mmm-yoso – Page 350

Copan Ruinas, Honduras: Churrasqueria Momo’s

July 14, 2009 mmm-yoso Honduran Food, Honduras, Travel

There would be no birds singing "ooo-wee" on this Antigua morning, as we woke at 4am for our 5am shuttle to the town of Copan Ruinas in Honduras. Seven hours later we arrived. Dropped off on a side street, and walking to the inevitable Parque Central, we were both overcome with the heat (though not nearly as hot as Cambodia), and charmed by this little town of seven thousand. Yes, tourism is big business here, and hotels line the streets in every direction from Parque Central.

But it's the locals that add color. At Parque Central, you see tourists milling with the local "cowboys" making for an entertaining, and somewhat surreal experience.

Our first mission upon arriving was finding a place to sleep, which was accomplished quickly. The second was getting some Lempiras, Honduran currency. We entered one of the banks across the street from Parque Central….and to our surprise, we found that they didn't change Quetzales (Guatemalan currency) for Lempiras! In fact, only one location in Copan "legally" made these exchanges. But luckily, as we've found in our travels, everyone will most willingly exchange dollars. One bonus was that the bank always seemed to have its A/C turned to "freeze". In the future, when it was getting a bit too hot, we'd often head off to the bank to exchange cash, and cool off. While I was in line, the Missus walked on over to the three guards, each of them armed with shotguns, and started a conversation of sorts. By now She had the rule of decent eats down….all the police officers and security guards know where to grab decent eats. By the time I stuffed the wad of Lempiras in my pocket, the exchange rate was somewhere about 18.5 Lempiras to a dollar, the Missus had gotten a name and directions to our lunch spot.

A place called "Momo's". As we arrived, it turned out that Momo's was a Churrasqueria, basically a steakhouse.

The seating was "al fresco" on a covered porch like area. And the very nice…and patient young man who served us was a joy. We undoubtedly amused him……..

The place was empty, and we sat near the rear of the porch area. It looked like the family lived in the huts at the back of the restaurant, and there were tropical birds in cages enjoying the shade.

The menu at Momo's is mostly comprised of Desayunos (breakfast items), Churrascos (grilled meats), Pinchos (Kabobs), and Parrilladas (combination plates).

After looking over the menu, I went with the Puyazo, a basic grilled beef. (145 Lps – $6.50):

Looking at the meat, I thought it was going to be rather tough, but I was pleasantly surprised. The meat was tender, with great flavor, undoubtedly grass fed. The meat had been seasoned with salt, oregano, and other herbs. The Missus had a taste and declared it delicious. My meal came with the usual sides, and tons of tortillas.

The Missus started with a Licuados(think smoothie). And when She requested a "mixto" of Sandia and Pina, they gladly made it.

Now the Missus wasn't too hungry, and decided to order something "small". Thinking that it would be somthing light, She went with the Honduran calorie bomb called a Baleadas. She ordered the Baleadas con Frijoles, Queso, y Crema, thinking that the non-meat version would be fairly small.

This was as wide as Her forearm. Baleadas are similar to quesadillas, and is a typical breakfast dish. This one was 15Lps – less than two bucks.

We found that huge breakfasts are the norm here. I saw a young man eating a humongous plate of food….the Desayunos con carne. Check out what was on the plate:

I'm glad that I had a pretty hefty lunch….the Missus had one of Her typical "death marches" in store for me after lunch!

Apparently, the Missus had enjoyed this meal. On our last night in Copan Ruinas, the Missus choseMomo's. So we found ourselves back, with the same nice young man serving us.

The Missus again started with Her Licuados….the young man had remembered us (who could forget), and asked Her, "mixto?" Which is what She got…..

The Missus decided on the Filete Mignon (150 Lps – $8.50):

It wasn't much to look at, and the Papas Fritas (french fries) were and after-thought, but it had decent flavor.

I went with the Churrasco Jalapeno (130 Lps – $6):

This large piece of skirt was smothered in a cheese-cream sauce. There was a whole roasted jalapeno pepper partially hidden in the sauce. Though I enjoyed the Puyazo better, this sure wasn't short on flavor. Of course, there were tortillas provided.

I had thought an order of Plantano Frito (Fried Plantains) would make a nice pseudo-dessert.

For the life of us, we could not figure out what the queso (cheese) and frijoles(beans) were for. I tried eating the sweet plantanos with the queso and frijoles and didn't find that a pleasant experience.

Overall, we enjoyed our meals at Momo's. It also gave us a clue as to how substantial meals are. It is not cheap by Honduran standards. We saw the young man one evening when headed back to our hotel, he gave us a shy smile and a wave. We were enjoying our time in Copan Ruinas……

More Grilling – Revised Kalbi Recipe & Ono Kiawe Charcoal

July 12, 2009 mmm-yoso Cooking, Local Kine Stuffs in San Diego, Recipes

Was it hot enough for you today? Sheesh…… Of course, the Missus decided that She wanted some grilling done this weekend, so why not?

I originally posted a Kalbi recipe over four years ago, and the recipe has changed a bit since then, so I thought I'd post an update. Since we often use our posts as references, I hope that you don't mind if I do this post. We'll be back with another restaurant tomorrow.

You'll notice that these aren't the usual crosscut short ribs that you see in most places. Nowadays, if I'm going to put out the effort ot make Kalbi, I'll always go for the thick cut ribs, and slice them myself. I can go anywhere and get cheapo "LA Kalbi" which is what they call the perpendicular cross-cut ribs. So I'll always go with good quality thick cut ribs.

You can see how I cut these in this post, though I've gotten a bit better at it.

I've also noticed that higher grade ribs are saved for the thick cut ribs at Zion Market. These were really good, perhaps even good enough for Saeng Kalbi (unmarinated ribs).

Another standard when it comes to making the sauce I use is "Mulyeot" – Malt Syrup. Along with adding a nice sheen to the ribs, it adds a more interesting flavor, and is not as sweet. If you have time search out a Barley Malt Syrup, it has better flavor. I was dodging shopping carts and crowds at Zion Market and was in a rush when I bought this. I also tend to add some fruit, usually Asian Pear to my marinade, but in this case settled for some Kiwi. I've stopped using papaya, not because it's not effective, but because it works a bit too well, and can turn your meat to mush. Be aware that my Kalbi is not on the sweet side, so you may want to adjust the sugar level. You may also want to cut the amount in half for smaller quantities. Remember to taste your marinade. Also, the sesame oil is optional, sometimes I use it, sometimes not. I've pared down my recipe over the last couple of years, of course I kinda like things simple…….

Kalbi Marinade

Marinade – enough for 4-5 pounds of ribs
1 Cup Soy Sauce
3/4 Cup Sugar
1/3 Cup Malt Syrup
1/4 Cup Rice Wine – I used Sake
4 Cloves of Garlic
4 Stalks Green Onion
1 Kiwi or 1/3 Asian Pear
1-2 Tb Sesame Oil

– Roughly chop garlic, fruit, and green onion and place in a blender.
– Add soy sauce, sugar, and malt syrup and blend.
– Add rice wine and sesame oil, and briefly blend.
– Taste and adjust flavor.
– Marinade ribs at least 6 hours, but no more than 16.

The Missus' grilled mushroom of the day was Eryngii (King Mushrooms). Simply seasoned with sea salt and olive oil, thse were really good. I chose mushrooms that weren't too large, large one's might be attractive, but for grilling I've found them tough and dry.

Ono Kiawe Charcoal.

While just taking a quick look at Barbeques Galore…..where I just like to kinda look around, but had never bought anything, I saw this bag:

Wow, Kiawe Charcoal! Man, I haven't even heard the word Kiawe for who knows how long. As I inspected the bag, a salesman swooped in to make a sale. I quickly noticed the "Product of Mexico" on the bag, which is not a big deal since Kiawe is a species of Mesquite . I was more concerned about this being sold as "A Hawaiian tradition". Of course, it was quickly pointed out that it also said "Created in Hawaii", and was told that the wood comes from Hawaii, but is made into Charcoal in Mexico. I wasn't fully sold on that, but what the heck…...

Now, I'm not a charcoal expert, nor an expert on anything really, but this tasted pretty close to what I remembered. It also popped and crackled like crazy, and ashed(makes a good bit of ash) up just like Kiawe. Good flavor though. Also, some of the chunks were more like stumps….they were huge and unwieldy, and needed to be broken down. It lights quickly and burns fast, I'd recommend mixing with another hardwood charcoal.

As you can see, Sammy's still not quite sold…though he did think the rib bones were mighty tasty.

I hope you managed to keep cool over this hot weekend!

Durian Fro-yo anyone? Flavaful Yogurt

July 10, 2009 mmm-yoso Desserts

After a nice meal at Sab E Lee, FOY (friend of yoso) JohnL suggested that some Fro-yo would be the perfect way to cap off the evening. My initial response was, "Fro-yo? Hmmm, I'm not quite sure." It was at that point that JohnL said the magic words, "I think you might be interested, they have Durian frozen yogurt….." Durian fro-yo? You couldn't get me there fast enough! Lucky for me it wouldn't be a long wait. Flavaful Yogurt is less than a block away, in the old Ba Le location.

I had thought this place was a water shop, but they also do frozen yogurt.

And sure enough they had Durian…….

Overall, I wasn't too impressed with the Durian flavor, it tasted more like "off-coconut". Not enough of real Durian flavor. I did enjoy the Coconut, which was just as good as the version at Yogurt Lounge…who it seems is always out of coconut. I also enjoyed the Lychee fro-yo, which if a bit too "icy" was an excellent palate refresher.

The Missus was a bit dubious when I mentioned Flavaful Yogurt to Her. But a few days later we dropped by and got a cup………to digress a moment. Did you ever notice that no matter what you put in your cup, it always comes to at least five bucks???? OK, back to Earth….the Missus really enjoyed the Plain, coconut, and taro. As usual we shared a cup. Any more would have triggered my lactose intolerance. I guess the Missus liked it. We were back a few days later.

The flavor of the plain get kinda close to Beijing style yogurt in flavor if not in texture. This fro-yo has good balance, not too tart, not too sweet. It is a bit sweeter than Yogurt Lounge, but not in a bad way. For me, it's a bit too "icy" on the sorbet side, but it is our current favorite.

I went to Flavaful Yogurt to try the Durian flavor, and ended up coming back for the lychee, coconut, and plain.

Flavaful Yogurt/Avian Fresh Drinking Water
6937 Linda Vista Rd
San Diego, CA 92111

Thanks for having me check out Flavaful, JohnL!

Turo Turo Thursday: Olga’s Food Place

July 9, 2009 mmm-yoso Filipino Restaurants

I've got a bunch of one or two-off sets of photos consisting of visits to various "turo-turo" (point-point) shops all of San Diego. I really didn't know how, or where to place them. I was thinking of just doing a week of these "steam table" shops, which are a staple. I do wish there would be more medium range restaurants like Tribu Grill and Gerry's Grill in San Diego, but alas, whether based on attitudes or local culture it is not to be. So I've decided to do one of these places every week or so until I run out!

You may have seen the sign, so you may think that name of this joint is "Filipino Lumpia". Unless, of course, you've read Dennis's post, which you can find here.

But if you enter through the door…..

You might find a quaint "turo-turo" shop. I say "might" because the first time I ventured through those doors, right after I saw the Filipino Lumpia sign, the place was empty, totally empty, and not even my "hellos" would create a stir in the place.

My next visit would be much, much, different. I happened to walk in when Rocky was working. Rocky, along with his wife Olga run Olga's Food Place and Lumpia Factory. Rocky, originally from Cavite is a jovial and friendly soul. At first glance, he reminded me of retired entertainer Teddy Tanaka, circa 1970's in dress.

There are usually 8 steam table offerings daily, and something even more special on Fridays and Saturdays:

In case you think that Filipino and Cuban food make strange bedfellows, you wouldn't be alone. You see, Olga is Cuban, and the quiet older woman there on Fridays and Saturdays, who I believe is Olga's Mother cooks one or two Cuban Dishes. Rocky is easy to talk to, and if you show any interest or knowledge of Filipino Food, he'll undoubtedly ask you, "are you Filipino"? I saw him ask a somewhat incredulous African-American young man this, when he ordered the adobo; "you know ADOBO! Are you Filipino???" Somehow, coming from Rocky, this is just plain charming, as I've been asked three times, and can't help but chuckle……..

On this day, I went with the two item and starch turo-turo standard($5.00), selecting the just prepared Cuban Arroz con Pollo (Chicken Rice) as my starch.

In one corner, I selected the Fish Sarsiado. This sarsiado preparation used tilapia, which was on the dry side. The tomato-onion based sauce had good flavor, and this was very low on the "patis" (fish sauce) scale.

In the other corner was Cuban Chicken Fricasse (Fricasé de Pollo):

Mild in flavor but very moist, this was a rustic home-style dish.

My favorite was the Arroz con Pollo, in spite of the fact the rice was on the mushy side, was full of flavor.

On other occasions, I've arrived to find the place packed with a swarm of young folks, reading, playing, and just being kids. I think that Rocky and Olga have a huge family, and extended family.

One non-Friday I arrived and just went with the simple two item combo, this time with a version of Tocino and Adobo.

The radiation red tocino was dry and flavorless, and left me unimpressed.

The Adobo on the other hand was pretty good. Notice I say "adobo", not chicken adobo, or pork adobo. This was a combination chicken and pork adobo.

The meats were tender and moist, and the black pepper flavor in the sauce stood out. This was not bad. I'd say this was easily worth the five bucks, not "National City level" food, but I think a bit better than Phil-Am a few miles away.

Olgas main business is in lumpia. At four for a buck, it's pretty much a bargain.

The pork, and the "mixed" is better than the beef, and though not quite as good as FredCel's lumpia, you can get 100 lumpia for $25!

Overall, an interesting Mom-and-Pop-Filipino-Cuban-turo-turo joint. Now that's one of a kind…..

Olga's Food Place
2314 Morley St
San Diego, CA 92111

Please read Dennis's post on Olgas on a Radiused Corner, which can be found here.

Guatemala: Tikal, Flores, and Cafe Arqueologico Yaxha

July 7, 2009 mmm-yoso Guatemala, Guatemalan Food, Travel

Even though we had our eyes glued to the little television in our room (the whole Swine Flu story was just breaking) most of the evening, we had no problem waking for our 5am bus to Tikal. Even at 5am, it was still pretty muggy. We made the 60 plus Kilometer trip squeezed into a mini-van, and arrived without incident. We purchased our tickets, and started walking under the jungle canopy making our way through the sprawling ruins of Tikal. But not before checking out the "Do Not" sign……

Which would have taken one several minutes to read…..and led to the inevitable question, "was breathing allowed?"

The park itself is a set of trails which meander up, around, and through the ruins. The grand scale of the pyramids are pretty amazing, rising up in the air piercing the jungle canopy. You also soon come to understand that only a fraction of Tikal has been restored. All of those mounds and hills you walk past are structures waiting to see the light of day.

According to what I've read, Tikal was first settled around 900 B.C…..yes, B.C. It was a minor settlement until the collapse of El Mirador between 250 – 150 B.C. when the first ceremonial structures were built. By 250 A.D. Tikal had become an important, and powerful Mayan "state". In 562 A.D. Tikal was crushed, and period called the "hiatus" began. For 130 years, no new structures were erected at Tikal. In 682 A.D. Tikal once again gained power, and a frenzy of new building began. At the height of power it is estimated that Tikal's population topped 100,000 and the city covered almost 20 square miles. By the 9th Century A.D. Tikal began feeling the strain of population growth, and eventually the city was abandoned until it's rediscovery.

Without a doubt, the most impressive area of Tikal is the "Great Plaza". This large grassy area is dominated by two towering temples. Temple I towering 44 feet, also known as the "Jaguar Temple" is probably the most well known structure in Tikal as it is shown in most of the tourist photos and literature.

Directly facing it is Temple II (Temple of the Masks) at about 125 feet.

As you can see, there are some fairly steep stairs up Temple II, from which you can get a good view of the "Great Plaza".

It's hard to believe that building of the Great Plaza had already been underway during the time of Christ!

And like many things in life….it's much easier going up, than it is coming down!

As grand as it all was, for some strange reason "temple fatigue" set in pretty quick for me. Though the Missus was having a grand time. She being the one who never met a set of stairs She didn't want to climb. She even scaled the 190 foot Temple V, and got this wonderful shot of Tikal rising out of the canopy.

By noon we both had seen enough, and caught the first minibus back to Flores. The minibus thing was interesting, as tourists were squeezed in, and than even more room was found for locals who used the vans as an informal bus service to get from location to location.

We arrived back in dusty Flores famished. We had given a thought to trying out one of the wild game restaurants across the causeway in Santa Elena, but after reading that much of the wild game is poached, we decided to give it a pass. I had also read about a restaurant owned by a German Architect who specializes in monument conservation named Dieter Richter. Apparently, Mr Richter has worked on many remote sites, and has a restaurant called Café Arqueológico Yaxha. On the map, the Cafe seemed to be very far away, on the other side of Flores. But Flores, being perhaps the length of less than 3 football fields wide, it was just a 10 minute walk, taking the long way.

The interior is bright, and photos of various Mayan sites are posted on the walls.

And among the Hamburguesa, pancakes, and various versions of spaghetti was a page of "Mayan" specialties. We placed our order, and in keeping with restaurants in Honduras and Guatemala, we waited. Waiting for your meal in these countries is not a bad thing; it means that your meal is being prepared fresh. Sitting with a growling belly for an hour is not uncommon as we found later on in Copan.

The Missus ordered the Filete de Pescado al Tikinchic:

Unlike the Yucatanian Tikinchic I've had the "sauce" was not citrus based, but tomato and pepper based. The Black Snook (robalo) was cooked to perfection. The Missus loved this, and even enjoyed the mass produced corn chips!

I ordered the Pollo con salsa de Tamarindo:

This was a piece of boneless, skinless chicken thigh glazed in a tamarind sauce. The chicken was tough and stringy, kinda to be expected. The sauce was super tangy and puckery, and I think I detected a hint of soy sauce? Nevertheless, it was tasty. This was not bland in the least bit.

Curious, we also ordered the Yuca con Hierba Mora.

At first we were disappointed that the Yuca was just served on the side as with our other dishes. In essence it was a scrambled egg dish……but a scrambled egg dish that we enjoyed! The greens had an interesting mildly bitter and astringent effect, which heightened the flavor of everything else.

So after I return home, I look up Hierba Mora, and gasp! Everything I find lists it as Black Nightshade, which got my attention. Especially the part that read "When mature they should be considered poisonous as they may contain high levels of solanine, but in general the plant is not as poisonous as many of its nightshade cousins." Yikes! But reading this publication put me at ease. Within the document it lists the plants use as a pot-herb in Guatemala, saying that young plants areconsumed in large quantities.

It could have been that we had not eaten since the night before, but this meal left us more than satisfied.

Café Arqueológico Yaxha
Calle 15 de Septembre
Flores, Guatemala

Flores itself was a pretty dusty town. It didn't help that all the streets were dug up. Instead of streets you had trenches, some of which were ten feet deep.

In some instances, shops and building were isolated, and you had to cross those trenches via planks. As was the case in the local Tienda (market).

In others words, I got to say that I had to "walk the plank to get Agua Pura (water)". I'm sure that all the construction was for the good of all the future visitors…..

In Flores, was stayed at the Hotel Casa Amelia.

The rooms were modest, but clean.

Dig the curtains made from burlap sacks!!!!

But Casa Amelia had one commodity we relished, well two. Air conditioning, and a (small) television.

And we had a view of Lake Peten Itza out our window. The Missus took this photo of kids being, well, kids using a sunken boat as a swimming pool.

And in spite of the wonderful sunset:

We both knew it was time to move on…….

O’ Yea! Vietnamese Cuisine

July 6, 2009 mmm-yoso Bun Bo Hue, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** O'Yea has closed

Over a year after reading Mizducky's post on the quaintly named O Yea! we finally made it for a visit. You can read all about it in her post here. If I recall, this used to be a Thai Restaurant in a former life. The interior is rather pink…..

The one odd thing is not the color, or any of the decor. In many kitchens you'll here the "ding" of the bell when a dish is ready for pick-up. At OY, you'll hear Big Ben Chime…."ding-dong-ding-dong…..ding-dong-ding-dong"!

The menu is just a tad South of huge, with 96+ dishes ranging from Pho Ga (Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup) to full on Hot Pot Dinners (Lau), and this doesn't include the 30 or so drinks. It's enough to trigger off "Vietnamese Menu Overload".

I decided to order the combination Com Tam pictured on the tabletop ($6.50):

The first thing I always try to note is the fragrance of the broken rice; for some reason it always stimulates my appetite. Unfortunately, the aroma of 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline was lacking. It was appropriate as this dish was basically a "non-starter". The grilled pork was hard, greasy, and tough, though the "Cha" (steamed egg) was moist but bland. The "Bi" was dry, and lacked flavor.

The Missus had Her mind set on one thing from the beginning, those savory orbs of rice flour called Banh Khot ($6):

The Missus, an avowed Kanom Krok fan, had expected something similar with regards to texture; crisp exterior, light at first bite, with a still molten, custard like interior. This was already cold by the time it hit the table, and it was soggy all the way through.

Not a great meal by any stretch of the imagination. Still, I decided that I'd give the place another shot. Though the Missus decided to stay home and have leftovers.

Again, faced with the sizable menu, I was at a loss as to what to order. Not that the very nice young lady waiting for my order was pushy, when she was in fact quite nice……I think she's used to the initial state of confusion. I finally went with the Bun Bo Hue, one of my favorite noodle soups.

When the bowl arrived I was very surprised at the portion size…..it is priced at only five bucks($5):

In spite of the promising appearance, I could barely detect the scent of fish sauce. Nor could I pick up the aroma of lemongrass nor shrimp paste. Tasting the broth confirmed what my nose had not detected. The broth was very bland, annatto colored, salt water bland. The broth was also South of hot. BBH demands a scalding broth to take care of the herbs and vegetables provided. Notice I said vegetables, not garnish. For me the chopped greens are an integral part of the dish.

Too bad because the noodles were prepared well, and in spite of the lack of Cha Lua (steamed defatted pork sausage), there was meat galore in this bowl. The meat was very tender, the brisket full of flavor. The addition of Rau Ram (Vietnamese Coriander) added a nice peppery component to the bowl.

This bowl reminded me of the version at Pho Hoa Cali Express. It's Bun Bo Hue designed for Pho lovers, if you're looking for that, it's waiting for you here. I found this lacking the earthy, spicy, bright flavors of a good Bun Bo Hue.

I had really to like this restaurant; the prices are good, and I had really nice and friendly service. So maybe one of my FOYs (Friends of Yoso) out there can tell what of the 90 plus items on the menu is worth trying????

O'Yea! Vietnamese Cuisine
4660 El Cajon Blvd #102
San Diego CA 92115

A Grillin’ Fourth – An updated Lebanese Garlic Paste Recipe, and a simple Greek Marinade

July 4, 2009 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Cooking, Recipes

Happy Fourth Everyone!

This year, just like millions of households across the US we decided to do some grillin' for the Fourth of July. We just kept things simple. I do have one bad habit….I'm notorious for trying to squeeze every single last spark from my charcoal, so a morning of grilling usually encompasses at least several different preparations.

This year, along with roasting peppers for future use in sandwiches and salads, I found that the Missus loves simple grilled oyster mushrooms. The mushrooms are simply coated with Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and seasoned with sea salt and oregano. The char was removed from the peppers, and it was topped with Greek Feta from North Park Produce and roasted in a pan.

The Missus also wanted some grilled sardines, and I found some fresh local sardines(Iwashi) at Nijiya.

I also bought some Lamb Shoulder from NPP, cut it into cubes, and used my general purpose Greek Marinade for the meat. It is so easy that I'm kinda embarrassed to share:

Greek style Marinade for Lamb or Chicken:

1/2 Cup Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/3 Cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
6-8 cloves of garlic minced
1-2 Tb dried oregano
1 Tb Kosher Salt

– Mix ingredients together. Taste and adjust seasoning.
– Marinade 1-2 lbs of meat overnight.

I used the meat for kabobs:

The marinade did a great job tenderizing the meat. I ate these wrapped in a pita with a nice smear of Garlic Sauce.

Speaking of Garlic Sauce, here's an update of the recipe I posted back in 2006. Going for the "Zankou" effect, I added mashed potato to give the sauce body.

Lebanese Garlic Sauce:
2 Bulbs of Garlic peeled and separated
1/2 Cup Lemon Juice
3/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Large Russet Potato, boiled and mashed
2 Tsp Kosher Salt

– Combine garlic, lemon juice, and salt in a blender.
– Blend until a smooth "paste" is achieved
– While blender is running, slowly add olive oil into the blender in a thin stream until the mixture thickens.
– After mixture thickens, stop the blender and add 2-3 Tb mashed potato, and blend. Keep adding mashed potato until desired thickness is reached.
– Refrigerate overnight.

Be aware that your breath will probably be politically incorrect for a while after consuming this.

The last item for the grill were some chicken wings. I had eight wings total, so I seasoned four of the wings with sea salt and canola oil. In need of some variety, I took a few tablespoons of the garlic sauce, and a few tablespoons of canola oil, added a touch of salt and rubbed the other four wings down with the mixture. I let the wings sit for about 20 minutes or so.

The garlic wings are on the left, the salt only wings are on the right:

I think I'll use my "old" garlic sauce recipe and marinate some wings overnight next time. I do enjoy hardwood charcoal grilled wings seasoned with just salt.

I hope everyone has a fun and safe Fourth of July!

Chiang Mai: Huen Phen

July 3, 2009 mmm-yoso Chiang Mai, Thai Restaurants, Thailand, Travel

Man, I can't believe it's been over 10 months since we returned from our Laos – Thailand trip, and I still haven't finished my vacation posts yet! So to make sure that I get these posts done, I thought I'd deviate from my usual chronologic posts and start with our favorite meal(s) in Chiang Mai.

We kind of regret that we didn't check out Huen Phen until our last day in Chiang Mai, we'd surely have wanted at least another lunch there. Huen Phen is located down Thanon Rachamankha, in a more sedate area of Chiang Mai.

Huen Phen itself is actually two different restaurants. During the evening, it's the crowded antique filled restaurant. During lunch, the area to the front left of the restaurant serves up steam table and noodle dishes.

The lady behind the counter was very nice, and even provided samples. I even sampled the broth for the Khao Soi, which only confirmed (this was third version I tasted) that I didn't care for it. Of course everything we asked about was met with a, "it's good…you try, you try….." Which is kinda what happened, we ended up eating enough to feed a small army. And incredibly we finished everything.

I've suddenly realized that if I went over every single dish, I'd still be writing on Monday, so I'll keep this to mostly photos. Let me just say, that I really enjoyed some of the dishes, especially the various Nahm Prik (dips/pastes) which is one of the signature dishes of Lanna (Northern Thai) cuisine. So without further ado, here are the photos:

We enjoyed lunch so much, that we returned for dinner!

Though we enjoyed lunch more, dinner was no less yummy! Especially the Nam Prik Ong, the classic Chili and Pork dip…think Thai Bolognese sauce. As much as I enjoyed that, the version with crisp pork skin was even better!

So here are the dinner photos:

Just a quick note, wouldn't you know that the only dish we didn't care for was the Morning Glory pictured above! Of course the Northern style Fish Soup was super!

I think there are times when the photos speak for themselves.

Huen Phen
112 Thanon Rachamankha
Chiang Mai, Thailand

COMC: La Playita

July 1, 2009 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Seafood

**** La Playita has closed

La Playita has been well covered in two separate posts by the one and only Cathy. But I thought, since it's getting a bit warm out, this would be a nice chance to "COMC" (Clear Out the Memory Card), and do a short post of mostly photos on La Playita.

If you've read the previous posts you'll have good description of La Playita. A little family run shop with, one table, doing most of their business off a counter with six stools.

Most discussions center around two main items served at La Playita, the Ceviche:

Which is refreshing, if a bit too heavy on the lime for me.

The other item often discussed are the various Cocktel (Seafood Cocktails), which uses the home made hot sauce concoction as part of it's base.

The Missus's favorite is the Vuelve a la Vida ("Back to Life"), She always goes with the large sized cocktail ($13).

This wonderful seafood ambrosia is topped off with freshly shucked oysters. The only problem was trying to explain to the Missus that it wasn't the seafood that was coming "back to life", but the term is meant to be the effect of this wonderful concoction on the individual. I've read that this cocktail has a history as a hangover remedy, and brought many a bleary eyed, cotton mouthed, individual back to life.

It would be quite easy to stop at this point on the menu.

But I thought you might want to see a few of the other offerings.

The Taco Gobernador ($3), does not quite hold a candle to the version at Mariscos German, but is quite acceptable.

It is a bit less heavy.

The Pescadillas ($3) is a molten fried mixed seafood taco.

The Aguachili ($14), is a large portion of raw shrimp, "cooked" with lime juice, mixed with red onions which add a nice bite. Speaking of bite, everything is covered with a good amount of sweat inducing chili, especially if you order it spicy like I did.

The Caramones a la Diabla (Shrimp Diablo – $14) is a good portion of shrimp sauteed in a spiced up chipotle based sauce.

The colorfully named Pulpo Enamorado – "Octopus in love" (Spicy Octopus – $14) is another dish utilizing a tangy-spicy chipotle based sauce.

Just in case it's a bit too cold for ceviche, one of these dishes will be sure to warm you up. After all wouldn't it be nice to meet up with an Octopus in Love? Well, maybe not……..

Of course, it may never be too cold for Ceviche…..

I've always been served seafood of good quality at La Playita.

Don't forget the tostadas and crackers…….

La Playita Seafood
5185 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92117

Road Trip: Hunan Chilli King – San Gabriel (Los Angeles)

June 29, 2009 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Road Trip

During our most recent road trip, after noshing at Qing Dao Bread Food, we decided to give the Missus' Dad's cuisine equal time. My FIL hails from Hunan, which explains the Missus's ability to eat some pretty spicy stuff. My MIL is also able to handle some pretty hot stuff, "tolerance by association" I guess. Our first thought was to drop by Tianjin Bistro, but on a whim the Missus decided that we should have lunch here.

The first thing I noticed when we entered was that a good number of the folks eating were fanning their mouths, an ominous sign, as was all the hissing noises of the folks sucking air through their teeth. One of the Servers is boisterous and outgoing, the other, quiet but very kind. The walls of the restaurant is lined with the ubiquitous colored strips of paper with the various specialties of the house written on them.

As we sat, a little dish of boiled peanuts, and some very briney Hunan Pao Cai (pickled vegetables) arrived at the table.

The pickles lived up to our standard of Hunan cuisine with unabashedly bold flavors. So we were a bit surprised at the very mild millet porridge that arrived at the same time. Having previous experience, we knew that this would provide the perfect prophylaxis for our upcoming meal.

So what to order? Chilli King is known for the Hunan Steamed Fish Head, but you need to order that in advance. So we just went with what caught our fancy.

The first item we went with Steamed Preserved Meat (La Wei He Zheng – $8.99), a classic steamed mixed smoke meat dish.

For me this was not smokey enough in flavor, way too salty, and the meat was mushy, and falling apart. It was nowhere close to the version at Hunan Seafood. The Missus enjoyed it though.

Of course as soon as I saw it, I had to have the Sauteed Lamb (Xiao Chao Yang Rou - $8.99):

The lamb was nice and gamey, the spice was pretty much on my "high side". I thought the ratio of lamb to cilantro was excellent. Do you noticed something? If you've ever noticed, at most Sichuan restaurants, all the chilies are deseeded. Notice all the chili seeds in this dish…..it kind of gives you a hint of the spice level.

Last up, comes the most interesting, and painful dish of the day. The Missus saw a dish on one of the papers flying over our head.

When the Missus ordered it "Big Spicy", the Server, obviously knowing by Her accent that the Missus wasn't from Hunan, told Her, "our medium spicy, is hotter than most BIG spicy". But of course we stuck to our guns. What had we ordered? Suan Do Jiao Chao La Ya ($8.99). This was basically Smoked Duck stir fried with Hunan Pickled Green Beans and Chilies. As she walked away, the woman turned and glanced at me with an "okay, it's your funeral" look.

For me this is an excellent example of the un-apologetically spicy Hunan dish. The smoked duck was nicely flavored. There were two types of chilies in this dish, salt-preserved chilies, and smaller red chilies. Again, check out all the chili seeds! The sour and briney pickled green beans actually heightened the burning sensation. I was okay after two bites….but after three I started sweating, not a big deal, that happens all the time. By my fourth and fifth bites my scalp was tingling, and my mouth felt like an open wound. And then I did it, I drank a cup of hot tea. It was like I poured alcohol on an open wound! Lesson learned, I made sure my tea had cooled off before consuming it. Strange thing was, I was caught up in a heat addiction death spiral. I was snapped out of this by the nice Server, who asked me if I was okay….which sounded strangely like the phrase "do you need CPR"……. As usual we had leftovers. That same evening, I heated this dish in the microwave. When I opened the door, the fumes hit me square in the face and I felt like I had been maced! It was even more spicy! I could only manage two bites, and for some reason my ears started ringing. The next day, I didn't even bother trying to eat the leftovers (loved the lamb though), I knew it would be too much for me. The Missus enjoyed it to the last…….

Of course, on every trip to the SGV, we have a story, so here's the one for this place. We were seated right next to the kitchen door and the counter. While we were eating a short gentleman walked into the restaurant. He was just one of those folks who just kinda makes you laugh. Short, square, animated expression, with his pants pulled up to his nipple line….. He came in and ordered one dish, and tried to pay with a credit card, and was told that there was a minimum purchase of $20 with a credit card. Suddenly, you could make out a few "ticks" and twitches. Faced with this, the man tried to persuade the ladies to let him use his credit card. The Missus kept giggling as he tried different strategies to get his way, trying among other things, flattery ("this is my wife's favorite place"), but was blocked on every end. Finally, he went with his last ace-in-the-hole, the pseudo-guilt trip, "We come here all the time. We live in Irvine, and today I came all the way here to pick up lunch for my wife!" This of course was met with the check-mate "so you come here all the time? Than why would you come all the way from Irvine with only six dollars?" Which of course, instantly insinuated laziness (couldn't go to the ATM), and stupidity (you eat here all the time, and you don't know that there's a $20 minimum for credit cards). Out-trumped the gentleman ordered another dish. Which started up the next discussion. He had ordered on dish "BIG SPICY", and the other "no spicy". Turns out that his wife loves spicy food, but he is unable to tolerate spice! The Missus was cracking up at the way he described the situation……. She told me this is more funny than those Chinese comedies She watches!

As we left the restaurant, I passed a young lady fanning her mouth and inhaling with a hissing noise. I gave her a knowing smile…….I felt (literally) both her pain…and pleasure.

Hunan Chilli King
524 East Valley Boulevard
San Gabriel, CA 91776

I definitely wanted something a bit soothing after this meal………