mmm-yoso – Page 266

Kamayan Night at Villa Manila

February 4, 2014 mmm-yoso Filipino Restaurants

A couple of weeks ago, our good friend "MG" whom I hadn't seen in a while told me that Villa Manila was doing a "Kamayan Night". For those who haven't heard that term before, kamayan literally refers to eating with your hands. In short, for the Filipino's I know, it also refers to a fairly festive occasion where family and friends get together and eat like crazy!

MG had great timing as my good friends, the twins, Pete and John's Birthday was rapidly approaching. Ange was nice enough to coordinate and since the four of us had been here together before, Ange knew everyone's preferences….in other words, pork, pork, and more pork. Since there would be 8 of us, Ange ordered the "Fiesta" and we supplemented with two (small) orders of Crispy Pata and Chicharon Bulaklak.

As you can gather, it's imperative that you make reservations in advance, unless you want to wait for a couple of hours for food. You can then supplement again if the need arises. Also, note the fine print that adds charges if you have excess people and don't supplement.

Also, those bowls don't hold soup, ok? It's water and lemon for your hands….you'll be needing them, since you'll be eating with 'em. So don't drink that!

Anyway, having made reservations, our banana leaf draped table was ready when we arrived. And they quickly got our first supplement, the bulaklak, fried pork intestines, out to the table. Love the version here and can't get enough of it.

Soon enough, our Server, whom I shall call "Iron Hands" because he didn't even flinch when placing our steaming rice on the banana leaves.

"Iron Hands" also displayed his overall strength when he brought the proteins out to be served.

Here's the progress……so in case you're keeping score, you can see the the Inihaw na Baboy and the Halabos na Hipop (steamed shrimp), along with the Adobo….

Fried Chicken (supplement), bicol express, crispy pata (supplement), etc, etc…..

On a funny note, Xiāng Jiāo couldf not get enough of the Crispy Pata and Lechon Kawale…..she even got a pork "high" feeling a bit light headed near the end of the meal.

In case you were worried about our vegetable intake, dinner came with Inihaw na Talong (grilled eggplant) and the green stuff at the end of the table….though I think it was mostly a garnish. Those preserved eggs were pretty heady, but was nice combined with the mango and the atchara.

You can kind of tell what everyone was missing here right? Crispy Pata, bulaklak, lechon kawale, bicol express, adobo, and inihaw na baboy…it sure wan;t pork…..

This stuff is obviously great pulutan….beer food. Unfortunately, Villla Manila does not serve alcohol, nor allow BYOB. I was told it was because of the church across the street.

Initially, we thought we'd get a "mega" halo-halo, but there just wasn't much room after the cake.

Happy Birthday guys! We should do this again soon!

Villa Manila

500 East 8th Street

National City, CA 91950

619-477-8512

Kamayan Night only on Thursday – I suggest calling and making reservations.

Because everyone was itching for a nightcap. Candice, who has a deep affection for old-school and dive bars, suggested La Maze. Remember, this was the group who hit up Albie's. It was a nice old-school ending to a wonderful evening.

Super Bowl Sunday at Carnitas’ Snack Shack

February 3, 2014 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Hot Dogs, Pubs and Pub Grub

**** This location of Carnitas' Snack Shake has closed

I'm not big on Super Bowl parties, to many people, crowds, etc, etc….. I guess nowadays I'm just not too big on the Superbowl period. Though I haven't quite gone the route of "FOY" Reid who Tweeted asking when kick-off was so he could hit Costco! You gotta love that one!

Still, the Missus was working and my good buddy Candice asked me if I'd like to meet her at Carnitas' Snack Shack. What a great idea! I hadn't been back here since they first opened and while I thought the place a bit over-hyped, I really enjoyed the atmosphere, and thought the food had promise.

Over the last couple of years, they've added a back bar and grill ("The Pig Pen") area. The place looks very relaxed and inviting. There was a large screen with the game on…….

The main reason I met Candice….other than the wonderful company of course, was for this:

I've had my share of lousy TJ Style Hot Dogs, but this is not one of them. Yes, Carnitas' thrives on serving fairly over-the-top eats, but I gotta say, I really loved this. The dog was large, but still had some snap, it was well flavored. The bacon could have been more crisp, but I loved the flavor….the mustard was delish, the bun didn't hold up, but was nice and fluffy. What really caught my attention was how the guacamole on this dog just sang in perfect harmony with the "meat-stick". I like hot dogs, but I'm usually fine after just one, but much like my favorites, I left wanting another…..

Personally, I'm not a big fan of grilled wings, but these were also pretty good.

Mainly because the flavors worked real well together. The nice sweetness balanced out by a sneaky, spicy, finish. Courtesy of habanero I'm told. Much like grilled wings, this was a bit chewy, but not bad at all. In fact, I had two left that I brought home, which the Missus really enjoyed.

It seems that Carnitas' has really found their niche. Perhaps the dishes area bit over-the-top, but I really can't say anything I've had here was bland. Now that they serve beer and have really expanded their dining area, maybe it's time I brought the Missus.

Carnitas' Snack Shack
2632 University Avenue
San Diego, CA 92104

A revisit to Pho Lucky

February 2, 2014 mmm-yoso Filipino Restaurants, Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

It's been a wonderfully fun and busy weekend for me, here some stuff that I've had queued up while I catch up on things.

Pho Lucky:

Yes, yet another post, among perhaps a half dozen or so done by myself and Cathy over the years. This little shop ajoining Lucky Seafood has been our go to shop. So naturally, when the Missus wanted some pho recently, this was where we headed to.

Notice the jalapenos that the Missus adds to Her version…….not something I enjoy, but at least She doesn't dump in a boatload of hoisin or sririacha….

My intent was to have pho as well; but while walking from our car the fragrance of grilling pork permeated the parking lot. So I order the house special broken rice.

And while the rice wasn't as fragrant as I prefer, the pork chop was well flavored and fairly tender, the "bi" had been tossed with rice powder and was also good….the Missus poached the shrimp, which She enjoyed. We probably had good timing on this one…….and I'm not complaining.

What good stuffs did you have to eat recently?

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

Recently Consumed

February 1, 2014 mmm-yoso Cooking

Here's a quick post of stuff recently consumed in the mmm-yoso household! I hope you're having a great Lunar New Year weekend!

Mahi Mahi with a spicy red pepper and tomato sauce.

Robalo Seared in Duck Fat with a Bacon-Sweet Potato Hash and Arugula:

The warm weather has me using my smoker quite a bit.

I always smoked a couple of chicken legs, whic makes great sandwiches or BBQ Chicken Salad.

I noticed I've been eating a lot of salads recently……

I'm waiting for another cold snap so I can make chili again….

Cheese plates are always welcomed in our household…..

The Missus is not fond of hard cheeses, but I really enjoyed this Vento D'Estate, which is aged under a blanket of hay.

Anyway, that's it for now….I'll be back tomorrow with stuff I didn't make at home.

Here's Frankie greeting the day……

Teri Cafe is now Katsu Cafe

January 29, 2014 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants

I've never been the biggest fan of Teri Cafe, which I've always thought served low second tier Americanized, Japanese food with sort, kinda, maybe, a plate lunch-ish touch. There were however, folks who really felt that I was totally wrong and they've let me know that over the years. So, I finally decided to circle back to Teri Cafe and give them a serious shot, just no "rolls" or ramen for me. I was in for quite a surprise.

So, first things first. The miso woup here was heinously bad, watered down, lukewarm and without flavor.

Second, my yakisoba was delivered and I was given a fork and spoon….no chopsticks, which I had to go and get.

The noodles were decent, but overall this wasn't nearly as good as what I had here before, which wasn't all that great anyway. The flavor was on the bland side, I like my yakisoba to have hints of worcestershire and the flavor here was faint. It also lacked any of the typical garnishes like pickled ginger. I was content with the chicken, which could have been cooked a bit more to give it a bit of crust, but it was fairly moist. I was glad the teriyaki sauce was on the side as the version here tastes a bit too heavy in soy and is pretty salty.

As I was leaving I was surprised to see the change of ownership notification……

And a few days later, Teri Cafe became Katsu Cafe. So why not check it out, right?

It was exactly the same restaurant, menu, decor……

Ironically, "Katsu" isn't on the menu per se; it's still listed as Chicken Cutlet and Pork Cutlet on the menu. I recall being corrected once when I ordered the Chicken Katsu, "you mean, the chicken cutlet…."

Well, to check on the namesake, sort of, I ordered the Chicken Katsu Cutlet ($8.65). It was nice to see that I was provided chopsticks by the really friendly….extra friendly, like everyone suddenly took happy pills friendly, girls here.

And guess what, they brought me chopsticks without having to ask for them!

You really can't fault the portion size, though that green salad is much too large and the dressing too thin and sour. The potato-mac salad on the other hand is decent, but seems to have a bit of a citrus taste to it that I really don't care for.

The chicken could have been fried a while longer, it was too light in color and soft. Much of it peeled away from the chicken, meaning the product was probably too cold when breaded. The sauce tasted like by-the-book bottled katsu sauce, which is not a bad thing. All-in-all, it was sustenance.

One big improvement; the miso soup, while still not great, at least had more flavor and was served hot.

This was certainly not a bad lunch; so I decided to return.

Tonkatsu, ummmm Pork Cutlet ($8.65):

Basically the same production as the previous visit with the miso soup and salads. This time however, they had done a nice fry job on the pork. The panko was crisp and sported a nice color. Just based on the portion size and price point, I didn't expect this to be say; Kayaba, and it was not, as the pork was on the dry side, though it was adequately tender.

So where does Katsu Cafe rank? Well kinda in the Chopstix category for me. It's not bad, the portions are fairly large, the staff seemed a lot more friendly…the owner was bouncing around contantly talking on his phone rather loudly, checking the television, the doors, everything but the customers on both visits; kind of like he didn't feel comfortable talking to them….. Personally, based on these two visits, I think it's a bit better than it was, perhaps new blood has provided a bit of fire. Plus, I overheard the owner talking loudly on the phone that he was replacing Pepsi with Coke.

So perhaps I'll drop in every once in a while to see if they start calling their Cutlet, Katsu…….

Katsu Cafe
7305B Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

The strangest Doner Sandwich at Istanbul Kabob/Miramar Pizza

January 28, 2014 mmm-yoso Sandwiches, yoso-silly

**** Istanbul Kabob has closed

After eating at Motor City Deli, I noticed this place while walking to my car.

I walked up to the window which said "Istanbul Kebob"…..really? There was lamachun and pide on the menu….really? Really? How could I not know about this place?

The location did seem kind of strange, but curiosity had already gotten the better of me, I just had to check this place out. A couple of days later I dropped by.

Entering the well worn interior of the place, I looked up at the menu and didn't see any Turkish dishes at all. Until I looked ot my left and saw this.

I had more than enough time to check out the menu, because there was no one out at the counter to take my order. The young guys in the back were cracking up and having a good old time it seems.

By the time someone came out to take my order, I had lost my nerve and decided to go the conservative route and ordered the Doner Sandwich ($8.49), something simple that anyplace should be able to make. I also asked the guy if the owners were Turkish and he told me that the former owners were and when the business was sold they were taught all the Turkish dishes and decided to keep it on the menu. Not a very comforting answer, but hey, I've had some good meals under stranger circumstances and in odder places.

So I get my Doner (gyro) sandwich which is wrapped in foil and walk to the table where I unwrapped it and "holy …." (fill in the blanks) "…(more blankety-blank) is this?"

This wasn't a flat bread wrapped product….it was a burrito…the darn thing was wrapped in a tortilla. Still, my criticism of such an adulteration would be minimized if it was any good….which it was not. Basically, 50% tortilla, 35% dry gyro meat (at least it was heated up), 15% veg, all served with a insipid, runny yogurt sauce…..for real? I know this is SoCal, where, as Kazumi once told me "anything goes with food", but this just wasn't good. I have a special place in my heart for Turkey, especially Istanbul, and this just seemed wrong.

On the bright side….well, the fries were hot and crisp.

And I guess I've finally had a "Turkxican" Burrito(Doner-rito?)….my first, and hopefully last. And yet, in my twisted mind, I can only imagine what the foreboding sounding "Black Sea Pide" is going to be like?

Istanbul Kebab/Miramar Pizza
7094 Miramar Rd Suite 110
San Diego, CA 92121

Pho Thyme and Pho Little Saigon

January 27, 2014 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

There seems to have been a little "pho-splosion" in the Midway/Sports Arena area. I really don't get down here very much, so I tried to pay a bit more attention when I drove down to Embargo Grill. I noticed two, well actually three (more on that later) more pho shops in the area. Since I had already done a post on The Pho Shop and Pho Point Loma, I thought why not do the other two, right?

Pho Thyme:

*** Pho Thyme has closed

Pho Thyme? Why? Well, I guess there's already a Pho Time in PB. I truly hoped that they weren't putting thyme in their pho. This place was strange enough when it was Jiggle Jiggle Korean Grill.

The interior of the place is pretty much the same.

The menu is a single sheet thing; you can order Pho Bo or Pho Ga and add 3 proteins for $6.25 for a small bowl, $7.25 for the large. Or you can be lazy like me and order the Dac Biet, which ain't cheap at $8.25. Remember those salad days when Pho was like five bucks?

The herbs and sprouts were limited as expected.

The best thing about this bowl was the broth; while the kitchen went a bit too far in defatting it; the broth had a nice clear, rich color. The flavor was on the mild side, but you could make out the beef flavor, and it wasn't very salty.

The worst thing about this bowl were the noodles, which were terribly overcooked and mushy.

The protein was a mixed bag. The rare steak was ok, but the flank was really tough, and the brisket mushy, with a slightly "off" flavor. There was however, to my surprise, a couple of pieces of decent tendon, perhaps a bit on the chewy side, but not bad.

This was a fair bowl, very middle of the road, but not terrible. A safe choice.

Actually, the best thing about this place was the very friendly and accommodating young lady who was so nice, even to some really trashy and rude customers. And then there was the guy who looked like Larry the Cable Guy on a bad day, who ordered his pho "dick bite". Now if you don't even have a chance at pronouncing it right, why bother? Though I almost snorted broth out of my nose…….I wish they would have given him "dick bite". I won't go into the parents who left their kids in the car while they shared a bowl of pho…..

Pho Thyme
3146 Midway Dr
San Diego, CA 92110

Pho Little Saigon:

Man, this one is easy to miss, tucked between a Payday Loan and a Acupuncture Shop.

This shop is very tiny, though it could really pass for some generic pho shop anywhere in the US, it seemed to have all the trappings, from the wooden tables, to the green chopsticks and combo spoon holder…..I'm sure there must be a number and name for it in the pho owner's catalogue somewhere.

The gentleman running the place was very reserved but efficient.

Of course I ordered the Extra Large Combo – $6.95.

To get to the point; this broth was not to my taste, it had that bitter flavor that happens when the shallots and onions are too charred when making the broth. It also lacked even the mildest of beef flavor and was on the salty (msg) side. This had ot be the worst bowl I've had since Pho Mignon. The color and the murky look of the broth should have been a warning sign.

The beef cuts were ok and the noodles were prepared adequately.

But when all of that is in a broth like this it's hard……

Nice enough folks and all….but perhaps less said the better, huh?

Pho Little Saigon
3445 Midway Dr
San Diego, CA 92110

So for my money in this area it's:

1 – The Pho Shop

2 – Pho Thyme – corny name and all

3 – Pho Point Loma

4 – Pho Little Saigon

So what about the other shop…..well for some reason, I'm having a mental block…..

Sushi Pho Sure? Pho-real?

Sunday Sandwiches – The not worth reading edition

January 26, 2014 mmm-yoso Cooking, Sandwiches, yoso-silly

So are you actually reading this? Gotcha! Just playing around a bit with negative suggestion…..

Actually, this post is made up some odd and ends with regards to sandwiches, and you should probably come back tomorrow for something a bit better…..really!

Since you decided to stick around….here goes……

Curiosity does get the better of us at times and I'm not an exception.

I was doing my usual toilet paper/paper towel/laundry detergent/ etc, etc, run at Costco on Morena. I passed the "home of the $1.50 hot dog combo" aka the food windows and saw something new on the menu. Something I couldn't help but try.

They often test market items at this location, perhaps because Costco's Regional Headquarters are located here. So this time it was……

My curiosity got the better of me and I ordered one….purely for research purposes of course…..

Damn, this thing was huge….with a good amount of oily barbecue sauce oozing down one side. The beef was shredded like a tough machaca, the sauce was fairly bland with just a mild spicy finish, the roll was hard and cold…..colder than the tasteless coleslaw.

In short, if you're after quantity over quality, this fits the bill.

I had two people email me about the Arby's Smokehouse Brisket…….so I decided to give it a shot. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, try this on for size.

One can take into consideration the comparison of the Ice Breakers container to understand the size of the sandwich.

Now let's take a look inside.

I won't go into the too sweet BBQ Sauce, the tough and fatty meat, the cold and greasy onion strings…….all for $5.69? This makes what I recently got from Bristol Farm look like I went to the French Laundry.

And yet, sometimes impulse buys work out well. During my visit to Costco, I decided to pick up one of the prime tri-tips. Seasoning with salt, pepper, granulated garlic, and some Mexican oregano, I kept my expectations low.

My goodness….this was so good.

It was basically a "hot smoke" over oak for about 1 1/2 hours and it came out juicy, tender, with a nice smoke flavor.

There ain't no excuse for tough and dry tri-tip. The only problem I see is perfecting how to keep the product thru the course of a day or two.

I also smoked some garlic which I mixed with horseradish, making a sauce for my sandwich.

If you decided to stick around and read the post; I thank you for being a really dedicated FOY (friend of yoso)! I hope you had a great weekend!

Roadtrip: Burma Cafe (Daly City) and other stuff

January 25, 2014 mmm-yoso Burmese Food and Restaurants, Road Trip, San Francisco and Silicon Valley

Full and happy after lunch at the Firestone Grill, we headed northward. Hitting Gilroy we couldn't help but stop at one of these tourists traps…..

We also stopped at the Gilroy Outlets. The Missus doesn't shop much at outlets, it's not Her "thing" I guess. But She was interested to see what the lululemon shop had to offer. Of course She was wearing some limited edition jacket thingy which made all the sales girls go "that's so nice isn't it?" ick….. Then I came to find out that we didn't stop for Her…..we stopped here to get some stuff for me???? Anyway, two shirts later we left the place……me wearing lululemon, sigh. I feel somewhat emasculated for some reason. They are comfortable though.

We eventually got to our hotel. We were staying in San Bruno at the Villa Montes. It gave us lots of options and we kept joking that we were going to NorCal, but not into SF……

After a short rest we got back on the road a drove around a bit. We were still pretty full form lunch and decided on a fairly light dinner. I gave the Missus a couple of options and She chose the restaurant which was located in Daly City. So we drove to Daly City stopping here and there. When the Missus saw the 99 Ranch Market we decided to stop since we were still running a bit early. After stretching our legs a bit we headed to our dinner destination, Burma Cafe.

Burma Cafe is located in, what else, a strip mall. The mall looked a little run down, with most of the shops looking like this one right next to Burma Cafe.

Burma Cafe was without a doubt the nicest looking shop in the place.

****Burma Cafe has closed

They had just opened for dinner when we arrived, so it was pretty empty. The interior was on the dark side, yet it created a fairly nice intimate mood.

The really nice young lady seated us, we came to find out she is the owner's daughter.

The menu is concise, but full of dishes I wanted to try.

Of course we had to have the Lahpet Thoke, the Fermented Tea Leaf Salad, which is often called the Burmese National Dish.

I realize that the traditional version of this dish doesn't usually include lettuce, but in this case the crispness of the greens really made this a refreshing dish. The mildly bitter-astringent-pickled flavor of the fermented tea leaves, which looked a lot like pesto was really enjoyable for us. The addition of various nuts, beans, and seeds added textural contrast and flavor. The tomato gave the dish a bit of an acid kick as well. I'd have this weekly if we lived in the area.

A while back, I read that kabocha is used quite a bit in Burmese cooking. I thought the Missus would really enjoy the Kabocha Pork Stew.

The Missus, a big fan of kabocha loved this dish….even if it had pork in it. The pork was perfectly tender, soft, but not mushy. I really enjoyed the combination of spices used in this dish, complex, mildly spicy, but not overwhelming. I wasn't such a big fan of the kabocha, I felt it was a bit too starchy and undercooked….but hey, the Missus loved it.

We both enjoyed the ambiance. The young lady who served us was very nice and even chatted with us about how the food was prepared and the spices they use. I wish we had a place like this in San Diego.

Burma Cafe
63 St Francis Sq
Daly City, CA 94015

Rhodes: Lindos and (our first) Lunch at Mavrikos

January 24, 2014 mmm-yoso Greece, Greek Food, Rhodes, Travel

Much like we did in Crete, since Rhodes was a rather large island, we decided to rent a car. After manuevering the vehicle out of the Old Town we headed off Southeast. Our destination? The town of Lindos, birthplace of Charis who built the Colossus of Rhodes. I had read that Lindos was quite unique and it was easy to see why, even from a distance.

Remember the old joke about never being able to find a location whenever someone says "you can't miss it"…..well, in this case it's true. You really can't miss this place. Towering over the town of about 1,000 is the Acropolis of Lindos.

It becomes obvious, even at a glance, why Lindos was one of the most important cities on the island in ancient times. Both the Acropolis, built on a rock towering almost 400 feet over the village and the rather calm natural harbor, along with its location on the Eastern side of the island made it a perfect location for trade with people like the Phoenicians.

We decided to stop in Lindos and grab our first lunch. I found osme parking a bit outside of town and we walked into the village.

The village itself is tourist central. Lindos is the second most popular tourist destination on the island. While walking along the small streets and alleyways, past the white washed houses, you'll undoubtedly come across packs of donkeys ferrying tourists up to the Acropolis. I really felt sorry for the poor donkeys….I saw several carrying really large tourists up the hill.

I actually thought I'd soon be trudging up that hill. But no, much like what happened with saying "no to Knossos", the Missus decided that we'd seen enough……..

As we headed toward the central square, the bell tower of the Church of Assumption squarely in sight, the Missus pulled into a jewelry shop. Much like Chania, the Missus decided that She wanted some ear rings….I guess we were developing our own traditions.

So while the young man in the shop and I discussed recycling, Greece, and what was even more funny; the 80's music blaring through the shop (this kid was in his early 20's) "I love 80's, the best music, they don't make music like this anymore"…sounds like something I'd say, the Missus found a pair of ear rings She wanted.

Mission accomplished, a tradition lives on…..

Talking about 30 year old music really made me hungry so we asked directions to a restaurant that had been recommended to us; Mavrikos.

Located in the really busy bus and taxi stop, we were told that Mavrikos was once considered on of the best restaurants in Greece.

The place looked really nice, white tablecloths and all. The customers were undoubtedly tourists. The menu spanned everything from Spaghetti Bolognese to Tabbouli to more interesting stuff like youvesti with beef (a traditional beef stew).

I really felt for the staff here, customers wanting pizza and burgers, folks walking in the door using the restrooms….

We kept it simple and light, there were plans for a second lunch in the works.

The Missus, like She always does ordered the horta, one of Her favorite things in the world.

Which was cooked to death as it always is. The flavor was pretty good, almost like collards.

And a routine Greek Salad.

This version had capers which added a nice briney touch.

Pretty boring, eh? I was famished and decided to order the Slow Cooked Belly of Pork in Grape Syrup.

This was an interesting dish. You could tell that a lot of this had been prepped way ahead of time and quickly put together for service. The rice was really bad. If undercooked rice was a crime, the person who made this should get the death penalty. The pork belly, though it was only lukewarm, was decent, not overcooked and mushy, perhaps a bit under what I'd appreciate, but still full of pork flavor. The grape sauce made the dish, slightly sweet and fruity, with a touch of astringency and acid, it balanced out the fattiness of the pork. Of course, as with most places in Europe, a pig tastes like a pig. Definitely not cheap at almost 16 Euros, but better than just about everything I'd had in Rhodes so far.

We headed back to the car, the Missus smiling at Her bounty, me trying to remember what the car looked like………

I still remember that conversation with the young man in the shop……there were a few songs before this one, but following it, I had to comment on the 80's music. I remember being mesmerized by the video when it first came out. It's still a favorite of mine.

I know I'm old………but I still love this video. If you've ever wondered about the girl in the video, there's more here.