mmm-yoso – Page 302

Beijing: Quan Ju De and the Missus’ old neighborhood

February 16, 2012 mmm-yoso Beijing, China, Chinese BBQ, Chinese Restaurants, Travel

During the homestretch of our trip to China, we returned to Beijing. Of course we had to have Bei Jing Kao Ya (北京烤鸭), aka Peking Duck. In doing my research, I'd come up with a short list which included the old favorite Quan Ju De and the very popular Da Dong. So what we did was poll the Missus' and my Mother In-Laws friends and acquaintances. It seemed an interesting divide, the older generation, more steeped in tradition told us to go to Quan Ju De established during the Qing Dynasty(1864) and long the gold standard for Peking Duck. The younger generation preferred Da Dong, lighter, less fatty, using more modern techniques. To make matters more difficult, there was the possibility of Bian Yi Fang, home of the other Beijing Kao Ya, also established(1855 or 1885) during the Qing Dynasty. The differences in the duck are vast, Quan Ju De makes what they call "hung-roast duck" where the duck is roasted in a wood burning oven fueled by, if I'm to be believed what I was told date wood. Bian Yi Fang makes "closed oven" or "braised" duck. In the end, after being told that, "If you intend to return to Beijing, I'd suggest Quan Ju De, it is considered the original and most famous. Next time, try whatever is most popular, be it Da Dong or whomever might take its place." Which made sense, plus the Missus had Her first Beijing Kao Ya at Quan Ju De and I thought this would be a nice touch to a day where we'd explore what was left of "Her" Beijing.

We took the bus over to the Tiananmen area and walked over to Quan Ju De. We arrived and were escorted up the elevator to the dining area, which was quite busy.

Our Server went over the whole, long-winded spiel about the age and heritage of the ducks served here….maybe even the family tree for all I know. At the end, the Missus ordered.

When our duck arrived we were handed a card with our duck's serial number and some information. I made sure to tell the Missus, "it's ok, only a number….if our duck had a name, we wouldn't be able to eat it."

Our duck arrived and was carved for serving……

I recall being amazed at the waves of rendered fat rolling off the duck as it was being carved. This was going to be one rich meal…..

We both loved the Tian Mian Jiang, also known as sweet bean paste, sweet noodle sauce, or plain sweet duck sauce. It's not hoisin, Tian Mian Jiang is more savory and much more salty than hoisin.

The pancakes for the duck were very thin, you could almost see through them and had a fine mild stretch.

You are of course, waiting for the duck photos, so here goes:

As is customary with this type of duck service, the meat was carved and placed on a plate. Slices of meat covered by skin. I gotta say, this wasn't the neatest presentation I've ever seen.

The really crisp skin was placed on another plate….this was really great stuff.

Crisp, yet light, after the first "crunch" it almost melts in your mouth. The rest of the duck was rather oily and a bit on the rich side, but the meat had a nice flavor to it.

We also each got a small bowl of bone soup, something the Missus usually really enjoys, but this one was too funky for Her, having a strong almost offal flavor.

I kinda liked it…..very thick, with a real "wild" flavor.

We also needed something with a nice crunch and a bit of bitterness to offset the rich duck so we went with some simple gai lan.

No big deal…..
Overall, this was a mixed bag…not quite as good as expected, except for the crisp skin. The Dan Bing and Tian Mian Jiang were excellent.

As we finished our meal, the Server told us to go upstairs where we could see the ducks being prepped to roast. For me, this was actually the highlite of the meal.

The ducks were hung getting ready for the ovens which still burn fruit wood. A couple of years back there was a big uproar when Quan Ju De made the decision to go with electric burning ovens. The backlash was so bad that the decision was reversed and the chain still uses the wood burning ovens for roasting the ducks.

After lunch we got on another bus as the Missus tried to find our way to Her "roots" in Beijing. I've done earlier posts on the Missus and QingDao, where She spent Her childhood. The Missus ended going to high school in Beijing, so we set-off in search of the school, heading down streets turning into various hutongs. We first managed to find where my Father In-Law first taught in Beijing. Originally Furen University, formed by the Order of Saint Benedict, Furen eventually merged with Beijing Normal University. The Missus made sure to stop and take a couple of photos for Her father, telling me that this is one of the few places that looks almost the same as She recalled.

The Missus was able to gain Her bearings from the front of the university, leading me down the narrow alleyways of the hutong, along a path She walked everyday about 20 years ago. Her "compass memory" took over as we walked pass doorways and little shops, winding our way through the hutong, the Missus telling me that this was among the last bit of the Beijing of Her memory that still exists.

After one of the turns, She stopped in front of these gates…….

These were the dormitories, where the Missus lasted a whole week before moving back in with Her parents. Having room-mates just isn't Her thing. I sometimes marvel at still being in one piece after all these years……

After a couple of more streets, alleys, and turns we stopped in front of these gates.

This was Beijing High School number 13, Her high school. As the Missus looked past the gates, I read the sign that said this was the former residence of Prince Tao….

"You went to high school in a Prince's palace?"

"Yeah, I totally forgot….."

"Man, that's pretty neat, kind of cool….."

"Not really, I mean it wasn't important enough for me to remember…."

Just then we were jarred out of our reverie by the ringing of bicycle bells. A hoard of pedicabs came to a stop. Turns out that Prince Tao's Mansion, aka Beijing numer 13 High School is a stop on the "Hutong Tour".

For some reason, this tripped a wire and set off my somewhat weird sense of humor. I just found it funny in a odd way. Like your high school being a stop on a Hollywood Map tour kind of way…… I still chuckle when I think of it…..my wife went to high school in a former Prince's Palace that is a stop on the Hutong Tour….I know, you had to be there……..

Say Cheese Part 3: Philly Frank’s, Monkey Paw, and McGonagle’s

February 15, 2012 mmm-yoso Cheesesteaks, Sandwiches

I guess part 3 was inevitable. Every so often, I do want a nice gooey cheesesteak. I really don't know what it is. Funny thing is, when I've visited Philly, it's always been the Roast Pork Sandwiches that I go for…… After having already done two posts on cheesesteaks in San Diego, I figured that would be about it. As I mentioned before, I prefer my steaks with provolone, which probably was the original cheese on cheesesteak sandwiches since "whiz" wasn't even invented until 1953 and Pat's claimed tohave invented the sandwich in 1933. As far as Pat and Geno's is concerned, having eaten there twice….well, I wasn't super impressed with either sandwich and the locals that I knew always thought of them as more icons than purveyors of great cheesesteaks. And for that guy who claimed to serve an "authentic" cheesesteak because he read all about it on the internet…hey, I watched a bunch of Bruce Lee movies growing up and I couldn't do what he did no matter how hard I tried…..they'd probably call my version Jeet Kune Do-Do……

Emails and comments from FOYs Candice and Liverbomb had me craving a cheesesteak again, so I checked out the places they recommended and even saw another while driving in National City. So here's a trio for you.

Philly Frank's Steaks:

This one was a recommendation from Liverbomb. I was in the San Marcos area and decided to check the place out. Located in a fairly non-descript strip mall, Philly Frank's looked decidedly low keyed.

But the interior was full of Philly….well, "stuffs" is what we'd call it back home in Hawaii. The place was also doing a pretty good business.

The prices here aren't cheap, with a full sandwich running close to ten bucks. The two women running the counter really knew their stuff. When they saw a line forming one of them stepped into the dining area and started working the line taking orders.

I got a mushroom steak with provolone.

I wasn't too thrilled when I picked up my sandwich, which looked dry. Frankly, I'm just not impressed by the mere sight of an Amoroso roll anymore since both US Foods and SYSCO carry them….though they are par baked and loses something. It just didn't look very impressive. However, one bite fixed that……..the meat was very tender, not mushy, but tender. This was probably the most aggressively seasoned cheesesteak I've had in San Diego, a good thing in this case, since most cheesesteaks tend to be fairly mild in flavor. In spite of the seasoning, you could still make out the beef flavor. The cheese was molten and gooey, not totally incorporated into the meat, though the weather caused it to firm up rather quickly. The roll wasn't ice cold….all of which made this a very nice sandwich.

As always, Liver picks winners…..

Philly Frank's Steaks
151 S Rancho Santa Fe Rd
San Marcos, CA 92078

Hours:
Mon-Thurs 10 am – 8 pm
Fri    10 am – 9 pm
Sat    11 am – 9 pm
Sun    11 am – 8 pm

Website

Monkey Paw:

**** Monkey Paw has closed

This is Candice's pick for cheesesteaks and beers. The creation of Scot Blair owner of the very popular Hamilton's, this place has a almost dive bar look and feel, yet has a great selection of local and inhouse brews. Located in the East Village, you usually won't find me at these places because, well, I'm just not hip enough…….

One the days I visited you basically just ordered at the bar and the woman working there made sure you got what was ordered.

I actually went twice; the first time I met friends and Candice was nice enough to stop by. We had a great time, but I really ended up not paying much attention to what I ate. I had to return on another late afternoon when the Missus met Her friends for a girls night out. On my previous visit, Candice recommended the "Blair Steak" which came with White American Cheese, sauteed onions, mushrooms, and bell peppers. It also came with one of the two items (the other is tater tots) that San Diego just can't seem to get enough of….waffle cut fries.

This was a nice cheesesteak, gooey, slightly messy, the meat perhaps a bit more thickly cut than Philly Frank's. The green bell peppers added the flavor of "pyrazine", that very mildly bitter, "green" taste that goes so well with beef. The onions added a touch of sweetness, all very nice. In some ways the flavor was prototypical cheesesteak, quite mild in flavor. For nine bucks (with waffle cut fries) plus a couple more for a Sweet Georgia Brown, this made for a nice meal.

One that I'd gladly experience again…………

Monkey Paw
805 16th St
San Diego, CA 92101

McGonagle's:

McGonagle's has closed

I was driving down (up?) Highland Avenue in National City when I passed McGonagle's and had to laugh at the sign over the front door.

I went and parked in the back of the restaurant and entered…..what would be a strange neon sorta cheesesteak world.

The interior was the same orange color as the exterior, seating on the dining area was a bunch of picnic type tables.

And man, this place loved signs….there was one that had "rules", a la Pat's King of Steaks in Philly. Not sure if they really mean this, or if it's some kind of kitsch.

The place had a strange kind of vibe for me, I guess because the A/C was blasting and the place was totally deserted. Not feeling sure what I would get, I ordered a 6" "Authentic Philly Cheesesteak" ($5.75, a 12" is $8.75).

After a couple of minutes my cheesesteak number was called…..

I really didn't enjoy this too much; the bread was ice cold, the meat bland, dry, and tough……'nuff said. I'm glad I didn't get this with whiz….well maybe not, it would have covered some of this up. While I ate the sandwich I read the "eat three sandwiches and win" sign……..seems like everyone is trying to cash in on the Man versus whatever thing. I just can't imagine trying to eat three double meat cheesesteaks from here. But perhaps I just visited on a bad day…….perhaps.

McGonagle's
1231 Highland Ave
National City, CA 91950

You can find part 1 here.

Part 2 here.

Breakfasts of Champions: San Diego Edition – Hinotez, 777 Noodle House, Island Style Cafe, and Zarlitos

February 13, 2012 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Filipino Restaurants, Japanese Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants

Whew, I'm pretty beat today, so I thought I'd just go with some recent breakfasts in photos. These were basically the photos I sent along with text messages to my FOYs that led to JohnL telling me to put them into a post. I'm pretty sure you'll recognize the places/dishes:

I still haven't gotten round to doing a proper post on this place. Still waiting to check out the yakitori I guess. I mentioned the special place in my heart this type of dish holds. I still prefer whole raw eggs, but "hot spring eggs" (onsen tamago) will do, even if these were a bit more runny than other versions I've had. For $6, I consider this a real nice breakfast.

Hinotez
7947 Balboa Ave
San Diego, CA 92111

I've stopped by 777 Noodle House a couple of times while doing my weekend morning grocery shopping. The Hu Tieu Nam Vang Kho – Phnom Penh Noodles (Dry) is what I'll usually order. The price for this has gone up, but is still just $5.77.

I always look forward to the broth on the side, mainly because I really enjoy the sight of the pork leg bone in the broth. No offal in this version, but it is quite filling. One morning, as I sat and ate my breakfast, I noticed that all the tables were speaking different languages…one table Vietnamese, another Spanish, the one to my left Cantonese, right in front of me was a family that I think was Somali, the one in the corner Lao….the room was full of beautiful noises.

777 Noodle House
4686 University Avenue
San Diego, CA 92105

This next one needs no introduction…….

My quarterly loco moco………..well, actually a Kaloko Moco ($8.95).

Island Style Cafe
5950 Santo Road
San Diego, CA 92124

And it just wouldn't be right for me to do a breakfast post without a "silog" meal, in this case a Longsilog ($5.75) from Zarlitos.

The longanisa didn't look too good, but was nicely charred on the exterior. I can tell you that cooking longanisa can make a mess of your frying pan. This was a decent meal for the price. I enjoyed it more than the Spamsilog I had a couple of months back.

Zarlitos Family Restaurant
505 East 8th St.
National City, CA 91950

So there you go, a quartet of breakfasts…….have anything good for breakfast recently?

Athens: Hotel Tony and Strofi for lunch

February 11, 2012 mmm-yoso Athens, Greece, Greek Food, Travel

Upon arriving in Athens we headed straight for the X95 bus which took us from Athens International Airport to busy Syntagma Square, pretty much the heart of Athens…….

A couple of quick questions later and we were on the metro, headed in the direction of Hotel Tony. We got off the metro, found the street and walked up the hill to the hotel located on the corner of Dikaiou and Zacharista in the Koukaki neighborhood, located North of the Plaka and on the back side of the Acropolis. The neighborhood looked fairly residential and we kind of enjoyed that. Tony himself is quite a character, larger than life, very funny, whose tastes in furnishing and decor matches his personality. They were still working on renovating the building we were in….it looked like faux marble stairs and various statues were being put in. Tony's rooms, at least in this building were large and very colorful……

The room was large and had a kitchenette. We could tell by Tony's, how should I say it, physique, that he loved to eat. So we asked for a recommendation for lunch straightaway. He recommended a restaurant called Strofi a few blocks away, close to the back of the Parthenon.

The place was pretty empty when we arrived and we were led to the patio on the third floor.

The Missus ordered a half liter of red wine almost as soon as we were seated.

While looking over the menu, an amuse of sorts arrived. The place consisted of chopped tomatoes, feta, and what they called "brioche", but was actually "rusk". Rusk is a twice baked bread that is like toast, which they called paximadia. When served with tomatoes and feta, they call this "Dakos".

You dip the rusk into some water to soften, then top with tomatoes and feta. The Missus loved the paximadia and would end up consuming it every chance She got in Crete. Also, a small carafe of what was called Tsipouro was provided. This was pretty bitter stuff at first, but we both came to enjoy it. It is called Raki or Tsikoudia in Crete and we really got used to having it with dessert. It can be pretty potent stuff, but I really enjoyed it. You'll be seeing a lot of Raki in future posts……

We decided to stick with getting three appetizers…….

The Missus didn't enjoy the anhcovy with lemon and olive oil.

I thought this was decent, but the flavor of the anchovies were too much for Her.

We both really enjoyed the Melitzano Salata, the eggplant dip….

Wonderfully smoky and full of flavor.

The Fava Skordalia was a hit as well…….

Mild garlic flavor, wonderful texture, this was also a winner…….

Not a cheap lunch by US atandards at 30 Euros, about 45 bucks at the time. But it was a satisfying meal and put us in a good mood as we headed to the Acropolis Museum.

Chinese Kitchen (Chi Tu Thanh Nha Hang) – Bun Mang Vit again……

February 9, 2012 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Chi Tu Thanh Nha Hang has closed

This little restaurant makes my favorite Bun Mang Vit in San Diego. I've written about the place before. Under the guise of a Chinese fast-food joint, there's some good Bun Mang Vit going on.

When I first started going here in 2006, the place looked haphazardly thrown together and you actually did order from a hole-in-the-wall at this hole-in-the wall. A couple of years later, some fast-foodish furnishings were added, new signs and the place looked spiffed up a bit. On my last visit, things were starting to settled in that worn in look again. I'm thinking the place need to look that way…..you know, that favorite jacket with the worn elbows, the favorite jeans that fit so well…..

Plus, I'm not here to admire the decor, rather, after a long and tiring week, this is a treat for me.

To get the most out of this restaurant, you need to peel your eyes away from the huge plastic menu on the wall that faces the street. Look to your left and you'll see the heart and soul of the menu. While I've had other dishes here, it's the Bun Mang Vit that keep me coming back. There have been times when I've had to stand on the bench and point to the third line down on the menu to make sure I'd get my order right. The prices aren't bad either…..

This is basically a clear, I'm thinking chicken based broth, very light in color and texture. Dried bamboo shoots are added…..I like to let it rest for a while so the earthy flavor of the bamboo shoots adds flavor to the broth. The noodles are the "bun", vermicelli. You always get a little bowl of a fairly sweet Nuoc Mam Cham full of minced ginger and garlic and on this day a small styrofoam cup of plain, undiluted fish sauce.

I use this to dip my duck and my veggies, which I soften a bit with a quick dunk in the broth. I've actually caught glimpses of the women prepping duck in the back.

I have noticed that they've cut down on the amount of banana blossom and rau ram in the herb-vegetable mixture over the years, but it hasn't really bothered me.

I can still come here to get my fix when I just want to relax and watch the paint slowly turn color on the walls…..

I often kid my good buddy "JohnL" about some of the really bad recommendations he's given me over the years, but this one makes up for all of those. Though I do know the truth John…..it was actually your Mom's recommendation. But that's ok, I'll give you credit for it!

Chinese Kitchen (Chi Tu Thanh Nha Hang)
6160 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92115

Midweek Meanderings: Hinotez (finally) starting Yakitori, Viet Bakery and Pho and Moby Dick Fish Market (I kid you not) coming soon

February 8, 2012 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Markets & Grocers, Vietnamese Restaurants

Hinotez finally starting yakitori:

Dennis has already mentioned this, but since I had started on a draft of this post I thought I'd follow-thru:

I've been to Hinotez several times, but mostly for breakfast. I'd been waiting for them to get their menu finalized and that looks like it'll take place soon. So they're starting up yakitori in spite of not having their beer and wine license yet.

One other thing that Dennis mentioned was that they're now doing bentos:

Which are prices right and looked pretty good. The young lady who always seems to be working when I have breakfast there told me that the Tonkatsu Sandwich is very popular.

Looking over the bentos, I had a nice laugh when I notcied that the "healthy" bento had potato salad in it…… I guess the term healthy is relative, right?

Hinotez
7947 Balboa Ave
San Diego, CA 92111

Coming soon to the Convoy area:

On the way out of the parking lot after having lunch at Swab Shabu World with Mr Z, I noticed this signage had just gone up.

Viet Bakery and Pho? Banh Mi and Pho? Not quite sure and my usual sources haven't been able to get me anything yet. This is in the space that Imperial Mandarin gave up when they cut their restaurant size in half. So for sure more Pho, not quite sure if it's more Banh Mi……

3904 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Right up the street is another change. There's a fish market called, I kid you not….Moby Dick Fish Market…..ahoy!!!

For some reason this scene came to mind, not sure why……

I did ask around a bit and found out that this is the same guy who used to own Convoy Sushi and Fish Market and North Park Sushi and Fish Market. Does he have a short attention span or what? I'll give him this much, he keeps on trying….. Dennis did send me a text noting the irony of the name. The place used to be a "Gentleman's Club"…….

4805 Convoy St.

I hope everyone is having a great week!

Road Trip: Shaanxi Gourmet – Rosemead (Los Angeles)

February 6, 2012 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Road Trip

**** Shaanxi Gourmet has closed

One of the dishes I really enjoyed during our trip to China was the Yang Rou Pao Mo from Tong Sheng Xiang in Xi'an. Dense, heavy, bread, which folks call "pita" but is not like any pita I'm familiar with is broken into edible pieces by hand. Once you've filled your bowl with enough of it, they whisk it away and fill the bowl with a gamey and flavorful mutton broth. It is heavy enough to keep you all day long and I really was looking for it when we returned from our trip. We tried the version at Beijing Restaurant in San Gabriel which was disappointing. So when I read about Shaanxi Gourmet on Dylan's Blog I got quite excited and a couple of days later we were driving up the I-5, headed to Rosemead.

The restaurant is of course, located in a strip mall off of Valley Boulevard, but is hiddn from the street. Though once you enter the parking lot, you can't miss the Terracotta Soldiers guarding the front door. The dining area is clean, the walls lined with photos of various dishes, and the restaurant is a bit smaller than it looks from the outside. You probably would only need two Terracotta Warriors to guard the place.

The service was kinda, well, slow and a bit disorganized, impatient, and let's just say, suited for the SGV. The menu, at least when we visited is interesting, it seemed that the vast majority of it was not translated into English.

Looking through the menu again I found a page of rather vague translations of some of the dishes. But we pretty much knew what we were looking for and the Missus started scanning the menu…..

Before making any big decisions, She had already gotten us some cold dishes to ward away our rising hunger.

These were adequate, but you can get better elsewhere……

Meanwhile, the Missus had already placed our order and in a matter of minutes our first dish arrived. The weather at that time had been pretty cold so we started with the spicy and sour soup with hand pulled noodles, the meatless version.

I loved the broth, which was light in viscosity, but full of flavor. There was definitely some Sichuan Peppercorn in this as we got some of that wonderful numbing sensation along with a bit of heat. The sour, was just enough to keep you wanting the next sip. The noodles were lovely, with a decent pull to them……I really enjoyed the noodles.

Still, I was waiting for my Yang Rou Pao Mo…..a part of me was hoping that the bread would be provided first for me to tear into bite sized pieces, but I guess practicality ruled here and the soup arrived with the bread diced into small pieces.

The broth was right on, a soulful, hearty, mutton soup. The bread was kind of strange as it was slimy and didn't really absorb the flavor of the broth. The pieces of mutton were pretty tender and had that wonderful flavor of the pasture.

It didn't quite take me back to Xi'an, perhaps as far west as New Guinea, but not quite there. Still this was pretty good and quite filling.

For our final dish, the missus looked over the menu and found something interesting……

I don't recall seeing Fen Zheng Yang Rou, lamb steamed with rice powder. But since we usually enjoy the various versions we've had of the dish, why not give it a try?

What we got this time around was some really tough lamb covered with gritty, grey colored powder. It was super bland and just not to our taste. For some reason, this reminded me of once when a bunch of us went camping at the beach and the guy assigned to cook ended up spilling the lunch into the sand and still tried serving it to us.

Overall, not a bad meal. I'd come back for those noodles and everyone seemed to be getting the Biang Biang Mian, which I think is Ku Dai Mian, super wide noodles the size of a sash/girdle. The service was spotty, one of the young women was really on top of things, but everyone else seemed to be walking in sand. Typical "A-B" (all business) SGV for us.

Shaanxi Gourmet
8518 Valley Blvd
Rosemead, CA 91770

Pho Fifth Avenue

February 5, 2012 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

Man, it took me long enough to do a post on this place……I mentioned the opening of Pho Fifth Avenue way back in Apirl of 2010, intending to check the place out, but for some reason I just never made it. Reading Dennis's post on the place made it sound pretty promising, yet I still wasn't able to get my act together until recently.

The shop, now almost two years old looks like a cross between the "old school" and new style Pho shops. The dishes on the menu are listed in Vietnamese, but the descriptions are in English. The set-up is typical Pho shop, but the area is bright, clean, and well lit.

On my first visit, I ordered the Brisket, Flank, Tendon, and Tripe……I'd seen the rare steak come out and it looked like typical beef top round and folks who've read this blog over the years know how I feel about dry and tasteless "Tai". Why bother……

My bowl arrived soon after ordering, the gentleman working here was very nice and pretty friendly.

The broth was low on fat, mildly beefy, not bad overall, except for being too sweet….oddly sweet and being served a little below the temp I consider optimal. I'd also enjoy a bit more anise hints in the soup as well. The noodles were the typical clump, but were decent. As expected the garnishes were farly minimal, I used a good bit of the basil to bump up the anise flavor and a good squeeze of lime to try and balance out the sweetness.

You can really tell how the restaurant deals with perceived restaurant demographics with the ratio of different cuts of meat. There was a good amount of lean flank, a decent amount of brisket, I fished out one piece of tendon, a bit more chewy than I prefer, and one very tiny strand of tripe, which I had to work to find.

Overall, not a bad bowl andI did see something after I placed my order that I wanted to try, so I returned a week later….to have Filet Mignon Pho. Not cheap at $9.25 for a small and $11.25 for a large, but I really appreciate a decent bowl of Pho Filet Mignon.

Based on my previous experience with the broth temperature, I had some reservations, but this time it arrived super steaming hot. Perfect for doing a quick dunk of the precious morsels of beef.

The Pho Filet Mignon here arrives with no other protein in the broth, which was still bit on the sweet side, though not as bad as my previous visit.

The broth was also more salty and had a bit more oil than my previous bowl.

I was surprised at the amount of beef tenderloin(I ordered a small), cut a bit thinner than what I consider the norm to be. It started falling apart as I moved it from the plate to the broth for a quick dunk.

The meat was very tender, a pleasure to eat.

I did find the amount of noodles this time around to be on the mushy side and the portion sized towards small. In fact, two hours after eating this my stomach started to growl.

Still, it was better than what I last had at Mignon Pho + Grill, though I haven't been back in a while and Howie and Jenne told me the Pho has gotten better there. So I guess I need to head back there soon.

Pho Fifth Avenue
3807 5th Ave
San Diego, CA 92103
Hours:
Mon-Thurs 10 am – 10 pm
Fri-Sat 10 am – 11 pm
Sun 10 am – 10 pm

Revists: Hong Kong BBQ & Dim Sum and Birrieria’s la Guadalajara

February 3, 2012 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Mexican Restaurants

A couple of revists on what has been a pretty busy Friday.

Hong Kong BBQ & Dim Sum:

I've been wanting to do a revisit and try some of the menu items since this is one of FOY (Friend of Yoso) "JanFrederick's" favorite restaurants. So I dropped by one evening and looking over the menu decided on a couple of dishes, however, no goat, no Oxtail, no Steamed Chicken with Mustard Greens…so I was kinda grappling with the menu, looking for plan "D". The gentleman taking my order was very patient and nice, though I was getting a bit annoyed…..

Still, it was a nice evening and the restaurant was quiet, even the young children were well behaved….so why should I start whining, right?

Eventually, I settled on the Seafood Hot Pot, though not without a bit of trepidation since my previous visit eating dim sum had not been so good.

I did need something that the Missus would have to eat when She got home and seafood is usually a good choice.

At $12.95 this wasn't a bad deal. I thought it was on the bland side and the fish fillets were a bit past prime, but everything else was not bad. The Missus thought this was decent as leftovers after the flavors had time to meld a bit.

I also ordered the Salt and Pepper Pork chops, which was neither salty, nor peppery, nor much of anything except kind of gummy.

I'd really like to try some other dishes, next time I'm hoping they'll actually have them.

Hong Kong BBQ & Dim Sum
10550 Camino Ruiz(Inside of Vinh Hung Market)
San Diego, CA 92126

*** Birrieria's la Guadalajara has closed.

Birrieria's la Guadalajara:

This place is now a favorite of ours…..we come here to get our weekend "lamb fix". Any I mentioned in my previous post that I wanted to try the Cabeza En Su Jugo, the simmered beef head…..

In a word….beef-a-licious, of course you've got to enjoy a condensed, very rich beef flavor. It ain't low fat, but man this was good. Wrapped in a fresh made tortilla, with some onions and lime to cut the fat, dipped in the broth…….

The Missus, along with the Borrego a la Plancha (She loves the leftovers), got the Spoes with Borrego (lamb).

If you are a masa lover, this one is for you….thick and filling, I actually like the smear of beans…..topped with the roasted lamb which has spent time on the griddle (like the borrego a la plancha), this is quite s filling meal. You can get it with the meat of your choice. This is major, "it's Sunday, let eat and roll back into bed" food.

The manager, Jorge, told me that they've received their beer and wine license……so you can have a nice cerveza with your birria now…then roll back into bed!

Birrieria's la Guadalajara
1310 Third Ave
Chula Vista, CA 91911

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Breakfasts of Champions – Oahu Edition: Like Like Drive Inn, Leeward Drive-Inn, and another interesting addition

January 30, 2012 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Diner, Honolulu, Oahu, Travel

I developed a bad habit during my trips back home. I found myself taking photos of my breakfasts with my phone and sending them to my friends. And for some reason, I've kept on doing this even after returning to San Diego. Recently, JohnL suggested that I do posts on these, which I thought was a great idea, so here goes….we'll start with Oahu.

**** Sadly, Like Like Drive Inn closed in 2020.

I found myself getting up pretty early, say at 5am or so in the morning during our stays on Oahu. Not wanting to wake anyone up, I'd often take a drive, sometimes with an objective in mind, or perhaps just to fill up gas. On the morning I hit up Nam Fong, the roads were clear with no traffic, so I headed all the way up to a place that's near and dear to my heart….. Like Like Drive In. Talk to any "townie" of my generation and you'll come with a list of places like Tin Tin Chop Suey and Like Like Drive In. Actually, this location of Like Like is not the original from 1953.

Back in the 90's the folks running Like Like swapped the restaurant over from the portion of the building to the right.

Walking in the place at 430 am on Thanksgiving was quite interesting. As I entered, the last of post drinking crowd was leaving and all the old-timers, newspapers tucked under their arm were entering. Still, this being a family holiday, the place was empty. The look and feel, down to the booths really stirs memories…….

I'm not much of a coffee drinker these days….but here, I just needed that cup o' joe……the table just needs a cup of coffee on it.

I really didn't order a locomoco per se, but looking over the menu I just happened to order two easy over eggs with rice and a hamburger patty. The woman serving me said, "you need gravy with that, right?' Not do you want some gravy, you "need" some gravy. And you know what? She was right….I needed some gravy with this.

I usually don't care for burgers that have been pressed down on the flat-top, but this patty had developed a wonderful crust from a well aged griddle and had been seasoned to boot. The gravy was decently flavored and not glue-like and went well with the runny eggs and rice.

It was a nice way for me to start the day……just like old times. Though I'm not doing too much active work nowadays, so I pick my spots.

Not too many of the places I grew up eating are left….Kaimuki Inn, Kuhio Grill, Alakea Grill, Chunky's, Wisteria, Suehiro, King's, McCully Chop Suey (the first air-conditioned Chinese restaurant in Hawaii!), King Tsin, Ebisu, Aotani Fountain, all gone……. Not too many like Like Like left, I'm hoping they'll be around for just a bit longer.

Like Like Drive In
745 Keeaumoku St
Honolulu, HI 96814

Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

One morning, I went to gas up our rental and drove into Waipahu, which is just down the street from my In-Laws place in Ewa Beach. For some reason, Leeward Drive-Inn called to me.

Man, when was the last time I ate here? The sign said "since 1964" and I think I probably had the fried noodles, which is what they, well, at least in my day, were known for….probably circa 1984. The parking lot has seen it's share of cars, all the lines for the stalls have worn away, though in typical Hawaii style, everyone seems to park their cars as if those lines still existed.

Funny thing, there were a bunch of guys having breakfast before work sitting in back of a minivan parked in front of the dining room. The big guy, sitting on a ne of those handy-dandy folding stools looked me up and down and said, "eh, I thought you one katonk, but you get da' shuffle…." Translation; "Based on your pale and unhealthy complexion, I believed that you were a Japanese from the mainland. However, when I observed your gait, it became obvious that you were not." I guess I still walk like a local? I laughed and told him, "at least you didn't think I was a bobora!" Translation;"you are indeed quite observant. I am flattered the opinion that my country of origin was Japan never entered your mind." It was just an expat local bonding moment…..

The menu at LDI is pretty large and extensive……. but I made up my mind fairly quickly. Once my food was ready, I grabbed my plate and headed off to the flourescent orange tables. The dining area looked kind of beat and no one was eating in the area so I could grind in peace.

I got Portuguese Sausage, Eggs, and Fried Rice, which was a pretty good amount of food.

This was just passable, the fried rice was very "local style", that is, made with Calrose rice. There were bits of Portuguese Sausage and some funky tasting "faux Spam". The sausage wasn't browned enough for me and tasted a bit off. The eggs were fine….this ended up just being nutrition.

Leeward Drive Inn
94 209 Pupukahi St
Waipahu, HI 96797

Hours: Mon – Thurs 430am – 11pm
Fri – Sat 430am – 12midnight
Sunday 5am – 11pm
Cash Only

This last one is sort of a quiz…….folks who have been to Hawaii will probably know this one. A fairly decent plate of Rice, eggs, which was really hard, Portuguese Sausage, and Spam®.

Quite an artery clogging breakfast……brought to you by:

Yep, Mickey D's in Hawaii serves up Portuguese Sausage, Spam®, or even both, in what they call the "Deluxe Breakfast". Don't remember the last time I actually had food from a McDonald's, but I happened to be close to the Pearl City location early one morning…..

I realize this post has been kinda long….so thanks for hanging in there are reading.

Here's the sunrise as I pumped gas one morning.

Of course I listened to KCCN…..until they kept playing the same songs over and over……what happened to variety?

But a couple of tunes stuck with me…….