meal.

It was a nice way to celebrate both the Missus's Birthday and our first night in Alaska.

Seven Glaciers Restaurant
(In the Alyeska Resort – sort of. It's on top of a mountain)
1000 Arlberg Ave
Girdwood, AK 99587

We enjoyed the ride down in the tram.

On the good side; this was a great first meal and the best meal we had on our trip.

On the bad side, this was the best meal of our trip and we had 7 more nights to go…..

Thanks for stopping by!

Osteria dei Sani – Sasso Marconi (Emilia-Romagna)

May 17, 2018 mmm-yoso Emilia-Romagna, Italy, Italian Restaurants, Italy, Travel

Though we had enjoyed our time in Florence, I was really looking forward to spending the rest of the trip in Emilia-Romagna.

But first we had to get there. We'd be spending the next three nights in an Agritourismo outside Parma. So I rented a car. Somehow, we found our way onto Autostrada A1 in the direction of Bologna. Driving in Italy was interesting, in a good way, I loved that slow traffic went to the right, the middle lane was for most folks, and the left lane was for passing or driving like a bat out of hell. I gotta say, there's nothing like going 160 km/hr (99.5 mph) and seeing some properly dressed "Nonna" driving a Maserati pass you like you're standing still!

I knew we'd have to stop for lunch on the way to Parma, so I did some research on restaurants between Florence and Bologna and one place kept popping up; Osteria dei Sani. So that's where we headed. We got to sleepy little Sasso Marconi (population approx 15,000), found parking next to the park at the edge of town (like three blocks from the center) and easily found the restaurant.

The folks here are super friendly and warm. Something we'd find throughout Emilia-Romagna. I'm sure they found us to be a bit "different" from their regular clientele.

There was just one other table of customers when we arrived.

But the place filled up fast and it seemed that all the customers knew each other…….

This being Emilia-Romagna, I just couldn't wait to dig into some salumi, so I ordered the Sfiziosita de Salumi a combination of salumi, which was only 8 Euros!

That mortadella was delicious as was the salami; but the pancetta canusina, pork belly was so mild and almost silken. And my favorite by far, the culatello, which was firm at first, but then gave way while chewing. The flavor was amazing, slightly sweet, a bit funky, with a finish like cheese. It was love at first bite. I'd end up ordering culatello everywhere the Missus would let me. And each was different……

One of the classic dishes of the region; the Tortellini in brodo (10€). It seems that every area has it's own stuffed pasta that would end up in broth. While this dish seems so simple, it was often times the most expensive primi on the menu. It's because these tiny stuffed pasta is hand made and also so tasty.

The texture is tender, pillowy, yet with a slight pull. Simply stuffed with cheese and a tiny piece of salumi….well, that's all you need. The chicken broth had just enough fat and though we'd have much better brodo later on during our time in the area, I instantly knew I'd love the food here.

The Missus got the Tagliolini con Tartufo (10€). Yes, the Missus was still in "truffle mode".

The fragrance was amazing, but the flavor rather mild. Let on during the trip, the Missus would start switching up to porcini. The pasta was a tad over-cooked for our taste, but this was still very good.

The Missus wanted to try he Scallopina all Aceto Balsamico (10€).

The balsamic vinegar based sauce was quite tangy and sour….it was actually quite good with the bread….at least I thought so. The veal was a bit too lean and tough for us.

Overall, a very nice meal and a great start to our time in Emilia-Romagna.

The Gentleman who seemed to be the owner was very friendly and came by to greet us and shake our hands. Service was warm and friendly. The Missus enjoyed Her glass of wine and the price was very reasonable.

Osteria dei Sani
Via Porrettana 324
Sasso Marconi, Italy

If every place in Emilia-Romagna was going to be like Osteria dei Sani, we were going to have a great time!

PB Pho and Grill

May 16, 2018 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

A few days after my post on Island Style Hawaii BBQ & Local Food, I was contacted by "Lurker Larry"…really, that's what he wants to be called, who lives in PB and wanted my opinion on his favorite Vietnamese spot, PB Pho and Grill. I did let him know that if I dropped by, I'd be perfectly honest in my opinion and I didn't want to hurt his feelings….or lose a reader, lurker or not. I was assured that he just wanted to know what I thought….well, I was somewhat flattered. I asked him to tell me what his favorite dishes were and after receiving that email dropped by the following weekend.

Located near the corner of Cass and Garnet, I'd really not have noticed the place if I drove by. Strangely, I found easy parking nearby…..on all my visits….even on weekends. I'm guessing that folks are still sleeping in at 11am on weekends during the off-peak season?

The interior is large, colorful, in the typical kind of hipster, modern pho shop way. The menu has a decent selection of the usual suspects…everything from Banh Xeo to Bo Luc Lac, and of course pho.

Armed with a list of Larry's favorites, I went first with his number one fave….Bun Thit Nuong ($8.49). Man, this bowl looked huge.

There's no faulting the portion size; though the amount of pork, is somewhat deceptive. Still, it is decently flavored, with fish sauce, not too salty nor sweet. The cha gio, the egg roll, was somewhat burnt, really hard, and the filling was dry. The nuoc mam cham was watered down and much too sweet for my taste.

The bun was nicely done, good al dente pull to it….and believe me there was a of bun in this dish. The only thing that was more of was the iceberg lettuce and bean sprouts

You really couldn't fault the portion size. Though the nuoc mam cham was so watered down that I asked for….and was given, very nicely mind you, a second little ramekin of it….with no extra charge.

So, I guess if you thought of this as a salad…..well, maybe not.

Mission not over; I returned the following weekend. And still had an easy time finding parking.

This time, a different twosome working, service was kind of odd…the young man wasn't very pleasant, he just seemed to want to get back to texting on his phone, yet the young woman was so nice….sort of a strange "good cop, bad cop" kind of service?

I went with the other two items "LL" told me about. The first….and the reason he found our little blog in the first place, was because of chicken wings. He often orders the chicken wings here…….and so did I ($9.99). Funny, the menu says 10 wings….but I took a quick census.

Anyway, these are basically "naked wings" with sweet chili sauce. The skin is rubbery, not fried well enough….and it's a version of sweet chili sauce. Lots of black spots on the bones….somewhat dry…….

Per my direction, I ordered the Pho Dac Biet ($8.99)….."LL" does rare and well done steak. I just wanted to get the range of proteins.

This is what I call a classic example of "Ameri-pho". It's not bad….in fact to show how far "pho has fallen" in Kearny Mesa, this place is better than Pho T Cali. But that is setting the bar very, very, low. So…..the rare steak was pretty much well done by the time the bowl hit the table. It was dry, the other proteins weren't too bad….the well done steak and flank had a decent flavor. The broth was cloudy and highly defatted….as is typical for San Diego pho, it was on the sweeter side, but actually not overly sweet. No anise tones, but a light beefiness.

Looking at the photo to the right…….as is the norm in "Ameri-pho" fairly skimpy on the basil and sprouts.

There were two little "whisps" of tripe, no complaints about texture; though the tendon was MIA. It was the typical clump of noodles in the bottom of the bowl; but it was very hot, but not over-cooked.

Well, what can I say, while his wasn't the pho of my dreams, it was actually better than the last bowl of pho I had in PB.

And so that's the way it goes, right? Well, not so fast Kemosabe……. Just for the heck of it, I decided to return for an encore. So, I returned….this time the service was so nice and friendly…..because I had seen Banh Mi Bo Kho ($8.99) on the menu. So why not?

I didn't expect; say Pho Lucky and to be perfectly honest, I didn't even expect Bo Kho on the level of Pho Saigon Bliss.

What I will say is; this was one huuuuge bowl of beef stew flavored soup. To say this is a stew is really pushing some definitions. Also, there was a layer of fat at least a third of an inch thick on top of the broth. The flavor had a strange greasy-sweet-pho-saltiness that lacked the tangy-black pepper-anise tones I enjoy. And that layer of greasiness did no favors to the broth. This was obviously pho broth with a beef stew base added to it.

On the bright side, there was a ton of beef; fairly tender, squared off pieces.

I could have used with more cilantro and onions to cut through the pure greasiness…..but perhaps nothing would have helped. The carrots were not cooked all he way thru, but the banh mi was crusty, yeasty, and nicely toasted.

Not the best….but in all honesty, I've had worse. Sorry "LL" if I've disappointed you. My wish for you is for you to take some time and visit other areas of San Diego for Pho and Vietnamese cuisine. There's much to like about PB, but as of now, Vietnamese food in not in that category.

PB Pho & Grill
1007 Garnet Ave
San Diego, CA 92109

Though I did learn where I can find parking, at least for now, in this part of PB!

Thanks for reading and giving me an opportunity to try somewhere new LL!

Village North Revisited

May 15, 2018 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

**** Village North has closed

I had these photos sitting around for a while. In my Shan Xi Magic Kitchen post, "FOY" Derek asked if I'd been to Village North recently.

Well, yes……many times. You see, since we've been making our own Suan Cai over the last three years, the Missus has me get the Suan Cai with Pork take-out and will eta that mixed with our funky, fermented suan cai over the course of three or four meals. So there hasn't been much to write about since I haven't been eating it.

A couple of weeks ago, we decided to head on over and actually have a sit down dinner at Village North.

And of course the Missus got the stir fried Suan Cai with Pork.

This is the Missus's favorite dish here by far. The sour-mild anise-slightly salty flavor goes a long way. It's even better now than when they first opened. They sure know how to make this dish. The Missus would only allow me one serving of this…..She needed to have left-overs to take home.

One of the dishes we really enjoyed in the past here was the Pork Intestines in Dry Pot.

This wasn't as good as what we had in the past. There wasn't much intestine; which was really tough and chewy. Though this was decently spicy, the seasoning was off and it was too salty, and a bit on the greasy side.

The Black Pepper Flank Steak was another favorite here in the past.

The portion size of this dish has definitely gotten smaller and they used much more green bell peppers this time around. This was much more spicy than on previous visits. The beef was toothsome; though the velveting technique was not quite as good as on previous visits and this lacked that smoothness. Not bad, though not as good as on previous visits.

We found our meal to be decent. I've got to come by more often and try other dishes rather than just doing take-out for the Missus. The nice woman who works here knows me already and is always very friendly. Once she saw me waiting in the parking lot; the Missus wanted Her suan cai and it was a few minutes before opening time. She smiled and waved me into the place; unlocking the door for me. So I'll obviously be coming back.

Village North
4428 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Florence – Santa Maria Novella Church, Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella, and Dinner at Il Tartufo and Il Lampredotto (In Mercato Centrale)

May 14, 2018 mmm-yoso Florence and Tuscany, Italy, Italian Restaurants, Italy, Sandwiches, Travel

After recovering from a busy morning, we decided to head on out to do some exploring and last minute shopping.

First stop, Santa Maria Novella Church.

This church stands just a short walk away from the busiest parts of the city; but it seemed quite relaxed, except for all the hawkers. Construction of the began in 1279 and was completed around 1357. The upper part of the façade was completed around 1470 by Alberti. We were actually going to another destination (more on that later), but decided to stop in here. After all, it was covered by the Firenze Card.

The interior, much like Basilica de Santa Croce is large and open. The Cruxifix here is by Giotto and dates back to the 13th Century.

Another rather famous work in the church is the Holy Trinity by Masaccio whose work was lauded, but died at the young age of 26. (Some say he was poisoned by a jealous rival)

During the 16th century, under orders from Cosimo de' Medici, Vasari painted over the frescoes in the church while creating his own work.

Brunelleschi, who designed the dome of the Duomo is also mentioned as designing the layout of the church as well as creating this wooden crucifix in the Gondi Chapel.

We also went to check out the Cloisters.

And then the Spanish Chapel, which had wonderful frescoes by Andrea di Bonaiuto depicting the passion, death, and resurrection of Christ.

After leaving the church, we went around the corner and down the street to a shop that was once run by the Domincan Monks of Santa Maria Novella, the Santa Maria Novella Pharmacy (Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella). It is one of the oldest pharmacies in the world having been established sometime in the 13th century.

It doesn't look like much from the outside, but is quite huge….and busy. The Missus, who loves shopping was overwhelmed with what to get from the huge lists of products.

Walking around I noticed what looked like to be the old entrance from the Cloisters.

As much as the Missus likes to shop, She is easily overwhelmed. Indeed, when in places like cosmetic shops in Japan, the Missus will often send me photos of the make-up items She needs and I'll go find them by matching the photos and designs on the boxes and containers. After about twenty minutes in here, the Missus was fried.

I had noticed a little Tea Room off to the side of all the crowds.

I suggested getting a nice cup of tea before heading off. Which sounded like a good idea to the Missus.

I had a nice cup of Earl Grey. The Missus, fascinated by the offerings ordered a medicinal liquor, whoa, really sweet…..yikes!

But it was a nice break in the action.

Walking back through the store, I found something that I thought the Missus should purchase. "Acqua di Santa Maria Novella" is said to be the remedy for hysteria and the accompanying indigestion. The Missus wasn't amused.

There was one more place I wanted to visit in Florence. So we decided to head off before dinner, to find a pig. A pig? I always have some oddball items I want to see when travelling and Atlas Obscura has only fed into that desire. Earlier in the day I got to check out Galileo's middle finger, now I was after a bronze pig named Il Porcellino. It took some effort to find Mr Piggy since it's in the area of a large outdoor market. Some nice folks in a nearby restaurant helped us out when I pointed to their little brass pig in the window and asked directions.

So, the drill goes that you place a coin in the mouth of the boar and let it drop. Should it go to though the grates you are destined to have good luck. You then rub the snout, which has been polished smooth from all the folks rubbing it. This ensures you'll return to Florence someday. The coin thing is not as easy as you think. The poor Japanese fellow in front of me tried three times and it never went in. I got it on the first try!

Take that, Mr Piggy!

We decided to do something fun for dinner on this evening and headed off in the direction of Basilica de San Lorenzo.

These duo, playing in front of Monumento a Giovanni delle Bande Nere were really good so we stopped and listened to a couple of songs.

I'd read that the second floor of the Mercato Centrale housed a food court food stands that were pretty good an a lot of fun. It was fairly busy when we arrived, but I had a plan in mind.

The first stand we headed to was……

In case you don't know; tartufo means "truffle".

We ordered the Tagliolino al Tartufo Nero. I was told that these Tartufo Nero were the last of the season (it was the end of March)……it sounded like fun, so why not.

So while the Missus waited for our pasta, I went to the wine shop in the corner of the food stands. Man, the folks here were so nice….I believe the name of the shop is Enoteca Chianti Classico and it was the best glass we had in Florence, the temp was perfect, nice acid….unfortunately it was from Alsace!

Man, that was a pile of truffle on the pasta. The fragrance of the truffle was amazing, though the flavor was quite mild. There was a bit too much sauce for our taste, but the pasta was cooked perfectly. Not bad for 20 Euros. Yes, fresh pasta with truffle in a food court from a food stand.

While we were eating, we saw this huge young man….swear to god he looked like a sumo wrestler. Turns out he was Korean. He cracked us up when he looked at what folks were eating a loudly exclaimed "Paaaa-AAAstaaAAA"! He said this with such sincere joy that you couldn't help but laugh. Oh, and he did get his two plates of pasta!

Next up? After returning our wine glasses we headed to this stand near the other end of the collection of food stands.

Where I saw this sign…….

Really. Florence's ultimate street food made from the abomasum, the "fourth stomach" of the cow with truffle?

Don't mind if I do.

The fragrance of the truffle cut through some of the funky smell of the lampredotto, but didn't interfere with the gamy-offal flavor. I thought the bread was pretty good; light and yeasty. The guy also put some of the mildly spicy salsa verde on this was well. The texture was a bit tougher than versions I had in other dishes during our visit, but this wasn't bad.

The Missus also wanted the Trippa alla Fiorentina as well.

Which arrived just as the Missus got back with our next glass of wine. A nice, light Chianti. She told me the guy working the wine counter was so nice as She asked about the various wine. When She picked one out he told Her, "good, very good, you on vacation, there's no time for bad wine!" You gotta love it.

This tripe was a bit tougher than other versions, but had no off flavors, and was quite tasty overall and for 5 Euros…..

While the Missus went for dessert, I dropped off our wine glass, something I guess others don't do? I got a very nice smile and a thank you from all three folks behind the counter of the wine bar.

I then headed straight for the central bar and got the Missus an espresso and me……well, I thought a Negroni would be a nice way to end the evening.

By now, the place was getting quite busy.

So it was time to stop taking up seats and head on back to the apartment. We really had a fun time at Mercato Centrale.

Mercato Centrale Firenze
Piazza del Mercato Centrale 4
Florence, Italy
Upstairs Hours Vary from 10am – Midnight

We got back to the apartment, had the last glass of wine and went off into dreamland.

Our wonderful host, Matteo was nice enough to arrange for a taxi to the rental car stand for us. He told us, it was the best way to get there. We had gotten up fairly early and packed, our cab wasn't due until 955. Since the Baptistrey opened at 830 and was essentially right down the street we decided to head on over.

Plus, the Missus wanted to see what was behind those bronze doors.

The most striking site was the mosaic on the ceiling.

Which of the Last Judgement.

As we waited for our taxi, we watched daily life in Florence go by……

Lots of tourists yes; but daily life goes on for all the residents.

You know, we ran out of time and didn't even make it into the Duomo. So maybe Il Porcellini is right. I'm going to have to return.

Well, we were off to get our rental car…..

Next up. It's off to Parma. But first, a stop for lunch!

Thanks for stopping by!

Shan Xi Magic Kitchen Revisited (Convoy)

May 13, 2018 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

I had been craving Yang Rou Pao Mo for a couple of weeks. I really loved that muttony – thick soup with leaven bread during our visit to Xi'an. Over time, I've accepted the fact that while versions might come close, it seems we just can't get the bread part right. During the recent cooler weather, I finally had a real lunch hour. I wrangled Calvin, who has, over time really developed a taste for the yang rou pao mo. I decided to revisit Shan Xi Magic Kitchen, which I thought was pretty good during my initial visits. Though I believed the place had slipped a bit during the last time I'd had a meal there….but that had been nearly two years ago.

So we arrived at around 1145 and place was almost half full. We got to the door….and were totally ignored, until I got the attention of the young lady working.

The service was quite perfunctory……just like I went back in time and landed in the SGV when we lived there in the late 90's.

I ordered three dishes….pretty much the items I'd enjoyed on my previous visits.

Starting with the Yang Rou Pao Mo.

Good lord this was so bad. The broth was very thin and had too much white pepper in it. There was almost no mutton-ny flavor. Two small slices of lamb, hardly any "bread", which, even though it can't touch the stuff in Xi'an is an integral part of this dish. A few strings of bean thread. Well, at least it was hot…..dishwater.

I also asked for the typical pickled garlic-chili paste and the young man looked at me like I had grown a second head. After a rather uncomfortable pause he told me; "we don't have that here." So much for that. One thing about having had a food blog for a bajillion years….I can always go back and find a photo of the dish I had during a previous visit. Here's that from back in 2016.

I saw the Pidan (century egg) and Tofu back no the menu so I ordered it. I didn't know it was tofu mush….. It looked so sloppy.

So this is what happens when you just carelessly stir tofu up……it's all broken up. I think they did this to hide how little pidan (maybe less than half an egg minced up?) was actually in the dish. Also, too much sesame oil….too little chili-peppercorn oil.

This is what I was expecting.

On my previous visits, I'd thought the Garlic Eggplant here, while on the oily side was quite tasty. And Calvin always needs a vegetable dish…..

This was the best dish of the day; though it didn't have enough garlic flavor and some pieces of eggplant weren't cooked fully through. It needed to be cooked a bit better.

And guess what? It was indeed much more gooey in our previous visits.

Like I said; the service was quite perfunctory. They just wanted us the heck out of there as soon as possible. I had thought this place displayed promise when they first opened; I'm not sure what happened here. Also, I noticed a few more Sichuan type dishes on the menu. I'm wondering if kitchen staff has changed? Whatever the reason……this was a disappointing meal. It also has me wondering how the 99 Ranch Market location on Convoy is doing? I guess I need to check them out.

Shan Xi Magic Kitchen
4344 Convoy St,
San Diego, CA 92111