mmm-yoso – Page 219

Sunday Sandwiches: Elijah’s Restaurant & Delicatessen

September 27, 2015 mmm-yoso Diner, Sandwiches

A few months back, Elijah's opened up in the spot that used to house Players Sports Bar. If you think the name sounds familiar, you'd be right. This is the Elijah's that used to be located in La Jolla Village. I've been complaining about the lack of a decent diner/deli in the Kearny Mesa/Clairemont area.

The space really doesn't look like a deli…but what's a deli really supposed to look like? It is wide open and the tables are well spaced. There's a bar area as well.

The staff is here has been really friendly and efficient on our visits. Very likeable folks.

On my first visit I brought the Missus along….I don't think I mentioned it before, but the Missus loves Chopped Liver….perhaps why She loves me? So, I wanted Her to try the chopped liver.

She told me this was bit drier and much more "liver-y" than other versions….in other words, She loved it. On subsequent visits, I've bought a pound or so of the chopped liver when I visit.

I had the Beef Tongue Sandwich ($10.95).

Simply served on rye, this looked quite good. You'll notice what my friend, who worked in a couple of deli's on the East Coast calls the "deli stack"……the meats are piled high in the middle and when cut makes it look quite hefty. There is a decent amount of beefy, but not too salty, tongue. It had been heated on the flattop and was fairly tender. With some deli mustard it was a nice sandwich. I got fries with my sandwich; I believe an extra $2.25. It was a pretty large portion, salty, with a mild spice…very crisp thin cut.

It was a nice meal, nothing fancy, but we really enjoyed the folks working here. A few weeks later I dropped by for lunch……it's quite close to work and is a nice standby.

The time I got the Hot Pastrami ($9.95).

Nicely shaved pastrami….not great quality, a bit too fatty, greasy, and chewy, but griddled nicely so it seemed a bit bacon like. The rye bread was nice and of course the deli mustard helped to cut the grease. I think the portion size was a bit on the small side.

Not a big fan of the coleslaw which was bland.

Last week, I just needed to get out of the office between meetings and Elijah's was close by.

This time I had "Turkey off the Bird" ($10.25).

Yes, this was real deal turkey; but just breast, and was very dry and bland. The mayo provided on the side (I like this add what you want/need) provided some help as did the lettuce. But the tomatoes weren't ripe enough and lacked flavor.

Looking in total; perhaps Elijah's doesn't quite fulfill all of my desires when it comes to a deli/diner. Still, it's not bad and fills a niche for me. And the folks here have always been quite nice and friendly.

Elijah’s Restaurant & Delicatessen
7061 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

Nigiri Break at Sushi Yaro

September 26, 2015 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi

**** Sushi Yaro has closed

Man, it has been a tough week. I decided to give my self a break and headed over to Sushi Yaro. It had been a while. I arrived right at opening, so as not to tax Sam and the staff too much.

I simply told Sam, "can I just get 8 pieces of nigiri……you choose". This turned out to be quite a meal. It seems like Sam's recent trip to Japan has energized him a bit and he's trying a few new things.

Anyway, here are the photos…..

That Sunazuri Hamachi was really good.

At the end of the meal I saw Sam laughing to himself……he then passed this to me. Sheesh…what the heck… It was like a half piece of unagi. I put my chopsticks next to for scale.

Apparently one of Sam's sushi stops in Tokyo made something like this…….

Needless to say; this was a very nice meal and it really hit the spot. Sam needs to take trips more often I think!

Sushi Yaro
7905 Engineer Road
San Diego, CA 92111

Recently Consumed

September 24, 2015 mmm-yoso Cooking

I haven't done one of these in a while….so here goes. Stuff I've made recently.

I picked up some nice Bay Shrimp at Catalina Offshore as an impulse buy….without anything in mind. So I ended up making at smoked spicy mayo Louie salad with avocado….really nice with all the hot weather.

And paired it with a nice Edamame – Smoked Corn salad….

One of our favorite things lately is very simple…..a nice heirloom tomato and good quality mozzarella topped with 18 year old balsamic and Arbequina Olive Oil.

You really don't need anything else…..

Remember, the XO Sauce we got as a gift from the Missus's friend? Well, we recently got another batch….so I put the Big Kahuna to work and made some Shrimp Fried Rice….it was delici-yoso…..

Funny thing was….I forgot the bean sprouts. I didn't want to waste, so I made a stir fry dish using Serrano peppers from the yard, black vinegar, and Finadene (I'll get to that post soon).

For some reason, this really hit home with the Missus and was fairly close to comfort food to Her……so I've made this about 5-6 times since! Bean sprouts….sheesh….

Of course there are the old standby items…..

So Faye, this is what the stovetop smoked salmon is really supposed to look like.

Tommy told me he got really busy and kind of forgot about the salmon he was making……

And finally, some breakfast dish I don't even remember making….it must be recently since the picture is dated less than two weeks ago….must've have been tired and on auto-pilot.

So there you go….

What have you been eating recently?

¡Salud!

September 23, 2015 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops

**** Salud has closed.

I believe I first read about Salud on Mary's Food Blog, then some friends told me they really like the place. They described it as sort of hipster tacos put together by the San Diego Taco Company. I had wanted to check out Border X Brewing Company, so decided to make it a two-fer. Unnfortunately, Border X was closed…but at least Salud was open. Man, I hadn't been in this part of Barrio Logan since this location was Porkyland over 9 years ago!

The interior is nice and bright with high ceilings making the dining area seem wide open and airy. The folks here are very friendly. You order at the counter then have a seat with a number….

The menu is simple, with tacos, bowls, quesadillas, and such.

Loved this mural…..

Also enjoyed the salsa bar….nice variety, well made salsas, though in the end I choose the traditional Chile de Arbol Salsa.

I order three tacos, $2.50 each….so $7.50 for three tacos. I gotta say, they were pretty sloppy.

The fried tortilla for the birria (this version is pork) was superb, light, crusty, really nice. This was basically a mes. The birria was pretty bland, really lacking any chile flavor, richness, or anything else notable. It's not even close to say; what Fernandez and even milder than Tacos Revolucion's version. Too bad, that tortilla was excellent.

The obviously hand made tortilla used for the Taco de Al Pastor was also excellent.

The al pastor was nice and crisp, but the flavor was really lacking……there was also a slight bitterness to the meat as well. Not my favorite thing.

I really enjoyed the Taco de Barrio, which didn't look like much, but was quite good.

Loved the combinations of textures, the creamy, almost too salty, but delicious frijoles, the tender stewed beef, the pieces of nopales, the nice smooth crema, and a really good hand made flour tortilla. Very nice topped off with that salsa that added the heat and the acid to harmonize all the flavors. Very nice!

The next weekend, I had to head down to National City for something, so decided to drop by Salud again to try some other tacos. I again got three.

A much nicer presentation this time. As with the previous visit, the tortillas were all excellent.

The carnitas was also pretty mild in flavor, though the texture was good, I'd want something a bit more "pork forward". The avocado crema was quite nice.

I enjoyed everything but the flavor of the fish; which was on the muddy side on the fish taco.

The nice crunchy batter, the cabbage and pico de gallo, and of course the tortilla worked well together, though it won't make me forget about my favorite versions of fish tacos in San Diego.

And of course, another Taco de Barrio, which was just as satisfying as my previous one. Really satisfying, if a tad on the salty side.

To me, not a place to go out of the way for. Though I'd gladly drop in if/when I ever make it to Border X Brewing or if for some reason I'm back in the neighborhood.

¡Salud!
2196 Logan Ave
San Diego, CA 92113

Sunday Stuffs: AppeThai replacing Yes! Pingo, Mama Testa Looks Ready to Go, and Saying Goodbye to a Fellow Food Blogger

September 20, 2015 mmm-yoso Blog

A few things for a super hot Sunday…..

AppeThai replacing Yes! Pingo:

Yes! Pingo went quietly into the night about the same time Yu's Garden did. I saw this sign when driving past the other day. Seems like a Thai restaurant is going to be here.

As the Convoy Street shuffles keep on coming……

4813 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Mama Testa Looks ready to go:

Drove up to Mira Mesa for a haircut yesterday and decided to see what, if any progress was happening with regards to Mama Testa, which closed and announced it was moving nearly a year ago.

To my surprise, it looks like they are ready to open any day now.

In it's day, MT was sort of a pioneer (like Chilango's before it) with regards to the Mexican cuisine scene. And while I'd tried the place a couple of times and never took to it, it's good to see they are back. I'm excited to check them out. In the same mall as Cali Express and QT Pot.

9225 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126

Saying Goodbye to a Fellow Food Blogger:

My friend and fellow food blogger Kat sent me an email a little over a week ago informing me that fellow long time food blogger (since 2004) Santos, whom you might know from her blog the scent of green bananas had passed away. The last time I heard from Santos was last summer. In emails over the last couple of years, I knew she was not in good health.

Santos was in San Diego in the summer of 2013 and I offered to meet for a meal, but she wasn't feeling too well and asked for a couple of recommendations. Santos was eating quite healthy at the time, vegan and all that…so of course I included Slater's 50/50 as a recommendation

Her response?

"hey kirk! i just started laughing the second i saw the slater's menu…and yes! my first reaction was to look for vegan restaurant alternative. ha! thanks for making my day (although the more i think of the 50/50 burger, the less appealing it becomes)"

We'll miss you Santos. Rest in Peace.

From the Pacific Daily News.

Bruges: The Wednesday Market, De Halve Maan Brewery, Dumon Chocolatier, and the Memling Museum

September 19, 2015 mmm-yoso Beer, Belgian Cuisine and Restaurants, Belgium, Cheese, Chocolate, Markets & Grocers, Travel

It was on our only full day in Bruges where we really got to enjoy the city a bit. Earlier in the morning, on a weekday, we took a walk around Market Square. Even in the drizzly mist we were able to appreciate the Belfort (Bell Tower) which has risen over the square and Bruges since the 14th Century. We wandered around the courtyard and down some side alleyways.

The buildings lining the square, housing various restaurants and tourist focused businesses are built in Neo-Gothic style. This square is considered the heart of Bruges and was once the economical center as there was a canal that came right up to the square.

It was Wednesday…usually market day, but there were bleachers set-up so we saw no market stalls. We did hear a bit of noise from the nearby Burg Square.

I guess the market had been moved here on this day to accommodate whatever event was happening in the Market Square.

It was still early; before 8 and the market didn't get going until 10am, so we just walked along the booths….

And vehicles…..we called this one the Cheese-mobile…..

I love the way this pooch manages to keep dry….under the table and in a box….

While checking out some of the cheese and charcuterie we had an idea…..

We'd ask the wonderful Caroline, who ran our little two room B&B if we could use the dining area and self cater lunch!

As we crossed over one of the canals, I saw a statue that looked familiar. It was Saint John of Nepomok! Remember him from my posts on Prague?

They call Bruges the "Venice of the North", so of course I had to include a couple of canal shots.

We headed back to the B&B and breakfast was served downstairs. It was quite a nice spread.

I'm not quite sure what it was…perhaps the sickly sweet smells that all the shops had; but I'd been avoiding waffles. I know heresy….you're in Belgium and no waffles? Until this morning. Caroline made us fresh waffles, her own secret family recipe and they were delicious.

Light, crisp and creamy, not too sweet…..just perfect. I loved them…and she made me another!

We had discussed having our own self catered lunch in the dining area with Caroline and got the green light. So we headed back out. On the way out, we passed this doorway. I stopped….this was the back entrance to the Old St John's Hospital. Which is now the Memling Museum. We hadn't visited any museums in Belgium and this one had artifacts and displays of medieval medicine as well as art. This is our kind of stuff. And we really enjoyed the Memling.

Our favorites? Well here goes….

Jan Beerblock's painting, The Wards at Saint John's Hospital.

The painting is full of different vignettes of what patient care at St John's Hospital was like, from the Nuns that served as Nurses, to the fact that dogs were welcomed in the wards.

The ambulance? Well, it was a man powered sedan chair…..

Which I believe was this sedan chair…..

While checking out some of the displays, I heard the Missus go, "oh my….check this out. Those are some awesome stones" (it's not what you might think by what she said). Holy smokes! Check out those stones….kidney stones. My goodness, can you imagine the pain?

I'll not go into any great detail of how the stones were removed, but in case you're morbidly interested, here's an interesting link.

The main attraction of the museum is probably Hans Memling's St John Altarpiece. Dedicated to the Patron Saints of the hospital, this work was displayed on an altar situated at a height and distance so all beds in the ward could view this painting.

We then quickly returned to the market which was just starting to get into full swing.

We made our purchases, returned to the B&B, placed them in the fridge and headed off. It was still a bit too early for lunch, so we decided to grab….well…should I call it a "brunch beer"? At De Halve Maan Brewery.

You might recognize the names of the beer brewed by Huisbrouwerij De Halve Maan….Staffe Hendrick and Zot. I went with the Staffe Hendrick Quad, the Missus a Brugse Zot.

I found the quad to have kind of a burnt sugar fragrance, though slightly boozy and mildly sweet. The 11% ABV sneaks up on you. Strangely, I recently had a SH Quad at Iron Pig and unlike my experiences with other Belgians it held up pretty good and tasted quite similar to what I had here.

They also have tours at this brewery but we decided not to take it.

De Halve Maan Brewery
Walplein 26
Bruges, Belgium

After our liquid refreshment, we headed to a quite busy shop on the same street.

Dumon Chocolatier is quite popular.

So we decided to add to the collection of chocolates for my MIL.

Dumon Chocolatier
Walstraat 6
Bruges, Belgium

We meandered a bit, then headed back to the B&B. Caroline had kindly set aside some plates and silverware for us and we had a nice light lunch.

After cleaning up, we headed upstairs for a nice afternoon nap…..

Thanks for reading!

Portland: Ataula

September 18, 2015 mmm-yoso Portland, Oregon, Spanish Restaurants and Cuisine, Travel

*** Ataula has closed

After a badly needed, though seemingly all too short nap and shower(s) we headed off to dinner. And yes, we were walking there.

Past the First Presbyterian Church, headed into a part of Portland called the Alphabet District in Northwest Portland. Up funky and eclectic 23rd (often called "trendy-third") Avenue. Trendy eateries and boutiques, next to dive bars, next to New Age Bookstores, this tree lined street sure has character. The Missus told me; "this is what Adams Avenue wished it looked like…."

Taking a left on Thurman onto quiet NW 23rd Place is a rather new; and much heralded restaurant named Ataula. The Chef, Jose Chesa is from Barcelona and I noticed quite a few familiar names when looking over the menu online; "Montadito", Pa amb Tomaquet, Berenjena….." spilled off the menu. We were just a few months removed from our trip to Barcelona and Spain. Any meal that would vicariously take us back was something to be treasured. I also noticed that Ataula had won many accolades in the rather short time it had been open. So it was really a no brainer…..

What was also a no-brainer was getting there early as Ataula does not take reservations for parties of less than 6. Good thing is; they open at 430pm….and we managed to get there via footmobile at just past that time.

The dining area is pretty simple, with high ceilings, though the hard surfaces really reflect the sound and it was pretty hot in the place on this day.

The best way to describe the nice folks here is….well….enthusiastic with a nice dose of Portland friendliness.

We started with the Pa amb Tomaquet, the classic Catalan bread rubbed with tomato and drizzles of Olive Oil.

The olive oil really lacked the nice, strong grassy flavors that we enjoy and the tomatoes, while sweet, lacked a good acid bite. The kitchen was a bit over zealous in the use of salt in this as well. It wasn't bad, but it won't make us forget the Pan con Tomate we had at Bar del Pla. Sometimes it's the simplest dishes that are the hardest.

The Empanadilla; this one filled with oxtails and Jamon Bellota, no cutting corners here; real Jamon de Bellota, acorn fed Jamon is used here.

Man, these were so crisp, the filling so rich and beefy, without being salty; hints of an almost red bell pepper flavor with a touch of heat. This would have been perfect with some kind of sauce, alioli, or like Galician Empanadillas, where a Sofrito (Spanish style – tomato based) is used in the filling to add that touch of acid.

Still these were delicious.

You might recall in my Le Pigeon post, I mentioned that while the Grilled Short Rib dish was our overall favorite entrée; it was not my favorite single "bite" of the trip. Meet my favorite bite:

This is Ataula's take on the classic tapa, the Cojonudo. It is pretty much a Cojonudo, but the presentation is plain beautiful; the quail egg perfect; the yolk soft and runny, the edges crisp. The chorizo had a mild spice, but lots of smokey paprika flavor; that slice of piquillo pepper just balanced everything out. The crisp crostini added a wonderful crisp component…..the perfect bite.

The theme of taking classic Spanish tapas and adding a spin to make the dish both fun and familiar was on fine display when the Berenjena arrived.

If you've read any of our posts on Spain you'd sort of recognize this dish. In places like, say Los Huevos de Lucio in Madrid, sliced, fried eggplant, would be served with a thick Salmorejo sauce, much like what I make in my recipe. Here, the eggplant is fried with a crisp exterior and creamy interior and shaped like fries. Instead of the salmorejo, a garlic forward romesco sauce is used. The seasoning danced on the edge of being too salty, but the other spices, hints of cumin and coriander, helped balance that out. A really good dish.

The Costilla was interesting.

The confit boned pork rib was wonderfully moist and tender, but I'd have enjoyed a bit of textural contrast. The sauce; which was claimed to be "salmorejo" really cancelled out the flavor of the pork. It was too strong and on the salty side.

I really wanted to try the "Pulpo" and I'm glad we did.

The thinly sliced octopus was super tender and full of flavor….the pulpo flavor hadn't been masked. I loved the simply dressed greens; each type, from the arugula to the various lettuces had their own taste sensation; bitter, aldehyde flavors, and so forth. The pine nuts went so well with the vinaigrette that you could probably just eat pine nuts and dressing. If anything, I thought the shaving of the parmesano reggiano was too thick and large…it was too much for a bite in terms of milky-saltiness. That's splitting hairs though, as this was a fantastic dish.

And the really amazing thing? Along with two "Spiced Sangria", the bill came out to less than $60! Just think what something like this would cost in San Diego? Plus, no tax!

What a wonderful meal….we'll be back…..

Ataula
1818 NW 23rd Pl
Portland, OR 97210

After dinner we headed across the street to the Organic Market where the Missus picked up several different apples…Her dessert.

We then headed down 23rd…….but in a moment of mercy (I think She was feeling the mileage too), I saw that my (now) favorite bus line, the #15 headed back into downtown.

Of course after getting back to the hotel and taking (yet another) shower, the Missus decided that we should….take a walk of course!

You gotta love some of the window displays…..

And then there were the "window displays" that were actually real! This rather scary looking dog with the evil eyes….was an actual poodle. It was standing totally still……

When the dog moved it made us both jump!

As we headed back to the hotel I saw the Missus looking at Her iPhone. She told me, "let's go around the block this way…." When I asked Her why, She said "my app is saying that we've walked 12.65 miles today….I want to make it an even 12.75." Say what? But of course I went along….and according to Her handy-dandy app we walked 12.75 miles and the next morning my body felt every step! But we were on vacation so I'm supposed to feel that way…right?

Portland: Case Study Coffee, Tasty n Sons, and the Cheese Bar

September 17, 2015 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Caffeine Fix, Cheese, Portland, Oregon, Travel

*** Tasty n Sons and Cheese Bar have closed

I'd planned on having one "walking" (aka death march) day in Portland and this Thursday was to be it. Little did I know just how much walking we'd do…..on this day and the next because of some unplanned detours.

Things started as planned. Just a block or so away from the hotel is Case Study Coffee Roasters. Very chill and mellow.

The Missus got a pour-over, which was nice, and She decided that I should get the Lavender Infused Cold Brew…which seemed kind of, well, feminine…..but was nice with a refreshing clean finish.

Case Study Coffee
802 SW 10th Ave
Portland, OR 97205

The plan was as follows…the Missus wanted to walk, so I'd decided to head to Mount Tabor, via the Hawthorne Bridge and Hawthorne Boulevard. A decent 4 – 4 1/2 mile walk. We'd take our time and have lunch at Cheese Bar on SE Belmont Street, then catch the #15 Bus back to the hotel for a nice afternoon nap before walking another couple of miles to dinner. As we left case study, the Missus decided that we needed to try Tasty n Sons. We'd gone to Tasty n Alder twice during our last visit to Portland and She wanted to see how TnS lined up…. So let's just add another 4 miles total to things shall we? One does not argue with the Missus when She gets into "mission mode"…..

So off we went. The Broadway Bridge was undergoing some work as we crossed so the bike lane and pedestrian walk area was a single thin path. Folks were biking to work so we'd stop and move under the scaffolding to let them pass. I'd forgotten how friendly and nice folks in PDX were. Every bike rider who passed us and there were many smiled and said "thank you"……

We crossed over the I-5 over to N Vancouver, then to N Williams Avenue. Man that part of North Williams near the Emanuel Medical Center is kind of depressing….but you soon get close to NE Fremont Street with the ton of bikes (3,000 bike commuters on this street daily is what I read), businesses, and gentrification. We'd arrived…..

The building Tasty n Sons is located in is quite interesting, it's named the Hub and contains almost every single type of new-agey business you can imagine, even a Naturopathic Vet!

Anyway, we were seated quickly upon entering the restaurant….we found the service here to not be quite as friendly or efficient as Tasty n Alder or even Toro Bravo (an upcoming post). Still, we sat at the counter facing the street and had a nice meal.

Seeing Shakshuka on the menu, we couldn't resist…and of course, there's the Missus's love of runny eggs…and my love of grilled bread.

The eggs were wonderfully runny, the bread nicely charred and smokey. The shakshuka could have had a bit more zip; both in terms of heat, sweet red pepper, and tangy tomato flavors. Of course, since we make our own at home quite often, we have a certain expectation in terms of flavor and prep. Still, this was good.

The real winner was the Moroccan Chicken Hash and of course, yet another egg for the Missus.

The spice-salt-earthy flavors was just what we were craving. The chicken was nicely seasoned and the creamy sauce brought everything together.

During the recent hot weather, I've been making a nice chilled heirloom tomato and mozzarella salad with aged balsamic and Arbequina Olive Oil, which is so delicious. So we were excited to try the Heirloom Tomatoes. Well, you can't claim false advertising as it is heirloom tomato slices.

To our tastes it was a little low on both the acid and sweetness scale and the kitchen had been a bit too liberal in the application of salt.

Overall a nice, hearty, but not too heavy breakfast. I had encouraged the Missus to order the Radicchio Salad here, but for some reason She decided not to. Something She'd regret later.

Tasty n Sons
3808 N Williams Ave
Portland, OR 97212

And so with some cajoling I got my butt in gear and we headed east on NE Fremont, then down MLK Boulevard. On this day, the temps were supposed to hit the high 80's (the next day would go into the 90's) and it was getting pretty warm by the time we got NE Belmont. The walk was slightly uphill, but not too steep.

There are quite a few interesting places along the way…..

Over 5 miles later, we got to the place I'd originally planned as our lunch stop; Cheese Bar.

We've really been enjoying cheese over the last couple of years. Cheese Bar along with the new "Chizu" in downtown are retail/cheese-wine bars owned by Steve Jones former winner of the National Cheese Monger Invitational Contest.

I was pooped, hot, and rather sweaty. Strangely, I was also a bit hungryl. Cheese Bar serves up cheese boards, charcuterie boards featuring Olympia Provisions products, sandwiches, beer, wine, and salads. We just ordered two cheese boards and had some highly restorative mineral water.

The House Cheese Board featured three Spanish Cheeses, chutney, and crostini ($11).

Really nice aged Sheep's milk cheeses. From right to left, a Mahón Reserva, a Buenalba, and a very nutty Zamorano. The Mahón seemed a bit behind the other two in terms of assertive flavors. But after letting the flavors open up as it reached room temperature the sweetness of the cheese became apparent.

We also got the "Stinky" Board with Crostini ($8).

The Grayson (on the left) is slightly ripe, though quite mild in flavor. The Vulto Creamery Ouleout has a wonderful texture, a slightly ripe smell but was also a bit mild for our taste. I guess we've gotten used to Harbison.

This was a nice stop for a light lunch. If we'd been doing some self-catering, we'd surely have gotten a couple of cheeses and a baguette.

Cheese Bar
6031 SE Belmont
Portland, OR 97215

I really looked like "Ji-chan" as I stood up….geez, I'm surely not getting any younger…..especially after taking a "nice" over 9 mile morning walk! The Missus was nice enough to allow us to return to downtown on the #15 bus. I crawled back to our hotel room, showered….and then it was time for a short nap. Which I hoped would be restorative since we'd be walking to dinner!

Thanks for reading!

Clearing Out the Memory Card – Yakitori Taisho

September 16, 2015 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants

I guess we've finally settled back into a regular routine.

Toronado and Tiger Tiger on Fridays or Saturdays and Yakitori Taisho.

I've done more than enough posts on the place, so you can refer back to those for details.

A couple of updated details, then it's basically just C(learing) O(ut) the M(emory) C(ard).

It's kind of a bummer since we like to eat early, but from Tuesdays thru Saturdays they now open at 6pm. Sundays at 5pm.

Also, Taka now has Thursdays off….I've been there when his back-up is working at it's just not the same. There's something about the almost anal attention Taka pays to what he's grilling…..and you can tell the difference.

Anyway….more photos.

Yakitori Taisho
5185 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92117
Hours:
Tues – Sat 6pm – 1130pm
Sunday 6pm – 10pm

Portland: Le Pigeon

September 15, 2015 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Fine Dining, French Restaurants, Portland, Oregon, Travel

Call it unfinished business. You know how that goes….we really need to close that circle; like returning to Istanbul twice to get things right. After our meal at Little Bird Bistro, the Missus really wanted to return to Portland. Which is how we ended up on the Red Line to Downtown PDX watching this couple and their ferret. He, smelling like he'd been knocking back a few….as if to confirm this, taking a "48" out of his bag and having a couple of swigs. She meanwhile, was going goo-goo and gaa-gaa over the little guy. As soon as they told the person sitting across the way from them how sweet the little fellow was, he dropped a huge load on her bag. Life is funny that way.

Anyway, we had caught the late afternoon flight to Portland, took the Red Line…a bargain at $2.50 a person downtown and to our hotel; the Paramount. I'd made late reservations at Le Pigeon….late enough that the Missus decided that we should walk the mile and a half or so to the restaurant.

Which was actually a pretty nice walk, in spite of having to pass all the street folks along the way. It was also quite warm…..and it would get much hotter, though not quite as bad as it was in San Diego at the time.

Since it was late in the evening, Le Pigeon wasn't too crowded and we got in a bit early.

The staff were very professional though I'm not a big fan of the communal seating. Call me anti-social, but we can really do without the fake cheer and really don't want to know your business, whether it's your prostate problem, or how you're getting sued by your patients and can't find a job on the West Coast anymore….and even more so all of your food allergies. The long suffering young lady put on a cheerful front when the guy sitting next to us insisted upon getting the tasting menu…then went down the list of all his allergies…tomatoes, avocados, carrots, garlic, this type of milk product, that type of milk product, gluten, blah, blah, blah…..I really, really don't want to know that the only thing in the world you can consume is breast milk. Why in the world are you getting the tasting menu when you can't eat anything except cardboard?

Meanwhile, our meal was excellent.

From the Foie Gras "Hot Brown" ($25), a wonderful piece of nicely seared foie gras that just melted in your mouth. The turkey, which tasted smoked was full of flavor as was the bacon…..

The egg was a wonderful runny joy, we loved the acid from the tomatoes, and the toast was light and quite crisp. Tell you what….I'll take a slice of foie gras over Mornay sauce on my Hot Brown any day of the week.

And while the Ricotta Gnocchi ($16) was a bit too "squeaky" for our tastes, the cheese and the sauce were wonderful.

Perfect garlic, salt, milky flavors in harmony….the wonderfully beefy beef tongue in the dish just topped things off.

The best overall dish of our trip (not necessarily the best bite…more on that later) in my opinion was the Grilled Short Rib ($29).

The short rib was amazing. Ever had medium rare, thick cut short rib that wasn't on the tough side? This was just toothful enough, nicely seared, beefy, and yes, medium rare. I'm thinking sous vide? And yet, my favorite component was the wonderful mashed potatoes….it had a mild sweetness and I swear, there was a familiar umami flavor to it. We were told that sweet corn and miso was pureed with the potatoes. The smoked corn and tomato salad with soy braised oxtail was excellent. I'd go back to Le Pigeon just for those potatoes.

Our least favorite dish of the night was the Beef Cheek Bourguinon ($28).

While the texture of the braised beef cheek was just perfect; fork tender without being mushy. The sauce was just plain overkill; much too sour and bitter for our taste. The risotto, made with that wonderful, ripe, epoisses cheese, would seem to be just up our alley, but the rice was on the tough side with a hard core and that sauce just killed any other flavors.

While I considered ordering the signature foie gras profiteroles, there was just no way I could put away anything more after all this rich food. We went with the Cucumber-Watermelon sorbet ($6) instead, which was still way too much for us to finish.

The service was friendly, professional, and the timing excellent.

I'm thinking Le Pigeon will be a regular stop on future visits to Portland.

Le Pigeon
738 E Burnside St
Portland, OR 97214

We enjoyed a nice walk back to the hotel after dinner down "colorful" Burnside. It was a warm evening. We'd had a wonderful dinner and this was just our first evening in Portland!