mmm-yoso – Page 341

Kitsune Udon

December 20, 2009 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

The holidays is a pretty busy time of the year for folks. It's also a fairly stressful time, everyone seems in a rush, and tempers sometimes seem short. Earlier today while driving to the market, I noticed a Saab coming up pretty quickly on me. The car was weaving a bit from side to side, by the time the Saab started tailgating me, I could see that the young lady behind the wheel was chatting away on her cellphone, and not paying much attention to the road. It all almost came to a head when I stopped at a red light, and was almost rear-ended by the Saab which came to a tire-squealing stop. So what was the woman's response to almost hitting me? She proceeded to honk her horn at me, than flashed me the "bad half" of the peace sign…… so much for peace on Earth, and good will to mankind, I think folks just want you to get the heck out of their way right now. Sigh……

Time for something warm and comforting….. like maybe Kitsune Udon???

Now using some prepared Tsuyu is very easy and convenient, and heck I even use hondashi (soup base) when I need a small quantity of dashi or dashi flavor. But making your own dashijiru is not that hard, nor time consuming. Unlike many recipes, I enjoy a strong kombu flavor in my dashi. So I will usually steep the kombu in water at least four hours, and overnight if possible. Today I steeped the kombu for about six hours, from 10 am, to just after the football game. The rest was done in about twenty minutes. In other words, you could get the process going by placing the kombu in water before going to work, and make the dashi when you return home.

Dashijiru

1 8×6 piece of Dashi Kombu wiped with a damp cloth or paper towel
8 Cups of water
1 1/2 cup Kezurikatsu (shaved Katsuobushi)

– In a large container steep the kombu in water for at least 4 hours, or overnight if possible.
– When ready to prepare, place the kombu and water over high heat.
– When small bubbles start to appear remove the kombu (do not boil kombu).
– When the liquid begins to boil lower the heat and add bonito flakes.
– Simmer gently for two minutes, skim any foam that develops, and then remove from heat.
– Let the shaved bonito flakes sink to the bottom of the pot.
– Strain the liquid through cheesecloth or fine sieve. For this use, do not squeeze liquid out of the bonito flakes, this will make the broth cloudy.

Udon Kakejiru – Udon Broth

8 Cups Dashijiru
1/2 Cup Mirin
1/3 Cup Shoyu (Soy Sauce – Use a decent quality soy sauce)
1/4 Cup Sake
Salt to taste
Dash of White Pepper
Other items if desired (dried shrimp, niboshi, sugar etc….)

– Bring Kakejiru to a simmer
– Add soy sauce, mirin, and sake. Simmer to burn off alcohol.
– Taste and adjust flavor with salt, more soy sauce, other flavorings, etc.
– Bring back to a simmer.

Putting It Together:

2 pieces Aburaage
Udon Noodles
Green Onions thinly sliced
Kaiware (Daikon Sprouts)
Other items as desired…….

– Prepare Udon Noodles in boiling water as specified.
– Pour boiling water over the aburaage to remove excess oil, and cut diagonally.
– Drain noodles, and place in the bottom of a bowl, pour kakejiru over noodles.
– Top with green onions, aburaage, kaiware, etc….

Aaaahhh………

I hope everyone had a great, low-stress weekend!

Sab E Lee Santee – More dishes

December 16, 2009 mmm-yoso Thai Restaurants

**** This location of Sab E Lee has closed

I realize that Cathy and I have done posts on Sab E Lee 2, but I thought you’d like to see a couple of other dishes.

First up, Miang Kum (เมี่ยงคำ – $7.95), a simple, but wonderful appetizer:

These are basically leaf wraps, and though I’ve read that the classic Miang Kum uses Betel Leaves, all of the variations we’ve had uses spinach leaves. At first the combination of perfectly diced red onion, galangal, slivered lime, peanuts, dried shrimp, and thai bird chilies, topped with roasted coconut and a tangy and sweet, tamarind and palm sugar “sauce” seems a bit strange. But take my word for it, the sum of the parts is a wonderful melange of flavors…. it seems that each one is jockeying for position.

When working with such basic ingredients, freshness is the key, as I’ve had several versions (and one terrible version in San Diego) featuring dried out galangal and limes, and low quality shrimp. Everything here was shiny and fresh, and the tamarind dip brought everything together for us.

Bags of Gold ($7.95):

Think of these as Sab E Lee’s fried won tons if you will. These “bags” are full of minced pork, shrimp, shiitake mushroom, and water chestnuts. While the portion of the “bag” holding the filling is almost crepe-like, the top portions are light and crisp.

Pretty nice to look at too.

The Superwild Shrimp ($8.95) is a shrimp salad of sorts:

It is dressed with a fish sauce – chili – garlic – palm sugar sauce. Though we prefer the Plaa Shrimp, the shrimp in this dish was cooked to a “just well” doneness.

Of course I had to try the Koi Soi/Koi Nua (Spicy Raw Beef – $7.95), one of my favorites at Sab E Lee 1:

First off, this version is not nearly as spicy as SEL1. In fact, after tasting a few of the same dishes, I’d say that the dishes are about %30 less spicy here in Santee. I usually get a’9′ on the heat scale, this was more like a 5. That’s not to say that this wasn’t good, it was. Less spicy, but the inclusion of raw garlic added pungency and bite. This version is also a bit more citrusy and herbaceous. The nutty flavor provided by the roasted sticky rice powder is a bit more muted.

The Larb Duck($7.95) is another similar but different dish.

This version was a bit more herbaceous, and truth be told, we enjoyed this one more since the flavor of the duck came through very clearly.

Since the Chef had cut his teeth cooking in Bangkok, a version of the classic Bangkok Red Curry Duck was a necessity. Here it’s called Royal Duck Curry ($10.95):

In all honesty, of all the dishes we’ve had here, this was our least favorite. It seemed that all of those reasons we don’t enjoy the overly-Westernized Thai food in San Diego were in display here. The curry was too sweet, too fruity (via pineapple and grapes), and used too much coconut milk for our tastes.

The flavor off the duck was overwhelmed and buried in our opinion.

The Missus loved the Three Flavored Fish (Halibut – $14.95):

The fish was put panko crusted, and put together just as the Pinecone Fish we encountered on our previous visit. This time it was fried even better if that was possible. The fish was moist, and almost sweet. The sauce is a tamarind-palm sugar based sauce, was perhaps a bit too sweet for me, but the Missus just plain loved this. I can’t say anything bad about that fish. My perfect solution is to order the Pinecone Fish, and request a little dish of the Three Flavor Sauce on the side.

Fish Garlic ($12.95):

A classic Thai sweet-spicy-garlic preparation. I loved the sauce, and in fact ate up all the cabbage, and even the carrot garnish. Unfortunately for me, the fish used was catfish, and it was a bit muddy for my palate. The Missus joyfully scarfed the whole filet in minutes…….

On one visit we ordered the Fish on Fire ($16.95):

Two large Halibut Filets covered with a red curry sauce and served with a flambe of rum. One quick piece of advice for this dish, let the alcohol burn off before sampling, otherwise the rum adds a rather strong astringent flavor to the dish. The halibut was moist and tender. There was a bit too much going on for me in this dish, but again the Missus loved it.

One of my favorite menu items at Sab E Lee 2 is one of the cheapest….. the Garlic Rice ($3):

Those regular readers know that I love garlic anyway…. but this was so very good. Much better than any version of Filipino Garlic Rice I’ve ever had, as there was golden sauteed garlic and crisp fried garlic and shallot in this. The herbs added some great flavor…. and the rice being prepared well didn’t hurt things…….

By now, most regular customers of Sab E Lee know Koby….. his wonderful demeanor, gentle, kind, and always helpful just makes the whole experience better. He obviously loves to please his customers. On one occasion, I ordered the Garlic Rice, and mentioned an egg and pork street food dish we had in Bangkok, and how it would be just the perfect item with this. Koby smiled and told us, “I know what it is, we’ll make it for you!” And just like that, we had a classic Thai omelete, which we were later told is called Khai Jeaw:

Wonderfully savory, fluffy, omelete, with a quick dip in the Nam Pla Prik(fish sauce and chili) which helps cut the richness, followed with a bite of garlic rice…. There are few things better in the world.

And for a second, I was here:

The crazy streets of Silom in Bangkok…….. You know, they say in America, the streets are paved in gold. In Bangkok, the streets are paved in food! Looking at this makeshift food stand, you wouldn’t know that it’s in front of massive financial buildings in Silom, which is Bangkok’s business district.

Sometimes a smell, or just a taste can take me back…….

And Koby was nice enough to provide that for me.

Sab E Lee 2
9159 Mission Gorge Road
Santee, CA 92071

Tortas Y Mas – Chula Vista

December 15, 2009 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Sandwiches

**** Tortas y Mas has closed

On this past rainy weekend, the Missus decided She wanted some manju from Hogetsu Bakery, so I made the drive down to Chula Vista. Unfortunately, possibly due to the weather, when I arrived at Hogetsu at 10 am they weren't open yet. I waited about fifteen minutes, until my stomach told me to grab a bite to eat, and return later. Rather than the usual suspects, I decided to drive around a bit and find someplace I hadn't eaten yet…… so even while I was tempted, Tacos El Gordo was not an option. What I did notice was that the former La Torta location on H street had become Tortas Y Mas:

I didn't quite know what to expect from this tiny, sunny little restaurant.

I guess part of me expected La Torta "regurgitated" and indeed some of the menu was the "torta gringo style" theme, though there are burritos and even Alambres (think fajitas) on the menu. I quickly removed any thoughts of The Torta Factory from my mind.

The Owner, an energetic and very friendly gentleman named Silvio took my order. I went with one of my favorites, a Torta Milanesa ($7.25):

This Torta Milanesa came dressed without frijoles, but with a thin slice of ham and some cheddar cheese which gave it a nice zip. The avocado had a really nice flavor as well. The birote (roll) was very run of the mill, and not nearly as good as what I recently had at La Abejita.

I really enjoyed the potatoes, which truthfully could have been more crisp, but was much more aggressively seasoned with salt, pepper, and chili powder than what La Torta puts out. In fact, I finished the steaming potatoes before anything else.

The best part of the torta for me was the milanesa, beef very thinly sliced, lightly breaded, and fried to a crisp….. the edges were pleasurably crisp like bacon. It was also pretty tender…. I've had my share of gristle filled tough milanesa, so this was very nice.

For some reason, I ate all the potatoes, and could only manage half the sandwich. I asked if I could get my half sandwich wrapped to go, and was told with a smile, "oh yes, no problem". A few minutes later, I was handed a large styrofoam take out container. Surprised I told the gentleman that he didn't need to go through all the trouble, he could have just wrapped up the torta. His response? "I saw how much you enjoyed the potatoes, so I gave you a little more to take with you". How's that for nice……. if anything, just that gesture will have me back when I'm in the area……… Sometimes, simple acts like that can just make your day a bit sunnier, in spite of all the rain and cold.

So maybe next time, before you catch the trolley and you need something to tide you over…..

Tortas Y Mas
730 H Street
Chula Vista, CA 91910

Kinda Local Kine Oxtail Soup

December 13, 2009 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

This one along with Portuguese Bean Soup and Chicken Hekka will complete my "trilogy" of old-school local kine dishes. The "local kine" version of Oxtail Soup with the use of ginger, citrus peel, and star anise is undoubtedly Chinese in origin. In fact, when I make this, the Missus will always remind me that the scents involved remind Her of China. It sure does warm you up on a cold day…..

There's a major difference between what I make and the traditional clear broth Oxtail soup. Many years ago, I was doing sales work. Part of the job was helping these Mom and Pop markets and superettes do inventory. It was basically done during nights and weekends. At the end of the process, we'd be fed, and the food was provided in pretty large quantities, as the poke and deli cases would be emptied, and several hot dishes would be provided. At one of those markets, one of the owner's Father, an elderly Chinese Man made some killer Pig's Feet and Oxtail Soup. It was on the dark side and full of flavor. After downing two large bowls of the stuff, I mentioned how much I loved the Oxtail Soup. The old man put his hand to the side of his mouth and stage whispered; "it's nothing, just shoyu(soy sauce), whiskey, and sesame oil." I've made my soup with shoyu ever since then.

As for some of the details; I trim about two-thirds of the excess fat off the oxtails. I also do a quick blanching of the oxtails, followed by a rinse to remove blood, and other impurities. In the place of whiskey, I add Shao-sing wine (drinking quality). I garnish with cilantro and scallions, with a dish of grated ginger and shoyu. I also place some chopped greens in the bottom of the bowl before ladling in the soup. I like the mild bitterness and the crunchy texture that the greens add to the dish.

I also rest the soup overnight, this allows the flavors to set. I can also skim off excess fat, controlling the oil in the broth. I place the carrots in the broth right before removing it from heat. The residual heat will cook the carrots, the lack of a boiling motion will allow the carrots to keep it's shape. As for simmering time, it's usually 2-3 hours. I like my oxtails soft, but not disintegrating into a zillion little pieces.

This might sound like a lot of work, but like everything I make, it is pretty easy. As always, feel free to adjust to taste. Some folks want a clear broth Oxtail Soup, so refrain from adding the shoyu and wine. If you like more ginger, go for it, and so forth.

Kinda Local Kine Oxtail Soup:

3-5 lbs of Oxtails, excess fat trimmed
1/2 lb skinned raw peanuts
2 medium onions sliced in wedges
2-3 star anise
1 3" piece of ginger crushed

2 cloves garlic smashed
2 pieces dried citrus peel
1/2 Cup premium soy sauce
1/3 Cup Shao-sing wine
3-4 carrots chopped
Salt to taste
A Dash of White Pepper
Sesame Oil to taste
chopped mustard or similar greens (optional)

Garnishes – scallions, cilantro, a small dish of grated ginger and soy sauce.

– Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add oxtails and par-boil briefly. Empty the pot into a large colander and rinse the blanched oxtail under running water.
– Place oxtails in a pot and cover with cold water to about 4 inches over the oxtails
– Bring the oxtails to a boil, and skim off the scum and foam.
– Add peanuts, onion, ginger, garlic, citrus peel, and star anise.
– Bring the soup back up to a simmer. Add soy sauce, wine, and a dash of white pepper.
– Simmer for 2-3 hours until oxtails are tender, but not falling into pieces.
– Remove from heat, add carrots and let cool.
– Taste and add salt, sesame oil, and more soy sauce if desired.
– When the soup has cooled, place in the refrigerator overnight.
– Before heating, skim off fat to your desired taste.
– The soup should be piping hot when served. When heating be sure to check and adjust flavor.
– Place greens, if using on the bottom of the bowl, and ladle soup out.
– Garnish with cilantro and scallions.

Santos has a wonderful recipe for Oxtail Soup which you can find here.

Sandwich Emporium I & II

December 12, 2009 mmm-yoso Sandwiches

I think every neighborhood should have a “go to” sandwich shop. For us it’s Sandwich Emporium, which I posted on way back in May 2005. Over the years, we’ve been in the shop often enough to get to know the owners, twins John and Peter Le, and Peter’s lovely, warm, and friendly wife, Angela.

And without a doubt time does fly, I remember chatting with Peter and Angela one day, and suddenly realizing they’ve owned Sandwich Emporium for six years! On one visit, while waiting for the Missus’s sandwich, the “Triple Decker” on sourdough, no mustard, no mayo, no cheese, with sprouts and pickled jalapenos(that’s the nice thing about these neighborhood places, you get to know the folks, and they’ll make every effort to make what you want), I noticed that I hadn’t seen John in a while (thank God Peter wears glasses and the wedding band, or I’d have problems telling them apart). I was told that John had moved up North, and had opened a second branch of Sandwich Emporium…..

So one recent day, I headed up the “15” to Escondido, and the new Sandwich Emporium.

The shop, is pretty tiny, but the menu is basically the same, and it was nice to catch-up on things with John.

And the sandwiches are the same as well, like the Jersey Reuben, which is turkey, corn beef, with coleslaw (in place of sauerkraut – though I’ll on occasion I’ll ask for sauerkraut).

On nice and toasty rye, this is a good honest sandwich. Both messy and satisfying. You can get even more meat on your sandwich….. but I think those over-stuffed sandwiches have really taken things a bit far, and I’ve learned a nice lesson from Banh Mi and good Tortas, it’s all about things in proportion. Sure beats what comes out of most chains…..

There are usually weekly/monthly specials that are sometimes kinda interesting. One of my favorites is the “Gobbler” which I posted about here, though now they’ve included some gravy, which completes the sandwich for me.

On this day, I decided to try the CaliMelt:

The melted provolone and turkey went amazingly well with the avocado. As usual, I left satisfied.

As with most places, there are items that I enjoy more than others, but it’s the same with every place I’ve been to. After this post in December 2006, I received an email from someone who had checked out Sandwich Emporium, and was rather unhappy with my post…… to quote “What’s the big deal, it was priced right, and the service was good, the sandwich was tasty, but what’s the big deal?” To which I responded simply, “Dude, sounds like you enjoyed the sandwich, had good service, and thought the prices were reasonable. What was it that you expected?”

Some places make a big splash and grow quickly….. see Sab E Lee. Some like Sandwich Emporium take a bit more time. It doesn’t minimize how impressed I am with two guys buying the sandwich shop of their youth, and making a successful go of it.

Sandwich Emporium
3054 1/2 Clairemont Dr
San Diego, CA 92117

and

**** The Escondido Location of SE has closed

2750 Auto Parkway, Suite 18
Escondido, CA 92029

So tell me, what is your “go to” neighborhood sandwich shop?

You know, sometimes I think that John and Peter are everywhere(I guess they can cover twice the space). I once had the radio on in the morning, and to my surprise Peter and John were on! One night I’m watching the news, and whoa, Peter and John were on……

Scary…….

Johnny’s R Family Restaurant

December 10, 2009 mmm-yoso Diner

**** Johnny's R has closed

Yes, it's really Johnny's R not Johnny R's…….. If you've been driving on El Cajon Boulevard, how many times have you passed this place? It's right down the steet from Rudford's which has a strange pull on the Missus. It's pretty good when in the mood for a trip to "Diners-ville". Because of that, the Missus decided that we should try Johnny's R, you know, equal time, and all that stuff……

I gotta say, Johnny's R looks a bit prettier than Rudford's, the folks are very friendly, and the attitude is very laid back.

Perhaps a bit too laid back…… we watched as three tables got their food after we placed our order completely finish their meal, pay the check, get into their cars and drive off and still no food. As you can see, the place wasn't very busy. And it's not like we ordered anything too difficult, the Missus got two eggs (over-medium), hash browns(the menu says "home fries", but this ain't that), with rye toast dry($5.50)….they didn't even have to butter the bread.

The toast was perfect, the eggs done adequately, eggs were perhaps a bit under-done for over-medium, but better for soaking up with the toast. The hash browns were terrible….have you ever tried making O'Brien or Hashbrowns in a non-stick pan? Or perhaps with just a touch of cooking spray? You'll never develop a nice crust and your potatoes would be dry as heck, which is what this was. Also, there didn't seem to be a grain of salt on anything at all.

I ordered the Hot Roast Turkey Sandwich ($8.40):

The fries were purely SYSCO, but were fried decently, but lacked salt. The gravy seemed to come from a jar, but was (barely) passable. Who doesn't love white bread soaked in gravy?

The Missus was feeling pretty sorry for Her hashbrowns and Herself, until She saw me pull out my three thin slices of "turkey". As you can tell, calling this "turkey" might be a stretch, and "roast turkey" an even bigger stretch:

Grey, bland, flaccid……. not a great combination. I was quickly wondering what species of turkey this came from. The oddest thought entered my cabeza while looking at this….you know how we're taught to cut "with the grain" or "against the grain", what do you do when there is no "grain"? It really looked like that stuff in packs selling for 79 cents in the deli section. I've had my share of processed turkey, but this was over-processed turkey…….. I rarely add salt to anything I order, mainly because I like to taste the food as served. But in this case, I had to add a ton of salt….though I couldn't bring myself to eat that "turkey". As I stared at my mystery meat, the Missus said to me, "you know, there's a Coco's right across the street….. and I know you've never set foot in a Coco's." (And the Chicken Pie Shop next door, Rudford's, and even a Denny's nearby….)

While we were having our meal, we noticed that most of the customers seemed to be regulars. It's too bad our meal didn't turn out. Even with the very slow service, the folks here are so very, very nice.

In the end, unless we get some great rec's on something from this place, Johnny's not (ou)R Family Restaurant.

Johnny's R Family Restaurant
2611 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92104

Road Trip: Banh Cuon Tay Ho – Garden Grove (Orange County)

December 9, 2009 mmm-yoso Orange County, Road Trip, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** This location of Banh Cuon Tay Ho has closed

On one of trips to "the OC", we were in need of a snack, and was in the Garden Grove/Westminster area. The Missus and I thought some Banh Cuon would do the trick, especially since the Banh Cuon in San Diego really doesn't match up to what you can get in the Little Saigon area. Because we were close by we stopped at the Garden Grove location of Banh Cuon Tay Ho which looks very clean. And we arrived just at the transitional time when the breakfast folks were headed out and right before the lunch crowd.

This location looks newer and a bit cleaner than the Westminster location, but the tables and chairs are packed in close together. The snorting and slurping older man on the table behind the Missus kept bumping Her during the entire meal….. I offered to switch seats with Her, but She refused. So what the heck….. maybe it made Her feel like She was back in Vietnam?

Another thing we like about BCTH is that they don't fool around with the Nuoc Mam Cham……two pitchers of the stuff was delivered to our table. This pitcher of the spicier version was full when it arrived…….

I just went with the Banh Cuon Dac Biet – the house special ($6.35):

Though not as thin and sticky as the versions we had in Vietnam, I still enjoy the Banh Cuon, the rice sheet has a nice mild pull, and is still thin enough to enjoy. The standard pork and wood ear fungus has decent flavor. Along with the standard accompaniments of Cha Lua and blanched bean sprouts, a version of Banh Tom (deep fried shrimp and sweet potato fritters) and Banh Cong, a sort of mung bean and shrimp fritter is included.

As are all the garnishes:

We also had an extra order of Banh Cong($6), and were warned "it is vegetarian, you know"….. I wonder what kind of vegetable shrimp is? In all fairness, there's only one shrimp attached to the outside of each cake.

Think of this as a savory, dense, mung bean "andagi" if you will. It is quite substantial, and I'm certain that it multiplies in volume once it hits your stomach.

Since the Missus saw it on the menu, She had to order the Bun Rieu ($6.35):

We both thought that this was a subpar version of Bun Rieu; it lacked the flavor of tomato, and was so superbly red that I was wondering if they use food coloring. The noodles were the appropriate thin version, but were super mushy and overcooked. The broth was terrible, much like water with shrimp paste. Not very good eats……

Still, we had come here for the Banh Cuon, and tough I've been told that the shop in Westminster is better, I left satisfied.

Banh Cuon Tay Ho
13876 Brookhurst St
Garden Grove, CA 92843

Of course nothing quite matches the appeal of Banh Cuon made fresh in the morning………

Ali Baba Restaurant – El Cajon

December 7, 2009 mmm-yoso Iraqi Food and Restaurants, Mediterranean Restaurants

A couple of weeks before our visit to Village Grill, the Missus and I took a drive down Main Street in El Cajon, just to take a look around. Not quite sure where to stop, we saw a packed parking lot…..and decided this was where we'd be stopping. It turned out to be the very colorful Ali Baba Restaurant, which Cathy had done a post on earlier.

As Cathy noted, the interior is quite "Arabian Night-ish"…… in a somewhat kitcshy kind of way.

We made two visits over the next couple of weeks, and what follows is a summary of the dishes we tried.

Overall, of all the items we had at Ali Baba, our second favorite was the Baba Ganouj (small – $5):

The Baba Ganouj had a wonderful smokey eggplant flavor, that went so very well with our favorite item at Ali Baba….. which would be the flat bread called "Khubz". On our visits we were served two hot large dinner plate sized bread to start.

The Jajeek (small – $5), the Iraqi version of the refreshing yogurt and cucumber dish that many folks know as Tzatiziki, was good.

The Jajeek was very creamy, but was a bit short on salt. I also thought a bit more lemon juice and garlic would bring up the flavors a bit for me. Of course, I'd eat anything with that bread.

Of all the Entrees we tried, I'd say the Shawarma (Gus – $10.95) was the best.

The beef was nice and chewy, but was much drier than the version at Village Grill. It was also a bit short on salt, I ended up adjusting the flavor with a good amount of sumac. The rice was also quite bland. It was quite a bit of food, as the Missus and I shared this, and we still had leftovers…. of course we had two pieces of bread…..

I did enjoy the "Turshi", the variety of pickles and other "mezze". The pickled turnips were good and sour.

On one visit, the Missus ordered the Kousi, braised lamb shank and rice ($13):

The dish came with a stew of choice, and the Missus went with Her usual, the Okra Stew they call Bamia. Man this was quite a hefty meal. This version of Okra Stew was fairly mild and didn't have any meat in it. The lamb shank was cooked to perfection, but was a bit underflavored for our tastes. I love the version of the Okra Stew at Village Grill which is full of whole cloves of stewed garlic.

I think the item we enjoyed the least at Ali Baba is the Lamb Tekka ($13):

The first thing I'll note is how difficult it is to take photos of food on reflective metallic plates…… The chunks of marinated and grilled lamb was badly in need to of salt. It was also tough and dry, not my favorite combination in the world.

From this post, you might get the idea that we won't be going back to Ali Baba anytime soon, but that would not be accurate. We will probably stick to maybe the Baba Ganouj, a salad, or maybe the Potato Chop or perhaps a sandwich. And of course that bread…….. Which of course would be part of the reason we'll be back. But there's another reason. The service is not the fastest, and the men working there are on the indifferent side, but there's one woman who works there who is wonderful. She has a very warm, kind, and welcoming personality; every child get's a warm smile and a pat on the head. She always seemed pleasantly surprised that we finished all of our bread, and asked if we wanted more on both of our visits. We were even asked if we wanted more bread with our doggie bags. And even though we wanted to say "yes", we really didn't want to impose. And we especially didn't want to seem like gluttons. On our second visit, as we were grabbing our leftovers, the Missus asked if they made their bread fresh since it was always hot when it reached the table. The woman smiled warmly and beckoned us to "come and follow me, I'll show you". And we got a quick tour of the kitchen! We were led to the back of the kitchen where the fresh bread was made.

We watched as another woman, who smiled at us strangers in her baking area like it happened all the time, cut and rolled out the dough, which was then placed in a oven that looked much like a tandoor.

A few moments later a hot flatbread was brought out of the oven. Our guide, that wonderful lady, then grabbed the bread and popped it into a white paper sack and handed it to me and said, "ok, now this one is for you to take home" as she walked us to the back door. As we left she said "see you soon", and I think she will….see us soon…… And we'll do a post of course.

You can't put a price on that……

In a nutshell, it is probably the most accessible Iraqi Restaurant in the area. The prices are reasonable and the portions are very generous. The lunch crowds are, well, crowds. It is perhaps better to go for an early or late lunch. Limited parking in the small parking lot, but there's ample street parking.

Ali Baba Restaurant
421 East Main Street
El Cajon, CA 92020

Just a quick reminder – The 3rd Annual Somerton Tamale Festival.

December 5, 2009 mmm-yoso What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

Ed from Yuma wanted to remind folks that the 3rd Annual Somerton Tamale Festival is taking place on December 19th, from 11am to 10pm in Somerton, on Main Street between Union Avenue and Somerton Avenue.

You can find more information on the website.

Ed has also posted on the first festival, and a two parter on last year's festival.

Sounds like a great time…..who knows, you may run into Ed!

Convoy/Clairemont Pho Revisits: Pho T Cali, Phuong Trang, and Convoy Noodle House

December 2, 2009 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

When I recently did a post on Pho in Rancho Bernardo, I received an email asking me about my pick for Pho in the Kearny Mesa area. To be honest, most of my Pho intake occurs to the South of Ulric street, or North of the 52 Freeway. I haven't had Pho in the Convoy area for at least a year, and that was at Convoy Noodle House……truth be told, it was a pretty good bowl. As with so much that happens here, your recommendations, questions, and requests, are the real ideas behind my posts….. I just provide the stomach! So, with my marching orders in hand, here are some updated visits to Pho T Cali, Phuong Trang, and Convoy Noodle House.

Before I get rolling, there's something I noticed with these places; first, the garnishes have dwindled, you'll need to request more basil, bean sprouts, etc……also, you'll never get Ngo Gai (culantro) delivered with your standard dish of garnishes. You can ask, I have, but that doesn't mean it'll be on hand. So here goes……

Pho T Cali:

**** Pho T Cali has closed

The favorite of many, for me, very MOR (middle of the road) Pho. In past visits, the Pho has lacked character, and I really didn't think things would be much different on this visit. The service was standard Pho shop, I'm pointed to my table, a menu dealt out like the ace of spades, and the gentleman is standing on top of me waiting for my order before I open the menu.

I went with the "Chín, nạm, gầu, gân, sách" (well done steak, flank, brisket, tendon, and tripe – $5.50).

Well what can I say…… the garnishes were fresh, but sparse. Check out the broth……..I think the beef flavoring was provided by "old Betsy" in the back of the place who exhaled on a pot of water. The broth was also very salty…… Funny thing was, I had a flashback of Pho I had in Hanoi, and not in a good way. In fact, that bowl from Pho Cuong was better than this.

The noodles were done well, and the brisket was tasty, though the flank lagged behind in flavor, and there was but one tiny piece of tendon in my bowl.

In the end, I decided to cut my losses………

Try as I might, I just couldn't bring myself to have another spoonful. No wonder I saw everyone dumping loads of hoisin and sriracha into their bowls. What the heck happened here? For those who eat here often, I hope, for the sake of your tastebuds, this was just a bad day.

Pho T Cali
7351 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

Phuong Trang:

AKA "Vietnamese Denny's"….as a couple of folks I know call the place. Still, the food is consistent, and usually non-threatening. Actually, the older Gentleman serving me was the nicest and provided the most friendly service of the three places.

Here I went with the Flank and Brisket ($5.50):

Though still pretty light on the beef flavor, there were at least some clove and anise hints in the broth. The broth was also the least salty of the three places, it was funny, I could taste the difference in the flavor form each leaf of basil I added to the broth. Still, much to light for my tastes. The bean sprouts were brown and going South, so I asked the older Gentleman if I could get a replacement, which was done post-haste, and apologetically. As for the meats, the flank was cut too thick, it was dry, and tasteless. The brisket was a bit under-done, and could have been more tender.

When taking this photo, I decided to use another angle since I've always been accused of taking my Pho shots from the same angle….and sometimes even for using the same generic photo of a bowl oh Pho over and over…..

If you want "Pho not to offend", you can't go wrong with Phuong Trang……. They do ride that middle line in the road well here…..

Phuong Trang
4170 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

Convoy Noodle House:

**** Convoy Noodle House has closed

This is the place I usually recommend in the area, but I hadn't eaten here in over a year. As with Pho T Cali, I ordered the "Chín, nạm, gầu, gân, sách" (well done steak, flank, brisket, tendon, and tripe - $5.15).

Even though the garnishes here were the most sparse, this bowl was my favorite by a mile. The broth was mildly beefy, with clove and anise over-tones that were smoothed out by a tiny squeeze of lime. It could have used perhaps a bit more oil, but it was pretty good. The noodles were perhaps a touch over-cooked, but edible. Of the meats, the brisket was over-done and crumbled everywhere, and the flank had good flavor but was tough. The look of the tendon lying on top of the bowl wasn't too promising, but it was very soft and almost melted in my mouth.

Funny thing, the cheapest bowl of Pho, turned out to be my favorite.

Convoy Noodle House
4647 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

So there you go……I'm sure all you "Pho-natics" out there have formed your own opinions……

Thanks for reading!