mmm-yoso – Page 276

Roadtrip: Brodard Restaurant – Garden Grove (Orange County)

April 7, 2013 mmm-yoso Orange County, Road Trip, Vietnamese Restaurants

The Missus and I got up pretty early after spending the night in Hacienda Heights. After some contemplation, we decided to head on to Little Saigon for some breakfast then head on home. The Missus was missing Da' Boyz and all that.

We decided to stop in at a place we hadn't been to in years, the renowned Brodard's.

We always think about stopping in when we're in the area, but the place is usually packed to the gills with several lines, folks practically tripping over each other, the service being very perfunctory as the folks working here often seem like they are just trying to survive. Frankly, I'm too old for the circus.

But, since it we got there right when they opened (8am), the place looked like this. I bet you've never seen Brodard's this empty, have you?

There used to only be one reason for coming to Brodard's. It was for the Nem Nuong Cuon and the Chao Tom Cuon, the pork sausage and the shrimp paste spring rolls.

It had been years and I wondered if Brodard had aged well. We ordered the combination ($7), which included two of each.

There was of course, the signature crisp egg roll wrapper in the center of the spring roll, which adds wonderful texture and is also a sign that these are made to order. The wrapping is done perfectly, neither too tight and stretched like Joan River's face, nor too loose and falling apart.

There was one thing I did notice. For some reason, both the shrimp paste and the nem nuong seemed really bland. It seems like something had changed over the last, oh, almost a decade. I can't put my finger on it, but these were nowhere as tasty as I recall.

The Missus really wanted to try the Banh Khot ($6.95) and I'm happy we did.

The Banh Khot were light and crisp, the shrimp moist and plump. The Missus went crazy with the greens and herbs and really enjoyed Herself. I thought this was an enjoyable version of Banh Khot. I'd gotten used to dry and tired looking Banh Khot and this was definitely not that. I'm thinking that arriving before the mad crush of bodies may have been to our benefit this time around.

We had a decent meal and made it back home before lunch.

Brodard Restaurant
9892 Westminster Ave
Garden Grove, CA 92844

Tunisia: The Bakery, What’s behind the “door”, and Carthage

April 6, 2013 mmm-yoso Desserts, Markets & Grocers, Sidi Bou Said/La Marsa, Travel, Tunisia

the benefit of spending a couple of days in a single location is that you're able to get into a routine. In Sidi Bou Said the daily routine included a stop at this little neighborhood bakery in a cul-de-sac right downstairs from busy Habib Bourguiba.

At places like this, you select your snacks and pay by weight. The very mild-mannered, soft spoken gentleman running the place got used to seeing us, greeting us with smile on our visits.

On our last evening in Sidi Bou Said, the Missus was relaxing, doing stuff on the iPad. I went to the grocery, then stopped by the bakery. I was asked where my wife was….they had gotten used to seeing us together. I told him She was "resting". I placed the pastries the Missus wanted on a tray and carried it for weighing. I told the gentleman we were leaving in the morning and thanked him for being so nice. He placed everything gently in the box, weighed it, then went back to the pastry case and placed a good half dozen more pastries in the box, turned to me, placed his hand over his heart and said, "this is from me….thank you." Folks like this gentleman and Sophie really made our stay in Tunisia just that much special.

The other regular stop was the grocer on Habib Bourguiba. On our first visit, we noticed the "door"…..a door that usually had a line of men waiting.

Of course the Missus couldn't help herself. She kept wondering what was behind this door. Everytime we dropped by to purchase water or whatnot, the Missus would see the line and be beside Herself. We just didn't feel comfortable standing in line for the unknown…..

On my last trip to the market, I found the door open……opportunity knocked!

So what was behind the door?

In Islam, alcohol is forbidden, so I guess to be sensitive to Muslims, all the booze is kept in a separate room.

When we first decided to visit Tunisia, the first place that came to mind was Carthage. I mean really, Carthage. You'd be surprised at how many people I've met who have no idea that Carthage is actually in Tunisia. Then of course, there's how I first heard of Carthage when I was a child. There's the story of how Hannibal crossed the Alps with his army which included elephants!

Carthage itself is just a a couple of kilometers from where we were staying, so on one rather bright morning we headed off down Avenue Habib Bourguiba….to Carthage. The first thing that was obvious when we arrived was that Carthage was a pretty upscale neighborhood. Think of having several ancient ruins in, well, La Jolla……it was pretty strange overall. The signage was kind of ambivalent as well. After the drama of El Djem, Sbeitla, and Ksar Ghilane, this was pretty tame. Anyway, the site we enjoyed the most was the Antonine Baths, the third largest Roman bath complex in the world. According to what I've read, bath houses were very important in Roman Society and this seaside setting surely reflects that.

Most of what remains is the foundation and what I'm assuming are the underground network used to heat and move water.

I gotta say, the Roman really understood "location, location, location….."

The other locations we visited were somewhat non-descript. Some had trash strewn about. We decided to that a visit to the Byrsa Hill and the Musee de Carthage would be in order. It was really interesting trying to find the museum. Eventually, we found a sign and scrambled up this hill to the museum.

That building to the left is the beautiful Saint Louis Cathedral.

Which was not open to the public.

The view from the hill is dramatic. You can easily understand the importance of this location….

The museum itself, less so, as it seemed unorganized and haphazard. For me, the best display was of these two sarcophagus dating back to Punic times.

For some reason, even though it was still morning, the heat was getting to me……sort of like this mutt.

We headed down the hill to the TGM station and caught the light rail to La Marsa. After all, it was just about lunch time…….

Thanks for reading!

Falafel Friday: Gyros N Kabob Cafe

April 5, 2013 mmm-yoso Afghan, Mediterranean Restaurants

*** Gyros N Kabob Café has closed

I noticed a while back that Aria Kabob had closed. Then a couple of months later it reopened as Gyros N Kabob Cafe.

Still, I wasn't very motivated to try the place. Finally, I went in last month just to see what was up. The interior has changed a bit, but the "bones" look the same. I also quickly surmised that this was still an Afghan-style restaurant at it's roots.

In fact, the same gentleman who used to run Aria, runs this place too. There are still many of the other items I've tried at Aria on the menu here….borani bonjan and bolani gandana for example.

On my first visit, I decided to go with the Falafel-Gyro Platter ($10.99), opting for the lamb gyro.

This was a load of food! The falafel were not to my liking, dry and very bland. I did enjoy the lamb gyro though. I could tell that it was cut then heated, but the flavors were really good, nice spices, a bit gamey. Perhaps a bit on the dry side, but still, the flavor was right in the pocket for me.

Plus, they still serve the tangy and mildly spicy "chatni", which just makes everything taste better.

A couple of days later I was craving that chatni again, so I stopped by and ordered the Lamb Gyro Sandwich ($5.99).

I couldn't believe that this came with all those fries…..typical fast-food fries, but altogether not a bad value. I really enjoy the labni like, thick, strained yogurt on this sandwich, but there was a bit too much of it. The lamb gyro meat was kind of overshadowed by everything.

But hey, the really nice guy serving me knows I love the chatni so he made sure to get me a bowl. I ended up buying a bottle for home use…..the missus loves the stuff.

I recently returned for a lamb gyro fix and just stayed with the Lamb Gyro Plate ($8.99).

I think this is what I'll order from now on. The gyro is on the dry side, but I like the flavor, the labni and chatni help to moisten the gyro meat and the pile of rice below….heck, this kind of looks like a plate lunch, huh?

Sadly, I'm not sure how long this place will be in business. I've never seen another customer during my three visits. I gentleman who runs the place has always been nice to me, though food can take a bit longer since it's often a one man operation. I do need to return to see if the borani bonjan is still as good as I remember.

Gyros N Kabob Cafe
8010 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111
Hours:
Mon – Sat 10am – 8pm
Sunsay 11am – 7pm

Roadtrip: Take-out from Shufeng Garden and Easy Earthen, plus some other stuffs

April 4, 2013 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Road Trip

**** Both Shufeng Garden and Easy Earthen have closed

As I mentioned in my Tasty Noodle House/Torrance Farmer's Market post, we had decided to spend the night in Hacienda Heights on the way home from Vegas. We didn't plan much at all, we had lived in the area for a good chunk of time, long enough for it to be considered to be perhaps my "third home". We just wanted to see what the neighborhood was like over a decade later. Sure, we've stopped by quite a number of times over the years, but we've never spent a good amount of time in the area since we left.

We both felt sluggish and tired, Vegas has a way of just sucking the energy right our of us. So the Missus thought it would be a nice idea to just do take-out and eat in our room. We'd take a drive and maybe even a walk after dinner.

I successfully lobbied for some of my favorite take-out in the area; from Shufeng Garden. So we drove on over, placed our order and since this was one of those "just eat as much as you want" moments, we walked less than a block over and went to Easy Earthen, Earthen Restaurant's smaller, more "fast-casual/take-out" shop. There was a funny moment at Easy Earthen….the Missus just naturally spoke mandarin to anyone in a Chinese restaurant in Rowland/Hacienda Heights. She walked up to the counter and spoke to the young lady behind the counter, who replied, "oh, sorry, I don't speak Chinese". The Missus was so thrown off She just said "oh" and walked away from the counter! We had noticed some subtle changes in the neighborhood, like more folks actually walking, but this, a Chinese who spoke no Mandarin or Cantonese, this was something totally different for us. I gave the young lady the knowing "third generation" look and proceeded to order. It was nice seeing old haunts; Nijiya was still there, though some, like the Albertson's on the corner of Colima and Azusa were gone.

We made our way back to the room and dug in. Of course, the Missus doesn't eat chicken, so I had the entire half "Shandong Chicken" to myself. This was good, but even with an entire container of sauce, it just didn't have the assertive tones that I recalled. It tasted watered down. The chicken was good though, fairly tender.

The stuff from Shufeng was as good as always and we finished everything………

Easy Earthen
18303 Colima Rd
Rowland Heights, CA 91748

Shufeng Garden
18459 Colima Road
Rowland Heights, CA 91748

Feeling fat and happy after dinner, we took a short walk to the 99 Ranch Market on Azusa where I always used to see the most interesting "Engrish" signs, the best one being a very interesting rendition of "six pack coke", you can imagine how they spelled "coke", right? Of course they didn't let me down. I'm sure this was just for old time's sake:

I think someone should buy them a vowel. Though if you said it "Bunnuts andsedsandberries" it sounds kinda neat.

The area is constantly changing, old businesses leaving, new ones coming along, like the new 85 C Bakery. Here's one that caught our eye.

Maybe next time……

The Corner of First and Main Part 2: Cafe Secret

April 2, 2013 mmm-yoso Peruvian Restaurants

**** Cafe Secret has closed

Lately I've been noticing that "firsts/appetizers" on menus are often times more interesting than main courses. Like the Blind Burro, I found that to be true at Cafe Secret as well. Cafe Secret is named quite well, though located on Camino del Mar, it's really easy to miss, especially at night.

I hadn't seen my good friends Howie and Jenne in a while and Candice suggested we get together. I believe it was Jenne who picked Cafe Secret. I hadn't had good Peruvian Food in a while, so this was a good choice.

The tiny dining area could be described as either cozy or cramped depending on the foot traffic on the sidewalk that the dining area straddles and the customers.

The staff here was nice enough, though there were forgotten place settings, glasses, and an appetizer that arrived after all the entrees had almost been finished. Still, one can't complain when a dish of canchita (roasted corn kernels), something that I really enjoy.

The night started with drinks; I got a Cristal, and the girls Pisco Sours. Which took me back to the musty bar of a hotel in Lima Centro. It was a nice way to start a meal.

I decided on ordering three appetizers, while the rest of the group went with a cebiche and mains. It would turn out to be a good amount of food for us all.

The first item to appear was the Cebiche Mixto ($17). I believe this was the best dish of the night.

I really enjoyed the balance of the leche de tigre, the "marinade" or sauce if you will that is used to flavor the dish. It had a nice balance of sour and briney goodness. It's been a while since I've had cebiche this good. I only wish there was more of it, along with some spoons for scooping up the leche de tigre and canchitas. The lenguado, white fish, was marinated perfectly, too long and it get mushy, too short and it's tough. The calamari also was very tender. I'd gladly have this again.

The Tiradito ($15) was a different story.

There's always a sense of adventure in ordering tiradito, a dish often credited to the Nikkei Perujin, the Japanese who had immigrated or were born in Peru. Every version I've had was different; from the fantastic, full flavored, and wonderful Tiradito en Crema de Rocoto I had at El Fayke Piurano in Central Lima, to the garlic and lemon tones of the Tiradito Alfresco at Alfresco in Miraflores, it can be an interesting ride. This fish in this version was cut thick, almost like a tweener, the thickness of hirazukuri, but at an angle like usuzukuri. I've found that my favorite versions of tiradito are when fish is cut in thin strips, or thin like carpaccio. This was a bit too thick for me. The sauce was almost a weird tropical-asian incarnation, mildly fruity, but with ginger-sesame tones. This isn't my favorite preparation of tiradito, as the flavor just didn't keep me interested.

I also ordered the Shrimp Causa, which seemed a bit over-priced at $15 for what is basically mashed potato.

I will say that I liked the presentation, the shrimp was cooked to perfection, and this was nicely flavored. Rich, but not over-the-top, with a little kick. This was good.

Candice ordered the Chupe; basically a seafood based chowder. Think of it as being a richer version of Mexican Caldo de Mares, but with less of a acidic-oregano kick. The broth had a nice ocean flavor, tough I would have appreciated a bit more acid and salt. I'm not sure about the rest, but Candice seemed to enjoy it.

Howie ordered the classic Peruvian dish Lomo Saltado ($18).

Made with tenderloin, this was very tender. It just seemed to fall short in flavor. There seemed to be components missing with regards to flavor. It was missing salt, an herbaceous tone, huacatay is often used in Peru, and perhaps some alcohol or vinegar for zing. Overall, very flat in flavor.

Jenne ordered the very unmacho, Macho ($22), basically Pescado a lo Macho.

What I tasted of this dish was pretty bland.

The entrees were almost done and I wondered what happened to the Papas and Yucuitas a la Huacaina($10), so I asked. Without blinking an eye, they told me it was being prepped. Now, this is an appetizer, basically fried potatos and yuca with a cheese sauce…….they could have told me they forgot, but what the heck.

I've had versions of this that were made with a ton of parmesan…making it super salty. This was all the way on the other end of the spectrum, being quite bland. The sauce was a bit too thick and seemed to be getting thicker by the moment. Of course I love yuca in all forms, so I wasn't complaining.

We ended our meal sharing a very well made alfajores ($3):

It was great hanging out, we actually hadn't had a meal together in over a year! There was a ton of catching up to do and I don't think that was fully accomplished, so I think we'll have to di this again soon!

As for Cafe Secret, next time it'll be cebiche, cebiche, cebiche……that's probably worth a revisit on its own.

Cafe Secret
1140 Camino Del Mar
Del Mar, CA 92014

San Diego’s Ramen Renaissance Shio Edition: Gunco Ramen, Hinotez, Tajima, Izakaya Masa, and Yakyudori

April 1, 2013 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

Here's the fourth installment of my ramen-mania posts. With the exception of Hinotez, I've had tonkotsu ramen at all of these places before and had long ago decided that long simmered pork bone soup (or in a few instances tonkotsu base) was not the way to go. In the battle of shoyu versus shio, salt is my preference. I like the mild briney and in some cases complex, salt flavors along with a nice, clean, but rich broth. For me the margin of error is slim….temperature and richness really do count.

After being tonkotsu'd out, some shio ramen sounded just plain refreshing to me. Here's my visits in chronological order.

Gunco Ramen:

I last visited Gunco over two years ago with our resident ramen ruminator, Dennis. Things look just the same here…….

I really enjoyed my Shio Ramen here. It seems that the ramen has been getting better with every visit.

While the broth is relatively simple and very low on oil, there's one flavor that really sticks out….ginger. But either my tolerance has improved over the years, or they've learned to temper the flavor while still giving the broth here a touch of uniqueness, I dunno.

The noodles were fine, everything else is pretty sparse, no soft boiled egg, and the chashu quite tough.

Still I had a pleasant lunch.

Gunco Ramen
305 Palomar St
Chula Vista, CA 91911

Hinotez:

Funny thing, I've had many breakfasts at Hinotez, a couple of dinners, but it wasn't until I read Kirbie's post on Hinotez, that I realized I hadn't had the ramen here.

I guess that perhaps I thought the ramen here would be the same as Yakyudori.

Upon arriving I noticed that there have been some minor renovations, curtains on the booths and such.

I must go during some really off-peak hours. There never seems to be many people in te place when I eat here. Such was the case on this day.

As I mentioned before; I expected Yakyudori Shio Ramen, which this was not.

The visual difference was pretty significant, no corn, no menma(dried then rehydrated bamboo shoot).

The broth was also a bit strange. I'm wondering if the Yakyudori group has changed their salt? This had a strange almost bitter flavor, rather than the mild sweetness of the shio ramen I'd had at Yakyudori…..well you know that I just had to check into that, right? The chashu was nicely flavored but tragically ice cold and thus somewhat waxy and not pleasant to eat.

I don't think I'll be coming back to Hinotez for the ramen….breakfast, but not ramen.

Hinotez
7947 Balboa Ave
San Diego, CA 92111

Tajima Ramen House:

It was MrsZ who first informed me that Tajima was undergoing renovation. So about two weeks later I dropped by. The reworking was almost complete, the place looked very nice and modern. Hey look folks, Tajima looks all grown up now…..they even carry local craft beers!

But would the Shio Ramen suddenly be better than the rather mediocre stuff I've had here before?

Seriously, because of the temperature of the broth…. not hot enough, this seemed like a greasy mess. The noodles were over-cooked, the chashu here never wows me, and it was very consistent in being very dry and tough.

I usually hedge my bets by adding kakuni pork, which wasn't very good on this day as it was lacking in flavor and tough. At least the egg was nicely done.

Just think if that broth was hot enough.

Service, as has been my experience at Tajima was very nice.

Tajima Ramen House
4681 Convoy St., #1
San Diego, CA 92111

Izakaya Masa:

Frankly, I haven't had much luck here in the past. But I still believe Masa is in what I call the top tier with regards to ramen.

There has always been a kind of metallic flavor to the broth here. In fact, I think Dennis has picked up on that as well as he calls this place the Sandra Lee of Izakayas.

Strangely, one of the biggest complaints about the ramen at Masa was rectified, at least on this visit. The noodles were nice and firm.

But this was way too salty, the broth almost lukewarm, and it had a strange feel to it. It seemed milky in color even though I didn't order the tonkotsu.

Here's a photo of the Shio Ramen I had here on my previous visit.

Add to that the strangely surly service on this evening……..

At least the Chuka Kurage delivered as it always does.

Like Tajima, the food here probably tastes better after a couple of beers or at the end of a long night.

Izakaya Masa
928 Fort Stockton Dr
San Diego, CA 92103

Yakyudori:

By the itme I hit Yakyudori I was hitting the wall. Luckily, they have lunch specials with "small" ramen. This being a Thursday, it came with chicken karaage, quite a bit of chicken karaage, and some might-as-well-have-been-from-a-bag-of-frozen shumai.

Over my last couple of visits, it seemed like Yakyudori is slipping with regards to ramen. This was decently done, but the cracks are showing. The chashu was still very cold….just like Hinotez, what's up with that? The broth also tastes a bit different, which really makes me wonder if they've changed the salt they use. The noodles were done characteristically well.

Still, this was not the same Shio Ramen I had here over the last three years.

Yakyudori Ramen and Yakitori
4898 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

You know, I've been wondering if I should actually go on and do posts on some of what I consider to be "second-tier" ramen. what do you think?

My previous Ramen Renaissance Posts:

Part 1 : Underbelly revisited

Part 2: Tecchan Yakitori and Izakaya

Part 3: RakiRaki Ramen and Tsukemen, Ramen Yamadaya, and Santouka

Thanks for reading!

Clearing Out the Memory Card (COMC): Revisits to Golden City, Buga, and The Original Sab E Lee (Linda Vista)

March 31, 2013 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Korean Restaurants, Thai Restaurants

I haven’t done one of these in a while. Here’s a trifecta of places I’ve posted on many, many, times. So I thought you’d like something with mostly just photos.

Golden City:

**** Golden City has closed

I actually hadn’t been back to Golden City in a while. But recently, I actually had lunch there twice in two weeks! The first time with my good buddy “YZ” and the second with my long time FOY (Friend of Yoso) The Zompus……aka MrZ.

Anyway, here are the food photos:

I know, it’s the same old thing….so once in a while, I’ll order something different, like the Jellyfish Head with XO Sauce.

Which could have used a bit more XO Sauce. The Jellyfish texture was very nice though.

I guess this is where I bid Aloha to MrZ, his lovely wfie, Paparratt (aka MrsZ), and their little “Woolet” (Little Z of course). MrZ has gotten a big promotion and is off to Seattle. Congrats and best wishes, I’ll miss you guys!

Golden City Restaurant
5375 Kearny Villa Rd.
San Diego, CA 92123

Buga:

It’s been pretty warm here for the last couple of weeks……so ramen is out of the question with the Missus. She was craving Yukkwe Bi Bim Bop, so the first place that came to mind was Buga.

Of course I got the Bi Bim Naengmyun.

Of course, being open for dinner at 4 in the afternoon also works in their favor. From the placard in the window, it seems that the place is undergoing a change of ownership….so we’ll see how that plays out.

Buga Korean BBQ Restaurant
5580 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92117

The Original Sab E Lee (Linda Vista):

**** This location of TOSEL has closed

For some reason I crave TOSEL whenever it gets warmer. We visited twice in the last two weeks.

Over the last two visits we’ve found that the quality of beef used in the Koy Nua seems to have been upgraded. It’s much more tender now.

Funny story, the first time the Missus had this, She noticed the spots on the plate, thinking it was blood and was kind of grossed out. Still, we enjoyed the beef. On our second visit, I noticed that the orange spots were actually decorations on the plate!

For some reason, the Missus has taken to the Tod Mun Pla – the fried fishcake. I think it’s the sauce.

The Original Sab E Lee
2405 Ulric St
San Diego, CA 92111

So there you go, three places I’ve posted on many times….at least there are a couple of new dishes, right?

I hope everyone has had a great Easter weekend!

Recently Consumed

March 30, 2013 mmm-yoso Cooking

Here's a nother round-up of what's been cooking in the mmm-yoso household.

The Missus is into Her smoked salmon again, so I've been smoking salmon just about every week.

What I've been doing is trimming off the belly portion of the salmon……Catalina Offshore has had some really nice Scottish Salmon recently. I'll cut the belly lengthwise, season with salt and pepper, dust with potato starch and fry……

I've done this a couple of times already….it's really wonderful. Rich, yet rather mild in flavor…..

Here's a Turkish Spiced Halibut, Crisp Roasted Eggplant, Pickled Vegetables and Afghan Chatni.

Here's Pan Fried Dover Sole with Potato Pancakes and Creme Fraiche - Caper Sauce.

Coming right off surf and turf night, I got another shot in before Bristol Farms Wagyu Beef sale ended.

And from our meatball section……I made those combination ground lamb- ground veal kofte again:

Last night I saw some uncased merguez meat, so we decided to try making merguez kofte, which were delicious.

So that's the round-up.

Happy Easter!

Falafel Friday: Oasis Restaurant and Lounge – Bay Ho

March 29, 2013 mmm-yoso Mediterranean Restaurants

** Oasis is now Spice & Soul

I mentioned this place opening, along with Dan Diego back in November of last year. A couple of weeks later I went to check them out.

The interior was clean, bright, and spacious and looked nothing like the taco shop that was formerly at this location. The menu was a bit odd; Med/Middle Eastern on one side, Burritos on the other. There were several beers on tap, most of them standard local brews. I found the combination of all three kind of confusing….was this a bar serving Mediterranean food, or a Med-Mex restaurant featuring beer and wine. Throw in the hookah room in the back, add ESPN running on all the television sets and you got a Med-Mex-hookah-sports bar. The folks running the place are friendly enough. I was told they own the liquor store across the parking lot, so maybe that explains the beer and wine.

Most of the plates, salads, and stuff ran north of $7.95, but under ten bucks, which didn't seem bad. I decided on something called the "Crazy Kofta" ($9.95):

Basically mass produced pita, with some mildly seasoned kofta meat, a bit on the dry side. Iceberg lettuce, tomato (which was actually pretty good), red onion, and sumac. Throw in some rather limp fries and a mild yogurt sauce. Nothing really special. It was nice to have this option in the neighborhood, but this didn't seem like a good value.

Still, the folks running the place were really friendly, so I returned with some friend for drinks one evening. We basically had a couple of beers, Ange a glass of wine, and we decided to get the Falafel Plate.

The falafel were really hard, gritty, and dry,tasting of too much parsley, with a bit of bitterness thrown in. The hummus was too thick and tasted like the store-bought stuff. This also seemed a bit over-priced at $7.95.

For some reason, it just seemed like Bay Park just couldn't pull off some really good grub…..Oasis just seemed like a bar that served Mediterranean Pub Grub. But maybe that's what they were shooting for. I really like the folks here, but I'd pretty much marked this down as a place to get a beer or two and not much more.

A couple of weeks ago, I happened to be in the area during lunch and decided to stop by again. I was surprised to find a "Lunch Specials" menu, with everything at five bucks. So I decided on the Falafel Pita. I was surprised when my plate arrived….there was no mention of fries on the menu, but there it was.

Sure, it was the same mass produced supermarket pita…iceberg lettuce, sumac, et al. But there were four falafel in the sandwich, which were much better, more moist, and the parsley taste had been toned down so I could make out some mild spice.

The fries were done to a decent SYSCO-liciousness. Perhaps the kitchen was still feeling its way during my first two visits. I thought this was priced right at $5, or even six.

Oasis is a nice addition to the neighborhood, though not a place to go out of your way for.

Oasis Restaurant & Lounge
4033 Avati Dr
San Diego, CA 92117

The Corner of First and Main Part 1: The Blind Burro

March 27, 2013 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants

As I mentioned in my post on Sage, we've been finding firsts and appetizers to be much more interesting than main courses recently. And we've had a couple of meals that seem to support that theory. The first was at the Blind Burro, a rather trendy, fairly new "concept" bar/restaurant in East Village. A very nice and stylish sort of Baja-ish fusion restaurant. I'm more substance focused, so I'd usually pass on places like this. The menu however, seemed interesting and I'd heard good things about the place. So when my dear FOY (friend of yoso) Candice asked us to join her for food and drink, the Missus and I jumped at the chance. Of course there is always the parking thing, but hey, it's about location, right?

Like I said, very nice atmosphere and the service was decent. The Missus really enjoyed the rather thick, but very crunchy chips.

There were some interesting items on the menu. We started with the Sweet Potato-Chorizo Taquitos ($7.50).

First off, we thought the chorizo, made inhouse was very good, smokey, with a nice blend of spices. The sweet potato added a touch of starchy sweetness. The Missus really enjoyed the mole, the combination of savory-salty-sweet flavors was nice as well. The crunch? Well, the Missus loved that as well. This was a very nice start for us.

The Missus also enjoyed the Quinoa and Squash Cakes ($9).

I really enjoyed the cilnatro pesto, especially on the grilled panela cheese which always seems to work well with herbaceous and even pungent flavors. The Missus loves quinoa….we still joke about getting it for 79 cents a pound back in '06……nowadays it's sticker shock. The inclusion of black beans gave it a bit of heft and a mild smokey flavor. The shaved calabacitas salad was….well let's just call it zucchini, was pretty mild and really fell into the shadows.

At this point we were starting to really enjoy the food here. It seemed that the BBQ Yellowtail Collar ($13) spelled the end of that feeling for us.

I love the richness of hamachi kama, as I do the flavor which is perhaps a bit strong for some, but for me it just adds to the enjoyment. Grilled in a too sweet and sour glaze killed the richness, it blocked the flavor….you might have well been eating chicken wings. A bit too sweet and sticky for me, I really didn't taste the smokiness of the chipotle in this.

The seafood in the Mariscos Stew ($17) were perfectly cooked.

The mussels were especially tender.

Unfortunately, the whole dish was way too salty, even for a sodium lover like me. It got to the point of being rather unpleasant, though it didn't seem to bother JohnL who joined us at about this time.

The Angus Skirt Steak($18) was decent.

I mentioned that the flavoring tasted like something out of Rick Bayless's playbook. Candice cracked-up and told me that the Executive Chef has gone on those chef excursion/tours that Rick Bayless has every year and is infatuated with the food. The beef could be a bit more tender, the salsa macha was pretty weak, more like a watered down chili oil. The best part of this dish were the red mole beans which had a nice complex flavor and though you could make out the touch of sweetness, it was still restrained, as was the spice, giving this nice balance.

Overall, his was a decent meal. But as we've been finding recently, appetizers have been outshining the entrees on menus. So in the case of the Blind Burro, the next time we visit and reach the "corner of first and main"….we'll be turning onto first and checking out more of the botanas, ensaladas, and probably a side or two.

The Blind Burro
639 J Street
San Diego, CA 92101