mmm-yoso – Page 173

Chris’ Ono Grinds Island Grill (North Park)

October 2, 2017 mmm-yoso Local Kine Stuffs in San Diego, Loco Mocos, Plate Lunch

After several years; I finally made it to Chris' Ono Grinds in North Park. I'd been meaning to ever since, sadly, a couple of years after visiting the Mission Gorge location, it was consumed by fire (here's a video). I'd actually been thinking of revisiting the Mission Gorge location about the time of the fire. I put the North Park location on my "list" and well, call it old age, promptly forgot about it. Until recently when one of the guys at work, "BigD from Georgia" told me how much he enjoys the place. Well, even though "BigD" wouldn't know a plate lunch from a slate lunch, I thought it was about time.

It was a nice weekend morning, about eleven-thirty-ish, when I parked and crossed the street into the tiny shop.

The folks here are quite friendly, very hospitable. It was close enough for breakfast for me to order the Loco Moco ($11).

Well, other than the perfect easy-over egg (it was overcooked last time), this was basically a replay. The burger had some nice beefiness, but was really tough and rubbery. The gravy had a sour-bitterness to it that I found rather unpleasant. The rice was fine.

That mac salad was the best thing about this meal. Edging on a bit too sour, it was served nicely chilled, the macaroni was perfectly cooked, the amount of mayo was hitting that top end, but was still within parameters.

Too bad about the gravy, because that egg was lovely.

A couple of weeks later, I was in the neighborhood, so I decided to drop by. This time I went with the Huli Huli Chicken – Teri Steak ($12). One thing you can't complain about is the portion sizes at Chris's.

Well, be it ever so humble, once again, that mac salad was my favorite thing about this meal.

I gotta give it to Chris's though, the beef, while cut thicker than usual for teri beef was fairly tender. I just wish it was better marinated and had less of the salty-heavy ginger glaze.

The Huli Huli Chicken was as before, too sticky sweet for my taste and this time it was really charred to death.

Nice portions, nice people, not my kind of loco moco or plate lunch. In thinking about things; Chris's has the potential to be something along the lines of Diamond Head Market and Grill. Man am I missing home right now.

Chris’ Ono Grinds Island Grill
4506 30th St
San Diego, CA 92116
Open Daily
1130am – 9pm

Paris – A Walk Around the Left Bank, Eric Kayser, and Dinner at Terroir Parisien (Since Closed)

September 28, 2017 mmm-yoso Bakery, France, French Restaurants, Paris, France, Travel

While I was sad to leave Beaune and Burgundy behind, the Missus was excited about returning to Paris. We were staying in the Latin Quarter at the Hotel Monge which I ended up really enjoying. I really enjoyed the area around the hotel; Arrondissements 4 and 5. Did you know there's a Roman amphitheatre in Paris? The Arènes de Lutèce is in the 5th arrondissement and was one of the first places we saw after arriving since it was basically right behind the hotel.

The Arènes de Lutèce was constructed during the 1st Century and could hold as many as 17,000 spectators. It was sacked in 280 AD and even though the area was still called les Arènes, the location was lost to time. Until the 1860's when it was rediscovered while building Rue Monge.

It kind of looks like a simple park. More on Arènes de Lutèce here.

After checking in, the Missus was ready to explore. As mentioned earlier; I really enjoyed the vibe of this area. It just seemed a bit more "real" to me, while still being very French.

The Missus was feeling a bit puckish, so we headed up Rue Monge to the branch of Maison Eric Kayser right up Rue Monge.

The place was doing good business. The Missus went for the Almond Croissant and we both had espresso.

And while the croissant looked beautiful; it was a bit too sweet, and the texture of the croissant wasn't to the Missus's liking.

Eric Kayser
14 Rue Monge
75005 Paris, France

We actually enjoyed the croissants and especially the gougères from this nearby corner bakery more….sorry, no photos this time around….

Bolstered by the espresso we headed off; the Missus wanted to see the Pantheon, so we headed up Rue du Cardinal Lemoine, turning on Rue Clovis, passing Église Saint-Étienne-du-Mont.

And then hitting the crowds around the corner at the Panthéon.

Where many famous French citizens such as Victor Hugo, Marie Curie, and Voltaire are interred.

There are quite a few impressive structures nearby; like this one, the Mairie du 5e arrondissement de Paris.

Which is the town hall.

A few blocks away is Jardin du Luxembourg (Luxembourg Garden), the wonderful green space of Luxembourg Palace, where the French Senate meets. This being a laid back Sunday afternoon, it was a great place to relax for a bit and people watch.

Like I've said many times….folks in Europe really know how to relax and enjoy a leisure day……

From the Gardens, we headed toward the Seine, passing Église Saint-Sulpice.

The church's distinctive round towers reaching to the sky. It's interesting to note that the South Tower, the one on the right in the photo above is actually unfinished. I was told that the an event; one might have heard of, called the French Revolution interrupted the construction and the tower is left unfinished.

From here we wandered the back streets, passing places like Le Deux Magots (The Two Chinamen) Café.

Where folks like Hemingway, Camus, Picasso, and even Jim Morrison used to hang out.

There's quite a bit to see around here; the Hotel where Oscar Wilde died, places where George Sand and Richard Wagner lived…..and even a statue of Voltaire.

There's more than enough history to go around……

That's the view across the Seine from the Pont des Arts.

We decided to head on back to the Hotel Monge and take a short break before dinner. Place Saint Michel was bustling. There were quite a few soldiers patrolling the streets in this area, as crowds gathered around the Fontaine Saint Michel.

There was something happening on every corner it seemed.

After a nice break we headed out to dinner. The place I chose was Terroir Parisien which had been highly recommended.

Strangely, we fond the menu and preparation to be nothing special and very pedestrian. Also, the service was on the brusque side. Terroir Parisien was touted as being a chef driven locavorian (is there such a word?) bistro. For some reason, we weren't particularly drawn to the food here. Since Terroir Parisien has since closed, perhaps others shared our opinion?

Anyway, here's what we had.

Perhaps we'd been eating so well on this trip that we'd become jaded? I'm not quite sure, but everything except the oeufs au plat, lard de Paris (basically two eggs and bacon) was really underwhelming.

Terroir Parisien (Closed)
20 rue Saint Victor
75005 Paris, France

Still, we were enjoying the liveliness of Paris.

And tomorrow was going to be our last in the City of Lights. We intended to make the best of it!

Revisits – Mignon Pho + Grill and Red Moon Noodle House

September 27, 2017 mmm-yoso Chinese BBQ, Chinese Restaurants, Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

So, our office was set to move after years in the Serra/Kearny Mesa area. We'd be heading a bit North. Thus, I decided to revisit a couple of places before we left.

Mignon Pho + Grill:

Or as Calvin's wife calls it; "pho for folks who don't like pho". I dunno, it had been a couple of years, so I decided to check them out again.

I went with the "Trolley Bowl" ($10).

The noodles were decent, though in clump, and the herbs and such were sparse though fresh. Still not sure why they serve ngo om (aka rice paddy herb), with its distinct flavor with the pho here.

The soup always seems to have kind of a bitter – tinny flavor to me. It's also quite weak and overly defatted. The proteins were tough and lacked flavor.

But, this place still seems to do good business. Perhaps it's the service which has always been friendly. Or perhaps it's the Lemongrass Fries, which is the best (only decent) thing I've had here.

Mignon Pho + Grill
3860 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Red Moon Noodle House:

**** Red Moon has closed

Another place that I haven't been to in a while and haven't had great luck with. Though one of the folks that I used to work with really enjoyed the Singapore Noodle at Red Moon. So why not?

The really nice guy working brought me a fork to start? I had to ask for chopsticks? The dish, when it arrived, piping hot, looked quite impressive as it was topped with fried eggs.

Once you got past that though, it was a disappointment. The pork in this was really tough, almost hard.

There was way too much curry powder….it was definitely powder because it left a grainy, bitter residue on my tough. This was actually rather unpleasant to eat.

The noodles were too hard as well.

I took most of this home and had the Missus taste this……big mistake.

Folks have mentioned a "secret menu" (I've had the XLB, it's definitely bought frozen from somewhere else), but I've never received recommendations. So guess what? Singapore noodles….maybe that fork should have been a clue?

Really nice folks here too though….

Red Moon Noodle House
4646 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

I really liked the folks working at both places; but man, the food really didn't and hasn't been my thing here.

Pho 7 Cow

September 26, 2017 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

Guess I really don't get around that much anymore. I didn't see this shop until I dropped by Royal Mandarin to pick up some salt-and-pepper chicken wings for a pot luck.

It was close enough to lunch time like 10:15 or so and I was feeling a bit hungry.

In spite of the rather "old school" name and logo, this place is really nicely put together. Well spaced tables, none of which are sticky, brightly lit, clean….Servers smile and wave you to your tables.

The menu has all the usual suspects. And while I'd usually go for a bowl of pho during any maiden voyage, it was still really hot and unusually sticky. And I saw someone having the Bo Kho as I walked to my table, so I went with the Banh Mi Bo Kho.

This was not bad at all. While not quite as rich as I prefer; there was a hint of beefiness to the broth. Anise and black pepper tones were more pronounced. Likewise, more of a soup than a "stew". I'm thinking things were done to not offend as there was only one piece of tendon to be had, but it was decently tender. Lots of beef, some with rather chewy connective tissue, but still rather tender, moist, no off flavors.

The bread was standard issue, but prepared well, crusty, nicely hot and toasted.

So it comes down to the "little things"; the two pieces of carrot were basically raw; I could have used more onion, and the broth was a bit too thin. But overall, this was pretty good, better than most I'd say.

I made a note to return…well, because you know how I am, right? Though I waited until things cooled down.

And I went with good 'ol number 1……while I'm usually not a big fan of the rare steak served at most pho places in San Diego (even my favorites), I usually order this just to get a view of how all the various proteins are handled.

I was rather surprised when I noticed there was Ngo Gai along with the usual basil, spouts, jalapeno, and lime. It was also very fresh, crisp, and fragrant.

The broth was on the thin and light side, though it wasn't as sweet as many versions I've had recently. Very faint beefiness and like the bo kho, nice anise tones. No MS-heebie-geebies for me.

A decent, passable, albeit overly defatted broth.

As for the proteins; the rare steak was passable, not overly dry, but still without much flavor. The flank and brisket were good, nice beefy tones, not overly tough. The meatball was the standard issue squeaky orb.

There was but one piece of tendon, which was nicely prepared, adequately tender.

The tripe had that somewhat soapy flavor that I'm not very fond of. And like the tendon, there was but one (thankfully) strand of it in the bowl.

Catering to their customer base I guess.

The noodles were done perfectly; decent chew, not mushy, and not in a tight clump at the bottom of the bowl. Some folks don't understand, that yes, it does matter to me. And yes, I will write 200 words to describe that bowl of pho I just had….. Because it does matter to me.

And, I was pleasantly surprised. As this was a totally decent bowl of pho. Man, it does seem like pho in these parts is getting better.

Nice service, there quite a bit of staff to customers, so things seem to get done quickly. The folks are pleasant. They seem to cater to kids and families. There was a play area at the back of the restaurant.

I'd certainly come here every so often if I lived in the area.

Pho 7 Cow
1025 Highland Ave
National City, CA 91950
Hours:
Open Daily 10am – 9pm

Yuma – Tacos Mi Rancho and Los Manjares de Pepe

September 24, 2017 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Mexican Restaurants, Road Trip, Taco Shops, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

A few weeks back, I headed on over to Yuma, to visit my good friend and fellow mmm-yoso contributor, "Ed from Yuma". I'm sure, based on the previous post you know the reason. Sadly, it had been almost a dozen years since I'd visited Yuma. I never meant for it to be that way; after all, I had a great time during that all-too-short visit, which was capped off with a wonderful dinner. But time just seems to get away from us.

Since I've been doing a good bit of driving recently and the Missus was busy working, I decided to stay the evening. Strangely, it was drizzling during my entire drive east……scattered large drops of rain dribbling about…..I mean, summer didn't officially end in these parts until a few days ago.

While it was great seeing Tina and Ed, I could tell that he was getting very tired, it was time for me to take my leave.

I needed a place for dinner. I could have eaten at "that restaurant" across the parking lot…..

But this is Yuma…..

So, I decided to drive around a bit. I hadn't been around this part of Yuma on my last trip….it's basically the mall….though I had to send the Missus a photo of Dillard's. I haven't seen a Dillard's since I used to work in Arkansas and Georgia back in the 90's.

Tina had mentioned that a branch of Sprouts had recently opened, and there it was on 4th.

For dinner, I decided to head to a place Ed had recommended to me on my first visit to Yuma, Tacos Mi Rancho. Funny thing, Ed never did a post on the place until 2013, but it was obviously a favorite of his as well. On my previous visit, I had stayed right across the street from this reclaimed fast food stand. And there it stood; looking just the same twelve years later.

Just as on my previous visit; I sidled up to the counter. The very friendly young lady asked me if I wanted a table, but I told her he counter would do just fine.

The place was just as I recalled, basically two rooms, news and sports on the televisions…….colorful and cozy.

I went with three tacos; Al Pastor, Lengua, and Chicharon. But first, some chips.

To me, the big winner was the lengua; beefy, buttery, a squeeze of lime took the "edge off". The salsa here is on the milder side, but the tangy flavors helped to cut the richness.

The Chicharon had a nice smokey, spice, though it was a bit too chewy for my liking.

The Adobada kind of threw me off; it lacked the red achiote color; but was nicely flavored.

Overall, three nice tacos.

And very nice service.

Tacos Mi Rancho
188 S 4th Ave
Yuma, AZ 85364

I spent the evening studying for a couple of certifications I needed to renew.

I'm an early riser these days….I think what they say about needing less sleep as you get older might actually be true. I was ready to hit the road and head back to San Diego. It was 630 am and I got into the car and….decided to make one more stop. There was one place that Ed said I should try….he mentioned regretting not being able to take me there. I wanted to have no regrets floating in the air; so I headed off to Los Manjares de Pepe; which Ed has called "the best Mexican restaurant in town" and possibly the "best overall restaurant in town" in two posts over the years; Los Manjares de Pepe.

So I drove on over to West 8th Street and waited a bit in the parking lot of this converted residence until the open sign lit up.

The warm and friendly woman working quickly seated me; handed me a menu, and asked me if I wanted some coffee, which was exactly what I wanted. The morning was already fairly warm and the previous day's moisture had made things a bit muggy. The nice A/C swirling around me really stimulated my appetite.

There was one item from Ed (from Yuma)'s posts that had caught my attention all those years ago. The Pepe's special. Pork stewed in what is described as a tomatillo sauce on the menu.

Man; this was delici-yoso. The pork was moist and tender; that sauce, as Ed noted, wasn't very tangy, but had a nice balance of flavors. The smokiness from whatever pepper was used for it came through nicely. The salsa added a touch of heat, but was still mild, but really helped to cut any richness. The tortillas were excellent; I ate them all….and of course those runny eggs, adding another layer of velvety richness to the dish. The beans were good as were the breakfast potatoes. But it was all about that pork.

I saved that last tortilla to mop up all that sauce.

Ed my friend; I can only imagine how even more enjoyable this meal would have been with you!

Los Manjares De Pepe
2187 W 8th St
Yuma, AZ 85364
Open Daily – 7am – 9pm

For those who want to know a bit more about Ed's life; you can find that here. And a very nice post here. As to how Ed got the moniker "Ed from Yuma"? Well, I think only Ed and I know that one……

Saying Goodbye – In Memorium: Ed from Yuma

September 19, 2017 mmm-yoso What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

It is with a heavy heart that I pass along to our "Friends of Yoso", that Ed from Yuma passed away this past weekend.

If you have been nice enough to visit our humble little blog over the years, you have undoubtedly read one of Ed's posts.

Tina wanted me to pass this on to all of you:

"Please tell the readers at mmm-yoso how much he enjoyed blogging and conversing with them about the restaurants and the food."

We'll miss you Ed. Rest well my friend. Until I see you again, you'll be missed.

From Quebec City to Montreal

September 16, 2017 mmm-yoso Airport/Airline/Cruise/Rail Food, Beer, Canada, Montreal, Travel

We finished up dinner at Le Lapin Saute and took another nice stroll around the Lower Town before heading back to our hotel room.

Eglise Notre-Dame-des-Victoires looked quite stunning at night.

Back at the room, while the Missus drew Herself a bath; I decided to relax and enjoy this last night in QC a bit. Based on what my phone told me, I'd earned it.

I did 53 floors? I really did earn it.

I slept like a baby…..

It was our last morning in Quebec City. We'd had a blast; from walking the streets of the Upper and Lower Town, to visiting the oldest existing grocery in North America, to having a wonderful lunch and getting to use my very limited Japanese, and of course, there's the "Red Door". While we felt like we did quite a bit, there was still much more to do. Seems like QC had become a favorite travel destination for us. While life is full of those "once in a lifetime places", like Easter Island, it's places like Quebec City that we return to.

We had time until check-out and our train wasn't leaving until 1pm, so we took one last walk.

For some reason, I really like this photo.

The horse drawn carriage leading the tour bus down the street.

We stopped for a croissant and espresso at Paillard.

On the way back to our room; the Missus saw another locale She had read about when trying to find out what the "Red Door" was all about.

According to the KorCan Blog, this is the "Christmas Shop" in the series. We stopped in at the little shop where it's Christmas every day. Very cute.

La Boutique de Noël de Québec
47 Rue De Buade
Quebec City, Canada

Speaking of the KDrama; SJP sent me this link to the Chateau Frontenac website; where they actually have something called the "Ultimate Golbin Experience". You can stay in the actual suite where Goblin was filmed….for only $1129 CAN a night! Sheesh….

And then strolled back down Côte de la Montagne, which is the oldest remaining street in the city.

It was once the only street which connected the Lower and Upper Towns of the city.

After a brief respite, we packed and went to check-out. We really enjoyed staying at the Auberge Saint-Antoine. The hotel was so comfortable, the staff and amenities wonderful. There's also a good bit of history here. The property was once both a wharf house and a cannon battery. When the hotel was being constructed, items dating back to the 17th century were being uncovered. So it became sort of a dual construction – archaeological site. Many of the items excavated can be found restored and on display in the hotel.

And then was what I could say was the "crowning moment", the "cherry on the top", that totally sold the Missus on the hotel. I went ahead and settled our bill at the counter. As we walked out the door; the desk clerk, a very nice gentleman, walked after us, calling to the Missus, "madam….madam". We stopped and turned around. He handed the Missus a bag of still warm cookies saying, "Madam, these cookies just came out of the kitchen and this is for you." You gotta love it! As we walked to the train station, the Missus looked at me and said, "we're definitely staying here again….." It's the small things that count.

We took the short walk to the train station and because we had Business Class tickets were able to use the lounge; which was really small, and rather tight. As we walked in and tried to find some seats, the Missus tapped me on the shoulder and said, "aren't you going to say hello to your new friends?" It was the group of Japanese women I translated the menu for at Le Saint-Armour. The were all smiling and waving. I waved back, laughing.

Our ride back to Montreal was uneventful…..other than listening to the woman with the drink cart trying to explain what the different cocktails were to the women….. This one, I had no idea about; so I hung back.

We got back to bustling Montreal. It seems the weather had cleared up and it was getting to be kind of warm. This time around, we stayed at an AirBnB in the Plateau Mont-Royal area. I wanted to stay in the area because….well, the food of course. There aren't many hotels, but I found what turned out to be a huge apartment on Avenue du Parc.

So, we were back in Montreal…..time to start eating!

Izakaya Sakura Revisited

September 14, 2017 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants

I think that it was one of Cathy's posts on Sakura that mentioned it is easily the most posted about restaurant on this blog. However, my last visit, over a year ago, highlighted why I've kind of stopped coming so often, and no it isn't because they finally put up a sign after almost two decades. It was because the service there had gotten somewhat surly over the years and I kind of like to enjoy my lunch.

So, it was the recent heat that brought me back. I went for one of my hot weather favorites, the Gyokai Natto Don.

Man, when did they start giving so much rice? And what fish there was…..don't see much, do you? Was mostly a few strips of shiromi (white fish) and ika. And looks like a mere shadow of its former self. I mean, I love natto and all that; but I didn't pay $15 for natto-gohan.

The miso soup was passable; the agedashi tofu, crisp, light, and creamy.

And the service; well that hasn't gotten better.

Kind of sad to see an old favorite lose its touch. I'm not ready to write Sakura off yet; I've had too many good meals here over the years. But it is somewhat disheartening.

Izakaya Sakura
3904 Convoy St Ste 121
San Diego, CA 92111

Hida-Takayama – Sakurayama Hachimangū Shrine and Dinner at Hida Takayama Kyoya

September 13, 2017 mmm-yoso Hida-Takayama and Gifu Prefecture, Japan, Japanese Restaurants, Travel

We took a short nap after visiting Hida Folk Village and having lunch at Maruaki. When we woke, it was close to dusk. We decided to take a walk around Takayama before settling in for dinner. As with many tourist day trip destinations; Hida-Takayama slows down at night. Things were so peaceful and relaxed. We got a kick out of watching these kids having fun around the Miyagawa River. Remember, it had snowed just two days previous, so that water must have been pretty cold.

Of course, the kids here must be used to the cold….I guess.

We loved walking the various "preservation" area streets of Hida-Takayama.

And with no one around; you felt transported back in time.

We saw a couple of sake breweries; you could tell by the "Sugidama" (cedar ball) hung in front of the business.

During this walk; we concentrated on the Northeastern side of the Old Town.

Just as we started walking up the street to Sakurayama Hachimangū Shrine it started….the "Golden Hour".

We got lucky again.

To the right (north) of the shrine is Takayama Yatai Kaikan where the floats for the Takayama Festival are stored, some of which are hundreds of years old. Of course, this was dusk and the place was closed. I'm certain we'll be back one day, so I'm keeping that on the "list".

Sakurayama Hachimangū Shrine dates back to the Fifth Century; you can find the story about the founding of the Shrine here. It's a short, but fun read…..and involves a monster, Ryoumen Sukuna, that has 2 heads, 4 arms and 4 legs! and you wonder where all those Japanese monster movies came from, right?

We made a brief stop to walk around a bit……I loved this poor little snowman, who was just trying to hang in there……

We really enjoyed the walk, but it was getting close to our dinner reservation time, so we headed down the street.

I knew if we found the stream that fed into the Miyagawa River, we'd fine our dinner destination.

And sure enough, a few blocks down we found Kyoya.

While trying to find a dinner spot during our one night in Takayama, Kyoya came up several times as a place to try local specialties.

The interior is rustic and warm.

The folks here are really tourist friendly, several of the folks spoke some English.

There are several "set" options on the menu and you know, the Missus was all about the "Hoba Miso Yaki". So we ordered the Hida Beef Luxury Set and the Hoba Miso Set.

The Luxury set (3000 ¥ – about $27/US) had the Hoba Miso with Beef, which was very nice….loved the flavor of the miso, earthy-beany, not salty, very savory.

But we still thought the nuanced flavor of the beef was lost in this.

There was also a serving of beef and yakiniku items.

While we felt, in terms of tenderness, the beef at Maruaki was better; these cuts had a more pronounced beefiness to them.

The miso soup was just delici-yoso….something I rarely say about miso soup; but man, the local miso is so good. Nice savory-beany tones, not salty, really great flavor.

And then there was the tofu…..man, this was the best bean curd I've had in a while. The look and texture seemed like that of frozen tofu….I asked but no one could understand what I was saying.

The flavor was so condensed…….

The Hoba Set (1300 ¥ – about $12/US) is basically vegetarian and we actually enjoyed it more than the beef….go figure.

Wonderful, creamy, savory goodness.

And this came with a larger portion of veggies and beancurd.

The cucumber had a nice fermented flavor; I'm thinking perhaps kasuzuke? There were two different types of tofu provided; the one that looked spongy really seemed like frozen tofu; I'd never had kouya tofu before and we both just loved it. The Missus loves Her frozen tofu….well, just tofu period and these two version had really condensed bean curd flavor.

Both sets came with pickles, rice, and that miso soup.

Funny, we came for the hoba yaki, but ended up loving the tofu…go figure. Maybe it was the three tokkuri of sake? But I think not.

In the end, perhaps Kyoya is a bit touristy……but it's done in the typical Japanese way, for Japanese and non-Japanese to enjoy. Nothing tasted dumbed down, the flavors were good, and the folks were pretty friendly. The prices may be a bit more, but we really enjoyed the place.

Hida Takayama Kyoya
1-77 Oshinmachi
Takayama 506-0851, Gifu Prefecture

There's a kind of quiet peacefulness to Hida-Takayama at night…….

That just set the right mood for us…..

Thanks for reading!

Ban Lao Cuisine

September 12, 2017 mmm-yoso Lao Restaurants, Thai Restaurants

**** Ban Lao Cuisine has closed

Ban Lao opened up a couple of months back. Located next to Que Huong, I believe this used to be a taco shop if I'm not mistaken. Anyway, the place sure took its sweet ol' time opening up. Since their opening I've visited about 6-7 times.

The interior is bright and clean….and nicely air-conditioned; a big plus over the last couple of months.

On one of my visits, I looked up…..and noticed that they'd built a little platform for their offerings and such. Interesting.

The menu is diverse; with all the usual suspects.

So of course on my first visit I ordered the Nem Khao ($8.95) and Lao Sausage.

The Nem Khao was decent; better than the version at Mekong Cuisine in my opinion. Though it was a bit more chewy than I enjoy; I could actually make out the hints of coconut in this, there was also a good amount of sour sausage as well. Strangely, the dish was served on the cold side and there were only two leaves of lettuce provided.

The Lao Sausage ($6.95) was decent, nicely charred.

The sausage had a nice chew, though it didn't quite have enough lemongrass and herb flavors. So in this case, I think Mekong Cuisines version is better. That jaew; the dipping sauce had a nice citrus kick to it.

I really liked the folks working here, they were mellow and friendly. So, I ended up coming back quite a few more times. Here's a rundown on some other dishes.

Kha Pao Thousand Year Old Eggs ($9.95).

This really had me wistfully thinking of Yai Cuisine, as the eggs weren't fried right, the batter had turned gummy and the eggs were rubbery and still slightly cold inside. Not enough basil to really give this umph.

Sour Sausage Fried Rice ($9.95).

The rice was a bit more "wet" than I prefer, but man; there was a ton of sour sausage in this. Nice flavors, though some of the chunks of sausage were on the large side and could have been chopped a bit better and more evenly incorporated into the fried rice. Not bad though.

I'm on the fence with regards to the Crying Tiger ($9.95).

At this price point I don't expect a really good cut of beef, but this was better than I expected; a bit toothsome, but not too bad. The beef, while still lacking in a good amount of seasoning (I'm looking for sweet-savory flavors), had a nice crust. And darn if this didn't go real well with a dip in the jaew and a ball of sticky rice.

Lao Style Papaya Salad ($7.95) was cut much too thick.

Man, this was pretty heady stuff; even more pungent than the version at Thai Papaya. It was bit too rustic for my tastes and wasn't very spicy (I ordered spicy). Strangely, I find the pungent flavors from whatever they use for Padek here in the states to be mainly pungent, sometimes almost bitter and lacking in the savory nuances like what we've had in Laos. Of course at the markets in Laos, there are many different versions on Padek available; at different stages of "fermentation". There was a good amount of preserved blue crab in this as well.

The Chicken Wings ($7.95) was another dish that came close.

The wings were nicely fried; though there was a good amount of blackening around the bone, the meat was tender, the skin fairly crisp. Seasoned "salt and pepper" style. I really didn't care for the bitter fried lemongrass that topped the wings.

The Beef Jerky ($7.95) though, was good.

The Sien Savanh, though not totally dried, which might have been a good thing, was pleasantly chewy, the flavors had permeated the meat nicely. This was delicious with sticky rice…and it didn't even need the jaew.

The Stir Fried Pak Bong with Garlic (Ong Choi/Water Spinach) looked over-cooked, but it was not.

Nice and crunchy; with the perfect amount of salty-savory notes and a light hint of sweetness.

By now, I thought it was time to just go for it. I went ahead and ordered the Beef Larb ($10.95). The really friendly woman working was shocked when I said "Lao style" and nodded yes, when she asked me if I wanted it "rare".

As you can see; by "rare" she basically meant raw. There was a good amount of nutty rice powder on this, though I wish it was more spicy. What really made this "Lao" for me was that it had no citrus, but a good amount of puckery-bitterness, which goes really well with the mint and other herbs. I'd learned of the importance of beef (water buffalo) bile in koy and larb during my cooking class in Luang Prabang. Though no one else in the class would even try the stuff, I found the flavor quite interesting. Here, I could have used a touch of citrus as well; I'll have that done the next time I have the dish. As for the bitterness? Well, I had a nice discussion with the woman working and was told they pick up fresh beef bile from a specific farmer once or twice a week.

In the end I enjoyed several dishes from Ban Lao and will gladly have them again. when the weather turns cooler, I'll try some of their soups as well. While it's not quite on the level of Vientiane in Garden Grove, it'll do in a pinch.

And sometimes, because I try not to do "just one visit", things turn out well for me.

Ban Lao Cuisine
4126 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92105
Open Daily
11am – 930pm