mmm-yoso – Page 237

Prague: Our last evening, dinner at U Tri Ruzi

January 3, 2015 mmm-yoso Beer, Czech Food and Restaurants, Czech Republic, Gastropub, Prague, Pubs and Pub Grub, Travel

We had really enjoyed our time in Prague. While a bit more edgy than other places in Europe, there's an interesting sense of humor, the sights are quite stunning, as is the architecture. The lively city isn't full of itself, folks don't appear quite as jaded by the mass of tourists as other places, and the food is hearty. We had gotten to enjoy our large and spacious apartment, especially the fact that it wasn't located in tourist central….yes, there were the loud drunks pouring out of the bar in the basement at closing time and the place had so much security, locks, and gates, that you sometimes felt like you were settling into a fortress at night. Still, I think we got a lot out of staying just close enough to the sights, but far enough to interact with locals. The Missus has already put Prague on the "must return" list.

For our last meal, the Missus selected U Tri Ruzi. She had really enjoyed the beer, food, and ambiance of the brew pub the night before. And She really wanted the duck rillette again. So U Tri Ruzi it was.

I mentioned previously how much we loved the wall paintings, many of which involve the Czech history and love for beer.

And that Vienna Red went down as smoothly as on our previous visit.

We ordered the duck rillette, but were given the duck pate. We notified the folks of the mistake and they were going to swap it out, but we decided to just go ahead and have the pate….which was nice and creamy.

The Missus ordered the duck confit and asked if She could replace the potato dumplings with cabbage. They were nice enough to comply and so the Missus was in braised cabbage heaven with both red cabbage and braised sauerkraut.

The duck decently done, fairly moist with a simple, but good duck flavor. They braised the sauerkraut with bacon, so it was double delish for the Missus.

I saw the roasted pork knuckle on the menu, the price, something like 260 CZK, about eleven bucks sounded right. I was amazed at what arrived at the table…..holy smokes.

For some reason, I really didn't think they'd serve me an entire pork knuckle…..sheesh. The skin was adequately crisp, it could have been better, but the meat was very moist and tender, slipping right off the bone without being mushy, the seasoning simple and balanced. Unlike many cases of "the other white meat" here at home, this was nice and porky.

Our Server told us that people do actually finish all of it! He also said that they will be indicating that the portion will be enough for two on future menus.

We saved the leftovers and had it the next morning with all our other leftovers for breakfast before leaving for our flight.

U Tri Ruzi
Husova 10
Prague, Czech Republic

The Old Town Square is just a block away from U Tri Ruzi. Being one of the Missus's favorite places we took a walk over one last time.

Tourists we strolling up and down the square as the shadows grew longer marking the coming of dusk.

Not bothered by the crowd and noise, a solitary dog bathed in the early evening sun.

We spent a few minutes soaking it all in, then headed back to drop off our leftovers.

Taking a few moments to reresh ourselves, we took our last walk in Prague. We decided on a walk down the Vltava River, just strolling, taking everything in.

Near the Most Legii (The Legion) Bridge we saw something that made us smile…….

Do you see it? Here's a closer look:

Two women, faithful canine in tow, heading off into the sunset in their paddle boat. This just seemed the perfect time to call it a day……time for us to head off and think about the next stop on our trip.

Thanks for reading!

And if you want a bit more about our time in the Czech Republic:

Prague: Hospoda u Novaka and getting oriented

Prague: A little self catering and Wenceslas Square

Prague: The Charles Bridge, the Little Quarter, the Lennon (not Lenin) Wall, the Jewish Quarter, and lunch at Kolkovna

Prague: Havelske Market, a walk along the Vltava River, and the Dancing House (Tančící dům)

Olomouc: The Plague Tower and Drapal

Olomouc: The Astronomical Clock, Turtle Fountain, St Wenceslas Cathedral, Svatováclavský Pivovar (St Wenceslas Brewery), and Museum Night

Olomouc: Side trip to Kromeriz and lunch at Minipivovar Moritz

Brno: Lunch at Spalicek and a walk around Brno

Brno: The "Indecent Little Man" of St James Church, a Mediterranean Festival, and a little self catering

Brno: The Cabbage Market, Spilberk Castle, and Sklizeno Foodie Market

Brno: The Dragon of Brno, Jiří Birk's Wheel, and other secrets of the town hall. Dinner at Stopkova Plzeňská Pivnice

Returning to Prague: Lunch at U Tri Ruzi and all those familiar places

Prague: A walk to the Castle Quarter and Lokal

January 2, 2015 mmm-yoso Beer, Czech Food and Restaurants, Czech Republic, Prague, Pubs and Pub Grub, Travel

The day after returning to Prague, we started things early. We'd been to areas like Wenceslas Square, the Charles Bridge, and Old Town Square countless times. But after all of this itme, we hadn't visited one area, Hradčany – the Castle Quarter. Located up the hill from the Little Quarter, it seems that the Missus was "saving" this place for our last day in Prague.

Of course, the Missus couldn't just head on out to the Castle Quarter….ooooh no. Just like the day before, we started out at the Powder Tower and the Municipal House. I gotta say, it looked much prettier sans the crowds, cars, buses, and tour groups.

The sun was shining brightly, even this early in the morning.

Though it was kind of weird seeing the Old Town Square so empty. Kind of eerie in the bright sunshine.

We had gotten used to the crowds, which made us fell like we were almost on a movie set. Strange, we usually enjoy having a place all to ourselves, but it just didn't feel right. Though it was great for taking photos.

Not dodging folks ocming right at and past you, we had a chance to notice other things….like this sign I love; "Techo! House! Jungle Rap ! disco duck?" You gotta love it.

The Charles Bridge was sedate, peaceful, sprakling in the morning sunshine as we looked up at the Castle Quarter.

The Missus decided we'd walk up the hill to the Castle Quarter (of course). Walking up steep Nerudova Street, you can't help but notice the charming buildings that line the street, various restaurants, embassies, hotels, most of which sport very distinctive signs above doorways.

These signs used to indentify the location/residences. Thing of them as addresses of a sort…..

Soon enough, we'd made it to Castle Square…..

Th courtyard area is quite impressive, though nothing tops St. Vitus Cathedral whose spires rise high above Prague and can be seen from quite a distance.

We had arrived pretty early and the ticket offices weren't open yet.

We wandered around just taking in the area, relaxing, grabbing a cup of coffee.

And then, one of those "only in the Czech Republic" moments happened. Every hour, there's a changing of the guard. Nothing odd about that. The band was playing, the sun was shining….then the music stopped and a motorcade appeared, though the car only had a driver. A demonstration of precision driving I assume?

They drove around the courtyard doing figure eights, loop-de-loops, and other patterns from the precision driver's handbook……

Then the motorcade drove away into the distance and the Castle Guards appeared, looking quite dapper and cool behind those shades. They went through a drill routine and marched to music from the band. I stopped when I recognized the music….I swear, it was the theme to "Mission Impossible"! Da-da-da-duh, da-da-da-dah…. Yikes! I actually filmed part of it on my iPhone but it never came out. Bummer……

A few minutes later, we had gotten our tickets and headed off…with the theme from Mission Impossible still playing in my head. Quick, try not to think of that catchy tune right now. Couldn't, could you?

The very Gothic looking Cathedral has quite an history. It was started in 1344, but plagues, wars, deaths of the various Master Builders, and lack of funds delayed the completion of the Cathedral until 1929, almost 600 years!

There's quite a bit to see here; the Royal Mausoleum, amazing stained glass work, The Czech Crown Jewles reside here, displayed once every 8 years. I was especially taken by the wood carving of Prague, which was done in 1630. You can still see familiar landmarks.

As we left, a visiting choir, walked to the middle of the cathedral and began an impromptu performance in an area that seemed to have perfect acoustics….it was amazing; beautiful and haunting. It actually gave me "chicken skin".

The view of the Cathedral form the back is no less impressive….

Close by is the Old Royal Palace, once Bohemian Princes governed from here. The most impressive part is huge Vladislav Hall.

It is so large that it was used for jousting tournaments. In fact, that large stairway used for exiting the building was where the Knights and their horses entered the Hall.

The views of Prague are quite tranquil. It hard to believe that in 1618 two Catholic Governor's were thrown out of the windows of one of the offices in the Ludwig Wing by angry Protestants. Luckily, a dung heap saved them from certain death. This act, called defenestration, started the Thirty Years War.

As you exit the Palace, you can't miss the understated, yet stunning in its own right, the oldest existing church within Prague Castle, the Basilica of St George.

Originally founded in 920, the interior is fascinating and haunting, built in the medieval Romanesque style.

A few steps downhill and to the left is a small street of tiny dwellings called "Golden Lane".

Named for the Goldsmith's that originally worked and lived here, this tiny street also housed castle servants and was in use until World War II. Number 22 is quite popular since it was inhabited by Franz Kafka from 1916 – 1917. Ah, if those walls could talk…..

You exit via a staircase and thru a cannon tower, cum prison which is stocked with a few examples of….well….let's just say "devices".

I know, it's a loooong post and you're wondering "where's the food?" I know by this time we were getting hungry. Though the Missus has a way of making me earn my calories and this was no different. We walked the couple of kilometers to Dlouha, pretty close to Kolkovna to a place I'd read about perhaps 2 dozen times. A pub named Lokal.

The interior itself is quite interesting…..one long hallway….the smoking section is (thankfully) in the back. We arrived a bit early so managed to get a table with no problem.

I had read that the Servers here were actually supposed to be gruff and short with you….it's part of the…well, theme, I guess. But the guy serving us didn't have a nasty bone in his body.

It was a pretty hot day as you can tell by the photos. If there's anything Pilsner Urquell was made for, it was to quench your thirst…..amazingly, the Missus had two!

We started with the "Pork terrine with onion and vinegar dressing". This basically a head cheese, a very nice head cheese!

This was lovely, they don't screw around with flavor here. This was nicely porky, sour, pungent, and probably the best head cheese we had the entire trip.

The House Sausages with Mustard and Whipped Horseradish was fine, if not particularly memorable.

Meanwhile, the sausage made from Prestice Pig, a Czech breed, was very nice. Moist, very much like a tender Kielbasa….a very tender and moist Kielbasa.

The pork neck was very nice as was the gravy. You can order bread dumplings as a side…….which is all you can eat. Even though these might be the best I'd had in Prague, who could eat more than one serving of these belly bombs?

A pretty nice meal.

Lokál
Dlouhá 33
Praha 1, Prague, Czech Republic

We rolled out of the place and walked, quite slowly back to our apartment…..those bread dumplings meant a nap was in order. We'd enjoy our last evening in Prague after a nice nap.

Happy New Year!

January 1, 2015 mmm-yoso Cooking, Markets & Grocers, yoso-silly

I hope 2014 was a great year for you all. And we send our best wishes for a great 2015 as well.

I worked a bit early on NYE, then headed off to complete was has become a tradition for me. On every New Year's Eve since 2005, I go to the various Japanese markets to check out the Osechi offerings.

Things have changed over the years, it's more of a pre-order kind of thing nowadays and there aren't too many extravagant items for sale on NYE anymore.

In fact, Marukai had almost nothing.

Mitsuwa had some interesting items, but nothing too interesting.

What I really did enjoy about my visit to Mitsuwa was a young couple, the girl, Japanese, the young man, blue-eyed, blond haired. The young lady went down the shelves explaining the significance of each of the osechi ryori items….stuff that I didn't even know! I just stood there and watched, quite taken with the moment…. At the end, she turned to me and gave me a smile and a wave. Nice job!

As usual, Nijiya had the biggest and best selection…….

It has been quite a year for us; Belgium, the Czech Republic, Japan, Seattle……. I have a feeling the this year will be just as interesting.

We'd like to thank you for reading, commenting, and just being part of our little food blog!

Happy New Year!

Nishime recipe – version 2014

December 30, 2014 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

Over the last….well, almost ten years now, I've posted quite a few recipes. You'll notice that the number has gone down over the years, because, well, I've pretty much posted on "almost" everything I made as a kid and young adult, and after maybe 150+ recipes where do you go? You'll notice as the recipes diminished, the plain "cooking posts" have increased.

Anyway, there are about 15 or so recipes that get a bunch of traffic; many of them are "local kine" recipes, standards back home in Hawaii. Around this time of the year, I start getting a few hits for my Nishime recipe from back in 2006. Sheesh, do you even remember what you were doing in January of 2006? Nishime is somewhat of a pain to make…….but it's a labor of love I guess and it's a favorite during the holiday season back home….at least it used to be. Not sure about nowadays.

After I did an update to my Sukiyaki recipe, which wasn't much of a change from the original, which was also from back in March of 2006, the Missus suggested that I update my Nishime recipe. Probably because She wanted some Nishime and this would guarantee I'd make it.

There aren't that many changes. I've just incorporated steps that just seem to make sense to ramp up the flavor. Mom really never went as far…..she probably was as tired of making this every year as I get. The one step missing is the one to make kombu maki. I just tie the kanpyo into strips along with the konbu nowadays….who knows, maybe after reading this, the Missus will request the return of the konbu maki. Also, note that we now will sometimes use chicken thighs, instead of just pork. But we have added pork/chicken bones to the recipe.

Anyway, version 2014 looks pretty much the same.

The flavor has been bumped up a bit. And yes, I still don't buy the frozen premade araimo/satoimo, gobo, or konbu maki. All have preservatives which change the flavor.

Nishime – version 2014:

1 pound sliced lean pork, boneless, skinless, chicken thighs, or a combination of both
1-2 pounds pork bones or a chicken carcass quatered with boiling water poured over to descum
2-3Tb canola/grapeseed/avocado oil
4 cups water
2 – 36" Strips Nishime(not Dashi) Kombu(Kelp)
1 Strip Kanpyo (Dried Gourd)
2 Packages Shirataki
2 Cups Daikon cut into wedges
1 Cup Carrots cut using a rolling cut
2 Cans Takenoko Tips(Bamboo Shoot Tips)
2 Stalks Gobo (Burdock Root)
12-15 Satoimo/Araimo/Dasheen(Japanese Taro)
6 dried Shiitake mushroom
1/2 Cup Soy Sauce
1/4 Cup Sugar
1/4 Cup Mirin
1 Cup of reserved, strained mushroom liquid
1 Cup of kombu soaking liquid
2 Tb Sake
1/2 Tsp salt
2 Cloves Garlic Minced

– Place one large pot and one medium pot of water on the stove and bring to a boil.

– Soak dried mushroom in warm water for 30 minutes

– Soak Kombu and Kanpyo in water for 20 minutes.

– Cut Gobo in half; and scrape "skin/bark" off of root using a spoon. Immediately place in water to prevent discoloration.

– Place whole Araimo in large pot of boiling water and blanch. (Blanching makes the taro much easier to peel)

– If the smell or slight bitterness of Bamboo Shoots bothers you, pour half the boiling water from the medium pot over Bamboo Shoots, drain, cut into slices lengthwise.

– Open the packages of Shirataki (yam noodles) and place in a colander. Pour the rest boiling water over Shirataki to remove the "smell".

– Rinse Kombu and Kanpyo, and strip lengthwise if wider than 3 inches. Tie into knots at 2 inch intervals. Reserve 1 cup of Kombu soaking liquid

– Cut Gobo into 1/2" matchstick lengths. Parboil in water for several minutes (I use a microwave for 3 minutes on high), reserve ½ cup of liquid.

– Remove the Araimo from boiling water, rinse, peel (Be careful if cutting the taro, it is very starchy and slippery), and place in water to avoid discoloration.

– Cut Daikon into "wedges", cut Carrots using a "rolling cut".

– Mince garlic.

– In a large pot or Dutch Oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic and pork/chicken/bones and lightly brown

– Add water, all the vegetables(except Shiitakes), sugar, sake, and mirin. Bring to a low simmer and cook for 15 minutes.

– Remove mushrooms from soaking liquid and slice in half. Reserve 1 cup of soaking liquid. Add to the pot.

– Strain mushroom and kombu liquid.

– Add soy sauce, taste and add salt as desired.

– After 15 minutes, taste, and add mushroom and gobo liquid as desired.

– Simmer until daikon is translucent, but not falling apart.

– As with most stews, this tastes better the next day.

So there you go……… Nishime version 2014!

Maybe I need update my older recipes….the ones that are really popular like the Cold Ginger Chicken sauce, local kine oxtail soup, local kine chili, local kine Portuguese Bean Soup, etc, etc??? What do you think?

Happy New Year!

Pho-raging around UTC: Pho UTC and a revisit to Pho La Jolla

December 29, 2014 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

I received an email after my post on JK's Burgers and Hot Dogs asking me what I thought about the Pho at the shop in the same mall. Pho shop? Same mall? I did a short search and by golly, there was Pho UTC and Grill just a few doors down……Man, I'm losing my touch in my old age……. Anyway, I decided to stop by on the way back from a meeting a couple of weeks back.

Pho UTC & Grill:

**** Pho UTC & Grill has closed

The place was really quiet when I arrived.

Clean and fairly non-de-script, in a modern pho shop kind of way.The service was adequate, not surly, not friendly, also quite generic. Things move along quite quickly…at least it did for me as I was out of the place in 30 minutes.

Which should kind of be the theme as the broth of the Pho Dac Biet was very "San Diego generic"……in other words, not beefy, lacking in anise, or any other real flavor, other than a mild onion and being quite salty.

The broth was on the "thin" side, lacking any richness. The color was nice and the broth clear.

The noodles were horrendously overcooked and mushy.

Surprisingly, the beef tendon was quite good with a nice mildly chewy, yet not hard texture. The rare steak was way overcooked and hard by the time the bowl made it to my table. There were meatballs in this version, typical, "squeaky" texture. All the other proteins were fine.

As you can tell, this wouldn't be a first, or even fifth or sixth choice…… though if you're in the area and absolutely needed a bowl….well even then. As MrZ and other "pho punners" would probably say, "not aw-pho, but totaly pho-gettable".

Pho UTC & Grill
8915 Towne Centre Dr
San Diego, CA 92122

This kind of had me wondering. What was happening with Pho La Jolla since I last visited 6 years ago. So guess what…..

Pho La Jolla:

Well, the place looks the same…….

I went with the usual #1 one kinda thing since I wasn't sure what to get…….

The bean sprouts were terrible, with brown spots on them and a few that were kind of slimy. The jalapeno looked like it had been around the block a few times too.

The broth was very light, slightly cloudy, though I could make out a light anise fragrance.

It was, alas, very weak, salty, lacking in fat and richness.

Loved how the rare beef arrived not totally cooked, but it had that metallic flavor of beef headed downhill. Not much else in terms of protein.

The noodles were prepared perfectly, but that was of little consolation.

I couldn't help but think that the students and faculty of UCSD deserve better. Though perhaps folks just want pho not to offend…..

Pho La Jolla
3211 Holiday Court #102
La Jolla, CA 92037

Sunday Stuffs: Pho Paradise coming to Convoy, The Original Tofu House to Mira Mesa, and other stuffs…..

December 28, 2014 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Korean Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi, Vietnamese Restaurants

Here's more stuff that I've seen recently.

Pho Paradise opening on Convoy:

Man, V Bakery barely lasted 6 months. Viet Bakery and Pho for not that much longer. So now, it's back to Vietnamese, something called Pho Paradise.

The "Pho" portion of the logo looks strangely familiar, but I just can't place it. I'm still hoping for decent pho in the Convoy-Kearny Mesa area……… I'm hoping this will at least be decent.

3904 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

The Original Tofu House opening in Mira Mesa:

I saw this a couple of days ago and drove by yesterday to take a photo.

Quite a few Korean food places opening around Mira Mesa.

I believe this used to be Arby's????

9089 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126

Casa Medina has moved?:

I noticed that Casa Medina had closed on the way home the other day. So I dropped by after work today to check it out.

So it looked like the place has closed, until I turned around and saw the sign for Casa Medina along side that of the old Bismallah Restaurant above World Market & Produce.

So unless the market likes to collect signs of defunct restaurants, you can now get your Halal tacos inside of World Market & Produce.

5440 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

Was it cold enough for you?

I thought it was pretty chilly this morning and checked my weather app. And did a double, no triple take….

Must be a malfunction, right? This would be the weather in the Bay Park area……and would also be colder than what we experienced in Seattle!

My Christmas dinner:

Both the Missus and I have been working quite a bit. She had to work on Christmas and after grilling a ton of chicken for Her potluck and making Her a separate lunch/dinner, I really didn't feel like doing anymore cooking. So I decided to head over to Sushi Yaro and Sam put together a nice sashimi combo for me between the zillion rolls.

It made for quite a feast. It was also nice seeing Sam; it had been a while. As a bonus, a couple of the "old-time" regulars whom I haven't seen in ages also dropped by, before the place got totally swamped. Sam mentioned that I've known him for about eleven years now! Time does fly…….

Sushi Yaro
7905 Engineer Road
San Diego, CA 92111

I hope you're having a great holiday season!

Seattle: Brunch at The London Plane

December 27, 2014 mmm-yoso Airport/Airline/Cruise/Rail Food, Breakfast/Brunch, Seattle, Washington, Travel

**** The London Plane has closed

I don't sleep in much. Remember what they say about needing less sleep as you get older? I'm not sure I buy into that, but I usually wake at 5am on work days and by 6:30 or so on weekends. But there's something about the weather and coziness of Seattle that just makes you want to sleep in. Or perhaps it was that wonderful dinner and the rather long walk we had the night before. Regardless, by the time I threw back the curtains on our hotel room, it looked like a glorious day.

Our flight wasn't leaving until 5pm, so I had arranged for a late check-out. We'd just loaf around until then. But first, we needed sustenance.

We'd passed by The London Plane, a wine bar, cum bakery, cum specialty food shop, cum cafe the day before. I'd heard of the place, so we stopped in and looked at the brunch menu. The menu looked interesting, so we decided on yet another Matt Dillon shop for Saturday brunch.

Though the rest of the "in transition" Pioneer Square area looked pretty empty, the London Plane was almost half full.

Much like The Walrus and the Carpenter we just got some really nice seats….upstairs…overlooking the open kitchen.

Our Server told us, "I think you got the best seats in the house…." And I don't doubt him. I love watching the timing and coordination of the different stations. An open kitchen means you've got to work really clean….which this place totally did.

Wanna make a food blogger's day? Give them seats at the counter or open kitchen.

We started with the Smashed Avocado and local Albacore Toast ($12).

I believe the albacore was oil poached…still, it was rather dry, and a bit "fishy" to my tastebuds. Guacamole on toast….why didn't I think of that before? I actually enjoyed the avocado – olive oil…the sourdough, which I think is one of the shop's hallmarks is very good and the red pepper…well, not flakes, but crumbs brought a nice mild smoky, pungent, heat to the whole deal.

Take a look at some of my coolking posts over the last couple of years and you'll notice how various vegetables have started to really take up a bigger part in our diet. So there's no wonder that the Missus decided She wanted brunch here after seeing different assortments of vegetables available for brunch.

By far, my favorite were the Roasted Baby Carrots and Red Emporer Onions with pistachios and mint (far left). I really enjoyed the levels of savory sweetness….it never went too far, the light touch of mint really added a nice touch. The Missus loved the roasted delicata squash (duh…) and kale (double duh…) with tahini and pumpkin seed. Nice balance here as folks tend to be rather heavy handed with tahini.

The raw beet, apple, fennel, and celery slaw with walnuts was definitely no shrinking violet, but was a bit too tart for my taste.

One bad thing about having several enjoyable dishes is that as the meal goes on, the higher the expectations. Since I make gravlax at home, the Missus expected the lox in the Salmon lox, potato, pickled peppers, and creme fraiche was going to be something sublime. I guess simply being "lox" was not good enough……

Of course the Missus loved the romanesco……..but was less than impressed with the rest of it. Deconstructed; the potato is the "bagel", the pickled peppers the red onion and capers, and the creme fraiche….well, creme fraiche. I would love a bit more dill and something more herbaceous to set this off. Not a bad dish by any means….but while carried out well, quite mundane.

As we left, the dining room was packed, and the shop quite busy. We'd enjoyed our meal here and the service(and the coffee) was quite good as well.

The London Plane
300 Occidental Ave S
Seattle, WA 98104

This was a bit more than we'd usually have for breakfast….which left us ready to roll back in bed. Having a late check-out, that's exactly what we did. After all of the walking the last two days, the extra rest was welcomed.

After our nap, we walked around a bit, then checked-out and headed off to SeaTac. Man, the light rail makes everything so easy.

We managed to grab a beer at the airport since we got there early.

And even a grilled cheese and some cheese curds from Beecher's near Concourse C.

Like I learned in Madison; those cheese curds will hold you for a good long time……they were really good; garlic and herb flavor. We didn't get to the grilled cheese until getting home!

Anyway, we had a blast in Seattle; it remains one of my favorite cities. And we surely won't wait another 7 years to return!

Merry Christmas!

December 24, 2014 mmm-yoso yoso-silly

Just wanted to take a moment to send everyone the best holiday wishes!

Just as we do every year; we took Da Boyz for a drive to check out the holiday lights. Just like last year, this house goes all out.

We did notice quite a few more houses had lights and decorations up than in previous years…..which was nice to see. Perhaps folks are doing a bit better this year.

Regardless, the gang here at mmm-yoso would like to wish you a fun, safe, and delici-yoso holiday season.

And heck….if even 'Ol Vladimir can get rouse up some holiday spirit….so can you, right?

Merry Christmas!

Lines, lines, everywhere lines…..

December 23, 2014 mmm-yoso Markets & Grocers, Sushi and Sashimi, yoso-silly

Just for fun, I actually drove by Costco this past weekend. Here's what it looked like at 10 past nine, a full 20 minutes before they opened.

Sheesh……

I was actually dragging my feet, because I had to go into work.

I worked for a couple of hours then decided I should get some ramen, so I headed off to Santouka and ran into this…..

Yikes.

So, I just went to Nijiya, picked this up, and headed back to the office.

I lucked out as I love natto maki….yes, while I'd never buy any prepared sushi or sashimi with raw fish in/on it kappa and natto maki is fair game. I grew up eating natto so I really love this stuff. I usually get a bento at least once a week and have rarely seen this. They probably don't make it very often…….it could very well be that I'm the only person who evers buys this…….

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

Hope you're surviving the holiday madness!

Monday Meanderings: Jin’s Pot appears empty, Tan Ky will become Tim Ky Noodle, the Missus favorite coffee, and other silliness.

December 22, 2014 mmm-yoso Caffeine Fix, Chinese Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants, yoso-silly

During this time of the year, folks are usually quite busy, so here's something short and sweet for Monday.

Jin's Pot appears empty:

Slight pun intended, though I'm not quite sure what to make of the Notice of Non Responsibility….I'm guessing there's a possibility of a lien against the business that the property owner is protecting themselves from. Doesn't sounds good.

It's too bad they weren't even able to last a year.

4690 Convoy St. Suite B109
San Diego, CA 92111

The old Tan Ky Mi Gia will become Tim Ky Noodle:

At least that's what the sign says…..

Cathy mentioned some new signage was up to me in a text, so I went to check things out. Tim Ky?

Anyway, I know quite a few people were a bit shocked when Tan Ky closed at the end of August.

The sign says they are reopening this month…so we'll see. Notice how they kept the same color sign?

9330 Mira Mesa Blvd #A
San Diego, CA 92126

The Missus current favorite coffee:

While doing a short Trolley Brewery crawl with Candice; we stopped at Bird Rock Coffee Roasters in Little Italy. They had an interesting v60….with Haraaz Red Maraqaha. At almost $9, whew was it pricey.Though after tasting it; the smooth, berry flavors, the tongue coating richness with a nice clean finish. It's really a bit too smooth for me, but this is exactly what the Missus loves…..so I bought 8 ounces of beans – $21.95! Ouch!

That's ok though, since She really, really enjoyed, well I should say enjoys this as She's sent me back to pick up more. I'm sure She'll savor it while it lasts.

Bird Rock Coffee Roasters
2295 Kettner Blvd
San Diego, CA 92101

And then there are the signs…….

Here's the ATM at Toronado.

This sign always makes me smile………

Everytime I see it I wonder…. "Do two-Rongs, do it right?"

And just because….one of my favorite music videos that uses nice mirror work.