mmm-yoso – Page 217

Recently Consumed: Fresh Chanterelles Back at Nijiya, a Fish called Louvar, and other stuffs

October 28, 2015 mmm-yoso Cooking, Markets & Grocers

I might be a bit late with this, but as I'm typing this I know that Nijiya has fresh chanterelles back in stock.

It's been in stock much longer than in the previous 3 years. This year the Missus is enjoying Her chanterelles in a frittata.

I start the mushroom the usual way.

Then add 4 eggs at the end……

The Missus can eat this in one sitting! Amazing…..

Nijiya Market
3860 Convoy St Ste 109
San Diego, CA 92111

So I was over at Catalina Offshore a couple of weeks back…..giving Tommy a hard time as usual. Anyway……while waiting for my salmon, Tommy pointed at some rather fragile looking, almost translucent pieces of fish and told me, "this is louvar….get it….you won't be sorry….." It seems that Louvar is a prized, but very rare catch, youfind it doing a Google search on "Cadillac of Fish". The fish just seemed like it was going to fall apart, but Tommy assured me that it firms up well when cooking. I decided to do a simple straight up saute……let sit in ginger and Shaoxing, simple season, dust with potato starch, then into the cast iron. It browned up really well….it was super moist, mildly sweet in flavor, super tender, so moist….sorry…..it as just so moist.

I should have taken more photos, but there's only one.

As with the King Clip and White Salmon Tommy comes through again!

Catalina Offshore Products
5202 Lovelock St
San Diego, CA 92110

Fall just might be my favorite time of the year…..the kale is growing like crazy and is less bitter…..

And garnished with some…ahem, Duck Confit and an easy over egg….man, this really is the "Breakfast of Champions".

I hope you're having a great week.

Thanks for reading!

Turo Turo Tuesday: Manila Resto

October 27, 2015 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Filipino Restaurants

**** Manila Resto has closed

I was in National City recently looking for a specific ingredient…had no luck at Seafood City, but I noticed this new "turo-turo" (point-point) place had opened up.

So I decided to stop and grab some breakfast. Man, this restaurant is huge……

The woman working the counter was very friendly and the food looked decent….so I went with the Longanisa and Chicken Tocino….I had to stop her from piling on the garlic rice and still ended up with a load of carbs.

And the egg of course, which had been sitting in a steam tray. The garlic in the rice was burnt, thus making the whole deal quite bitter. The longanisa was as expected, a meaty-juicy pouch of loveliness. The chicken tocino was really tough, it had been cooked down too long. It was also more salty than sweet.

It was quite obvious, this was one of those quantity over quality places.

No big deal……I made a note to revisit one day…no rush.

Funny thing happened the following week. I saw an old coworker of mine. She dropped off lunch from this "new place" to try…..it was from Manila Resto.

She got me the Bicol Express and the Beef Kaldereta, two dishes I love. She even told me they went easy on the rice….it was still way to much for me.

Bicol Express combines wonderful savory (from the fermented shrimp paste- bagoong alamang), with spicy (from chili peppers). This one kind of weak.

This was really tough, lacked spice….I mean it was really whimpy, and though it was salty, it could have used more bagoong.

The Kaldereta was slightly better; though it was still on the bland side. I enjoy mine a bit tangy from the tomato with a beefy edge. The pieces of beef were huge and had to be cut into pieces before eating. It was also a bit too greasy for my taste.

You won't go hungry after this…..but it's obviously more about quantity than quality here.

Manila Resto
1420 E Plaza Blvd Suite D2
National City, CA 91950

Going Loco – A Revisit to L&L Hawaiian Barbecue – College Area a Decade Later

October 26, 2015 mmm-yoso Loco Mocos, Plate Lunch

**** This location of L&L has closed

When I started putting together The Big List, there were quite a few instances where I wondered what was going on with places that were still around all these years later. I first posted on L&L in the College area back in May of 2005 and a second with the "Are You Loco" comparison that September. So I thought, ten years is a good long time….and even though L&L is not my first choice for Plate Lunch (let's not go into that Hawaiian BBQ versus Plate Lunch stuff….plate lunch came first….Hawaiian Barbecue is a branding/marketing strategy), I thought it was about time. Also for this one, I broke out the "Rubio Scale", created by James Rubio of Big Island Grinds, who measures each item on the loco moco and assigns an aggregate based on this….so no, this won't be like one of those ramen things on that "Four lettered site" that says, "the noodles were fantastic, but the soup was just okay so I give it one star…." Which will always lead to the question; "does that mean if the broth was fantastic and the noodles fantastic, the best this place could do is two stars on a four star scale?"

So, it's been over a decade. Can you imagine how many starving students this location of L&L has served? On the downside; can you imagine how many folks think that this is the best that Hawaii has to offer on a plate?

If my recent visit is any indication, they'll be serving many more classes of SDSU students.

The tables are a bit more sticky than I recalled and as to be expected, the folks here….both in the front and the kitchen can't really pronounce the dishes correctly….stuff like musubi and katsu sounds kind of odd…and to be honest, a bit painful.

But lets get down to the Loco Moco – which is now $8.99, over 9 bucks with tax. Yikes, that's over 40% more than what it used to be. It has now reached the level of, "this better be good".

And let's get it on with the Rubio scale shall we?

#1 – Burger:

Good lord, preformed and cooked to death. Lacking in seasoning. Like eating gritty bits of shoe leather….still, it was barely edible. Thank god for the gravy…well, maybe not.

1.0

Not a good sign.

#2 Eggs:

This actually saved the loco as it was easy-over. I know, everyone is afraid of eating eggs out nowadays. But this one was right. There could have been crisp edges and some browning, but this was ok.

2.5

#3 Rice:

Seems like it was undercooked and sitting for a while. Average.

2.5

#4 Gravy:

Good lord, we sent Old Betsy to the glue factory. The texture was not to my liking…too gooey/gluey, no beefy flavor, glue like texture. It was nothing without Tabasco…..

1.0

#5 Stuffs:

Of course we have to attend to the Mac Salad. This one was put together fine….all the minimum requirements and it was nice and cold. Lack of salt was an issue, but it was ok.

3.0

So we have a 10 out of 25….perhaps this is the state of Hawaiian Barbecue loco mocos these days. After all, I think they "jumped the shark" years ago.

Still, it had been quite a few years and I had to find out for myself.

A small part of me wonders how the location in Puente Hills Mall fares. It was the first location on the mainland and was just a couple of miles from where we lived way back when. It was pretty good…they brought in a bunch of cooks from HNL to get them started and the folks there were really nice…….maybe it's better that I not know…..

L&L's Hawaiian BBQ
Campus Plaza 6083 El Cajon Boulevard, Suite 5B-1
San Diego, CA 92115

What My Craving? Minh Ky

October 25, 2015 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants

Love the cooler temps in the morning. It means I can grab a nice bowl of noodles for breakfast. I'd been wanting some Sate Beef Egg Noodle "Dry", so I headed over to Minh Ky. It has been a good 7-8 months since my last visit and it never fails to amaze me how this place can pack it in at 815 on a Sunday morning….for noodle soup.

The tables turn over quickly and there were twice as many take-out orders….

My usual here; the Beef sate Egg Noodle Soup "dry" – soup on the side. Still nicely priced at $6.45.

A nice portion size, the beef relatively tender. I always say the sate could use a bit more "oomph", but those places that are a bit more spicy tend to not have that nutty-pungent-onion-y flavor. The egg noodles were a bit past perfect this time around, but nice and hot. The soup on the side was slightly porky – I can say this since it was much less salty than usual. So was the sate as well.

For under seven bucks….I'll take it.

Minh Ky Restaurant

4644 El Cajon Boulevard

San Diego, CA 92115

Open at 8am

The Cheese Trail: Nicasio Valley Cheese Company, The Marin French Cheese Co, and Matos Cheese Factory

October 24, 2015 mmm-yoso Cheese, Marin, Napa, and Sonoma Counties, Travel

After Point Reyes Station we headed out on the next stop on the Sonoma – Marin Cheese Trail.We were running a bit early so we stopped at Nicasio Reservoir. Very calm and picturesque in the morning.

We arrived at the modest roadside factory/shop of Nicasio Valley Cheese a bit before they opened.

We were able to pass the fifteen minutes or so before the shop opened by wandering though the Pumpkin Patch……yes, it's that time of the year. Watching the kids take to the hay made us realize that this lifestyle is a million miles away from what we're used to.

When the shop opened we walked on over. The space is rather small, the staff enthusiastic, if not particularly well versed on the cheese. Nicasio makes cow milk cheeses. I had read that the style of cheese here is based on the traditional cheeses of the Lafranchi families Swiss heritage.

They so a nice job of lining the samples from the mildest to the semi-soft and flavored versions.

The Foggy Morning, was probably our favorite, very soft and mild, buttery, with a slight tang like a mellow sour cream. It also won first place in the Fromage Blanc, Fromage Frais, and Quark category in the American Cheese Society's Annual Competition. We could tell however, that this would not travel well.

Instead, we went with our second favorite. The wonderfully textured, mild salty-tangy flavored San Geronimo. The fragrance is rather strong, but the flavor is quite tame. A nice everyday cheese.

Folks are quite friendly, it's a nice little stop.

Nicasio Valley Cheese Company
5300 Nicasio Valley Rd
Nicasio, CA 94946

A short drive away is a place that's much more of a destination; the Marin French Cheese Company. It's also the oldest continuously operating creamery in the United States; established in 1865.

They don't mess around with samples here….you open the top and slice your own.

The Missus enjoyed the shop….there's a stand selling sandwiches and coffee; the cooler is stocked with beverages; wine, sparkling wine, etc….

The young lady manning the counter was quite knowledgeable. We enjoyed a few of the samples , but thought they'd never make it back home in good shape. She told us that all the bries and camemberts will easily last 24 hours without refrigeration.

We ended buying a little insulated bag for cheese and picked up the truffle brie, not a big fan of flavored cheeses, but the Missus loves Her truffle. Plus, we were putting together a collection for Missus' work….She was going to do a cheese tasting upon returning. We both really took to the "Petit Breakfast", a wonderfully mild, but particularly creamy cheese. It's currently labeled as the "1865" in commemoration of Marin Cheese's 150th anniversary.

If you're in the area; this might be a nice stop for a short break or lunch…..

The Marin French Cheese Company
7510 Pt Reyes Petaluma Rd
Petaluma, CA 94952

We, on the other hand, had to be off to our next stop, which was about 40 minutes away on the outskirts of Santa Rosa.

Down, off the beaten path outside Santa Rosa you'll find this sign alongside a single lane unpaved road. This is not one of those impulse stop kind of places you see while driving by. It was also our favorite stop on this day…….there's a real charm to this place which was founded by Joe and Mary Matos who relocated from the Azores in the 70's. Joe Matos is a fifth generation cheesemaker who brought his family's recipe with him.

At the end of the gravel road you basically come to a barn and what looks like the back of a house…..

As I parked in front of the "office" a young lady working in the barn area came over and opened the door to the office for us. Upon entering the wonderful fragrance of cheese met us.

Matos Cheese makes one cheese; a nice simple firm cheese called St George. It's much like everything you see around you; simple at first blush, but it rises above, a good, honest, everyday cheese, lighly milky, slightly acidic, not too sharp…that well; I'd eat everyday if I could.

The friendly young lady let me check out the drying room….I loved it! I asked about the cows we had passed…and yes, these were all of their cows. At peak they produce about 10-15 wheels in a day. The young lady said Joe Matos is happy with doing things this way. And really isn't interested in expanding or being famous.

And we got hang out with truly "happy cows"…..

I wonder how many wheels, this not-so-little lady will put out?

Matos Cheese Factory
3669 Llano Rd
Santa Rosa, CA 95407

I know I haven't mentioned this before….but the prices are quite inexpensive…like 40-60% less than what you'd pay for the same product here in San Diego.

So, we were in Santa Rosa and had two places on our list. Unfortunately, we went oh fer two. The first stop, a Chocolatier named Recherche Du Plaisir was closed for the day because they were at some fair. The second was the Russian River Brewing tasting room……but when we drove by, the line was all the way down the street….this was not going to do.

So we ended up going to the local Whole Foods, grabbing some salad, bread, and a beer and headed back to Petaluma. We ended up having a very nice lunch….that's the St George, which we almost polished off.

So if you're in the Marin – Sonoma area and want a break from your wine tasting….why not visit a couple of stops on the cheese trail. You can find up to date info here.

We had a blast.

It was now time for a nice afternoon nap…then off to dinner!

Della Frattoria (Petaluma), Point Reyes Farmer’s Market, and Tomales Bay Foods (Cowgirl Creamery)

October 23, 2015 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Cheese, Farmer's Markets/Night Market, Marin, Napa, and Sonoma Counties, Travel

Our one full day in Marin – Sonoma County was going to be a rather busy. Instead of doing what most folks here would do (wineries), we went after some cheese.

But first, breakfast. We headed to Old Town Petaluma, which looked quite sleepy…..

And headed to a place our good friend Candice recommended for breakfast named Della Frattoria. Part bakery, coffee shop, and brunch stop, we enjoyed the atmosphere, and the folks here are quite friendly.

The coffee was decent and the brunch menu was nice, lots of bread (duh) based items. While there were many tempting options, the Missus and I aren't keen on huge breakfasts. Especially if we have a busy day ahead of us. I did see something I thought we'd both enjoy, which I hadn't seen since we were on Malta, a sandwich made with an Italian style flatbread called a piadina. The sandwich seemed like more than enough for the two of us and we were willing to pay the split plate charge of three bucks, but the really nice young man said, "why don't you just order the sandwich and I'll bring you an extra plate….it's already cut in half. that way you won't have to waste three bucks." Nice folks, eh?

It was all the great breakfast suspects plus the addition of arugula which balanced things out. It's that bread that really made this sandwich…..closer to a "fry bread", than a piadina, it was really nice and crisp, and really good. Just enough for the both of us.

Della Fattoria
141 Petaluma Blvd N
Petaluma, CA 94952
Hours:
Open Daily 7am – 3pm

We then headed off to our first stop for the day, over to Point Reyes Station, parking our car on the street. The town is very quaint and seemed like a favorite stop of bicycle folks, who were taking a carb break along the street.

On Saturday mornings, Toby's Feed Barn turns into the Point Reyes Farmer's Market.

It's a cute little Farmer's Market, with a quaint small town feel. I love the vibe.

The main reason we drove here was because one of our favorite domestic cheesemakers; Cowgirl Creamery is located here. We started at the booth at the Farmer's Market…….where the woman working seemed quite uninterested in talking about the cheese and just really wanted to give out samples. Perhaps she hadn't gotten her morning coffee yet…..

We did enjoy Toby's Feed Barn though….which actually is a feed barn…..

But these days also a really cool store and art gallery……

Point Reyes Farmer’s Market at Toby’s Feed Barn
11250 Hwy 1
Point Reyes Station, CA 94956
Hours:
Saturday 9am – 1pm

Not having had great luck at the Farmer's Market, we headed down the street to Tomales Bay Food where Cowgirl Creamery's Shop is located.

Unfortunately, even though the sign said open (920 am Saturday morning)….no one wanted to acknowledge my existence……

Since I really didn't think I should have to hail the young lady standing behind the counter considering I was the only person in the place as well as standing in front of the cheese case a few feet from her….yes, I did have questions….and yes, I wanted to learn something about that Red Hawk we enjoy so much. But it was not to be.

Tomales Bay Foods
80 4th St
Point Reyes Station, CA 94956

Point Reyes Station is a cute little town and Cowgirl Creamery makes some of our favorite cheese…..however……well, I'll just leave that be. We were off to have more cheese.

Thanks for reading!

Osaka: Dotonburi and Mizuno

October 22, 2015 mmm-yoso Japan, Japanese Restaurants, Osaka, Travel

We were both excited about staying in Osaka. Even after stopping in Kobe for grade A5 beef for lunch. Wouldn't you get excited about visiting a place whose love for eating is expressed with the term "kuidaore", which means to eat oneself until bankrupt, to ruin one's self with food? In other words….eat until you drop. But first we had to find our apartment. Upon arriving in Osaka we got kind of turned around in Namba Station. Eventually, we just took an exit. We had been instructed to find a taxi at the taxi stand….which proved to be a bit problematic since we didn't know where the heck we were. Seeing a parking lot attendant I asked….in very, very poor Japanese something along the lines of "Takushii noriba wa doko desu ka". The gentleman smiled and made a motion for us to stay jogged away and came back with a cab! There were a couple of these little interactions which led us to believe that folks in Osaka were a more friendly, more outgoing, fun loving, and they all went to the right side of the escalator instead of the left! Go figure. It was a bit of an adventure finding the apartment we were staying at. But we got there, freshened up, checked our location with the map left for us by the apartment's owner….that's the view from the balcony above.

We then headed off……to try and ruin ourselves with food. In Osaka, that meant finding Dōtonbori.

I'm not quite sure how many eateries and bars are located on this street parallel to Dōtonbori and all the arteries and arcades emanating from it; but it must surely number in the hundreds. Along with all the amazing signs it's truly sensory overload.

It gets more boisterous as darkness arrives and the crowds of tourists start mixing in with the locals.

And then there's the sign that I'd seen a hundred times; the mechanical crab that is the sign for Kani Doraku Honten.

This was Osaka and I had a short list of places; none of which were particularly fancy or expensive. The one we both really wanted to try was Mizuno. So there we were, pocket wifi going strong, knowing we were close. In fact there was that dot on the screen….but it seemed we kept walking around that dot. What the heck. Finally, we saw "Mizuno" actually written on a small sign in front of a restaurant, with a pretty good sized line.

Things move pretty quick. Within minutes we were seated behind the customers, menu in hand and placed our order. When seats opened up, they'd have our order, and things would get started rather quickly.

We had ordered the "Popular Set", which included three mini (though not so small) okonomiyaki; a yamaimoyaki, "mizunoyaki", and a negi yaki.

It was a blast watching these guys work…..

The Missus favorite by far was the yamaimoyaki. She loved the lightness, creaminess, and of course, the scallops.

I enjoyed the mizunoyaki (6 ingredients)….well, there's noodles of course.

We noticed that these were much lighter than what I've had here in the states.

We had a blast.

It was delicious and we seriously contemplated returning the next night.

Unfortunately, I think things have changed since we visited. Two people whom I recommended this place to had terrible experiences with surly staff (?!?), undercooked okonomiyaki, and there's now a "no photos" rule in place. Sad if true…..because I would want everyone to have the same great meal we had here.

Mizuno
1-4-15 Dotombori, Chuo-ku
Osaka

After dinner we walked around the area……checking out the bright lights. Just walking up and down the streets is entertainment itself. As the sun set, we could see the Salarymen headed for drinks, dinner, and possibly a long evening. This was fun…..totally different from the just as bright, but quite orderly and quiet Tokyo. Folks were out having a good time laughing and carrying on.

Right across the bridge and over the canal is the major shopping area known as Shinsaibashi. As crazy as Dotonburi was, it was even more packed here.

And as boisterous as we might say folks from Kansai are….they got nothing on the packs of Chinese tourists, whom you could hear loud and clear, and see cutting in front of folks standing in line. Crazy….

There was one shop the Missus just had to check out…….

It was a multi-floor shop full of dog accessories. The Missus was smitten. I was truly afraid She was going to buy something sweaters for Sammy and Frankie. Sheesh……

Man, I was getting tired.

It was time to head back.

I was starting to feel like this little guy.

We walked the half mile or so back to the apartment. And while we could make out the bright lights of Dotonburi from the patio, it was quite and peaceful. A world away from the crowds of Dotonburi….

Thanks for reading!

Jinya Ramen Bar – Pacific Beach

October 20, 2015 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

**** This location of Jinya Ramen Bar has closed

About the same time Nishiki Ramen opened with a great deal of hype, the first location of Jinya Ramen Bar opened in PB, to what seemed to be a lot less fanfare. Maybe it's me, but I think many were paying attention to the upcoming Hillcrest location. Jinya has several locations in LA and one in Vegas. And while Jinya has Jonathan Gold's seal of approval, the locations in LA seem kind of interesting; Studio City, Santa Monica, and now here in Pacific Beach.

My memory might be foggy, but I think a couple of businesses ago this was the location of Ed from Yuma's favorite Thai Restaurants, Karinya.

Man, this was one nice restaurant….looking very modern gastro-pubbish…….

Nice bar area….and very friendly folks…even though one of them did call it "Tonkatsu style Ramen"….

This young lady eating at the bar was really funny. After trying with chopsticks for a few minutes, she waved the white flag and asked for a fork.

I thought the menu, besides the ramen quite interesting…there were the "classics", rice bowls, chicken karaage….and other items I would never have ever thought of seeing in a ramen joint. Quinoa Salad, anyone? Well, the Missus does like Her quinoa, which She really started enjoying in Peru back in 2007.

Of course I got some ramen. I decided on the Jinya Tonkotsu Black ($10.80).

The bowls were very nice; though I did notice that the actual portion size of the ramen might be a tad smaller than it actually looks. First off, the egg was nicely flavored, but over-cooked, the yolk dry. Speaking of over-cooked, the Hakata style noodles were also not to my liking, being too soft and mushy. The chashu was nice, but could have used more flavor. The broth wasn't hot enough, which led to this really rich pork tonkotsu developing a "skin" rather quickly and also attaining a greasy texture. Too much bitter garlic messed up the flavor as well…don't get me wrong, I love garlic, but this was a bit too much for me.

I could tell the ramen had potential and all the hiccups could be remedied. After all, they had just opened.

Seeing Pig Ear Chicharron ($8.50), I just had to order it.

I really enjoyed this dish. The pig ears were fried crisp and rather light. The harissa added a nice flavor and the fried, crisp kale was nice as well. The onsen tamago threw me at first as it was ice cold. But it was beautifully runny and added a nice creamy-richness to the whole mess…..it was a lovely mess.

I was pleased enough with what I had, that I was actually able to talk the Missus (who was quite dubious of going to PB for ramen) into having an early dinner here.

The main selling point being the Tempura Brussel Sprouts ($5.80). The Missus loves Her Brussel Sprouts. At one point last year, I was making bacon fat sautéed Brussel Sprouts in a balsamic reduction 3-4 times a week!

The Missus likes Her tempura either light and feathery, or full on thick and crunchy. This was the latter. The Missus also loves truffle oil…guess what was drizzled on these? This was quite good, though I couldn't help but think how good a tentsuyu (tempura dipping sauce) would go with these as well. No complaints from the Missus.

Her Pork Chashu Bowl ($8.00) was quite large.

That egg was quite good, cooked nicely. The sauce was also decent and the rice cooked well. The pork was on the dry side, but passable. I don't think we'll have this again though.

We won't be having the Caramelized Cauliflower ($5.80) either.

I think of cauliflower as being a wonderful palette for different flavors, but this seemed uninspired….not roasted nearly enough, with too much citrus that just overwhelmed the whole dish.

This time, I got the Tonkotsu Assari ($8.80). When I think of Assari Ramen I think of a light broth. This was still a bit thicker than what I expected, but I'm not complaining.

The broth was nice and porky while perhaps on the higher end of the sodium scale, but not terribly so. The broth coated my tongue nicely and I'd say it was better than what I've had recently at Yamadaya. The thicker (it's all relative) noodles were prepared well, nice and al dente, a touch of chew to them. You can tell that the egg this time around was better as well. The chashu was the same as before. Overall, this was a much better bowl of ramen……

Of course I got the Pig Ears, but the Missus, who loved the egg, kale, and harissa, didn't care for the pig ears, which weren't quite as good as on my previous visit.

Strange. What She really wants is something crisp on the exterior, but still having that crunchy-chewiness in the exterior. She believes that doing this to pig ears defeats the purpose of using it as an ingredient. Of course conversation went to the fantastic pig ears we had in Hiroshima, but that was a totally different prep. Oh well, I'll still be ordering this.

Strangely, Jinya wasn't very crowded on either visit, but it could because they've recently opened and we usually eat fairly early. As with my previous visit, people watching is half the fun. I'm wondering if they had some kind of doll making class nearby…otherwise this photo of the young lady having ramen while her doll "watches" seems kind of weird.

It seems like Jinya is trying to please a variety of different folks…quinoa salad, craft beer, and French fries on one hand….the classic trio of ramen, gyoza, and rice bowls on the other. Who knows, they might just pull this off. I know I'll have to return….especially since I totally forgot to try the karaage!

Jinya Ramen Bar
825 Garnet Ave
San Diego, CA 92109

What’s My Craving? Myung In Dumplings

October 19, 2015 mmm-yoso Korean Restaurants

**** Myung In Dumplings has closed

** Note: Myung In Dumplings has moved to the Zion Market Food Court

Well, maybe the Missus is right. Fall might be the best time of the year….at least it is when you get milder, non-triple digit temps in October. Now that things have cooled off a bit, I could start up on my soups and stuffs again. And I think a six month lag for a revisit is a good amount of time.

Strangely, my favorite dish over the course of my previous series of visits was the Mandu Guk; dumpling soup. It seemed like the wrappers of the dumplings really took to being in a liquid and the broth was just tasty enough.

I was wanting that soup for a while.

So it's what I had…….though it's now $12, which I think is kind of high for a clear soup, with some egg, naengmyun, and ten jiaozi dumplings. The panchan, like before is nothing special…just filler….

The broth was not quite as tasty as on my previous visit; though there's a bit of sneaky garlic in the broth; it is neither as rich or flavorful, though still barely passable.

The fillings of the dumplings were better than I recalled; decent pork flavor, reasonably seasoned. The wrappers though, were not; much more brittle, without the nice pull, perhaps the dough had been "worked" too hard.

The one woman who mostly works in the back is very nice; so too was the guy who asked me what nationality I was and when I told him Japanese, he started talking to me in Japanese! Apparently, he lived in Gardena and all his neighbors were Japanese so he learned some of the language. When I told him my wife is Chinese, he started speaking Mandarin….I am truly not worthy. I'm not sure if I enjoyed myself enough to return anytime soon. Good people though…….

Myung In Dumplings
4344 Convoy St,
San Diego, CA 92111

COMC: Aqui es Texcoco, Pho Lucky, and 777 Noodlehouse

October 18, 2015 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Mexican Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants

The recent shifting of the weather (a bit, it's still waaaay too hot for October) meant a shift in our eating as well. We've posted on these places many, many times, so I thought I'd C(lear) O(ut the) M(emory) C(ard).

Aqui es Texcoco:

A lovely Mixiote and a milky, salty(in a good way), Quesataco with huitlacoche, which added a nice earthy flavor to the crunchy, oozy-gooey, texture.

And of course I've noted how much the Missus loves the Plato Azteca. The Missus almost considers this combination; nopales with two choices which are always huitlacoche (of course) and flor de calabaza (squash blossom).

Aqui Es Texcoco
1043 Broadway
Chula Vista, CA 91911

Banh Mi Bo Kho from Pho Lucky:

Of course.

Full of tendon, tangy, savory, richer than usual……

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

777 Noodlehouse:

While I think Ly Heng now makes a better version of Phnom Penh Noodles, I still think this place is quite a bargain.

The Shrimp Fried Rice is very "old school".

And the simple Pig Intestine with Preserved Vegetable, which has become comfort food for me.

Sour from the preserved mustard greens, which along with the bean sprouts add a crunch. I love the earthy flavors from the intestine. Nothing fancy, not earth-shattering …….just good cheap eats.

Plus, I love the folks who work here…….

777 Noodle House
4686 University Avenue
San Diego, CA 92105

I hope you had a great weekend!