mmm-yoso – Page 257

Prague: Hospoda u Novaka and getting oriented

June 19, 2014 mmm-yoso Czech Food and Restaurants, Czech Republic, Prague, Pubs and Pub Grub, Travel

As we packed up and caught the train to Brussels airport, it seemed like we had just arrived in Belgium….and whoosh we were off again. The flight to Prague was an uneventful 90 minutes. We arrived and caught the Cedaz shuttle to Namesty Republiky (Republic Square). From there it was a short two stop ride on the metro (yellow line) to Karlovo Namesti (Charles Square). We found our way to the apartment we were staying at and checked in. The woman in charge, Lucia, was fantastic, quickly whipping out a map and giving us advice….the best of which was; "you can ride the tram and metro, but really, everything is so close, if you like walking you should walk." We weren't staying in the tourist laden Old Town, but in the area south of there called the New Town. It quickly became clear that Prague was a bit more edgy than Brussels, and yet, things were still pretty easy, with a few exceptions I'll detail a bit later on.

The first thing we needed to do was get some lunch. I had put together a list of possibilities organized by area and after walking the streets behind the National Theatre we found Hospoda u Novaka.

Hospoda literally means "pub" and the folks eating (and drinking) here all looked like locals….smoking is allowed in most pubs and restaurants in the Czech Republic and based on the amount we took in with the place almost empty, I can imagine how it gets here during busy periods. Our server spoke rudimentary English, just enough to get us a menu. We found this to be the case in many places, folks spoke just enough English to get by and sometimes, none at all…….I will say folks were really good natured at our butchery of simple Czech phrases like "hello" (dobry den) or the one that I just always seem to butcher, dekuyi – thank you. It also seemed that my pronounciation got worse the longer I stayed in the Czech Republic.

I started with a draft Gambrinus, a pilsner, very light, slightly sweet, highly carbonated, they really like a good amount of head when serving beers in the CR. This was very run-of-the-mill. The Missus had a dark that was also non-descript as I can't remember anything about it.

We'd come here expecting hearty traditional Czech dishes and we weren't disappointed. The Missus got the "vepřo-knedlo-zelo" – Roast pork with dumplings and cabbage.

"Cabbage" here means the vegetable either braised, pickled, fermented, or all of the above. It can be very sweet as most of the red cabbage preparations were….so the Missus was fine on this count as She loves this stuff. The bread dumplings were like a medium dense bread. I never found any potato dumplings that I enjoyed.; most were waxy, flavorless filler that just kind of stayed put in your belly long after eating. I'm sure that tradionally this was the purpose of the Bramborové Knedlíky. The roast pork was, well porky, pretty tender, and hearty, there wasn't a huge portion of protein, which I think also served a traditional purpose.

I ordered the Gulas.

A hearty beef stew, with just a smidge of heat, but with a nice bovine flavor.

As you can see, this was stick to your ribs stuff.

Hospoda U Novaka
V Jircharich 2
Prague 1, Prague, Czech Republic

The hearty meal meant that we had to burn some of it off and the Missus was rarin' to go. We headed north and came upon busy Narodni Tridna, full of shops, restaurants, and cafes.

Taking a slight right, we arrived at the beginning of Wencelas Square, busy, vibrant, full of history (more on that later), This was one (of several, it would turn out) of the Missus's favorite places in Prague.

I'll go more into the area in a later post…especially since, like the Charles Bridge and the Old Town Square, we came here every single day we were in Prague, sometimes a couple of times!

As I started up the square, which is more like a boulevard, the Missus stopped me and said, "I have to get that." What was it? Another Chanel bag? Some shoes? No, She had spotted this stand.

"Good god, after that lunch you want a sausage from the sausage stand?"

"Shut up, give me some Euros, and get out of my way….."

Which I did post-haste, as no one stands in the way of the Missus when She has meat in tube form in front of Her.

Still, I wondered why in the world the Missus wanted this stuff, until I saw this…..

It was a pickled cabbage bar…..in other words, the sausage was just a vehicle for sauerkraut….egads!

She managed to eat all that cabbage and the sausage….She dumped the bread, the Missus now has the popular belief that gluten is bad for you. I made a quick mental note to stay upwind of Her for the rest of the day.

We headed back up Na Prikope and ended up in front of this rather ominous looking structure. It's called the Powder Tower. This Gothic structure was once a gate in the city wall and was also where gunpowder was stored. It stands next to the beautiful Municipal House and is a good landmark to help you figure out where you are.

Funny thing, I like to think we're pretty good at directions; but for some reason the location of the Old Town Square got us confused and turned around a couple of itmes during our first stay in Prague.

This was another of the Missus's favorite places in Prague.

Crowded with tourists, touts, and cafes, this is usually the last place the Missus would want to be. But there was something about how lively the place was….plus, the Missus fell in love with the "thingamajiggy" known as the Astronomical Clock.

Built in 1410, this is the third oldest astronomical closck in the world. Rather than me going into all the details, you'd be better off reading this. My first reaction to the thing was, "can someone tell me what time is says it is?' At the top of the hour "Death" pulls a cord which rings a bell, windows open and statues of the 12 Apostles roll on by……which for some reason got me humming "It's a Small World". The rooster on the top crows and it's over…like in a couple seconds and I'll post photos later of what seems like thousand of people standing looking upward waiting for this to happen, especially at noon.

Much like Manneken Pis in Brussels much of the fun was watching the folks watching the clock. And of course people watching is fun as well. You notice some amusing things, like this three people with their special telescoping "selfie tool". Really, someone actually carries this around in case they need to take a selfie?

At the Northwest end of the square is St Nicholas Church, again, more on all these places a bit later on.

Somewhere down this street was supposedly the Charles Bridge…..supposedly.

We quickly noticed something about Prague, which would be true about the other cities in the Czech Republic we visited as well. Folks here loved their dogs, they rode on the trolleys, trains, even going to work with their owners in the morning. Maybe that's one of the reasons we loved the Czech Republic so much!

Well, we ended up at a bridge alright….but it obviously wasn't the Charles Bridge.

Still, the views of the Charles Bridge from the Manesuv Bridge were quite nice.

Looking up there seemed to be storm clouds rolling in…..the Missus really wanted to get to the Charles Bridge…would we make it before the rain?

Stay tuned!

Kokoro part 2: Omakase Dinner

June 17, 2014 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi

I enjoyed lunch enough at Kokoro that I decided, what the heck; let's roll the dice and go for the omakase dinner.

So I made reservations for an early dinner. I like to give places like this the best chance of creating a nice meal, so we usually eat early. The Missus wasn't quite sure and She had to work anyway, so this was a solo deal.

I was given the nice corner of the bar area, a place I really like to sit. It's quiet and I get to concentrate on my meal.

Things started off with a very well done ohitashi….spinach with mushroom served in the typical kobachi – small bowl.

Subtle and very balanced, the dashi wasn't too over-powering, you could taste the mushrooms, not too salty….clean and refreshing.

The shiromi (white fish) was nice and firm, the ponzu bracing, making this a nice follow-up.

Next up was the sashimi.

I really enjoy the saba here, maybe I'll go ahead and try the battera here next time. The San Diego Uni was excellent. We got into a nice short discussion on uni. Akio-san told me that the best uni comes from the waters off San Clemente and is almost impossible to get since most of it goes to Japan. He used to have connections when he owned Kappo Ishito, but no longer. The toro was ok, though the kanpachi was very firm which I enjoyed.

I really enjoyed the Ushio-jiru.

This had a very clean finish, almost restorative. Light, delicate, the wonderful broth made from tai (snapper) bones just hit the right spots. If I bring the Missus, I'll need to make sure She can try this….it's something She would love. The seemingly simple dishes are deceptively difficult to make….it may not impress some, but for me, I really enjoyed the balance and subtle flavors.

The next dish was a kamo, duck breast, which seemed braised, along with daikon and okra.

The sweet, soy sauce flavor reminded me of buta kakuni. The duck was good, a bit more chewy than I prefer, but it was that piece of daikon, that I really enjoyed. It held shape until I placed in my mouth, which then proceeded to melt away.

Next up was the dish I enjoyed the least…..something that should perhaps be banished from these type of meals…..Saikyo miso Tara (True Cod).

Call me jaded because I've been eating this all my life, but this just didn't do it for me. The fish needed a bit more time under high heat….it just tasted mundane and mediocre compared to what had preceded.

Next up were the nigiri, starting with a large slab of maguro.

The kohada – gizzard shad wasn't as "milky" in flavor as I enjoy.

I do enjoy the preparation of anago here and also appreciate the yuzu kosho which added a nice, mild punch to the nigiri.

At this point, I was asked if I wanted more nigiri, or if I'd go the soba route. I asked Akio-san which direction to take in this fork in the road. He told me "I think you'd like our soba, you should try it……we do a good gobo tempura soba."

And he was right….the soba was perfectly prepared, with a nice texture. The tsuyu was balanced without being too salty. The gobo….well, I love gobo, was crisp and earthy, not oily in the least. I was full and ready for a nap after this.

But I was told, "you must have dessert!" So I did…..

The damage? Dinner and a beer…..$70 bucks without tip. Not bad at all. Here's the thing. I think the fork in the road was after those pieces of nigiri….go for more and you'll hit the $85 plus category, which I think is just dandy if that's what you want. The one really telling moment was when Akio-san recommended I have the soba……it was an honest recommendation. He could have easily led me down the road to more $$$, but whether it was experience or intuition, he looked past the possible additional revenue and gave me his recommendation. The preparations here are more straight forward and traditional than other places. The folks here are really great; I'm not sure what happens when they get slammed, but I try to put myself in the best situation for a good meal and I definitely got one. I'm not going to get into the "is this place better than that place" thing. What I will say is….I'll be back and that's what matters to me.

Kokoro Restaurant
3298 Greyling Dr
San Diego, CA 92123

Mr Fish and Chips 7 Years Later……

June 16, 2014 mmm-yoso Seafood

Man, time sure does fly, doesn't it? The last time I posted on Mr Fish and Chips was well over seven years ago! Sheesh, seven years…..seven years! Just think, the first iPhone was released in June of 2007 four months after this post…..Twitter was less than a year old…and it seemed that Mr Fish and Chips had been here forever.

For some reason, this little mom-and-pop….and daughter operation kind of flies under my radar. It could be that I just don't consume that much fry-o-lated food anymore. It could be that it's tucked away in the strip mall that I hardly visit….the one that's been undergoing renovation for what seems like forever.

So I was rather surprised when frequent commenter "Soo" mentioned that a fire had shut down Mr Fish and Chips. I eventually did check out the location after taking my sweet old time and they were indeed closed. I'm sure Soo was happy when they reopened.

So after waiting a couple of months, before we left on our trip, I decided to drop by….you know, just to see. Apparently Soo wasn't the only one happy to see them back in business. They really knew all their regulars and what they ordered, the older Korean woman even chastised one of the men who hadn't visited since they reopened.

I went with the Fish Plate ($8.99) with Fries. This is straight up fried fish….no flavor of the month seasoning, nothing frou-frou….very old school.

The fish is decent, it ain't tilapia or swai, or anything you'd find on a 99 cent fish taco. The batter is closer to tempura, crisp, light, slightly lacquered. The fish was moist and flakey, very mild in flavor. The fries….sigh….are SYSCO-lated, but I expected no less. I would usually order the onion rings…..but decided my batter quota was already being met. I thought the simple coleslaw was better than I recalled, cold, nice vinegar…..maybe I've been longing for something simple and old school.

For some reason, I really thought the Malt Vinegar was weak and insipid….perhaps my tastes have changed, but I couldn't get the flavor I wanted no matter how much of that stuff I poured out. Don't ask me about the tartar sauce….just don't.

In the end, I got what I expected and came here for. What more could I have asked for?

Mister Fish & Chips
5647 Balboa Ave
San Diego, CA 92111
Hours
Mon-Sat 11am-9pm
Closed on Sundays

Sunday Sandwiches: V Bakery

June 15, 2014 mmm-yoso Bakery, Sandwiches

*** V Bakery has closed

I was driving on Comvoy the day after returning from our trip. For some reason I glanced on over to the strip mall that houses Izakaya Sakura, Tsuruhashi, and Koubou and noticed that Viet Bakery and Pho had loss a couple of letters and was now just V Bakery. I wondered if this was just another iteration of the legacy shop which changed and morphed and in the end just couldn't gain any traction.

I saw "sandwiches" on the grand opening sign….and based on the history immediately thought Banh Mi.

I could not have been more wrong. I returned during the work week for lunch….the name of this shop is V French Bakery & Cafe.

Ah yes, another bakery in Kearney Mesa…. with the ubiquitous selection of macaroons and such. I did like the spartan set-up and the folks running the place were very friendly.

So I decided to stick around and get a panini……a Turkey and Avocado Panini ($7.95).

The bread was pressed and toasted well; crisp and light. The turkey seemed like tpyical processed stuff and the cheese really didn't have enough milkiness or umph, to really make a difference. I would have appreciated a bit more avocado, the slices I did run into added a nice creaminess to the sandwich.

I really enjoyed the acid from the tomatoes and especially the sun dried tomato dressing used for the sandwich. The price seemed a bit on the high side, but the addition of a free drink brought it back into balance.

I returned a few days later and decided to try the Meat Lover's Panini ($8.95), which in retrospect is a dubious choice on my part. Add to the fact that the bacon that was supposed to be on the sandwich was "not ready", this ham-turkey combination, even with the addition of the tomato and onion missed the mark for me. It probably would have been better with bacon.

I totally like the approach of going simple with these type of sandwiches. Last year, during our stay in Malta, the Missus and I ran into a little shop that did just salads and pressed flat bread sandwiches called "Piadina". All the piadina were just three ingredients; but all those items were of decent quality and went well together; like prosciutto – grana padano cheese – arugula…… It looked like this:

And at 4 Euroes ($5.40), was a bargain as well as being both satisfying and delicious…..

That's kind of what I'm looking for…..

Though I'm guessing the folks here are really pushing the bakery angle from the looks of the "sample" wedding cakes and such. Seeing that I don't have much of a sweet tooth, I'll let other folks tell me how the bakery items are.

The folks here are very friendly, just nice folks overall. I hope they find their niche and do well.

V French Bakery & Cafe
3904 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111
Hours:
Mon – Fri 1000am – 2pm
5pm – 9pm
Sat – Sun 7am – 9pm

Porto: A visit to Vila Nova De Gaia and Croft Port Win Lodge

June 14, 2014 mmm-yoso Cooking, Porto, Portugal, Travel

It would not have been right to spend time in Porto and not cross the Douro River and visit at least one Port Wine lodge in Vila Nova de Gaia. Port wine grapes are grown upstream in the Douro valley and come to Vila Nova de Gaia to age in the various lodges in the area. You'll see very familiar names, Sandeman, Taylor, and Kopke as you cross on over.

To get there, we walked back up to the Sé do Porto – the Cathedral and crossed over on the top level of the Dom Luis Bridge. You could just as easily walk over on the lower level, but crossing over on the "Metro level", you'll get the benefit of a very nice view.

I also enjoyed watching the metro zoom by…….

Crossing over, we got kind of turned around and a bit lost in the winding streets of Vila Nove de Gaia. When we finally made it to Taylor, they were closed for a private event. The Missus was starting to get a bit frustrated when we finally found Croft.

The rustic interior and large barrels really gave this place the "right" atmosphere.

We were going to take the tour and even bought tickets when this large noisy group of young people came in and basically took over the place. The Missus and I decided to pass on the tour, which I heard is pretty good and just had our tastings…..

I supplemented with a tasting of the 10 year old Tawny Port, which was more to my taste, not overly sweet, slightly smokey, caramelized fruitiness……

We then headed back down to the waterfromt, which was much more relaxed than Porto, though I've got say, Porto is fairly relaxed as a whole.

On a bright sunny day like this one; you got some postcard worthy views…..

We decided to head back to the apartment. We took the lower level of the bridge…..

And within minutes were back at the apartment. It had been a pretty long day; starting with checking out Avenida dos Aliados, Imperial McDonald's and breakfast. Moving on to Mercaod do Bolhao, Clérigos Church and Tower and lunch at Antunes. Ending with our visit to Vila Nova de Gaia. We decided on staying in for dinner…..

I'd really taken to the dense, dark, bread called Broa de Avintes and we had found some at a local bakery.

Meal complete, we took our usual after dinner stroll……

Walking along the Ribeira (riverfront), I saw a place selling a variety of Francesinha…..there's just something wrong about having a veggie or tofu version of this calorie bomb of a sandwich, don't you think?

I was mentally trying to determine if I had enough room in my belly for one of these, when the Missus read my mind and said, "there's no way I'm going to let you have another one of those sandwiches". Which was probably a correct decision…….still, I was sorely tempted.

White (Ivory) King Salmon

June 12, 2014 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes, Seafood

It's been good getting back into the old routine here after our trip. That of course, would mean my weekly trip to Catalina Offshore…..and of course, running into Tommy Gomes. This time around, Tommy asked me if I'd ever cooked White King Salmon…..heck, wasn't that really expensive stuff; like what Alain Ducasse and Daniel Boulud are serving at pretty hefty prices? And I have a chance at it? A nice center cut piece to be exact…. Tommy, did you miss me??? I'd never cooked this product before and I asked Tommy what the difference was between this and regular wild king salmon. His response, "it's different, kind of hard to put a finger on it, the mouthfeel is definitely different, give it a try…." Which is precisely what I did.

I'm sure you're wondering what this looked like, right?

Ever see salmon that looked like this?

Yes, this is King Salmon, the same species as your run of the mill Onchorhynchus tshawytscha, also known as Chinook Salmon. What causes the lack of pigmentation? Apparently a genetic mutation that causes an inability to metabolize astaxanthin. According to the Alsakan Department of Fish and Game, "research has shown the white kings and the red-fleshed kings are identical in composition of lipids, moisture, protein and omega -3 fatty acids". Different sources state that this mutation occurs in anywhere from 1% to 5% of the population. White King Salmon used to be destined for canning or the smokehouse; but perhaps, like Patagonian Toothfish, aka Chilean Sea Bass a name change from White King Salmon to Ivory King Salmon brought about a larger demand?

Bottom line, does the taste and texture any different from regular wild King Salmon? Some say yes, but the described differences are all over the board and contradicting. Some say no.

So here's the drill; I first went with a simple pan saute, with a quick dill infused olive oil to finish and some stir-fried vegetables.

Wow, this was good, to us it was quite different from the usual King Salmon we get. It's not quite oilier, but somehow richer, reminding us of King Clip in the way it flaked. The flavor was quite a bit milder and the typical salmon flavor was a bit more faint, it also seemed to have a slightly sweeter finish. This was outstanding fish…….

So, the Missus decided that I should figure out a way to crust this, adding pepitos to the whole thing. Easy to say from where She sits when I gotta make this stuff! Anyway, toasted and coarsely ground the pumpkin seeds. Panned seared the simply seasoned salmon; added a smear of dill mustard as "glue" to hold the pepito crust, finish in a hot oven………holy smokes……

This was my favorite preparation; it had it all, great texture (man that skin had gotten a texture like chicharron), the combination of nuttiness, dill, and mustard did really well, not interfering with the flavor of the salmon. In fact, it just seemed to add the correct instruments to the band.

Of course I had to come up with a different version for our next meal. The Missus wanted something really tender and steamed. I had to grill off some other items for Her, so I went with a version of en Papillote on the grill. My usual M.O. for this would be to add some wine for moisture and flavor….unfortunately, the current diet the Missus is on allows no alcohol of any kind, to drink or cook. So I went with a few slices of lemon on top, a healthy squeeze of lemon juice and a couple of tablespoons of Grieben Schmalz.

After 20 minutes, the Missus had Her favorite preparation. This was nice, everybody brought something to the party; the schmalz laced with caramelized onions added some nice sweetness along with the thin sliced zucchini, the tomatoes and lemon juice a nice contrasting acid, the onions a mild sweet pungency….the schmalz and juices from the fish had rendered over the vegetables.

Simpler is often better, as is the case when using salmon belly. I saved that cut to have with a nice salad, salt, pepper, and the Big Kahuna raging.

Melt in your mouth salmon belly…..a nice final dish.

So, if you skipped to the end here and want to know what we think; I'd say buy it if it's fresh…..if I don't get to it first!

Kokoro Part 1 – Lunch

June 11, 2014 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi

Timing is a funny thing. First off, I hadn't had rice for almost 5 weeks. Our trip, then supporting the Missus with Her latest "thing" meant rice was "no bueno". I was given the ok to consume said grain on "my own time", but I still didn't hae the motivation to do so. Until I received and email from "FOY" SomTommy who told me that the former owner of the well regarded Little Tokyo Sushi, cum Kaiseki restaurant Kappo Ishito had opened a small restaurant in Serra Mesa. A day later, I read about it in Eater San Diego. Apparently, Akio Ishito had been biding his time at Oton, before opening his own place. This kinda made me waver a bit…..I've never been the biggest fan of Oton having had a couple of rather uneven meals there. So I contacted SomTommy again who also mentioned that he dropped over $250 for the omakase for two at this new place called Kokoro. Now I'm not adverse to spending that kind of money for an outstanding meal……but I truly had my doubts. Then I read that they did lunch……I realize that lunch would not display the full range of what the Itamae could pull off, but it would give some indication of his style and preparation.

So, I believe this location used to be the combination Chinese Fast Food – Western Steakburger? It's not got a simple front; no large sign yet, looking somewhat incomplete from the outside. The interior is simple, clean, and rather generic. The woman working, who I assume is Akio-san's wife is so very nice, in a calm, relaxing way.

The lunch menu is set with a combination bento like offering, a bunch of rice bowls (only to-go I believe), chirashi, and a nigiri combination. There's also a page full of rolls, which I really didn't pay attention to.

I ordered the Nigiri Lunch Special – 8 pieces and miso soup ($15). First thing I noticed was that Akio-san works fast, I mean like a well oiled machine fast. He put my lunch together in less than 5 minutes. But don't get the idea that his work is sloppy, rather, things look quite uniform.

Things I noticed right away; it seemed like the nigiri were bigger than I was used too….perhaps I've been consuming a bit too much Edomae style nigiri. The amount of wasabi was consistent on each piece and was to my taste….heck even at Shunji, there was bit too much wasabi in the first two pieces of nigiri before things settled down. And while the offerings were pretty much routine, I thought it was an excellent $15 lunch, 8 pieces nigiri, miso soup (not bad – a bit too light), and two decent pieces of tamago (good), was more than enough for me.

The best items by far was the Tako, which was nice and tender, the saba was prepared, I'm not sure if he does the curing himself….I'll ask next time, but it had a nice meatiness to it, while still being very tender, with a faint cheesiness, and good oil. The anago was really good….it really didn't look too promising, but it basically melted in my mouth.

While not too talkative initially, Akio-san got a bit more chatty as the meal went on. In the end, this was a very nice lunch….I left satisfied.

So what about that omakase? Well, you notice that this is "part 1", right?

Stay tuned!

Kokoro Restaurant
3298 Greyling Dr
San Diego, CA 92123
Hours:
Mon – Thurs 1130am – 10pm
Fri – Sat 1130am – 11pm

Noodling around – Revisits to Ristorante Kaz, Mien Trung, and Pho Lucky

June 9, 2014 mmm-yoso Bun Bo Hue, Italian Restaurants, Japanese Restaurants, Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

I tried to get my fill of noodles before our trip; here's a rundown of a few of those revisits:

Ristorante Kaz:

It had been over a year and a half since I visited "Sakura's Son of a different Mother", the Japano-Italian Ristorante Kaz. I'm not super fond of that fusion. Though, while I thought having the same type of pasta for almost every dish a bit tedious, I did enjoy a couple of items I had. So I decided it was time for a return.

It's good to note that the lunch prix fixe menu still has a base price of $12 for a salad, soup, and pasta. There are upcharges for various substitutions for each course. This means that top price for the lunch would be about $18….kind of pricey.

I decided to try some of the substitutions this time around, starting with the marinated vegetables in the place of the standard salad, a $1 upcharge.

I'd say save your money here; this is more like a couple of grilled vegetables and one that should have been roasted (the red bell pepper), but was not, with some vinegar and olive oil thrown on it.

The potato soup ($1 upcharge) was not bad.

This version was a bit less thick and creamy, lighter in texture overall. It needed a bit more salt.

I went with one of my favorites here the Shishito Pepper and Mushroom with "Citrus" Flavor.

The pasta, as in my past visits was nicely done. I did notice some fairly significant changes; there was a lot less shishito and mushroom. I also think they aren't using much, if any yuzukosho, as I couldn't detect anything but a very strong and bitter white pepper flavor which detracted from the dish.

Too bad I guess. I will say that when I left the place was packed….with women and infants; the Japanese National version of "women who do lunch" with strollers, highchairs, and such. Perhaps they've found their niche. For me, it was just a bit too much carbs………

Ristorante Kaz
3904 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Mien Trung:

Yes, yet again, for maybe the zillionth time.

Mom was less heavy handed with the MSG this time around and the lemongrass flavor and the spice up front.

The Hen Xuc Banh Trang – Stir Fried Baby Clams with Rice Crackers was a spicy-peppery joy to eat. The left-overs come home with us and we eat it with rice the next day……I believe this was the last time I ate rice until tonight, something like 6 weeks!

Mien Trung Restaurant
7530 Mesa College Dr
San Diego, CA 92111

Pho Lucky:

Yeah, I know, yet another post on this place. This time was different though. We both thought they went a bit too far with the MSG…..I know that San Diego is notorious for glutamic overload, but this was the first time I noticed it here. I hope this was a one-off….otherwise I'll have to stick with the Bo Kho.

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

Brussels: Shopping for dinner, “Chinatown?”, Pierre Marcolini, and Moeder Lambic

June 7, 2014 mmm-yoso Beer, Belgium, Brussels, Chocolate, Markets & Grocers, Pubs and Pub Grub, Travel

Lunch had been a wonderful, but pretty rich meal. Since we had an apartment, we decided to self cater dinner and dropped by a couple of the nearby shops.

Some nice cheese from the cheese shop, tomatoes, head cheese and prosciutto from the nice gourmet shop on Rue St Catherine. There's a good sized Delhaize Supermarket on Anspach where we picked up greens for a salad……we just needed some greens after all of this. And beer of course……

And so we headed back to the apartment with dinner all set. It would be nice to relax since we'd bee flying to Prague in the morning.

Funny thing, I hadn't even heard of a "Chinatown" in Brussels, but then we passed a short strip of Chinese restaurants and markets right across the Stock Exchange Building (the Bourse), so of course we had to check at least on of the markets out…..man, it was sticker shock.

Try almost 17 Euros for a small bag of frozen Jiaozi…..

The Asian vegetables seemed pretty scarce and did not look in very good shape as well…..

The Missus couldn't help but laugh when She saw this……

Man, it would be tough if we lived here……

We also checked out the menus and offerings of some of the Chinese Restaurants on the street…..

And decided to stop after seeing the 6,80 Euro ($9.25) price for 4 pieces of Shiu Mai…..then of course those places that serve Chinese-Vietnamese-Thai-Sushi……

We headed back to the apartment and took our usual afternoon nap, awakening a short while later. It was time for us to shake off our grogginess. The sun was out and wasn't scheduled to set until almost 10pm, so we headed back to Place Poelaert and the Upper Town.

We passed by several sections of Brussels' midievel city wall and Eglise Notre Dame a la Chappelle, which is Brussels' oldest existing church.

We got to the Marolles neighborhood and took the elevator up to Place Poelaert. All the rain and dreary weather had been chased away, it was now a bright and sunny afternoon. Too bad we were leaving the next morning.

The view from here when the sky is clear is quite nice. You get to appreciate Brussels….

We strolled around the Upper Town area, antique and designer shops, and some interesting cafes and restaurants as well. Love Joel Robuchon, not sure about his sushi though…..

My MIL loves chocolate….we were in Belgium, so we decided to get her a collection of chocolate from our travels….but not just ordinary stuff…i.e. Godiva, Neuhaus, Leonidas….no we'd try and get her a variety with a little meaning, not just the usual tourist stuff. It just so happens that Pierre Marcolini's flagship store was right along our path back to the apartment.

Winner of the 1995 World Cup of Pastry and known as a master chocolatier, this would be a good start for my MIL's collection. The variety of flavors and chocolates of various regions made this quite an interesting experience for us, which would suite us well later on.

The shop actually looks more like a fine jewelry shop, boutique, or gallery than a chocolate shop. So we made our first purchases for my MIL here.

I think it was a nice start…..

The day was so bright and beautiful, folks were out and about, the cafes (the beer cafes) seem to be doing great business with folks enjoying the weather. It was a perfect chance to check out the Fontainas location of the legendary Brussels' beer bar Moeder Lambic.

The Missus and I immediately loved the place….there are no airs…what few tourists who came in and stared in awe at the beer list of unfamiliar and familiar brews were treated graciously and there was harmony with the locals….who seemed to appreciate the fact that folks were making the effort to find the place…which isn't hard, but like Le Fin de Siècle, you pretty much either just run into the place or have to seek it out.

It's easy to just stare off into space at the listing of beers familiar and unfamiliar. The Servers were really nice with the 2 parties of tourists we saw….

The Missus and I, knowing how analysis-paralysis would be, just went for it. She ordered a Gueuze Tilquin and I a De Ranke Guldenberg.

We've had Tilquin here in the states, but this was a bit different; you could make a out a bit more fruitiness, though it was still pretty funky and puckery-dry. The Guldenberg was a nice tripel, a bit more hoppy than what I expected, with almost the feel of a boozy saison. A very nice beer. This place should be on any list if you're in the area and enjoy beer. We'd go to the original location of the Moeder Lambic on our way back, which we laso loved.

Moeder Lambic
Place Fontainas 8
Brussels, Belgium

It was a beautiful afternoon. On the way back to the apartment we passed a bar that had a street musician playing an electric violin, I wish I recorded it…….he started playing as we passed…I recognized the music right away. I Love Rock and Roll…..a Joan Jett classic! It seems like all the places we visited (in both the Czech Republic and Belgium) loved American and English music…whether rap, death metal (Moeder Lambic in St Gilles), Jazz, or good 'old Rock n' Roll. Honestly, I think it might be our greatest export. As the violinist hit the chorus, the entire street broke out and sang with unbridled joy and spirit:

"I love rock and roll
So put another dime in the jukebox, baby
I love rock and roll
So come and take your time and dance with me….."

It was just the cherry on top of the sundae for us…..ending a very nice afternoon.

We returned to the apartment we were staying at smiling. Like most of these type of units we've stayed at; there's no lift, the stairs can be narrow and somewhat steep. We were rewarded in that this was a single unit above a a gallery that was closed the two days we were staying there. There was also a wonderful, older cat named "Sushi", mellow and sweet, he was a good ambassador for the place. The bedroom and bathroom was on one floor with a kitchen nook above.

It was a nice place to make a quick breakfast, or do a quick post, like I did, or have a nice little dinner, like we did on this evening.

With of course, some beer…….most stores sell singles here; and those Belgian's go for less than 2 Euros a piece, so how could we resist?

The Missus prepped a quick breakfast for us, we'd be heading out early for our next stop…..Prague and the Czech Republic…..

Brussels: Morning at Grand Place, Upper Town, and Viva M’Boma

June 6, 2014 mmm-yoso Beer, Belgian Cuisine and Restaurants, Belgium, Brussels, Travel

Morning's are our favorite time when we travel. We're usually early birds, so we get going fairly early to check out the the sights in the peace and quiet. Speaking of peace, as much as we found amusement in Manneken Pis, we kinda enjoyed "Manneken Peace" a lot as well. This street art is about a block from MP, just around the corner from where we were staying.

Wanting to see Grand Place in the morning, we headed back up the three blocks. A pleasant walk without the crowds and the smells of waffles in the air.

The buildings of Grand Place looked so stately at this time of the morning.

The most impressive building is easily the Town Hall (photo right) with its 300 foot tall tower. It's quite difficult to capture the entire building in a single shot. The photo above is of the "Maison du Roi" or King's House, which is also called the "Broodhuis" in Flemish since buildings in this spot served both as a bread market and an administrative building for the rulers of the House of Hapsburg. This structure was built in 1890 and now houses the City Museum.

Each of the guild houses surrounding the square has it's own statue crowning its roof. Many of the buildings are named by the statue or some detail or decoration on the building. This is probably how people found these buildings before the advent of the address. On the bottom right of the photo below, you can see a swan above the doorway. This place is known as the Swan House. All of these places have a place in history. In 1847 – 1848, this building contained a bar, which was the place where Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx met and drafted the Communist Manifesto.

We had pretty good timing. Just as we were leaving delivery and sanitation trucks invaded the peace and quiet of Grand Place. We headed back to the apartment and had some tea and planned our morning walk. After checking out some of the markets in the area we headed uphill and a few streets later we were staring at the Palace of Justice and the Infantry Memorial.

We turned and headed down the rather busy Rue de la Regence at a leisurely pace until we came to one of my favorite little parks in Brussels; the Place du Petit Sablon. There are 48 columns surrounding the park. Each one is topped with a statue which represent the ancient craftsmen of Belgium.

Within the park there are 10 larger statues of Belgium's great thinkers of the era. I was surprised that I actually knew some of these; especially Gerardus Mercator, the great cartographer whose Mercator Projection revolutionized accurate navigation in its time allowing for "true direction" calculations. I'd read about some of these folks over the years but have to sheepishly admit, I didn't know they were Flemish/Belgian.

The garden itself is quite beautiful and peaceful, a nice oasis to relax and recharge; even on a overcast and drizzly morning.

The two fellows adopting the rather Shakespearean pose above the fountain in the park are Lamoral, Count of Egmont and Philip de Montmorency, Count of Hoorn, simply known in Belgian history as "Egmond en Hoorne", who stood against the Spanish Inquisition and rule. Both were executed; beheaded on June 5th 1568 in front of the Town Hall in Grand Place. One of the events that sparked the Eighty Years War which eventually led to an independent Dutch Republic.

Across the street from Place du Petit Sablon resides the very gothic looking Notre Dame du Sablon which took about 149 years to build. Along with the wonderful stained glass, there is a small wooden statue of Mary, a copy of the original which was destroyed by Protestants that had healing powers. In 1348, the statue was located in Antwerp, it spoke to a woman named Beatrix. It instructed her to take it….she snatched the statue, boarded a boat, and headed to Brussels. When a crowd of Antwerpen citizens tried to stop her; the statue froze them in their tracks! The statue arrived to great fanfare in Brussels and this church was built in its honor…..you'll see several images of boats around the church.

After this short visit we headed down (up?) the street, past the Royal Museum of Fine Arts, which ended with us staring at the Royal Palace.

We actually enjoyed the view looking down from the Mont de Arts Steps which started across the street from the Royal Palace.

After this it was window shopping in the areas surrounding Grand Place, then off to the neighborhood of St Catherine for lunch. Initially, I thought we'd grab unch at the very popular Nordzee Seafood Bar, but the Missus was interested in something more substantial….I knew just the place.

Located close to where Rue St Catherine become Rue de Flandre, a street full of cafes and shops, in the former location of a butcher shop resides "Long Live my Grandmother", the very well known and recommended Viva M'Boma, which was described as a shop that creates dishes from all parts of the animal except the "squeeks…moo's….and baaa's".

We were seated right at the front window….we had arrived right when they opened.

The biggest dilemma for us was what to order……the veal kidneys? Horse steak? Steak tartare…..Lamb tongues???

The one thing we did know was that we'd be having some beer….though we were still showing a bit of restraint at this point, it was just one, the 1882 Gueuze Girardin (white label).

Funky to the nose, typical gueuze flavor, the finish mildly dry.

I love head cheese, so we had to start with the "Homemade Pressed Pork Head", which was the best head cheese (and we had quite a bit) on our trip.

The mustard vinaigrette was such a nice foil for the porky goodness…….I finished every little crumb of meat on the plate.

The Missus went with the Pot au feu with Veal Cheeks, Oxtail, and Marrow.

The Missus marveled at how each different cut had retained its own flavor….each different from the other The flavors just popped in the very clean well prepared broth. I loved the perfectly rendered bone marrow. It was just the perfect texture of meltingly globby. It's not the under roasted piece of pencil erasure that is the norm here in San Diego.

I really enjoyed my Veal Sweetbreads in Mustard Sauce.

While the mashed potatoes were velvety smooth, they were a bit too much of a "butter wonderland" for me. Those fantastically steamed, firm yet creamy sweetbreads were just plain delici-yoso! The mustard sauce added just the right amount of ooomph to conteract the rather rich texture of the sweetbreads. You got a nice, slightly metallic finish that seemed pleasant. Even the Missus, who is not a big fan of sweetbreads just loved this.

This was a wonderful lunch stop for us. The service was professional without being stuffy….our server had a sense of humor and was quite efficient. We'll gladly return whenever we're in Brussels again.

Viva M'Boma
Rue de Flandre 17
Brussels, Belgium

After lunch it was time for some shopping….we'd be self-catering dinner, then a nap of course!

Thanks for reading!