mmm-yoso – Page 334

Our favorite take-out…. guess where?

April 15, 2010 mmm-yoso Thai Restaurants

This is an easy one……

There are a couple of reasons why this place is our go-to take-out joint. First, we (obviously) love the food. Second, the prices of almost everything we order is below $7.25. Third, it's on one of the alternate routes home. Fourth, our favorite dishes there hold up well on the 15-20 minute drive home. The place is rather small, so sometimes doing take-out works out better as well. It does help that the place serves one of my "last request" dishes. Without further ado……

Yep, it's Sab E Lee of course. I guess now that Koby has sold the place to the staff, they've gone ahead and called themselves "The Original" Sab E Lee. And though I've been doing most of my recent postings on Sab E Lee in Santee, and god knows we adore Koby. I thought I'd just dig out a few take-out photos cluttering my folders.

If you're a regular reader, you know my "last meal" dish is the Koi Soi, the raw beef salad.

I love the texture of the raw beef. And though it is not as refined as the version at Lotus of Siam (which is $6.70 more expensive), I just love the melding of flavors, the biting heat, the nuttiness of the roasted rice powder, pungent onions, scallions, and raw garlic slices, and biting into an occasional Thai chili! I know…yada-yada-yada….. just make sure you give me a spoonful before you pull the plug.

That's not say that any of the other dishes take a back seat. Whether it's the mild sourness of the Issan Sausage, with bits of pork skin adding a nice chew. Wrapped in a slice of cabbage with a peanut or two, or perhaps a chili or slice of raw garlic, and you've got a symphony of flavors.

Or the somewhat stinky, but so savory Salted Fish Fried Rice:

The Missus recently took a bunch of folks She works with to Sab E Lee. The coworkers weren't really familiar with Thai Food aside from Tom Yum and Pad Thai. When this dish arrived, folks pulled away from the plate…. once they tasted this, you couldn't get them away from the plate.

Well 'nuff said…. I'm sure all the SEL regulars have their favorite dishes…… I know of one one Food Blogger who can't get enough of this.

While building links, I just realized that this is my seventh post on SEL….. so maybe I should back off a bit.

But man, do I have tons of SEL photos.

And not only take-out either…..

OK, enough of that……

Most importantly, I'd like to know what your "go to" take-out places are, and why. Is it convenience? Prices perhaps? I'd really like to know…….

And in case you like to check out my other posts on Sab E Lee, you can find links on our "Rotation Page".

Honey Pig – A first look

April 13, 2010 mmm-yoso Korean Restaurants

*** Update: Honey Pig has closed and is now Old Village ***

So why have I posted a photo of Korean Meat Market, when my post is titled "Honey Pig?" Well, a couple of days ago, FOY "YY" informed me that the owner of KMM had taken over the Arirang House space, and opened a Korean BBQ. So of course, the Missus and I had to try it out.

It turns out that Frank, has renamed the place "Honey Pig", which I sorta recalled is the name of a Korean BBQ in Koreatown.

The interior looks pretty much the same; though the buffet area has been boarded up.

We walked in, and almost scared the daylights out of the nice young man busy waiting for food to come out of the kitchen. He regrouped quickly, and sat us at a table. As fast as lightning, even before ordering, dishes hit the table.

You could tell by what was brought out that this was a "Bossam" style Korean BBQ, as rice paper sheets and thin slices of radish, along with some really great tasting greens were quickly provided. In other words, you'll be wrapping your BBQ with rice paper and radish. Sesame Oil and Salt, along with raw garlic and sliced jalapenos were also provided.

There wasn't much panchan, only some great tasting tofu, and pretty bland radish.

A simple menu card was handed to me…….. just eleven meat items…..

Knowing that the owner runs a meat market, where I've purchased some pretty good quality beef before, I was expecting something good. And the menu clearly states that the beef here is "CAB", no not that CAB (and don't even think about Carne Asada Burrito), but Certified Angus Beef. As to whether he's able to make, or has hired someone who could do good Korean BBQ…. well that remained to be seen. The woman and two young men working the front of house were obviously a bit disorganized. After I placed my order with one of the young men, the other came over a few minutes later to take my order. After I explained to him that I'd placed my order, about two minutes later the woman came over to take our order. This made me a bit nervous….. but the young man who originally took my order assured me that my order had been placed. You can tell they were really trying hard, and need to work the kinks out.

First out was the CAB Chuck Flat Meat, something "YY" recommended ($11.99), which the woman brought out and immediately placed on the cast iron griddle.

Quite soft for chuck, just be sure not to overcook it….. rare is the way to go. On item that worked to our disadvantage was that the rice paper and daikon wrappers were placed in single bowls which meant much reaching over and passing around. Hopefully, in the future, they'll give each individual their own bowls of each. This was mildly beefy, and not bad.

We contemplated ordering the pork belly, but the Missus was just not in the mood for pork. So we went with the Bulgogi (portion for 2 – $15.99). All items on the menu are portioned to about .45 lbs. So three orders for two sound about right. Since the Bulgogi is a double portion things worked out right.

I think the marinade needs some tweaking as it is way too mild, but the meat was very tender.

As you can see, these aren't AYCE meatfests, but along with the greens, eating Bossam(wrapped in the rice paper and daikon) style, and the bowl of rice, we were pretty full. Total bill came out to about $30 for two.

Overall, I'd say a notch below Buga, but above places like Seoul BBQ, so it'll be interesting to see what happens. As we were eating, Frank happened by, and recognized me because I've shopped in his store a few times. I was told that they won't be doing a grand opening quite yet, since they are still working things out. He has minimized the panchan to keep prices low, though we were given refills, and were even offered more.

The meal was good enough that we'll return to see how things are progressing. Plus, since it's named Honey Pig, I'll have to try the pork…..

Honey Pig
4681 Convoy St Ste B
San Diego, CA 92111

Woodies, a revisit

April 12, 2010 mmm-yoso Hot Dogs, Sandwiches

*** Woodies is now Waldos

So…. we're sitting the car, deciding what the Missuswe want to eat. Sometimes it's tough…. I'll go thru five, ten, fifteen places…… and even though She'll say, "today's your day, pick what you want", every choice will be rejected. Finally, the Missus exclaimed, "I want a hot dog"….. WHAT….. and to top it off, "and maybe some chili-cheese fries." DOUBLE WHAT! The only thing I could come up with was tilting my head and asking the Missus, "hear that?" Of course She replied, "hear what?" "That…. I think hell's freezing over!" I don't recall the Missus wanting Chili-cheese fries since we lived in LA…. really. My first thought was our usual choice, Tommy's….. there was one a couple blocks from us in LA, and of course there's a location on Clairemont Mesa Blvd. A couple of problems, though… first, the San Diego location of Tommy's just doesn't taste right to me. Something seems to be missing. Secondly, just one whiff of the chili from Tommy's gives the Missus heartburn…..

So with some hesitance, I mentioned Woodies. It had been a while since I've been to Woodies. A long while. And in the past, the Missus hasn't really taken to the dogs, nor the fries…. But the Missus really seemed up for it. And I was interested as well, since I believe that Woodies has perhaps gone through at least one change of ownership since I last visited.

In terms of pricing, Woodies' prices have gone up maybe 25-50 cents in the last couple of years.

So the Missus decided to get….. A Jalapeno Dog, Chili-Cheese Fries, AND a Pastrami Sandwich! Yikes…. I decided to order a Diet Coke.

So without further ado. The Jalapeno Dog ($2.85):

Personally, I like the dog at Woodies, nice beefy flavor, and good "snap". The Jalapenos didn't really do well with this, a little bit too "green" tasting, and these weren't really pickled very well. We ended up discarding them. The bun is steamed, and fairly soft. The Missus was never a big fan of the dogs at Woodies, but I think time has changed Her opinion, as She really enjoyed this. Now if I can only stop Her from putting *gasp* ketchup on Her hot dogs……

Here's the Chili Cheese Fries ($4.95). I'd never had the CCFs at Woodies, so I was kinda surprised when I picked my order up.

Geeez, enough to get me to make an appointment with my cardiologist. They've changed how they season the fries here. It now has a bit more spice in the seasoning, which tastes pretty good. I like the thin cut fries…. heck, I like almost all fries. The chili, which I've always thought to be a bit generic on a dog, complemented the fries quite well. There was a bit too much cheese under that chili. We didn't finish this, but came close…….

And the final item the Missus ordered, the Pastrami Sandwich ($6):

I don't even know they bother with the bun on this one. I've never put the fing WoodiesR06 er on why I kinda enjoy this. It's really fatty, but not greasy. And sliced thin. The Missus figured it out right away; She said the chewy texture, and the flavor was almost "bacon-ish" (Her words). I can't quite compare it to bacon, but it does have a good chew. We both hated that it had too much mustard….I think we'll order it without the mustard next time, and bring our own deli mustard.

I'm not quite sure when that next time will be….. could be another three years for all I know. What I do know, is that all I had for dinner was a couple of radishes…..

Here's the address if you want a "Woodie" of your very own. (You know I had to make one Woodie remark, right?)

Woodies Chili Dogs
4250 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

I think it did the Missus good to get this outta Her system…

Of course, on Sunday, it was back to the "same old boring stuff…….."

Chiu Chow Squash Pancakes

April 11, 2010 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

When the Missus saw this recipe in Mastering the Art of Chinese Cookingby Eileen Yin-Fei Lo She wanted it made immediately. It seems, the Missus doesn't just love Okonomiyaki, but all types of pancakes.

The Missus had eaten something like this before, but balked at the addition of peanuts, so I omitted them. In order to get a nutty flavor, I added sesame oil instead. So if you want to make the recipe as written in the book, you can add 2 tablespoons raw peanuts that you dry roast. The Missus thought zucchini would be pretty bland, so we bought what She called "water squash". I removed the seeds and just used the solid portions. It did add a nice mild sweetness. I also realized that this might be a tad bland so I added a bit of salt. I would also recommend that you follow the recipe's instructions and use peanut oil. Because of the rather delicate flavor, it will make a difference. Also, 1 1/2 cup of squash isn't much bulk, so I doubled the recipe, which made four decent size pancakes.

So without further ado…..

Chiu Chow Squash Pancakes

1 1/2 Cups Squash or zucchini sliced into 1/4" strips
3 Tb sliced scallion
1 large egg lightly beaten
1 1/2 Tb premium soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp Shaoxing (drinking quality please)
4 1/2 Tb All purpose flour
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp sesame oil
dash of white pepper and salt
3+ Tb peanut oil.

– In a bowl combine dry ingredients
– In another bowl lightly beat egg and add soy sauce, sesame oil, and Shaoxing
– Add sift dry ingredients into wet and combine into a batter.
– Add scallions and squash and mix until a batter forms.
– For about 30-40 seconds, heat a pan or wok over high heat.
– Add 3 Tb peanut oil, make sure the pan is fully coated.
– Using a large spoon or ladle, scoop up half the batter and pour into the pan.
– Using the spoon or ladle, gently spread the batter until a fairly thin textured circle is formed.
– Jiggle the pan and wok to ensure that the pancake is not sticking. Lower temperature to medium.
– When you can see the edges of the pancake is brown, flip the pancake over.
– Add more oil if necessary.
– When the pancake is browned, remove to a paper-towel lined plate.

Saturday Stuff: Perry’s reopens, a walk around Hillcrest – Cali Deli, Pho Fifth Avenue, and other stuff….

April 10, 2010 mmm-yoso Blog

Just some odds and ends for Saturday…..

Perry's has reopened:

I noticed this a day ago, and snapped a photo:

I know of a bunch of folks who have been waiting for Perry's to reopen.

Cali Cafe – not quite ready:

A few days ago, I just needed to get out of the office…. you know, one of those days. I decided to take a walk, and after reading that Cali Cafe had opened on SD Urban, I figured that a Banh Mi would be just the perfect lunch.

I recall receiving some marketing stuff in my in-box about a year ago, telling me how Cali Deli was going to revolutionize Banh Mi, etc…. So I was excited to see just what this was all about.

Unfortunately, even though the place has been open for a couple of weeks, the young man working told me that they just had coffee drinks….. no sandwiches. He called it a "soft opening". To be open, say three weeks with no sandwiches…. I think I'd call this a "soft" opening…..

I asked the young man a couple of questions, and was told that getting the bread "right" is the current problem. I dunno about you, but if I'm opening a sandwich shop, getting my "bread right" would be one of those things you try to do before opening. But hey, I'm no expert, so perhaps they will come up with something great, I hope so. Other than that, the very pleasant young man really didn't know much about Banh Mi, rice flour, what the term "Dac Biet" meant. But he did give me a handy-dandy menu….. I think the sandwiches and the prices speak louder than words.

Disappointed, I noticed that a Pho shop is opening across the street:

Unfortunately, they weren't open yet as well. I did get a look at the posted menu, which had the usual suspects; Pho, Bun, and Com (rice dishes). The Pho will run $6.25 for a regular, and $7.25 for a large. Even with the "Hillcrest surcharge", this ain't that bad.

I ended up getting a Gyro Sandwich at an old, and inexpensive standby Alexis….. $4.25…..

While eating I overheard talking about sushi…….. one of the women exclaimed loudly, "oh, oh… I looove Kinky Sushi!" The other exclaimed even louder, "yes, yes, kinky sushi is the bomb!" Choking on my tzatziki was not a pleasant experience…. let me tell you that much. This is what came immediately to mind. But I think…. or hope this is what they were talking about:

I think…..

I noticed one last thing. Chow Noodlehouse is now something called Bangkok Bistro….

That's it for now…….

Have a great weekend!

Costa Brava part 1 – Happy Hour Tapas

April 7, 2010 mmm-yoso Spanish Restaurants and Cuisine

My first interaction with Spanish Tapas was in Atlanta, back in the late nineties. And I say interaction, because there is definitely action that occurs between one and the sometimes innumerable dishes that are sometimes offered. Sometimes just deciding becomes quite a feat within itself. I was fascinated with tapas that I bought two of Penelope Casas' books; The Food and Wines of Spain and Tapas (an earlier edition of this). Unfortunately, the books mostly reside on my bookshelf. I need to get to some of those recipes one of these days…….

A few weeks ago, we had some very pleasant weather (as was today), and the Missus was in the mood for some sangria, so we headed back to Costa Brava on Garnet in Pacific Beach.

Even though Costa Brava sits right on busy Garnet, they have tried to make the space a bit more intimate and quiet by putting up hedges as a border between the dining area and the street.

We've found the service to be good…. most of the Servers are kind of cautious and stand-offish initially, but once they figure you out, they are quite accommodating. There is one older gentleman who, once he got to know us, was quite friendly.

I've had some pretty good dishes, and some disappointments ( i.e. the gambas al ajillo). But I don't think I'd ever heard about happy hour, between 4 and 6pm during the week. There's a short list of tapas ranging from $2-$4, and a pitcher of sangria is $8.

I'll usually only have a glass, since I find sangria a bit too sweet for me. On one visit, it tasted very watered down, but on subsequent visits, it was fine…. and the Missus really enjoyed it.

There are about nineteen items on the Happy Hour menu, and I'll cover those we've tried in this post. I'll do the rest in a future post. I'm listing the items in the order of the Missus's preference. The prices listed will be the HH cost.

Her #1 is without a doubt, the Pescaito Frito (fried baby anchovies – $4):

I'm pretty sure the Missus could eat three of these by Herself. Crunchy, salty, and savory, the lemon adds a nice bit of acid to smooth out any very strong flavors. Call them french fries of the sea if you will….. the Missus loves these.

#2 Patatas a la Brava (spicy potatoes – $4).

I really don't know of too many people who don't like this. It was the item FOY Candice mentioned first when we were chatting about Costa Brava. Alice Q Foodie has this as one of her 100 Thing to Eat in San Diego. Potatoes + Allioli (mayo) + Spice = Very hard to wrong……

#3 Pulpo A la Vinegreta (Marinated Octopus – $3):

Tender Octopus, fairly balanced marinade, with a decent vinegar bite.

That's our top three of the Happy Hour items we ordered. Here's the rest:

Caracoles al Alioli (Escargot in Alioli Sauce $5):

Loved the alioli, which was fantastic on bread. The escargot was overdone, and tough as heck.

Speaking of bread….. Cesta de Pan con Alioli (basket of bread and alioli – $2):

The bread was decent, fairly light, almost like heat and eat stuff. Loved the large pieces of garlic in the alioli.

Aceitunas Alinadas (marinated olives – $2).

Yes, olives…. hard to go wrong with this.

Champinones al Ajillo (Sauteed Mushrooms in Garlic and Sherry – $4):

Much too sour for my tastes.

Croquetas de Queso (cheese crouquettes – $4):

Actually blue cheese croquettes….. very mild blue cheese croquettes. I still scratch my head as to why I ordered these. Add a couple of bucks and get the Croquetas de Bacalao instead.

So there you go……… a couple of Happy Hour items from Costa Brava that won't break the bank. In part two, we'll cover stuff like this.

Costa Brava
1653 Garnet Ave
San Diego, CA 92109

Open 11am – midnight daily

You can find TFH's post on Costa Brava here. Vicki's post on Costa Brava can be found here.

Pho Fusion

April 6, 2010 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

During a recent dinner with Cathy and Ed from Yuma (we missed you Tina!), Cathy mentioned that a Pho shop had opened in place of the former Fusion Tea and Boba place, which I understood made some pretty good Boba, but I was never a big fan of the food. I recently had a pretty long day, and found myself in the area one evening, so I decided to check it out.

When I saw the sign, and read the "welcome back" message, I had to chuckle. I guess Madonna's not the only one reinventing themselves. Boba and snack shop not doing well….. go with the Pho. It's now called Pho Fusion…. which if you mispronounce it, could be Pho Pho-sion, or Fu-Fu sion. Some newer furniture, and nice coat of paint, and a menu featuring more mainstream Vietnamese dishes, and Pho Fusion is born.

There are still most, if not all the various slushies and Boba drinks, and a few of the older dishes are still around, but the menu features Pho, Bun, and Com (rice) dishes.

A regular bowl of Pho will set you back $5.49, with a larger bowl going for $6.29. I ordered the #15 brisket, flank, tendon, marbled flank, and crunchy flank (which is basically the thick and chewy connective tissue pieces of flank).

The garnishes were on the skimpy side, but very fresh. The bowl was fairly small as well.

I was ready to be underwhelmed, and yet, the broth was pretty good. Nice anise tones, light beef flavor, it wasn't bad. I also thought of my FOY, and fellow food blogger Dennis, who wants to Nuoc Beo everything in sight. This is one bowl that could make good use of some rendered beef tallow to add richness and oil, as it was very light. The various cuts of meat need some work, as the flank cuts were pretty dry and bland, though the tendon was decent if not quite done the way I prefer. This turned out to be a rather pleasant surprise……..

I used to grab a snack at the old Fusion once in a while, even if I didn't care for most of what they served. The folks were always very nice to me, friendly and helpful, and sometimes that's all you need. The one dish that seemed to get better with time was the Popcorn Chicken ($3.99).

Or maybe I just changed….. Basically pieces of dark meat chicken, in what seems like a corn starch based batter, served with a mildly spicy mayo… or if you want to be fancy, an "aioli". When good, it's crisp and hot. When bad, it's crumbly and bland. It also doesn't hold up for very long. It's not overly salty, and I do wish there was something more going on; perhaps garlic tones, or some sweetness, but hey, it's fried chicken.

Today it did just fine.

I was perfectly happy with my meal, and as always the folks here have always been pleasant. I was thinking that maybe I'd try the Banh Mi here again….. well, maybe not, but who knows.

Right now there's a Grand Opening, or perhaps it should be a sorta Grand re-opening special with free drinks with your meal.

Pho Fusion
8038 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

777 Noodle House

April 5, 2010 mmm-yoso Cambodian Restaurants and Cuisine, Chinese Restaurants

About seven or eight months ago, I noticed that a new shop had opened across the street from the now (sadly) defunct 79 Supermarket. In the place of…. if I recall correctly a Billiard Hall, was a noodle shop called 777 Noodle House.

And while I initially thought it was just another "Mi" (egg noodle soup) joint, I noticed the script on the window, along with Hủ Tiếu Nam Vang written everywhere. Hủ Tiếu Nam Vang, also known as Phenom Penh Noodles or Chazhou Noodle, a tapioca noodle based dish that from what I have read originated in Cambodia, and evolved as it made it's into Southern Vietnam, becoming a dish I've had a couple of times Hủ tiếu Mỹ Tho(named after the city of Mỹ Tho) . Much more info can be found on this post on Viet World Kitchen. I was fascinated so I decided to check the place out.

The interior is fairly spartan, and the plasma television is always on Fox News for some reason. You can see the bones of what the place was in a former life. The menu is fairly large, with over 100 dishes…. and yes, all the prices end with '7'. The prices are very inexpensive, with bowls of noodle soup starting at $4.77, and the upper range of prices of $6.77 for items like seafood dishes at $6.77.

And yes, the owners are Cambodian, and also Chazhou (Chiuchow), so in case you were expecting the fragrances of Kroeung or Prahok wafting through the air, and Khmer dishes like A-Mok or Samla Kako, you'll be sorely disappointed. Most everything takes a Chazhou turn, with a few Thai style and Vietnamese style dishes.

So of course I had the Hủ Tiếu Nam Vang (Chazhou Noodle Soup – $4.77), which is pretty much a bargain.

I believe this is the first time I've had this without any offal in it. There are two slices of pretty lean, and somewhat chewy pork, that are decently flavored, and a couple of shrimp. Some ground pork floats around in the broth which is fairly light, somewhat porky, with some nice salty tones (MSG). The blanched bean sprouts adds texture and flavor to everything. But…….. this doesn't hold a candle to the "dry" (Kho) version, also $4.77:

The noodles had been blanched in broth and was mixed with a bit of what tasted like oyster sauce. One time the noodles were perfect, the second a bit too mushy and overcooked. But what I really enjoyed about this version was the soup on the side…. well not exactly only the soup on the side.

You see what I mean, right? Honestly, which would you choose? This really isn't going to win any culinary prizes, but it left me more than satisfied. And the price was right…..

There's one more item that I really enjoyed…. the Fried Leek Cakes ($2.97):

The folks always apologize because this takes a while…. but it is worth it. The dough for the cakes is made with glutinous rice flour, making it both sticky, a bit gooey, and crunchy at the same time. The leek filling is molten as well. The flavors are like life… a little sweet, a little salty, a little bitter.

I brought my leftovers home, and the Missus really enjoyed it even though it was cold and had loss it's crunch. She wasn't a big fan of the Nuoc Mam Cham, which She found took away from the flavor of the leek cake. Speaking of the Nuoc Mam Cham. the folks here are really nice. When they packed the remaining two leek cakes to go, they made sure to add a little container of Nuoc Mam Cham. Those little things matter.

Some of the other dishes aren't as successful in my opinion. Once I had the Crispy Egg Noodles with Beef ($5.77), which was pretty cheap.

The noodles were either packaged or made far in advance. They were more crumbly than crisp. The beef was fairly tough, but at least they used Gailan. There's a combo Chinese Fast Food – Louisiana Fried Chicken Shop next door (I kid you not), and I think they share the same kitchen. This was very fast-foodish. I've heard that some of the other dishes (there are a bunch of dinner specials – many seem Thai, aka curries and tom yum) like the Fried Rice (I was listening "Little K") are pretty good.

I like the folks here, the two women are very nice, the gentleman is reserved but very nice as well. He laughed when I actually bought a lottery ticket here….. I told him it had to be lucky since I got it from "777", right? Well, maybe next time……

777 Noodle House
4686 University Avenue
San Diego, CA 92105

Open Daily 8am – 9pm

Saturday Stuffs: What’s up with Royal Mandarin, Maharlika closed, Hal Mu Ni temporarily closed, and a “Main Street Meatfest” at Village Grill

April 3, 2010 mmm-yoso Iraqi Food and Restaurants

I jumped in the car this morning, and did something I hadn't done in a couple of weeks……. I headed somewhere just to see what was up. This time it was Plaza Boulevard in National City.

What's up with Royal Mandarin:

The main reason I headed down to Plaza was that the Missus was wondering if Royal Mandarin had reopened after fire had razed the restaurant. The last time I dropped by, the sign said February or March, which I thought was rather optimistic. The sign now says late April, but looking through the plate glass window, I'm thinking that might be a bit of wishful thinking as well.

Also in the same strip mall, the Submarina Sandwich shop is being replaced by Lisa's Filipino Cuisine:

I'm guessing it's the same owner as the turo-turo joint of the same name in Otay Lakes?

Maharlika no longer:

As I was driving toward the 805, I noticed that the parking lot to Maharlika was roped off. Sorry about the crooked photo; I took it while driving.

Squinting, and trying to not hit the vehicles in front of me, I noticed a couple of 8 1/2" by 11" sheets of paper, with "For Sale" printed on them taped to the windows. For some reason this made me crack-up…… the restaurant is for sale, with these notes of paper like you'd stick in the windshield of a car for sale on the side of the road. And it's really hard to read from the street……

Hal Mu Ni temporarily closed (I think):

The Missus had arranged to meet some friends for dinner at Hal Mu Ni two weeks ago. But when She arrived the restaurant was being closed down. She was told that there was a gas leak in the kitchen. We've drove by a couple of times, and the place is still closed.

Must be a pretty bad leak…. or perhaps they're just hanging it up until the space where the restaurant was supposed to move next door is finished?

The "Main Street Meatfest" at Village Grill:

**** Village Grill has closed

Some good friends and I had some plans today, but unfortunately the plans fell through. Looking for a "plan B", and knowing that these folks like to eat, I suggested Village Grill in El Cajon. After sharing the "Feast For Two" at Hammurabi Family Restaurant, I wondered if we could do some damage with something similar at Village Grill. So six of us went ahead and ordered the "Feast for Five". I won't bore you with a long and drawn out post, but let me say, we finished about 60% of it. Here are some photos:

And though I still think the bread at Ali Baba is better; I prefer the meat at Village Grill. YY and TammyC seemed to think the Chicken Tekka was the best item.

We all had our theories as to why the "Feast for Five" got the better of us. I think I shouldn't have ordered that plate of Baba Ganouj…. yes, that's it…. it was the Baba Ganouj…..

That Feast for Five at $49.99 is:

5 Skewers Beef Kabob

2 Skewers Tekka Chicken

2 Skewers Tekka Beef

Beef Shawarma (Gus)

Cream Chop (chicken)

Rice, Hummus, Salad, and of course the bread.

Everything lies on a pretty large bed of rice… so maybe that's what it was…… the rice… or perhaps that yogurt drink I had…. Oh well, whatever it may be, it is a pretty large meal. And to think that Tammy C and MrC have to go to a BBQ tonight!!!

Village Grill
550 East Main St
El Cajon, CA 92020

Hope you are having a great weekend! I gotta go take my gout medication now……

Chinese Style Spicy Eggplant

April 2, 2010 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

To tell you the truth, I don't really know what to call this dish. It is truly an "ABCD" – American Born Chinese Dish….. It takes a bit from a bunch of different dishes I've eaten. I'd love to call it "Gan Shao Qie Zi"(干燒茄子), dry braised eggplant, but this really isn't that either. The dish was born from necessity. The Missus loves eggplant, but at the time…. almost twelve years ago, all we had was a lousy electric stove. Also, since eggplant is a real "oil sponge" we really didn't want to use very much oil, especially without high heat.

I'm sure most of you have created your own hybrid dishes born of necessity. This one is ours. Basically, the eggplant starts in a smoking wok, but once color is achieved, the heat is turned down to medium.

The eggplant is flavored during cooking with some of our favorite ingredients. Items are added as the various liquids are absorbed by the eggplant.

Once the eggplant has been cooked as desired an additional sauce is mixed with the eggplant.

It's one of the dishes that we've kept since our apartment days…… It may seem like a lot of steps, but like most things I make, it's pretty easy.

And though I'm still not quite convinced this is worth a post, I'm tired of looking at the photos. Maybe you all can share the recipes born of necessity that you've kept from your college dorm or apartment days. I'm sure you've come up with some pretty innovative stuff and I'd love to read about it!

Chinese Style Spicy Eggplant:

1 1/2 – 2 lbs Chinese Eggplant cubed
3-4 Dried Chilies
3-4 Tb dried shrimp
5 cloves of garlic minced
1 Tb granulated sugar
2-3 Tb soy sauce
2-3 Tb Chinkiang Black Vinegar
2-3 Tb Shaoxing – drinking quality
Water if necessary
Salt and White Pepper to taste
3-4 Tb Canola Oil

Sauce:
2-3 Tb Chinkiang Black Vinegar
2 Tb Soy Sauce
1 Tb Oyster Sauce
1 Tb Hoisin sauce
1-2 tsp Chili Paste
1 tsp sesame oil

Chili oil
Cilantro

– Mix sauce ingredients.
– Heat a wok until smoking
– Add canola oil and scald dry chilies
– Add eggplant and dried shrimp and stir fry.

– When the eggplant starts to color add Shaoxing and turn heat to medium.
– Add black vinegar, garlic, and sugar, and mix. Cover for 2 minutes to soften eggplant.
– Uncover and stir fry over medium heat until liquid is absorbed, and eggplant starts to turn "dry".
– Add soy sauce and keep stir frying.
– If eggplant has not softened add water 2 tablespoons at a time, mix, cover, and repeat, until eggplant is fully cooked through.
– Taste the eggplant, it should have some flavor even without the sauce.
– Using your Chinese spatula, manipulate the eggplant until the desired texture is achieved.
– Once the eggplant has reached your desired texture, add the sauce, mix quickly, and remove from heat.
– Add chili oil to taste, and garnish with cilantro.