mmm-yoso – Page 192

Seattle – Terra Plata

November 11, 2016 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Seattle, Washington, Travel

During our most recent stay in Seattle; having dinner at Sitka & Spruce would seem to be the obvious choice. But after our last meal there, we decided that maybe a change was in order. We'd arrived for an overnight stay on our way to our final destination.

On our previous visit, we passed what seemed to be a very popular place named Terra Plata; literally "Land to Plate". Reading a bit more, it seems that the focus was on local growers and artisans, which seemed like the perfect meal for us.

We arrived at the Renaissance without incident. I used to stay here all the time, but for some reason hadn't during our last few visits. They seemed to have done some nice upgrading of the rooms and the corner room we had was very comfortable.

It was a pleasant walk to the restaurant, heck, it's basically next to S&S, and we've been to Seattle so many times. The dining room is nice and warm, though seating is pretty cramped; fitting as many bodies in as little space seems the trend these days. The place was half full when we arrived at 6pm and quickly filled up. The menu, as is also the norm these days was a simple single sheet, fairly vegetable heavy and meant for sharing which suits our preferences,

We started with a couple of cocktails; the Missus a "Seattle Raindrop" ($12) and I a "Will I Tell" ($13)….both were a bit too sweets for our tastes.

After looking over the menu; we decided to forgo the meat options. We've been finding that vegetable and starters are more interesting items these days. It seems that in the case of mains; the kitchen has to keep it kind of close to the vest while the other courses seem more fascinating.

We did need a bit of "protein" so we started with the Charcuterie Plate ($20) which was on the pricy side, but we loved the presentation.

The real winner on this plate was the chicken liver terrine, which had the perfect amount of liver flavor combined with a pleasant texture, and just a hint of winey-sweetness. The pate champagne was also quite good; not too salty, great texture. The Missus loved the mustards and pickles; especially the pickled capers and cornichons. The lomo iberico was too salty, cut too thick, making it hard, and the Duck Rillette was really bland and hardly had any of the nice assertive flavor we enjoy.

I should have skipped on the Risotto ($20). I've mentioned the issues I have with typical restaurant par cooked prep for risotto. This just didn't do it, the core of the risotto was hard and crunchy. This version also had too much marscapone for my taste and not enough salty components.

Loved the chanterelles, so earthy, and the addition of brown butter was nice, though it clashed with the marscapone in my mind.

The Missus, who loves lentils and broccoli, really enjoyed the having both of them in the Broccoli with Moroccan Spiced Lentils ($14).

This basically looked like a stir fry; the flavor was nice and savory, though I think it could have used a bit more balsamic. I think they are also using Worcestershire or something similar to give this a flavor close to soy sauce. A nice dish.

We both really enjoyed the Beets with Walnut Romesco and Feta ($14).

The various greens added a nice combination of bitter-herbaceous flavor to the "just crisp enough" and sweet beets. The Romesco Sauce had the perfect amount of garlic and slightly smoky-sweet flavors which went nicely with the milky-salty feta. This was just a wonderful dish.

So nice, that I decided to finish things off with an Old Fashioned ($11).

The service was friendly and warm, the room got really loud, and like I mentioned before; the tables are really close together….the server kept bumping into me and the person seated in back of me when passing. The price; well, the Missus actually was kind of shocked….over $100 for mostly vegetables…but of course we had the three cocktails and such.

So, Sitka & Spruce or Terra Plata……I think the Missus enjoyed the execution at Terra Plata more….perhaps the next time we're in Seattle we'll do one after the other. Or who knows, maybe there will be another great option?

Terra Plata
1501 Melrose Ave
Seattle, WA 98122

Seattle – Sitka & Spruce

November 9, 2016 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Fine Dining, Seattle, Washington

**** Sitka & Spruce has closed

I thought I'd do this post a little out of the usual chronological order and you'll see why in a future post. I mentioned getting stranded in Seattle on the way back from Vancouver due to the Great Delta Debacle of 2016 in an earlier post. Anyway, being stuck in Seattle isn't that bad for us….of course I lost extra vacation time. But I quickly got us a hotel and reservations at a place we really enjoyed during our last "visit" Sitka & Spruce.

While we did enjoy our meal we really weren't quite as impressed this time around and perhaps the best part of the meal was my cocktail, called "The Garden".

Loved the addition of the celery bitters and oregano, which gave this white grape juice and ancho reyes cocktail a wonderful complex array of flavors. Not too boozy and quite refreshing. The sweetness of honey and citrus really balanced things out.

We started with some Shigoku Oysters ($3/each), which is basically a new variation of Kusshi Oysters a strain of Pacific Oyster.

These were very mild in flavor and perhaps a bit too firm for my taste. Also, one of the oysters tasted a bit off; but I suffered no ill effects.

We also ordered the combination of pickled and fermented vegetables with pickled egg ($11).

This was a lot of pickles….a lot, enough for 4-5 people, except for the egg of course, which was very good. The Shishito Peppers had a very nice texture and the beets were delicious. Probably too much of a good thing though.

Next up; the Heirloom Tomatoes and Halloumi ($18).

The tomatoes were good…a bit too mild in flavor and acid. This dish had way too much basil on it. The big surprise was the seared Halloumi, which had a fairly crisp exterior and a creamy interior. It added a bit of saltiness to the dish which was welcomed as was the presence of Shiro Plums which added a pleasant sweetness.

The Crispy Yukon Golds with Tuna and Egg Yolk ($14) was quite good.

That egg yolk added rich creaminess and the tonnato (a tuna-mayo based sauce) added a nice creamy-savory flavor as well. The olive oil was lovely and the potatoes delicious. The tuna confit really had no flavor and brought nothing to the dish in our opinion.

The Broccoli with Charred Eggplant ($13) was quite good in spite of the rather greyish hue of the dish.

Think broccolini with baba gannoush. The restrained amount of Aleppo Pepper added some zip to the smoky eggplant puree. The anchovies were a bit too salty for this in my opinion.

The seemingly odd combination of Nectarines, Lardo, Seared Shishito Peppers, and Chickpea Puree ($14) sounds a bit disjointed, but it worked quite well.

An interesting combination of textures and flavors; sweet, that chlorophyll-sweet-mild spice of the peppers, the texture of the lardo, and topped off with a nutty hummus like puree, this worked nicely for us.

As with our previous meal; we were intrigued with the combination of textures and flavors, some of which worked better than others. Though during our previous visit, we had that one dish which we thought was just amazing, which we didn't find on this visit. Still, while you might think $120+ for mostly vegetables (and cocktails) is mighty steep, the meal was a fun little ride.

Sitka & Spruce
1531 Melrose Ave
Seattle, WA 98101

Red Card Cafe

November 8, 2016 mmm-yoso Gastropub, Salads, Sandwiches

** Red Card Café has closed

A few months back; Red Card Café replaced Kitchen 4140. I was intrigued at the concept, a Gastropub featuring various street food dishes.

I really like the space; casual, yet very nice…though I haven't set foot in the dining room, preferring the bar area or the outdoor seating.

The theme of the menu is….yep, global dishes from soccer countries. It's kind of out there, all over the place with everything from Cubanos, poutine….aracini to pierogies!

Over the last few months, I managed to visit four times. I like to check out a place a couple of times before doing a post whenever possible and the location of Red Card, in my 'hood made it easy to do multiple visits.

The owner; Caroline is a joy to chat with, and the folks here are pretty friendly.

The tap selection is small but decent, and they feature stuff from Bitter Brothers (right down the street) among others. So I started with a Golden Child.

One of the things I really developed a taste for during our trip to Tunisia was a nicely spiced merguez. Caroline hails from France and the chef is formerly from Sausage and Meat. So what more natural way to start things off than with a sausage, right? I did find out that the merguez was not made inhouse; bummer. I ordered it anyway. At $14, I thought a single sausage and some rather ordinary fries was not going to be a great value….unless that sausage delivered. The flavor of the merguez was a bit on the mild side; quite tame….based on the owner's background, I was expecting the thinner, rather snappy, slightly spicy, very flavorful meguez. I did like the house ketchup.

A few days later, the Missus joined me on a nice sunny evening.

Having just returned from Vancouver, where the Missus discovered an affection for Poutine and combined with Duck Confit, it just sounded like something we should try.

The Duck Poutine ($16) just had too much going on; too sweet, too heavy, you really couldn't taste the duck and the dish came across as being on the greasy side.

We also ordered the Cuban ($12) with Yam Chips ($3 when included with a sandwich).

The Yam Chips looked very dark and seemed a bit greasy, but was really crisp and had a nice salty-sweet potato flavor. The Missus really enjoyed this sorta-Cubano. The bread was nicely toasted; the mustard and pickles really lifted the flavor of the slightly citrusy and decently moist pork, and the slighty nutty-milky flavor went well with the sandwich.

This turned out to be a decent meal.

So I returned a few weeks later. This time I went with the Hot Dog which seemed a bit crazily priced at $12. It was however, quite good.

The hot dog tasted quite "porky", a bit different, loved the nice bacon bits, the wonderful house made mustard, and the sweetness of the caramelized onion. The potato bun went really well with all of this. And instead of being over-wrought and busy; I enjoyed this.

To balance things out; I went with the Kale Caesar ($7).

I enjoyed the fried kale which, along with the croutons added dimensions of crunch to the already crisp and fresh kale. The salad wasn't over-dressed and was very nice overall.

A few weeks later I returned; not being overly hungry, I went with the now rather ubiquitous Char Siu Steamed Buns ($14).

This was pretty mediocre, from the buns which seemed like something that was previously frozen, lacking the light fluffiness of fresh steamed buns. The meat was more like pulled pork than actual char siu. The sauce was a hoisin based glaze that was closer to a pseudo BBQ sauce than something truly Asian. It was also too sweet for my taste.

I finished the meal with a bottle of Three Philosophers for dessert.

Man, it had been a while since I'd had one of these.

In the end, I'm glad that we have Red Card in the neighborhood, heck, like I mentioned in Lynn's post of Red Card, this might be the best place on Morena now. And while I'm not the type to "just be happy to have it" and Red Card's menu, which is kind of all over the place seems to have its pitfalls, I'm glad to have another choice on the Boulevard.

Red Card Café
4140 Morena Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

What’s My Craving Redux – Banh Mi Bo Kho from Pho Lucky

November 7, 2016 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

Near the ending of our trip; I received a text from Cathy (aaah the joys of modern technology). Pho Lucky had finally reopened….and just to add that little twist of the knife; Cathy had visited and had what I had been craving…..the Banh Mi Bo Kho. So, of course after returning Saturday evening; having to take care of my "Honey Doo" list….I headed straight to Pho Lucky for my fix.

There was one small problem……this past Sunday morning was the time change….we'd already experienced the time change while in France the week before….so I basically ignored my phone….I was focused, and the clock in the car said 915, when I arrived….it was actually 815 and Pho Lucky wasn't opened yet. The irony of it all…..

Luckily (no pun intended), it was only about 15 minutes until the place opened, so I went and did a couple of things….and returned at 845. After all, I really didn't want to appear to excited about having the Bo Kho here, right?

Both Cathy and Alan from Clairemont (in an email), mentioned that Lucky really didn't look much different. I noticed the change in the colors of the walls; but the same somewhat sticky tables were the same as was the configuration.

Still, who really cares….I was here for one reason.

The Banh Mi Bo Kho is now $7.25. I think this is a slight increase in price; but really can't remember.

The standard issue bread was nicely toasted though nothing special.

The broth was a bit thinner than I recalled; maybe they've got to get things back in orders; though it was nicely beefy, but with a bit too much black pepper in it this time around. Not overly salty, hints of anise, the carrots were decently tender; the slightest touch of lime to adjust the flavors….all was right in the world. At least for the moment.

The rather large pieces of beef were well flavored and while it could have been a bit more tender did well….ditto for the rather gigantic piece of tendon.

All in all, this was better than what I'd had while Lucky was closed. And my craving was taken care of…….after two months mind you….but heck, I did get my fix.

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

Where in the world are we part deux

November 4, 2016 mmm-yoso France, Hot Dogs, Iceland, Iceland Food and Restaurants, Paris, France, Travel

We finished up our time in Paris visiting…..well, those must see locales.

And capped things off with what might be one of the best meals we've ever had.

We then headed off to our current location. A place where you can experience the power and wonder of nature. Now a very popular destination during the summer. It is still impressive during the slow season.

In a single word……breathtaking.

And the cold and rain hasn't dampened our spirits as we've gotten to see some amazing things.

The food here is distinctive. With items like minke whale…..

Trout smoked over sheep dung.

Cod head……

Fermented shark.

Mashed fish……they make fabulous rye bread here too.

They also claim to make one of the best hot dogs in the world too.

The sun is setting on our final day here.

Tomorrow we head to an interim destination then home. It's been an unforgettable trip.

We haven't had a bad meal yet. I hope this last one will not end the streak

Thanks as always for reading!

Where in the world are we?

October 30, 2016 mmm-yoso Burgundy, France, Paris, France, Seattle, Washington, Travel

It's been a really busy couple of months. Work has been crazy and we needed a break. So with Cathy and Ed from Yuma always willing to help keep the blog going, the Missus and I are taking a nice break.

To where you may ask? Well, I think you can figure things out in 4 photos. So here goes.

This is where we started.

Then we ended up here.

And we are enjoying our last evening in this region.

As expected, the meals have been great. What's even more surprising is that we haven't had a bad meal yet. Rubbing this little guy's head is supposed to be good luck. Maybe it worked.

Because the eats sure have been good.

And we've been having a blast as well. Beautiful countryside…..

And cute little villages.

So hopefully things will work out and I'll get another post in sometime. You know, to give you something to chew on.

Until then, thanks or stopping by.

BeShock Ramen and Sake Bar

October 17, 2016 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

An acquaintance mentioned a ramen place opening in the East Village named BeShock and told me they were going through a soft opening. I was told the folks opening the place are from Nagoya; which made me a bit curious. So I trucked it down to the corner of 13th and Market street to see what was up.

For some reason, I expected a little neighborhood shop like the nearby Tokyo Deli. So I was surprised to see this large, spacious, very nice restaurant….I guess I "be shocked"?

The soft opening menu was a single page; with items like karaage, salads, and the like on the top….the middle was a collection of rolls, and five types of ramen on the bottom.

I was brought my water and some gratis edamame….

I saw Shio Koji Karaage; Shio Koji and Shoyu Koji are both staples in our household and using Shio Koji in karaage is pretty much an "open secret". So, I ordered the karaage and was surprised at what came out.

So, these were actually coated in masago arare; rice cracker beads. It adds an additional layer of crunch, but also gets soggy fairly quickly. The portion size was quite large. Also going down a bit of a different path; this was white meat chicken; though the marinating process give the chicken a texture like dark meat. Also, I quickly noticed that the flavor is quite mild……amost too mild for me; not enough shoyu-shio koji or any other (ginger-garlic-sweetness) flavor. It's pretty much about the masago arare.

I also ordered the Tonkotsu Ramen and was rather intrigued at what came out.

The broth was different; in fact, it might be the least salty ramen broth I've ever had….it didn't have much porkiness to it and I even thought it could be chicken. I was told that the folks here use a lot of vegetables in making the broth which really makes the flavor different. While it was fatty; I didn't think it was particularly rich, in other words, it lacked some of that "aaaaahh" effect. Everything else was good; the standard issue Nishimoto-JFC noodles were prepped well; the chashu had been torched before being placed in the bowl; it had a very nice porkiness to it. The egg was also by the book. Overall; a bit different…… I might try the Miso Ramen next time.

The folks here were really nice; the manager, who is from Nagoya, also spent time in Hawaii and we had a nice chat.

I returned a few days later. I had seen Chicken Tartar (i.e. tori nanban) on the menu; but when I returned it was gone.

So I went with the "Cajun Karaage" instead.

This wasn't very spicy and the batter was soft and gummy, though it was prepared and served in a more conventional way than shio koji karaage. The flavor just kind of fell short and this was definitely "b-list karaage".

I also went with the Chashu Bowl. Having had a few of these in Japan, I was surprised at how large and how much pork there was.

There's quite a bit of pork hiding under….well, all that pork. The pork was tender without being mushy. The flavor was good….again, not too heavy handed in terms of shoyu – saltiness – sweetness, but the pork flavor actually came through quite well. This time the flavor and the texture worked for the good of the dish. The shoyu tamago was decent; it could have used a bit more flavoring, but I have no complaints.

I really enjoyed talking to the nice young man in charge on this day.

He is also from Nagoya and actually went to KCC! He mentioned that BeShock has a sister restaurant in Nagoya.

While I thought the flavors somewhat mild and tame for my taste, sometimes people can make the difference. I really enjoyed BeShock, BeCause the folks here were so nice. I'll come back to try things out after their grand opening….which is BTW….today 10/17 at 530pm. They'll have Tori Nanban; though I'm not sure what they're going call it. The ramen style here doesn't seem to be my thing, though I will try the Miso Ramen to see if I prefer that.

The manager is a certified Sake Master and they have a bunch of boutique brews….so when I'm not driving…..

I hope they do well.

BeShock Ramen & Sake Bar
1288 Market St
San Diego, CA 92101

Sunday Stuffs – 99 Ranch Market’s Soft Opening, Poke and Pintxos at Poseidon Project

October 16, 2016 mmm-yoso Markets & Grocers, Poke, Spanish Restaurants and Cuisine

A few things for a slow Sunday.

99 Ranch Market on Balboa's Soft Opening:

Like many other folks I know, I've been watching for any indication the new 99 Ranch Market would be opening. The other day I noticed some notices were posted. I drove on over to the parking lot and took a look.

The flier says – Soft Opening October 20th; Grand Opening October 22nd.

So there you go.

5950 Balboa Ave
San Diego, CA 92117

Poke and Pintxos at Poseidon Project:

Like I mentioned in a previous post; I've kind of taken to the Poseidon Project, the little beer bar and bottle shop in my 'hood; Bay Park. It's a nice, neighborhood place, but it's a beer bar and bottle shop and doesn't serve food. Which can be a bit of a problem in this area.

I'll usually drop by on Saturday evenings when the Missus needs to work and have noticed that there's usually one and sometimes two catering folks coming in to serve food.

The usual Saturday stand is by a company named ILNLYF Foods, which you might know from the Little Italy Mercado. And yes, these guys serve poke.

I've yet to find decent poke in San Diego and I really had my doubts about these guys. And the first two times I tried the poke I was underwhelmed. I did enjoy that this isn't the typical San Diego "Chi-poke" set-up; the fast-casual fish with sauce thing. I did find the fish to be on the mushy side and the poke sort of waterlogged; as if they dumped a bunch of frozen fish into the marinade.

However, the guy serving the poke is very nice, friendly, Samoan, who has family and spends a good deal of time in Hawaii.

And wouldn't you know it; the last two times their version of shoyu poke has been pretty good. As you can tell; not too much "suji" (connective tissue) in the fish. It's been marinated….not just sitting around with some sauce thrown on it. I'd like a bit more onions, but the kimchi cucumbers are a decent addition. I was told that because their customer base at the Mercado's said it was too salty; they've had to change to low sodium shoyu….so they told me to visit them at the PIF and other festivals where they "don't hold back".

Tried it again recently and I gotta say; it's a two fer two…though i'm not a big fan of the "fried rice", which was too hard and dry. I'll stick with the white rice….though they did have a decent mac salad a few weeks back.

Also, on occasion there's young lady who makes paella, and later on some Saturday evenings she'll bring in some Pintxos……you know what that is, right?

They'll tell most folks this is "tapas", but the young lady is from Bilbao. In Basque country, they call this Pintxos.

Some Tortilla Espanola, maybe a version of Champinones Al Ajillo, Boquerons, or Crouquettas de Pollo. Nice folks.

I'm not sure what the entire lineup of food purveyors is; so you may want to call ahead on a Friday or Saturday to see if they'll have anything; 619-230-5334.

Over the last couple of weeks; I've noticed a couple of things; the beer cooler doesn't have the variety it used too; they don't always have all 8 pulls going. I really like this place and hope this isn't a bad sign. I've enjoyed meeting some of my more like minded neighbors, the two and even four-legged ones…..so I'm hoping Poseidon hangs on and maybe gets a kitchen, or something.

Poseidon Project
4126 Napier St
San Diego, CA 92110

Seville – Seville Cathedral and Dinner at Eslava

October 15, 2016 mmm-yoso Seville, Spain, Spanish Restaurants and Cuisine

After finishing up lunch at Petite Comite, we had one more stop in mind. This is one even I got rather excited about; Seville Cathedral, the third largest church in Europe.

Getting in was rather quick as the lines weren't very long.

And the place is very impressive.

Huge pillars and high vaulted ceilings…….the sheer immense size is quite amazing. There are 80 side chapels and just too much to see.

And behind this gate lies something that is rather overwhelming.

The Retablo Mayor (Main Altar) is over 60 feet tall and made up of over 40 panels depicting the life of Mary and Christ. And yes, it is gilded with gold; a bounty brought back from the Americas.

Flemish Sculptor Pierre Dancart started working on this in 1482 (he died in 1492), after his death, several generations of craftsmen took over and the work wasn't completed until 1564. Over 80 years!

In case you need to clear out some of the sparkle from gold from your eyes, you can balance things out by checking out the Silver Altar (Alta de Plata).

Like I said; you'll soon be overwhelmed by things…… This is the Chorus.

Seville Cathedral, like many of the churches in Southern Spain is built on the site of a former Mosque. When Ferdinand III of Castile arrived in Seville to retake it from the Moors, a voice beckoned to him while praying and it is said an angel led him into the city and into the main mosque. Here he was able to see thru the layers of a wall that a mural of the Virgin had been painted on it years before. A few days later, Seville fell. And here we have the Altar of the Virgin of Antigua.

I'm sure that each altar has such a story……if you'd like to find out a bit more about all the Altars; I've translated this Wikipedia page.

Take a gander at the organ of the Cathedral to the right.

All of this was great; but there was one main reason I wanted to visit this Cathedral.

You see, even though there's still some disagreement about things, a DNA test done in 2006 agrees with the belief that Columbus; at least part of him, resides in this tomb in the Cathedral. You can't miss seeing the four figures; each representing one of the kingdoms of Spain during Columbus's life; Castile, Aragon, Leon, and Navara; holding his tomb aloft.

It makes for quite a dramatic sight. Heck, even the story of how Columbus (supposedly) ended up back in Seville makes for quite a tale in itself. Full of twists and turns…and still, what's in that box of bones found in the Cathedral of Santa María la Menor that had the inscription "The illustrious and excellent man, Don Colon, Admiral of the Ocean Sea." Hmmm……

Regardless, this was a bucket list moment for me. One I tried to savor….the only annoyances being the loud, knucklehead tourists from you know where who kept going under the ropes for a photo-op or reaching over and grabbing the statues……

After a few minutes it was time for the last stop at the Cathedral. Time to take a walk up the Giralda (Bell Tower), which used to be a minaret. It's an easy walk and the view from 330 feet up is spectacular. That's the Plaza de Toros, the Bullring, near the middle of this photo.

Looking in the direction of where we were staying, we could see the Iglesia de San Isidoro, but man those street sure are narrow!

We headed back down and took a short walk thru Patio de Los Naranjos (Courtyard of the Orange Trees).

Before heading back for a well earned nap…..things were pretty quite midafternoon as we passed Plaza de San Francisco.

Needless to say, we were pretty hungry when we awoke. And it would be about a mile walk to our dinner destination; a very popular restaurant named Eslava in the Alameda neighborhood. Eslava, like La Azotea is always mentioned in those "best of" lists you find. We arrived just after the place opened and it was already getting busy. There's a restaurant next door; but the bar, where you get the tapas sized portions is where we wanted to be.

Wine and olives (and lupini beans) to start (of course)…..

I started ordering…….

Garbanzos con Menudo, the Missus does love Her "callos"…..

Pretty good, comforting, garbanzos a bit too hard, though a nice start.

Would there be any doubt that we'd be having the Foie Gras on Hazelnut Bread.

Nicely rich and creamy, if perhaps a bit too sweet. But man; garbanzos to foie gras in two bites….that's some range there.

Eslava is a regular winner on the tapas food circuit; meet one of their masterpieces; the Slow Cooked Egg on Mushroom (boletus) Soufflé, with a wine sauce.

Good lord almighty…..such a drool and food porn worthy dish. This was delici-yoso…with several exclamation points!!!! The earth flavors of mushroom, light acid and sweetness from the wine reduction, and the richness of that egg yolk.

I thought the Pork Ribs with Honey and Rosemary Sauce was too sweet and the ribs a bit too tough and chewy for our tastes.

Another prize winner, Un Cigarro para Becque – Becque's Cigar.

Served with a rich, but mild aioli, the range of flavors and textures in this was startling; from the brie pastry, crisp with some stretch, to the filling which was darkened using squid ink, and consisted of algae, langostines, and cuttlefish, I'd say this is a must try dish here. It's quite an interesting item.

The Charlota Calabacin; a Zucchini (Charlotte) Terrine was very nice as well.

Nice and comforting.

The Carrillada ibérica estofada (stewed pork cheeks) was another delicious dish.

Tender, with a wonderful flavor…….I don't know if I've ever had a version of this that I didn't like.

The Boquerón blanco frito, fried anchovies were crisp, light, and had good oil.

These are sometimes a crap-shoot, but we were told these were from Malaga and they did indeed taste fresh with no off flavors.

I was getting pretty stuffed…..I don't think I could finish the Albodingas, which the Missus loved.

Man, this was some meal….but here's the kicker. Three glasses of wine each; we finished with Vermut, which the Missus has kind of gotten a taste for, 48 Euros! That's like $54 at that time.

We sat next to a very nice couple from the UK….the husband was "stationed" here in Seville. It was a nice discussion of Seville from a different point of view. The woman was very friendly and quite surprised that we managed to hit three of the top places in Seville in the short time we'd been here.

Eslava
Eslava 3
Seville, Spain

While folks don't eat quite as late here as in Madrid, it was pretty well packed as we left.

We took a meandering and circuitous route back to our flat. It was a cool, but not too cold night, and folks were out and about.

We walked through this nice wide open square with two Roman columns on it. This is La Alameda and has a history going back to 1547.

And while picking up a few items from the neighborhood grocery, ran into this little fellow.

He was, in his own way, quite adorable…..but only had eyes for his "master"….and he was also quite proud. In that sort of; "ok, I'll let you pet me kind of way". I named him the "Smug Pug". We even saw him the next day……making his way through the crowds….not having time for anyone…. As we watched him, I started humming, of all things, the Overture to the Barber of Seville….which, for some reason made me think of this. Funny how the mind works…..

We wandered along and ended up at this spaceship looking monstrosity….

This is called the Metropol Parasol, also known as Plaza de la Encarnacion (Incarnación's mushrooms). Which looked quite out of place among the historic structures in Seville.

Yes, Seville was full of surprises. You'd be walking down a relatively sedate street, the bell tower of a church standing quietly in the night.

You'd turn the corner….and oh my goodness, there would be a crowd of folks; young and old, socializing and enjoying the evening.

Perhaps that's the joy of Seville. There's a surprise around every corner.

Thanks for reading!

Pho & Banh Cuon Ha Long Restaurant

October 11, 2016 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

** Update Pho & Banh Cuon Ha Long Restaurant is now Phuong Nga 2

Just a few weeks after Cathy's most recent post on Van Hoa, the place changed ownership and Pho and Banh Cuon Ha Long was born. Banh Cuon? I've yet to have a good version in San Diego, so I was intrigued. And then our good "FOY" (Friend of Yoso) "YummyYummy" told me it was the same owners as Suong Hong and my excitement was tempered.

The place looks basically the same….a bit run down, sticky tables and all.

And the Banh Cuon Dac Biet ($7)? Well, you've read it before; banh cuon a bit too thick, lacking pull; the nuoc mam cham a bit too thin for my taste, the nem chua not quite sour or flavorful enough.

Not my cup of tea. But if you expect Song Huong, you'll be satisfied.

Still, the young lady was very nice……the guys hanging out front gave the place "that atmosphere", and I recalled the Bun Bo Hue at Song Huong being, well, not terrible. So I ordered it ($7.50) on my next visit.

This was an interesting bowl….from the ngo ngai topping the bowl, to the meatballs in the soup (I think it was there to replace MIA cha lua). The vegetables, though fresh really fell short; almost all shredded cabbage and bean sprouts.

The broth was scalding hot; a good start, mildly spicy, not very complex in terms of lemongrass and pungent flavors.

And the most annoying, the noodles seemed to be cut in half and thirds, making them very short……very slippery and short…..

A pleasant surprise was the two pieces of pork hock in this bowl. It was fun gnawing on the skin, connective tissue, and the toothsome, but not too tough meat. The pork was also nicely flavored, though the other pieces of meat fell short, and no tendon!

Like my other experience with BBH at this family's restaurants, not terrible, ok "pho shop Bun Bo Hue", but nothing amazing.

A week later I was in the area and being quite hungry, decided to drop by for a late breakfast (according to the sign, they now open a 6am!). I was going to try the pho, but chose the Com Tam Dac Biet instead. This was actually not bad; except the broken rice was too dry and hard for my taste.

The Bi with the flavor of the roasted rice coming through was good, though a bit dry. The Cha was on the cold side, dry, and more chewy than I care for. The pork chop had a very nice flavor; edging more on the salty than sweet, but other than that little nugget with the fat on the end, was also on the chewy side. The broth accompanying the meal was nice and rich, though it had a bit too much MSG for me.

Based on my meals, I'd definitely say YMMV here. Though if they're really open at 6am….heck, I'll need to try breakfast, right?

Pho & Banh Cuon Ha Long Restaurant
4016 54th St
San Diego, CA 92105