mmm-yoso – Page 265

Sunday Stuffs: Hinotez 2 replacing La Playita, Bristol Farms discounts, and what’s fermenting in our hallway

October 6, 2013 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Markets & Grocers, yoso-silly

Just some odds and ends for an "atsui" Sunday.

Hinotez 2 to open in the former La Playita location:

Cathy originally noticed the sad news that La Playita had closed.

This week she followed that up by telling me that Hinotez 2 was opening in that location. So I went over and sure enough, that's what it says.

I kinda find this a bit odd…..I've been to Hinotez a good dozen times and the place has never been what I'd call busy, but maybe I'm going during the wrong time. It'll be interesting to see what this tiny shop will be doing…..perhaps take-out only?

5185 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92117

Bristol Farms discount:

I know, it's already pricey, so what's 10% gonna do? Well, we do shop here about once a week, the Missus enjoys the sausages, and I like the meat department, especially when there are good sales, like baby back ribs for $3.99. So anyway, I saw this on my last trip and though some folks might be able to take advantage of the discount…it's for both students and faculty, which is nice.

Bristol Farms
8510 Genessee Ave
San Diego, CA 92122

What that fermenting in our hallway:

Well, the Missus decided She wanted to make Her own sauerkraut, go figure. So after doing some checking online She decided to go with the 10 liter Harsch Gairtropf Fermenting Crock Pot. So we've got a bunch of purple cabbage fermenting away……this type of crock uses a water seal, so every so often gas is released through the water with a fairly loud "blooop". It can throw you off a bit. You'll be sleeping then hear "blooop"……

As for the smell? I just blame that on Da' Boyz…..

Evora: Capela dos Ossos (Chapel of the Bones), The Public Market, and the University of Evora

October 4, 2013 mmm-yoso Desserts, Markets & Grocers, Portugal, Portuguese Food, Travel

Breakfast at Albergaria do Calvario is no joke.

It is locally sourced, organic, and most of all, well prepared. There's a nice variety of items available; they cram a lot into a tiny space.

You can also have eggs done any way you wish and even bacon if you desire. The Missus had Hers poached. We decided on getting a good sized breakfast since we had reservations for dinner that I was certain (it was) was going to be huge amount of food.

This was to be the day we'd just explore the walled city, stretch our legs, but do things at a relaxed pace. We always identify the one or two things we want to see and leave the rest to fate; it's not important to see everything, rather, we like to take in the atmosphere, people watch, and see how folks live. That's why we just can't do tours, get on the bus, get off the bus, take a bunch of photos just to prove you were there, get back on the bus, rinse…repeat….

There was one place I wanted to visit in Evora…..

Near the Southwest corner of the walled city lies the Igreja de São Francisco, the Church of St Francis.

Now the church is quite grand and beautiful…..

But what really drew me here is in a Chapel outside and to the right of the Church entrance and is probably one of the popular sights in Evora; though there was no one there when I visited. It's called Capela dos Ossos, the "Chapel of the Bones". Ok, I'll admit, inside of me is a adolescent just waiting to burst out and see stuff like this…..

The Missus had no interest in checking this out, so she went on Her way to explore a bit and I walked down the rather peaceful and sedate entrance into the Chapel of the Bones……

Paying and admission and walking under the inscription that reads "We bones that are here, we are waiting for your's", you walk into the rather dark…there are three small windows that let light in on the left side of the structure, kind of eerie, but not particularly spooky "chapel". From what I've read, the chapel was built, with over 5,000 skeleton's by monks who were worried about the deteriorating values of wealthy Evora in the 17th century. They wanted to make people meditate on how fleeting life was and contemplate ones mortality. Oh, and in case you're wondering, the monks who built this aren't included in the collection……

On one of the pillars hangs a poem by Father António da Ascenção:

"Where are you going in such a hurry traveler?
Stop … do not proceed;
You have no greater concern,
Than this one: that on which you focus your sight.

Recall how many have passed from this world,
Reflect on your similar end,
There is good reason to reflect
If only all did the same.

Ponder, you so influenced by fate,
Among the many concerns of the world,
So little do you reflect on death;

If by chance you glance at this place,
Stop … for the sake of your journey,
The more you pause, the further on your journey you will be."

I found this to be sobering and yet beautiful at the same time……

The Missus met me right down the stairs from the church. She had been exploring and told me we should take a walk through the Public Market…which She said was small and empty, yet charming in it's own way. The building that houses the market looks very modern.

It probably wasn't the best time of the day for the market, which was empty except for a few customers…..

After visiting the public markets in Lisbon, Coimbra, Porto (which seemed the busiest), we could only wonder…..had the busy supermarkets (which we also checked out) made these a thing of the past?

We hope not……..

Even after just a day, it's hard to get lost in Evora. We headed Northeast and easily found the University of Evora. So, what's up with visiting a University? Well, this one has a long history. It was a Jesuit university established by Don Henrique in 1559. It was one of the crown jewels of Evora's time as the city of artists and intellectuals. When the city lost favor and the Jesuits expelled in 1759, the University was closed. In 1973 it became a state run University again.

Still, it's a University, right? Well, you have to realize that both the Missus' parents taught in Universities….which I've covered in posts before. I think there's a part of the Missus who feels an affinity for College life…..it is part of who She is and what She is. So why not visit an historic campus founded in the 16th century.

What I remember the most about our visit here…..the place is just welcoming and wide open to visitors, are my first really up close encounter with Azulejos, the traditional Portuguese tilework.

Each scene told a story…….

Many of which I interpreted to be of Portugal's travels to Asia……

We peeked into a classroom and were delighted to find that the tilework in the roon reflected what was being taught.

It was well worth the visit.

We left and wandered around a bit….and guess what? Just as on previous walks we ended up at Templo Romano, the Roman Temple. We really got to see how it looked different during every part of the day.

I'm thinking that this is as good a place to stop for now as any.

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Hanging with Ed from Yuma at Sushi Tadokoro

October 3, 2013 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi

I finally got to hang out with Ed from Yuma and Tina on a recent visit to San Diego. It had been a while, so it was great to catch up on things. I thought Tadokoro would be the perfect place. Like I said before, I've posted enough on this place already so here we go with a pseudo COMC (Clearing Out the Memory Card) type of post.

Seems like Take-san is always trying a new wrinkle here and there….this time the ankimo had ponzu gelee…..

Take-san told us he had "lots of good things tonight….." he wasn't kidding.

Ed's "delici-yoso dance" even made an appearance! I hope you enjoyed dinner Ed; it was nice seeing the both of you!

Sushi Tadokoro
2244 San Diego Ave
San Diego, CA 92110

Thai Garlic Shrimp and Green Eggplant

October 2, 2013 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

This is a recent favorite of the Missus. One day a couple of weeks ago I bought some of those golf ball sized green Thai eggplant. I thought we'd eat them raw with maybe a Thai Style Beef Salad, or something like that. The Missus on the other hand had a different idea….She wanted me to try and stir fry them with some shrimp, Thai style, in a sweet garlic type "sauce"….actually more of a coating as She didn't want these too wet. After making it a few times, I've finally got it down to the way the Missus enjoys it. It actually reminds me of those multi-part Chinese style stir-fries, which means it's the prep that really matters.

I found that this type of eggplant isn't the "oil sponge" that I'm used too. It really doesn't need much oil. It also stays fairly firm.

I use palm sugar for these, which, unless you know how to handle can be a pain. I first microwave the hard discs for about 20 seconds then grate it.

This looks like a lot of steps, but it is not.

Thai Garlic Shrimp and Eggplant:

For the Garlic – Palm Sugar mixture
4 Tb Palm Sugar
7-8 Cloves of Garlic minced (equal the amount of sugar)
1 Tb Fish sauce

– Combine grated palm sugar, garlic, and fish sauce – I actually grind up in a small food processor

For the eggplant
5-6 Thai EggplantSliced
2-3 Tb grapeseed oil
2 Tb Chili Paste
1 Tb Fish Sauce
1 Tb White Sugar
1 Tb Shaoxing
White Pepper

For the Shrimp
1/2 Pound Shrimp shelled and deveined
2 Tb grapeseed oil
4-8 Thai Chilies chopped
1 medium shallot minced
1 Tb Fish Sauce
3 kaffir lime leaves sliced in a thin chiffonade
1/3 cup cilantro leaves roughly chopped
3 Tb scallions sliced – green parts only

– Heat wok until smoking
– Add grapeseed oil for eggplant, quickly add chili paste, and stir till fragrant
– Add eggplant and stir fry
– Add Shaoxing, white pepper, sugar, and stir fry until eggplant is well coated
– When eggplant softens slightly add fish sauce.
– When eggplant is heated through remove to a plate and wipe down wok and bring back to temp

– Add grapeseed oil for shrimp.
– When the oil starts to shimmer add Thai Chilies, shallot, and kaffir lime leaf.
– Stir fry until fragrant
– Add shrimp and stir fry
– Add fish sauce.
– When shrimp starts turning translucent add the Garlic-Palm Sugar mixture and stir fry until it bubbles. Add eggplant back ot the wok.
– When shrimp is cooked through remove from heat and add all but 1-2 Tb of cilantro and all of the scallions and combine

– Top with the rest of the cilantro when serving

We served the shrimp on some lettuce from our garden.
And lots of rice of course

Pho Hoa Huong revisited

October 1, 2013 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

During part of my usual weekend shopping "mission" my stomach started rumbling. It was just past 8am and my next "targets", namely Nijiya nad Marukai wouldn't be opening for a while. I hadn't been to Pho Hoa Huong in about three years so it was about time for a revisit.

Things seemed a bit different this time around….the young lady placed my menu on the table with a smile….no "dealing out" of the menu and hovering over you like in Hanoi. In the past the menu was just a formality, they either expected you to know what to order, or be a student of Evelyn Wood (how's that for showing my age).

Was this the new softer and kinder Pho Hoa? Well, I'll tell you this much, they're probably still the fastest pho in the West. Not five minutes after ordering, my plate of herbs and garnishes was on the table as well as good ol' #4.

The broth is still on the dark side here, but very clear, slightly beefy, and a bit on the "sweet" side. Not as sweet as Pho Fifth Avenue, but definitely up there. It also had a bit too much MSG on this visit as my feet started to swell pretty quickly.

The noodles were right, dead on perfect for me…..

In terms of protein; the tendon was really hard and tough, there was trace tripe, the flank was almost crunchy, but with good flavor, and the brisket was nice and tender, but flavorless.

A decent bowl.

I did notice something a bit interesting…a lot of "older" gentlemen with "wives" at least 20 years or more younger. I later asked my friend "YY" about this and she told me it was kind of a trend nowadays……

Anyway, I was out of the place in less than 20 minutes….still too early for my next stops….still the fastest pho…if not in the West, at least in San Diego.

Pho Hoa-Huong Restaurant
6921 Linda Vista Rd
San Diego, CA 92111

Playing with my food – using Tapioca Maltodextrin: Sesame – Salt Powder

September 29, 2013 mmm-yoso Cookbooks, Cooking, Playing with my food, Recipes

Though I love food…both consuming and cooking; once in a while I kind of hit a rut and need a little change of pace. I don't remember where I first about Tapioca Maltodextrin and its effect as a fat stabilizer. I'm sure it wasn't in Modernist Cuisine at Home which I bought last year. And looking through it. Maltodextrin is only mentioned in two recipes and barely in passing. I do recall seeing something, perhaps on Youtube where an olive oil powder was made. Anyway, a couple of months ago I bought Modernist Cooking Made Easy, which had a short chapter on Maltodextrin. It just seemed like fun…..plus Maltodextrin is plant derived and a pretty common food starch. First I cleared things with the Missus who has a Masters in Chemistry, then I went ahead and ordered a pound.

Getting to the point; tapioca maltodextrin can turn fats and oils into pastes and powders. For my first try, I decided to use something that we have around the house and use in sparing quantities…sesame oil was an easy choice.

One of things you'll notice right away is that tapioca maltodextrin is lighter than air….so no sneezing….no heavy breathing either. You don't need anything more than a whisk for this one. Using the recipe in Modernist Cooking Made Easy as my reference, it was a simple as this:

Sesame-Salt Powder (based on the recipe in Modernist Cooking Made Easy)
50 grams sesame oil
2 grams kosher salt
25 grams tapioca maltodextrin (this was about 3/4 cup)
extra tapioca maltodextrin as needed

– Pour sesame oil into a large mixing bowl (a large mixing bowl)
– Add salt and mix
– Add 10 grams of tapioca maltordextrin…gently, unless you want clouds of the stuff all over the place
– whisk in until a paste forms. Slowly add the rest of the maltodextrin. It will begin to clump.
– Whisk until it starts to form "beads", you may need to add more maltodextrin to get the texture you want.

Other than a couple of maltodextrin clouds floating about, this was easy…..

It will stay in powder form as long as it doesn't come in contact with liquid…though it lasted a while even when on some poke I made.

There's quite an interesting sensation…ahem, "mouthfeel" when it turns back to oil in your mouth.

It was also delicious on my Hiyayakko Tofu…….

I really didn't detect much in terms of any additional flavor….by itself, there's a very faint sweetness, which I could not detect when using it with my poke or tofu.

Truffle Powdered Popcorn, caramel – salt powder, nutella, and probably duck fat or bacon powder seem around the corner. This will be great for dipping….

This was a fun experiment…..now it's on to Xanthan Gum and Lecithin!

Scenes from the first San Diego Night Market

September 28, 2013 mmm-yoso Festivals & Events

I mentioned this back in August. The Missus and I decided to go early, like five minutes after things were scheduled and the place was already packed. We parked on the street; the combination of Zion shoppers and folks checking this out made for a chaotic parking situation. The folks who put this on managed to keep a small footprint.

The area with peace and quiet was the Beer Garden. Perhaps it was too early, but it also seemed that 50% of the folks here weren't legal drinking age and the crowd was overwhelmingly Asian. I probably would have settled in here if we stuck around.

There was a decent variety of food booths, though only one really interested me. It also seemed that just about everyone else was interested in this one as well…..the grilled cuttlefish on a stick looked quite appealing….though the super long line did not.

This was at 5:15 mind you….just imagine later on?

It was nice to see some familiar faces……

Here are some of the other food booths.

Other than Pangaea, nothing I was particularly interested in.

The size of the crowd this early on in the evening shows that San Diego can really get behind this concept.

I hope they do well.

It runs tonight from 5pm – 11pm. It's about 8 right now, so you still have time to get on down there and check it out yourself.

7655 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

Evora: The Agua de Prata Aqueduct, Snacks at Pastelaria Conventual, and dinner at Adega do Alentejano.

September 27, 2013 mmm-yoso Desserts, Portugal, Portuguese Food, Travel

The town of Evora is quite charming, within the preserved city walls are cobblestone lanes, charming streets, the place just oozes character. After a wonderful meal at Botequim da Mouraria, followed by a nap, we were ready to do a bit more exploring. I really wanted to see the Agua de Prata Aqueduct, the "Aqueduct of Silver Water", which stretches into Evora from the Northwest. It was literally a block from our hotel. You turned the corner and the aqueduct was in sight.

Construction on the aqueduct began in 1531 and was completed sometime in 1537 and brought water to Evora from Ribeira do Divor about 5 miles away.

What made this interesting to me was that I had read that there were houses and other structures actually using the pillars of the aqueduct as frames. Pretty amazing, no space wasted.

Of course the aqueduct works on gravity, so as the structure goes lower, so do the buildings…..

Which eventually turns to garages and sheds as it heads earthward…..

While walking along the aqueduct we heard an "hello, hello…..how are you? Would you like to have your picture taken?" We turned and saw a woman huffing and puffing, up the street….her name was Toni, from Australia, who had decided to move to Evora! Needless to say, we had a wonderful chat. I have to say, Toni is quite an interesting personality, her husband had passed away, and somehow, in her 60's she had decided to move here. Of course we had many questions; like "how's your Portuguese?" Her answer; "well, I'm starting lessons next week." Man, talk about living an adventure…..

We headed off to our next destination….it was time for some coffee and a snack or two. We passed quite a few sights on the way, some of which I'll cover in a future post. Here's a photo of Igreja da Graça, the Church of Grace. I found the figures on the facade kind of scary and the church just looked spooky to me.

We finally reached our destination, up one of the side streets; the Pastelaria Conventual, which specialized in "Conventual cakes", basically sweets that originated in the areas convents. I had a seat outside, while the Missus went to town.

We were told that the item Pastelaria Conventual is known for is the pão de rala, a "thin cake", made of eggs (quite a bit) and flavored with almond, with a touch of orange. It was a bit too "eggy" and sweet for me…..pretty heavy stuff too.

As was this…..

What was really funny was watching the Missus biting into this and freaking out…..

It was an empada de galinha, basically a miniature chicken pie, with a heavy chicken flavor.

It was nice to just sit down; have a cup of Cafe Americano and let time pass. It's something we here in the States aren't real good at……just sitting and watching the street scene; your own personal relaxation "aquarium".

Pastelaria Conventual
Rua do Cicioso No.47
Evora, Portugal

After our snack we wandered around for a bit, then headed back to the Albergaria do Calvario, checked email, freshened up and headed back out.

The heavily touristed Dos Mercadores was now quiet. The day trippers were gone, the young folk had headed to other places to enjoy the evening, and the shops had closed.

The heart of Evora, the Praca do Giraldo, the main square was now quiet and sedate, totally different from the bustling version we had seen earlier in the day.

Somehow, we ended up at the Templo Romano, the Roman Temple once again…..we quickly noticed how different it looked at this time of the day.

We walked across the street to the Largo da Porta de Mouro where the Missus snapped this beautiful shot of the sun setting over Evora……

How wonderful…..

Ok, enough of that….time for dinner. The Missus wanted something hearty, which the region, the Alentejo was known for. We decided to walk on down the now quiet side streets of Evora….

To Adega do Alentejano…….

The restaurant is actually quite large, but we were the only customers. The red checkered tablecloths gave it a homey feel and the gentleman serving us seemed a bit aloof at first, but ended up being quite a nice guy.

Things started out in the typical manner, appetizers brought to our table…if you eat, you pay. We also got some of the ohuse wine which actually comes from the barrels you see in the back of the dining area.

We looked over the items written on the chalkboard to determine what to get while we had our first earthenware pitcher of wine.

The Missus had been curoius about the Sopa de Tomate, tomato soup, wince She first read about it. The deal was sealed when She was told to not "order anything else…it is not a bowl of soup, but a meal!" They weren't kidding.

There's a lot this heart soup has got going for it; slices of bread soaked with a broth that just feels like a warm comforting embrace. There is of course the Missus' favorite, two eggs poached in said broth.

And like the info-mercial goes, "but wait, there's more…." a bowl of charcuterie accompanies the soup; fried pork belly, linguiça, and yes, farinheira, the "flour sausage" the Missus hated, which tasted just lovely deep fried.

Can you say comfort food????

If you think about it; this part of the Alentejo is almost like the great plains in a way, it is one of the hottest regions in Europe. Instinctively you'd immediately balk when offered a dish that includes clams, right? Well perhaps I had my doubts, but one of the classic dishes of the region is Carne de Porco à Alentejana, a dish that includes the wonderful local pork as well as clams. I just needed to try this.

The clams were surprisingly fresh, tender, and tasty, with a nice briney goodness. The pork, which seemed to be shoulder was on the chewy side, but the flavor of pork here is wonderful, it reminds me of what pork tasted like when I was a kid, even better. The fried potatoes went well with all the rich gravy/broth.

This was also fairly inexpensive as well. The Missus had asked for something hearty and She got that at Adega do Alentejano.

Adega do Alentejano
Rua Gabriel Victor do Monte Pereira 21 A
Evora, Portugal

Thanks for reading!

Raki Raki Revisited – Waylaid by a ramen burger

September 24, 2013 mmm-yoso Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Burgers, Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

I had promised myself a return visit to Raki Raki to have the Tsukemen back in November when the weather got a bit warmer…..well, if the record heat we had recently wasn't a sign from some divine being….in short, it was tsukemen time.

But a funny thing happened on the way to my noodles. I believe I'm usually hype free and don't really follow fads. Yep, I'm just your usually fuddy duddy, boring kinda guy. But in a moment of temporary insanity I ordered this:

A ramen burger…….or should I say a "Dream Come True California Ramen Burger" ($9.75)

Even I have those moments it seems….after eating this I mumbled "what was I thinking" to myself as I walked into the psycho parking lot on Convoy. Hopefully not too loud….

The burger is 100% angus beef, over-worked and cooked to death as it's tough as leather. The flavor is nice and beefy. All of the juices from the burger seemed to have collected in the greasy, bland, flaccid, mushy bunch of noodles used as a bun. The fry job on these was lousy as it fell to greasy pieces after two bites. I had imagined something like crispy "cake noodle" like I get back home, this was not very good. The "crisp" rolled pork slice they call "underbelly" was more like hard and the edges burnt and bitter.

The sweet potato fries were light and mildly crisp, with good flavor.

But man, who you gonna sue for this oil spill?

This was like something dreamt up in a college dorm room after a couple hits of the cash crop. For a more mature point of view, perhaps you should read Kirbie's post on the ramen burger.

I sent out texts and photos to my friends, then had a moment of paranoid reflection…….first Yes! Pingo and now a ramen burger…what's going on? What next…a Harley, porn 'stache, and a couple of tats? Maybe this was that male menopause I'd seen my friends go through? Yikes!

I needed to fix this……which I did by returning for the Standard Tsukemen ($8.75).

It was as before, noodles with a nice texture, perhaps a bit over-priced for what you get, and the broth edged on the too salty side.

But most importantly, this seemed like a return to normalcy. At least for now….

RakiRaki Ramen and Tsukemen
4646 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Bentowich

September 23, 2013 mmm-yoso Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Japanese Restaurants

*** Bentowich has closed

I get some pretty interesting emails at times…..and as many of the other food bloggers can attest, about a good third of them are press releases, free stuff (which really isn't free if you think about it), and all of the other PR driven spiel. I even get my share of emails from folks…. whom I shall affectionately call "shills". Don't take this the wrong way, some of these folks are endearing as heck…and others, well, I'm thinking it's a single, or perhaps a small group of folks are plain persistent. I'd been getting emails for almost six months, at a pace of about one every two weeks, from different email addresses, all with pretty much the same writing style, telling me about their "favorite place"…..with the rather strange name of Bentowich.

Yes, I get it…..bentos and (sand)wiches. I thought the location a bit odd; at the outskirts of Old Town….but in retrospect, I think it's a pretty good idea, Japanese Fast Casual among the scores of Cantinas and tourist traps.

So I finally made it down on a bright (and hot) Saturday, finding parking on a side street. The interior looks efficient and spartan…..

The outdoor seating area is quite nice and bright, if a bit too hot this time of the year. Still, when things cool down it'll be a great place to have a meal.

The concept is a lot simpler than the name would suggest; you pick your protein, determine the context (bento, sandwich, yakisoba, salad), add a couple of toppings/sides, sauce, soup or salad(and dressing), and your on your way.

The assembly is pretty much fast-casual, the food is already prepped/sliced, you deep fry or saute adding some sauce, take it to the Kelvinator where it's put together, and you're done. The key high lite of all of this is that everything is made fresh to order, a key component of "fast casual" type places. There are some unique touches, like having my bento served in a nice bento box.

As you can see, I went with the Sliced char Siu Roast Pork ($8), bento style.

You can chose white rice, brown rice, or onigiri, which is what I choose. You might as well go with white rice as this onigiri is truly white rice scooped into an onigiri mold, other than some furikake on one and some nori on the other, it's not really flavored (i.e. I grew up with onigiri seasoned mildly with salt.

The two "sides" I order were the pickled daikon and carrots and the Asian cole slaw. The pickled daikon was way too sour and salty, while the cole slaw was rather unremarkable. I selected the green salad with Miso Caesar dressing which was watery and weak.

Having seen that the pork was pre-sliced and portioned off, I expected it to be dry and tough, but it was cut thin enough for it to be tender and sauteed quickly keeping it moist. The "teriyaki" sauce was very mild, a hint of sour, more of a glaze, without much sugar, which actually worked in its favor as the flavor of the pork came through nicely.

I thought this was decent in terms of value and quality, so I decided to drop by again when driving back from a meeting in Hillcrest. The pickled daikon came to mind. While being way to sour and salty eaten solo; I thought it would be a great compliment to a sandwich. So I decided to get the Yakiniku Sliced Prime Rib in a sandwich, one of the more expensive items on the menu.

This was a nice sandwich. The roll held up well. The sauce, which tasted the same as what was on the pork kept things moist. The pickled daikon and carrots really added a nice refreshing component to the sandwich, a la banh mi.

I got the green salad again, this time with the wasabi ranch; which was again very runny and lacking in flavor. Sadly, it seemed that the dressings here are watered down.

Overall, the prices were decent, the folks working here, the low-keyed, efficient, and polite young lady, along with the very polite young man…..I'm still trying to pin down the exact time in my life when I became "sir", were very pleasant. So a few weeks later I decided to drop by on a Saturday.

I ordered a Chicken Katsu sandwich, something that I like, though will not get at most bento places because it's that awful combination of dry (the katsu) and mushy (the bread). But since they make the stuff to order at Bentowich, I really couldn't go wrong, right?

When it arrived I thought two things; both of them incorrect. First, the portion size looked quite small, but after opening the sandwich, the portions looked decent, if not especially large. Second, the breading looked really dark, so I thought this was going to be very dry, which it was not.

After my previous experiences with the salads…well, to be more precise, the salad dressing, I was going to get miso soup even though it was hotter than the sun's surface on this day. But after seeing the not so great looking soup on another customer's table, I relented and went with a salad again…….and finally found a dressing that I liked here, the Jalapeno Cilantro. Just enough zip and flavor for my taste.

Frankly, I'd be eating at Bentowich every so often if they were in my neck of the woods…..even though they won't make me forget about my favorite Japanese lunch places, I still prefer this to Chi-poodles and Ba-HA Flesh. The staff here is nice; even to the kind of "ticky" woman who I've seen here on two of my visits, who sits on the table right in front of the counter and has the kind of stare that gives me the creeps. I'm wondering, could she be the one who is…nah, couldn't be.

Bentowich
2367 San Diego Ave
San Diego, CA 92110

Ok, whoever you are, you can quit with the emails now!