mmm-yoso – Page 178

Reykjavik – Grillmarkadurinn (The Grill Market)

November 20, 2017 mmm-yoso Fine Dining, Iceland, Iceland Food and Restaurants, Seafood, Travel

The Missus had enjoyed our dinner at Fiskmarkadurinn so much, She had me make reservations at their sister restaurant, named Grillmarkadurinn (The Grill Market). I was lucky enough to get reservations and it would end being a nice finish to our trip to Iceland.

The restaurant was fairly close to where we were staying. It is rather discreetly located down a passage and is easy to miss if you don't see the signs.

The place was packed and like other restaurants, you hang your coat on the rack near the doorway. We found a strategic and easy to remember location on the rack…..we saw several folks digging around having not remembered where they hung their coats.

The service here was very good; relaxed but professional. Like the Fish Market, many items had Asian touches. Some sounded a bit odd, but we actually enjoyed this meal more than what we had the previous night.

Man, do we love the bread and the whey butter in Iceland…..

The Missus really enjoyed the Minke Whale the previous night, so we started with the Minke Whale Steak (2890kr – about $27.75 US).

Fashionably dressed with chili threads and served with a ponzu sauce, we both really enjoyed this version of Minke Whale. I really didn't care for the robata version I had the night before, finding it too livery. I thought this was very tender; the crisp oyster mushrooms added an almost sweet earthiness to the tender and mildly offaly whale.

Next up; a dish whose name was so long that I actually wrote it down – Angelica Lamb from Halla at Ytri Fagridalur (2190kr – $21 US).

So, what's in a name? Ytri Fagridalur is the name of the farm where Halla Sigríður Steinólfsdóttir and her husband raise certified organic lamb. During the summer months the lamb are fed Angelica, which is supposed to change the flavor of the lamb. We both enjoyed the lamb, it was quite mild in flavor and surprisingly tender. We thought the Sichuan Peppercorn based seasoning was a bit over-powering.

So, Minke Whale and Angelica Fed Lamb….a bit too much for you? How about some sliders?

Of course these weren't just ordinary sliders. This was Whale, Puffin, and Langoustine "Mini-Burgers" (3790kr – $36.50 US). Not cheap, but quite interesting.

The Langoustine version was very tender and sweet, though the addition of chorizo kind of killed things for us.

The whale was by far our favorite as it went strangely well with the pesto and was very meaty, with a flavor that edged toward grass-fed beef. The puffin had a rather strange livery-fishy flavor; kind of predictable, since it's main diet is small fish. While I won't be searching it out in the future, I was glad to have tried it.

We shared one "main"; the "Fish Gourmet" (5490kr – $53 US).

A trilogy of fish; salmon, cod and redfish served with garlic potatoes and vegetables. The most memorable of the bunch was the cod which was so tender and buttery, unlike the cod I'm used to eating here in the states.

Some of the flavors and presentation (and prices!!!) was a bit over-the-top.

But the ingredients were without a doubt top-notch.

So, if you're doing the math; dinner topped out at about $175; not cheap, but we went mostly with starters and one rather large sized main course. The steaks can go for $70-$100.

Iceland turned out to be quite an interesting eating destination for us. A big plus is that folks here are very friendly and nice.

If I had a choice between the Fish Market and the Grill Market; we'd go with Grillmarkaðurinn.

Grillmarkaðurinn
Lækjargata 2a
101 Reykjavík, Iceland

I ended my last evening as I often do; with a "cold one" and reflected on all we'd done and the places we had been. Starting in Seattle for an overnight stay. From there it was off to Paris, the city captivated the Missus, and made my credit card scream for mercy. From there it was off to Burgundy where we were entranced by the countryside, the Saturday Market in Beaune, and the food. It was back to Paris and one of the finest meals we've ever had. Being able to visit Iceland was icing on the cake. We had no complaints; even the $70 for three-quarters of a tank of gas didn't phase us. We are lucky to be able to travel like this…….

Thanks for reading!

Sunday Sandwiches – The Sandwich A’Fare

November 19, 2017 mmm-yoso Sandwiches

**** The Sandwich A'Fare has closed

Recently, while checking in to see if Lai Chen was actually open (it wasn't) I noticed a sign for something called Sandwich A'Fare. It was pointing down to the rear of the strip mall we call the "Kearny Mesa restaurant refugee mall" because it houses Abbey BBQ and the Philadelphia Sandwich Company. The shop is indeed discreetly located.

There's no street signage, the interior is quite Spartan, you really wouldn't know it was there unless you really looked carefully or maybe had a appointment at one of the auto businesses on the backside of the mall.

The menu board said that this shop has been here since 1981! That's quite a run. On both my visits there was an older gentleman who sat on a table beside the counter. A few customers called him "Bud", So I'm guessing he's the owner. He seems to be a bit of a curmudgeon, in kind of a funny, grumpy way.

The sandwiches all have "names" like the Cassius Clay – pastrami and swiss; add ham and it becomes Muhammed Ali. Bill Walton is the turkey sandwich, Liberace is ham and salami. Not quite sure what the naming significance is of some of the sandwiches (other than the obvious like the Euell Gibbons - haven't heard that name in ages), but the prices are very nice at $6.25. I did find it humorous that the "club" style sandwiches were described in a more generic manner (ham, bacon & swiss) but cost you a buck more!

I went with owners namesake; Bud's Special ($6.25).

Thinly sliced hot roast beef and cheddar. While the portion size was good, I thought it had too much mayo and the protein was rolled onto one side of the roll. One bite of meat; the next was bread, shredded lettuce, and mayo. It was simple, fast, filled a need, and was nicely priced.

A few weeks later I set out for something rather quick on my way back to the office and dropped by, ordering the "Godfather".

I actually do like the way they thinly slice the meat; though it was again a bit mayo heavy and out of balance because of the way they roll the meat into the sandwich. Yet, I had no complaints about the price.

I have a soft spot for these small, unpretentious, family run neighborhood sandwich shops like Rose Canyon Deli and the Sandwich Place. Often located in a business park, industrial area, or office complex, they fill a need. While there are a ton of "chain choices" around, I prefer spending my money at places like this.

The Sandwich A'Fare
6904 Miramar Rd. Suite 107
San Diego, CA 92121
Open
Mon – Fri 1030am – 230pm

Revisits – Tim Ky Noodle and Cali Baguette Express (Mira Mesa)

November 15, 2017 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Sandwiches, Vietnamese Restaurants

A couple of more working during the weekend breakfasts.

Tim Ky Noodle:

It had been a while since I last visited. And even longer since I've had the Beef Sate Noodle here. So, I decided to drop before having to trudge to work on a Saturday morning.

This was better than what I've had here before.

While still fairly "light" in flavor compared to; say Minh Ky, the beef as fairly tender. The broth had just enough "edge" to it; that it went well with the beef. As you notice; I put a little broth in the spoon a piece of meat, and eat. Not bad at all. I do wish it had a bit more oomph…..and onions; but at least there was a "powdery residue" on the meat. The noodles were nicely prepared and the portion size very nice.

I left satisfied.

Tim Ky Noodle
9330 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126

Cali Baguette Express:

Sunday has kind of been like the new Tuesday or Wednesday, or even Thursday recently. The days just kind of string together. Though I don't need to go in at 630 on Sundays. I get to have some breakfast. I hadn't been to the Mira Mesa location of Cali Baguette Express since we did our Mira Mesa Banh Mi challenge back in 2011. At that time the Bamh Mi at Cali Baguette tied for the favorite. Since then they've expanded a bit and have taken over the former location of Mama Testa.

Much like the City Heights location; this shop is pretty crowded with "stuff".

And keeping some of the décor from Mama Testa makes things look like a bit of a mish-mash.

I ordered the Banh Mi Thit Nguoi ($3.75).

I'm not sure what's going with all my old favorites falling by the wayside these days; from Izakaya Sakura to Pho Lucky. Amd now Cali Baguette Express? The bread was the biggest problem; pale, dry, lacking crustiness, and almost stale? Poor quality control.

With banh mi, it's all about proportion, when a key part of the sandwich fails; it drags the whole thing down. Maybe I should be happy that K sandwich is reopening.

Cali Baguette Express
9225 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92116

Reykjavik – Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur (“The Best Hotdog in Town?) and Other “Stuffs”

November 14, 2017 mmm-yoso Hot Dogs, Iceland, Iceland Food and Restaurants, Travel

After lunch, we went…well shopping of course. One of the first stops was Icewear. The Missus found a really nice down jacket, I found e style I really liked, but the color I wanted wasn't in stock. Leave it to the nice folks at the shop to find that they had my size and color at another shop down the street! So we headed down the street to pick it up….past some rather interesting shops.

The Bad Taste Record Store and the Chuck Norris Grill? Really! You couldn't help but smile. There were Chuck Norris "facts" posted on the windows of the shop. Who needs the "Most interesting Man in the World" when you got Chuck Norris, right? What I'm wondering is did Chuck Norris ever visit his "namesake" grill in Reykjavik? Now that would be some story, right?

We got back to the apartment, in time to take a short nap. Upon wakening, the Missus was itching to take a nice little walk.

Tjörnin was looking a beautiful as ever.

We took a nice stroll around "The Pond".

And then headed down some of the side streets. Admittedly, I had an agenda……a stop at a place that folks claimed had "the best hotdog in the world", Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur .

This location, on Tryggvagata is probably the most well known for visitors. This is where Bill Clinton was offered and accepted a Pylsur…….not exactly the seal of approval, nor was the visits of other folks who seem to be famous, for being famous. But heck, I was intrigued, so I decided to get one with mustard and remoulade (a mustard, mayo, and caper sauce).

I enjoyed the snap of the sausage; though I found the roll to be too cold and almost stale in texture. I enjoyed the flavor of the hotdog, a combination of lamb, pork, and beef, a mild gamey-wildness, that I found enjoyable, but the Missus didn't like. I found the sauces to be too sweet for my taste….still I had a fun time trying this.

While the Missus wasn't amused, I was happy to have tried this.

Baejarins Beztu Pylsur
Tryggvagata 1
Reykjavik 101, Iceland

What was even more fun was this……

Iceland Airwaves was set to start in a few days. We found that there were many small venues set-up all over town; in coffee shops, bars, retail stores, where performers would also play in addition to the larger halls. Really nice. We enjoyed this kind of heavy-metal, jazz violinist…..amazing!

We were having a great time!

Hana Hou To Go Food Truck

November 13, 2017 mmm-yoso Food Trucks, Hawaiian Food, Plate Lunch

**** This truck is no longer in business

A couple of guys in the office like this food truck that comes by every couple of weeks.

It named "Hana Hou to go". Hana Hou means "one more time" in Hawaiian. While I'm not fully sold on the Food Truck explosion; I grew up eating from lunchwagons, so local kine food from a truck makes sense to me. So I decided to give it a try. Though I gotta say' this ain't lunchwagon prices.

I ordered the Chicken Katsu Plate ($11).

To be perfectly frank; the item I enjoyed the most was the katsu sauce; which was rather thick, but had a nice tanginess to it. It seemed between the typical Japanese style (like steak sauce) and the "local kine" (ketchup based). The chicken was fairly moist, even for white meat; though it was quite bland and cold and the breading was past the point of having very much crunch.

The kimchi was the typical "quick kimchi"; crisp, slightly spicy, but lacking in fermented flavor. I just wasn't a big fan of the macaroni salad; which was really dry; with some hard pieces, and quite bland overall. The rice? Well, that was well done, not too mushy, no hard bits. Only "one scoop" though. Which, these days is enough for me.

This was ok overall. So, thinking that perhaps it wasn't the best strategy to get something basically fried from the food truck (though Tsukenjo's made a mean mochiko chicken and Grace's started serving their chicken katsu from a lunchwagon), I decided to give them another chance. Daniel from Georgia told me to get the "Kalua Cabbage Plate" ($11), which we call Kalua Pork and Cabbage back home.

The pork was rather chewy and stringy; and there was quite a bit of cabbage. Perhaps I was being too picky since I often make this at home. I'm glad it wasn't too salty and the rice was again quite good. I kimchi had more flavor this time around, though I'm still not a fan of that mac salad. Too each his own…..

Overall, okay lunches if I have no other choices. If this was a brick and mortar shop, I'd pass.

The Hana Hou to Go Food Truck

Unlucky at Pho Lucky?

November 12, 2017 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

My revisit to Pho Mignon back in September had me wondering about Pho Lucky, which has been a regular stop for me over the years. Recently though I'd noticed that the pho here has seemed to go downhill a bit, which had me sticking to the Banh Mi Bo Kho.

So, a few days after my visit; I dropped by Pho Lucky. It had been awhile; in fact, I don't recall seeing the "No Fried Fish Welcome Sign" on the door before.

I wonder what event triggered that?

I went ahead and ordered my usual; the #4, flank, tripe, tendon, and brisket.

Things looked fine and that tendon was really good as were the noodles, just prepped perfectly.

The problem was the broth……

It was a lot more defatted than I recalled; gone was the nice anise tones I enjoyed, and worse of all, it was strangely "sweet". Egad! Was Pho Lucky joining the ranks of "Sweet broth brigade"?

The main reasons I enjoyed the pho here was for the flavor of the broth and the tendon. This just didn't cut it.

I intended to return fairly quickly to see if this visit was a fluke, but then we entered into that cycle of records temperatures. And then, when things cooled down; the amount of work heated up. My life right now include weekend morning conference calls. But, unlike regular work days; there's a short window of time before my call and I decided to drop by Pho Lucky to see if my last visit was just an off day.

I ordered the #4; went to wash my hands and this is what I got.

What the pho? I didn't order rare steak? Had they changed the numbering on the menu? I had just a short window of time before I needed to be in the office, so I just went ahead and had my bowl.

The rare steak was actually not bad; much more tender than I recalled; though I missed the usual amount of tendon and tripe. The broth was better; a bit richer, but more importantly, not overly sweet not too salty. I do think the days of nice anise and onions tones in the broth are gone though. Sad. The noodles were nicely prepared; the portion of sprouts was smaller than I recalled.

I rechecked the menu while waiting to cash out.

Hmmmm……#4 looks the same to me?

Maybe the Server didn't get enough of a caffeine fix before taking my order? I saw him chugging this down whenever he had a chance.

Well…whatever…it seems to be slim pickins' with regards to decent pho in San Diego these days. I guess I'm back to the Bo Kho here.

Pho Lucky
9326 Mira Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92126

Midweek Meanderings – Red Card Cafe Closes, Sprouts Opens, and Kroran Cuisine Coming Soon

November 8, 2017 mmm-yoso yoso-silly

Red Card Café Closes:

While driving on Morena a couple of weeks ago; I noticed the "For Lease" sign, so I stopped to take a look.

I was quite surprised to see that Red Card Café had closed down. They had just brought on a new chef and revamped the menu at bit a few months back. Things had looked promising.

Sad to see them go.

4140 Morena Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

Sprouts Opens in Bay Park:

Or if you prefer; Clairemont. It depends whom you talk to.

While I was sad to see Keil's close. I felt really bad about all the employees who had been there since we moved to the area fifteen years ago. I hardly ever shopped at Keil's; or any of the large supermarket chains. So, I guess Sprouts makes sense for us. They opened up on the 25th of October.

Good to see the strip mall filling up. Now, I'm wondering what's going to take the place of the Hometown Buffet and the old Mike's BBQ.

3015 Clairemont Dr
San Diego, CA 92117

Kroran Uyghur Cuisine Opening in the Former Nazca Grill Spot:

So, I've been working fairly long hours, some of it in the OC. It's often dark when I leave for work in the morning and likewise when I drive home in the evening. I saw a sign in the window of the old Nazca Grill. So, I took a turn into the strip mall for a look.

So, Kroran Uyghur Cuisine, huh? This is going to be interesting. The sign says "Coming in 2018".

4310 Genesee Ave
San Diego, CA 92117

Sizzling Pot King Revisited

November 3, 2017 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

**** Sizzling Pot King is now Zhang Liang Malatang

Thank goodness for the recent cool weather. The Missus wanted something "a bit" spicy. She chose Sizzling Pot King. And we ended up going back two more times!

There's something comforting about the simple, just spicy and numbing enough dry pot that SPK makes.

It's pretty much the same thing all the time; the Large Dry Pot ($30.99); we've found that stuff like chicken, beef, and pork just don't hold up well after a while and the portion size here makes for three meals! The tendon had gone downhill over the course of several meals last year. So, we just stick with tripe and pork intestine….oh, gotta have that frozen tofu ($2.99) to suck up all the nice spice as well.

Nice and numbing. Someone mentioned to me once, that cauliflower and potatoes had no place in Chinese cuisine. I told the young man that the Missus grew up eating stir fried potato and cauliflower with tomato….in China! We both wish there was a bit more mung bean sprouts; but I think the majority of "give me more meat" folks would disagree. Anyway, fragrant, generous portions, nice spice, decent flavor, you'll definitely need some rice.

In the course of a week we revisited Village North, Village Kitchen (posts upcoming), and SPK……. this is where the Missus wanted to return to. Go figure.

Sizzling Pot King
8058 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

So, what are you enjoying with the recent cooler weather?

Clearing Out the Memory Card – Yakitori Taisho

November 2, 2017 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants

After a couple of rather unsatisfying visits to old favorites recently. It's good to know that, at least for us, Yakitori Taisho is holding the course.

I haven't been able to visit very often; work is keeping me quite busy and fairly exhausted at times. And Taisho recently implemented a "no cameras" rule. I can understand; I've seen folks bring in some major gear and start snapping away in the tiny restaurant.

But on a recent visit, a very slow night, I discreetly took some phots with my phone.

So here's yet another "COMC" post on Taisho. This one will probably be the last for a while.

Let's first start with the recent specials.

Chashu with Spicy Bamboo Shoots.

And Spot Prawns.

The rest are the usual suspects.

As good as always.

Yakitori Taisho
5185 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92117

Reykjavik – Hallgrimskirkja and Fermented Shark and Mashed Fish at Cafe Loki

November 1, 2017 mmm-yoso Iceland, Iceland Food and Restaurants, Seafood, Travel

It was a lovely morning when we awoke on our second day in Reykjavik. This was our last full day and while we didn't intend on driving around and such, we'd have quite a full day. After some coffee and such we headed out.

While it was still overcast; it would drizzle later in the day, it was still quite a nice morning. Tjörnin (aka The Pond) was basically one block away and always seemed to look so picturesque.

On that main street that travels along the banks of Tjörnin, Fríkirjiuvegur (please don't ask me to pronounce any of these) is the National Gallery and a lovely church; Fríkirkjan í Reykjavík – the "Free Church".

We took our sweet time heading further down the street, turned right on Bankastræti, then taking a slight right onto, you ready for this one? Skólavörðustígur. One of Reykjavik's major shopping streets. We swerved in and out of various shops along the way. Though I kept our "brunch" endpoint in sight.

And we did our share of shopping; though no goose or horse for us this time around.

The street basically ends at this statue of Leif Erikson (Leifur Eiríksson).

This statue was actually a gift from the United States! For more interesting facts about the statue and Leif Erikson check out this article. What little I do remember about Leif Erikson from history class was that he was the first European to discover North America, which he called Vinland, 400 years before Columbus.

Right behind the statue is the unmistakable Hallgrímskirkja, whose main tower can be seen from all over the Reykjavik.

Hallgrímskirkja is a Lutheran Church that was started in 1945, but not completed until 1986! It is quite an impressive sight.

Interesting as all this was. My main reason for being here was to visit Café Loki. I'd read that this corner shop did cater to the tourists, but was established with the purpose to serve the traditional dishes of Iceland.

The second floor dining room was half full when we arrived at about 10am. There was a small line of folks waiting for tables when we left at 11. We were looking forward to visiting Café Loki and ended up really enjoying our meal.

The Missus had enjoyed Her Lamb Soup the previous day, so She ordered the Meat Soup with Lamb Pate.

The soup was nice and rich, full of flavor. The "Lamb Pate" (Kæfa), looked a bit strange, but it was fairly gamey, and quite delicious. I later read it's made from mutton. I'd have this in a minute again. And the rye bread here is to die for.

I went for the Icelandic Plate, which gave me a nice variety of items.

So, along with the Lamb Pate and Rye Bread, there was Plokkfiskur (mashed fish), Hangikjöt (smoked lamb) on rye bread, Smoked Trout on Rye, Hákarl – the infamous fermented shark, and Harðfiskur (dried fish).

The Harðfiskur was interesting…it was dry, I mean dry, you needed a good amount of the delicious Icelandic butter to soften the flesh a little; otherwise it really was like eating leather. There is chewing involved; the flavor is very mild. I'm used to Saki Ika (Japanese Dried Cuttlefish), so I found this surprisingly bland.

I think the English description for Plokkfiskur – "mashed fish" is totally wrong. This is more like "Buttery Cod Mashed Potatoes". It is very hearty; there a touch of onion, the wonderful smjor (Icelandic butter), on that slightly sweet and dense rye bread is quite a treat. The Missus loved this.

The smoked trout with butter and skyr on rye was good. I never took any photos, but I had skyr, the Icelandic style yogurt for breakfast every morning.

I really enjoyed the Hangikjöt (smoked lamb), with butter on rye. It had a nice smokiness, just enough saltiness, with just a touch of the "flavor of the pasture" for me to really enjoy.

Did I mention how much we loved the rye bread here?

And then there was the Hákarl, the fermented shark that Anthony Bourdain said he would never eat again. C'mon, for real? This little pale white cube?

Which smells like a combination of ripe cheese and urine. In fact, someone jokingly told us that the fish is buried in sand for 6 weeks at which time it's urinated on, before being hung to dry. It's good to know that this is not true (I hope). This was rather anti-climatic. There's a sort of salty, slightly ripe cheese thing going on, the texture is waxy. After that you're hit with a shot of ammonia which you basically exhale. Think of the light ammonia hit you get from Pidan (Century Egg) times like 10. The Missus actually enjoyed this…..of course, She loves cheese that smells like my dog's feet.

We really enjoyed our meal here. It gave us a nice view of some of the Icelandic dishes that I'd heard about before our trip. And, we liked most of what we had! It was also fairly inexpensive; by Icelandic standards. I'd gladly eat here again…….I'd just be happy with more of that rye bread with smjor.

Cafe Loki
Lokastigur 28
Reykjavik 101, Iceland

We were now quite satisfied and not quite full. Time to head off and do more shopping!

Thanks for reading!

And, just in case you were wondering…..

Best line – "You disappoint me Ramsey!"