mmm-yoso – Page 257

Pho Ban Mai revisited

February 26, 2014 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

A couple of weeks ago, the Missus was in the mood for some Banh Xeo. I thought She'd enjoy the version at Pho Ban Mai. Though I'd been here several times in the past, they were solo visits.

So we braved the weekday evening traffic and drove up to Mira Mesa. The place looks the same since they opened back in 2011.

Something has changed since I first visited way back when, the Nem Nuong Cuon and the Chao Tom Cuon, which were straight out of the Brodard playbook, down to the fried spring roll wrappers tucked inside…..sort of a sign of freshness since you really can't make it this way ahead of time.

The Nem Nuong, the pork "sausage" was better in our opinion, more flavor, nice texture. The shrimp cake was too rubbery and had little flavor. Actually, the Missus preferred this to Brodard for one simple reason; Ban Mai uses a touch of herbs in the rolls. I will say that the dipping sauce here is fairly bad, very bland, weird texture….I'm not a fan of the version at Brodard, but it is much sweeter, with a more silken texture. We'll get the nuoc mam cham next time…..

The Missus did enjoy Her Banh Xeo.

The version here is crisp and light and not super-stuffed……like a Banh Mi, it's all about balance and proportion. The pork is decent as was the shrimp, though there's not a whole lot of it. It's still not as good as the first one I had here in 2011, but it's still my favorite. I'm also glad they don't water down the dipping sauce either.

I decided to go with something I hadn't had here before and had the Banh Mi Bo Kho – Beef Stew with bread.

This wasn't bad, though it's not as rich and full of flavor as the version at Lucky. It does taste a bit watered down, the meat is decent, but still a bit more chewy than I prefer and there's not as much tendon in it as well. The bread, which looked like a standard "Le Chef" version was nicely warmed. Not bad, but I won't be having this again.

The service was meh….bunch of guys more concerned about "talking story" but not terrible. What I'm thinking is, maybe there'll be some Banh Khot on the menu next time. Wouldn't that be interesting?

Pho Ban Mai
8991 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126

Check out Jinxi's post on Pho Ban Mai here

Brabant

** Brabant has closed

A strange thing happened over the last year or so……it seems that the Missus has been sucked into the Craft Beer movement….well, maybe not San Diego craft beer per se, She loves Belgian style Ales, Dubbels, and such. She's even gotten into sours after enjoying what I call the "gateway sour", Monk's Cafe. Strange, after all these years I have a beer buddy….and it's my wife!

During one evening at work, one of Her coworkers highly recommended Brabant in South Park. I contacted my buddy Candice, who also gave her seal of approval, so it was off to South Park and Brabant, housed in what used to be Vagabond.

For some reason, I've taken to the warm tones of the place.

There are 15-16 brews on tap and an absolutely huge bottle list. I quickly took to….well, I really consider him quite a bit more than "barman", perhaps "tenancière de bar", heck, let's just call him Adam, who is gregarious and enthusiastic about….well, just about everything! He is a gregarious embassador of Brabant, who happens to really know his beer.

The beer list is a literal binder, with tasting notes for various bottles all written in house, no plagiarism here I'm told. There's a pairing list for the various dishes, all wonderfully set-up for us, folks who are just starting to enjoy Duvel's, Rochefort's, et al….just in case you were wondering what to pair with Rabbit Saddle….I just know you were.

While sitting and enjoying our first beer, I got word from Candice that she'd be joining us, how nice….better to enjoy a variety of dishes.

We went ahead and ordered a couple of dishes while waiting for Candice. First up were the Mussels with Duck and Frites. The mussels were of the smaller type, which I tend to prefer because of the more intense flavor. In this case the mussels were over done and tough, sad because the white wine, cream sauce was balanced enough not to over power the mussels. The duck "rillette" was much too salty, though we loved the crisp duck skin, something that I love and is easy to make as a by product of rendering duck fat.

It was the other "part" of the dish that got me hooked, as I really took to the frites here.

We all have different preferences, this one pushed the right buttons for me. The outside fairly, but not overly crisp, the interior fluffy, there's a richness, that goes to the brink of being greasy, but never crosses that line.

The Missus really enjoyed the Bratwurst(which, like everything else is made in house) with Stoemp. She enjoys a rustic style sausage and being that there are perhaps a hundred or so variations of Bratwurst, the coarse, toothsome cut of the meat reminded me of the Franconian/Bavarian style Brat I had many years ago. The seasoning was spot on, the Missus loved the greens and caramelized onions, I the mashed potato (stoemp).

Things didn't fare so well with the "Pork Pudding", which was basically a pork aspic (gelee). This really lacked a nice texture, it was like eating pork jello on bread, which for us was a much too sweet brioche. We'd have preferred something more rustic and substantial like a rillette, more savory that sweet.

Candice went full speed ahead and ordered the Briased Rabbit. In my experience, rabbit can be a mixed bag, it can be really, really gamey and dry, or well balanced in flavor, keeping the flavor of the pasture, with a toothsome texture. I'm actually all for barding this type of meat.

What really saved the rabbit for us was the stuffing which was moist and fairly rich. I'm not the biggest fan of offal, but on our trip to Malta this past year we had a seared rabbit liver salad which was delicious. I could taste that wonderful, grassy flavor in the stuffing.

We had a wonderful time as great company elevates the meal. The Missus added Bacchus to Her "beers that I enjoy" list. Adam was a fantastic host and I was craving those frites a couple of days later.

So I returned. Adam remembered me and exactly what I drank…scarey. When I asked him for a recommendation, he told me to try the Klokke Roeland, nothing to mess with at 11%. I loved it, to me I could make out orange-clove-molasses-honey, but it wasn't too sweet. Man, this was good, but no more than one…..

All I really wanted were frites, but man does not live on spuds along so I got the Pulled Rabbit Sandwich.

I have to say, the Levain (wild yeast) bread really didn't thrill me and the Mr Cottontail was on the tough side. I did enjoy the acid of the tomatoes, and of course the frites……always the frites….

I enjoyed the place so much that when my Birthday came around….a very low keyed day, my good friends and I enjoyed a rich, but nice meal at Brabant….. Mr Q even had a cocktail with Absinthe!

We got to the bottle list…..

And had a great time. Thanks for sharing the moment with me!

The food is on the "rich" side, but those frites call to me. I enjoy the folks here, they make me feel comfortable. South Park is a wonderful walking neighborhood, you can sit back and watch folks walking or driving by.

So there you go…….at heart, I'm still a "Pau Hana time Bud Light bucket ice kinda guy". But I've learned to spread my wings a bit. And Brabant is where that happens.

Brabant Bar & Cafe
2310 30th St
San Diego, CA 92104
Hours:
Mon-Thurs    3pm – 10pm
Friday       3pm – Midnight
Saturday     10am – Midnight
Sunday       10am – 9pm

Phuong Nga

February 24, 2014 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

**** This location of Phuong Nga has closed

Does this storefront ring a bell? I wouldn't blame you if it did. Other than the signage, everything about the place look exactly the same as the shop it replaced, Cam Ky. A few months back, I noticed the new sign with a different name and made a note to check it out. My good FOY "YummyYummy" beat me to it, probably because of the Banh Cuon sign. Her verdict? Well, not so good. While YY has impeccable taste when it comes to Vietnamese food, I decided to check them out myself, just to see.

The place looks basically the same. In fact, if you didn't pay attention to the sign, you'd walk in thinking it was Cam Ky. It becomes clear fairly quickly it is not. In spite of the sign; there's no "BBQ", no steam table, and just a couple of items on the regular menu. It becomes quite apparent that the place wants to focus on catering as prices for "trays" are posted prominently in the window and on the walls.

The prices really aren't bad by San Diego standards, so I went with the Banh Cuon, U'ot Dac Biet ($7). The portion was more than sufficient.

So what did I enjoy the most of this smorgasbord? Honestly, if I had to make a choice, I'd probably go with the blanched bean sprouts, really, I'm not trying to be a jerk or a smart aleck….but this was probably the blandest version of this dish I've ever had, and I've had my share from Vietnam to Little Saigon to San Diego. The Banh U'ot was thicker than I prefer and stuck together; the Cha Lua – pork roll was totally devoid of flavor, though I enjoyed the texture. There's usually a hint of flavor from the banana leaf and a mild porkiness to it. The nem chua, lacked the cured sourness that I really enjoy.

The pork in the Banh Cuon was dry and hard and the filling basically tasteless. The thickness of the rice itself, though thicker than I prefer in this case was decent. Usually, a good nuoc mam cham will save the dish.

Though this looked good, other than a decent amount of spice, it tasted watered down….bummer.

So, my search for good banh cuon in San Diego continues…..and I'm afraid all is for naught.

Phuong Nga
4141 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92105

Sunday Sandwiches: The Sandwich Place

February 23, 2014 mmm-yoso Sandwiches

So how many people have passed this place on Convoy Court and thought it was some office's al fresco dining area?

I must have passed this place a st least a thousand times and thought exactly that. I'm not sure why the sign with "Deli" on it never registered. But I was working on a recent holiday and noticed the signs for the first time….and they were open too!

It's a tiny shop, very mom-and-pop. The owners are Korean I believe, quiet, but very nice. The prices are good, just about everything under six bucks.

The offerings seemed very routine and it turned out my Clubhouse Special ($5.70) met those expectations.

It's as advertised, turkey, bacon, ham, swiss, with a bit too much mayo on decently toasted bread.

Man, what a boring post huh?

Well, I decided to see what else they had on the menu a couple of days later; it was a Thursday, a lo' and behold, a Teriyaki Steak Sandwich ($6.30):

You know, the meat could have used a bit more marinade time; it was obviously pre-cooked and microwaved, and it was, as expected not the most tender version I've had. But, like I've mentioned before, this is totally comfort food for me.

I grew up eating stuff like this; teri beef sandwiches……

And it was the mayo and the onion on it, followed by a couple of breath mints that really did the trick for me…..for a short moment, I was 10 years old again, eating a teriyaki sandwich on a table in front of some non-descript shop. The sun was shining and it seemed the rest of the day was going to be just fine. It was just good timing I guess…..

But who's going to complain about that?

The Sandwich Place
7112 Convoy Ct
San Diego, CA 92111

Revisits, cause and effect edition: Izakaya Sakura and Pizzeria Bruno

February 19, 2014 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Pizza

Have you ever had a dish that was less than satisfying which caused you to crave that very same dish at the place that did it better? I guess it's kind of cause and effect, right? Dish 'x' from restaurant 'x', made me crave the same or similar item at location 'y'…… I hadn't noticed how much I actually did this until last week…….

Izakaya Sakura:

I've done so many posts on Sakura, that I really don't bother posting about the place anymore. I've even posted on the Ebi Kakiage here several times….are you ready for another? Well, I noticed after having the version at Ouan, I was craving Sakura's.

Crisp, light, yet substantial, the cold udon version during this summer in February weather, this never fails to hit the spot. It's a good deal at $8.50.

Izakaya Sakura
3904 Convoy St #121
San Diego, CA 92111

And while I thought the Kakiage at ouan was passable, the "Neopolitan style" pizza at isa.bella really fell short, which had me craving……

Pizzeria Bruno:

*** Pizzeria Bruno has closed

I hadn't been in a while and it was nice to see how busy they were.

I ordered my favorite here, the Diavolo ($15), which features tangy, mildly sweet and spicy goat peppers, subbing soppressata for pepperoni, which has been my go to pizza here.

This time the crust was lovely charred to a nice smokiness without over doing it.

Compare what we had at isa.bella with this and tell me which one you'd prefer?

Pizzeria Bruno
4207 Park Blvd
San Diego, CA 92103

Pho 46

February 18, 2014 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

On my way back to the freeway from one of my meals at Motor City Deli, I noticed Pho 46. I recalled eating here when it was Cafe Kashmir, which was not a good experience and I was kind of glad those photos never turned out. Pho, on Miramar…….I wasn't quite sure since my experience with pho on this stretch of road hasn't really been good. Still, nothing wagered, nothing gained, right?

So a couple of days later I dropped by for lunch.

And the winner of the "most generic pho shop design is….." I mean really. However, I wasn't here to admire the feng shui, design, or anything like that, nor was I here to enjoy The Price is Right which was blaring away on the television.

The guy working here; who really looked familiar was quite friendly, the prices for most (not everything) was quite inexpensive. I'm sure you could get a mixture of proteins, but as a whole, it's either rare beef OR well done beef OR meatball. When I mentioned this to my good FOY (Friend of Yoso) "Yummy Yummy" she said, "just like Vietnam….". I'd gotten so used to American Pho, I'd forgotten…..

So I got the Pho Chin ($5.75):

I was somewhat surprised by this bowl, it caught me off guard. It was much better than I thought it would be. The broth, though light on beef flavor, was fairly low on salt/msg, which made all the other flavors, be them ever so faint come through. The beef seemed ot be brisket, had not fallen to pieces, and had good flavor. The noodles was a tangled, overcooked mess, and the sprouts and herbs sparse, but I expected that. Still, this was not bad at all.

While I was eating, three Vietnamese women came in, one of them was really loud. apparently they had ordered before arriving and once the food came out proceeded to attack this plate of chicken wings with loud, somewhat scary, finger-lickin' good aplomb. I had ot find out what they heck that woman was attacking so I asked the guy. He told me it was Butter Wings. Based on how the trio were enjoying their wings, I just had to have me some of that, so I did. The wings ain't cheap, $4.25 buys you four. They are very standard in crispness, perhaps a bit on greasy side and mild in flavor. By no means bad, in fact decent, but definitely not worthy of such a reaction by the three woman wrecking crew. If I were the owner, I'd have these three back everyday….they'd either get you the upsell, or nauseate the heck out of you.

As I left, the gentleman told me that the best wings they have are the Chicken Wings with Spicy Salt…..hey, talk about just up my alley.

So I decided to return a couple of days later……..the television yet again tuned to the Price is Right.

I ordered my wings, but it was too hot for soup so I went with te Shrimp Fried Rice ($6.50).

Much like the pho, this fried rice left me surprised. It wasn't fantastic by any means, but was a good by-the-book fried rice. There were 8 shrimp and though I thought it needed a bit more soy sauce, I felt it was a good value for the money; I'd have it again.

As for the Wings ($4.25):

These were much better than the other wings I'd had; a lot more flavor, less greasy, though I could have done without the wok-scald. It won't make me forget about other versions I've had, but was definitely not bad…..though at this price, over a dollar a wing, I'm not sure it's worth it. Still, not overly battered, a bit of spice, decent flavor, these weren't bad at all.

So, if you have hankering for some pretty inexpensive shrimp fried rice and some kind of expensive wings, or have the need to watch the Price is Right, this might be the place. Nothing fancy, nothing amazing, but many items are simple and a decent value. The guy working here is on the friendly side, though he wasn't too amused when he revealed where I'd seen him before; Com Tam 75….I had a real foot-in-mouth moment when I replied, "oh, is that place still open???"

Pho 46
9508 Miramar Rd
San Diego, CA 92126

isa.bella

February 17, 2014 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Pizza, Pubs and Pub Grub

**** isa.bella, which moved to Clairemont Square has closed

Back in June of last year, I noticed that the old and kind of worn Bollweevil was being put out to pasture. Taking its place was something called isa.bella – artisan pizza & craft beer garden, yes…all lower case. I kind of hesitated in visiting mainly because even though I've enjoyed watching new places pop-up arpund the neighborhood, I really haven't had much luck when I've checked these places out. Honestly, I'm not expecting North Park caliber places, but would like a nice standby that serves better than average food…..

A couple of weeks ago, JohnL agreed to join me for a couple of beers, we wanted to stay around the neighborhood and thought that it was time to check out isa.bella.

I liked what they've done to the patio area and decided to sit outside. Candice sent me a text saying she'd be able to join us….nice!

I was seated at one of hte tables outside, I've got to say, as much as I liked the colors and such; the tables were pretty high for me and when John and Candice arrived, we realized just how large the tables was. Still, this will be a nice place to have a beer and relax when spring and summer arrive.

I looked over the beer selection, which was decent, nothing like the High Dive of course, but with 15 on tap, it was fine with me. I think having a couple of bottles might be great as well.

I went simple with an Hoegaarden to start while I just kind of got into relaxation mode.

Soon enough Candice, then JohnL arrived and we started looking over the menu in earnest.

In the end we decided on two apps and two pizzas.

Things started off with the meatball trio ($7):

The meatballs were served with a "trio" of sauces; a white, almost bechamel type of sauce that was kind of gritty, a decent think red sauce, and pesto. The flavor of the meatballs were decent, though these were on the hard and tough side.

Seeing the Garlic Wings on the menu ($7), I just had to check them out.

Though the menu calls these spicy, I found them more sweet than anything else. Decently crunchy, sticky and messy, with a mild garlic flavor, this was the best thing we had all evening.

The pizzas started with the Eggplant Parmesan ($13.50).

Now, considering that I was told that isa.bella served Neopolitan style pizza, something along the lines of Pizzeria Bruno came to mind. This didn't quite make it up there, especially in the crust department for me as it was hard and cracker like. This was also on the bland side as the eggplant needed a lot more help. The cheese was not strong enough to carry the dish and there didn't seem to be enough marinara sauce on this as well.

The Margherita ($12.50) fared better.

I'm still not fond of the crust, but the acid of the roma tomatoes combined with basil is a wonderful thing. The pizza was still a bit short on sauce for my taste.

Overall, the prices weren't bad, I wasn't very fond of the pizzas, but the staff was nice, and I felt comfortable here, so I figured I'd drop by for just a beer and something simple one evening.

I got the Leffe Brown, I like browns which balance out the sweet and bitter, and this did the trick.

The Parmesan Fries were nice, hot and crisp, perhaps a bit too salty, but nothing to complain about at a Happy Hour price of $3.

I'm guessing this place will be just that for me; a place to drop in for a beer and something small to eat every once in a while. I like the staff, they're friendly, but not overly so, and I can have a beer and decompress….. though I may stop by for lunch someday.

isa.bella artisan pizzeria & craft beer garden
4011 Avati Dr
San Diego, CA 92117
Hours:
Tues – Thurs 11am – 9pm
Fri – Sat 11am – 10pm
Sunday 11am – 9pm

Sunday Sandwiches, the “Say Cheese” Edition: Alex’s Brown Bag (now in PB) and Jin’s Grill

February 16, 2014 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Cheesesteaks, Sandwiches

So what were you doing on July 14th, 2010? Well, I'm not sure of a lot of things, but I do know I was typing up my first "say cheese" Cheesesteak Round-up, comparison post. Man 3/1/2 years. Recently, I reader asked me why I hadn't done one in a while, the last one being almost exactly two years ago. You know, I'm not quite sure, but as I mentioned before, just the thought of a cheesesteak can send me off into a frenzy of Amaroso bunned binging……

A couple of things, I like mine "wit", onions that is, and wit-out "wiz", which was introduced to the sandwich sometime in the 1950's. And unlike that "owner" who didn't care for my opinion of his mediocre sandwich, claiming he knew what a cheesesteak was all about because he read about Pat And Geno's on the internet; I have actually been to Pat's and Geno's, which wasn't nearly as good as the cheesesteak I had from a shop in the Reading Terminal Market called Rick's Original Philly Steaks, which has been closed for a number of years. I did read that he's opened shop in Kennett Square.

Of course all that time means some changes; Olde City Grille has closed, Gaglione Brothers opened their second location, and for some reason the Philadelphia Cheesesteak Company keeps rolling along. One place did drop off the map and had me wondering "whatever happened to……"

Alex's Brown Bag at Latitiude 32:

**** Alex's has totally closed

When I worked in the Hillcrest area, we used to order from Alex's all the time…until it seemed that there was some degradation in their sandwiches which were coming up dry and tough. During that last visit in 2010, it just didn't seem like the same cheesesteak I had been eating over the years.

A couple of years ago, Alex's pulled up stakes and moved to PB. After my cheesesteak trigger had been pulled, Alex's came to mind so I decided to find out exactly where they were located…..which turned out to be inside the pub called Latitude 32. Cheesesteak in a Pub? Shades of Monkey Paw.

The drill here is, you can peruse the menu at the bar, but have to go to the back of the pub to place and pay for your order near the kitchen.

The guys here were very friendly; I recalled the folks when I visited 5th avenue were on the surly side. I got a 12" with provolone, which was probably more sandwich than I should have ordered.

This was a nice sandwich ($8.96), much better than the last one I had from Alex's. The Amoroso roll was nice and warm, with that mild, almost imperceptible crustiness to it, along with the gritty cornmeal. The beef was a bit more chewy than I recalled, but the sandwich was nice and moist with a milky edge brought on by the cheese. This was nicely seasoned, edging on almost garlic-salty, but was nice as most 'steaks are on the milder side.

This was better than I remembered, I'm sure to be back soon.

Alex's Brown Bag (Inside Latitude 32 Pub)
5019 Cass St
San Diego, CA

Jin's Grill:

*** Jin's Grill has closed and is now a location of Homestyle Hawaiian

So I see a sign announcing "Best Cheesesteak in San Diego" in the same stripmall as Pho Little Saigon. A couple of days later I return to find the shop behind the sign, which turns out to be a little shop called Jin's Grill.

The place only has various renditions of "Philly's" i.e. sandwiches on the menu.

I was told that the beef for the cheesesteak was angus, which I thought was nice since the sandwich was south of $7, though I did add mushroom for about a buck more.

The sandwich did look nice….especially the strings of cheese stretching across the wrapper.

The was a plus/minus sandwich. The roll was cold and really detracted from the sandwich. This wasn't highly seasoned, which meant I could really make out the beefy flavor. It wasn't as oily as other versions, but then again, this meant that it was also a bit too dry and lacking in that oozy-richness that makes cheesesteaks so good.

Sort of a tweener, but well priced.

Jin’s Grill
3445 Midway Dr
San Diego, CA 92110
Hours:
Mon – Sat 1030am – 9pm
Sunday 11am – 8pm

Now that this has started…..who knows where it'll end. I do need to visit Philly Frank's, Monkey Paw, and perhaps Eddie's, and of course Gaglione Brothers…..

Coimbra: The University and more piggy fun at António dos Leitoes Porta Larga

February 15, 2014 mmm-yoso Coimbra, Portugal, Portuguese Food, Sandwiches, Travel

At the end of my last post, I mentioned dreading the loooong steep walk up the hill to the University of Coimbra. There is a "elevador" that you can catch up and down the hill, but it was closed for repairs at the time if our visit. Sigh. Anyway, even though we'd already had a quick look at the University the previous day, I figured that if we were to see one site in Coimbra, it had to be the University and some if its most famous structures.

On our visit the previous day, we came up the opposite way, directly to the "Pátio das Escolas", the main courtyard. This time we entered via the "Porta Ferrea", the Iron Gate afterr buying tickets to the various sites in the bookstore.

There are limits on visitors so, you need to get tickets and times set-up. The University was founded in 1290, so of course many traditions have been established like Queima das Fitas – The Burning of the Ribbons and Festa das Latas (The Tin Can Parade). Entering through the Gate you'll come to the bright and impressive Courtyard. This actually used to be the courtyard of the Coimbra Royal Palace which was turned over to the University by King John (João III) in 1537. The reflection of the sun on white can almost blind you at times. And that is a statue of John III, back to the Mondego River standing isolated in the middle of the courtyard.

In 2013, the University became listed on UNESCOs World Heritage List. Click on the photo below to enlarge.

There were a couple of buildings we wanted to check out. Unfortunately, no photography is allowed, so I'll try to do links to other sites so you can get an idea of how the place looks. For me, the one building I just had to see was the Biblioteca Joanina, built by King John V (João V), also know as "John the Magnanimous". One look in this beautiful library and you'll know why he had that nickname.

A walk through the ornate rooms illustrates what a great power Portugal once was. What I found really interesting was the prison under the library. The University had its own police and courts, so naturally it had its own prison for students and faculty…….

Next door behind the facade (you actually enter to the right of the doorway) is Capela de Sao Miguel – St Michael's Chapel. There's a beautiful and ornate pipe organ in the chapel.

Up the stairs of the building that faces John III and down the hallways called the "via Latina" you'll find Sala dos Capelos – The Grand Hall. You'll look down upon what used to be the palace throne room and became an examination room. You can get some great views looking out the windows of the catwalk above the room.

We enjoyed our time visiting the university, but man, I was getting hungry……

So we wound our way back down to our hotel and along one of the many alleyways, on Rua das Padeiras we saw this little shop.

It's pretty easy to see how it caught my eye, right?

Plus, in spite of my lack of linguistic ability…..the big joke is that I can't say much except thank you and hello….but boy can I name the various food items. Leitao was one of those words within my grasp……it basically means suckling pig, and this was Porkugal, I mean Portugal.

It seemed like a nice place to take a break. I ordered a Leitao Sandes – basically a suckling pig sandwich. The Missus decided on some soup, which She really enjoyed….porky goodness one and all.

Soon enough my sandwich arrived…..it was a pretty hefty one at that! The most interesting thing was the glass of, well, something that accompanied my sandwich. A quick taste, I'm glad I didn't chug the thing, and it was quickly identified as pork drippings/sauce/juice/mother's milk, whatever you want to call it. It was on the salty side, though when drizzled on the pork it became "elixir of the gods…or swine". The bread was pretty good, the pork a bit dry and bland without the "juice", the skin on the hard side.

I was still in that pork and beer for breakfast mode since Lisbon, so it only seemed natural that I order a Sagres as well. While this was nowhere as good as my Bifana and beer from Beira Gare it did fine by me.

Boy does this country love its pork…….and I was taking good advantage of it!

António dos Leitoes Porta Larga
Rue das Padeiras 35
Coimbra, Portugal

After lunch it was time to head back to our room for a pork induced nap…..

Happy Valentine’s Day

February 14, 2014 mmm-yoso yoso-silly

Have you noticed the dearth of Valentine's Day posts here? Well, the Missus let me off the hook for this years ago; the practical side of Her just couldn't see going through all the trouble, fighting the crowds, the stress, etc, etc…… But that doesn't mean I've been let of the hook….you see, the Missus also told me, "you know that any day can be Valentine's Day…..everyday, if I declare it so, right?"

Well, there's always a catch, isn't there?

So when I told the Missus that perhaps I should do a V-Day post, all She wanted was this photo of Frankie in it.

"Won't you be my Valentine????"

Whatever way you choose to celebrate this day…..or not, we wish you a wonderful day…..

And if you're not feeling particularly well on this day, we hope you find a remedy….perhaps even on this pegboard!

Since things sort of seem random…..here's something that just shows how ancient I am. I recently heard this song for the first time in decades and it took me bac kto my childhood….what we call hanabuddah days. It features the wonderful voice of Liz Damon and a song that was strangely written by Burt Bacharach.

Years ago I met Liz Damon, who had become a Greeter at one of the Casinos in Vegas, she was kind and warm. With a voice like this, I'm sort of surprised she never became a bigger star. I'm sure there's a story here somewhere……. Anyway, I thought it would be appropriate for today.

I hope you all have a great weekend!