mmm-yoso – Page 256

Mariscos Monday: Kiko’s Place Mariscos Truck

July 7, 2014 mmm-yoso Blog

Recently, when driving on Friar's Road I noticed a taco truck in the parking lot of Del Mesa Liquor Store.

The name sounded really familiar. I'm thinking this was the truck that used to be on Texas Street? Anyway, it was close enough to lunch…..like 10am…let's call it brunch.

The woman working…well everything it seems, she took my order, prepped the food, was the cashier was very nice. I know…fish tacos, right? Well, no…for me it was a Taco Gobernador and a Taco de Marlyn.

These aren't cheap tacos….four bucks each, but man, they were pretty hefty. No consomme offered….not sure what would happen if I asked.

The Marlyn…smoked fish was ok, the amount of fish was generous.

Things tasted on the fishy end of the scale and I would have enjoyed more smoke flavor and salt. I always think of the fish hitting an almost bacon flavor. No complaints about portion size, though I didn't enjoy the tortillas which fell to pieces.

The Gobernador (the "Governor") was a bit better.

Here there were just the little things I missed; the cheese melted on the tortilla to shield it from the juices, helping to keep it intact. I appreciate a little tomato for acid, or some red bell pepper for sweetness. The onions and bell pepper could have been stir fried a bit more; it was bit on the raw side. Can't complain about the shrimp; though not deveined, were moist and plump. Again, the portion size was generous.

Here things get….well kind of humorous. While I was waiting for my salsas to be prepared…this is what you get when you're early; a very proper Vietnamese Couple got out of an SUV. The gentleman, suit and tie, walked on over to the ATM…..the woman came on over and…how do I put it, checked out my Gobernador. Apparently she approved, she then walked over to the window and tried to order a "chicken burrito with french fries….." Well, maybe not. I could understand her, but the woman in the truck could not…she would ask her to explain and the customer did not understand what she was saying…… Which left me to translate….very strange. I mean really, the guy from Hawaii, if you read the blog long enough…with the really bad writing…..I kinda write the way I talk…..

So anyway, it becomes this strange conversation of, "pollo" to the taco truck lady….. "no pollo"…."No Chicken"….."papas fritas"….."no, no papas fritas…..", "no french fry here….." She wanted a shrimp taco……"taco de camaron…." and what I had, "taco de gobernador…." Funny thing was; we were all speaking English! Well, sometimes I think I barely speak English……. But I guess I speak Taco Truck???

Anyway, from what I had, it's a case of decent quality, with good quantity, and that might just do it for you. Heck, we used to live a couple of blocks away….there were times I would have loved to grab a couple of tacos to go with my cervezas…..

Kiko’s Place
Corner of Friar's Road and Vis Las Cumbres

Prague: A little self catering and Wenceslas Square

July 5, 2014 mmm-yoso Beer, Cooking, Czech Republic, Markets & Grocers, Prague, Travel

We had intended on getting the the Charles Bridge from the Old Town Square but had ended up at the the Manesuv Bridge. As we headed down toward the Charles Bridge storm clouds could be seen above the Castle Quarter. Indeed, by the time we reached the very gothic Bridge Tower we could tell that it was going to start pouring. Umbrellas started opening and in a matter of a minute or two it started coming down….our little travel umbrella came in quite handy. As I started to walk toward the bridge, the Missus told me to wait, "let's go back to the apartment and save the bridge for early tomorrow morning…." So we turned around and crossed the street in front of the "Klementinum", the National Library.

We made our way down the side streets and suddenly ended up right in front of what became our major landmark and daily stop for us, the giant Tesco Department store.

After our heavy lunch, we decided to grab some head cheese, cheese, and makings for salad for dinner….and a couple of beers as well of course! The lower level of the department store houses a large supermarket with just about everything you would need.

Our apartment had a huge living and bedroom, plus a serviceable kitchen area. Our flat was on the third floor with a view of tiny Odburu Street below. We found the amount of "security" a bit over-the-top, the deadbolt on the door to the street was super heavy duty….it nearly broke your fingers to turn the key. Then, once in the building there was a security gate, which was heavy-duty, making me feel like we were headed into a super-max. The door had a knob lock, deadbolt, and alarm system. One can never be too secure I guess.

Nevertheless, the place was large, comfortable, and dealing with the folks at PVH Odburu was a joy. It was nice to be able to come back after a long day and hang out here. The location was great, not in tourist hell, but just a 15-20 minute walk from everywhere.

We've come to enjoy apartments when traveling, this one had a washer/dryer as well. Of course, we tried to take full advantage of the kitchen.

This was a nice, light, and satisfying dinner. Of course the Missus had to have Her cabbage. Later, on our return trip to Prague we found a decent specialty shop down the street with a better selection of charcuterie and cheese.

Having just been in Brussels, the beer in Prague had been a bit too "light" for our tastes. Though I bought this as sort of a novelty…..

I saw this and knowing the history just had to check it out. No, it's not who you think it is. You may think that Budweiser is an "All-American" beer, but there's been a fight over then name for 108 years. Anyway, České Budějovice (aka Budweis) is actually a city in the Czech Republic. You can imagine what an ugly trademark war has been taking place. I'm not sure you even know that Anheuser-Busch is actually owned by a Belgian Company, InBev. Well, whatever, this "Premier Select" was actually pretty good….it was in fact, the best beer we had in Prague our first time around. Light, but not "lightweight", mildly hoppy, with a sweet finish.

Dinner done, but with a good stretch of daylight still in front of us the Missus decided that She wanted to walk around a bit. The skies had cleared up a bit, so we headed out.

The Missus wanted to go back to Wenceslas Square, which is more like a boulevard that stretches from the National Museum to Na Prikope which basically borders the New Town and the Old Town.

It's a lively place, full of tourists and locals alike.

We loved the varying architecture, each building was unique, like snowflakes. Like the Art Nouveau Hotel Europa.

With all this historic architecture, it's easy to forget that "Czechoslovakia" was a Communist, single party government until 1989. From November to December of 1989, the event called the Velvet Revolution took place, with demonstrations and strikes leading to a transition from single party rule to a parliamentary republic. According to what I read, crowds of hundreds of thousands gathered here when it seemed that a new age was at hand.

It was on the balcony of Number 36 that Václav Havel and Alexander Dubček made their appearance signaling an end to single party rule.

We soon realized there's so much history here, that if/when we're back in the future, we'd look into getting a private guide and do this right.

There's a statue of Saint Wenceslas….yes it's Wenceslas I, aka "Good King Wenceslas". Which stands across the street from the National Museum, which was closed for renovation during our stay.

05312014 D60 073

Darkness started to fall as we headed back down the square. We paused to listen to the really talented guy playing what I believe is a Cimbalom. This dude was really good; he was jamming to the standard "Autumn Leaves" and doing some pretty good improvisation. The Missus thought it funny that I could recognize the music being played by street musicians and small bands.

There was one more place the Missus wanted to check out before heading back….yep, Old Town Square.

Though the crowds had thinned, there were still a good number of people milling about.

We then headed back and settled in for a nice night.

The place had great wifi, so I went ahead and did a post, and opened up the two beers I had gotten earlier at Tesco.

I really didn't care for either. Did you notice the "degree" values on the beer? No, it doesn't mean percentage of alcohol, rather, it's a percentage on the Balling Scale measuring the sugars in the wort before fermentation. There is an indirect correlation to alcohol content; a 12 degree beer will be stronger than a 10 degree beer, but the alcohol content of a 10 degree is about 3.5%.

We'd had a pretty busy day which led to a wonderful night of sleep. Which was good since the Missus had a busy day aplnned for us!

Thanks for reading!

Midweek Meanderings: Goldy Luck and the Three Pandas, How does our garden grow update, and our new caffeine rush

July 2, 2014 mmm-yoso Caffeine Fix, yoso-silly

Yep, it's really Goldy Luck and the Three Pandas:

Need proof?

A couple of years ago, author Natasha Yim contacted me regarding a certain recipe I had on the blog. Apparently it turned out rather well for her and she wanted to use an adapted version in a children's book she was writing. I was quite humbled, flattered in fact. A few later, her editor Alyssa Mito Pusey….who actually is an ex-pat Kama'aina as well contacted me to get the paperwork done. And so it came to pass…..

I was quite surprised to receive an rather large envelope in the mail last week. In it was a signed copy of Goldy Luck and the Three Pandas, which is quite a cute book, a really nice story. And at the back of the book is an adaptation of one of my recipes…and this:

You know, our little blog is a labor of love…and of well, obsession. We aren't looking for a revenue stream, advertisers, or to market ourselves. So this was such a nice touch, more than I could ever have asked for. Good luck with the book Natasha!

And if you want to get your own copy of Goldy Luck and the Three Pandas, you can get it here.

How does our garden grow – an update:

So here's an update. The Missus is really pleased with how our okra is coming along….large and quite sweet.

We've been able to roast, grill, or pan fry Padrons and Shishitos a couple of times a week…..

The serranos are fruiting quite prolifically…the Missus prefers to wait until they get red, so we're picking a mixed bunch.

I'm not sure what to think about the huge mutant scallions we got growing…..I've three patches of scallions. This one was bought during one of those 10 bunches for 99 cent things last year…..I just stuck them in a left over window box and they are going nuts!

The ghost peppers seems a bit small so far this year. A few cherry sized peppers have already ripened.

The Missus actually likes the small ripened peppers because they are just the right size for "stir frying without dying….."

Meanwhile, the Scorpion Peppers are getting ominously large…….

The Red Habaneros are finally starting to fruit….can't wait for these. In addition to this plant, I have smaller ones that will probably get going later in the season.

We're still waiting for the cucumbers to kick in. Last year we were getting 3-4 a week.

We're having so much fun with pepper that we added a few more last week……

This might end up being one spicy summer!

And for our caffeine fix:

It seemed that every apartment, B&B, and room we stayed at in Belgium had a Nespresso machine. I'd really started enjoying getting a shot of espresso on the go when in Portugal last year. We had started really getting used to having one of these….so we decided to get one of the smaller models…using points and discounts, we ended up paying less than half price for it.

In talking to folks about this….I never knew how much some people are into Nespresso…..talking to me about limited editions …accessories……sheeesh! I just want a nice cup of espresso! Though I am finding I enjoy the Dulsao do Brasil…….uh-oh!

Sunday Sandwiches: Mama’s Grill

June 29, 2014 mmm-yoso Sandwiches

** Update: Mama's Grill has Closed

I keep finding little sandwich places I never knew existed…….this shop is pretty close to work, in the same strip mall as Jersey Mike's and Sieu Sieu BBQ. I'm not quite sure why I missed this place, I guess it's overshadowed by the chains….Carl's Jr, Rubio's Test Kitchen, Jersey Mike's…..not places I usually frequent.

If I recall, this place used to be Sima's Grill? Which sadly, I never had the chance to try either.

I wasn't going to let this place go without checking it out. I'd finished up some meetings and had a late lunch…late for me is like 130pm, I usually like to eat at 11….things are less crazy on "the Mesa" at 11.

The placed looked like any of a number of sandwich shops scattered throughout San Diego. The meat is Boar's Head…and like I said in my post on Crossroads Deli; Boar's Head, is Boar's Head. I like to see what interesting items are on the menu. Well, there's no shortage of that here, some of it, like the 1 pound "T-Rex" is a bit over-the-top.

I decided on the "Surf and Turf"($9.95). I didn't expect the hefty sandwich that I got.

This was a two-fisted sandwich. In fact, i only finished half of it. The beef, as expected was on the chewy side and kind of bland. I was surprised how many shrimp were in the sandwich. I like the finely shredded lettuce on this….it gave even more texture to sandwich. For me, what really made this thing tick was the cilantro pesto and the chipotle (I know it's everywhere – but it worked here) sauce. It just gave everything that little umph it needed.

I couple of days later I tried Ma's Muffuletta ($8.95). This I was less impressed with.

The sandwich was basically a pressed panini, the bread toasted a bit too hard. There was a generous portion of capicola, prosciutto (low grad and very salty), and supposedly mortadella…which I couldn't make out. The pressing had rendered a lot of the fat making this kind of greasy…..there wasn't enough bread or anything to balance out the amount of salt in the olive spread and meat. Again, I could only finish half the sandwich, but for a different reason……

Another day of meetings, another late lunch. I decided to stop at Mama's and take something back to the office. I quickly ordered Ma's Veggie ($7.55).

First off, I like the way the bread was "pressed/griddles", it really provided some nice texture. I was also surprised at the amount of avocado in this sandwich. For some reason, the cream cheese seemed like overkill…perhaps if the sandwich also had some sprouts and shredded lettuce to add more contrasting textures and interest.

Still, this wasn't a bad sandwich by any means….in fact I was told they'd make anything anyway I want it….sounds like a veggie minus the cream cheese with lettuce, cilantro and chipotle sauce, doesn't it?

Mama’s Grill
7420 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111
Hours:
Mon – Fri 830am – 5pm
Sat 9am – 330pm
Sun 1030am – 230pm

Porto: Matosinhos and Tito 2

June 27, 2014 mmm-yoso Porto, Portugal, Portuguese Food, Seafood, Travel

Ah yes, Sunday in Porto. Joao had told us when he gave us a short orientation to the apartment; many local restaurants are closed, of course tourist restaurants are open, but you don't want to eat in those, right?

Getting out early on Sunday, it was pretty obvious that things were going to be very quiet…..

The only place that seemed alive and kickin' at this hour was the corner coffee shop and bakery…….you still needed your morning "cafe express" even on Sunday! Strangely, after having their morning caffeine boost and pastry, there's no dallying around, folks just seemed to walk out of the shop and disappear, like a scene from Dr Who…….

We headed up the street…..empty except for just a few folks….stragglers it seemed…waiting to fall victim to the Sunday Zombie Apocalypse…

We headed off to the Minipreco Supermarket next to the Mercado do Bolhao…..which we knew was open, to grab a few items for dinner. Our cab was set to pick us up at 5am in the morning for our flight to Rome, so we decided to just have something light for dinner.

After a nice walk back to the apartment, dropping things off, we headed back up…..

Joao told us that on special Sundays, he takes his family to Matosinhos, a town located to the west of Porto….this is where the docks are….and where we were told, the fish come in and where locals go to eat it. So we headed off on the Metro, getting off at the Matosihnos Sul stop and finding ourselves in Matosihnos…..

We headed down a bit, turning on Rua Herois de Franca and after a couple of blocks things started perking up a bit. We hit a restaurant row. Each restaurant had what looked like makeshift dining areas set-up in front, which seemed to be built on wooden pallets.

You could tell that there was a bit of partying going on here on Saturday night….

There were restaurants all lined up in a row, simple looking tascas next to some pretty nice white tablecloth looking places. Most of them had a grill being primed in from of the shop…..

But which one to choose? Well Joao had told us to "walk past all the restaurants on the street, don't worry, do not get discouraged…..do not stop until you come to Tito 2." And so we did that, even passing Tito 1 on the way.

So this was the place, huh? It looked just like every other place on the street….but heck, Joao hadn't let us down yet!

We looked over and a very nice young man smiled, greeted and seated us, then proceeded to call another studious looking young man…who spoke perfect English….

You know, the pallet seating looked pretty nice, don't you think?

While we waited for our menus to arrive, I peeked around the corner where the grill action was just starting up.

The menu arrived….it was sardine season, so that was a no-brainer….I then saw something that was on my food "bucket list"….something that I just had to try…..I just knew this was going to be a great meal.

Meanwhile, the Missus had snuck off to use the restroom, coming back to tell me to check out the interior of the brick and mortar restaurant….which looked pretty nice.

Just next to the doorway were the "fresh catches"…fish you could select for your meal if you so desired.

Soon our appetizer arrived, something that I'd been waiting to eat for several years….I never thought I'd be getting it in Portugal……

These were percebes, goose barnacles, you know, the stuff you scrape off the hull of boats. Yes, they may be pests to some; but to the Spanish and the Portuguese these are delicacies…rather expensive delicacies. Our Server kindly suggested .2 kilos as being enough.

So the deal is you twist off the head of this, squirting water on yourself is mandatory……you then eat the flesh.

The flavor is intensely briney, like taking in a chewy piece of the ocean…I really liked the texture. It was a bit too briney for the Missus, but I loved the intense flavor.

The Missus wanted to give Sopa de Peixe, fish soup another try……this was really thick and a bit too fishy for our taste…like fishy glue. Not our thing.

The sardines on the other hand were fantastic.

So simply done, no messing around with a fresh product….rubbed in salt, a bit of acid, so nice. The finish was that rich oil that coats your tongue, but also very clean, without that lingering and somewhat off-putting bitter fishiness that often accompanies sardines. This was one of our favorite dishes during our trip.

The potatoes were very nice….so much flavor, so simply done; olive oil, salt, garlic, parsley….

The salad broke things up nicely….also simple.

I also ordered the Lulas Grelhadas – grilled squid with lemon and olive oil.

Perhaps not the best I've had, but nicely prepared.

What was really strange was that two parties came in after us; both spoke Portuguese…both looked at what we were eating and ended up ordering exactly the same thing (we'd already finished the percebes…), which I thought was kind of strange.

The price was amazing, all this, plus a carafe of wine and water for 36 Euros!

The service was very nice, the food very good…..if we're ever in Porto again, we're headed back to Tito 2.

Tito 2
Rua Herois de Franca 321
Matosinhos, Portugal

We stopped for some espresso before going to the metro stop. At the stop a metro police officer headed up to us. In some countries this is not a good sign…not here. He stopped to ask if we needed some help, but we already had our tickets. He smiled and look at us and asked, "how is you time here? Are you enjoying it….having any problems?" What could we say? We loved our time here….

Dinner for us was a simple deal……the Missus new "specialty", some head cheese, bread….a decent drinkable wine (and a beer to follow for me).

We had a nice night's sleep. We woke at 4am, got our act together, and our ride to airport was prompt. The way to the airport was interesting as we got to see what a sprawling city Porto was…….a city we were going to miss.

Thanks for reading!

Why duck fat rules…..

June 26, 2014 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

Way back in November when I posted on our Thanksgiving Duck two people emailed me asking about rendering duck fat. So……the Missus has been craving duck and asked me to make duck confit this past weekend. We didn't have much duck fat leftover from Thanksgiving….duck fat lasts forever….even with what I had from our previous confit. So it was a perfect time to order a duck….I get a duck from Bristol Farm. I order it from the poultry guy since I don't want one of the frozen ones. He places his orders to Mary's on Fridays and Wednesdays…..I do the Wednesday order thing, it arrives on Friday, I pick up early Saturday morning, along with two extra legs. Why? Well, unless you see any four legged ducks out there…..

The process is simple…..you take Ducky….pat the poor fellow dry.

The Missus was amazed that I could break this baby down in less than 10 minutes. Actually, you know that's a lie….She would never be impressed because "it's just a duck, it's already dead, there are no feathers……..2 minutes max!"

I then trim the fat from the carcass, I follow-up by trimming the portioned legs and breast. I then cleaned up the skin and fat by taking off excess bits of meat and other "stuffs".

We are then ready to go. I slice the fat into thin strips and put into a heavy bottomed pan. I turn the heat to medium and add a half-cup of bottled or filtered water.

You may ask "water???" But yes, water. It helps to keep the skin and fat from burning during the rendering process…really!

When things start getting kind of exciting….lot's of bubbling, I turn the heat down a smidge…..

After about 35 minutes to 45 minutes you start getting something that looks like this going on.

A few minutes later you're ready to strain the whole thing. And you end up with this.

Yep, duck cracklins. I dropped a small packet off for our good friend "YY" and the rest we used as salad toppings. And heck, I just read that duck fat might be a healthy alternative to butter. Anyway, a little goes a long way…..folks have used duck fat to preserve food…as in duck confit. I used what I had in the fridge and about 2/3 of a cup of the recently rendered fat, leaving me with a cup for other stuffs.

I mean really, this duck and parts ain't cheap, like over $40…however, 2 meals from breasts, bones for soup, 4 legs confit…duck fat and cracklins…..priceless.

Trying to figure out how to do the duck breasts within the limits of the Whole 30 was interesting……

We settled on slowly searing the breasts, crisping the skin while rendering the fat, draining periodically. While the duck finished in the oven. I used some of the rendered fat to saute vegetables, some of which, like the padron peppers came from our garden, flavoring with a natural Date Vinegar with no added sugar we bought in Ghent. I then took the rest of the rendered fat from the breasts and made a sauce of sorts with the vinegar, salt, and pepper.

Oh, and you can't forget that these had been seasoned with five-spice from QingDao….after all, according to the Missus, duck is not duck without that flavor profile.

Trying to take the “die” out of diet – Cilantro Sauce

June 25, 2014 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

As we were heading on to the tail end of our trip, the Missus told me She was going to do something called the Whole 30 Program. I didn't think much of it until I read about the foods She would need to avoid for 30 days….you might recall, I do almost all the cooking in our household and would have to adhere to these rules when cooking. Basically, no sugars of any kind – real or artificial (that would include honey, maple syrup, agave syrup, coconut sugar), no alcohol even for cooking (forget about the Shaoxing in the stir fry or mirin for that matter), no legumes or beans (No soy sauce – why don't you just stab me in the heart and get it over with, no peanuts, peanut butter, all forms of soy – you need to check for lecithin), no grains of any kind (including quinoa, no starches for thickening, nothing battered, no breads, no bogus gluten free stuff), no dairy (forget the cheese, except for clarified butter and ghee), no MSG or sulfites (gotta read those labels), basically, NO FUN.

I promised the Missus I'd do a "Whole 7" in support….I'd already lost 17 pounds on my trip. I always lose weight on vacation, I even joked with Kirbie during our dinner that Villa Manila, calling our upcoming trip my annual visit to the fat farm….I can eat anything, drink anything, and I will lose weight. So if you've wondered why my posts were kind of sparse for a while that's it….along with the fact that even though I waited a whole 7 days before popping open that beer, we're still doing the Whole 30 when we eat at home….in case you've been wondering why the Missus has been absent in my restaurant posts….first thing I had…noodles….oodles of noodles.

Basically, food looks like this everyday. You know, the thought of having steak every night might sound like fun…..but I need variety….

I've been grilling a couple of nights a week….I've gotten pretty good at Weeknight grilling over the years, but man, not being able to use soy sauce, any sweeteners, and the like makes things tough and I'm having to rely on doing basic rubs. Salads are basically vinaigrettes, I guess vinegar (so long it has no sugar – you end up reading labels like crazy, and oh, malt vinegar has gluten so no bueno) is ok. This itself can get pretty old, think about sauces…..you can't really use anything you don't make yourself.

So here's one the Missus really enjoys – very simple……oh, and one of Her latest things is Avocado Oil. Sauces like this makes this diet survivable.

I've made this a couple of times and She enjoys it. Though it doesn't totally take the "die" out of diet. I'll post some other stuff I've been making at home later on.

Cilantro Sauce:

2 bunches cilantro – stems removed

1/2 cup Avocado Oil – plus more in necessary

5 cloves garlic

1/4 small onion choppped or 2-3 shallots chopped

2-3 Serrano Peppers chopped

3 Tb pepetas – toasted and crushed

juice from 2 limes

Chipotle Powder, Salt, and Pepper to taste

Water as needed

– Tear up cilantro and place in food processor, along with the garlic, serranos, onion/shallots

– Add 1/4 cup of the avocado oil and lime juice

– Turn on food processor and slowly add the rest of the avocado oil.

– If too thick you can add more oil and water as necessary

– Taste and add the pepitas, Chipotle Powder, Salt, and Pepper – pulse several times and taste again

This tastes great with grilled chicken (skin on please – since fat seems to be a virtue), burgers, and even some fish.

Pho DaKao and Grill

June 23, 2014 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Pho DaKao has closed

It seems that I'm finally getting back into some semblance of a routine and I finally got back over to City Heights/Rolando for a look see. It's probably been about 2 months since I was last around here. Turning on University from 54th I quickly noticed that Pho Tay Do was gone, replaced by a very familiar name.

Dakao….wow. I'm not sure of the whole backstory of Dakao, but I do understand that it is one of those treasured "brands/names" that evokes reactions. The neighborhoof of Đa Kao in Vietnam is reknown for the Pho Ga – chicken noodle soup. In fact, the last time I had a decent bowl of Pho Ga was at DaKao in Little Saigon…it was quite good, I believe the place even had it's own poultry shop on Bolsa.

So, no brainer right?

The interior has been pared down and looks even more spartan that Tay Do.

Of course I got the Pho Da Dakao (small $5.95).

This is a basic bowl of white and dark meat chicken with some offal thrown in for good measure.

The white meat chicken was surprisngly tender if lacking in flavor.

The broth was much too light, falling short with regards to having a nice poultry flavor, and was super salty……and I like salt and MSG, but in appropriate amounts. This one made my feet swell after just a couple of sips.

If I recall, it's normal to get a version of a sweet chili sauce for your chicken with pho ga. What I had here was a remnant of Pho Tay Do, the garlic-ginger sauce.

The noodles were horrendous, really mushy, not very pleasant to eat at all.

The young lady serving me was very nice as was the young lady working the cash register. I was on the fence about coming back, but I try to do my due diligence with places like this so I decided to return.

This time around I paid a bit more attention to things and noticed something on the front cover of the menu….apparently, this location of Dakao is a franchise that looks like is from Texas….so nhbilly, know anything about these guys?

Since I thought the chicken in the Pho Ga was okay, why not go for the Com Ga Hai Nam…..Hainan Chicken Rice ($6.25). It's actually a pretty good looking dish.

The chicken was very moist, of course it was bony, it's a leg after all, so it was a bit ponderous eating it. The flavor was pretty straight forward and lacking any flavoring from aromatics. It was nicely poached though.

The rice was a tragedy, it was hard, dry, and worst of all, lacking in the true flavor of the rice that should be served with this dish…..there was a faint chicken flavor…very faint. Usually the rice is cooked with the poaching liquid of the chicken, along with some chicken fat, then garlic, ginger, shallots, and sometimes lemongrass is added for depth. This had none of the above.

That was pretty sad because I consider the rice to be just as important as the chicken in this dish.

So I don't know……I'll probably drop by again in maybe a couple of months? It's slim pickins with regards to pho ga in San Diego. But as you know, I'm not the kind of guy who is "just happy to have it"…… Hopefully, things will get better…there's potential, so we'll see. Will it remain one of those places with untapped potential as Pho Tay Do did?

Pho Dakao And Grill
5296 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92105
Hours:
Open Daily 8am – 9pm

Sunday Stuffs: The sign for Hinotez Curry Rice has come down, Yamadaya sure is taking their sweet time, how to eat Soba and other silliness.

June 22, 2014 mmm-yoso Blog

A few quick items for a beautiful Sunday in San Diego.

The sign for Hinotez Curry Rice has come down:

I'm not quite sure if this is good news; as in they've got their ABC permit, or if they've simply given up and are moving on. I visited a couple of times, but after a while, the same 'ol single type of curry got a bit repetitive. Don't get me wrong; I'm all for those places that do one thing well…….I just didn't think it was good enough to be sustainable.

Anyway, I'm hoping for the best.

5185 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92117

Yamadaya sure is taking it's sweet old time:

Well it was all the way back in April of last year when I first read about Yamadaya opening downtown. Well, let's see it's June of 2014 and the place still doesn't look to be near completion. I took this photo on Friday when I headed downtown to meet some good friends.

On the bright side, at least the sign is up….that only took about a year…..

950 6th Avenue
San Diego, CA 92101

I need to pay more attention when companies ask to use my photos:

I'm not sure if it was because I was quite busy or what. A publication asked to use one of my photos, which I usually do so long Creative Commons stanards are followed….so I didn't pay much attention. Anyway the result of this one is kind of funny…..since this is the photo being used.

Man, this one is too juicy(no pun intended), there's literally a goldmine of tasteless puns and jokes here. The long and short of it (again no pun intended) is that my photo of beef penis can be seen all over Texes. And what? I thought everything was bigger in Texes? Couldn't they find their own pizzle? What a d![k…literally.

How to eat soba for Faye:

Lovely Faye surprised me with a question on my Kokoro post. "How do you eat the soba". Whoa……I never thought about needing to know how to eat soba…..I guess since I've been eating it all my life. Anyway, here's a funny, cheesy, video you might like Faye!

Enjoy!

Troy’s Family Restaurant

June 20, 2014 mmm-yoso Diner, Greek Food

**** Sadly Troy's has closed

I have a special place in my heart for those pseudo-diners I grew up eating in….places like Like Like Drive In…you know, no pretense, good unhealthy grub. A couple of months ago I was lamenting the lack of diners that served that type of grub in our area……sorry folks, Denny's, IHOP don't count and I tried Country Waffles a couple of times when we first moved to the area and had some terrible meals. When Troy's Family Restaurant came up in the conversation…..yikes, I'd totally forgotten about the place. I'm not sure why, perhaps it's the location in Clairemont Square next to the Von's we never shop at…..

So I headed over for lunch one day.

The place looked very old-school, in fact all the customers were at least a decade older than I was….the Servers seemed to know them all.

The style of service is also a blast form the past…..they ask if you want coffee the minute you sit down, you pay at the register, the waitresses….yes, here I'll call them waitresses call you "sweetie", "hon", and other terms of endearment. They move with little wasted motion….you'll get an old school handwritten paper check placed on your table when you're nearly done with your meal…you pay at the register. No muss, no fuss…..

Every once in a while I really like a Club Sandwich….or as my "local" friends back home call it….Da Clubhouse ($7.95).

Processed turkey, American cheese, perfect bacon……and I really liked it. This did take me back to "small kid time". Good amount of mayo, dinner fries, bottle of ketchup, bread (white of course) toasted adequately. There are no airs in this shop and the food shows that as well.

A couple of weeks later I returned. One of my guilty pleasures is a nice open faced turkey sandwich.

On the good side, the turkey wasn't that processed stuff they put in their sandwiches, on the bad side…it was dry as the Grand Erg Oriental, that would be the Sahara. That chicken gravy was bland and gluey, tasting just the way you'd think based on the photo. There's a reason this is just $6.45.

So here we were, two down, should I go for three? I asked for a recommendation and was given the Souvlaki ($7.45).

Man, this just didn't hit the spot. The pork was really tough and dry, the "garlic bread" dry and crumbly. The seasoning was really subpar.

I do get why people come here; service is relatively friendly, all my food came out quickly, the prices are very reasonable, the portions hearty. The term, "you get what you pay for" is very true here. I'm thinking breakfast here might be pretty good. Still, rather than feeling satisfied and nostalgic about the dishes, I felt the whole thing was dated. There is something to say about having "your" neighborhood place, where they know what you want, where you like to sit, how you take your coffee, that's great. This ain't "that place" for me.

Troy’s Family Restaurant & Coffee Shop
4827 Clairemont Dr
San Diego, CA 92117